Mike Trout – Big Day at the Plate.

Yesterday, May 21, 2013, Mike Trout of the Angels became the youngest American Leaguer (21-years-old) to hit for the cycle (Could this final wake up the lagging Angels).  He now has plenty of time ahead to reach the MLB records of two cycles in a season and three in a career.  In honor of Trout’s achievement, BBRT looks at some “cycling records.”

•  Youngest major leaguer ever to hit for the cycle – The New York Giants’ Mel Ott – age 20 – on May 16, 1929.
• Oldest major league to achieve the cycle – the Angels’ Dave Winfield – age 39 –  on June 24, 1991.
• The record for cycles in a career is three, shared – appropriately – by three players:  Bob Meusel, Babe Herman and John Reilly,
• Only four players have hit for the cycle twice in a season, including the Diamondbacks Aaron Hill just last year.  The others: Tip O’Neill, Babe Herman and John Reilly.
• A “natural cycle” – single, double, triple, homer in order – has been achieved 14 times.

Finally, BBRT would like to revisit a one-time-only cycle event that we touched on in a posting last season. On July 27, 1998, Tyrone Horne of the Double-A Arkansas Travelers hit professional baseballs only “home run cycle” – banging a solo home run, two-run homer, three-run homer and a grand slam in a single game (a 13-4 road victory over the San Antonio Mission.) 

Horne, at the time, was in the midst of a stellar minor league season in which he would go .313 with 37 home runs, 140 RBI, 95 runs scored and even throw in 18 stolen bases.  Immediately after the historic game, Horne headed off to the Texas League All-Star Game where he won the Home Run Derby.  Horne, by the way, never made it to the major leagues – completing a 13-year (1,286 game) minor league career with a .288 average and 143 home runs.  The bat he used that historic day, however, has made it to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

Can Miggy “Three-Peat” to repeat the Triple Crown. Never been done.

As BBRT posts this, 2012 AL Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers is in hot pursuit of a second Triple Crown.  His .387 average and 47 RBI lead the AL and his 11 home runs are just one off the pace.   Can Miggy repeat as a Triple Crown winner?  History says “no.”   In fact, if Cabrera tops the AL in two of the three categories, he will be the first MLB Triple Crown winner to accomplish a two-thirds Triple Crown in the next season.  Only seven times has a Triple Crown winner come back to lead his league in at least one of the three categories  – and that has most often been batting average (six of the seven repeats, with one TC winner – the Cardinals’ Joe Medwick – taking the RBI title the year after his Triple Crown).

We’ll take a look at how TC winner have fared in the following season, but first a few TC factoids:

• Only once in MLB history have both the AL and NL featured a Triple Crown winner and both triple champions played in the same city.  It was 1933, and the TC winners were Chuck Klein of the Philadelphia Phillies and Jimmie Foxx of the Philadelphia Athletics.
• There have been only two two-time TC winners, Rogers Hornsby and Ted Williams.
• Twice in MLB history, a TC winner has been foiled in his attempt to “repeat” by a player who achieved a Triple Crown of his own. Jimmie Foxx, who won the AL Triple Crown in 1933, saw his repeat effort overshadowed by Yankee Lou Gehrig’s 1934 Triple Crown season. In 1966, Frank Robinson won the AL Triple Crown with the Orioles, and Carl Yastrzemski followed up in 1967 with a TC of his own for the Red Sox.
• One TC winner was stopped in his attempt to repeat his achievement by a greater conflict – Ted Williams missed the season following his first Triple Crown due to military service in WWII.
• In a numbers game, Ty Cobb may have come the closest ever to a Triple Crown repeat.  He won the TC in 1909 and finished second in all three categories the following season.
• Ty Cobb, at age 22, is the youngest-ever TC winner, while Frank Robinson at 31 the oldest.

Let’s take a look at the TC winners and their follow-up efforts.

Paul Hines, of the NL Providence Grays, won the Triple Crown in 1878 – going .358-4-50.  The following season, he repeated as batting champion at .357, but his 2 home runs and 52 RBI left him fifth in the league in both categories.

Tip O’Neill, of the American Association St. Louis Browns, won his Triple Crown in 1887 – with a line of .435-14-123.  Like Hines, he repeated as batting champ in 1888, despite a 100-point drop to .335, but hit only 5 home runs (failing to make the top ten) and drove in a league fourth-best 98 runs.

