Billy Pierce

Billy Pierce, one of the game’s top pitchers during the 1950s, has died at the age of 88. Pierce debuted as a teenage fill-in for the Tigers in 1945 before moving on to the White Sox where he spent most of his career, teaming up in 1959 with Early Wynn and Dick Donovan to lead the Pale Hose to their first AL championship in 40 years. Pierce would finish his playing days with the Giants and play a key role in San Francisco’s pennant-winning season in 1962.

More on Pierce after the jump.

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This post is for voting and discussion in the 103rd round of balloting for the Circle of Greats (COG).  This is the first of two rounds adding to the list of candidates eligible to receive your votes those players born in 1887. Rules and lists are after the jump.

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The players in this quiz include some of the great sluggers in baseball history. But, what is the career accomplishment of which only these players can boast?

Hint: an active player may join this group later this season.

Congratulations to David P and Scary Tuna! They teamed up to identify that only these players hit their 400th doubles and 400th home runs in the same season. More after the jump.

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Ichiro Suzuki picked up two hits last night to move past 2900 for his career. He’s on pace to finish this season somewhere around 2925. Will he get another season to reach the finish line? I’ll look at that question after the jump.

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In the 101st round of COG balloting, voters gave the nod to Hall of Fame first baseman George Sisler. While lacking the power numbers expected of the prototypical first baseman, Sisler made up for it by hitting for average and with his speed, putting up 6 straight seasons (1917-22) batting .340 with 140 OPS+ and 25 steals, the longest streak of such seasons by a first baseman and tied for the second longest stretch at any position, trailing only Ty Cobb‘s incomparable 11 straight campaigns (1909-19). And, Sisler had some pop too – placing in the top 3 in extra-base hits in 3 of 4 seasons (1919-22) with 100 RBI and 125 runs scored in each of the last three of those years.

More on Sisler after the jump.

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This post is for voting and discussion in the 101st round of balloting for the Circle of Greats (COG).  This round adds to the list of candidates eligible to receive your votes those players born in 1888. Rules and lists are after the jump.

Continue reading →

Want to talk about last night’s game, or some young phenom pitcher you just saw for the first time, or anything else baseball-related?

There is now a Chat item on the main menu. Hover over the arrow beside “Chat” on the menu bar for a list of topics to click (the newest ones will be listed first) and then start chatting!

You’re forgiven if the name Logan Forsythe doesn’t jump out at you. Prior to this season, he had been a journeyman infielder who, in four seasons, had never started more than 75 games, never had more than 350 PA, and had never batted .275 or slugged .400. And, there are lots of Logan Forsythes in the majors; he’s just one of 125 active players (excluding pitchers) who, prior to this season, had career totals of 500 to 1500 PA with OPS+ below 100 and less than 5 WAR.

So, why am I writing about Forsythe? You’ll find out after the break.

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In the COG’s century ballot, voters took a shine to Dodger great Roy Campanella. The HOF catcher was the foundation of the Dodgers’ perennial pennant-winning teams of the 1950s, earning MVP honors 3 times in 5 seasons. Campanella was a much-heralded star in the Negro Leagues before reaching the majors at age 26, one season after Jackie Robinson‘s historic debut. Campanella’s late start and the horrific automobile accident that ended his playing days combined to limit his career statistical totals. But, for his 10 major league seasons, Campanella had no peer among NL catchers, compiling a career peak as impressive as any catcher before or since.

More on Campanella after the jump.

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The pitchers in this quiz share the distinction of a certain game feat that only they have achieved since 1914. What is the unusual pitching accomplishment of which only these players can boast?

1. Felix Hernandez
2. Jose Fernandez
3. Jose DeLeon
4. Jake Peavy
5. Pedro Martinez
6. Javier Vazquez
7. Rick Porcello
8. Marco Estrada

It appears I have a stumper here. Admittedly, it was a tough one. The answer is that, since 1914, in successive starts against the same opponent, only these pitchers have, in each game, pitched 8 or more innings but not a complete game, and allowed zero runs on 3 hits or less. Those mini-streaks are after the break.

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