Pregame Pepper
Newly-signed DH J.D. Martinez, who bats right-handed, should give holdover Pete Alonso plenty of support by batting behind him in the Mets lineup — but both are working on contracts that expire this fall . . .
Fangraphs has the Phillies as the No. 1 NL wild-card with 85 wins, while Baseball Prospectus has Arizona in that spot (with 85 wins) . . .
Toronto third baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa was a Yankees fan while growing up in Hawaii . . .
Gerrit Cole’s only exhibition game start this spring came on March 1 . . .
Two Tampa Bay starters, Shane Baz and Taj Bradley, will also miss the opener, the former after tweaking an oblique in the weight room March 4 and the latter after suffering a right pectoral strain while warming up in the bullpen for his March 12 start . . .
Cleveland ace Shane Bieber will make his fifth straight Opening Day start this year but Atlanta’s Max Fried has been pushed back in favor of Spencer Strider, major-league leader with 20 wins and 281 strikeouts last summer.
Leading Off
The Exclusive Players in Red Sox History
By Paul Semendinger, Ed.D.
A few weeks ago, I wrote an article (and coined a new term) highlighting "Exclusive Yankees," players who for a full season played every inning of every game at a set position. As a Yankees fan, whenever I do baseball research, or at least much of the time, my efforts focus on the history of baseball's most successful team.
I was taught to love baseball by my father, now 85-years-old and still a devoted and enthusiastic baseball fan. What many people don't know is that my father is not a Yankees fan, far from it. My dad's heart has always been with the Boston Red Sox. The fact that my dad allowed me, as a young child, to choose my own baseball team speaks a great deal about his character.
Sure, I learned all about Ted Williams, Dominic DiMaggio, Bobby Doerr, Mel Parnell, Carl Yastrzemski, Rico Petrocelli, Freddy Lynn, Jim Rice, Luis Tiant, and the rest, but they never captured my heart as Graig Nettles, Ron Guidry, Roy White, Reggie Jackson, Sparky Lyle, Willie Randolph, and Thurman Munson did. And, again, to my dad's great credit, that was fine with him.
I remember 1978 when a fly ball by Bucky Dent sailed over the Green Monster and I, as a ten-year-old was joyous, as my father's heart sunk yet again... I was too young to appreciate my dad's lifetime being that of a long-suffering fan of the Red Sox.
Because of my father's love of the baseball team from Boston, I never had the typical Yankee dislike, or should I say hatred, of the Red Sox. In that light, I thought it would be fun to seek and find the Exclusive Red Sox - the players in their long history (from 1903 forward) who never shared their position over a full season. I even found a player that didn't share his position for two consecutive seasons (imagine that!).
Here are the Exclusive Red Sox in history, players that played every defensive inning at a position for a full season:
1903 - George LaChance, 1B
1904 - George LaChance, 1B
1905 - Freddy Parent - SS
1922 - Del Pratt - 2B
1926 - Phil Todt - 1B
1943 - Bobby Doerr - 2B
1948 - Vern Stephens - SS
1948 - Dominic DiMaggio - CF
1959 - Frank Malzone - 3B
I love that Dom DiMaggio also had an exclusive season as his more famous brother Joe also did. This made me seek out the third Major league brother Vince DiMaggio who, unfortunately, never accomplished that feat. In 1943, Vince DiMaggio led the National League in games played with 157, but he did not hold exclusive rights to center field for his Pittsburgh Pirates team. While he played 156 games in center, DiMaggio shared time there with Johnny Wyrostek (6 games), Johnny Barrett (3 games), and Jim Russell (2 games).
I also found it interesting that in 1948, the Red Sox had two players (Stephens and DiMaggio) who both had exclusive seasons. I now wonder if other teams have more than one player in the same season who were Exclusive.
It's fun seeking out and finding new information. I am hoping that other readers and researchers seek out the "Exclusive Seasons" for their favorite teams!
Dr. Paul Semendinger, a retired principal, college professor, educational consultant, spends much of his free time reading and writing about baseball. Paul's latest book is a motivational one titled 365.2: Going the Distance. He also wrote From Compton to the Bronx (with Roy White), The Least Among The, Scattering the Ashes, and Impossible is an Illusion. Paul also runs the Yankees site Start Spreading the News.
