About Us

Developed by four former Major League Baseball employees, Coffee & Box Scores delivers a unique brand of baseball content, where the present connects to the past in a celebratory, fun and thought-provoking style.  Producing daily notes, essays and artwork, Coffee & Box Scores is made for baseball fans seeking creative and stimulating content.

Game Notes

Game Notes

Game Notes – 06/16/2025

Roger Schlueter | Tuesday, June 17, 2025 close
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In 1963, outfielder Leon Wagner produced 26 home runs for his Angels club.  It was a strong number, good enough to tie Daddy Wags for ninth in the AL, but was also a fairly steep drop from the previous season, when the first-time All-Star clocked 37.  Wagner’s tally in ’63 […]

Game Notes

Game Notes – 06/15/2025

Roger Schlueter | Monday, June 16, 2025 close
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Sometimes, a player’s line doesn’t need the author’s flourishes – the adjectives, the superlatives, the flow-y and show-y.  The numbers, with perhaps just a little context, are all that’s required to … sing.  Here’s one such story – just the facts.   On June 25, 1987, the visiting Reds lost […]

Game Notes

Game Notes – 06/12/2025

Roger Schlueter | Friday, June 13, 2025 close
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The 2025 Cubs – first in the NL Central, pouring out 5.49 runs per game (second best in the Majors) – can look themselves in the mirror and see four qualifying players with an OPS+ of at least 140:  Kyle Tucker comes in with a 155, Michael Busch holds a […]

Game Notes

Game Notes – 06/11/2025

Roger Schlueter | Thursday, June 12, 2025 close
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All the way back in June of 1929, Mel Ott (all of 20 years old) punished NL pitchers to the tune of a .339/.500/.711 slash line that featured an astounding 47 RBI.  The month featuring the start of summer has never since seen one player drive in as many runs […]

Recollections

Recollections

(Rein)stating the Obvious

Tim Ott | Sunday, May 18, 2025 close
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On Christmas mornings in the Ott household in the early 1980s, it was a common occurrence for me to unwrap the obviously book-shaped gift and see some form of the baseball record book staring back at me.   These volumes became my companion through the long winter months, and while […]

Recollections

Too Hot to Handle

Tim Ott | Wednesday, April 30, 2025 close
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With the month of April (already!) drawing to a close and the noise of small sample sizes fading into the background, it’s a good time to take stock of the Major League leaderboards and note the players who have excelled to this point of the season.   Some, like Aaron […]

Recollections

When Spring Bloomed in the Spa City

Tim Ott | Saturday, March 1, 2025 close
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With the cold weather still lingering in many parts of the country, winter-weary baseball fans can take comfort in knowing that the action ramping up across ballparks in Florida and Arizona heralds the arrival of spring.   But while the Grapefruit and Cactus League games have been an annual component […]

Recollections

The Boys of Winter

Tim Ott | Tuesday, February 4, 2025 close
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There’s a wonderful old commercial for Starting Lineup sports figures that features an unseen singer waxing about his childhood dream of becoming a big league baseball player, ending with the line, “And summer would go on forever.”   Coincidentally, around that time summer did linger past its usual expiration date – […]

Connections

Connections

Hello, Wilson

Roger Schlueter | Saturday, June 14, 2025 close
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The Aaron Judge carnival of wonders, the thumping by Cal Raleigh and Kyle Schwarber, the walloping and run-scoring fusillade from Shohei Ohtani.  In a sense, the 2025 campaign has been largely consumed with the bombers, whether their explosions have been confined to four-baggers or just an integral part of the […]

Connections

Start Us Up

Roger Schlueter | Wednesday, March 26, 2025 close
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Almost exactly one year ago, 27-year-old Tarik Skubal opened the Tigers’ season with six innings of three-hit, no-run ball.  The 1-0 final in Detroit’s favor was, in a way, the initial abracadabra in what turned out to be a magical, fantastical year for both pitcher and team.  Now, Skubal – […]

Connections

Join the Club

Roger Schlueter | Monday, March 24, 2025 close
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To anyone equipped with access to Baseball Reference and a healthy combination of curiosity and affection for the numbers, rabbit holes can appear with a time-destroying frequency and head-spinning expansiveness.  Recently, one came a-calling in a most – seemingly – benign form:  Bernie Williams’ headshot on BR’s homepage.  The image […]

Connections

Bursts

Roger Schlueter | Friday, March 14, 2025 close
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Naturally and appropriately, Hideo Nomo carries a banner for introducing a “first” to the magic of season openers.  The historic event occurred on April 3, 2000, when the right-hander became the first Japanese-born hurler to make an Opening Day start.  Nomo allowed three runs over seven innings that Monday in […]