Dodgers rookie Zach McKinstry has become a phenom. He bats over .300 with power and plays multiple positions. He's the replacement for Kike Hernandez who hit another HR last night. He's being called a "Nobody from nowhere." Who seemed to appear out of thin air; but I see in his bio that he's from Fort Wayne, Indiana. He's a graduate of Fort Wayne Central High School, where his father was the head baseball coach for many years. Hey Sid! Who is this guy? He's good!
Looked him up and you are right Sid, he's already pitched a no hitter this season for Vanderbilt. Threw it at So.Carolina.
Al Leiter and his son did a winter baseball clinic in the Berkeley Township, NJ LL that my grandson plays in. The same league where he and his son played. He is a huge benefactor to the league; he built the facility the photo is taken in at the LL complex. He worked with pitchers for an hour . That's him with Walker. The other photo is my grandson Walker practicing what he learned on Opening Day. Three batters. Three Ks. Eleven pitches.
Jim, if he went to Fort Wayne Central, he's got to be in his 70s. That school's been closed for about 60 years. Seriously, I looked him up on Wikipedia. He went to Ft. Wayne North Side. It looks like he showed a ton of talent in HS and college but either hadn't been scouted or for some reason wasn't attractive to scouts. The Dodgers chose him in the 33rd round in the 2016 draft, and he had an up and down 4 years in the minors with pretty average performance at the plate (mid 200s). Even after he was called up last year, he was just so-so. Now he's turned the corner and is playing SS for the World Series champs. What a great story!
This is a great woman! Watch: Woman catches foul ball with one hand, holds beer in the other at Bucs game
Padre Report... We took two of three in San Diego and all three were very tough games as expected. The Padres have been improving dramatically over the last three years and now they're competitive with anyone. Their biggest improvement is at catcher. They used four catchers last season and each one was worse than the other. They found a guy named Victor Caratini, whom they obtained from the Cubs. He's called "The Scientist" and he caught consecutive no-hitters in two different uniforms. He's also a switch hitter, the first one into the fight, and the handler of what may turn out to be the best bullpen in MLB. He played every inning of every game against my Dodgers and I'm already tired of looking at him.
Almost doesn't feel right to make the 1st post after JO'Co's last post. Astros have been on a roller coaster, started strong then hit the skids, had 4 or 5 players go on the Covid list, including Altuve who was hitting very well. Sitting right now just below .500 I really don't expect this team to do much this year. We just don't have the pitching, unless guys who are sort of no-names suddenly develop. Biggest turnaround is the A's who surprisingly started 1-7, swept by Astros and the losing 2 out of 3 to the Dodgers...then magically found their mojo and went on a 13 game winning streak. Looks like the Dodgers, Padres and suprising Giants are going to make the NL West very interesting. Joel is back riding high no doubt with the Red Sox leading the AL East.
Astros make their first appearance in Yankee Stadium since the sign stealing saga, I'm sure their will be a warm welcome waiting them!
Minor League Baseball is back, in a much different form. Fewer teams and fewer players. They are trying out some new rules as well. They are going to increase the size of the bases from 16x16 to 18x18, the pitcher can only throw over to 1st 2 times, they have a new rule to do so or a balk will be called. More experimenting with RoboUmps, etc. They under the full control of Major League Baseball. There are now 120 officially affiliated teams — four for each big league franchise — spread across four levels of 30 teams each. Triple AAA Double AA High A Low A
Re: Woman making great catch without spilling beer. I tried a similar feat on a checked swing screamer off the bat of Ryan Howard when he was rehabbing with the local minor league team. I wa sunsucessful trying a left hand stab of the ball while holding a fresh beer in my right. I saved my beer but the ball hit my wife; the box of Cracker Jacks she was holding took the brunt of the blow. They exploded and showered her with pop corn. To make matters worse they re=played it on the Jumbotron and all the first aid people rushed down to make sure she was OK. I was in the dog house for weeks.
My only chance ever for a foul ball; April in Cleveland. Loge seats (don't ask). Chilly. Sitting on outside seats. Wife sissies out and goes inside loge where it's warmer. Between innings I go inside to take a leak and refresh my drink. When I get back out I find out that a foul ball landed in my wife's empty seat and of course someone else got it. Other than that never got close. Well I ALMOST caught a ball at a little league game one time (I was playing first base).
about 10 years ago..sitting with my nephew at Fenway..just behind PESKY POLE..nephew grabbed a Fenway Dinger got standin O from fans!
I only ever had a shot at one MLB foul ball... in my early 20's my Mom's employer had a 3rd base suite at the Ranger's ballpark. We got use of it for the night and my mother also brought along some of our cousins... A foul ball came right to us, and was bouncing right in front of me when my Mom grabbed the back of my arm (as only a mother can) and firmly whispered to let one of the younger cousins have it since they'd never been to a MLB game. I was not pleased, but she of course got her way. About 10 years later I took my parents to an Aggie super regional game in College Station. We were on the elevated seats above 1st base. The batter sliced a hot liner right to us... to my Mom actually who was sitting to my right. I stabbed it right in front of her face. Hurt like hell but I held on cleanly. I always wanted to ask if I should have let a cousin have it. (wisely... I just grinned and accepted her thanks)
Great story, Scott. I never have had a chance, but my youngest brother caught one at Wrigley Field, a line drive foul. He took a picture of his bruised hand. It was ugly.
He was from some place called Westfield Alabama, played basketball, baseball and was a QB in football. Started play pro ball for a couple of Negro teams while in HS. Of course in his time of segregation he'd have never been able to play for Auburn or Alabama. But you have to wonder if he was a Bo Jackson type of athlete. Also like a lot of athletes of his time, he lost a couple of years in the prime of his career serving in the Military. If not for those 2 years he might have been the guy who broke Ruth's record. As it was he hit 660 homeruns and it wouldn't have been a stretch to think he would have hit at least 55 homeruns in the 2 years that he missed, he left for the Army after about 30 games in 1952 and missed the entire 1953 season. He hit 41 hr's in 1954 when he returned.
Joel, did you ever see the Boston Braves? I see that the last person to play for the Boston Braves, Del Crandall, died recently at 91. He was a catcher and caught both Warren Spahn's no hitter and Lew Burdette's no hitter. I remember him more as a manager.