Quote of the Week
“ I knew that Brandon McCarthy was the most Twitter baseball player of all time, but retiring with 69 wins and a 4.20 ERA seems a bit on the nose. ”
– Levi Weaver, baseball writer
This Week in Baseball
Big Winners...
The Red Sox became the first team in the major leagues to win 100 games and clinched a playoff berth. This is the third consecutive trip to the playoffs for the Red Sox, which ties the longest streak in franchise history. They should break their all-time win record of 105 before the end of the season.
Complaint Department...
A number of teams were upset at the Indians trade to acquire Josh Donaldson from the Blue Jays. Just three days after the trade he went back on the disabled list. Was he truly “healthy” enough to be traded before the deadline? We may never know, but after centuries of getting terrible deals, it's nice to see the Indians pull one over on the white man.
Blow Out...
White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech has been diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament. Tommy John surgery has been recommended for the highly regarded young hurler. If he gets the surgery, this poor, unfortunate guy will have to miss all of next year and spend more time with his girlfriend actress Vanessa Morgan.
Cost Cutting...
The New York Yankees set to avoid the luxury tax for first time in history. They are on pace to finish below the $197 million payroll threshold — even with performance bonuses. The Yankees have paid the tax for 15 straight seasons since it was implemented in 2003, totaling more than $340 million. Now they will finally have some money to spend on free agents.
Phirestarter...
The Phillies' grounds crew used flamethrowers on the rain-soaked Citizens Bank Park field. They pulled out all the stops to prepare the infield, using a flamethrower-type device to heat and dry the dirt because during a weekend of nonstop rain, the tarp was not down on the infield at all times. This list of suspects is nearly infinite since it includes anyone who wouldn't want to see this game played.
On the Air
“ Alex Rodriguez has been dating Jennifer Lopez so he has a lot of experience flipping buns. ”
-
Episode 78: Deadline Trades; Mariners Skirmish; Scott Servais; Jacob deGrom; Dellin Betances; Shohei Ohtani; Burt Reynolds; NFL Kickoff
First and foremost, who wears it better: Edwin Diaz or Scott Servais? Episode 78 of Foul Territory: A Baseball Podcast—the Julio Urias edition—starts off with a do-over after co-hosts Jed Rigney and Jon Sumple experienced technical difficulties. Rehashing fresh jokes …
Going Deep
-
Giancarlo Stanton Was Not What the Yankees Needed
Last year the Yankees weren’t expected to make the post-season. But they surprised everyone, won the wild card game, beat Cleveland in the Division Series—winning the final three games of the five game battle—and advanced to the American League Championship …
-
Remembering 9/11
I used to think it was weird when older people said they remember exactly where they were when Kennedy was assassinated. How could something that happened to someone else, and that was so far away from almost everyone, have such …
-
A Tale of Two Divisions in the National League
As the regular season winds toward its conclusion, almost a third of Major League Baseball’s 30 teams officially have nothing to play for. Playing out the string is going to be the order of the day from Minnesota to Miami, …
Off Base