Cleaning Up
Writer’s Fall Provides New Appreciation For Players On Injured List
By Dan Schlossberg
Most baseball writers don’t have personal experience with the Injured List. Now that I do, I have new appreciation for players felled by all kinds of accidents and ailments.
On March 5, the first full day of my annual spring training tour, I came to the camp of the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium.
I wanted to greet my long-time friend and colleague, Brian Bartow, the team’s media relations director, before an exhibition game against the Minnesota Twins.
The Cards, who share their facility with the Miami Marlins, had erected several large white tents on the same side of the stadium where their PR office is located. Those tents concealed a concrete curb that abutted a road that linked a side street with the workout fields.
Aye, there’s the rub.
I tripped over the unexpected curb and went down in a nano-second, falling so hard on my left side that I scraped my left leg in two different places, scratched my elbow, sustained a small cut over my left eye, and badly damaged my left hand — especially the knuckle on the fourth finger. I also landed so hard that the frame on my brand-new eyeglasses twisted out of shape so badly that I could not wear them.
Bleeding from several spots, I soon received first aid from the Cardinals, whose trusty golf cart arrived after a frantic phone call from the kind women working in the tent.
A medic cleaned and bandaged up all the spots that were bleeding, ascertained that I was all right, and pointed out that an eye wear store was less than a mile from the ballpark.
That store, Mittleman Eye, was filled with customers — maybe two-dozen or more — so I expected a long wait. But to my surprise, I was the next name called. The young woman behind the desk warned me that the frame could break but I gave her the green light anyway.
She disappeared into the back room but soon returned with the glasses intact. She gently put them on my face, then refused to take a penny for her time and effort.
In 50+ years of covering the Grapefruit League in South Florida, that might have been my most memorable moment. Unexpected kindness, coupled with integrity and professionalism. Who knew?
Two weeks later, all my injuries have healed except for the fourth finger. Figuring there might be a hairline fracture or dislocation, I visited a New Jersey orthopedist who took an X-Ray (negative), gave me a velcro splint that tied the third and fourth fingers together, and told me to take Tylenol. He even offered a cortisone shot if the pain has not subsided within a month but said such injuries take time to heal.
That being said, writers rarely resort to sitting on the injured list. In fact, I delivered all my promised pieces from Florida, interviewing and writing almost every day of my trip. I even got an exclusive with Cardinals manager Olie Marmol minutes after my mishap — maybe because he felt sorry for me.
This was my third fall — all at ballparks. I once missed a curb outside Fenway, leaned against a vertical black CitiField pillar that looked metallic but proved rubbery, and hit the ground hard in Jupiter. Maybe it’s time to practice the first line of Feeling Groovy, a song that starts “Slow down, you move too fast.”
At least the next time a highly-paid athlete goes down, I won’t be so quick to criticize. I now know that pain can be persistent and distracting — even for a baseball lifer.
Former AP sportswriter Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ has covered the Grapefruit League every year since 1971. His Hank Aaron biography is due from Sports Publishing May 1. E.mail Dan at ballauthor@gmail.com.
Timeless Trivia
“There are a couple of great teams in the National League but other than that, I think we’re pretty competitive.”
—Mets owner Steve Cohen, speaking of the Braves, Dodgers and his wild-card hopes
Frustrated with the machinations of post-season hero Jordan Montgomery, the Texas Rangers pivoted and signed Michael Lorenzen, a starter with lesser ability . . .
Corner infielder J.D. Davis was courted by the Mets, his old team, before he picked the A’s so he could stay in the Bay Area . . .
Yankees third baseman DJ LeMahieu is battling a serious bone bruise that could sideline him for Opening Day March 28 . . .
Of the $300 million the Giants spent during the latest free agent season, $100 million was spent during spring training alone . . .
Seattle superstar Julio Rodriguez is entering the second season of a $209.3 million contract extension . . .
St. Louis seems saddled with too much age: seven players who are at least 35 and four more who are at least 32.
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.