The 2023 Running Baseball Thread

Just curious, is there info on the ERA when he's catching, and when he's not? Strike-ball ratio? Strikes "stolen?" Much more to catching than throwing our baserunners, especially if you just don't call for fastballs when runners are on base, an alleged approach for Yogi and Pudge, among others.

 

Yep. He’s middle of the pack in both framing and blocking.

 

I saw Scherzer no-hit the Mets late in 2015. It was very easy to root for him because I've always liked him. Plus, the Mets had clinched the East and used a mostly bench lineup on a cold, damp night in Queens.

 

I saw what was going to be the last no-hitter at the Coliseum before German screwed it up. Mike Fiers vs. the Reds. I was in the Bay Area for a week's vacation and I had a relative in town who had free tickets to a different game of the series through his work but I had done a stupid Twitter bit "We're Gonna Start the Fiers," before his starts for Detroit so I decided to go to pay it off. Game started an hour and 45 minutes late because, typical Coliseum, the light bank behind left field went out, further spoiling Teacher Appreciation Night on a Tuesday in May. Fiers wasn't particularly dominant. Was more like the Reds kept forgetting to get a hit. Ramon Laureano made a jumping catch at the wall in center for the closest. The Reds had multiple ex-Tigers in their lineup, and I believe it was one of them, Jose Iglesias Eugenio Suarez, who struck out to end the game.

 

I had a night off that coincided with the Astros playing the Cubs in Milwaukee due to a hurricane. Decided to make the two hour trip and ended up seeing Carlos Zambrano's no-hitter. I still tell Brewers fans their team wasn't even involved in the biggest moment in the history of their home stadium.

 

Honestly, I love the guy (and gritted my teeth when Jonah Heim got the All-Star start). His intangibles are through the roof, and he's reaching elite levels as a hitting catcher. But his defense does need to improve.

 

As I'm watching the Guardians-Cubs for no real reason at all, I'm warming to the idea that MLB should have at least one day game every day of the season.

 

As someone who hasn’t paid as much attention to Chicago Cubs baseball since the pandemic:

1. How many day games do they still play each year? I know it’s a lot fewer than a decade or so ago.

2. I saw the Mariners play there earlier this season, and the bullpens were no longer down the foul lines. When did that happen? (probably a good change)

3. Man, those huge outfield scoreboards fit about as well at Wrigley Field as the spaceship they built around Soldier Field. But I have zero sympathy for the greedy bastards who were bilking people for rooftop seats.

 

According to this 2021 article, the Cubs are limited by city ordinance to 35 night games a year plus eight games that can be moved at the request of national TV. Back in the days when I handled my own wire copy, I used to hate when the Brewers played night games at Wrigley, because their lighting was easily the worst in the league.

The bullpens were moved under the bleachers early in the big renovation project. Looks like 2017, per Wikipedia. I thought there was, at some point, some sort of stipulation that having bullpens that couldn't be seen was against the rules, but I guess that's OK.

 

Isn't basically every Fri-Sat-Sun home series all starts at 1:20 or earlier?