Johnson, Martinez, Smoltz, and Biggio Headed To Cooperstown

 
For the first time ever, three starting pitchers have been elected to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in the same year, and four players have been elected to the Hall for the first time since in 60 years.

Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and John Smoltz make up the triumverate of pitchers headed to upstate New York this July. They will be joined by catcher-turned-second baseman Craig Biggio, who spent 20 seasons with the Houston Astros.

Johnson struggled early in his career as a 6'10" member of the Montreal Expos, but once dealt to the Seattle Mariners, saw his Hall of Fame career get kicked into gear. Johnson won 303 games, five Cy Young Awards, and struck out 4,875 batters playing for the Mariners (10 yrs), Houston Astros (post deadline 1998), Arizona Diamondbacks (8), New York Yankees (2), San Francisco Giants (1), and the Expos (2).

The "Big Unit" was the 2015 top vote getter with 97.43% of the tally, the eighth highest total in Major Leauge History. A 10-time All-Star, Johnson received a no-decision when he struck out 20 Cincinnati Reds on May 8, 2001. He is one of five pitchers to throw a no-hitter in both leagues and was the 2001 World Series Co-MVP with teammate Curt Schilling, after he won Games 2, 6, and 7.

Martinez, a slightly built power pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers, saw his career begin to blow up after he was traded to the Expos prior to the 1993 season. But it was his time in Boston that made Martinez a household name. The crown jewel of pitching statistics, the Triple Crown, was accomplished by Martinez grabbed in 1999 when he topped the American League with 23 wins, a 2.07 ERA, and 313 strikeouts.

A three-time CY Young winner (once with Montreal, twice with Boston), Martinez was a character on and off the mound; a pitcher who wasn't afraid to throw inside at hitters of any stature. He won 219 games in parts of 18 years with the Dodgers (2 years), Expos (4), Red Sox (7), Mets (4), and Phillies (1). The native of the Dominican Republic produced two seasons - 1997 (1.90) and 2000 (1.74), with ERA numbers under 2.00), struck out 3,154 batters.

Martinez, who inexplicably received just 91.1% of the vote, won a World Series ring with the 2004 Red Sox and pitched in the 2009 World Series for the Phillies.

Smoltz is the only pitcher in MLB history to win at least 200 games and save at least 150, and just the second pitcher (Dennis Eckersley the other) to win at least 20 games and save a minimum of 50 games in separate seasons. Acquired  for the Detroit Tigers' Doyle Alexander in a 1987 deadline deal, Smoltz spent 20 seasons with the Atlanta Braves. He won the NL Cy Young Award in 1996 when he earned 24 victories and struck out a league high 276 batters. After missing the 2000 season due to Tommy John surgery, Smoltz came back as a reliever and led the NL with a league record 55 saves in 2002. He would save 45 and 44 games the next two seasons before moving back into the starting rotation in 2005. A year later he tied for the NL lead in wins with 16.

An eight-time All-Star, Smoltz finished his career in 2009 with the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals. He compiled a 213-155 record with 154 saves and 3,084 strikeouts.  "Smoltzie" won a World Series ring in 1995 and was a member of four other NL pennant winning teams. He'll join former teammates and fellow pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, and his former manager Bobby Cox, all of whom were induced into the Hall last year. Smoltz received 82.9% of the vote.

Craig Biggio came into Major League Baseball as a catcher out of Seton Hall University in New Jersey. Selected by the Houston Astros as the 22nd overall pick in the 1987 draft, Biggio spent his entire career in an Astros uniform. After four years behind the plate, Biggio moved to second base prior to the 1992 season and went on to win five Gold Glove Awards.

A five-time winner of the Silver Slugger Award, Biggio reached 3,000 hits in his final season (2007) and ended up with 3,060 for his career. He led the league in doubles three times, and topped the league in being hit by pitches, five times. He stole 414 bases, including a league best 39 in the strike shortened 1994 campaign. Biggio finished in the top five in the NL MVP vote  in 1997 and 1998 and was a member of the 2005 Astros NL pennant winning team. (It's the only Houston team to reach the World Series.).

Biggio just missed out last season, his second year on the ballot, when he came up .2% shy of the required 75%. This year was no problem as he finished with 82.7% of the vote. He is the first player to entre the Hall as a Houston Astro.

For those that missed out this year, catcher Mike Piazza came the closest to making it a five-player induction when he received 69.9% of the vote. It's a good sign for him to get enough votes next year when Ken Griffey Jr. is the only first year eligible player who is a sure thing.

Carlos Delgado was the top player with under 5% of the vote required to remain on future ballots. Don Mattingly receievd 9.1% in his final year of eligibility, now that the rule has changed from 15 years to 10 years to be voted for.

It's the Most Hall Time of the Year

Happy New Year means that it is just about time for the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY to announce who this year's inductees are.

The ballot for this year's class was loaded - the first-year eligible players alone include Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz, and Gary Sheffield. In all, there were 34 names on this year's ballot for voters to choose from.

As you may recall, it takes a 75% vote count to gain induction via the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). With that in mind, Craig Biggio should be a shoe-in for this year's class. If not, an investigation should take place ASAP. Biggio finished with 74.8% last year, his third year on the ballot. The next highest on the 2014 ballot was Mike Piazza, who was hampered by performance enhancing drug rumors, and finished with 62.2%. He too should be elected this year.

I won't get on my soapbox about players that were never "caught" using PEDs, other than to say it's not fair of the voters to leave someone off their ballot that they think was a cheater. Jeff Bagwell has been thrown into this same category (he finished third in 2014 with 54.3%).

