We saw three major league debuts in pitching rotations on Wednesday. Despite good stuff, the results were unspectacular. Let’s start with Angels rookie Garrett Richards… Garrett Richards 5 innings, 6 hits, 6 runs, 2 walks passes, 2 strikeouts, loss Richards is 23 years old and came straight up from Double-A. His strikeout rate dipped to […]

Fifty years ago today, on Aug. 11, 1961, Warren Spahn achieved one of baseball’s great milestones, winning his 300th game. In doing so, he ended the greatest drought between 300 games winners ever. Before Spahn, you had to go back to Lefty Grove, who did it in 1941—20 years before Spahn. That’s slightly longer than […]

This week marks the 35th anniversary of one of the oddest experiments in major league haberdashery. Playing the Royals in the first game of a doubleheader on Aug. 8, 1976, the White Sox wore short, dark blue pants as part of their uniforms. The shorts, the brainchild of White Sox owner Bill Veeck and reminiscent […]

40 years ago today, baseball witnessed something new, the formation of SABR: Society for American Baseball Research. On a personal note, this organization has meant a great deal for me. I’ve attended its annual convention for eight straight years, and helped make several friends in the process. More importantly, it’s been a grand old time. […]

If you ask anyone who follows baseball particularly closely what Daric Barton does best offensively, he or she will respond that patience is his most powerful virtue. Yes, the man who drew 110 walks for the punchless Oakland A’s offense in 2010 does seem to have a gift for taking pitches and working the count. […]

Twenty years ago today, the NL’s best rivalry saw one of its stranger games, a contest whose ending was either heart breaking or fantastic, depending on what team you supported. It was a Giants-Dodgers game that just wouldn’t end. Pitchers on both teams did a great job, shutting down each other’s offenses through regulation and […]

This Saturday, Cub starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano blasted a home run against Johnny Cueto of the Cincinnati Reds. It’s hardly surprising that he’d go deep. After all, it’s his 23rd career homer, easily the most by any current pitcher. In fact, it’s more than the next two combined. Heck, Zambrano’s lifetime .154 isolated power (which […]

Below are the week’s most exciting games, courtesy of Max Marchi’s methodology. date game stars 08-05 Cardinals @ Marlins ** box score 08-04 Blue Jays @ Rays * box score 08-02 Cardinals @ Brewers * box score 08-06 Indians @ Rangers * box score 08-02 Marlins @ Mets * box score No game attained three […]

Stephen Strasburg will make his first rehab start on Sunday, less than a year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. A Buster Olney ESPN Insider piece from Friday morning reports that Strasburg is willing to make changes, including some adjustments to his rehab that focus on upper-body strength. Olney also said that Strasburg will change his […]

Matt Stairs recently announced his retirement, which didn’t come as much of a surprise to those who knew he was still playing, but possibly jolted many who figured he left years ago. He was a late bloomer, not making it to 100 games in a season until he was 29 years old, but then proceeded […]