The Forgotten 500

Last week, Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera did something that only 27 Major League ballplayers had done before him when he became the latest member of baseball's 500 Home Run Club. Becoming the first member of the exclusive club since Boston's David Ortiz joined in 2015, etching his name into the record books is something Miggy had been doing long before his historic blast off of Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Steven Matz traveled 400-feet to tie the game at 1 in the sixth inning. In what ended up being a 5-3 win for the Tigers in 11-innings, Cabrera received both a standing ovation and a curtain call from the opposing fans at Toronto's Rogers Centre, knowing they just witnessed history from one of the game's all-time greats. Unlike those who've accomplished the feat before him, Cabrera is the first Venezuelan-born player to join the 500 Home Run Club and the first player to do so in a Tigers uniform. At 65-74 and 15 games back in the division behind the first place White Sox in the AL Central, the 2021 season will end with Detroit once again missing the postseason for the eighth consecutive year, so its likely this will be the highlight of their season. 

While reaching the 500 home run mark is barely a blip on the radar of sports fans these days, the accomplishment is one that does not garner nearly as much attention as it should or that it deserves, simply due to the explosion of players that joined the club in the early 2000's, fueled by baseball's famed and often frowned upon, "steroid era." Then again it probably doesn't help much that home runs is all guys focus on and try to do in today's game. With this sudden fixation on "launch angle", strikeout numbers are skyrocketing and batting averages are plummeting. Hell, guys barely even know how to bunt nowadays. Just his 13th homer of the season, the now 38-year old Cabrera is the 12th player to reach 500 career home runs since the start of the millennium. This after only 16 players reached 500 home runs in the 70 years between Babe Ruth becoming the very first to reach the mark in 1929 and the year 2000. 

While the celebration of the monumental number isn't what it once was, those of us who keep the game near and dear to our hearts, know the significance of the milestone. Although he had slowed down a bit over the past few seasons on his way to No. 500 with both injuries and age being a factor, Cabrera is one that seemed almost destined to reach the feat given his blazing hot start in the Majors which included a walk-off home run in his MLB debut at the age of 20 while playing for the then Florida Marlins.

After being sent to the Motor City before the 2008 season in an eight-player trade, Miggy did not skip a beat upon joining the American League and instead added to his resume. Among the many accolades and accomplishments of Cabrera's illustrious and future Hall of Fame career, he has 11 All-Star appearances, seven Silver Slugger Awards, two MVP Awards, a World Series ring and an AL Triple-Crown to boot. One of only nine players with at least 500 homers and a .300+ batting average, Miggy will join even more rarified air when he reaches the 3,000 hit plateau as he currently sits 36 hits shy of that mark. The elite company of players he would join with 500 homers and 3,000 hits include Hank Aaron, Alex Rodriguez, Willie Mays, Albert Pujols, Rafael Palmeiro and Eddie Murray. 

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Giants tame Tigers, Take 2-0 lead to Detroit

Game 1: Pandamonium - Prior to Game 1 of the World Series, pundits gave the San Francisco Giants little chance against the reigning AL Cy Young & MVP Justin Verlander and predicted the Detroit Tigers would make quick work of game 1 starter Barry Zito. Little did they know the exact opposite would take place. Having won Zito's last 13 starts, it was thought that the Giants would have their work cut out for them if they planned to make it 14, but a guy who goes by the nickname 'Kung-Fu Panda' would prove otherwise. Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval who was left off of the postseason roster in 2010 alongside Zito when the Giants brought their first World Series title back to the city by the bay, made up for lost time with two home runs in his first two at-bats versus Tigers ace Justin Verlander who also surrendered a bases-clearing triple to Sandoval in July's All-Star Game which awarded the Giants home-field advantage in this year's Fall Classic.