Johnson and Martinez are no brainers. Smoltz should join former teammates Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, who were inducted together in 2014. The right-hander is the only pitcher in Major League Baseball history with at least 200 wins (207) and 150 saves (154).
 
Though Sheffield finished his career as a memeber of the 500 home run club, PEDs could definitely derail his Hall bid. In 2003, Sheffield told a grand jury that he had "unwittingly" used a steroid cream that he had obtained from BALCO. He was introduced to the company by its most well known client, Barry Bonds.

At the time, Sheffield said he thought it was a cortisone cream and was angry when he found out otherwise. ESPN tried to ask Bonds about it in 2004, but Bonds, via a spokesman, ignored the elephant in the room and wished Sheffield all the best. So did Sheffield lie about "oops" moment? The guess is that the voter's will think so. With a .907 career OPS. nine All-Star appearances, and a World Series ring, it would be hard to make an argument to keep Sheffield out otherwise.

At the other end of the spectrum are those players who are near elimination from future ballots. A candidate must receive at least 5% to remain on future ballots. PED prime suspect Sammy Sosa received 7.2% of the vote in 2014 and is likely to drop off in this year's vote. Don Mattingly, who could have ended up with Hall numbers had he stayed healthy, managed to receive barely over 10% last year.

As much as I loved Mattingly as a player, I don't believe he belongs in the Hall of Fame. Many do though and point to Kirby Puckett, who I don't believe should be in either, whose statistics are similar to that of Mattingly's. The biggest difference between the two are the two World Series rings Puckett earned, while Mattingly's mediocre Yankees teams made the post-season just once in his 14 years.

No matter what happens this year, these things hold true - no one will get a unanimous vote; the steroid players will see their perecentages drop; fans, media, and players will not like all the results. It's that Hall time of the year, what else would you expect?

UPDATE (toh to @rebeccapbp):

A's fan and HoF tracker Ryan Thibs has made a spreadsheet of vote totals available to the public. If these numbers hold true, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza, and John Smoltz are headed to Cooperstown this Summer.

As of 1:55 PM ET, Both Johnson (98.63%) and Martinez (97.95%) approached Tom Seaver's all-time record of 98.8%, but as usual some voters left them out. Inexplicably, Twins beat writer Mike Berardino left both pitchers off.

Looks like Sheffield did indeed take a big hit. So far just over 8% of the vote. Don Mattingly and Sammy Sosa are both below the required 5% minimum. Jeff Bagwell increased to 66.44%, so there is still hope for him in future years.

UPDATE 7:50 PM

As of now, Randy Johnson has tied Tom Seaver with 98.8% of the vote. Pedro Martinez is closing in at 98.2%. Going the wrong way - that would be Mike Piazza, who has dipped below the 75% minimum.

Hideki Back For A Day

When I saw my timeline filled with the "Yankees are signing Hideki Matsui", I thought Brian Cashman had gone 'round the bend. "Where will he play?", I thought.

In fact, Godzilla is going to return for just one day, an inactive one at that. The great Matsui will officially retire as a member of the New York Yankees.

Matsui came to the Yankees in 2003 and spent seven seasons in the pinstripes. He was the the MVP of the 2009 World Series when the Yankees beat the Philadelphia Phillies for their first championship since 2000.

A prodigious slugger in Japan, Matsui never approached the home run totals he put up in the Far East, but Matsui hit 140 in his seven seasons in the Bronx, topped the 100 RBI mark four times, and had an .852 OPS. He was widely popular with the Asian community throughout the US, with Yankees fans, and with his teammates.

Godzilla spent 2010 with the Los Angeles Angels and put up decent numbers - 21 HR, 84 RBI, an .820 OPS - but his production fell off drastically with Oakland in 2011 and he was released after 34 games with Tampa Bay in 2012.

Among his memorable moments in NY:

• A grand slam in his first home game in 2003.
• Delivered the game tying double off Pedro Martinez in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS.
• Drove in six runs in the World Series clinching Game 6 in 2009, including a 3-run home run off Martinez.

He's a player that will always be beloved in the Big Apple. As John Sterling says, "He's the Hideki, you know."

Girardi Shakes Things Up a Bit

In an effort to inject some more life in the offense, Joe Girardi has benched Nick Swisher for tonight's second game of the World Series. The only problem is that he replaced him with the light hitting Jerry Hairston Jr., who is also not an outfielder by training.

Hairston is 10-27 (.370) lifetime against tonight's starter Pedro Martinez, but hasn't faced him in five years. Meanwhile, as expected, Girardi stuck with Jose Molina behind the plate in an effort to placate Yankees starter A.J. Burnett.

Window Shopping

Today we take a look at the NY Mets in our continuing series, "The Trade Winds are Starting to Blow". The Mets are the first BUYER that we'll be delving into. They sit atop the NL East today, a half-game in front of the World Champion/division rival Philadelphia Phillies.

A rash of injuries and ineffective performances have put the Mets into a shopping position. How quickly they pull the trigger, is a completely different story.

Nick Johnson - Mets fans are in love with the former Yankee right now. It's one of the rare times in his career that Johnson isn't on the disabled list. With Carlos Delgado out indefinitely with hip surgery, Johnson would be a great fit. He's hitting .337 with 4 HR and 26 RBI. Imagine how many RBI he could have with a real team around him rather than the 20-games-under-.500 Nationals. He's also a top notch fielder, who could help take away some of David Wright's throwing errors.

