Ted Williams Debuts For The Boston Red Sox April 20, 1939

On This Day in Baseball History April 20. 1939: 20-year old Boston Red Sox rookie outfielder Ted Williams made his debut against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Williams would start in Right Field and bat fifth in the lineup. Williams would get his first career hit, a double and went 1 for 4 with three putouts in the field in a 2-0 loss.

The New York Times article Yanks Blank Red Sox Before 30,278 at Stadium Opener dated April 21, 1939 makes nary a mention of Williams. The only time he is mentioned is in respect to catching a line drive, that the fading Lou Gehrig hit with runners in scoring position, that seemed to "lack the old Gehrig depth". Since the paper didn't say much about Williams, I decided to go straight to the source. According to pages 60 and 61 of Ted Williams' autobiography My Turn at Bat: The Story of My Life:

I'll never forget that day sitting on the bench watching the Yankees take batting practice. I'm all eyes and ears. Lou Gehrig was still on the club, the only time I ever saw him play. He was already sick, and nobody knew it. He looked tired just walking up the stairs after the game. But there they were, Frank Crosetti and Charlie Keller and DiMaggio and Tommy Heinrich and Bill Dickey. A hell of a lineup. And Joe Gordon. I'm watching them, studying them all, and I remember so distinctly - this was one of those ten days - I said to myself, I know I can hit as good as these guys. Just a young kid's reaction, seeing the greats, building up his confidence.

Painting By Graig Kreindler

Red Ruffing was the Yankee pitcher. I watched him warm up - a big guy, I mean big, but a real easy-going style, like he didn't give a damn. When he came in with it though, the ball whistled. I got up the first time and fouled one off, then he threw me a little curve and I fouled that one off too, then he struck me out on a high fastball. The second time up the same thing: curve, curve, high fastball, strike three

Well, here's this smart-talking kid rookie from California striking out in his first two times up, and burning. I got to the bench and plopped down, and out of the corner of my eye I see ol' Jack Wilson, one of our pitchers, coming to me. We'd be needling each other all spring, and I'd been telling him how I was going to wear Ruffing out, and Jack's really got the old needle out now. He says, "Whata ya think of this league now, Bush?"

By this time I'm boiling. I said, "Screw you. That is one guy" - pointing to Ruffing - "I know I am going to hit, and if he puts it in the same place again, I'm riding it out of here."

Well it so happened the next time up Ruffing hot it high again, and I hit one to right center just a foot from going into the bleachers. I'd gotten under it a little bit or it would have gone out.

When I got to second base, there was Gordon. We played against each other on the coast in 1937, and he came over smiling. "You nervous?"

I said, "Boy, am I. Nervous as hell."

It turned out to be a wonderful first year for me.

Well that's an understatement. Not only was it a wonderful first year for Williams, it would be one of the best first years for any player. In 149 games, Williams finished his rookie season with a slash line of .327/.436/.609 with 185 hits (44 2B/11 3B/31 HR) and 145 RBI. Williams walked 107 and struck out a career high 64 times.

To me, out of all of Williams' rookie statistics, this is the one that stands out to me. He never struck out more than 64 times in a season AFTER his rookie season. The most he struck out after 64 times was 54 times and that was the NEXT season. Most players as they age and continue to develop their power stroke end up gaining more strikeouts. Not so for Ted Williams.

He would finish 4th in the Most Valuable Player race after Joe DiMaggio, teammate Jimmie Foxx and Bob Feller. It would be one of the only two seasons (along with 1952 when Williams served in the Korean War) that Ted Williams wouldn't be an American League All-Star.

Here is the box score of the Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees game of April 20, 1939:

To look at Ted Williams' career statistics is just mind boggling. Give them a look: Ted Williams career statistics courtesy of Baseball Reference. We'll never see a hitter like Ted Williams ever again.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

Fenway Park and Navin Field Open April 20, 1912

On This Day in Baseball History April 20, 1912: With the nation shrouded in the somber mood following the R.M.S. Titanic tragedy, the new home parks of the Boston Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers open for business. After a rain-out the day before in both cities, Fenway Park would play host to the New York Highlanders (aka Yankees) while Navin Field (later known as Tiger Stadium) would play host to the Cleveland Naps (aka Indians). Both home field fans were treated to exciting 11-inning games where the home teams would be victorious.

In Boston, a record 27,000 fans crammed into the new ballpark in order to see the debut contest of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. The article ANOTHER DEFEAT FOR THE YANKEES from the New York Times dated April 21, 1912 stated:

The opening of the American League's new grounds in this city, Fenway Park, was marked by the largest attendance ever recorded here, 27,000 people crowding the stands and bleachers and standing behind ropes drawn about the outfield. It was, too, the first appearance at home of McAleer's Red Sox, which added to the enthusiasm.

The Red Sox would win the game in 11-innings by a score of 7-6.

In Detroit, Navin Field was opened with another 11-inning match-up that was also won by the home team. The Detroit Tigers defeated the Cleveland Naps by a score of 6-5. The article 24,000 in New Navin Field from the New York Times dated April 21, 1912 stated:

A record crowd of over 24,000 people jammed Navin Field which replaces Bennett Park, which cost $200,000 and which seats 23,000 people in its steel and concrete stands. 

The box scores of both games are below

 

As we know, Fenway is still in use by the Boston Red Sox. Navin Field which was later known as Briggs Stadium and Tiger Stadium was replaced by Comerica Park in 2000 and torn down in 2009. The only thing that remains is the actual field of play from the stadium which is the center of a movement to restore it for community use. I'll come back to that movement in a future post.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,

Baseball Sisco

#baseballsisco

#baseballsiscokidstyle

Week Two Points and Highlights

Week two of the MLB season is in the books here are a few things that stood out to me:

- Kris Bryant Gets The Call Up
Chicago Cubs phenom Kris Bryant finally got the callup to the big league team on April 17th (which happens to be the anniversary of Mickey Mantle's debut in 1951) and proceeds to go 0-4 in with three strikeouts against the San Diego Padres. What does that mean? Not a damn thing. Chalk his debut to nerves. Bryant finished the weekend batting .300 with three hits including a double. He showed plate discipline by walking three times and only striking out four times, with three of those in the first game he played in. I think Bryant will be fine as long as people realize that he is indeed only 23-years of age.

The expectations by the Cubs faithful need to stay realistic. Winning will take time with the young team they have. They need to do things taking baby steps at first and then developing into a winning team. That takes time and patience. I mean the Cubs haven't won a World Series in over 100-years. What's waiting a few more to get it done right.

