Johnny lately: Yanks' 9th makes Series 3-1
PHILADELPHIA -- Johnny Damon dashed into the history books, Alex Rodriguez delivered the hit he has waited his whole life for and suddenly, the Yankees are one victory from their 27th World Series title.
The Bombers stunned Brad Lidge and a sellout crowd at Citizens Bank Park with an astonishing ninth-inning rally on Sunday, securing Game 4 of the Fall Classic with a wild 7-4 decision, moving just nine innings away from celebrating in the Canyon of Heroes.
"I've said all along that I've felt this club has been extremely resilient all year," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We've been through some up-and-down times, and our guys have gotten back up and played extremely well. All I think about is playing a good game tomorrow."
Using the formula that fueled 103 regular-season victories and now 10 more in the postseason, the Yankees dealt a crushing defeat to the Phillies after Pedro Feliz had provided hope with a game-tying eighth-inning homer off Joba Chamberlain.
The 105th World Series may have turned for good in the top of the ninth, as Damon finished a hard-fought nine-pitch at-bat against Lidge with a two-out flared single into left field. What followed was a display of instinctual baserunning that will be replayed and referenced for years to come.
Stealing second base on a slider in the dirt, Damon knew the infield had shifted for Mark Teixeira -- who was batting left-handed -- and he executed a popup slide to see that third base was left uncovered by Feliz, who was near second. Damon instantly broke, hoping his legs had enough juice left in them to outrun Feliz to third.
"I knew Feliz covered the bag, and I knew how he caught the ball," Damon said. "When I saw him right behind me, I thought, 'Man, I hope I'm still the Johnny Damon of 21 years old and not the 35-year-old guy.'"
In the Yankees' dugout, players were speechless for a moment until they realized where Damon was going. When Damon pulled into third base safely after the footrace, the Bombers erupted into applause.
"He called himself an 'Idiot' a few years back, right?" captain Derek Jeter said, referencing Damon's nickname on the 2004 Red Sox. "He looked pretty smart on that play."
When Teixeira was hit by a pitch, Rodriguez stepped to the plate in perhaps the biggest situation of his 16-year career. Expecting Lidge to stay away from his trademark slider with Damon 90 feet away, A-Rod crushed a fastball down the left-field line for a go-ahead double.
"There's no question, I have never had a bigger hit," Rodriguez said. "When I get good pitches to hit and I put a good swing on it, good things usually happen."
Jorge Posada added a two-run single, which was enough for the Yankees, who again got to savor what an advantage they have in handing the ball to Mariano Rivera. The future Hall of Famer locked down the ninth inning with eight pitches, recording his 11th World Series save.
"It's not a luxury every team has," Jeter said. "There isn't a closer that has ever played this game that you'd want to see in that position other than him. He comes around once in a lifetime."
Ace CC Sabathia -- signed to a $161 million deal last offseason -- started and did not have his sharpest command, but he dodged damage often enough to put together a gutsy effort and depart after 6 2/3 innings, entrusting a one-run lead to the bullpen.
Sabathia hung tough against Philadelphia despite seeing Posada wear a path to the mound with frequent visits that earned a chorus of boos.
"They're a good team," Sabathia said of the Phillies. "You know, they're the defending champs. They have an American League lineup, and you have to battle. There's really no time limit on the game, so it's up to us to make sure we're making the right pitches and doing the right things."
Sabathia's 107th and final pitch was rocketed over the right-field wall for a home run by Chase Utley -- who has hit three off Sabathia during the Fall Classic -- and it was the only call Posada would second-guess.
"He was outstanding," Posada said. "He really gave us a chance to win. If we can take one pitch back, I would take the pitch that Utley hit. Everything else, you really have to give credit to the hitters. He was on."
The Yankees gave Sabathia early breathing room with two first-inning runs, and after the Phillies tied the game by scoring in the first and fourth innings, Jeter and Damon logged fifth-inning RBI singles to regain the lead from Joe Blanton, who allowed four runs in six frames.
Warnings were issued to both clubs in the first inning after A-Rod was hit by a Blanton offering, Rodriguez's third plunking of the World Series. While Rodriguez later declined to discuss being hit, TV microphones captured Rodriguez telling home-plate umpire Mike Everitt, "It's the third time. It's a little obvious."
The Yankees thought it was the best that they have seen Chamberlain in some time, with Posada calling his stuff "electric."
