Juan Marichal Debuts With a Complete Game 1-Hitter on July 19, 1960

On This Day in History July 19, 1960: 21-year old rookie Juan Marichal of the Dominican Republic makes his major league debut for the San Francisco Giants and does so in an impressive fashion. Facing the Philadelphia Phillies at home at Candlestick Park, Marichal was throwing a no-hitter until the Phillies sent up pinch hitter Clay Dalrymple with two outs in the eighth inning.

Dalrymple ruined the young pitcher's bid for a no-no in his debut with a solid single to center field on the first pitch Marichal delivered to the plate. Had Marichal been able to no-hit the Phillies, he would have been the second pitcher to throw a no-hitter in his debut after Charles Leander "Bumpus" Jones (January 1, 1870 – June 25, 1938) did so for the Cincinnati Reds on October 15, 1892 ***Bobo Holloman and Ted Breitenstein of the St. Louis Browns also threw no-hitters in their first major league starts but each had appeared in relief before making their first start.

Marichal would complete his game with a 1-hit, 12-strikeout, and 1-walk gem as the Giants beat the Phillies 2-0. Here is the boxscore of that game from the July 20, 1960 edition of the New York Times:

Marichal would become the first Dominican enshrined in Cooperstown in 1983. Marichal did it with style, flair and a bulldog determination. Pitchers today can take notes on how Marichal was able to succeed in an era where he was often overshadowed by such names as Koufax, Gibson, Drysdale and Ford. Luckily for us, we have similar pitchers in today's game in the form of Scherzer, Kershaw, Hernandez and Grienke.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,

Baseball Sisco

#baseballsisco

#baseballsiscokidstyle

For Further Reading:

- Click here for Juan Marichal's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

- Click here for Juan Marichal's Hall of Fame page from the National Baseball Hall of Fame website

The 2015 Hall of Fame Results Are In

The results of the 2015 National Baseball Hall of Fame elections are in and Congratulations go to Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, John Smoltz and FINALLY Craig Biggio. Welcome to Cooperstown gentlemen.



Here is the breakdown of the votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America:

Ballots Cast: 549

Needed for Election: 412

Votes	Player	Percentage
534	Randy Johnson	97.3%
500	Pedro Martinez	91.1%
455	John Smoltz	82.9%
454	Craig Biggio	82.7%
384	Mike Piazza	69.9%
306	Jeff Bagwell	55.7%
302	Tim Raines	55.0%
215	Curt Schilling	39.2%
206	Roger Clemens	37.5%
202	Barry Bonds	36.8%
166	Lee Smith	30.2%
148	Edgar Martinez	27.0%
138	Alan Trammell	25.1%
135	Mike Mussina	24.6%
77	Jeff Kent	14.0%
71	Fred McGriff	12.9%
65	Larry Walker	11.8%
64	Gary Sheffield	11.7%
55	Mark McGwire	10.0%
50	Don Mattingly	9.1%
36	Sammy Sosa	6.6%
30	Nomar Garciaparra	5.5%
21	Carlos Delgado	3.8%
4	Troy Percival	0.7%
2	Aaron Boone	0.4%
2	Tom Gordon	0.4%
1	Darin Erstad	0.2%
0	Rich Aurilia	0.0%
0	Tony Clark	0.0%
0	Jermaine Dye	0.0%
0	Cliff Floyd	0.0%
0	Brian Giles	0.0%
0	Eddie Guardado	0.0%
0	Jason Schmidt	0.0%

*All candidates in italics received less than 5% of the vote on ballots cast and will be removed from future BBWAA consideration

I'll take a more indepth look at the ballot in my next post. Again, congratulations to the 2015 Hall of Famers Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, John Smoltz and Craig Biggio.

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

Andre Dawson Steals His 300th Base September 22, 1990

On this day in Baseball History September 22, 1990: Andre Dawson of the Chicago Cubs steals his 300th base off of Ron Darling and Mackey Sasser of the New York Mets. The 300th stolen base is significant since it allowed Dawson to join Willie Mays as the only players to have hit 300 home runs, 300 stolen bases and 2000 hits.

