the pitch clock is counting down to the MLB 2023 REGULAR SEASON THREAD

Aaron Judge graduated from the same high school as Stephen Malkmus (happy bday to Steve btw).

...sorry, they went to rival high schools. But Malkmus did write a song about Judge's HS:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pPlos2i7Ys

texas never focuses on the micro

I would listen to a baseball broadcast by mookie and SS.

What the fuck business do the Atlanta Braves have losing two straight to the Oakland Athletics.

@mookieproof:

MICRO-management: Morel has lost his starting role! Despite SLASH-ing .286/.324/.714 since his call-up, he is now riding the pine with Hoerner at DH.

the Oakland A's record is blowing my mind right now, that shouldn't even be possible in the major leagues. And they're on a winning streak!!!

Submitted an ASG ballot today; I may submit one more closer to the deadline (or may not).

https://phildellio.tripod.com/asg.jpg

I went with Bichette over Franco and Perez over Rutschman because I always view ASG voting as a two- or three-year window (plus some hometown bias for Bichette); Franco and Rutschman will both be on the team and will start many games in the future. My outfield picks especially gave weight to résumé, although you still have to be having a good-to-excellent year. NL catcher was a coin toss--could have gone with Will Smith, or even Realmuto. Didn't realize till I filled this out how great a season Luis Arraez is once again having.

Arraez's career box:

https://phildellio.tripod.com/arraez.jpg

I don't know, I think he might be a .300 hitter.

he still seems underrated

Another triptych--I'm telling you these will be hanging in Cooperstown one day.

I thought of trying to get from Luis Arráez to Ty Cobb in three photos, but figured Tony Gwynn's death would make that impossible. But Arráez of course began with the Twins.

https://phildellio.tripod.com/tytedrodluis.jpg

Inspired by my triptych, Arráez went 5-5; hitting .390 through 200 AB.

Someone on FB gave me the idea for this: me to Cy Young in three photos. (If I have any more of these, I'll open up a new thread.)

https://phildellio.tripod.com/cytedjohnnyme.jpg

I'm thinking Ted Williams liked to get his picture taken.

the Rays are absolutely lethal

Frankly sick of their bullshit little bloops & homophobic bullpen

Arráez 3-4 tonight--.399! I was wondering about the last guy to make a serious run at .400 (Arráez still at least a month away from what I'd call serious), and it was, duh: Gwynn in the strike season, and Olerud a year before that. Gwynn never actually got to .400 after May 9, but when the season ended on August 11, he was up to .394 and coming off nine games where he hit .472. Olerud was hitting .400 at the end of play on August 2 (and .391 on August 27).

Semien's hitting streak up to 24 games. 30+ games this century (in-season only):

Jimmy Rollins - 36 (2005)
Luis Castillo - 35 (2002)
Chase Utley - 35 (2006)
Dan Uggla - 33 (2011)
Albert Pujols - 30 (2003)
Willy Taveras - 30 (2006)
Moisés Alou - 30 (2007)
Ryan Zimmerman - 30 (2009)
Andre Ethier - 30 (2011)
Freddie Freeman - 30 (2016)

Pretty detailed look at .400 threats since Williams (some not even remotely close):

https://www.mlb.com/news/luis-arraez-chasing-400

Two I really don't remember:

2000: July 20 (91 games) -- Nomar Garciaparra, BOS (.372). Garciaparra won his second straight batting title in 2000, becoming the first Red Sox player to win consecutively since Wade Boggs won four straight from 1985-88.

1999: June 28 (78 games) -- Tony Fernandez, TOR (.328). Fernandez’s average was the highest of his career, and it came in his age-37 season.

.401 for Arráez!

If anyone’s watching Brewers Orioles right now my wife won 2nd row tickets and my son is sitting right behind home plate lmao

tonight’s yankees-white sox game should not be played in these air conditions, but i bet it will be

A's winning 7-3 today. At 13-50, they're running four games behind the '62 Mets.

huh, they actually did postpone in the bronx (and philly)

meanwhile the pirates got absolutely rocked by the a's twice in about 18 hours

I, myself, remember the April 2023 Pirates.