Mark DeRosa - Just about on everyone's wish list, DeRosa would be play 1st Base and outfield for the Mets, and occasionally fill in for Wright or 2nd Baseman Luis Castillo.

Bobby Abreu - Abreu's on a one year, $5 million deal with the Angels. At some point, the Angels are going to have to start playing better or fold up the tents. He would be an ideal fit in the Mets outfield.

Jason Marquis, John Garland - The Mets, like everyone else, would like to get Cliff Lee, but don't have the chips to do it. They do need to strengthen their starting rotation, however, and could swing a deal for Marquis, or possibly Garland.

Pedro Martinez - You just get the feeling that this could still be a possibility. The Mets let him walk this past off-season and laughed at the notion of giving Pedro a guaranteed $5 million. He hasn't thrown in a game since this past Winter's WBC, but some team will snatch him up if the price is right., Though we deem this a long shot, we could see Pedro back in Flushing under the right circumstances.

Pedro and Pudge Still Looking for Work

We never thought we would see the day that come mid-March, Pedro Martinez and Ivan Rodriguez would be looking for work. The future Hall of Fame players are both in the same boat though as no team has made an offer to their liking.

Martinez struggled with arm issues the last two years, but opened some eyes with his performance in the World Baseball Classic. The Dominican Republic was eliminated, but not before Martinez tossed six scoreless innings. He didn't walk a batter, allowed just one hit, and struck out six.

Reportedly, the former Red Sox hero wants a one year deal worth $5 million. Teams are reluctant to offer up that much guaranteed money for a guy who had surgery and missed so much time the prior two seasons.

But one only has to take a look at the deal John Smoltz recently signed with the Red Sox to know that someone may just pony up the money for Martinez after all. Smoltz is guaranteed $5.5 million this year and has a shot at another $5 million in incentives. That contract was given despite Smoltz' shoulder surgery last June.

The Mets have resisted bringing back Martinez, who just completed a four year contract. But Martinez has piqued the interest of the Dodgers, who lost Derek Lowe and Brad Penny to free agency.

Martinez, along with older brother Ramon, grew up in the Dodgers system before being dealt to the Expos for Delino DeShields. To say that it would be strange to see Pedro, Manny Ramirez, and Joe Torre in the same dugout, is beyond an understatement.

There are plenty of other teams looking for pitching, but not willing to pay the cash. There's also uncertainty if Martinez is a good influence on young pitchers.

Pedro may have to wait for a team to suffer an injury to get a deal he finds acceptable. (Can you imagine Pedro in Pinstripes if there was an injury or Joba was ineffective? George and Hank would love it.)

There's no question that teams feel Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez would be a good influence on inexperienced catchers and a pitching staff, but there's plenty of concern about the life left in his bat. I-Rod has tried to answer those concerns in the WBC.

Through the first three games, the Puerto Rican born catcher was hitting .545 (6-11) with 2 home runs, one double, and 5 RBI. He's also added a walk and a stolen base.

It's only three games, but it's a far cry from how Rodriguez ended the 2008 season. After losing his full-time job in Detroit, Rodriguez was shipped to the Yankees, who needed some offensive help with Jorge Posada having gone down to injury.

But Rodriguez was soon sitting on the bench in New York too. He hit just .219 in 96 at-bats. Worse was his lack of run production- just 3 RBI- which led to Rodriguez taking a seat in favor of a .237 lifetime hitter (Jose Molina).

Whether or not his small measure of work in the WBC can land him a job remains to be seen. But a $1 million salary plus incentives would probably be enough to sign him.

There have been rumors on and off of one of his old teams, the Marlins, having an interest, but so far that has not come to fruition. As of now, Wes Helms is the Marlins' only position player that earns seven figures in annual salary.

But this would be a win-win situation. The three catchers currently on the Marlins' 40-man roster only have 147 games of combined major league experience (one of them, Brett Hayes, has no MLB experience). Pudge would have to accept a part-time playing/teaching role, but he would also be living near his Miami home.

There has also been some mutual interest between Pudge and the Mets too. Ideally, the Mets would have Rodriguez split the catching duties with Ramon Castro, and move Brian Schneider, a .253 career hitter, and his $4.9 million salary.

We think the Orioles would be another good fit. The O's signed the left-handed hitting Greg Zaun this past winter. Rodriguez could platoon/split time with the Zaun, who hasn't hit above .242 the last two seasons and is a mediocre defensive catcher. Once uber-prospect Matt Wieters is ready to come to the majors, Rodriguez could move into a mentoring role.

For now though, Pedro and Pudge are still checking the help wanted ads (maybe they could work a package deal.).


photos courtesy of epochtimes.com and ivanrodriguez.com

Tuesday Night Hot Stove

With the temps in the 20s in the metro area, what better night to start talking hot stove. All the awards have been handed out and now teams can concentrate are making up their rosters for next season.

The Seattle Times says the Mariners have reportedly found their new manager in 45-year old Don Wakamatsu. Joey Cora was thought to be the front runner for the job, but GM Jack Zduriencik wanted Wakamatsu.

A former minor league catcher, Wakamatsu is the first manager of Asian descent. His father was born in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. Wakamatsu has extensive minor and major league coaching experience, and was manager of the year in the California League in 1998.

The Cubs have signed Ryan Dempster to a 4-year, $52 million, with the final year having a player's option.

The Cubs are reportedly interested in acquiring outfielder/infielder Mark Teahen from the Royals.

Japanese pitcher Junichi Tazawa is garnering interest from the Indians, Tigers, Red Sox, Phillies, and Braves.