Dawson hit his 300th home run against Ron Darling of the New York Mets on April 23, 1989 and gets his 2,000th hit against pitcher Jim Clancy of the Houston Astros at the Astrodome August 18, 1989.

Dawson would retire at the end of the 1996 season. He would be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010 with 78% of the vote (420/539 ballots).

Since Dawson joined Mays on the 300 Hit, 300 Stolen Base, and 2000 hit club, a number of other players have joined them. Who are they? I'll keep that one in the bag for a future post.

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

For Further Reading:
- Click here to access Andre Dawson's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click here to access the article '89 brought milestones, playoffs for Dawson by Carrie Muskat from MLB.com dated June 21, 2010
- Click here to access the article 1990: Andre Dawson of the CUBS stole his 300th base in an... from the Chicago Tribune dated September 22, 2004
- Click here to access the post Andre Dawson by Dan D'Addona for the SABR Baseball Biography Project
- Click here to access the blogpage Hawk 4 The Hall

A Quartet of Hall of Famers Debut on September 17th Part I

On this day in Baseball History September 17: A number of future Hall of Famers made their Major League debuts on September 17th. Here we go

Eddie Collins September 17, 1906

Playing as "Sullivan", Collins made his debut at Shortstop for the Philadelphia Athletics against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago. Why did he play under an alias? The article Eddie Collins by Paul Mittermeyer from the SABR Baseball Biography Project sheds some light:

In the summer of 1906, Eddie played for a succession of semipro clubs--Plattsburgh, Rutland, and Rockville--before his professional career was discovered, thus invalidating his senior year eligibility at Columbia. The summer was not to be a total loss, however. While honeymooning, Andy Coakley, pitcher with the Philadelphia A's, happened to see Collins playing for Rutland. Coakley sent word of the youngster to Connie Mack, who dispatched backup catcher Jimmy Byrnes to develop an in-depth scouting report. When Byrnes confirmed the pitcher's observations, Mack signed Collins to a 1907 contract, but not before Collins obtained a written promise that Mack would not send him to the minor leagues without his consent. John McGraw, manager of the New York Giants, had been aware of the budding prospect but declined to offer him a trial. 

At Connie Mack's suggestion, Collins made his major league debut under the alias of Eddie T. Sullivan on September 17, 1906, at Chicago's South Side Park. He played that first game at shortstop behind Rube Waddell, who completely subdued Eddie in batting practice. Nonetheless, "Sullivan" managed to reach Chicago's Big Ed Walsh for a bunt single in his first-ever at-bat. Six fielding chances were executed flawlessly that day, though Eddie's tenure at short was not to last. 

Collins was back in class at Columbia shortly after the Mackmen completed their Western tour, having played six games with the Athletics. 

Here is the boxscore for the September 17, 1906 game between the Philadelphia Athletics vs. the Chicago White Sox from the September 18, 1906 edition of the New York Times:

Collins would graduate from Columbia University and play for a total of twenty-five seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics and the Chicago White Sox retiring in 1930. Collins would be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939 with 77.7% of the vote (213/274 ballots).

- Click here to access Eddie Collins' career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click here to access the Eddie Collins page from the National Baseball Hall of Fame

Stan Musial September 17, 1941

The player that one day would be knows as "The Man" made his professional debut in Right-field with the St. Louis Cardinals on September 17, 1941 against the Boston Braves in the second game of a doubleheader at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The article Stan Musial by Jan Finkel from the SABR Baseball Biography Project describes the effect Musial's debut had on the Cardinals:

Clearly ready for the big leagues, he made his debut with the Cardinals on September 17, getting his first hit, a double, as St. Louis swept a doubleheader from Boston, 6-1 and 3-2. In 12 games he hit .426, nailed his first home run, a two-run shot off Pittsburgh's Rip Sewell at Forbes Field in the second game of a doubleheader on September 23, and as a bonus struck out just once in 47 at-bats. In spite of Musial's contributions, the Cardinals came up 2.5 games short of the pennant-winning Dodgers in a wild finish to a close race.

