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Fox Sports
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
2025 MLB All-Star Game: Building the Best Angels Lineup
The Angels are a confusing baseball team. But what would you expect from a team that once went by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, had a Rally Monkey, and were the stars of a Disney movie from 1994? Confusion is on brand for them. Luckily, what's also on-brand for the organization is having some excellent ballplayers around, regardless of the quality of the actual team. Some all-time greats, some active and some retired, have come through Los Angeles/California/Anaheim in the franchise's 65-year history, enough so that some difficult decisions had to be made. Manager: Mike Scioscia It's surprising that the Angels have had 23 managers in their history, given that the franchise has only existed for 65 years, and 19 of those featured Mike Scioscia in the dugout. Bill Rigney, who managed the second-most games in Angels' history, compiled 1,332 of them: Scioscia has more career wins than that. Losses, too, but that's how baseball works, especially in a near-two decade sample. Scioscia managed 2002's World Series winner — the lone champion in Angels' history — and wrote the vast majority of this team into his lineups at some point in their and his career. Starting pitcher: Nolan Ryan MLB's all-time strikeout leader, Nolan Ryan, spent eight of his 27 (yes, 27) years in the majors with the then-California Angels. Of his 5,714 strikeouts, 2,416 of them came for the Halos, and they're also where he picked up 138 of his 324 wins, and just under half of his total wins above replacement. Ryan threw nearly 2,200 innings across 291 games with California, which is a career unto itself, and four of his seven (yes, seven) career no-hitters came in their uniform, as well. Unsurprisingly, Ryan has the lowest career hit rate among all Angels' starters. Reliever/closer: Troy Percival Nolan Ryan doesn't have the lowest hit rate among all Angels' pitchers, however, because that honor belongs to Troy Percival. In 10 years with California/Anaheim, during the most offense-heavy period in MLB history, Percival produced a 2.99 ERA — third among qualifying Angels' hurlers — and racked up a franchise-high 316 saves, 108 more than the next-highest closer, Francisco Rodriguez. His 10.4 strikeouts per nine also bested Ryan, and despite being a one-inning reliever, Percival cracked the top-10 in pitcher wins above replacement for the Angels. In the 2002 postseason, Percival saved seven games with a 2.79 ERA. Catcher: Bengie Molina Bengie Molina never wowed with the bat — the only offensive leaderboards you'll find him on are those measuring how often a player struck out or how many double plays they grounded into — but he didn't have to hit to be effective: Mike Scioscia, a former catcher himself, understood Molina's value to the team, and kept him behind the plate. He was a defensive standout, a winner of multiple Gold Gloves who knew how to get the most out of a pitching staff even before pitch framing was regarded by the analytical community as something both real and measurable. 1B: Rod Carew While Carew spent the bulk of his career — and his best years — with the Minnesota Twins, he still had seven to give the Angels. He batted .314 between the ages of 33 and 39, adding another 968 hits to his total — California is where he'd collect his 3,000th career base knock — as well over 400 more walks. Whatever power he had earlier in his career was gone, but Carew stopped striking out as often, drew more walks, and hit singles and doubles regularly enough to make the All-Star team in six of his seasons in California. 2B: Howie Kendrick Howie Kendrick's Angels made the postseason often, but in five of those six years, came up against the eventual pennant winner or World Series champion. Still, there's plenty to love from his regular seasons in Los Angeles of Anaheim: Kendrick hit .292/.332/.424 across nine years while playing quality defense at second. While Kendrick arrived on the Angels too late to win a World Series, he was on the 2019 champion Nationals, and even secured NLCS MVP honors against the Cardinals for batting .333/.412/.600 with four doubles and RBIs a piece in four games. 3B: Troy Glaus Troy Glaus' low batting averages and high strikeout rates commanded far too much attention in the late-90s and early aughts: such was the state of baseball analysis at the time. What should have been the focus was that he was capable of drawing over 100 walks in the same year he hit 47 home runs: from 2000 through the Angels' championship 2002, Glaus averaged nearly six wins above replacement per year and a .903 OPS. He's third in at-bats per homer, behind just Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, sixth among Angels in homers and OPS, and seventh in walks. SS: Erick Aybar Erick Aybar's batting line doesn't jump off the page, but his glove was where he put in the real work. Aybar won the 2011 Gold Glove, but that might not have even been one of his five best defensive seasons — it's just the one where his defense was finally recognized. Aybar did hit sometimes, too, and when he did, he was one of the better players on his team. Aybar ranks fourth in franchise history in triples (43), sixth in steals (141), and made up for the lack of hits a little bit by taking 42 for the team. OF: Garret Anderson Garret Anderson wasn't a lifetime Angel, but his best seasons were with them. He'd develop homer power as he hit his late-20s, but doubles were his calling earlier, and more significantly: Anderson led the majors in two-baggers in 2002, with 56, and followed that up with another 40 in 2003 to lead the AL. While he wasn't a very patient hitter, he did hit for a high average to make up for it: across 15 years with the Angels, Anderson batted .296. He's the franchise leader in extra-base hits with 796, until Mike Trout passes him in the near future. OF: Mike Trout Mike Trout is already the Angels' leader in WAR (86.5), runs (1,153), homers (391), walks (1,016) and times on base (2,815). He's second in extra-base hits (760) and total bases (3,293), while leading rate stats like on-base (.408) and slugging percentage (.575). If he retired after you read this, he'd already be the greatest Angels' player ever, and a Hall of Famer five years later without question or debate. Trout amassed more WAR in his 20s than Ken Griffey Jr., is the active leader in all of MLB, and has won three MVPs. He's 34. OF: Tim Salmon Tim Salmon toiled away on a bunch of California Angels teams that couldn't sniff the postseason, winning Rookie of the Year honors in 1993, and continuing to mash almost incessantly for the next decade, helping the Angels win their first — and only — championship in 2002. Salmon crushed the ball in that Fall Classic, too, batting .346/.452/.615 with a pair of homers. He trails only Mike Trout among Angels in home runs (299), and sits third in hits, runs, and total bases. Imagine what Mike Carp's career would have been like if he'd been on the Angels, too. DH: Shohei Ohtani If Shohei Ohtani had stuck with the Angels, he could have been their top pitcher someday, too. As is, he was unfathomably good with his first Los Angeles team: the two-way player hit .274/.366/.556 across six seasons, turning things on after a few tougher early years — remember, Ohtani was just 23 when he debuted, not a seasoned veteran like many former NPB players. He'd win the 2021 MVP award as well as 2023's, and, of course, it must be pointed out that he managed a 3.01 ERA across 86 starts and 481 innings while hitting like that. Honorable Mentions: Jered Weaver (starting pitcher) Mike Witt (starting pitcher) Chuck Finley (starting pitcher) Frank Tanana (starting pitcher) Francisco Rodriguez (reliever/closer) Scot Shields (reliever/closer) Bob Boone (catcher) Darin Erstad (1B) Wally Joyner (1B) Bobby Grich (2B) Chone Figgin (3B) Douglas DeCinces (3B) Andrelton Simmons (SS) Jim Fregosi (SS) Brian Downing (OF) Vladimir Guerrero (OF) Jim Edmonds (OF) Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
Time of India
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
10 Sports records that might never be set again
Sometimes, records in sports seem to be broken. But then there are a few so wild and rare that they feel frozen in time. On March 26, 2025, fans across the globe once again took a look at some of the unbreakable records in sports history. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Records that are milestones in their own right that have withstand the test of time from years, and in some cases, decades. From the baseball diamond to Olympic pools and NFL stadiums, these legendary feats may never be repeated. Here's a look at the ten that top the list. 1. Rickey Henderson stole 1,406 bases, no one is close Rickey Henderson played pro baseball from 1979 to 2003. He stole more bases than anyone ever—1,406 in total. That's nearly 500 more than Lou Brock, who ranks second. On June 24, 2025, stats showed the top four active MLB players combined haven't reached that number. No current player has even come close to 75 stolen bases in a season. 2. Pete Maravich scored as no one else in NCAA basketball In 1970, Pete Maravich completed his college career at LSU with an NCAA record average of 44.2 points per game, including an outstanding 44.5 average in his best season. He still holds the top three single-season averages. Since the year 2000, no player has averaged over 31 points. 3. Cal Ripken Jr. played 2632 consecutive games without missing one Between 1982 and 1998, Ripken played, literally, every single game for the Baltimore Orioles. That's 2632 consecutive games. Zero sick days, zero days off. The next closest streak belonged to Lou Gehrig with 2130 games back in 1939. 4. Michael Phelps has 23 gold medals - this is more than anyone else in history Phelps competed in five Olympics, beginning with the one at 2000 Sydney, and finishing the 2016 Games in Rio. He has 28, if I remember correctly, total medals, and of those, 23 that are gold! Katie Ledecky and Mark Spitz are second with the most gold medals with a total of 9 each, and no one else has over 9. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 5. Nolan Ryan had 5,714 strikeouts in MLB Nolan Ryan was in the MLB from 1966-1993. No one in baseball is close to 5,714. Behind Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson is in second place with 4,875 strikeouts. As we look at active players in 2025, Justin Verlander has the most with around 3,400 strikeouts, a long way to go to catch Ryan. 6. Jerry Rice has 22,895 receiving yards in the NFL Jerry Rice was a wide receiver from 1985 to 2004. He is the only pro player that has over 20,000 yards. The second place guy is Larry Fitzgerald; he retired in 2020 and he is still 5,400 yards behind. 