Rickey Henderson in 1980 October 24, 2023

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

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

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

That's it.

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

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

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

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

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

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,

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

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

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

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

Here is how the book is described by the publisher:

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

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

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

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

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,

Baseball Sisco
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Jackie Robinson Was NOT The First Black to Play in MLB April 15, 2018

I've noticed on many a post on various social media outlets that we celebrate Jackie Robinson Day because Jackie Robinson was the first black player in MLB.  Now, before I get jumped on for my statement, its true. Jackie Robinson was NOT the first black player in MLB. And nothing of what I will say is disparaging what Jackie went through and what Jackie did in 1947 and the years after. I'll go into what Jackie Robinson WAS the first to do in the next paragraph or two.

Now, the honor and distinction of who was the first black player in MLB depends on whom you talk to. Many Baseball experts and historians give that honor to Moses "Fleetwood" Walker. Walker was a catcher who played for the Toledo Blue Stockings of the American Association during the 1884 season. Walker played for a total of 42 games that season. Another name that comes up is William Edward White who was known as Bill White. White played for the Providence Grays of the National League for just one single game, getting a hit and scoring a run. Other names that come up are Bud Fowler, Frank Grant and Sol White. But generally, Moses Walker is deemed to be the first black player in MLB before the enactment of the so called "Gentlemen's Agreement." Before I go into Jackie Robinson, I wanted to shed some light on what the "Gentleman's Agreement" entailed.

To put it simply, the "Gentlemen's Agreement" barred black and colored players from playing in organized baseball that was affiliated with the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues. This included teams on the Major, Minor and even the independent level. This opened the door for the rise of the Negro Leagues and the integration of many an international league throughout Latin America. This is where Jackie Robinson comes in.

Jackie was the first black player to break the color line created by the "Gentleman's Agreement." By his taking the field on April 15, 1947 and being subjected to the vitriol and hatred by many a fan and fellow ballplayer, Jackie broke down the ignorant color line that kept black players from playing in the Majors since the 1880s. To say he was the first ever is inaccurate. But the first since the segregation of the Majors? That is correct. There is a difference. Just wanted to clarify what the difference was.

Thank you Jackie Robinson for your courage, poise, bravery and strength during those trying days when you helped to bring about change within an unjust and ignorant system. Thank you to Moses "Fleetwood" Walker, William Edward White, Frank Grant, Bud Fowler, Sol White and any other black pioneers lost to time.

For Further Reading:

• Moses Fleetwood Walker: The Forgotten Man Who Actually Integrated Baseball by Barry Regan from Bleacher Report dated April 16, 2012
• Acclaim Comes Late for Baseball Pioneer by Hillel Kuttler from the New York Times dated April 14, 2013
• The First Black Player in Major-League History by Stefan Fatsis from Slate.com
• Baseball's Secret Pioneer by Peter Morris and Stefan Fatsis from Slate.com
• First Black Player in Major Leagues? Hint: It Wasn't Jackie Robinson by Zach Helfand from the Los Angeles Times dated September 20, 2014
• Black History: First Black Major League Baseball Player by Jason Lewis from the Los Angeles Sentinel dated July 6, 2011

Roberto Osuna Youngest to 100 Saves April 9, 2018

Toronto Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna, age 23 became the fastest to 100 saves with his save of the Blue Jays 2-1 victory against the Baltimore Orioles. Before Osuna broke the record, the youngest pitcher to 100 saves was Francisco Rodriguez at the age of 24 when he pitched for the Anaheim Angels.

Osuna is almost a year younger than Rodriguez was when he reached 100 saves. How far can Osuna go on the saves list? Only time will tell

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
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For Further Reading:

• Osuna youngest to 100 saves, passes K-Rod by Gregor Chisholm from MLB.com dated April 8, 2018

So Far Shohei Ohtani Is The Real Deal April 7, 2018

The Angels' two-way star Shohei Ohtani is making the Angels look good so far. Now granted its only one week into the 2018 season, but Ohtani's performance is making the Angels decision to sign him look like a wise one. 

Aside from his victory in his pitching debut against the Oakland A's, in four starts as a DH, Ohtani has batted 7 for 18 with a .389 batting average with three homers and seven RBIs. Ohtani has homered in three consecutive days to boot. 

