2024 MLB Season Thread

[cartman]

that national anthem for the home run derby was... well... offkey?

[Atocep]

Igress Andress surpasses Fergie for worst national anthem and the guy from SNL that did player intros was trying to be funny and it was bad.

I don't know why they feel the need for all this stuff before a homerun derby.

[Atocep]

just heard the home run derby national anthem pic.twitter.com/LsUHRGNMWZ

— hayden whitis (@hswhitis11) July 16, 2024

[Ksyrup]

I just played Carl Lewis for my daughter and it was 100 times better than that chick. Because even he immediately knew when he was off. She sucked through every note and maintained some kind of tortured artist pose/face through it all like she was channeling Kurt Cobain or something.

Horrid.

[Ksyrup]

Simon Cowell would have cut her mic after 20 seconds.

[Lathum]

Alonsos pitcher fucked him

[cartman]

Ingrid Andress Says 'I Was Drunk' During National Anthem Performance

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by cartman

Ingrid Andress Says 'I Was Drunk' During National Anthem Performance

Of course she also literally said "I’ll let y’all know how rehab is. I hear it’s super fun.” so I'm not sure how seriously anyone should actually take her claim or her apology.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Of course she also literally said "I’ll let y’all know how rehab is. I hear it’s super fun.” so I'm not sure how seriously anyone should actually take her claim or her apology.

"Sorry for my flippant comment, I was hungover."

[Mota]

Well, I'm back from Texas. Overall I had a great time!
It was certainly memorable to have been there to hear that anthem live. The guy in front of me just turned around and said "WTF!". People were just buzzing about it.
Thanks Cartman for the BBQ suggestion. We ended up going to the Heim BBQ, it was delicious. Very informal place, and the food was fantastic. The funny story about this one was that we had just ubered around a few times to and from the ballpark to our hotel in Fort Worth. I was there with my boss and he suggested that we walk 1.6 miles to build up our appetites. No problem, I do that walk every morning before starting to work, it should be easy. Only thing is ... 100 degrees. My Canadian body ain't used to that. Excessive sweat was produced once I got into the air conditioned restaurant. I should have noticed that absolutely nobody else were walking in the city.

Fort Worth is a beautiful city, everything was super clean and new looking. Far less homeless people than any other city I've been to recently. I really loved the feel of the city. People were friendly, service was great.

We did the Stockyards in Fort Worth and I saw my first Longhorn. It was pretty crazy how big the horns get! They didn't seem very functional! As soon as you crossed the river out of Fort Worth, it was like you jumped into a different universe, into what people imagined Texas to be. We had a great meal at the H3 Ranch while we were there, and once again people were super friendly.

The baseball itself was great! MLB hosted my boss and I for the event, so we had great tickets for both the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game. My MLB contact sat with us for both games, and had so many stories to tell. Globe Life Field is just amazing, there are so many vendors inside the stadium, that lineups aren't bad at all. And once you step out of the stadium, there are live bands playing, bars and restaurants everywhere outside. Instead of fighting the crowd for an Uber, we watched the band Texas Flood play for an hour, and had a few more drinks before leaving. They really know how to do it well. Comparing it to the Rogers Centre in Toronto, where there are very limited vendor choices, and so the lineups to buy hot dogs and chicken fingers can get ridiculous. People need to look at Globe Life Field as an example of how to do it.

Bobby Witt Jr and Elly De La Cruz got some of the biggest cheers of the non-Texas players. Apparently there is a big Texas / Houston rivalry, which I didn't know about, because Yordan Alvarez got booed like crazy! Seeing Skenes pitch against some of the best batters in the world was riveting. The big Ohtani home run got people cheering. I liked Soto's single which he turned into a double because he just kept running. Teoscar winning the HR Derby was definitely a surprise, and why didn't his teammates stick around for him? Everybody else's teammates were there to support them except for Teoscar who had Vladdy.

Overall it was a ton of fun. First time in Texas and it was great, other than the heat which nearly killed me. Hopefully I'll get to go again next year.

[RainMaker]

That's really cool and glad you had fun. I really dug Fort Worth too. Kind of a small city vibe with a lot compacted downtown. Food is incredible and so many places had live music. There was a lot of construction it seemed when I was there (new buildings, developments, etc) and I've heard it just keeps growing.


And agree with you on the weather, I am not built for that kind of heat.

[stevew]

Pirates set to play a pivotal three game serious with the Phillies this weekend. Starting pitchers are Martin Perez, Luis Ortiz, Marco Gonzales. It’s like they knew this weekend was gonna almost sell out anyways, so they’re saving Skenes for a (likely) low selling Monday or Tuesday game. Like they’re not even throwing Keller this weekend.

