Mike Bacsik is finest recognized for having surrendered Barry Bonds’s 756th residence run. The August 7, 2007 bomb at San Francisco’s AT&T Park gave Bonds essentially the most in MLB historical past, another than Henry Aaron. In contrast to the legendary bashers, Bacsik is however a mere mortal. A left-handed pitcher for 4 groups over elements of 5 seasons, the now-Texas Rangers broadcast analyst appeared in 51 big-league video games and logged a document of 10-13 with a 5.46 ERA in 216 innings.
Regardless of his relative anonymity, the gopher wasn’t the one noteworthy occurring in Bacsik’s profession. Furthermore, these didn’t all happen with him on the mound.
“In my first 14 at-bats, I didn’t get a success, didn’t strike out, and didn’t stroll,” defined Bacsik, who completed 5-for-50 on the dish. “Apparently that’s a document for not having a kind of outcomes to start a profession. I didn’t know this till final yr once we have been in Detroit and so they introduced it up on the printed.”
In Bacsik’s subsequent three plate appearances, he doubled, singled, and struck out — all in the identical recreation. Two years later, in his forty fourth time standing in a batter’s field, he drew his solely profession stroll.
The primary residence run that Bacsik allowed — there have been 41 in all — was to Kevin Millar. It isn’t his most-memorable outdoors of the Bonds blast.
“Second would most likely be the final pitch I ever threw within the main leagues,” the southpaw mentioned of his September 30, 2007 outing at Philadelphia’s Residents Financial institution Park. “The Phillies have been beating us — I used to be with the Nationals — and I got here out of the bullpen and received [Chase] Utley to fly out. Then Ryan Howard hit a house run. That place was electrical. The Phillies have been making a miraculous comeback within the month of September, and the Mets [who’d led the division by seven games 18 days earlier] have been shedding, so the followers have been already fired up. When Howard hit the house run, that place was shaking. I believe it was even louder than it had been in San Francisco when Bonds hit his.”
A house run his father didn’t quit is a part of the Bacsik/Bonds story. Mike Bacsik Sr. pitched 5 seasons of his personal, and on August 23, 1976 he was on the mound for the Rangers when Aaron flew out and singled. A month earlier, “The Hammer” had hit no. 755.
The youthful Bacsik’s big-league debut got here in what turned out to be a comeback story for the ages. That he pitched six innings and allowed seven runs isn’t all that exceptional. The sport itself was.
“It was Sunday Night time Baseball,” recalled Bacsik, who broke in with the Cleveland Indians in 2001. “We have been taking part in the Mariners, who have been chasing the very best document of all time. I got here in with the bases loaded and no person out, and Mike Cameron hit a double off the wall on a 3-2 pitch. It was 12-0 on the finish of that inning, after which 14-2 after 5. I pitched the third via the eighth, and by the point I got here out it was 14-11. We ended up tying it within the ninth and successful it in further innings.”
Cleveland’s August 5, 2001 conquest of the Mariners — a crew that completed the yr with 116 wins — equalled the MLB document for largest deficit overcome. On June 18, 1911, the Detroit Tigers had rallied from 13-1 right down to beat the Chicago White Sox 16-15, and on June 15, 1925, the Philadelphia Athletics had trailed the Indians 15-3 earlier than occurring to attain 13 runs within the eighth to win 17-15.
“I had a brief profession,” Bacsik mentioned of his MLB tenure. “A brief profession through which some bizarre issues occurred.”
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RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS
Leo Cardenas went 19 for 43 in opposition to Johnny Podres.
Leo Gomez went 9 for 23 in opposition to Kevin Appier.
Leo Posada went 8 for 16 in opposition to Frank Lary.
Leo Durocher went 7 for 19 in opposition to Lefty Grove.
Dave Pope went 6 for 10 in opposition to Early Wynn.
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Twins radio play-by-play broadcaster Kris Atteberry had a superb query for Rocco Baldelli when Minnesota performed in Boston final weekend. Paul Molitor had opined within the sales space that stealing third base with two out is a brilliant play at Fenway Park: does he agree?
“That’s precisely related, sure,” Baldelli responded. “There are a ton of balls which are put into play to left subject right here that both you possibly can’t ship the man, otherwise you’re going to get thrown out by 10 toes on the plate if you wish to push it. The left fielders are simply shallower right here than anyplace else, so… you’re going to lose a few steps in case you’re a runner at second base making an attempt to attain. So yeah, in case you can take it, I’d lean towards taking it.”