But Chamberlain missed his location with a fastball to Feliz, who slugged it for the game-tying homer, bringing the Philadelphia crowd back to life.
That frenzy of white towel-waving persisted for a span of just three more outs, as Damon and Rodriguez combined to suck the passion out of the building and leave the Phillies despondent about their hope of being baseball's first back-to-back World Series title team since the dynasty Bombers of the late 1990s.
"That's this team," Chamberlain said. "We just go out and pick each other up. In the bullpen, you get to go back out there tomorrow. I can't say enough of these guys for picking me up."
A.J. Burnett gets the ball on Monday evening, when the Yankees will try to topple Cliff Lee -- who beat New York with a dominant complete-game effort in Game 1 -- as the final stumbling block to a championship title.
"We won't think about that now until it's done," Damon said. "They're a great team. We're not going to count anything until our job is finished."
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Lee gets Game 1 start for Phillies
PHILADELPHIA -- Phillies left-hander Cliff Lee will start Game 1 of the World Series against the Yankees.
Lee has been dominant in the postseason, going 2-0 with an 0.74 ERA in three starts. Manager Charlie Manuel made the announcement Sunday.
Lee will take the mound Wednesday night at New York. The Yankees beat the Angels 5-2 on Sunday night to win the AL championship series in six games.
Manuel hasn't set the rest of his rotation. Pedro Martinez and Cole Hamels are the candidates to pitch Game 2. By pitching the opener, Lee could get three starts if needed. Manuel said he would consider using his ace on three days' rest.
Lee was the AL Cy Young Award winner last year with Cleveland. He joined the Phillies in a trade and went 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA in 12 starts.
(c) 2009 by The Associated Press.
Postseason packed with one-run fun
Is any lead safe in this postseason of lightning strikes and pitched strikes? Forget that: Is any heart safe?
How much action can be squeezed between inhale and exhale?
Half of the 20 games played in the 2009 postseason have ended in one-run decisions. And half of those 10 have been walk-off daggers -- including both League Championship Series extravaganzas Monday night, making Oct. 19, 2009, only the fifth day in MLB history with double walk-off postseason games.
Maybe you can hear Phil Rizzuto warbling in the background, "Holy cow!" More likely, you can hear Jerry Coleman calling for "Oh, doctor!"
For what thus far have been a series of one-sided series, this postseason has certainly been tough on the nerves and on the fingernails.
Dodgers left-hander George Sherrill referred to the pitch Raul Ibanez clocked for a home run the other day as a "cement mixer."
Was Sherrill talking about the spin of the hanging curveball, or about the turbulence of fans' stomachs?
Center stage of this baseball theatre of the absolute bedlam belongs to the ALCS between the Angels and the Yankees.
Between Saturday 8:05 p.m. ET and Monday 8:34 p.m. ET, those two teams:
* Played 24 innings
* Played for nine hours, 31 minutes
* Made 784 pitches
* Scored eight runs each
* Flew 2,300 miles
* Split two games, taking turns walking off over each other
A few hours after Jeff Mathis doubled home Howard Kendrick in Anaheim, on the other coast Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins lashed -- and Eric Bruntlett and Carlos Ruiz ran -- over the Dodgers, giving the Phillies a 5-4 win and a 3-1 NLCS lead.
Rollins' huge two-out, two-run double off Jonathan Broxton completed the fifth daily-double of walk-offs in postseason history.
Interestingly, each set has included one regulation and one extra-inning game.
The game-ending doubles by Rollins and Mathis added to this postseason's walk-off lore, which already included:
* The Yankees' Jerry Hairston Jr. scampering home on second baseman Maicer Izturis' throwing error in the 12th inning to give the Yankees a 4-3 win in Game 2 of the ALCS.
* The Yankees' Mark Teixeira leading off the 11th inning with a home run off Minnesota's Jose Mijares for a 4-3 win in Game 2 of the AL Division Series.
* The Dodgers capitalizing on a drive off St. Louis left fielder Matt Holliday's gut, winning Game 2 of the NLDS, 3-2, on Mark Loretta's RBI single.
The five walk-offs are the most in one postseason since 2004, when seven of the 34 games played ended in that fashion.
Combined with the five other "routine" one-run victories, the 10 tie the 2005 total (in 30 games) as the most in any postseason since 2003, when 12 of the 38 games were one-run affairs.
