2019 MLB Regular Season running thread

They may need to keep Pillar if Duggar can't answer the bell at the start of next season.

Two other things of note from Sunday's game:

1) Giants had a reunion of the 1989 NL champs before the game and announced Will Clark's 22 will be retired.
2) Pillar drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth with a triple, but the big moment was Will Smith's two-RBI single in the reliever's first MLB at-bat. Used one of Bumgarner's bats.

 

I hate that the Giants are doing that. They were one of those "gotta be in the Hall of Fame to have it retired" teams with the exception of doing 25 for Bonds.

The only thing he's top 10 in franchise history is home runs, at No. 9. He was there eight seasons.

Travis Jackson is a Hall of Famer and doesn't have his number retired. Amos Rusie, George Davis, Mickey Welch, Joe McGinnity and Roger Connor are Hall of Famers not recognized like Mathewson and McGraw with just their names.

 

It's just really nice to see the name Yaz mentioned again. My favorite player as a kid.

 

Giants sacrificed the integrity of the ‘retired number’ for what?

I don’t think you have to be in Cooperstown to get your number retired. I’m glad that the Yankees retired 15 for Munson. Same for Elston Howard, he was a Yankee when being a real Yankee meant something. Unlike Reggie Jackson. Jackson was a great player in Oakland and a famous player in NY. But 44 should not have been retired or a guy who played 5 of 20 years in NY. I don’t think Posada and Pettitte’s numbers should be retired unless they get in to the HOF.

Guidry and Mattingly, lifetime Yankees who were great but not Hall of Farmers deserve it. But I wouldn’t mind if Judge came along and become #23.

 

The Dodgers, who only retire HOF numbers (save Jim Gilliam, who died as a coach), created a Legends of Dodgers Baseball program to recognize players who were franchise greats but not Hall of Famers.

Don Newcombe, Steve Garvey and Fernando Valenzuela went in this year. I'm guessing Maury Wills, Gil Hodges and Orel Hershiser will be honored too. I'm not sure how many others belong after them.

Bill Russell, Ron Cey and Davey Lopes? Piazza and Karros? Ramon Martinez?

 

I don't think you have to be in the Hall of Fame to have your number retired, I just don't like that they had a stance for 100 years and suddenly changed it, especially when they have a guy who is in the Hall and hasn't had his number retired.

 

I was obsessed with Will Clark as a kid. Wasn't a Giants fan, didn't live within 2000 miles of San Francisco, but loved Will the Thrill. Had a thin binder just for my Will Clark cards (this was ~ '90, so there were enough different ones out there you could fill a binder). A couple of weeks ago while visiting my parents, we dug out some old photo books, and in half of them, I'm wearing a Will Clark t-shirt. 12-year-old me was convinced Clark was a first-ballot hall-of-famer. He wasn't, and he's probably not even going to get a sniff from the veterans' committees, but for that run from '87 to '92/'93, he was great. I think he's the West Coast Don Mattingly (another guy who isn't a HOFer, but has his number retired).

 

I agree, Hall of Really Really Good, for sure*. But he means a lot to the Giants, obviously.

* But Harold Baines.

 

Pillar has been great defensively and okay with the bat. Pretty decent pop. Good addition for the Giants.

 

Merchandise found in J-Lo's ass.

 

https://www.mlb.com/video/manuel-is-new-phils-hitting-coach

Can't even mention Charlie Manuel's name without him and Balking Bob going at it.