Greg Harris – Switch Hitter & Switch Pitcher

September 28, 2013 by
Greg Harris' six-finger glove worked on either hand - and, apparently, as a hat.

Greg Harris’ six-finger glove worked on either hand – and, apparently, as a hat.

Greg Allen Harris pitched 15 years in the major leagues (1981-95), spending time with the New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Montreal Expos, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.  He appeared in 703 games, primarily as a reliever (just 98 starts), turning in a 74-90 record with a 3.69 career ERA and 54 saves.  His best years were, arguably, 1986 (10-8, 2.83, 20 saves for the Rangers) and 1990 (13-9, 4.00 as a starter for the Red Sox).

Harris’ fifteen years in the majors clearly establishes him as a serviceable major league hurler, but it is was what Harris did in his next-to-last MLB appearance that put him in the record books – and got his glove into the Hall of Fame.   On September 28, 1995, Harris (then a Montreal Expo) was called in from the bullpen to pitch the top of the ninth, with the Expos trailing the Reds 9-3.  In that memorable ninth inning, Harris went from a decent, switch-hitting pitcher (.221 career average in 68 at bats) to the first (and still only) post-1900 “switch pitcher” to throw from the mound both left-handed and right-handed in the same game.

A natural right-hander, Harris had worked to develop his left-handed pitching skills.  He had a unique six-fingered baseball glove that could be worn on either hand, and was often seen warming up left-handed in the bullpen (and on occasion took a turn pitching batting practices right- and left-handed).  Harris was considered somewhat of a “character,” perhaps better suited to be part of the eccentric clan of lefties, but management was reluctant to let him switch to the port side in a game.   He finally got his opportunity to prove his southpaw skills in that September 28th game – and he was prepared.  He came to the mound with his six-fingered glove and, apparently, two handfuls of determination.

Starting out right-handed, he got righty-hitting outfielder Reggie Sanders on a ground ball to short.  Then he switched his glove to the opposite hand and faced lefty-hitting first baseman Hal Morris as a southpaw.  Harris’ first-ever in-game lefty offering sailed wide of Expos’ catcher Joe Siddal, and Harris walked Morris on four pitchers.  Next up was the Reds’ left-handed hitting catcher Ed Taubensee. Harris continued to throw left-handed, running up a 3-2 count before getting Taubensee to top the ball in front of the plate. Siddal picked up the weak grounder and fired to first for the second out, with Morris advancing to second.  The next hitter was right-handed hitting Brett Boone.  Harris switched back to his natural right-handed delivery and got Boone on a come backer to the mound.  The Expos, by the way, scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth to close the gap to 9-7 and nearly make Harris the last ambidextrous pitcher to record a win.

Previous to Harris’ right-lefty appearance, the last MLB pitcher to pitch with both hands was Tony Mullane in 1893.

 

Filed Under: BB Fun Facts

BBRT’s Mo-Ment – One More On The Bandwagon

September 27, 2013 by

MO

Never let it be said that BBRT “missed the bandwagon.”  It’s time to share my Mariano Rivera “Mo-Ment.”  No, I wasn’t in the stands for any of the 2013 regular season’s  heartfelt farewells – but I was at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa for a Rivera “first-Last”:  Rivera’s first appearance of his last Spring Training.  (Photos above.)

What can you say about Rivera that hasn’t already been said – the best closer ever and a class act on and off the field.  How good was Mo?  The numbers (as of September 27) speak for themselves.

  • 652 regular-season saves, best ever.
  • 42 post-season saves, best ever.  (He also had 8 post-season wins – and only one loss – with a 0.70 post season ERA (lowest ever).
  • Thirteen-time All Star, five-time Rolaids Relief Man of the Year, three-time Delivery Man of the Year.
  • Three-time AL leader in saves – topped 50 saves twice, topped 40 saves nine times.
  • A lifetime ERA of 2.21 (19 seasons, 1,116 games, 1,283 2/3 innings pitched) – ERA below 3.00 every season except 1995 (rookie season, included his only 10 starts, 5.51) and 2007 (3.15).  Eleven seasons with an ERA below 2.00 – lowest was 1.38 in 2005 (71 appearances).

Looking back on a career of consistent achievement, Rivera (in BBRT’s estimation) saved the best for last.  On May 3, 2012, after nine appearances, Rivera tore his ACL in a freak accident (while shagging fly balls in the outfield before the game).   Many thought the injury would mark the end of the 42-year-old hurler’s career.  Rivera vowed he would be back and has delivered on his word.  Through September 7 – at age 43 – Rivera is 6-2, with a 2.11 ERA and 44 saves (third in the AL.)  That is a comeback for the ages  – from a closer for the ages.  Mo will be missed. BBRT is looking forward to the Hall of Fame acceptance speech.

Souvenirs from Mariano Rivera's FIRST appearance of his LAST (2013) Spring Training.

Souvenirs from Mariano Rivera’s FIRST appearance of his LAST (2013) Spring Training.

Photos by D. Karpinski

 

Filed Under: BB Fun Facts, News

Satchel Paige – He Loved and Lived to Pitch

September 25, 2013 by

satch1On this day (September 25) in 1965, Leroy “Satchel” Paige got up out his rocking chair in the bullpen and took the mound for the Kansas City Athletics (against a tough Boston Red Sox line up) – making Paige (at a generally accepted 59 years, 2 months and 18 days of age) the oldest player  ever to appear in a major league game.  I say generally accepted since, like much of the Satchel Paige legend, his birth date (officially listed at July 7, 1906) is difficult to document.   There are a few facts about Paige, however, that will never be in doubt.  He loved and lived to pitch, he was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, hurlers to ever take the mound; and he was also one of baseball’s biggest and brightest personalities.

But,  back to September 25, 1965.  The 59-year-old Paige pitched three scoreless innings that day, striking  out one and giving up only one hit, a double to Red Sox left fielder Carl Yastrzemski.  That appearance that was just the cherry atop the Satchel Paige legend.

Right here, BBRT will add another “fact.”  The fact that Paige was unable to cross MLB’s color line until age 42 (in 1948, when Paige became MLB’s oldest-ever “rookie” and the first African-American to pitch in the American League) was MLB’s loss.

