MLB Thread

[mojoween]

I remember a time when the Yankees didn’t have their first shutout of the season until like August.  Believe that may have been a year starting with 201 or 202.  Ahh youth.

[Lantern7]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

I remember a time when the Yankees didn’t have their first shutout of the season until like August.  Believe that may have been a year starting with 201 or 202.  Ahh youth.

. . . still not feeling any pity for the Yankees or their fans.

I stayed in the office today. Mets wound up winning. It was like the game I attended last year, in the sense that there wasn't any real excitement. You want to sell workers on a Mets game they can win? Wait for a day game with a NL Central opponent. Next week, the office has tickets to a Nationals/Yankees game. Isn't Washington the one NL East team that wasn't expected to win?

[jennifer6973]

12 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

. . . still not feeling any pity for the Yankees or their fans.

I stayed in the office today. Mets wound up winning. It was like the game I attended last year, in the sense that there wasn't any real excitement. You want to sell workers on a Mets game they can win? Wait for a day game with a NL Central opponent. Next week, the office has tickets to a Nationals/Yankees game. Isn't Washington the one NL East team that wasn't expected to win?

Pretty much

[mojoween]

When the robots rise up to take over humanity I hope the first place they go is whatever little office in New York the umpires sit and watch video reviews in.

Watching Clay Holmes allow the go-ahead run in the ninth inning, oh is it last Sunday already?

Edited August 20, 2023 by mojoween

[mojoween]

*bookmarking tweet for the end of September* 

 

[ProudMary]

Attention Hal Steinbrenner: Please follow suit.

Link to MLB press release:

White Sox announce baseball department leadership changes; Ken Williams, Rick Hahn relieved of duties

Edited August 23, 2023 by ProudMary
Added link.

[baldryanr]

Unfortunately Ohtani the pitcher is done for the year

Ohtani the hitter doesn't really have a reason to keep going either since the Angels have decided to emulate the Yankees and collapse.  In other great Angels news, Mike Trout was back for all of one game before going back on the IL.

[twoods]

I’m wondering if he’s done pitching if he’s going into a second TJ surgery. Poor guy. It’s magical watching him but don’t know if his body can handle both positions anymore. 

[DMK]

Well, there’s always being a relief pitcher. But this was also an extra long year for Ohtani, don’t forget he ramped up early for the World Baseball Classic. 

[Jane Tuesday]

Jeez, this couldn't be WORSE timing for him, heading into FA. 

That sucks.  :(

Edited August 24, 2023 by Jane Tuesday

[shoregirl]

If I'm ohtani I'm having the surgery as soon as possible. The Angels have nothing to play for and Trout is probably not going to play again this season . He has his future to keep in mind no use putting off the inevitable. If he's not pitching next year he could be back by the start of the season. Bryce Harper had UCL surgery at the end of November and was back by May 2nd . He wasn't full strength and only DH but he came back. He also played most of last year with the tear without causing more damage (aside from the time missed from the broken thumb after being hit by a pitch) so if Ohtani wanted to he could still dh but what's the point.

[Carey]

I gotta agree that Ohtani has no reason to do anything this season & get that surgery out of the way.  Still, I think he definitely has a market; IMO, it might be easier to go elsewhere.  Finally, the era in LA (AL) may be over for good, and that may be a great thing.

I think the two-way thing full time will be over for sure.  If he goes to LA (NL) I can't imagine it continuing with all of their stars there.  It'll be interesting what happens in 2025.  Too bad his current team lost out on something big, which IMHO hurts them more than Ohtani

[twoods]

Tickets are a dollar to Angels games on some days with Ohtani in there. They will definitely be struggling to fill seats when he’s gone, and with Trout continuing to get injured. What a waste of talent.

[cleo]

I wish I had seen him more. I'll be honest, he's not in the AL East and I never paid much attn to him- like I just didn't watch very many Angels games. The WBC was the first time I fully saw him in action and it was impressive.

Probably will see him even less if he goes to the Dodgers though.

[mojoween]

I am sure that Clay Holmes is an absolutely lovely human being.  I bet he is nice to kids AND pets.  But oh my god he cannot be the closer for one more minute.  And I don’t know what is wrong with Kahnle either, perhaps a preventative MRI is in order (David Samson, former president of the Marlins, once said he wished he could do that but the PA wouldn’t let him).

Cali shoulda traded Ohtani when they had the chance.

Edited August 24, 2023 by mojoween

[DMK]

Angels were never gonna trade Ohtani anyway. He was worth too much for the Japanese marketing and butts in the seats for ticket sales, even just to finish out the year, than he would’ve brought back in prospects. Because prospects are always just a maybe. They were gonna suck up every dime they could off him as long as they possibly could. 