7. NFL Emmitt Smith ran for 18,355 rushing yards in NFL Emmitt Smith started his career with the Arizona Cardinals. From 1990 to 2004 he mostly spent time with the Dallas Cowboys. He currently still holds the record for rushing yards. Frank Gore finished 2,355 yards short of that mark, despite playing 16 seasons and in his late 30s. 8. Wayne Gretzky holds the NHL records for most career points and assists of all time Wayne Gretzky, "The Great One," gathered two from 1979 through 1999. Alone, his assists would put him as the NHL's all-time leader in points. No one in the NHL has yet reached 2,000 points. 9. Tom Brady has 7 Super Bowl wins and over 102,000 passing yards Tom Brady retired in 2023. In his career Brady threw 737 touchdowns for a total of 102,614 yards, including playoff statistics. He also has 7 Super Bowl wins. The next closest Super Bowl wins by a quarterback is 6, and has 86 fewer total wins than Brady. 10. Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in one game in the NBA Kobe Bryant is the nearest anyone has been to that number when he had 81 points in a game in 2006. Wilt Chamberlain was the closest to scoring and relatively dominating a game (100 points in a game on March 2, 1962 in Hershey, Pennsylvania). Wilt averaged 50.4 in that regular season. Since that time the highest has been 41. Also Read:
Associated Press
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
This Date in Baseball - Ichiro becomes the 3rd player to get 1,000 hits in less than 700 games
June 14 1952 — Warren Spahn of the Boston Braves struck out 18 Cubs in a 3-1, 15-inning loss to Chicago. Spahn also homered. 1953 — The New York Yankees swept Cleveland, 6-2 and 3-0, to extend the team's winning streak to eighteen consecutive games. 1963 — Duke Snider hit his 400th career home run to highlight a 10-3 triumph by the New York Mets over the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field. 1965 — Jim Maloney struck out 18 and no-hit the New York Mets for 10 innings, but Johnny Lewis' leadoff home run in the 11th inning gave the Mets a 1-0 win. 1969 — Reggie Jackson knocked in 10 runs with two homers, a double and two singles in Oakland's 21-7 win over the Red Sox in Boston. In the eighth, he drove in three runs with a single when he easily could have made second base. 1974 — Nolan Ryan struck out 19 batters in 12 innings to give the California Angels a 4-3 win over the Boston Red Sox in 15 innings. Cecil Cooper of the Red Sox struck out six times. 1978 — Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds had two hits in a 3-1 triumph over the Chicago Cubs to start his 44-game hitting streak. 1995 — Mike Benjamin went 6-for-7, setting a major league record with 14 hits in three games, and drove in the winning run in the 13th inning as the San Francisco Giants beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3. 2002 — Aaron Boone hit a pair of homers — one to tie the game in the ninth inning and one to win it in the 11th — off Pittsburgh closer Mike Williams as Cincinnati beat the Pirates 4-3. 2002 — With all 14 interleague games — and one NL game — taking place in National League parks, the DH was not employed anywhere throughout Major League Baseball. 2005 — Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki became the third player since 1900 to reach 1,000 hits in fewer than 700 games when he singled in the bottom of the first inning in Seattle's 3-1 win over Philadelphia. Suzuki's 1,000th hit came in his 696th game. Chuck Klein reached the mark in 1933 in 683 games, and Lloyd Waner reached it in 1932 in 686 games. 2010 — The game between the Blue Jays and the Padres in Petco Park is interrupted in the 8th inning by an earthquake that registers 5.9 on the Richter scale. However, as there is no damage, the game resumes after a very brief interruption, with Toronto winning, 6-3, behind two homers by John Buck and 3 RBI by Aaron Hill. 2010 — For the first time in over 60 years, two players with 5,000+ career at-bats and a .330+ career average meet in a major league contest - Albert Pujols of the Cards versus Ichiro Suzuki of the Mariners. The last such matchup had occurred in 1942 with Joe Medwick and Paul Waner. 2013 — Major League Baseball came down hard on the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks, handing out eight suspensions and a dozen fines as punishment for a bench-clearing brawl on June 11. Arizona pitcher Ian Kennedy got 10 games and infielder Eric Hinske five for their roles in the fight. 2017 — A gunman opens fire on a Republican congressional baseball team holding an early-morning practice in Alexandria, VA. Louisiana Representative Steve Scalise is among the five persons wounded in the attack, being shot in the hip. Capitol Police officers at the practice return fire and quickly apprehend the shooter, who is mortally wounded in the exchange. The team was preparing for its annual charity game against members of the Democratic party scheduled for later in the week. 2019 — Jake Bauers of the Cleveland Indians, hits the third cycle of the season one day after Shohei Otani of the Angels had hit the second. _____
