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6/10/2008
Billy-Ball Daily
Bill Chuck (Billy-Ball his own self)
Billy-Ball - From the diamond to your desktop…
By Baseball Newstalgist, Bill Chuck
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The only spin here is on my screwball
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Top of the 1st
THE GRIFFEY 600
Last night, in the 1st inning at Dolphins Stadium in Miami, on a 3-1 count, Ken Griffey Jr. put a Mark Hendrickson curveball high into the seats in right field, and Junior had home run #600…finally.
Here’s less than 600 factoids:
• Griffey was 19, the youngest player in the majors, on April 10, 1989, when he homered off the Chicago White Sox's Eric King on the very first pitch he saw at Seattle's Kingdome. It was his first homer.
• It was Griffey's 202nd homer as a Red. He's one short of tying Eric Davis for seventh on the club's all-time list.
• He’s hit 314 homers at home and 286 on the road.
• "I don't think I touched any of the bases. I sort of floated around," Griffey said.
• "I grew up watching him. I know what he did for baseball in Seattle," said Mark Hendrickson, who became the 383rd pitcher to surrender a homer to Griffey. "It's just one of those things where I'm going to pitch to these guys and don't back down from it."
• He’s homered in 43 ballparks, the most in the late Seattle Kingdome with 198.
• The milestone proved to be a millstone. Junior started the season with 593 home runs and it took him 216 at-bats to hit his seven this season. Griffey hit No. 597 on April 23 at Great American Ball Park, then went 90 at-bats, the second-longest drought of his career, before homering again in San Diego on May 22. He then went another 29 at-bats before hitting No. 599. This time Griffey went 17 at-bats before he hit No. 600.
• Going into last night, he had walked nine times in his 26 plate appearances since hitting No. 599 on May 31.
• Junior has hit four walkoff homers.
• He has three inside-the-park homers including one that was a walkoff (should that be called a run-off?)
• The pitcher who has been victimized the most by Junior is David Wells who surrendered eight homers. Roger Cl*m*ns is next having given up six.
• Manager Dusty Baker has managed the last three players to reach 600 homers: B*nds in San Francisco, S*sa in Chicago and now Griffey. He was there for Bonds' 600th, on Aug. 9, 2002.
• Griffey, Jr. has 15 grand slams.
• Home run number 36, by the 20-year old Junior, was hit in the 1st inning off the Angels' Kirk McCaskill on Sept. 14, 1990. That homer enabled him to go back-to-back with his 40-year old father, Ken Griffey Sr.
• Ken Griffey (the senior) hit 152 home runs.
• Junior has homered against 29 teams, the most against the Twins with 38.
• He has played in 903 of 1,361 games since joining the Reds. He's been on the disabled list eight times since the trade from the Seattle Mariners to the Reds in February 2000.
• Babe Ruth was the fastest to reach 600 homers doing it in 2,044 games, next comes Sammy S*sa, who did it in 2,302 games, followed by Barry B*nds in 2,394 games and then Junior Griffey in 2,439 games. It took Willie Mays, 2,557 games and Hank Aaron, 2,592 games.
• Griffey needs nine home runs to tie S*sa for fifth in career home runs, and 60 to match Willie Mays. Here are the All-Time Home Run Leaders: Barry B*nds – 762; Hank Aaron – 755; Babe Ruth – 714; Willie Mays – 660; Sammy S*sa – 609; Ken Griffey Jr. – 600.
• Of the 600 club, Griffey had to wait the longest to reach the milestone, going eight games between Nos. 599 and 600. Willie Mays went seven games, Sammy S*sa four, Barry B*nds three, Hank Aaron two and Babe Ruth one.
• When he hit 50 for the first time, he joined Mays as then the only players ever to win a Gold Glove in a season in which they hit 50.
• Jerry Hairston, who scored ahead of Griffey on No. 600, was a teammate of Sammy S*sa in 2007 when S*sa hit his 600th homer on June 20. As further punishment, Hairston left the game in the middle of the 1st inning after breaking his left thumb when stealing second. He could miss two to four weeks.
• “Look at my track record,” Griffey said. “The only one I hit at home was 100. I didn’t think about (hitting it at home). You can’t predict home runs.”
• Home run #100 was hit off Billy Brewer of the Royals on June 15, 1993.
• Home run #200 was hit off the Red Sox Vaughn Eshleman on May 21, 1996
• Home run #300 was hit off the Indians Jose Mesa on April 13, 1998
• Home run #400 was hit off the Rockies Rolando Arrojo on April 10, 2000
• Home run #500 was hit off the Cardinals Matt Morris on June 20, 2004
• Home run #600 was hit off the Marlins Mark Hendrickson on June 9, 2008
• Junior hit # 500 in St. Louis on Father’s Day off in St. Louis and the fan gave him back the ball. Junior invited that fan to the All-Star Game at his expense.
