Beltre’s Record-Tying Cycle

August 4, 2015 by
Adrian Beltre - Solid credentialq with the bat and the glove.

Adrian Beltre – Solid credentialq with the bat and the glove.

Adrian Beltre tied a MLB record yesterday (August 3) – as his Rangers topped the Astros 12-9 – becoming just the fourth player to hit for the cycle (single, double, triple, home run in a game) three times in a career. The 36-year-old Beltre, in his 18th major league season, joins John Reilly, Babe Herman and Bob Meusel with three career cycles. Beltre hit a triple in the first inning (getting the hard one out of the way, especially on 36-year-old legs), a double in the second, a single in the third and a home run in the fifth.  For the game, he went four-for-five, with two runs scored and three RBI.  Here are a few bits of trivia related to Beltre’s achievement:

– Despite completing his cycle in the first five innings, Beltre does not have the fastest cycle in MLB history.  That distinction goes to Rockies’ Mike Lansing. On June 18, 2000, Lansing completed the cycle in just four innings – as the Rockies topped the Diamondbacks 19-2. In that game, Lansing went four-for-five with three runs scored and five RBI.  Lansing could have done more damage, but was lifted for a pinch hitter in the eighth.

– Beltre’s three cycles have come on September 1, 2008 (for the Mariners against the Rangers); August 24, 2012 (for the Rangers against the Twins); and August 3, 2015 (for the Rangers against the Astros).

– All three of Beltre’s cycles have come at Arlington, making him the only player to hit for multiple cycles in the same park for more than one team.  (As BBRT maintains, in baseball, we keep track of pretty much everything.)

– In his three cycles, Beltre has gone thirteen-for-fifteen (.867), with eight runs, nine RBI and three doubles, three triples, three home runs.

Beltre, by the way, is somewhat quietly building a resume that should earn him serious Hall of Fame consideration. To date, he had 2,697 hits; 404 home runs; 1, 304 runs scored; and 1,414 RBI – to go with a .284 career average. He’s a four-time All Star; four-time Gold Glove winner; and has led his league in hits, doubles and home runs once each.  In addition to now being one of just four players to hit for the cycle three times, he is also one of only five players to hit 100 or more home runs for three different teams (Dodgers, Marines, Rangers); joining Darrell Evans (Braves, Giants, Tigers); Reggie Jackson (A’s, Angels, Yankees); Jim Thome (Indians, Phillies, White Sox); and Alex Rodriguez (Rangers, Mariners, Yankees). While not a likely first-ballot electee, reaching 3,000 hits and 1,500 RBI should give Beltre a solid shot at the Hall.

For you trivia buffs, thanks to the Cubs’ long-time reluctance to install lights, Tim Foli of the Montreal Expos is the only MLBer to start a cycle on one day and complete it the next. On April 21, 1976, Foli collected a single, double and triple against the Cubs before the game was suspended due to darkness (top of the seventh. with the Expos up 11-3).  When play resumed on April 22, Foli added an eighth-inning home run – completing a somewhat unnatural “natural” (single, double, triple, home run in that order) cycle.   To date there have been just 14 natural cycles in MLB history. The Expos, by the way, won the game 12-6.  

 

I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT

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BBRT – Looking Back at MLB in the Month of July

August 1, 2015 by

To regular followers, an apology.  BBRT posts have lagged a bit as, in the past four weeks, we’ve sold one house and purchased another, with a three-week lag between possessions.  It’s been, to say the least, a bit hectic.  BBRT should be back on a regular schedule soon – and my annual Ballpark Tours’ baseball trek is just around the corner – Schaumburg (minor league), Chicago (Cubs and White Sox), Detroit and Cleveland. I’ll report from the road.

 

July – Teeny Boppers to Ancient Warriors and

No-Hitters to 21-Run Explosions

We are entering the “Dog Days of August,” which means it’s time for BBRT’s look back at the previous month in MLB.  As usual, BBRT will feature a few “items of interest” and a bit of a statistical review. In this monthly wrap up, I’ll also take a look at the winners in the trade deadline scramble.

ITEMS THAT CAUGHT BBRT’S ATTENTION

Mike Trout - Knows how to celebrate his mom';s birthday.

Mike Trout – Knows how to celebrate his mom’;s birthday.

Happy Birthday Mom, Love Mikey

Okay, I admit it.  Nothing Mike Trout does surprises me.  Hopefully, however, he surprised his mother on her birthday this year (July 10). He did his mother proud that day, going three-for-five with two home runs, two runs scored and four RBI. Then again, maybe she wasn’t surprised.  In his five MLB seasons, Trout is hitting .556 (ten-for-eighteen) with three home runs, seven runs scored and nine RBIs on his mother’s birthday.

Going for the Cycle

On July 21, with a ninth-inning triple, Rangers’ OF Shin-Soo Choo became the 274th MLBer to hit for the cycle (it’s been done 306 times), He was also just the eighth Ranger and first Korean player to achieve that feat.

Bring ‘Em All On

On July 26, sixteen-season MLB veteran Tim Hudson took the mound for the Giants against the Oakland A’s, a team he had never beaten in his MLB career (0-2, 9.58 ERA) – in fact, the only team he had never beaten in his MLB career.  Hudson went five innings, giving up three runs and earned the victory as the Giants topped the A’s 4-3. In gaining the win, the 40-year-old Hudson became just the fifteenth pitcher to record at least one win against all 30 current major league franchises. Hudson was also the second pitcher to achieve that distinction this season, joining the Brewers’ Kyle Lohse, who beat the Twins to complete his 30-team victory list on June 26. Both Lohse and Hudson joined the 30-franchise victory club by beating the teams that first put them on the major league mound.

By the way, that 15-pitcher list includes Al Leiter (first ever to accomplish the feat), Randy Johnson, Kevin Brown, Barry Zito, Terry Mulholland, Curt Schilling, Woody Williams, Jamie Moyer, Javier Vazquez, Vicente Padilla, Derek Lowe, Dan Haren and A.J. Burnett.

Karns Shines on the Mound and in the Batter’s Box

On July 21, Rays’ pitcher Nathan Karns collected his first-ever major league hit – a second-inning home run against Phillies’ starter Aaron Nola.  It was the first MLB game since 2009 won by a score of 1-0 with the only run being a home run by a pitcher – and the first such outcome in the AL since 1962.  Karns also became only the second Rays’ hurler ever to go deep, joining Estaban Yan (June 4, 2000) in that club of two “clubbers.” Karns pitched five innings of shutout ball to pick up his fifth win (against five losses.) Five relievers protected the 1-0 lead.

Cole Hamels - traded after his no-hitter.

Cole Hamels – traded after his no-hitter.

Hamels No-Hitter Helps Ruiz Make History

On July 25, the Phillies’ Cole Hamels threw a no-hitter, beating the Cubs 5-0 at Wrigley.  Hamels walked just two and struck out 13 in the dominating outing. On that day, history was made not just from the mound, but also behind the plate. It was the fourth no-hitter caught by Phillies’ backstop Carlos Ruiz – tying him for the MLB record for no-hitters caught with Jason Varitek. Ruiz’ list of no-hitters caught includes Hamels’, two by Roy Halladay and one combined no-hitter (started by Hamels). Varitek caught no-hit games by Jon Lester, Hideo Nomo, Derek Lowe and Clay Buchholz.

Of special interest to BBRT:  The no-hitter was also Hamels’ final start for the Phillies, who traded him to the Rangers on July 29. That makes Hamels only the second pitcher to throw a no-hitter and be traded before his next start (and the first to be traded immediately after a no-hitter mid-season). Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven threw a no-hitter for the Rangers in his last start of the 1977 campaign and was traded to the Pirates before the 1978 season opened.

On a Pretty Good Run

On July 26, the Angels Albert Pujols took another step – this one about 90-feet – toward his spot in the Hall of Fame. In a 13-7 win over the Rangers, Pujols swiped his 100th career base – joining Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays as the only MLBers with a career .300 average, 500 homers and 100 steals. Pujols is on a pretty good run this year. Although it was only his second stolen base of the campaign, he has 30 home runs this season and made the All Star squad for the first time since 2010. Pujols’ membership in his new “club” is not guaranteed, however. Since 2010, his career batting average has dropped from .331 to .314. (From 2011 to July 31, 2015, Pujols has averaged .276.)

The Perfect Outing

On June 26, Cubs’ catcher David Ross took the mound and retired the Phillies in order in the ninth.  It was his second relief outing of the season – and his second perfect 1-2-3 inning. This outing was made even more special, as the 38-year-old Ross belted his first HR of the season in the bottom of the inning. According to reliable sources, Ross’ fastball topped out at 72 mph. Ross, who never pitched in a professional game before this season, now has a WHIP of 0.00.

 

A-Rod ...from Teeny "Bopper" to 40-year-old slugger.

A-Rod …from Teeny “Bopper” to 40-year-old slugger.

From Teeny “Bopper” to Ancient Warrior

On July 27, Yankees’ DH Alex Rodriguez celebrated his birthday in style, hitting his 24th home run of the season. The round tripper, which helped the Yankees to a 6-2 win over the Rangers proved an historic blast. Coming on his fortieth birthday, it made A-Rod only the fourth player to homer both as a teenager and in his forties (Ty Cobb, Rusty Staub and Gary Sheffield are the others).  Elias also reports that Rodriguez holds the MLB record for career home runs (six) hit by a player on his birthday. (We do seem to track everything in baseball.) 

OUCH!

On July 28, the Yankees torched the Rangers’ for 21 runs (in a 21-5 win).  The last team to give up 21 runs? It was also the Rangers, in a May 30, 2012 loss to the Mariners (21-8). On July 28, the Yankees put up 19 hits, drew ten walks and also benefitted from two hit batters, and three errors (two were catcher’s interference). In the Bomber’s 11-run seventh inning, the first eight batters reached base safely against Rangers’ starter Martin Perez (2B, 1B, 1B, HBP, 2B, 1B, 1B, 3B). Wandy Rodriguez came on in relief and struck out the side. The K’s, however, were sandwiched around three hits and a walk.  On the trivia side of the equation, Yankees’ CF Jacob Ellsbury became only the seventh player in MLB history to reach base on catcher’s interference twice in the same game (joining David Murphy, Rangers, 2010; Bob Stinson, Royals, 1979; Dan Meyer, Mariners, 1977; Pat Corrales, Phillies, twice in 1965; and Ben Geraghty, Dodgers, 1936).

Pulling the Old Switchroo

On July 31, the Yankees’ switch-hitting first baseman Mark Teixeira ended the month in style, popping a pair of home runs (one his tenth career Grand Slam), as the Yanks topped the White Sox 13-6. Teixeira hit the Grand Slam in the second inning, batting right-handed and crashed a two-run homer from the left side of the plate in the fourth.  That blast gave Teixeira a MLB-record 14 games with home runs from both sides of the plate, breaking a tie with Nick Swisher. For BBRT, it brought back memories of Ken Caminiti, who accomplished this feat ten times, and once hit dingers from both sides of the plate three times in four days (for the Padres) –  September 16, 17 and 19, 1995.  On the 18th he went 0-4 with two strikeouts, in the other 3 games he was 10 for 11 with 6 homers, 2 doubles, 3 walks, 7 runs scored and 12 RBI.