Peter Gammons is reporting the Jake Peavy to the Braves deal is not dead. The Red Sox could move Coco Crisp for a reliever so that Justin Masterson can move into the starting rotation, and the Blue Jays have made Milton Bradley their top priority.

According to his agent, Pedro Martinez is not ready to retire and plans to pitch in 2009 and beyond.

The Giants inked one of the prized lefty relievers on Monday, signing Jeremy Affeldt to a 2-year, $8 million.

Tuesday Night Hot Stove

With the temps in the 20s in the metro area, what better night to start talking hot stove. All the awards have been handed out and now teams can concentrate are making up their rosters for next season.

The Seattle Times says the Mariners have reportedly found their new manager in 45-year old Don Wakamatsu. Joey Cora was thought to be the front runner for the job, but GM Jack Zduriencik wanted Wakamatsu.

A former minor league catcher, Wakamatsu is the first manager of Asian descent. His father was born in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. Wakamatsu has extensive minor and major league coaching experience, and was manager of the year in the California League in 1998.

The Cubs have signed Ryan Dempster to a 4-year, $52 million, with the final year having a player's option.

The Cubs are reportedly interested in acquiring outfielder/infielder Mark Teahen from the Royals.

Japanese pitcher Junichi Tazawa is garnering interest from the Indians, Tigers, Red Sox, Phillies, and Braves.

Peter Gammons is reporting the Jake Peavy to the Braves deal is not dead. The Red Sox could move Coco Crisp for a reliever so that Justin Masterson can move into the starting rotation, and the Blue Jays have made Milton Bradley their top priority.

According to his agent, Pedro Martinez is not ready to retire and plans to pitch in 2009 and beyond.

The Giants inked one of the prized lefty relievers on Monday, signing Jeremy Affeldt to a 2-year, $8 million.

The Pennant Race - 9/26

The Mets may very well have saved their season last night. Heavy rains could have an affect on this weekend's series with the Marlins, but the Mets would have been in even deeper water, or something else, had they not won last night's game with the Cubs. Trailing 6-3, the Mets rallied back and then won the game in the bottom of the 9th when Carlos Beltran's line drive ticked off the end of the glove of a diving Micah Hoffpauir at 1st base. Jose Reyes raced home with the winning run in a 7-6 victory. It overshadowed a big game by Hoffpauir, who was playing in just his 31st big league game. The rookie homered twice, doubled, and drove in 5 runs.

The Mets bullpen, for once, was key, holding the Cubs over the final 2.2 innings after a shaky start from Pedro Martinez. It kept the Shea inhabitants in a tie with the Milwaukee Brewers, who also won in dramatic fashion, for the wildcard lead, and moved them to within one game of the idle Phillies in the NL East. Martinez left to a standing ovation, which he admittedly realized could be his last.

Knowing that the Mets had already won, the Brewers were locked in a 1-1 battle with the Pirates. The key to the 10th inning win came down to one at-bat. With two men aboard and two outs, Dale Sveum sent up Craig Counsell to pinch-hit for Bill Hall. Rookie Jesse Chavez walked him, meaning he had to face Ryan Braun. Moments later Bernie Brewer was going nuts, as was the rest of Miller Park, as Braun hit a walk off grand slam. Kudos to the Brewers pitchers, all eight of them, that held the Pirates to one run.

Bullpens were huge in the White Sox-Twins game last night as well. The White Sox built up a 6-1 and looked like they would remain in first place in the AL Central, but the Twins rallied against the Chicago pen, while their own relievers shut down the White Sox after the 4th inning.

An RBI triple by Carlos Gomez and a run scoring double by Denard Span cut the White Sox lead in half in the fourth. Down 6-4 in the eighth inning, the two struck again. Gomez's RBI single off of Bobby Jenks narrowed the deficit to a run, and moments later Span tripled to score Gomez and knot the game at 6-6. In the 10th, Nick Punto drew a one out walk, moved to second on Gomez's ground out, and advanced to third on Jenks' wild pitch. After Span was intentionally walked, Alexi Casilla singled home Punto with the game winner and vaulted the Twins into first place by a half-game.

The Dodgers clinched the NL West when the Cardinals pounded the Diamondbacks 12-3 Thursday afternoon, but held off celebrating until after they lost last night's game with the Padres, 7-5. Joe Torre and Manny Ramirez made the difference with this bunch, which took advantage of a collapsing Dbacks squad.

The Red Sox moved back to within 2 games of the Rays with a 6-1 win over the Indians. Jon Lester and three relievers combined on a 2-hitter and Kevin Youkilis hit his 28th home run. Meanwhile, the Rays fell to the Tigers, 7-5, as Scott Kazmir was tagged for four of the five home runs Detroit hit. Rookie Armando Galarraga won his 13th game for the Tigers.


News and Notes

The Padres clung to their slim playoff hopes with an 8-6 win over the Reds. Roy Oswalt won his 17th game. Oswalt went 8-2, 1.70 in his last 10 starts.

Vlad Guerrero's 3-run home run yesterday gave him at least 90 RBI for the 10th time in his career.

The Pennant Race - 9/26

The Mets may very well have saved their season last night. Heavy rains could have an affect on this weekend's series with the Marlins, but the Mets would have been in even deeper water, or something else, had they not won last night's game with the Cubs. Trailing 6-3, the Mets rallied back and then won the game in the bottom of the 9th when Carlos Beltran's line drive ticked off the end of the glove of a diving Micah Hoffpauir at 1st base. Jose Reyes raced home with the winning run in a 7-6 victory. It overshadowed a big game by Hoffpauir, who was playing in just his 31st big league game. The rookie homered twice, doubled, and drove in 5 runs.

