The Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mariners have been involved in awful lot of no-hitters and perfect games the last few seasons. Now a Perfect Game has been thrown in a game contested by the two teams. That's right the third perfect game of the season was thrown today by Mariners Pitcher Felix Hernandez.
Hernandez needed to be perfect as the Mariners offense provided little support in a 1-0 victory.
It's the third game this season the Mariners have been involved in that resulted in a no-hitter or a perfect game. On April 21st Philip Humber of the White Sox tossed the first perfect game of the 2012 season at Safeco Field. On June 8th six Mariners pitchers combined for a no-hitter. Starter Kevin Millwood left the game because of injury. Before this season the Mariners hadn't been involved in a no-hitter or perfect game in 16 years.
For the Rays it is the 5th no-hitter or perfect game they've been involved in since 2009.
It started on a Perfect Game thrown by Mark Buehrle of the White Sox on July 23rd 2009. Then the very next Perfect Game in MLB History came on May 9 2010 when Dallas Braden of the A's threw one against the Rays. Later that season, on June 25th, former Rays pitcher Edwin Jackson (at the time with Arizona) threw a no-hitter against the Rays. Nearly one month later on July 26th Matt Garza threw a no-hitter for the Rays against the Tigers. In 2011 the Rays avoided being no-hit.
It seems awfully strange to see two teams be so involved in such rare feats over the course of a few months and seasons.
Anyway, congratulations to Hernandez.
Showing posts with label Mariners. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mariners. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
Yankees Acquire Ichiro from Mariners
Ichiro is now a Yankee. That's old news already, even though it was reported less than half an hour ago.
Since Brett Gardner went down for the season the Yankees had a need for a (semi) speedy corner outfielder. Unfortunately Ichiro isn't the same player he once was. The now 38-year RF is certainly in the twilight of his career, accepting a trade to the Yankees to facilitate a chance at a World Series ring. A wise move for Ichiro and an honorable move by the Mariners to allow their star the opportunity to leave in search of that ring. The Mariners aren't going to win a World Series in the next two seasons (the likely amount of time Ichiro has left).
So what does the future hold for Ichiro?
Here's an early prediction for you. Ichiro plays out the year with the Yankees. If all goes right by the time he becomes a free agent in November he can add World Series Champion to his long list of accomplishments. Once he hits the free agent market he signs back with the Mariners and finishes his career in the only city he's known (until today).
That's the fairy tale ending.
The only thing stopping it from coming true is the Yankees performance come October.
Since Brett Gardner went down for the season the Yankees had a need for a (semi) speedy corner outfielder. Unfortunately Ichiro isn't the same player he once was. The now 38-year RF is certainly in the twilight of his career, accepting a trade to the Yankees to facilitate a chance at a World Series ring. A wise move for Ichiro and an honorable move by the Mariners to allow their star the opportunity to leave in search of that ring. The Mariners aren't going to win a World Series in the next two seasons (the likely amount of time Ichiro has left).
So what does the future hold for Ichiro?
Here's an early prediction for you. Ichiro plays out the year with the Yankees. If all goes right by the time he becomes a free agent in November he can add World Series Champion to his long list of accomplishments. Once he hits the free agent market he signs back with the Mariners and finishes his career in the only city he's known (until today).
That's the fairy tale ending.
The only thing stopping it from coming true is the Yankees performance come October.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Five Players Who Should Be Traded ...
... But (likely) won't be.
With 13 days before the 2012 Trade Deadline here are five guys that could/should/would benefit from being traded by their current clubs. That or they should be traded for the sheer fact that they no longer fit on their current roster. In no particular order.
The Mariners are not going to be contending for a World Series any time soon. Ichiro isn't the same dynamic player he once was. A trade to a contender in hopes of a World Series ring is a chance that Ichiro deserves. He's done a lot for the game since arriving in Seattle in 2001 and even though seeing him don another uniform would be weird at first it'd feel oh so right if it got him a ring.
Trading James Shields makes sense for the Rays for two reasons: first he's under conrol until 2014 (unlike many other SP available) and second he could bring a lot in return to a team that needs offense. Shields is a proven competitor that's been pitching in the tough AL East for years now. He's due $9 million with a $1.5 million buyout in 2013 and $12 mil ($1 mil buyout) for 2014. For those teams that aren't willing to trade top prospects for a half season rental player he's an attractive option. The Rays also have Wade Davis sitting the in pen. Davis made 29 starts in each of 2010 and 2011 before being forced to the pen this season. He could slot right into the rotation to replace Shields.
Just like Ichiro before him Helton deserves another shot at a World Series Ring. He hasn't been the same player he once was since 2005 and has been declining ever since. He's going to be 40 next season and his career is winding down. Surely some contender would be interested in his services, potentially as a DH. He is currently on the DL but that doesn't stop him from being traded. What does is Helton's willingness to leave the only organization he's played for.