- Red Sox’s Rusney Castillo Sidelined Indefinitely With Shoulder Injury
While the buzz is high in Chicago with the promotion of prospect Kris Bryant, the buzz is down with Boston's phenom Rusney Castillo. The word on Castillo wasn't if he was getting called up but when. To the point that on a recent ESPN broadcast, the analysts were debating on which current Boston Red Sox outfielder would become the odd-man out when the eventual call-up was made.

Now the word from Beantown is that Castillo has been shut down due to a shoulder injury. According to the article Red Sox’s Rusney Castillo Sidelined Indefinitely With Shoulder Injury by Ricky Doyle from NESN dated April 14, 2015, Castillo's had an An MRI which revealed only inflammation and no structural damage in Castillo’s right shoulder.

Unlike the aforementioned Bryant who is under contractual control by the Cubs at a bargain rookie rate, Castillo is not. Castillo was signed last August by the Red Sox as a free agent at the tune of seven-year, $72.5 million dollars. While I'm sure there are many a member of the Boston faithful wondering if the Bosox will get their money's worth from Castillo, patience needs to be shown. This injury didn't come through negligence. It came while on the field.

- Alex Rodriguez's Performance
I had a brief discussion about this early last week. It really is hard to root for Alex Rodriguez. For years I rooted for him. I felt that he had hit rock bottom with his admission of PED use in 2009 and that he a reached redemption with his performance coming back from injury and helping the Yankees win the 2009 World Series. But the shenanigans from the last few years including those that led to a circus of a hearing which led to a year long suspension really soured me on him. The joke among Yankees fans was that Derek Jeter was retiring to avoid the A-Rod media circus that would start upon his reinstatement for the 2015 season. But I have to admit, throughout Spring Training and in the first two weeks of the season, A-Rod has been an exemplary and productive member of the team.

He's played everywhere manager Joe Girardi has asked him to play and he has been very productive at the plate, showing flashes of plate discipline and the powerful swing that propelled him to the superstar level in MLB. A-Rod finished this weekend with a slash line of .316/.447/.711 with 12 hits in 38 at-bats including three doubles and four home runs. He does have 15 strikeouts but also 9 walks so he is showing discipline at the plate.

Perhaps A-Rod has gotten tired of the media circus and the drama that he seems to bring upon himself. Maybe he can redeem himself with a productive end to his illustrious and disappointing career, walking off into the sunset with his head held high.

- Defending Champs Losing Ways
Giants' fans are wondering what has happened to their three time World Series Champions. The Gigantes have had a bit of a rough stretch in terms of both injuries to vital players and in games lost. Its best to have a losing streak in April rather than one in September. I know many like to invoke the "Odd Year Curse" for the Giants. In case you don't know what that is, since 2010, the Giants have won the World Series in 2010, 2012 and 2014 with a second place 86-76 season in 2011 and a fourth place 76-86 season in 2013. Both odd year seasons resulted in no post-season appearance for the Gigantes. Now if you believe in that sort of thing, then you might as well stop watching now. Even thought the NL West is reloaded for bear this season, the 2015 campaign is only two weeks in. So climb off the ledge fans of the Gigantes and have faith in your team.

- Mike Trout becomes the youngest player to 100 homers and 100 stolen bases
Trout reached the 100 homers/100 stolen base plateau this past Friday night. In doing so, he became the youngest player to do so. at 23-years and 251-days old, he eclipsed the aforementioned Alex Rodriguez who was the prior fastest to 100 homers/100 stolen bases. Rodriguez did so at 23-years 309-days old in 1999. According to Alden Gonzalez in his article Trout Smashes 100th Career Home Run from MLB.com dated April 17, 2015, Trout is the second player in Angels history with triple digits in homers and steals. The other Angel is Darren Erstad who had 114 homers and 170 stolen bases.

Trout had a 30/30 season in 2012 with 30 homers/49 stolen bases and narrowly missed another 30/30 season in 2013 with 27 homers/33 stolen bases. Last season Trout's stolen base production dropped significantly as he became a major run producer. He had 36 homers with only 16 stolen bases. Will Trout utilize his speed more this season to try and steal more bases or will he just focus on driving in runs with his power. That will remain to be seen.

- The Kansas City Royals Finally Lose
And in the most surprising news of the fledgling 2015 season, the American League Champion Kansas City Royals had their hopes for a 162-0 season dashed in a loss against the Minnesota Twins. The same way I tell Giants fans to just chill out about their team losing, I need to tell the same thing to those jumping off the Royals bandwagon after not only losing one game against the Twins, but losing two games and the series to the Twinkies.

Its good that the Royals are feisty (having a bench clearing incident against Mike Trout and the Angels) and are winning games but let's be honest. Its only two weeks in. Historically, how many teams have gone undefeated in the first week or two of the season and not make the playoffs. Probably quite a few. I'm not saying this is what will happen to the Royals. But eight straight wins is only roughly 5% of the games played in the season. There are WAY too many games to be played to stress out. They are playing good ball. Enjoy it!!! We'll check back and see where they are in June.

I know some Mets' fans will take me to task for not mentioning their current run. I don't want to jinx the Metropolitanos. I promise to mention them in the post for the third week of the Major League season.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

First Baseball Game Played at Yankee Stadium April 18 1923

On This Day in Baseball History April 18, 1923: Colonel Jacob Ruppert's ballpark in the Bronx opened up for business in front of 74, 200 spectators. The anticipation for the stadium's opening was so intense that 25,000 spectators were turned away. 

Yankees starter Bob Shawkey threw a 3-hitter and as a sign of many to come, George Hermann Ruth aka The Babe hit a home run helping the Yankees defeat the Boston Red Sox 4-1. The article 74,200 SEE YANKEES OPEN NEW STADIUM from the New York Times dated April 18, 1923 described the fateful at-bat by the Babe that could be the impetus for the old Stadium eventually being christened as the House that Ruth Built:

Only one more thing was in demand, and Babe Ruth supplied that. The big slugger is a keen student of the dramatic, in addition to being the greatest home run hitter. He was playing a new role yesterday-not the accustomed one of a renowned slugger, but of a penitent, trying to "come back" after a poor season and a poorer world's series. Before the game he said he would give a year of his life if he could hit a home run in his first game at the new stadium. The Babe was on trial, and he knew it better than anybody.

He could hardly have picked a better time and place for the drive that he hammered into the bleachers in the third inning. The Yankees had just broken a scoreless tie by pushing Shawkey over the plate with one run. Witt was on third base, Dugan was on first, when Ruth appeared at the plate to face Howard Ehmke, the Boston pitcher. Ruth worked the count to two and two, and them Ehmke tried to fool him with one of those slow balls the Giants used successfully in the last world's series.

