Tag: MLB

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MLB General

June 6 in Sports History: The First All-Star Game

In 1933: The first Major League All-Star Game took place in Chicago’s Comiskey Park (and the whole idea was proposed by a sportswriter nonetheless). The American League, featuring Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx defeated the National League squad, 4-2. Ruth hit the very first homer in al-star history in the third inning, with a blast into the right field bleachers.


and in 1983: The 50th Anniversary of the midsummer classic was also held in Comiskey Park. Once again, the AL won, this time a 13-3 rout over the senior circuit. Fred Lynn of the California Angels hit the first grand slam in the game’s history, once again in the third inning.

In 2002: Daryle Ward of the Houston Astros hit PNC Park’s first and only home run into the Allegheny river on the fly (many have bounced in off of the walkway behind the bleachers). Ward’s 479-foot grand slam helped pace the Astros to a 10-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The event was significant to me for two reasons. First, I was at the game; and second, Ward would be my neighbor for a brief period while with the Pirates during the 2005 season, before later signing with the Washington Nationals in the offseason. I moved into the apartment next to Ward on July 6 of last year.

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MLB General

The Full Count: No birthday present for George

1. Happy Birthday, Boss: George Steinbrenner celebrated his 76th birthday last night. So did the Yankees’ opponent, the Indians. Cleveland’s offense came alive for a 19-1 bashing of New York, the second-most runs scored by any team in a game this season. Travis Hafner demonstrated why he should be on the All Star team by crushing 2 home runs and 4 RBIs. Catcher Victor Martinez, one of the league’s most underrated players, went 5-6 and drove in 3. Six Indians had 2 or more hits, and six also had 2 or more RBIs. Shawn Chacon took the bulk of the beating for the Yankees by allowing 7 runs in less than 2 innings. The Indians also featured some good pitching in the rout: Jake Westbrook went 7 innings and allowed no earned runs. Cleveland is no stranger to blowing out the Yankees; in August 2004 they crushed them 22-0.

2. Tying it up: The Blue Jays have been creeping up on the Yankees for almost two months now, and they finally tied them in the standings yesterday. Roy Halladay, the Blue Jays’ All Star pitcher, became the first AL starter to reach 11 wins on the year. Halladay worked 7.2 scoreless innings to capture what eventually became a 3-2 win over the Rangers. That’s because BJ Ryan almost blew the game in the 9th inning. Ryan, whose ERA has been well below 1 for most of the season, allowed 2 runs in the ninth but escaped with the save. Both the Blue Jays and the Yanks are now 4 games back of the Red Sox in the East, and that’s with Boston losing yesterday. Meanwhile, the Rangers fell to 42-42 but are still in 2nd place in the awful AL West division.

3. Make it 17: Jose Contreras, the AL’s likely starter in the All Star game, remained undefeated with one of his best outings in a while yesterday. Contreras, who posted a 6.21 ERA in June but escaped 3-0, worked 6.2 scoreless innings last night to improve to 9-0. Contreras needed little run support but he got plenty of it; the White Sox offense blew up the Orioles for 13 runs. Paul Konerko hit his 21st homer of the season as every Sox starter scored a run and got a hit. At 54-29, Chicago remains 1.5 back of the Tigers for the AL Central lead.

4. A three-way tie: The NL West has been the most competitive division in the majors ever since the season started. Teams move in and out of first very quickly in this division, in which currently all 5 teams are separated by just 3.5 games. Right now three teams are tied for the lead: the Rockies, the Padres, and the Dodgers (43-40 each). The Giants are just a half game back, while the struggling Diamondbacks are bringing up the rear. The division could be called the NL’s best or worst depending on how you look at it. While all teams are close, the 43-40 mark is the worst in the majors for any division leader. Which team should emerge from this mess? We’ll take the Dodgers, whose offense surprisingly leads the NL in runs scored.

5. LLLLLLima time!!!: In one of the most entertaining stories possible, the Mets recalled Jose Lima from AAA. Lima, who posted an 8.79 ERA in three starts earlier this year, will look to further the Mets’ recent struggles. Or maybe not, considering his 3.86 ERA in seven starts in the minors. Either way, we’ll get to say “Lima Time” one more time.

