the pitch clock is counting down to the MLB 2023 REGULAR SEASON THREAD

baseball is back, baby (tomorrow)

There’s more history to be made. #SeaUsRise pic.twitter.com/kT8YszT6DU

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) March 29, 2023

https://i.imgur.com/NMv76FS.jpg

i’ll be watching opening day on mlb.tv

i sincerely hope the BT Sport games aren’t blacked out on mlb.tv like the postseason was last year

The bt sport selection doesn’t have many Orioles games - sad. I guess I’m a Mariners fan mainly until the clocks go back.

https://www.spin.com/2023/03/musicians-predict-the-2023-baseball-season/

why is steve earle a yankees fan?

I will be listening to regular season baseball on the radio today

not really an excuse, but iirc steve earle has lived in nyc for the last 20 years

also let's pause a moment to recognize our Spring Training Champions

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FsZwkQfXwBIVLYp?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FsZwkQdXwAQyQoD?format=jpg&name=small

Ready for the happiest day of the year, hope the Giants are better than a .500 club this year. Either way ready for Kruk and Kuip and Jon and Dave.

I'm outraged that the Guardians first game is at 10pm! They don't play a day game till Sunday. ugh

My father (Mets fan since 1962) passed away on opening day last year, so in honor of him am currently flying to Miami to see the Mets opener with my brother and Mom. Scheduled to see game #2 as well. LGM, although honestly the Diaz injury has been such a bummer for me that it kind of ruined spring training.

I'm outraged that the Guardians first game is at 10pm! They don't play a day game till Sunday. ugh

The Giants are starting the season with nine, NINE day games to open the 2023 season.

My father (Mets fan since 1962) passed away on opening day last year, so in honor of him am currently flying to Miami to see the Mets opener with my brother and Mom. Scheduled to see game #2 as well. LGM, although honestly the Diaz injury has been such a bummer for me that it kind of ruined spring training.

Sorry for your loss, I hope today is a great day for you and your family.

So ready for today but I have a meeting when the Giants game starts, ugh.

Michael: nice...Posnanski has a piece up today on the best Opening Day starters and hitters (not shareable). Best starter, Walter Johnson: 9-5, 1.31 ERA. Best hitter, Richie Hebner (!): 12 games, 458/.500/1.042, eight doubles, one triple, six home runs, 1.542 OPS.

Richie Hebner…he was one of those guys I always knew as a part-timer or a high-quality pinch hitter. I was absolutely unaware that he hit 203 career HR.

the gravedigger!

Here's one that really caught me off guard from the same piece: Rick Mahler, 4-0, 0.92 ERA, three shutouts on Opening Day.

For me opening day will always be exemplified by Tuffy Rhodes

Red Sox are going 162-0 this year I can feel it

I got your weak up the middle right here

Had to just buy an extra ticket for the Marlins home opener today and there were still plenty of $15-25 tickets left. Good times!

That's Florida baseball baby

Judge homer on Webb’s second pitch to him 🫣

https://i.postimg.cc/CxVf5HMF/6-C734-C4-F-6-E4-E-427-A-B200-E165-F4499-DD7.jpg

On pace for, what, 600 HR?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQtdeH0ymwE

Volpe looked impressively cool in that AB

supposedly volpe asked brett gardner's permission to wear 11 lol

The video of his parents kissing him is cute af

Baseball, you've done it again. @Volpe_Anthony 💙 pic.twitter.com/LuN57Ij2vv

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 26, 2023

rutschbombb

Top of the 1st, is Kluber ok?

He got pulled after 3 innings and as many runs so I guess not. Orioles leading 5-1, Zack Kelly not doing much better.

yanks and giants struck out 16 times each

rutschmann on pace for 162 homers, 648 hits, 648 rbi

and 324 instances of getting thrown out second trying to inadvisably stretch a single into a double

Orioles winning handily, I think he’ll cope

FIRST BOHM RUN OF THE SEASON#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/9ZlWPjt179

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 30, 2023

Pitch timer violation for Devers, automatic (third) strike

Our first automatic strike of the 2023 season goes to Rafael Devers.
pic.twitter.com/nWNm8lCUDO

— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) March 30, 2023

Pretty clear cut. Terrible game for Boston but Yoshida has really been a bright spot. He's looked great doing everything.

10-7 now!

Casas with a sac fly & Arroyo with a double just drove in three runs!

I wouldn't be surprised this season is going to be a lot like the Sox I grew up with, the age of Jim Rice and Fred Lynn and Dwight Evans. Games with scores like 12-9.

Speaking of the pitch clock, this Boston game has seen 17 runners cross the plate, we're going into the 9th inning and it's not yet at the 3-hour mark

hunter greene sheeeesh. prob not actually 105 but crazy that it’s remotely possible

Hunter Greene, 105.2 MPH Fastball??? pic.twitter.com/NykvOGX7sX

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 30, 2023

Adley goes 5 for 5!

oneil cruz vs. 101 mph fb

Oneil Cruz 💣 pic.twitter.com/Z5WA0j1EDi

— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthewCFB) March 30, 2023

10-9 Orioles-Red Sox!

Oh that’s that. Too bad Duvall couldn’t get hit by a pitch again.

#Rays announce a sellout crowd of 25,025

— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) March 30, 2023

🧐

gregory soto with the dreaded infinite ERA

https://i.imgur.com/tZjsBGx.jpg

Mets-Marlins - they called a strike on McNeil because Alonso took too long getting back to first.

Jays-Cardinals in a wild one.

Nothing caps off Opening Day quite like security tackling a fan who appeared to be trying to propose on the field.

Look at Lourdes Gurriel Jr.'s reaction 😅

🎥 @sxr_704pic.twitter.com/bSbyGMQbyr

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) March 31, 2023

Jesus Christ

Maybe just propose like a normal person pic.twitter.com/3y7Ak8rsLo

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) March 31, 2023

that seems a bit excessive, maybe just tell him to get off the field before tackling him

Could just give him a good old fashioned manhandling, no need to concuss the fella

it's my favorite day on the MLB calendar: a bunch of teams are not playing, for some reason, and there's no day games even though it's a Friday and everyone's excited, and what *is* on isn't on national TV, so good luck watching baseball you good-for-nothing shitbonnets

— Andrew Gaerig (@agaerig) March 31, 2023

so otm. i have never understood why the second day of the season is always so desolate in terms of baseball action

it’s a backup plan in case of rain, so all the people who bought opening day tix could still attend it (unless it rained again, of course). all of today’s games are in domes or places where it rarely rains.

there should absolutely be a day game tho

that is not a good reason imo

marlins rocking the teal tonight

if tonight and last year’s playoffs are any indication, if you let maldonado get on base, the astros are gonna score multiple runs

one little known thing about the "pepper grind" celebration that lars nootbaar popularized in japan is that it was actually invented by back-up catcher andrew knizner (pronounced kiz-ner), last year, before it was picked up by nootbaar shortly thereafter. i watched or listened to just about every cards game last year, and did not realize that knizner started it. knizner is probably the worst cardinal since pete kozma, which is why he didn't get to do the pepper grind very often and it had to be passed on to someone else.

my last pepper grind update is that the team has decided not to do it this year, as some other dumb celebration must be invented instead

interesting outing from jack flaherty today: 5 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 7 BB, 4 K

it's a one true outcome kind of game

http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/762164/animated-siren-gif-animated-siren-gif-animated-siren-gif-drudge-report.gif rutschmann made an out http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/762164/animated-siren-gif-animated-siren-gif-animated-siren-gif-drudge-report.gif

That Angels-Oakland game! Fujinami has an ERA of 30.86!

Dodgers Joe Davis is doing a good job. Instead of this game being all about the Yankees,he is talking about the Giants a far bit.

What an ending to the Orioles-Red Sox game! Yoshida reached first with two outs on a fielding error, Duvall scored a two-run homer, meaning the Red Sox led for the first time all game. Good enough to forget that Chris Sale gave up seven runs through three innings!

Lol absolutely ludicrous finish

5 RBIs for *checks notes* Adam Duvall

McKenna's dropped fly ball the stuff of anxiety dreams

It wound up not mattering but Yoshida should have been standing on second after that imo

The quotes on this

could be worse, we could be starting Adam Duvall

— Ryan Garcia (In the Lab🧪) (@RyanGarciaESM) March 28, 2023

Also he only walked today but hello Casas 1B

WHAT A PLAY BY RAFAEL DEVERS YO SAVE A RUN! AND HELL OF A PICK BY TRISTON CASAS! pic.twitter.com/VOLHqhRj8C

— Tyler Milliken ⚾️ (@tylermilliken_) April 1, 2023

Bumgarner vs Kershaw tonight.

Baltimore 10/10 SB attempts over 2 games

phillies run differential after two games: -17

One of the points the radio commentators made at Fenway last night is that Baltimore runners appeared to be waiting until the pitch clock got to like 1 or 2 seconds and then just taking off. Once it gets down to that little time it's tough for the pitcher to change his mind about what he's doing

MLB announced that a total of 269 players representing 19 different countries and territories outside of the 50 United States were on Opening Day rosters and inactive lists. The Dominican Republic had the most, with 104, followed by Venezuela (62), Cuba (21), Puerto Rico (19), Mexico (15), Canada (10), Japan (8), Colombia (7), Curaçao (4), Panama (4), South Korea (4), the Bahamas (2), Nicaragua (2), Aruba (1), Australia (1), Brazil (1), Germany (1), Honduras (1), and Taiwan (1).

i didn't realize how many Venezuelan players there are in MLB!

When I was a kid they'd have exhibition games early in the season during those rain safety off days, I miss those.

Can’t even enjoy Astros losing cos Clevinger was the winning pitcher. 😒

At least Rodriguez, France and Raleigh are all hitting today.

You can tell how much faster the game is cos we’re at the top of the 7th in the Mariners-Guardians game and the commentators have only chatted about the stadium roof being stuck for about five minutes not 25.

