Should I script my 4,000th comment, maybe swing for the fences along these lines? Or just go with the pitch? Ah, decisions….
@Angels 6, Cardinals 5 — The Halos didn’t let Wednesday’s smackdown slow their roll. In their first look at Adam Wainwright, they trailed 5-3 in the 9th, when Albert started something with a 2-strike bingle against the ex-mate he’d shared two title parades with. That ended Adam’s CG quest, and brought on Edward Mujica to face Josh Hamilton.
Below are two lists of four players, one list of batters and one of pitchers. Both the batters and pitchers are the only players in the searchable era with a certain connection to the Fourth, one connection for the batters and a different but related connection for the pitchers.
So, what are the connections?
| Batters | Pitchers |
|---|---|
| Augie Bergamo | Art Houtteman |
| Dwight Evans | Ray Moore |
| Rich Gedman | Billy Pierce |
| Eric Hosmer | Rick Waits |
Hint #1: there is no batter vs. pitcher connection between the listed players (at least, none that is germane to the quiz)
Hint #2: the fact that Art Houtteman, Ray Moore and Billy Pierce were teammates of each other at various times is purely coincidental and has nothing to do with the quiz. Ditto for Dwight Evans and Rich Gedman. Honest.
Congratulations to Richard Chester and Insert Name Here! Richard correctly identified (with a little help) that these batters homered in a July 4th game off of a pitcher whose birthday is July 4th. Similarly, INS identified that these pitchers gave up a home run in a July 4th game to a batter whose birthday is July 4th. They are the only players in the searchable era who meet these criteria. The fact that there are four of each for July 4th – hey, truth is stranger than fiction.
At least four pitchers thought to be on the trading block showed off their assets Wednesday, along with one already dealt. With results like these, market activity might be heating up soon.
@Reds 3, Giants 0: You might have heard a thing or two about this one. Doug has more, and I’ve got some notes at the bottom of this post. On to the other games….
We’re at the half-way point of the 2013 campaign and one of this season’s best kept secrets is the fine crop of rookie hurlers this year.
Don’t know about Jose Fernandez or Julio Teheran? Here’s your opportunity to find out.
This post is for voting and discussion in the twenty-third round of balloting for the Circle of Greats. This round begins to add those players born in 1949. Rules and lists are after the jump. Continue reading
Homer Bailey recorded the first no-hitter of the 2013 season tonight, dispatching the Giants on 109 pitches, 74 for strikes. Bailey allowed just a single batter to reach base, on a walk to Gregor Blanco leading off the 7th inning. Joey Votto provided the only offense the Reds would need with a first inning sac fly, with Brandon Phillips adding insurance tallies with a 2-run HR in the 6th inning.
More after the jump.
@Mets 5, D-backs 4 (13): The Mets rallied to tie in the 9th, and after falling behind, they won it with 2 hits off Josh Collmenter, who’s held same-handers to a .216 average in his career, and was 4-0 in extra innings this year. But before Andrew Brown’s first game-winner (the rare 2-out walk-off-from-behind in extra time), the inning turned on two Arizona decisions — one from the skipper, and one in the heat of play.
Around the time of Dennis Eckersley‘s conversion from starter to closer, relief pitching underwent a reinvention. Gone were the Gossage/Fingers types, so-called “relief aces,” who were counted upon to shut down the opposing team at a crucial time, typically for more than merely three outs. In their place came closing specialists, high-octane guys that entered the game, (hopefully) recorded their three outs and called it a night. This has been commonplace for more than two decades.
Nowadays, fans wait with bated breath when their team’s 9th-inning guy ventures on past his typical assignment. For good reason too.
On Sunday, David Lough (pronounced “low”) became the 11th player with 4 extra-base hits in a game while batting 8th. Here are some notes on those games. (All game distinctions mentioned are since 1916, the searchable era.)