Of Hits and Misses Bobby Bonds set the all-time single-season record for strikeouts with 189 in 1970, and his mark has weathered repeated challenges since. Mike Schmidt, Pete Incaviglia, Rob Deer and Cecil Fielder all struck out at least 180 times in a season. Bonds’s record has survived despite rampant whiff inflation throughout baseball in…
The Series–and you know what I’m talking about: The Series–is over. Throughout the New York/Boston media axis, sportswriters are returning to their blissful slumber, and as we enter the month of June, the New York Yankees find themselves in unfamiliar territory: second place. It’s really fairly incredible that a three-game series in late May can…
The Dodger Bullpen One of the problems Davey Johnson had in his first year as the Dodger manager was a lack of bench options, especially left-handed ones. Over the winter, Kevin Malone worked to get him more balance, trading away Eric Young and Raul Mondesi while bringing Shawn Green and F.P. Santangelo. Along with increased…
Two weeks ago, at the Angels/Orioles game in Anaheim, I filled out my All-Star ballot. Two, to be exact. When I was younger, I used to fill out as many as I could before the sixth inning, when the ushers at Yankee Stadium–back when they had ushers–would come around and collect them. There were "favorites"…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Outrighted RHP Brett Hinchliffe to Edmonton; recalled RHP Seth Etherton from Edmonton. [5/25] Seth Etherton tops off what’s beginning to look like the Angels’ rotation for their next contender: him, Jarrod Washburn, Scott Schoeneweis and Brian Cooper. Etherton, nabbed out of USC in the first round of the 1998 draft, throws harder than…
The American League held an early-season barnburner over the weekend as the teams battling for the leads in the East and Central divisions went head-to-head. The series in New York got most of the attention, thanks in part to two of the games showing up on national television. The Red Sox took two of three…
One of the great things about baseball is that no matter how many games you’ve seen, there’s always the chance that you’ll see something you’ve never seen before. What’s true at the game level is equally true at the seasonal level: each season, there is that delicious possibility that some team will do something–or have…
We’re probably long past the issue of whether or not the pennant races were corrupted by the introduction of divisional play in 1969. We’re also beyond questioning whether they were harmed by the strike, lockout or industry-wide flight from having a postseason in 1994. So let’s bury the past and move on to the latest…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Placed RHP Mark Petkovsek on the 15-day DL, retroactive to 5/17 (virus). [5/22] Recalled RHP Brian Cooper from Edmonton. [5/23] So far, the rotation is safe from Ken Hill and Tim Belcher; they both need more time to recuperate from their injuries. In some ways, bringing Brian Cooper up for the fourth spot…
While the Braves occupy their familiar place atop the division, winning a league-best 70% of their games, the rest of the division features a resurgent Montreal, a Mets team playing well over .500, a Marlins team playing a little under .500 and an ugly Phillies team that would be in the league’s cellar if not…
To my mind, the biggest story in the National League so far is the struggle of the Houston Astros. The three-time NL Central champs are in last place this season, with the second-worst record in the league (moving up from worst just last night). The team ERA is 14th in the league, and even after…
Raves for Rafael (And the Braves) Barely a month ago, I wrote that the Braves were taking a needless risk in rushing Rafael Furcal straight from A ball to the major leagues. While the financial ramifications are still going to crop up down the road, it is fairly obvious that from a talent standpoint, Bobby…