I do realize how silly it is to be getting caught up in Arráez in early June--if anything's almost guaranteed, it'll be that he'll be doing well to hit .350 or better. But I am. He's 2 for 4 again tonight, and up to .403. He does, I would think, have a good chance to be in the MVP hunt by season's end, especially if Miami sneaks into the playoffs.

i don't begrudge you being excited about him!

but maybe let's rein in the expectations a little bit? we're not even 40% of the way through the season. i bless famous wakeboarder steve shasta for committing the april 2023 pirates to memory, but when arraez ends up hitting .349 over a full season i'd hate it to sound like a disappointment

i mean i get that you're rooting for marcus semien -- he's a good player! -- but when you say stuff like 'if he can put up five more all-star-to-MVP-type seasons in his mid-to-late-30s, he'll be in the HoF conversation' well, sure. so would my mom

tbf my mom would be a total wildcard -- if *she* can't remember her previous strategies, there's no way anyone could predict her. bad knee tho

also she absolutely refused to give me credit for 'little league homers' involving fielding errors when she scored my little league games

pretty good mom tbh

I guess I should be thankful I'm out of jaded purgatory.

i can't afford to get to skydome at the moment -- last time i was there, jeremy giambi (rip) was in right field (for the a's, i think?)

but man we should go to a game sometime. it would be honestly good

All for it--any time. (Three games lined up, hopefully a fourth with Thermo later in the season.)

<3

Any secret strategy you can get from Thermo w/r/t his fantasy team, I'll gladly venmo you in USA funds.

I believe he and Tom Tango worked out an ironclad fantasy algorithm, but that's all I can say.

Really happy to see Money Mike have a big game for the Braves tonight. He's been grinding hard at bat all season, still getting it done in the field.

King

Elly De La Cruz rolling into Cincinnati steakhouses wearing a Bratz shirt after hitting his first career homer 458 feet

it’s over for this league https://t.co/c8lurrbTHx

— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) June 8, 2023

Shades of Carlos Delgado: José Ramirez hit three HR last night, including his 200th. (In an oft-repeated, bizarre sequence of events, Delgado hit two the game he hit his 100th, three the game he hit his 200th, and four the game he hit his 300th.)

zack greinke is leading the royals -- not just the pitchers, all of them -- in bWAR (at 1.0)

he is 1-6 with a 4.59 ERA and 6.8 K/9

Did you read that piece in The Athletic about him

Delgado, there's a guy for the "why did they retire?" thread. he was vv productive in limited duty in his last season and only 27 HR shy of 500.

Still productive, but physically he'd had it:

(Wikipedia) "On August 7, 2010, the Boston Red Sox signed Delgado to a minor league contract. He played 5 games with the triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox between August 9 and 15, collecting 3 singles in 13 at-bats (.231, 0 HR, 2 RBI). This was the entire extent of Delgado's 2010 season after Delgado suffered a setback with his surgically repaired hip."

I was really rooting for him to get to 500 HR.

Oakland showing signs of life.

Braves are at five straight come from behind wins -- I wonder what the record is.

I was two or three years late on Kershaw, so I'm pleased to announce that I already know who Bobby Miller is.

https://www.mlb.com/news/bobby-miller-off-to-historic-career-start-with-dodgers

2000 career hits for Cutch

How is there an article about a young phenom pitcher having an insane start of the season for the Dodgers and it doesn't mention Valenzuela??

I guess the difference in the writer's eyes is that Valenzuela pitched 10 games in relief in 1980 before he was converted to a starter. But if you focus on '81 only, yeah, phenomenal:

first eight starts (all CG): 72 IP, 43 H, 68 K, 17 BB, 0.50 ERA, 8-0

I doubt we'll ever again see the like

ffs his third and fourth starts were on three days' rest. no data on pitch counts, but i'll bet it was obscene