Archives for May 2014

Minnesota’s MLB All Star Games – 1965 & 1985

May 28, 2014 by
Ready to welcome the 2014 All Stars.

Ready to welcome the 2014 All Stars.

Like most Minnesotans, I am looking forward to the 2014 All Star game (and all the related festivities) at Target Field.  The anticipation led me to reflect on the previous All Star games hosted by our Twins – 1965 at Met Stadium (Bloomington) and 1985 at the Hubert H.  Humphrey Metrodome (Minneapolis). I missed the 1965 game (serving in the Air Force overseas), but made it to the (less exciting) 1985 contest.

 

1965  ALL STAR GAME

The 1965 All Star Game drew 46,706 fans to Metropolitan Stadium and they got their money’s worth as the National League won 6-5, with Willie Mays scoring the winning run on a Ron Santo infield single in the seventh inning.  Given the line-ups (see below), it’s surprising the game was so close. Going into the game, the two leagues had split the All Star contests evenly (17-17, with one tie).  The NL win actually gave the senior circuit its first lead in the series – and, what a National League lineup the fans got to see in Minnesota that day (remember, no interleague play back then)!  There were six future Hall of Famers in the NL starting nine alone.  Here’s the game-opening line-up (future Hall of Famers in bold.)

Willie Mays (Giants) CF

Hank Aaron (Braves) RF

Willie Stargell (Pirates)

LF Richie Allen (Phillies) 3B

Joe Torre* (Braves) C

Ernie Banks (Cubs) 1B

Pete Rose (Reds) 2B

Maury Wills (Dodgers) SS

Juan Marichal (Giants) P

*Torre going into HOF as manager this year.

Willie Mays - led off 1965 All Star Game, at Metropolitan Stadium, with a home run.

Willie Mays – led off 1965 All Star Game, at Metropolitan Stadium, with a home run.

The NL players who came into the game off the bench weren’t bad either: Roberto Clemente (Pirates); Frank Robinson (Reds); Billy Williams (Cubs); Ron Santo (Cubs); Leo Cardenas (Reds); Cookie Rojas (Phillies).

The NL pitching staff was equally loaded.  Marichal was relieved in order by: Jim Maloney (Reds); Don Drysdale (Dodgers); Sandy Koufax (Dodgers); Turk Farrell (Astros); and Bob Gibson (Cardinals).

On the AL side the lineup included two future HOFers, Brooks Robinson and the Twins’ own Harmon Killebrew.  (Twins’ fans did get a treat that day.  Not only did catcher Earl Battey join Killebrew in the starting line-up, but AL manager Al Lopez worked Twins Tony Oliva, Zoilo Versalles, Jimmie Hall and Mudcat Grant into the contest. The Twins, of course, were on their way to a 102-60 season and the AL pennant.)  The AL starting nine looked like this:

Dick McAuliffe (Tigers) SS

Brooks Robinson (Orioles) 3B

Harmon Killebrew (Twins) 1B

Rocky Colavito (Indians) RF

Willie Horton (Tigers) LF

Felix Mantilla (Red Sox) 2B

Vic Davalillo (Indians) CF

Earl Battey (Twins) C

Milt Pappas (Orioles) P

Off the bench, the fans saw:  Al Kaline (Tigers); Tony Oliva (Twins); Max Alvis (Indians); Joe Pepitone (Yankees); Bobby Richardson (Yankees); Zoilo Versalles (Twins); Mike Freehan (Tigers); and Jimmie Hall (Twins).

Following Pappas to the mound were: Mudcat Grant (Twins); Pete Richert (Senators); Sam McDowell (Indians); and Eddie Fisher (White Sox). A few in-game highlights:

  • Willie Mays led off the first inning with a long homer to left center; and, later in the inning, Joe Torre hit a two-run shot to left (Willie Stargell scoring). It was, by the way, a bit of a homecoming for Mays.  Minneapolis was his last stop on the way to the majors.  Before his call-up in 1951, Mays played 35 games for the Minneapolis Milllers (AAA), hitting .477, with eight home runs, 30 RBI and five steals.
  • The Twins’ Mudcat Grant relieved Milt Pappas to open the second, and the NL stretched the lead to 5-0 on a two-run homer by Stargell.
  • Meanwhile, Juan Marichal threw three innings of scoreless, one-hit ball.
  • With Jim Maloney on the mound, the AL came back with one run in the bottom of the fourth – on a Dick McAuliffe single, a walk to Harmon Killebrew and a run-scoring single by Rocky Colavito.
  • The wheels came off for Maloney with two out and nobody on in the fifth. He walked the Twins’ Jimmie Hall, then gave up a two-run homer to Dick McAuliffe. Brooks Robinson followed with a single and Killebrew thrilled the crowd with a long and high homer to left center.  With the game now tied at five, Don Drysdale came in and got Colavito on a grounder to second to end the inning.
  • The only other scoring came in the top of the seventh, when Sam McDowell walked Mays, who moved to third on a single by Hank Aaron and scored (the go-ahead and winning run) on an infield hit by Ron Santo.
  • Gibson threw the final two innings for the NL and had to work out of two tough jams. With two outs in the eighth, Zoilo Versalles (walk) on third and Mike Freehan on second (single), Gibson got Hall on a fly out to center.  Then, after the Tony Oliva led off the ninth with a double (putting the tying run in scoring position), Gibson got Max Alvis to pop up an attempted bunt before striking out Killebrew and Joe Pepitone.
  • Showing just how different the contest was: Mays, Aaron, Ernie Banks, Pete Rose, Killebrew and Willie Horton played the whole game.
  • Overall, 16 future HOFers took the field during the game.

Juan Marichal’s three scoreless innings (just one hit) earned him MVP honors.

1985 ALL STAR GAME

I was among the 54,960 fans who packed the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome for the 1985 All Star Game.  By this time, the NL had a 35-19-1 lead in the series, but the AL looked to have the more solid line-up this year. It was a great day to be a San Diego fan – five members of the starting line-up were Padres and seven Padres took the field that day.  Here are the NL starters (future Hall of Famers in bold):

Tony Gwynn (Padres) LF

Tommy Herr (Cardinals) 2B

Steve Garvey (Padres) 1B

Dale Murphy (Braves) CF

Daryl Strawberry (Mets) RF

Graig Nettles (Padres) 3B

Terry Kennedy (Padres) C

Ozzie Smith (Cardinals) SS

Lamar Hoyt (Padres) P

85 hatPlayers we saw coming in off the bench: Ryne Sandberg (Cubs); Jose Cruz (Astros); Tim Raines (Expos); Tony Pena (Pirates); Jack Clark (Cardinals); Willie McGee (Cardinals);  Dave Parker (Reds); Tim Wallach (Expos); Ozzie Virgil (Phillies); Pete Rose (Reds); Glenn Wilson (Phillies); Garry Templeton (Padres).

On the mound, Hoyt was followed by: Nolan Ryan (Astros); Fernando Valenzuela (Dodgers); Jeff Reardon (Expos): Goose Gossage (Padres).