The All Star Game

Of course, July featured the 2015 All Star Game – which turned out to be a tribute to the changing “face(s)” or the game.  For BBRT observations on the ASG, click here.

 ______________________________________________________________

NOW, THE STATS

July’s Best and Worst Records

No team had a better month than the Yankees, who went 17-7 (.704), the only squad to play .700 ball for the month. That enabled the Bombers to enter August with a six-game lead over second place (tie) Baltimore and Toronto. Over in the NL, the Pirates matched the Yankees 17 wins (versus nine losses), but still trail the Cardinal by 5 ½. Other teams with at least 15 wins in the All Star Game-shortened month were:  The Royals (17-11), White Sox (16-10) in the AL; and the Cardinals and Cubs, both 15-12 in the NL.  On the other side of the ledger, only the Rockies and Rays failed to win at least ten games in July, going 9-15 and 9-16, respectively.

If the Season Ended …   

So who’s on top?  If the season ended on July 31, the MLB playoff teams would be:

  • AL … Division Champions: Yankees; Royals; Astros. Wild Cards: Angels, Twins. Note: Both the Orioles and Jays are within one game of a WC spot.
  • NL … Division Champions: Nationals; Cardinals; Dodgers. Wild Cards: Giants; Pirates. Note: The Cubs are just one game out of a WC spot.

Also, if the season ended today, only the Cardinals would be playing .600 or better ball (66-37, .641), although the Royals would be close (61-41, .598). Only the Phillies would be playing under .400 ball (40-65, .385). Of interest to BBRT: The Cardinals,with the best record in MLB,  are no offensive juggernaut, standing 18th in runs scored, ninth in batting average and 21st in home runs.. The Cards, however, have given up the fewest runs (300) and boast the lowest team ERA (2.65)

You can see the full July 31 standings at the end of this post.

Trade Deadline Biggest Winners

More than 100 MLB players and prospects (and a few handfuls of cash and players to be named later) changed teams in dozens of trades leading up to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.  BBRT won’t examine them all, but here are the teams BBRT rates as having made make the biggest “splash” during the wave of trades.

1. Toronto … The Jays proved they are serious about making the 2015 post-season, acquiring five-time All Star SS Troy Tulowitzki, an “ace” in five-time All Star southpaw David Price, speed for the lineup in CF Ben Revere and bullpen help (LaTroy Hawkins and Mark Lowe). Probably the biggest July haul.

2. (Tie) Kansas City … The Royals are determined to make another run at the World Series title and improved their chances by adding RHP Johnny Cueto (a 20-game winner in 2014) and the versatile veteran, solid-hitting Ben Zobrist

2. (Tie) New York-NL … The Mets went out and got a much needed power hitter in Yeonis Cespedes (who has topped 20 homers and 80 RBI in each of his three full MLB seasons and has 18 HRs and 61 RBI this year), strengthened the bullpen with Tyler Clippard and added versatility and a bit of offensive punch with Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson.

4. Houston  … The Astros, like the Blue Jays and Royals, added an ace to their pitching staff, acquiring (three-time All Star) Scott Kazmir. They also added power and speed for the outfield with two-time All Star Carlos Gomez (if healthy) and pitching depth with Mike Fiers.

5. Los Angeles-NL … The names weren’t as big, but the Dodgers filled a back of the rotation need, acquiring starting pitchers Matt Latos and Alex Wood.

Honorable Mentions: Nationals (beefed up their bullpen with closer Jonathan Papelbon); Cubs (added starting pitching in the form of Dan Haren and bullpen help with Tommy Hunter).

Special Mention:  The Rangers may not be in the hunt (and BBRT expected them to be sellers, not buyers), but they may have made what will prove to be the best  long-term deal, acquiring southpaw Cole Hamels – a three-time All Star, who still has three seasons on his contract – from the Phillies.

______________________________________________________

STAT TIME

Here are a few tidbits of information about July team performance:

  • Cardinals’ hurlers put up the best ERA for the month at 2.78. Over in the AL, White Sox pitchers were the stingiest in July at 3.29. How much difference does the DH make? For the month, the overall AL ERA was 4.10, compared to 3.59 for the NL. For the season, through July, the difference is not as pronounced – NL-3.77; AL-3.90.
  • Through July 31, the Cardinals are the only team with a season ERA under 3.00 – at 2.65. Next best?  The Pirates at 3.18. The AL’s lowest season ERA belongs to the A’s at 3.45.
  • No team scored more runs in July than the surging Yankees, who put 133 runs on the board. Other teams topping 120 tallies for the month were the Angels (132), Tigers (131), Blue Jays (126), Royals (123) and Pirates (120). For the season, the Blue Jays hold the top spot with 550 runs scored. No other team has reached the 500 mark. (Despite this offensive output, the Blue Jays are only two games over .500.)  The Braves, on the other end of the spectrum, pushed across an MLB-low 72 runs for the month.
  • The July team home run title is shared by the Tigers and Mariners, who each bashed 37 round trippers during the month – and still went a combined 12-31. Colorado topped the NL in July homers at 27. The A’s and Marlins had the fewest July dingers, 15 each.
  • For the season, the Astros lead the AL with 143 homers, while the Dodgers top the NL with 127. (Note: Houston also leads the AL in stolen bases at 74, a nice power/speed combination.) Only four teams had less than 80 HRs through July: Braves (62), Phillies (69), Marlins (79), White Sox (79).

________________________________________________________________

Now, here are your month-of-July and through-July batting and pitching leaders:

Month-of-July Batting Leaders

Four National Leaguers with at least 75 plate appearances managed to hit at a .400 or better pace for the month of July – led by Brewers outfield Gerarado Parra at .435 (37-for-85). Parra also led the NL in runs scored (23). Parra’s hot month earned him a move to the AL – and he is now an Oriole. Other July .400 hitters were the Reds’ 1B Joey Votto (.405), Giants’ C Buster Posey (.400) and Rockies’ 2B DJ LeMahier (.400).  Over in the AL, the top average for the month went to Royals’ 1B Eric Hosmer at .385 (40-for-104).

July’s hottest hitters were Rockies’ RF Carlos Gonzalez in the NL (.386-11-24 for June), who led the senior circuit in home runs and RBI for the month; and Angels’ CF Mike Trout, who hit .367-12-24 for the month, leading the AL (and all MLB) in July HR and tying for the league lead in RBI.   Here are the July offensive leaders.

—– AVERAGE (minimum 75 plate appearances) —–

AL                                          

Eric Hosmer, 1B, Royals – .385

Xander Bogaerts, SS, Red Sox – .371

Chase Headley, 3B, Yankees – .370

NL

Gerardo Parra, LF, Brewers – .435

Joey Votto, 1B, Reds – .405

Buster Posey, C, Giants – .400

DJ LeMahieu, 2B, Rockies – .400

—– HRs —–

NL

Carlos Gonzalez, RF, Rockies – 11

Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, Dodgers – 8

Lucas Duda, 1B, Mets – 8

AL

Mike Trout, CF, Angels – 12

Alex Rodriguez, DH, Yankees – 9

Mark Teixeira, 1B, Yankees – 9

—– RBI —–

AL

Mike Trout, CF, Angels – 24

Kendrys Morales, DH, Royals – 24

Josh Donaldson, 3B, Blue Jays – 24  

NL

Carlos Gonzalez, RF, Rockies – 24

Ryan Howard, 1B, Phillies – 23

Andrew McCutchen, CF, Pirates – 21

—– RUNS SCORED —–

AL

Lorenzo Cain, CF, Royals – 22

J.D. Martinez, RF, Tigers – 21

Adam Eaton, CF, White Sox – 21

NL

Gerardo Parra, LF, Brewers – 23

Carlos Gonzalez, RF, Rockies – 20

Four with 18

—– STOLEN BASES —–

NL

Billy Hamilton, CF, Reds –  9

Jayson Heyward, RF, Cardinals – 7

A.J. Pollock, CF, D-backs – 7

AL

Jose Altuve, 2B, Astros – 6

Jose Reyes, SS, Blue Jays (now a Rockie)– 6

Three with five

Month-of-July Pitching Leaders

Four was a lucky number for pitchers in July, as nine hurlers tied for the month’s leadership in victories with four. All but one of those, the Royals’ Wade Davis, was a starter. As a reliever Davis had quite a month – pitching 10 2/3 innings in 12 appearances, going 4-0, with five holds and a 0.84 ERA.

When it comes to mound efficiency, Scott Kazmir – who started the month as an Angel and ended it as an Astro, led the way. Kazmir went 34 innings in five starts and gave up – wait for it – just one earned run. His 0.26 ERA was MLB’s lowest for July, but not by much. The Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw also gave up just one earned in July, but pitched on fewer inning – for a NL-lowest 0.27 ERA.  The only other pitcher with a July ERA under 1.00 was Kershaw’s team mate Zack Grienke (0.95).\

Month of July Pitching Leaders

—– WINS —–

AL

Wade Davis, Royals – 4-0, 0.84 ERA

Anibel Sanchez, Tigers – 4-1, 4.55

Andrew Heaney, Angels – 4-0, 1.98

Nathan Eovaldi, Yankees – 4-0, 3.09

NL

Jake Arrietta, Cubs – 4-1, 1.90

Mike Leake, Reds – 4-1, 1.25

Jose Fernandez, Marlins – 4-0. 2.53

Matt Wisler, Braves – 4-0, 3.30

Jose Fernandez, Marlins – 4-0, 2.53

 —– ERA (minimum 20 innings pitched in the month) —–

AL

Scott Kazmir, Angels/Astros – 0.26

Chris Tillman, Orioles  – 1.31

Matt Shoemaker, Angels – 1.78

NL

Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers – 0.27

Zack Greinke, Dodgers – 0.95

Mike Leake, Reds – 1.25

—– STRIKEOUTS —–

AL

Corey Kluber, Indians – 45 (46 1/3 IP)

Carlos Carrasco, Indians – 43 (38 2/3 IP)

Chris Archer, Rays – 40 (32 2/3 IP)

Jose Quintana, White Sox – 40 (42 IP)

NL

Jon Lester, Cubs,  – 50 (40 1/3 IP)

Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers – 45 (33 IP)

Jake Arrieta, Cubs – 44 (42 2/3 IP)

