Week Three Points and Highlights

Week Three of the 2015 season is in the books and here are a few things I came across.

- Nelson Cruz
The other day I posted the following tweet:

With every homerun Nelson Cruz hits, Robinson Cano's smile gets bigger and bigger. #NelsonCruz #RobinsonCano #SeattleMariners #Mariners
— Baseball Sisco (@BaseballSisco) April 16, 2015

I think I have to amend that tweet. With every homerun Nelson Cruz hits, the entire Seattle Mariners team's smiles get bigger and bigger. What a difference a year makes.

Last season I made mention that while I understood why Robinson Cano signed with the Mariners, I questioned the decision since he would not have much in the way of protection in the lineup. Well, things change this season with the offseason signing of Nelson Cruz. Again, what a difference a year makes.

Last season, Cruz signed for a budget $8-million with the Orioles coming off a 50-games suspension resulting from the Biogenesis scandal and put up an MVP caliber season for the Orioles. Now Cruz is batting after Cano in a lineup that is re-markedly improved along with a solid rotation. For the season Cruz is putting up a slash line of .324/.361/.750 with 9 homers and 20 RBI. So far the M's are sitting tied for 4th place at 7-11 with the surprising Houston Astros sitting pretty a-top the American League West 11-7. I can see the Mariners righting the ship and starting to club the ball. We'll see what happens as the season moves along.

- How About Those New York Mets
I mentioned that last week I would talk about the Metropolitanos. Well, the Mets ripped off an 11-game win streak including a 10-0 homestand against division rivals Philadelphia Phillies, Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves. In doing so, the Mets tied a franchise record set by the 1969, 1972, 1986, and 1990 who all put up 11-game winning streaks. It stopped at 11-games when the Mets lost the first game of the Subway Series against the Yankees.

What I find impressive is that the Mets have done so without a number of players including captain David Wright and starting catch Travis D'Arnaud who both are missing time on the DL. In their place is Eric Campbell and rookie catcher Kevin Plawecki and both are producing. And what can I say about The Dark Knight: Matt Harvey. Its hard to believe that Harvey missed a season to Tommy John surgery. This kid is a total stud.

So far he's gone 4-0 with a 3.04 ERA with 22 hits allowed, 31 strikeouts and only 3 walks for a WHIP of 0.94. His swagger and confidence seems to be slowly seeping into the entire team. As Travis D'Arnaud said during the Mets vs. Yankees telecast on ESPN, the team believes that they can will. Who knows, if they can continue to win as division rivals Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins struggle, the N.L. East might just be their's to lose.

- A brief history of the Mets' eleven-game winning streaks by Chris McShane from Amazin Avenue.com

- Didi Gregorious and Tino Martinez
People fail to realize that it is very difficult to step in the shoes of a Baseball legend. Some might say that it is even harder when the legend plays for the New York Yankees. I notice that Yankee fans are being critical of Didi Gregorious' performance so far with the Yankees at shortstop. Not only is he learning a new league, he's doing it in the long shadow of future Hall of Famer Derek Jeter.

Look at the back page of the New York Daily News the day after the Yankees traded for Gregorious. Just the headline alone shows the expectations that have been placed on Gregorious. And this was before the season started and Gregorious was struggling. The situation reminds me of how Tino Martinez struggled at first base for the New York Yankees at the beginning of the 1996 season.

Martinez was traded from the Seattle Mariners to the Yankees in a December 7, 1995 trade with Jim Mecir and Jeff Nelson for Russ Davis and Sterling Hitchock. Martinez was already a solid first-basemen for the Mariners and similarly to Gregorious, his performance at first was shadowed by recently retired career Yankees legend Don Mattingly. Again, as with Gregorious, Martinez struggled amid great and lofty expectations but as the season progressed, he settled in and was a main player in the 1996 Yankees World Series Championship season.

People need to give Gregorious a chance. I mean a REAL chance. Not a month. Not two months. At the very least give the kid a full season to show his mettle. He's not going to be Derek Jeter. We've already seen him play. We just need to see Didi Gregorious play his game. Maybe he excels. Maybe he becomes the Yankees version of Royce Clayton.
who had the dubious honor of having to replace Ozzie Smith at shortstop for the Cardinals in 1997).

