Just Another Indians Blog

Awesome

masterbratac — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 16:19:26 +0000

A 15-4 win is pretty awesome. (15 runs is the most the Tribe has scored in a game this season.) So, some notes!

- The Royals intentionally walked Hafner twice. I have no idea why. (Bob Frantz on the postgame show speculated that they might think it’s still 2006.)

- The fireworks, as usual, were pretty awesome. They weren’t really “set to the music of the Beatles,” though. It was more just “fireworks and some Beatles music.”

- I particularly enjoyed the fireworks which launched up, shot off to the side, then exploded. If anyone is actually reading this and knows what these are called, please tell me. It’s bothering me that I can’t find out.

- Most of the songs I was hoping for were included; the two I didn’t hear were “Lady Madonna” and “Back in the USSR.”

- The offense overshadowed a couple of nice defensive plays – a back-to-the-plate running catch by Brantley in center and a leaping grab of a liner by Cabrera.

- Someone sitting behind me said that the scoreboard was more fun to watch than the game. I had to resist turning around and strangling them.

- I was next to the Indians bullpen – which is good, but every time a pitcher started warming up, people were standing up and moving around to see who it was, which made it hard to see the game at some points.

- Chris Perez’s hair is just as wacky in person as it is on TV.

Saturday’s Game

masterbratac — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 18:55:54 +0000

So, I went to the game on Saturday; I haven’t gotten around to writing about it until now. As usual for an Indians loss, I’ll write about stuff other than the score.

Jordan Brown went 3-4; it’s good to see him start to heat up.

The bobblehead is pretty cool. The box includes a transcript of Herb Score’s call of the play. (I have searched in vain for a video of the play. In the process, I learned that Kenny is one of only two people to play in the World Series and the NCAA Final Four. The other was Tim Stoddard, who also finished his Major League career with the Indians.)

Kenny Lofton personally guaranteed that Cleveland would win a championship. (Notice he did not specify which championship.)

(Video: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=10724777 )

I had a very nice seat (section 102, row G).

There were some Twins fans sitting behind me. They were cool, though.

Whoever caught the second Twins home run threw it back, to a chorus of cheers. He was later escorted out, prompting a chorus of boos.

Edwin Jackson

masterbratac — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 16:11:36 +0000

So Edwin Jackson threw a no-hitter. In the process, he set or tied a few records.

-Tied the record for most batters faced in a 9-inning no-hitter, with 36. (A.J. Burnett in 2001 and Dock Ellis in 1970 also faced 36.)

-Tied the record for most baserunners allowed in a 9-inning no-hitter, with 10. (A.J. Burnett also allowed 10.)

-Most pitches thrown in a no-hitter for which Baseball-Reference has pitch data, with 149.

-The Rays have now been no-hit three times in the last two seasons, the first time this has happened to any team.

-June 25th is the earliest date the fourth no-hitter of a season has been thrown since 1917, when the fourth of the season was thrown on May 5th.

Then in the Indians game, we got another home run from Carlos Santana. It’s his third in 13 games. With 90 games remaining, that puts him on pace to hit 24 for the season. That would be a record for a catcher in his first Major League season.

Went to the Game

masterbratac — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 03:08:23 +0000

This one’s gonna be a bit rambling . . .

So I went to the game tonight. Great to see every part of the team be good at once. Kearns hit two home runs, and just missed a third. Westbrook struggled in the first, but then proceeded to completely shut down the Nats until the 8th ~~(including setting down 13 in a row at one point.)~~. (Okay, I lied about that 13 in a row thing. The line of zeroes at the bottom of my scorecard deceived me.)

And Carlos Santana made his major league debut.

No, not that one.

That one.

Okay, so he didn’t do a whole lot. 0-3 with a walk. But he did reach twice on fielder’s choices.

He also gunned down Nyjer Morgan trying to steal second. You can’t have second base, Nyjer. That’s not for you.

The fireworks show was awesome. And loud.

So I saw an ambulance going into the players’ lot when I was leaving after the game. What happened there? I’m thinking they were there to take Strasburg to the hospital so he can get to work on curing cancer.

Why do people walk into the stadium in the fourth inning, and then not watch the game?

Strasburg

masterbratac — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 02:42:06 +0000

So how about Stephen Strasburg? 7 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, no walks, and 14 strikeouts (one shy of the record for a Major League debut), including the last seven batters he faced (which I believe is a record for a Major League debut. Dick Hall might have done it, but I can’t find a play-by-play of his debut game.).

And they were pretty spectacular strikeouts. The movement on this guy’s pitches is unbelievable. Seriously, look at this.
It’s like he’s using a Wiffle ball.

I would have watched the game, but for some reason MLB Network decided I should watch the Mets and Padres instead. I have no idea why; I’m not in the Pirates’ or the Nationals’ blackout area. What’s up with that, MLB Network?

So I watched the Indians game instead, and saw Tim Wakefield set the record for most innings pitched in a Red Sox uniform (passing Roger Clemens). And then the Indians lost. Bleah.

Fun Fact!

masterbratac — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 18:47:43 +0000

Mark Grudzielanek’s last major league extra base hit was a double on July 6, 2008. His last 31 hits have been singles. The longest such streak I can find is 56, by Jerry Remy in 1980 and 1981.

The call should stand.

masterbratac — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 00:13:59 +0000

I was as upset as anyone when Armando Galarraga lost his perfect game on a bad call. Yes, Donald should have been out. Yes, Galarraga should have had a perfect game.

But the call should stand. The umpire’s authority on the field is absolute. We should not undermine it by overruling him – even if the umpire himself admits he was mistaken.

In addition to that, overruling the call would be the first step down a slippery slope. When is it okay to change a call? What if the Indians had put together some hits after Donald reached and managed to tie the game? Do we wipe that out? What about the bad call Joyce made in the bottom of the eighth, which led to the Tigers scoring? Do we change that, too? What if he had made a bad call in the first inning? Do we replay the entire game?

No matter what the situation, an umpire’s call should not be changed after the fact.

All-Star Balloting is up!

masterbratac — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 21:03:25 +0000

Now go vote for Shin-Soo Choo. You know he deserves it.

Well.

masterbratac — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 22:28:27 +0000

That was less than ideal. Upsides:

-Westbrook managed not to be injured.

-The bullpen looked good. The Rios home run was the only hit Indians relief gave up.

-Westbrook tied a team record. It’s not a good record to tie (most WP in one game – 4), but a record is a record.

-Brantley went 1-3, helping out my fantasy team. (He’s a bit of a gamble, but I think he’ll pay off.)

And how about that play by Buehrle?

Indians tied for first in the AL Central!

masterbratac — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:18:19 +0000

Okay, so they’re tied with four other teams, but still!

Baseball’s back, woohoo!
Here, have a video.