Sandoval's home run in the first inning which came on an 0-2 pitch and gave the Giants an early 1-0 lead was the first homer Verlander had allowed in an 0-2 count this season. Sandoval's heroics would continue just two innings later when Angel Pagan sparked a 2-out rally in the third with a double that appeared to be on its way to the glove of Miguel Cabrera but instead bounced off the third base bag and rolled into the outfield. Marco Scutaro drove in the game's second run by lacing an RBI single up the middle, bringing Sandoval to the plate a chance to cause more damage. Two pitches later he would do just that, sending a 2-0 pitch over the left field fence for an opposite-field home run, giving the Giants a 4-0 lead and causing Verlander to mouth the words, "Wow." Verlander's rough outing would continue in the fourth as Brandon Belt led the inning off with a walk and later scored on a single off the bat of Barry Zito as the Giants became the first team in postseason history to have their pitcher drive in a run in four consecutive games.

With Verlander's night coming to an early end after being roughed up for five earned runs on six hits and a walk through four innings, his shortest outing of the season, Sandoval's dominance at the plate would continue as he greeted Tigers reliever Al Alburquerque who came in for Verlander by hitting his third home run of the ballgame. With his trio of long balls, Sandoval became only the fourth player to ever hit three home runs in a World Series game, joining the likes of Babe Ruth who accomplished the feat twice, Reggie Jackson and Albert Pujols who did it in last year's World Series. Sandoval, however, was the only player to do it in his first three plate appearances. Sandoval would finish the game 4-for-4 by adding a single in the seventh. Detroit's only runs would come in the form of an RBI single from Miguel Cabrera off Zito in the sixth and a 2-run home run from Jhonny Peralta off George Kontos in the ninth. RBI singles from Scutaro and Buster Posey in the seventh would round up the scoring for the Giants who would go on to take game 1 by a final of 8-3.

Game 2: Bumgarner outduels Fister - With the Tigers allowing more runs in game 1 of the World Series than they allowed in the entire ALCS against the Yankees (six), they'd turn to pitcher Doug Fister in game 2, hoping to calm the Giants bats and avoid heading to Detroit down 0-2. And with the Tigers going up against Madison Bumgarner who entered Thursday's game having struggled of late with an ERA north of 11.00, many expected Detroit to bounce back and even the series. Bumgarner, however, would have other plans, challenging Fister to a duel. Fister who entered the game with an ERA under 2.00 this postseason, would pitch as good as advertised, but would be outdone on this night.

Shutout only twice during the regular season, a league-low, Bumgarner would stifle the Tigers lineup by allowing only 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 8 over seven stellar frames, proving too much for Jim Leyland's ball club. Detroit's only chance to plate a run came in the second inning when Prince Fielder was hit by a pitch and tried scoring from first on a Delmon Young double to left field. Gregor Blanco fielded the ball and luckily overthrew the cutoff man Brandon Crawford, hitting Marco Scutaro who made the catch and rifled a strike to Buster Posey who tagged the sliding Fielder just in time before touching home. Fister would overcome a scary moment in the second inning when taking a line drive off the side of his head that Blanco reached to first on for a single. Fister would prove to be fine, retiring 12 of the next 13 batters he faced.

With the game still scoreless heading to the bottom of the seventh inning, the Giants would get their first chance at a big inning after Hunter Pence, Brandon Belt and Gregor Blanco all reached base with a single, a walk and a bunt. With Brandon Crawford stepping to the plate, Tigers reliever Drew Smyly limited the damage by getting the Giants shortstop to ground into a double-play as a run came in to score. The Giants would execute a bit of small ball to plate another run in the eight inning as Angel Pagan, Pablo Sandoval and Buster Posey all drew walks, setting up Hunter Pence who hit a sacrifice fly to right field to give his team a 2-0 lead heading to the ninth inning. A shutout eight inning from Giants reliever Santiago Casilla would setup the bearded Sergio Romo who slammed the door on any chance of a Tigers rally by hurling a 1-2-3 ninth inning, sealing the 2-0 victory and giving the Giants their fifth straight postseason win, a franchise-record in which they've only allowed a total of 4-runs.

