Category Archives: Baseball

How Babe Ruth’s trade was reported

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It may be premature, but it could be said that the last vestige of the “Curse of the Bambino” is about to fall, as the Boston Red Sox have a chance to win the World Series in Fenway for the first time since 1918. To be more exact, they have have a chance to be the first Boston team to clinch the title at home since this game. In 1918, due to WWI restrictions, the 1918 season was shorter and the World Series happened in September.

Take a look at that game. And notice how different it was: it took only 1:56 to play, it was a day game and only 15,238 were in attendance. Hall of Famers Harry Hooper and Babe Ruth (who was used as a defensive replacement, despite still being primarily a pitcher at the time) were on Boston, and HOF umpires Bill Klem and Hank O’Day were working the corner bases (there were only four umpires in the playoffs back then).

Of course, that ended up being the last World Series game that Ruth would play for the Red Sox, because on December 26 of the following year, he was infamously sold to the New York Yankees. And that’s what brings us to this article, where I take a look at how the Ruth sale was reported in the papers of 1919.. or, rather, 1920, since it took TEN DAYS for them to officially announce it.

(JUMP)

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Famous for Something Else (sort of): Mark Gilbert

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The Obama administration’s nominee for new ambassador to New Zealand is Mark Gilbert. While his role at Barclays Wealth (banking and management) and his previous roles in fundraising for the 2012 campaign are likely the main reasons he was nominated, Gilbert is also a former MLB player, having had a cup of coffee with the White Sox in 1985:

Year Age Tm Lg G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB Pos
1985 28 CHW AL 7 26 22 3 6 1 0 0 3 0 0 4 5 .273 .385 .318 .703 93 7 1 0 0 0 0 /879
1 Yr 7 26 22 3 6 1 0 0 3 0 0 4 5 .273 .385 .318 .703 93 7 1 0 0 0 0
162 Game Avg. 162 602 509 69 139 23 0 0 69 0 0 93 116 .273 .385 .318 .703 93 162 23 0 0 0 0
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 10/30/2013.

In addition, here are his minor league stats:

Year Age Tm Lg Lev Aff G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS TB HBP SH SF IBB
1978 21 Geneva NYPL A- CHC 65 319 263 83 89 14 2 0 37 35 7 48 36 .338 .444 .407 .851 107 3 4 1
1979 22 Quad Cities MIDW A CHC 117 487 407 80 128 12 7 0 55 50 22 65 51 .314 .416 .378 .795 154 8 4 3
1980 23 Waterbury EL AA CIN 49 172 154 12 31 2 0 0 6 3 4 14 13 .201 .276 .214 .491 33 2 2 0
1981 24 Waterbury EL AA CIN 105 442 360 60 89 15 5 5 31 26 8 71 47 .247 .374 .358 .732 129 3 6 2 5
1982 25 Waterbury EL AA CIN 109 453 380 65 114 17 1 5 41 41 10 64 78 .300 .403 .389 .793 148 3 4 2 1
1983 26 Indianapolis AA AAA CIN 117 509 445 73 124 16 1 1 62 18 5 55 57 .279 .362 .326 .688 145 3 6 0 2
1984 27 Wichita AA AAA CIN 137 572 486 84 136 18 7 6 46 55 18 77 86 .280 .382 .383 .765 186 4 4 1 3
1985 28 Buffalo AA AAA CHW 119 498 428 67 114 20 5 3 33 14 8 54 78 .266 .350 .357 .708 153 4 7 5 3
8 Seasons 818 3452 2923 524 825 114 28 20 311 242 82 448 446 .282 .382 .361 .742 1055 30 37 14 14
A- (1 season) A- 65 319 263 83 89 14 2 0 37 35 7 48 36 .338 .444 .407 .851 107 3 4 1
A (1 season) A 117 487 407 80 128 12 7 0 55 50 22 65 51 .314 .416 .378 .795 154 8 4 3
AA (3 seasons) AA 263 1067 894 137 234 34 6 10 78 70 22 149 138 .262 .371 .347 .717 310 8 12 4 6
AAA (3 seasons) AAA 373 1579 1359 224 374 54 13 10 141 87 31 186 221 .275 .366 .356 .722 484 11 17 6 8
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 10/30/2013.