Nearly 20 Years Later, Another Yankees Replacement Is Struggling by Billy Witz from the New York Times dated April 18, 2015

- Waino done for the season?
The news coming out of St. Louis is not good. Reports state that Adam Wainright was placed on the DL with an left ankle/achilles tendon injury. If he tore the achilles tendon, his season is done. The Cardinals always seem to be able to fill spots due to injuries and according to the article Martinez, Wacha and Lynn Allow Cardinals to Absorb Adam Wainwright Injury by Anthony Witrado from Bleacher Report dated April 25, 2015, Witrado believes that:

There might not be a team in Major League Baseball more equipped to absorb the blow of losing their ace right now than the Cardinals. They have a rotation packed with front-line pitchers in their 20s, and all three of them have sub-2.00 ERAs through each of their first three starts this season.

Michael Wacha, Carlos Martinez—both 23 years old—and Lance Lynn, 27, have helped Wainwright pitch the Cardinals to a 12-4 record. Those four are the reasons the rotation led the majors with a 2.06 ERA entering Saturday, a number lowered to 1.97 by Wainwright's four shutout innings before the injury.

It would seem that Cole Hamels would be a suitable replacement for Wainwright in the rotation. The question is, are the Cardinals willing to trade from their surplus of prospects in order to get Hamels. Since in this situation, the Phillies hold the seller's advantage, the Cardinals might have to overpay if they want Hamels services. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's see what happens after Wainwright's MRI.

AS OF 7:30PM ON 4/27: Adam Wainwright was diagnosed with a torn left achilles tendon which will cause him to miss 9-12 months. 

- Kansas City Royals are a-fighting
So the Royals have started the 2015 season with three bench clearing incidents. Week one had Yordano Ventura jawing with Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels. Then in week two you had a back and forth plunking matches and three straight days of bench clearing between the Royals and the Oakland A's including Yordano Ventura getting ejected when he hit Brett Lawrie with a pitch after Josh Reddick homered. Week three was capped with a full blown brawl started by words being exchanged between Yordano Ventura and Adam Eaton of the Chicago White Sox which led to the suspension of six players including Ventura who was given a seven day suspension.

You see a pattern here? Like I told my friend Melvin the other day: Ventura is young, full of piss and vinegar. I mean, he's become the ace of the staff after James Shields signed with the San Diego Padres. So he must be on cloud nine and is showing his swagger every start. But he needs to dial it down before someone gets hurt.

This is where old time baseball people bemoan the DH since retribution can't be exacted on the guilty party. I think if this was in the NL, Ventura would be a bit more cautious in his plunking of opposing players and his excitable mannerism. Back in the day, he would have taken one to the ribs. I know the Royals want to show the entire league that their World Series appearance was not a fluke. But someone needs to take Ventura aside and let him know that not only is an opposing player at risk of getting hurt due to his behavior, a fellow teammate can get hurt through Baseball's form of retribution. Whether he learns or not is something we'll have to keep an eye on after he serves his suspension.

Well that's all for this week. I'll be back next week with my POV on the fourth week of the MLB season.

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

Pedro Guerrero's Health Scare

It was reported a few days ago that former slugger Pedro Guerrero of the Dominican Republic had been hospitalized with cranial bleeding at el Centro de Diagnóstico y Medicina Avanzada (Cedimat) in the city of Santo Domingo, DR. Guerrero, who played 15 major league seasons for the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals during the 1980's through the mid 1990's was one of the pre-eminent sluggers to come out of the Dominican Republic.

At a time when many Dominican players came from the "no-hit good glove" school of middle infielders, sluggers like Guerrero and George Bell paved the way for later Dominican Sluggers such as Vladimir Guerrero, Raul Mondesi, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Adrian Beltre, Sammy Sosa and Albert Pujols.

