Here is an unusual collection of players who share the distinction of a certain batting achievement. What season batting feat have only these players accomplished in the live ball era (since 1920) ?

Congratulations to Richard Chester! He correctly identified (with a little help) that these players are the only batters with a post-1920 season of 10 or more home runs all hit on the road. The first searchable player to do this was Babe Ruth in 1918, before he was known as the Sultan of Swat.

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@Cardinals 2, Nationals 0 — Michael Wacha was achingly close to a no-hitter. One out away, in just his 9th big-league start, the fastball he threw for his career-high 112th pitch had Ryan Zimmerman beaten, and all he could do was chop it back towards the mound. Wacha stands 6′ 6″ …

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This post is for voting and discussion in the 31st round of balloting for the Circle of Greats.  This round begins to add those players born in 1943.  Rules and lists are after the jump. Continue reading →

In a balloting round heavy with famous pitchers, voters considered Tom Seaver the crème de la crème, and chose him as the 30th inductee into the High Heat Stats Circle of Greats (COG).  More on Tom Terrific and the voting after the jump. Continue reading →

Didn’t have time to sand and polish, but maybe it can be a utility hook to hang some chat on.

Reds 11, @Pirates 3 — Cincinnati sucked the air out of the Pirates’ final scheduled home game, grabbing a 5-0 lead before the Buccos came to bat and going on to seize a tie for for 2nd place in the NL Central. About the only thing Jeff Locke did right in his brief outing was to keep Billy Hamilton off base.

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@Rays 5, Orioles 1 — Alex Cobb had the tired Orioles eating from his hand, with 12 Ks over 8 innings, and Desmond Jennings broke up a double-shutout in the 5th with his first-ever 3-run homer.

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@Red Sox 6, Blue Jays 3 — Jon Lester’s 9th straight quality start settled both ends of the AL East. The BoSox clinched the division, while the Jays, picked for first by some preseason polls, finished last, where Boston ended last year. Koji Uehara came on to face the tying run in the 8th and notched a 5-out save.

• David Ortiz reached 97 RBI, edging closer to becoming the third with 7 or more 100-RBI seasons for the Red Sox.

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After the historical emergence of two stellar rookies in 2012, the surprising Mike Trout and the much-anticipated Bryce Harper, it would be normal to expect 2013, in comparison, to be something of a letdown in terms of rookie stars. Happily, that hasn’t been the case.

This season has produced 6 rookies, 3 pitchers and 3 position players, each achieving more than 3 WAR. That’s about a normal number for recent years. What’s notable, though, is that 4 of those 6 rookies (and one other) have made the top 3 for their franchise’s best rookie WAR.

More on this year’s rookie crop and each franchise’s best all-time rookies after the jump.

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Dodgers 7, @D-backs 6 — L.A. overcame the Snakes’ 6-run 3rd inning and celebrated their NL West clincher, the first of the races to be formally settled. Hanley Ramirez drove in 4 with two HRs, tying the game in the 7th on a 2-strike hanger from Chaz Roe, and A.J. Ellis clocked the first pitch of the 8th for the deciding run.

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On nights like this, it’s great to be a baseball fan with nothing at risk — even if I can’t keep up with everything.

@Rays 4, Rangers 3 (12 inn.) — In the fourth straight stanza of high drama, Jose Lobaton singled to start the home 12th, pinch-runner Sam Fuld moved up on a bunt, and he dashed home on Desmond Jennings’s line single into right, stealing a win that the Rangers had seemed sure to book.

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