Most players can point to one season in their careers as their “career year”, when everything clicked, most of their luck was good, and their stat line was clearly head and shoulders above every other season of their careers. For this post, I’ll be identifying the most exceptional career years, with the largest improvement over the second best season in a number of offensive categories. And, everyone is eligible, as I’ll be looking at those career years for very short and very long careers, and for all the careers in between. More after the jump.
Continue readingCategory Archives: Records and Milestones
Raleigh’s Really Rocking
As we reach the All-Star break, Aaron Judge is having yet another monster season, leading the majors in all three slash categories, plus WAR, Hits and Total Bases, and leading the AL in Runs and Walks. Yet, somehow, Judge’s 35 dingers are only second best this season, trailing nobody’s pre-season pick for home run champ, Seattle’s switch-hitting catcher Cal Raleigh. More on Raleigh’s improbable power surge after the jump.
Continue readingMost Explosive 20/20 Seasons
Cub centerfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is the first player this season to reach 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases, a feat that was once rare for a full season, never mind half a campaign. More after the jump on players with seasons featuring explosive power/speed spans.
Continue readingWorld Series: Dodgers vs Yankees
The Dodgers and Yankees meet in the World Series for a record twelfth time, but their first meeting in 43 years. More on the World Series is after the jump.
Continue readingThe Unhittable Mr. Francis
August’s AL Pitcher of the Month was the Blue Jays’ Bowden Francis. If you’ve never heard of him, you’re not alone. Despite that lack of notoriety, Francis, whose career totals prior to August included just 81⅓ IP and four starts, has turned in two of the more remarkable months of pitching of the modern era. More after the jump.
Continue readingOhtani! Oh My! Shohei shows off, again!
Shohei Ohtani showed us how superstars mark milestones, again! Four weeks ago, it was a walk-off grand slam to mark his joining the 40/40 club, Yesterday, it was a game for the ages as he became the first member of the 50/50 club. More after the jump.
Continue readingRemembering Willie Mays (1931-2024)
Willie Mays‘ passing last month serves to remind baseball fans of his spectacular and singular career. Widely regarded as baseball’s most complete player, Mays excelled at all facets of the game, playing at a high level for almost the entirety of a career spanning 23 years. His passing also reduces to a very slender thread our connection with those still living who graced major league ballparks in the 1950s. More on Willie and 1950s baseball are after the jump.
Continue readingStarting Fast: Baseball’s Best Hitters Out of the Gate
Pitchers tend to hold the upper hand to start the season, with batters warming up with the weather. But, some batters buck that trend and are hot to start the season, including some who do so on a regular basis. So, who are April’s heroes? Spoiler alert: they’re also the heroes in the other months of the season. More after the jump.
Continue readingBlanco Blanks Blue Jays
Ronel Blanco lived up to his name, turning in the young season’s first no-hit game as the Astros romped 10-0 over Toronto. Blanco walked the first batter of the game and the next-to-last (both former Astro George Springer) but retired everyone else, as no Blue Jay reached second base. It was the 13th no-hit game by an Astro pitcher (11th at home), and the second time Houston has no-hit Toronto. More after the jump.
Continue readingAll-Star Break Diversion
To tide us over for the next couple of days, here’s a quick quiz. Not very hard, but some of the names may surprise you. So, what accomplishment can be claimed only by these players?
Rk | Player ▲ |
---|---|
1 | Richie Ashburn |
2 | Rod Carew |
3 | Corbin Carroll |
4 | Joe DiMaggio |
5 | Mark Fidrych |
6 | Ron Hansen |
7 | Frank Robinson |
8 | George Scott |
9 | Fernando Valenzuela |
10 | Dick Wakefield |
11 | Jerry Walker |