In his 15 year career, Guerrero was a model of consistency both at the plate and in the field. Guerrero hit for .300 or more seven times finishing with a career .300 average. Guerrero was a five time All-Star, a Silver Slugger in 1982 and four top five MVP voting results, finishing in the top three in 1982, 1985 and 1989. In his earlier years, Guerrero played at practically every position that Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda plugged him into except shortstop and pitcher. In his time with the Cardinals, Guerrero was primarily a first baseman while playing a number of games in the outfield.

His crowning moment came on October 28 1981 during Game Six of the 1981 World Series against the New York Yankees. Guerrero unloaded against the Yankees by going 3-for-5 with a solo home run, a triple and a bases loaded single for a total of five RBIs. Guerrero batted .333 (7-for-21) with two homers and seven RBIs earning co-World Series Most Valuable Player honors with teammates Ron Cey and Steve Yeager.

Guerrero was always a family favorite growing up. El "Orgullo Dominicano" was always exemplified with his effort on the field not only in MLB but also in the Dominican League.

The Dominican newspaper El Listin Diario states that Guerrero "has recovered more than 80 percent mobility in his left arm". Hopefully Guerrero can make a full recovery from his injuries.

For Further Reading:

• Pedro Guerrero se recupera de ataque al cerebro by Freddy Tapia from El Listin Diario dated February 17, 2015
• Pedro Guerrero's Career Statistics from Baseball Reference
• Biography of Pedro Guerrero by Frank Morris from the SABR Baseball Biography Project

The World War II Era and MLB

I've recently felt the nostalgia pang for the sport of Baseball with the imminent arrival of the 2015 season. I'm almost finished reading New York City Baseball: The Golden Age 1947–1957 by Harvey Frommer and started re-watching HBO's When It Was a Game when I realized that the best team of the World War II era was the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Cardinals finished second to the National League Champion Brooklyn Dodgers in 1941 with a 97-56 record and the arrival of 20-year old rookie and future Hall of Famer Stan Musial a few months before the United States would be attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Before I go into the 1942 Cardinals, I wanted to take a quick look at the dilemma that World War II caused in reference to MLB and the 1942 baseball season.

The landscape of Major League Baseball would be altered with the departure of many a star player such as Bob Feller and Hank Greenberg to name of few in service to their country. It was believed that as time went on during World War II, the talent pool in Major League Baseball would be continue to be depleted to the point that it was debated by many including Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis whether or not play should be suspended in light of the war. Not only was the lack of major league caliber talent an issue, but more importantly it was wondered whether it would be appropriate for the Major Leagues to continue in operation while the war was going on. In came President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to end the debate.

Commissioner Landis wrote the following letter to President Roosevelt on January 14, 1942 voicing his concerns about the upcoming 1942 season. Here is a copy of both the handwritten and typed letters from the OPA - Online Public Access page of the National Archives website:

Responding to the concerns of a letter from Commissioner Landis, President Roosevelt penned what is known as the "Greenlight Letter" dated January 15, 1942. Here is a copy of the letter by President Roosevelt to Commissioner Landis from the article When FDR Said "Play Ball" from Prologue Magazine Spring 2002, Vol. 34, No. 1 located at the National Archives website:

For an in-depth website that covers Baseball in Wartime check out Gary Bedingfield's Baseball in Wartime which has been online since 2001. 

It was in this scenario that the 1942 season would be played and where the National League team from St. Louis would make their mark on the history books of Major League Baseball. I'll cover the 1942-1946 St. Louis Cardinals in my next post. 

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

Bob Gibson Fans 17 Tigers in Game One of the World Series October 2, 1968

On this day in Baseball History October 2, 1968: In the first game where the eventual two league Most Valuable Players pitched against each other, St. Louis Cardinals ace Bob Gibson defeated Denny McLain 4-0 in Game One of the 1968 World Series while striking out a World Series record 17 batters. 

Gibson came into the Series with a 22-9 record and a miniscule 1.12 ERA (How did Gibson lose nine games with an ERA that low?) in 34 games started with 28 complete games and 13 shutouts. Gibson struck out a league leading 268 batters, while walking 62, giving up 198 hits in 304.2 innings pitched for a league leading WHIP of 0.853.