The Mets bullpen, for once, was key, holding the Cubs over the final 2.2 innings after a shaky start from Pedro Martinez. It kept the Shea inhabitants in a tie with the Milwaukee Brewers, who also won in dramatic fashion, for the wildcard lead, and moved them to within one game of the idle Phillies in the NL East. Martinez left to a standing ovation, which he admittedly realized could be his last.

Knowing that the Mets had already won, the Brewers were locked in a 1-1 battle with the Pirates. The key to the 10th inning win came down to one at-bat. With two men aboard and two outs, Dale Sveum sent up Craig Counsell to pinch-hit for Bill Hall. Rookie Jesse Chavez walked him, meaning he had to face Ryan Braun. Moments later Bernie Brewer was going nuts, as was the rest of Miller Park, as Braun hit a walk off grand slam. Kudos to the Brewers pitchers, all eight of them, that held the Pirates to one run.

Bullpens were huge in the White Sox-Twins game last night as well. The White Sox built up a 6-1 and looked like they would remain in first place in the AL Central, but the Twins rallied against the Chicago pen, while their own relievers shut down the White Sox after the 4th inning.

An RBI triple by Carlos Gomez and a run scoring double by Denard Span cut the White Sox lead in half in the fourth. Down 6-4 in the eighth inning, the two struck again. Gomez's RBI single off of Bobby Jenks narrowed the deficit to a run, and moments later Span tripled to score Gomez and knot the game at 6-6. In the 10th, Nick Punto drew a one out walk, moved to second on Gomez's ground out, and advanced to third on Jenks' wild pitch. After Span was intentionally walked, Alexi Casilla singled home Punto with the game winner and vaulted the Twins into first place by a half-game.

The Dodgers clinched the NL West when the Cardinals pounded the Diamondbacks 12-3 Thursday afternoon, but held off celebrating until after they lost last night's game with the Padres, 7-5. Joe Torre and Manny Ramirez made the difference with this bunch, which took advantage of a collapsing Dbacks squad.

The Red Sox moved back to within 2 games of the Rays with a 6-1 win over the Indians. Jon Lester and three relievers combined on a 2-hitter and Kevin Youkilis hit his 28th home run. Meanwhile, the Rays fell to the Tigers, 7-5, as Scott Kazmir was tagged for four of the five home runs Detroit hit. Rookie Armando Galarraga won his 13th game for the Tigers.


News and Notes

The Padres clung to their slim playoff hopes with an 8-6 win over the Reds. Roy Oswalt won his 17th game. Oswalt went 8-2, 1.70 in his last 10 starts.

Vlad Guerrero's 3-run home run yesterday gave him at least 90 RBI for the 10th time in his career.

The Pennant Race - 9/17

Is it Deja Vu all over again? The Mets have lost three straight and are suddenly in second place, one-half game behind the Phillies in the NL East. It all started with a blown two run lead in the ninth to the Braves on Sunday, and has been followed up by two straight losses to the suddenly competitive Nationals. The Mets and Pedro Martinez got spanked on Monday, 7-2, and were shut down last night by Mr. Cy Young himself, Odalys Perez.

Meanwhile, Ryan Howard continues his MVP surge in Philly. The Phils trailed the Braves 7-6 in the eighth inning lats night when Howard unloaded his 45th home run of the season to put the Phillies ahead 8-7. Brad Lidge escaped a bases loaded jam in the ninth to move the Phils into first place.

The Mets also got bad news when they found out Fernando Tatis is probably done for the year with a separated shoulder.

The Rays wrested sole possession of the AL East lead from the Red Sox with a 2-1 walk off win. Dionner Navarro delivered a bases loaded single in the bottom of the ninth.

The Twins rallid from an 8-0 deficit to the Indians to take a 9-8, but ultimately lost 12-9 in extra innings on Victor Martinez's walk off home run. The loss dropped Minnesota 2.5 games behind the White Sox in the AL Central.

The Mets may be out of first place, but they do have the wildcard lead thanks to the Cubs. CC Sabathia lost for the first time since Milwaukee acquired him as he was out pitched by Chicago's Ryan Dempster, who won his 16th game, 5-4.

No movement in the NL West- the Dodgers beat the Pirates 6-2 behind three hit games from Manny Ramirez (.401) and Casey Blake. Dan Haren kept Arizona 4.5 behind the Dodgers with a complete game, 4-hit, 12 striekout shutout over the Giants. Solo home runs by Chris Snyder and Stephen Drew provided the runs in the 2-0 win.

The Pennant Race - 9/17

Is it Deja Vu all over again? The Mets have lost three straight and are suddenly in second place, one-half game behind the Phillies in the NL East. It all started with a blown two run lead in the ninth to the Braves on Sunday, and has been followed up by two straight losses to the suddenly competitive Nationals. The Mets and Pedro Martinez got spanked on Monday, 7-2, and were shut down last night by Mr. Cy Young himself, Odalys Perez.

Meanwhile, Ryan Howard continues his MVP surge in Philly. The Phils trailed the Braves 7-6 in the eighth inning lats night when Howard unloaded his 45th home run of the season to put the Phillies ahead 8-7. Brad Lidge escaped a bases loaded jam in the ninth to move the Phils into first place.

The Mets also got bad news when they found out Fernando Tatis is probably done for the year with a separated shoulder.