The ball came in slowly, but left quite rapidly, rising on a line and then dipping suddenly from the force behind it. It struck well inside the foul line, eight or ten rows above the low railing in front of the bleachers, and as Ruth circled the bases he received probably the greatest ovation of his career. The biggest crowd in baseball history rose to its feet and let loose the biggest shout in baseball history. Ruth, jogging over the home plate, grinned broadly, lifted his cap at arm's length and waved it at the multitude.

How bad was Ruth's 1922 season that he needed redemption? In 110 games Ruth batted .315 with 35 homers and 96 RBI. Not too shabby right? So why the drama? Well, consider that in 1920 Ruth hit .376 with 54 homers and 135 RBI and 1921 he hit .378 with 59 homers and 168 RBI. Amazing. I know. Even more amazing was that in both 1920 and 1921, Ruth wasn't the league leader in batting average. George Sisler of the St. Louis Browns led the American League in batting with a .407 average in 1920 and Harry Heilmann hit .394 for the Detroit Tigers in 1921.

Ruth parlayed his opening day home run into a career year where Ruth hit .393 with 41 homers and 130 RBI and his only MVP award. Again, his .393 wasn't good enough to lead the league. Heilmann once again led the league in batting, this time with a .403 batting average.

More important than a batting title for Ruth and the Yankees was the achievement of the franchise's first championship by defeating the cross-town rival New York Giants four games to two in the World Series. In doing so, the Yankees avenged the two consecutive losses to the Giants in the 1920 and 1921 World Series and helped to swing the balance of power in New York City baseball to favor the Yankees.

With that I leave you the box score of that game from the New York Times.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

Ted Williams Finishes With a .406 Batting Average September 28, 1941

On this day in Baseball History September 28, 1941: Entering the last day of the 1941 season, Ted Williams led the league with a .39955 batting average. Sitting out the doubleheader to end the season against the Philadelphia Athletics would have given Williams a .400 average. Instead of being given the achievement, Williams decided to play both games going 4 for 5 in the first game and 2 for 3 in the second game finishing the season with a .4057 batting average rounded up to .406. In doing so, Williams became the first Major League to hit .400 or more since Bill Terry of the New York Giants hit .401 in 1930. Williams became the first American League player to hit .400 or more since Harry Heilman did so in 1923.

The article Star Gets 6 Hits As Red Sox Split from the September 29, 1941 edition of the New York Times states:

Williams made his thirty-seventh home run and three singles in five chances in the opener, and a double and a single in three attempts in the second encounter.

For the season he batted in 120 runs, scored 135 and walked 151 times. He struck out twenty-six times. Williams is the sixth American Leaguer to bat .400. Nap Lajoie, Ty Cobb, George Sisler, Joe Jackson and Heilman were the others. Jackson hit .408 for Cleveland in 1911, but lost the batting title to Cobb, who finished with .420.

Here are the boxscores for the two games played by the Boston Red Sox against the Philadelphia Athletics on September 28, 1941:

What did Ted Williams think about his chase for .400? On pages 85 and 89-90 of the book My Turn At Bat: The Story of my Life by Ted Williams with John Underwood, Williams describes what he felt that fateful day:

It came to the last day of the season, and by now I was down to .39955, which according to the way they do it, rounds out to an even .400. We had a doubleheader left at Philadelphia. I'd slumped as the weather got cooler, from a high of .436 in June, down to .402 in late August, then up again to .413 in September. In the last ten days of the season my average dropped almost a point a day. Now it was barely .400. The night before the game Cronin offered to take me out of the lineup to preserve the .400. They used to do that. Foxx lost a batting championship to Buddy Myer one year when he sat out the last game and Myer got two hits.

I told Cronin I didn't want that. If I couldn't hit .400 all the way I didn't deserve it. It sure as hell meant something to me then

Now it was the last day of the 1941 season, and it turned up cold and miserable in Philadelphia. It had rained on Saturday and the game had been rescheduled as part of a Sunday doubleheader. They still had 10,000 people in Shibe Park, I suppose a lot of them just curious to see if The Kid really could hit .400. I have to say that I felt good despite the cold. And I know just about everybody in the park was for me. As I came to bat for the first time that day, the Philadelphia catcher, Frankie Hayes, said, "Ted, Mr. Mack told us if we let up on you he'll run us out of baseball. I wish you all the luck in the world, but we're not giving you a damn thing."

Bill McGowan was the plate umpire, and I'll never forget it. Just as I stepped in, he called time and slowly walked around the plate, bent over and began dusting it off. Without looking up, he said, "To hit .400 a batter has got to be loose. He has got to be loose."

I guess I couldn't have been much looser. First time up I singled off Dick Fowler, a liner between first and second. Then I hit a home run, then I hit two more singles off Porter Vaughn, a left-hander who was new to me, and in the second game I hit one off the loudspeaker horn in right field for a double. For the day I would up six for eight. I don't remember celebrating that night, but I probably went out and had a chocolate milk shake. During the winter Connie Mack had to replace the horn.

The last player to come close to the .400 plateau was Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres. Gwynn hit .3938 during the strike shortened 1994 season. The last player to come close during a full season was George Brett of the Kansas City Royals. Brett hit .3898 during the 1980 season.

Williams narrowly missed winning the American League Triple Crown (2nd in RBI to Joe DiMaggio's 125 RBI) and would follow his 1941 campaign with the American Triple-Crown in the 1942 season. He would be the runner up in the American League MVP race to Joe DiMaggio and Joe Gordon of the Yankees. Williams would join the war effort, losing three full seasons before returning to play in the 1946 season where he continued with his hitting finally winning the American League MVP award. Williams was truly an amazing player and I wish that I had the opportunity to have watched him play in person.

Getting four hits out of every ten at-bats over the course of an entire season is a daunting task. Hitting .400 for the season, let alone reaching Williams' .406 seems to be one of those records that will probably not get broken in this era of free swinging hitters, batters who don't choke up and defend the plate with two strikes and high strikeout totals. Will we ever see .400 or more in our lifetime? I wouldn't bet on it but with the game of baseball, you just never can tell.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

For Further Reading:
- Click here to access Ted Williams' career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click here to access the article What Do You Think of Ted Williams Now? by Richard Ben Cramer from Esquire Magazine dated January 8, 2013 originally published in the June 1986 issue of Esquire

Latinos at the 1965 All-Star Game Part I

I was recently looking for pictures online for the Wayback Wednesday and Throwback Thursday albums on the Facebook Baseball page: Baseball Sisco Kid Style and came across the following photo and decided to shed some light on some of the players. 