I forgot about the ghost runner rule until now

I didn’t, too bad mariners forgot how to hit in the back innings

maybe deluding myself based on very sss but heartened that the white sox split their series against the astros in houston, with the losses being fairly close. i would love to see them rebound and meet the expectations they had last season

if anything, just to humiliate LaRussa and the circumstances that put him at the helm last year

Incredible!

Joey Wiemer's first outfield assist in the big leagues cuts down Big Dan Vogelbach. pic.twitter.com/7l4xbu0rSY

— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) April 3, 2023

Turang’s first homer is a grand slam! Cut to his parents sobbing in the crowd. Brewers beating the Mets 10-0 in the 5th.

Brice Turang hits a grand slam for his first MLB homer! @FarmToFame_ pic.twitter.com/9LtJG7hhnu

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 3, 2023

Giants have like six home runs if I'm counting correctly.

It ended up being seven home runs in all.

The Wiemer throw... did you see the stank he put on that follow-through?

xp I’m happy to see Bryce Johnson get called up, I heard Bart has a “tight back” hence not being played which I guess is good cos otherwise it’s not like Perez is all that impressive at the plate either (ik ik minuscule sample size…)

Yes, Bart is hurt and happy for Bryce. My biggest worry going into the year is Bart, Wade and Yaz. Yaz might have something left after all but yeah only a few games in.

Reinsdorf is like "fuck no I'm not paying for a VPN..." https://t.co/dr0TV7Qa90

— Beverly #Vote4BrandonJohnson Tweetmaker (@BvrlyTweetmaker) April 4, 2023

Looks like the D-backs were tipping pitches last night against the Dodgers. Some pictures: Kevin Ginkel slider (wrist curl, grass between arms), Kevin Ginkel fastball (no wrist curls, no grass) and Madison Bumgarner letting runner on second see right into his glove. pic.twitter.com/rd2H8C1TAL

— Eno Sarris (@enosarris) April 2, 2023

Sorry guys, I posted this completely unmemorable post in the fantasy thread by mistake:

limb tins & cum (gyac)
Posted: 5 April 2023 at 21:36:52
Ohtani got dinged for a pitch clock violation but went aside with the umpire at the end of the inning with his interpreter to try to explain that he hasn’t finished his windup when it was called.

Mariners have Flexen who I think is usually a reliever starting in place of Robbie Ray, and he’s doing pretty well (2 runs through 5, just one two run homer). Ohtani is having a difficult outing by his standards, running up pitch count and throwing a bit wild. He’s got out of a couple of jams cos of a double play and Mariners leaving guys on base. Oh guys!

I’m wondering how many pitchers are legit going to be not as good with the new rules and how many are just going to be lumped in with those after bad seasons.
Kikuchi on the jays has looked great and everyone is saying it’s because the clock is making him pitch quicker - but I’m not sold that that’s the case

watching the game it just seemed to suit him. manoah in his first start looked totally the opposite. but he improved drastically tonight, and this time he had kirk calling it. seems to me that we may see more catchers taking over as it cuts down on that race against the clock. i think i would just turn it over if it was me on the bump.

I was thinking that the pitch clock probably means not nearly as many shake-offs, right?

ya, has to. which might leave a lot of pitchers better off possibly?!

pretty good padres-braves game

It was, I caught the end of it.

Watching Cubs-Rangers on Apple TV & Dontrelle Willis is commentating. Said that Stroman, who’s kept out the Rangers for five innings so far, is one of only five (!) black starting pitchers in the league. Talked about the need to nurture talent in the cities because as an American game it should be accessible to all children, but pointedly said the expense of the game is a problem.

So much more interesting to listen to than the Tigers commentary with Kirk Gibson yesterday, no colour in his commentary at all 😴

I don't know exactly where baseball falls on the cost continuum of kid sports. More expensive than basketball, much less expensive than golf. Equipment, I mean--playing/league costs are another matter. Playing kid-hockey in a league in Canada is extremely expensive.

For whatever reason, the crowd noise is coming through really clearly from Wrigley Field. Cos Apple TV broadcast doesn’t cut away from the field between innings, the Cubs scoring off a dropped catch from Rangers outfield Garcia meant we heard someone scream GARCIA YOU SUCK, GARCIA YOU’RE A FUCKIN’ JOKE and now when the Rangers bring a reliever, Cole Regans on, screaming COOOOOOOOLE in this style:

https://i.postimg.cc/13xY9cXj/68-F6-F357-D34-B-42-E0-A7-A8-824399-AC33-A8.gif

the really slow roger roger chants at Fenway when Clemens was a Yankee are some of my fondest baseball memories.

Welcome home, Cutch. pic.twitter.com/cHI3c2Ikg5

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 7, 2023

Came here to post that. Very cool.

Another glovely play from Teoscar Hernández -- this one a 9-3 double play with an 86.0 mph throw that nabs José Ramírez to end the 5th inning. pic.twitter.com/BbbtWq9jRZ

— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) April 7, 2023

I am definitely not accustomed to his glove getting much praise. Love the guy, but part of the reason he got dealt was the jays wanted to focus more on defence

Yeah I saw that but he’s been solid out there for the Mariners! Started hitting and scoring as well.

Derby Sweetcoat is a beast

This fucking sucks tbh

Carlos Correa scratched a couple of hours after being named in the lineup (he didn’t play yesterday either)

Carlos Correa is out of today’s #MNTwins lineup again with back tightness, Rocco says. He also sat yesterday.

Very short bench today with Gallo’s availability still questionable, Correa down and Buxton not playing the field yet.

— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) April 10, 2023

was at the Brewer game on Easter. first time seeing a game with a pitch clock, took one inning to go from "probably a good idea but might cause other problems" to "this might actually save baseball". the game has much more of a rhythm to it now. knowing roughly when the next pitch is coming really does change the experience. only downside is they have to shorten all the in-game musical cues, it's a bit awkward

The Mariners are down a SP and a reliever atm, I would be interested to see if pitchers are getting injured during the adjustment period more or if they are just really unlucky.

The broadcast rhythms have totally changed too. You used to get a few nice long replays of home runs or diving stops, now you get one angle and any subsequent looks happen on a split screen with the next pitch! Also some pretty hilarious moments as announcers try to rush their ad reads through in 15 seconds. It's harum scarum out there.

But I agree w you frogbs, pretty much my sentiments exactly.

I feel like the pitchers might could use like *two* more seconds in there

while i think the clock is overall good for the game it would be disingenuous to say it's simply better and that's that. the fundamental deep rhythms of the game have been changed. the pitcher was in his own little world, the batter in his. and then for every pitch those two little worlds locked into each other. possibly grudgingly. the stretched out pace meant you didn't have to pay attention all that closely. you could go for a beer, get up for a pee, get heavily involved in a conversation about a strike em out throw em out double play you witnessed at fulton county stadium in 1985. maybe most importantly it was the players themselves who dictated this pace. they were like kings. we all waited on them. the batter wasn't ready til he was ready. if the pitcher needed awhile with the rosin bag or to warm up his hands, he was going to do it. they were the conductors of our entire experience. now they aren't. they must obey something else. a dumb set of digits that counts down. they're subject to bureaucracy just like the rest of us. you might think i'm overdoing this but i think it really changes the texture of what you're experiencing and makes these guys a little more human. that's not good or bad. but they're not quite the gods they once were.

that’s wonderfully stated…even more a shame that the players couldn’t keep that god status in check to prevent the pitch clock from happening in the first place. would love to a see a comparison of the new rhythm of a 2023 game compared to the rhythm of a game in 1970, and if they are similar.

agreed, booming post.

i fed my team a stick. i tried carrots earlier, they won't listen

while i think the clock is overall good for the game it would be disingenuous to say it's simply better and that's that. the fundamental deep rhythms of the game have been changed. the pitcher was in his own little world, the batter in his. and then for every pitch those two little worlds locked into each other. possibly grudgingly. the stretched out pace meant you didn't have to pay attention all that closely. you could go for a beer, get up for a pee, get heavily involved in a conversation about a strike em out throw em out double play you witnessed at fulton county stadium in 1985. maybe most importantly it was the players themselves who dictated this pace. they were like kings. we all waited on them. the batter wasn't ready til he was ready. if the pitcher needed awhile with the rosin bag or to warm up his hands, he was going to do it. they were the conductors of our entire experience. now they aren't. they must obey something else. a dumb set of digits that counts down. they're subject to bureaucracy just like the rest of us. you might think i'm overdoing this but i think it really changes the texture of what you're experiencing and makes these guys a little more human. that's not good or bad. but they're not quite the gods they once were.

― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, April 12, 2023 2:45 AM (ten hours ago)

i feel you dawg but it's 2023

Has there been a published analysis on how The Rays have exploited the new rules? Seems ripe for a deep dive.