Unfortunately for the Tigers who hope a trip to Detroit will help summon their offense, 41 of the 52 teams who've taken a 2-0 lead in the World Series have gone on to win it all. But to their credit, the Tigers are yet to lose at home this postseason, where they currently boast a 4-0 record. The Giants, however, are the perfect team to put an end to that streak as they've proven during this postseason that they're even better when playing on the road. The only difference being they'll have to emulate their play under American League rules, using a designated-hitter which Giants skipper Bruce Bochy will most likely hand the reigns to backup catcher Hector Sanchez. And similar to game 2, game 3 could very well be another low-scoring affair not only because of who will be on the mound for each team, but because the weather forecast is expected to be in the low 40's. While the Giants hope to ride the arm of Ryan Vogelsong who's been arguably their best pitcher this postseason, the Tigers will look to mid-season acquisition Anibal Sanchez who in the past has been tough on the Giants during his days with the Marlins. And though I expect Detroit to have much better luck at home than they did on the road, I'm sticking with my prediction of the Giants winning it all in six games.


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Giants complete Comeback, Prepare to face off vs Tigers in Fall Classic

Two years removed from winning their first World Series title in 56 years and a year removed from failing to make it to the postseason, the San Francisco Giants are heading back to the Fall Classic after one of the more improbable playoff runs in recent memory. Last night's Game 7 victory over the defending World Champion St. Louis Cardinals only added to what the Giants have done all postseason long -- winning with their backs against the wall. After becoming the first team to ever overcome a 2 games to 0 deficit and win three straight games on the road in the new Division Series playoff format against the Cincinnati Reds, the Giants continued their postseason magic. 

Down 3 games to 1 in a pivotal game 5 at St. Louis' Busch Stadium, the unlikeliest hero Barry Zito hurled a superb 7 2/3 innings of shutout baseball to keep the Giants alive and send the series back to San Francisco for game 6. With a win the following night, the Giants set up a winner-take-all game 7 in which they had all the momentum coming in. History, however, would be on the Cardinals side. While St. Louis entered Monday's meeting winners of 11 elimination game 7's, good enough for the most all-time, the Giants on the other hand came in owning a league worst record of 0-5 all-time in game 7's. But like the saying goes, there's a first for everything. The San Francisco offense would prove just that by scoring runs in each of the first two innings before chasing Cardinals ace Kyle Lohse after only 2 frames in which he was tagged for 5 runs. By the end of the third inning the Giants were up 7 to 0 and never looked back. At San Francisco's AT&T Park, facing All-Star pitcher Matt Cain with a 7-run deficit, St. Louis had no chance to work the magic we've grown accustomed to seeing them pull off dating back to last year's World Series.

With the 9-0 victory, the Giants became only the third NL team to comeback from a 3 games to 1 deficit and go on to win the series and only the second team in MLB history to win six consecutive elimination games, tying the 1985 Kansas City Royals who won the World Series that year. Giants second baseman Marco Sctuaro would make some history of his own by being named NLCS MVP after batting .500 (14-for-28) in the series, setting an LCS record with 6 multi-hit games and becoming one of only two players to follow up a 20-game hit streak during the regular season with a 10-game hit streak during the postseason in the same year (Mike Piazza being the other in 2002 with the Mets). What's most baffling about the Giants' epic NLCS comeback is that Buster Posey was virtually a non-factor at the plate. That'll have to change, however, if the Giants plan to win their second Championship in three years as they set their sights on the Jim Leyland led Detroit Tigers who are coming off an impressive sweep of the New York Yankees and are seeking their first World Series title since 1984.

Just like they were in 2010 when they upset the Texas Rangers, the Giants will once again be the underdogs facing an offensive juggernaut this time in the form of the Detroit Tigers' lethal duo of this year's triple crown winner -- Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder. Not to be forgotten is ALCS MVP Delmon Young who always seems to come through at the plate during the postseason. Facing one of the games premiere pitchers in Cliff Lee who San Francisco beat not once, but twice in the 2010 Fall Classic, Giants hitters will face another tall order and be given the daunting task of having to go up against last year's Cy Young Award winner and reigning MVP Justin Verlander who plans to avenge his World Series defeat in 2006, entering the series a perfect 3-0 this postseason with 25 K's and an ERA of 0.74. Giants manager Bruce Bochy hopes to counter by naming Barry Zito the starter for the Giants in game 1. Equally as good as Verlander has been is Doug Fister, Anibal Sanchez and Max Scherzer who posted a combined ERA of 0.66 in the ALCS. But unlike the struggling Yankees who simply failed to show up at the plate, the Giants' scrappy bats won't make it easy on Detroit's stellar rotation.