From Left to Right: Felix Mantilla (Puerto Rico), Roberto Clemente (Puerto Rico)
Tony Oliva (Cuba), Cookie Rojas (Cuba), Juan Marichal (Dominican Republic),
Zoilo Versalles (Cuba), Vic Davalillo (Venezuela) and Leo Cárdenas (Cuba)

This photo was taken at the 1965 All-Star Game that was played at Metropolitan Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As you can see from the caption there are players representing four Latino markets: Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. We all know about the two Hall of Famers in the picture: Roberto Clemente and Juan Marichal. I wanted to focus on the other six players in the photo (going from left to right).

1. Felix Mantilla
The starting second baseman for the American League was Felix Mantilla of the Boston Red Sox. Mantilla was born on July 29, 1934 in Isabella, Puerto Rico. The Boston Braves signed him as a free agent in 1952 and he would make his debut with the Milwaukee Braves on June 21, 1956. Mantilla would play for six seasons with the Braves before being drafted by the New York Mets (from the Milwaukee Braves) as the 12th pick in the 1961 expansion draft. As a member of the original 1962 Mets, Mantilla had one of his best seasons. Mantilla batted .275 with a slash line of .330/.399/.729 with 128 hits in 466 at-bats. He drove in 59 runs with 17 doubles, 4 triples and 11 homeruns. After the 1962 season, Mantilla was traded to the Boston Red Sox for Al Moran, Pumpsie Green and Tracy Stallard.

Mantilla would play a total of three seasons with the Red Sox with the 1964 and 1965 seasons being his most successful. In 1964 Mantilla hit .289 with a slash line of .357/.553/.910. He would put up 123 hits with a career high 20 doubles and 30 homeruns with 1 triple and 64 RBI's. Mantilla would follow that season with a 1965 campaign where he batted .275 with a slash line of .374/.416/.790 with 147 hits in 534 at-bats with 17 doubles, 2 triples, 18 homeruns and a career high of 92 RBI's while making his only All-Star appearance. Mantilla would be traded to the Houston Astros during spring training in 1966 and would be released by the Astros after the 1966 season. He would sign with the Chicago Cubs in 1967 and would be released later on that season after not playing for the Cubs.


2. Tony Oliva
The next player in the picture is one that many feel should be a Hall of Famer. Tony Oliva is a beloved player in the Minneapolis area and by the Twins faithful. Oliva was born on  July 20, 1938 in Pinar del Rio, Cuba and was signed by the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent in 1961. Oliva would make his debut on September 9, 1962. Oliva was one of the most prolific hitters in the American League. Oliva led the American League in batting three times (1964, 1965, 1971), hits five times (1964-1966, 1969-1970) and doubles four times (1964, 1967, 1969-1970).


Oliva won the American League Rookie of the Year award in 1964 with a .323 batting average and a slash line of .359/.557/.916 with 109 runs scored, a league best 217 hits with 43 doubles, 9 triples and 32 homeruns with 94 RBI's. Oliva was an eight time All-Star from 1964-1971, a Gold Glove winner in 1966 and was in the top ten of the American League MVP race five times. Oliva would retire after 15 seasons with the Minnesota Twins after the 1976 season.

3. Cookie Rojas
The next player is the only Latino in this picture that would manage in the Major Leagues. Octavio Victor (Rivas) Rojas aka Cookie Rojas was born on March 6, 1939 in La Habana, Cuba. Rojas was signed by the Cincinnati Redlegs as an amateur free agent in 1956 and would make his debut on April 10, 1962. After playing briefly for the Redlegs in 1962, Rojas was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for Jim Owens. Rojas was a very dependable player for the Phillies. Rojas played each outfield position, second, shortstop, third, catcher and even pitched once in his seven seasons in Philadelphia. He would be an All-Star for the Phillies in 1965 when he batted a career best .303 with a slash line of .356/.380/.736 with 158 hits, 25 doubles, 3 triples 3 homeruns and 42 RBI's.

Rojas would be traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in arguably the most important trade in Baseball history. On October 7, 1969 Rojas was traded along with Dick Allen and Jerry Johnson to the St. Louis Cardinals for Byron Browne, Curt Flood, Joe Hoerner and Tim McCarver. Flood would refuse to report to his new team. On April 8, 1970, the St. Louis Cardinals would send Willie Montañez and later Jim Browning (on August 30, 1970) to the Philadelphia Phillies to complete the trade.

If you don't know, in refusing to accept the trade to the Phillies, Flood in effect ended his career by suing Major League Baseball. The result of that lawsuit would be the end of the infamous Reserve Clause and the ushering in of free agency to Major League Baseball. For more information on Curt Flood, I recommend reading the article How Curt Flood Changed Baseball and Killed His Career in the Process by Allen Barra from The Atlantic website dated July 12, 2011. Back to Rojas.

Rojas' stay with the Cardinals would be brief. On June 13, 1970 Rojas was traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Kansas City Royals for Fred Rico. It was in Kansas City that Rojas would be the most successful. Rojas would make four consecutive All-Star appearances with the Royals from 1971-1974 averaging a .276 batting average, 138 hits with 23 doubles, 2 triples and 5 homers with 60 RBI's a season during that stretch. Rojas would play his last game for the Royals after the 1977 ALCS loss to the New York Yankees.

Rojas would later go into coaching and would manage the Calfornia Angels for one season, leading the team to a 75-79 record in 1988 before being removed from the head coach position with eight games left in the season. In doing so, Rojas became only the third Cuban-born manager in major-league history after Mike Gonzalez (1938, 1940) and Preston Gomez (1969-1972, 1974-1975, 1980).

For part II, I'm going to focus on the remaining three players in the picture Zoilo Versalles, Vic Davalillo, and Leo Cárdenas.

Until Then Play Ball,
Sisco Kid.

What is the Restricted List

In the last few days there have been a couple of players that have been placed on the Major League Baseball Restricted List. Both Ryan Dempster of the Boston Red Sox and Franklin Gutierrez of the Seattle Mariners have notified their respective teams that they would not be able to play this season. Now, I'm not sure how often players are placed on the Restricted List, but I remember two off the top of my head from last season. The Miami Marlins placed  Miguel Olivo and Austin Kearns on the restricted list last season. Since I'm a little in the dark about what exactly the restricted list is, I've decided to look into it. Here is how the Restriced List is described in Rule 15 of the Major League Rules (from March 2008):

Rule 15
RESTRICTED, DISQUALIFIED AND INELIGIBLE LISTS
(a) RESTRICTED LIST. If, without permission from a player's Major or Minor League Club, a player fails, within 10 days of the opening of the player's Club's championship season, to report to, or contract with, the player's Club, the player may be reported by the Club to the Commissioner or the Commissioner's designee for placement on the "Restricted List." A player on the Restricted List shall not be eligible to play for any Major or Minor League Club.

