Thursday, June 14, 2012

Mr. Perfect


With a major contribution in helping the Giants claim their first ever Word Series title in 2010 since the ball club moved from New York to San Francisco in 1956, there's been little that starting pitcher Matt Cain and the Giants have been yet to accomplish in the franchise's rich 100+ year history. But a little more than two months after signing the right-handed workhorse to a blockbuster 5-year, $112.5 Million deal, the 27-year old pitcher rewarded the franchise with something they've never seen before. Though the ball club has been on the giving end of 14 no-hitters which is tied for the fourth most by a team in MLB history, never before has there been a player to throw a perfect game while donning the orange and black. But on June 13, not only would Cain register a perfecto, but he would also toss one of the most dominant pitching performances the game of baseball has ever seen. 

With three career one-hitters under his belt including one earlier this season against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Giants fans knew if anyone on the current roster had the stuff to throw a perfect game it was Matt Cain. And in front of a sellout crowd at San Francisco's AT&T Park against the Houston Astros, Cain would do just that. Facing the minimum of 27 batters and preventing the Astros from getting a single man on base, Cain notched just the 22nd perfect game in MLB history. And though the 2012 season was already treated to a perfecto thanks to Chicago's Phillip Humber, to say Cain's feat was better would be an understatement. Proving just how dominant he was, Cain didn't fall behind to a single 2-0 count all game long. Even more impressive was that he fanned a career-high 14 Houston hitters. Half of Cain's punch outs coming by way of the swinging variety while the other half struck out looking. The 14-strikeouts was also the most K's ever in a perfect game, tying the mark set by Sandy Koufax of the arch-rival Dodgers who struck out 14 Chicago Cubs in 1965. Not to be overlooked was the stellar game called by Cain's battery mate Buster Posey and outfielder Gregor Blanco who's diving grab in the seventh inning to preserve the gem was arguably the best catch we've seen from a Giant in recent years.

Notoriously known for being on the receiving end of poor run support for a majority of his career in the big leagues which has translated to a poor and undeserving win-loss record for Cain, Giants hitters would have no trouble getting runs on the board this time around as they set a record for the most runs of support in a perfect game by tacking on 10-runs. Ironically, the game was also the win that put Matt Cain over the .500 mark in his career (76-75), a mark that Giants fans should only see expand from here on. Having been one of the most underrated and under appreciated pitchers in the game today while in the shadow of teammate and 2-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum for the greater part of the last few seasons despite logging a number of productive years of his own including two All-Star campaigns in 2009 and 2011, Cain's recent domination coupled with Lincecum's struggles this season just might help Cain solidify himself as the ace of the Giants pitching staff moving forward. 

On pitch no. 125, Cain would get the pinch-hitting Jason Castro to hit a ground ball to third baseman Joaquin Arias who off balanced rifled a strike to the first baseman Brandon Belt for the 27th out of the ball game. Sticking the ball in his back pocket, Belt then raised his arms before joining the rest of his teammates in mobbing Cain on the pitchers mound as the team celebrated in a similar way they did just two years ago when winning the World Series, showering the man of the hour with cans of beer. The coolest part, however, was that Matt's wife Chelsea stood and watched from the stands before greeting and congratulating him first hand near the Giants dugout.

For Giants and baseball fans alike, this will be one of those games/events that we tell our children and grandchildren that we had the privilege to watch. At least I will. 


Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Road to the 2012 NBA Finals & Prediction


With both the Eastern and Western Conference Finals coming to an end, the table is now set for the 2012 NBA Finals. And like last year's Finals which featured plenty of drama-filled storylines from LeBron James being unable to follow through on his promise of bringing Miami a title, to he and teammate Dwayne Wade mocking Dallas Mavericks Forward Dirk Nowitzki for his late game heroics in Game 4 despite having a fever of 101 degrees, this year's series should be no different. Though the storylines differ from last season, there shouldn't be any shortage of excitement as fans will be treated to what's expected to be an all-out battle between a high-octane offense in the Oklahoma City Thunder and a defensive juggernaut in the Miami Heat. Not to mention the series will showcase arguably the best two players in the league (Kevin Durant and LeBron James) facing off against one another.

The road these two teams took to get here, however, is a bit one-sided as far as which has been more impressive. Of coarse no path to the Finals is an easy one, but to say the Thunder's journey was a more difficult one than Miami's would be an understatement. While the first round of the NBA Playoffs saw the Miami Heat face an underachieving New York Knicks team which dropped the first three games until finally claiming Game 4 before eventually being eliminated in 5, Oklahoma City made quick work of the defending World Champion Mavericks by completing a four game sweep. The Conference Semifinals featured the Heat against an Indiana Pacers squad which stole home court advantage and took a 2-to-1 series lead before falling three straight. The Thunder on the other hand faced off against the Los Angeles Lakers, but aside from Kobe Bryant's valiant effort to try and put his team on his back and carry them to another championship, the combination of speed and youth proved to be too much for a banged up Laker team as OKC prevailed in 5 games.