Rooting for the home team AL, I was pleased to see a strong, veteran starting nine (seven future Hall of Famers).  As a Twins’ fan, I was disappointed to see only Tom Brunansky on the AL squad. (The Twins were on their way to a 77-85 fourth-place finish.)  The AL lineup:

Rickey Henderson (Yankees) CF

Lou Whitaker (Tigers) 2B

George Brett (Royals) 3B

Eddie Murray (Orioles) 1B

Cal Ripken, Jr. (Orioles) SS

Dave Winfield (Yankees) RF

Jim Rice (Red Sox) LF

Carlton Fisk (White Sox) C

Jack Morris (Tigers) P

Reserves who got into the game included: Paul Molitor (Brewers): Wade Boggs (Red Sox); Damaso Garcia (Blue Jays); Phil Bradley (Mariners): Tom Brunansky (Twins): Alan Trammel (Tigers): Ernie Whitt (Blue Jays): Gary Ward (Rangers): Rich Gedman (Red Sox); Harold Baines (White Sox); Cecil Cooper (Brewers): Don Mattingly (Yankees) 1B.

Following Morris to the hill (in order) were: Jimmy Key (Blue Jays) ; Bert Blyleven (Indians); Dave Steib (Blue Jays); Donnie Moore (Angels); Dan Petry (Tigers); and Willie Hernandez (Tigers).

Despite being played indoors and in a stadium often called the “Homer Dome,” the game itself was “homer-less” – with the NL topping the AL 6-1 and the NL hurlers allowing AL hitters just five singles.  There weren’t many highlight (especially for AL fans), but here’s a few.

  • After Jack Morris retired the NL in order in the top of the first, Rickey Henderson led off the bottom half with single, then – after a Lou Whitaker fly out – stole second and went to third on an errant throw. He then scored (an unearned run) on a George Brett sacrifice fly.
  • The NL came back with a run in the second (off Morris) on a single by Daryl Strawberry, a stolen base and a single by Terry Kennedy.
  • In the third, the NL knocked Morris out of the game (and took the lead for good) on a two-out/none-on double by Tommy Herr and a run-scoring single by Steve Garvey.  Dale Murphy followed with a ground-rule double to left, then Strawberry drew a walk, before Jimmy Key came into get the final out on a Graig Nettles’ foul-ball pop-up.
  • The NL added two more in the fifth – when Bert Blyleven hit Strawberry with a pitch, Tim Wallach doubled (with Strawberry holding at third) and Ozzie Virgil plated them both with a single.
  • The scoring wrapped up in the top of the ninth, when Dan Petry walked Ryne Sandberg to open the inning, then loaded the bases with walks to Tim Raines and Jack Clark (sandwiched around a Tony Pena strikeout.)  Willie Hernandez came in and gave up a two-run ground rule double to Willie McGee before getting out of the inning.
  • Ozzie Smith and Rice played the whole game.
  • Tom Brunansky came in to play RF in the seventh, and grounded to short (8th inning) in his only at bat.
  • Overall, 14 future HOFers played in the game.

Winning pitcher Lamar Hoyt (three innings pitched, two hits, one unearned run) was the game’s MVP.

The AL did have a minor highlight.  The 1985 All Star Game marked the first-ever official All Star Home Run Derby.  That year, each league selected five players, who each got two turns at bat (five outs per turn, any swing not producing a home run counting as an out).  That first HR Derby was won by the AL.  Here are the totals:

AL – 17  HR

Jim Rice                      4 HR

Eddie Murray              4

Carlton Fisk                4

Tom Brunansky           4

Cal Ripken. Jr.             1

NL – 16

Dave Parker                6

Dale Murphy               4

Steve Garvey              2

Ryne Sandberg           2

Jack Clark                   2

 

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Filed Under: BB Fun Facts

Hondo’s “Week of the Hitter”

May 18, 2014 by

Today marks the 36th Anniversary of the final day of one of the most remarkable weeks any major leaguer ever had at the plate  – and, this “Week of the Hitter” came in the midst of the 1968 season, often referred to as the “Year of the Pitcher.”

Between May 12 and May 18 of that hurler-dominated season, Washington Senators’ hulking first baseman Frank “Hondo” Howard made history by banging out a record 10 home runs in a single week (six games). In that span, Howard went 13-for-24 (.542), homered in all six games, drove in 17 runs and scored 10 times. His 13 hits included the ten homers, one double and two singles, for a slugging percentage of 1.833.  Howard struck out four times in the six games and, surprisingly, despite the hot streak, was walked only once.

A few notes on Howard’s streak.

  • Five of the six contests were on the road (Detroit, Cleveland, Boston) – only the first game was at home.
  • Washington had a 3-3 record during the streak.
  • Both the first home run and last home run (last two, actually) in the streak were hit against the Tigers’ Mickey Lolich.
  • Howard’s 17 RBI represent 59 percent of the runs scored by the Senators during the streak.
  • Howard’s HR-victims were: Mickey Lolich (3 HRs); Sam McDowell (2 HRs); Jose Santiago, Fred Lasher, Ray Culp, Joe Sparma,  Lee Stange.
  • Howard would finish 1968 with an MLB-leading 44 home runs, eight more than AL runner up Willie Horton and NL leader Willie McCovey.

Over his 16-season MLB career, Howard hit .273, with 382 HRs and 1,119 RBI.  He was the 1960 NL Rookie of the Year (.268-23-77 in 117 games for the Dodgers), a four-time All Star (AL – consecutive 1968-71), twice led the AL in HRs (1968, 1970) and topped the AL in RBIs once (1970).

 

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Filed Under: BB Fun Facts

Baseball Reliquary Honors Fans

May 15, 2014 by
Hats off to Baseball Reliquary honoree!

Hats off to Baseball Reliquary honoree!

The Baseball Reliquary is a unique organization, dedicated  dedicated to the character and characters of baseball – from the fans’ point of view.  Each year, the Baseball Reliquary selects inductees to its Shrine of the Eternals, the Reliquary’s version of the National Baseball Hall of Fame – recognizing individuals who have changed the face of the game, both on and off the field.   For more on the Shrine of the Eternals and this year’s honorees click here. What organization, then, is better positioned to recognize not just players, coaches and front office personnel – but also the fans who put their heart into the game. This week, the Baseball Reliquary recognized a pair of individuals who have exhibited a long-standing passion for baseball –  past and present.  These two were honored with the Reliquary’s Hilda Award (passionate fandom) and Tony Salin Award (preservation of baseball history). What follows is the official press release on their selection.  For more on the Baseball Reliquary click here.  I think you’ll enjoy the read.

 

THE BASEBALL RELIQUARY ANNOUNCES

JERRY PRITIKIN AND JERRY COHEN

RECIPIENTS OF 2014 HILDA AND SALIN AWARDS

 The Board of Directors of the Baseball Reliquary, Inc., a Southern California-based nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering an appreciation of American art and culture through the context of baseball history, is pleased to announce the 2014 recipients of the Hilda Award and the Tony Salin Memorial Award.  Jerry Pritikin, the legendary “Bleacher Preacher” long associated with the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field, will receive the 2014 Hilda Award.  Jerry Cohen, founder and owner of Ebbets Field Flannels in Seattle, Washington, will receive the 2014 Tony Salin Memorial Award.  Both awards will be formally presented at the Shrine of the Eternals Induction Day on Sunday, July 20, 2014, beginning at 2:00 p.m., at the Donald R. Wright Auditorium in the Pasadena Central Library, Pasadena, California.  The festivities will include the induction of the 2014 class of electees to the Baseball Reliquary’s Shrine of the Eternals: Dizzy Dean, Don Zimmer, and Rachel Robinson.