Before the start of the championship season but not before January 1, a Major or Minor League Club also may report for placement on the Restricted List any player, whether or not under contract for the current season, who has given the Club written or telegraphic notification that the player will not report until 30 days or more after the opening of the championship season. Requests to the Commissioner or the Commissioner's designee shall be accompanied by the notification which the Club received from the player.
The Commissioner or the Commissioner's designee may place a Major or Minor League Reserve List player on the Restricted List if the player's Club certifies that unusual circumstances exist.

In terms of Player Status while on the Restricted List:

(e) PLAYER STATUS. With respect to a player under a Major League Uniform Player's Contract:(3) A player on the Restricted, Disqualified or Ineligible List (A) shall not be unconditionally released, and (B) shall not be entitled to salary while on any such list, nor after reinstatement from any such list, until such date (not exceeding 30 days after reinstatement) as the player is in condition to participate in championship games to the satisfaction of the player's Club.

If a player decided that they they want to be reinstated, the following according to Rule 16 of the Major League Rules (from March 2008) needs to occur:

Rule 16
REINSTATEMENT OF PLAYERS
(a) APPLICATION. Any player on the Voluntarily Retired, Restricted, Disqualified or Ineligible List may apply for reinstatement, or to have the player's status changed, upon the conditions stated in this Rule 16. Any Major or Minor League Club having a player on the Restricted List may apply for the player's reinstatement. Such application shall be filed with the Commissioner or the Commissioner's designee. An application for reinstatement may be granted upon such terms and conditions as the facts may warrant in the judgment of the Commissioner or the Commissioner's designee.

If a player files an application for reinstatement from the Voluntarily Retired, Disqualified or Ineligible Lists after February 1 of any year, the player's Major or Minor League Club shall be entitled to 30 days' written notice prior to the player's reinstatement. No application for reinstatement shall be received from a Voluntarily Retired player within 60 playing days of the player's retirement. No Major League player on the Voluntarily Retired, Disqualified or Ineligible Lists shall be reinstated during the period from August 1 to and including October 31. No Major League player on the Restricted List shall be reinstated during the period from August 1 to and including October 31, unless the Restricted List, placement had followed a Bereavement List placement pursuant to Rule 2(n) (Major League Bereavement List) or had been made pursuant to the Major or Minor League Drug Treatment and Prevention Programs. No Minor League player on the Voluntarily Retired, Restricted, Disqualified or Ineligible Lists shall be reinstated during the period from August 1 until the conclusion of the Minor League championship season and playoffs, unless the Restricted List placement had been made pursuant to the Major or Minor League Drug Treatment and Prevention Programs.

(b) PLAYER ON RESTRICTED LIST. A Restricted List player shall be reinstated immediately upon receipt of written or telegraphic application for reinstatement from the player's Major or Minor League Club.

Jeff Euston in his article Contractual Matters: The Restricted List from Baseball Prospectus dated May 13, 2010 has a historical breakdown of some players that have been placed on the Restricted List for various reasons. It is quite the interesting read.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, how does this impact the situations of Gutierrez and Dempster. In terms of Gutierrez, according to Greg Johns in his article With Gutierrez out, Mariners lack righty outfield bats from MLB.com dated February 14, 2014:

The 2010 American League Gold Glove Award winner became a free agent after his four-year, $19-million contract expired last year, but re-signed with Seattle in December for $1 million with a potential $2 million more in incentives. That contract is now voided by his decision to go on the restricted list.

Gutierrez was diagnosed with an inflammatory condition called ankylosing spondylitis last season and was optimistic that medication was helping him deal better with hip and joint issues, as well as the digestive problems that had hindered him. But with those problems returning, he chose this week to step away from the game for now.

I have no idea what Ankylosing spondylitis is. Here is how the condition is described on the Spondylitis Association of America's website listing for Ankylosing spondylitis:

Ankylosing spondylitis (pronounced ank-kih-low-sing spon-dill-eye-tiss), or AS, is a form of arthritis that primarily affects the spine, although other joints can become involved. It causes inflammation of the spinal joints (vertebrae) that can lead to severe, chronic pain and discomfort. In the most advanced cases (but not in all cases), this inflammation can lead to new bone formation on the spine, causing the spine to fuse in a fixed, immobile position, sometimes creating a forward-stooped posture. This forward curvature of the spine is called kyphosis. More information on kyphosis and fusion can be found in the complications section.

AS can also cause inflammation, pain and stiffness in other areas of the body such as the shoulders, hips, ribs, heels and small joints of the hands and feet. Sometimes the eyes can become involved (known as Iritis or Uveitis), and rarely, the lungs and heart can be affected. See the Complications of Spondylitis: How is a Person Affected? page for more information.

The hallmark feature of ankylosing spondylitis is the involvement of the sacroiliac (SI) joints during the progression of the disease, which are the joints at the base of the spine, where the spine joins the pelvis.

That sounds painful. I hope Gutierrez can recover and come back to play at some point. He was a dynamic player for the Mariners. Dempster is a different story.

Dempster decided to take the 2014 season off and forgo a salary of $13.25 million dollars. In a series of tweets by Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal Twitter feed from February 16, 2014 (as listed in Tyler Conway's article Red Sox SP Ryan Dempster Announces Decision Not to Pitch During 2014 Season from Bleacher Report on February 16, 2014)

BREAKING: Ryan Dempster will not pitch for #RedSox in 2014 due to physical reasons and his desire to spend more time with his kids. Dempster: “I don’t feel like I am capable of performing to the ability and standard that I am accustomed to. I feel it’s in the best interest of both the club but most importantly myself to step away from playing baseball at this time. The time is right. . . .I’m not saying retirement but I definitely won’t be playing this season.

I can appreciate his wanting to spend more time with his family. I feel that way myself in my current position as bartender/bar manager. But to walk away from $13.25 million is something else. I give him tons of props if he does decide not to play the rest of the season and even walking away from his career by retiring. I know some people, like my friend Christopher, wonder if this is a way to not have to deal with the grind of the season and come back in August fresh as a daisy a-la Roy Oswalt. In this case we'll have to wait and see what Dempster does.

I hope this clarifies what exactly the Restricted List is. If you have any more information on the Restricted List, feel free to contact me at my email Baseballsiscokidstyle@gmail.com, my Facebook Page Baseball Sisco Kid Style or at my Google+ page Baseball Sisco.

