Cody's Blog » Baseball

NL Ends 13 Year Drought

Cody Clark — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:07:36 +0000

After a walk and a lollipop throw to first base from Hong-Chih Kuo on a Joe Mauer grounder in the fifth inning, the National League looked like they were well on their way to a 14th straight loss in the Midsummer Classic. Robinson Cano hit a sac fly that scored Evan Longoria, and the American League took a 1-0 lead. Then, along came Scott Rolen. After a single to center, the 35 year old Cincinnati third baseman went first to third on a Matt Holiday single so that Rolen could possibly score on a ground ball on the infield. After a walk to Marlon Byrd, Brian McCann unloaded on an inside fastball, sending a bases clearing double skirting toward the right field wall. For the NL, it is their first win in 14 years, and they now hold an all time series lead 41-38-1 over the American League all stars. (Photo Courtesy of Lisa Blumenfield/Getty Images.)

Fourth Time’s a Charm

Cody Clark — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:23:16 +0000

With a fire in his eyes and a humongous smile on his face, the lovable Boston Red Sock designated hitter David Ortiz sauntered to the plate in the final round of the 2010 Home Run Derby. He pulled up just short of the batter’s box, and then proceeded to perform the most famous pre at-bat ritual in baseball today. With the bat between his arms, Big Papi spat in his batting gloves, clapped twice, un-strapped and then strapped each of his batting gloves, donned a smile and then proceeded to tie the record for most home runs in the final round of a Derby with 11 bombs, all soaring over right field fence. Those 11 bombs gave him the Derby win, as he belted 32 total homers, beating former Red Sock prospect Hanley Ramirez by six homers to take home the trophy. Ortiz then promptly dedicated his effort to fellow Dominican and long time friend Jose Lima, a former All-Star major league pitcher who passed away earlier this year at the age of 37. Left for dead the past two years because of his horrendous performances in the first couple months of the season, Ortiz showed everyone that he still has some life in the bat, as is seen by his performance this year. After hitting .143 with a homer and four RBI in the first month, Ortiz has raised his batting average 120 points to .263, and has also belted 17 homers and knocked in 53 since the first month of the season. With his notable batting ritual, big smile, and unique follow through, David Ortiz is primed for a big second half as the Red Sox will look to catch the Yankees and earn a playoff berth. (Photo Courtesy of Reuters/ Danny Woloshok.)

All is Merri at Rosenblatt

Cody Clark — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 03:32:41 +0000

The South Carolina Gamecocks and right fielder Whit Merrifield provided the perfect send off to Omaha, Nebraska’s Johnny Rosenblatt stadium. In its final year hosting the College World Series, the Gamecocks provided a fantastic, 11 inning final contest to capture the school’s second national title, and first in the sport of baseball. After SC pitcher Blake Cooper threw eight innings of one run ball while striking out 10, the Gamecocks headed into game 2 with a one game cushion in the three game set. This time, the Gamecocks threw another great arm onto the mound for the possible series clincher, only this time it came from an unusual place. Gamecock middle reliever Michael Roth, who had not thrown more than 3 and 1/2 innings all year. Instead, Roth turned in the performance of the tourney, going nine innings in an elimination game against the Clemson Tigers. Roth proved again dynamite for Carolina going 5 innings while only allowing 1 run and striking out three, but the Gamecocks found themselves down 1-0 heading into the bottom of the eight inning. After a lead off single from Brady Thomas, pinch runner Robert Beary scored from second on a botched ball by UCLA first baseman Dean Espy. After scoreless frames by both team in the ninth and 10 innings, the Gamecocks found themselves with a chance to win the game in the bottom of the 11th inning with Scott Wingo on third with only one man out. Carolina’s Whit Merrifield then laced a 2-0 pitch into right field that fell in for a base hit, giving the South Carolina Gamecocks their first baseball national title in the school’s history. The Gamecocks captured a somewhat poetic championship, grabbing their first title in the last game at Rosenblatt, as the world series shifts to the new, TD Ameritrade field next year as the Gamecocks look to repeat in the 2011 College World Series. (Photo: Whit Merrifield reacts on his trot to first pace after smacking the game winning hit in the bottom of the 11th inning. Courtesy of Christian Peterson of Getty Images.)