In 1901, Nap Lajoie of the AL’s Philadelphia Athletics won the Triple Crown with a .426-14-season. It was the first year of the newly formed American League and Lajoie was one of the premier players who had “jumped” to the rival league – moving crosstown from the NL Phillies to the Athletics.  Lajoie did not remain with the Athletics for long after his Triple Crown achievement – he played only one game for the A’s the following year, thanks to legal wrangles between the NL and AL. In April 1902, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania overruled an earlier decision by a lower court and reinforced the reserve clause in contracts between players and NL clubs. Under the rule, it appeared Lajoie could only play for the Phillies (the NL team to which he had been under contract).  However, ongoing proceedings found the ruling was only enforceable in the state of Pennsylvania. The Athletics resolved this dilemma by trading Lajoie to the AL’s Cleveland Bronchos. Lajoie repeated as AL batting champ, hitting .378, but dropped to seven home runs and 65 RBI in a season that essentially began for him in June.  

The Detroit Tigers’ Ty Cobb captured the Triple Crown in 1909 with a .377-9-107 performance.  In 1910, he put up a .383-8-91 season, finishing second in all three categories.  He was edged out for the batting by .001 (Nap Lajoie hit .384), fell two home runs behind AL leader Jake Stahl of Boston and trailed teammate Sam Crawford by 29 for the RBI crown.

The Cardinals’ Rogers Hornsby captured the 1922 NL Triple Crown with a .401-42-152 season.  He came back in 1923 with .384-17-83, repeating as batting champ and finishing fifth in home runs.

Rogers Hornsby captured his second Triple Crown in 1925, going .403-39-143. In 1926, he dropped to .317-11-93 (finishing in the top ten in home runs and RBI) and, in 1927, after an off-season contract dispute with the Cardinals, he found himself traded to the New York Giants.

Chuck Klein of the Phillies captured the NL Triple Crown in 1933 at .368-28-120.  The financially troubled Phillies traded Klein to the Cubs for three players and $100,000 in cash following his TC season and he put up with a .301-20-80 season for the Cubs in 1934.

Philadelphia had two TC winners in 1933.  Klein in the NL and Jimmie Foxx of the Athletics in the AL – .356-44-130.  Foxx went a solid .334-44-130 in 1934, finishing seventh in average, second in homers and fourth in RBI (in a season when Lou Gehrig won the AL Triple Crown).

Lou Gehrig captured the 1934 AL Triple Crown, going .363-49-165 for the Yankees.  He had a strong 1935 season … .329-30-119 … finishing sixth in the AL in average, third in home runs and second in RBI.

Joe “Ducky” Medwick earned his Triple Crown for the Cardinals in 1937 – .374-31-164.  He came back with a .322-21-122 season in 1938, leading the league in RBI.  (He is the only TC winner to repeat the following year in a category other than average.) In 1938, he also finished fourth in average and sixth in home runs.

The Boston Red Sox’ Ted Williams earned his first Triple Crown in 1942, with a .356-36-137 season – then missed the 1943 season due to WWII military service.

Ted Williams came back to win a second Triple Crown in 1947, when the Red Sox’ outfielder went .343-32-114.  He repeated as batting champ in 1948 at .360, with 25 home runs (sixth in the AL) and 127 RBI (third).

Yankee great Mickey Mantle took Triple Crown honors in 1957, with a .353-52-130 season.  The following year his .365 average was second only to Ted Williams (.388) and his 34 homers and 94 RBI were third and sixth in the AL, respectively.

Frank Robinson of the Orioles captured the 1966 AL Triple Crown – .316-49-122 and came back with a .311-30-94 campaign in 1967, when Carl Yastrzemski captured the AL Triple Crown.

The Red Sox’ Carl Yastrzemski’s .326-44-121 earned him the 1967 AL Triple Crown.  He won the AL batting title again in 1968 (with the lowest-ever average for a batting champ at .301), while finishing seventh in the AL in HR (27) and eighth in RBI (74). 

Detroit Miguel Cabrera earned the AL Triple Crown in 2012 with a .330-44-139 season – and is off to a great start in 2013  … .387-11-47 through May 19.

Desmond’s line drive came 56 years to the day that another left-handed hurler – Indians fastballer Herb Score – was dropped by a line drive of the bat of the Yankees Gil McDougald.  The line drive was so vicious, the crack of the ball against Score’s face so loud (even in the stands, according to observers) that McDougald reportedly froze at the plate and had to be urged to run to first.  The baseball struck Score flush in the face, the right eye to be more specific, knocking him to the ground – bleeding from the eye, nose and mouth.  Score never lost consciousness, but had to be helped from the field, his head swathed in a bloody towel.  He spent three weeks in the hospital, having suffered a broken nose, several other facial fractures, and severe hemorrhaging and a swollen retina in the right eye.  After the game, McDougald said he would retire from baseball if Score lost sight in his eye.

It was one of the most publicized, and talked about, baseball injuries ever.  The fact is, Score had rocketed to the top of the national past time even faster than McDougald’s liner had found him on the mound.  Among those of us who took the mound in Little League (I was a nine-year old third baseman/pitcher at the time), the youthful Score had become an instant hero (and the black and white photos of him lying on the mound in pain were downright scary). After the injury, I moved his baseball card to the place of honor – at the very top of my rubber-banded pack of person all-stars.