Cubs' fan Jerry Pritikin. Photo: Mia Aigotti

Cubs’ fan Jerry Pritikin.
Photo: Mia Aigotti

Established in 2001 in memory of Hilda Chester, the legendary Brooklyn Dodgers fan, the Hilda Award recognizes distinguished service to the game by a baseball fan.  To Baseball Reliquarians, the award is comparable to the Oscar or Emmy: it acknowledges the devotion and passion of baseball fans, and the many ways in which they exhibit their love affair with the national pastime. The 2014 Hilda recipient, JERRY PRITIKIN, became a Chicago Cubs fan in 1945 at the age of eight.  When the Cubs clinched the National League pennant, he asked his dad to take him to the World Series.  His father felt Jerry was too young but made him a promise: he would take him the next time the Cubs made it into the World Series!   And, of course, nearly seventy “wait until next years” later, he’s still waiting to get to the Promised Land. Pritikin rooted for the Cubs even while in “exile” in San Francisco, where he worked as a freelance photographer and publicist from the early 1960s until the late 1980s, at which time he moved back to his beloved Chicago and became a regular at Wrigley Field, earning the moniker “The Bleacher Preacher” for his efforts to convert non-believers to the Cubs.  As “The Bleacher Preacher,” Pritikin wore a pith helmet with a solar-powered propeller; his antics included cavorting with a life-size voodoo doll that would be dressed up in the uniforms of opposing teams, and carrying around handmade signs including one fashioned after the Ten Commandments, inscribed “The Ten Cub-mandments,” and another which read, “How Do You Spell Belief? C-U-B-S!”  While he has attended well over a thousand games, his most memorable one was on May 18, 1947, when he was on hand to see Jackie Robinson’s Chicago debut, and noticed many of the 47,000 fans brought binoculars that day to get a closer look at the future Hall of Famer and Shrine of the Eternals inductee. Called “The #1 Cubs fan” by broadcaster Harry Caray, the 77-year-old Pritikin has been inducted into both the Chicago Senior Citizen Hall of Fame (2012) and the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame (2013), the latter for “excellence and courage as a sports fan, photojournalist, and advocate.”  An early gay rights activist and close friend of Harvey Milk, Pritikin played on gay softball teams for over 30 years, finally hanging up the spikes last year.  Among his fondest memories was in 1981 when he got former major leaguer and friend Glenn Burke to strike out swinging on his knuckleball.  Pritikin regularly played in the annual Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association’s Senior Cup softball tournament, receiving the Oldest Active Player Award four times.

Tony Salin Award Winner Jerry Cohen. Photo: Laurent Laporte

Tony Salin Award Winner Jerry Cohen.
Photo: Laurent Laporte

Established in 2002 to recognize individuals for their commitment to the preservation of baseball history, the Tony Salin Memorial Award is named in honor of the baseball historian, author, and Reliquarian who passed away in 2001.  The 2014 Salin Award recipient, JERRY COHEN, founded Ebbets Field Flannels in 1988, a Seattle, Washington-based company which manufactures historically-inspired athletic apparel, ranging from handmade reproductions of vintage flannel baseball jerseys to T-shirts, baseball caps, and even grounds crew jackets and sweatshirts, all made with a high level of craftsmanship and respect for authenticity.  Simultaneously, Cohen has been preserving the legacies and stories of obscure teams and leagues of the past that might otherwise have been forgotten.  His apparel represents teams from the minor leagues, Negro Leagues, the short-lived Federal League of 1914-15, and often obscure independent and barnstorming teams like the House of David.  The company’s handiwork was recently seen on the big screen, as Ebbets Field Flannels made all the minor league and Negro League uniforms for 42, the Jackie Robinson biopic. At one time an aspiring rock musician, Cohen was born in Brooklyn the year after the Dodgers left the borough for Los Angeles.  His work might best be described as “wearable history,” and his replicas are meticulously researched and often involve painstaking detective work, because hardly any original garments exist for the teams and all the photos are black and white. Ebbets Field Flannels currently offers over 400 different historic jerseys, and each one is created using authentic materials, with virtually everything crafted in the U.S.  The same dedication goes into making their authentic ballcaps, each of which features wool broadcloth construction, soft crown, satin undervisor, and period-style felt lettering or embroidery. “We don’t follow trends, and we aren’t sitting around thinking of how we can create something to fit the current fashion market,” notes Cohen.  “We look at history as our guide.  And we see ourselves as archivists, and people who are trying to bring things forth out of history and turn it in to a living thing as authentically as possible, with as little interference from the original thing to the wearable item today.  That’s not always what gets us the biggest selling product, but I think it’s what people respect and like about the brand.” Both Jerry Pritikin and Jerry Cohen will attend the Shrine of the Eternals 2014 Induction Day in Pasadena, California to personally accept their awards.

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Filed Under: BB Fun Facts

Near No-Hitters – Not Uncommon

May 11, 2014 by

NOTE:  SINCE THIS POST WAS PUBLISHED, MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL HAS CHANGED A SEVENTH INNING ERROR (ON A BALL HIT BY DAVID ORTIZ) IN DARVISH’S MAY 10 GAME TO A BASE HIT – MEANING DARVISH’S NO-HITTER IS NOW CONSIDERED LOST IN THE SEVENTH INNING, RATHER THAN WITH TWO OUTS IN THE NINTH.

Yu DarvishYesterday (May 10, 2014), Yu Darvish lost a no-hit bid with two outs in the ninth inning, as Boston Red Sox’ DH David Ortiz hit a ground ball single to right.  The Rangers were up 8-0 at the time and Darvish – who had walked two and struck out 12 – was at the 126-pitch point (drat, those pitch counts).  Given the lead and the pitch count, Rangers’ manager Ron Washington brought in Alexi Ogando, who retired Mike Napoli (fly out to left to end the game.)  It left Darvish still waiting to achieve not only his first no-hitter, but also his first major league complete game.

And, it wasn’t the first time Darvish found himself in that situation.  Last April 2, Darvish went into the ninth inning of a game against Houston with a 7-0 lead and a perfect game in progress. He started the inning in fine form, getting DH Jason Castro and catcher Carlos Corporan on ground outs (to SS and 2B, respectively).  Then Astros’ shortstop Marwin Gonzalez hit the first pitch in his at bat (and Darvish’s 111th pitch) up the middle for a ground ball single.  Again, Darvish’s day was done, as Washington brought in Micheal Kirkman to close it out (which he did with a single and a strikeout).

Losing a no-hitter or a perfect game with two outs in the ninth – a rarity?  Not so much.  (Losing both a no-hitter and a perfect game in such fashion, on the other hand, is rare – but has been done, see Dave Stieb below.)  In MLB history, twelve perfect games and at least 48 additional no-hitters have been broken up with two outs in the ninth. (BBRT has found conflicting reports on a 49th such instance.)  In addition, there have been five games in which a no-hitter was broken up with two outs in the ninth inning of a tie game, which then went extra innings, so even if the ninth-inning third out had been made, the no-hitter would not have been completed at the inning’s end.