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MLB General

The Full Count: All-Star teams announced



Top NL and AL vote getters

1. All Star teams announced: The highly anticipated All Star game selections came last night, and for the first time in a while there appears to be no (major) snubs. The Mets and White Sox lead all teams with six selections, and the Red Sox and Yankees combined for 5 players in the AL starting lineup. The Mets will start 4, and 6 of the 8 NL starters will come from the NL East division. Almost every player who deserved a spot got on the rosters, available here. Those who didn’t could still earn a spot through final fan voting of five nominees. The AL nominees are Justin Verlander, Francisco Liriano, Travis Hafner, Ramon Hernandez, and AJ Pierzynski. The NL candidates will be Bobby Abreu, Billy Wagner, Chris Young, Chris Capuano, and Nomar Garciaparra. Unfortunately only one of those players can make it from each league, and the ballots are available online. We’d take Liriano and Garciaparra.

2. A-Rod over Mets: Alex Rodriguez had his best game of the season on a huge stage, almost single-handedly upstaging the Mets on Sunday Night Baseball. A-Rod hit 2 homers and drove in 7, including a grand slam in the 3rd that put the Yankees up for good. The Yankees scored 8 runs in that inning, and they cruised by the Mets 16-7. It was another attempt by Rodriguez to prove his doubters wrong, as many were wondering if he deserved the All Star start (which he got). A-Rod finished the series win over the Mets 5-12, with 3 homers and 9 RBIs. He is now on pace for 39 and 133 over the season, which sound like A-Rod numbers to me. It’s about time that Yankees fans just shut up about how disappointing he is. Sure, he was awful in the playoffs last year, but without his monstrous contributions in the regular season New York wouldn’t have gone that far.

3. Lightning lefty: Is there any question who the AL rookie of the Year will be? At least for now, it has to go to Francisco Liriano. He has so fully dominated his opponents this season, he even has a chance to win the Cy Young. After shutting out the Mariners last night in 8 innings and striking out 12, Liriano is 9-1 on the year. He has racked up 7 consecutive quality starts, and on the year has a 1.99 ERA and .97 WHIP. Liriano just defines unhittable–opponents have only batted .203 against him this year. The Twins are almost guaranteed a win 2 of 5 days with Liriano and Johan Santana in the rotation. The team has now won 10 in a row, and should be a strong contender for the AL Wild Card.

4. A pitcher’s nightmare: That described yesterday’s White Sox-Cubs game, which turned out to be one of the most high-scoring and crazy games of the year. Going into the game many expected a pitcher’s duel between Mark Beurhle and Carlos Zambrano, but they both got shelled. Beurhle allowed 11 runs in 5 innings, while Zambrano gave up 7 in 6 but escaped with the victory. The Cubs won 15-11 in the end, in a game in which four players homered for each side.

5. Start me up: The starting pitchers for each side in the All Star game has yet to be announced, but Brandon Webb has sure made his case in the NL. Though the Diamondbacks ace struggled in June, he returned to his dominant form yesterday. Webb fired a four-hitter against the A’s, striking out seven in a complete game. He outdueled Barry Zito, who allowed 1 earned run through 8.2. Webb finally earned his 9th win on the year after going 8-0 through May. He has been the best pitcher in a league where there has been no truly dominant starter. On the AL side of things, Johan Santana deserves the start but it will likely go to undefeated Jose Contreras. Contreras is 8-0 but is inferior to Santana is every aspect but winning percentage.

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MLB General

The Full Count: We’re going streaking!

1. Make it a dozen: The Red Sox just keep on winning, and even a series against the NL’s best team didn’t produce an Interleague loss. The Sox completed a sweep of the Mets on Thursday in a heavily anticipated Glavine vs. Shilling matchup. Each pitcher held the opposing team scoreless through five innings, but they ended up allowing two earned runs each. Shilling pitched seven innings to earn the victory, his only mistake a two-run shot allowed to Carlos Beltran in the 6th inning. Coco Crisp used a bunt single, a steal, and a sacrifice fly to score and break the 2-2 tie in the 7th. David Ortiz hit his 23rd homer to seal the deal, and Jon Papelbon collected his 24th save. The Red Sox are now up by a season-high 4 games in the AL East, while the Mets still hold an 11-game lead in the NL East.

2. It’s over: The Pirates losing streak finally ended last night despite facing the best pitcher one of the AL’s best teams. The Bucs defeated the White Sox 7-6, and Jose Contreras had his worst outing of the year but was spared of the loss. Contreras allowed 6 runs in five innings, but his undeafeated streak still stands at 16 games. That’s because Jim Thome tied up the game at 6-6 in the eighth with a pinch-hit homerun, his AL-leading 25th on the year. For the Pirates, Freddy Sanchez went 4-5 and hit a game-winning walk-off homer in the ninth. His batting average increased to an NL-leading .363. This game means little more than an ended streak for the Pirates however. They are still 17.5 games back of the Cardinals in their division.