When Paige came to the major leagues the year after Jackie Robinson broke the game’s color line, he was already a hardball legend, having established his dominance – and his ability to fill stadiums –  in semipro ball, the Negro Leagues, Dominican League, Mexican League, Cuban League, Puerto Rican League and with a host of barnstorming teams.  Let’s use the anniversary of his record-breaking Kansas City appearance to reflect on Paige’s remarkable career.

Satch2Overall, it is estimated that Paige pitched more than 2,500 games between 1924 and his his last professional game on June 21, 1966, for the Peninsula Grays of the Carolina League – recording 2,000+ wins, 300 shutouts and more than 50 no-hitters.  Just how good was Paige?

Here’s what a few Baseball Hall of Famers had to say:

Dizzy Dean  … “My fastball looks like a change of pace alongside that little pistol bullet Satchel shoots up to the plate.”

Joe DiMaggio … Paige is “the fastest and best pitcher” I ever faced.

Hack Wilson … Paige’s heater “starts out like a baseball and when it gets to the plate, it looks like a marble.”

Bob Feller … “The best pitcher I ever saw.”

Ted Williams … “Satch was the greatest pitcher in baseball.”

In his prime, Paige’s fastball was reportedly measured (by the primitive technology of the day) at 103 mph.  As for control, in a 1953 article published in Colliers, author Richard Donovan shared a story of Paige placing a matchbox on a stick near home plate and then knocking it off on thirteen of twenty pitches.  That is the stuff of which legends are made.

Further, as a hurler-for-hire and perhaps baseball’s highest-paid gate attraction (Paige would pretty much take the mound for any team that could afford him), Satchel regularly pitched more than 100 games a year (and, at times, two in a day).

In 1948, Cleveland Indians owner Bill Veeck signed the 42-year-old Paige to a major league contract – in what some called a pure publicity stunt.  Sporting News writer J.G. Taylor Spink, in fact, asserted that “To bring in a pitching rookie of Paige’s age is to demean the standards of baseball.”  Paige, as he almost always did, got the last laugh, noting “I demeaned the big leagues considerable that year. I won six and lost one.”

Paige pitched in 21 games in 1948, with seven starts, three complete games, two shutouts, one save and a 2.48 ERA.  For his six-year MLB career (all after age 42), Paige went 28-31, 3.29 with 32 saves.  Did the over-40 Paige belong in the big leagues?  Here’s what Casey Stengel had to say, “If we don’t get ahead in the first six innings, the Browns bring in that damned old man, and we’re sunk.”

sATCH 3There isn’t room here to touch on all Paige’s “legendary” exploits (pitching 29 games in one month with only a single loss; pitching no-hitters in two cities on the same day; going 135-37 in three seasons with the Negro League’s Pittsburgh Crawfords; consistently defeating barnstorming teams that included major leaguers; winning three games in the 1942 Negro League World Series; and more). There’s not even space to detail all of his beloved pitches, to which he gave names like the Bat Dodger, Hurry-Up Ball, Four-Day Creeper, Long Tom, Smoke Ball, Midnight Rider and renowned Hesitation Pitch.  BBRT suggests you take the time to learn more about Satchel’s remarkable mound prowess. (Satchel Paige … The Life and Times of an American Legend by Larry Tye and Maybe I’ll Pitch Forever by Leroy Satchel Paige are good places to start.) In the meantime, here are some of philosopher Paige’s words to live by:

 

About Life

“Work like you don’t need the money. Love like you’ve never been hurt. Dance like nobody’s watching.”

“Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”

“Ain’t no man can avoid being born average, but there ain’t no man got to be common.”

“Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.”

“You win a few. You lose a few. Some get rained out. But you got to dress for all of them.”

About Baseball

“I never threw an illegal pitch. The trouble is, once in a while I would toss one that ain’t never been seen by this generation.”

“Just take the ball and throw it where you want to. Throw strikes. Home plate don’t move.”

Filed Under: BB Fun Facts, Uncategorized

The Summer of Beer and Whiskey – History Lesson Wrapped in a Pennant Race

September 16, 2013 by

summer of beerThe Summer of Beer and Whiskey – How Brewers, Barkeeps, Rowdies, Immigrants and a Wild Pennant Fight Made Baseball America’s Game

 By Edward Achorn

 2013, Public Affairs

 $26.99

“Everyone who knew Chris Von der Ahe, it seems, had a story about him – his colossal pomposity; his wonderful generosity; his red-faced rages that inevitably recoiled catastrophically on himself; his thick German accent and wobbly use of the English language; and his insatiable appetite for beer, beautiful young women, song and life.  As a baseball owner, he was George Steinbrenner, Charlie Finley and Bill Veeck rolled into one.”

That’s how Edward Achorn describes the central character in “The Summer of Beer and Whiskey – How Brewers, Barkeeps, Rowdies, Immigrants, and a Wild Pennant Fight Made Baseball America’s Game.”  Achorn proved his ability to bring baseball’s early history to light and to life with his 2010 offering “Fifty-nine in ’94 – Old Hoss Radbourn, Barehanded Baseball & the Greatest Season a Pitcher Ever Had” (see BBRT review in post of March 28, 2013). In The Summer of Beer and Whiskey he reaffirms that talent.

The focal point of The  Summer of Beer and Whiskey is the American Association pennant race of 1883 – a spirited battle between the Philadelphia Athletics and the St. Louis Browns that went down to the season’s final day.  The book, however, really tells the story about how Van der Ahe and the upstart American Association helped revive, perhaps even save, the national pastime.

Ultimately, it’s a history lesson wrapped in a pennant race – and that combination turns out to be not only informative, but a lot of fun.  Achorn has a proven ability to bring history to light and to life. 

In the late 1870s and early 1880s, “base ball” (it was two words back then) was far from the national pastime.  The game was in trouble, impacted by the depression of the 1870s and the influence of gambling interests, elitist ownership and the drunken, rowdy and sometimes corrupt players.  On top of that, the National League’s fifty-cent admission price and ban on Sunday baseball kept most of the working class out of the ballpark.