Here’s a few near no-no stories.

Perfect Games Become No-Hitters

Looking further at those twelve broken perfect games, two of them did end up as no-hitters.  On July 4, 1908, New York Giants’ hurler Hook Wiltse (who would win 139 games in 12 MLB seasons), retired the first 26 Phillies before hitting Philadelphia pitcher George McQuillan with a pitch on a 2-2 count.  It was a scoreless game through nine, and Wiltse went on to pitch a hitless tenth (at least preserving the no-hitter) as the Giants won 1-0. On September 2, 1972, Milt Pappas of the Cubs had an 8-0 lead over the Padres – and a perfect game in progress – as San Diego batted in the top of the ninth.  After retiring the first two batters, Pappas walked pinch hitter Larry Stahl on a 3-2 pitch.  Pappas retired the next hitter, so while he lost the perfect game, he did save the no-hitter.

No-Hitter Lost with Two Out in Ninth in the World Series

Only one of the no-hitters lost with two outs in the ninth came in post season play.  On October 3, 1947, Yankees’ right-hander Bill Bevens was on the verge of World Series history.  Bevens went into the ninth with a 2-1 lead over the Dodgers and had yet to yield a hit (the Dodgers had scored one run in the fifth inning on two walks, a sacrifice bunt and a fielder’s choice). Bevens sandwiched a fly out and foul out around a walk to Dodgers’ center fielder Cal Furillo (Bevens’ ninth walk of the game), and so was just one out from a World Series win and no-hitter.  That’s when the wheels came off. The dangerous Pete Reiser was sent in to pinch hit for pitcher Hugh Casey.  Al Gionfriddo, pinch-running for Furillo, stole second and Reiser was walked intentionally – putting runners on first and second with two outs, the Yankees still with a one-run lead, the no-hitter intact and Cookie Lavagetto pinch hitting for Eddie Stanky (Eddie Miksis was also brought in to run for Reiser). Lavagetto doubled to right on Bevens’ second pitch, both runners scored and Bevens lost the no-hitter and the game.

Dave Steib’s Hard Luck

Dave StiebThe Blue Jays’ Dave Stieb took the mound on September 24 and September 30, 1988 (consecutive starts) against the Indian and Orioles, respectively, and produced the same result. In both games, he lost a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth (and a two-ball/two-strike count on the batter). Stieb did get two complete-game shutouts, 1-0 over the Indians and 4-0 over the Orioles. The games were his final two starts of the season, so he had the entire off-season to contemplate his bad luck.  The following season (on August 4, 1989), Stieb found himself again on the brink, this time taking a perfect game in the ninth inning, holding a 2-0 over the Yankees.  He started the inning as though ready to make history, striking out pinch hitters Hal Morris and Ken Phelps on nine pitches.  Then the number-nine hitter, center fielder Luis Polonia, broke up the “perfecto” and no-hitter with a double to left.  Second baseman Steve Sax followed with a run-scoring single, before left fielder Polonia grounded out to end the game. Stieb did finally get his no-hitter on September 2, 1990.

Harvey Haddix’ Worse Luck

For a real hard luck story, there’s the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Harvey Haddix (who is not even on the “lost a perfect game or no-hitter in the bottom of the ninth” list).  On May 29, 1959, Haddix took the mound against the powerhouse Milwaukee Braves (who had won the National League pennant the previous two seasons and came into the game again leading the league.  Haddix retired the first 36 hitters, carrying a perfect game into the bottom of the 13th.  Unfortunately, the Braves Lew Burdette, despite giving up 12 hits and fanning only two, had also held the Pirates scoreless. Felix Mantilla led off the 13th by reaching on error by Pirates’ third baseman Don Hoak. Slugger Eddie Mathews bunted Mantilla over to second, which led to an intentional walk to Hank Aaron, bringing up Joe Adcock. Adcock rapped a 1-0 pitch over the right field fence for what appeared to be a three-run home run.  However, the Braves, in celebrating the tension-filled victory, forgot how to run the bases. Adcock passed Aaron between second and third and, after some deliberation, Adcock was called out – changing his three-run homer to a one-run double. And, on that drive, Haddix lost the perfect game, the no-hitter, the shutout and the game itself.  But he did etch his name forever into baseball lore.

For same past thoughts on completed no-hitter, click here.

 

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Filed Under: BB Fun Facts, News

Best Day at the Plate – EVER!

May 9, 2014 by

Last July, BBRT posted an article on Tyrone Horne, who on July 27, 1998, became the only professional ballplayer to hit for the “home run cycle” – a solo home run, two-run homer, three-run round tripper and grand slam all in the same game. Horne accomplished the feat at Double A ball, as his Arkansas Travelers topped the San Antonia Mission 13-4.  You can read that post by clicking here.

Today, I’d like to celebrate a college player who also hit for the home run cycle – AND MORE – on this day 15 years ago (May 9, 1999).  The player was Florida State Seminoles’ infielder (3B/2B) Marshall McDougall and on that day – in a 26-2 victory over the Maryland Terrapins – McDougall not only hit for the Home Run Cycle, but added a couple of additional round trippers for good measure.  That day, in fact, he set a still-standing NCAA single game records for home runs (6), RBI (16) and total bases (25). And, as you will see in the video – there were no cheap shots for McDougall on that record-setting day.

 

 

I should not here that the game was not one of those early season, out-of-conference mismatches that coaches schedule to build team confidence.  It was an Atlantic Coast Conference game, played at Maryland’s Shipley Field.  Still, it was a bit of a mismatch. Florida State came in with a 43-10 record and a top-five national ranking (the Seminole would finish with a 57-14 record and make it all the way to the title game of the College World Series), while Maryland’s record stood at 21-26 (6-14 in the conference).

McDougall’s, a junior at Florida State was in his first season with the Seminoles, having played and schooled at Santa Fe Community College as a freshman and sophomore (where he was an all-state selection both years).  McDougall continued his strong performance after moving up to Florida State – he was hitting .405, with 17 homers, 70 RBI and 11 stolen bases coming into the May 9 contest.

The day started out mildly enough for McDougall – with a single in the top of the first inning.  But thing heated up from there.  Here’s how his at bats went:

  • First inning – single
  • Second inning – solo home run
  • Fourth inning – three-run home run
  • Sixth inning – two-run home run
  • Seventh inning – three-run home run
  • Eighth inning – grand slam (completing the HR Cycle)
  • Ninth inning – three-run home run

McDougall went on to finish the season, playing 71 games, with a .419 average, 104 runs, 26 doubles, three triples, 28 home runs, 106 RBI and 22 stolen bases in 25 attempts.  He topped all of Division 1 in hits, runs, RBI and total bases –  earning recognition as a first-team All-American and Athletic Coast Conference Player of the Year.  And, McDougall wasn’t done yet.  In the 1999 College World Series, McDougall hit .385, with three doubles, three home runs, six runs scored, eight RBI and one stolen base in six games.  McDougall finished in the top five in nearly every offensive category and lead the Series outright in hits, runs scored, total bases, while also tying for the lead in doubles and home runs.  He was selected to the All-Tournament Team and as the Series’ Most Valuable Player (despite the fact that Florida State lost to Miami 6-5 in the final game).