McLain came into the Series with a 31-6 record and a 1.94 ERA in 41 games started with 28 complete games and 6 shutouts. McClain struck out 280 batters while walking 63 and giving up 241 hits in a league leading 336 innings pitched for a WHIP 0.905.

Both pitchers would win their respective league Cy Young and Most Valuable Player award. This was the matchup to open the 1968 World Series.

Gibson held up to his end of the bargain by breaking Sandy Koufax's World Series record of 15 strikeouts that he set in the 1963 World Series against the New York Yankees. What was even more impressive was Gibson's performances in the World Series up to this point. The article ST. LOUIS WINS, 4-0, IN SERIES OPENER by Joseph Durso of the New York Times dated October 3, 1968 states:

By winning his sixth straight game in three Series in five years, he tied the record set by Lefty Gomez and Red Ruffing of the Yankees between 1932 and 1942.

By working his sixth straight complete game in Series competition, he broke the record set by Ruffing for pitchers who finish what they start when the money is on the table 

Here is the boxscore to Game One of the 1968 World Series between the Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals from the October 3, 1968 edition of the New York Times:

Not to let down the viewing public, Gibson would pitch two more complete games in the 1968 World Series during games four and seven where he would strike out 10 and 8 batters respectively. Gibson would lose Game 7 of the World Series finishing with a career 7-2 record in three World Series (1964, 1967, 1968). In nine starts, Gibson would throw EIGHT complete games. His first World Series start in Game Two of the 1964 World Series against the Yankees was an eight inning start while Game Five was a ten inning complete game. In 81 World Series innings pitched, Gibson put up a 1.89 ERA with 92 strikeouts, 17 walks and 55 hits for a World Series WHIP of 0.889.

McLain on the other hand would only last six innings in Game One though he would vindicate himself with a pivotal victory in Game Six on two days rest after losing his first two World Series starts to Gibson.

On an aside, to answer my question from earlier in the post: How did Gibson lose nine games with an ERA that low? I'm not sure where and when I found this chart, but it shows us how he indeed lost those nine games in 1968:

Gibson goes down as one of the best pitchers ever in World Series history. I say World Series and not Postseason since in his day the World Series was the only round of the PostSeason as compared to today's four rounds including the World Series. Will we see a performance like Gibson's in this year's World Series? We'll have to wait until the Fall Classic begins to see if it happens.

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

For Further Reading:
- Click here to access Bob Gibson's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click here to access Denny McLain's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click here to access the article Sports of The Times: Gibson Versus McLain by Robert Lipsyte from the October 3, 1968 edition of the New York Times
- Click here to access the article Cool Pitcher and Victor Over Pain: Robert Gibson from the October 3, 1968 edition of the New York Times
- Click here to access the article Gibson Unaware of Breaking Record Until Message Flashes on Scoreboard by George Vecsey from the October 3, 1968 edition of the New York Times

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

Mark McGwire Hits Home Run Number 62 September 8, 1998

On this day in Baseball History September 8, 1998: Slugger Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals broke Roger Maris' record for home runs in a single season, hitting number 62 off Chicago Cubs pitcher Steve Trachsel at Busch Stadium, St. Louis. McGwire would finish the 1998 season with 70 single season record setting home runs. Where the achievement was celebrated by many at the time, McGwire's admission of steroid use on January 11, 2010 has placed a cloud over his 70 home run season of 1998.

Maris' single season record stood since 1961 and was in itself a point of controversy. Maris' record was looked upon by some as not being legitimate on the point that it took Maris' eight more games than it took the original single season home run king Babe Ruth to hit 60 in 1927.

Regardless of how some people feel today, that was an emotional moment in the history of the game. I can't speak for anyone but myself but I remember sitting on the edge of my seat with every at-bat that both McGwire and Sammy Sosa took waiting to see how would hit the ball out of the park. McGwire would finish with 70 homers while Sosa finished with 66.

