Two Playoffs Heroes Headline New Cruise
ALSO: RONALD ACUNA, JR. IS RUNNING STRAIGHT INTO THE RECORD BOOKS
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Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
The Mets are the only MLB team in the modern era to collect 7+ hits and draw 9+ walks in a 9-inning game but not score a single run (7-0 loss to Atlanta in Flushing last Friday) . . .
Both teams used position players as pitchers at CitiField Aug. 12 but got different results, with Nicky Lopez (Braves) giving up no runs and Danny Mendick (Mets) yielding eight . . .
The Mets and Yankees have never finished last in the same season but have a chance to do it this year . . .
Toronto’s decision to sign pitcher Matt Wisler to a minor-league contract at least made his mother happy . . .
Texas broadcaster Eric Nadel, 72, is back in the booth after missing 109 games with mental health issues . . .
One of Cleveland’s few sluggers, first baseman Josh Naylor, is out 3-6 weeks with an oblique strain . . .
Although Houston pitchers have thrown 16 no-hitters, the only one by a lefty was this year’s 93-pitch gem by Framber Valdez, a 29-year-old Dominican who had pitched two complete-game shutouts previously.
Leading Off
Jack Clark, Art Shamsky Will Star On 2024 Baseball Riverboat Cruise
By Dan Schlossberg
Former World Series participants Jack Clark and Art Shamsky will be the main attractions aboard a luxury steamboat cruise on the Ohio River next June.
The week-long cruise, which starts June 30, will be aboard the American Countess, a 245-passenger paddle-wheeler that is the newest river vessel built in the United States.
Activities include a question-and-answer session, trivia contest, baseball movies, and a photo & autograph session featuring a limited-edition poster, suitable for signing, containing pictures of the stars and the ship.
The Louisville-to-Pittsburgh itinerary includes stops in Cincinnati and Mays Landing (not named after Willie Mays).
American Queen Voyages, formerly called the Delta Queen Steamboat Company, operates the vessel.
River cruises invariably appeal to people who enjoy water travel but worry about getting sea-sick. The ship moves at a graceful pace on waters with no waves while shorelines are visible on both sides. Daytime shore excursions are available.
Clark, an outfielder-first baseman who batted right-handed, played for the Giants, Cardinals, Red Sox, Yankees, and Padres during an 18-year career that stretched from 1975-1992. A four-time All-Star, he hit 340 home runs, including a personal-peak 35 in 1987, when he led the National League in on-base and slugging percentage and OPS.
The .267 lifetime hitter was a feared slugger who finished in the Top 10 in voting for NL MVP three times. He hit .381 in the 1985 NL Championship Series, winning the Game 6 finale with a three-run, ninth-inning home run against Dodgers closer Tom Niedenfuer.
Shamsky, also an outfielder-first baseman, played for the Reds, Mets, Cubs, and Athletics during an eight-year career that started in 1965. A left-handed slugger who once pinch-hit for Frank Robinson, he gained fame for his performance in the first National League Championship Series in 1969.
He hit .538, with seven hits in 13 at-bats, for the Mets against the Atlanta Braves, helping the underdog New Yorkers sweep the series, then a best-of-five.
After the upstart Mets defeated the favored Baltimore Orioles in the 1969 World Series, Shamsky coordinated a long-running series of events and promotions for the stars of the “Miracle Mets,” who were managed by the late Hall of Famer Gil Hodges.
Actor Ray Romano later named his dog Shamsky on the TV sitcom “Everyone Loves Raymond.”
For more information about the 2024 American Countess baseball cruise, see www.aqvoyages.com.
Former AP sportswriter Dan Schlossberg is the creator of the baseball theme cruise concept, aboard Cunard’s QE2 in 1981. A frequent after-dinner speaker and podcast guest, he also covers the game for forbes.com, USA TODAY Sports Weekly, Sports Collectors Digest, Memories & Dreams, and other outlets. Dan’s email is ballauthor@gmail.com.