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I had a base-running query of my very own for Minnesota’s supervisor. The Pink Sox, a crew traditionally constructed on energy versus velocity, have been working wild this season. On the conclusion of their weekend sequence versus the Twins, they’d swiped 43 bases in 50 makes an attempt in simply 36 video games. Furthermore, they’re not the one membership making the most of rule modifications which have helped catapult thievery to ranges unseen because the synthetic turf Nineteen Eighties. Is that this good for the sport?
“Premise-wise, I agree that the rule modifications have made it considerably simpler to steal bases,” replied Baldelli. “I believe that when you will have a crew with superb athleticism, a crew that’s stacked with velocity and base-stealing skill, you are able to do a number of productive issues. However I don’t get caught up in ‘Is it good for the sport?’ I’ve an excessive amount of to fret about than to get keen about what is nice for the sport rules-wise.
“It turned fairly arduous to steal bases for lots of fellows, for lots of years,” added Baldelli. “Then the rule modifications occurred and there’s a lot extra motion. I believe the extra motion within the recreation, the extra gratifying it will probably turn into. So, I’m not complaining concerning the rule change, all the bottom stealing, or something like that. However for guys which are well-above-average base stealers, it nearly feels prefer it’s a on condition that they’re going to take a bag. It’s a must to be very diligent — past diligent — to truly cease the elite base-stealers proper now.”
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I broached the identical topic with Bruce Bochy when the Rangers visited Fenway Park just a few days later.
“I believe it’s good for the sport,” the Rangers supervisor replied. “The followers are having fun with it. There’s extra motion. I believe there are methods to mitigate the working recreation. That’s as much as us, and to all of the pitchers in baseball. Be faster to residence plate, differ the appears to be like, as a result of groups are working extra. It’s an thrilling a part of the sport. I like base working. I like good base working. It’s been a misplaced artwork. We received away from it with the slug issue — you don’t wish to make an out on the bases, finish rallies, no matter. However in case you’re going to look at a recreation… I would like motion.”
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A quiz:
Ted Simmons is one among two catchers to have began the All-Star recreation for each the American League and the Nationwide League. Who’s the opposite? (A touch: Initially with the St. Louis Cardinals — a crew he didn’t make an All-Star crew with — he was a part of an 11-player commerce that included Rollie Fingers and Gene Tenace.)
The reply may be discovered beneath.
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NEWS NOTES
The Texas Rangers have an settlement to signal Korean highschool right-hander/shortstop Seong-Jun Kim for $1.2M, pending a bodily (per Baseball America).
Ji Man Choi is returning to South Korea to start 21 months of obligatory navy service. The 33-year-old former MLB first baseman is reportedly planning to play within the KBO as soon as he’s accomplished his obligation.
Chet Lemon, a three-time All-Star who amassed 52.0 WAR taking part in for the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers from 1975-1990, died Thursday at age 70. An excellent defensive centerfielder who logged 1,875 hits and a 122 wRC+, Lemon was a standout on the World Sequence champion 1984 Detroit Tigers.
Frank Johnson, an infielder/outfielder who performed for the San Francisco Giants from 1966-1971, died earlier this week at age 82. The El Paso native recorded 92 profession hits, together with residence runs off of Dave Giusti, Ray Lamb, Sandy Vance, and Ray Washburn.
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The reply to the quiz is Terry Kennedy. The left-handed-hitting backstop was an All-Star-game starter for the San Diego Padres in 1985, and for the Baltimore Orioles in 1987.
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Leaping again to Bochy and the Rangers, the membership’s choice to half methods with offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker earlier this week wasn’t stunning. No crew within the junior circuit had scored fewer runs on the time of his dismissal, and final season’s run complete was markedly decrease than it had been in 2023. A change appeared so as.
Ecker’s alternative on the teaching workers did come as a shock. Bret Boone was employed to the place of hitting coach, the place he joined a workers that features hitting coach Justin Viele and assistant hitting coach Seth Conner. It isn’t simply his lack of teaching expertise that makes the 56-year-old erstwhile infielder an atypical rent; he’s additionally not well-versed in hitting analytics and biomechanics. I requested Bochy about that.
“I don’t need him caring with being up on the all of the analytics,” Bochy replied. “We’ve got that coated with Justin Viele. He’s nearly as good as anyone so far as offering that info. We don’t want any individual like that proper now… He’s going to offer them one other voice, one other manner of listening to one thing… The analytics are nice, however we wished any individual who can assist [hitters] via his personal experiences.”
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FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Kazuma Okamoto will reportedly be out of motion for an prolonged interval after struggling an elbow harm in an on-field collision earlier this week. The Tokyo Yomiuri Giants nook infielder — one among NPB’s prime gamers — was slashing .308/.381/.598 with eight residence runs and a 220 wRC+ over 134 plate appearances.
