Hitting batters became a thing once pitchers began throwing overhand and moved to the current distance from the plate - 60 feet 6 inches. Before that pitchers threw underhand and batters could request a high or low pitch. Once pitchers began really throwing to get the hitter out, they increased…
We did not talk about Judge and Soto for a change but we did mention Nick Castellanos and Mookie Betts who faced 297 different pitchers. Ted Williams in 1941 faced 75 different pitchers. Which would be harder? Outfield defense is better than ever. We talk about why. Intro & Outro…
A SABR member for 4 years Mark has never attended the annual convention or an event for that matter. For whatever reason he decided to go this year and the review is here. This year SABR 52 (there have been 52 annual SABR conferences wow!), was in Minneapolis in early…
Episode #250! Now there are 18 teams at .500 or better. Just a few weeks ago there were less than 8. The best teams earlier in the season Phillies, Yankees, Orioles, Guardians, have come back to the pack. Juan Soto hit 2HRs Sunday to lead the Bombers over the fading…
There have been multiple occasions when a team won more than 108 games yet somehow did not win the World Series. We talk about those teams as well as the ones that got it done! Think @Pirates @cubs @yankees 3x as well as @mets & @reds . @cubs won 190…
@yankees Aaron Judge was walked to lead off the bottom of the 2nd inning. Apparently the Blue Jays felt he was in scoring position (thanks @threeinningfan !), Jackson Holliday returned to replace the injured Jordan Westburg for the Orioles and he returned with bang in the form of a grand…
We challenged ourselves to talk about trade deals for all 30 teams in 30 minutes. We failed as sometimes we go off. But we still go fast and DID talk about all 30 teams! Who were the winners at the trade deadline? The losers? Were any top prospects moved? Next…
#padres Dylan Cease pitched a no-hitter this week! The 2nd in team history. Kodai Senga returned for the mets and looked great striking out 9. Then he went down with an injury for the rest of the season. Red Sox Tristan Casas may be back soon. #dodgers Mookie Betts and…
All 4 are class acts and made good speeches on a nice July afternoon in Cooperstown. Rob Manfred reads the plaques - maybe someone else could? All 4 are so deserving of the honor bestowed upon them by the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Helton and Mauer, Rockies and Twins…
Aaron Judge rolled out meekly to 3B in the ASG vs. Paul Skenes. Boring! The game was a bore and the whole weekend wasn't much better. Is Rob Manfred paying attention? Maybe since he acknowledged that players might eventually wear their own team uniforms! 60 games left sort of. It's…
Best manager of the first 100 games? MVP candidates? Who might be traded? Will the Orioles hold on?: How about the @clevelandguardians? Are the @brewers for real? Who might win the triple crown? There are several good choices. Who are the best rookies and there are a bunch of them!…
The All-Star break is here. Oh boy. It's only for the best players as the non-All-Stars are home with their families. For four days! So who is really winning here? Is the game even important? @Pirates Paul Skenes is starting the All-Star game for the National League and that's right.…
The most famous stolen base in MLB history occured in the playoffs but not the World Series. Before the modern era, taking an extra base - like going first to third, was counted as a stolen base. That's a cool stat but it should be counted on its own. More…
@phillies lost a series to the @braves but still have a comfortable lead in the NL East. Edwin Diaz returned for @mets which helps but does not make them a contender yet. @Dodgers are comfortable, @Padres are for real. Jose Miranda had hits in 12 straight AB's and Rafael Devers…
Mets closer Edwin Diaz got himself suspended for 10 games for having too much rosin and legal goop on his hand a week ago Sunday. The roster spot cannot be filled so the Mets will play short for 10 games. PED violations that result in a player suspension do not…
Willie Mays did not flaunt it as much as did Joe DiMaggio who reveled in being called Greatest Living Ballplayer (GLB) that he insisted on being introduced that way at public events. But after Joe D. passed away the debate was between Henry Aaron and Willie Mays with Mays' superior…
Who made the decision to have McDonald's character Grimace throw out the first pitch at a Mets game? Genius! The @mets won 7 in a row and are playing well. @Dodgers Shohei Ohtani hit a 476 foot homer in Denver, the longest homer recorded this season. @nationals Kyle Finnegan walked…
Who are the greatest father and son combinations in the history of MLB? Bobby and Barry Bonds are at the top of the all-time father and son combinations when it comes to bWAR. We talk about them and all the other top father-son combos. We also cover the 19 father-son…
There were many big stories in baseball last week. We did not even talk about the College World Series which had 3 walkoff wins in the first two days! More injuries for the Orioles pitching staff and the Astros have more to deal with too. Aaron Judge continues to fly…
Does anyone really want to sit through a 25-1 game? Even if you are a fan of the home team it's not a great fan experience to watch a blowout one way or the other. There have been big blowouts in the regular season, playoffs, and World Series. Watching position…
Yankees-Dodgers series, White Sox finally win after 14 straight losses. Marlins pitching injuries. Gerrit Cole is on the way back. Will MLB try to curtail advertising to bet on baseball? Not likely but... All-Star game voting is in full force but there are also changes in All-Star weekend this year…
The inclusion of Negro League statistics in MLB is overdue but also presents fans with some new all-time numbers to review. That's a little weird but people will get used to it. Eventually. Additional playoff games would more than make up for the incremental loss of gate and TV revenue.…
Angel Hernandez umpired 33 years of MLB. He stepped down this week and received no demand that he continue. His time was over. Reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. went down with an awful ACL injury (again), and will miss the rest of the 2024 season. The last time Acuna…
How has banning the shift worked out for Major League Baseball? Not so great. Batting averages are still among the lowest in MLB history. It's true that a smash through the hole in the right side is more often a hit and no longer fielded easily by an infielder in…