How they match up: Though the Tigers benefit from a starting rotation that has dominated this postseason where as San Francisco has been inconsistent prior to Zito's gem in game 5 of the NLCS, their bullpen lacks the depth that the Giants possess. Giants manager Bruce Bochy owns the better team defensively, but Detroit's ability to hit the long ball takes the cake. Along with two of the best managers in the game today, these two teams facing off also means the two MVP front-runners of their respective leagues will be showcased in a series that I'm expecting will go no less than six games with the Giants prevailing. And while the previous three teams that have come off a seven-game LCS have went on to win the World Series when facing a club coming off a sweep, the Giants have to like their chances of making it four consecutive. 


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Mo Power in Motown

For the past two seasons, the team to represent the American League in the World Series has hailed out of the AL West with the Texas Rangers claiming back-to-back American League pennants. And after an influx of blockbuster moves being made this offseason by both the Rangers who won the sweepstakes for Japanese pitching sensation Yu Darvish and the division-rival Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim who acquired Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson, those favored to represent the American League in the World Series this year once again appeared to be coming out of the West. That was until the Detroit Tigers signed 3-time All-Star slugging first baseman Prince Fielder to a 9-year, $214 Million contract on Tuesday. Prior to his big pay day with Detroit, the Rangers, Blue Jays, Mariners, Nationals and Cubs were all said to be interested in the hard hitting slugger, but similar to the Pujols signing, it was a dark horse who flew under the radar and came out on top to snag the slugger.

For Detroit fans, the news of the ball club landing arguably the most highly coveted free-agent this offseason couldn't have came at a better time as it was learned just a week ago that the Tigers would be without Victor Martinez for the entire 2012 season after tearing his ACL during offseason conditioning. Martinez, a 4-time All-Star who spent last season sharing time serving as the team's designated-hitter as well as catcher, finished the year with 103 RBI's and a career-high .330 batting average to help Detroit run away with the AL Central division during the second half of the season and come within two wins of a World Series birth. Tigers manager Jim Leyland chimed in regarding Martinez' unfortunate injury days after the incident and said Martinez was irreplaceable. Leyland would proudly eat his words now that he has hands down the best hitting tandem in all of baseball with Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera, both of whom finished in the top 3 in MVP voting last year in their respective leagues. The only problem being both players are accustomed to playing first base leaving Leyland to shuffle them around the field just like he'll be doing with the batting order.

Without Fielder who logged 38 home runs and 120 RBI's for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2011, the Tigers are the best team in the division. With him they're arguably the best team in the American League. Led by the best pitcher in the Major Leagues in Justin Verlander who became the first pitcher since Dennis Eckersley in 1992 to be crowned MVP as well as take home Cy Young Award honors, the Tigers are just as dangerous from a pitching standpoint as they are on offense. With Doug Fister and Max Scherzer also in the rotation and with Jose Valverde in the bullpen who went an entire season without a blowing a single save, Detroit has all the right pieces to dominant the AL Central for many years to come. Whether or not they can contend for a Championship without Victor Martinez remains unknown. Once he returns fully healthy from his injury however, look out.

At the age of 27, Fielder is no stranger to the Tigers organization as he grew up watching his father Cecil Fielder play a majority of his Major League career with Detroit where he became a fixture around the teams clubhouse as a child, often taking batting practice with the team. And just like his father who served seven years with the Tigers as a fan favorite, Prince shouldn't have any trouble fitting in.

Detroit sports back on the map

In the midst of this recession, no city in the United States has felt the wrath of the economy collapse more than the city of Detroit. Among the worst unemployment rates in the country, there's little to cheer for in the Motor City. The sports scene, however, in Michigan's largest city has never been better. While the Detroit Red Wings are almost guaranteed to make a push for the Stanley Cup playoffs as always considering they've made a North American professional sports record 20 consecutive playoff appearances, hoisting four Stanley Cups in that span, it's the other Detroit based teams who have been creating quite the buzz.