His senior season was not as spectacular – 72 games, .342 average, 22 doubles, five triples, 15 home runs, 67 RBI and 15 steals – but still earned him the Oakland A’s ninth-round draft pick in 2000.

McDougall spent 5 ½ seasons in the minors (A’s, Indians and Rangers systems) – compiling a .281 average, with 69 home runs, 380 RBI and 52 steals in 563 games – before being called up to the Rangers in June of 2005.  At the time of his call up, he was hitting .341, with 11 home runs and 64 RBI (in 57 games) at Triple A Oklahoma. He got in just 18 games with the Rangers – 18 at bats, three hits, ten strikeouts.

The “rest of the story” reflects McDougall’s passion for the national past time. He started the 2006 season back in the minors (where injuries,wrist and knee, began to take their toll) and from 2006 through 2008 played in the Rangers, Dodgers and Padres systems.  He then went on to play in the Mexican League, independent ball and even in Taiwan.  In 2012, at age 33, McDougall put up a .341-10-32 line in 35 games for the Reynosa Broncos of the Mexican League. In August of 2013, McDougall was named head baseball coach at Wiregrass High School (Wesley Chapel, Florida), leading the team to a District Championship in his first season.

How appropriate that an individual with such a passion for the game would have, arguably, the best day at the plate EVER.

 

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Filed Under: BB Fun Facts

Baseball Reliquary Announces 2014 Shrine of the Eternals Electees

May 6, 2014 by

One of the baseball organizations I am most proud to be a member of is the Baseball Reliquary.  It is an organization truly dedicated to the character and characters of baseball – from the fans’ point of view.  With its passionate, but sometimes  irreverent approach to the national pastime, BBRT likes to think of the Reliquary as “Mardi Gras” for baseball fans.   Each year, the Baseball Reliquary selects inductees to its Shrine of the Eternals, the Reliquary’s version of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  A few of the Reliquary’s diverse list of past inductees include: National Baseball Hall of Famers Yogi Berra and Robert Clemente; fierce competitor Dock Ellis (who once threw a no-hitter while on LSD); maverick owner Bill Veeck, Jr.; Tommy John surgery pioneer Dr. Frank Jobe; and the San Diego Chicken.  This week, the Baseball Reliquary announced it 2014 Shrine of the Eternals electees.  That follows is the official press release – as well as some closing comments noting non-elected nominees that BBRT voted for (and why). For more on the Baseball Reliquary click here.  I think you’ll enjoy the read.

 

DIZZY DEAN, DON ZIMMER, AND RACHEL ROBINSON

ELECTED TO THE SHRINE OF THE ETERNALS FOR 2014

BBRThe Board of Directors of the Baseball Reliquary, Inc., a Southern California-based nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering an appreciation of American art and culture through the context of baseball history, is pleased to announce the sixteenth class of electees to the Shrine of the Eternals.  The Shrine of the Eternals is the national organization’s equivalent to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Dizzy Dean, Don Zimmer, and Rachel Robinson were elected upon receiving the highest number of votes in balloting conducted during the month of April 2014 by the membership of the Baseball Reliquary.  The three electees will be formally inducted into the Shrine of the Eternals in a public ceremony on Sunday, July 20, 2014 at the Donald R. Wright Auditorium in the Pasadena Central Library, Pasadena, California.

Of the fifty eligible candidates on the 2014 ballot, Dizzy Dean received the highest voting percentage, being named on 37% of the ballots returned.  Following Dean were Don Zimmer with 33% and Rachel Robinson with 31%.  Runners-up in this year’s election included Bo Jackson (29%), Glenn Burke (27%), Sy Berger (26%), Effa Manley (25%), Charlie Brown (24%), Bob Costas (24%), Ernie Harwell (24%), Steve Bilko (23%),  and Rocky Colavito (23%).

Dizzy DeanDIZZY DEAN

Elected to the Shrine of the Eternals in his fourteenth year on the ballot, hurler, free-spirit, and malapropster extraordinaire, Dizzy Dean (1910-1974), had a long and eventful life in baseball, both as a pitcher and a broadcaster.  The son of an Arkansas sharecropper, Jay Hanna “Dizzy” Dean signed in 1930 with the St. Louis Cardinals and spent the next two seasons in the minors, peaking with Houston in the Texas League in 1931.  Promoted to the big club permanently in 1932, the boastful Dean quickly became the cornerstone of the Cardinals’ rotation.  The rough and tumble Depression-era Cardinals (dubbed “The Gashouse Gang”) rode Diz’s tongue and golden arm (30-7, 2.65 ERA) to the NL pennant in 1934, besting the Tigers in a memorable seven-game World Series.  Between 1932 and 1936, Dean averaged 25 victories per season and seemed destined to become one of the National League’s winningest pitchers ever until struck on the toe by a line drive during the 1937 All-Star Game.  The injury forced Dean to alter his pitching motion, leading to arm problems which nipped his career in the bud.

After retiring in 1941, Dean immediately moved to the broadcast booth, where he earned a huge local following as the radio voice of the St. Louis Browns, peppering play-by-play with his colorful reinventions of the English language.  To the dismay of English teachers everywhere, Dean became hugely popular with national audiences in the 1950s as the primary broadcaster for network television’s Game of the Week. The subject of a Hollywood bio-pic (The Pride of St. Louis) and numerous biographies, Ol’ Diz was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1953.

Don ZimmerDON ZIMMER

Elected to the Shrine of the Eternals in his tenth year on the ballot, Don Zimmer (born 1931) is part of a vanishing breed – the baseball lifer.  Now in his eleventh year as a senior advisor for the Tampa Bay Rays (serving as a coach/advisor during spring training and for pregame practices at home games, as well as assisting the Rays in the area of community affairs), Zimmer wears the number 66, representing his 66th year in professional baseball.  He has noted often, and proudly, that every paycheck he’s ever gotten came from baseball, and has never held a job in any other profession.  Zimmer was told his playing days were over after a disastrous beaning in the minor leagues in 1953, but he made it to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954, beginning a twelve-year big league career as an infielder.  After the Los Angeles Dodgers’ World Championship season in 1959, Zimmer bounced around with a series of truly bad teams, including the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets, before retiring as a major leaguer with the Washington Senators in 1965.

In 1971, he began a long tenure as a coach and manager for major league teams all over North America, including the Montreal Expos, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, and Colorado Rockies.  Zimmer served three coaching stints for the New York Yankees, the last one finding him dispensing his baseball wisdom as bench coach/yogi from 1996-2003, during which time the team won four World Series titles under the helm of Joe Torre.  Zimmer is often remembered for his “brawl” with Pedro Martinez during the 2003 AL Championship series, when he ran at and was thrown to the ground by the Red Sox pitcher.  Nicknamed “Popeye” for his facial resemblance to the cartoon character, Zimmer is still a warrior at age 83.  He has written two autobiographies, Zim: A Baseball Life and The Zen of Zim, and serves as a member of the advisory board of the Baseball Assistance Team, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping former players through financial and medical difficulties.

