Home Run Derby

I was kind of hoping that Geovany Soto would hit a Home Run last night and end up here to dispell any rumor that I am incapable of honoring a Cub (despite my World Series prediction). 

Alas, it was not meant to be, so we turn our attention to a former 40+ Home Run hitter , Adrian Beltre. 

If you just look at the final score of last night’s Mariners-Indians game (7-2), you might miss that it was tied going into the ninth 2-2. 

Beltre untied it with a 3-run Home Run off of Rafael Betancourt.  The Mariners added another 2 run after that for good measure, but that doesn’t take away from Adrian’s clutch performance. 

Think of it this way, if they were in Seattle it was a walk off (there’s a movie quote in there somewhere, different locale - any guesses?).

I know it doesn’t take the sting of the bloated contract Beltre signed in 2005, but he actually having a excellent start to the year (.309 BA. .962 OPS) not quite his stats from his last year in LA (.334 BA, 1.017 OPS) but certainly more in line with what was expected from him when the Mariners signed him

Well, for one day anyway, Adrian Beltre you are king of the Home Run. 

There are a few things we like to track here at Home Run Derby.  Sometimes we focus on all that is good in baseball, like 3 Home Run nights and Milestone Home Runs.  Sometimes we are not so nice, as is the case with Golden Sombreros. 

Now I would never call Richie “selective” in his postings about said events given we both have day jobs, but I find it a little puzzling that Geovany Soto’s weekend has not graced this page as of yet.  He isn’t a blatant homer for the Cubs, given he called out Aramis Ramirez’s lack of defense.

Soto didn’t just have a Golden Sombrero on Saturday.  No, No, he has a Platinum Sombrero (5 at bats, 5 strikeouts) and he did it in a nine inning game.  

To put it in perspective, that feat has only been matched 47 times in the history of the game.  It does seem to be occuring more frequently with quite a few current players on the list (Jim Thome, Andruw Jones, Adam Dunn, Scott Rolen, Richie Sexson, Preston Wilson). 

Dick Allen is the only player to achieve the Platinum Sombrero twice in his career (1964, 1970).

So we can agree that the Platinum Sombrero is pretty damn embarassing, but it gets worse for Soto.  He actually achieved this feat against the Worst Team in Baseball, the Washington Nationals.  Let’s make it even more embarassing.  Four different pitchers on that vaunted staff, each struck out Soto during that game (Matt Chico, 1st and 3rd; Joel Hanrahan, 5th; Chad Codero, 7th; Jesus Colome, 9th).  FYI, the Nationals are the 14th ranked pitching staff in the NL.

But wait, there’s more.  Soto, actually almost had a Golden Sombrero on Friday night, when he went 0-3, 3K, 1BB.  So in his last 8 at bats, Soto has 8 strikeouts (all against the Nationals - Odalis Perez got him all three times on Friday).  His only saving grace is the one walk he got in his last plate appearance on Friday Night.  But not let’s give him too much credit.  He didn’t even earn that walk - because it was intentional to load the bases to set up a potential inning ending double play.

Update:  I see ESPN’s Rob Neyer has a post up about this. First of all, I am flattered that he highlighted the post on his blog.  Second, just a quick retort to this paragraph from Rob.

“Like I said, this is all good fun, and I enjoy talking about the Sombrero as much as anybody. I still remember where I was the night Sam Horn struck out six times. But I’m thinking we should probably take this moment to mention something I noticed this morning: Soto’s having an awesome season. “

Rob is absolutely right.  Soto is having an outstanding season so far.  The purpose of the post was to highlight the feat (albeit at Geovanny’s expense), not his season.  He would get a lovely expose on this blog if he had hit three Home Runs in a game as well.  It was the Sombrero that mattered.  Awesome season or not, 8 straight strikeout is really hard to do.  

I am also reminded of something Neyer points out all the time.  It’s not really that Soto is having an awesome season as much as he is having an awesome April, his last two starts nonwithstanding.  But 22 games is an awfully small sample size, don’t you think Rob?  

In honor of your feat Geovany, here are some famous Sombreros for you.  Now Richie, I think we need an El Guapo post.

Yesterday was a pretty cool day for Home Runs.  We had 4 multi-homer games (Delgado, McLouth, Konerko and Phillips). 

We had power hitting third baseman that were swapped for each other hit their first Home Runs for their new teams (Rolen and Glaus) - more than 25 games into the season.

We had a total of 22 Home Runs to choose from, and today’s winner is Melky Cabrera.  His Home Run has the distinction of being the only run scored in the game between the Yankees and Indians.  Run, Melky, Run.

Olé !!

During the Cubs-Nationals game on Sunday, Aramis Ramirez put on a defensive display which can only be described as Matador-like.  Because he totally got out of the way of a fast approaching bull … ball.

Bottom of the sixth, Nationals trying to extend a two-run lead.  Christian Guzman leads off with a sharp grounder to the third base side. 

Aramis Ramirez gets in front of it … but not for long.

Guzman was credited with a hit on the play, but I’d call it a Fielder’s Choice. 

Because Aramis Ramirez CHOSE to go nowhere near that ball. 

Roger Dorn couldn’t have gotten out of the way of that ball any faster than Ramirez did. 