Score signed a contract with the Cleveland Indians on his 19^th birthday – June 7, 1952.  By 1954, as a member of Cleveland’s AAA farm club in Indianapolis, he was making his mark.  That season at Triple A, he went 22-5, with a 2.62 ERA and league-record 330 strikeouts in just 251 innings.  Score, who had already established a record as being nearly unhittable (but also lacking control) in his first two minor league seasons, gave up just 140 hits that season and seemed to gain some control (140 bases on balls).  He earned the Sporting News recognition as Minor League Player of the Year – and was referred to often as “a left handed Bob Feller.”  

Score was called up to the Indians in 1955 and continued to confound hitters.  He went 16-10, with a 2.85 ERA and recorded a league-leading and rookie-record (broken 29 years later by Dwight Gooden) 245 strikeouts.  He made the AL All Star team and was selected Rookie of the Year.  His reputation continued to grow when he followed up his rookie season with a 1956 performance that included a 20-9 record, 2.53 ERA and a league-leading 263 strikeouts in 249 1/3 innings.  Score also tossed 16 complete games and led the league with five shutouts.  In 1957, up to the point of the McDougald line drive, Score was 2-1, 2.00, with 39 punch outs in 36 innings – and hitters like Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle were calling him the toughest left-handed pitcher they ever faced. 

Score returned to the Indians in 1958 at went 2-3, 3.95 with 48 strike outs in 41 innings over 12 starts, before an elbow injury curtailed his season and – eventually – his career. While some speculated that Score’s elbow injury resulted from his changing his pitching motion so he could be better positioned to protect himself from balls hit back up the middle, Score himself rejected those comments. The hard throwing lefty indicated he changed his pitching motion after the 1958 elbow injury – which makes considerable sense. Score had such a violent delivery that he reported that he sometimes wore a basketball knee-pad on his right knee to absorb the shock of a follow through that often saw him bouncing his left elbow off his right knee.  Regardless of the cause, the post 1957 Herb Score wasn’t the same.  In 1955-57, Score went 38-20, with a 2.64 ERA in 73 games.  In the remaining five years of his career, his record was 17-26, with a 4.42 ERA in 77 games.  Herb Score was a true flame thrower, who – for fans, especially young fans – burned brightly, but too briefly.

Score, who passed away in 2008 , kept his passion for the game.  His Cleveland Indians television and radio broadcasting career lasted 34 years, and earned him a spot in the Broadcasting Hall of Fame. 

Roy Oswalt … last to win 20 games in consecutive seasons.

After what was described as an impressive throwing session the (currently) first place Colorado Rockies signed 35-year-old right-handed hurler Roy Oswalt to a minor league contract – a move BBRT sees as low risk with a potentially high reward. (I really wish my Twins had been willing to take this “chance.”)  While Oswalt struggled a bit with Texas last season (4-3, 5.80 ERA in 17 appearances/9 starts), his fastball reportedly remains in the 90+ range and 2012 did see him record 59 strikeouts in 59 innings, while walking only eleven.

In 12 MLB seasons, Oswalt has a .629 winning percentage (163-96), with 3.28 ERA.  If he can regain his form, he could pay dividends for the Rockies either as a starter (you can be pretty sure the Rockies will need some help along the way) or in long relief. 

In picking up the three-time All Star, the Rockies also gained the answer to a MLB trivia question.  (BBRT loves to mix a little history into today’s news.)  Oswalt is the answer to the query, “Who is the last major league hurler to win twenty games two seasons in a row?”  Yep, it was Oswalt – 20-10 in 2004 and 20-12 in 2005.  BBRT hopes to see Roy back in the NL sometime this season.

Here are a few other 20-game winner factoids.

- Most 20-win seasons MLB … Cy Young, as you might expect, racked up a record 15 20-win seasons (five of those were 30 or more), nine in the NL (Cleveland/St. Louis) and six in the AL (Boston).  Young led his league in wins five times, losses once and was a three-time 20-game loser.  In a 22-season career (1890-1911), he went 511-316, with a 2.63 ERA.

- Most 20-win seasons NL … The National League record for 20-win seasons is 13, shared by Christy Mathewson (New York Giants) and Warren Spahn (Boston/Milwaukee Braves).  Mathewson pitched 17 seasons (1900-1916), lead the NL in wins four times, had three straight seasons of thirty wins or more (1903-05) and finished at 373-188, 2.13.  Spahn pitched 22 seasons (1942-65, with three years lost to WWII service), led the NL in wins eight times, including four years in a row (1957-61). Spahn’s career numbers are 363-245, 3.09.