—– SAVES —–

AL

Shawn Tolleson, Rangers – 7

Cody Allen, Indians – 7

Four with six

NL

Craig Kimbrel, Padres – 11

Mark Melancon, Pirates – 9

Trevor Rosenthal, Cardinals – 8

_______________________________________________________    

And now the MLB Leaders THROUGH July

—– BATTING AVERAGE —–

NL

Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, D-backs – .349

Dee Gordon, 2B, Marlins – .331

Bryce Harper, RF, Nationals – .330

AL

Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Tigers – .350

Jason Kipnis, 2B, Indians – .329

Prince Fielder, 1B, Rangers – .326

—– HR —–

AL

Mike Trout, CF, Angels – 32

Albert Pujols, 1B, Angels – 30

J.D. Martinez, RF, Tigers – 28

NL

Bryce Harper, RF, Nationals – 29

Giancarlo Stanton, RF, Marlins – 27

Todd Frazier, 3B, Reds – 27

—– RBI —–

NL

Nolan Arenado, 3B, Rockies – 78

Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, D-backs – 77

Bryce Harper, RF, Nationals – 68

AL

Josh Donaldson, 3B, blue Jays – 73

Mark Teixeira, 1B, Yankees – 73

Kendrys Morales, DH, Royals – 72

—– RUNS SCORED —–

AL

Mike Trout, CF, Angels – 76

Brian Dozier, 2B, Twins – 74

Two with 72

NL

Bryce Harper, CF, Nationals – 68

Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, D-backs – 67

A.J. Pollock, Cf, D-backs – 67

—– STOLEN BASES —–

NL

Billy Hamilton, CF, Reds  – 49

Dee Gordon, 2B, Marlins – 34

Charlie Blackmon, CF, Rockies – 27

AL

Jose Altuve, 2B, Astros – 27

Billy Burns, CF, A’s – 21

Lorenzo Cain, CF, Royals – 19

BBRT note: Through July, The Nationals’ CF  Denard Span has the most steals without getting caught (11).

Pitching Leaders THROUH July

—– WINS —–

NL

Gerrit Cole, Pirates – 14-4 (2.24)

Michael Wacha, Cardinals – 12-4 (3.09)

Five with 11

AL

Dallas Keuchel, Astros – 12-5 (2.32)

Colin McHugh, Astros – 12-5 (4.43)

Felix Hernandez, Mariners – 12-6 (3.02)

—– ERA —–

NL

Zack Greinke, Dodgers – 1.41

Jacob deGrom, Mets – 2.05

Max Scherzer, Nationals – 2.22

AL

Scott Kazmir, Angels/Astros – 2.10

Sonny Gray, A’s – 2.16

Dallas Keuchel, Astros – 2.32

—– STRIKEOUTS —–

AL

Chris Sale, White Sox – 177 (137 2/3 IP)

Chris Archer, Rays – 173 (141 2/3 IP)

Corey Kluber, Indians – 172 (157 IP)

NL

Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers – 185 (140 IP)

Max Scherzer, Nationals – 172 (150 IP)

James Shields, Padres – 148 (133 2/3 IP)

—– SAVES ——-

AL

Glen Perkins, Twins – 29

Zach Britton, Orioles – 27

Two with 25

NL

Mark MelanCon, Pirates – 33

Trevor Rosenthal, Cardinals – 31

Craig Kimbrel, Padres – 30

___________________________________________

Finally, MLB standingS as of July 31

 

AL East

Yankees          58-44   .569

Orioles             52-50   .510     6.0

Blue Jays         53-51   .526     6.0

Rays                51-53   .490     8.0

Red Sox          46-58   .442     13.0

AL Central

Royals             61-41   .598

Twins              53-49   .520     8.0

Tigers              50-53   .485    11.5

White Sox       49-52   .485     11.5

Indians            48-54   .471     13.0

AL West

Astros              58-46   .558

Angels             55-47   .539     2.0

Rangers           50-52   .490     7.0

Mariners          47-57   .452     11.0

A’s                  45-59   .433     13.0

NL East

Nationals         54-47   .535

Mets                53-50   .515    2.0

Braves             46-57   .447    9.0

Marlins            42-61   .408     13.0

Phillies             40-64   .385     15.5

NL Central

Cardinals         66-37   .641

Pirates             60-42   .588     5.5

Cubs                55-47   .539     10.5

Reds                46-55   .455     19.0

Brewers           44-60   .423     22.5

NL West

Dodgers          58-45   .563

Giants              56-46   .538     1.5

D-Backs          50-51   .495       7.0

Padres             50-53   .485      8.0

Rockies           43-58   .4426   14.0

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2015 All Star Game – A Few Observations

July 15, 2015 by
Mike Trout first to win consecutive All Star Game MVP Awards - reflects MLB's "changing of the guard."

Mike Trout first to win consecutive All Star Game MVP Awards – reflects MLB’s “changing of the guard.”

Another All Star game on the books, and this one – at least from BBRT’s point of view – lived up to its promise.  There’ll be plenty written about this contest, so I’d just like to share a handful All Star related events/achievements that grabbed my attention.

The game clearly reflected a “changing of the guard in baseball,” with a record 20 players 25-years-old or younger and 33 first-time All Stars.

Mike Trout may have provided the most compelling evidence of baseball’s new “guard,” leading the game off with a home run and becoming first player to win consecutive ASG Most Valuable Player Awards. The only other players to win two ASG MVPs – and none of them consecutively – are Willie Mays, Steve Garvey, Gary Carter and Cal Ripken, Jr. And, keep in mind, this is Trout’s fourth All Star Game, and he’s just 23-years-old.

 

Now, a few more BBRT ASG observations:

  • Monday night’s Home Run Derby got the whole event off to a good start. I’m usually a traditionalist, and I do oppose imposing a “clock” on regular season games, but the time element added to the HR Derby worked.  It added a sense of urgency, and ended the days of watching MLB’s top power hitters wait (pitch-after-pitch) for the perfectly placed offering.  This year’s HR Derby was, indeed, a swinging event.

– It didn’t hurt that home town hero Todd Frazier won the competition – it really got the fans into it.

– The event included a great balance of “stars,” – from rookies like the Dodgers’ Joc Pederson and Cubs’ Kris Bryant – to veterans who have rediscovered their strokes like the Angels’ Albert Pujols and the Rangers’ Prince Fielder – to star-players in their prime like the Blue Jays’ Josh Donaldson and Reds’ Todd Frazier.

  • Aroldis Chapman - MLB's hardest thrower.

    Aroldis Chapman – MLB’s hardest thrower.

    Baseball is a game that invites conversation and debate, but Reds’ southpaw closer Aroldis Chapman once again provided evidence of the undebatable – he is, without a doubt, the fastest pitcher in MLB. He came on the ninth inning and struck out the side on 14 pitches, with 12 of the 14 reaching at least 100 mph (his fastest pitch at 103, the slowest at 98). Still want to debate?  MLB.com lists the major league’s 50 fastest pitches of 2015 – and numbers one-through-fifty belong to Chapman.  More evidence?  This season Chapman has thrown 284 pitches of 100 mph or faster.  That’s 46 more than the all the rest of MLB’s pitchers combined. The look on the faces of the AL All Stars watching from the dugout told it all.  Note: Coming into the game, Chapman was 3-3, 1.69 ERA with 18 saves on the season – and 65 strikeouts in 37 1/3 innings pitched.

  • It was also an eye-opening pleasure to watch the Mets’ Jason deGrom work from the hill. DeGrom – relying primarily on a high-90s fastball with movement – came on in the sixth inning and struck out the side (Stephen Vogt, Jason Kipnis and Jose Iglesias) on just ten pitches (the fewest pitches to strike out the side ever in an All Star Game). DeGrom, last year’s NL Rookie of the Year is 9-6, 2.14 ERA with 112 strikeouts in 113 2/3 innings this season.
  • It was great to see the Twins’ Brian Dozier – added to the All Star team, very deservedly, at the last minute – hit a home run in his first All Star at bat. The only other Twins with All Star Game homers. Harmon Killebrew (3) and Kirby Puckett. Good company!
  • Tigers’ SS Jose Iglesias made the defensive play of the game in the eighth inning, back-handing a grounder by the Dodger’ Yasmani Grandal deep in the hold between short and third and then making jumping, twisting throw to first.
  • Really not fond of the online All Star fan voting process. Would like to see more emphasis on voting “at the ballpark” – and fewer online votes allowed per fan.
  • Fantastic to see  the Greatest Living Players honoring Hank Aaron, Johnny Bench, Sandy Koufax and Willie Mays. Can’t really argue with those choice – although there are others deserving recognition (perhaps Greatest Living Player at each position next year). Glad to have had the chance to see all four of them play.
  • Found it interesting that Nolan Ryan led the way by being named to three of the fan-voted, greated “Franchise Four” lists – Angels, Astros, Rangers. Vlad Guererro is the only other player on multiple Franchise Fours (two – Angels and Expos/Nationals).

I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT

Filed Under: News

All Star Game “Firsts” and “First and Only(s)”

July 10, 2015 by

With the 2015 MLB All Star Game just ahead, BBRT would like to devote another post to All Star game history.  This time, taking a look at the very first All Star Game – played at Chicago’s Comiskey Park on July 6, 1933 – and some of the “firsts” from that game.  In that initial All Star match-up – won  by the American League 4-2 – the starting lineups included eleven Hall of Famers (seven for the AL and four for the NL). There were another nine future HOFers on the bench (four for the NL, five for the AL). Both managers – John McGraw (NL) and Connie Mack (AL) were headed for the Hall, as were three of the four coaches. The stage was clearly set for some memorable, big-name All Star Game “firsts” – like Babe Ruth hitting the first AS Game round tripper.

Babe Ruth, appropriately, smacked the first-ever All Star Game home run. 

  

We’ll take a look at all the firsts from that first All Star gathering, but let me lead off with a curve ball, and take a look at some AS Game “first and only(s)” that did not take place in 1933.   Here are three baseball happenings that, to date, have happened just once in All Star competition.

  • Steal of Home: 1934 AS game, fifth inning, two out, two on, NL trailing 8-6 – NL 3B Pie Traynor (Pirates)  notches the first (and still only) AS Game steal of home. (AL won game 9-7.)
  • Grand Slam: 1983 All Star Game, third inning, bases loaded, two outs, AL leading 5-1, AL CF Fred Lynn hits first – and still only – AS Game Grand Slam. (AL wins 13-3).

Fred Lynn – Only ASG Grand Slam

  • Inside-the-Park Home Run: 2007 All Star Game, fifth inning, one on, one out, AL CF Ichiro Suzuki hits first – and still only – AS Game inside-the-park home run.

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Now, here’s a dozen AS Game firsts from 1933.