Cleaning Up
MVP Contender Ronald Acuña, Jr. Runs Away With Records For Thievery
By Dan Schlossberg
When this week began, Ronald Acuña, Jr. was on pace for 36 homers, 76 stolen bases, and the first MVP trophy of his major-league career.
Before the rifle-armed right-fielder exploded onto the baseball scene with the Atlanta Braves, the slugger who stole the most bases during a 30-homer season was Barry Bonds, who had 52 steals and 33 homers for the 1990 Pirates. The only other member of the 30-50 club was Eric Davis, who homered 37 times and stole 50 times in 1987.
Acuña homered 11 times in August 2018 and 11 times in August ‘19. A similar total during this month would create some excitement, as he would have a legitimate chance to join Jose Canseco (1988), Bonds (‘96), Alex Rodriguez (‘98) and Alfonso Soriano (2006) as the only players with 40-40 seasons.
In 2019, Acuña almost made it but ended up four steals short after a minor ailment sidelined him for the regular season’s final four games.
He’s got a great chance to top Otis Nixon, whose 72-steal season of 1991 still stands as the Braves franchise record.
If not for Luis Arraez, Acuña would also have a clear shot at his first batting title.
The 6-0, 205-pound right-handed hitter, now 25, broke into the big leagues with 26 homers and the NL’s Rookie of the Year Award in 2018. A year later, he led the league with 127 runs scored and 37 stolen bases.
Having a slugger hit first in the lineup isn’t always common in baseball but Atlanta manager Brian Snitker hasn’t wavered from his decision to try Acuña there midway during his rookie year. Obviously, the move paid handsome dividends since.
The overwhelming first choice of fans voting for the 2023 All-Star lineups, Acuña also ranks first in selling shirts with his name on the back. The Venezuelan outfielder uses interpreter Franco Garcia for interviews but always manages to mix in a few words of English.
He and Ozzie Albies, the multi-lingual Braves second baseman who is currently nursing a hamstring strain on the Injured List, have not only become close friends but the two table-setters atop the Atlanta order. Both were among the eight Braves who went to the 2023 All-Star Game.
Thanks mainly to Acuña, Albies, Austin Riley, and Matt Olson — the top four in a powerful Atlanta lineup — the Braves are likely to break Minnesota’s 2019 record of 307 home runs. In addition, the team is virtually certain to win its sixth straight division title, the longest active streak in the majors. A 100-win season is likely for the second straight time.
At age 25, Acuña appears to have a bright future ahead. And he’ll spend the next five years in Atlanta, assuming the club exercises the options in his eight-year, $100 million contract.
He’s on pace to join Hall of Famers Rickey Henderson and Willie Mays as the only players since integration (1947) to lead a league in stolen bases and OPS.
No matter what Matt Olson and Freddie Freeman do the rest of the way, it’s unlikely they can snatch the MVP trophy away from Acuña. He also wants to win a World Series ring; he was out with a torn ACL when Atlanta won the final round in 2021.
Former AP sportswriter Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ writes for forbes.com, USA TODAY Sports Weekly, Sports Collectors Digest, Memories & Dreams, and other outlets. He’s also the author of 40 baseball books. E.mail ballauthor@gmail.com for more.
Timeless Trivia
“Baseball isn’t played on a stat sheet. You’re dealing with human beings. Things can happen more quickly than people perceive and sometimes take a little longer.”
— Mets manager Buck Showalter
Know Your Editors
HERE’S THE PITCH is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Benjamin Chase [gopherben@gmail.com] handles Monday and Tuesday editions, Elizabeth Muratore [nymfan97@gmail.com] does Wednesday and Thursday, and Dan Schlossberg [ballauthor@gmail.com] edits the weekend editions on Friday and Saturday. Readers are encouraged to contribute comments, articles, and letters to the editor. HTP reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, and good taste.