-  Most 20-win seasons AL … The American League record for 20-win seasons –  at 12 – belongs to the Washington Senators’ Walter Johnson.  Johnson pitched 21 seasons (1907-27), led the league in wins six times, including four straight (1913-16).  He finished his career at 417-279, 2.17.

- The oldest pitcher to win 20 games in a season … This honor belongs to Warren Spahn, who – at age 43 – went 23-7, 2.60, leading the NL in complete games with 22.

- The youngest 20-game winner … Dwight Gooden of the 1985 Mets won his 20^th game at the age of 20 years, 9 months and 9 days – edging out Bob Feller (who won 20 as a 20-year-old in 1939) by just shy of one month.  While it was Gooden’s only 20-win campaign, Feller went on to five more 20-victory seasons.  Notably, both Gooden and Feller led their league in strikeouts as 20-year-olds – and, in the previous season as 19-year-olds, both were 17-game winners and league strikeout leaders.  (Feller, at age 20, was in his fourth MLB season, Gooden in his second.)

So, here are a handful of April “surprises’ that captured BBRT’s attention. 

Philip Humber … 6 losses by the end of April.

Phil Humber – yes, he of the April 21, 2012, perfect game – started the 2013 tying a different kind of unique record.  In the month of April, the Astros’ Humber started six games and ran up an 0-6 record (29 2/3 innings pitched, 7.58 ERA, 44 hits, 10 walks, five wild pitches).  The only other starting hurler to notch six April losses was the A’s Dave Stewart in 1984, a year in which he went 7-14.    Still BBRT is surprised to see a pitcher get six starts in a single month – to get a decision in every outing – and, of course, to lose them all.  Humber can take solace in the fact that just three seasons after his 0-6 opening month, Stewart started a string of four consecutive 20-win seasons.  Not likely for Humber, however, whose career ERA is north of five.

A surprising ten April saves for the equally surprising Bronx Bombers.

The Yankees … 16-10 in second place in the AL East.

The Yankees – without Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson, from day one, and now Francisco Cervelli and Kevin Youkilis – are an early season surprise.  BBRT really thought age and injuries would quickly drag the Bronx Bombers toward the bottom of the division.  However, here they are in second place at the end of April, thanks to some individual surprises, particularly: Vernon Wells, who after two down years with the Angels, hit .300 with six home runs and 13 RBIs in April; and Travis Hafner, showing new life at age 36, sitting at .318-6-17.  (Maybe there is something to the aura of the pinstripes.) Not surprising, Robinson Cano leads the NY offense (.327-7-17).  On the mound, veterans Hiroki Kuroda, C.C. Sabathia and the ageless Andy Pettite (3-2, 2.86) and Mariano Rivera (10 saves, 1.74 ERA) lead the way.  Still, despite the early season surprise, BBRT sees a Yankee fade as we hit the dog days of August.

Adam Wainwright … 3 walks (one intentional) against 43 strikeouts in 44 innings.

The Cardinals Adam Wainwright ran up a 4-2 record with a 2.03 ERA through April.  Not surprising, he has true “ace” stuff.  Surprising to BBRT is that Wainwright notched 35 strikeouts before issuing his first walk of the season – and that’s a record.

Toronto Blue Jays … already 8 ½ out.

The Blue Jays made a statement in the offseason – no more “wait until next year,” 2013 is THE year.  They took advantage of the Marlins’ fire sale to add a quality lead off hitter and two proven starting pitchers: shortstop Jose Reyes and hurlers Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson.  Then they did some wheeling and dealing with the Mets to acquire 2012 Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey.  In addition, they added Melky Cabrera to an offense that was welcoming back power hitters Edwin Encarnacion and a now-healthy Jose Bautista.   Pre-season polls tabbed the Blue Jays East Division favorites.

Ouch!  One month in and that Jays are at 10-17, 8 1/2 games behind division-leading Boston.  What happened?  It starts with Jose Reyes, who was hitting .395 with one home run, five runs scored, five RBI and five stolen bases after 10 games.  Then a severe ankle sprain put him on the disabled list for an expected three months.  Buehrle and Johnson are a combined 1-2, 6.57 in 9 starts; R.A. Dickey at 2-4, 4.50 and has looked more like the pitcher who went 41-50 from 2001-2011 than 2012’s 20-game winner; and PED-free Melky Cabrera is hitting just .250 with no home runs. Couple that with slow starts from just about the whole lineup and the Jays have dug a surprisingly deep hole.  BBRT does expect Josh Johnson to right his ship, but .500 seasons from Buehrle and Dickey would not surprise.

Game changer for the Braves!

Justin Upton … prestigious power display.

.298, 12 homers, 19 RBI in April.  Enough said.  Well, one more surprise, the average distance of those 12 dingers?  Each exceeded 400 feet, for an average of 423.5 feet. We all knew he’d be good for the Braves – just surprised that he’s this good this fast.