Halladay just returned from the DL on Tuesday and pitched 5 innings in a win over the Dodgers. The Phillies should try to trade Halladay and not trade Cole Hamels. The money freed up from Halladay being trade could be used to re-sign Hamels. Halladay won't bring as much back in return because of his age (35) but he does have two more years (at $20 mil a season) left on his deal. The Phillies are an old team that need to reload. Trading Hamels and keeping Halladay doesn't make much sense to me unless they're sure they can't re-sign Hamels.
Beckett needs to go. Boston needs an ace and Beckett just isn't that guy. He's not a particularly consistent pitcher. He does make a lot of trips to the DL and he's owed a lot of money ($31.5 million through 2014). However with so many teams in contention for the playoffs there's someone out there willing to trade for a guy with two World Series rings. The Red Sox are looking for pitching help themselves so it seems counter intuitive to trade Beckett but a change of scenery could be good for both parties. At 32 Beckett is a younger option than Roy Halladay and comes slightly cheaper.
I'd be a little surprised if any of these five guys were actually traded by their respective teams. But if they do get traded it'll make a lot of sense.
With 13 days before the 2012 Trade Deadline here are five guys that could/should/would benefit from being traded by their current clubs. That or they should be traded for the sheer fact that they no longer fit on their current roster. In no particular order.
 |
| Mariners RF Ichiro |
 |
| Rays SP James Shields |
 |
| Rockies 1B Todd Helton |
 |
| Phillies SP Roy Halladay |
 |
| Red Sox SP Josh Beckett |
I'd be a little surprised if any of these five guys were actually traded by their respective teams. But if they do get traded it'll make a lot of sense.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Top Stories of the First Half
With the final weekend of baseball before the All-Star break upon us let's look back at the five most interesting stories to sweep through baseball, so far, in 2012.
R.A. Dickey
How could this man not be included? In October he will turn 38 and all he's done this season is dominate the NL like he's never done before. This is a guy who a few seasons ago not only couldn't hold down a job in a rotation but struggled to say in the Majors. He bounced between franchises (Texas, Seattle and Minnesota) before the Mets finally gave him a chance at being a full-time starter in 2010. His knuckleball seems to be mystifying hitters and has allowed him to notch, an MLB leading, 12 wins. He ranks third in ERA (2.40) and first in Ks (123) in the NL. He has more strikeouts than names like Kershaw, Strasburg and Cain. His WHIP sits at a very pretty 0.93 and leads all of baseball. On June 13th and 18th he tossed back-to-back 1 hitters. He's an early favorite for the NL Cy Young. Oh and before the season even began he released a book titled Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball. In the book he spoke about how he was sexually abused as a child. The man's overcome a lot to have, without a doubt, the best season of his career.
No-Hitters, Perfect Games and Cycles
These feats are impressive during any season but 2012 has already seen its fair share of them. Chicago White Sox Phil Humber started us off by tossing a Perfect Game at Safeco Field versus the Seattle Mariners on April 21. Eleven days later on May 2nd Jered Weaver tossed a no-hitter against the Minnesota Twins. Just about a month after that (June 1) Johan Santana tossed the first ever no-hitter in the 50 year history of the N.Y. Mets. Exactly a week later six Seattle Mariners combined to no-hit the L.A. Dodgers. Then only 5 days later Matt Cain tossed the second perfect game of the season versus the Giants.
Hitters haven't been outdone though as less than a week after Humber tossed his perfect game Scott Hairston of the Mets hit for the cycle. Then in June when there was a break from pitching feats Aaron Hill accomplished one of the more remarkable feats in MLB history. On June 18th Hill hit for the cycle against the Mariners (Seattle has been involved in a lot this season already). Twelve short days later Hill was at it again hitting for the cycle against the Milwaukee Brewers becoming only the 4th player in MLB history to hit two cycles in one season, the second since 1900 and the first since 1931. If Hill were to hit another cycle in the remaining three months of the season he'd not only become the first player ever to do it but he'd also be tied atop the list of career cycles (3).
Cycles now outnumber no-hitters 293-272. What a season we're having already.
Washington Nationals Rotation
First things first the Nationals have only used 6 starters all season with Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman and Edwin Jackson all making at least 16 starts (Ross Detwiler has made 12). Not only has the rotation stayed healthy though they've all performed. All five starters have an ERA that is lower than 3.74. Four of the five have WHIPs less than 1.16. If they continue at this pace it would be hard to imagine the Nationals not winning the NL East. They could use another bat or two in the lineup and it will be interesting to see what they decide to do at the deadline. Additionally the Nationals plan to limit Ace Stephen Strasburg's innings to 160. Hard to imagine how they'll accomplish that if the Nationals are in a playoff race.