Mr. Octobers of Yesterday (October 28, 2013)

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The Mr. Octobers of yesterday are David Ortiz (who went 3-4 with an RBI) and Jon Lester (who went 7.2 innings of 4-hit ball, with but one run given up- Matt Holliday‘s home run).

Standings (PP= Position Player, P= Pitcher):

PP David Ortiz– 38

P Jon Lester– 23

PP Matt Holliday– 18

PP Carlos Beltran– 16

P Koji Uehara– 16

P Justin Verlander– 14

P Michael Wacha– 13

P Clayton Kershaw– 11

P Max Scherzer– 11

PP Shane Victorino– 11

P Zack Greinke– 10

P Carlos Martinez– 10

PP Yadier Molina– 10

PP Jonny Gomes – 10

P Felix Doubront– 10

P Adam Wainwright– 9

PP Jhonny Peralta – 8

PP Adrian Gonzalez– 8

PP David Freese – 6

PP Miguel Cabrera– 6

P Anibal Sanchez – 5

P Hyun-jin Ryu– 5

PP Yasiel Puig– 5

P Carlos Martinez– 5

P John Lackey– 5

PP Austin Jackson– 5

P Doug Fister– 5

PP Mike Napoli– 5

P Sonny Gray-3

P Gerrit Cole– 3

PP Pedro Alvarez– 3

P Mike Minor– 3

PP Hanley Ramirez– 3

PP Yoenis Cespedes– 3

P Jason Grilli– 3

PP Carl Crawford– 3

P Chris Capuano– 3

PP Seth Smith– 3

P Dan Otero– 3

PP Jose Lobaton-3

P Jake McGee-3

PP Juan Uribe-3

PP (Position Player) Russell Martin– 1

P (Pitcher) Francisco Liriano– 1

PP Desmond Jennings– 1

P Alex Cobb– 1

Headlines from around the Continuum: October 29, 2013

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Baseball-related headlines from the Newseum:

(Note that I try to copy the style of the paper as well, hence why some are in ALL CAPS while others aren’t. Also, I ignored extremely basic headlines like “World Series Preview” or “Cardinals Win”. I’ll occasionally make an exception for the team’s “home” newspapers)

Headline: Red Sox take 3-2 lead in Series heading back to Fenway

Boston Globe: Fenway-bound, 1 win away from title

Boston Herald: OUR TIME!

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: DOWN AGAIN

The Herald (Monterey, CA): SOX IN COMMAND

The Record (Stockton, CA): RED HOT

Hartford (CT) Courant: Riding High Back To Fenway

Naples (FL) Daily News: BEARDS ON BRINK

News-Gazette (Champaign, IL): BACKS TO THE WALL

Herald News (Fall River, Mass.): ONE TO GO

Standard-Times (New Bedford, Mass.): LESTER DELIVERS

Taunton (Mass.) Daily Gazette: HOME STRETCH

Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, Mass.): Rack up number three!

Joplin (MO) Globe: UPHILL CLIMB

Springfield (MO) News-Leader: UH-OH

Times-News (Lehighton, PA): JON-NY ON THE SPOT

(The various foreign papers generally had a variation of the Red Sox being one win away)

Mr. Octobers of Yesterday (October 27, 2013)

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The Mr. Octobers of Yesterday? Jonny Gomes and Felix Doubront. Gomes is an obvious pick, as his three-run homer is what proved to be the difference for the Red Sox. But Doubront’s 2.1 innings of relief helped rescue the Red Sox bullpen after Clay Buchholz had a less-than-ideal start.