The Washington Nationals … popular pick to win the NL crown, now sitting at 13-14, a surprising 4 ½ games behind the Atlanta Braves.

The Nats’ problem appears to be a lack of offense.  Despite a blistering start by Bryce Harper .(344-9-18 through April), the Nationals finished the month 12th in the league in runs scored (96), 13th in batting average (.234) and sixth in home runs (27).  That lack of offense explains Stephen Strasburg’s surprising 1-4 record, despite a 3.13 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 37 innings pitched.  With their depth of pitching – and the fact the some early bullpen issues seem to be working themselves out – BBRT expects the Nationals to remain in the hunt (and make the playoffs).

Boston … the first-place Red Sox.

Boston ended the 2012 season in apparent disarray, discontent and, according to some sources, outright animosity – finishing last in the AL East at 69-93, 26 games out.   The goal for 2013 was to change the personality of the team – and that meant changing some personnel, from the manager (John Farrell replacing Bobby Valentine) on down.  On the field, the Sox avoided some of the big name opportunities, going for steady, solid performers with equally solid clubhouse reputations.  Among the additions that have paid dividends early:

1B-DH-C Mike Napoli who has driven in 27 runs in his first 26 games; Shane Victorino, out with a back issue now, but sporting a .292 average over 19 games; and reliever Kuji Uehara, with a 1.69 ERA and seven holds in 12 games.  But, in reality, it’s been the core holdovers that have boosted the Sox – particularly strong performances from starters John Lester and Clay Bucholz (who went a combined 20-22 in 2012).  Through April the pair are 9-0 – Buchholz, 5-0, 1.19 ERA and Lester, 4-0, 3.11.  In addition, David Ortiz has come back with a vengeance hitting .500 (18 for 36) with three home runs and 15 RBI in his first nine games back in the lineup.  Then there is Dustin Pedroia, hitting at a .337 clip with 16 runs scored and 12 RBI.  It looks to BBRT that the surprising Red Sox will remain in the hunt in a tight AL East race.

Torii Hunter …  .370 in 23 games.

There was a popular TV commercial that used the line, “You’re not getting older, you’re getting better.”  That describes the surprising 37-year-old Torii Hunter, now patrolling right field for the (not surprising) first-place Detroit Tigers.  In 2012, Hunter surprised us all with a .313-16-92 season (with nine steals) for the Angels.  It was Hunter’s best average ever, and his fifth-highest RBI total in 16 seasons.  In 2013, Hunter is off to a .370-1-12 start.

The Angels (9-17) and Josh Hamilton (.204 average, 32 strikeouts in 108 at bats).

It shouldn’t really be a surprise, the Angels have already proven that you can go deep – and expensive – into the free agent market without guaranteeing the post season.  Still, when the Halos added Josh Hamilton to the Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Mark Trumbo powerhouse, expectations were high (despite a somewhat iffy starting rotation minus Zack Greinke).  Both Hamilton and the Angels have surprised with their April futility.  Hamilton’s is hitting just .204, with 2 homers and 9 RBI going into May. Even with Hamilton’s slow start, the Angels rank in about the middle of the AL in offensive output.  The pitching, however, ranks 14^th (based on ERA) out of 15 teams – and, with ace Jered Weaver on the DL, things don’t look promising.  Fact is, the Angels would have been better off spending some of the Hamilton money on pitching.  Will they bounce back? Doubtful, unless they come up with some arms.  Will Hamilton rebound.  Probably, but he’ll likely fall well short of 2012’s .285-43-128 (but .280-35-102 would not surprise).

Josh Donaldson (.314, 2 HR, 20 RBI) and the Oakland A’s (16-12).

The 27-year-old Oakland third baseman (a converted catcher) has progressed dramatically in the field and at the plate since winning the third base job (after injuries to Brandon Inge and Scott Sizemore) last season.  Still he came into the season with a .232 average in just 306 at bats in two seasons.  Now, he’s not only hitting over .300, he’s driven in 20 runs (sixth in the AL) as of May 1 – and he’s showing solid leather at third base.

The A’s surprise is a little more complicated.  BBRT expected the A’s young pitching (a record 54 wins from rookies a year ago) to falter a bit and, after notching the AL’s second-lowest ERA in 2012, the A’s ranked 12^th through April.  On the other hand, they led the AL in runs scored – despite standing a surprising 9^th in home runs and 10^th in batting average. Over time, BBRT thinks the pitching will pick up, but the run scoring will tick down and the A’s will finish third this season.

Shin-Soo Choo … impervious to pain.

The Reds wanted a leadoff hitter – and they picked up a good one in Shin-Soo Choo (through April, .337 – four homers – 11 RBI – 20 runs scored – 17 walks.)  The surprise for BBRT is Choo has already been hit by a pitch 10 times.  Ouch!  That’s taking one – and then some – for the team.