The Rays wrested sole possession of the AL East lead from the Red Sox with a 2-1 walk off win. Dionner Navarro delivered a bases loaded single in the bottom of the ninth.

The Twins rallid from an 8-0 deficit to the Indians to take a 9-8, but ultimately lost 12-9 in extra innings on Victor Martinez's walk off home run. The loss dropped Minnesota 2.5 games behind the White Sox in the AL Central.

The Mets may be out of first place, but they do have the wildcard lead thanks to the Cubs. CC Sabathia lost for the first time since Milwaukee acquired him as he was out pitched by Chicago's Ryan Dempster, who won his 16th game, 5-4.

No movement in the NL West- the Dodgers beat the Pirates 6-2 behind three hit games from Manny Ramirez (.401) and Casey Blake. Dan Haren kept Arizona 4.5 behind the Dodgers with a complete game, 4-hit, 12 striekout shutout over the Giants. Solo home runs by Chris Snyder and Stephen Drew provided the runs in the 2-0 win.

The Daily Yankeeland - 9/16

New York state assemblyman Richard Brodsky claims that New York City manipulated the assessed value of Yankee Stadium in order to get a tax break. Brodsky is expected to issue a report later today.

The Yankees have already moved some artifact's and mementos out of the Stadium.

A great story in today's Star Ledger on some of the long time vendors at the Stadium. We walked right past Mike McNamara as we entered the Stadium on Sunday.

Dan Graziano has a nice story on a long time Yankees fan.

Thanks for stirring the pot again Jorge. Joba Chamberlain is tired of the starter vs. reliever talk.

The South Bronx's Humberto Sanchez has finally made it to Yankee Stadium.

Pedro Martinez exploded over Posada's comments about him. Perhaps they shouldn't have told him after the Nationals kicked his ass.

Hideki Matsui will most likely have his knee surgery as soon as the Yankees are mathematically eliminated, if not sooner.

The Daily Yankeeland - 9/16

New York state assemblyman Richard Brodsky claims that New York City manipulated the assessed value of Yankee Stadium in order to get a tax break. Brodsky is expected to issue a report later today.

The Yankees have already moved some artifact's and mementos out of the Stadium.

A great story in today's Star Ledger on some of the long time vendors at the Stadium. We walked right past Mike McNamara as we entered the Stadium on Sunday.

Dan Graziano has a nice story on a long time Yankees fan.

Thanks for stirring the pot again Jorge. Joba Chamberlain is tired of the starter vs. reliever talk.

The South Bronx's Humberto Sanchez has finally made it to Yankee Stadium.

Pedro Martinez exploded over Posada's comments about him. Perhaps they shouldn't have told him after the Nationals kicked his ass.

Hideki Matsui will most likely have his knee surgery as soon as the Yankees are mathematically eliminated, if not sooner.

The Pennant Race - 9/1

Labor Day is here, which means there's a month of baseball season left and Jerry Lewis is on the tube. With the exception of the AL West, and maybe the NL Central, all the divisional and wildcard races are up for grabs.

AL East

The Rays pounded the Orioles 10-4 on Sunday, to finish off a three game sweep in which they scored 34 runs. The victory moved them 5.5 games ahead of the Red Sox, who lost the finale of their three game series with the White Sox, 4-2.

AL Central

The White Sox win kept them a half-game ahead of the Twins in the central standings. Gavin Floyd picked up his 15th win and Jim Thome hit career home run number 536 to tie him with Mickey Mantle for 14th place on the all-time list.

In addition to being within striking distance of Chicago, the Twins moved to 2.5 back of the Red Sox in the wildcard race, with a 12-4 thumping of the A's. Justin Morneau homered and knocked in four runs, giving him 108 RBI entering September.

NL East

The Mets maintained their one game lead on the Phillies, by beating the Marlins 6-2 on Sunday. Carlos Beltran, who hit the game winning grand slam on Friday, David Wright, and Nick Evans each homered to help Pedro Martinez to pick up career win number 214.

The Phillies beat the Cubs 5-3 to gain a split of the four game series, after losing the first two. Jayson Werth homered for the third time in two games and Jamie Moyer won his 12th game. It was the 242nd win of Moyer's 22-year career. Remarkably, he only won 72 games in his first nine seasons.

NL Central

The Cubs lead in the division was reduced to 4.5 games due to the continuing heroics of the Brewers' CC Sabathia. The big man tossed a controversial 1-hit complete game shutout over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The play in question was the lone hit of the game. The Pirates' Andy LaRoche hit a tapper to the side of the mound that Sabathia bare handed and dropped. Had he picked the ball cleanly, he would have gotten LaRoche easily at first. But the official scorer ruled it an error. It would turn out to be the lone Pittsburgh hit. After the game, manager Ned Yost and Sabathia's teammates were clearly upset, and there was a plan (naive at best) to appeal to the league to have the call overruled.

The Brewers maintained a 4.5 game lead over the Phillies in the wildcard, while the Cardinals dropped to 6.5 back with a 3-0 loss to the Astros.


NL West

The Dodgers took two of three from the Diamondbacks to get back within 2.5 of Arizona in the west. LA dominated both wins, 6-2 on Saturday, and 8-1 on Sunday, with plenty of hitting and pitching. Derek Lowe threw six scoreless innings on Sunday night baseball, to beat Brandon Webb, who was walloped for the second straight time out in his attempt to win his 20th game.


Other News

The Indians, feel good about themselves, 10-game winning streak came to an abrupt end as they were swept by the Mariners in three straight.