3. Streaking Seattle: One of the many AL teams taking advantage of a weakened National League is the Seattle Mariners, whose 10-2 record in Interleague play has left them only two games back in the AL West. They currently have a 5-game winning streak going after completing a sweep of the struggling Arizona Diamondbacks. Yesterday they won 3-2 after a strong start by Gil Meche, who is 3-0 in his last five starts and has dropped his ERA over a point. JJ Putz picked up his 14th save for Seattle, and he has only blown one save all season. Raul Ibanez is having one of the quietest yet effective seasons of any player, and last night he hit his 17th homer and 63rd RBI. Even Adrian Beltre has raised his average from under .200 to .262 over the past month or so.

4. They like their homers in Cincy: After hitting four homers against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday, the Reds were at it again on Thursday. They hit three homeruns, one each by Ken Griffey Jr., Felipe Lopez, and Adam Dunn. Griffey’s shot marked his fourth game in a row going yard, while Dunn’s blast gave him 25 on the year. Dunn also hit a double in the eighth inning that drove in the game-winning run. The win for Cincinnati left them just one game back of the Cardinals, and it appears they are for real. Bronson Arroyo, who left after seven innings and received a no-decision, allowed two runs to keep his ERA at an NL-leading 2.58. The Royals, meanwhile, once again have the majors’ worst record after their loss and the Pirates’ win.

5. Bringing juice to the Golden Baseball League: Jose Canseco is back in a professional uniform, as he agreed to a contract with the San Diego Surf Dawgs. Canseco will play DH and even pitch for the team, which plays in the independent Golden Baseball League. He will make the league maximum salary, which is just $2,500 per month. We’re waiting to see if a steroid scandal will soon rock this independent league.

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Soccer

June 30 in Sports History: Brazil wins 5th World Cup title

In 2002: Brazil won its record fifth World Cup with a 2-0 victory over Germany in Yokohama, Japan. Ronaldo beat German keeper Oliver Kahn for both Brazilian goals. They were the first team to go undefeated and untied on the way to the championship since 1970. The 25-year-old Ronaldo would net eight goals during the World Cup (and just recently became the all-time leading scorer). (Planet World Cup)

In 1962: Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches his first of four career no-hitters with a 5-0 victory over the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium. Koufax struck out 13 and walked five batters. He also accomplished the rare feat of striking out the side on only nine pitches in the first inning. Koufax would go on to pitch no-hitters in four consecutive years from 1962-1965. The Dodgers always struggled offensively in those years; so when teammate Don Drysdale was told about of Koufax’s gem, his immediate reaction was to ask, “Did he get the win?” (baseball-almanac.com)

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MLB General

The Full Count: Johan Santana for Cy Young

1. Unhittable: Pitching in Minnesota, Johan Santana doesn’t get as much credit as he would if he played for a large-market team. But he deserves more, as he proved once again in yesterday’s 6-3 win over the Dodgers. Santana pitched seven shutout innings and only allowed two hits en route to improving to 9-4 on the year. Despite a slow start, he leads the AL in strikeouts, innings pitched, ERA, and WHIP. His 2.59/.96 in the latter two categories would be even better if he pitched in the National League, where there is no DH. Santana already has one Cy Young, and if continues this production he’ll have to expand his trophy case. Is there anyone out there who still thinks Chicago’s Jose Contreras should start in the All Star game for the AL?

2. Finally, a win: The St. Louis Cardinals hadn’t been able to buy a win in Interleague play, losing their first 8 games against the AL. They finally won one yesterday, defeating the Indians 5-4. Chris Carpenter followed a shaky start last week with a solid 7-inning, one run performance. But the bullpen blew it for him, allowing 3 runs in the eighth to let the Indians take the lead. But the Cardinals prevailed because of a Jhonny Peralta throwing error in the 9th inning. They escaped with the win and still have the NL Central lead.