The Cubs’ TV broadcasters (Len Kasper and Bob Brenly) did their best Harry Doyle impersonation and made it sound like Ramirez had no chance at that ball … unless he wanted a fat lip. 

They put a lot of blame on the hard dirt at Nationals Park - but hadn’t Ramirez just played 23 innings there?  I’m kinda surprised they didn’t say anything about Ramirez’ lack of technique there.

Steve Stone would have.

In your first season of little league,  one of the first things you learn is how to field a ground ball - because half the kids can’t hit one in the air.  

You’re taught to get square your body in front of the ball with your glove down and your other hand above it to help cover the ball and protect your face in case it takes a weird hop. 

Worst case, the ball hits you in the chest and you can still pick it up for the throw.

Now that we’ve identified some characters from Major League on the 2008 Cubs … I want to know who’ll play the role of Jake Taylor and have the following conversation with Aramis Ramirez.

Jake Taylor: What I was concerned with was why you didn’t come up with that grounder that Rockert hit in the 9th
Roger Dorn: It was out of my reach, what do you want me to do dive for it?
Jake Taylor: Rog, it could have meant the game!
Roger Dorn: oh come on cut the rah rah shit Taylor! Year after this I go free agent. Plus me and my agent got a couple of plans for life after baseball. So I am not about to risk major injury or displace this property for a collection of stiffs!
Jake Taylor: Ya know Dorn, I liked you so much better when you were just a ballplayer. If you wanna be an interior decorator cockfighter - now that’s none of my business.

But some of us still need this team. Now you listen to me! This is my last shot at a winner and for some of the younger guys it could be their only shot. I don’t know what happened to you. But if you ever, ever tank another play like you did today, I’m gonna cut your nuts off and stuff em down your f*ckin throat!

Which Cub has the stones to do it?

Maybe Cubs Manager Lou Piniella should just channel his inner Lou Brown and tell Ramirez to get in front of the damn ball and cut this “olé bullshit.”

Sometimes, it takes a little extra time to get it right …

But for the Padres, this was getting ridiculous.  The Pads were 13 innings into their fourth extra-inning game so far this young season, and had very little to show for it. 

In their previous 22 1/3 extra innings this season, the Padres had scored exactly one run with zero wins to show for all that extra time.  2B tadahito Iguchi had been o for 6 with two walks in that stretch of extra frames.  

No more.

Iguchi ended San Diego’s extra inning futility with a Home Run to end it in the 13th.

Got some catching up to do here …

Friday night … the Washington Nationals hosting the Chicago Cubs

In his 70th major league game (over seven years) and in his 163rd career at-bat, the Nationals’ Wil Nieves hit a two-run walk-off Home Run off Bobby Howry to beat the Cubs.

It was his first Home Run in the Majors.

Great.  Just Great.

Unbelievable.  The day after we gloat about our prediction that the Washington Nationals would go 0-18 against the New York Mets in 2008 …

Felipe Lopez goes off and jacks a Grand Slam which breaks a 3-3 sixth inning tie and the Nats go on to beat the Mets 10-5.   Lopez beat the Mets with six RBI on the night.

Felipe frickin’ Lopez.  Now we get to hear about it from the Natosphere.

Which sucks more?  The Mets’ bullpen or the Nationals hitters? 

I guess we know.

Sometime before the White Sox played the New York Yankees on Wednesday, ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews had a chat with Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain.

Chamberlain was talking about his father, who apparently has been getting better after collapsing earlier this month. 

But as Andrews wrapped up the interview … she reached out and held his arm in support  … and it looked as if Chamberlain said something that made her roll her eyes and scrunch up her face.

Okay - who can read lips?  Does he say “I love you” or something like that? 

Whatever Chamberlain said isn’t picked up by the microphone … but it made Erin Andrews wince in exasperation, if not disgust.  She looks like  she got Punk’d after showing genuine emotion towards Chamberlain about his family situation.

If that’s the case (and it might not be - I really can’t tell what the heck Chamberlain said or if that’s what caused her reaction) - that’s just obnoxious.

Andrews gets and takes a lot of crap from horny college students (and coaches) at NCAA basketball and football games - solely because she’s an attractive woman.  But this is the first time I think I’ve ever seen her catch it from a professional athlete.

Colorado - It wasn’t the game winner … but Aramis Ramirez’ ninth-inning blast off Rockies’ closer Manny Corpas put the Chicago Cubs on top and in the quest for the Cubs’ 10,000th MLB win.

By the way … has anyone else noticed that Ramirez is doing a little Sosa-esque hop-thing after he hits long fly balls this season?   

Cubs’ closer Kerry Wood blew the save in the bottom of the ninth, but got Clint Barmes to strand the winning run.  And the Cubs won in ten innings, pleasing a lot of Cub fans who made the trek to Coors Field last night.

Actually - the Cubs now have 10,077 wins as a franchise, but MLB doesn’t count the 77 wins the Cubs registered as a member of the National Association back in 1871, 1874, and 1875.

The Cubs are the second MLB team to register 10,000 wins - the Giants being the first to win 10,000 games back on July 14, 2005.  But since the Giants split those wins between New York and San Francisco … I’d say that makes the Cubs the winningest single-city sports franchise of all time.

There’s a made-up stat for you.  Compliments of Home Run Derby.