What have they been doing? Haven't followed them other than the fact that they haven't lost.

my best friend who has kids and is home all day all night and loves having the cardinals game on as background noise that he can pop into for 5 or 10 mins when there's guys in scoring position is bemoaning the pitch clock. i, who lives in new york city and has a robust social schedule, really enjoy that i can put a game on TV and know that it's only going to take a 2 hour & 20 min chunk out of my day. i can actually watch a full baseball game and then do something else. kind've a crazy concept. or i can sit down for 20 mins and see a full inning or two and not like... three batters. i gotta say i'm really fucking w/ it

yeah its great. i feel tracers post but a change was necessary.

i think my only gripe is that i just don't need to be seeing the pitch timer on TV. i don't care. it should be an invisible hand keeping the game moving & that's it

The other day we were watching a Mariners game and the Seattle crowd were very loudly chanting down the seconds on the timer. The next day they didn’t do it, clearly something had been said about it also distracting their players.

tbh after seeing how much time it cuts out of the game I'm a little surprised the teams went along with it. they're gonna sell a lot less beer and hot dogs now.

i saw that teams are now just extending the times by which they stop selling beer... i think the article i saw said that a lot of teams are moving the cut off to the 8th inning. but also, the concourse traversing beer, popcorn, hot dog and/or cotton candy seller has prob never had more value than he does now? one of baseball's great unique traditions! i don't think all unintended consequences are bad

Lol drama at the end of the first Guardians-Yankees inning, a catch that wasn’t and Boone just got tossed. The challenge took forever but that inning shouldn’t have ended! The ball dropped!

game seven of the 1971 world series took 2:10. granted it was a 2-1 game, but mostly it was players just not fucking around. (it's on youtube.) like there's a ground out and brooks robinson was in the box before the pirates catcher even returned from backing up first.

all this extra time just built up, maybe because coaching staffs insisted on micromanaging/giving signs for everything, maybe because nomar's ocd required him to readjust his entire being after each pitch. but it just isn't necessary. the kings brought this on themselves, and while I absolutely hate to give manfred credit for anything good, the clock rules

Inning is revived, runners on 1st & 3rd, Boone is still on the field! Lmao

xp game 5 of 2010 was a speedy 2.5 hours 😎

Has there been a published analysis on how The Rays have exploited the new rules? Seems ripe for a deep dive.

― citation needed (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, April 12, 2023 12:54 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

The Rays are exploiting the schedule by beating the tar out of the teams you're supposed to beat the tar out of

I mean look I too lament the loss of some of baseball's more unique features, like pitchers being forced to hit and games that would randomly go 7 hours until the 5th outfielder had to take the mound to serve up batting practice. but I think with all these changes you gotta ask "if it was always this way, would people ever argue for the opposite?" like how crazy would you have to be to be like "I know the pitchers never have to hit and would absolutely suck at it but we should force them to anyway"

the world is a different place now. people have tighter schedules and phones to fill every moment of downtime. watching guys undo and redo their gloves after every pitch just doesn't have the same appeal it used to I guess.

Carlos Correa has sat for four days in a row now and has been supposed to see action for each of them.

Rocco Baldelli suspects that Carlos Correa will be in the lineup at Yankee Stadium tomorrow. He's going to go through an intense day in the batting cage as a final test. Worked out yesterday, too. #MNTwins

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) April 12, 2023

I do wonder how Vin Scully would have adjusted. I have listened to every Giants game, so far this year, and Kruk and Kuip have been having to rush at times.

I agree that it seems rushed at times but something needed to be done. I also agree that maybe the current time should be extended a bit. MLB will work it out I hope.

i saw that teams are now just extending the times by which they stop selling beer... i think the article i saw said that a lot of teams are moving the cut off to the 8th inning. but also, the concourse traversing beer, popcorn, hot dog and/or cotton candy seller has prob never had more value than he does now? one of baseball's great unique traditions! i don't think all unintended consequences are bad

― J0rdan S., Wednesday, April 12, 2023 1:30 PM (seven hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

I am actually a little concerned about this, the number of people who are going to be driving directly after slamming a $15 20oz bud light is probably going to increase

Lol drama at the end of the first Guardians-Yankees inning, a catch that wasn’t and Boone just got tossed. The challenge took forever but that inning shouldn’t have ended! The ball dropped!

― limb tins & cum (gyac), Wednesday, April 12, 2023 1:33 PM (seven hours ago)

the yankees won (and to be fair, the ball did drop), but the challenge was pretty outrageous

xp game 5 of 2010 was a speedy 2.5 hours 😎

― limb tins & cum (gyac), Wednesday, April 12, 2023 10:36 AM

You never forget your first. You can probably search this board for real time reactions.

The Rays' Pythagorean record is only 12-1; obviously very lucky thus far.

you’re saying they haven’t been lucky to play 4 straight last place teams to start the season?

Just kidding around, obviously. Light schedule or not, no one expected this. '82 Braves won 89, '87 Breewers won 91; expect they'll finish better than those two teams.

whether a team is good or not, there is going to be a ton of luck involved with winning 12 straight games!

OK, this was just pushed live. We set up a page where you can track the impact of the new MLB rules changes on things like game time, action, batting averages, base stealing, pitch clock violations, etc.https://t.co/SPtxnQpdLG

— Sean Forman (@sean_forman) April 12, 2023

(xpost) I guess the luck here has indeed been their schedule; the games themselves have been almost all blowouts (which--an early first principle of sabermetrics--suggests they might be really, really good).

Honestly they squeezed one run past the Red Sox, who are not a good team, and the game last night featured:

- a horrific error at shortstop that put Wander Franco on base (which contributed to first three run homer)
- Zack Kelly coming on for Sale and having an absolute nightmare inning where the winning two runs got scored

I can’t imagine either of those things happening with a team with either of a reliable bullpen or a functioning shortstop.


And the Red Sox as a team can’t buy a hit at the moment. It’s honestly not really worth analysing it this early.

Sorry, earlier in this series, I meant to say in first sentence.

I'll dig up James's piece in the '85 Abstract on the '84 Tigers when I get home, the gist of which was: at what point does a fast start cross the threshold of statistical significance?

Oh please don’t on my account

Initial analysis of game duration is -27 minutes (3h6m vs 2h39m) from 2022 to 2023.

https://i.imgur.com/DX1tDZA.jpeg

Just for gyac...He looked at each increment up to 10 games (1, 2, 3...10), then 15, then 20, for all teams from 1965 to 1984, minus the two strike seasons. So there's no data for exactly 12 games. Anyway, for the first 10 games of the season:

7-3 - 58 teams, final winning pct. of .528
8-2 - 17 teams, final winning pct. of .561
9-1 - 5 teams, final winning pct. of .600
10-0 - 2 teams, final winning pct. of .525

His conclusion, as applied to the Rays--and including all the other data--would be nothing we don't already know: they're probably a very good team. The reason I find all this interesting is the two things in opposition: they're by and large blowing everyone away, but, yes, they've had a favorably weak schedule. So I don't know what to make of their start. I don't know if they're the '84 Tigers or the '82 Braves.

That Red Sox bullpen is such a problem. Sox lead 3-1 going into the bottom of the 5th. Kluber had one out when he gives up a walk and a double for a run. He gets the next guy (Diaz) to line out. Pitcher change. The Sox proceed to give up 7 runs in the inning cos the reliever can’t get the final out to end it. Awful, awful shit.

People unimpressed by the Rays start are being daft.

Take for example in 2020, no team was undefeated after the 3rd day of the season.

Sorry to talk in stats/probability but the parity involved in even the most uneven match-ups is like 70% v 30%.

In simpler terms, if you don't believe me, go to Vegas and try to bet a 13 game parlay and then look at the payout. If you bet $10 on the Rays to start the season 13-0 you'd have won ~$650k.

It's an incredibly improbable start and anyone saying otherwise is trolling.

agreed, if you win 98 games that's an amazing season and that would be "only" a 60% winrate

excited to see the Jays/Rays series kicking off tmrw!

A more detailed breakdown from mlb.com of the five 10-0 teams before the Rays (same five as the James data above):

If you’re wondering about what this could mean for October, let’s look at the history of teams to start at least 10-0 since the first World Series in 1903. The 1987 Brewers (13-0 start) went 91-71 and finished third in their division, but they would’ve made the playoffs under the current format. The 1982 Braves (13-0) went 89-73 and won their division, before being swept by the Cardinals in the NLCS. The 1981 A’s (11-0) went 64-45 and won the first-half division title, winning a Division Series against the Royals before losing the ALCS to the Yankees in three games. In 1966, Cleveland (10-0) went 81-81 and finished fifth in the AL. The 1962 Pirates (10-0) went 93-68 and finished fourth in the NL, but they would’ve made the playoffs under the current format. And in 1955 the Dodgers (10-0) went 98-55 and won the World Series.

https://www.mlb.com/news/rays-2023-winning-streak-facts-and-figures

I wish they weren't playing the Jays tonight. 1) Obviously, I want the Jays to win--I wish we were playing Oakland. 2) If the Rays were playing someone else, even though I should always root against the Rays, I'd want the streak to continue, just as something to marvel at.

Anyway, with Berrios starting, Jays can't lose.

Jesus. Imagine getting 93 wins and finishing fourth!

And I’m looking forward to the game tonight. The unstoppable force meets the comeback machine. If the jays fall behind early, that just means they have the Rays right where they want them!

I (of course) sent in a "Hey Bill" about the Rays; James's answer is very much in line with Steve Shasta's above.

Bill - In the '85 Abstract, you used part of your Tigers essay to research this basic question: at what point does a hot start become meaningful. I won't try to summarize all the data here, but your basic conclusion as applied to the Rays this year (now 12-0) would be--I think--you should take their start seriously.

I find them really interesting because: 1) they're usually blowing the opposition away; and 2) they've had a noticeably weak schedule.

How much does the second point mitigate the first?
Asked by: Phil Dellio

Answered: 4/14/2023
Not at all. Their schedule hasn't been that weak, and the difference between how well you play against "weak" teams as opposed to average teams isn't anything. That's a basketball/football argument that gets transplanted into baseball. In football, you play three straight opponents that will finish 3-13, 4-12, 3-13...well, sure, you've got a meaningful advantage. In baseball it doesn't really change the odds very much.

Tampa Bay is a really good team. I watched the whole Red Sox series. The list of things that the Rays did better than the Red Sox would go on for an hour. They're going to win 90 to 99 games. And 13-0 is impressive.

*******

Of the Rays first 13 games, 5 have been against the Red Sox and the Yankees. The other teams are presumed weak, might actually be weak or might not, but by the end of year the weighted winning percentage of those opponents will probably be .450 or better.

The random chance that an average team will go 13-0 against average opposition is .000 122. The random chance that an average team would go 13-0 against .450 opposition is .000 421. So yes, it is mathematically RELATIVELY different, comparing one to the other, but in practical terms, it isn't. It is one in 2400 as opposed to one in 8000.