3. A new homerun leader: Though the Phillies lost yesterday to the Orioles (twice), at least they got something out of it. Ryan Howard, their slugging first baseman, blasted two homeruns to up his total to 27 on the year. He passed Albert Pujols in the process for the major league lead, the first time since early April that Pujols didn’t have at least a share of the lead. The dual solo shots gave Howard 68 RBIs on the year; he is second to Lance Berkman’s 70 in that category. Howard will likely be one of four Phillies voted to the All Star game; teammates Bobby Abreu, Chase Utley, and Tom Gordon should all make the team.

4. Welcome back: The fans at Fenway Park gave a good greeting to Pedro Martinez, who hadn’t pitched there since leaving Boston in 2004. Unfortunately for the Mets, the Red Sox offense didn’t welcome him as well. Pedro was tagged for 8 runs in 3 innings in one of the worst performances of his lengthy career. Alex Gonzalez homered for the second straight game and Josh Beckett picked up his 10th win for the Red Sox. Boston has now won 11 games in a row and is undefeated against the National League. Both teams now have 47 wins and each leads their respective division.

5. End of his career?: Brett Myers has plenty of problems to deal with right now to say the least. Myers, Philadelphia’s best pitcher, is charged with hitting his wife in the face. His court date is August 4, and it is unlikely he will be pitching anytime soon. Myers was placed on the inactive list and sent down to Class A Clearwater yesterday. He almost certainly won’t pitch for the minor-league team, but the move will allow Philly to add another pitcher to its roster. Righthander Adam Bernero, who has pitched in the majors for multiple teams in his career, has been called up and will probably start on Friday.

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MLB General

The Full Count: Clemens now 0-2

1. Outdueled–again: Roger Clemens hasn’t had much luck in his first two starts. On June 22 he took a loss to the Twins even though he pitched decently. Last night he pitched six innings, allowing only 2 runs (1 earned), but took the loss again in a 4-0 defeat to Detroit. That pushed his record on the year to 0-2 despite a fantastic 2.38 ERA. This is rather reminiscent of last season, when the Rocket led the majors in ERA but was just 13-8. This time Clemens was outdone by the Tigers’ Nate Robertson, who is having a quiet yet awesome season. Robertson is 8-3 with a 3.14 ERA (3rd in the AL) after his 7 inning, shutout performance against the Astros. Though teammate Justin Verlander gets more attention, Robertson has bested him so far in most statistical categories. The Tigers are on a roll, with 15 wins in their last 17 games and a 10-1 record against the National League. The `Stros, meanwhile, have fallen behind Milwaukee in the NL Central.

2. Burnett is back: Toronto’s AJ Burnett, in his second start after a long time on the DL, finally showed the Blue Jays why they signed him for $55 million. He pitched an efficient complete-game shutout of the Washington Nationals, throwing only 92 pitches. It was the most successful by far of four total Burnett starts this season, and it lowered his ERA almost 2 full points to 3.24. Jays outfielder Alex Rios, who had struggled mildly after exploding to a .360 average through May, got back on track with a 3-4, 2 RBI performance. For the Nationals, Alfonso Soriano continued his June struggles, going 1-4 in the loss. He is hitting just .224 on the month and has lowered his OPS from .950 to .888.

3. The stuggling Bucs: The Pirates are bad enough against the National League. But against the American League, they suck even more. They have lost 12 games in a row, 10 of those coming against AL teams. They even got swept by the Royals, who they are now tied with for the honor of “worst major league team.” Yesterday they lost in Game 1 of a three game set against the White Sox. Next, they’ll face Detroit, meaning the Pirates could go 0-for-the American League very easily. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if they lose 24 games in a row, as they travel to New York and Philadelphia when they return to NL play. And even more bad news: starter Oliver Perez, once thought to be one of the brightest young pitchers in the game, has performed so poorly he was demoted to the bullpen. At least you Pirates fans can go to the All Star game at your beautiful new ballpark. Other than that, there’s not much hope.

4. The other New York-Boston rivalry: The Red Sox sure hate those Yankees, and this week the other New York team, the Mets, travel to town. We’re not sure if the hatred exactly carries over, but anyway, it’s still a very good matchup. Boston took game one of the 3-game set, as rookie Jon Lester picked up the win. In 4 career starts Lester has performed well, with a 3-0 record and a 2.95 ERA in his limited action. Manny Ramirez, Jason Varitek, and Alex Gonzalez drove in 2 runs each for Boston in the 9-4 romp. For the Mets, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado each hit their 21st homer of the year. The next two games in the series will each feature great pitching matchups: Martinez vs. Beckett in Game 2 and Glavine vs. Shilling in Game 3.