Although three of this year's Division Series ended in sweeps and the other ended in four games, all were competitive affairs including last at-bat wins. The Dodgers, Angels and Yankees each needed one in their sweeps over the Cardinals, Red Sox and Twins, respectively, while the Phillies won their last two over the Rockies with ninth-inning rallies in Denver.
And, at the very least, this show still has three LCS games and the World Series in production.
Stock up on the antacid. Keeping the defibrillator within easy reach may not be a bad idea, either.
On the field, whose pulse races faster, and whose heart beats steadiest? The proverbial question of whether pitchers or hitters have the upper hand in game-changing matchups has been answered in resounding style.
Advantage, pitcher:
In the 20 postseason games to date, hitters have collectively been retired 238 of the 320 times they've batted with runners in scoring position.
Of course, they've also gotten the last word nine times. Nine last at-bat wins out of 20 games ... bet you can also hear Yogi Berra cautioning in the background, "It ain't over till ..."
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Nolasco downplays 16-K performance
PHILADELPHIA -- Ricky Nolasco prefers to live in the moment, which is one reason why the Marlins' 26-year-old right-hander wasn't overly excited about making history on Wednesday night.
In his 31st and final start of the season, Nolasco flirted with a 39-year-old Major League record.
In Florida's 5-4 win over the Braves at Turner Field, Nolasco had a stretch of striking out nine straight batters, falling one shy of Tom Seaver's record set in 1969.
Over 7 2/3 innings, Nolasco turned in one of the top pitching performances in Marlins history. He set a franchise mark with 16 strikeouts.
Low-key by nature, Nolasco isn't big on studying baseball history. Even as a kid growing up in Corona, Calif., he never was much for collecting baseball cards or any memorabilia.
So afterward, Nolasco was true to form when asked if any baseballs during the night were put aside for him.
"It's not really a big deal to me. I'm not really big on that," Nolasco said. "I don't pay attention to that stuff."
As much as Nolasco tried to shrug off the performance, the accomplishment simply can't be ignored.
For perspective, take a look at what he achieved:
* Nolasco is the fourth pitcher in MLB history to record at least nine strikeouts in a row. The all-time high is 10, set by Seaver with the Mets on April 22, 1969. Seaver, who logged 19 strikeouts that day, finished up with 10 straight against the Padres.
* Florida's previous consecutive strikeout streak was seven -- by Jesus Sanchez at Atlanta on Sept. 13, 1998.
* Prior to Nolasco, the last pitcher to log nine in a row was Jake Peavy, then with the Padres, on April 25, 2007, at Arizona.
* According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the only other pitcher to have as many as nine consecutive strikeouts was Mickey Welch of the New York Giants against Cleveland on Aug. 18, 1884. In those days, the mound was 50 feet from the plate, compared to 60 feet, 6 inches.
* No American League pitcher has struck out more than eight in a row.
* Nolasco's 16 strikeouts topped A.J. Burnett's club record. Burnett twice had 14, on July 6, 2005, and Aug. 29, 2004.
* Livan Hernandez had 15 strikeouts on Oct. 12, 1997, in Florida's National League Championship Series against the Braves.
* The 16 strikeouts also are the most by any big league pitcher this season. Zack Greinke of the Royals (Aug. 25) and Tim Lincecum of the Giants (July 27) each had 15.
* Johan Santana, then with the Twins, is the last MLB pitcher with more than 16 strikeouts. The left-hander whiffed 17 while facing the Rangers on Aug. 19, 2007.
* Nolasco finished the year with 195 strikeouts, the sixth most in Marlins history. It's the most by a Florida pitcher since Burnett had 198 in 2005. Only four pitchers in team history struck out more than 200 in a season.
* Nolasco's previous strikeout high for a game was 13, against the Rockies on Aug. 2, 2008.
Nolasco's awe-inspiring streak began in the third inning. Methodically, he retired the sides in order -- all with strikeouts -- in the third, fourth and fifth innings. Of the nine, eight Braves went down swinging, with only pitcher Javier Vazquez taking strike three. The only three-ball count was to Nate McLouth, who became the seventh victim opening up the fourth inning.
Leading off the fifth inning, Brian McCann swatted a long fly ball to right field. It had home run distance, but drifted foul. That was the closest ball put in play.
