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Post by azbob643 on Apr 26, 2024 15:34:04 GMT -5
Speaking of Hamilton, at what point does Nestor incorprate a "Folly Floater" into his repertoire? I threw one to a buddy of mine once. I told the tale here before. The shortened version is that in the time it took to get to the the plate I heard him say, “What the hell is THAT?”. Then I watched him eyeball the pitch, readjust to the speed and height, time it, take a mighty swing and hit a weak dribbler just to my right as I fielded and beat him to the first base bag. 😂 My primary position from the time I began playing youth ball was SS. I had a very strong arm, so during one summer league my coach asked me to pitch. I could really throw that "speedball", but I had no pitching coaching and didn't really know how to throw other pitches, but was able to get by throwing some concocted variations of breaking balls. During one game, when facing a well-known power hitter, knowing he was probably sitting fastball, I decided to make him look bad by throwing what I believed to be a changeup...a palm ball, which I threw essentially as a circle change, without the circle. That was about 55 years ago. My LF was last seen running to the horizon and was never seen again.
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Post by inger on Apr 26, 2024 15:43:49 GMT -5
JIM “MUDCAT” GRANT
Pitching for MIN in 1965, his 10th year in MLB, Grant’s record was 21-7. “I didn’t know there was never an African-American pitcher who won 20 games in the American League,” Grant told MLB.com in 2017. “As the season progressed, I started getting all kinds of mail, and even Howard Cosell called me a couple times when I got to 18 wins. So, it was really special.”
In ’65, Grant’s W % was .750 and he had 6SHO. Unfortunately, that same season, he led the majors in HR surrendered with 34. We know at least he had six starts where he didn’t allow a HR.
It might not have been for the team you expected, and it wasn’t pretty, but Grant was the first starting pitcher in Expos history. The Montreal Expos opened on the road in 1969, in Shea Stadium. Grant was MON’s starter and the Expos prevailed 11-10.
I suppose we have to credit Charley Finley for one of baseball’s most wonderful nicknames. MUDCAT. We could do worse…
Grant, at .178 wasn’t a bad hitter and had 6 HE in his career. His WS slash of .250/.250/.750 as he went 2/8 with a double and a HR that he hit in the only series he batted in, 1965…
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Post by pippsheadache on Apr 26, 2024 16:59:34 GMT -5
I suppose we have to credit Charley Finley for one of baseball’s most wonderful nicknames. MUDCAT. We could do worse… Inger, I am happy to say that we don't have to credit Charlie Finley with bestowing that name on Jim Grant. He got it in the minor leagues in the mid-50s when he was in the Cleveland organization. It wasn't Grant's idea -- he said it came from a teammate named Leroy Irby -- his manager Red Ruffing began using it, and Grant eventually embraced it. Like Rickey Henderson, he had a habit of referring to himself in the third person and would occasionally invoke the name. I remember having his 1959 baseball card when he was with the Indians, and the card listed him as Mudcat Grant, although he signed it (that was the autograph year for Topps) James Grant. Other than that one year, I am pretty sure his Topps card listed him as Jim Grant. Do any of you remember when Finley offered Vida Blue a bonus if he would legally change his name to True Blue? To his credit, Vida turned it down. But he'll always have Catfish Hunter and (I think) Blue Moon Odom.
