A basket of memories waiting to be made.

The 2014 MLB post-season continues to give fans all-the-more reason(s) to love the national pastime.

Consider, as of this morning (October 13):

• More than half – eleven of 20 – of 2014’s post-season games thus far have been decided by a single run – and two of the games decided by more than one run were extra-inning contests. (With plenty of action left, the record of thirteen one-run contests in a post-season is easily within reach.)
• There have been five extra-inning games in the 2014 post-season, with the surprising Kansas City Royals winning in extra frames four times.
• The Giants and Nationals, in Game 2 of the NLDS, went 18 innings (and a post-season record six hours and 23 minutes), with the Giants capturing a classic 2-1 win on Brandon Belt’s HR in the top of the final frame. The pitching staffs got plenty of post-season experience, with the Nationals using nine hurlers and the Giants eight.
• 2014’s “winningest” regular season team (98 victories), the Angels, is out of the play-offs, while San Francisco – tied for the fewest wins of any team to make the post-season (88) is still in.  In fact, two of the four teams still standing made it to the playoffs as Wild Cards (Giants and Royals)
• The two teams with the fewest regular seasons home runs (Royals and Cardinals) are still in the hunt and both have out-homered their opponents (Royals 8-7, Cardinals 11-3).
• NL Cy Young favorite Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers – who led all of MLB with 21 wins and a 1.77 ERA in the regular season – went 0-2, with a 7.82 ERA in 12 2/3 post-season innings.
• The winning run in Game Four of the NLDS (Giants 3-2 over Nats) scored on a bases-loaded wild pitch.
• In the Giants’ Wild Card play-on game win over the Pirates, San Francisco’s Brandon Crawford hit the first-ever Grand Slam HR by a shortstop in post-season play.
• In the AL Wild Card game, Kansas City (which led MLB in stolen bases in the regular seasons) had a post-season record seven different players steal a base in a 9-8, twelve-inning win over Oakland. One KC runner was tossed out on an attempted steal – Eric Hosmer on an attempted steal of home.
• Game One of the ALCS saw the Royals (who had MLB’s most stolen bases and fewest home runs) facing the Orioles (who had MLB’s most home runs, but fewest steals).  The Royals hit the game’s only home runs (three), while the Orioles stole the game’s only bases (two).
• In Game Two of the NLCS, Giants pinch runner Matt Duffy scored from second base on a wild pitch with two out in the top of the ninth, tying the game at four. A Kolten Wong homer leading off the Cardinals half of the ninth gave St. Louis the win.

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I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT

Greg Holland and the Royals had a lot to celebrate in August.

The “Dog Days of August” were very good to a number of teams – particularly in the AL, where the Orioles and Royals shared MLB’s best August record (19-9, .679) – enabling the Orioles to extend their AL East lead and the Royals to move past Detroit (16-15 for August) into the AL Central lead. For the month, four teams reached 19 victories (The Orioles, Royals, Angels and Nationals, with the Angels and Nats each having ten losses). The worst August record goes to the Chicago White Sox at 9-19 (.321).  The Diamondbacks at 9-18 had the worst August showing in the NL.

As BBRT provides its monthly update, let’s look first (as usual) at which teams would be in the playoff if the season had ended at the close of play on August 31.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Division Leaders: Orioles, Royals and Angels – The Orioles extended their lead by following up a strong 17-8 July with a solid 19-9 August (with the second-place Yankees going 15-13 for the month). Meanwhile, the Royals used a 19-9 August record to slide past the Tigers into first place in the Central, while the Angels used a 19-10 month to move ahead of the skidding A’s (12-17 in August).

Wild Cards: The A’s finished August with a four-game cushion over the Tigers in the Wild Card race, while Detroit found themselves only one-half game ahead of the surging Mariners (17-10 in August).

Race(s) to Watch: Central Division – Will the Royals be able to hold their slim lead over the injury-plagued Tigers – and what role will the Indians (just 3 ½ out) play? Will Seattle push its way into the Wild Card (just a half game behind Detroit)?

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Division Leaders: There was far less turmoil in the NL, where the Brewers, Dodgers and Nationals all held on to their Division leads. The Brewers lead, however, is tenuous – they are actually tied for first place with the Cardinals. St. Louis went 16-13 for the month, while Milwaukee went 13-14. The Nationals had the NL’s best August record at 19-10, and finished the month with a six-game edge over the Braves, who played .500 ball for August (14-14).

Wild Cards: The NL Wild Card race sees the Giants finishing August with a one-game lead over the Cardinals and Brewers (if the season ended August 31, one would be division champ and the other the WC). The WC race is tight – with the Braves one game behind the Cards/Brewers and the Pirates just two games back.

Race(s) to Watch:  The Cardinals and Brewers – now tied for Central lead, but the Cards seem to have the momentum. The Dodgers and Giants – with these traditional rivals separated by just 2 ½ games. A wide open Wild Card race involving St, Louis, Milwaukee, Atlanta and Pittsburgh.

Full Standings (as of August 31) and each team’s August record at the end of this post. 

TID BITS

Run This One By Me

No team scored more runs in August than the Minnesota Twins (159). Unfortunately, they also gave up 163 runs (only the White Sox gave up more tallies at 167).  So, despite the most prolific offense, the Twins were 11-18 for the month.

The stingiest teams in August?  The Indians in the AL (79 runs given up) and the Padres in the NL – 93). Looking at ERA’s, your top August numbers belong to the Indians (2.39 for the month) in the AL and the Nationals (2.95) in the NL.

The Upton Brothers Have a Place in Baseball History.

On August 8, Braves’ outfielders Justin and B.J. Upton each hit two-run homers in Atlanta’s 7-6 win over the Washington Nationals in Atlanta.  Not only did the home runs key a vital win in a tight divisional race (and break an eight-game losing streak), they enabled the Uptons to set a new MLB record for the number of times brothers have homered in the same game for the same team – five.

Both homers were hit off Nationals’ starter Stephen Strasburg.  Justin’s, hit in the bottom of the first inning, traveled 424-feet to center field.  B.J.’s, rapped in the second inning, was a 401-foot shot to left field.

This was the second time the Upton’s homered in the same game this season (the previous time was June 24 against the Astros) and the record fifth time in their careers – breaking the MLB mark they previously shared with Jeremy and Jason Giambi and Vladimir and Wilton Guerrero.

19^th-Inning Walk Offs

Nothing like a 19th-inning walk off.