Coming off a 3 games to 2 triumph of the New York Yankees in the ALDS, the Detroit Tigers have muscled their way into the ALCS (American League Championship Series for you noobs) to face the defending American League Champion Texas Rangers. And though they trail Texas 2 Games to 1, the series has shifted to Detroit for Games 4 and 5. The biggest surprise, however, is that of the football team -- the Detroit Lions. Having been the laughing stock of the NFL for years, the Lions have not only shocked, but have silenced the critics thus far by way of their first 5-0 record since 1956. The Lions claimed their most recent victim last night in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football, defeating the division-rival Chicago Bears by a final score of 24-13.

While the high draft picks of Matthew Stafford, Jahvid Best, Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley and Calvin Johnson aka Megatron among others were bound to pay off, nobody thought the Lions of all teams would be the only undefeated team in the league alongside the defending Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers heading into Week 6. Hoping to improve on that mark, Stafford and company will have their hands full this Sunday as they get set to host a revamped 49er squad that has also surprised and has been clicking on all cylinders since the hiring of former Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh. With both teams benefiting from a greedy defense, a low scoring affair is almost inevitable, but with both squads also among the leagues highest scoring offenses, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of a high scoring game either.

Coming into the season, who would've thought the 49ers and Lions would be a combined 9-1 after the first 5 Weeks? Not I. The Lions are indeed for real, but I'm not ready to jump on the bandwagon just yet. Not because their only route to make it to the Playoffs is through the Wild Card assuming Green Bay wins the division, but for the simple fact that the Lions aren't a Playoff-ready team...yet. Keep in mind this is the same Detroit Lions franchise that finished the 2008 NFL season with an imperfect 0-16 record. And while Stafford to Johnson appears to be the reincarnation of Montana to Rice, the dynamic duo can only get them so far. But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy riding the wave while it lasts. In fact I encourage it given it's somewhat of a breath of fresh air seeing someone not named Eminem or Kid Rock putting the 'D' back on the map.

JustIncredible

Just four days after Minnesota's Francisco Liriano etched his name into the record books by throwing a no-hitter, Tigers ace Justin Verlander joined him by tossing the second no-no of his career and seventh in Tigers franchise history.

On the road in Toronto while facing the Blue Jays, Verlander who normally baffles his victims via the strikeout, having led the American League in K's in 2009, instead managed to get the opposition out by way of the ground and fly ball variety. And though he didn't amass an impressive strikeout total like he did in 2007 when compiling 12 K's in his first no-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers, the four punch outs which also matched a season-low, enabled him to coast through innings with a relatively low pitch-count heading into the latter innings of the ballgame. Verlander did have his strikeout stuff though as his fastball reached speeds up to 101 MPH as late as the 7th inning.

His only flaw would come with one out in the 8th inning when he walked Jays rookie catcher J.P. Arencebia in a 12-pitch at-bat that ended in a ball just millimeters off the plate. Had it not been for the walk, Verlander would've had a perfecto as no other Blue Jay reached base. However, the former AL Rookie of the Year did face the minimum 27 batters as Toronto third baseman Edwin Encarnacion followed Arencebia's walk by hitting into an inning-ending double play. Verlander's masterful performance was capped off by striking out Rajai Davis swinging en route to a 9-0 victory. The 28 year old hurler was treated to a Gatorade shower after his teammates rushed the mound to congratulate him on his magnificent feat.

With a second no-hitter on his resume, Verlander became just the seventh pitcher since 1954 to toss a no-no while facing the minimum (27 batters) and only the 28th player in modern Major League history to record multiple no-hitter's. Even after joining the short list of pitchers with more than one no-hitter, Verlander has his sights on an even greater achievement and says he's aiming for 7 no-no's, a territory only one man has been able to reach -- the legendary Nolan Ryan.

Preparing for his voyage, the Tigers righty will have the odds against him as only five pitchers have thrown more than two no-hitters. But as a proud Fantasy owner of Verlander, I'll be wishing him luck and cheering him on every inch of the way.

A Double Dip in History?

