When the 1965 season came to a close, so too did Warren Spahn’s career. The dazzling tallies from the graceful genius included 2,583 strikeouts, more than all but two other pitchers in history (Walter Johnson and Cy Young). The 2,500-strikeout club was an exclusive affair in those days with just […]
Since 1893, there are 32 examples of a National or American Leaguer operating in his age-23 or younger season, qualifying for the batting title, and finishing the year with a .350 or better average. There’s some mighty famed campaigns to have climbed this peak. There’s Joe Jackson’s record rookie season […]
The Dodgers’ top-10 leaderboard for runs scored in a single season is littered with names from long ago: three players from the 1880s, six from the 1890s (including the top Dodger dog, Hub Collins and his 148 runs in 1890) and one from the 1930s. There is one name from […]
For all the enjoyment a Major League ballgame can provide when its young stars showcase their extraordinary physical gifts – those unimaginable blends and demonstrations of reflex and reaction time and flexibility and adjustment – the opportunity to savor something with a different profile can be equally alluring. Historically, this […]
Below, there will be a few words and pursuits dedicated to, among others, left-handed starters Tarik Skubal, Robbie Ray, Kris Bubic and Jesús Luzardo. It was not only a jazzy Sunday for these southpaws, it’s been mostly effective and sometimes superbly spirited seasons for this quartet, who are four of […]
Let’s take a trip back to 1962. It’s July 17, we’re in Chicago to see the White Sox take on the Senators. In the first game of a doubleheader, Washington’s Dave Stenhouse and the home team’s Juan Pizarro are trading zeroes early on, Stenhouse with a little more efficiency (five […]
In 2001, Barry Bonds had only 156 hits – tied for 71st most in the Majors that year. Of course, the NL MVP had plenty of other categories to tout in a proclamation of his batting superiority, including a big league-best 107 extra-base hits (which also happened to be one […]
Among the many (some may say myriad?) remarkable pulls from Barry Bonds’ career is his ability to step inside the left side of the batter’s box, take his stance against a southpaw and, in that traditionally unbalanced equation in favor of the pitcher, do some serious damage. Since 1969, there […]
Currently, Édgar Rentería ranks in a tie with Chris Coghlan for 43rd on the all-time Marlins games played list, with 393. Despite that relatively minimal participation, the 1997 Fall Classic hero ranks first on the franchise’s list when it comes to walk-off hits, with seven (and that’s NOT counting his […]
More than a century ago, a 22-year-old right-hander named Eddie Stack signed his name into the Major League register. His debut came in front of the home fans at Philadelphia’s Baker Bowl and had the Cubs as the invited guests. This was the Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance Cubs (although Evers was out of […]