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Post by inger on Apr 26, 2024 18:53:31 GMT -5
I had a boy crush on Hamilton because he was the first pitcher I ever saw that was so tall he could just step over the bullpen gate to enter a game. He had some really effective years with the Yanks and threw the first eephus pitch I ever saw…
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Post by inger on Apr 26, 2024 19:01:33 GMT -5
I suppose we have to credit Charley Finley for one of baseball’s most wonderful nicknames. MUDCAT. We could do worse… Inger, I am happy to say that we don't have to credit Charlie Finley with bestowing that name on Jim Grant. He got it in the minor leagues in the mid-50s when he was in the Cleveland organization. It wasn't Grant's idea -- he said it came from a teammate named Leroy Irby -- his manager Red Ruffing began using it, and Grant eventually embraced it. Like Rickey Henderson, he had a habit of referring to himself in the third person and would occasionally invoke the name. I remember having his 1959 baseball card when he was with the Indians, and the card listed him as Mudcat Grant, although he signed it (that was the autograph year for Topps) James Grant. Other than that one year, I am pretty sure his Topps card listed him as Jim Grant. Do any of you remember when Finley offered Vida Blue a bonus if he would legally change his name to True Blue? To his credit, Vida turned it down. But he'll always have Catfish Hunter and (I think) Blue Moon Odom. I got lazy and tried to source out if Finley had actually bestowed the name on Grant. After finding no info in acouie of sources, I made a assumption… which I then half-covered like a lazy cat in a litter box by saying “I suppose”. Thanks for keeping me on my toes. Just in case anyone feels the need to know, the flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris), also called by several common names including mudcat or shovelhead cat, is a large species of North American freshwater catfish in the family Ictaluridae. At least Ruffing didn’t call him “Flathead” or even “Pylodictis olivaris).” That might have led to trouble…
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Post by pippsheadache on Apr 26, 2024 19:03:10 GMT -5
Inger, I am happy to say that we don't have to credit Charlie Finley with bestowing that name on Jim Grant. He got it in the minor leagues in the mid-50s when he was in the Cleveland organization. It wasn't Grant's idea -- he said it came from a teammate named Leroy Irby -- his manager Red Ruffing began using it, and Grant eventually embraced it. Like Rickey Henderson, he had a habit of referring to himself in the third person and would occasionally invoke the name. I remember having his 1959 baseball card when he was with the Indians, and the card listed him as Mudcat Grant, although he signed it (that was the autograph year for Topps) James Grant. Other than that one year, I am pretty sure his Topps card listed him as Jim Grant. Do any of you remember when Finley offered Vida Blue a bonus if he would legally change his name to True Blue? To his credit, Vida turned it down. But he'll always have Catfish Hunter and (I think) Blue Moon Odom. I got lazy and tried to source out if Finley had actually bestowed the name on Grant. After finding no info in acouie of sources, I made a assumption… which I then half-covered like a lazy cat in a litter box by saying “I suppose”. Thanks for keeping me on my toes. Just in case anyone feels the need to know, the flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris), also called by several common names including mudcat or shovelhead cat, is a large species of North American freshwater catfish in the family Ictaluridae. At least Ruffing didn’t call him “Flathead” or even “Pylodictis olivaris).” That might have led to trouble… Easy assumption to make Inger. I'm just grateful that you keep these names out there.
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Post by inger on Apr 26, 2024 19:06:03 GMT -5
I got lazy and tried to source out if Finley had actually bestowed the name on Grant. After finding no info in acouie of sources, I made a assumption… which I then half-covered like a lazy cat in a litter box by saying “I suppose”. Thanks for keeping me on my toes. Just in case anyone feels the need to know, the flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris), also called by several common names including mudcat or shovelhead cat, is a large species of North American freshwater catfish in the family Ictaluridae. At least Ruffing didn’t call him “Flathead” or even (“Pylodictis olivaris).” That might have led to trouble… Easy assumption to make Inger. I'm just grateful that you keep these names out there. An easy labor of love. When I stop you can assume my spirit is free and too light to punch a keyboard or lift my cell phone…
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Post by inger on Apr 26, 2024 19:12:10 GMT -5
That one post about the scientific name for a mudcat reminded me of the time I told my then 12-13 year old nephew on my ex- wife’s side that he was a homo-sapiens. He wax in complete denial and finally went home crying to his parents. Alarmingly they didn’t know what that meant so I had to explain to them that we all were homo-sapiens… sometimes sarcasm can simply play to the wrong audience.. 🤓
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Post by inger on Apr 27, 2024 21:52:14 GMT -5
JIM BAGBY
He won more games in a season than any other pitcher in the 1920’s. Bagby’s record in 1920 was 31-12. Bagby broke in with CIN in 1912.