I was more curious if he thought they might win 110. Even absent the streak, I would have put Tampa Bay down for 90-99 wins.

I tried to watch Giants game today but it's on Apple TV. This year you have to pay.

Looks like I'm not missing anything and otherwise I have other plans.

Wow the rays are falling apart right now!

Ooof, turned on the Rays game right as they walked in a run

bee: https://v2.sportsurge.net/#/groups/0

https://i.imgur.com/wTSL10V.png

And the streak ends!

Rowdy has 3 HR in 2 days, god i love him

jim edmonds is trending on twitter for the second game in a row

Luis Castillo was perfect after six innings but then gave up a hit at the beginning of the 7th 😫

I’m going to assume Edmonds is not trending for good reasons?

This guy getting absolutely dragged on Twitter for this bs

Oh we need to look into you employment too I guess cuz you're kinda ass LIKE....Like you not doing YOUR job let's talk about THAT https://t.co/4pc8XvzwyT pic.twitter.com/wpR7H6J5tf

— 🝮 (@Seiolfur) April 17, 2023

bumgarner dfa'd

What a way to go out: raging at a Latino player over fuck all

"Shut the fuck up you pussy, fuck you" -Madison Bumgarner to Willson Contreras pic.twitter.com/cQQSOp02We

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 19, 2023

he’s been like…an average-at-best pitcher since he left SF.

honestly can't decide if the Bass tweet is entitled or if the stewardess was crossing a line asking his wife to clean up her kids mess.
sort of torn until i remember him and his wife are huge fuckhead trump fans and operating at a heightened level of arrogance and imagined persecution

and speaking of which, i have no idea what Bumgarner was raging about there at all

xp it’s 100% entitled bullshit

i have no idea what Bumgarner was raging about there at all

during the diamondbacks broadcast they were saying he was mad because Contreras swung too hard (?)

it was probably because he was latino

cant imagine he has much time left in the big leagues

There’s probably a load of Giants fans who’ll want him back. Honestly I’m sure some team would take a punt for league minimum?

so are they going to call up pfaadt now

i suppose someone will take a flier on him, but i can't see why

he can't start. in this decade he has an 80 ERA+ and under 7 K/9. he historically has good splits against lefties, but less so recently, and the three-batter rule makes him hard to use as a reliever. plus he'd probably bitch constantly about how he should be starting

and that the *diamondbacks* would pull the plug on a guy they still owe $34m is brutal

Yeah not as a starter but who knows, maybe someone could sell him on a long reliever role. Assuming he still wants to play.

Wow, I heard he wasn't doing well but not so bad that he would be DFA. He won't be back in San Francisco as they have seven starting pitchers and Kyle Harrison is ready.

Things have taken a particularly pronounced downswing in 2023, however, as Bumgarner has been torched for 20 runs (19 earned) on 25 hits and 15 walks with just 10 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings.

it's really hard to be worse than this

did anyone watch him pitch this year? every pitch was a loping BP pitch coming in at 88 mph right down the heart of the plate. i kinda thought i could get a hit off him when he was facing the marlins the other week

Yeah but you know how much they love a nostalgia signing. And I’m pretty sure they’ll find some way to retire him a Giant. Have seen tweets like this:

Mad Bum can put up a 7 ERA for the next 2 years, I do not care. Bring him home. I. Do. Not. Care.

— Dave (@gggiants) April 20, 2023

xp I saw his Dodgers innings and I was shocked, he was never a high velocity guy but his control was utterly gone

only reason the giants do it is if they're retiring him a giant instantly lol

Right,and this is a different front office. I can see him pitching for Bochy again.

Can only see him in Texas if he’s roping tbh

Is he better than anyone on the A's? Semi serious question

If the Diamondbacks do move on from Bumgarner and eat the rest of his contract, it'd make sense that he'd try to steer himself to the Rangers. There is a ton of trust shared with new Texas Manager Bruce Bochy, built on three championships.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) April 20, 2023

Called it but also didn't know they are currently in first place. Who knows?

4/6 teams in an American League playoff spot are from the AL east. Christ.

dude it's april

Ok. Sorry I shared that information. Sorry I talk at all here since you’re determined to be an asshole to me whenever possible. You’re doing a great job trying to make this place as toxic as possible for me.

whoa man what

i somehow hadn't caught that the cubs were off to a fairly hot start, they're going to be 12-7 once they finish creaming the dodgers today, they've recently won series against the dodgers and mariners

Yeah I was coming here to post about this game, absolutely brutal stuff and Hoerner just hit the fourth homer of the day. Smyly pitching quite a game ofc 👀

If it wasn't for Outman, the Cubs have absolutely owned the Dodgers this year, it's crazy. Their scouting on Freeman in particular has been A+.

seems like their pitching has mostly been good - i know steele and stroman have both had strong starts

All the Cubs on the same page here, you love to see it. 🤞🏻

Bellinger has been really good. Looking like a decent gamble.

That has to be absolutely the worst way to break up a perfect game

THIS is how Drew Smyly's perfect game bid ends??? pic.twitter.com/AHaiPZ0pA7

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 21, 2023

too funny

We yelled

The Rangers' Adolis Garcia hit 3 HR and two doubles last night, fourth player ever to do that. He's got 28 RBI in 19 games.

Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe has a torn labrum and will likely miss four to six months, manager Phil Nevin said Sunday.

love to see the pirates (seven straight wins) and the dbacks doing well in the early going

Yep extremely happy for the Pirates especially with that Cruz injury

I meant to say something earlier, but Loandepot Park back on opening day in Miami was lots of fun. Great stadium, and as luck would have it, I got to see one game with the roof on and one with the roof off. Cool graffiti/neon light exhibits outside the stadium, and the bobblehead museum was fun if small. You could get a beer, pretzel, and hot dog for $3 each. Opening day had a soccer game atmosphere, with drumming and the mariachi band playing non-stop through the entire game. I know it was the opening series, but there was no shortage of hardcore/enthusiastic Marlins fans around me.

The rally towel for opening day (Scherzer vs Alcántara) said "The Greatest Opening Day Matchup In History" on it. Haven't checked the facts on that.

Rays are 19-3 after today. A few points of comparison: '84 Tigers (19-3), '01 Mariners (18-4), '86 Mets (18-4), '18 Red Sox (17-5), '98 Yankees (16-6), '22 Dodgers (15-7).

Time to put a sawbuck down for them to win it all

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/does-sending-players-to-the-wbc-screw-teams-up/

warning: numbers
tldr: no

Rays trounce Houston. I would think that might open some eyes.

Amazing A's v. Angels game tonight:

Oakland up 7-1 in the 3rd, only to blow the lead and Angels tie in the 6th, then regain lead 8-7 in the 7th.

Top of the 9th the Angels' choose to not use their 2 elite closers and this guy Wanz starts off by allowing 2 BBs, then after an out allows a single to load the bases.

Brent Rooker comes up with the bases loaded (he's already hit 2x HRs earlier in the game) and coaxes a walk to tie the game.

In the 10th, the A's continue to beat up on the Angels bullpen and drop 3 in the top, and then the bottom of the 10th the Angels:
Drury 2 run HR (scoring ghost runner)
single
walk
HBP (bases loaded)
strike out
then with Mike Trout bases loaded with the game on the line... soft infield grounder to end the game.

Total rollercoaster. The A's sure do suck, but man the Angels are equally terrible. Great baseball at any rate.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have blown two ninth inning leads in the last three days against the Royals and A’s, the teams with the two worst records in baseball.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have seven blown saves already, the most in MLB.

Their series against the Red Sox was a total clown show

That has to be absolutely the worst way to break up a perfect game

Jim Joyce has entered the chat

I stand corrected. Jesus Christ.

Jarred Kelenic is off to such a hot start that he’s already had seven home runs and the month isn’t over yet. Love to see it.

An obsession of mine:

Goldschmidt - .287/.398/.437, 2 HR, 11 RBI
Freeman - .280/.370/.430, 3 HR, 8 RBI

There is no such thing as a small sample size with these two guys.

This A's v Angels series has been fascinating to watch, every game is like little league with massive scoring swings. When you think both teams could get no worse find away to just stumble ever lower, everyone just looks utterly defeated out there.

the Angels are gonna lose this I can feel it

I just looked at the box score - how did Ohtani cough up five runs to the A’s?!

Degrom got shelled by the A’s last year. You can’t predict baseball etc.

agree with ss that has been quite a strange series though

The A’s have run differential of -113!!

This ball did not go out pic.twitter.com/eZ4ZZ2748U

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 29, 2023

kinda looks like it did go out actually

The Rays' run differential (+106) is almost twice the #2 team (Rangers are +59) and exactly twice the #3 team (Pirates are +53). Today was their 12th win by five or more runs.

the A's pitchers' stats are (apart from presenting apostrophe challenges) kinda incredible

Loved this guy’s story

The @Pirates reaction to Drew Maggi's first career hit.🥹 pic.twitter.com/mKIvakZ37t

— Cut4 (@Cut4) April 30, 2023

Watching Bochy’s Rangers for the first time, they hit a grand slam off Nestor Cortes in the first inning. No Judge today ofc

Looking forward Braves-Mets tomorrow. They've played five innings in three days -- who's going to come out refreshed and playing well, and who's going to be over-amped and forget which end of a bat is which?

The Rangers commenters are not great. Referred to someone getting thrown out as being “gunned down”; showed a little infographic about Jonah Heim’s celebrity dinner date being Elon Musk (lol) and then started asking about peas being vegetables.

Rangers walloping Yankees 14-1, bottom of the 6th

Never thought of the decline in "gunned down" from play by play guys, was common back in the day but can't remember the last time I noticed someone saying it.

i heard it just the other day, forget which team. it's hard when so many players have a cannon for an arm and are capable of throwing a bullseye

I could be way off here, but I wouldn't be surprised if--because of the world we live in--it's an expression that is discouraged by station management.