  • First batter/pitcher matchup: NL 3B Pepper Martin (Cardinals) versus Lefty Gomez (Yankees). Gomez retired Martin on a grounder to shortstop.
  • First starting pitchers: AL, Lefty Gomez (Yankees) – NL, Bill Hallahan (Cardinals). Gomez got the first All Star win, Hallahan the first loss.
  • First hit: Cardinals’ Chick Hafey (leading off second inning – off the Yankees’ Lefty Gomez). Hafey was starting in LF and batting fourth for the NL.
  • First run scored: AL starting 3B Jimmy Dykes (White Sox).
  • First RBI: AL starting pitcher Lefty Gomez (Yankees) – drove home Jimmy Dykes (White Sox), who had walked, with a single to center field. Take that, DH Rule.
  • First double: Pie Traynor (Pirates), NL pinch hitter – top of seventh off Lefty Grove (Yankees).
  • First triple: NL pitcher Lon Warneke (Cubs) – top of the sixth inning off Alvin Crowder (Senators). Take that again, DH Rule.
  • First home run: AL RF Babe Ruth (Yankees), two-run home run, bottom of the third, off Bill Hallahan (Cardinals).
  • First walk: Bottom of first. Hitter – AL 2B Charlie Gehringer (Tigers). Pitcher – Bill Hallahan (Cardinals).
  • First stolen base: Bottom of first, AL 2B Charlie Gehringer (Tigers).
  • First strikeout: Final out, top of second. Pitcher – Lefty Gomez (Yankees). Hitter – NL SS Dick Bartell (Phillies).
  • First fielding error: Top of the fifth, AL 1B Lou Gehrig (Yankees).

Here’s hoping we see a record-setting performance at the 2015 All Star Game. From this viewpoint, the best All Star competition in any sport.

I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT

Filed Under: BB Fun Facts

Best All Star Game Performances Ever – From the Batter’s Box and the Mound

July 6, 2015 by

With all the recent commentary surrounding the recent MLB All Star team voting and selections, BBRT thought it might be time to focus on a topic more likely to generate consensus – the best hitting and pitching performances ever in an All Star game, and some of the targets the players who take the field at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park on Tuesday July 14 can shoot for.  For a look at BBRT’s 2015 All Star ballot, click   here.

Now, I’s sure there are those that would maintain the selecting the greatest-ever All Star Game performances form the batter’s box and the pitching mound might be a matter for considerable debate. But, hear (read) me out and I believe we’ll be able to agree.

Best All Star Game Performance – from the Batter’s Box

Ted Williams, Boston Red Sox, 1946

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When home-town hero Ted Williams trotted out to left field at Fenway Park on July 9, 1946, Boston fans could not have imagined what kind of day The Splendid Splinter had in store for them – and for the four National League pitchers he would face that day.  Expectations, however, were pretty high.  Williams came into the game hitting .347, with 23 home runs, 82 runs scored and 71 RBI in 79 regular season games.  Compared to the day he was about to have that would look like a slump. Here’s how Williams’ day went.

In the first inning, batting third and facing the Cubs’ Claude Passeau, Williams drew a walk and then scored on a home run by the Yankees’ Charlie Keller.

In the bottom of the fourth, leading off against new NL hurler Kirby Higbe of the Dodgers, Williams homered to give the AL a 3-0 lead.

In the bottom of the fifth, with Higbe still in the game, Teddy Ballgame came up again – this time with one out  the Senators’ Stan Spence on third and the Browns’ Vern Stephens on second.   This time, Williams delivered a run-scoring single.

In the bottom of the seventh, this time facing the Reds’ Ewell Blackwell with none on and two out, Williams singled again.

Finally, in the bottom of the eighth – facing the Pirates’ Rip Sewell and his Ephus pitch – with Stephens and the Browns’ Jack Kramer on base, William capped of his day with a three-run homer.

The AL won 12-0 that’s day – and Williams’ final tally was:  four-for-four, plus a walk, two home runs, four runs scored and five runs driven in.   In the process, Williams set or tied the following All Star Game single-game records: runs scored (four – Williams still stands alone); total bases (ten – Williams stands alone); runs batted in (five – later, 1954, tied by the Indians’ Al Rosen); base hits (four – tying the Cardinals’ Ducky Medwick, 1937, and later matched by the Red Sox’ Carl Yastrzemski, 1970); home runs (two – tied, in 1954, by the Indians Al Rosen).

Want a topper to clinch this as the best-ever All Star Game hitting performance?  Williams was coming off three years away from big league pitching (1943-45), serving in the Marine Corps.

 

Best All Star Game Performance Ever – On the Mound

Carl Hubbell, New York Giants, 1934

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In just the second-ever All Star Game, Giants’ southpaw Carl Hubbell turned in a pitching performance for the ages – arguably the best ever in All Star competition.  Hubbell, on his way to a 21-win season (the second of five straight 20+ win campaigns) , came into the game with a 12-5, 2.76 ERA regular-season stat line. Hubell had struck out 58 hitters in 156 1/3 innings pitched to that point, but he was about to make the strikeout a much bigger part of his game.

The game was played on July 10, 1934 at New York’s Polo Grounds – with screwball-specialist Hubbell starting for the NL and Yankee Lefty Gomez starting for the AL.  Facing an AL line up stacked with some of the game’s greatest hitters, Hubbell got off to a rocky start, giving up a lead-off single to Detroit’s Charlie Gehringer, followed by a walk to the Senators Heinie Manusch. Then the fun began, as Hubbell set down five straight future Hall of Famers – all on strikeouts – the Yankees’ Babe Ruth, Yankees’ Lou Gehrig, and Atheletic’ Jimmie Foxx to close out the first. Then the White Sox’ Al Simmons and  Senators’ Joe Cronin to open the second.  Hubbell then gave up a single to Yankees’ Bill Dickey, before whiffing Lefty Gomez (who also made the Hall of Fame) to end the inning. After an uneventful third inning – two fly outs, a ground out and walk – Hubbell left the game credited with three scoreless innings, two hits, two walks and six strikeouts – all six future Hall of Famers (although Gomez made it as a pitcher).

Hubbell’s six strikeouts remain the All Star Game single-game record – tied in 1943 by the Reds’ Johnny Vander Meer (2 2/3 innings pitched); 1950 by the Giants’ Larry Jansen (5 innings pitched); and 1967 by the Cubs’ Fergie Jenkins (3 innings pitched). Given the place in history of Hubbell’s six victims, BBRT considers this top (or at least most memorable All Star Game mound performance.  Oh yes, the AL won the game 9-7, and how did those strike out victims fare When not facing Hubbell?  Against the rest of the NL All Star staff, they went seven-for-sixteen, with four doubles, five runs scored and three RBI.

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Now here, with a much appreciated assist from the stat-packed baseballreference.com, are a few All Star targets for today’s stars to shoot for:

  • Innings pitched in a single AS Game: Yankees’ Lefty Gomez – 6 (1935)
  • At bats in a single AS Game: Willie Jones, Phillies – 7 (1950)
  • Doubles in a single AS Game: two, nine players (Most recently, the Brewers’ Jonathan LeCroy in 2014.  No surprise, LeCroy had a league-leading 53 doubles that season.)
  • Triples in a single AS Game: Rod Carew, Twins – 2 (1978) – leading off the first and third innings, both off the Giants’ Vida Blue.
  • Stolen Bases in a single AS game: Two by five players. (Most recently, the Cubs’ Starlin Castro, 2011.)

How about a few career records:

  • AS games played, career: Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Stan Musial – 24.   Note: There is some confusion here since, in some years, there were two All Star games.  Aaron holds the record for seasons on an All Star game team (21), and total All Star Game rosters made (25). Mays and Musial each played in 24 AS Games in 20 All Star seasons.
  • AS Game hits, career: Willie Mays – 23
  • AS Game doubles, career: Dave Winfield – 7
  • AS Game triples, career: Willie Mays and Brooks Robinson – 3
  • AS Game home runs, career: Stan Musial – 6
  • AS Game RBI, career: Ted Williams – 12
  • AS Game walks, career: Ted Williams – 11
  • AS Game stolen bases, career: Willie Mays – 6
  • All Star Game runs scored, career: Willie Mays – 20.
  • AS Game wins  – Lefty Gomez – 3
  • AS Game appearances: Roger Clemens – 10
  • AS Games started: Lefty Gomez, Robin Roberts, Don Drysdale – 5
  • AS Game saves: Mariano Rivera – 4
  • AS Games innings pitched: Don Drysdale – 19 1/3
  • As Game strikeouts: Don Drysdale – 19

Note: It’s hard to pick AS Game career leaders in such areas as ERA and batting average. (How many at bats or innings pitched do you use to qualify?) However, here are two BBRT nominations. If you use 20 at bats as a standard, your batting average leader is Charlie Gehringer at .500 (ten-for-twenty in six AS games, plus nine walks). If you use ten innings pitched as a qualifier, only Mel Harder can  boast a 0.00 ERA (13 innings).

So, there a look at the All Star Game record book – hope you enjoy the game.

 

I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: BB Fun Facts

Baseball Roundtable’s 2015 All Star Ballot

July 3, 2015 by

MLB will announce the 2015 All Star vote this Sunday, so it’s about time for BBRT to share its (my) All Star ballot.  I prefer to vote late in the balloting, just in case some player has made a late-June/early-July surge that puts him over the top or has suffered a late slump that let’s other contenders close the gap.  So, here’s my ballot (statistics through July 2 – the time of my vote).

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Catcher

Buster Posey – Giants

The two-time All Star and 2012 NL MVP gets BBRT’s vote based on his solid .304-13-56 stat line.  The only other tempting candidate was the Cardinals’ Yadier Molina – clearly the best defensive catcher out there (seven consecutive Gold Gloves) and a solid hitter (.286-2-27 in 2015). If I was building a team, I’d probably take Molina for what he could mean to the pitching staff.  For the 2015 All Star Game, I’ll take Posey’s bat.

Tidbit:  Through July 2 of 2015, Posey was hitting .364 with runners in scoring position and .438 with two outs and runners in scoring position.

Paul Goldschmidt - lumber, leader and speed - leads BBRT's NL All Star ballot.

Paul Goldschmidt – lumber, leader and speed – leads BBRT’s NL All Star ballot.

First Base

Paul Goldschmidt – Diamondbacks

Easy choice here, Goldschmidt brings it all to the ball park – average, power, speed and defense. His line through July 2 – a league leading .352 average, with 20 home runs, 65 RBI and 15 stolen bases. And, of course, there is that Gold Glove (2013 defense).

Tidbit: As of July 1, Goldschmidt led the NL in average (.352), runs scored (56), walks (63), intentional walks (18) and on-base percentage (.468).  

Second Base

Dee Gordon – Marlins

Might have gotten a little more offense from the other second sackers in contention for the BBRT vote – but Gordon’s 26 stolen bases stole this vote.  And, as of July 2, he was hitting .345 – with an NL-best 114 hits. Other candidates I considered were the Cardinals’ Kolten Wong (.287-9-36, with six steals) and the Giants’ Joe Panik (.316-6-30, with three steals).

Tidbit: It’s troubling to note that Gordon’s average has dropped each month this season. He hit .418 in April; .393 in May; and .304 in June. Still his hot start earned the nod here.