Livan Moinelo is 3-0 with a 1.60 ERA over 39-and-a-third innings for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. The 29-year-old, closer-turned-starter southpaw is 33-14 with a 1.90 ERA since signing with the NPB membership out of Cuba in 2017.
Shoki Murakami is 6-1 with a 1.78 ERA over 50-and-two-thirds innings for NPB’s Hanshin Tigers. The 26-year-old right-hander has issued 5 walks and fanned 39 batters.
Cody Ponce is 7-0 with a 1.68 ERA over 59 innings for the Hanwha Eagles. The 31-year-old former Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander is in his second KBO season after pitching for NPB’s Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2022 and 2023.
Li Lin is slashing .396/.429/.660 with 4 residence runs in 56 plate appearances for the Chinese language Skilled Baseball League’s Rakuten Monkeys. The 29-year-old infielder/outfielder is a .341/.394/.523 hitter over eight-plus CPBL seasons.
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This previous week’s Pink Sox-Rangers sequence featured a pair of calls which are seldom seen. One is discovered within the umpires’ rule e book, the opposite within the official scorers’ handbook.
The primary name was a batter/runner’s being dominated protected regardless of the primary baseman’s having touched the bag earlier than the batter/runner did (Ben Clemens has video of the play in Friday’s 5 Issues I Like (Or Didn’t Like column). Here’s what occurred:
Wyatt Langford missed first base whereas avoiding Romy Gonzalez, who was impeding his route whereas making an attempt to corral a throw within the dust. Langford crossed the aircraft of the bag earlier than Gonzalez — ball now secured — stepped on it, that means there was not a power play. Had Gonzalez proceeded to tag Langford and attraction to the umpire that he’d missed the bag — earlier than Langford had safely scrambled again — an out would have been recorded.
The opposite play was simply as perplexing, sans an evidence.
With Rangers runners on the corners, a pitch within the dust caromed off the catcher into truthful territory, permitting an alert Langford to attain from third with relative ease. The path runner, Joc Pederson, was far much less decisive in his actions and was caught in no-man’s land between first and second base. Boston’s backstop picked up the ball and threw him out simply.
The official scorer introduced that the run had scored on a wild pitch. Easy name, proper? Apparently not. Shortly thereafter, it was modified to the runner’s having scored on a fielder’s alternative, the reasoning being that an out was recorded on the play, thus negating the wild pitch. (This per a supply apart from the official scorer from whom I didn’t have a chance to get an evidence.)
Earlier than the sport ended, it was modified again to the run having scored on a wild pitch. Why? This seems to be the relevant entry within the scorers’ guide:
“The pitch is dropped by the catcher however the catcher or one other fielder recovers in time to place out a path runner whereas the lead runner scores on the play. A handed ball is charged as a result of, though an out was recorded, the lead runner scored on the dropped pitch.”
On this specific case the ruling was wild pitch, not handed ball, however the identical interpretation utilized. As for the change that was later reversed, this entry appears to handle it:
“On a pitch within the dust, the catcher or one other fielder recovers in time to place out a path runner and the lead runner advances however doesn’t rating. No wild pitch and the lead runner (who didn’t rating) superior on the fielder’s alternative.”
When all was mentioned and performed, the official scorer seems to have gotten it proper.
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FARM NOTES
Jonah Tong completed one batter in need of a seven-inning excellent recreation yesterday because the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies beat Studying 6-0 within the nightcap of a twin invoice. The 21-year-old right-hander within the New York Mets system fanned 13 Fightin Phils batters earlier than being lifted after 99 pitches.
Beloit Sky Carp catcher Ryan Ignoffo hit two grand slams on Thursday because the Miami Marlins’ Excessive-A affiliate crunched the Cedar Rapids Kernels 14-5. The 2023 Twentieth-round pick of Japanese Illinois College has six residence runs and a 124 wRC+ over 123 plate appearances on the season.
Kyle Karros is slashing .333/.447/.513 with two residence runs and a 177 wRC+ over 94 plate appearances for the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats. The 22-year-old third baseman, and son of former Dodgers first baseman Eric Karros, was taken within the fifth spherical of the 2023 draft out of UCLA by the Colorado Rockies.
Cooper Kinney is slashing .308/.351/.587 with seven residence runs and a 171 wRC+ over 111 plate appearances for the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits. The 22-year-old multi-position infielder was taken within the first spherical of the 2021 draft out of Chattanooga, Tennessee’s Baylor Excessive College by the Tampa Bay Rays.
Frank Mozzicato has a 1.15 ERA and a 23.8% strikeout price over 31-and-a-third innings for the Excessive-A Quad Metropolis River Bandits. The 21-year-old left-hander was taken within the first spherical of the 2021 draft out of Manchester, Connecticut’s East Catholic Excessive College by the Kansas Metropolis Royals.