[Lathum]

That’s awesome Mota. Me and a buddy are gonna try and go to Philly in 2026.

[Swaggs]

I read that Jordan Lyles got released this week. Check out those career numbers: Jordan Lyles Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com

14 years in the majors, 245 starts (357 overall games), 72-107 with 5.22 ERA, 1.404 whip, and over $50M in earnings with a career WAR of -2.5. 8 teams, no postseason appearances, and no awards or all star games. And he’s only 33 years old. Pretty remarkable career.

[stevew]

Tommy John Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com

His 1975 stat line made me chuckle.

[cartman]

Glad to hear you enjoyed the trip, Mota! I love the bacon burnt ends at Heim. Bobby Witt Jr. is popular in the area because his dad pitched for the Rangers for many years, and he was a high school baseball stud in one of the suburbs.

I still haven't made it to a game at Globe Life. I was at the opening game of the previous stadium, which is still across the street.

[Mota]

I did have the bacon burnt ends there, they were delicious. Also had the brisket, and the cheddar jalapeno sausages, which were my favorite. The mac and cheese was also excellent.

They had the All-Star Village at Arlington Stadium, and while it still looked to be in good shape, an open stadium in 100 degree weather would have been hell. One of the long time employees told me that the fans would follow the shade, and on those hot days, they wouldn't check tickets in the shady areas of the field.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by stevew

Tommy John Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com

His 1975 stat line made me chuckle.

Heh. Also, geez - just how bad was the Yankees defense in 1988?

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Heh. Also, geez - just how bad was the Yankees defense in 1988?

Oddly enough, not bad on paper. Mattingly, Randolph, Rafael Santana made for a solid infield although Pagliarulo was pretty bad at 3rd. . Rickey and Claudel Washington were solid in the OF. Dave Winfield was pretty bad in right but that's the only clear weakness.

[stevew]

Skenes is thru 2 perfect innings with 18 pitches. Wonder if this is the night.

[Ghost Econ]

Amazing

Cal Quantrill said “you jacked off in a fucking parking lot you dumb fuck” to Reese McGuire. #RedSox #Rockies That caused the benches to clear. pic.twitter.com/ajAiKkntSp

— Dan Cleary🛸 (@DanCleary79) July 24, 2024

[RainMaker]

Hall of Fame caliber trash talk.

[Ksyrup]

Not sure where else to post this, but Nijaree Canady, a rising junior who is the best pitcher in college softball, entered the transfer portal after spending 2 years pretty much singlehandedly taking Stanford to the WCWS both years. There was a list of 10-12 teams she was considering, and most thought she'd end up at OU.

However, when Texas Tech head coach Craig Snider left to take a co-assistant position with his wife at Tennessee (the third husband/wife combo to coach at Tennessee... weird), TTU poached Gerry Glasco from ULL and there were rumors TTU was in on Canady with a crazy high NIL offer. Given TTU's inability to pick-up a star football or basketball player with a crazy NIL offer, most people blew it off as posturing.

Well, she finally committed. To Texas Tech. Rumored NIL deal worth more than $1M for, I assume, 2 seasons at TTU.

[GrantDawg]

Oh man!
https://x.com/stoolpresidente/status...tEAoDe-UA&s=19

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[Ksyrup]

Man, even Netflix is piling on. pic.twitter.com/Wyji1d59hY

— Kai (@burnowt) July 23, 2024

[Lathum]

Dylan Cease no no

[stevew]

Cringing at whatever move the pirates make or don’t make today. I’d like anyone that can hit the baseball

[JPhillips]

Another year of the Reds being sellers.

Yay?

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by Ghost Econ

Amazing

Cal Quantrill said “you jacked off in a fucking parking lot you dumb fuck” to Reese McGuire. #RedSox #Rockies That caused the benches to clear. pic.twitter.com/ajAiKkntSp

— Dan Cleary🛸 (@DanCleary79) July 24, 2024

Rough - McGuire got DFAed right after this.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Another year of the Reds being sellers.

Yay?

You know this is how it will always be from now until forever. Play the kids, develop the kids, trade the kids for more kids.

We're the plucky upstarts. Because ownership makes lots of money that way.

[stevew]

Cool, the Pirates traded for IVF and Dominican Connor Joe today

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by stevew

Cool, the Pirates traded for IVF and Dominican Connor Joe today

and they purposely traded for the only Rockies pitcher I’ve ever heard go to have better numbers at home than away.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by stevew

Cool, the Pirates traded for IVF and Dominican Connor Joe today

Really going for the potential on this one, trading for frozen embryos.

