The Monday Takeaway
How old do you think Edwin Jackson is? It seems he’s been in the big leagues forever. There’s a nebulous time in your memory where he was a hotshot prospect coming up at an early age. That seems like so long ago now, back in a time when things were simpler and Britney Spears reigned supreme.
That was fifteen years and thirteen teams ago. Jackson, somehow just 34, has tied Octavio Dotel’s record by appearing with his 13th big league team.
He started for the A’s last night. Naturally, he threw six innings of one-run ball against the Tigers. Yes, he’s played for the Tigers.
It’s not necessarily a good thing for a player to have played with that many teams. Teams generally want to keep a player around if they’re good. Jackson was merely okay for a while, until he wasn’t, and then it all went to hell. He was bouncing around before things got bad, and in all likelihood, one of the seventeen teams he hasn’t played for yet will give him an inning at some point. I’m rooting for him to break Dotel’s record at some point. Dotel did it in the same fifteen-year span, and he did it as a reliever.
It could be easy to view the story of Edwin Jackson as a story of futility and one man’s wandering in the relative desert of baseball. Consider this, however: Jackson is doing his wandering in the big leagues. He’s taken plenty of Triple-A outings, yes, but he’s here. He’s in the Show. There are worse ways to build one’s cap collection.
Quick Hits from Monday
It took a little free baseball to get there, but Ozzie Albies got his first walk-off home run.
I’m all-in on this trend of somewhat undersized dudes who shoot the ball all over the place and hit dingers, by the way. Give it to me. Mainline it into my bloodstream. Give me ping-pong ball and dingerball and speedball all in one player, please. What more could you want? Albies is a joy.
***
Welcome to the Dellin Betances School of Hitting.
Forced to take a plate appearance against the Phillies in part because the Yankees brought up an extra pitcher following Sunday’s extra-inning loss, Betances showed us exactly how to approach things at the plate.
First and foremost, waggle your bat like you’re Gary Sheffield. Don’t get cheated up there. Take big hacks at whatever’s thrown in your general direction. Most importantly, don’t listen to David Cone’s criticism of you not laying down a bunt. Don’t bunt. Hit dingers.
***
Oh no, Nats. Gio Gonzalez, are you okay? Oh no.
Oh no.
I know Blake Snell is really damn good. But… Nats. Are you okay? Do you need a hug?
Oh no.
Defensive Play of the Day
Position players cannot be credited with saves. That’s a shame, because Randal Grichuk absolutely saved the game for the Blue Jays.
That’s in addition to the two-run bomb he hit in the eighth. You could say it was a pretty good night for a guy who was born just outside of Houston.
What to Watch on Tuesday
Afternoon baseball! This could actually breakfast baseball for some of you. Check out the Nationals and Rays at 12:10 Eastern. You’ll get a nice midday dose of Max Scherzer directly into your bloodstream. Nathan Eovaldi will go for Tampa.
The headline pitching matchup of the day will begin at 7 when Luis Severino and Jake Arrieta face off in Philadelphia. The Yankees took the series opener and will look to lock down a series win after being swept by the Rays over the weekend.
Later in the evening, Jon Lester will pit old man guile against Ross Stripling’s blazing hot youngter octane. Look, it’s late. Words are hard. Just watch the game. It’ll be good.
Thank you for reading
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