5. Mr. Baseball: Peter Gammons has probably been the most influential reporter in baseball history, with stints at the Boston Globe, Sports Illustrated, and currently ESPN. But now the world’s brightest baseball mind will be in the hospital for a while, as Gammons suffered a brain aneurysm on Tuesday. He is currently in the intensive care unit and will hopefully be alright. No exact details have been released about the problem, but it must have been sudden as Gammons worked Sunday Night Baseball a few days ago. In a sports world that is filled with mindless talking heads, Gammons is one of the few who stand out and is an insightful and interesting reporter. Again, we hope he’s alright.

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MLB General

The Full Count: Beavers take the College World Series

1. Beaver Time: The biggest news in baseball last night wasn’t anything that happened in the majors. It was the Game 3 of the College World Series finals, a winner-take-all battle between favorite North Carolina and unheralded Oregon State. And it was the Beavers who took the title, with a 3-2 victory in the final game of a very close series. OSU became one of the biggest underdogs ever to win the CWS, and the first northern-based team to win it all since 1996. They won in the most improbable of fashions, with 6 victories in elimination games. Pitcher Johan Nickerson was selected the tournament’s most outstanding player, with 4 runs allowed in three elimination game starts.

2. Master in the Clutch: David Ortiz won Sunday’s game with a walk-off homerun, and he lifted the Red Sox to another win on Monday. With the Sox trailing 7-6 in the 12th inning, Kevin Youkilis hit an RBI single, followed by a Mark Loretta walk. Then Ortiz came up and did it again, winning the game with an RBI single. He became the first player since Nomar Garciaparra in early May to end two straight games with RBIs. It was the 9th win in a row for Boston, and they remain the class of the AL East.

3. Continued success: Many thought the Tigers would fade after a tough schedule stretch earlier this month, but they still are outpacing every MLB team. With a 52-25 record, they are still the only team with 50+ wins, and they are 2 games ahead of an outstanding White Sox team. Yesterday they continued their dominance over the NL, defeating the Astros 10-4. Catcher Ivan Rodriguez homered and drove in three runs, and starter Zach Miner improved to 4-1. The entire top half of the AL Central is on fire: the Tigers, White Sox, and Twins have each won 9 of their last 10.

4. St. Louis struggles: The team that many consider the best in the NL, the St. Louis Cardinals, has performed terribly in Interleague play. Excluding a May sweep of the Royals, the Cards have lost all seven games they’ve played against the American League. Their struggles continued yesterday when the Indians romped them 10-3. St. Louis starter Jason Marquis performed horrendously for his second straight start, with 7 earned runs in 6 innings. In fact, in Marquis’ last two starts he has allowed a combined 20 earned runs, becoming only the third player since WWII to allow such an amount. Over that stretch his ERA has ballooned from 4.55 to 5.82, according to Elias Says. Travis Hafner hit two homeruns for the visiting Indians.

5. Justice is not served: Most people know by now of the laughably awful tirade thrown by single A manager Joe Mikulik yesterday. It will likely hold its place as one of the worst performances by a manager in baseball history. So that is why we are questioning the punishment given to him by the South Atlantic League. Mikulik was suspended a mere week and fined $1000. The fine might be appropriate considering that a single A manager doesn’t make much cash. But the suspension is a joke, and it sends a message that a manager can disgrace himself and his organization and only miss 7 games. Ozzie Guillen says one word and people are calling for him to step down, but this guy can act like a child and gets a minor suspension? If we were the upper management of this team, we would get rid of Mikulik.

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MLB General

The Full Count: Fun in Lexington

1. The Single-A leader in attention-getting: The Lexington Legends have been in the news twice in their lifetime, both times ironically this month. First they were host to Roger Clemens’ first rehab start, and yesterday they hosted one of the wildest tantrums in baseball history. Joe Mikulik, manager of the visiting Asheville Tourists, was just slightly upset about an umpire’s call about a second-base pickoff attempt. When Koby Clemens (yes, that Koby Clemens) was called safe at second, Mikulik ran out of the dugout, argued with the ump, and was ejected. Of course he didn’t stop there, picking up second base and throwing it into the infield, covering home plate with dirt, and throwing bats onto the field. Milkulik said, “I could get two mannequins at Sears and umpire better than what I saw this series.”