Standings (PP= Position Player, P= Pitcher):

PP David Ortiz– 28

PP Matt Holliday– 18

PP Carlos Beltran– 16

P Koji Uehara– 16

P Justin Verlander– 14

P Michael Wacha– 13

P Jon Lester– 13

P Clayton Kershaw– 11

P Max Scherzer– 11

PP Shane Victorino– 11

P Zack Greinke– 10

P Carlos Martinez– 10

PP Yadier Molina– 10

PP Jonny Gomes – 10

P Felix Doubront- 10

P Adam Wainwright– 9

PP Jhonny Peralta – 8

PP Adrian Gonzalez– 8

PP David Freese – 6

PP Miguel Cabrera– 6

P Anibal Sanchez – 5

P Hyun-jin Ryu– 5

PP Yasiel Puig– 5

P Carlos Martinez– 5

P John Lackey– 5

PP Austin Jackson– 5

P Doug Fister– 5

PP Mike Napoli– 5

P Sonny Gray-3

P Gerrit Cole– 3

PP Pedro Alvarez– 3

P Mike Minor– 3

PP Hanley Ramirez– 3

PP Yoenis Cespedes– 3

P Jason Grilli– 3

PP Carl Crawford– 3

P Chris Capuano– 3

PP Seth Smith– 3

P Dan Otero– 3

PP Jose Lobaton-3

P Jake McGee-3

PP Juan Uribe-3

PP (Position Player) Russell Martin– 1

P (Pitcher) Francisco Liriano– 1

PP Desmond Jennings– 1

P Alex Cobb– 1

Headlines from around the Continuum: October 28, 2013

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Baseball-related headlines from the Newseum:

(Note that I try to copy the style of the paper as well, hence why some are in ALL CAPS while others aren’t. Also, I ignored extremely basic headlines like “World Series Preview” or “Cardinals Win”. I’ll occasionally make an exception for the team’s “home” newspapers)

Headline: Red Sox tie series at 2 on Gomes’ HR and wild walk-off pick-off

Boston Globe: Resilient Red Sox tie it up

Boston Herald: JONNY ROCKET!

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: CARDS’ TURN TO CRY

La Opinión (Spanish-Language Los Angeles): BOSTON VOLVERA A CASA (Boston will return home)

San Mateo (CA) Daily Journal: ON TO GAME FIVE

Hartford (CT) Courant: GO… JONNY… GONE

Stuart (FL) News: IT’S A BEST-OF-3

Press Journal (Vero Beach, FL): DOWN TO THE WIRE

News-Gazette (Champaign, IL): ROOKIE MISTAKE (on Kolten Wong)

Journal Star (Peoria, IL): RED SOX GET EVEN

Herald News (Fall River, Mass.): GETTING EVEN

Cape Cod Times: JONNY ON THE SPOT

Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, Mass.): Homer high-fives all around

Joplin (MO) Globe: TWO APIECE

Springfield (MO) News-Ledger: FIT TO BE TIED

New York Times: No obstruction for Boston

The Oklahoman (Oklahoma City): A BIG HIT (Image of Gomes)

The Citizens’ Voice (Wikes-Barre, PA): DEUCES WILD

El Norte (Monterrey, Mexico): !Cañonazo! (Roughly “GUNSHOT!” or “CANNON SHOT!”)

Vanguardia (Saltillo, Mexico): !Boston reacciona y empata! (“Boston reacts and ties!”)

El Expreso de Campeche (San Francisco de Campeche, Mexico): NO SE RINDE (“NO SURRENDER”)

Mi Diario (Panama City, Panama): Serie pareja (roughly “Series even” or “Series level”)

 

Mr. Octobers of Yesterday (October 26, 2013)

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Well, lost in the madness of the final play of last night’s game are those players who excelled in it, the Mr. Octobers of yesterday.

Both of them are hitters: Matt Holliday, who went 2-5 but who contributed three RBIs, and Yadier Molina, who was excellent behind the plate and also had three hits and an RBI.