Got any April surprises you’d like to share?  BBRT welcomes your comment?

May 1, 1920

Brooklyn              000 010 000 000 000 000 000 000 00           1   9   2

Boston                  000 001 000 000 000 000 000 000 00           1 15  2

Starting pitchers Leon Cadore of Brooklyn and Joe Oeschger of Boston (NL) each threw more than 300 pitches (analysts estimate Cardore at 345 and Oeschger at 319) in completing their 26-inning, record-setting starts. Cadore gave up 15 hits and five walks, while fanning 7; while Oeschger allowed only nine hit and four walks, while also striking out seven batters.   Oh, and here’s another sign of how the game has changed, the time of the 26-inning contest was only 3 hours and 50 minutes.

By way of comparison, there have been two 25-inning games in MLB history, with the Cardinals topping the Mets on September 11, 1974 and the White Sox besting the Brewers on May 8, 1984.  Those contests saw the use of 13 and 14 pitchers, respectively. The Cardinals win took 7 hours and 4 minutes to complete, while the White Sox took 8 hours and 6 minutes to defeat the Brewers.

Gary Sheffield – a long ball longevity leader.

What major league players hit home runs both as teenagers and in their forties?  That’s a pretty popular trivia question – and the answer is Ty Cobb, Rusty Staub and Gary Sheffield.  More on those three later in this post, but first a look at an achievement of longevity that is just as rare:  Pitches who earned major league victories as teens and in their forties.  The three masters of mound tenure are Hall of Famers Herb Pennock and Bert Blyleven and, a less likely prospect, Mike Morgan.

Herb  Pennock logged his first win (as an 18-year old) with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1912 and the last of his 241 victories (at age 40) with the Red Sox in 1934.  In 22 MLB seasons, Pennock pitched for three teams and went 241-162, with a 3.60 ERA.  Pennock earned three wins as a teenager and two wins after his fortieth birthday.

Bert Blyleven earned his first MLB victory (at age 19) for the Minnesota Twins in 1970 and garnered his final win in 1992 (age 41) for the California Angels.  In between, in 22 seasons, he pitched for five teams, going 287-250 with a 3.31 ERA. Blyleven captured ten victories as a teenager and eight wins in his forties.

Mike Morgan – the non-Hall of Famer in this elite longevity trio – won his first game in 1979 (at age 19) for the Oakland A’s – after going 0-3 for the A’s as an 18-year-old the previous season.  He picked up his last MLB win in 2002 (at age 42) for the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Morgan pitched in 22 seasons – for 12 different teams.  His longevity is a bit surprising, since he finished above .500 in only 5 seasons – running up a career record of 141-186, with a 4.23 ERA. Morgan picked up two wins as a 19-year-old and seven at 40-plus.

Now back to those long-ball hitters.

Ty Cobb hit his first MLB homer as a member of the Tigers back in 1905 (at age 19) and the last of his roundtrippers for the Philadelphia Athletics (at age 41) in 1928.  He has the fewest home runs of any of this trio, with 117 – but is the only one to lead his league in long balls, with 9 in 1909.  Overall, he put in 24 seasons for two teams (22 with the Tigers) and, of course, captured a dozen batting titles.  Cobb hit two home runs as a teenager and six at age 40-plus.

Rusty Staub punched his first home run for Houston in 1963 at age 19 and his last (at age 41) for the Mets in 1985.  He played 23 seasons (for five different teams) and hit a total of 292 homers.  He hit six dingers before his twentieth birthday and two after his fortieth.

Gary Sheffield is the big bopper on this list, topping 500 homers in his 22-year, 8-team career.  He hit his first homer in 1988 (age 19) for the Milwaukee Brewers and his last in 2009 (age 40) for the Mets.  He finished with 509 homers, but never led the league.  (He did win a batting title, hitting .330 for the Padres in 1992.)  Sheffield popped four homers as a teen and ten as a forty-year-old

Upton brothers launched their own theory of relativity against the Rockies.

Yesterday (April 23, 2013), 21,724 fans attending the Colorado Rockies homes game against the red hot Atlanta Braves were treated to a baseball rarity, as brothers B.J. and Justin Upton cranked back-to-back homers in the fifth inning of the Braves’ 10-2 victory.

How rare are MLB back-to-back jacks by brothers?  The Uptons were only the second set of brothers to accomplish the feat – following Paul and Lloyd Waner (both Hall of Famers), who hit back-to-back dingers (also in the fifth inning) for the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 7-2 road win over the New York Giants on September 15, 1938.

