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Post by inger on Mar 8, 2023 21:16:15 GMT -5
Andy Pettitte is the only pitcher to have at least an 18 year career without a losing season (.500 twice)… His streak included 5 .700% seasons; 6 .600% years; 5 above .500%; & 2 at .500%… Your last two posts on Andy Pettitte are more fodder for his Hall of Fame fortune; alas, for some reason he is undervalued. I’ve been guilty of that myself. His ERA is a bit troublesome, though it’s also a product of his era. I need to get over it. The PEDS thing is a bit troublesome, too. Though not as much as it would have been if I thought he was heavier into them… |
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Post by rizzuto on Mar 8, 2023 21:30:09 GMT -5
Your last two posts on Andy Pettitte are more fodder for his Hall of Fame fortune; alas, for some reason he is undervalued. I’ve been guilty of that myself. His ERA is a bit troublesome, though it’s also a product of his era. I need to get over it. The PEDS thing is a bit troublesome, too. Though not as much as it would have been if I thought he was heavier into them… Not only of his era but the Steroid Era in the brutal AL East! And, Pettitte never shied away from his steroid accusation, much to Roger Clemens' chagrin (saying Pettitte misremembered). Pettitte was implicated because his father ordered Human Growth Hormone for him when Andy was trying to heal on the disabled list from elbow trouble, while with the Astros. Pettitte admitted injecting himself in 2004 - once. By the way, HGH was not banned - like other substances - by MLB until 2005. Pettitte never weaseled his way around questions or had an attorney in front of him to whisper in his ear. Pettitte even repeated the phrase after each reporter's question, "Did I answer your question?" Pettitte wanted to rid himself of his shame and embarrassment by showing it to the world. To Andy Pettitte, that was his penance and the only way to clear his conscience. |
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Post by inger on Mar 8, 2023 23:44:02 GMT -5
There has really been a lot of Bert Campaneris trivia brought up here lately, and now I notice that he turns 81 tomorrow. Damn it, Bert. You’re not supposed to be that old, man. Just a few years ago your were swiping 5 bases in a game. Laying every position, participating in no-hitters.
Congratulations, Bert. I guess you can congratulate me on not being 15 anymore, too…
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Post by rizzuto on Mar 9, 2023 0:33:30 GMT -5
There has really been a lot of Bert Campaneris trivia brought up here lately, and now I notice that he turns 81 tomorrow. Damn it, Bert. You’re not supposed to be that old, man. Just a few years ago your were swiping 5 bases in a game. Laying every position, participating in no-hitters. Congratulations, Bert. I guess you can congratulate me on not being 15 anymore, too… I had no idea he was a ladies' man.  |
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Post by pippsheadache on Mar 9, 2023 7:54:30 GMT -5
I’ve been guilty of that myself. His ERA is a bit troublesome, though it’s also a product of his era. I need to get over it. The PEDS thing is a bit troublesome, too. Though not as much as it would have been if I thought he was heavier into them… Not only of his era but the Steroid Era in the brutal AL East! And, Pettitte never shied away from his steroid accusation, much to Roger Clemens' chagrin (saying Pettitte misremembered). Pettitte was implicated because his father ordered Human Growth Hormone for him when Andy was trying to heal on the disabled list from elbow trouble, while with the Astros. Pettitte admitted injecting himself in 2004 - once. By the way, HGH was not banned - like other substances - by MLB until 2005. Pettitte never weaseled his way around questions or had an attorney in front of him to whisper in his ear. Pettitte even repeated the phrase after each reporter's question, "Did I answer your question?" Pettitte wanted to rid himself of his shame and embarrassment by showing it to the world. To Andy Pettitte, that was his penance and the only way to clear his conscience. A few more Pettitte Points in his favor -- he has more victories (256) than any pitcher whose career started in the last 30 years. Right behind him is CC Sabathia at 251, Bartolo Colon at 247 and Justin Verlander, leading active pitcher with 244. I know we're not supposed to care about pitchers' wins anymore, but of course we do care about pitchers' wins in part because pitchers care about them and because it's been an important measuring standard since at least 1871. While the 30-year cutoff is mild cherry-picking, even if you extend it to pitchers whose careers started in the last 50 years -- half a century is a pretty wide swathe -- Pettitte still comes in seventh, behind Maddux (355), Clemens (354), Glavine (305), Randy Johnson (303), Mike Mussina (270) and Jamie Moyer (269.) Had the Yankees not let him go to Houston for three years starting in 2004 -- one of my angriest moments ever as a Yankee fan -- he would be the Yanks' all-time winningest pitcher (he won 219 for the Yankees; Ford had 236 and Ruffing 231.) Also he leads all pitchers with 19 post-season victories, although that standard continues to get inflated as the post-season