Young Boston Southpaw Should See Lots of Action in 2021 Campaign
ALSO: 'EXTRA INNINGS' FILM HAS BASEBALL THEME
IBWAA members love to write about baseball. So much so, we've decided to create our own newsletter about it! Subscribe to Here's the Pitch to expand your love of baseball, discover new voices, and support independent writing. Original content six days a week, straight to your inbox and straight from the hearts of baseball fans.
Pregame Pepper
Did you know ...
Alexander Cartwright, the New York bank teller widely considered the father of baseball, worked for the father of Charles Ebbets, who later built a Brooklyn ballpark for his team . . .
Dale Murphy not only broke into the big leagues as a catcher but once caught a one-hitter thrown by future Hall of Famer Phil Niekro . . .
The original New York Mets of 1962 had three future Hall of Famers (manager Casey Stengel, batting coach Rogers Hornsby, and center-fielder Rich Ashburn) but could add a fourth if a Veterans Committee elects Gil Hodges, who played first base for that team . . .
Iconic Twins slugger Harmon Killebrew was never sold or traded during his 22-year career, which he concluded with a one-year stint in Kansas City after the Royals signed him as a free agent.
Leading Off
Darwinzon Hernandez Provides Hope for The Future in Fenway
By Jamie Gatlin
With the non-tender deadline passed, a slow off-season is expected to pick up in the coming weeks. Fifty-six new free agents have been added to the market as teams begin to shape their rosters for 2021.
One team expected to be busy is the Boston Red Sox, who are coming off their worst season in years. The Red Sox pitching staff struggled mightily in 2020 and will be Chaim Bloom’s main area of concern. Boston, however, does have talented young players already on the roster, such as Darwinzon Hernandez.
Over the past few seasons, Hernandez has been one of Boston’s most-watched prospects. The Venezuelan native made his debut in 2019 and struck out 57 batters in 30.1 innings of work. Hernandez, however, struggled with his control as he walked 26 batters in that span. In 29 games, he had an ERA of 4.45 but held batters to a .231 average.
Despite his control issues, Hernandez was expected to play an important role out of the bullpen in 2020. The 23-year-old, however, was limited to seven games due to injuries. Hernandez began the season on the injured list after missing most of training camp due to a positive coronavirus test. In late August, Hernandez again missed time due to a sprained AC joint.
Although Hernandez spent the majority of the season out of action, he was dominant when healthy. In seven games, the Red Sox southpaw struck out 13 batters and recorded an ERA of 2.16. Through 8.1 innings of work, he held batters to a .161 average and did not allow a home run.
Additionally, in four September appearances, Hernandez was nearly unhittable. The Red Sox left-hander struck out six batters and did not allow more than a hit in any of his appearances.
While Hernandez’s sample size in 2020 was small, he flashed the talent that made him one of Boston’s top prospects.
In 2021, the key for Hernandez will be improving his control. He has always viewed himself as a starter but has worked exclusively out of the bullpen in his brief major-league experience. If he can limit his walks, then his chances of returning to the rotation will improve.
As the Red Sox look toward the future, there's no question that Hernandez will be a fixture on the roster. He has shown an ability to get batters out and was one of the Red Sox’ few bright spots last season. The only question now is if he will remain in the bullpen or move to the rotation. With spring training only months away, it will become clearer as the Red Sox roster takes shape.
Boston’s rotation still has some uncertainty as Eduardo Rodriguez and Chris Sale are expected to return after missing all of 2020. Bloom is expected to add at least one more starter as the Red Sox were linked to Charlie Morton before he signed with Atlanta.
Regardless of how the off-season plays out, Hernandez will be a key piece in 2021. He has already proved that he can handle the increased pressure and his future in the majors is bright.
Jamie Gatlin is a freelance writer covering the NHL and MLB for Prime Time Sports Talk and a former MLB writer for Runners Sports. You can find him on Twitter @JamieGatlin17 and @TalkPrimeTime. His email is gatlinjamie1@gmail.com.
Cleaning Up
Unusual Baseball Movie Makes Its Mark With Major Awards
By Dan Schlossberg
Baseball movies aren’t always whimsical, as in Field of Dreams, or comedic, as in A League of Their Own. Often, they are biographical (Pride of the Yankees) or historical (Eight Men Out).
Occasionally, they are a lot more than just baseball movies.
Such is the case with Extra Innings, an independent two-hour movie that adroitly blends the themes of baseball, mental health, and family with Jewish identity, love, and hope.
A true story 20 years in the making, the film follows a young Jewish boy as he’s caught between his love of playing baseball and staying devoted to his family that’s afflicted with mental illness.
Writer/director Albert Dabah calls it his “passion project” and reports a robust reaction from those who have seen it. “The response to the film so far from critics and viewers alike has been more than wonderful and I couldn’t be prouder,” said Dabah, who said the movie is based upon his own personal experiences.
There’s no Kevin Costner, Tom Selleck, or Tom Hanks in a leading role – or any other actor with footprints at Mann’s Chinese Theater – but Extra Innings has already won more awards than Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens combined.
It was voted ‘Best Feature’ at both the Manhattan Film Festival and The Jersey Shore Film Festival. The film also had a sold-out screening at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Cinematters Film Series, screened at The Nashville Jewish Film Festival; Cleveland Jewish Film Festival; various NAMI affiliates; and synagogues around the country.
Thanks in part to the London Series that brought Major League Baseball to the United Kingdom, it even made its international debut in London, England at the UK Jewish Film Year-Round Programme.
Baseball features heavily in Extra Innings and the film makes an important, relatable statement about dedication and love for the sport.
The film is a fiscal partner with SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education), the leading suicide prevention organization dedicated to public awareness and education, as well as to helping survivors.
Extra Innings is out now on DVD and digital platforms including Amazon, AppleTV, Google Play, FandangoNow, Vudu, and Vimeo. For further information, see www.extrainningsmovie.com.
Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ is a former AP sportswriter and author of 38 baseball books. Reach him at ballauthor@gmail.com.
Timeless Trivia
Roger Maris was the only American Leaguer to win consecutive MVP awards without reaching the Baseball Hall of Fame . . .
The Braves traded former NL batting champ Rico Carty after he had a fight with Hank Aaron on the team plane . . .
Nolan Ryan threw 277 wild pitches and walked 2,795, both major-league records . . .
The 2019 Los Angeles Dodgers fell short of 4,000,000 in attendance by less than 26,000 fans.
___________________________________________________________________
Know Your Editors
HERE’S THE PITCH is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Brian Harl [bchrom831@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.
____________________________________________________________________________