Sid Bream Does The Impossible
Last week I wrote about baseball history that took place on October 14th. I started 120 years ago, and worked my way up to 1998. But as a heady reader pointed out to me, I missed a huge moment (upon reflection, I actually missed two, but more about the second one all the way at…
October 14th Is A Special Day In Baseball Lore
Every year October 14th auspiciously falls smack dab in the middle of the baseball playoffs. As such, there have been many great moments that have occurred on his date. To wit: A mere 120 years ago, on October 14, 1905, Christy Mathewson threw a shutout against the New York Giants to give the Philadelphia Athletics…
Steve Rogers Had A Career That We Should Try Not To Forget
On Episode 2367 of the Effectively Wild podcast, host Ben Lindbergh made reference to David Laurila’s newsletter and his weekly trivia quiz. One question revolved around the three pitchers who have won at least 100 games for the Expos/Nationals franchise. Ben got the first two, and essentially got the third, but could not place the…
Two Pitchers With Similar Stats But Dissimilar Reputations
CURT SCHILLING Curt Schilling was selected out of Yavapai College in the second round of the 1986 MLB draft by the Boston Red Sox. In July of 1988, Boston traded Schilling, along with outfielder Brady Anderson, to the Orioles in return for veteran pitcher Mike Boddicker. Ironically, Schilling made his major league debut just five…
The “Manfred Man” Bestows a Loss On a Pitcher Who Just Did His Job
On Episode 2375 of the Effectively Wild podcast, co-host Ben Lindbergh — no fan of the “Manfred Man” (aka the “Ghost Runner,” which is a misnomer; aka the “Zombie Runner,” which is an insult to the guy actually standing on second base) — pointed out how the rule instituted in 2020 (during Covid) produced a…
A Nod to Kersh
Note: This is a guest column by my son, Jake Freedman Yesterday, the baseball world got news that was widely-expected: Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw announced his retirement following this season. Kershaw doesn’t throw as hard as the new generation, yet still has figured out a way to get guys out. With four kids and a…
Focus On The Process: From “Let’s Go” To Letting Go To Watching Him Go
An owner buys a team and hires a general manager. The general manager hires a field manager and together they go about building a championship team. Along the way there are hiccups and bumps, and wonderful and happy moments. The road is never straight, but the trials and tribulations — the journey — are what…
Don Mattingly Is a Hero and Nomar Garciaparra Is Not Much Discussed, and Yet Their Careers Numbers Are Shockingly Similar
Sometimes it is fun to look at two wholly different players and see how very similar they were. Today we will look at two guys who essentially played on opposite sides of second base*, one of whom stayed on the Hall of Fame ballot for 15 years, topping out at 28.2% of the vote; and…
Bryce Harper vs. Aaron Judge – Who You Got?
Bryce Harper became a sensation when he was 16 years old, appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He forewent his final two years of high school (obtaining his GED) to enroll in junior college, making him draft eligible at the age of 18. He was selected 1/1 in the 2010 draft by the Washington…
In Boston, Brock Holt Is A Legend On and Off The Field
In the history of Major League Baseball, there have been nearly 21,000 players. Of those, 278 are enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (which will increase to 283 this coming weekend), and scores more currently playing will be there some day. That leaves many, many players who have come and gone;…