Third Base

Nolan Arenado – Rockies

The 24-year-old Arenado looks to have many All Star games ahead of him.  This year’s .287-24-68 (he leads all of MLB in RBI) line enabled him to edge out the Reds’ Todd Frazier (.283-25-54). Frazier does have eight steals to none for Arenado, but Arenado has won the NL Gold Glove at third base in both his previous MLB seasons. BBRT likes players who can flash “lumber and leather.”

Tidbit: Arenado hits righties and lefties equally well.  This season, through July 2, Arenado was hitting .287 versus right-handers and .288 versus southpaws.

Shortstop

Troy Tulowitzki – Rockies

Tulo is hitting .319-8-41 and that’s a lot of offense from the shortstop position.  Still picking Tulowitzki over Andrelton Simmons of the Braves (.269-3-29) was a close call. Simmons, after all, may be the best infield defender on the planet – and won a Gold Glove in each of his first two full MLB seasons (2013-14). A little better batting average or a touch more speed on the bases (Simmons has one stolen base in three attempts) probably would have swung my vote.

Tidbit: Simmons may be garnering the “glove-work” headlines now, but before Simmons hit the big leagues, Tulowitzki had picked up a pair of Gold Gloves at shortstop (2010-11).

Outfield

Bryce Harper – Nationals

Giancarlo Stanton – Marlins

Sterling Marte – Pirates

The first two votes were relatively easy – Harper (.339-24-58) and Stanton (.265-27-67) can both carry a team – and have 51 home runs and have a 125 RBI between them. They’ll give the NL offense some real punch. (Stanton’s 27 dingers lead all of MLB, as does Harper’s .705 slugging percentage.)

Picking Starling Marte for the third spot added some speed without sacrificing power. Marte’s .288-13-48, with 16 steals, edges his teammate Andrew McCutchen (.295-9-47, with five steal)s – but barely. This is another case, where, if I was setting up a team for the long haul, I’d probably take McCutchen, but Marte earned my vote for this All Star squad. (Of course, with Stanton’s recent hand injury, McCutchen would also make the BBRT All Star starting line-up). And, how can you not vote for a guy named Starling?

Others in the running, but not that close, were the Dodgers’ Joc Pederson and the Reds’ Billy Hamilton – one for exciting power (rookie Pederson’s 20 homers, but .243 average with 95 strikeouts), one for super-exciting speed (Hamilton’s 40 steals, with a .230 average). Still, batting south of .250 kept them behind my three choices.

Tidbit(s): Bryce Harper hit 22 MLB home runs as a teenager, the most very by a teenie-bopper in the NL and second only to Boston Red Sox’ Tony Conigliaro’s 24 dingers before age 20. Giancarlo Stanton has hit five of the ten longest 2015 MLB home runs (through July 2) according to ESPN’s Home Run Tracker. Starling Marte hit a home run on the first pitch he ever saw in the major leagues

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

Catcher

Steve Vogt – A’s

The A’s Steve Vogt is having a breakout season at age 30 – hitting .290 with 13 home runs and 53 RBI through July 2. He edges out the Blue Jays’ Russell Martin (.262-12-38) and the Yankees’ Brian McCann (.265-12-49). Besides those two veterans already have 10 All Star appearances between. Give the new guy a chance to shine.

Tidbit:  With runners in scoring position (through July 2), Vogt is hitting .365 with 7 home runs and 46 RBI in 74 at bats.

First Base

Miguel Cabrera –Tigers

If two consecutive MVP Awards and a Triple Crown aren’t an automatic All Star vote, what is?  Perhaps, Miguel Cabrera’s .345-15-53 line through July 2. I did consider Albert Pujols’ AL-leading 24 home runs, but Miggy’s all-around game is better.

Tidbit: Miguel Cabrera has finished in the top five in MVP voting in seven of his 13 MLB seasons.

Second Base

Jason Kipnis – Indians

Kipnis earned the BBRT vote with a league-leading .347 average (and league-leading 108 hits), six home runs, 35 RBI and ten steals through July 2 – but this was one of the toughest calls in the balloting process.

Also in the running were the Twins’ Brian Dozier, with 16 home runs, 40 RBI and an MLB-best 61 runs scored through July 2; the Astros’ Jose Altuve (.298-7-33, with an AL-leading 23 steals); and the Red Sox’ Dustin Pedroia (.306-9-33).

Tidbit: Kipnis also leads the AL with 26 doubles.

Third Base

Manny Machado – Orioles

If I could split a vote, it might be here. Josh Donaldson and Manny Machado are that close. The basic line: Donaldson .300-19-52; Machado .302-16-44.  So, why give the edge to Machado?  An eleven steals to three edge, and a one Gold Glove to none edge. Once again, BBRT respects the combination of “leather and lumber” – add a touch of speed and you get my vote.

Tidbit: Machado hit .365 with eight home runs and 22 RBI this June.

Shortstop

Xander Bogaerts – Red Sox

This vote could have gone to Bogaerts (.297-3-35, with four steals); the Blue Jays’ Jose Reyes (.272-4-27, with ten steals); or Jose Iglesias of the Tigers (.320-1-11, with nine steals). Let’s give a nod to the youngster – get someone in the lineup whose name starts with ‘X” – and give the forlorn Red Sox nation something to cheer about.

Tidbit: In 2013, Bogaerts was the USA Today Minor League Player of the Year after hitting .297 with 15 home runs at AA and AAA.

Mike Trout - a five-tool player for the BBRT AL All Star ballot.

Mike Trout – a five-tool player for the BBRT AL All Star ballot.

OF

Mike Trout – Angels

Adam Jones – Orioles

Brett Gardner – Yankees

Here BBRT’s vote(s) went for all-around players who could deliver power, defense and speed. That channeled my support to Mike Trout (.303-21-44, with nine stolen bases), who brings all the tools every day; Adam Jones (.292-10-37, with four Gold Gloves); and Brett Gardner (.304-9-39 and 15 steals).  With this OF, the AL would have plenty of offense and plenty of speed to run down anything the NL sent to the OF.  Others in the running were Tigers’ slugger J.D. Martinez (.281-21-51) and the A’s Josh Reddick (.287-11-49 and a solid defender).

Tidbit(s): Mike Trout is just 23-years-old and this will be his fourth All Star game); Brett Gardner led the AL in stolen basis in 2011 (49); and Adam Jones has won Gold Gloves in each of the past three seasons.

DH

Nelson Cruz – Mariners

Cruz brings a powerful bat (.303-20-48) to the DH slot.  Actually, the only other DH I really considered was Alex Rodriguez – making history and having a pretty good season (.280-15-45), just a bit shy of Cruz’ marks.

Tidbit: In 2011, Cruz and Ian Kinsler became the first two teammates in major league history to homer in each of the first three games in a season.

So, there’s the BBRT All Star ballot. Hope it gave you some food for thought.

I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT

Filed Under: News

MLB June in Review

July 1, 2015 by

July is with us, and that means it’s time for BBRT’s traditional look back at the previous month in MLB. So, what happened in June? First, a few items that BBRT found of interest – and then the statistical review.

Albert Pujols led the AL in HRs and RBI in June.

Albert Pujols led the AL in HRs and RBI in June.

He’s b-a-a-ck!

One of June’s big stories was the resurgence of 35-year-old Angels’ slugger Albert Pujols, who hit .303 for the month and led the AL with 13 home runs and 26 RBI. (The Tigers’ J.D. Martinez tied Pujols for June runs driven in.)

He’s b-a-ack to back!

On June 19th, the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez became the 29th player in MLB history to join the 3,000-hit club. The last player to join the 3K club? Yankee Derek Jeter back in 2011. A-Rod’s hit marked the first time back-to-back new members of the 3,000-hit club have come from the same team. A-Rod also became just the third player to go yard for his 3,000th hit.  The last one to do it?  You guessed it. Derek Jeter – so Rodriguez and Jeter are also the only players to hit back-to-back (in a way) homers for their 3,000th safeties.

He has arrived.

Mets’ rookie pitcher Steve Matz announced his arrival in the big leagues with authority. He made his first MLB start on June 28 – going 7 2/3 innings (2 earned runs) as the Mets topped the Reds 7-2. AND, Matz also went 3-for-3 at the plate, with four RBI. Take that, DH rule.

He was just here – and now he’s gone.

Reds’ CF Billy Hamilton didn’t stay anywhere very long in June – as the speedster swiped a MLB-leading 19 bases (caught three times), despite a .226 average. No one else was even close (Colorado’s Charlie Blackmon had the second most June steals at 11). Hamilton has an MLB-best forty steals through June 30.

He’s still hot.

The White Sox Chris Sale was a popular pre-season prediction for the AL Cy Young Award. Sale lived up to his billing in June, striking out an MLB-best 75 hitters in just 44 1/3 innings – going 2-2, 1.83 in six starts. In his final June outing (June 30), Sale fanned 12 hitters in eight innings and, in the process, joined Pedro Martinez as the only pitchers to strike out ten or more hitters in eight consecutive games. In his eight games, Sale pitched 60 innings, striking out 97 and walking just nine.

He’s almost perfect.

MLB witnessed two no-hitters in June: by the Phillies’ Chris Heston on June 9 and the Nationals’ Max Scherzer on June 20th.  There were a total of four base runners in the two games – and, ironically,  they all got on via hit-by-pitch.  (Scherzer’s with two outs in the ninth.) For more on Scherzer’s game click here – Heston’s game click here.

We’ll have more on June’s player performances later. Let’s first take a look at June’s most – and least – successful teams.

June’s Best and Worst Records

MLB's winningest team plays here/

MLB’s winningest team plays here/

Three teams won an MLB-best 18 games in June: The Toronto Blue Jays (18-9) and Baltimore Orioles (18-10) in the AL and the Saint Louis Cardinals (18-8 – MLB’s top June winning percentage at .692) in the NL. The Cardinals’ strong June enabled them to stretch their NL Central lead from six games to eight – and end the month as the only MLB team with 50 or more wins on the season (51-25).  Meanwhile, Baltimore’s hot month moved the Orioles from third place (at the end of May) to a tie with the Rays for the top spot in the tight AL East (four teams separated by just one game) at the end of June. The Blue Jays needed all of their 18 wins to stay within one game (fourth place) of the Orioles.

Looking at the fewest June victories, the Philadelphia Phillies continued to suffer through a dismal season, logging MLB’s worst June record at 8-19.  As June closed, the Phillies trailed the Nationals by 17 games in the NL East.  The Brewers faced the biggest deficit at the end of the month – having fallen 21 ½ games behind the Cardinals. Over in the AL, the White Sox brought up the rear with only 10 June wins (10-16). Their 33-42 season record left them with the AL’s biggest deficit. They finished June 11 ½ games behind the AL Central-leading Royals.

