September 19th, 2009 made for a doleful night to those of us whose eyes tend to get all whirligig-y at the sight of numerical outliers. In Atlanta that evening, the incomparable Pedro Martínez was but a meek version of the right-hander who had awed a decade earlier, surrendering three runs […]
Among all the players who began and ended their careers within the confines of the Divisional Era (since 1969), 11 of them furnished the following lines: at least 5,000 plate appearances, a .300 (or better) batting average and more walks than strikeouts. Four members of the very special .300/.400/.500 club* […]
In 1963, Dodgers southpaw Sandy Koufax fastballed and curved his way to a new level of dominance, an incandescent expression of mastery that saw him – over 311.0 innings – top the Majors in wins (25), strikeouts (306), ERA (1.88), shutouts (11) and K:BB ratio (5.28). The 306 whiffs were […]
In the 32 seasons Major League ball has been played a mile (or so) above sea level, the Rockies franchise has produced 11 batting champs, six almost-there Triple Crown winners (a player took home two of the three components) and a bevy of Non-Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame seasons. […]
The results of the 2025 Hall of Fame vote will be announced on Tuesday, January 21. After doing individual profiles of 20 of the potential electees, Connections reveals its own choices. As a follower of the dialogues and revelations of Hall of Fame balloting choices, I’ve long felt that voters […]
It’s Hall of Fame consideration season. Until the announcement of the new class, Connections will be looking at some of the names on the 2025 ballot. Act I: 1996 Seattle’s Álex Rodríguez fuses his enormous gifts in a burst that brings the MLB universe a new, ecstatic light. The […]
It’s Hall of Fame consideration season. Until the announcement of the new class, Connections will be looking at some of the names on the 2025 ballot. In 1911, Wildfire Schulte – a fixture in the Cubs outfield during that club’s rampage through the NL over the past six seasons – […]
It’s Hall of Fame consideration season. Until the announcement of the new class, Connections will be looking at some of the names on the 2025 ballot. During the 2001 season … Barry Bonds reached 500 homers on his way to establishing a single-season record with 73 big flies. Rickey Henderson […]
It’s Hall of Fame consideration season. Until the announcement of the new class, Connections will be looking at some of the names on the 2025 ballot. In terms of run production, few players – just a dozen – produced a more impactful imprint on a per game basis than Manny […]
It’s Hall of Fame consideration season. Until the announcement of the new class, Connections will be looking at some of the names on the 2025 ballot. Currently, there are 275 men who have been elected to the Hall of Fame as a “Player” (in contrast to “Manager” or “Pioneer/Executive” or […]