I know many fans have been embittered with the whole "Steroid Era". For myself I can say that I am not. I am not going to sit here and thump my proverbial bible as some baseball writers, executives and TV people do today. Why? Everyone benefitted from the Steroid Era. Newspapers profited, TV/Cable networks profited, MLB profited, owners profited, players profited, vendors profited, sponsors profited. Everyone profited, even us fans. And I don't see anyone of those groups that profited giving back any of those profits back. So it is easy for many of them to place themselves on a higher moral plane without realizing that many of them just turned a blind eye to what was going on because it was convenient to "not rock the boat". Think back to 16-years ago (looking past your bitterness) and tell me that watching those clips, like the one up above don't give you goosebumps. I know they did to me.

The game we love isn't a perfect game, played by human beings, that for as much as we place them on the high pedestals aren't perfect. Many are flawed. Many do things to get an edge be it for fame, records or millions. That isn't a product of the Steroid Era. Many players throughout the history of Baseball have done that in different ways, shapes and forms. For better or worse Baseball is, and probably always be a game where cheating thrives. I would suggest that you read Roger I Abrams book "The Dark Side of the Diamond: Gambling, Violence, Drugs and Alcoholism in the National Pastime". Abrams does an amazing job researching different eras and you'd be surprised at the lengths some players (even some of them Hall of Famers) have gone to gain an edge.  

Will that change? No. I think players will continue to look for ways to find an edge be it via physical means or by equipment and hardware. Many will celebrate those who we believe to have done it "cleanly" or the "right way". If you as a player, with the rules in place against PED's decide to do so and get caught then so be it. You get your just desserts.

I'm so over the Steroid talk. When do we start complaining about Nano-tech, muscular implants and ocular implants in Baseball ;)

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

For Further Reading:
- Click here to access Mark McGwire's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click here to read my article The Return of Mark McGwire from my former blog Baseballism.blogspot.com from January 9, 2010
- Click here to access McGwire Surpasses Maris With 62nd Home Run by Richard Justice from the Washington Post dated September 8, 1998
- Click here to access the article Mark McGwire Falls: Roger Maris & Babe Ruth Regain Title, "Home Run Kings" by Patrick Read from Bleacher Report dated January 11, 2010

   

Stan Musial Passes Tris Speaker on the All-Time Hit List September 2, 1962

On this day in Baseball History September 2, 1962: Stan "The Man" Musial pinch hits for pitcher Bobby Shantz in the 9th inning against the Mets and singles off of starter Al Jackson at Sportsman Park aka Busch Stadium I. Musial's single was his 3,516th hit which placed him above Tris Speaker on the All-Time Hits list. The New York Times made a small mention of the achievement at the bottom of the article Bases-Filled Hit Tops St. Louis 4-3 from September 3, 1962. Here is the boxscore for the game:

Sitting at second on the list behind Ty Cobb (4,191 hits), Musial was the National League Leader in hits having passed Honus Wagner's 3,431 hits on May 19, 1962. Musial would remain the leader in National League hits until Pete Rose passed him on the list on August 10, 1981.

Stan Musial currently sits at number four on the All-Time hit list:

1. 4256 Pete Rose  
2. 4191 Ty Cobb
3. 3771 Hank Aaron
4. 3630 Stan Musial
5. 3515 Tris Speaker
6. 3445 Derek Jeter
7. 3430 Honus Wagner
8. 3410 Carl Yastrzemski
9. 3319 Paul Molitor
10. 3314 Eddie Collins

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).

Not bad for the kid from Donora, Pennsylvania who tried out for his favorite team and was thought to be too skinny to be a major leaguer. Imagine what that outfield would have looked like with Stan Musial and Roberto Clemente playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates. On a side note, Donora, Pennsylvania is the hometown of the Griffeys: Ken Griffey Sr and Jr. There was some amazing ball being played on the sandlots of Donora throughout the years.