Rachel RobinsonRACHEL ROBINSON

Elected to the Shrine of the Eternals in her first year on the ballot, Rachel Robinson (born 1922) is arguably the most important woman in baseball history, as the widow of baseball and civil rights pioneer Jackie Robinson.  Rachel met Jackie while they were students at UCLA and they were married in 1946, the year before Jackie broke major league baseball’s color barrier and changed America forever.  Rachel counseled, consoled, and supported Jackie throughout his career, giving him strength when his will faltered, and she endured with him countless affronts to their dignity.  Jackie often attested, without his wife, he could never have withstood the intense pressures of being the first African American in the major leagues.

Once described by Dodger baseball executive Branch Rickey as Jackie’s “tower to lean on,” Rachel kept her husband’s legacy alive after his premature death in 1972 by founding the New York-based Jackie Robinson Foundation, a nonprofit with the mandate of providing college scholarships and leadership training to promising and talented young people.  “As a nurse [Robinson] has devoted her life to caring for others,” writes Albert Kilchesty, the Baseball Reliquary’s Archivist and Historian.  “She has been honored and celebrated in and out of baseball, and has always been gracious when being acknowledged for her husband’s courage and determination.   But she is more than deserving of applause and recognition on her own merits.  I have never met her.  I have never spoken to her.  Yet I have more admiration and respect for her than nearly any other woman in public life.  She has never played the game – she is the game.”

Dizzy Dean, Don Zimmer, and Rachel Robinson will join 45 other baseball luminaries who have been inducted into the Shrine of the Eternals since elections began in 1999, including, in alphabetical order, Jim Abbott, Dick Allen, Roger Angell, Emmett Ashford, Moe Berg, Yogi Berra, Ila Borders, Jim Bouton, Jim Brosnan, Bill Buckner, Roberto Clemente, Steve Dalkowski, Rod Dedeaux, Jim Eisenreich, Dock Ellis, Eddie Feigner, Mark Fidrych, Curt Flood, Ted Giannoulas, Josh Gibson, Jim “Mudcat” Grant, Pete Gray, William “Dummy” Hoy, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Bill James, Dr. Frank Jobe, Bill “Spaceman” Lee, Roger Maris, Marvin Miller, Minnie Minoso, Manny Mota, Lefty O’Doul, Buck O’Neil, Satchel Paige, Jimmy Piersall, Pam Postema, Jackie Robinson, Lester Rodney, Pete Rose, Casey Stengel, Luis Tiant, Fernando Valenzuela, Bill Veeck, Jr., Maury Wills, and Kenichi Zenimura.

In the coming weeks, leading up to the Shrine of the Eternals Induction Day on Sunday, July 20, 2014, further details will be announced, including the recipients of the 2014 Hilda Award (named in memory of Hilda Chester and honoring a baseball fan’s exceptional devotion to the game) and the 2014 Tony Salin Memorial Award (presented annually to an individual dedicated to the preservation of baseball history).

Paul Dickson, the prolific author and historian, and former recipient of the Tony Salin Memorial Award (2011), will be the keynote speaker for the Shrine of the Eternals 2014 Induction Day.  Dickson’s books include the award-winning Bill Veeck: Baseball’s Greatest Maverick and the most authoritative and comprehensive guide to baseball terminology ever compiled, The Dickson Baseball Dictionary.

 

BBRT’S SHRINE OF THE ETERNALS BALLOT 

Now, here’s a look a BBRT’s ballot.  I did vote for 2014 honorees Dizzy Dean and Rachel Robinson,whose  contributions are described in the Baseball Reliquary’s release. Here’s a look at the “who and why” of my remaining votes (* indicates still living):

Mamie “Peanut” Johnson (1934 – *)

Johnson was one of three females to play for the Indianapolis Clowns during the declining days of the Negro Leagues.  Johnson took the mound to the Clowns for three seasons (1953-55), running up a 33-8 record.  Her exploits are chronicled in the children’s book A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie “Peanut  Johnson, by Michelle Y. Green.

Rube Waddell (1876-1914)

Rube Waddell is pretty much granted the title of the zaniest player in MLB history – but he was also one of the best (at least when he was focused on the game). Waddell was known to wrestle alligators, leave a ball game to chase a fire engine, miss a game he was scheduled to start because he was fishing or playing marbles with neighborhood kids, bring his outfielders in to sit on the grass and then proceed to fan the side – and frequently do battle with owners and managers.  Waddell, who had an issue with alcohol consumption, was more interested in the freedom to do things his way than money.  But, when Waddell was on his game, he was arguably the best pitcher of his time. The 6’1”, 195-lb. lefty led the AL in strikeouts six consecutive seasons (1902-1907) – by a wide margin.

How good was Waddell?  In 1902, he joined the Philadelphia Athletics in June – making his first start on June 26 (with just 86 games left in the season.) Waddell proceeded to win 24 games (the league’s second-highest total) against seven losses, with a 2.05 ERA.  Perhaps more telling is that, despite his shortened season, he led the AL with 210 strikeouts, fifty more than the runner-up (none other than Cy Young, who had 16 more starts than Waddell). In 1904, Waddell set a modern (post-1900) MLB record with 349 strikeouts that stood until 1965.  In 1904, Jack Chesbro finished second in the AL in strikeouts – 110 behind Waddell – while NL leader Christy Mathewson trailed Waddell by 137 Ks.  Rube Waddell, elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946, finished with a 193-143, 2.16 line – leading the AL in strikeouts six times, ERA twice, wins once and complete games once. For more on Waddell, BBRT suggests: Rube Waddell: The Zany, Brilliant Life of a Strikeout Artist, by Allan Howard Levy and Just a Big Kid: The Life and Times of Rube Waddell, by Paul Proia.

Pete Reiser (1919-81)

Combine Willie Mays’ skill set (younger folks, think Mike Trout) with Pete Rose’s hustle and Yasiel Puig’s on-field abandon and you have Pete Reiser. In his first MLB full season (CF, Dodgers), a 22-year-old Reiser dazzled defensively and led the NL in runs scored (117), doubles (39), triples (17), batting average (.343), total bases (299) and hit by pitch (11) – tossing in 14 home runs and 76 RBI for good measure. Unfortunately, unpadded outfield walls, helmet-less at bats (the fiery Reiser was a frequent target) and aggressiveness on the base paths (Reiser twice led the NL in stolen bases) took their toll. In his ten-season career, Reiser endured five skull fractures, a brain injury, a dislocated shoulder and a damaged knee.  He was carted off the field 11 times during his career (six times unconscious) and once actually given last rites at the stadium – and he played on. The three-time All Star retired as a player with a .295 career average, playing in 861 games over ten seasons. No telling what he might have done with padded outfield walls and batting helmets.  Pete Reiser was a true – and talented – gamer. For more on Reiser, try Pete Reiser: The Rough and Tumble Career of the Perfect Ballplayer, by Sidney Jacobson.