Bishop Letson has a 1.33 ERA and a 30% strikeout price over 27 innings for the Excessive-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. The 20-year-old right-hander was taken within the eleventh spherical of the 2023 draft out of Floyds Knobs, Indiana’s Floyd Central Excessive College by the Milwaukee Brewers.
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A word on Matt Seelinger, who was featured right here at FanGraphs earlier within the week, discussing his knuckle drop.
The 30-year-old right-hander within the Detroit Tigers system is listed at 6-foot-3, 190 kilos, however he acknowldeged that he’s truly 5-foot-11, 205 kilos. The rationale behind the inaccuracy is a thriller to the Farmingdale State School graduate (B.S. Finance),who continues to excel with the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens. Counting his 4 video games with Double-A Erie, Seelinger is 5-0 with a 0.51 ERA and a 29.0% strikeout price over 10 reduction appearances.
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A random obscure former participant snapshot:
Walter Watson had a short profession and a standalone nickname. The pitcher/outfielder appeared in two video games for the American Affiliation’s Cincinnati Reds in 1887, going 1-for-8 on the plate and permitting 18 runs over 14 innings. Information don’t point out whether or not Watson batted or threw his with proper or left hand, however the identify he was recognized by is well-chronicled. He stay’s baseball’s solely “Mom.”
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LINKS YOU’LL LIKE
At Pittsburgh Baseball Now, John Perrotto wrote about how the Pirates did Derek Shelton a favor by axing him.
At Tigers Minor League Report, Rogelio Castillo paid tribute to Chet Lemon, who went from champion to mentor.
The Toledo Blade’s David Briggs opined on why critics who really feel that Roger Bresnahan doesn’t belong within the Corridor of Fame are fallacious.
The always-entertaining Doug Glanville wrote about rarity scores — hey Immaculate Grid — on his Welcome To Glanville Substack.
A newly recognized newspaper article pushes the earliest date of Japanese baseball again to July 1869. Rob Fitts has the story at his Rob Fitts Baseball Historical past weblog.
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RANDOM FACTS AND STATS
San Diego Padres batters have 341 hits and a fewest-in-the main 261 strikeouts to date this season. Colorado Rockies batters have 277 hits and a most-in-the-majors 380 strikeouts.
The Milwaukee Brewers have 10 sacrifice hits, essentially the most within the majors. The Baltimore Orioles, Minnesota Twins, and Tampa Bay Rays are and not using a sacrifice hit.
Tarik Skubal has 60 strikeouts and 5 walks on the season. Over his final six begins, the Detroit Tigers southpaw has 50 strikeouts and one stroll.
Boston’s Wilyer Abreu is 19-for-43 with three doubles, eight residence runs, and a 1.580 OPS in 14 profession video games in opposition to the Texas Rangers.
Nick Castellanos has 237 homers, 771 runs scored, 869 RBIs, and a 111 wRC+.
Doug DeCinces had 237 homers, 778 runs scored, 879 RBIs, and a 114 wRC+.
Danny Kravitz hit a ninth-inning grand slam to offer the Pittsburgh Pirates a 6-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on as we speak’s date in 1956. The walk-off blast was the primary of 10 residence runs that Kravitz hit in his profession.
On as we speak’s date in 1936, Mel Ott hit a three-run homer within the prime of the ninth inning to raise the New York Giants to a 13-12 win over the Phillies. Ott logged eight RBIs on the day and went on to complete the marketing campaign with an NL-best 135. The Corridor of Fame slugger topped the 100-RBI mark 9 instances.
On as we speak’s date in 1923, Pete Schneider had 5 residence runs, a double, and 14 RBI’s because the Pacific Coast League’s Vernon Tigers outscored the Salt Lake Metropolis Bees 35-11. An outfielder on the time, he’d beforehand pitched for the Cincinnati Reds from 1914-1918, and for the New York Yankees in 1919. Schneider’s Vernon teammates included Ping Bodie, Truck Hannah, and Hugh Excessive.
Gamers born on as we speak’s date embrace Rip Sewell, a right-hander who pitched briefly for the Detroit Tigers in 1932, after which was a mainstay for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1938-1949. Greatest recognized for a high-arcing eephus pitch that Ted Williams took deep within the 1946 All-Star recreation, Sewell had 21-win seasons in 1943 in 1944.
Additionally born on as we speak’s date was Cameron Cairncross, a left-hander whose big-league profession comprised 15 reduction appearances for the Cleveland Indians in 2000. The Cairns, Australia native gained his lone choice, that in a 12-11, 13-inning win over the New York Yankees. Kenny Lofton walked the competition off with a house run.