[Jane Tuesday]

2 hours ago, cleo said:

I wish I had seen him more. I'll be honest, he's not in the AL East and I never paid much attn to him- like I just didn't watch very many Angels games. The WBC was the first time I fully saw him in action and it was impressive.

Same here.  I watch the Cardinals, the teams who play the Cardinals, and the post-season.  For the past several seasons, every time the Cards played the Angels it was all about Albert.  As for the Angels making the post-season... welp.

I really grew to love Shohei during the WBC.  He just seems like such a kind, generous, decent person, on top of being a unicorn ballplayer.  I was really hoping he'd land with a top tier organization this offseason so he'd at least get a shot at being on a winning team, and also so more people would get the chance to see who he is as a person and a player.  Hopefully he still gets the opportunity to pitch, since I know how important that is to him.

Mike Trout remains a non-entity to me. 🤷‍♀️

Edited August 24, 2023 by Jane Tuesday

[mojoween]

1 hour ago, Jane Tuesday said:

Mike Trout remains a non-entity to me. 🤷‍♀️

Every time he is compared to Mickey Mantle I am indignant on behalf of Mickey’s estate.

[baldryanr]

11 hours ago, mojoween said:

Every time he is compared to Mickey Mantle I am indignant on behalf of Mickey’s estate.

Trout's more like Ken Griffey Jr.  We can only imagine what they would have been able to do if they stayed healthy.  KG didn't exactly have a ton of playoff experience either - one strong performance in 95, and two mediocre ones later on.

[Jane Tuesday]

The Kid had an actual personality, though...

[Crs97]

The Guardians are really a special organization!

From their Facebook page:

We are proud to announce that the Progressive Field bleachers will be named after Johns Adams starting Opening Day 2024.

John's drum will also be sent to Cooperstown where it will be displayed for the foreseeable future.

We miss you, John! ❤️
 

 

[Lantern7]

In case any Mets fans here didn’t hear the news . . . the team will retire Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry’s numbers next season. Personally, I think it’s a reminder of how great the Mets could have been as well as how great they actually were.

Who’s next? I’m thinking David Wright’s #5, though I still think of Davey Johnson when I think of that particular number.

[smittykins]

David Wright’s should definitely be the next one.

Unpopular Yankees opinion:  Jorge Posada was a good player, no doubt, but not retire-his-number good.

 

Edited August 25, 2023 by smittykins

[mojoween]

Is 51 retired?  If not, that number should be retired before 20.

There was an article in my paper yesterday about how Tito Francona is considering retirement, and it mentioned that he has the most wins as manager in Cleveland and that totally surprised me.  Hasn’t he been there for like ten minutes?  

[smittykins]

26 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Is 51 retired?  If not, that number should be retired before 20.

Yes.

[DMK]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

There was an article in my paper yesterday about how Tito Francona is considering retirement, and it mentioned that he has the most wins as manager in Cleveland and that totally surprised me.  Hasn’t he been there for like ten minutes?  

Eleven years. Tito is the longest tenured manager in the MLB. 

[mojoween]

Eleven years?  WHERE has the time gone?!?

[Crs97]

We are going to be heartbroken when Tito steps down!

[Fukui San]

I still think of Tito as the Red Sox manager who just started in Cleveland. 

[DMK]

And then the longest tenured manager will be Kevin Cash for Tampa Bay. 

[kathyk24]

1 hour ago, Fukui San said:

I still think of Tito as the Red Sox manager who just started in Cleveland. 

Terry Francona is the best manager the Red Sox ever had they shouldn't have let him go.

[mojoween]

8 hours ago, kathyk24 said:

Terry Francona is the best manager the Red Sox ever had they shouldn't have let him go.

I agree with you, but I just cannot put a like on a post of this nature.

[baldryanr]

8 hours ago, kathyk24 said:

Terry Francona is the best manager the Red Sox ever had they shouldn't have let him go.

The fans would have turned on him sooner or later.  It eventually happens to all long term managers - see Joe Torre, Joe Girardi, Joe Maddon, Mike Scioscia, Ron Gardenhire, etc.  You can't win every year, and once the team stagnates a skilled manager becomes that stick in the mud who's coasting off his past laurels.

[sagittarius sue]

23 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

n case any Mets fans here didn’t hear the news . . . the team will retire Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry’s numbers next season. Personally, I think it’s a reminder of how great the Mets could have been as well as how great they actually were.

In the Twin Cities we had a minor number retirement for Darryl Strawberry a couple weeks ago.  He had a spectacular 29 game run with the St. Paul Saints in 1996 before returning to the majors.  Here's a nice video where he talks about how he found baseball to be fun again.  I'm sorry I couldn't "remove" the video's url from that ghastly page.   https://kstp.com/minnesota-sports/darryl-strawberry-grateful-for-time-with-saints-and-pumped-to-have-jersey-retired-this-weekend/

[janeyjay]

15 hours ago, Crs97 said:

We are going to be heartbroken when Tito steps down!