For Miami, the Conference Finals would prove to be their most difficult challenge yet. After winning the first two in Miami, the series would shift to Boston where the Heat would lose Games 3 and 4 as well as Game 5 back in South Beach. With their backs against the wall facing elimination, the Heat would need a Hall of Fame-like performance out of LeBron James in Game 6. And with 45 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists, they would get just that as LeBron and co. forced a decisive Game 7 to be played in Miami where the Heat came alive in the second half and never looked back. As for the Thunder, they'd have to take on the daunting task of having to play the number one seeded San Antonio Spurs who tied the Chicago Bulls for the best overall record in the NBA (50-16). And with Games 1 & 2 in the books, Thunder head coach Scott Brook's team appeared to have finally met their match in a deep, veteran-filled Spurs team, facing an 0-2 deficit. But a trip back to their home court coupled with the two game disadvantage would be the perfect wake up call for Kevin Durant and company as OKC would win the next four, sending the Spurs home packing earlier than they would've hoped for the second straight year as the no. 1 seed. 

Prediction: With the Thunder appearing to be clicking on all cylinders, for Erik Spoelstra's Miami Heat team their toughest task might be what lies a head. With this year's MVP LeBron James expected to draw plenty of attention on offense, it'll be up to Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and the rest of the Miami Heat cast to step up and do their part. LeBron hasn't necessarily duplicated his MVP-like stature on the biggest stage of them all in the Finals in his first two trips there having lost last year against the Mavs and in 2006 to the San Antonio Spurs while with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but as of late he's been playing on a level unmatched by the opposition. And unless the Thunder find an answer for him, they might be sitting in the locker with their heads down while Miami pops bottles of champagne in celebration by series end. But with such a young cast of talent led by Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, I don't think that'll be the case. And with the ball in their court owning home court advantage, all signs point towards the Thunder coming out on top given they're yet to lose a home game during these Playoffs (8-0). And while I see the series going the distance if not six games at the very least, I've got the Thunder prevailing and being crowned as this year's NBA Champions with Kevin Durant writing a chapter in the history books as the Finals MVP. 


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Saturday, June 2, 2012

Mets capture first No-Hitter thanks to Johan


June 1, 2012 will forever be remembered in New York Mets lore as the day the franchise was finally treated to their first no-hitter some 50 seasons after bringing baseball to the borough of Queens. And though it took them 8,020 games to finally get one, the Mets organization and their fans wouldn't have it any other way. After witnessing Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver flirt with a no-hitter on numerous occasions during his 12-year tenure with the ball club only to see him accomplish the feat in his second season with the Cincinnati Reds, the Mets can finally say they have their own to celebrate.

Coming into Spring Training, one of the more frequently asked questions in Mets camp was whether or not starting pitcher Johan Santana would be able to pitch like the Johan Santana of old, much less return to a big league mound. A 4-time All-Star and 2-time Cy Young Award winner, Santana was sidelined the entire 2011 season while recovering from shoulder surgery he underwent in September of 2010. Off to a stellar start to begin his 2012 campaign, what the Venezuelan born pitcher would achieve on a brisk Friday night in Flushing, New York against the defending World Champion St. Louis Cardinals was something nobody saw coming, not to mention something Mets fans never thought they'd experience. After tossing a complete-game shutout just six days earlier, Santana would give Mets fans something they've been waiting 51 seasons for -- a no-hitter.

Prior to Friday's game, Mets skipper Terry Collins had a pitch limit of 110 in mind for his 33-year old recovering hurler, but given the circumstances, Johan returning to the mound despite exceeding that number with a chance to log the first no-no in Mets franchise history was just as important as it was dangerous. Already with 122 pitches thrown heading into the 9th inning, it would take him a career-high 134 pitches before getting David Freese to strikeout swinging for the final out of the game to seal the 8-0 victory and the Mets first ever no-hitter. Though Santana baffled eight Cardinal hitters by way of the strikeout against five walks, he would need a bit of help from his defense. Like almost every no-hitter there's at least one jaw-dropping catch or play made that keeps the no-no in tact. Johan's gem was no different as an amazing catch by left fielder Mike Baxter would preserve Santana's no-hit bid. On pitch no. 101 in the seventh, Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina would send an 0-0 offering deep into left-field and into the direction of Baxter who on his horse made a spectacular catch on the warning track just before crashing into the wall shoulder and head first, causing him to be helped off the field as he was unable to finish the game with a left shoulder contusion.

Unfortunately there's gonna be those who think the no-hitter deserves an asterisk and is tainted by the controversial call on a hit towards the third base line that was called foul by third-base umpire Adrian Johnson. Upon further review it appeared that the ball struck off the bat of former Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran kicked up some chalk just behind third base, causing Cardinals skipper Mike Matheney to come out from the visiting dugout to argue the call to no avail. Beltran would ground out sharply to third on the very next pitch, helping Santana move one batter closer to making history. Of the 27,089 fans in attendance at Citi Field, many will be telling their grand kids one day that they were there to witness Johan make history without even daring to mention the controversy that almost robbed Mets fans of finally being able to say, "we've got one."

How fitting that the Mets would get their first no-hitter in franchise history on the year in which they're celebrating 50 seasons of Mets baseball. What makes Santana's no-hitter that much more remarkable is that the Mets haven't been a franchise starving of talented pitching. In fact pitching is probably what the franchise has been best remembered for. With such pitching greats as Nolan Ryan, Doc Gooden, Tom Seaver, Ron Darling, Warren Spahan, Tom Glavine and Pedro Martinez among others, it's amazing the Mets have gone this long without ever logging a no-hitter. Santana's gem leaves the San Diego Padres as the only franchise without a no-hitter. Is it too soon for Mets fans to be asking when they'll be treated to their first perfect game?


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