He and his son were the first father and son combination to each pitch in a World Seties. Bagby, Sr. pitched in the 1920 WS for CLE. His son, Jim Bagby, Jr. pitched for BOS in the 1946 Fall Classic. The Stottlemyres and Borbons later matched this mark.
Ty Cobb rang up 248 H for DET in his MVPseason, 1911. However, on 28-Sep-1920, SLB’s George Sisler got his 249th of the year off Bagby. Sisler finished with 257, a mark that stood until Ichiro Suzuki got 262 H in 2004 for SEA.
Bagby only hit 2 career HR in regular season play, but he found the seats one additional time in the 1920 series…
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Post by fwclipper51 on Apr 28, 2024 13:16:41 GMT -5
April 29,1975-New York Yankees 1B Bob Oliver sets an AL fielding record by participating in 6 double plays in a 9-inning game.
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Post by inger on Apr 28, 2024 21:15:44 GMT -5
Jose Santiago pitched to a 12-4 record for the Red Sox in 1967 with 50 relief appearances and 11 starts. He led the AL in win % despite a mediocre 98+ ERA. He had the good and bad fortune of getting two starts in the WS, but both were against Bob Gibson.
In ‘68 he started off well and made the All Star team, though he didn’t appear in the game. At 9-4 after 18 starts with a classy 2.25 ERA (142+) he injured his arm and never made it back to health, out of baseball within two more seasons.
Santiago hit his only regular season HR in ‘67 and followed it up with a home run in the WS, in which he only managed 3 PA (2AB)… His arm injury occurred at at 27…
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Post by inger on Apr 28, 2024 21:28:50 GMT -5
in the 1920’s Walter Johnson pitched to a 265-143 (.650) record for the woeful Senators while the other starters on the team combined for 490-594 (.452)…
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Post by inger on Apr 28, 2024 21:34:07 GMT -5
Frank Thomas holds the record for the most games under 0.500 by his teams over his playing career—555. Chuck Klein at 552 is the other member of the 500+ games under 0.500 club. At the other extreme is Bill Dickey whose Yankees won 670 games more than they lost during his career.
16 major-league players played their entire careers for teams that failed to win even one game. Leading the way are five members of the 1872 Washington Nationals who went 0–11, and these players never played for another MLB team: Bill Yeatman, Sy Studley, Jacob Doyle, Dennis Coughlin and a player named “Spencer”—like the detective no one knows if that’s his first or last name, or what the other name was.
Among players whose teams played at least 500 games, Heinie Mueller’s teams compiled the worst W-L percentage, 0.301. John Kirby at 0.307 was not much better. Cal McVey’s teams had the best W-L percentage, 0.684…
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Post by inger on Apr 28, 2024 21:35:58 GMT -5
Frank Thomas* holds the record for the most games under 0.500 by his teams over his playing career—555. Chuck Klein at 552 is the other member of the 500+ games under 0.500 club. At the other extreme is Bill Dickey whose Yankees won 670 games more than they lost during his career.
16 major-league players played their entire careers for teams that failed to win even one game. Leading the way are five members of the 1872 Washington Nationals who went 0–11, and these players never played for another MLB team: Bill Yeatman, Sy Studley, Jacob Doyle, Dennis Coughlin and a player named “Spencer”—like the detective no one knows if that’s his first or last name, or what the other name was.
* The Frank Thomas that played in the 50’s to mid 60’s… awful Pirates teams, expansion Mets…
Among players whose teams played at least 500 games, Heinie Mueller’s teams compiled the worst W-L percentage, 0.301. John Kirby at 0.307 was not much better. Cal McVey’s teams had the best W-L percentage, 0.684…
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Post by inger on Apr 28, 2024 21:42:49 GMT -5
Ernie Banks….
2528 games played without ever reaching the postseason.
One feels pretty comfortable saying….a record that never will be broken….
Mr. Cub had assets worth $16,000 when he died in 2015...
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