Standings (PP= Position Player, P= Pitcher):

PP David Ortiz– 28

PP Matt Holliday– 18

PP Carlos Beltran– 16

P Koji Uehara– 16

P Justin Verlander– 14

P Michael Wacha– 13

P Jon Lester– 13

P Clayton Kershaw– 11

P Max Scherzer– 11

PP Shane Victorino– 11

P Zack Greinke– 10

P Carlos Martinez– 10

PP Yadier Molina- 10

P Adam Wainwright– 9

PP Jhonny Peralta – 8

PP Adrian Gonzalez– 8

PP David Freese – 6

PP Miguel Cabrera– 6

P Anibal Sanchez – 5

P Hyun-jin Ryu– 5

PP Yasiel Puig– 5

P Carlos Martinez– 5

P John Lackey– 5

PP Austin Jackson– 5

P Doug Fister– 5

PP Mike Napoli– 5

P Sonny Gray-3

P Gerrit Cole– 3

PP Pedro Alvarez– 3

P Mike Minor– 3

PP Hanley Ramirez– 3

PP Yoenis Cespedes– 3

P Jason Grilli– 3

PP Carl Crawford– 3

P Chris Capuano– 3

PP Seth Smith– 3

P Dan Otero– 3

PP Jose Lobaton-3

P Jake McGee-3

PP Juan Uribe-3

PP (Position Player) Russell Martin– 1

P (Pitcher) Francisco Liriano– 1

PP Desmond Jennings– 1

P Alex Cobb– 1

Headlines from around the Continuum: October 27, 2013

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Baseball-related headlines from the Newseum:

(Note that I try to copy the style of the paper as well, hence why some are in ALL CAPS while others aren’t. Also, I ignored extremely basic headlines like “World Series Preview” or “Cardinals Win”. I’ll occasionally make an exception for the team’s “home” newspapers)

Story: Obstruction play helps Cardinals win Game 3, take 2-1 lead

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: A LEG UP

Boston Globe: Cardinals win in wild finish

Boston Herald: FOR THE BIRDS!

The Appeal-Democrat (Marysville, CA): What a trip!

The Herald (Monterey, CA): WILD ENDING

Belleville (IL) News-Democrat: CARDS TRIP UP RED SOX

News-Gazette (Champaign, IL): SAFE AT HOME

Journal Star (Peoria, IL): WILD CARDS

Portland (Maine) Press: An ugly finish for Sox

The Sun Chronicle (Attleboro, Mass.): A tangled web in Game 3

Herald News (Fall River, Mass.): BITTER END

Cape Cod Times: WILD, WACKY, PAINFUL STUFF

Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, Mass.): A long night (The game wasn’t done by press time for the Telegram & Gazette)

Burlington (VT) Free Press: OBSTRUCTED

Novedades de Quintana Roo (Cancun, Mexico): Triunfo cardenal de alarido (something to do with a howl or a screech, may mean “Cardinals screech to victory” or something like that)

Vanguardia (Saltillo, Mexico): POLEMICA VICTORIA (“Controversial victory”)

El Universal (Caracas, Venezuela): LOS CARDENALES TOMARON VENTAJA (“The Cardinals took advantage.”)

Quote of the Night (Obstruction)

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OBSTRUCTION is the act of a fielder who, while not in possession of the ball and not in the act of fielding the ball, impedes the progress of any runner.
Rule 2.00 (Obstruction) Comment: If a fielder is about to receive a thrown ball and if the ball is in flight directly toward and near enough to the fielder so he must occupy his position to receive the ball he may be considered “in the act of fielding a ball.” It is entirely up to the judgment of the umpire as to whether a fielder is in the act of fielding a ball. After a fielder has made an attempt to field a ball and missed, he can no longer be in the “act of fielding” the ball. For example: If an infielder dives at a ground ball and the ball passes him and he continues to lie on the ground and delays the progress of the runner, he very likely has obstructed the runner.

A nice infographic on how fast a 95-MPH fastball is and how long a hitter has to react

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Answer: Not very long.