Here are all the starters numbers:
(W-L, ERA, WHIP, BAA, K, BB)
Strasburg - 9-4 2.82 1.10 .225 128 28
Gonzalez - 11-3 3.01 1.12 .195 112 39
Zimmerman - 5-6 2.70 1.15 .252 72 20
Jackson - 5-4 3.73 1.13 .228 76 30
Detwiler - 4-3 3.43 1.27 .249 55 26
I'll take a 5th starter with a 3.43 ERA any day.
Rookies
The performance of various rookies all across MLB have caught the attention of fans and media alike. Angels Mike Trout is being hailed as the AL MVP by many. Rangers Yu Darvish hasn't been a complete flop as an import from the Japanese League and recently won the last chance vote for the AL All-Star team. Red Sox Will Middlebrooks has performed so well Boston was forced to trade fan favourite Kevin Youkilis to keep him on the field. Nationals Bryce Harper is one of the most highly touted prospects in years and at age 19 is having a solid season for the NL East leaders. Anthony Rizzo was just recently called up by the Cubs and has hit in virtually every game. Lance Lynn has moved from the Cardinals World Series winning bullpen to the rotation and all he's done is win 11 games.
Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles
Isn't it nice to see someone else atop of the standings, especially two franchises that have struggled for so long. The Orioles haven't made the playoffs since 1997 while the Pirates haven't made the playoffs since 1992.
The Orioles started out the season strong and have held their own in the AL East all season. Right now they sit at 45-38. That's good enough for 2nd place in the East 6 games back of the Yankees.
The Pirates on the other hand have played well as of late and have surged into 1st in the NL Central. They currently sit at 46-37 and hold a 1 game lead over the Reds.
With the added Wildcard this season both franchises will have a realistic chance at the playoffs if they can continue their strong play. It would be nice for baseball to have an infusion of new teams into the playoffs. At first I was against the additional Wildcard but it has certainly done its job. So many teams are in contention that normally wouldn't be. I'm glad to see Baltimore and Pittsburgh are two of those franchises.
Imagine they faced off in the World Series? I bet no one would have predicted that in Spring.
That's almost it for the first half, let's hope the second half is just as interesting.
R.A. Dickey
How could this man not be included? In October he will turn 38 and all he's done this season is dominate the NL like he's never done before. This is a guy who a few seasons ago not only couldn't hold down a job in a rotation but struggled to say in the Majors. He bounced between franchises (Texas, Seattle and Minnesota) before the Mets finally gave him a chance at being a full-time starter in 2010. His knuckleball seems to be mystifying hitters and has allowed him to notch, an MLB leading, 12 wins. He ranks third in ERA (2.40) and first in Ks (123) in the NL. He has more strikeouts than names like Kershaw, Strasburg and Cain. His WHIP sits at a very pretty 0.93 and leads all of baseball. On June 13th and 18th he tossed back-to-back 1 hitters. He's an early favorite for the NL Cy Young. Oh and before the season even began he released a book titled Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball. In the book he spoke about how he was sexually abused as a child. The man's overcome a lot to have, without a doubt, the best season of his career.
No-Hitters, Perfect Games and Cycles
These feats are impressive during any season but 2012 has already seen its fair share of them. Chicago White Sox Phil Humber started us off by tossing a Perfect Game at Safeco Field versus the Seattle Mariners on April 21. Eleven days later on May 2nd Jered Weaver tossed a no-hitter against the Minnesota Twins. Just about a month after that (June 1) Johan Santana tossed the first ever no-hitter in the 50 year history of the N.Y. Mets. Exactly a week later six Seattle Mariners combined to no-hit the L.A. Dodgers. Then only 5 days later Matt Cain tossed the second perfect game of the season versus the Giants.
Hitters haven't been outdone though as less than a week after Humber tossed his perfect game Scott Hairston of the Mets hit for the cycle. Then in June when there was a break from pitching feats Aaron Hill accomplished one of the more remarkable feats in MLB history. On June 18th Hill hit for the cycle against the Mariners (Seattle has been involved in a lot this season already). Twelve short days later Hill was at it again hitting for the cycle against the Milwaukee Brewers becoming only the 4th player in MLB history to hit two cycles in one season, the second since 1900 and the first since 1931. If Hill were to hit another cycle in the remaining three months of the season he'd not only become the first player ever to do it but he'd also be tied atop the list of career cycles (3).
Cycles now outnumber no-hitters 293-272. What a season we're having already.
