Quote of the Week
“ In that moment, he’s not doing anything other than rattle me. It was kinda tired. Sometimes he has to remind people how smart he is. ”
– Sean Doolittle, Nationals pitcher discussing Joe Maddon's strategy
This Week in Baseball
There's Good News...
The Twins tied the MLB record for fastest team to reach 100 HRs in a season. With Miguel Sano's home run against the White Sox on Friday, Minnesota has joined the 1999 Mariners as the only two teams in baseball history with 100 home runs in their first 50 games of the season. That's an average of two home runs per game. Two home runs? Now the "Twins" name finally makes sense.
And There's Bad News...
The Orioles became the fastest team ever to give up 100 homers. They did it in just 48 games and in doing so, they beat the 2000 Royals to the century mark by nine games. A major league-high 17 have come off David Hess alone, making him the front-runner for this year's Roberto Clemente Humanitarian Award.
Careful What You Wish For...
Robinson Cano hurt his quad while running hard on a ground ball two days after apparently being benched a game for not hustling on a couple ground balls. The Mets had to put him on the Injured List for a broken irony.
Heartbreak Hotel...
Astros reliever Ryan Pressly had his Major League-record 40-game consecutive scoreless streak snapped when Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a home run in the eighth inning of a game the Astros would eventually win. 40 games in a row? They should nickname this guy "Lent."
Gone Fishin'...
Mike Trout's first error in more than two years proved costly for Angels. The defensive mishap happened in the seventh inning when Trout couldn't handle a sharp single. The ball scooted away, allowing the go-ahead run to score. All the other 29 teams said they would be willing to take this defensive liability off the Angels' hands.
On the Air
“ They're calling it Sho-Time. They're stealing from the basketball Lakers. Classic of the Anaheim Angels to steal from Los Angeles...again. ”
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Game of Thrones deep dive; Orioles Woes, Yankees Wows, Mets Whoas; Ian Kinsler’s Salute; Carter Stewart; UFOs; John Wick (Ep.104)
First and foremost, what did you think about the series concluding episodes of Game of Thrones? Episode 104 of Foul Territory: A Game of Thrones Podcast, er um A Baseball Podcast—the “Blazing Saddles” edition—leads off with a teaser about Jed …
Going Deep
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Ryan Pressly: From Mr. Average to Mr. Unhittable
The relief pitcher as a weapon. Mr. Unhittable has been a force who changes the outcomes of baseball games for the last about 50 years. Some of these weapons have been named Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, Sparky Lyle, Mariano Rivera, Bruce Sutter and Billy Wagner. And for …
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MLB Holiday Uniforms: Poppies, Patriotism and Pink
I turned on the Yankees game last Friday night and was greeted with the sight of DJ LeMahieu in a camouflage hat and socks. I immediately checked my calendar. Was it Memorial Day weekend already, and I somehow didn’t realize …
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How Baseball Lost Itself: A Tragedy
Between the time Keith Hernandez broke in with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1974 and his last year in baseball in 1990 with the Cleveland Indians baseball lost itself. The average baseball salary was $44,000 in 1975. Nolan Ryan hit …
Off Base