Associated Press
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
This Date in Baseball - Nolan Ryan pitched the 6th no-hitter of his career to extend his MLB record
June 11 1904 — Bob Wicker of the Chicago Cubs pitched 9 1-3 hitless innings before Sam Mertes of the New York Giants singled. Wicker won a 1-0, 12-inning one-hitter. 1938 — Johnny Vander Meer hurled the first of two consecutive no-hitters, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Boston Braves 3-0. 1967 — The Chicago Cubs hit seven homers and the New York Mets four in the second game of a doubleheader, tying the major league record set by the New York Yankees (6) and Detroit Tigers (5) in 1950. Adolfo Phillips hit four home runs in the doubleheader for Chicago. 1981 — Following Seattle's 8-2 win over Baltimore, major league players went on strike. 1985 — Von Hayes became the first player in major league history to hit two home runs in the first inning. Hayes connected twice in a nine-run first, powering the Philadelphia Phillies to a 26-7 victory over the New York Mets. 1988 — Rick Rhoden of the New York Yankees became the first pitcher since the inception of the designated hitter (1973) to start a game as the DH. He was seventh in the lineup and grounded to third out in the third inning and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Jose Cruz pinch-hit for him in the fifth of the 8-6 win over Baltimore. 1990 — Nolan Ryan pitched the sixth no-hitter of his career to extend his major league record, and the Texas Rangers beat the Oakland Athletics 5-0. Ryan, 43, was the first to pitch no-hitters for three teams and the oldest to throw one. 1995 — Lee Smith set a major league record with a save in his 16th consecutive appearance, pitching a scoreless ninth inning to preserve the California Angels' 5-4 victory over Baltimore. Smith broke the mark of 15 straight set by Doug Jones in 1988. 2002 — Jared Sandberg became the 16th AL player to homer twice in an inning, and the third this season, when Tampa Bay beat Los Angeles 11-2. 2003 — Houston's Roy Oswalt, Pete Munro, Kirk Saarloos, Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel and Billy Wagner combined for the first no-hitter against the New York Yankees in 45 years, winning 8-0. The sextet set a record for the highest number of pitchers to throw a no-hitter in major league history — four accomplished the feat twice. 2010 — Andy Pettitte records his 200th win in pinstripes in the Yankees' 4-3 win over Houston at Yankee Stadium. Whitey Ford (236) and Red Ruffing (231) are the only other members of this exclusive New York club. 2012 — The Cubs sign Cuban defector Jorge Soler to a nine-year contract worth $30 million. The 20-year-old outfielder was the subject of a bidding war among several teams. 2013 — The Dodgers and Diamondbacks engage in a beanball war. The hostilities start when D-Backs pitcher Ian Kennedy hits super rookie Yasiel Puig in the head with a fastball in the 6th inning. The ball hits his nose, and he stays on the ground for a few minutes but stays in the game; Andre Ethier follows with a game-tying two-run homer. In the top of the 7th, Dodgers P Zack Greinke hits the first batter, Miguel Montero, in the back, prompting both benches to empty, although only stares are exchanged. Then, in the bottom of the inning, Kennedy throws a pitch near Greinke's head, and pandemonium breaks out, with both benches and bullpens emptying again, and players and even coaches going at each other. When order is restored, Puig and coach Mark McGwire are ejected for the Dodgers, and manager Kirk Gibson and coach Turner Ward for the D-Backs. Incidentally, Los Angeles wins the game, 5 - 3. Major League Baseball will hand out eight suspensions and twelve fines as a result of the events, with Kennedy getting a ten-game suspension and Eric Hinske of the D-Backs getting five; both managers are suspended for one game, and two for the two coaches. 2017 — Max Scherzer of the Nationals records the 2,000th strikeout of his career, beating out Clayton Kershaw, who reached the milestone less than a week ago, as the third fastest pitcher to the mark. 2017 — Rookie sensation Aaron Judge hit two more home runs, including a drive that cleared the distant bleachers at Yankee Stadium and sent New York romping past Baltimore 14-3. The 6-foot-7 Judge led the majors with 21 homers and topped the AL with 47 RBIs and a .344 average. 2022 — Jared Walsh hits for the cycle and Mike Trout blasts a pair of homers as the Angels defeat the first-place Mets, 11 - 6. Walsh is the 9th player in team history to achieve the feat, almost exactly three years after teammate Shohei Ohtani was the last to do so, while Trout appears to be out of the deep slump that contributed to recent 14-game losing streak, costing manager Joe Maddon his job. _____
Washington Post
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
A military celebration went very wrong 50 years ago at Shea Stadium
They came to see Nolan Ryan. They were treated to so much more. On June 10, 1975, a crowd of 31,809 attended the California Angels-New York Yankees game at Shea Stadium, which New York's American League team called home as the original Yankee Stadium was renovated during the 1974 and 1975 seasons.