Washington Nationals Rotation
First things first the Nationals have only used 6 starters all season with Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman and Edwin Jackson all making at least 16 starts (Ross Detwiler has made 12). Not only has the rotation stayed healthy though they've all performed. All five starters have an ERA that is lower than 3.74. Four of the five have WHIPs less than 1.16. If they continue at this pace it would be hard to imagine the Nationals not winning the NL East. They could use another bat or two in the lineup and it will be interesting to see what they decide to do at the deadline. Additionally the Nationals plan to limit Ace Stephen Strasburg's innings to 160. Hard to imagine how they'll accomplish that if the Nationals are in a playoff race.
Here are all the starters numbers:
(W-L, ERA, WHIP, BAA, K, BB)
Strasburg - 9-4 2.82 1.10 .225 128 28
Gonzalez - 11-3 3.01 1.12 .195 112 39
Zimmerman - 5-6 2.70 1.15 .252 72 20
Jackson - 5-4 3.73 1.13 .228 76 30
Detwiler - 4-3 3.43 1.27 .249 55 26
I'll take a 5th starter with a 3.43 ERA any day.
Rookies
The performance of various rookies all across MLB have caught the attention of fans and media alike. Angels Mike Trout is being hailed as the AL MVP by many. Rangers Yu Darvish hasn't been a complete flop as an import from the Japanese League and recently won the last chance vote for the AL All-Star team. Red Sox Will Middlebrooks has performed so well Boston was forced to trade fan favourite Kevin Youkilis to keep him on the field. Nationals Bryce Harper is one of the most highly touted prospects in years and at age 19 is having a solid season for the NL East leaders. Anthony Rizzo was just recently called up by the Cubs and has hit in virtually every game. Lance Lynn has moved from the Cardinals World Series winning bullpen to the rotation and all he's done is win 11 games.
Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles
Isn't it nice to see someone else atop of the standings, especially two franchises that have struggled for so long. The Orioles haven't made the playoffs since 1997 while the Pirates haven't made the playoffs since 1992.
The Orioles started out the season strong and have held their own in the AL East all season. Right now they sit at 45-38. That's good enough for 2nd place in the East 6 games back of the Yankees.
The Pirates on the other hand have played well as of late and have surged into 1st in the NL Central. They currently sit at 46-37 and hold a 1 game lead over the Reds.
With the added Wildcard this season both franchises will have a realistic chance at the playoffs if they can continue their strong play. It would be nice for baseball to have an infusion of new teams into the playoffs. At first I was against the additional Wildcard but it has certainly done its job. So many teams are in contention that normally wouldn't be. I'm glad to see Baltimore and Pittsburgh are two of those franchises.
Imagine they faced off in the World Series? I bet no one would have predicted that in Spring.
That's almost it for the first half, let's hope the second half is just as interesting.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Mariners No-Hit Dodgers ... Using 6 Pitchers
Last Night the Seattle Mariners pitched the third no-hitter in their franchise's history. This time though the feat will not be accredited to just one pitcher. It will be credited to six of them. First, the starter who left after six innings due to injury, Kevin Millwood. Followed by Charlie Furbrush (0.2 IP), Stephen Pryor (0.1), Lucas Luetge (0.1), Brandon League (0.2) and Tom Wilhelmsen (1.0).
I think shortstop Brendan Ryan sums it up best, ''I think we all took a second and looked around and were like, did that really happen - and what do we do now?''
That's pretty much how I feel about it too. Is it something worth celebrating? I mean it's pretty neat and rare - it's only been done 10 times - that your team didn't allow a hit for 9 innings. There's just something tainted about it for me.
No-hitters are special feats. It's just a lot neater for the record books when one guy throws it. When it's the team that accomplishes it I tend to look at it with a sigh and a "meh".
How do you feel about the accomplishment?
Notes: Randy Johnson threw the first no-hitter in Mariners history in June 1990 against the Tigers. Chris Bosio threw the second in April 1993 against the Red Sox. The last team to combine for a no-hitter was the Astros against the Yankees in June 2003.
I think shortstop Brendan Ryan sums it up best, ''I think we all took a second and looked around and were like, did that really happen - and what do we do now?''
That's pretty much how I feel about it too. Is it something worth celebrating? I mean it's pretty neat and rare - it's only been done 10 times - that your team didn't allow a hit for 9 innings. There's just something tainted about it for me.
No-hitters are special feats. It's just a lot neater for the record books when one guy throws it. When it's the team that accomplishes it I tend to look at it with a sigh and a "meh".
How do you feel about the accomplishment?
Notes: Randy Johnson threw the first no-hitter in Mariners history in June 1990 against the Tigers. Chris Bosio threw the second in April 1993 against the Red Sox. The last team to combine for a no-hitter was the Astros against the Yankees in June 2003.
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