The Padres Jake Peavy tossed a gem on Sunday (8 IP 5 H 0 R 13 K) only to see Trevor Hoffman blow the lead in the ninth. Hoffman then got the win when Luis Rodriguez drove in the game winner in the bottom of the ninth.

The Dodgers' Jeff Kent could be done for the season after it was announced he will undergo knee surgery to repair torn cartilage.

The Pennant Race - 9/1

Labor Day is here, which means there's a month of baseball season left and Jerry Lewis is on the tube. With the exception of the AL West, and maybe the NL Central, all the divisional and wildcard races are up for grabs.

AL East

The Rays pounded the Orioles 10-4 on Sunday, to finish off a three game sweep in which they scored 34 runs. The victory moved them 5.5 games ahead of the Red Sox, who lost the finale of their three game series with the White Sox, 4-2.

AL Central

The White Sox win kept them a half-game ahead of the Twins in the central standings. Gavin Floyd picked up his 15th win and Jim Thome hit career home run number 536 to tie him with Mickey Mantle for 14th place on the all-time list.

In addition to being within striking distance of Chicago, the Twins moved to 2.5 back of the Red Sox in the wildcard race, with a 12-4 thumping of the A's. Justin Morneau homered and knocked in four runs, giving him 108 RBI entering September.

NL East

The Mets maintained their one game lead on the Phillies, by beating the Marlins 6-2 on Sunday. Carlos Beltran, who hit the game winning grand slam on Friday, David Wright, and Nick Evans each homered to help Pedro Martinez to pick up career win number 214.

The Phillies beat the Cubs 5-3 to gain a split of the four game series, after losing the first two. Jayson Werth homered for the third time in two games and Jamie Moyer won his 12th game. It was the 242nd win of Moyer's 22-year career. Remarkably, he only won 72 games in his first nine seasons.

NL Central

The Cubs lead in the division was reduced to 4.5 games due to the continuing heroics of the Brewers' CC Sabathia. The big man tossed a controversial 1-hit complete game shutout over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The play in question was the lone hit of the game. The Pirates' Andy LaRoche hit a tapper to the side of the mound that Sabathia bare handed and dropped. Had he picked the ball cleanly, he would have gotten LaRoche easily at first. But the official scorer ruled it an error. It would turn out to be the lone Pittsburgh hit. After the game, manager Ned Yost and Sabathia's teammates were clearly upset, and there was a plan (naive at best) to appeal to the league to have the call overruled.

The Brewers maintained a 4.5 game lead over the Phillies in the wildcard, while the Cardinals dropped to 6.5 back with a 3-0 loss to the Astros.


NL West

The Dodgers took two of three from the Diamondbacks to get back within 2.5 of Arizona in the west. LA dominated both wins, 6-2 on Saturday, and 8-1 on Sunday, with plenty of hitting and pitching. Derek Lowe threw six scoreless innings on Sunday night baseball, to beat Brandon Webb, who was walloped for the second straight time out in his attempt to win his 20th game.


Other News

The Indians, feel good about themselves, 10-game winning streak came to an abrupt end as they were swept by the Mariners in three straight.

The Padres Jake Peavy tossed a gem on Sunday (8 IP 5 H 0 R 13 K) only to see Trevor Hoffman blow the lead in the ninth. Hoffman then got the win when Luis Rodriguez drove in the game winner in the bottom of the ninth.

The Dodgers' Jeff Kent could be done for the season after it was announced he will undergo knee surgery to repair torn cartilage.

The Pennant Chase - 8/27

If the Mets miss the playoffs by one game, they can look at last night's failure with the Phillies as the difference. The Mets built up a 7-0 lead behind four RBI from Fernando Tatis, but Pedro Martinez and the shaky Mets pen couldn't hold it, and the Phillies prevailed, 8-7, in 13 innings. The win moved the Phils into first place in the NL East by a half-game.

The Red Sox win moved them to within 3.5 of the Rays in the AL East. Tampa had the unfortunate task of going up against the Blue Jays' Roy Halladay last night. The Jays ace won his 16th as red hot Vernon Wells drove in three runs to lead the Blue Jays to a 6-2 win.

The White Sox are now two full games in front of the Twins in the AL Central. Orlando Cabrera had a big night (4-5, 2 RBI, 2 runs), and Nick Swisher hit seventh home run of the month as Chicago downed the Orioles 8-3. Gavin Floyd picked up his 14th win and Carlos Quentin added his 100th RBI.

The Twins meanwhile lost a nail biter to the Mariners, 3-2. Jose Lopez's RBI single snapped a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning, and Ryan Rowland-Smith out dueled Scott Baker.

The Cubs and Brewers broke out the offense in big wins yesterday. Chicago maintained their five game lead in the NL Central with a 14-9 over the Pirates. The Cubbies put seven runs across home plate in the eighth inning to end the see-saw battle. Rookie catcher Geovany Soto hit his 20th home run and drove in a career high seven runs.

The Brewers couldn't gain any ground on the Cubs, but they did increase their wildcard lead to 4.5 games over the Mets and Cardinals, by pounding St. Louis, 12-0. Ben Sheets picked up his 12th win and Ryan Braun hit his 33rd home run of the season. He now has 67 home runs and 189 RBI in 234 big league games.

There was no movement in the NL West as Brandon Webb failed in his attempt to become the first pitcher to win 20 games this year. The Padres shelled him in a 9-2 win. Meantime, the Dodgers were done in 2-1 by the Washington Nationals, despite a complete game by Derek Lowe.