For BBRT, the Upton’s accomplishment brought back memories of an even rarer long ball feat – back-to-back home runs by father/son major leaguers.  It happened in the first inning of a Seattle Mariners 7-5 loss to the California Angels on September 14, 1990 and the principals were, of course, Ken Griffey Senior and Junior.  (By the way, for you trivia buffs, the Griffeys’ shared first name is not Ken.  The pair are, in fact, George Kenneth Griffey, senior and junior.) The two remain not only the only father/son duo to hit back-to-back homers, but the only such pair to even homer in the same game.

This brings BBRT to another of those “in baseball we count everything” moments.  When it comes to the Upton’s’ accomplishment – and going beyond back-to-back dingers – brothers homering for the same team in the same game is itself a rare feat.  It’s been accomplished just 27 times in MLB history to date.   This is comparable in rarity to the pitching of a perfect game (23 times).

Here are the players:

Four times: 

Jason and Jeremy Giambi, A’s

Vlad and Wilton Guerrero, Expos

Three times:

Justin and B.J. Upton, Braves (they’ll be moving up this list)

Paul and Lloyd Waner, Pirates

Hank and Tommy Aaron, Braves (in Milwaukee)

Two times:

Tony and Billy Conigliaro, Red Sox

Cal, Jr. and Billy Ripken, Orioles

Adrian and Edgar Gonzalez, Padres

Once:

Felipe and Matty Alou, Giants

Matty and Jesus Alou, Giants (making Matty the only brother to hit homers in the same game with two different brothers)

Bengie and Jose Molina, Angels

Adam and Andy LaRoche, Pirates

By the way, if you are on one of Ballpark Tours trips (see ballparktours.net) this year, you can expect something from this post to be on the traditional K-Kwiz.  

This is much more than a movie about our national pastime.  It’s also documents a watershed moment in American history and even presents a true story of love under pressure.   

It’s a tale of how the often surly, but clearly idealistic, Branch Rickey – played to perfection by Ford – chose Jackie Robinson as his partner in efforts to break baseball’s unwritten, but long understood, color line.  Robinson had not only the playing skills Rickey sought (he was a Negro League star), but the strength of character.  He had been a multi-sport athlete at UCLA and an Army Officer.  In Rickey’s (correct) judgment Robinson had the intellect to understand the importance of taking his place in history and the courage and discipline to face the challenges it presented.  In Rickey’s words “the guts not to fight back.” 

The little-known Boseman fills his role ably, he not only looks and moves like an athlete, he blends on-field strength and stoicism with off-field sensitivity and rage to give us a bit of insight into how difficult being “the first” must have been.  As the movie takes us from Robinson’s original signing through his first season in the major leagues, we see the depth of prejudicial abuse Robinson must face – the segregation of accommodations,  racial taunts from fans and opposing players, shunning by even his own teammates, even death threats directed toward Robinson and his family.  And, Robinson must deal with all of this while playing ball well enough to prove he (and those who would follow him) belong in the up-to-then “white” major leagues. 

How difficult was it for Robinson not to fight back?  This was a man who had been court-martialed (found not guilty) in the Army for refusing an order to move to the back of a bus.  Robinson, as history and “42” shows us, maintained his public composure and dignity under fire – with the support of Rickey and the unflinching affection and confidence of his wife Rachel.    

There are, throughout the movie, moments with “messages.”  In one scene, a young boy is enjoying the pastoral beauty of the ball park with his father – until Robinson takes the field.  The boy’s father begins to hurl a string of racist epithets at Robinson and the child looks dismayed for a moment and then energetically parrots his father’s racist venom.  On the other side of the issue, we find a scene where Rickey tells Robinson of seeing a playground ball game in which a young white boy at the plate is mimicking Robinson’s moves and stance – “a young white boy pretending to be a black man,” now that is progress.

Not only is the story inspiring – and true – the baseball action is well-played and the cars, clothes and ball parks and (unfortunately at times) the attitudes are period-perfect.  It can be a walk down memory lane or, for those too young to remember, an eye-opening look at life in the ’40s.

It is, most certainly, a great and important story – well told.  For BBRT, “42” was an afternoon well spent.  I encourage you to see this film – and, if you can’t take peanuts and Cracker Jack, enjoy some popcorn.

Jackie Robinson – Dodgers number 42 – 1947 Rookie of the Year

151 games – .297 – 12 HRs – 125 runs – 48 RBI – 29 stolen bases 

Robinson Cano … started yesterday’s six-throw triple play.

Yesterday, in a 5-2 win over the Orioles, the New York Yankees turned one of the most unusual triple plays in MLB history.  It took place in the eighth inning and went like this:

The Orioles’ Nick Markakis and Alexi Casilla started off the inning with singles against Yankee starter C.C. Sabathia – putting runners on first and second with no outs.   Manny Machado then hit a sharp one-hopper to second baseman Robinson Cano, who tossed to shortstop Jayson Nix to force Markakis for out number one; meanwhile, Casilla had headed toward third and was now in “no-man’s land” between the bases; Nix tossed to Yanks’ third baseman Kevin Youkilis to start a rundown that saw Youkilis throw to Nix and then Nix back to Youkilis who applied the tag; the hitter, Machado, looking to take advantage of the rundown, had rounded first and was now in his own “no-man’s land;” Youkilis threw to first baseman Lyle Overbay, cutting off Machado’s path of retreat; Overbay then fired to Cano, who tagged out Machado at second.