Florida's Get Rich Quick Scheme - Just 20 days after Oakland's Dallas Braden threw his magical Mother's Day masterpiece, one of the game's best put his name in the hat to become a potential future Hall of Famer. On the road against the Florida Marlins in Miami, Roy Halladay pitched the 20th perfect game in Major League history by taking a much different approach than that of Braden. While the Oakland A's southpaw earned his perfecto by mainly getting batters to pop up or fly out, Halladay owned the strike zone by compiling a total of 11 K's compared to Braden's 6. The former 2003 AL Cy Young Award winner for the Toronto Blue Jays added to his already lengthy resume which includes 6-All-Star appearances and 49-complete games. The only thing missing? A World Series ring.

With only half of the seats in Florida's Land Shark Stadium filled with fans to witness the remarkable feat, the Marlins are hoping to make money off of the fans that weren't in attendance. How so? Through the stadium's box office and website, the team will be reselling tickets to the game that featured Doc Halladay's no-hit performance which took place on Saturday May 29th. The cost? Tickets will be sold at face value from the cheap seats -- $12, to the field-level -- $25 and of coarse, those much closer to the action and behind home plate -- $300. As an amenity, they'll even count you in the game's official attendance. What better way to brag to all your buddies than lie to them and not only tell them you seen Roy Halladay's perfect game in person, but also have the proof of a ticket stub. Talk about the ultimate souvenir.

Keep in mind the Marlins are doing this despite their 1-0 loss and their own team being blanked. If it was a Marlins pitcher who threw the gem and not the opposing team's pitcher, it would be a little bit more understandable. If you asked me, I'd say it's sort of a cheesy strategy to profit money and would usually oppose the whole idea. But given it's the Florida Marlins, the team who's currently at the bottom of the NL in attendance and always seem to be struggling to fill seats regardless of how well or poorly they're playing, I can't knock their hustle. In fact, I encourage them to take similar action in the future. This isn't the first time this has been done however. After Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle pitched his perfect game last July, the team sold the remainder of the tickets as souvenirs. With two perfect games and one no-hitter already in the books this early on in the season, could this be proof of the post-steroid era?


The Perfecto Bandito - Considering there's never been a time in the modern era of Major League Baseball where two pitchers threw perfect games in a single season prior to Halladay's gem, how crazy would it be if there three in a single season? And if that's not crazy enough, how about all three of those perfect games taking place within a single month? Although the third never happened, it should have.

Bad calls have become somewhat symbolic in all of sports, but none as bad as those made or not made in baseball. One call in particular that will forever be remembered above all others is the one that took place most recently. Last Wednesday in a game against the visiting Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga was just one out away from making the history books. That was until Indians rookie Jason Donald hit a ground ball to first baseman Miguel Cabrera who underhanded the ball to the covering Galarraga in what looked to be the 27th out of the ball game. However, first base umpire Jim Joyce called the runner safe in what would go down in the history of bad calls. This wasn't just any other wrong call, instead it cost the right-handed Venezuelan born pitcher a perfect game.

Just how bad was the call you ask? After viewing the replay from the clubhouse, Joyce admitted his wrongdoing soon after. As for the man who was robbed of a spot in the record books, Galarraga was a class act about the whole thing and didn't complain or throw a fit like I know most pitchers would do nowadays. Although umpire Jim Joyce missed the call, commissioner Bud Selig had all the power in the world to overturn the mistake and decided not to. But I bet if it was a Brewer who pitched the gem, Selig would've thought otherwise considering he's a Milwaukee native and was once upon a time the owner of the Brew Crew. A day after the mess, Joyce was scheduled to serve as the home plate umpire where he received boo's from the Detroit crowd when being introduced over the stadium speakers. Tigers skipper Jim Leyland who argued the call that cost his pitcher a place in Cooperstown, had Galarraga hand Joyce the game's starting line-up. Joyce was then seen with tears running down his face as the two patted one another on the back and shook hands.