On August 9, Albert Pujols brought an end to a 19-inning, six-hour and  31-minute game, with a  walk-off homer (on a 3-2 count) off the Red Sox’ Brandon Workman – the ninth pitcher used by Boston in the game.  The two teams used a total of 18 hurlers.

The very next day (August 10), the Toronto Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista also ended a 19-inning contest in walk-off fashion – as Toronto topped Detroit 6-5. The game lasted 6 hours and 37 minutes and was the longest in Blue Jays’ history in both time and innings. Bautista’s walk-off hit was a single to right (with the bases loaded) off Detroit’s Rick Porcello, scoring Munenori Kawasaki. It was the first hit in eight at-bats for Bautista, who also walked twice.  Each team used eight pitchers in the contest.

Double-digit Streak

From August 12-21, the Nationals won ten games in a row, tying the Royals for the longest MLB 2014 unbeaten streak (June 7-18).  There have also been a couple of double-digit losing streaks in MLB this season.  The Red Sox dropped ten in a row between May 15 and May 25 and, the day the Red Sox’ streak ended, the Rays started their own ten-game losing streak (May 26-June 5). The Braves, Rockies and Marlins have each “enjoyed” eight-game losing streaks this season – the longest in the NL.

Mo’Ne Davis Makes Little League World Series’ History

On August 15th, 13-year-old Mo’Ne Davis became the first female to throw a shutout in Little League World Series’ history.  In her Philadelphia (Taney Dragons) team’s 4-0 win over a squad from South Nashville, Tennessee, Davis fanned eight, while giving up only two hits. Davis struck out the side in the final frame (the sixth inning). Davis’ LLWS shutout followed her complete-game shutout in the Regional Championships.

Big Papi Joins Boston Elite

Big Papi – plenty to smile abouit.

On August 16, David “Big Papi” Ortiz hit his 27th and 28th home runs of the 2014 season – which were also his 400th and 401st as a member of the Red Sox.  In the process, Ortiz joined Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski as the only players with 400+ home runs for the Red Sox.  (As of August 16th, Ortiz had 459 career regular-season HRs.) Ortiz went three-for-five in the game (two homers and a double), driving in six runs as the Sox topped Houston 10-7 in Boston.  The six RBI temporarily gave him the MLB RBI lead at 91.

Cuddyer Hits for Cycle

On August 17th, the Rockies’ Michael Cuddyer celebrated coming of the disabled list (after missing 60 games with a fractured shoulder) in style.  First, he played in two games on his first day back (a Rockies’ doubleheader sweep of the Reds). More significantly, in his second game of the day – a 10-5 Rockies win – he hit for the cycle. Cuddyer was four-for-five in the game, with three runs scored and three RBI.  He went one-for-five in the first game.

Cuddyer is the 30th player in MLB history to hit for the cycle more than once (he also achieved the feat as a Minnesota Twin on  May 22, 2009) and just the third to hit for the cycle in both the NL and AL – joining Bob Watson (Astros on June 24, 1977 and Red Sox on September 15, 1979) and John Olerud (Mets on September 11, 1997 and Mariners on June 16, 2001).

Putting Them Down in Order

On August 28th, Giant’s RH reliever Yusmeiro Petit set an MLB record when he retired his 46th consecutive hitter (over eight appearances versus eight different teams). Petit struck out 21 of the 46 hitters he faced during his historic streak which was – ironically – broken by a double off the bat of Rockies’ pitcher Jordan Lyles. (Another reason BBRT hates the DH.)

Eight is Enough

On August 30, the Angels – in a critical game against the A’s – used eight pitchers to complete a three-hit shutout in a 2-0 win.  In order, with the number of innings pitched, the Angels’ hurlers were: Cory Rasmus (3 IP); Michael Roth (1/3); Yoslan Herrera (2/3); Fernando Salas (1); Jason Grilli (1); Kevin Jepsen (1); Joe Smith (1); Huston Street (1). Herrera got the win, just his second MLB victory and first since 2008.  The use of eight pitchers in a shutout ties an MLB record – shared by the Red Sox (1999), Rays (2010) and Braves (2012).

On the other side of the coin, losing pitcher Jeff Samardzija went the distance, giving up just four hits and two runs (one earned), while issuing no walks and striking out eight.  While using eight pitchers to notch a shutout is pretty amazing, back on June 11, 2003, the Astros used six pitchers to no-hit the Yankees 8-0 at Yankee Stadium – the very last no-hitter in old Yankee Stadium and the most pitchers ever involved in a combined no-hitter.(On June 8, 2013, the Seattle Mariners also used six hurlers in a no-hitter against the Dodgers.)

Now let’s look at some MLB “numbers” through August

Individual Leaders

Batting Leaders – August 31 Close of MLB (Major League Business) and for the Month

Yaz – won 1968 batting title with .301 average.

With Rockies’ SS Troy Tulowitzki and his .340 batting average on the disabled list (and no longer having enough plate appearances to qualify), the NL batting lead went to Rockies’ 1B Justin Morneau (.311).  The race, without Tulo, is wide open, with Morneau trailed by Pirates’ 3B/OF Josh Harrison (.310) and Phillies’ OF Ben Revere (.308). From an historic perspective, no one has captured an MLB league batting title with an average below .320 since 1991 (Terry Pendleton, Braves, .319) and the lowest average ever for a league leader is .301 (Carl Yastrzemski, Boston, 1968).

In the  AL, Astro’s 2B Jose Altuve continued to hold the batting lead at the end of August with a .336 average, followed by Detroit DH Victor Martinez at .327.

Looking at the month (minimum 50 plate appearances), a couple of new names emerge.  In the AL, White Sox’ OF Adam Eaton hit .429 for the month (49 plate appearances), while the NL’s top August hitter was Dodgers’ 3B Justin Turner (.386).

In the power department, Orioles’ DH Nelson Cruz finished August atop the AL and MLB with 35 home runs, moving past White Sox’ rookie first baseman Jose Abreu (33).  Astros’ DH Chris Carter had a strong August (more later) and also finished the month with 33 HRs.

Thirty-three homers were enough to lead the NL – accomplished by Marlins’ OF Giancarlo Stanton. Others who finished August with at least 30 HRs were: Angels’ OF Mike Trout (31); Boston DH David Ortiz (30); and Cubs’ 1B (Anthony Rizzo (30).

For the month of August, Astros’ DH Chris Carter topped all of MLB with 12 round trippers, followed by OF Alex Gordon of the Royals with nine.  Marlins’ OF Giancarlo Stanton led the NL with eight August homers.