Given Musial's performance, it is difficult to see why the Cardinals waited until mid-September to bring him up. Talking to Donald Honig for Baseball When the Grass Was Real, Johnny Mize provided a cynical explanation for the delay:

"In '41 [Enos] Slaughter collided with Terry Moore, and Slaughter broke his shoulder. Here we're fighting the Dodgers for a pennant. [Branch] Rickey said we didn't have anybody in the minor leagues to help us. Then in September he brings up Musial. Why didn't he bring Musial up earlier? That's what all the players wanted to know. We might have gone ahead and won the pennant. I'll tell you what the talk used to be about Rickey: Stay in the pennant race until the last week of the season, and then get beat. I heard some talk to the effect that that was what he preferred. That way he drew the crowds all year, and then later on the players couldn't come in for the big raise for winning the pennant and maybe the World Series. I don't know if it's true or not, but that was the talk."

Here is the boxscore for the second game of the September 17, 1941 doubleheader between the Boston Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals from the September 18, 1941 edition of the New York Times:

Musial never looked back and put in a 22-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals. Stan Musial would retire after the 1963 season and would be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969 with 93.2% of the vote (317/340 ballots).

- Click here to access Stan Musial's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click here to access the Stan Musial page from the National Baseball Hall of Fame

My next post will focus on the other two future Hall of Famers that would make their debut on September 17th.

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

Pete Rose is Banned From Baseball August 23, 1989

It seems that I am stuck in my Junior year of High School, 1989 with the last two posts. On this day in Baseball History August 23, 1989: The All-Time hits leader Peter Edward Rose is banned for life by MLB Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti for his role on breaking cardinal rule number one: Gambling on Baseball.

Here is the text of the agreement between Rose and Giamatti and witnessed by Reuven K. Katz, Esquire of
Katz, Teller, Brant & Hild and Fay Vincent Jr., August 25, 1989:

_______________________________
In the Matter of: Peter Edward Rose, Manager
Cincinnati Reds Baseball Club
_______________________________

AGREEMENT AND RESOLUTION

On March 6, 1989, the Commissioner of Baseball instituted an investigation of Peter Edward Rose, the field manager of the Cincinnati Reds Baseball Club, concerning allegations that Peter Edward Rose engaged in conduct not in the best interests of baseball in violation of Major League Rule 21, including but not limited to betting on Major League Baseball games in connection with which he had a duty to perform.

The Commissioner engaged a special counsel to conduct a full, fair and confidential inquiry of the allegations against Peter Edward Rose. Peter Edward Rose was given notice of the allegations and he and his counsel were generally apprised of the nature and progress of the investigation. During the inquiry, Peter Edward Rose produced documents, gave handwriting exemplars and responded to questions under oath upon oral deposition. During the deposition, the special counsel revealed key evidence gathered in the inquiry to Peter Edward Rose and his counsel.

On May 9, 1989, the special counsel provided a 225-page report, accompanied by seven volumes of exhibits, to the Commissioner. On May 11, 1989, the Commissioner provided a copy of the Report to Peter Edward Rose and his counsel, and scheduled a hearing on May 25, 1989 to give Peter Edward Rose an opportunity to respond formally to the information in the report. Peter Edward Rose received, read and is aware of the contents of the Report. On May 19, 1989, Peter Edward Rose requested, and subsequently received, an extension of the hearing date until June 26, 1989. Peter Edward Rose acknowledges that the Commissioner has treated him fairly in this Agreement and has acted in good faith throughout the course of the investigation and proceedings.