Denny McLain (1944- * )

MLB’s last 30-game winner (31-6 for the Tigers in 1968), BBRT views McLain as the Pitcher of the Year in what baseball analysts often refer to as the Year of the Pitcher.  And, he wasn’t a one- year wonder.  McLain won 20 or more games three times, captured two Cy Young Awards (1968-69) and one AL MVP Award (1968).  McLain, who ran up a 131-91, 3.39 record in ten MLB seasons, was a colorful and complex a character off the field and on.  He life experience provides a tale of ups and downs – from being selected the 1968 Associate Press Male Athlete of the Year and Sporting News Major League Player of the Year to a six-year prison stint.  McLain is likely the only former major leaguer whose bio includes such varied terminology as MVP, Cy Young Award, All Star game starting pitcher, World Series opening game starter – as well as pilot, Capitol Records recording artist, talk show host, author and ex-con.  McLain’s story gives baseball fans plenty to talk about – and you can learn more by reading I Told You I Wasn’t Perfect, by Denny McLain and Eli Zaret.   Oh, and just one more bit on Denny McLain.  He started the 1966 All Star game (vs. Sandy Koufax) and retired all nine batters he faced (Mays, Clemente, Aaron, McCovey, Santo, J. Torre, Lefebvre, Cardenas, Flood) on just 28 pitches –striking out Mays, Aaron and Torre.  That alone justifies consideration for the Shrine of the Eternals.

Glenn Burke – (1952-95)

An outfielder for the Dodgers and the Athletics from 1976 to 1979, Burke was the first major league ball player to admit he was gay.  Much like the first African-American players, Burke had to face prejudice on and off field, both overt and covert.  Burke should be honored for the courage to announce his sexual preference in this environment.

In four trying MLB seasons, Burke appeared in 226 games, going .237-2-38, with 35 steals. In August 2013, Burke was among the first class selected to the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame. A documentary film: Out: The Glenn Burke Story was released in 2010. In addition, Burke co-authored (with Erik Sherman) Out at Home: The Glenn Burke Story.

In a less significant event, Burke is credited with teaming up with Dusty Baker to create the “high five.”  In the final game of the 1977 season, Baker rapped his 30th home run of the year (making the Dodgers the first team to boast four players with 30 home runs in the same season). When Burke ran onto the field to congratulate Baker he raised his hands over his head. Not sure how to respond, Baker chose to slap one of Burke’s hands and – legend has it – the high five was born.

Effa Manley (1900-81)

The first woman enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, during the 1930s and 1940s, Manley ran the day-to-day operations of the Negro National League Newark Eagles (owned by her husband Abe Manley) – at a time when baseball, on the field and in the executive offices, was considered a “man’s domain.”  Effa, often thought of as a light-skinned black, was actually white.  She, however, grew up with a black stepfather and mixed race siblings and was active in the New Jersey branch of the NAACP and Citizen’s League for Fair Play.  Effa Manley deserves recognition for overcoming both racial and sexual barriers as she exercised leadership in the national pastime.

David Mullany (1908-90)

David Mullany was the inventor of the Wiffle® Ball (1953), which ultimately changed backyard baseball for millions of young (and old) players and fans. I know I loved my white perforated plastic ball and yellow plastic bat – and played more then one backyard World Series  opener with them (without shattering a single window).  Today, there are Wiffle Ball fields, leagues and tournaments.  The company is still operated by the Mullany family and you can learn more by visiting their website (www.wiffle.com)

 

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Filed Under: News

Stan Musial & Nate Colbert – Linked in MLB History

May 2, 2014 by

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On this day six decades ago – May 2, 1954 – Stan “The Man” Musial had one of the greatest days at the plate in major league history.  That day, the New York Giants faced Musial’s Cardinals in a double header before 26,662 fans at Busch Stadium (I).   (Keep that number of fans in mind, it will come into play later.)

As the Cardinals won Game One 10-6, Musial was brilliant, recording four hits and a walk in five plate appearances – including a solo home run in the third inning, a two-run homer in the fifth and a three-run blast in the eighth.  It was the first time Musial had hit three round trippers in a single game.  He ended with contest with three runs scored and six RBI.

Musial reportedly enjoyed a between-games sandwich and glass of milk before going out to face knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm in Game Two.  If Stan was going to continue his long-ball heroics, he would have to provide his own power – and he did.

In Game Two, Musial collected two hits and a walk in five plate appearances – including a two-run homer in the fifth inning and a solo shot in the seventh, scoring three runs and driving in three in a 9-7 Cardinals loss.

So, for the doubleheader, Stan Musial was six-for-eight, with two walks, six runs scored, nine RBI and five home runs.

 

The Musial/Colbert Link

Musial, that day, became only the first MLBer to hit five home runs in a double header.  Ironically, among the 26,662 fans witnessing Musial’s feat was eight-year-old Nate Colbert – who, on August 1, 1972, would become the second player in MLB history (and there are still only two) to hit five round trippers in a double header.

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On August 1, 1972, lightning struck again.  This time from the bat of Nate Colbert, whose San Diego Padres faced the Atlanta Braves in a double header before a meager crowd of 5,784 at Atlanta.  Colbert got his day off to a quick start, as the Padres’ clean-up hitter hit a three-run homer in the top of the first inning.  Colbert went on to add a run-scoring single in the third, another single in the fourth, and a solo homer in the seventh before striking out to open the ninth.  For the game, won by the Padres 9-0, Colbert was four-for-five, three runs scored, five RBI and two home runs.  COLBERT WAS JUST GETTING STARTED.

Game two started out quietly enough, with Colbert drawing a first-inning walk. Things heated up fast, as Colbert added a grand slam in the second, a ground out to third base in the fourth, a two-run homer in the seventh and a day-topping two-run round tripper with  two out in the ninth.  In the process, he went three-for-four with three runs scored and eight RBI – becoming only the second player with five home runs in a double header. (The Padres, by the way, won game two 11-7.)

For the double header, Colbert was seven-for-nine, with a walk, seven runs scored, 13 RBI and five home runs.  Stan Musial, however, was not in the stands.

 

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Filed Under: BB Fun Facts

BBRT Looks Back at April

May 1, 2014 by

Those old days.With the first full month on the 2014 season behind us, it’s time for BBRT’s monthly observations – tidbits from the previous 30 (or 31) days that caught my attention – some long, some short, some (hopefully) interesting.   So, here we go – all statistics are through April 30.

 

 

 

 

What If the Post Season Began May 1

If the post season began May 1, your playoff teams would be:

AL:  Division Leaders – Yankees, Tigers, A’s; Wild Cards: Royals, Rangers.

NL:  Division Leaders – Braves, Brewers, Giants; Wild Cards: Mets, Nationals.

Jose Abreu’s Fast Start

On April 25, White Sox 27-year-old rookie first baseman Jose Abreu (who defected from Cuba in August 2013) rapped a pair of home runs (including a walk-off grand slam) in a Chicago 9-6 win over Tampa. The blasts were Abreu’s 8th and 9th of April, moving him past Albert Pujols (Cardinals-2001), Carlos Delgado (Blue Jays-1994) and Kent Hrbek (Twins-1982), who had shared the rookie record for April home runs at eight.  Abreu ended the month with a new rookie records for April in home runs (10) and RBI (32) – both of which also led all of MLB.

Colabello Bringing Home Runs

If it weren’t for White Sox rookie Jose Abreu’s MLB-leading 32 RBI, the talk of baseball might well be Twins’ outfielder Chris Collabello – second in the AL with 27 RBI.  Colabello is one of the “feel good” stories of the 2014 season, signed by the Twins in 2012 after seven seasons in independent league ball.