Jose Abreu – one shy of 100 RBI at the end of August.

As of August 31, the AL RBI leader was White Sox’ 1B Jose Abreu (99)’ while the Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton topped the NL with 98. Others topping 90 RBI as we went into September were: Angels’ OF Mike Trout (97); Red Sox’ DH David Ortiz (95); Tigers’ 3B Miguel Cabrera (91); Braves’ OF Justin Upton (91); and Dodgers’ 1B Adrian Gonzalez (91).

August’s RBI leaders were the Astros’ Chris Carter and Red Sox’ Victor Martinez in the AL, with 30 – and Braves’ OF Justin Upton in the NL with 28.

Through August, Dodgers’ 2B Dee Gordon (58 stolen bases/15 caught stealing) continued to lead the NL in the speed department, while Astros’ 2B Jose Altuve topped the AL with 49 SB, caught seven times. Other players with 40 or more steals through August were: Reds’ OF Billy Hamilton (54 SB/20 CS) and Phillies’ OF Ben Revere (40 SB/5 CS).

Four players topped 10 steals for the month of August, led by the Reds’ Billy Hamilton with 12 steals in 16 attempts;  OF Jordan Schaffer, who moved from the Braves to the Twins, had 11 steals in 12 attempts; the Phillies’ Ben Revere was 10 for 11 on the bases; and the Dodgers’ Dee Gordon was 10 for 13.

Pitching Leaders YTD (Through August 31) and for the Month

Clayton Kershaw – making the case for another Cy Young.

Through August, three pitchers – all in the NL – had reached 16 wins: the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw (16-3); the Reds’ Johnny Cueto (16-8); and the Giants’ Madison Bumgarner (16-9).   Over in the AL., the Angels’ Jered Weaver, the Tigers Max Scherzer and the Tigers’ Rick Porcello all had 15 wins as August closed out.

The month of August was big for the Angels’ Matt Shoemaker, who led all of MLB with 6 wins (versus just one August loss). Shoemaker’s 1.31 ERA was also the lowest among AL pitchers with at least 20 IP in the month. Thirteen pitchers logged four wins for the month, including the Giants’ Madison Bumgarner, who went 4-1 in ix starts and had the lowest ERA in the NL for the month (minimum 20 IP) at 1.57.

For the season (through August 31), your ERA leaders were the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw (1.73) and the White Sox’ Chris Sale (2.11).

The strikeout leader in the AL through August remained Tiger (former Ray) David Price, with 224 whiffs in 203 1/3 innings – followed closely by teammate Max Scherzer with 220 Ks in 187 2/3 IP. The Nationals’ Stephen Strasburg continued to lead the NL with 210 Ks in 183 innings. Other hurlers who topped the 200 mark by August 31 included: the Indians’ Corey Kluber (213 K in 192 2/3 IP); the Mariners’ Felix Hernandez (205 in 198 innings); and the Reds’ Johnny Cueto (205 in 207 IP).

In August, nobody stuck out more hitters than the White Sox’ Chris Sale with 56 Ks in 39 August innings. The Giants’ Madison Bumgarner matched Sales’ total, to lead the NL with 56 strikeouts in 46 August innings.

At the close of August, your saves leader was the Braves’ Craig Kimbrel (41 saves in 45 opportunities), while the Royals’ Greg Holland led the AL with 40 saves in 42 chances.  The only other pitcher with 40 saves as of August 31 was the Cardinals’  Trevor Rosenthal (40 saves in 45 opportunities).

The Royals’ Greg Holland led all of MLB in August saves (11), helping spur the Royals surge.  Craig Kimbrel of the Braves led the NL with 9 August saves.

Standings as of August 31 (close of play)

AL EAST

TEAM                W        L          PCT     GB       (Aug)

Baltimore        79        56        .585                 (19-9)

NY Yankees    70        65        .519     9.0       (15-13)

Toronto           69        67        .507     10.5     (9-17)

Tampa Bay     66        77        .482    14.0     (13-16)

Boston            60        76        .441     19.5    (12-16)

AL CENTRAL

Kansas City     74        61         .548                 (19-9)

Detroit             74        62        .544    0.5       (16-15)

Cleveland        70        64        .522     3.5       (17-9)

Chicago WS    62        75         .453    13.0     (9-19)

Minnesota       59        77        .434     11.0     (11-18)

AL WEST

LA Angels        83        53        .610                 (19-10)

Oakland          78        58        .574     5.0       (12-17)

Seattle             73        62        .541     9.5       (17-10)

Houston           59        79        .428     25.0     (15-14)

Texas               53        83       .390     16.0     (10-18)

NL EAST

Washington     77        58        .570                 (19-10)

Atlanta            72        65         .526    6.0       (14-14)

Miami              66        69        .489     11.0     (13-14)

NY Mets          64        73        .467     14.0     (12-17)

Philadelphia    62        74        .456     15.5     (14-13)

NL CENTRAL

Milwaukee        73        63        .537                 (13-14)

St. Louis          73        63        .537                (16-13)

Pittsburgh        71        65        .522     2.0       (14-14)

Cincinnati        66        71        .482     7.5       (12-17)

Chicago Cubs  61        76        .4445   12.5     (16-14)

NL WEST

LA Dodgers       77        60        .562                 (15-13)

San Francisco  74        62        .544     2.5       (16-12)

San Diego        64        71        .474   12.5       (16-11)

Arizona            57        79        .419   19.5       (9-18)

Colorado         54        82        .397   22.5       (10-18)

 I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT

My early-August distraction

The “Dog Days of August” are here, so it’s time for BBRT to reflect on MLB’s month of July. (BBRT apologizes; the July wrap is a few days tardy due to a busy schedule around my Car Club’s Annual – first weekend in August – Cruise and Car Show.) As usual, let’s start with a look at who stood where at the end of the month, with all statistics being as of end of MLB (Major League Business) July 31.  If the season had ended at the close of play on July 31, the play-off teams would have been:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Division Leaders: Orioles, Tigers and A’s – The Orioles, thanks to a 17-8 month, displaced the Blue Jays (15-11 for the month) at the top of the East, where everyone except the Red Sox had a .500+ July.

Wild Cards: Angels and Blue Jays. The Blue Jays dropped from the AL East lead, but held on to a WC spot.  The Mariners dropped out of a WC spot with an 11-14 July.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Division Leaders: Brewers, Dodgers and Nationals – The Brewers and Dodgers held their spots, while the Nationals road a 14-10 record to a 1 ½ game lead over the Braves, who played .500 ball (13-13) in July.