James once wrote that outfield assists should be changed to "baserunner kills." That didn't really go anywhere.

when i worked at mlb 'gunned down' was absolutely not allowed. not sure about 'cannon arm' but it was presumably best left avoided

because this is the world we live in

the aging colo(u)r commentators of the world are gonna do what they're gonna do tho, i guess

xp yeah that’s exactly what I thought of

pretty much any violent metaphor isn’t allowed at mlb iirc - you can’t write “yankees explode for 8 runs” etc. wise imo

This is a cool and supposedly new stat being recorded for catchers: caught stealing above average.

jeez

i think i like it, except.. i'm assuming this number will rise as the season goes on? as an estimate of how many more CS this catcher has than the avg? if the upper limit is 3 then i guess i don't understand it. but if by the end of the season it's like, i dunno, 15 or 20 then it makes sense and is pretty intuitive

I guess there’s a baseline which will obviously increase as the season progresses and this just records catchers throwing out more than average?

Also, I thought Connor Wong had been doing well throwing people out but it was good to see it confirmed.

After my deep-dive analysis (30 second glance at opening paragraph and a few samples) one issue I have is that this stat treats the process of stealing a base as an algabraeic static moment (ie, coordinates of runner and velocity at moment the ball crosses the plate) when the reality is is more of a differential equation (namely Δv/Δt). Raw speed is a function of acceleration but there's many ways to get there in physiology terms.

(Sorry for maths)

Looking forward Braves-Mets tomorrow. They've played five innings in three days -- who's going to come out refreshed and playing well, and who's going to be over-amped and forget which end of a bat is which?

wtf is up with daniel vogelbach's hair

Daniel Vogelbach is debuting a new hairdo today pic.twitter.com/kWvv8BuNEV

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 1, 2023

It’s A LOT

I had to miss game 1! Sitting down to game 2 now.

What in previous years might have regarded as an incredibly dull matchup of the Pirates vs. Rays midweek series in May...

Yet in 2023, it's best of the AL vs. best of NL.

A combined 43-15 but even better, the combined payroll of both teams is $150M which clocks in -$11M to the average team salary.

Some say #moneyball, some say years (and years and years) of top of the order picks for upper tier prospects, but should be fun to watch.

i haven't watched any pirates games this season and so i was about to ask if this seems like something that they'll be able to maintain through a season or if this is just a random hot streak. but first i opened fangraphs and they had just published this: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/should-we-believe-in-the-pittsburgh-pirates/

the nl central does seem fairly winnable if the cardinals can't get their shit together

Just finished watching the pirates demolish my Dodgers. Call it a hot streak (which it probably is), but I don’t see them regressing to the Pirates we have known recently. Regression seems to be to a .500 team, which with their start, is taking them to the post-season.

I recently had a friend wanting to get into baseball for the first time ask me what team to get into in. I recommended the Orioles thinking he would get some nice pay-off in the next few years. How they, and the Pirates, and the Rangers have started has blown me away. Friend is very much enjoying this hot start.

Bryce’s first game back. He’s going to crush isn’t he?

Just remembered Rich Hill is on the Pirates. He deserves a ring, surely the Pirates win it all for Rich

i like the cut of your jib

I know it is very early to be talking about this, but I like that we’re most likely seeing a different post season this year. Feels like the past decade it’s just been dodgers/astros/braves/yankees battling it out. Going to be a lot of fun if the O’s, Rangers and Pirates/whoever else can make it.

Mookieproof, you’re an ancient round these parts right? No relation between your name and Mookie Betts?

Goddamn the A’s just pulled out their rookie starter throwing a no hitter after 7 innings at 81 pitchers to put in a reliever who IMMEDIATELY lets the Mariners tie the game. Brutal for A’s fans, can’t even have one good thing in this mess of a stadium situation.

I know it is very early to be talking about this, but I like that we’re most likely seeing a different post season this year.

it *is* very early, but your optimism is bracing. i will not enjoy seeing your dreams dashed to pieces

i know this is silly but i believe the cardinals will win the WS

everyone is going to hate it so much

barring that, i am rooting for the pirates, then the brewers, then the rays

i actually love the cardinals again? it was TLR and matheny that ruined them for me. maybe also yadi. i can only assume that wainwright is a fascist, but while waiting for receipts i like him. appreciate goldy. willie mcgee goes without speaking. second-best uniforms in baseball

tbf i will probably like them even better if they suck for a lil bit here

yeah i think they're going to be really fun the next few years. jordan walker is so fun to watch, and so kind and endearing when he's on camera. masyn winn is going to be pretty good too, i think, and they're best pals. wainwright's country band is fucking awful

wait what are the best uniforms in baseball though? i like the pirates and the dodgers, orioles as well but i just like animals on bats

dodgers > cardinals > everyone else imo

Royals again criminally understated. As a dodgers fan, I think our uni’s get too much love (while obviously great). Royals do exactly what the dodgers do, but with a cool logo and without the “big franchise” ikky feeling

Bird jerseys undeniably great. I rotate, but Blue jays are my current favourite, close second to the o’s

the red numbers are what put the dodgers over the top

i mean, it shouldn't work, but it absolutely does

Fair point, they are nice

I grew up in the 70s, nothing these day comes close* to the powder blues that so many teams rocked (Seattle, Montreal, Phillies, KC, STL, Toronto, hah it really seemed like half the league was baby blue at one point), but the pillbox-cap-era Pirates or the Astros technicolor rainbows are undeniably classic.

*SD bringing back the brown and gold might be the only modern uni that warms my cold black heart.

i like the powder blues, and i feel like certain teams have brought them back recently? and i love the astros’ 70s outfits, and of course the bucs (although i maintain that their 1971 unis with the mustard yellow are their best). and i’m happy to see the padres’ browns

but the dodgers/cardinals home whites are just unbeatable/timeless

Dodgers classic look agreed, I even love those socks they have with the palm trees behind Dodger stadium.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EU9CAPQU4AATbsG.jpg

Btw I also like Wainwright and he is pretty conservative afaict but nothing like Nimmo or Aubrey Huff so like away imo

Btw was Verlander’s first game of the season mentioned? Detroit on Thursday. They have Scherzer the day before in the second part of the double header.

curious to see how the cardinals will win the WS with a starting rotation consisting of five soggy pieces of spaghetti

there are some dudes I like on the team but I’m not a fan of their bottomless well of competent outfielders who are all named nolan and look like degraded multiplicity clones of mike trout

as i said on the other cards thread i'm just amazed they have (had?) three players who were members of the Aliens marines crew w/Hudson, Hicks, and Gorman. is there a Vasquez in the org?

their bottomless well of competent outfielders will be how they replace some of their soggy pieces of spaghetti at the trade deadline (like last year, when they picked up jordan montgomery and jose quintana)

unfortunately for the aliens crew, i think gorman is likely to be traded. his natural position is 3B, where he's blocked by another nolan, and his 2B fielding is pretty awful and unlikely to get better

you always were an asshole shitty fielder, gorman

as i said on the other cards thread i'm just amazed they have (had?) three players who were members of the Aliens marines crew w/Hudson, Hicks, and Gorman. is there a Vasquez in the org?

there's gotta be a Spunkmeyer somewhere

I assume there’s little love for the Dodgers round these parts considering the lack of team thread…. But they just played one of the most entertaining games of baseball of the year. Max Muncy grandslame 6-10 walk off against ex team mate Craig Kimbrel to finish it. Beautiful

Rookie starter playing for the dodgers, Bryce Harper 3-3 with two walks, one of the craziest defensive plays in the 9th inning for the dodgers to get speedster trea turner, brusdar throwing 100 looking like he’s playing catch in the backyard, below .100 getting a 2 out pinch hit 2rbi to put the dodgers back ahead, some beautiful pitching from Austin Nola, rookie Miguel Vargas again breaking out with some massive hits. Just an absolute cracker

Now lets see what the mariners can do against the A’s (something, please mariners)

Every time I tune into the mariners it seems like J.P Crawford is always doing something great (just did some very nice base running too get to third). Very surprised to just now check his stats and see he’s just a marginally above average. Thought he was in the “almost an all-star” category. Like literally every time i watch, he’s getting a hit, stealing a base, running home to get a run. Anyone else have players you were surprised to find being just average based upon your small-sample sized viewing?

The Padres' pastel uniforms are a crime against humanity.

pirates are being taught a lesson in low-payroll badassery

at least they didn't let the tigers muscle up on them like the mets did. congrats to javier baez on his first homer of the season

the first pitch at Fenway last night was thrown by Olivia Pichardo, a utility player for Brown University’s baseball team and the first woman to play in a Division I baseball game

h/t peter abraham

The Padres' pastel uniforms are a crime against humanity.

agreed

https://img0.etsystatic.com/000/0/6002789/il_fullxfull.336796170.jpg

have been dreading/anticipating the mets city connect jersey for years and looks like it will be another year or two before we get a design that’s probably some kind of blue apple being hit by mr met through the unisphere, all on top of a full canvas of Halloween orange.

I got the Soto city connect shirsey as a gift from a friend and I rock it often.

not a great start for verlander

i think you meant Flaherty there...

Anything the Padres wear would be an improvement over the camo bullshit.

those padres city connect unis are the best unis in baseball.

Supposedly a fan fell off a railing into the Red Sox bullpen? Seems terrible.

Rich Hill pitching is always a practice of aesthetics over function. Painting the corner with his old man “fast” ball, to the most beautiful curveball in the game, getting absolutely rocked into deep centre field to put the blue jays up by four. Really hope he can last the season and give some more production to the Pirates.

Bae making some nice defensive plays

Watching Rich in Pittsburgh bringing back repressed memories of his “perfect game” which was lost in the 10th inning due to the dodgers inability to score any runs. One of the greatest, and saddest pitching performances I have seen

4/6 teams in an American League playoff spot are from the AL east. Christ.

― FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Thursday, April 20, 2023 11:05 PM (two weeks ago)

dude it's april

― mookieproof, Thursday, April 20, 2023 11:36 PM (two weeks ago)

Ok. Sorry I shared that information. Sorry I talk at all here since you’re determined to be an asshole to me whenever possible. You’re doing a great job trying to make this place as toxic as possible for me.

― FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Friday, April 21, 2023 (two weeks ago)

ok it is no longer april and the AL East remains an absolute fuckin buzzsaw, so my bad

the yankees had an incredible first half last year that didn't really pan out, so caveat everything, but man 27-6 is awfully impressive

also someone tell me the last time the pirates lost five straight games while remaining in first place

Glen Kuiper, yikes

Yikes, but also worried from the A’s tweet there’s going to be some serious consequences….. was obviously simply a VERY unfortunate slip of the tongue. Hope whatever happens, it’s no more than a formality of a slap on the wrist

Yikes, but also worried from the A’s tweet there’s going to be some serious consequences….. was obviously simply a VERY unfortunate slip of the tongue. Hope whatever happens, it’s no more than a formality of a slap on the wrist

Turns out, not everyone can flip the ball to themselves and still get the out pic.twitter.com/aEhlO295Zv

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) May 6, 2023

Didn’t say there shouldn’t be consequences, just not “serious” ones. I.e. firing. He has been suspended as of today which was the obvious next step.

My Official Statement on the Glen Kuiper incident is below. pic.twitter.com/txAmPH9ulI

— Bob Kendrick (@nlbmprez) May 6, 2023

Why shouldn’t he be fired, do you think racial slurs just fall from people’s mouths so easily?

No I don’t

Have to turn this Pirates game off. Too sad.

Terrific O's-Braves game, 4 or 5 lead changes and ATL finally winning it 5-4.

Damn turned it off for the dodgers game (which was also excellent). Strider looked excellent while I was watching. These O’s are so fun now

Love that Mariners comeback. One more, boys, so close to .500!

This was sweet!

https://www.mlb.com/news/masataka-yoshida-meets-his-idol-bryce-harper

I can’t tell if the pitchcoms actually break regularly or if acting like it isn’t working is the new stalling tactic in the face of the pitch clock

Probably the latter.

The dodgers v padres game was very dodgers v padres’y. Feels like we have their number for late inning comebacks. Mookie ties it in the 9th, two ours with a solo homer, followed by cold-streak ROY outman hitting a three runner in extras. Rivalry definitely heating up more between these two teams. Good for baseball

i'm just going to say it: there are too many players named lowe right now

We don't know what to say. Just watch. pic.twitter.com/rOUxKpIA4F

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) May 8, 2023

If you are not going to wear a cup (which is crazy), at least slide with your back to the throw (which is Sliding 101, is it not?).

i would assume you don't want your back to the play/where the ball is coming from (ball to the back of the head and all that). the outcome in this instance is a 1-1M-type event

Sliding with your back facing the throw allows you to react quickly to an overthrow (and obviously prevents you from getting hit in the face or groin).

If you're sliding with your back to the outfield, you're still focused on the base and the tagging infielder, not watching the path of the ball. Don't think I've seen a front-facing base stealer avoid a beaning by squirming away mid-slide.

feel like, back in the day, whenever i approached a base that required sliding, i just randomly chose some variant for no reason at all

which is no doubt among the reasons i was a shitty ballplayer. but at least i wore a cup

the outcome in this instance is a 1-1M-type event

drove around for a bit earlier today, thinking about how to make this into a "-2 balls type event" joke, couldn't cross the bridge

trea_turner_sliding dot gif was especially incredible for me

xp

i remember when i got my first jock strap from my parents, it was just the strap without the cup, and i didn't know it was missing anything. wore just that little cupless jock strap for a couple games

one time in high school i somehow . . . didn't bring my cup? and i was playing 3B, and the infield at mars hs (pa) kind of undulated underneath the grass and i basically spent the game in a state of terror

but also i hit one of my exactly three high school homers? perhaps i'd have made the majors if i'd been abelarded

dang, you hit a HR? you're a legend in my book, must have felt amazing. i crushed exactly one ball, hit the sweet spot and swung my hardest. it went to mid-deep CF and was easily caught. my playing days were ended by infielders finally learning how to handle routine ground balls from me

all three of my hs homers were on the road (because the LF pole at my home field was 470 and i was incapable of not pulling the ball)

and all of them were surprising to me. hitting a ball square on is an absolute joy, but i can only imagine what hitting a no-doubter is like

http://capricorncity.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Homer-Simpson-at-Bat.gif

it me

From an Athletic piece today:

1984 Tigers, 31-5. Won World Series.
1902 Pirates, 30-6. No World Series (the first was in 1903).
1939 Yankees, 29-7. Won World Series.
1928 Yankees, 29-7. Won World Series
1912 Giants, 29-7. Lost World Series.
2023 Rays, 29-7. ????

Impressive, no doubt. But as an indicator of World Series potential, the Rays’ 29-7 record means only so much.

All of the other teams on the above list, except for the ‘84 Tigers, advanced straight to the Series after finishing with the best regular-season record in their respective leagues. The ‘84 Tigers needed to first beat the Royals in a best-of-five league championship series. The 2023 Rays, if they win the AL East, would need to win a best-of-five division series and best-of-seven LCS to reach the World Series.

another thing about those early teams is that their record over the first 36 games represented a larger proportion of the season

also they didn't have wild card, division, and league championship series to toss the coin on

oops, sorry clemenza, i see yr quoted text alludes to that

I feel a little bad for the Rays in that they could go 110-52 and odds are it will amount to absolutely nothing.

(Not that a handful of other 105- to 110-win teams in the wild-card era didn't face the same steep mountain.)

i don't know anything about old baseball, but doesn't it seem like starting 29-7 in 1912 would be more the product of luck than in 2023, when there is statistical analysis and player conditioning and video analysis and AI and etc etc

Almost no home runs in the game would significantly reduce luck imo (round bat, round ball)

Almost every home run in 1912 was inside the park, so speed, fielding etc all come into play - but none of it comes into play for ye good olde dinger

the distribution of team quality was wildly variant in the early game. so many of the best players were not allowed to play in MLB, the modern minor league/farm development system was decades away, and i have to imagine there were a lot of shenanigans with owners who didn't care about the quality of the team

in those days, if you had a good nickname and a notable mustache you would basically be the starting shortstop

To me 29-7 in 2023 is more meaningful in 2023 than 100 years ago...but I'm at work in a kindergarten class right now and would need some time to explain that!

I've just become more and more skeptical about everything either pre-Ruth, pre-war, or pre-integration (not quite sure where to draw the line). I will say, when I scrolled through some AL standings from the early '20s, the gap between the top and the bottom wasn't noticeably different than today.

if you wanna see something fun, check out the 1899 Cleveland Spiders on bbref:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CLV/1899.shtml

finished 20-134, which was only 6 wins under their pythag. they fired their first manager Lave Cross after he went 8-30 and Joe Quinn somehow managed to go 12-104 the rest of the way. their best pitcher, Jim Hughey, pitched 32 complete games and nearly 300 innings. his ERA was 5.41. they hit a grand total of 12 home runs on the year. shit, I feel like *I* could've played on that team

The year before that the Spiders were a respectable team and Cy Young was their main pitcher. He pitched nine years for the Spidermen. They lost the '92 Series to the Beaneaters, which I'm still mad about.

andrew mccutchen hitting dingers in a pirates uniform just feels right

BREAKING: #Rays place RHP Drew Rasmussen on 60-day IL

— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) May 12, 2023

end of year Rays' rotation will be their current AA team at this rate.

The Nationals are close but nobody’s home run celebration touches the Mariners

No. Doubt. pic.twitter.com/s6tWfAYQFc

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) May 13, 2023

You'll put somebody's eye out with that thing.

Seriously! I assumed it was plastic but it’s not!

It stands six and a half feet tall, weighs nearly 30 pounds and was so sharp out of the delivery box that its spikes have been dulled. The Mariners’ new trident, unveiled after each home run and bestowed to each slugger who goes deep, is as profound as it looks.

Absolute

Adding insult to tonight's proceedings: the Citi Field video board briefly just shut off during an at-bat, causing a momentary stoppage in play. When it turned back on, it displayed a massive Rays logo. Fans booed.

Then José Siri hit another homer.

Rays 7, Mets 1, top six. pic.twitter.com/KRgwtT8BNr

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) May 17, 2023

John Schneider: "shut up, shut up fat boy, shut up"

George Costanza must be up to his old tricks pic.twitter.com/WaLyHZyeYA

— BaseballHistoryNut (@nut_history) May 16, 2023

A’s win with a Ruiz walk-off single: pic.twitter.com/Fi2yY8RLMu

— Jessica Kleinschmidt (@KleinschmidtJD) May 17, 2023

wow absolutely no one there for the 12th

dying @ the rays logo

It’s incredible. Just unreal how you can fuck up that much

paid attendance in oakland last night was 3,261 so there was barely anyone there to begin with

and the place seats 47K for baseball (56K if they took the tarps off mount davis)

ftr, class a dayton drew more than twice that last night (to see the home team get no-hit)

at least brent rooker is off to a nice start

btw . . . rich hill!

Dustin May:

May’s velocity was down in the first inning, topping off at 95.8 mph. He was replaced on the mound by Dylan Covey.

In between innings, May met with Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts and pitching coach Mark Prior. He then left down the tunnel.

This is the same elbow that May had Tommy John surgery on in May 2021.

May is 4-1 this season with a 2.68 ERA and 32 strikeouts.

no wonder the a’s are moving to vegas?

