MLB - NEWS & NOTES

Yelich just hit his 20th HR... first this season to do so...

 

nice weather means good baseball to watch ! ah.

 

Lots of afternoon games too...

 

yep i had to leave the lake 2 days early due to a fallout with my family. im home already and getting ready for some lunch and to watch some games.

 

Batting champ, All-Star Buckner dies at 69...

Bill Buckner, a sweet-swinging left-handed batter who amassed more than 2,700 hits in a career that spanned four decades but to many is better remembered for his error that gave the Mets victory in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, died Monday at age 69.

Buckner was battling Lewy body dementia and was surrounded by his family before his passing, his wife, Jody, told ESPN. He was a beloved teammate and valuable infielder and outfielder for the Dodgers, Cubs, Red Sox, Angels and Royals over 22 Major League seasons from 1969-90. He was the National League batting champion in 1980, when he hit .324 for the Cubs, and was an NL All-Star in 1981. Neverthless, it was the ground ball by Mookie Wilson that squirted under Buckner's glove in that fateful game at Shea Stadium, which allowed Ray Knight to score the game-winner in the bottom of the 10th inning, that made Buckner famous.

Though the Mets completed their comeback by winning Game 7, Buckner ultimately was forgiven and embraced by Red Sox fans for his dignity in the wake of the unfortunate play. Boston fans gave him a standing ovation upon his return to the team via free agency in 1990, and he later helped unfurl the Red Sox’s 2007 World Series championship banner to a huge ovation during the club’s home opener the following season.

“I thought [that] was kind of a healing moment, it seemed, for a lot of people and maybe for him, I hope," Indians manager and former Red Sox skipper Terry Francona, said before Monday's game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. "You have to be up here to understand how people take things that happen. I thought that was a really cool moment."

Buckner established himself as a steady hitter over his first eight seasons with Los Angeles, batting .289 over 773 games, and was the Dodgers left fielder who climbed the fence in attempting to catch Hank Aaron's record-setting 715th career home run in 1974. With the Cubs, who acquired him for Rick Monday in 1977, he hit better than .300 four times and twice led the NL in doubles before being traded to Boston in May 1984 in a deal that sent future Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley to Chicago.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Bill Buckner, a great ballplayer and beloved member of the Cubs family,” Cubs executive chairman Tom Ricketts said. “After his playing days, Bill served as a valued member of our player development staff and was a fan favorite during his appearances at our Cubs Conventions. On behalf of the Cubs organization, I extend our sympathies to Bill’s family and his many friends.”

Buckner’s bat translated well to the American League, where he hit .299 and drove in a career-high 110 runs for Boston in 1985. He then helped the Red Sox capture the ’86 AL East title with a red-hot month of September in which he hit .315 with eight homers and 22 RBIs. Buckner singled to ignite Boston’s rally in Game 5 of that year’s ALCS, which was later capped by Dave Henderson’s famous home run.

“We are proud that Bill Buckner wore a Red Sox jersey during the course of a terrific career that spanned more than two decades,” said Red Sox principal owner John Henry. “His life was defined by perseverance, resilience and an insatiable will to win. Those are the traits for which he will be most remembered. We join the baseball world in sending our condolences and our love to Jody and the entire Buckner family.”

“Bill Buckner personified toughness and grit, and his determination to play through pain defines him far more than any single play ever could,” said Red Sox chairman Tom Werner. “The standing ovations our fans gave him on his visits back to Fenway Park, most notably when he threw out the first pitch before our opener in 2008, illustrate the respect and admiration we all had for Billy Buck. We mourn his loss and offer condolences to his family and many friends.”

Though the Red Sox likely wouldn’t have reached the 1986 World Series without Buckner’s help, for better or worse his unfortunate error stood out. But Buckner would eventually win back the fans with his grace and refusal to let one moment define his life.

“People’s lives, health, family are much more important,’’ Buckner later told the Boston Globe. “You’ve got to enjoy the good when you’ve got it. But life is not all good things. You’ve got to rebound.’’

Buckner would also show his sense of humor, making fun of his famous error in a cameo on HBO’s "Curb Your Enthusiasm." He partnered with Wilson in numerous public appearances in the decades that followed.

"We had developed a friendship that lasted well over 30 years," Wilson said. "I felt badly for some of the things he went through. Bill was a great, great baseball player whose legacy should not be defined by one play."

Buckner finished his career with 2,715 hits and a near identical number of walks (450) as strikeouts (453). His 1,994 singles rank among the top 50 totals in Major League history. Buckner is survived by his wife and three children, Brittany, Christen and Bobby. - MLB.com

 

RIP Buck !

 

So far so good on the Gray rebound prediction

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/05/sonny-gray-looks-reborn.html

 

omg that is the worst pitch ever ! worst than 50 cent !

 

BWW- Phils beat the Cards for you !

 

I kinda like it...

 

haha. i don't know how it's possible to throw a ball that far left ?? hahahaha

 

Cubs set club mark for HRs in calendar month
Schwarber's leadoff blast gives club 50 for May; KB tacks on

HOUSTON -- The Cubs were back at it again on Wednesday with home runs once more flying out of the park. They’re coming at a record pace these days.

Kyle Schwarber hit the third pitch of the game over the wall in left-center, and Kris Bryant followed with one two innings later in his return to the lineup.

If you’re counting, that’s a team-record 51 home runs this month and eight straight games with multiple home runs. Until this month, the Cubs had never hit more than 48 home runs in a calendar month, that happening twice, in August 2004 and '17. Multiple home runs in eight straight games ties the club record set almost 58 years ago -- June 25-July 2, 1961.

Bryant’s home run was the team's 23rd in just the last eight games. The Cubs began the day with 90 home runs, second to the Brewers' 92 in the National League, and fifth overall in the Majors. That total includes four players with at least 12: Anthony Rizzo, 15; Javier Báez, 13; Bryant, 13; Willson Contreras, 12.

The Mariners are the only other MLB team with four players with at least 12 home runs. - MLB.com

 

Cubs only issue is their pitching staff doesn't strike out many batters...especially the bullpen.

Highest rate of balls put into play in the majors.

If you could reduce that a bit by making a couple trades to fix the bullpen....this team is legit.