Wild Cards: The NL Wild Card race saw the Giants holding one spot (despite a 12-14 month), with the Cardinals and Braves tied for the other, and the Pirates just ½-game behind.

Full standings and each team’s July won-lost record can be found at the end of this post.

July’s hottest team.

July’s Hottest Team – Tampa Bay

July’s hottest team was the Tampa Bay Rays, who played .739 ball (17-6).  The Rays capitalized on pitching, recording MLB’s second-best ERA for the month (2.71), while finishing 19^th in runs scored.  (Surprisingly, despite their strong July, the Rays ended the month “sellers” in the trade deadline market – parting with 2012 Cy Young Award David Price.   More on that later.)

The only other team playing at a .700+ pace for July was the Angels (19-8, .704), who still found themselves chasing the A’s, who went 15-10 (.600 for the month) and are the only team playing .600 or better ball on the season (66-41, .617).  The Angels took a more balanced path to .700 than the Rays, leading all of MLB in runs scored in July (132), while boasting the fifth-best ERA (3.11). There were a few surprises during the month, like the Mets (15-10, .600) and Orioles (17-8, .680 and new AL East leader).

July Deep Freeze in Texas and Rocky Mountain Low in Colorado

July’s coldest teams? Both came from the West.  In the AL West, the Rangers put up the worst numbers 6-20 (.231), and closed July a whopping 23 ½ games off the pace in the division. The Rangers’ pitching is the primary cause for their continued problems.  In July, their 5.74 ERA was baseball’s worst (they finished 19^th in runs scored for the month).  In the NL West, the Rockies had the worst June showing (8-17, .320).

Some Tid Bits

Powering Your Way to Success – Not So Much

Home runs did not spell success in July.  The AL leader in round trippers for the month was the Astros (32 homers), who won only eight games (8-19). Over in the NL, the July home run leader was the Cubs (29 HRs), who went 10-16 for the month.

Tough Month for Davis

The Orioles’ climb to the top of the East is even more surprising when you consider the problems first baseman – and key power hitter – Chris Davis faced in July.  Davis (.286-53-138 in 2013) hit just .167 for July (13-for-78) and led all of MLB with 38 strikeouts. Davis closed July hitting .205-17-53, with 124 whiffs.

Red Sox roller coaster …worst-to-first-to-worst?

Worst-to-First-to-Worst?

The Boston Red Sox continued to take their fans on a roller coaster ride.  In 2012, the Red Sox finished at the bottom of the AL East (26 games out). Then in 2013, Boston rose from “worst-to-first,” beating the Cardinals in the World Series.  In 2014, the Sox are threatening to do a “worst-to-first-to-worst” turn around.  As of July 31, Boston sat at the bottom of the AL East with a 48-60 record (12 ½ games out of first and five games out of fourth).

More on Why I Hate the DH

On July 13, in the sixth-inning of a game against the Diamondbacks, San Francisco pitcher Madison Bumgarner hit his third home run and second grand slam of the 2014 season. Bumgarner is the first pitcher to hit two grand slams in a season since the Braves Tony Cloninger became the first NL player (at any position) to hit two grand slams in a game (July 3, 1966).

In addition, Bumgarner’s slam followed a fifth-inning grand slam by Giants’ catcher Buster Posey, making the Posey/Bumgarner combo the first battery-mates in MLB history to “batter” the opposition with four-run blasts in the same game. The two long balls accounted for all of the Giants’ runs in an 8-4 victory.  (Also of note, Bumgarner was on base – after hitting a double to deep left field – when Posey went yard.) Bumgarner, who got the win, ran his season totals to 10-7, 3.47 on the mound and .275-3-12 at the plate.  Who says pitchers can’t hit?

Yasiel Puig – triple threat.

A Couple of Unique Moments

On July 25, the Dodgers topped the Giants 8-1 in San Francisco and, although their Giants lost, the fans saw some rather unique baseball accomplishments.  First, the Dodgers rapped five triples in the contest – and three in one inning (a five-run fifth).  Second, Dodger center fielder Yasiel Puig collected three three-baggers in the game (the others belonged to second baseman Dee Gordon and right fielder Matt Kemp). Notably, none of these were MLB records. Puig’s three triples did, however, match the post-1900 MLB high (reached 47 times). Only George Strief (Philadelphia Athletics, 1885) and Bill Joyce (New York Giants, 1887) achieved four triples in a game.

One record was reached in the game, however. In the third inning, Dodger starter Zack Greinke tied an MLB record (shared by many) with four strikeouts in an inning and became just the third MLB pitcher to record multiple four-strikeout innings. Greinke started out the inning by fanning Giants’ catcher and number-eight hitter Hector Sanchez swinging (2-2 count); pitcher Tim Lincecum then went down looking (2-2 count); lead-off hitter and right fielder Hunter Pence swung and missed on a 3-2 count, but reached first on wild pitch; and center fielder Gregor Bianco ended the inning with a swinging strike out (3-2 count). It was the second four-strikeout inning in Greinke’s career.  Only Chuck Finley (three times) and A.J. Burnett (twice) also have multiple 4K innings.

Trades, Trades, Trades

Lots has been written about July’s trades, particularly the deadline rush, so BBRT will just look at two teams who seem to be gearing up for the post-season – the Oakland A’s and Detroit Tigers.

Jeff Samardzija – goes to Oakland in first salvo of July trade wars.

On July 5 (deal agreed to July 4), the Oakland A’s – with baseball’s best record – fired the first salvo in the 2014 trade wars, acquiring starting pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel from the Cubs for minor leaguers Addison Russell, Billy McKinney and Dan Straily.  Samardzija was only 2-7 with the Cubs, but sported a 2.83 ERA and 31 walks versus 103 strikeouts in 108 innings. Hammel, in his ninth MLB season, was 8-5, 2.98 for the Cubs.  This clearly looked like a move by Oakland to both hold off the fast-charging Angels and bolster their starting pitching for the post-season – perhaps for a match-up with Detroit.

The A’s also made one of the last deals of July, shipping power-hitting outfielder Yeonis Cespedes and a player to be named later to the Red Sox for pitcher Jon Lester and outfielder Jonny Gomes. This move by the A’s is clearly aimed at the post season, when pitching is considered premium.  Lester, a free agent at season’s end (and rumor has it the Red Sox are intent on bringing him back), is a three-time All Star and was 10-7, 2.52 at the time of the trade. He also boasts a 6-4, 2.11 record in 13 post season games, and went  4-1, 1.56 in the 2013 post season. Boston got a power-hitting outfielder who should further increase his HR and RBI total moving into cozy Fenway.

