The 2023 Running Baseball Thread

And Gerrit Cole's going to win the Cy Young going away.

 

The Rays blew a three-run lead in the ninth via three walks, three wild pitches and no hits.

And then walked off in their first at-bat in the bottom of the ninth.

They might make it to Williamsport with an inning like that.

 

The Dodgers retired Fernando Valenzuela’s number 34 last night, breaking team policy of only retiring numbers of Hall of Famers.

It ignited talk of whether he belongs in the Hall. Supporters admit his numbers fall short but say his significance to baseball should be considered.

I worked at Dodger Stadium during Fernandomania and it was crazy. The only better atmosphere and experience was in the postseason.

Still, he is not a Hall of Famer and he’s not ignored in Cooperstown, his contributions are recognized within the museum.

Here’s a good take (if it’s not paywalled)

The Dodgers have retired Fernando Valenzuela's number. Does he have a path to Cooperstown?

 

If Fernando gets in, can Milt Pappas be far behind?

I didn't realize Fernando led the NL in walks (2) more than he ever did in strikeouts (1), and that he only won 20 games (a standard of excellence in his era, not so much now) once.

He joins Maris and Vada Pinson in the Hall of Very Good.

 

Bowie is in town this week so I'm heading out to the Diamond to see what this Jackson Holliday fella is all about. He had five hits last night.

EDIT: Holy smokes, I didn't realize he was batting .386 with a 1.049 OPS in AA ball.

 

I'm not sure Fernando meets the HoF criteria, but it certainly was amazing.
I was a rookie baseball writer covering the Dodgers in 1981, covered every game. Besides being nervous during my first tour around the league, there was Fernando-mania, a two-month labor dispute, a quickly arranged All-Star Game in Cleveland, an extra tier of playoffs, postseason drama, venturing to Yankee Stadium for the World Series and having the team I grew up with win it all. In the press room after the Dodgers won, Pete Schmuck (also a rookie on the Dodgers beat) walked up to me and we high-fived. I'm sure most thought we were homers high-fiving for the Dodgers victory. No, it was a high-five to commemorate that we had survived the season.

As for retiring his number, I always thought it was a terrific policy the Dodgers had of only retiring the numbers of Hall of Famers. You can say that Fernando-mania was so influential that it changed baseball. True. But Maury Wills changed baseball with his base-stealing exploits and his number is not going to be retired.

These are just thought I have. Fernando is deserving of this honor. He is a good guy who has done a lot for baseball and the Dodgers.

 

As a Giants fan through Fernandomania I witnessed his brilliance almost nonstop. However he’s not HOF material. He was great for a bit of time but not like Seaver or Palmer or Pedro. Just too short. But that screwgie and his immaculate control were memorable.

 

Haven't the Dodgers also retired Jim Gilliam's number?

 

Yes. I read that he was on a HoF trajectory and died prematurely. I don't know many of the details about that one.

 

Gilliam was a longtime Dodgers player and coach who died just before the 1978 World Series. The team retired his number right after he died.

 

Wills keeps making veteran committee ballots and he might get in some day to get that number retired

 

His six-year stretch from 81-86 can go against a lot of people's peaks but he was no better than barely average in the following 12 years. If those two top three Cy finishes had been wins (and I'm not arguing he should have won, but if he had) I wonder how he'd be viewed in Hall terms. He's probably a top 250 pitcher of all-time which is obviously nothing to sneeze at