Even though he was robbed of becoming the 21st pitcher in Major League history to throw a perfecto, Galarraga didn't come out empty handed. Given Detroit is the Motor City, GMC honored the 28 year old pitcher and donated a 2010 Corvette. Days after discussion and reviewing the film, Commissioner Selig continued to stick to his guns and said he was pleased with how his decision to not honor Galarraga with a perfect game worked out. He went on to say expanded instant replay is unlikely this year if at all. The decision to not expand instant replay is something I actually agree with that has come from the brain of Bud Selig. As for the unlucky Jim Joyce, he's fortunate enough to keep his job in my opinion. He's also probably the most hated man in the Motor City now, dethroning the spot of Ron Artest who took place in the infamous 'Malice in the Palace'. Galarraga later forgave Joyce and called him a nice man. But although he's forgiven, I think someone better keep an eye on Mr. Joyce, he's definitely on suicide watch.

Throwback Thursday x Ernie Harwell

MLB is mourning the loss of one of Baseball's giants after receiving news of the death of long time Detroit Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell. With 55 years of broadcasting under his belt and 42 of which with Detroit, Ernie has earned the suitable moniker of 'The Voice of the Tigers'. Most notably remembered for his days in Motown, Harwell also served time announcing for several other Major League teams. The Brooklyn Dodgers (1948-49), New York Giants (1950-53), Baltimore Orioles (1954-59), Detroit Tigers (1960-91, 1993-2002) and the California Angles (1992). Harwell's broadcasting career began in the Minor Leagues with one of the leagues most successful franchises, the Atlanta Crackers.

Harwell's transition from the Minor League to the Major League came in the most intriguing of ways, when GM Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers traded a minor league catcher to get him in 1948. A trade that to this day is yet to have been matched, as Harwell remains the only MLB broadcaster acquired in a trade for a player 62 years later. Harwell also called the TV broadcast for one of if not the most famous calls in not only baseball history but in all of sports -- Bobby Thomson's 'Shot Heard 'Round the World' in 1951. But with a large cast of broadcasters calling the game, Harwell's call would be overlooked and left in the shadows as Russ Hodges' call would earn the most notoriety.

Harwell was named Michigan Sportscaster of the Year 19 times and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 1989. Harwell is also a proud member of numerous Hall of Fame's including the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and the Radio Hall of Fame. The Baseball Hall of Fame honored Harwell in 1981 as he became the fifth broadcaster to receive its Ford C. Frick Award. An award that is given to a broadcaster for their major contributions in baseball. Harwell was also set to receive the Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Broadcasting in New York City, just one day after his passing.

Comerica Park held an open casket ceremony for Harwell and allowed fans to pass his casket in a public viewing held, as some 10,000 fans showed up to pay their respects to the late broadcaster. Already a proud owner of a statue of himself outside the stadium, a flag with Harwell's initials is expected to be raised at the Tigers home field of Comerica Park, prior to Monday's game against the Yankees.

R.I.P William Earnest Harwell
January 25, 1918 - May 4, 2010

Rest In Paradise

After what's been an emotional first week of Baseball due to the Adenhart tragedy, more sorrow was felt throughout the Baseball world this weekend. This time with the death of 2 of Baseball's most interesting and one of a kind characters. Harry Kalas was most famous for calling Phillies games for 39 long years, and was also known as "The Voice of Philadelphia." On April 13, 2009, prior to the Washington Nationals' home opener against the Phillies, Kalas collapsed in the press box, and was discovered around 12:30 PM. Doctors later confirmed that Kalas suffered a massive heart attack due to heart disease. Many said he went out the best way he could, at the ballpark. After the devastating news was heard throughout the rest of Philly, one broadcaster went on to say, "Philadelphia has lost its voice." Kalas was 73 years old.



Also to leave us was former Detroit Tiger Mark "The Bird" Fidrych. Fidrych was found dead on April 13, 2009, according to the Worcester District Attorney's office. The D.A.'s office said Fidrych was found by a family friend beneath his 10 Wheeler dump truck at his Northborough home around 2:30 p.m. He appeared to have been working on the truck at the time of the accident. Fidrych (A 2-Time All-Star & Former Rookie of the Year) was a fan favorite and better known on the Baseball Diamond for his weird on the field antics. He would do such oddity's as crouch down on the pitcher's mound and fix cleat marks, what became known as "manicuring the mound", and would talk to the ball. He was given the nickname "The Bird" due to his resemblance of The Sesame Street character "Big Bird." No pitcher showed the type of emotion Fidrych had while playing the game. Fidrych was only 54 years old.