If the Season Ended …   

So who’s on top?  If the season ended on June 30, the MLB playoff teams would be:

  • AL … Division Champions: Orioles or Rays (playoff to break tie); Royals; Astros. Wild Cards: Loser of Orioles/Rays playoff; Minnesota. (Note: The Angels, Yankees, Blue Jays, Tigers and Rangers are all within 1 ½ games of a Wild Card slot.)
  • NL … Division Champions: Nationals; Cardinals; Dodgers. Wild Cards: Giants; Pirates.

You can see the full June 30 standings at the end of this post.

 

A Few More Items of Interest

Before we get into June and season-through-June leaders, let’s look at a few more items of interest from the past 30 days or so.

  • On June 26, Brewers’ pitcher Kyle Lohse faced off against his original MLB team, the Minnesota Twins. It wasn’t a great performance (four earned runs in six innings, six hits, one walk, two strikeouts), but it was good enough for the win. It was also good enough to make the 36-year-old Lohse – in his 15th MLB season –  one of just 14 pitchers to record a victory against all 30 major league franchises.
  • Prince Fielder joined his dad Cecil in the 300-club.

    Prince Fielder joined his dad Cecil in the 300-club.

    On June 26, Rangers’ 1B Prince Fielder hit his 12th home run of the season (in a 12-2 loss to the Blue Jays). Despite the outcome, it was an historic home run.  It was the 300th of Fielder’s career – and it enabled him to join his father Cecil Fielder (who hit 319 home runs in a 13-year MLB career) as only the second father-son tandem to both hit 300 round trippers.  The other?  Bobby and Barry Bonds.

 

 

 

 

  • Three is not always a crowd. On June 24, the Class A Batavia Muckdogs (off to an 0-5 start) reversed their fortunes. The Marlins’ affiliate sent Gabriel Castellanos (with had a 7-21, 5.15 career minor league record) to the mound against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. Castellanos threw seven perfect innings, striking out twelve Mahoning Valley hitters, before giving way to reliever Brad Lilek, who struck out the side in the eighth. Lilek then passed the ball to Steven Farnworth, who pitched a perfect ninth (one strikeout) for the save – and to complete a 1-0, three-pitcher, perfect-game win.

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STAT TIME

Here’s a few tidbits of information about June team performance:

  • The Oakland pitching staff put up the AL’s best June ERA at 3.06, while Yankees’ hurlers had the AL’s worse ERA for the month at 4.48.
  • In the NL, the Cardinals’ (2.33) and Pirates’ staffs (2.63) both had ERAs under 3.00, while the Rockies (5.39) and Phillies (5.36) both gave up more than five earned runs per contest.
  • Pitching counts. The Rockies topped the NL in runs scored for the month at 140, yet were five games under .500 (12-17) for June. The Cardinals, on the other hand, scored the tenth most runs in the NL (and 19th most in MLB) for June, but had the best June record in all of MLB.
  • Over in the AL, Toronto’s 18 wins were built on a combination of the league’s second-best ERA (3.17 to Oakland’s 3.06) and most June runs put on the board (156). In short, the Blue Jays were hot.
  • The long and short of June home runs. In the NL, the Dodgers hit a league-best 38 round trippers in June, while the Pirates hit the NL’s fewest long balls (13). In the AL, Houston continued to build success on power with a league-topping 45 June homers, while Seattle managed an AL-fewest 17.

Now, here are your month-of-June and through-June individual batting and pitching leaders:

Month of  June Batting Leaders

Average (minimum 75 plate appearances)

Miggy put up MLB's highest June average.

Miggy put up MLB’s highest June average.

AL                                          

Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Tigers – .384

Manny Machado, 3B, Orioles – .365

Kevin Pillar, OF, Blue Jays – .365

NL

Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Rockies – .381

Bryce Harper, RF, Nationals – .370

Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, D-backs – .354

HRs

NL

Giancarlo Stanton, RF, Marlins – 12

Nolan Arenado, 3B, Colorado – 12

Todd Frazier, 3B, Reds – 9

AL

Albert Pujols, 1B, Angels – 13

J.D. Martinez, RF, Tigers – 11
Luis Valbeuna, 3B, Astros – 9

Mitch Moreland, 1B/DH, Texas – 9

RBI

Nolan Arenado's 33 June RBI led MLB.

Nolan Arenado’s 33 June RBI led MLB.

AL

Albert Pujols, 1B, Angels – 26

J.D. Martinez, RF, Tigers – 26

Mitch Moreland, 1B/DH, Texas – 25

NL

Nolan Arenado, 3B, Rockies – 33

Buster Posey, C, Giants – 27

Maikel Franco, 3B, Phillies – 24

 

Runs Scored

AL

Brett Gardner, CF, Yankees – 27

Albert Pujols, 1B, Angels – 23

NL

Nolan Arenado, 3B, Rockies – 24

Todd Frazier, 3B, Reds – 20

DJ LeMahieu, 2B, Rockies – 20

Charlie Blackmon, CF, Rockies – 20

Stolen Bases

NL

Billy Hamilton, CF, Reds –  19 (3 CS)

Charlie Blackmon, CF, Rockies – 11 (3 CS)

Ben Revere, LF, Phillies – 9 (1 CS)

AL

Billy Burns, CF, A’s – 7 (1 CS)

Five players with 6

Month-of-June Pitching Leaders

Wins

Four was the lucky number of victories in June, with 11 AL hurlers and 4 NL pitchers notching four wins. Of interest, at least to BBRT, is that the May ERAs for these four-game winners ranged from the 2.18 of the Cardinals’ Carlos Martinez to 5.54 for Charlie Morton of the Pirates. (Charles Tillman of the Orioles also won four games despite an ERA in excess of five – 5.13 – for the month).

ERA (minimum 20 innings pitched in the month)

AL

Yovani Gallardo, June's lowest ERA.

Yovani Gallardo, June’s lowest ERA.

Yovani Gallardo, Rangers – 0.54

Erasmo Ramirez, Rays – 1.44

Mike Montgomery, Mariners – 1.62

NL

Jaime Garcia, Cardinals – 1.03

Lance Lynne, Cardinals – 1.09

Jacob DeGrom, Mets – 1.21

 

 

Strikeouts

AL

Chris Sale, White Sox – 75 (44 1/3 IP)

Chris Archer, Rays – 51 (41 IP)

Ubaldo Jiminez, Orioles – 42 (35 2/3 IP)

Dallas Keuchel,  Astros – 42 (42 2/3 IP)

NL

Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers – 57 (41 2/3 IP)

Madison Bumgarner, Giants – 49 (39 IP)

Max Scherzer, Nationals – 45 (38 2/3 IP)

Saves

AL

Greg Holland, Royals – 9

Zack Britton, Orioles – 9

Koji Uehara, Red Sox – 8

NL

Mark Melancon, Pirates – 11

Francisco Rosdriguez, Brewers – 9

Brad Zeigler, D-Backs – 9

Mark Melancon, Pirates – 8

 

And now the MLB Leaders Through June

Batting Average

NL

Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, D-backs – .354

Dee Gordon, 2B, Marlins – .351

Bryce Harper, RF, Nationals – .340

AL

Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Tigers – .349

Prince Fielder, 1B, Rangers – .347

Jason Kipnis, 2B, Indians – .346

HR

AL

Giancarlo Stanton - MLB home run leader.

Giancarlo Stanton – MLB home run leader.

Albert Pujols, 1B, Angels – 24

Mike Trout, CF, Angels – 20

J.D. Martinez, RF, Tigers – 20

NL

Giancarlo Stanton, RF, Marlins – 27

Todd Frazier, 3B, Reds – 25

Bryce Harper, RF, Nationals – 24

 

RBI

NL

Nolan Arenado, 3B, Rockies – 68

Giancarlo Stanton, RF Marlins – 67

Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, D-backs – 65

AL

Mark Teixeira, 1B, Yankees – 54

Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Tigers – 53

Stephen Vogt, C, A’s – 53

Runs

AL

Brian Dozier, 2B, Twins – 60

Brett Gardner, CF, Yankees – 58

Josh Donaldson, 3B, Blue Jays – 58

NL

Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, D-backs – 55

Todd Frazier, 3B, Reds – 54

Bryce Harper, CF, Nationals – 53

Stolen Bases

NL

Billy Hamilton, CF, Reds  – 40 (6 CS)

Dee Gordon, 2B, Marlins – 26 (11 CS)

Charlie Blackmon, CF, Rockies – 20 (7 CS)

AL

Jose Altuve, 2B, Astros – 21 (7 CS)

Billy Burns, CF, A’s – 16 (3 CS)

Brett Gardner, CF, Yankees – 15 ( CS)

Lorenzo Cain, CF, Royals – 15 (3 CS)

BBRT Note: The Padres’ LF Justin Upton has the most steals without getting caught (15).

Pitching Leaders Through June

Wins

NL

Gerrit Cole, Pirates – 11-3 (2.20)

Micheal Wacha, Cardinals – 10-3 (2.77)

Three with nine wins

AL

Dallas Keuchel, Astros – 10-3 (2.03)

Felix Hernandez, Mariners – 10-4 (3.05)

Four with nine wins

Strikeouts

AL

Chris Sale, White Sox – 141 (103 1/3 IP)

Chris Archer Rays – 133 (109 IP)

Corey Kluber, Indians – 127 (110 2/3 IP)

NL

Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers – 140 (107 IP)

Max Scherezer, Nationals – 130 (110 1/3 IP)

James Shields, Padres – 116 (97 2/3 IP)

Saves

AL

Glen Perkins, Twins – 25

Houston Street, Angels – 23

Zach Britton, Orioles – 22

NL

Mark Melancon, Pirates – 24

Drew Storen, Nationals – 23

Trevor Rosenthal, Cardinals – 23

 

______________________________________________

Finally, MLB standing as of June 30

 

AL East

Orioles             41-36   .532

Rays                 41-36   .532

Yankees           41-37   .526     0.5

Blue Jays          41-38   .519    1.0

Red Sox           36-43   .456     6.0

AL Central

Royals              44-30   .595

Twins               41-36   .532     4.5

Tigers               39-37   .513     6.0

Indians             25-41   .461     10.0

White Sox        33-42   .440     11.5

AL West

Astros              46-34   .575

Angels              41-37   .526     4.0

Rangers            40-38   .513     5.0

Mariners            35-42   .455     9.5

A’s                    35-45   .438     11.0

 

NL East

Nationals          43-34   .558

Mets                40-38   .513    3.5

Braves              26-41   .468    7.0

Marlins            32-46   .410     11.5

Phillies              27-52   .342     17.0

NL Central

Cardinals          51-25   .671

Pirates              43-33   .566     8.0

Cubs                40-35   .533     10.5

Reds                35-41   .461     16.0

Brewers           31-48   .392      21.5

NL West

Dodgers           44-35   .557

Giants              42-36   .538     1.5

D-Backs           37-40   .481     6.0

Padres              37-42   .468     7.0

Rockies            34-43   .442     9.0

I tweet baseball @David BBRT

 

Filed Under: BB Fun Facts, News

Why I Love Baseball – John Murphy on Line Drives and Life Lessons

June 28, 2015 by

Baseball Roundtable is proud to present a guest post – for the BBRT Why I Love Baseball page – from John Michael Murphy – for whom baseball has been a combination of line drives and life lessons.