Sisco Kid

What A Crazy Week In Baseball

My, oh my the flurry of moves this week has been dizzying. Free agent signings and trades galore headlined the week in Baseball and the Winter Meetings where many trades and signings happen loom on the horizon.

You have Billy Beane weaving his magic wand and making trades for numerous players improving the two time American League Champion Oakland A's. You have the Miami Marlins picking up catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia and former All-Star shortstop Rafael Furcal. The Los Angeles Dodgers brought back reliever Brian Wilson, who was pretty much lights out for them down the stretch last season. The Houston Astros picked up solid center fielder Dexter Fowler from the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies added Justin Morneau to hopefully fill the hole left with the retirement of Todd Helton.

The White Sox brought back team Captain Paul Konerko in what might be his final season on the South Side of Chicago. The Tampa Bay Rays and their GM Andrew Friedman once again wheel and deal by acquiring reliever Heath Bell and catcher Ryan Hanigan in a three team deal with the Diamondbacks and Reds. The Detroit Tigers believe they have solved their closer issues with the signing of Joe Nathan.

The news from Japan speculate that the Rakutan Golden Eagles might not post their star pitcher Masahiro Tanaka due to the proposed $20 million dollar cap on posting fees that seems to be a part of the new posting contract between the MLB and the NPB. Since they figure that they won't get as much for Tanaka in a posting fee that they would have under the old agreement, they are better off keeping him following this season which was capped by winning the Japan Series against the Yomiuri Giants. This move would put a kink in the plans of many a team in the majors who were looking forward to trying to add Tanaka to their starting rotations.

The World Champion Red Sox took a hit by losing the aforementioned Saltalamacchia and Jacoby Ellsbury but signed Edward Mujica to replace the non-tendered Andrew Bailey in the bullpen. Speaking of Ellsbury, he signed with the division rival New York Yankees who also signed Hiroki Kuroda but lost their best homegrown everyday player (since Derek Jeter) to the Seattle Mariners who signed Robinson Cano to a reported 10-year $240-million dollar contract.

Wow, that was a mouthful. And the Winter Meetings start on Monday. Who knows what surprises we'll have sprung on us from then to now. We'll just have to wait and see.

Sisco Kid.

And The Baseball "Meek" Do Not Inherit The Earth

Where the underdogs came into the postseason hope and aspiration by the end of the DIvision Series round all hope has been erased. Tampa Bay, Oakland and Pittsburgh have been defeated by Baseball powerhouses Boston, Detroit and St. Louis to set up a Championship Series full of old school Baseball towns.

I was really looking forward to a Pittsburgh vs Oakland or Tampa Bay World Series. There was something innocent in that kind of match up. Three young, small market teams who play for franchises that either haven't been in a World Series in a generation (or two) or a team that has only been to one World Series in their brief history. I could afford to want that as a Baseball fan since my team didn't make the postseason. Alas, it was not to be.

In the American League the Boston Red Sox will host the Detroit Tigers starting Saturday while in the National League the St. Louis Cardinals will host the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.

All four came into the postseason with a World Series or bust mentality. Now it's up to two of them to get to the Fall Classic. May the best teams win.

Sisco Kid

George "Boomer" Scott 1944-2013

I received an interesting message from my friend Barry last night while at work which at first I didn't get. It said the following:

We just lost The Boomer...sad, sad, sad...George Scott passed away today. The original Big Papi

Now to be totally honest, I had heard of the name George Scott but was really unfamiliar with him. I decided to look into him and see what man known as the Boomer was about.

George Scott was a powerful slugger and prodigious fielder in his day who liked to refer to his homers as "Taters" and called his glove "Black Beauty". Scott was called up to the Red Sox in 1966 and immediately made his presence felt in the league by playing every game in the season and putting up an impressive rookie season of .245 with 27 homeruns and 90 RBI with 147 hits (18 2B/7 3B/27 HR) and an OPS of .757 (.324 OBP/.433 SLG). He was the starting first baseman for the American League and ended up tied for third in the 1966 American League Rookie of the Year behind Tommie Agee of the Chicago White Sox, Jim Nash of the Kansas City Royals and Davey Johnson of the Baltimore Orioles.

Scott was a pivotal player on the 1967 Red Sox team that is affectionately known as "The Impossible Dream". Playing alongside Carl Yaztremski, Tony Conigliaro, Reggie Smith, Mike Andrews, Jim Lonborg, Jerry Adair, and Joe Foy the Boston Red Sox returned to the World Series with a 90-72 record under Manager Hall of Famer Dick Williams. It was the Red Sox's first World Series appearance since 1946. The Red Sox would lose a close series to the St. Louis Cardinals who was led by Hall of Famer Bob Gibson who was the MVP of the World Series with three complete game victories against the Red Sox, two of which were shutouts.

1967 Boston Red Sox Autographed 35th Anniversary Poster Created by Renowned Artist Paul Madden

In that 1967 season Scott followed up his rookie campaign with a .303 average with 19 homeruns and 82 RBI with 171 hits (21 2B/7 3B/19 HR) and an OPS of .839 (.373 OBP/.465 SLG) with 10 stolen bases. Scott had deceiving speed for a man of his size. According to Richard Goldstein in his article George Scott, Slugger Who Boomed ‘Taters’ in Fenway, Dies at 69 from the New York Times website dated July 29, 2013:

Listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 210 pounds, Scott was evidently well over that, to the consternation of Dick Williams, the manager of the ’67 Sox.

Not only was he agile on the base paths, but he was also nimble in the field. According to Nick Cafaldo in his article George Scott was a big man with a gentle way: ‘Boomer’ leaves a big void from the Boston Globe website dated July 29, 2013:

I have never seen a better-fielding first baseman. George Scott played first like Ozzie Smith played shortstop and like Brooks Robinson played third base...He had quick, soft hands and amazing footwork for such a large man.

Scott would end up finishing 10th in the 1967 American League voting and won the first of his eight gold gloves. Scott would continue to hit "taters" to the delight of the Boston faithful until the day that I would assume Boston fans hated especially those who rooted for Scott. On October 10, 1971 the Red Sox made a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers to trade Scott with Ken Brett, Billy Conigliaro, Joe Lahoud, Jim Lonborg and Don Pavletich for Pat Skrable, Tommy Harper, Lew Krausse and Marty Pattin. It was in Milwaukee that Scott really hit his stride.

In five seasons with the Brew Crew would average .283 BA with 23 homers and 93 RBI with 170 hits (27 2B/4 3B/ 23 HR) and an OPS of .798 (.342 OBP/.456 SLG). His best season came in 1975 when he tied for the league lead in homeruns (with Reggie Jackson of the Oakland A's) with 36 "taters" and lead the league in RBI with 109. He was an All-Star, finished eight in the AL MVP voting and won the fourth of his consecutive five Gold Gloves while with the Brewers.