"I definitely made a bad pitch to him that ran right into his swing," Nolasco said. "I thought it was fair at first, and then I saw it hooking. He's definitely not an easy out."
Still, McCann went down swinging.
The Braves finally put the ball in play in the sixth inning when Adam LaRoche led off with a double.
In all, Nolasco threw 123 pitches -- with 83 strikes -- before handing the ball over to reliever Dan Meyer with two outs in the eighth inning.
To Nolasco, more important than the high strikeout total was the fact he finished his season on a high.
Although his record was 13-9, the season was a bit disappointing, reflected by his 5.06 ERA.
After going 15-8 in 2008, Nolasco was named the team's Opening Day starter. But he struggled early, and his low point came on May 22, when he gave up eight runs to the Rays in two innings. The Marlins optioned him to Triple-A New Orleans after the game. He rejoined the rotation on June 7.
"It definitely didn't start out the way [I wanted]," Nolasco said of his season. "But in this game, it's all about the adjustments that you make, and the way you finish.
"My back was against the wall there for a while. I just told myself, no matter what was going to happen, I was going to finish strong. That's just something I'm proud of. Overall, it's something that will make me hungry to come in and do better next year."
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
MLB finishes 2009 season with fifth highest attendance ever
More Than 73.4 Million Fans Attend Games Despite Economic Woes.
Major League Baseball announced today that despite the nation's worst economic downturn in 80 years, the 30 Clubs drew 73,418,479 fans during the 2009 championship season, producing the fifth largest total attendance in MLB history.
Two of Major League Baseball's most historic franchises, the reigning World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies and the Boston Red Sox, set all-time club records, drawing 3,600,693 and 3,062,699, respectively. The Los Angeles Dodgers led the Major Leagues in attendance with 3,761,669 for an average of 46,400. Nine clubs drew more than three million fans (Dodgers, New York Yankees, Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers) and 10 clubs averaged more than 35,000 fans per game (the above clubs plus the San Francisco Giants).
Because of the economy, this year's total is 6.6 percent less than last year's total, but is actually only 5.2 percent lower when accounting for the reduced capacities of the two new ballparks in New York. The total number of seats available at Citi Field and Yankee Stadium is approximately 1.5 million fewer than at the old ballparks.
As household spending decreased and national unemployment figures across the United States reached a 26-year high of 9.7 percent in August, many of the clubs that saw the largest decreases in attendance played in markets that suffered unemployment rates that exceeded the national average.
"Major League Baseball is grateful to all of its fans for their remarkable enthusiasm for the national pastime this season," said Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. "Given these challenging economic times, I am exceedingly proud of the manner in which our Clubs have responded, demonstrating a deep commitment to maintain baseball's stature as the most affordable and the most family-friendly sport. The 2009 attendance being among the five highest figures of all-time reflects the vibrancy and resiliency of our game."
In addition, Minor League Baseball drew 41,644,518 fans this season. When combined with MLB's total, more than 115,000,000 fans attended a Major League or Minor League game in more than 200 cities.
Among the club attendance highlights this season:
The Los Angeles Dodgers welcomed 3,761,669 fans to Dodger Stadium in 81 openings, an average of 46,440 per game. The Dodgers led the Majors in both overall and average attendance. The 3,761,669 attendance mark is the second highest in Dodgers franchise history, trailing only the 3,857,036 who came through the turnstiles in 2007. The Dodgers have reached the three million mark in home attendance for 14 consecutive years and the 3.6 million mark in five straight campaigns.
The New York Yankees led the American League in attendance (3,719,358) for the seventh consecutive season.
The Philadelphia Phillies sold out 73 games this season, including 42 in a row to end the season, en route to a franchise record attendance of 3,600,693.
The Boston Red Sox drew a total of 3,062,699 fans at Fenway Park, surpassing the 2008 mark of 3,048,248 and establishing a new club record for home attendance for the 10th consecutive year. The Red Sox increased their home attendance for the 12th consecutive season, the longest current streak in the Majors. On Wednesday, June 17 vs. Florida, the club celebrated the 500th straight sellout at Fenway Park. The Red Sox ended the regular season with 550 consecutive sellouts dating back to May 15, 2003.
The Milwaukee Brewers reached the three million mark (3,037,451) in attendance for the second consecutive season and the second time in franchise history. Milwaukee's 2009 attendance included 27 sell-outs.