Other News

Cliff Lee tied Brandon Webb for the major league lead in wins with his 19th as the Tribe won their ninth straight, 10-4 over the Tigers.

Were those really a bunch of complete games we saw last night? In addition to Lowe, John Lackey (11-2, 2.95) threw one in the Angels 5-1 win over the A's, Bronson Arroyo went the distance in the Reds 2-1 win over the Astros, and Texas' Kevin Millwood threw his second straight CG in beating the Royals, 2-1.

Boston had to place J.D. Drew on the DL with a herniated disk in his back, but acquired outfielder Mark Kotsay from the Braves for minor league outfielder Luis Sumoza.

The Pennant Chase - 8/27

If the Mets miss the playoffs by one game, they can look at last night's failure with the Phillies as the difference. The Mets built up a 7-0 lead behind four RBI from Fernando Tatis, but Pedro Martinez and the shaky Mets pen couldn't hold it, and the Phillies prevailed, 8-7, in 13 innings. The win moved the Phils into first place in the NL East by a half-game.

The Red Sox win moved them to within 3.5 of the Rays in the AL East. Tampa had the unfortunate task of going up against the Blue Jays' Roy Halladay last night. The Jays ace won his 16th as red hot Vernon Wells drove in three runs to lead the Blue Jays to a 6-2 win.

The White Sox are now two full games in front of the Twins in the AL Central. Orlando Cabrera had a big night (4-5, 2 RBI, 2 runs), and Nick Swisher hit seventh home run of the month as Chicago downed the Orioles 8-3. Gavin Floyd picked up his 14th win and Carlos Quentin added his 100th RBI.

The Twins meanwhile lost a nail biter to the Mariners, 3-2. Jose Lopez's RBI single snapped a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning, and Ryan Rowland-Smith out dueled Scott Baker.

The Cubs and Brewers broke out the offense in big wins yesterday. Chicago maintained their five game lead in the NL Central with a 14-9 over the Pirates. The Cubbies put seven runs across home plate in the eighth inning to end the see-saw battle. Rookie catcher Geovany Soto hit his 20th home run and drove in a career high seven runs.

The Brewers couldn't gain any ground on the Cubs, but they did increase their wildcard lead to 4.5 games over the Mets and Cardinals, by pounding St. Louis, 12-0. Ben Sheets picked up his 12th win and Ryan Braun hit his 33rd home run of the season. He now has 67 home runs and 189 RBI in 234 big league games.

There was no movement in the NL West as Brandon Webb failed in his attempt to become the first pitcher to win 20 games this year. The Padres shelled him in a 9-2 win. Meantime, the Dodgers were done in 2-1 by the Washington Nationals, despite a complete game by Derek Lowe.

Other News

Cliff Lee tied Brandon Webb for the major league lead in wins with his 19th as the Tribe won their ninth straight, 10-4 over the Tigers.

Were those really a bunch of complete games we saw last night? In addition to Lowe, John Lackey (11-2, 2.95) threw one in the Angels 5-1 win over the A's, Bronson Arroyo went the distance in the Reds 2-1 win over the Astros, and Texas' Kevin Millwood threw his second straight CG in beating the Royals, 2-1.

Boston had to place J.D. Drew on the DL with a herniated disk in his back, but acquired outfielder Mark Kotsay from the Braves for minor league outfielder Luis Sumoza.

Around the Horn - 7/26

The Dodgers, looking to strengthen their infield, have acquired Casey Blake from the Indians for prospects RHP Jon Meloan and catcher Carlos Santana (can he play guitar too?).

The Mets won again last night and are now 23-12 under Jerry Manuel. They also have a 2 game lead in the NL East after the Phils got drubbed by the Braves 8-2. The Mets will be without Pedro Martinez, due to the death of his father. Boston's David Ortiz paid tribute to his friend by putting RIP 45 on his helmet.

Despite rumors to the contrary, the Twins not be promoting Francisco Liriano for Sunday's game. Liriano has talked about bringing action against the Twins for not promoting him sooner.

Rangers pitcher Kevin Millwood is headed to the DL for the umteenth time with a groin injury. His teammate Josh Hamilton reached the 100 RBI mark last night before any other ALer reached 80 RBI.

The Astros expect Roy Oswalt back from the DL on Monday.

Twins outfielder Carlos Gomez was released from a Cleveland area hospital after crashing into the wall last night against the Indians. Gomez injured his lower back and was given a pain injection. He's not expected to miss significant time.

Around the Horn - 7/26

The Dodgers, looking to strengthen their infield, have acquired Casey Blake from the Indians for prospects RHP Jon Meloan and catcher Carlos Santana (can he play guitar too?).

The Mets won again last night and are now 23-12 under Jerry Manuel. They also have a 2 game lead in the NL East after the Phils got drubbed by the Braves 8-2. The Mets will be without Pedro Martinez, due to the death of his father. Boston's David Ortiz paid tribute to his friend by putting RIP 45 on his helmet.

Despite rumors to the contrary, the Twins not be promoting Francisco Liriano for Sunday's game. Liriano has talked about bringing action against the Twins for not promoting him sooner.

Rangers pitcher Kevin Millwood is headed to the DL for the umteenth time with a groin injury. His teammate Josh Hamilton reached the 100 RBI mark last night before any other ALer reached 80 RBI.

The Astros expect Roy Oswalt back from the DL on Monday.

Twins outfielder Carlos Gomez was released from a Cleveland area hospital after crashing into the wall last night against the Indians. Gomez injured his lower back and was given a pain injection. He's not expected to miss significant time.