Despite all of this, Van der Ahe – who immigrated to the United States in 1867 and knew a lot more about beer than he did about baseball – saw potential in the sport.  Van der Ahe, who settled in St. Louis (then the nation’s sixth-largest city), started as a grocery clerk, but in just a few years had acquired ownership in a grocery store, a saloon and boarding house.  But he wanted even more – and saw American baseball (and beer) as the door to wealth and fame. Ironically, it was the decline of professional baseball in St. Louis that opened that door for him.  Scandals related to gambling had soured the city on the sport and, in 1878, St. Louis, for the first time in many years, found itself without a major league franchise.  The fans still following the sport  had to satisfy themselves with the play of the semipro Saint Louis Brown Stockings (the team had taken the name of the former National League squad).

In late 1880, Van der Ahe stepped into this situation, sinking his life savings into the Brown Stockings and the deteriorated “Grand Avenue (Ball) Park.”  His vision was for “cheap tickets, booming beer sales and big crowds adorned by beautiful women.”  That vision, however, was not shared by the National League and Van der Ahe’s hopes for St. Louis’ return to the League were quickly squelched.  That rejection proved essential to the formation of the rival American Association and the reshaping of the national pastime.

Rejected by the National League, the Brown Stockings initially played as an independent – offering: an acceptable brand of baseball; admission prices only half of the NL (25 cents vs. 50 cents); Sunday baseball (banned by the NL); and the availability of alcoholic beverages (also banned by the NL) at the ballpark.  Out of the St. Louis Brown Stockings’ rising popularity came the 1881 formation of the American Association termed, by critics “The Beer and Whiskey League” because of its heavy backing from brewers, distillers and tavern keepers. (The Association played its first official season in 1882.)

Achorn’s book tells the tale of how Van der Ahe and the American Association helped revive interest in baseball, create new legions of “fans” and position the game as America’s pastime.

Van der Ahe isn’t the only “character” who adds life to the Association and the story. Achorn also gives readers an inside look at the rough and rugged individuals who made the AA a success.  Its pages are populated with players like the Louisville Eclipse’s premier batsman Pete Browning, from whom the Hillerich and Bradsby iconic “Louisville Slugger” got its name (and who was also known as “The Prince of Bourbon”); pitcher Jumping Jack Jones, who literally jumped from Yale University to the Philadelphia Athletics with his strange, leaping delivery; Bobby “Shrimp” Mathews, who pitched his heart and his arm out for the Athletics;  St. Louis Brown Stockings’  infielders Arlie Latham and Charley Comiskey, of whom the Sporting News reported “Latham is the mouth of the St. Louis Club, Comiskey its head;” and many more.

There is also much to learn about the early days of baseball in the pages of Achorn’s book – which chronicles a time when it was a brutal game:  players were without batting helmets or fielding  gloves; teams carried only twelve or thirteen players and injury substitutions were almost unheard of; road trips could last a month; foul balls were not strikes; overflow crowds typically stood inside the outfield fence (with balls hit into the crows considered ground rule doubles); batters were not awarded first base when hit by a pitch, making the bean ball a useful (and frequent) weapon of intimidation; and umpires often needed a police escort to get out of the park.

Achorn depends a great deal on news reports of the time in this historical account and the language of the day is enjoyable (far more colorful and  less forgiving than today’s reporting).  Of one player, slowing with age, it is reported that “an ice wagon would have to be handicapped in a race with him;”  another is described in daily news reports as “a wretched fielder and a very moderate batsman;” and a player guilty of an error is chided in print with he “couldn’t have stopped a part of the roof of the grandstand had it blown over his way;” another player’s miscue draws the media comment, “Such slouchy work is is calculated to disgust spectators and demoralize a nine.”

Achorn also dedicates some well-deserved prose to the plight and trials of Moses Fleetwood Walker, who made his foray across baseball’s color line nearly seven decade before Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson made public their intention to erase it.

The Summer of Beer and Whiskey gives readers a look at the fast-paced America of the late 1800s: its changing culture and economy;  its continuing conflicts of class and race; and its energy and opportunity.  All of which were lived out on and off the “base ball” diamond.

 “It (baseball) is a quick, nervous, dashing, brilliant kind of sport,in keeping with our American characteristics.”  Philadelphia Evening Bulletin – Sept. 29, 1883 

In the Epilogue, Achorn shares a look at what happened to many of the principal characters after the American Association’s exciting 1883 pennant race and ten-season run (1882-1891 –  in 1892, the Association’s strongest franchises merged with the National League and four – Dodgers, Cards, Reds and Pirates – continue today).

All in all, The Summer of Beer and Whiskey is another enjoyable and informative offering from Edward Achorn – of particular interest to (and highly recommended for) baseball fans, but also a fun and fast-paced read for those who’d like to gain a better understanding  of the American experience of the late 19th century.

Filed Under: Reviews

Chris Davis – Newest Member of 50-Homer Club

September 13, 2013 by
Chris Davis - newest member of the 50-Homer Club.

Chris Davis – newest member of the 50-Homer Club.

Today (September 13, 2013), the Orioless Chris Davis notched MLB’s 43rd fifty-home run season, becoming the 27th player to reach that mark.  BBRT did a blog post focused on 50-homer seasons earlier this month (to commemorate Mickey Mantle’s 50th dinger of the 1961 season.  With Davis now in the Fifty-Homer Club, I’ll update that post, add some new facts about 50-homer seasons (like fewest strikeouts and most stolen bases in a 50-homer campaign) and add the full list of 50+ home run seasons.