20 Inning Marathon

Cody Clark — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 15:43:58 +0000

The game lasted 6 hours and 53 minutes. 46 total players were used, and the only player the Mets did not use was Oliver Perez. There was a combined 158 plate appearances, with 19 walks, 35 strikeouts, and 35 runners left on base. Both teams were 1-25 (.040) with runners in scoring position, while the combined batting average was a measly .168. Of the 652 pitches thrown, 399 went for strikes from 19 different pitchers, which included position players Felpe Lopez (SS) and Joe Mather (CF). Cardinal pitcher Jaime Garcia held the Mets to no hits through six innings, while Mets starter Johan Santanna only allowed 4 hits through seven innings. Each team did not manage to plate any runs until the 18th inning, but the Mets got one in the 19th, and one in the 20th which proved to be the game winner; a sac fly off of the bat of Jose Reyes. The closing line of the game sums up the tumultuous night that these two teams had: a position player, Joe Mather, lost the game, a closer won the game, Fransico Rodriquez, and a starter, Mike Pelfrey, saved the game for the Mets.

Ubaldo Makes History

Cody Clark — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 14:53:05 +0000

For the first time in the Rockies 18 year history, one of their pitchers tossed a no hitter. Rockie ace Ubaldo Jimenez achieved the honor, throwing 128 pitches and striking out 7. Jimenez bid for a perfect game was ruined because he walked six batters, but that was the least of his concerns, as he tossed the first no hitter of this young baseball season. Ubaldo recorded 7 strikeouts, 11 flyouts, 8 groundouts, and a pickoff, and also provided all of the offenses that he would need himself, going 1 for 4 with an RBI as well as a run. What was remarkable was that he was hitting above 95 mph on the radar gun in the 9th inning, and on the last pitch of the game, he touched 97 to get Brian McCann to ground to second base for the final out. Jimenez moves to 3-0 on the season with a 1.29 ERA on the season and has 20 strikeouts, while posting a 1.19 WHIP (walks to hits per innings pitched). The Rockies sit at 6-5 on the season, which is one of the better marks in the National League, and if Jimenez keeps this going, they will again be an NL contender.

58 Years Young

Cody Clark — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 23:30:34 +0000

When 58 year old Larry Hasenfus flunked out of St. Anselm College, he thought he would never return to school. With the help of his wife and the fact that he was laid off of his textile job, Hasenfus decided to go back to school, choosing Springfield (Massachusetts) College. Hasenfus was never extremely bright as a youngster, but when his first report card came back with staight A’s, he decided to try the unthinkable; compete against 70 college kids for a spot on the school’s junior varsity baseball team. His wife supported his decision, as he loved playing ball as a kid and even played a little in high school. Having never lifted a weight in his life, Hasenfus would drive the 45 minutes to the college for morning workouts, go to class, go to practice after school, and return home for dinner and school work before making the trek all over again. Larry Hasenfus made the team, and to practice his three pitch arsenal at home in preparation for the season, he rigged a hockey net as a pitching target, throwing pitch after pitch into the net. After shaking off the rust, Hasenfus’ fastball and curveball began to work more, and his signature pitch, the knuckleball, began its dancing. Hasenfus did everything he was told to, and while never playing, much, when he made it in the kids went crazy and the 200 people crowds jeered and cheered for “Larry Kid” (the nickname given to him by his teammates). In Hasenfus’ second outing, he recorded his first three outs of his college career in their loss to New England College. Springfield’s season wraps up soon, and Hasenfus will hang ‘em up and go in search of a job after the season, but at Springfield, Hasenfus achieved one of the most amazing feats in and will always be remembered in his community as a sort of “Rocky Balboa,” never say die type of man.