Its amazing to see how ingrained certain roles in Baseball are. The game hasn't seen a two-way player since the great Babe Ruth and with Ohtani's performance, the comparisons with Ruth continue. For example, According to the article Ohtani homers in third straight, helps Halos rally by Maria Guardado from MLB.com, Ohtani is the first American League player to homer in three straight games in the same season since he started a game since Babe Ruth did so in 1930.

And according to the article Ohtani joins exclusive company with 3rd HR in first four games by Yardbarker, Ohtani is also the sixth rookie to his three homeruns in his first four games joining Mike Jacobs, Trent Oeltjen, Yoenis Cespedes, Trey Mancini and Trevor Story. 

Ohtani has quickly made himself a fan favorite in Orange County. His second start comes against the Oakland A's, who defeated on he pitched six innings allowing seven hits (one homer) with six strikeouts and one walk. Let's see if he can continue making the Angels brass look good.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,

Baseball Sisco

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For Further Reading:

• Shohei Ohtani's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
• Shohei Ohtani's Japanese League statistics from Baseball Reference.com 

Adrián Beltré Makes History...Again April 6, 2018

Texas Rangers 3B Adrián Beltré made history once again during yesterday's game against the Oakland A's. With his 2 for 3 performance, Beltré passed Hall of Famer Rod Carew with his career hit number 3,054. In doing so, Beltré became the player born in Latin America with most career hits. Beltré was born in the Dominican Republic while Carew was born in Panama. But Beltré's history making didn't end there. 

With his second hit of the game, Beltré tied another Hall of Famer on the All-Time Hits list. This time, he stood side by side with Rickey Henderson. Both players are on the list with 3,055 hits. Hall of Famer Craig Biggio sits just ahead with 3,060 hits. Now here is where the fun really begins.

In front of Biggio is Seattle Mariners outfielder (and future Hall of Famer) Ichiro Suziki. Ichiro currently has 3, 082 hits and is the player who has most career hits that was born in a foreign country. Plus add to the 3,000 hit mix is Los Angeles Angeles (I almost typed California and Anaheim before finally typing Los Angeles, LOL) 1B/DH Albert Pujols. Pujols, who like Ichiro and Beltré is a future Hall of Famer, currently sits at 2,975 career hits. 

It is also conceivable that a 200 hit season puts Beltré at 14th on the list just past Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, who sits at 3,184 hits. The 2018 season is shaping up nicely as a race within the 3,000 hit club.

After Pujols, where do we sit in terms of current players on the cusp of the 3,000 club. You have Detroit Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera with 2,643 hits and Seattle Mariners 2B Robinson Cano with 2,386 hits. After that, it'll be a while before we have a discussion about who might be next to reach the 3,000 hit club.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
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#BaseballSiscoKidStyle

For Further Reading:

• Career Hits List from Baseball Reference.com
• Active Hits List from Baseball Reference.com

Who Was Walt Bond April 1, 2018

With the news that 6'7" Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees was playing Centerfield against the Blue Jays this past Saturday, it was reported that Judge would break the record for tallest Centerfielder. The previously tallest player to play CF was Walt Bond (October 19, 1937 - September 14, 1967.). It got me thinking, I can't say that I had ever heard about Walt Bond. What I found out about him was very tragic.

Bond played in the majors from 1960 to 1967. He would play first base and the outfield for the Cleveland Indians from 1960-1962, Houston Colt 45's/Astros from 1964-1965 and the Minnesota Twins in 1967. Bond's best season came in 1964 when he his .254 with 20 Homers and 85 RBIs in 147 games with the Colt 45's. So what happened to Walt Bond?

While serving in the Army, Bond was diagnosed with Leukemia. He would fight Leukemia throughout his baseball career, eventually dying from the illness on September 14, 1967 at the young age of 29.

Its a shame to hear about a ballplayer being taken so young due to illness. At least with Aaron Judge playing in CF this past Saturday, a small measure of light was shed on the short career of Walt Bond. May you continue to Rest in Peace Walt Bond.

For Further Reading:

- Walt Bond's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Walt Bond Dies at the age of 29 from the Morning Record dated September 15, 1967