Really a sad state of affairs for a historic franchise. The early 70s A's were what got me interested in baseball.

xp cos the ownership was running the franchise into the ground and giving the fans nothing to watch? Who’s going to watch them there?

Oakland had a couple of good runs in terms of attendance: the Henderson-Canseco-McGwire era (six consecutive years over two million, almost three one season) and the Moneyball years (five consecutive years ditto). Mostly they've been middle of the pack, and often worse than that. Their early-'70s WS dynasty drew about 2.8 million over three seasons--not as awful then as that would be today, but not particularly good, either.

only been there once, but i thought it was actually a decent place to see a game (to be fair, i grew up going to three rivers stadium, so basically any park with real grass is cool to me). i guess the enormous foul territory isn't ideal. and yeah it's not 'nice' like a post-camden yards park

but if you spend 30 years cutting everything to the bone while trying to extort the locals to build you a stadium -- and then finally make concrete moves toward leaving -- not too many people are gonna be interested in seeing a team on a 36-126 pace take on arizona

May’s velocity was down in the first inning, topping off at 95.8 mph.

Time was, a pitcher would be ecstatic about hitting 95 on the gun!

Speaking of Reggie (I won't start a thread), big day on the Jaded but Nostalgic Old Guy Calendar: happy 77th. I saw him twice: in 1969, when I was 7, the year he was threatening Maris's HR record at the All-Star break (remember nothing, but I later determined the game was close both geographically and on the calendar to the Manson murders); and in '87, his final season. I remember my dad and I left a couple of innings early and missed one of his last HR.

When I lived in New York, the one time I managed to go to Yankee Stadium--I think it was in 1992--happened to be on Reggie Jackson Day. I wasn't even aware of the occasion until we got there. I got really choked up seeing the man himself.

The one time I was there was pretty close to that--'87 or '88, obstructed view in left field, I think.

I briefly got to meet Mr October in Finsbury Park in London in the summer of 2019. My kids' little league team had somehow organised a skills day with a bunch of former Yankees and Aaron Boone. It was like walking around in a dream. Rivera, A-Rod, Pettite, Matsui, Beltran, and, uh, Nick Swisher. Reggie spent quite a bit of time with the kids, giving them tips on their stances and their swings. Other than that he frankly seemed kind of grumpy and mainly just hung out with Beltran eating BBQ which is fair enough, I think they'd arrived that morning from the East Coast. Cashman was there too and I had a long talk with him about the 'best team ever' years, and which Post and the Daily News reporters he got along with and which ones he didn't. Now that I think about it even Manfred showed up! He gave some boilerplate speech. But the Yanks donated an entire half-container of brand-new Rawlings gear to the team, I guess it was probably worth thousands. Just an incredible day. I'm told Reggie will only sign baseballs on the "sweet spot" where the seams come together at their narrowest, but both balls my kids gave him had already had those spots taken and he signed them anyway. Getting soft!

Oh, man--would love to meet him. His WS quote--"The only thing I don't like about playing in the World Series is I can't stay home and watch myself"--is one of my favourite ever. (Really enjoyed his old-guy book with Bob Gibson.)

Checking game logs, I'm not even close on the game my dad and I left early. It might have been this one, which was '83, four years before he retired.

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/06/18/Reggie-Jacksons-two-out-three-run-homer-capped-a-four-run-California/2210424756800/

Memory fading.

             1-run   Other
Athletics      7-7    3-28

RHP Trevor Bauer has been sent down to the Baystars farm and will pitch Sunday.

https://t.co/evCwzztDuF

— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) May 20, 2023

couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy

so is madbum done? it's been almost a month

Here’s the video of Trevor Bauer getting taken deep by the first batter he faced in his first game since being demoted to the minor leagues in Japan. pic.twitter.com/TiOUCjfd8m

— sky (@GonsolinRBW) May 21, 2023

straight into my veins

crazy that his agent popped into the thread to immediately agentsplain this

He chose to be sent down!

Long may his suffering continue.

xps to mookieproof

There’s an article in the Athletic now and 🫣

“

I definitely can,” Bumgarner said, “but I’m not going to throw anybody under the bus.” Pressed for specifics, he allowed that ditching the team-provided scouting report was “a big part of it.” It was an oddly cryptic answer, but it was hardly indecipherable. Most took the response to be a shot at the person who prepares attack plans for Arizona’s starters — pitching strategist and former big-league pitcher Dan Haren.

Haren confronted Bumgarner about the comment soon after, according to sources within the organization. That ended whatever relationship the pair had, and sources say the two didn’t speak to each other for the rest of Bumgarner’s time with the team, a span of almost two years. From then on, even as Haren worked closely with the team’s other starters, all game-planning information for Bumgarner was run through the Diamondbacks’ catchers.

Super cool to get racist ads (HAVE YOU BEEN HARMED BY DEI) on more than half the MLB broadcasts I catch on mlb.tv.

The AL East and AL Central are still operating like one giant division and we hope it never stops. pic.twitter.com/8IWALVjzvR

— Productive Outs (@ProductiveOuts) May 23, 2023

this video is legitimately amazing

【びっくり】MLBにリスが登場…観客席を走り、グラウンドに落下したリスが見事な着地披露pic.twitter.com/6bXx9iCmsk

— ライブドアニュース (@livedoornews) May 24, 2023

every single person doing the YouTube thumbnail face

Worst 50-game starts, since 1901:

1904 Senators: 9-41
1932 Red Sox: 10-40
2023 Athletics: 10-40
Four teams: 11-39

the 1988 orioles, who started 0-21, are one of the 11-39 teams

Should have called Contreras rule on Rojas in this Dbacks-Phillies game.

i remember sports illustrated doing a cover on the Os’ historic futility that year. it was in the waiting room at the dentist. one of those little memories that clangs around in my head.

https://vault.si.com/.image/t_share/MTY5MDk4MzYxMzQ1OTQzMDAz/702628---cover-thumbnail-image.jpg

I'm scanning every square inch of that bat with a magnifying glass.

first mlb game I went to was an orioles game in that series. I didn’t really care much about baseball (aside from baseball cards) but I was impressed by the losing streak.

cal ripken sr. was fired as manager at 0-6

he wasn't the problem, alas

I’m at marlins-rockies for my first live game of the year, and I’ve already seen a triple and a steal of home. though I’m seated looking directly down the third baseline, and it seemed like that should have been runner interference

i am not seeing this steal of home on the internet, but if it involved luis arraez it was absolutely legit because he rules

ps are you wearing nugs attire y/n

yes I’m in a bright blue and yellow nuggets warmup jacket

<3

i remember sports illustrated doing a cover on the Os’ historic futility that year. it was in the waiting room at the dentist. one of those little memories that clangs around in my head.

― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, May 24, 2023 4:43 PM (five hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

Imagine if you'd told teenage me in 1988 "this is only the fourth-worst Orioles team you'll see in your life"

iirc at one point ronald reagan called frank robinson to offer condolences/support

fucking insult to injury

lol ouch

clemenza that's the one! i remember the shot and everything. it seemed impossible at the time. it still does, i guess.

That was a weird division that year: 89 wins took the division, and the top five teams were all bunched between 85-89. I don't really remember Toronto being in a close race in '88 (like '87 and '89), but they only finished two games out, so I guess they were.

royals violating an unwritten rule, insulting the troops by throwing combined perfect game through 6 in stl, prompting outrage among the proud neighbors of the I-70 route which divides a nation

stroman 9 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 8 K, 105 P, 92 game score

I guess if you’re going to give up a single hit it should be to Wander Franco.

cubs have eased back into mediocrity but their pitching is not bad, at least the steele/stroman/smyly chunk of the rotation

going to see them play the rays tonight with kyle hendricks pitching for the cubs so i'm anticipating a lot of hitting from the rays

Morel has been doing really well since the Cubs called him up! I watched the Cubs absolutely brutalise the Dodgers in that almost-a-perfect-game but they’ve had some injuries since. The pitching seems good as you say, though Taillon doesn’t seem to be doing very well (I say this only having glanced at his numbers, I haven’t seen any of his starts yet).

Btw i am also seeing the Cubs play next month, albeit in London, so hopefully Bellinger will be back for that

taillon is bad, hendricks was bad in his first start coming back from the IL and i don't have high hopes for him to improve

The Rays haven't had their own thread since 2015? Maybe I'm missing something--anyway, I'll post here, from mlb.com:

ST. PETERSBURG -- The most recent team to lead the Majors in home runs and stolen bases included a 36-year-old Jackie Robinson and a 24-year-old Don Zimmer. There’s still plenty of season left, of course, but the 2023 Rays have a chance to accomplish the same feat as those 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers.

The Rays entered Tuesday with 101 homers, 11 more than the Braves and Dodgers. Tampa Bay has also racked up 73 steals, 15 more than the second-ranked Pirates and 20 more than any other American League team. For what it’s worth, the last team to lead the AL in home runs and stolen bases was Cleveland in 1995.

I always assumed Don Zimmer was born 60 and bald.

Taillon is really disappointing for the cubs, after a slow start he got it together last season eventually while pitching for the yanks and had a very good K/bb ratio too, but he's just been so awful. They were hoping they lucked into another Arrieta but they got another 2023 Corey Kluber thus far.

(xpost) I was wondering how close the Big Red Machine came to doing that, and they came close a few times league-wide, and in '76, they indeed led the NL in both categories, 141 HR and 210 SB. But the Royals stole 218, and the A's stole 341 (!) that year. Three guys (Bill North, Campy, and--disconnect--Don Baylor) all stole more than 50. It's still the modern-day record for one team.

: /

always rooting for taillon -- i mean he's had testicular cancer and *two* TJ surgeries and is a really nice guy

they're gonna have to invent an injury for him, they can't keep running him out there like this

Morel has been doing really well since the Cubs called him up!