I love Tito -- after Cash, he's my favorite manager. They have a great relationship, going all the way back to when Cash was still playing and Tito was skipper of the Red Sox. Anytime the Rays play the Guardians, we expect pranks and insults between the two of them. That sort of enduring friendship is why baseball is the best. And I will be sad when he does retire. 

[BlueSkies]

On 8/25/2023 at 1:28 PM, Lantern7 said:

In case any Mets fans here didn’t hear the news . . . the team will retire Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry’s numbers next season. Personally, I think it’s a reminder of how great the Mets could have been as well as how great they actually were.

Who’s next? I’m thinking David Wright’s #5, though I still think of Davey Johnson when I think of that particular number.

When David Wright retired I thought too bad.  Very good career but just below getting in the Hall of Fame. 

 

However, Scott Rolen got in recently and without looking up their stats they both seemed to be on the same wavelength.  Scott might have been the better fielder.

 

Since the Hall of Fame is turning more into the Hall of the very good I gave David a 50/50 chance 

On 8/22/2023 at 9:44 PM, ProudMary said:

Attention Hal Steinbrenner: Please follow suit.

Link to MLB press release:

White Sox announce baseball department leadership changes; Ken Williams, Rick Hahn relieved of duties

People can say what they want about George but imo it isn't a coincidence the Yankees haven't been back to a World Series since he died 

[mojoween]

I hear “and the Yankees are down to their final out” in my SLEEP.

[Lantern7]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

I hear “and the Yankees are down to their final out” in my SLEEP.

At least they have a better record than the Mets. That has to count for something, right?

Speaking of the Mets, there was a bizarre play last night. I cued it up to the relevant part.

Basically, the Mets' ineptitude on the bases led to a run AND the opposing pitcher getting hurt. Just a massive clusterfuck all around.

ETA: I heard that opposing players want to touch Ohtani. Do they want to feel the magic of the baseball unicorn? Or is it a subconscious way to try and get him to sign with them? If he's done as a pitcher, maybe the Mets can make a play for him after all.

Edited August 27, 2023 by Lantern7

[twoods]

Probably both. Players know what a big acquisition it is to have him sign with their team. That’s why he gets so much love for opposing fans- I saw it with Mets fans this weekend. 

[Jane Tuesday]

The player I saw do the "touch Ohtani" thing was Elly de la Cruz. I thought it was a joke, like "let me touch you to make sure you're real, and not just magic". 😆 

Edited August 28, 2023 by Jane Tuesday

[ProudMary]

From tonight's Guardians @ Twins game this evening. 

😂

 

[smittykins]

Yankees release Josh Donaldson.  I’m surprised he lasted as long as he did.

[DMK]

A lot of the non contending teams dumped players. Yankees also dumped Bader. Angels dumped Giolito, Renfroe, Grichuk. White Sox dumped Clevinger. There’s more, but that’s all I can remember off the top of my head. 

[smittykins]

But Bader’s playing right now. 😕

[DMK]

Placed on waivers. I thought that meant dumped, but apparently they’re still on the team until they clear. Donaldson is definitely dumped, though. 

[DMK]

So I looked it up (and by that I mean I watched the MLB channel this morning where they were explaining it) and the waiver thing works this way: The players placed on waivers can be claimed by contending teams, in reverse order of record, on Thursday the 31st, which is the last day a player can be added to the roster and be allowed to play in the post season. 

So if a team claims a player, they get that player and pay the remainder salary due, prorated for the one month. If a player doesn’t get claimed, they remain with the team. 

[smittykins]

Report:  Yankees to call up OF Jasson Dominguez, C Austin Wells on Friday.

[ProudMary]

On 8/29/2023 at 7:19 PM, DMK said:

Angels dumped Giolito, Renfroe, Grichuk.

Hoping Grichuk doesn't land back in the AL East. Whenever he plays against the Yankees, he turns into Superman. 

[mojoween]

ESPN’s commercial touting their baseball coverage -

From opening day (audio of Trout homer, no idea if this is from 2023)

To the All-Star Game (audio of Giancarlo Stanton hitting a 457 foot home run which was LAST YEAR)

To every game of the playoffs (audio of Judge making a fantastic catch, Mookie Betts doing … something or other and an Ohtani home run WHICH HAS NEVER HAPPENED IN THE PLAYOFFS)

Does ESPN *really* like baseball or nah?

[DMK]

Cleveland claimed Giolito and Lopez. 

Cincinnati claimed Bader. 

Cleveland also claimed Moore. 
 

Cincinnati also claimed Renfroe.