Scott would be traded back to the Boston Red Sox on December 6, 1976 with Bernie Carbo for Cecil Cooper. Scott would make his final All-Star appearance in 1977 and would eventually be traded to the Kansas City Royals on June 13, 1979 for Tom Poquette. He would be released from the Royals two months later, signing with the New York Yankees where he played out the rest of the season and retiring after being granted free agency at the end of the season.

Going back to Barry's statement of Scott being the original Big Papi. According to Red Sox historian Dick Bresciani in the article George Scott, 'Boomer,' dies at 69; starred for Pittsfield and Boston Red Sox from the Berkshire Eagle website dated July 29, 2013:

In losing George Scott, we have lost one of the most talented, colorful, and popular players in our history...He had great power and agility, with a large personality and a large physical stature. He could light up a clubhouse with his smile, his laugh, and his humor

I can see the similarities with Ortiz and also Mo Vaughn. All three were big guys who radiated positive vibes while playing in Boston becoming fan favorites of the Red Sox nation. May He Rest in Peace.

Here is the career line for George Scott who played in 14 seasons from 1966-1979:

Player		G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI		BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	AVG	OPS
George Scott		2034	7433	957	1992	306	60	271	1051		699	1418	69	57	.333	.435	.268	.767

Thanks Uncle B for turning me on to George Scott. Always like to hear about players who do well, especially one of us big guys. 

Sisco Kid

For Further Reading:

- Click Here to access George Scott's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

Giving the Bad Guys Their Due

Ok, so I picked the Boston Red Sox to finish dead last in the American League East. Based after last season, how could I think that they would be in first place as of July 22, 2013. By golly I have to give them their proper credit. I credit the return of former pitching coach John Farrell to take the reins of the team after the debacle that was the one year managerial term of Bobby Valentine as being a big part of the return of the Red Sox. They want to play for him since they see him as being one of them. Valentine could never shed the outsider label and some of his decisions and comments didn't help his cause.

Farrell has stabilized the rotation to the point where even John Lackey is producing. Lackey came into camp in the best shape since his days with the Angels and isn't as reviled with Red Sox nation as he was in years past. Lester is pitching as expected and Buchholz was the best pitcher in the American League before his injuries. Mainstays Pedroia, Ellsbury and "Big Papi" David Ortiz continue to do what they do best. Where the Red Sox have been negatively affected by their last two relief pitching trades (basically Andrew Bailey for Josh Reddick and Joel Hanrahan for Mark Melancon) they have greatly benefited from three somewhat low key free agent signings. Watching the Red Sox vs. Yankees game last night at the bar, I realized that the signings of Shane Victorino, Johnny Gomes and Mike Napoli might be the reason the Red Sox make it back to the post-season this year since being swept by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2009 in the first round.

In my opinion, Victorino was a much better fit in Fenway than Carl Crawford ever was. While he has speed, his offensive game isn't dependent on said speed to be effective. I always felt that Crawford needed a wide open park to play in to exploit the gaps in the outfield for doubles and triples. The Green Monster was an offensive killer for Crawford and as with Valentine, he just didn't fit it. Victorino is the kind of scrappy player that the Red Sox nation seems to embrace.

Gomes and Napoli have embraced that dirty and gritty bearded look that would have driven former New York Yankees Colonel Ruppert crazy. LOL. Gomes came over from Tampa Bay and Napoli from Texas and have had major hits for the Red Sox this season. The homer Gomes had off of Sabathia left smoke trails in the air as it hit the lights. Napoli simply crushed both pitches he drove into the seats to put the Yankees away in extra innings.

Where the Yankees offseason offensive signings have been somewhat productive (mainly with Lyle Overbay who the Red Sox let go before the end of Spring Training) being the best of the signings, the Red Sox have really done well with signing guys to fit the holes from last season. This four game series the Red Sox are hosting against the Tampa Bay Rays will be very important for both teams since after this series they only play three more times in Tampa in mid-September.

While we still have about 60 games to go, I still think the Rays will end up as the champs of the American League East, I don't see the Red Sox making my prediction come true. Rats!!!! LOL. There's always next season.

Sisco Kid

What A Difference Ten Games Makes

The key to any professional Baseball team is to get off to a good start and try to maintain a consistent pace throughout the season. Now that is often easier said than done since many factors can undermine a good start such as injuries, inefficient play and difficult scheduling. For this post, I wanted to look at four MLB teams whose place in the standings have changed significantly in the last ten games.

The Cleveland Indians
The Indians were sitting at .500 with a 13-13 record before they ripped off 8 wins in their last 10 games to take the lead in the American League Central with a 21-15 record. They've been led by a power surge in the homerun department and much improved starting pitching specifically from Ubaldo Jimenez and Scott Kazmir. The team that got shellacked by the Yankees earlier this season seems to have gotten their act together. Whether they stay that way or revert to their previous form remains to be seen.

- Team Report on the Cleveland Indians from Yahoo! Sports
- The Cleveland Indians page from Yahoo! Sports

The Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox had the best record in the league at 20-8 before they ran into a brick wall called the Texas Rangers. Going into that series the Red Sox had won 8 out of their last 10 games and seemed to be running optimally on all cylinders. What happened in the next 10 games includes a three game sweep by the American League West leaders Rangers, dropping three out of four to the Minnesota Twins at home and dropping two or three to the seemingly reawakening Toronto Blue Jays. The slide has left the Red Sox in third place in the American League East with a 22-16 record.

I think Manager John Farrell says it best:

"I think we've got a number of guys dealing with frustration right now. There's no question about it...The key for us is maintaining our level of preparation and our work routine. Those are the two things that we can control."

The Red Sox go into a pivotal series against division rival Tampa Bay Rays who are owners of a 6-game winning streak and are 7-3 in their last 10 games.

- Team Report on the Boston Red Sox from Yahoo! Sports
- The Boston Red Sox Page from Yahoo! Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals are sitting atop the National League Central with a 23-15 record after ripping off 8 wins in their last 10 games behind solid pitching by starters Adam Wainright, Shelby Miller, Lance Lynn and Jamie Garcia. The Cardinals seem to be the pace setter in a seemingly three team race in the National League Central. Both the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates are close to the Cardinals and are playing very good baseball sitting only two to three games behind the Cardinals.

The Cardinals have a stretch where they play against under .500 teams (Mets, Brewers, Padres and Dodgers) they can add more distance within the division.