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Albert Pujols’s Called “Shots”

Albert Pujols continued his march toward the Hall of Fame this April.  On Tuesday, April 22, Pujols hit a pair of home runs – becoming just the 26th player to reach 500 round trippers and the first to hit numbers 499 and 500 in the same game.  Even more impressive, teammates reported that Pujols, disappointed with an 0-for-five the night before, predicted before the game that he would hit a pair of homers.  Pujols closed April with a .279-9-23 line.

Royals Lack of Punch

The Kansas City Royals, as a team, out-homered MLB home run leader Jose Abreu by just one (11-10) and Albert Pujols by two through April.

Milwaukee Brewers – Surprising Road Warriors

Most analysts predicted a tight race in the NL Central – involving the Cardinals, Reds and Pirates.  If April is any sign, they were wrong on both counts.  Clearly the surprise team of the 2014 season (thus far), the Milwaukee Brewers ended April with 20-8 record – the best in baseball – and a 5 ½ game lead over the second-place Cardinals.  And, they did it on the road, compiling an 11-2 road record through April 30.  Further, it was no easy “away” schedule.  The Brewers road start included three-game sweeps of the Red Sox and Phillies; three victories in four games against the Pirates; and two wins in three games at Saint Louis.

The Brew Crew has been led on offense by Ryan Braun (proving himself after his  PED-suspension) at .318-6-18; Carlos Gomez (proving 2013 wasn’t a fluke) at .293-7-15; and Aramis Ramirez (.277-3-19).  In addition, their top four starters (Yovani Gallardo, Wily Peralta, Kyle Lohse, Marco Estrada) went 11-3, with a 2.41 ERA.

But the MVB (Most Valuable Brewer) has to be closer Francisco Rodriguez, leading all of  MLB with 13 saves (in 13 save opportunities), and not touched for a single run (earned or unearned) in 16 April appearances – 16 innings pitched, no runs, seven hits, four walks and 23 strikeouts.

Unexpected Leaders

When the Dodgers and Twins faced off in Minneapolis on April 30, two of MLB’s unexpected offensive leaders were on the field.  There was Twins’ second baseman Brian Dozier – leading all of MLB with 25 runs scored, despite a .216 batting average. Dozier, however, had also collected 19 walks (for a .347 on-base-percentage). Also of note, Dozier had seven home runs, but only nine RBI.  On the other side of the contest was Dodgers’ second baseman Dee Gordon, who (despite all the preseason publicity surrounding the Reds’ Billy Hamilton’s speed) was leading all of baseball with 13 stolen bases (in 14 tries). Hamilton, by the way, had 11 steals in 16 attempts.

Brewers’ Free Swinger

Brewers outfielder Khris Davis may be MLB’s freest swinger.  Through April 30, in 105 plate appearances, Davis had drawn just one walk, against 32 strikeouts (hitting .238, with three home runs and eight RBI.)

A Free Swinger Who Makes Contact

Braves’ shortstop Andrelton Simmons is nearly as hard to walk as Khris Davis, drawing only two walks in 94 plate appearances through the end of April.  Simmons was nearly as difficult to strike out as walk, however, whiffing only three times in that span (while hitting .289). Clearly, you can expect Simmons to put the ball in play.

Starters Injured – Just Adjust

The lowest ERAs in baseball belong to the Braves (leading the NL at 2.59) and the Athletics (atop the AL at 2.78) – two teams that suffered significant losses to their starting rotations.

The Braves looked to be in trouble as they approached the season with 60 percent of their starting rotations on the shelf –  Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachey out for the season after Tommy John surgery and Mike Minor on the DL with a sore shoulder.  The Braves, however, didn’t sit back and fret, they signed veterans Ervin Santana and Aaron Harang and plugged in rookie David Hale (6-9, 3.22 at AAA last season). The result – the Braves have ridden the revised rotation to a 17-8 record and first place in the NL East.  At the end of April, the Braves had the lowest ERA in the NL (2.59) – and their starters records were: Harang 3-2, 2.97; Santana (3-0, 1.95); Hale (1-0, 2.31) and holdovers Julio Teheran (2-1, 1.47) and Alex Wood (2-4, 2.93).

Like the Braves, Oakland looked to be in pitching trouble at the start of the 2014 season – losing key rotation members Jarrod Parker and A.J. Griffin.  The result? A month into the season, the As have the AL’s lowest ERA at 2.78 – with a starting corps led by Sonny Gray (4-1, 1.76); Jesse Chavez 2-0, 1.89; and Scott Kazmir (4-0. 2.11)

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Ike Davis – Grand Slams

Continued evidence of BBRT’s assertion that in baseball we keep track of everything, on April 21 Pittsburgh first baseman Ike Davis became the first player to hit grand slams for two different teams in the same April. Davis also had the distinction of hitting two grand slams against the same opponent for two different teams in the same month. Davis’ April 21 slam helped the Pirates defeat the Reds 6-5 in Pittsburgh. Davis, who had been traded from the Mets to the Pirates just three days before, hit a game-winning, ninth-inning pinch hit grand slam for the Mets as the New Yorkers beat thee Reds 6-3 on April 5. Davis is also just the third player to belt grand slams for different teams against the same opponent in the same season. Oh, and those grand slams were Davis’ only home runs through April.

Rockies’ Charlie Blackmon Leads NL Batting Race

In 2013, the Colorado Rockies Michael Cuddyer – with a previous batting average high of .284 in his 12-year MLB career – surprised the NL by hitting a league-leading .331.  Through this April, Cuddyer hit at a .317 pace, but that was 57 points short of league-leader Charlie Blackmon (.374), another surprising Rockie.  Still, Blackmon should be less of a surprise than Cuddyer.  The 24-year-old Blackmon hit .309 in six minor league seasons and .309 in 82 games for the Rockies last season. Blackmon does appear to like the Rocky Mountain air. Through April 30 he was hitting .478 at home and .283 on the road.

Angels Finding A Way To Lose

The Angels ended April with the second-highest positive run differential in baseball, outscoring their opponents 140 to 109, yet were just one game over .500 (14-13 and trailing Oakland and Texas in the AL West).

Yankees Finding Ways to Win

The Yankees had a negative-eleven run differential (scored 110, gave up 121), yet still stood on top of the AL East at 15-11.

The Over and Under

The AL East ended April with just one team over .500 (Yankees), while the NL East had only one team under .500 (Miami at 13-14).  Further, through April 30, all five AL Teams had given up more runs than they have scored.

Worst Records Well-Earned

The Arizona Diamondback, with the NL’s worst record through April (9-22), were outscored by 62 runs (179-117) in their first 31 games. Holding the AL’s worst record  (9-19), the Houston Astros were outscored by a 54 runs in 28 games.

Two Five-Game Winners

April closed with two five game winners in MLB, The Dodgers’ Zach Greinke (5-0, 2.04) and the Cardinals Adam Wainwright (5-0, 1.20).

Tanaka and Fernandez for Real

A couple of questions raised before the 2014 season: 1) Was the Yankees’ investment in Masahiro Tanaka (24-0, 1.27 in Japan in 2013) justified?  2) Was Miami’s Jose Fernandez really that good (after winning NL Rookie of the Year with a 12-6, 2.19 record in 2013)?  The answers:  Yes and Yes.  Tanaka ended April 3-0, with a 2.27 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings, while Fernandez was 4-1, 1.59 with 55 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings.

 

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Filed Under: BB Fun Facts, News