Peter Edward Rose will conclude these proceedings before the Commissioner without a hearing and the Commissioner will not make any formal findings or determinations on any matter including without limitation the allegation that Peter Edward Rose bet on any Major League Baseball game. The Commissioner has determined that the best interests of Baseball are served by a resolution of this matter on the following agreed upon terms and conditions:

1. Peter Edward Rose recognizes, agrees and submits to the sole and exclusive jurisdiction of the Commissioner:

A. To investigate, either upon complain or upon his own initiative, any act, transaction or practice charged, alleged or suspected to be not in the best interests of the national game of Baseball; and

B. To determine, after investigation, what preventive, remedial, or punitive action is appropriate in the premises, and to take such action as the case may be.

2. Counsel for Peter Edward Rose, upon his authority, have executed a stipulation dismissing with prejudice the civil action that was originally filed in the Court of Common Pleas, Hamitlon County, Ohio, captioned Peter Edward Rose v. A. Bartlett Giamatti, No. A8905178, and subsequently removed to the United States District Court from the Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, Docket No. C-2-89-577.

3. Peter Edward Rose will not avail himself of the opportunity to participate in a hearing concerning the allegations against him, or otherwise offer any defense to those allegations.

4. Peter Edward Rose acknowledges that the Commissioner has a factual basis to impose the penalty provided herein, and hereby accepts the penalty imposed on him by the Commissioner and agrees not to challenge that penalty in court or otherwise. He also agrees he will not institute any legal proceedings of any nature against the Commissioner of any of his representatives, either Major League or any Major League Club.

5. The commissioner recognizes and agrees that it is in the best interests of the national game of Baseball that this matter be resolved pursuant to his sole and exclusive authority under the Major League Agreement.

THEREFORE, the Commissioner, recognizing the benefits to Baseball from a resolution of this matter, orders and directs that Peter Edward Rose be subject to the following disciplinary sanctions, and Peter Edward Rose, recognizing the sole and exclusive authority of the Commissioner and that it is in his interest to resolve this matter without further proceedings, agrees to accept the following disciplinary sanctions imposed by the Commissioner.

a. Peter Edward Rose is hereby declared permanently ineligible in accordance with Major League Rule 21 and placed on the Ineligible List.

b. Nothing in this Agreement shall deprive Peter Edward Rose of the rights under Major League Rule 15(c) to apply for reinstatement. Peter Edward Rose agrees not to challenge, appeal or otherwise contest the decision of, or the procedure employed by, the Commissioner or any future Commissioner in the evaluation of any application for reinstatement.

c. Nothing in this agreement shall be deemed either an admission or a denial by Peter Edward Rose of the allegation that he bet on any Major League Baseball game.

Neither the Commissioner nor Peter Edward Rose shall be prevented by this agreement from making any public statement relating to this matter so long as no such public statement contradicts the terms of this agreement and resolution.

This document contains the entire agreement of the parties and represents the entire resolution of the matter of Peter Edward Rose before the Commissioner.

Agreed to and resolved this 23rd day of August 1989,

(Signature)
Peter Edward Rose

(Signature)
A. Bartlett Giamatti
Commissioner of Baseball

Witnessed by:

(Signature)
Reuven K. Katz, Esquire
Katz, Teller, Brant & Hild

Witnessed by:

(Signature)
(Fay Vincent, Jr.)

Following that, Commissioner Giamatti has a press conference on August 24, 1989 and gave the following statement:

OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

AUGUST 24, 1989

STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER A. BARTLETT GIAMATTI

The banishment for life of Pete Rose from baseball is the sad end of a sorry episode. One of the game's greatest players has engaged in a variety of acts which have stained the game, and he must now live with the consequences of those acts. By choosing not to come to a hearing before me, and by choosing not to proffer any testimony or evidence contrary to the evidence and information contained in the report of the Special Counsel to the Commissioner, Mr. Rose has accepted baseball's ultimate sanction, lifetime ineligibility.

This sorry episode began last February when baseball received firm allegations that Mr. Rose bet on baseball games and on the Reds' games. Such grave charges could not and must never be ignored. Accordingly, I engaged and Mr. Ueberroth appointed John Dowd as Special Counsel to investigate these and other allegations that might arise and to pursue the truth wherever it took him. I believed then and believe now that such a process, whereby an experienced professional inquires on behalf of the Commissioner as the Commissioner's agent, is fair and appropriate. To pretend that serious charges of any kind can be responsibly examined by a Commissioner alone fails to recognize the necessity to bring professionalism and fairness to any examination and the complexity a private entity encounters when, without judicial or legal powers, it pursues allegations in the complex, real world.