David Price – Tigers make big trade just before the deadline.

If the Samardzija and Lester pickups were shots across the bow of the seemingly pitching-rich Tigers (Scherzer, Verlander, Sanchez), Detroit was fully prepared to return fire.  The Tigers pulled off a July 31 deadline deal of their own, acquiring Tampa Bay starter David Price – the AL’s 2012 Cy Young Award winner and 2014 AL strikeout leader. The July 31 deal involved three teams, with the Seattle Mariners getting Tigers’ outfielder Austin Jackson (an upgrade in center field for the Mariners) and Tampa Bay receiving Mariners’ prospect (shortstop) Nick Franklin, Detroit left-handed hurler Drew Smyly and Tigers’ shortstop prospect Willy Adames.

Detroit also strengthened its bullpen corps during the month, with a July 23 trade that brought them veteran reliever Joakim Soria (a two-time All Star with 177 career saves) for a pair of pitching prospects (Corey Knebel and Jake Thompson). Soria was the Rangers’ closer this season (17 saves and a 2.70 ERA at the time of the trade), but is serving as a set-up man in Detroit.

Clearly, both the A’s and Tigers are “arming up” for the post season – and, should they face off, we can expect some quality competition.

A few other moves that BBRT believes will impact the pennant races and post season:

• Angels’acquiring Padres’ closer Houston Street;
• Giants picking up starter Jake Peavy from the Red Sox;
• Cardinal signing A.J. Pierzynski and trading for Red Sox pitcher John Lackey;
• Yankees trading for Diamondbacks’ infielder Martin Prado.

Now let’s look at the “numbers” through July.

Batting Leaders – July 31 Close of MLB (Major League Business) and for the Month

Batting Average

Tulo on a Rocky Mountain high – leading all of MLB in average (July 31).

Rockies’ SS Troy Tulowitzki led the NL (and MLB) in batting average at the close of July – hitting .340 (with 21 HRs and 52 RBI. Tulo was trailed by Dodgers’ right fielder Yasiel Puig (.319) and Cardinals’ first baseman Matt Adams (.314). Tulo continued to feast on “home cookin’” – hitting .417 in Colorado and .257 on the road.

Over in the AL, the Astros’ 5’ 5” second baseman Jose Altuve held the batting lead at .339 – hitting a steady .339 both at home and on the road.  Trailing Altuve were Seattle second baseman Robinson Cano (.328) and Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre (.323).

For the month of July, Cubs’ left fielder Chris Coghlan topped NL hitters (.376/32-for-84), while White Sox’ first baseman Jose Abreu led the AL (.374/37-for-99). A pair of speedy outfielders also excelled in July. The month’s batting average runners-up were Rajai Davis (Tigers’ left fielder) and Denard Span (Nationals’ center fielder) – both at .368.

Home Runs and RBI

In the power department, White Sox rookie first baseman Jose Abreu led the AL with 31 home runs and 83 RBI – followed closely by Baltimore left fielder Nelson Cruz with 29 home runs and Detroit first sacker Miguel Cabrera with 81 RBI.

As of July 31, the NL home run lead was shared by Marlins’ right fielder Giancarlo Stanton and Cubs’ first baseman Anthony Rizzo with 25. Stanton also led the league in RBI with 73 (to go with a .293 average). Dodgers’ first baseman Adrian Gonzalez was second in RBI with 71.

For the month, three players reached eight home runs: the Astros’ DH Chris Carter, Indians’ first baseman Carlos Santana and Cubs’ first baseman Anthony Rizzo.

The July RBI leaders were and Nationals’ right fielder Jayson Werth (26) and Boston’s veteran DH David Ortiz (25)

Stolen Bases

The speed lead went to Dodgers’ second baseman Dee Gordon (48 steals) in the NL and Astros’ second sacker Jose Altuve in the AL with 42.  “Running” second were Reds’ center fielder Billy Hamilton (42 steals) in the NL and Yankees’ center fielder Jacob Ellsbury (28 steals) in the NL.

MLB’s stolen base leader for July was the Royals’ center fielder Jarrod Dyson, with nine steals in nine attempts. Three players reached eight steals for the month: Dyson’s teammate Lorenzo Cain, Dodgers’ second baseman Dee Gordon and Reds’ center fielder Billy Hamilton.

Pitching Leaders YTD (Through July 31) and for the Month

Clayton Kershaw – aiming for another Cy Young?

Wins and ERA

In the NL, the names Clayton Kershaw and Adam Wainwright dominated mound stats through July.  The Dodgers’ Kershaw and the Cardinals’ Wainwright were tied for the lead in wins at 13 (Kershaw 13-2/Wainwright 13-5) and also stood one and two in ERA (Kershaw 1.71/Wainwright 1.92). The NL boasted a host of 12-game winners: Madison Bumgarner (SF); Johnny Cueto (Cin.); Zach Greinke and Hun-Jin Ryu (LA); Wily Peralta (Mil.); and Alfredo Simon (Cin.). Notably, the Dodger top three starters contributed 37 victories through July 31 – best in baseball.

The AL lead in wins (as of July 31) was owned by Detroit’s Max Scherzer (13-3) followed by 12-game winners:  Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir (Oak.); Rick Porcello (Det.); and Masahiro Tanaka (NY).  The AL ERA leaders were the White Sox’ Chris Sale, who had a 10-11 record despite a league-low 1.88 ERA, and the Mariners’ Felix Hernandez (11-2. 2.01).

For the month of July, only two pitchers reached five wins and both were American Leaguers. Oakland’s Sonny Gray went 5-0, 1.03 in five starts, while David Price (traded at the deadline from Tampa Bay to Detroit) went 5-1, 1.74 in six starting assignments. Nine NL hurlers notched four wins in July.  July’s ERA leaders were the White Sox’ Chris Sale in the AL (0.85 while going 3-0 in four starts) and the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw – what a surprise – in the NL (1.04, while going 4-0 in five starts).

The strikeout leader (as of July 31) in the AL was new Tiger (former Ray) David Price, with 189 whiffs in 170 2/3 innings, while the NL was headed by the Nationals’ Stephen Strasburg (167 in 144 1/3 innings).

For the month of July, the Padres’ Tyson Ross led the NL in strikeouts, logging 48 in 41 innings (while putting up a 4-2 record with a 1.10 ERA). In the AL, the whiff leader was (here’s that name again), Tampa Bay’s (now Detroit’s) David Price with 45 K’s in 46 2/3 innings.