The Texas Rangers saw an attendance increase of 210,159 in 78 dates over the 2008 total, which was done in 80 dates. It was the team's biggest increase from one year to the next since 2003 to 2004 (+418,553). The Rangers' increase in attendance per date from 2008 to 2009 was up by 3,318, the highest in the Major Leagues. Texas had 30 crowds of at least 30,000 in 2009, compared to 19 in 2008.
The Kansas City Royals saw a 13.9 percent increase in attendance this season for their largest total since 1993. The Royals posted eight sell-outs and 17 crowds of more than 30,000.
The Detroit Tigers finished first in attendance in the American League Central and fourth in attendance in the A.L. The Tigers' total 2009 attendance was the fourth highest in the 10-year history of Comerica Park and the fifth highest all-time in franchise history, dating back to 1901.
The Minnesota Twins registered their third highest attendance (2,416,237) in club history, and their highest figure since 1992, in the final season at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Their only higher seasons came in 1988 and 1992, both of which followed their World Series Championship seasons.
The New York Mets played to 93 percent capacity crowds in their first season at Citi Field.
The Houston Astros reached the 2.5 million mark for the sixth consecutive season and in 10 of the last 11 seasons since 1999. The Astros have drawn 28,168,920 fans in their 10 seasons at Minute Maid Park.
The Chicago White Sox finished the season with 2,284,163 tickets sold, the eighth-highest attendance total in White Sox history. The club also reached the two million tickets sold milestone in team history for the fifth straight time (11th overall). The five consecutive seasons with at least two million tickets sold are a club record, surpassing a similar four-year streak from 1990-93.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim topped three million fans (3,240,386) for the sixth consecutive season as they posted the second highest American League attendance for the sixth straight year.
The Colorado Rockies (2,665,080) posted their highest attendance since 2002.
The Chicago Cubs exceeded three million (3,168,859) for the sixth consecutive season.
Both Florida clubs, the Florida Marlins and the Tampa Bay Rays, saw increases of 8.8 percent and 3.3 percent, respectively.
The two Los Angeles area clubs combined to draw 7,002,055 fans; the two New York clubs totaled 6,873,620; and the two Chicago clubs attracted 5,453,022.
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Porcello aims to add to Tigers' history
CHICAGO -- Rick Porcello wasn't even close to being born when the 1984 Tigers won the World Series. He was born two months after former Tigers great Kirk Gibson hit his famous home run for the Dodgers in the 1988 Fall Classic.
Yet as someone in a baseball family, he knows what that Tigers team means. He knows Jack Morris from watching highlights, and he knows Alan Trammell. With the Tigers celebrating the 25th anniversary of their World Series champions from '84 on Monday night, he knows they'll all be watching.
Most importantly, he knows that a Tigers win Monday could go a long way toward Detroit's first division title in his lifetime.
After a year of defying expectations and standards for his age, Porcello takes the mound in what might be the biggest game of the Tigers' season -- at least, until the next night. With a four-game series against the Twins, the Tigers control their own destiny in the American League Central, and Porcello can control the opener.
He lost a pitchers' duel against the Twins a week and a half ago despite a quality start. In this case, winning would be the best revenge, but he isn't thinking of it as a revenge game.
"It's a big game," Porcello admitted, "but it's just another game. I'm trying to take that approach and stay even-keeled throughout the entire time."
That hasn't been a problem for him for much of the season. His teammates aren't expecting it to be an issue now, not after all the other key games in which he has pitched this year in his first experience above Class A ball.
"We've put him in every situation," Curtis Granderson said. "He started against the Yankees. He started against the Red Sox. He's thrown against Chicago here. He's thrown in big division matchups. Mentally, he's just been ready to go. I think that's the big thing, the fact that you've given him all the opportunities to do it from day one. There's no second-guessing him. There's no judgment side from the players' standpoint."
When manager Jim Leyland and team officials agreed to put him in the Tigers' rotation out of Spring Training, they did it with the belief that he had the maturity already to pitch in big situations and learn from them. His success, and the way he has succeeded lately, has seemingly proven them right. When hitters started sitting on his sinker and passing on his curveball, he dusted off his slider as a breaking pitch and became more of a power pitcher with four-seam fastballs to challenge hitters and set up the sinker.