Baseball had never before undertaken such a process because there had not been such grave allegations since the time of Landis. If one is responsible for protecting the integrity of the game of baseball - that is, the game's authenticity, honesty and coherence - then the process one uses to protect the integrity of baseball must itself embody that integrity. I sought by means of a Special Counsel of proven professionalism and integrity, who was obliged to keep the subject of the investigation and his representatives informed about key information, to create a mechanism whereby the integrity we sought to protect was itself never violated. Similarly, in writing to Mr. Rose on May 11, I designed, as is my responsibility, a set of procedures for a hearing that would have afforded him every opportunity to present statements or testimony of witnesses or any other evidence he saw fit to answer the information and evidence presented in the Report of the Special Counsel and its accompanying materials.

That Mr. Rose and his counsel chose to pursue a course in the courts rather than appear at hearings scheduled for May 25 and then June 26, and then choose to come forward with a stated desire to settle this matter is now well known to all. My purpose in recounting the process and the procedures animating that process is to make two points that the American public deserves to know:

First, that the integrity of the game cannot be defended except by a process that itself embodies integrity and fairness;

Second, should any other occasion arise where charges are made or acts are said to be committed that are contrary to the interests of the game or that undermine the integrity of baseball, I fully intend to use such a process and procedure to get to the truth and, if need bem to root out offending behavior. I intend to use, in short, every lawful and ethical means to defend and protect the game.

I say this so that there may be no doubt about where I stand or why I stand there. I believe baseball is a beautiful and exciting game, loved by millions - I among them - and I believe baseball is an important, enduring American institution. It must assert and aspire to the highest principles - of integrity, of professionalism of performance, of fair play within its rules. It will come as no surprise that like any institution composed of human beings, this institution will not always fulfill its highest aspirations. I know of no earthly institution that does. But this one, because it is so much a part of our history as a people and because it has such a purchase on our national soul, has an obligation to the people for whom it is played - to its fans and well-wishers - to strive for excellence in all things and to promote the highest ideals.

I will be told that I am an idealist. I hope so. I will continue to locate ideals I hold for myself and for my country in the national game as well as in other of our national institutions. And while there will be debate and dissent about this or that or another occurrence on or off the field, and while the game's nobler parts will always be enmeshed in the human frailties of those who, whatever their role, have stewardship of this game, let there be no doubt or dissent about our goals for baseball or our dedication to it. Nor about our vigilance and vigor - and patience - in protecting the game from blemish or stain or disgrace.

The matter of Mr. Rose is now closed. It will be debated and discussed. Let no one think that it did not hurt baseball. That hurt will pass, however, as the great glory of the game asserts itself and a resilient institution goes forward. Let it also be clear that no individual is superior to the game.

In his book (with author Rick Hill) "My Prison Without Bars" that came out in 2004, Rose makes a full confession on his betting on Baseball. He also confims that admission in an interview with Charles Gibson on January 5, 2004.

I can't seem to find a transcript of that interview online, so I am going to post a few quotes of Rose's comments that are found in the article Pete Rose admits placing bets on baseball games as manager by Peter Schmuck from the Baltimore Sun website dated January 06, 2004:

In the book and the interview, Rose said he admitted during a meeting with Selig in 2002 that he bet on baseball games "four or five times a week," but never against the Reds and never from the Reds clubhouse.

"I was wrong," Rose told Gibson. "I [was] just stupid, the worst thing I did in my life.

"It's time to clean the slate. It's time to take responsibility. I'm 14 years late."

He said in the book that he denied the charges because he felt the admission would be used against him rather than be treated as a cry for the help he needed to overcome a gambling addiction. Baseball has long had programs in place to help employees who suffer from alcoholism and drug addiction, but gambling has been viewed as the sport's mortal sin since Chicago White Sox players allegedly conspired to fix the 1919 World Series.

"I should have had the opportunity to get help, but baseball had no fancy rehab for gamblers like they do for drug addicts," Rose wrote. "If I had admitted my guilt, it would have been the same as putting my head on the chopping block - lifetime ban. Death penalty. I spent my entire life on the baseball fields of America, and I was not going to give up my profession without first seeing some hard evidence ... right or wrong, the punishment didn't fit the crime, so I denied the crime."

Rose recounts his 2002 conversation with Selig in the book.

"Yes, sir, I did bet on baseball," Rose told Selig.

"How often?" Selig asked.

"Four or five times a week," Rose replied. "But I never bet against my own team, and I never made any bets from the clubhouse."

"Why?" Selig asked.

"I didn't think I'd get caught."

So it has been 25 years since that fateful day in Baseball History. What do I think about this whole matter? I attempt to answer this in the following questions to myself.

1. Does Pete Rose deserve to be in the Hall of Fame? 

Yes, I think that Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame. There was probably no other player in the game that left so much of himself (and opponents) on the field of play.

2. Was his punishment fair? 

Rose broke cardinal sin number one in Baseball which is listed in the Major League Rules, Section 21(d):

(d) BETTING ON BALL GAMES. Any player, umpire, or club official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has no duty to perform shall be declared ineligible for one year.

Any player, umpire, or club or league official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform shall be declared permanently ineligible.

Based on that rule, if the league doesn't enforce the rule Baseball loses all its credibility. Considering that it was one of Baseball's greatest players the rule needed to be enforced, hence the punishment befitting the crime.

3. Should Pete Rose be reinstated by either outgoing Commissioner Selig or incoming Commissioner Manfred?

I don't know which of the two should do it, but I do think that Rose should be reinstated. Rose should be given the opportunity to be elected into the Hall of Fame. The man has been banned longer than he played the game. His playing record alone is reason enough for him to be reinstated.

4. Is Rose innocent of a "witch-hunt"?

No, Rose has been his worse enemy post-ban. Instead of just admitting to the gambling from the beginning and disappearing, his ego hasn't allowed him to do that. Every Hall of Fame weekend he signs autographs at a shop on Main Street in Cooperstown where it is customary for all Hall of Famers who are attending Induction Weekend to do so. I'm not saying that he doesn't belong with them, he does but just not on that weekend and not on Main Street in Cooperstown while he is banned from the game.

In addition, Rose hasn't helped his situation by continuing to be involved with casinos. I don't begrudge a person trying to make money to support themselves and their family, but if you know your situation was caused by your gambling problem AND you want to be reinstated, then stay away from the casinos. Period.

5. If you were the Commissioner of Baseball what would you do?

If I was Commissioner of Baseball I would reinstate Pete Rose on the condition that he cannot manage a Baseball team at any level from MLB to affiliated A-Ball ever again. You can't trust (or take the chance) that he will not bet on the game again. I do believe that he should be involved with the game. I believe Rose should be allowed to be an instructor at Spring Training. I believe that he should be allowed to participate at all events that commemorate the game.

It is under these (and only these) conditions that I would reinstate Pete Rose.

There you have it folks. This issue is as hot now as it was 25-years ago and until Rose gets reinstated it will remain a hot topic.

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

For Further Reading:
- Click Here to access Pete Rose's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

Nolan Ryan Strikeouts Out his 5,000 batter August 22, 1989

On this day in Baseball History August 22, 1989: Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers becomes the first pitcher in major league history to register 5,000 career strikeouts.

His victim was fellow future Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson of the Oakland Athletics who struck out in the top of the 5th inning. Ryan would finish the game with 13-strikeouts in a 2-0 loss. 

Ryan would go finish his career with a total of 5,714 strikeouts. Randy Johnson is next on the list with 4,875 strikeouts.

For video footage on Nolan Ryan reaching the 5000 strikeout plateau:

For Further Reading:

- Click Here to access the article 5, 000 K's for Ryan; Stadium erupts as he gets historic strikeout by Tracy Ringsolsby of the Dallas Morning News dated August 23, 1989

- Click Here to access the article Dissecting Nolan Ryan's One-of-a-Kind Legacy, 25 Years After 5,000th Strikeout By Zachary D. Rymer from the Bleacher Report website dated August 22, 2014

- Click Here to see Nolan Ryan's Strikeout Miletones

Mel Ott Joins the 500 Home Run Club

On this day in Baseball History August 1, 1945: In a game against the Boston Braves at The Polo Grounds, Mel Ott hit his 500th career home run against Johnny Hutchings, becoming only the third player after Babe Ruth and Jimmie Foxx to reach the 500 home run plateau. In doing so, Ott became the first National League player to hit 500 homeruns and would be the only NL player on the list until Willie Mays joined him on September 13, 1965.

An interesting anecdote on that day's achievement and the after party can be found on page 152 of the book Mel Ott: The Little Giant of Baseball by Fred Stein, Published in 1999. Here is how Stein describes it:

After missing a few weeks with injury, Ott returned to the lineup and continued to thump the ball at a .340 clip. In a night game at the Polo Grounds on August 1, the little manager clouted his 500th career home run. It was a typical Ott home run, a sharply pulled smash into the upper right field stands. Belted off mountainous righthander Johnny Hutchings of the Braves, the ball bounced back onto the field where it was retrieved by Giants trainer Willie Schaefer. At the time, the only players with more career home runs were Babe Ruth with 714 and Jimmie Foxx with 527.

Later that night there was a big party at Toots Shor's restaurant in midtown Manhattan to celebrate Ott's milestone. Before Mel arrived at the restaurant that night, Shor sat at a table with Sir Alexander Fleming, the Scottish bacteriologist who had been awarded the Nobel prize for his discovery of penicillin. When Mel walked in the door, Shor jumped to his feet and gave Sir Alexander an inadvertant putdown. "Excuse me, Alex" he said, "I've got to greet someone who just came in who is really important."

As was alluded to in the passage above was that what made Ott's achievement remarkable was that unlike the other two players ahead of him on the home run list, Ott was small in comparison. We all know what kind of shadow Ruth cast as he stood 6'2" and weighed 215 pounds. Foxx, who's nickname was The Beast stood at an even 6'0" and weighed a muscular 195 pounds. Ott stood at a 5'9" and a slim 170 pounds. He more than made up for it by utilizing a leg kick and powerful swing of the bat.

Many historians and baseball people believed that Ott's home ballpark: The Polo Grounds gave him a major advantage due to the park's dimensions. While the park had a cavernous center field, due to its bathtub shape, the park had short fences in right field (257ft.) and in left field (277ft.) If the park caused an unfair advantage, then why weren't all the Giants hitting home runs like Ott was. In the end he still had to hit the ball to take advantage of the porch. If he did, then so be it.

When Ott retired as a player in 1947, he had 511 career home runs, over 200 more than any other National Leaguer, and a total exceeded only by the aforementioned Babe Ruth (714) and Jimmie Foxx (534). Ott held National League career records in runs batted in (1,860), runs scored (1,859) and bases on balls (1,708). His records would all be broken in later years. For his career, Ott was named an All-Star 12 times, led the league in home runs six times, and retired with a lifetime batting average of .304.

Ott would be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America in 1951 with 197 out of 226 votes for 87.17% of the vote.

Regardless of his physical size, Ott was truly a Giant.

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

For Further Reading:

- Click Here to access Mel Ott's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click Here to access the boxscore for the August 1, 1945 game between the Boston Braves and the New York Giants from Baseball Reference.com
- Click Here for an interesting article on Jimmie Foxx entitled Baseball, 1929 Jimmie Foxx by The Pop History Dig website

My Picks For The Hall of Fame Class of 2014

Happy New Year 2014 to all of you Baseball aficionados out there. May the New Year bring you health, prosperity and a playoff spot for your favorite team in October. January is a very exciting month for Baseball fans. After a seemingly dull Winter Meetings this past December, January is a tense month. Why? Its in January when we found out what the results are of the Hall of Fame vote by the Baseball Writers of America. This year proves to be an interesting vote for a number of reasons.

