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On Episode 11, Gary Thurman Family Reunion, Adam and I sit down to discuss the Veterans Committee Hall of Fame voting process, the SABR Overlooked 19th Century Baseball Legends commitee, the Gary Thurman 1988 Topps blog post I made 5 years ago, playoff format and timelines, as well as delve into a bit of trivia about Rockies and Marlins managers.

CONTEST

Enter in our free contest by doing this:

– Listen to Episode 11 of the HHS podcast

– In between the segments, there are some brief audio clips from a historical game or series. Listen to those clips, and identify the game or series the clips are from.

– Email in the answer to feedback@highheatstats.com

We’ll randomly pick one winning entry to receive a $15 iTunes giftcard!

John was at the Stadium tonight for the home sendoff for Mariano. So, a few quick notes on tonight’s abbreviated schedule from your pinch-hitting reporter.

You have to hand it to the AL wild card hopefuls. Down to the last week and all three have gone into refuse-to-lose mode. The Rays and Indians have now both won seven straight and the Rangers have won their last four. But, the playoff chances for Texas have now dipped below 20%, while the Rays and Indians are both north of 80%.

Only 9 games on the sched, but 6 were decided by just one run, including two walk-off wins. More after the jump.

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Mets 1, @Reds 0 — Daisuke Matsuzaka bested Reds ace Mat Latos on both sides of the ball, leading the Mets to the first visiting 1-0 win since 2010 in Great American Ball Park. And before the day shift was over, events in the Gateway City knocked the Reds out of the division race.

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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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