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

For Further Reading:
- Click Here to access Stan Musial's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click Here to access the article Hall of Famer Stan Musial, who spent 22-year career with St. Louis Cardinals, dies at 92 by Bill Madden from the New York Daily News dated January 19, 2013
- Click Here to access the article Stan Musial from the SABR Baseball Biography Project by Jan Finkel

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

Lou Brock Singles for his 3000th Hit August 13, 1979

On this day in Baseball History, Lou Brock of the St. Louis Cardinals singles against Dennis Lamp of the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium to become the 14th player to reach the 3000-hit plateau. Here are the fourteen players that had reached the 3000-hit plateau before Brock:

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

Brock was originally signed as a free agent by the Chicago Cubs in 1960 and after faltering with the Cubs, he would be traded to the Cardinals in 1964 for pitcher Ernie Broglio. Brock would blossom into the feared base stealer of his era, leading the National League in steals eight times with 118 steals being his career best in 1974. Brock would be the career base steal leader with 938 stolen bases until Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson eclipsed the record on May 1, 1991 while with the Oakland Athletics. 

Brock was a six-time National League All-Star and a top ten finalist for the NL MVP award five-times, coming in second for the award in 1974. Brock was a model of consistency playing in 150+ games a season for eleven straight seasons from 1964-1974 and playing in 123 games in 1962, 148 games in 1963, 136 games in 1975, 133 games in 1976, 141 games in 1977 and 120 games in 1979. Aside from his rookie season of 1961, Brock failed to play in 100 more games in only one season, 1978. 

Brock would retire after the 1979 season with 938 steals, 3023 hits and a career .293 batting average. Lou Brock would be inducted into the Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers of America as a player in 1985 with 80% of the vote (315/395 ballots).

A month later, Carl Yaztremski of the Boston Red Sox would join Lou Brock as a member of the 3000-hits club. I'll touch upon that next month. 

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,

Baseball Sisco

#baseballsisco

#baseballsiscokidstyle

For Further Reading:

- Click Here to access the career statistics for Lou Brock 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

George "Boomer" Scott 1944-2013

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sisco Kid

For Further Reading:

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

What Is Up With The National League Central

I know that it is hard sometimes to look closely at all the other division races when your team is in the middle of a four team battle royal in the American League East. But I was astounded when I noticed that the top two records in the entire league were in the National League Central. Leading the pack are the St. Louis Cardinals with a 37-19 record, followed closely by the Cincinnati Reds AND surprisingly the Pittsburgh Pirates with identical 35-22 records. The only American League team in the mix (record-wise) are the Boston Red Sox with a 35-23 record. I'll get to the Pirates in a few sentences but first the Cardinals and the Reds.

The Cardinals might be the best built organization in Baseball. Consider that in 2011 they lost Adam Wainright for the season and went on to win the World Series. Last year they lose Albert Pujols to free-agency and Chris Carpenter to injury for almost the whole season and finished with a 88-74, 2nd in NL Central. The would upset the #1 ranked National League team in the Washington Nationals in the five-game NLDS and lost to the eventual World Series Champion San Francisco Giants in seven games in the NLCS. This season they again lose their number two pitcher Carpenter to injury, have Kyle Lohse leave via free-agency and lose closer Jason Motte to season ending surgery AND have the best record in Baseball. Simply amazing. And with players such as Michael Wacha and Oscar Tavares as the future building blocks, the future is indeed bright for the Cardinals.

I picked the Reds as the team to win the National League Central and their loss to the San Francisco Giants after being up 2-0 in the NLDS only serves as the fuel to their proverbial fire. Led by Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips, the Reds are a solid team from top to bottom. They don't have the standard ace that most rotations have. What they do have is three pitchers in Arroyo, Latos and Leake each with 5 wins a piece and a bullpen that is anchored by the intimidating fireballer Aroldis Chapman. I am definitely not surprised to see the Reds in the position that they are in.

Speaking of surprising. I know the Pirates have been slowly been improving year after year but who would have thought (except for Pirates fans) that after 57 games the Pirates would be tied for the second best record in Baseball. I'll be quite honest with you, aside from Andrew McCutchen, 2nd Baseman Neil Walker, starter Wandy Rodriguez, closer Jason Grilli and the former Yankees that are on the Pirates (AJ Burnett and Russell Martin), I couldn't tell you who the rest of the starters are on the Pirates. And that is sad on my part. I need to pay more attention to them. The Pirates are a dynamic and fun team to watch who because they play in Pittsburgh don't get much national air-time. If they continue playing the manner that they are and don't drop off like last season, we'll be seeing more of the Pirates on prime-time TV.