JohnMurphyLine Drives

Murphy was selected by the New York Yankees in the sixth round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of Sacred Heart University (SHU) – the highest MLB draft pick in the history of the SHU baseball program.  His collegiate honors include all conference, all region, and All American awards. Murphy led the SHU Pioneers to four Northeast Conference (NEC) championship games, culminating in NEC titles in 2011 and 2012.  As senior team captain, Murphy led SHU in batting average (.367) slugging (.565), on base percentage (.442), doubles (13), home runs (4), walks (26), and stolen bases (29). Murphy also stroked plenty of line drives in the renowned Cape Cod League, where he batted .308 with four homers, 16 RBIs and six stolen bases in 104 at-bats – making the All-Star Game before a hamstring injury cut his season short.

Life Lessons

Murphy took what he learned on the baseball field to heart, and you can read about the life lessons he garnered from the national pastime in his guest post.

Murph’s Laws of Baseball (Murphslaws.com)

Murphy has now launched a website – Murph’s Laws of Baseball – dedicated to sharing what he’s learned about baseball’s line drives and life lessons.  Here’s how he describes it:

With a pro career coming to an end, I look forward to passing on the information I’ve gained over the years that have allowed me to be successful on my journey of baseball and life. Through drills, articles, and swing analyses from a professional level, I am excited to further baseball fanatics’ knowledge of the game.

Want to learn more?  Click here to visit Murphy’s site.  Want a look at how Murphy analyzes the hitting stroke?  Click here for his guest post on the Be A Better Hitter website.  Now, for a look at baseball’s life lessons, read on.

 

Why I Love Baseball – Line Drives and Life Lessons

By John Michael Murphy

 

Throughout my years of playing baseball at the Little League through professional levels, I learned many different life lessons.  Baseball has taught me about character, responsibility, work ethic, and the value of maintaining dedication to a goal. If I hadn’t played the sport I love for the last 20 years of my life, I don’t know where my life would be today.

A commitment to going about my business the right way – both on and off the field – is something I will always have with me as a result of playing this game. Being respectful to everyone on field, in the dugout, or in the crowd not only reflected my respect for the game, but also helped me form positive habits and attitudes related to how I treat those outside the game. Having respect for the world and people around us is something that is lost in today’s society. We tend to be selfish and care about things that are only beneficial to ourselves. The way we think and behave determines our character. By playing the game of baseball, I learned to behave in a respectful manner – ensuring I would not embarrass myself, my team and coaches and, most important, my family.

Baseball, particularly at the collegiate level, also taught me a lot about time management, setting priorities and following through.  Managing responsibilities and priorities in collegiate athletics is a challenging task.  Having class all morning, going to team workouts, going to practice, back to class, then finishing work and studying will force you to develop good habits. The time management skills I  developed  – going from freshman year where I struggled with the process, to senior year, where I didn’t have to think twice about where I would be at any hour of the day –  have served me well.  Being able to balance tasks and set priorities makes my everyday life easier and I have baseball to thank for that.

Baseball also taught me a lot about setting, and keeping your eyes on, important goals.  Having and sustaining the motivation necessary to reach a goal is what creates successful individuals. Baseball motivated me more than I could ever imagine. Once I was able to realize my ability, my goal setting never stopped. In high school, my goals went from making varsity to playing Division 1 baseball. Once those goals were achieved, my targets were elevated, progressing into wanting to start as a freshman in college to playing professional baseball. By setting those goals and letting nothing come between me and the process of achieving them, I allowed myself to realize that success, in any task, is achievable if your work ethic, mindset, and actions are all goal-based.

Along the ride, I have made some of the most amazing relationships. I have met and made best friends who will always be a part of my life, no matter where we end up. Meeting those coaches and players, learning how to manage my days, how to work towards goals, and how to handle myself in a professional manner are all part of who I am today – and why I love baseball.

Filed Under: Guest Posts, Why I Love Baseball (YILBB)

Almost Perfect – Heartbreaking Stories From the Ninth Inning

June 21, 2015 by

_MG_2010Last night (June 20), Nationals’ right-hander and 2013 AL Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer came within one out – within one strike actually – of pitching the 24th perfect game in major league history. He entered the top of the ninth with a 6-0 lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates – having retired the first 24 batters, striking out 10.  In the ninth, Scherzer retired the first two batters (RF Gregory Polanco on a pop out to the catcher and SS Jordy Mercer on a liner to center) and then worked the 27th hitter (pinch hitter Jose Tabata) to a 2-2 count.  Tabata fouled off three 2-2 pitches before Scherzer lost the perfect game in perhaps the most painful way (in more ways than one) possible – by hitting Tabata with a pitch (a breaking ball to the elbow).  Scherzer then got Pirates’ second baseman Josh Harrison on a fly ball to left, completing the no-hitter.

Scherzer the Third Pitcher to Lose a Perfect Game on the 27th Batter – But Still Record a No-Hitter

Surprisingly, Scherzer is not the first pitcher to lose a perfect game by plunking the 27th batter (on a 2-2 count) of the contest.  On July 4, 1908, New York Giants’ southpaw Hooks Wiltse retired the first 26 Phillies before hitting Philadelphia pitcher George McQuillan with a pitch on a 2-2 count.  There was a little more pressure on Wiltse – and he had to work a little harder to preserve the no-hitter.  The Giants/Phils game was a scoreless tie through nine innings, and Wiltse went on to pitch a hitless tenth (preserving the no-hitter) as the Giants won 1-0.  Wiltse finished the 1908 season 23-14, with a 2.34 ERA.

The only other pitcher to lose a perfect game on the 27th batter and still record the no-hitter was Milt Pappas of the Cubs. On September 2, 1972, Pappas and the Cubs held an 8-0 lead over the Padres – and Pappas had a perfect game going as the Padres batted in the ninth.  After retiring the first two batters, Pappas walked pinch hitter Larry Stahl on a 3-2 pitch (Yes, he too was within one strike of perfection).  Pappas retired the next hitter. So, while he lost the perfect game, he did save the no-hitter. Pappas, who recorded 209 MLB wins (versus 164 losses) in 17 seasons, had his best year in 1972, going 17-7, 2.77.

 

Ten Pitchers (actually 11 with the update at the end of this post) Who Lost a Perfect Game and the No-Hitter with Two Outs in the Ninth

In MLB history, thirteen (fourteen with the update) potential perfect games (including the three already noted) have been lost with two outs in the ninth inning.  Here’s a look at the additional games, with a little extra detail on those that were “a little extra painful.”

Armando Galarraga, Tigers

Perhaps the most heartbreaking of these instances occurred on June 2, 2010, when Detroit Tigers’ righty Armando Galarraga found himself on the mound in the top of the ninth 26 outs into a perfect game – holding a 3-0 lead and facing Indians’ second baseman Jason Donald. Galarraga induced Donald to ground to right side of the infield (Galarraga had just three strikeouts in the game) and first-sacker Miguel Cabrera moved to his right to make a fine play, spinning and throwing to Galarraga covering first (who clearly beat Donald to the bag). Umpire Jim Joyce called Donald safe, a mistake he admitted and apologized for after the game. Galarraga retired the next batter– CF Trevor Crowe – on a groundout. Joyce’s call, despite the post-game mea culpa, stood, and Galarraga joined the list of pitchers losing a perfect game on the 27th batter.

Dave Stieb, Blue Jays

Dave Stieb, flirted with history multiple times.,

Dave Stieb, flirted with history multiple times.,

On August 4, 1989, the Blue Jays Dave Stieb took a 2-0 lead and a perfect game into the ninth inning against the Yankees. Stieb 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 Roberto Kelly, broke up the “perfecto” and the 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.  So, Stieb lost the perfect game, the no-hitter and the shutout – but did get the win.

This one was especially painful because, just one season year earlier, Stieb had been on the mound one strike away from a no-hitter twice (in consecutive starts) – producing nearly identical, disappointing results. On September 24 (against the Indians) and September 30 (versus the Orioles), he lost no-hitters with two outs in the ninth inning and two strikes on the hitter (2 and 2 counts both times).  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 1988 season, so he had the entire off-season to contemplate his bad luck.

Stieb finally recorded a no-hitter on September 2, 1990.  Stieb, by the way, was a seven-time All Star, who won 176 games in 16 seasons.

Ron Robinson, Reds

Reds’ right-hander Ron Robinson was one strike away from a perfect game on May 2, 1988. He had a 3-0 lead, two outs in the ninth, nary a base run allowed and a 2-2 count on Expos’ pinch hitter Wallace Johnson – and then hung a curveball that Johnson hit for a single. Tim Raines followed with a two-run home run, and Red’s closer Joh Franco was brought in to get the final out.  So, on the verge of a perfect game (with two out and two strikes in the ninth), Robinson lost the no-hitter, the shutout and the complete game. In his nine MLB seasons, Robinson recorded just eight complete games and two shutouts – but had a respectable 48-39 record, with a 3.63 ERA and 19 saves.

Here are the other pitchers who lost perfect games with two outs in the ninth:

Tommy Bridges, Tigers

On August 5, 1932, the Tigers’ Tommy Bridges gave up a single to Washington Senators’ pinch-hitter Dave Harris after retiring the first 26 batters.  Bridges then got the final out for a 13-0 win. Bridges went 194-138, 3.57 with 200 complete games in 16 MLB seasons.

Billy Pierce, White Sox

On June 27, 1958, the White Sox’ Billy Pierce retired the first 26 hitters he faced and then gave up a double to Washington Senators’ pinch hitter Ed Fitz Gerald before striking out AL 1958 Rookie of the Year Albie Pearson to gain a 3-0 win. Pierce, a southpaw, was a seven-time All Star and two-time twenty-game winner. He won 211 games in 18 MLB seasons.

Milt Wilcox, Tigers

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth – in an early season game (April 15, 1983) – the Tigers’ Milt Wilcox had yet to allow a White Sox hitter to reach base (and had struck out eight). Pinch hitter Jerry Hairston ended that with his first hit of the season – a clean single. Wilcox retired the next batter (CF Rudy Law) for a 6-0 (one-hitter) win. Wilcox won 119 games (113 losses) in 18 MLB seasons.

Brian Holman, Mariners

One April 20, 1990, the Mariners’ Brian Holman retired the first 26 hitters, shutting down the defending World Champion Oakland A’s, before giving up a first-pitch home run to pinch hitter Ken Phelps. It was, notably, Phelps only home run of the 1990 season and the last of his 123 career round trippers. Holman then struck out Rickey Henderson for the final out in a 6-1 Mariners’ win.  It was one of only two complete games in Holman’s four MLB seasons (37-45, 3.71).