  • The first 50-homer season belongs, as you might expect, to Babe Ruth (54 homers in 1920).
  • In hitting 54 HRs in 1920, Babe Ruth broke his own MLB record of 29 HRs, thus becoming the first player to reach 30 & 40 HRs as well.  Ruth also outhomered every MLB team except the NL’s Phillies, who hit 64 that year.
  • Hack Wilson, with 56 HRs in 1930, became the second member (and first NL member) of the 50-homer club.  (Before Wilson’s season, Ruth also topped 50 dingers in 1921, 1927 and 1928).
  • Of the 27 players to notch in the Fifty-homer Club, there have been 15 right-handed hitters, 11 left-handers and one switch hitter)
  • Mickey Mantle is the only switch-hitter to reach 50-homers in a season.
  • The Yankees  have had the most 50-homer players (four):  Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Alex Rodriguez all reached the mark while in pinstripes.
  • Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle are the only two teammates to reach 50 home runs in the same season – 1961, Maris 61 and Mantle 54.
  • Babe Ruth, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire each achieved a record four 50-homer seasons.
  • Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire share the record for consecutive 50-homer campaigns at four.
  • The record for 50-homer hitters in a single season is four (1998 & 2001):  1998 – Greg  Vaughn (50), Ken Griffey Jr. (56), Sammy Sosa (66), Mark McGwire (70); 2001– Alex Rodriguez (50), Louis Gonzalez (57); Sammy Sosa (64); Barry Bonds (73).
  • Mickey Mantle - all over the 50-Homer Club - only switch hitter to reach 50 HRs; only player with 50 homers in Triple Crown year; half of only pair of teammates to reach 50 HRs in same season (with Roger Maris, 1961); one of record four Yankees in 50-Homer Club.

    Mickey Mantle – all over the 50-Homer Club – only switch hitter to reach 50 HRs; only player with 50 homers in Triple Crown year; half of only pair of teammates to reach 50 HRs in same season (with Roger Maris, 1961); one of record four Yankees in 50-Homer Club.

    Willie Mays is the only player to hit 50 homers for the same franchise in two different cities – 51 HRs for the New York Giants in 1955 and 52 for the San Francisco Giants in 1965).

  • Willie Mays also holds the mark for seasons (11 including each 50-homer year) between 50-homer campaigns (as well, for the length of time between a first and last 50-homer season.)
  • Mark McGwire is the only player to be traded in the course of a 50-homer season.  In 1997, McGwire finished July as an Oakland A, with 34 homers and 81 RBI.  On July 31, he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, where he played in 51 more games, rapping another 24 homers and driving in 42.
  • The 50-homer club boasts only one father/son combination:  Cecil Fielder (51 HRs for the Tigers in 1990) and Prince Fielder (50 HRs for the Brewers in 2007).
  • The youngest player to record a 50-homer club season is Prince Fielder (23), the oldest,  Barry Bonds (37).
  • Only one player with fifty-homer seasons has no other season of at least 30 homers.  Brady Anderson’s (50 HRs in 1996) second-highest HR total in his 15-year career was 24 HRs in 1999. Anderson sandwiched his 50-homer campaign between seasons of 16 HRs (1995) and 18 HRs (1997).
  • Only three players have hit fifty homers for more than one team:  Jimmie Foxx (Philadelphia Athletics 1932, Boston Red Sox 1938); Mark McGwire (Oakland A’s 1996, Oakland A’s/St. Louis Cardinals 1997, St. Louis Cardinals 1998, 1999); Alex Rodriguez (Texas Rangers 2001, 2002 and New York Yankees 2007).
  • Mark McGwire is the only player to have a fifty-homer season in both the NL and AL.
  • Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds are the only players to reach 70 homers in a season; McGwire 70 in 1998, Bonds 73 in 2001.
  • Sammy Sosa is the only player to top 60 home runs in a season three times and, ironically, did not lead his league in any of those seasons: 1998 – Sosa 66 HRs/McGwire 70; 1999 – Sosa 63/McGwire 65; 2001 – Sosa 64/Bonds 73.
  • A player has hit fifty or more homers and not led his league ten times: Jimmie Foxx (1938); Mickey Mantle (1961); Brady Anderson (1996); Mark McGwire (1997, McGwire led all of baseball with 58 HRs, but was traded from AL to NL during the season and led neither league); Sammy Sosa (1998, 1999, 2001); Greg Vaughn (1998); Louis Gonzalez (2001); Jim Thome (2002).
  • Only one 50-homer season has been part of a Triple Crown year – Mickey Mantle (1956) .353-52-130.
  • The most stolen bases in a 50-homer season is 24, by Willie Mays (1955) and Alex Rodriguez (2007).  Only four players have stolen 20 bases in a 50-season: Mays, Rodriguez, Brady Anderson and Ken Griffey, Jr.  (Babe Ruth came close, swiping 17 bags in 1921, when he hit 59 long balls.)
  • The most runs scored in a 50-homer season is 177 (Babe Ruth, 1921); the most RBI is 191 (Hack Wilson, 1930 – the all-time, MLB single-season high.)
  • The fewest runs scored in a 50-homer season is 86 (Mark McGwire, 1997); the most runs scored is 177  (Babe Ruth, 1921).
  • The highest batting average in a 50-homer campaign is .378  (Babe Ruth, 1921); the lowest average is .260 (Jose Bautista, 2010).  Only three hitters have hit under .270 while bashing fifty dingers: Bautista, Roger Maris (.269, 1961) and Andruw Jones (.263, 2005).
  • Johnny Mize holds the record for the fewest strikeouts in a 50-homer season, 42 in 1947.
  • Since 1920 (first 50-HR season), the longest period without a 50-HR hitter has been 12 seasons (1977-89); the longest streak of consecutive seasons with a 50-HR player was eight (1995-2002)
  • In the seventy-six seasons since the first 50-homer season (1920-95), there were a total of nineteen 50-homer seasons. Between 1996-2013 (18 seasons) there were twenty-three 50-homer campaigns; and from 1997-2006 (ten seasons), there were eighteen 50-homer campaigns.