Trtevor Rosenthal – tied for MLB saves lead (July 31).

Saves

As of July 31, the NL saves lead was shared by the Braves’ Craig Kimbrel and Cardinals’ Trevor Rosenthal at 32 – with the Dodgers’ Kenley Jansen and Brewers Francisco Rodriguez close at 31.

In the AL, the saves leader – at 30 – was Seattle’s Fernando Rodney, followed by Greg Holland of Kansas City at 29.

For July, Zack Britton contributed to the Orioles’ surge with an MLB-leading 11 saves in the month, while the NL leader was Steve Cishek of Miami with nine June saves.

 Standings as of July 31 (close of play)

 AL EAST

TEAM                W        L          PCT     GB       (July)

Baltimore          60       47        .561                  (17-8)

Toronto            60        50        .545     1.5       (15-11)

NY Yankees     55        52       .514      5.0      (14-12)

Tampa Bay       53       55        .491      7.5       (17-6)

Boston              48        60        .444    12.5    (10-15)

AL CENTRAL

Detroit              58        47        .553                 (13-13)

Kansas City      55        52        .514     4.0       (12-13)

Cleveland         53        55        .491     6.5       (14-12)

Chicago WS     53       56        .486     7.0       (14-12)

Minnesota        48       59       .449     11.0       (11-15)

AL WEST

Oakland           66        41        .617                 (15-10)

LA Angels         64       43        .598     2.0       (19-8)

Seattle             56        52        .519    10.5       (11-14)

Houston           44        65        .404   23.0       (8-17)

Texas              43        65        .398   16.0       (6-20)

NL EAST

Washington      58        48        .547                 (15-13)

Atlanta             58        51         .532    1.5       (13-13)

Miami                53        55        .491     6.0       (14-12)

NY Mets           52       56        .481      7.0         (15-10)

Philadelphia     48        61       .440      11.5       (12-15)

NL CENTRAL

Milwaukee        60        49        .550                 (9-16)

St. Louis            57        50        .533     2.0      (13-11)

Pittsburgh         57        51        .528     2.5       (15-11)

Cincinnati         54        54        .500      5.5      (11-15)

Chicago Cubs  45        62        .421     14.0     (10-16)

NL WEST

LA Dodgers      62        47        .569                 (14-10)

San Francisco  58        50        .537     3.5       (12-14)

San Diego        48        60        .444   13.5       (12-13)

Arizona            48        61        .440   14.0       (13-12)

Colorado          44       64        .407   17.5       (8-17)

I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT

With June upon us, it’s time for BBRT’s monthly reflection on the MLB season.  First, who stands where?  If the season were to end today the play- off teams would be:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Division Leaders: Blue Jays, Tigers and A’s.

Wild Cards: Angels and Yankees.

 NATIONAL LEAGUE

Division Leaders: Braves, Brewers and Giants.

Wild Cards: Cardinals and Dodgers.

*Note: You can find the complete standings through May 31 at end of this post.

The Best and Worst of Times

Through May, only two teams are playing .600 or better baseball – The San Francisco Giants (36-20/.643) and the Oakland A’s (34-22/.607). At the other end of the spectrum, only two teams are under .400 (what BBRT thinks of as “The Hapless Zone”) – the Chicago Cubs (20-33/.377) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (23-35/.397).

The tightest races are in the NL East, with the Braves two games ahead of the second-place, and surprising, Marlins; and in the AL East, where the surging Blue Jays hold a 2 ½-game lead over the Yankees.

May’s Winners

Lots of reasons for high fives in Toronto.

No team won more games in May than the Toronto Blue Jays who played .700 ball (21-9, behind Mark Buehrle’s 5-0 record on the mound and Edwin Encarnacion’s home run splurge (16 for the month, more on that later).  The strong May vaulted the Jays from fourth place in the AL East to the top spot in the division.

Over in the NL, The San Francisco Giants led the way, playing .679 ball (19-9) in May, behind a balanced attack and the pitching of  Madison Bumgarner and Roy Vogelsong (who went a combined 8-1 for the month). The Giants also played .600 ball in April (.607/17-11) and opened June with a 6 ½-game lead in the NL West.

The biggest surprise in the NL may very well be the Miami Marlins – the only NL East team with a winning record for the month (15-13), which moved them from last place in the division at the end of April to second place, just two games behind Atlanta, at the end of May.  The April surprise – Milwaukee Brewers – faded a bit in May, going 13-15, but still hold a three-game lead over the Cardinals.

Only one team played under .400 ball for the month – the NY Mets (11-18/.379).

Streaking Back in Vogue

The Boston Red Sox closed out the month of May on a (still alive on June 1) six-game winning streak.  Of course, the six wins immediately followed the Red Sox’ ten-game losing streak, leaving Boston still six games back of the Blue Jays in the AL East. (Note: Boston extended the win streak to seven games with a 4-0 win over the Rays on June 1.)

The Houston Astros, while still firmly in last place in the AL West, did post a winning record for the month (15-14) and actually ran off a seven-game winning streak near the month’s end.  Key factors in the Astros’ “surge” were rookie phenom OF George Springer (.294-10-25 for the month) and 2B Jose Altuve (.357, with 21 runs scored and 11 steals in May.)

Baseball’s Winningest Pitcher

Toronto’s Mark Buehrle – at 9-1, 2.30 –  is MLB’s winningest pitcher through May 31. Buehrle also was one of five pitchers to tie for the MLB lead for wins in May (5). May’s five-game winners were: Buehrle, the Giants’ Rick Bumgarner, the Tigers’ Rich Porcello and the Yankees’ Masahiro Tanaka. (On June 1, Buehrle became the first 10-game winner of the season, topping the Royals 4-0 and throwing eight innings of six-hit ball.)

When a Single is Really a Double

Dee Gordon steals another one.

Dodgers’ 2B Dee Gordon continued to run wild on the base paths, stealing an MLB-leading 21 bases in May (being caught just twice.)  On the season, as of May 31, Gordon has an MLB-best 34 steals in 37 attempts.

Nelson Cruz-ing

On May 31, in an Orioles’ 4-1 win over the Astros, Nelson Cruz homered and drove in three runs.  This made Cruz the first MLBer in 2014 to reach twenty home runs (it was his 20^th) and gave him the MLB RBI lead (52). Miami’s Giancarlo Stanton reached the 50-RBI mark the day before, and leads the NL with 51. Cruz, who wasn’t signed for the 2014 season until February 22, now stands at .315-20-52.