continually expands. And if durability counts, he ranks a very healthy fortieth (thirtieth among Live Ball Era pitchers) all-time in games started I agree with Inger that the ERA issue -- more specifically the Adjusted ERA+ issue -- does not favor him at a good but not great 117. That only puts him 197th all-time. On the other hand, it is the same as HOFers Gaylord Perry and Vic Willis and better than HOFers Dennis Eckersley (116), Jim Bunning, Steve Carlton and Fergie Jenkins (115), Robin Roberts (113), Nolan Ryan (112), Don Sutton (108), Early Wynn (107) and Catfish Hunter (104.) I can't prove that he was one of those "pitch to the scoreboard" guys, but it seemed like he was, just like Perry and Bunning and Jenkins and Sutton and Hunter seemed like. The real power pitchers in that group like Carlton and Roberts and Ryan just seemed more all over the map, often nearly unhittable but then having erratic downward jags that lowered their career records. More crackpot theorizing that this thread thankfully encourages. Rizz nailed my thoughts on Pettitte's PED issue better than I could have ever enunciated. Yes, I think it's how you read his basic character -- an essentially good and upfront person who took a wrong turn and quickly regretted it, acknowledged it and corrected it. A completely irrelevant aside, but not two minutes after I read Rizz's blurb on Pettitte, an ad came on the Boob Tube that featured Pettitte on a charity he is involved with for the families of 9-11 victims. I so rarely have the TV on, especially when it's not baseball season, that it really struck me. |
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Post by pippsheadache on Mar 9, 2023 7:59:17 GMT -5
There has really been a lot of Bert Campaneris trivia brought up here lately, and now I notice that he turns 81 tomorrow. Damn it, Bert. You’re not supposed to be that old, man. Just a few years ago your were swiping 5 bases in a game. Laying every position, participating in no-hitters. Congratulations, Bert. I guess you can congratulate me on not being 15 anymore, too… I had no idea he was a ladies' man. That reminds me of an article about an Orioles IFer of the early 60s named Marv Breeding. The Orioles were moving him around in Spring Training prompting a Sporting News (I think; maybe the Baltimore Sun) headline "Birds To Try Breeding In Three Positions." |
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Post by inger on Mar 9, 2023 10:50:44 GMT -5
There has really been a lot of Bert Campaneris trivia brought up here lately, and now I notice that he turns 81 tomorrow. Damn it, Bert. You’re not supposed to be that old, man. Just a few years ago your were swiping 5 bases in a game. Laying every position, participating in no-hitters. Congratulations, Bert. I guess you can congratulate me on not being 15 anymore, too… I had no idea he was a ladies' man. Lol… |
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Post by inger on Mar 9, 2023 10:55:20 GMT -5
I had no idea he was a ladies' man. That reminds me of an article about an Orioles IFer of the early 60s named Marv Breeding. The Orioles were moving him around in Spring Training prompting a Sporting News (I think; maybe the Baltimore Sun) headline "Birds To Try Breeding In Three Positions." That’s one time I wouldn’t have complained about homework… |
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Post by inger on Mar 9, 2023 11:13:29 GMT -5
1993:
Carlos Baerga became the first switch-hitter in Major League history to homer from both sides of the plate in the same inning as the Cleveland Indians topped the New York Yankees 15-5...
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Post by inger on Mar 9, 2023 11:15:43 GMT -5
Carlton Fisk had the most total bases ever for a catcher. He retired with 3,999…
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Post by inger on Mar 9, 2023 14:37:10 GMT -5
Tom Glavine is the only pitcher in MLB history to have three seasons with at least 15 sac bunts each in history. His 216 career sac bunts is also a record…
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Post by inger on Mar 10, 2023 18:09:13 GMT -5
On April 15, 1941, Lou Stringer of Chicago set the major league record for most errors (four) by a shortstop in the first game played of a career.
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Post by rizzuto on Mar 10, 2023 19:43:59 GMT -5
On April 15, 1941, Lou Stringer of Chicago set the major league record for most errors (four) by a shortstop in the first game played of a career. I think that guy used to fix my tennis racquets. |
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Post by inger on Mar 10, 2023 23:11:56 GMT -5
On April 15, 1941, Lou Stringer of Chicago set the major league record for most errors (four) by a shortstop in the first game played of a career. I think that guy used to fix my tennis racquets. He had to do something in the off-season, right?… |
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Post by pippsheadache on Mar 11, 2023 7:36:30 GMT -5
On April 15, 1941, Lou Stringer of Chicago set the major league record for most errors (four) by a shortstop in the first game played of a career. And then he had to go home to file his taxes. Bad day all around for Lou "Third" Stringer. |
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