In the scorebooks, it went 4-6-5-6-5-3-4.

All of the subsequent triple play media talk reminded BBRT of the day in 1990 (July 17) when BBRT’s Twins became the only team to turn two triple plays in one game.   They came in the fourth and eighth innings of a game against the Red Sox and both were of the most traditional variety.  In the fourth, with the bases loaded, former Twin (then Boston right fielder) hit a ground ball to Twins’ third sacker Gary Gaetti, who stepped on the bag and threw to second baseman Al Newman (for out number two), who relayed to first baseman Kent Hrbek to complete the triple play.  In the eighth, with runners on first and second, Red Sox second baseman Jody Reed grounded to Gaetti at third, and the around-the-horn triple play was duplicated.  The Twins, despite the triple killings, lost the contest 1-0 on an unearned run.

Other triple play factoids of interest to BBRT”

-  Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson holds the MLB record for hitting into triple plays with four;

- In 1962, Mets’ catcher Joe Pignatano ended his six-year MLB playing career by hitting into a triple play in his final at bat;

-  Ron Wright, in April 2002, had a one-game MLB career as a Designated Hitter for the Seattle Mariners.  He garnered three at bats – striking out, hitting into a triple play and hitting into a double play.  Three at bats – six outs – one MLB career.

By the way, Wright was a “glass-half-full” kind of guy, who always referred to his one MLB game as “the best day of my professional life.” For more on Wright, who was a legitimate prospect, see BBRT’s post April 28, 2012 – when BBRT took a look at the best and worst one-game MLB careers.

BASEBRAWLS

A little rant here.  We are seeing lots of “noise” around the recent injury to Zach Greinke, when Carlos Quentin charged the mound after being hit by a pitch.  BBRT noted that almost every bit of sports coverage, in the first or second paragraph, notes that the Dodgers lost their “$147-million pitcher.”  Would we be seeing all this concern, and calls for rules changes and lengthy suspensions, if the injured hurler had been a journeyman middle reliever?  BBRT regrets the injury to Greinke, but sees a lot of over-reaction out there.

Joe Adcock, principal in one of baseball’s legendary confrontations.

All this mound-charging debate took BBRT back to July 17, 1956, when Giants’ pitcher Ruben Gomez beaned red-hot Milwaukee slugger (first baseman) Joe Adcock twice in one plate appearance.  In the second inning of a Giants’ 11-inning 8-6 win, Gomez hit Adcock (who had hit eight home runs in the past ten games) in the wrist with a pitch. 

As Adcock trotted to first, words were exchanged and the 6’4”, 210-pound slugger rushed the mound.  The 6’, 170-pound Gomez – who had already received a new ball from the umpire – selected his weapon, firing the horsehide at Adcock and hitting him (a second time) in the left thigh.  As players poured from the dugouts, Gomez, unlike Greinke, thought better of facing his larger and angrier opponent – taking flight into and through the Giants’ dugout, all the way to the locker room.  As reported in “The Milwaukee Braves – A Baseball Eulogy,” Adcock charged right into the Giants’ dugout in pursuit, but was restrained by New York players and coaches – who were joined by uniformed police officers trying to restore order.  Quick-thinking organist Jane Jarvis broke into an impromptu rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner,” which quelled the disturbance.  

When the game resumed, both Gomez and Adcock had been ejected and police officers were stationed (temporarily) in front of the Giants’ dugout.  (It has also been reported that Gomez had retrieved an ice pick from the clubhouse, but was disarmed and disuaded by teammates before he could return to the field.)  Associated Press reports indicated that, after the game, both Gomez and Adcock agreed the incident was best forgotten.  Hmm?  Advice for today’s Dodgers and Padres?

EARLY SEASON SURPRISES – ALTHOUGH TOO EARLY TO DRAW ANY CONCLUSIONS

- Red Sox and Yanks atop the AL East, Blue Jays in last place – although only 1 ½ games separate the pack.

- Kansas City leading the AL Central – and Detroit 5-5 after ten games.

- Oakland proving to be “real” at 9-2, loaded Angels starting at 2-8.

- Many-Snow-Ta weather – which really shouldn’t surprise Twins’ fans at all.

- Arizona atop the NL West (although the  favored Giants are only ½ game out).

NOT UNEXPECTED

- Atlanta and Washington atop NL East.

- St. Louis and Cincinnati heading up NL Central.