Rickey Henderson in 1980 October 24, 2023

I'm currently in the middle of listening to the book Billy Ball: Billy Martin and the Resurrection of the Oakland A's by Dale Tafoya and a number of things of the A's 1980 season have stood out to me. For this post I'm going to talk about Rickey Henderson's 1980 season.

Under manager Billy Martin, the A's were unleashed on the American League in the form of stolen bases. Double steals, triple steals, bunts, sacrifice bunts, suicide squeezes and outright steals of home became the norm. Leading the way was second year player Rickey Henderson. Keep this in mind, while steals were common from 1900 to to the 1980 season, players to reach the 100 steals plateau was ultra rare. So who were the players to steal more than 100 bases in the modern era up to the 1980 season?

• 118 Lou Brock in 1974 **MLB and NL Record
• 104 Maury Wills in 1962

That's it.

The American League record was held by Hall of Famer Ty Cobb who stole 96 bases for the Detroit Tigers in 1915. The A's franchise record was set by Hall of Famer Eddie Collins with 81 stolen bases for the Philadelphia A's in 1910. Once it would be said and done, Rickey Henderson would shatter all the records and be left standing on top of the stolen base mountain. But back to 1980.

Henderson would steal 33 bases in 44 attempts in his rookie season of 1979 under manager Jim Marshall. The A's would finish with an abysmal record of 54-108. Not surprisingly, Marshall was let go of his managerial duties by A's owner Charley Finley. With Billy Martin without a managerial job of his own, Finley would bring Martin back to his hometown to manage the A's. Under Martin in 1980, the A's would steal a total of 175 bases. Henderson stole 100 bases on his own.

Henderson would swipe 100 bases in 126 attempts for roughly just under 75% successful steal rate. But Rickey wasn't only stolen bases. Henderson would bat .303 with 197 hits (22 2B/4 3B/9 HR) with 117 walks. Henderson would finish his career with 2190 walks for second on the list. A guy named Barry Bonds holds the major league record for walks with 2558 BBs. But I digress.

Henderson would follow up his 100 steals in 1980 with 130 steals in 1982 and 108 steals in 1983. The 1981 season was shortened due to the players strike. Henderson only stole 56 bases in that season. With his three 100 steal seasons, Rickey established himself as the only American League player to steal 100+ bases.

I'll touch upon Rickey's record setting 130 stolen bases in 1982 in a later post. For my next post, I'm going to focus on the Oakland A's five man starting rotation in 1980 and the ridiculous amount of complete games that the quartet amassed that season.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,

Baseball Sisco
#BaseballSisco
#BaseballSiscoKidStyle

I Just Realized I Haven't Posted Here in 5 Years!!!

Like the emoji to the right, I am totally mind blown that I haven't posted to this blog in over five years. Five years!!!! WTF!!!

I guess I've been very active on my BaseballSisco Instagram account and haven't written anything here. As of late I've been posting the results of my daily Immaculate Grid results and trying to reignite my Baseball book reading. Well its actually more listening these days since my attention span is not the same as it used to be. Plus I tend to listen to podcasts and books while sorting the mail at the USPS. 

The current reading/listening selection is Billy Ball: Billy Martin and the Resurrection of the Oakland A's by Dale Tafoya. 

Here is how the book is described by the publisher:

"There was no more polarizing manager in baseball than the hot-tempered, hard-drinking, risk-taking Billy Martin. During a time of economic uncertainty and waning baseball interest in Oakland, Billy Ball filled the stands, rejuvenated fans, and saved professional baseball in the city. Based largely on interviews with former players, team executives, and journalists, Billy Ball captures Martin's homecoming to the Bay area in 1980, his immediate embrace by Oakland fans, and the A's return to playoff baseball."

Tafoya is a journalist whose writing has appeared in a number of publications and has followed the Oakland A's for over 30 years. 

As a lifelong Yankees fan, there is nothing but love for Billy Martin. Watching him get George Brett frothing at the mouth during the infamous Pine Tar game is a classic Billy moment. I'm looking forward to hearing about Billy's escapades as the manager of the Oakland A's. 

I promise to post more about this book when I get further along. And I hope to be more consistent with posting going forward. 

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,

Baseball Sisco
#BaseballSisco
#BaseballSiscoKidStyle

Bob Welch Wins His 25th Game of the Season September 21, 1990

On this day in Baseball History September 21, 1990: Bob Welch of the Oakland A's defeats the Detroit Tigers at the Oakland Coliseum to become the first pitcher in a decade to win 25 games in a season. The last pitcher to win 25 games in a season was during the 1980 season when Steve Stone of the Baltimore Orioles reached the 25 win plateau.

Welch would go on to win 27 games with only 6 losses en-route to the American League Cy Young award. The Oakland A's would be upset in the 1990 World Series by the Cincinnati Reds. The last four pitchers to come close to the 25-win mark were Justin Verlander 24-6 (2011), Randy Johnson (2002), John Smoltz (1996) and Frank Viola (1988).

Bob Welch passed away earlier this year on June 9, 2014 at the age of 57

With Justin Verlander coming close to reaching 25 wins in 2011, will we see another pitcher come close to the 25 win plateau any time soon?

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

For Further Reading:
- Click here to access Bob Welch's career statistics from Baseball  Reference.com
- Click here to access the article Last 10 pitchers to win 25 games in a season by the Atlanta Journal Constitution
- Click here to access the blogpost 24-game winners over the last 24 years by Bill Chuck from the Billy-Ball blogpage on September 19, 2011

Dave Winfield Gets Hit Number 3000 on September 16, 1993

On this day in Baseball History September 16, 1993: Slugger Dave Winfield of the Minnesota Twins strokes a single against Oakland A's closer Dennis Eckersley in the bottom of the ninth inning to join the 3,000 hit club. In doing so, Winfield becomes the 19th member of the 3,000 hit club. According to the online exhibit The 3,000 Hit Club by the National Baseball Hall of Fame:

Winfield, the second member of the 3,000-Hit Club to have never played a day in the minors (Al Kaline was the first), was the first member of the Club to reach the plateau at an indoor stadium.

The boxscore of the September 16, 1993 game between the Oakland A's and Minnesota Twins  is from The 3,000 Hit Club exhibit of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Here is the 3,000 hit club at the time Winfield joined the club:

1. Unknown Cap Anson
2. 06/09/1914 Honus Wagner
3. 09/27/1914 Nap Lajoie (first game of the doubleheader)
4. 08/19/1921 Ty Cobb (second game of the doubleheader)
5. 05/17/1925 Tris Speaker
6. 06/03/1925 Eddie Collins
7. 06/19/1942 Paul Waner
8. 05/13/1958 Stan Musial
9. 05/17/1970 Hank Aaron (second game of the doubleheader)
10. 07/18/1970 Willie Mays
11. 09/30/1972 Roberto Clemente
12. 09/24/1974 Al Kaline
13. 05/05/1978 Pete Rose
14. 08/13/1979 Lou Brock
15. 09/12/1979 Carl Yastrzemski
16. 08/04/1985 Rod Carew
17. 09/09/1992 Robin Yount
18. 09/30/1992 George Brett

Winfield would finish his career with 3,110 hits and retired at the end of the 1995 season. He would be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001 with 84.5% of the vote (435/515 ballots).

Winfield was one of my favorite Baseball players of all-time and I'm glad he was able to join the greats in the Hall of Fame. In this age of super prospects, I don't think that we'll ever see a player to not play a game in the Minor Leagues before being promoted to the Majors. That might be a safe bet to make. What do you think? Agree? Disagree?