2. A comeback for the ages: It was a shame the Chicago White Sox lost to the Houston Astros Sunday night, because if they hadn’t it might have been considered one of the great all-time MLB comebacks. The Astros simply dominated the first 7 innings of this ballgame. Ace Roy Oswalt allowed 2 runs in seven and struck out Jim Thome 3 times. Lance Berkman hit a homer and 3 RBIs. Sox starter Javier Vasquez allowed 9 earned runs, and the Sox trailed at this point 9-2. People were even starting to leave the stands at US Cellular Field. But the performance they missed was legendary. Tadahito Iguchi, the White Sox’s unremarkable second baseman, hit a three-run homer in the eighth that set the score to 9-5. Then Houston closer Brad Lidge came on in the ninth even though it wasn’t a save situation. Two singles, two outs, and a walk brought up Iguchi again. Iguchi homered again, a grand slam that tied up what was once an eight run game. Iguchi’s seven RBI in the last two innings to tie it up would be one of the most memorable individual performances in MLB history had this been the postseason. But it wasn’t, and there was no storybook ending for Chicago. Willie Taveras hit a single in the 13th inning to win the game for Houston. The loss ended a 9-game winning streak for the White Sox.

3. Mr. Excitement: Jose Reyes was struggling about three weeks ago at this time. He was only hitting .246 in the leadoff spot for the Mets, with a measly .308 on-base percentage. But now he has proven himself as one of the best table-setters in the game, as a 13 game hitting streak has increased his average to .302. In June he is hitting .430 with 15 steals, a substantial portion of his major-league leading 34 in the latter category. Yesterday he helped the Mets to a 7-4 win over Toronto, with 4 hits, a homer, and a steal. This is what the Mets have always hoped for from Reyes, who in his first full season last year posted an OBP of just .300. With Reyes’ help the Mets are one of just two NL teams with a winning record in interleague play (the Rockies are the other).

4. Just what the Braves needed: The Braves haven’t been able to buy a win in June, as both their pitching and hitting has floundered. But yesterday they finally found some hope, as first-time starter Chuck James allowed just 3 hits and a run in 8 innings pitched. James, who is considered by one scouting service the #7 prospect in the big leagues, allowed just one hit through seven innings to Tampa. He is filling in for the demoted Jorge Sosa and brings a young talent the Braves desperately need from their pitching staff. The Braves won the game 4-1, and captured their first series win since May 25-28 vs. the Cubs.

5. Pros vs. Joes: The Yankees and Marlins played a doubleheader yesterday, significant because of the $185 million difference in payroll between the teams. It also allowed the Yankees to preview some of their future players when the Marlins dump everyone after winning the 2008 World Series. Anyways, the first game marked the best pitching duel of Sunday, as Mike Mussina took on Dontrelle Willis. Both were excellent, Willis allowing 2 runs and Mussina just one. Johnny Damon’s two run homer allowed the Yankees to take Game 1. But Game 2 was a different story, as the Marlins blanked the Yanks 5-0. Anibal Sanchez, in his first major league start for Florida, won the game with an impressive 5.2 inning performance. The Marlins’ bullpen allowed no hits the rest of the way as the team cruised to victory. In the department of the unordinary, just 6,800 people showed up for Game 2, the lowest total at Yankee Stadium in more than 10 years. It was almost like giving the Marlins home-field advantage, as they are used to those kind of crowds back in Miami.

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St. Louis Cardinals

June 26 in Sports History: Cardinals Jimenez pitches no-hitter

In 1999: Jose Jimenez of the St. Louis Cardinals pitched one of the most unlikeliest no-hitters in baseball history. Jimenez out dueled Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks for a 1-0 victory at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix. He walked two and hit a batter while Johnson also pitched a complete game and gave up a broken-bat infield single for the Cards’ only run. In his only year as a starter, the 26-year old Jimenez was just 5-14 with a 5.85 ERA (he did once have 41 saves in a season with the Rockies) and would finish with a 24-44 career record.

In 1985 It was one of those moments that you just wish you were there. In a Class A Florida League game, Umpire Keith O’Connor threw someone out of the game for objecting to a call he had just made. Funny thing was, it was the organist, Wilbur Snapp, who got tossed. After a bad call, Snapp thought it would be funny to play “Three Blind Mice,” but the umpire did not find it amusing. O’Connor walked up to the backstop screen, pointed directly at Snapp and ejected him from the game. The story broke nationally, and Snapp (who died in 2003) claimed that a single day didn’t go by without somebody asking him to play “Three Blind Mice.”