 Gotcha!

Blue Jays’ RF Jose Bautista may have to move to shortstop – he threw out two runners and first base in a span of two games. On May 30, in the ninth inning, he fielded a one-hopper to right field by the Royals’ Billy Butler (admittedly not MLB’s fastest down the first base line) and Bautista’s throw from right field beat Butler to first by a step. Just a day late, in the seventh inning, Royals’ second baseman Omar Infante popped a ball down the right field line. Assuming the ball was going foul, Infante initially began walking away from the plate, contemplating the next pitch.  By the time Infante was alerted to the fact that the ball was going drop fair (and started his move toward first base), Bautista has recovered the ball and fired to first – nabbing Infante by 15-feet.  Two 9-3 putouts at first, in two days, in the same ballpark, by the same right fielder – what are the odds?

Springer Makes His Mark

The Houston Astros brought up minor league phenom George Springer in mid-April.  At the time, he was hitting .353 with three homers and nine RBIs at Triple A Oklahoma City. This followed a 2013 season in which Springer hit .303, with 37 HRs, 108 RBI and 45 steals at AA and AAA– earning Minor League Baseball’s Offensive Player of the Year honors. You can find more on Springer in BBRT’s pre-season prospect to watch post here.  Springer got off to a slow start (.182, with no HRs and just four RBI in 55 April at bats).  But he turned it on in May, putting up a .294, 10 HR, 25 RBI line.  He’s still striking out too much, but he’s clearly in the majors to stay. His ten homers in May are the third most for that month by a rookie, following Mark McGwire (15 in 1987) and Wally Berger (11 in 1930).  While Springer is showing power at the MLB-level, he has yet to deliver in the speed department (one stolen base in three tries though May 31.)

Based Loaded – No Outs?  No Problem!

On May 8, Tampa Bay reliever Brad Boxberger came into a tough situation – top of the sixth, Tampa down 3-1 to the Orioles, and Tampa starter David Price had just given up a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases with no outs.  Boxberger, however, did his job in sterling fashion – striking out Baltimore 1B Steve Pearce, 2B Jonathan Schoop and C Caleb Joseph – all swinging and on just nine pitches.  An Elias Sports Bureau’s archive search (although pitch count records are not complete) shows no other instance of a Major League pitcher entering a game with the bases loaded with no outs and striking out the side on nine pitches.

Tanaka’s First Loss Since, Well, Forever

In 2013, Masahiro Tanaka went 24-0 for the Japanese League Rakuten Golden Eagles. He ended the season on a 28-game winning streak that stretched back to August 19, 2012.  In 2014, Tanaka found himself a New York Yankee (seven-year/$155-million deal).  The Bronx Bombers’ investment paid off, as Tanaka won his first six decisions (8 starts) in pinstripes.

Then on May 20, at Wrigley Field, the NL Central’s last-place Cubs put an end to the winning streak (at 34 decisions), topping Tanaka and the Yankees 6-1.  Tanaka allowed four runs (three earned) in six innings – ending the night with a 6-1 record and a 2.39 ERA. By the way, the longest MLB winning streak by a pitcher belongs to the Giants’ Carl Hubbell – at 24 wins. Hubbell won his last sixteen decisions in 1936 and his first eight in 1937.

Tanaka bounced right back in his next start (May 25), earning his seventh win of the season with 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball as the Yankees topped the White Sox 7-1 in Chicago; he then closed out the month with a win against the Twins (8 innings pitched, four hits, no earned runs, two walks, nine strikeouts).  Sounds like another streak on the way.

Phil Hughes’ Next Walk His First Since, Well, Forever

In five May starts, the Twins’ Phil Hughes pitched 33 1/3 innings (3-0, 1.62 ERA), striking out 24 and issuing zero – yes, zero – walks.  Hughes’ last walk, in fact, came in the second inning of an 8-3 win over Kansas City on April 20.  Since that time, he’s thrown 44 2/3 walk-less inning, while fanning 32.  (After a no-walk May, June 1 saw Hughes walk two – Brian McCann both times – in picking up a win over the Yankees (8 innings pitched, three hits, two walks, two earned runs, six strikeouts).

2014’s First No Hitter

On May 25, Dodger right-hander Josh Beckett tossed the first no-hitter of the 2014 season.  It was the (record) 24^th no-no in Dodger history.  Beckett shut down the Phillies 6-0 on 128 pitches (three walks, six strikeouts), his highest pitch count ever. It was Beckett’s first complete game of the season and his 12^th complete game in 321 career starts (14 seasons).

Home Cookin’

Colorado’s hitters truly like home cookin’.  Here are their home/away splits through May 31.  Troy Tulowitzki (.521/.233); Charlie Blackmon (.389/.257); Justin Morneau (.345/.275); Michael Cuddyer (.389/.269).  Then there’s the Rockies’ Nolan Arenado, hitting .340 on the road and .271 at home.  What’s with that?

Most Home Runs in May

Edwin Encarnacion rips one,

Toronto 1B Edwin Encarnacion (who put up a .272-36-104 line in 2013) got off to a slow start this season – hitting .250 with just two round trippers and 15 RBI in April. (He didn’t hit his first homer of the season until April 22.)  He turned up the heat in May, tying the AL record for home runs in the month of May with 16 (Mickey Mantle – 1956), just one shy of Barry Bonds MLB record for May (2001).    For the month, Encarnacion put up a line of .281-16-33.

Encarnacion also became just the third player to have five multi-homer games in a month – tying Harmon Killebrew (May 1959) and Albert Belle (September 1995).

Who Says Pitchers Can’t Hit?

The Brewers topped the Orioles 7-6 on May 27 – with a tenth-inning, walk-off, pinch-hit double, following a two-out/none-on intentional walk to Mark Reynolds.  What was unique about this pinch-hit, walk-off hit was that the pinch-hitter was a pitcher.  After the Reynolds walk, reliever Francisco Rodriguez was due up and the Brewers were out of position players. Manager Ron Reonicke made the call to RHP Yovani Gallardo, who delivered (on a 2-0 pitch) a run-scoring double off the center-field wall.  Gallardo was not a totally “off-the-wall” choice. He came into the game with a .202 lifetime average that included 19 doubles and 12 home runs.