• Home run #500 was the 2,143rd hit of Junior's career. Ken Griffey, Sr. ended his 19-year career with 2,143 hits.
• Griffey hit the final homer at the Kingdome on June 27, 1999, a three-run shot off Texas' Aaron Sele.
• At the time he hit them, Junior was the youngest player to reach 300, 350, 400 and 450 home runs.
• 422 of Junior’s homers have come against righties, 178 against lefties.
• On July 28, 1993, Griffey hit a home run for the eighth consecutive game (career homers 110- 117), tying the record held by Dale Long and Don Mattingly.
• Griffey goals: He could join Ty Cobb and Rusty Staub, as the only players to hit a home run as a teenager and as a 40-year-old. He could join Ted Williams, Rickey Henderson and Willie McCovey as the only players to hit home runs in four different decades and he could become the first player to hit 300 home runs for two different teams.
• Griffey has hit 398 homers as a Mariner and 202 with the Reds.
• “Willie called me about 10 days ago,” Griffey said. “Hank called the next day. They told me to relax and keep having fun. I think that helped me a little bit.”
• In 1999, Junior became the first American League player since Harmon Killebrew to lead the league in home runs three seasons in a row.
• He has played in 903 of 1,361 games since joining the Reds. He’s been on the disabled list eight times since the trade from the Mariners in February 2000.
• Griffey was the first to suggest players wear Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 on the anniversary of Robinson’s first major league game.
• Of the six to hit at least 600 career home runs, which is the best overall player? Take this interactive poll here (I voted for Willie): http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/25069143/
• Here’s a terrific freeze frame look and explanation of the mechanics of Junior’s swing: http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200806092879298
• Watch the video and hear Marty Brennaman’s call of the historic shot: http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200806092879298
• Check out the details of any of the Griffey homers here: http://dunes.cincinnati.com/data/misc/griffey/
Top of the 2nd
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"I would boo me, too," said the Tigers’ Dontrelle Willis.
Last night as Cliff Lee picked up his 10th win for the Indians, Willis (0-1) gave up a career high eight earned runs, for the fourth time his career, on three hits (no typo) and five walks in 1 1-3 innings. The left-hander became just the third pitcher since 1956 to give up eight earned runs on three or fewer hits, according to STATS. The other two pitchers who gave up eight earned runs on three or fewer hits since 1956 were Randy Johnson and Kerry Wood.
Willis has yet to last five innings in a start this season. He has 21 walks in 11 1/3 innings. Last night he threw only 27 strikes in 64 pitches before being removed. Ryan Garko and Kelly Shoppach both homered in the first two innings off Willis, helping the Cleveland Indians build an eight-run lead in an 8-2 victory Monday night.
Willis made his second start since going on the disabled list with a hyperextended right knee. In his last start, he walked five in four scoreless innings. After acquiring him last winter along with Miguel Cabrera from the Florida Marlins, Detroit signed “the pitcher” to a $29 million, three-year deal.
Top of the 3rd
BLAME THE ORTIZ INJURY ON SELIG
David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox was supposed to try to imitate Babe Ruth during a Call Your Shot promotion in next month’s All-Star Game festivities at Yankee Stadium. Immediately faced with a Yankees protest and hoopla nationwide (including from yours truly), Bud Selig arranged to have Ortiz injured, and to have two players replace him in the Home Run Derby. The players who take his place will have to earn their chance to try this ridiculous promotion. Once the eight competitors is down to two finalists, they will try to hit a ball to a location chosen by a fan.
I would point at Selig’s box.
Top of the 4th
HURDLE MAKES BAYLOR AN ALL-STAR
Beleaguered Rockies manager Clint Hurdle has one thing to look forward to, he will be the National League manager at the All-Star Game. After nearly five months of ongoing negotiations with officials from MLB, Hurdle announced that former Rockies manager Don Baylor will be an honorary member of his coaching staff when the Midsummer Classic is played July 15.
Hurdle, who was hired by Baylor as the Rockies hitting instructor in 1997, had been discussing the idea with Katy Feeney, Major League Baseball's senior vice president of scheduling and club relations, since he first conceived it.
"I believe Don Baylor has done a tremendous amount for me personally. This is a small token of my appreciation to give him an opportunity to be back in an All- Star Game, being an ex-Yankee. He added so much value to the Rockies organization over the years, and to be a part of it as an auxiliary member of my coaching staff, I'm very, very happy to afford him this opportunity."
Although Baylor will be unable to be in the dugout during the game (another boo to MLB), he will be in the clubhouse before the first pitch and also will be on the field during the team workouts and Home Run Derby July 14. Once he received final clearance from MLB, Hurdle offered his invitation to Baylor, "It didn't take long for me to say yes," Baylor said. "I told the Yankees I'd come back in August for the Old-Timers' celebration, and I thought that was going to be my only trip back to Yankee Stadium. Then Clint called. It's a great honor to be part of it. Being part of the Rockies organization from the beginning, for Clint to have the foresight to think of this is special."