[sovereignstar v2]

Trust the frostcess

[miami_fan]

Angels' Mike Trout out for season with another meniscus tear - ESPN

It's unfortunate but not really surprising.

I have not studied the causes of any of Trout's injuries and if they are related to him playing in the outfield but I wonder if this will lead him to a spot at first or as the permanent DH.

[stevew]

I wish the Pirates had a game today because I’m still pissed off about their stupid loss on Wednesday night. If you get Framber for 4 you should win.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

and they purposely traded for the only Rockies pitcher I’ve ever heard go to have better numbers at home than away.

IKF is apparently Ralph Kiner’s second cousin or something to that effect.

Also, I hadn’t really been doing a stat deep dive on him, but Hayes is really bad Of late. He has league lows in several categories related to power. And somehow he’s hitting righties even worse. He’s a #9 hitter that honestly, we should look to move on from if he has another shitty year next year

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

and they purposely traded for the only Rockies pitcher I’ve ever heard go to have better numbers at home than away.

IKF is apparently Ralph Kiner’s second cousin or something to that effect.

Also, I hadn’t really been doing a stat deep dive on him, but Hayes is really bad Of late. He has league lows in several categories related to power. And somehow he’s hitting righties even worse. He’s a #9 hitter that honestly, we should look to move on from if he has another shitty year next year

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by stevew

IKF is apparently Ralph Kiner’s second cousin or something to that effect.

Also, I hadn’t really been doing a stat deep dive on him, but Hayes is really bad Of late. He has league lows in several categories related to power. And somehow he’s hitting righties even worse. He’s a #9 hitter that honestly, we should look to move on from if he has another shitty year next year

I read that Hayes didn’t have a single extra base hit in July. I think he’s hurt. They may as well stick him on the DL and see if Triolo can get into some kind of groove. He’s like 95% as good as Hayes at 3rd, is healthy, and actually hit pretty well last year.

[stevew]

It’s not like Triolo or Alka Williams would be any worse at third base than him, with the bat at least.

Why do they hate Peguero so much?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by stevew

It’s not like Triolo or Alka Williams would be any worse at third base than him, with the bat at least.

And yet, season to date, both of those you mention HAVE been worse at the plate than Hayes.

In fact, despite a rough July, his July at the plate was better than both YTD.

[Young Drachma]

MLB.com did a feature on the Finnish variant of baseball called Pesapallo. There's a live game on Sunday that'll be broadcast in English with commentary, for the first time in a studio broadcast.

https://www.mlb.com/news/first-engli...game-pesapallo

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

And yet, season to date, both of those you mention HAVE been worse at the plate than Hayes.

In fact, despite a rough July, his July at the plate was better than both YTD.

People think Hayes has a bad back. Possibly recurring.

[RainMaker]

I looked up to see if Hayes had just been unlucky but good lord, he has only 5 barrels all season (1.9%!). I don't think I've seen a number that low before for a position player.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I looked up to see if Hayes had just been unlucky but good lord, he has only 5 barrels all season (1.9%!). I don't think I've seen a number that low before for a position player.

Apparently, he has always had a bad “launch angle” and worked in it, independently, with Jon Nunnally (who was his AA hitting coach). He had some success the 2nd half of last season and things were looking promising. The Pirates got angry for him going outside the big league staff and fired Nunnally. So, doesn’t seem to work well with the big league hitting coach (which appears to be a theme here and from his time in Milwaukee) and has a bad back that I seems like it’s going to be a chronic problem. He’s a phenomenal defensive 3B, so still has a good bit of value. He is also super laid back, so fans take that as disinterested.

[PilotMan]

damn


Blake Snell finally gets his no hitter.


In Cincinnati.


damn

[stevew]

Blake Snell straight up nasty since he got off the DL. 33IP, 2 ER, 41ks, 8 hits allowed. ERA from 9.59 to 4.29.

[Ksyrup]

I just saw a stat I don't believe - Blake Snell, 2 time Cy Young winner, threw his first pitch EVER in the 9th inning of a game he started for that no-hitter.

I don't wanna be "get off my lawn" guy but that's ridiculous.

[miami_fan]

Well done Dodgers fans. Well done.

[stevew]

Pirates game delayed 2:45 because of clogged drains.

I don’t get how the home team has autonomy to decide the game is starting but then it becomes the umpires call. Embarrassing to even start a game when a huge storm is rolling thru within an hour of game time. They played 1.5 innings