So we'll see how the next month or so plays out for three lead teams in the National League Central compared to the rest of the league.

Sisco Kid

The Amazing Walk Discipline of Bob Tewksbury

My friend Christopher and I were talking about the 1987 Yankees earlier today when he mentioned that former Yankees pitcher Bob Tewksbury walked a total of 20 batters during the 1992 season. I had mentioned that I needed to look at his statistics a bit more closely and I was amazed at how little number of batters he walked over his career. Before I go into his lack of walks, I wanted to go into a little background on Tewksbury.

Tewksbury was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 19th Round of the 1981 Draft. After a number of seasons in the minors, Tewksbury was called up in April of 1986 and made his debut on April 11, 1986. He would pitch during the 1986 and part of the 1987 season for the Yankees before being sent down to the Yankees AAA affiliate Columbus Clippers. His demotion caused Tewksbury to ask for a trade.

His wishes were granted with his being traded on July 13, 1987 with Rich Scheid and Dean Wilkins to the Chicago Cubs for pitcher Steve Trout in one of the many lopsided trades the Yankees seemed to fall prey to during the late 1980's. Trout went 0-4 wth a 6.60 ERA in his only season with the Yankees and would himself be traded with Henry Cotto to the Seattle Mariners for Lee Guetterman, Clay Parker and Wade Taylor.

Tewksbury never really seemed to find himself in his season and a half with the Cubs going 0-4 with a 6.75 ERA in only 8 games pitched. He would be granted free agency and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. It was with the Cardinals that he would show flashes of his limited walk potential.

In six seasons with the Cardinals (968.2 IP), Tewksbury walked a total of 125. That's an average of almost 21 walks in an average of 161 innings pitched. Here are the number of innings and walks during his six years in St. Louis:

Year	IP	BB	BB/9
1989	30.0	10	3.0
1990	145.1	15	0.9
1991	191.0	38	1.8
1992	233.0	20	0.8
1993	213.2	20	0.8
1994	155.2	22	1.3

Tewksbury led the National League in 1992 and 1993 with less than one walk per nine innings pitched. He would still be impressive in the walks department upon joining the Texas Rangers for the 1995 season, the San Diego Padres in 1996 and the Minnesota Twins to close out his career in 1997-1998. Here are his walk totals for those seasons:

Year	IP	BB	BB/9
1995	129.2	20	1.4
1996	206.2	43	1.9
1997	168.2	31	1.7
1998	148.1	20	1.2

Tewksbury's best season was the 1992 season when he made his only All-Star appearance and was third in the National League Cy Young Award voting. Here are his statistics for that season:

Player		W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	W-L%		IP	H	R	ER		BB	K	WHIP
Bob Tewksbury		16	5	2.16	33	32	5	0	.762		233	217	63	56		20	91	1.017

Now I'm not saying that Tewksbury was an elite power pitcher and starter. Far from it, but let's see who, if anyone, came close to that 20 walk range in close to 200 innings during last season. The closest  starter that I've been able to find is Cliff Lee of the Philadelphia Phillies who walked 28 batters in 211.0 innings pitched. Kyle Lohse formerly of the St. Louis Cardinals walked 38 in 211.0 innings pitched and Bronson Arroyo of the Cincinnati Reds walked 35 in 202.0 innings pitched. 
It makes you wonder what the Yankees may have looked like if they had kept pitchers like Bob Tewksbury, Doug Drabek, Jose Rijo and Al Leiter instead of trading them for players who did not produce for the team as these young players may have. The Yankees dynasty might have come sooner...or might not have come at all. I leave you to speculate on that.
Sisco Kid


For Further Reading: - Click Here to access Bob Tewksbury's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com - Click Here for the article Cubs Put New Man In Action from the Chicago Tribune website dated July 17, 1987 - Click Here for the article Yanks Trade Trout, Cotto To Mariners from the Sun Sentinel website dated December 23, 1987