MLB.com published a couple of
batting-glove related stories, which means that Hawk Harrelson, the man credited with inventing batting gloves,
gets another moment in the sun...
According to Harrelson, the Yankees had switched from the scheduled
right-handed starter to Whitey Ford, the left-handed Hall of Fame-bound
hurler. Harrelson began to take batting practice when he noticed a
blister forming on his left hand from the 27 holes of golf.
Realizing the golf glove was in his pants pocket, Harrelson put
it on to get some protection for the blister. Thus, the batting glove
was unofficially born. [...]
On the day that Harrelson first used the golf glove to protect his
blister, he slugged two home runs. By Harrelson's account, the Yankees'
bench jockeys got on him something fierce for using the glove.
The only qualm is that the story gets the year wrong.
The Cheat did a nice job clarifying the matter. Me? I just wanted an excuse to watch one of my favorite Simpsons scenes.
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Andy Gonzalez's demotion to Charlotte didn't last long. He's back with the ballclub after
Alex Cintron traded places with Paul Konerko on the bereavement list.
You know it's not a good season when you've been on the bereavement list more times than you've homered. This is Cintron's third stint. He might beat Scott Podsednik to a list threepeat by one day, as Pods strained a rib cage muscle again during
tonight's game.
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Ozzie Guillen used four different relievers to throw four pitches during tonight's grueling victory over the Royals, but that's only the second-most extreme case of La Russing I've ever witnessed.
No. 1 came from the master himself. During a Rockies-Cardinals game that doubled as
Mark McGwire Day in April 2004, the Cardinals held an 8-3 lead entering the ninth inning. Ray King retired the first two men he faced when Tony La Russa came out of the bullpen and took him out of the game to bring in Julian Tavarez.
Yes, that's right. With two outs in the ninth inning, a five-run lead, Aaron Miles at the plate and nobody on, La Russa made a pitching change.
You can guess what happened -- Tavarez gave up a triple to Miles, and then a single to Denny Hocking. Out came La Russa again to make another pitching change, bringing in Steve Kline to face Todd Helton. Unfortunately, Helton grounded out to end the game.
The funny thing was that it wasn't even a matchup-based decision. King is a lefty, but he started the inning by retiring two righties -- Matt Holliday and the other Luis Gonzalez -- with ease. The only rationale is that a bench coach dared him to go an inning against the grain, watching a reliever face three consecutive opposite-handed batters, and he couldn't do it. I've never seen overmanaging like that before or since.
So if you watched tonight's game and marveled at Ozzie's hooks, it could get worse. And knowing how this season's played out, it probably will.
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Minor league round-up:- Norfolk 9, Charlotte 5
- Lance Broadway was shelled for eight runs on 11 hits (one homer) over 3 1/3 innings. He walked four and struck out four.
- Shaun Babula tossed three scoreless innings, and Jake Robbins added a scoreless 1 2/3 innings himself. Carlos Vasquez allowed a run in his only frame.
- Ryan Sweeney's posted his first multi-hit game and his first extra-base hit in August, going 3-for-5 with a two-run homer.
- Jason Bourgeois also had three hits, and Donny Lucy was the only Knight to post an 0-fer.
- Montgomery 6, Birmingham 3
- Adam Russell had a rough outing, giving up two inherited runs and one of his own over two innings.
- Wes Whisler was the victim of Russell's outing, and ended up allowing four runs over six.
- Chris Getz went 2-for-4 with a double and a walk out of the leadoff spot; Shaun Garrett hit a two-run homer.
- Winston-Salem 3, Lynchburg 2 (Game 1, 7 innings)
- Fautino De Los Santos struck out eight over 5 2/3 innings, allowing only four hits, two walks and one earned run.
- Jon Link struck out two over his inning of work for the save.
- Rod Allen went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
- Lynchburg 4, Winston-Salem 3 (Game 2, 7 innings)
- Clayton Richard went the distance in defeat, giving up nine hits. He did strike out six while walking nobody.
- Javier Castillo drove in two runs with a pinch-hit single.
- Asheville 11, Kannapolis 3
- Jason Rice struggled over his start, giving up eight runs (five earned) over four innings.
- John Shelby hit a solo homer and threw a runner out at home from center field.
- Anderson Gomes went 2-for-4 with a double.