Matsui Clinches Yankees’ 27th World Title

Cody Clark — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:47:07 +0000

With one person knocking in six of a team’s seven runs, it is kind off hard to loose, and the Yankees rode the hot hand of Hideki Matsui to a World Series win. On the game, Matsui knocked in 6 runs while going 3 for 4 and also scored a run to take home World Series MVP honors. The Yankees jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a Matsui home run, and would score 2 more in the third and 3 more in the 5th on their way to a 7-3 win. Ryan Howard finally found some offense for the Phils as he went deep to the opposite field in the sixth inning that cut the Yankee lead to 4, but that is where it would stay as the Yanks pulled out their first World title in 9 years. A-Rod, Andy Pettite, and C.C. Sabathia also found their step in the World Series, as Sabathia went 3-1 with a .198 ERA, A-Rod ignited for multiple game altering hits, and Pettite pitched in the clinching game in each round a he dispatched the Twins, Angels, and former champion Phillies. With the postseason monkey finally off of A-Rod’s back and as long as baseball does not implement a salary cap, the Yankees will continue to spend big to get the players needed for them to return the the Fall Classic. (Matsui’s second inning homerun: photo by Ron Vesely of Getty Images)

Phils in Search of 2nd Straight Title

Cody Clark — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:19:22 +0000

With their 10-4 defeat of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Philadelphia Phillies have earned their second straight World Series bid. Led by Jayson Werth, with his 3-4 night with 4 RBIs and 3 runs scored, the Phillies accumulated 4 home runs (two of those coming from Werth) and the 5 through 7 hitters really caught fire as in the previous games, they were a combined 4-41, but last night they went 5 for 12 with 6 RBIs and 5 runs scored. the Phillies put away the Dodgers in five games, and will now await their possibly World Series opponents with the Yankees and Angels going tonight in LA. The Phillies are definitely shaping up to be a front runner in their second consecutive World Series appearance, and I love their chances even if they have to face the formidable New York Yankees.

Chula Vista Rallies to Win LLWS

Cody Clark — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:32:18 +0000

The 2009 Little League World Series now marks the fifth straight time that a team from the Unites States has won the tourney, and it also marks the sixth time that a California team has won the LLWS. This was also a very special LLWS because the home run records for a team and for the whole tournament were broken. There was a record 64 homers jacked by all the teams at the tourney, and California shattered the record for a team with 19. (It was previously 15!) In the bottom of the fourth inning with the score tied at 3 apeice, the previous night’s slugger Bulla Graft hit a sharp, go ahead single to make the score 4-3 and that would be all that they needed to win their first LLWS against a team from China. Kiko Garcia pitched 3 and one third innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win in what is going to be one of his greatest accomplishments. Who would have suspected that in the title game, California would not a hit a single bomb, and the Chinese (who had only three errors the whole tournament) would have two errors that would help catapult them to the Little League World Series Championship. (Photo of Bulla Graft’s game winning hit in the fourtth inning off of Chinese pitcher Chin Ou. Photo by Tom E. Puskar AP)

Luke Ramirez = Beast

Cody Clark — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:34:36 +0000

Situation: Runners on first and second base with no one out to start the game. Caifornia’s slugger Luke Ramirez up to bat. The first pitch of the at bat, BAM! A three run homer by the 6′ 2″ 200 pound 13 year old slugger to give West Chula Vista all the offense that they would need in a 12-2 trouncing of San Antonio Texas in the United States Championship final. The team from Cal also set a new Little League World Series record for home runs by a team by hitting 4 yesterday to bring their total to 19. The record was also broken at the Little League World Series, as the teams have hit 61 total bombs and California has hit 31% of the 61 by hitting 19 homers. (And they still have a game to play today!) Cal second baseman Bulla Graft also had two home runs and knocked in three runs and SS Andy Rios went 3-3 with a grand slam to run the score to 9-0 as Chula Vista cruised to a 12-2 victory and a berth in the LLWS Championship game. (Photo is Luke Ramirez after his strikeout to end the game and earn a berth in the LLWS Championship game. Photo by Carolyn Kaster AP)