I like Jonathan Sanchez. Seriously -- I had him on my fantasy baseball team last summer -- he was a young up-and-coming starter in the pitcher-friendly National League.
But I did not see this coming -- his no-hit performance last night was probably the most surprising I've seen in my lifetime.
Sanchez was 2-8 with an ERA around 5.00 and was actually sent to the bullpen -- he only started because Randy Johnson couldn't. He had never thrown a complete game.
This is exactly what makes baseball great -- as a fan you can go to any game at any venue and see something you've never seen before, something special.
Sanchez's father was seeing him pitch for the first time in the US -- he responded with a no-hitter -- a gift for his father.
The MLB Network did an excellent job of letting viewers into the game to see all the great moments from the 6th inning to the end. Without them not as many people (including myself) would've seen Sanchez hugging his crying father in the dugout or seen Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti unable to hold in his emotions.
It was an unbelievable night for Sanchez, his family and the Giants -- it was just as great for baseball fans across the world.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
SNUBBED
Compare these numbers and tell me who should be on the National League All-Star team:
Player 1: .324 AVG, 11 HR, 50 RBI, 47 R, 19 SB
Player 2: .302 AVG, 9 HR, 37 RBI, 44 R, 9 SB
Player 3: .314 AVG, 6 HR, 42 RBI, 62 R, 15 SB
These are all good numbers, but it's obvious where I'm going with this. Player 1 is easily the most deserving to go -- he outperforms both players in every single category except one -- Player 3 has more runs.
Player 1 is Matt Kemp and as of right now he is not on the NL roster. Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino are on the NL squad and are players 2 and 3 respectively.
Add in Kemp's arguable Gold Glove defense and nine outfield assists (league leader is 10) and Kemp is a no-brainer.
Why is it so hard to get these things right? I just don't get it.
And the addition of Tim Wakefield to the American League squad is a complete disaster. His ERA is more than 4.00, his WHIP is 1.38, he has just 68 K's in 108 innings and opponents are hitting .266 off him. It's more or less a lifetime achievement award.
Don't be surprised if Wakefield gets the loss giving the NL home-field advantage in the World Series.
Player 1: .324 AVG, 11 HR, 50 RBI, 47 R, 19 SB
Player 2: .302 AVG, 9 HR, 37 RBI, 44 R, 9 SB
Player 3: .314 AVG, 6 HR, 42 RBI, 62 R, 15 SB
These are all good numbers, but it's obvious where I'm going with this. Player 1 is easily the most deserving to go -- he outperforms both players in every single category except one -- Player 3 has more runs.
Player 1 is Matt Kemp and as of right now he is not on the NL roster. Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino are on the NL squad and are players 2 and 3 respectively.
Add in Kemp's arguable Gold Glove defense and nine outfield assists (league leader is 10) and Kemp is a no-brainer.
Why is it so hard to get these things right? I just don't get it.
And the addition of Tim Wakefield to the American League squad is a complete disaster. His ERA is more than 4.00, his WHIP is 1.38, he has just 68 K's in 108 innings and opponents are hitting .266 off him. It's more or less a lifetime achievement award.
Don't be surprised if Wakefield gets the loss giving the NL home-field advantage in the World Series.
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