Strikeout Leaders

The Phillies’ Ryan Howard finished May as MLB’s strikeout leader (among hitters), with 67 whiffs in 200 at bats (.230-10-37). Numbers two and three on the K-List were the Upton brothers of Atlanta.  Justin notched 65 K’s in 193 at bats (.301-13-33), while brother B.J. had struck out 64 times in 190 at bats (.216-4-13).  Over in the AL, the strikeout leader was the Angels’ Mike Trout, who finished May with 63 K’s in 204 at bats and a .294-11-38 line.

On the other side of the coin, no pitcher ended May with more strikeouts on the season than the Indians’ Corey Kluber – 95 K’s in 80 innings, to go with a 6-3, 3.04 record. In the NL, the Reds’ Johnny Cueto led the strikeout race with 92 K’s in 91 innings (and a 5-4, 1.68 record).

Davis On the Rebound?

Chris Davis, who led MLB with 53 home runs and 138 RBI in 2013, started slow this season.  With more than a quarter of the season gone, Davis had just 3 home runs and 15 RBI. Then on May 20^th, he tied an Orioles’ record with a three-homer game (no Oriole has ever hit four in a game). Like his season, Davis’ game started slowly, with a strikeout in the first inning.  He went on to add a single (and run scored) in the fourth, a two-run homer in the fifth, a solo shot in the sixth and another two-run homer in the ninth. (The Orioles topped the Pirates 9-2.)

The last Oriole with a 3-HR game?  The very same Chris Davis, on August 24, 2013. The only Orioles with three 3-HR games are Boog Powell and Eddie Murray.  Davis ended the month with seven HRs and 25 RBI on the season.  Hmm, pre-season, who would have guessed that Milwaukee’s Khris Davis would have more runs (9) than Baltimore’s Chris Davis (7) at the end of May?

A Little Help From My Friends

At the end of May, your MLB ERA leaders were (tied) the Cubs’ Jeff Samardzija and the Reds’ Johnny Cueto at 1.68.  Their combined record, however, is 6-8 (Cueto 5-4/Samardzija 1-4).  Perhaps a little run support would be helpful.  In Samardzija’s 11 starts, the Cubs have put up just 28 total runs (two or fewer runs seven times), while the Reds have scored 39 runs in the 12 games Cueto has started. In Cueto’s last three starts – two losses and a no-decision – The Reds have plated a total of four runs.

Not Exactly Perfect, But Interesting

On May 29, right-hander Josh Collmenter of the Diamondbacks won his fourth game of the season, beating the Reds 4-0 in Arizona.  It was the first shutout and first complete game of his career – and he did it in unique fashion, facing the minimum 27 hitters over nine innings.  The game, however, was neither a perfect game nor no-hitter, as Collmenter (who used only 94 pitches to complete his nine-innings of work) gave up three hits.

Collmenter gave up a double to Reds’ 1B Brayan Pena in the third, but Pena was thrown out trying to advance to third base on a fly out by SS Zack Cozart.  Speedy CF Billy Hamilton led off the Reds’ fourth inning with a single, but was erased when 3B Todd Frazier grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. Pena led off the eighth with his second hit of the day, a single to right-center, but Cozart followed up by hitting into a 5-4-3 double killing.  Facing the minimum 27-batters while giving up three or more hits is not as rare as you might think. Post-game news reports indicated it’s happened 13 times since 1914.

May 27, a Couple of Firsts 

On May 27, in his fifth MLB season, 385^th game played and 1,565th plate appearance, Phillies’ center fielder Ben Revere hit his first MLB home run – as the Phillies lost at home to the Rockies 6-2.  Revere was well short of the record for plate appearances at the start of a career without a HR (non-pitchers) – that belongs to Emil Verban (NL infielder from 1944-50), who went 2,592 plate appearances before his first round tripper in 1948 and finished his career with just one homer in 3,109 plate appearances.  Phillies’ bench coach Larry Bowa probably best understood Revere’s elation after the round tripper. Bowa went 1,745 plate appearances before his first home run – and it was of the inside-the-park variety.  Bowa did end up with 15 HRs in a sixteen-year MLB playing career.

On the same day as Revere’s round tripper, Cardinals’ RHP Lance Lynn set down the Yankees 6-0 at Saint Louis.  The complete game shutout was Lynn’s sixth win of the season (6-2, 3.12).  It was also Lynn’s first complete game in 147 professional starts –  75 major league and 72 minor league. He threw a career high 126 pitches (77 strikes), giving up five hits and three walks, while striking out two.

Nice Month

May’s top hitters were the Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig (.398-8-25) in the NL and the Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera (.380-8-34).  That’s rakin’.

Standings as of May 31

AL EAST  

W        L          PCT     GB

Toronto            33        24        .579

NY Yankees    29        25        .537     2.5

Baltimore          27        27        .500     4.5

Boston             26        29        .473     6.0

Tampa Bay       23        33        .411     9.5

 AL CENTRAL

Detroit              31        21        .596

Chicago WS     28        29        .491     5.5

Kansas City      26        29        .473     6.5

Minnesota        25        28        .472     6.5

Cleveland         26        30        .464     7.0

 AL WEST 

Oakland           34        22        .607

LA Angels        30        25        .545     3.5

Texas               28        28        .500     6.0

Seattle              27        28        .491     6.5

Houston           24        33        .421   10.5

NL EAST

Atlanta             29        25        .537     –

Miami               28        26        .519     1

Washington      26        27        .491     2.5

NY Mets          25        29        .463     4

Philadelphia      24        28        .462     4

 NL CENTRAL

Milwaukee       33        22        .600     –

St. Louis           29        26        .527     4

Pittsburgh         25        29        .463     7.5

Cincinnati         24        29        .453     8

Chicago Cubs   19        33        .365     12.5

 NL WEST

San Francisco   36        19        .655

Colorado          28        26        .519     7.5

LA Dodgers     29        27        .518     7.5

San Diego        25        30        .455     11

Arizona            23        34        .404     14

I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT

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

DIZZY DEAN, DON ZIMMER, AND RACHEL ROBINSON

ELECTED TO THE SHRINE OF THE ETERNALS FOR 2014

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

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

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

DIZZY DEAN

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

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

DON ZIMMER

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

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

RACHEL ROBINSON

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

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

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

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

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

BBRT’S SHRINE OF THE ETERNALS BALLOT 

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

Mamie “Peanut” Johnson (1934 – *)

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

Rube Waddell (1876-1914)

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

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

Pete Reiser (1919-81)

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

Denny McLain (1944- * )

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

Glenn Burke – (1952-95)

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

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

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

Effa Manley (1900-81)

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

David Mullany (1908-90)

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

I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT