Two Young Latino Pitchers Dominate the Opposition on July 19, 1960

On This Day in Baseball History July 19, 1960: A pair of young Latino pitchers throw complete game 1-hitters, both losing their no-hit bids in the eighth inning.

25-year old Cuban Pedro Ramos of the Washington Senators defeated the Detroit Tigers 5-0 at Detroit's Navin Field by hurling a 1-hit, 9-strikeout, 4-walk game that was disrupted by Rocky Colavito's eighth inning leadoff single that just got by Senators' shortstop Jose Valdivielso.

Ramos' gem was one of the only bright spots of the 1960 season for the Cuban hurler. Ramos was on track to lead the American League in losses for a third year in a row. Ramos would go 14-18 in 1958, 13-19 in 1959, 11-18 in 1960 and he would also add another consecutive league leading 11-20 record in 1961. Ramos would finish his 15-year career with a 117-160 record.

Here is the boxscore for Pedro Ramos' 1-hit complete game victory against the Detroit Tigers from the July 20, 1960 edition of the New York Times:

For Further Reading:

- Click here to Access Pedro Ramos' career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

- Click here to Access the biography of Pedro Ramos by Peter Bjarkman from the SABR Baseball Biography Project 

As I posted on my BaseballSisco blog, Juan Marichal made his career debut with a 1-hit, 12-strikeout, 1-walk complete game 2-0 gem against the Philadelphia Phillies at Candlestick Park. As with Pedro Ramos, Marichal would lose his no-hit bid in the eighth inning by allowing a single to Clay Dalrymple.

Marichal would fare considerably better in his career than Pedro Ramos did. Marichal would become one of the premier pitchers during the era of the Pitcher of the 1960's. Pitching against such stiff competition as Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Bob Gibson and Warren Spahn, Marichal was able to finish with a 243-142 record over a 16-year career.

Marichal led the league in victories twice with a 25-8 record in 1963 and a 28-9 record in 1968. Marichal also put up seven straight sub 3.00 ERA seasons from 1963-1969 with a league and career best 2.10 ERA in 1969. Even more impressive was Marichal throwing 260+ innings in a season eight times with a league leading 321.1 in 1963 and a league leading and career high 325.2 in 1968. Marichal would finish the 1960's with 191 wins and 195 complete games.

Here is the boxscore of Marichal's 1-hit complete game victory against the Philadelphia Phillies from the July 20, 1960 edition of the New York Times:

For Further Reading:

- Click Here to Access Juan Marichal's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

- Click here to Access the biography of Juan Marichal by Jan Finkel from the SABR Baseball Biography Project 

Though both Latino hurlers had careers that went in different directions, they both share a moment in time when both threw 1-hit complete games on the same day.

Hasta la próxima, nunca dejaremos de jugar el Beisbol,

Baseball Sisco

#baseballsisco

#baseballsiscokidstyle

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

Willie Mays Hits Four Round-Trippers In One Game April 30, 1961

On This Day in Baseball History April 30, 1961: Facing the Milwaukee Braves for the third consecutive game and looking down the barrel of an 0-7 slump, San Francisco Giants outfielder Willie Mays broke out of his slump with force. Mays became the ninth player (at the time) to hit four homeruns in one game. In clubbing the Braves with four homeruns, Mays drove in eight runs while homering in the first and third off Lew Burdett, in the sixth off of Seth Morehead and in the eighth inning off of Don McMahon. The opportunity to hit a fifth homerun in the game was oh so close for Mays but he would be stranded on the on-deck circle as the last out of the ninth of at 14-4 game was made by Jim Davenport.

In the article Mays, 0 for 7 Against Braves, Feared Slump Would Continue from the New York Times dated May 1, 1961 was quoted as saying the following of his achievement:

"I don't know what happened to me," he said afterwards. "When the game started, I didn't feel I would come out of my slump. But on my first time at-bat, I was seeing the ball better. No, I didn't use a different bat." 

"When you hit two homers in a game that's something you don't expect anymore," Mays said. "Hitting four is hard to believe!" 

He admitted that he "might have pressed" if he had gotten another time at bat in the ninth, knowing that he could break the record 

No player has ever hit five homeruns in a game. Here is the list of the players (and dates) that hit four homers in a game before and after Willie Mays did it on April 30, 1961

1. Bobby Lowe (05-30-1894)
2. Ed Delahanty HOF (07-13-1896)
3. Lou Gehrig HOF (06-03-1932)
4. Chuck Klein HOF (07-10-1936)
5. Pat Seerey (07-18-1948)
6. Gil Hodges (08-31-1950)
7. Joe Adcock (07-31-1954)
8. Rocky Colavito (06-10-1959)
9. Willie Mays HOF (04-30-1961)
10. Mike Schmidt HOF (04-17-1976)
11. Bob Horner (07-06-1986)
12. Mark Whiten (09-07-1993)
13. Mike Cameron (05-02-2002)
14. Shawn Green (05-23-2002)
15. Carlos Delgado (09-25-2003)
16. Josh Hamilton (05-08-2012)

The article #TBT: Mays hits 4 home runs in one game by Chris Haft of MLB.com has a series of anecdotes from some of Mays' teammates at the time including Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda about the four home run game.

Here is the boxscore for the April 30, 1961 game between the San Francisco Giants and the Milwaukee Braves from the New York Times dated May 1, 1961.

With the current power outage in MLB post-PED's, who do you think will be the next player to hit four homeruns in a game. Mike Trout? Nelson Cruz? Giancarlo Santon? We'll have to see if, and when, that happens.

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

For Further Reading:
- The Boxscore for the April 30, 1961 matchup between the San Francisco Giants and the Milwaukee Braves from Baseball Reference

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

Willie Mays Reaches The 500 Home Run Plateau September 13, 1965

On this day in Baseball History September 13, 1965: Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants hits his 500th career home run making him the fifth player to reach the 500 home run plateau. Mays led the fourth inning against Houston Astros starter Don Nottebart with a drive into the center-field stands at the Houston Astrodome. At this time in Baseball History, the 500 home run club was a small one made up of the following members:

1. Babe Ruth August 11, 1929
2. Jimmie Foxx September 24, 1940
3. Mel Ott August 1, 1945
4. Ted Williams June 17, 1960

Mays would become the first African-American and first former Negro Leaguer to reach the 500 home run plateau. Here is the boxscore for September 13, 1965 match up between the San Francisco Giants and the Houston Astros:

Mays would finish the 1965 season with a league leading 52 home runs and would pass Mel Ott on both the All-Time Home Run list and the National League home run list on May 4, 1966. Mays would remain the National League All-Time hit list until he was passed by Hank Aaron on June 10, 1972.

Mays would retire after the 1973 season with the New York Mets and would be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 with 94.7% of the vote (409/432 ballots).

Mays truly was one of the best in the game. A player truly worth of the five-tool label. Players come and go, but there will only ever be one Willie Mays.

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

For Further Reading:
- Click here to access Willie Mays' career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

J.R. Richard Strikes Out 15 Giants in his Debut September 5, 1971

On this day in Baseball History September 5, 1971: Getting the call up from AAA Oklahoma City 89ers, 21-year old James Rodney Richard aka J.R. Richard makes his debut for the Houston Astros against the San Francisco Giants. Richard threw a 1-0 complete game shutout at Candlestick Park, where he struck out 15 Giants. Richard tied Brooklyn Dodgers starter Karl Spooner's record for strikeouts in a debut for a starting pitcher (09-22-1954). Here is the rundown and box score for Richard's debut game from the September 6, 1971 edition of the New York Times.

At 6'8" and 220 pounds, Richard was an intimidating figure on the mound. Richard would lead the National League in strikeouts in 1978 with 303 strikeouts and 1979 with 313. Imagine the excitement of the Astros fans when fellow fireballer Nolan Ryan was signed by Houston for the 1980 season. But the anticipated record setting strikeouts by Ryan and Richard never came to be.

J.R. Richard and Nolan Ryan

Richard would suffer from a life threatening strokes that required surgery to save his life. Richard would hit the proverbial "rock-bottom" in both his career and personal life after he was released by the Astros in 1984. Luckily, Richard was able to find his way through the help of  Reverend Floyd Lewis of the New Testament Church of South Houston. Richard would finish with a 107-71 career record and 1,493 strikeouts.

Here is footage of J.R. Richard in his only All-Star appearance in 1980:

I have to say, that the little limited action I got to see of Richard (either on This Week in Baseball or the occasional Game of the Week broadcast) was downright impressive. Its sad to think about where his career could of ended up had it not been derailed by health issues. At least there is a happy ending to the story, with Richard being healthy and back on his feet. Will Richard ever get his wish of getting his number 50 retired by the Astros? We'll have to wait and see.

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

For Further Reading:
- Click here to access J.R. Richard's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click here to access the article entitled From Unhittable to Homeless: The J.R. Richard Story By Blaine Spence from Bleacher Report dated July 14, 2009
- Click here to access the article J.R. Richard appreciates Astros honor but wants more by Zachary Levine from the Ultimate Astros Blog Page from the Houston Chronicle dated May 31, 2012

Masanori Murakami becomes the first Japanese player in MLB September 1, 1964

On this day in Baseball History September 1, 1964: Relief  pitcher Masanori Murakami becomes the first Japanese baseball player to play in the major leagues. Murakami pitched a scoreless eighth inning for the San Francisco Giants in a 4-1 loss to the New York Mets at Shea Stadium.

Murakami contractual rights were owned by the Nankai Hawks of the Nippon Professional League (NPB). The Hawks had established a prospect exchange program with the San Francisco Giants Nankai Hawks in a temporary prospect exchange program. Murakami would start his United States baseball career with the Class A Fresno Giants. He would put up an 11-7 record with a 1.78 ERA in Fresno before being called up to the big leagues.

Murakami’s first year in the majors proved to be successful, with a 1-0 record in nine appearances and a 1.80 ERA and one save. After the 1964 season the Nankai Hawks asked Murakami to return to Japan, but the Giants refused on the grounds they had Murakami under contract causing some ill feelings between the two leagues.

After reviewing the contract that were signed by the league and Murakami, the Japanese baseball commissioner intervened, negotiating a compromise. Murakami spent 1965 with the Giants, going 4-1 with a 3.75 ERA and eight saves in 45 relief appearances with 85 strikeouts to 22 walks. In 1966, he returned to Japan, to pitcher for the Nankai Hawks. He would play for the Hawks (1963/1966-1974), the Hanshin Tigers (1975) and the Nippon Ham Fighters (1976-1982) of the NPB.

For an in-depth biography on Murakami, click on the link Masanori Murakami from the Baseball Reference.com Bullpen page. Here is the boxscore to the September 1, 1964 matchup between the San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets from the September 2, 1964 edition of the New York Times:

Here is the MLB Network video Remembering Masanori Murakami:

It would be until 1995, that a Japanese-born player would don a uniform for a Major League team when Hideo Nomo joined the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Recently the San Francisco Giants honored Masanori Murakami before a Giants game. Though his MLB career was short, he helped to build the path that many Japanese baseball players are using today in the MLB. As customary the last few offseasons, we've been watching to see who is the next player to leave the NPB for the MLB. Who will it be this year.

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

For Further Reading:
- Click Here to access Masanori Murakami's minor league statistics for the 1964 season from Baseball Reference.com
- Click Here to access Masanori Murakami's major league statistics for the 1964-1965 seasons from Baseball Almanac
- Click Here to access Masanori Murakami's Nippon Professional Baseball statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click Here to access Masanori Murakami's complete professional statistics (Japan/US) from JapaneseBallplayers.com
- Click Here to access Growing the Game: The Globalization of Major League Baseball by Alan M. Klein from Google Books
- Click Here to access Remembering Japanese Baseball by Robert K. Fitts from Google Books.
- Click Here to access The Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture, 2007-2008
 edited by William M. Simons from Google Books
- Click Here to access 50 Years Ago Today: Masanori Murakami Arrives in Arizona for Spring Training from Bill Staples Jr's blogpage dated March 14, 2014
- Click Here to access the article Japan’s Baseball Trail Blazer (Interview with Masanori Murakami by Matthew Hernon) from Tokyo Weekender dated March 8, 2012

A Trio of Baseball Highlights on August 29

There were a few things of note that happened in Baseball History on August 29th.

August 29, 1972

San Francisco Giants pitcher Jim Barr retires the first 20 batters he faces in St. Louis against the Cardinals after he had retired the last 21 he retired in his last start against the Pittsburgh Pirates at San Francisco's Candlestick Park for a then major league (Mark Buerhle retired 45 in 2009) and until recently a National League record 41 in a row. Ironically, both the National League and the Major League records for consecutive retired batters in a row was just broken yesterday by Giants starter Yusmeiro Petit who retired 46 consecutive batters before allowing a hit.

For Further Reading:

• Click Here to access Jim Barr's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
• Jim Barr responds to Yusmeiro Petit breaking his record — former SF Giants’ pitcher: ‘I can’t rest on my laurels anymore’ by Mike Shea from the Shea Hey blogpage from the SFGate website dated August 28, 2014

August 29, 1977

Since I seem to have mentioned St Louis Cardinals speedster Lou Brock as of late, on today's date in 1977, Brock passed Hall of Famer Ty Cobb's 49-year-old career stolen bases record which stood at 893 in a 4-3 loss against the San Diego Padres in San Diego. Brock would finish his career with 938 stolen bases over an 18-year career and would be the All-Time stolen base king until Rickey Henderson would break his record on May 1, 1991.

For Further Reading:

• Click Here to access Lou Brock's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
• Lou Brock Passes Cobb from The Spokesman Review August 30, 1977 Page 19 from the Google News website 

August 29, 1987

Staying with another player that I have seemed to be writing about as of late, Nolan Ryan passes the 200-strikeout barrier for a record 11th time. Ryan set the record for the Houston Astros in a 7-strikeout game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh. Ryan would have another four 200+ strikeout seasons and set the bar at 15 seasons (Angels 7/Astros 5/Rangers 3) with 200+ strikeouts. Out of those 15 seasons, Ryan led the league in strikeouts 11 times. Roger Clemens with 11 and Tom Seaver with 10 are next on the list.

For Further Reading:

• Click Here to access Nolan Ryan's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
• Click Here to access the Strikeout Records page from Baseball Almanac.com

Well, these are three events in Baseball History out of probably an unlimited amount of events. As I keep coming across them, I'll keep posting them.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,

Baseball Sisco

#baseballsisco

#baseballsiscokidstyle

Greg Maddux Gets His 300th Win August 7, 2004

On this day in Baseball History August 7, 2004, Greg Maddux of the Chicago Cubs becomes the 22nd player to reach the 300-win plateau with a 8-4 victory against the San Francisco Giants at SBC Park. Though it wasn't a Maddux-like performance, he still was able to win by giving up four runs, seven hits and three walks over five-plus innings while striking out three.

Here is the list of the other 21 300-game winners at the time Ryan joined the club (in the order in which they reached the plateau):

1. 1888 Pud Calvin
2. 1890 Tim Keefe
3. 1890 Mickey Welch
4. 1891 Charles Radbourne
5. 1892 John Clarkson
6. 1900 Kid Nichols
7. 1901 Cy Young
8. 1912 Christy Mathewson
9. 1915 Ed Plank
10. 1920 Walter Johnson
11. 1924 Grover Alexander
12. 1941 Lefty Grove
13. 1961 Warren Spahn
14. 1963 Early Wynne
15. 1982 Gaylord Perry
16. 1983 Steve Carlton
17. 1985 Tom Seaver
18. 1985 Phil Niekro
19. 1986 Don Sutton
20. 1990 Nolan Ryan
21. 2003 Roger Clemens

Maddux would go on to win a total of 355 games which places him at number eight on the all-time wins list. Here are the other seven pitchers that are ahead of Maddux on this list:

1. Cy Young 511 wins RHP
2. Walter Johnson 417 wins RHP
3. Pete Alexander 373 wins RHP
4. Christy Mathewson 373 wins RHP
5. Pud Galvin 365 wins RHP
6. Warren Spahn 363 wins LHP
7. Kid Nichols 361 wins RHP
8. Greg Maddux 355 wins RHP

Maddux won four consecutive National League Cy Young Awards (1992-1995), placed in the top five of NL Cy Young Voting nine times. He would make seven All-Star appearances and win a staggering eighteen Gold Gloves.

Maddux would retire in 2008 after 23-seasons and was inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer after having received 97.2% of the vote (555/571 ballots).

Bobby Cox, Tony LaRussa, Tom Glavine, Frank Thomas, Greg Maddux and Joe Torre

The Professor was one of the best we've ever seen play the game, doing so not through power and sheer force but through finesse and calculated pitching. Thanks for the memories.

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

For Further Reading:
- Click Here to access Greg Maddux's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click Here to access the boxscore for Greg Maddux's 300th win on August 7, 2004 from Baseball Reference.com
- Click Here to access the article Maddux welcomed into the 300 club by Carrie Muskat from MLB.com dated August 7, 2004

Beasts of the National League

Here's Part II of who I think the best team in each division in the National League.

National League East

 If yesterday's performance of Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg is any indication, the Washington Nationals and their fans are having dreams of October World Series baseball in Washington D.C. This team was loaded last season and as hard as it is to believe they actually improved themselves. Gone is Michael Morse in a trade with the Oakland A's right-hander A.J. Cole (who was the pitching prospect of the trade that brought Gio Gonzalez from the Oakland A’s to the Nationals). Added is Denard Span who will give veteran support to an outfield that is made up by phenom Bryce Harper and the bearded wonder Jason Werth. The Infield is anchored by Adam LaRoche who resigned with the Nationals after a career season along with Ryan Zimmerman, Danny Espinoza and Ian Desmond. Mid Season acquisition Kurt Suzuki will be manning the rotation from behind the plate.

If the starting rotation was good last season behind Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmerman it will only get better with the addition of Dan Haren. Haren comes over from the American League with something to prove. If he can stay healthy, this gives the Nats a formidable four man front. Ross Detwiller seems to be the fifth starter for now.

Where the Nats seemed to improve the most was with the signing of Rafael Soriano to be the closer. Soriano shined in his opportunity to close for the New York Yankees last season and will be backed up by 8th inning man Tyler Clippard and former closer Drew Storen.

With the innings cap removed from Strasburg and with Bryce Harper continuing to mature into the dominant player that many think he will be, the only real opponent the Nationals might have is themselves.

- 2013 Washington Nationals Projected Lineup

National League Central

The Reds will try to rebound from last season's collapse in the NLDS by once again winning the National League Central division. The team led by franchise player Joey Votto will be a dominant force in the NL. Backed up by Brandon Phillips, Shin Soo Choo, Jay Bruce and Todd Frazer, the Reds lineup is able to quickly pile up runs on opposing pitching. Ryan Ludwick is also a part of the force but after yesterday's injury to his shoulder while sliding into 3rd base, it remains to see if they lose him for a significant amount of time.

The rotation is headed by Johnny Cueto with Mat Latos, Bronson Arroyo and Homer Bailey. The team finally ended the experiment of Aroldis Chapman becoming a starter by definitively stating that he will be the closer. Enough is enough. Leave him in the pen where he belongs. He will be backed up by free agent signing Jonathan Broxton, Sean Marshall and Jose Arredondo.

Dusty Baker has himself a well rounded squad that barring injury should make quick work of the National League Central

- 2013 Cincinnati Reds Projected Lineup

National League West

The San Francisco Giants have quietly put together what you might call a dynasty for today's modern game with two World Series titles in the last three seasons with a young group of players who seem to be destined to play together for years to come. Led by NL MVP Buster Posey the Giants are the team to beat in the NL West. The youth of this team can be seen with their infield of Brandon Belt and Pablo Sandoval on the corners and Brandon Crawford at short. Veteran Marco Scutaro will be the everyday 2nd baseman for the Giants this season after having injury prone disappointment Freddy Sanchez at 2nd.

The outfield is led by Angel Pagan, who I have stated in my post Angel Pagan Esta Encendido (from my other  Baseball blogpage Latinoball) will have a breakout season based on the way he played last season and in this year's World Baseball Classic. Joining him is Hunter Pence, Gregor Blanco and the returning Andres Torres who spent a disappointing season with the New York Mets.

The rotation is the backbone that this team is built on. Led by Matt Cain, the rotation is made up of Ryan Vogelsong, Madison Baumgarner and the rejuvinated Barry Zito. I mean no disrespect whatsoever to two time NL Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum by not listing in above or next to Cain. But it seems that his troubles from last season (post season domination notwithstanding) seem to have carried over into this season. Coming into his final year of 2-year $40.5-million dollar deal there have been some rumors that he might not be with the Giants after this season. Though I would say losing Lincecum would be a mistake, if he doesn't pitch up to the standard that he established in the past his days in San Francisco might be numbered.

The closer role is Sergio Romo's with the seemingly upset Brian Wilson out of the picture. Wilson was not offered a contract by the Giants after only pitching one game for the Giants last season and season ending Tommy John surgery. Wilson rejected the team's minor league contract overture and remains a free agent. Backing up Romo is last year's bullpen group of Santiago Casilla, Ramon Ramirez, Jeremy Affeldt and Javier Lopez.

As I have told many people in the last few weeks, the San Francisco Giants (and the Tampa Bay Rays to a lesser degree due to a lack of financial resources that the Giants have) are building the team in the proper way. They are building from within, locking in those homegrown players and filling the blanks with timely trades and budget free agent signings. This method will prove to be main reason the Giants keep winning titles.

- 2013 San Francisco Giants Projected Lineup

Just a few points on the rest of the National League. In the East, there is only one real threat to the Nationals and that's the Atlanta Braves. Though the addition of the Upton brothers will definitely help ease the loss of Chipper Jones to retirement I'm not sure that is enough to match up toe to toe with the Nats. They need Dan Uggla to have a rebound season in order to have a chance. The Phillies are slowing down as the seasons go by falling into the same kind of pattern as the Yankees have with the reliance on primarily older veteran players. The Mets are in a positive rebuilding mode and their young players will get considerate playing time this season that will help separate those who are ready for the big leagues from those who aren't. The Marlins? Let's just say that Giancarlo Stanton can't do it all on his own.

In the Central, the St. Louis Cardinals are always a threat. The injury to David Freese and the loss of Chris Carpenter might loom large, as well as the loss of Kyle Loshe to division rival Milwaukee Brewers. Speaking of the Brewers, they seem to be stuck in a homing pattern of sorts. I'm not sure they are ready to make the next step. The Pittsburgh Pirates are still taking their baby steps to respectability and I think this season is the year they finally finish over .500. The Chicago Cubs are starting from the bottom up and Theo Epstein has his hands full but does have shining stars in Starlin Castro, Anthony Rizzo and Jeff Samardzija.

In the West, the cash flush Los Angeles Dodgers are spending to win now with a flurry of free agent signings in addition to last season's blockbuster trade with the Red Sox. Is it enough to displace the World Series champs as NL West Champions? Time will dictate that. The Arizona Diamondbacks will try to play for the Wild Card while the Colorado Rockies will rest their hopes on the health of franchise players Troy Tulowitzski and Carlos Gonzalez. The San Diego Padres continue to rebuild and hope that 3rd baseman Chase Hedley doesn't miss more time to his thumb injury than is already expected.

So there you go folks. What do you think. Agree? Disagree? Drop me a line to my email.

Sisco Kid.

Good Friday For Verlander and Posey

It was announced today that  franchise players Justin Verlander of the American League Champion Detroit Tigers and Buster Posey of the World Champion San Francisco Giants agreed to multi-year extensions.

Justin Verlander was signed to a 5-year $140-million dollar extension which starts during the 2015 season. He was already signed for 2013 and 2014 at $20-million per year from the five-year, $79.5 million contract he signed after the 2009 season.  According to the article Verlander agrees to record five-year extension by Jason Beck of MLB.com:

Verlander will make $28 million each season from 2015-2019, the years of the extension, and could vest a $22 million option for 2020 if he finishes in the top five in Cy Young voting in 2019. option for 2020 is $22-million.

In total, his contract calls for a total of 7-years $180-million which breaks down to an average of $25.7 million per year.

Buster Posey signed a 9-year $167-million contract extension. According to the article Buster Posey gets $167M, 9-year deal from Giants by Janie McCauley of the Associated Press:

Posey had been due to make $8 million this year. He instead gets a $7 million signing bonus, with $5 million payable Oct. 15 and the remainder Jan. 15, and his 2013 salary is reduced to $3 million.

He will make $10.5 million in 2014, $16.5 million in 2015, $20 million in 2016 and $21.4 million in each of the following five seasons. The Giants' option is for $22 million with a $3 million buyout

I'm not sure if the Verlander deal with payoff in the long haul but it is good to see both them and the Giants spending money to keep their own players that they develop. I've always said that doing that is the way to go.

So with the amount of money signed by both the Tigers and the Giants, the Los Angeles Dodgers, The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the St. Louis Cardinals with the Wainright extension, I don't want to hear complaints from Baseball fans that the New York Yankees keep overpaying players and signing them to long contracts. It seems that the rest of the league is starting to open those cash caches that Forbes recently reported that teams seem to have.

Sisco Kid

For Further Reading
- Click Here to access the career statistics for Justin Verlander from Baseball Reference.com
- Click Here to access the career statistics for Buster Posey from Baseball Reference.com

Angel Pagan Esta Encendido

Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees is getting a majority of the press (and deservedly so) for his performance for Team Dominican Republic in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Here are his stats in 7 World Baseball Classic games (courtesy of World Baseball Classic statistics page):

Player	Pos	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	AVG	OPS
Robinson Cano	2B	7	29	5	15	4	0	2	6	25	2	7	0	0	.548	.862	.517	1.410

Impressive indeed. But there is another player who seems to have stepped up with the world spotlight shining on him in this international tournament. He is none other than San Francisco Giants centerfielder Angel Pagan. Here are his statistics in 8 World Baseball Classic games (courtesy of the 2013 World Baseball Classic statistics page):

Player	Pos	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	AVG	OPS
Angel Pagan	CF	8	30	2	11	2	1	0	2	15	4	5	2	0	.441	.500	.367	.941

Where Carlos Beltran came in as the marquee name for the Puerto Rican team, it seems to me that Angel Pagan is now the man for Team Borinquen. I see Pagan carrying over his performance in this tournament straight into the upcoming season for the defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants (courtesy of the 2012 Major League Baseball statistics page)

Player	Pos	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	AVG	OPS
Angel Pagan	CF	154	605	95	174	38	15	8	56	266	48	97	29	7	.338	.440	.288	.778

I believe the sky is the limit for Rio Piedras resident Angel Pagan especially after resigning with the Giants this past offseason for a veritable bargain rate of 4-years $45 million dollars through 2016 he has nowhere to look but up. 

What do you think folks. Agree? Disagree?

On a side note, I saw this written about Pagan in the article U.S. falls flat in World Baseball Classic; does the country even care? by Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports!:

Before Friday night's game, Pagan gathered his teammates, bulged his eyes and shouted about honor and dignity and the kids back home who needed a light to follow. They could be their lights, he told them. "It's something to project for the kids," Pagan said. "You have a responsibility. I think it sends the perfect message: Names don't win ballgames."...So when that last baseball soared into center field, as his teammates rushed from the dugout to the mound, as they zigzagged from their positions looking for someone to hug, Pagan was the only one who waited for it to come down. "When I caught that ball, I was thinking of my country," he said. "Hopefully, Puerto Rico is proud of us."

I would say that they are Angel. Keep up the good work.

FH

Bittersweet Day In The Latino Baseball Community

I know it has seemed a bit of long time since my last post but today was a day in Baseball History that was both disappointing and invigorating...all within a number of hours. First the disappointment.

It was announced earlier that Dominican outfielder Melky Cabrera of the San Francisco Giants had been suspended for 50 games for the failing of a PED drug test. Melky seemed to find his full stride after a decent season in Kansas City and underachiving seasons in Atlanta and New York. At the time of the announcement, Melky was leading the Majors in hits (159), second in Batting average (.346), was a pivotal player in the San Francisco Giants lineup and field and not even a month ago was named Most Valuable Player of the All-Star Game. Now he is just another name added to those who were caught with performance enhancing drugs in their urine.

What a way to piss away a potentially lucrative contract in a free agent year. What a way to piss away an opportunity to move into the next level of players. Regardless what his reasons were, he just pissed them away. Now for the rest of his career he will have the scrutiny that is levied on all those who have failed a PED test. Sure he'll sign another contract and may even have a long career, but he'll forever have the stigma above him of a cheater. If he has a good season, people will suspect something foul. If he struggles, then he will be seen as someone who can't succeed without the help of a foreign substance. It really is sad and disappointing. I really thought that Melky shed that "lazy" title that he seemed to have here in with the Yankees with his performance with the Giants.

I'm really tired of my fellow Latinos continually getting caught taking this junk. I understand the pressure that they have to succeed. The pressure to often be the main provider. The pressure to be the proverbial "way off the island" for their family. I get it. Trust me, I grew up seeing how my Dad was the pivotal one here in NYC providing for those "back home" and he wasn't a professional Baseball player. Its much worse for them. But there is a system in place that catches those that cheat. Just work doubly hard to get to where you need to. Its just frustrating to me as a fan of both the game and of my fellow Latino brothers. It gets harder and harder to back them up with they go and screw things up. I guess I'll quote Alfalfa and the rest of the little rascals when I say "Don't Drink the Milk...It's spoiled". Not only was it spoiled but also tainted. Just sad.

Enough of the disappointment. After a few hours of the Cabrera announcement, another Latino ballplayer was making news for a much better reason. Seattle Mariners starter, former American League Cy Young Award winner and Venezuelan Felix Hernandez was making history. In a dominant performance against the Tampa Bay Rays, Hernandez became the 23rd pitcher to throw a Perfect Game in the history of Major League Baseball. I was lucky enough to turn the game on in the 9th inning and Hernandez was just nasty in his breaking balls and velocity. He hit 95 on the gun in the 9th inning. In total Hernandez Hernandez struck out 12 batters. Of those 12, eight were in the last four innings. And he is only 24 years old. The scary thing is that he can only get better with time!!! To bad the Mariners don't have a quality team built around arguably the best pitcher in the game. For years now I've avoided calling him by the nickname that has become synonymous with Hernandez. Now I can indeed call him King Felix. Felicidades hermano y muchas gracias for taking the sting of the day away for us for just a little bit.

On a side note to the perfect game, what is the deal with the Tampa Bay Rays and no-hitters and perfect games. Since their inaugural season of 1998, the Rays have been no-hit five times, all of them from 2002 and on. Four have come since 2009 with three of them being perfect games (Mark Buerhle 2009, Dallas Braden 2010, Felix Hernandez 2012). Talk about snake-bit. Maybe they need to throw a perfect game to break the curse.

On another side note. I have to apologize for being a bit neglecting in my blogging duties. Sometimes real life, primarily work takes a front seat other things. Yes, even Baseball. I've been trying to improve my bartending skills and have been focusing on a new endevour called Sisco Vanilla Serves and Drinks. Feel free to check it out. Let me know what you think.

FH