Top of the 5th
MARINERS SOLVE THEIR PROBLEM
What do you do when your team is simply awful? Well the Seattle Mariners fired hitting coach Jeff Pentland and replaced him with special assistant Lee Elia. Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi said he hoped a "different voice" would help the team with the worst record in the majors. Elia, who turns 71 next month, was Seattle's batting coach from 1993-97 and is perhaps best known for a tirade he once unleashed as manager of the Chicago Cubs.
The move clearly worked, Miguel Cairo's safety squeeze after Jason Frasor walked the bases loaded in the 10th inning gave the Mariners a 3-2 victory last night over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Top of the 6th
BILLY-BALL-SITE-OF-THE-DAY
This site comes from Craig B. Landgren, founder of www.ballparkchasers.com:
The guys over at thirty27.com are leaving this Saturday to attempt to break the world record of seeing all 30 parks in 27 days! Check out their website at www.thirty27.com. They will also be shooting a documentary about their journey and donating 50% of their donations to a local little league.
Top of the 7th
PROBABLE PITCHERS
AL
Orioles (Daniel Cabrera) at Red Sox (Josh Beckett), 6:05
Twins (Scott Baker) at Indians (C.C. Sabathia), 7:05
White Sox (Jose Contreras) at Tigers (Nate Robertson), 7:05
Mariners (Carlos Silva) at Blue Jays (Dustin McGowan), 7:07
Rangers (Kevin Millwood) at Royals (Gil Meche), 8:10
Rays (Jamie Shields) at Angels (Jered Weaver), 10:05
Yankees (Chien-Ming Wang) at A's (Dana Eveland), 10:05
NL
Nationals (Tim Redding) at Pirates (Paul Maholm), 7:05
Cardinals (Mitchell Boggs) at Reds (Homer Bailey), 7:10
Diamondbacks (Micah Owings) at Mets (John Maine), 7:10
Phillies (Brett Myers) at Marlins (Ricky Nolasco), 7:10
Braves (Tom Glavine) at Cubs (Ted Lilly), 8:05
Brewers (Seth McClung) at Astros (Roy Oswalt), 8:05
Giants (Patrick Misch) at Rockies (Aaron Cook), 9:05
Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw) at Padres (Greg Maddux), 10:05
Top of the 8th
DID YOU KNOW?
Chien-Ming Wang is 0-2 with a 6.45 ERA in his last six starts, the worst slump in his career. He has allowed 39 hits and walked 20 over 37 2/3 innings.
Top of the 9th
FROM THE POLICE BLOTTER…
Calgary police are on the lookout for a classic car after thieves stole more than just the bases at the home of the Calgary Vipers who play in the Golden Baseball League early Monday. Video surveillance shows two men and one woman breaking into the Vipers field and filling a 1964 Chevy Impala convertible full of beer. The car was to be given away through a lottery to support the Vipers' charity, Snakes and Batters.
The thieves smashed the car though a fence and drove off, but returned three hours later for another load of brew. To make room for the beer, one of the men put a backpack against a wall and left it behind. It has the name “Jadin W” stitched onto it.
The Vipers are offering two season tickets for anyone who can positively identify the thieves.
Bottom of the 9th
FATHER’S DAY IS THIS SUNDAY
Show Dad where his memories rank among the greatest baseball moments of all time
Walkoffs, Last Licks, and Final Outs: Baseball's Grand (and not-so-grand) Finales
By Bill Chuck and Jim Kaplan, Foreword by Jon Miller
This Father's Day, relive some of the most memorable finales in baseball history with dear 'ol Dad by flipping through the pages of Walkoffs, Last Licks, and Final Outs. This book is the definitive collection of baseball's grand—and not-so-grand—final acts, including:
The greatest postseason finishes of all-time
The last moments of the most distinguished old stadiums
Heroic (and not-so-heroic) endings to Hall of Fame careers
Boxscores and linescores for some of the greatest games ever played
A slew of career statistics, ballpark data, and photographs
$14.95, 213 pages, paperback.
Plus, buy just one copy and receive The Bill James Daily Match-ups for your favorite team delivered FREE to your email inbox every day between now and the All-Star break—a $30 value!
To take advantage of this optional special offer, mention the "Father's Day Special" when calling (800) 397-2282 or enter the name of your favorite team under "Additional Comments" when checking out online. One team per book.
http://www.actasports.com/detail.html?&id=3427
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Information provided in Billy-Ball has been gathered from A.P. reports, espn.com, sportsline.com, mlb.com and numerous other e-sources. Opinions expressed in Billy-Ball are obviously solely the opinions of the author of Billy-Ball and do not reflect those of source material no matter how off the wall they may be.
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