One reason is that last year no one was inducted into the Hall of Fame because of the issue of some of the Steroid Era players becoming eligible almost en-masse. Many of the voters chose to not vote for those players who they believed were tainted for playing during that era even if they were not steroid users. Secondly, will the voters continue to not vote for the Steroid era players or will they choose to vote for the players based on their merits rather than the era that they played in. Thirdly, this year's ballot is stacked with (in my opinion) nineteen players who had potential Hall of Fame careers. Voters can vote for up to ten players but do not have to vote for ten. They can choose to just vote for one or two players, even totally abstaining from voting. Having so many players eligible with only ten maximum slots per ballot will prove to be difficult for many to get the necessary 75% of the vote for enshrinement. I believe only three players will get the necessary 75% or more for enshrinement.

We already know that managers Bobby Cox, Tony LaRussa and Joe Torre will be enshrined due to their election to the Hall of Fame by the Expansion Era committee. It's the enshrinement of Bobby Cox that leads me to believe that Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine will join him on the podium July 27, 2014. This is not to say that Maddux and Glavine would not have been enshrined without Cox getting voted in. Far from it. Rarely do you have the chance as a Baseball fan to see two of the three greatest pitchers of arguably the best starting trio of all time get inducted into the Hall of Fame at the same time. Add to that the potential to be inducted along side with their manager. The only thing that would make the induction of Cox, Glavine and Maddux better would be the enshrinement of John Smoltz at the same time. It was too bad for us that Smoltz decided to stick around that one extra year by pitching for the Red Sox and Cardinals in 2009 or else we'd have a quartet of Atlanta Braves joining the greats in Cooperstown.

I also believe that Frank Thomas will get the necessary 75% of the vote. The Big Hurt was called that for a reason...and it wasn't because of his injuries later in his career. Thomas was one of the most fearsome hitters of his generation who not only hit for power but also hit for average. Before injuries started to derail Thomas, he averaged from 1990-2000 a slash line of .321/.440/.579 with an average of 33 doubles, 1 triple, 31 homeruns and 108 RBI's. During that period Thomas also averaged 79 strikeouts and 108 walks leading the league in walks four times (1991, 1992, 1994, 1995) which showed that he wasn't just a free swinging strikeout slugger that we seem to see more and more today. Thomas was in the top ten of American League MVP voting nine times while winning the award twice back-to-back in 1993 and 1994. Though he did play in the Steroid Era, I don't see the voters keeping him out. But we'll have to wait until January 8th to see if any of the players I mention get enshrined. So where does this leave the remaining sixteen potential Hall of Famers.

I think Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Edgar Martinez get enshrined in a couple more years when the number of potential Hall of Famers becoming eligible for enshrinement decreases. In 2015 you have what I believe are three "no-brainers" up for enshrinement: Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz. Add Carlos Delgado and Gary Sheffield to the mix and it still proves to be a crowded ballot. 2016 has Trevor Hoffman and Ken Griffey Jr. as my potential "no-brainers". 2017 has Vladimir Guerrero, Ivan Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez becoming eligible for enshrinment. Based on this, the players currently on the ballot that have time on their side have a good chance at being elected in within the next five years.  

As much as I think Jack Morris should get in, I don't think he'll get enough votes in his last season on the ballot. Nor will Don Mattingly.  As much as the anti-Steroid group will hate me for saying this, I think Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens get in within ten years. I don't think McGwire, Palmiero and Sosa get enough votes by their 15th year to get in. Mussina, Piazza and Schilling are up in the air for how long I think they'll take before getting in.

Again, until January 8th comes around, this is all just speculation on my part. I'll be awaiting the results as will most other Baseball fan around the world.

Sisco Kid