- Team Report on the St. Louis Cardinals from Yahoo! Sports
- The St. Louis Cardinals Page from Yahoo! Sports

Atlanta Braves
The Braves struggles are more than just in the last 10 games. After ripping off a 12-1 start to the 2013 season, the Braves have gone 9-15 since to sit at 21-16. They are barely hanging on to first place in the National League East. The Washington Nationals have seemed to have gotten a bit more consistent (with the exception of Stephen Strausberg) by playing good ball in the last 10 games of their own.

The seemingly explosive Braves offense just seems to be unbalanced these days. In the last three games against the San Francisco Giants, the Braves only scored 4 runs while giving up 23 to a team that really isn't one of the most dynamic when it comes to scoring many runs. It seems that the hits and runs just seem to come from a handful of players. Justin Upton has slowed down, B.J. Upton is struggling mightily, Dan Uggla still seems to not be able to find his form in Atlanta, Jason Heyward's bat is missed in the lineup. The return of Brian McCann and his hot bat might help to spark the Braves' offense but the pitching also needs to step up and stop giving up so many runs. Braves Manager Fredi Gonzalez says it best:

"We haven't been real fun to watch right now. What did we score? Four runs the past couple games. They have a good club, and any time we made a mistake they took advantage. We haven't gone deep into a game with our pitching, and we haven't been scoring runs. They're a good team."

The Braves have a decent stretch against the surprising 21-17 Arizona Diamondbacks, the Dodgers, Twins and division rival Mets. Can the Braves rediscover the energy that caused them to run roughshod over the league to start the season or will they continue to struggle going into the month of June.

- Team Report on the Atlanta Braves from Yahoo! Sports
- The Atlanta Braves Page from Yahoo! Sports

Sisco Kid

Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez 15 Years Later

 15 years ago on March 7, amid fanfare the New York Yankees signed Cuban defector Orlando Hernandez, who is the half-brother of Livan Hernandez. The man known as "El Duque" would live up to his reputation from his playing days in Cuba by successfully pitching in 4 different World Series (1998, 1999, 2000 with the Yankees 2005 with the White Sox).

I remember when the Yankees signed him, there were some reservations among fans who were still thinking about the mass media signing of another foreign "can't miss" pitcher Hideki Irabu who didn't live up to the expectations placed on him here in New York. Not only did El Duque succeed during the regular season, his performances in the post season place him up there with many of the best.

After defecting from Cuba on Christmas Day 1997, Hernandez signed a 4-year $6.6 million dollar deal with the Yankees. After a number of starts in single-A and a handful of starts in AAA Columbus, El Duque made his debut with the Yankees on June 3, 1998. Against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, El Duque held the Devil Rays to five hits and one run over seven innings. In the Yankee record season of 114-48, El Duque compiled a 12-4 record with 3.13 ERA placing 4th in the American League Rookie of the Year Vote. In a sign of things to come in the post-season, Hernandez neutralized the only team that could stop the Yankees in 1998, the Cleveland Indians.

In Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, El Duque hurled strong seven shoutout innings where he only allowed three hits. The Yankees would tie the series at 2-2 and eventually win the series in 6 games. El Duque would also pitch a masterful game against the San Diego Padres in Game Two of the World Series pitching seven innings of one run baseball. The Yankees would sweep the Padres for the first of three consecutive World Series and four of five (including 1996).

1999 would prove to be El Duque's most successful season. El Duque made 33 starts compiling an impressive 17-9 record with a 4.12 ERA. He would be even more impressive in the post-season when he started four games and finished with a 4-0 record in which he only allowed just four earned runs in 30 innings pitched including winning two games in the American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox. In Game One of the World Series, El Duque would be matched up against Greg Maddux who finished the season with another 19-win season. In that game, El Duque out-dueled Maddux by strucking out ten while just allowing one hit to beat the Braves and start a four game sweep and a second consecutive World Series title for the Yankees.

His 2000 campaign would be disappointing with a 12-13 record with a 4.51 ERA in 29 starts but El Duque kept his best for the post-season. In four starts, El Duque went 3-1 losing his first post-season start against the Mets. In the 2000 post-season, El Duque beat the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners (twice). In total, El Duque would strikeout a total of 31 batters in 29.2 innings pitched during all four playoff starts.

In the postseasons during the Yankee three-peat years of 1998-2000, El Duque El Duque was 2-0 and 0.64 ERA in 1998, 3-0 with a 1.20 ERA in 1999 and  3-1 with a 3.94 ERA in 2000. Truly remarkable.

Injuries would be the downfall for El Duque. From 2001-2002, El Duque would go 12-12 with a 4.11 ERA in 41 total games. In five postseason appearances during 2001-2002, El Duque would go 2-3 for the Yankees as the Championship run came to an end. At the end of the 2002 season, El Duque would be traded to the Chicago White Sox then traded again to the Montreal Expos for the 2003 season but would not pitch for them. He would miss the entire 2003 season with shoulder injuries.

He would return to the Yankees for the 2004 season and after being granted free agency, El Duque signed with the Chicago White Sox. Though his season performance was a somewhat lackluster 9-9 with a 5.12 ERA, El Duque saved his last bit of magic for the American League Division Series against the World Series Champions Boston Red Sox. With the Red Sox down 2-0 in Fenway Park trailing the White Sox 4-3 but seemingly reaching into the bag of miracles, El Duque was brought in from the bullpen by manager Ozzie Guillen. Facing El Duque was bases loaded with NO outs and Red Sox Captain Jason Varitek at the plate. I remember the day vividly. I was working at Fraunces Tavern and we were full to the brim with people watching the game.

Varitek would pop out. Tony Graffanino would line out to shortstop Juan Uribe and in arguably his most important post-season strikeout, El Duque made Johnny Damon miss ball four with a check swing that would have tied the game had Damon been able to hold his swing. El Duque would pitch two more innings for the Chisox, striking out a total of four batters leading the White Sox to a three game sweep of the Champs and setting the tone for the White Sox breaking their own World Series drought when they would eventually beat the Angels in 5-games and the Houston Astros in a four game sweep to bring the World Series trophy to the South Side of Chicago for the first time since 1917.

El Duque would pitch for a couple of more years before he would be released by the Texas Rangers during the 2010 season effectively ending his career. In total, El Duque would finish with 90-65 record with a career 4.13 ERA. In the postseason, El Duque went 9-3 with a 2.55 ERA 107 strikeouts in 106 innings pitched with four World Series titles to his name. El Duque was definitely something special to watch with his high socks and his high leg kick.

Gracias para las memorias Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez.

FH

- Click Here to Access Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com