50-Homer Club (Career total in parens- as of Sept. 13, 2013), active players in Bold/Blue

Year    HRs

1920    54        Babe Ruth, Yankees (714)

1921    59        Babe Ruth, Yankees

1927    60        Babe Ruth, Yankees

1928    54        Babe Ruth, Yankees

1930    56        Hack Wilson, Cubs (244)

1932    58        Jimmie Foxx, Athletics, Phil.  (534)

1938    50        Jimmie Foxx, Red Sox

1938    58        Hank Greenberg, Tigers (331)

1947    51        Johnny Mize, Giants, NY (359)

1947    51        Ralph Kiner, Pirates (369)

1949    54        Ralph Kiner, Pirates

1955    51        Willie Mays, Giants, NY (660)

1956    52        Mickey Mantle, Yankees (536)

1961    54        Mickey Mantle, Yankees

1961    61        Roger Maris, Yankees (275)

1965    52        Willie Mays, Giants, SF

1977    52        George Foster, Reds (348)

1990    51        Cecil Fielder, Tigers (319)

1995    50        Albert Belle, Indians (381)

1996    50        Brady Anderson, Orioles (210)

1996    52        Mark McGwire, Athletics, Oak. (583)

1997    56        Ken Griffey, Jr., Mariners (630)

1997    58        Mark McGwire, Athletics, Oak. & Cardinals

1998    50        Greg Vaughn, Padres  (355)

1998    56        Ken Griffey, Jr., Mariners

1998    66        Sammy Sosa, Cubs (609)

1998    70        Mark McGwire, Cardinals

1999    63        Sammy Sosa, Cubs

1999    65        Mark McGwire, Cardinals

2000    50        Sammy Sosa,  Cubs

2001    52        Alex Rodriguez, Rangers (653)

2001    57        Luis Gonzalez, Diamondbacks (354)

2001    64        Sammy Sosa, Cubs

2001    73        Barry Bonds, Giants, SF (762)

2002    52        Jim Thome, Indians (611)

2002    57        Alex Rodriguez, Rangers

2005    51        Andruw Jones, Braves, ATL  (433)*

2006    58        Ryan Howard, Phillies (311)

2006    54        David Ortiz, Red Sox (428)

2007    54        Alex Rodriguez, Yankees

2007    50        Prince Fielder, Brewers (284)

2010    54        José Bautista, Blue Jays (211)

2013    50??    Chris Davis, Orioles (127)

*2013 Playing in Japan

Filed Under: BB Fun Facts, News

Negro League All Star Game – 30 Consecutive Seasons

September 10, 2013 by

Let’s start off this blog post, dedicated to the Negro League East West All Star Game, with a quick trivia question.

Who is the only player to hit a home run in both the Negro League All Star Game and the MLB All Star Game?

Jim "Junior" Gilliam, homered in Negro League and MLB All Star Games.

Jim Gilliam, homered in Negro League and MLB All Star Games.

Answer:  Jim “Junior” Gilliam, who hit a home run in the Negro League East West All Star Game (August 20, 1950 at Comiskey Park), representing the Baltimore Elite Giants; and also went deep in the MLB All Star Game (August 3, 1959 at Los Angeles Park), representing the Los Angeles Dodgers.

 

 

 

Now back to a look at the Negro Leagues’ All Star contest – the first of which took place on this date (September 10) in 1933 – about two months after the initial MLB All Star Game (July 6, 1933). Both games took place at Chicago’s Comiskey Park, with the MLB game drawing 47,595 fans and the Negro League East West All Star contest attracting 19,568.   You may be surprised to learn that the Negro League All Star game was held annually through 1962 – 35 games in 30 years, two games in 1939, 42, 46, 47 and 48).

Here’s a little background on that first East West All Star match up.

Line Score

East    0 0 0    3 2 0   0 0 2        7    11    3

West   0 0 0   3 0 3   3 1 x         11   15   3

Starting Lineups

East

CF-Cool Papa Bell (Pittsburgh Crawfords)

RF-Rap Dixon (Philadelphia Stars)

1B-Oscar Charleston (Pitt)

C- Biz Mackey (Phil)

3B-Jud Wilson (Phil)

SS-Dick Lundy (Phil)

LF-Vic Harris (Pitts)

2B-John Henry Russell (Pitt)

P- Sam Streeter (Pitts)

West

CF-Turkey Stearnes (Chicaga American Giants)

SS-Willie Wells (Chic)

LF-Steel Arm Davis (Chic)

3B-Alex Radcliffe (Chic)

1b-Mule Suttles (Chic)

2B-Leroy Morney (Cleveland Giants)

RF-Sammy Bankhead (Nashville Elite giants)

C- Larry Brown (Chic)

P- Willie Foster (Chic)

Mule Suttles was the hitting star of the game, going 2-4, with a double, the game’s only homer, two runs and three RBI.  Willie Foster pitched a complete game victory for the West, which played only nine of its 16 players.

Buck Leonard - Eleven-time Negro League All Star.

Buck Leonard – Eleven-time Negro League All Star.

Other factoids:

  • Buck Leonard and Alex Radcliffe share the record for the most Negro League All Star Game selections, 11 each.
  • Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe, pitched in three East West All Star Games and played catcher in three as well.
  • Comiskey Park hosted 27 of the games, four were played at Yankee Stadium and one game each was held at New York City’s Polo Grounds, Washington D.C.’s Griffith Stadium, Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium and Kansas City’s Municipal Stadium.
  • The final Negro League All Star Game was held August 27, 1962 at Kansas City, with the West winning 5-2.
  • In 1943, the game drew a record 51,723 to Comiskey Park.

Now, I’ll close – as promised – with another trivia offering.

What MLB Park played host to the Major League All Star Game, the Negro League East West All Star Game and the MLB Hispanic All Star Game?

Answer:  New York City’s Polo Grounds:  MLB All Star Game (1934, 1942); Negro League East West All Star Game (1947); the first (and last) Hispanic All Star game (1963).  For more on that Hispanic All Star game click here:   https://baseballroundtable.com/latino-all-stars-and-the-first-and-last-hispanic-all-star-game/   .

Filed Under: BB Fun Facts

The Baseball Reliquary – The Mardi Gras of Our National Pastime

September 5, 2013 by

The Baseball Reliquary is the Mardi Gras of our national pastime – a free-spirited celebration of the human side of baseball’s history and heritage. 

Reliquary  (rel′ə kwer′ē)

Noun- a container or shrine in which sacred relics are kept and displayed for veneration

How do I describe the Baseball Reliquary?  It’s really not a place.  While its “home” is in the state of California (Pasadena), the Reliquary really resides more in the heart of its founders, honorees and members – who take joy in celebrating the character and characters of our national pastime.  The Reliquary leads that joyful (often irreverent) celebration through its Shrine of the Eternals, its collection of historic artifacts, and its traveling exhibitions.

The Shrine of the Eternals is the Reliquary’s best-known element and its honorees include (among others) a one-armed major league outfielder, a pitcher who once threw a no-hitter while high on LSD, a team owner who sent a midget to the plate, a man in a chicken suit, a member of Major League Baseball’s 3,000-hit club, a manager who won eight World Championships, a noted surgeon, a labor leader, more than one best-selling author, a statistical wizard and even the sports editor of the Daily Worker (American Communist Party newspaper).The honorees are each unique in their role in – and contributions to –   the national pastime, but they all share the distinction of having made a significant impact on the game.

The Baseball Reliquary’s Collection of what BBRT would term “art-ifacts”is as diverse as its Shrine honorees.  The collection includes (but is “oh-so not limited” to) the Walter O’Malley Tortilla, the Roger Bresnahan Potato, the Eddie Gaedel Jock Strap,  a Babe Ruth cigar, a Mother Teresa autographed baseball (a whole case actually), a heat-twisted 45-rpm record from the White Sox’ ill-fated Disco Demolition Night, and a piece of flesh from Abner Doubleday’s inner thigh.

The Baseball Reliquary’s Traveling Exhibits have included baseball art, photography and literature; and have covered such varied topics as Latino baseball history, baseball in foreign policy, baseball literature and even the self-defining “Lasordapalooza.”

So, back to the question, “How would I describe the Baseball Reliquary?”  If I had to put it in 25 words or less, “The Baseball Reliquary is the Mardi Gras of our national pastime – a free-spirited celebration of the human side of baseball’s history and heritage.”

Do I have your attention?   If so, click here   https://baseballroundtable.com/the-baseball-reliquary/  for the full (and FUN) story of the Baseball Reliquary – and how you can become one of its card-carrying members.  (These first few paragraphs repeated for those who get to the full story via a different link.

BBR

 

 

Filed Under: BB Fun Facts, News, Rants & Raves, Reviews

An MLB Record Twenty-Two Years Between MLB Mound Appearances

September 4, 2013 by
Paul Schreiber - back in the day. Twenty-two years between MLB mound appearances - "For the Love of yhe Game."

Paul Schreiber – back in the day. Twenty-two years between MLB mound appearances – “For the Love of yhe Game.”

On this date (September 4) in 1945, right-hander Paul Schreiber took the mound for the New York Yankees (at Yankee Stadium) with the Bombers trailing the Detroit Tigers 10-0 in the top of the sixth inning.  Schreiber acquitted himself well, throwing 3 1/3  scoreless, hitless innings (two walks, one strikeout).  The 42-year-old Schreiber made his way into the MLB record books that day – notching the longest period of time between major league mound appearances – 22 years and 2 days. 

Schreiber’s most recent previous appearance in an MLB game had come on September 2, 1923, for the NL’s Brooklyn Robins (Dodgers).  In that game, the 20-year-old, 6’ 2”, 180-pound hurler, came in in the eighth inning of a game in which the Robins trailed the Phillies 11-3.  Schreiber gave up three walks and one earned run in two innings.  It was Schreiber’s 10th MLB appearance (nine in 1923 and one in 1922) – and he had a career 0-0 record with a 4.15 ERA in 16 innings pitched.  Little did he know that he wouldn’t take the mound in another MLB game for more than 20 years.

Here’s how it happened.  In 1924, Schreiber suffered an arm injury that pretty much ended his major league pitching career – but not his hopes nor his love of the game.  In the decade that followed he played minor league and semi-pro ball and, eventually, came back to the major leagues as a batting practice pitcher, coach and scout (until he retired in 1964).

Schreiber served as a batting practice pitcher and coach for the Yankees in the 1930s and 1940s (and later joined the Red Sox staff).  In 1945, with the season winding down, the Yankees well out of the race (67-59 record), and rosters depleted by World War II, the Bronx Bombers called coach Schreiber out of the bullpen.  In addition to that September 4 game (described earlier), Schreiber was given another “mop up” appearance on September 8, coming to the mound in the ninth inning of a game in which the Yankees trailed the Tigers 9-4.  In that outing, he gave up two runs on four hits.

Schreiber never did get that elusive major league win, but – thanks to circumstances and his love of the game – he did make the record books.  Just how did Paul Schreiber feel about the game? He is quoted in the March 1953 issue of Baseball Digest as saying, “The pitching mound during batting practice isn’t the safest place to be, but I wouldn’t trade places with the President of the United States.”   Amen to that!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

September 3, 1961 – Monumental Mantle

September 3, 2013 by
Mantle's two September 3, 1961 homers - for the ages.

Mantle’s two September 3, 1961 homers – for the ages.

On this date (September 3) in 1961, Mickey Mantle rapped a pair of home runs as the Yankees topped the Tigers 8-5 at Yankee Stadium.  They were Mantle’s 49th and 50th round trippers of the season – and they still carry considerable historic significance.

First, they made Mantle the only switch-hitter to reach 50-homers in a season – a distinction he still holds.

Second, since teammate Roger Maris had already reached 50 home runs (he had 53 at the time), Maris and Mantle became the first two teammates to reach 50 dingers in a seasons – a distinction they also continue to hold.

Third, the two homers were part of Mantle’s 1960 total of 54, which – when added to Maris’ 61 that year – give Maris/Mantle the record for the most home runs by teammates in a single season.

Fourth, they contribute to the Yankees’ record of having the most 50-homer players.  Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Alex Rodriguez also reach the mark while in pinstripes.

Looking for more 50-homer trivia fodder?

  • To date there have been forty-two 50-homer campaigns, put together by 26 different players.  (15 right-handed hitters, 10 left-handers and one switch hitter)
  • The first 50-homer season belongs, as you might expect, to Babe Ruth (54 homers in 1920).  Ruth topped 50 round trippers three more times 1921, 1927, 1928).
  • Hack Wilson, with 56 HRs in 1930, became the second member (and first NL member) of the 50-homer club. 
  • Only Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire have matched Ruth’s four 50-homer seasons, with both players achieving their four “50s” in consecutive seasons (Sosa 1998-2001/McGwire 1996-99).
  • Willie Mays is the only player to hit 50 homers for the same franchise in two different cities – 51 HRs for the New York Giants in 1955 and 52 for the San Francisco Giants in 1965).
  • Willie Mays also holds the mark for seasons (11 including each 50-homer year) between 50-homer campaigns (as well, for the length of time between a first and last 50-homer season).
  • Mark McGwire is the only player to be traded in the course of a 50-homer season.  In 1997, McGwire finished July as an Oakland A, with 34 homers and 81 RBI.  On July 31, he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, where he played in 51 more games, rapping another 24 homers and driving in 42.
  • The 50-homer club boasts only one father/son combination:  Cecil Fielder (51 HRs for the Tigers in 1990) and Prince Fielder (50 HRs for the Brewers in 2007).
  • The youngest member of the 50-homer club is Prince Fielder (23), the oldest Barry Bonds (37).
  • Only three players have hit fifty homers for more than one team:  Jimmie Foxx (Philadelphia Athletics 1932, Boston Red Sox 1938); Mark McGwire (Oakland A’s 1996, Oakland A’s/St. Louis Cardinals 1997, St. Louis Cardinals 1998, 1999); Alex Rodriguez (Texas Rangers 2001, 2002 and New York Yankees 2007).  Of these, only McGwire has achieved the feat in both leagues.
  • In the seventy-six seasons since the first 50-homer season (1920-95), there were a total of nineteen 50-homer seasons. Between 1996-2012 (17 seasons) there were twenty-three 50-homer campaigns. And from 1997-2006 (ten seasons), there were eighteen 50-homer campaigns.
Filed Under: BB Fun Facts

BBRT Late Season “Watch List”

September 1, 2013 by
September baseball - exciting in Pittsburgh.

September baseball – exciting in Pittsburgh.

In the August 20th BBRT’s post, I commented on my late August/September “watch list” – like Max Scherzer’s chances to notch MLB’s best winning percentage ever; the NL Central, AL West and AL East races; the AL and NL Rookie of the Year competition; Cabrera’s Triple Crown repeat chances; and the Pirates’ quest to top .500 for the first time in twenty years.  As we close out August, and BBRT completes its traditional monthly “observations,” I’ll update a few of those items, as well as comment on some additional developments that are capturing BBRT’s late-season interest.  The list is not all-inclusive, just a few stories that provide some relief in a season when my Twins are not playing compelling baseball. (Stats as of end of August 31 games.)

NL MVP Race

BBRT is tracking the NL MVP race, where the leading candidate seems to be the Pirates’ outfielder Andrew McCutchen.  Cutch raised his MVP profile with a .384, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 6 SB) August.  For the season, McCutchen is .317-17-74, for a Pirates’ team that ranks tenth in the NL in runs scored.

There has been considerable MVP discussion surrounding Dodgers’ hurler Clayton Kershaw and his MLB-leading 1.72 ERA.  No doubt, Kershaw has put up great numbers (Cy Young territory).  Still he is only 13-8 on the season.  (Not necessarily his fault, Kershaw went 3-2 in August, despite a 1.01 ERA.)  Dodger Zach Grienke, despite a higher (2.86) ERA, stands at 13-3 for the Dodgers and went 5-0, 1.23 in August.  McCutchen, in BBRT’s estimation, has been more valuable to the Pirates than Kershaw to the Dodgers.  BBRT would, however, like to throw Francisco Liriano’s hat in the ring.  (See next section.)

Francisco Liriano – Comeback Player, CY Young, MVP?

BBRT is following the starts and stats of Pirates’ left hander Francisco Liriano – whom I consider a shoe-in for Comeback Player of the Year; as well as a dark horse candidate for the Cy Young and MVP Awards.  Here’s why.  Coming off a broken arm, Liriano didn’t make his first start until May 11.  He ended August at 15-6 (tied for the NL lead in wins), with a 2.57 ERA and 135 strikeouts in 133 innings.  Just as important, two of his four wins (against two losses) in August were in key games against the Pirates’ chief competition for the division title – the Cardinals.  In those two starts, Liriano threw 17 innings, giving up seven hits, striking out 12 (against 3 walks), and allowing just one earned run.  (Liriano has started three games against the Cards this year, winning all three and giving up just two earned runs in 24 innings.)

Notably, Liriano’s 2.57 ERA includes a disastrous August 9 game in Colorado, when he gave up ten earned runs in just 2 1/3 innings.  Without that start, Liriano’s ERA would be 1.93. Liriano’s performance is all the more important when you consider no other Pirates’ starter has reached double-digits in wins.

Strikeouts Chapter One – Yu Darvish’s Quest for 300

BBRT is keeping an eye on Yu Darvish’s run at 300 strikeouts for the season.  Darvish heads into September with 236 strikeouts in 174 innings (12.2 Ks per 9 IP).  The last 300-strikeout season was recorded by Arizona’s Randy Johnson in 2002, when he fanned 334 batters in 260 innings (11.6 per nine inning).  The last AL hurler to reach 300 strikeouts was Boston’s Pedro Martinez in 1999, when he fanned a remarkable 313 in just 213 1/3   innings (13.2 Ks per nine).  Darvish has a chance for 300+, but BBRT expects him to fall about 10-15 whiffs short.

Strikeouts Chapter Two – Twins and Astros

Speaking of strikeouts, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, Minnesota Twins’ hitters fanned 291 times in 30 August games – a new MLB record for whiffs in a month.  The Twin’s hitters are only 229 strikeouts shy of the AL season record (1,387 by the 2010 Oakland A’s), but will have to climb over the transplanted Houston Astros, who finished August with a season total of 1,273 strikeouts.  That AL mark should fall, and even the Diamondbacks’ MLB whiff record of 1,529 in 2010 is within the Astros’ reach.

Continued excitement in the Motor City.

Continued excitement in the Motor City.

Update on Cabrera Triple Crown Repeat

Miguel Cabrera continues to hold a comfortable AL lead in batting average (.358) and RBI (130), and is working to chase down the Orioles’ Chris Davis in HRs.  Davis still leads Cabrera by four homers (47-43), but Miggy did gain ground in August, out homering Davis 11 to 9.  What adds interest are Cabrera’s ongoing injury (abdominal) issues.  With the division lead well in hand, it now appears the Tigers may give Cabrera a bit of rest to get him back to 100 percent for the post season.  In any case, MLB’s first-ever Triple Crown still looks like a long shot.

Scherzer and the Single-Season Winning Percentage Record

Max Scherzer remains on the “watch list,” still in a position to set a new single-season winning percentage record (15 decisions to qualify). Pittsburgh Pirates’ reliever Elroy Face holds the record at .947 (18-1 in 1959).  Scherzer, at 19-1, cannot afford even a single loss over the final weeks if he is to top Face’s mark.  This past week, we saw how quickly this chase can be put in jeopardy. In his August 29th start, Scherzer gave up eight hits and six runs (five earned) in five innings – leaving the game down 6-1 to the Oakland A’s.  The Tigers fought back and took him off the hook with a 7-6 win – topped by Torii Hunter’s ninth-inning, walk-off, three-run home run.  So, Scherzer still has a shot at the record, but he can’t afford another misstep (and may need a little luck).  BBRT will continue to follow Mad Max’s starts.

Dodgers Staying Hot?

BBRT is also following the Dodgers, who have bolted out to a 10½ game lead (over Arizona) in the NL West, thanks to a 23-6 August, following a 19-6 July.  Can the Dodgers stay this hot?  Worth keeping an eye on.

September Fun in Dodger Town,

September Fun in Dodger Town,

NL Rookie Race – Two Short Seasons

The NL Rookie of the Year race is interesting, with the leading candidates being one who started the season late and another who is likely to end the season early.  The late starter is Yasiel Puig, who has opened eyes with his energy and his attitude.  Puig started out strong after his June 3 call up.  He hit .436 with 7 homers, 16 RBI, 19 runs and 4 steals in that first month.  He came down to earth in July, going .287, 3 HRs, 7 RBI, 17 runs, 3 steals.  As the Dodgers heated up in August, so did Puig (or vice versa) – going .320 with 3 home runs, 8 RBI, 17 runs and 3 steals.  For the year, Puig has played in 78 games, with a line of .349-13-31, ten steals, and a host of outstanding defensive plays.

Puig’s main competition for ROY is the Marlins’ right-handed starter (21-year-old) Jose Fernandez (of the 98- mph fastball and knee-buckling curve).  Playing for the 49-85 Marlins, Fernandez is 10-6, with a 2.33 EA and 173 strikeouts (vs. 53 walks) in 158 2/3 innings.  Further, since a slow start (0-2, 4.50 in April), Fernandez has put up Kershaw-like numbers.  Since May 1, he is 10-4, with a 1.94 ERA. In August, Fernandez went 3-1, with a 1.15 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 39 innings.  That hot August separated Fernandez from another ROY candidate, the Cardinals’ Shelby Miller (12-9. 3.13 on the year), who went 2-2, 4.45 for the month.  However, it’s been reported that Fernandez will be shut down in the 170-175 inning range (two more starts), which could hurt his chances.  BBRT sees a race to the wire for Puig and Fernandez, with Puig holding the edge because he will remain in the lineup (and in the voters’ sites) through year-end.

AL Rookie of the Year

BBRT touched on the AL Rookie of the Year race in the August 20 post.  It appears 23-year-old Detroit shortstop Jose Iglesias (who started the season with Boston) is cementing his lead.  Iglesias hit a steady .294 in August and is at .320 with 2 home runs, 24 RBI and 36 runs scored on the year – while also being the expected defensive presence.  Tampa Bays’ Wil Myers (who played his first game June 18) carved out a spot in the ROY race in July when he put up a .324-4-18 line (after .296-3-9 in June). A slump in the second half of August (6-for-43) and his .209-2-12 for the month have hurt his ROY chances.  Still, he stands at .285-9-39 for the year and could climb back into the race with a solid September.  Edge: Iglesias.

Other Individual Races to Watch

Four hurlers are tied atop the NL leader board in wins and none of them are named Kershaw or Harvey – Francisco Liriano (Pirates), 15-6, 2.57; Jorge DeLaRosa (Rockies), 15-6, 3.33; Adam Wainwright (Cardinals), 15-8, 2.96; and Jordan Zimmerman (Nationals), 15-8, 3.33. Should be a fun run to the finish.

The NL batting title is also up for grabs – in a see-saw battle between the Braves Cliff Johnson (.331-10-58 at the end of August) and the Cardinals Yadier Molina (.328-10-60).

Division Races/Wild Card Updates

In mid-August, BBRT was looking at very close races in the AL West and East and NL Central.  Things have loosened up a bit in the AL East, with Boston holding a 4 ½ game lead over fading Tampa Bay (11-15 in August). Boston is sitting in a pretty good spot, but don’t count the Rays out yet.  They did go 21-5 in July and a strong September could put them back in the race.   Texas (after a 19-7 August) enjoys a two-game lead over the A’s. The Rangers and A’s should play some interesting baseball in September. (BBRT expects the Rangers to hang on).  The NL East is now the closest race in MLB, with the Pirates one game up on the Cardinals and 3½ ahead of the Reds.  It should be exciting as these three storied franchises battle it out in the weeks ahead.  All three teams should make the post-season, either as the division champion or in a Wild Card slot. (Could make for some riveting playoff  baseball.)

Looking at the other divisions, the Tigers (AL Central), Braves (NL East) and Dodgers (AL West) all have secure leads.  Washington did finally come to life, going 16-11 for August.  Atlanta, however, more than matched the Nats, going 20-7 and expanding their lead to 15 games.

The AL Wild Card leaders are now Oakland and Tampa Bay, with the Yankees 3 ½ out, the Orioles 4 back and Cleveland 4 ½.   BBRT does not anticipate much change there.  The Yankees could make a run if Tampa Bay continues to falter and Soriano .270-12-35 in 32 games since joining the Yanks continues to hit.

September baseball ahead – happy watching!!

Filed Under: BB Fun Facts, News
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