― TY FRANCE HATES TEXAS CONFIRMED (gyac), Tuesday, May 30, 2023 6:51 AM (thirteen hours ago)

As someone focused on the micro, he has been ice cold for what seems to be ages... 3 for his last 26 with no XBH. Prior to that he was on an absolute tear.

never ever say 'focused on the micro' steve shasta

:-O

the 200,000 foot view

never ever make me reference this passage steve shasta

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FVixvOqWUAMZaqo?format=jpg&name=small

i still remember the baseball phrase mookie requested that i never use again.

it has to do with batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. an excellent version of it, for example would be

.300/.400/.500

and if you found yourself describing these three stats together, with the two slash marks in between, you might say, after a few drinks perhaps, that one had, say, slaaaaaa---

*ducks*

oh there will be no verbing

no verbing
no v erbing
no v e rbing
n o v e rbing
n o v e r bing
n o v e r b i n g
i n c e p t i o n

november rain, obvs

the guy leaping over the table represents the pirates

About a month ago I was on a junk ship somewhere near the coast of Northern Vietnam and Southern China. There was the ubiquitous karaoke programme which began at sundown to attract people to the bar to get them to pay for overpriced beers (which at <$1 USD wasn't really overpriced).

The ship's guide knew that I'd last lived in San Francisco so as I went to the bar to get a bottled water for the night, he became very interested in getting me to sing Metallica ("One" or "Enter Sandman") because obviously I'm from SF, I should love Metallica naturally. Some young Australian girl had picked "November Rain" and was doing a pretty horrible job as I was telling the guide that I was on my way back to my cabin to edit some photos.

The guide snatches the mic from the albeit willing Aussie gal's hand and throws it to me to finish it for her. Now admittedly I have not heard this song in 17 years or however old it is but I knew the melody as I'd studied the guitar solos (please don't ask for details behind this).

Aside from the long instrumental passages and corny lyrics it's not a horrible song. I'd never karaoke it again (my current staple is Bee Gee's "To Love Somebody") but it was kinda fun to give it a go.

― (*ﾟーﾟ)θ L(。･＿･)　　　°~ヾ(･ε･ *) (Steve Shasta), Sunday, July 5, 2009 9:21 AM (thirteen years ago)

shame on you for making me even consider posting a bill murray gif

last years aaron judge season might not have been a fluke

i'm told that he's now ahead of trout in career SLG

also his dog is incredibly cute

Aaron Judge graduated from the same high school as Stephen Malkmus (happy bday to Steve btw).

...sorry, they went to rival high schools. But Malkmus did write a song about Judge's HS:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pPlos2i7Ys

texas never focuses on the micro

I would listen to a baseball broadcast by mookie and SS.

What the fuck business do the Atlanta Braves have losing two straight to the Oakland Athletics.

@mookieproof:

MICRO-management: Morel has lost his starting role! Despite SLASH-ing .286/.324/.714 since his call-up, he is now riding the pine with Hoerner at DH.

the Oakland A's record is blowing my mind right now, that shouldn't even be possible in the major leagues. And they're on a winning streak!!!

Submitted an ASG ballot today; I may submit one more closer to the deadline (or may not).

https://phildellio.tripod.com/asg.jpg

I went with Bichette over Franco and Perez over Rutschman because I always view ASG voting as a two- or three-year window (plus some hometown bias for Bichette); Franco and Rutschman will both be on the team and will start many games in the future. My outfield picks especially gave weight to résumé, although you still have to be having a good-to-excellent year. NL catcher was a coin toss--could have gone with Will Smith, or even Realmuto. Didn't realize till I filled this out how great a season Luis Arraez is once again having.

Arraez's career box:

https://phildellio.tripod.com/arraez.jpg

I don't know, I think he might be a .300 hitter.

he still seems underrated

Another triptych--I'm telling you these will be hanging in Cooperstown one day.

I thought of trying to get from Luis Arráez to Ty Cobb in three photos, but figured Tony Gwynn's death would make that impossible. But Arráez of course began with the Twins.

https://phildellio.tripod.com/tytedrodluis.jpg

Inspired by my triptych, Arráez went 5-5; hitting .390 through 200 AB.

Someone on FB gave me the idea for this: me to Cy Young in three photos. (If I have any more of these, I'll open up a new thread.)

https://phildellio.tripod.com/cytedjohnnyme.jpg

I'm thinking Ted Williams liked to get his picture taken.

the Rays are absolutely lethal

Frankly sick of their bullshit little bloops & homophobic bullpen

Arráez 3-4 tonight--.399! I was wondering about the last guy to make a serious run at .400 (Arráez still at least a month away from what I'd call serious), and it was, duh: Gwynn in the strike season, and Olerud a year before that. Gwynn never actually got to .400 after May 9, but when the season ended on August 11, he was up to .394 and coming off nine games where he hit .472. Olerud was hitting .400 at the end of play on August 2 (and .391 on August 27).

Semien's hitting streak up to 24 games. 30+ games this century (in-season only):

Jimmy Rollins - 36 (2005)
Luis Castillo - 35 (2002)
Chase Utley - 35 (2006)
Dan Uggla - 33 (2011)
Albert Pujols - 30 (2003)
Willy Taveras - 30 (2006)
Moisés Alou - 30 (2007)
Ryan Zimmerman - 30 (2009)
Andre Ethier - 30 (2011)
Freddie Freeman - 30 (2016)

Pretty detailed look at .400 threats since Williams (some not even remotely close):

https://www.mlb.com/news/luis-arraez-chasing-400

Two I really don't remember:

2000: July 20 (91 games) -- Nomar Garciaparra, BOS (.372). Garciaparra won his second straight batting title in 2000, becoming the first Red Sox player to win consecutively since Wade Boggs won four straight from 1985-88.

1999: June 28 (78 games) -- Tony Fernandez, TOR (.328). Fernandez’s average was the highest of his career, and it came in his age-37 season.

.401 for Arráez!

If anyone’s watching Brewers Orioles right now my wife won 2nd row tickets and my son is sitting right behind home plate lmao

tonight’s yankees-white sox game should not be played in these air conditions, but i bet it will be

A's winning 7-3 today. At 13-50, they're running four games behind the '62 Mets.

huh, they actually did postpone in the bronx (and philly)

meanwhile the pirates got absolutely rocked by the a's twice in about 18 hours

I, myself, remember the April 2023 Pirates.

I do realize how silly it is to be getting caught up in Arráez in early June--if anything's almost guaranteed, it'll be that he'll be doing well to hit .350 or better. But I am. He's 2 for 4 again tonight, and up to .403. He does, I would think, have a good chance to be in the MVP hunt by season's end, especially if Miami sneaks into the playoffs.

i don't begrudge you being excited about him!

but maybe let's rein in the expectations a little bit? we're not even 40% of the way through the season. i bless famous wakeboarder steve shasta for committing the april 2023 pirates to memory, but when arraez ends up hitting .349 over a full season i'd hate it to sound like a disappointment

i mean i get that you're rooting for marcus semien -- he's a good player! -- but when you say stuff like 'if he can put up five more all-star-to-MVP-type seasons in his mid-to-late-30s, he'll be in the HoF conversation' well, sure. so would my mom

tbf my mom would be a total wildcard -- if *she* can't remember her previous strategies, there's no way anyone could predict her. bad knee tho

also she absolutely refused to give me credit for 'little league homers' involving fielding errors when she scored my little league games

pretty good mom tbh

I guess I should be thankful I'm out of jaded purgatory.

i can't afford to get to skydome at the moment -- last time i was there, jeremy giambi (rip) was in right field (for the a's, i think?)

but man we should go to a game sometime. it would be honestly good

All for it--any time. (Three games lined up, hopefully a fourth with Thermo later in the season.)

<3

Any secret strategy you can get from Thermo w/r/t his fantasy team, I'll gladly venmo you in USA funds.

I believe he and Tom Tango worked out an ironclad fantasy algorithm, but that's all I can say.

Really happy to see Money Mike have a big game for the Braves tonight. He's been grinding hard at bat all season, still getting it done in the field.

King

Elly De La Cruz rolling into Cincinnati steakhouses wearing a Bratz shirt after hitting his first career homer 458 feet

it’s over for this league https://t.co/c8lurrbTHx

— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) June 8, 2023

Shades of Carlos Delgado: José Ramirez hit three HR last night, including his 200th. (In an oft-repeated, bizarre sequence of events, Delgado hit two the game he hit his 100th, three the game he hit his 200th, and four the game he hit his 300th.)

zack greinke is leading the royals -- not just the pitchers, all of them -- in bWAR (at 1.0)

he is 1-6 with a 4.59 ERA and 6.8 K/9

Did you read that piece in The Athletic about him

Delgado, there's a guy for the "why did they retire?" thread. he was vv productive in limited duty in his last season and only 27 HR shy of 500.

Still productive, but physically he'd had it:

(Wikipedia) "On August 7, 2010, the Boston Red Sox signed Delgado to a minor league contract. He played 5 games with the triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox between August 9 and 15, collecting 3 singles in 13 at-bats (.231, 0 HR, 2 RBI). This was the entire extent of Delgado's 2010 season after Delgado suffered a setback with his surgically repaired hip."

I was really rooting for him to get to 500 HR.

Oakland showing signs of life.

Braves are at five straight come from behind wins -- I wonder what the record is.

I was two or three years late on Kershaw, so I'm pleased to announce that I already know who Bobby Miller is.

https://www.mlb.com/news/bobby-miller-off-to-historic-career-start-with-dodgers

2000 career hits for Cutch

How is there an article about a young phenom pitcher having an insane start of the season for the Dodgers and it doesn't mention Valenzuela??

I guess the difference in the writer's eyes is that Valenzuela pitched 10 games in relief in 1980 before he was converted to a starter. But if you focus on '81 only, yeah, phenomenal:

first eight starts (all CG): 72 IP, 43 H, 68 K, 17 BB, 0.50 ERA, 8-0

I doubt we'll ever again see the like