Now it's his turn to adjust from his last meeting with the Twins. He induced two dozen balls put in play over his six innings of three-run ball, scattering eight hits, but he also had nine swings and misses from them. The Twins were aggressive on him, and they had a Michael Cuddyer two-run homer and a Delmon Young RBI double to show for it.
"You look at some of the mistakes I made then and try to correct it," Porcello said. "That's the biggest thing. We're going to go in there with a game plan and see what happens. Obviously things could change throughout the course of a game, adjustments and whatnot. We know what we want to do, and we're going to go out there and try to do it. It's going to be a fun series."
Pitching matchup
DET: RHP Rick Porcello (14-9, 4.14 ERA)
Armed with a four-run lead before taking the mound, Porcello overcame early command issues to cruise to victory with five innings of one-run ball in his last start Wednesday at Cleveland. He improved to 5-2 with a 3.23 ERA over 11 starts since the beginning of August, scattering 56 hits over 61 1/3 innings. Rather than running out of gas in his first Major League season, he almost had too much energy in his last start, working at too quick of a pace for Leyland's liking. Now, he gets a rematch with the Twins, who beat him despite a quality start Sept. 18 at the Metrodome.
MIN: RHP Nick Blackburn (11-11, 4.18 ERA)
Blackburn looked much more like the first half version of himself in his last outing. While the second half of the season has been rough for Blackburn, he’s started to turn things around of late and his best outing came in his last start in Chicago. The right-hander pitched seven scoreless innings, scattering eight hits and striking out six in the victory. Blackburn mixed in all of his pitches and the Twins were pleased by the number of off-speed pitches he used in the outing. The club hopes to see more of the same from Blackburn when he faces the Tigers in the series opener. Blackburn is 1-1 with a 5.11 ERA in two starts vs. Detroit this season.
Tidbits
Granderson is 6-for-10 over his past two games, including a leadoff homer Sunday, and he said he has hope that a recent adjustment with help from hitting coach Lloyd McClendon has put him on track for a final-week hitting performance. ... The Tigers will hold a photo opportunity and a question and answer session with greats from the 1984 team soon after the gates to the park open at 5 p.m. ET Monday. Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson, World Series MVP Alan Trammell, American League MVP and Cy Young award-winner Guillermo Hernandez, Kirk Gibson, Lance Parrish and Jack Morris will join Dan Petry, Milt Wilcox, Dave Rozema, Juan Berenguer, Rod Allen, Tom Brookens, Darrell Evans, Johnny Grubb, Larry Herndon, Rupert Jones, Barbaro Garbey and coaches Roger Craig, Dick Tracewski and Gates Brown to remember the champions.
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Skipping chores Werth it
I HAVE TODAY OFF. I had big plans. Do some laundry. Pack for a 10-day road trip that begins with a morning flight to Atlanta tomorrow. Fill out the healthcare enrollment form that was due 2 days ago. But then e-mailer Bob Volkert decided to hit me up with a question:
When Jayson Werth hit his grand slam in the seventh inning last night, three men were on base: Raul Ibanez, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley. All three of those men, plus Werth, have hit at least 30 home runs this season. So, Bob wondered, was this the first time in MLB history that one 30-home-run hitter drove in three others with a grand slam?
Thanks to the wonderful folks at Baseball-Reference.com, who have made it their life's mission to catalog every inning, home run and crotch grab (OK, they haven't gotten around to crotch grabs yet) in baseball history, answering Bob's question was possible.
So while my cold-water dark clothing sat idle in a laundry basket, I spent an hour combing through the 12 other teams in baseball history with four 30-home-run hitters.
The conclusion?
Bob was on to something. And now Jayson Werth has a place in MLB history: the first 30-home-run hitter to drive in three other 30-home-run hitters with a grand slam.
In 2006, the White Sox' Joe Crede hit one with Jim Thome, Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye on base, but it was only his 14th home run of the season. In 2000, the Angels' Garrett Anderson hit his 10th with Mo Vaughn, Darrin Erstad and Tim Salmon on base. And in 2000, Toronto's Tony Batista hit his 14th with Raul Mondesi, Carlos Delgado and Brad Fullmer on base.
But, alas, Werth's grand slam was the first in major league history that came at a point in the season when all four players involved had already reached the 30 home-run plateau.
Was this little bit of information worth its own blog entry? Probably not. But 1/24th of my day off is now gone, so I damn well am going to get some play out of it.
(c) Philadelphia Daily News.
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