Mike Mussina, Yankees

Mike Mussina, notched 270 MLB wins.

Mike Mussina notched 270 MLB wins.

On September 2, 2001, the Yankees’ Mike Mussina squared off against the rival Red Sox at Fenway Park. After eight innings, Mussina and Red Sox starter David Cone were locked in a 0-0 duel. Mussina was hadn’t allowed a base runner, striking out twelve. Cone had given up just four hits and three walks (fanning eight), while holding New York scoreless.  The Yankees pushed across a run in the top of the ninth and Mussina went to work on his perfect game – notching a ground out (pinch hitter Troy O’Leary) and a strikeout (2B Lou Merloni) and taking pinch hitter Carl Everett to a 1-2 count before Everett singled to left. Mussina retired Trot Nixon for the final out, in a 1-0 one-hit win.

Yu Darvish, Rangers

On April 2, 2013, Rangers’ Ace Yu Darvish stifled the Astros without a baser runner for 8 2/3 innings – fanning 14. All he had to do to gain perfection was retire the Rangers’ number-nine hitter, light-hitting shortstop Marwin Gonzalez. Gonzalez hit Darvish’s first pitch up the middle – through Darvish’s legs – for a single. It was Darvish’s 111th pitch and he was relieved by Michael Kirkman, who finished off the 7-0 win.

So, there are your pitches who got within one out of perfection, but couldn’t quite close the deal. Now, I’d like to add two honorable mentions.  A no-hitter truly “lost” with two outs in ninth inning of a World Series’ game and a perfect game lost in the 13th inning.

Bill Bevens – A Near Fall Classic No-Hitter

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 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.

Harvey Haddix – 12 Perfect Innings – For the Loss

HaddixFor 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 26, 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 in order, 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 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. So, despite 12 perfect innings, Haddix lost the no-hitter, the shutout and the game itself.  But he did etch his name forever into baseball lore.

 

BBRT UPDATE (events since this was first posted.)

One September 6, 2013, the San Francisco Giants’ Yusmeiro Petit joined the unlucky “almost perfect” rotation. With two out in the ninth, Petit – with a 3-0 lead over the Diamondbacks – had retired all 26 batters he had faced, fanning seven.  The  Diamondbacks sent up pinch hitter Eric Chavez, who worked the count full. Then, just one strike away from perfection, Petit gave up a single to right field.  Petit retired the next hitter CF/leadoff hitter A.J. Pollock on a grounder to third – settling for a one-hit shutout.  This made Petit the second pitcher name “Yu” to get within one out of a “perfecto” during the 2013 season.  (See Yu Darvish above.)

I tweet baseball @ DavidBBRT

Filed Under: BB Fun Facts

Raley Field – Home of the Sacramento River Cats

June 18, 2015 by

This Tuesday (June 16), another ballpark was added to BBRT’s list of “Baseball Venues Visited.”  This time it was Raley Field in West Sacramento, California – home of the Triple A, Pacific Coast League (PCL), San Francisco Giants-affiliated Sacramento River Cats.  The third-place (Pacific North Division) River Cats were taking on the division-leading Fresno Grizzlies (a Houston Astros’ farm team).  As always (well, at least, almost always), there was something special to see during the game.  I’ll get to that, but first a few observations on the Raley Field and the Triple A experience.

When you get to Raley Field the first thing that strikes you is the large parking areas that adjoins the stadium – and the fact that parking is free.  No, that is not a misprint; River Cats’ fans enjoy free parking.

Raley Field and Sacramento's Tower Bridge.

Raley Field and Sacramento’s Tower Bridge.

Once in the ballpark, you’ll notice a similarity to Pittsburgh’s PNC Park.  Considered one of MLB’s finest ballparks, PNC offers a picturesque view of the golden/yellow Roberto Clemente (Sixth Street) Bridge, which crosses the Allegheny River beyond the outfield wall.  Adding to the vista is a view of the downtown Pittsburgh skyline. At Raley Field, the view beyond the ballpark’s outfield perimeter includes the golden/yellow Sacramento Tower Bridge – a vertical lift bridge across the Sacramento River.  The bridge, which opened in 1935, is on the National Register of Historic Places – and it’s a beauty.  Fans also enjoy a view of the downtown Sacramento skyline beyond the bridge.

The stadium opened in May of 2000, the first season of the current Sacramento River Cats’ franchise (the relocated Vancouver Canadians).  Raley Field has approximately 10,600 permanent seats, and plenty of room for additional fans on the berms beyond the outfield fences. The team has averaged better than 8,000 fans per game in every year of its existence and the River Cats have led the PCL in attendance in 13 of their 15 full seasons in Sacramento (2000-2014).

Overall, Raley Field is picturesque and fan-friendly – ample concourses, plenty of traditional and unique food choices, reasonably-priced seats (for the most part), baseball just one level shy of the majors and some of the friendliest staff and vendors I have run across. More on the Raley field ambiance in a bit, but first a look at Monday’s game and the Triple A experience. Note: If  could improve on thing, it might be the on-field lighting – an issue at many minor league ballparks.

The very first pitch of the game, which I attended with my son-in-law Amir, illustrated the range of experience and talent you can expect at Triple A – where you will find a combination of rising prospects, rehabbing major leaguers of varying skill levels and players (both former major leaguers and career minor leaguers) looking for one more shot at “the show.”

RaleyPeavyIn Monday’s game, the first pitch was thrown by the Sacramento River Cats’ Jake Peavy – on a rehab assignment (back strain) from the parent San Francisco Giants.  The 6’ 1”, 195 pound, 34-year-old Peavy (you’ll see why all that data is important in just a minute) is a former Cy Young Award winner and three-time MLB All Star, with all or parts of 14 major league seasons and 139 major league victories under his belt.

Peavy’s first pitch was taken by Fresno second basemen Tony Kemp – 23-years-old, 5’ 6” and 160 pounds – just two years removed from Vanderbilt University, where he was the 2013 SEC Player of the Year, a 2013 Baseball America All American and on the 2013 SEC Academic Honor Roll.  Kemp, taken in the fifth round of the June 2013 MLB draft, came into the contest having compiled a .313 average in 263 minor league games (for five different teams in the Astro’s system).  The baseball distance between Peavy and Kemp, who started the game just 60’ 6” apart, is part of the beauty of minor league ball – especially at the AAA level.

The game itself was fairly-well played – a 3-1 victory for visiting Fresno, with each team collecting five hits – and Sacramento making the only error.  Peavy took the loss, but took a positive step toward a return to the Giants’ rotation. He got in trouble with two walks and a two-run double in the first inning, but then settled down and gave up just four more hits and one run over the next six frames.  Peavy’s final line was seven innings pitched, five hits, three earned runs, two walks and five strikeouts. In 20 1/3 rehab innings, he has walked six and fanned 20.

kempThe star of the game – who also ensured there was something special to see – was Kemp. The diminutive second baseman walked to lead off the game, stole second and scored the first run. Then in the bottom of the fourth, with the River Cats having scored once (making it a 2-1 game) and having a runner on first with one out, Kemp turned a nifty pivot on a 6-4-3 double play (faithful readers know how much BBRT loves 6-4-3 and 4-6-3 double killings). Finally, Kemp led off the top of the fifth by scoring the game’s final run – crushing a ball off the center field wall and dashing around the bases for an inside-the-park home run after the center fielder took a slight stumble. The kid can fly – but that seems to be a patern for Astros’ second sackers (see the sidebar below).

The Houston Astros’ boast the smallest player currently active at the major league level – 5’6”, 165-pound second baseman Jose Altuve. How good is the 25-year-old Venezuelan? In 2014, he led the AL in average (.341), base hits (225) and stolen bases (56).  Well, the Astros may be cornering the market on small, speedy second sackers. Listed at 5’6” and 160 pounds (165 pounds by some sources), Tony Kemp currently plays second base  (and some outfield) for the Astros’ top farm club – the Fresno Grizzlies.  How good can the 23-year-old be? As of June 16, he was hitting .364 with five steals in seven games at Triple A – after hitting.358, with 15 steals in 50 games at AA Corpus Christi. In 2014, Kemp (taken by Houston in the fifth round of the June 2013 draft) hit .316 with 41 steals at High A and Double A.  No matter how you measure them, Altuve and Kemp appear to be real “keepers.”

Now, just a bit more on Raley Field and Monday’s game.

  • Check out the clock/timer above the Coors Light sign - annoying.

    Check out the clock/timer above the Coors Light sign – annoying.

    The new pitch clocks (and pace of game rules) were in force – being introduced at the AA and AAA levels to allow any glitches to be worked out before implementation at the major league level. That means clocks counting down between innings and pitches – one large digital timer above the centerfield wall and one on the wall near each dugout.  Allowable time – two minutes and twenty-five seconds between innings and pitching changes, twenty seconds between pitches. BBRT’s appraisal – distracting and annoying, but I am more than a bit old school.

  • We had great seats – just beyond third base, practically close enough to pick the third-sacker’s back pocket – for just $18 each.
  • Some great food choices – just a few examples include: a Fajita Chicken Rice Bowl; Chili Cheese Fries; Pulled Pork (barbeque) Sandwich (I had this and added onions and horseradish for a sweet and spicy treat); Hawaiian Melt Panini; and even Garden Salads. All in addition to tradition ballpark fare. (We were there on dollar hot dog night.) Note: Several fans swore by the “Loaded Fries” – French fries, nacho cheese, bacon, sour cream and chives.
  • I’d also suggest a visit to the Beer Garden (in the left field corner). You’ll find a host of great “gourmet” beer choices, mixed drinks, sliders and lots of great baseball comradery.
  • The Inside Pitch – The River Cats’ magazine – with scorecard inside is FREE.
  • The River Cats had a between inning pop fly catching contest, where a youngster had a chance to win – a free hair cut?
  • Attendance at the game was a bit low (6,214 – and that seemed a generous count). The reason became a bit more obvious in the seventh inning, when the loudest cheer of the game went up after the scoreboard announced the Golden State Warrior’s 105-97 NBA title-clinching win. Apparently, quite a few stayed home to watch that one on TV. (And, it was a Tuesday night.)
  • I spent some time rooting for Fresno starting (and winning) pitcher Asher Wojceichowski (want to see that name on a jersey – and I am a Karpinski).

RaleyBloodyFinally, BBRT likes to review Bloody Marys at all the ballparks I visit. Raley Field’s wasn’t bad – and, in terms of relative value, was worth the $8.  I received a generous pour of vodka and, although a standard Bloody Mary mix was used, the bartender “custom-spiced” it.  Plenty of bite, but a little short on condiments (two olives and a lime slice) as compared to some other ballparks that add such items as celery sticks, pickle spears, peppers, beef sticks and even bacon.  Still, a satisfying Bloody Mary – and great with pulled pork.

So, there’s a look at my night at Raley Field – all in all, pretty darn enjoyable.

I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT

Filed Under: BB Fun Facts
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