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,

Baseball Sisco

#baseballsisco

#baseballsiscokidstyle

For Further Reading:

- Click here to access Dave Winfield'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

What's Going on With Manny Machado

I touched upon this on my Twitter feed yesterday and spoke to a couple of customers about it after watching the replay of Manny Machado's actions during the A's/Orioles game in Baltimore yesterday afternoon. Here is what I posted:

What's going on with Manny Machado. His smile is gone, picking fights with the A's. If he's frustrated just look in the mirror #mannymachado
— Baseball Sisco (@BaseballSisco) June 8, 2014

Donaldson did nothing wrong with his tag Friday and he got thrown at twice. A's just returned the favor to Machado. #mannymachado
— Baseball Sisco (@BaseballSisco) June 8, 2014

I have no problem protecting your teammate but to me Machado was the aggressor. Looking for a fight #joshdonaldson #mannymachado
— Baseball Sisco (@BaseballSisco) June 8, 2014

Add to these remarks, the two backswings that hit A's catcher Derek Norris on the head. The second of which caused Norris to be removed from the game and be examined for a potential concussion. To further add insult to injury, it would seem from the replay that Machado was smiling while Norris was being attended to and Machado never once asked if Norris was fine as per the unwritten rules of Baseball.

Machado burst upon the scene in 2012 as an outstanding 19-year old rookie and followed that up with a 2013 campaign that saw him hit a league best 51 doubles, 14 homeruns and 71 RBI. His slash line was .283/.314/.432 for a OPS of .746. His bat was complimented with outstanding defense that earned him the 2013 American League Gold Glove at third base on top of an All-Star appearance and a top ten finish in AL Most Valuable League voting.

His 2013 season came to an abrupt end when on September 23 Machado tore a ligament in his left knee which required surgery and rehab that kept him out until May 1, 2014. Something has seemed to change within Machado. Gone is his smile. That youthful exuberance that he seemed to show has been replaced with what seems like bitterness and frustration. Granted I haven't watched too many Orioles' games but the few I have seen it seems as if Machado is not the same player that we saw take the league by storm in 2013. Which takes me to Friday night.

His lashing out at Josh Donaldson on what looked like a simple tag out at third base on Friday night took me aback. I can see if Donaldson made the play blocking the bag or applying a strong tag to Machado's surgically repaired knee. But Donaldson applied a tag to Machado's chest. Machado feel back and it seemed as if he was favoring his left leg in the way he fell. Which is understandable. But the outburst looked to me as if he was lashing his frustrations out on Donaldson. Even the look on the third baseman umpire's face showed a mix of amusement and surprise at how Machado exploded. Not surprising coming from a team managed by Buck Showalter, Donaldson was thrown at and plunked by Orioles pitcher Wei-Yin Chen. Surely this wasn't the end to this situation.

Jump to Sunday and we find the two swingbacks by Machado, the removal of Norris from the game, the smile by Machado and his at-bat against Oakland A's reliever Fernando Abad produced this:


Machado insists that it was an accident. This just looks bad not only on Machado but on the game. I'm not saying that he shouldn't show emotion. He's human. But he needs to show better judgment. What if he angles that bat throw differently and it lands in the dugout or the stands next to third base rather than down the line near the umpire. What if the bat struck the umpire, Alberto Callaspo of the A's, the third base coach or even worse a fan. I realize that Machado isn't even 22-years old yet but Buck Showalter needs to pull him aside and let Machado know that that kind of behavior is not what he should be exhibiting.

I know this season has been a big disappointment for Machado. His performance paled in comparison to 2013 and other nagging injuries have caused him to not play at the level that he is probably used to. I'm sure that MLB will levy a hefty penalty in terms of a fine and suspension. They should. Having bats thrown in anger is a recipe for disaster. Maybe the time on suspension will help Machado cool off and recompose himself. To take some pressure off of himself before he explodes again and hurts someone if not himself.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco

For Further Reading:
- Click Here to Access Manny Machado's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

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