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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
This Date in Baseball - Randy Johnson becomes the fourth pitcher to record 4,000 career strikeouts
June 29 1916 — The Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds played a nine-inning game with just one baseball. 1923 — Brooklyn's Jacques Fournier went 6-for-6 with a home run, two doubles and three singles as the Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies 14-5. Advertisement 1937 — Chicago Cubs first baseman Rip Collins played an entire game without a putout or an assist. 1941 — In a doubleheader against the Washington Senators, New York's Joe DiMaggio tied and then broke the American League record of hitting safely in 41 consecutive games. DiMaggio doubled in four at-bats in the opener and singled in five at-bats in the nightcap to break the record set by George Sisler of the St. Louis Browns in 1922. 1968 — Detroit's Jim Northrup hit his third grand slam in a week as the Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox 5-2. 1990 — Dave Stewart of the Oakland A's pitched the first of two no-hitters on this day, beating the Toronto Blue Jays 5-0 at the SkyDome. Fernando Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Dodgers duplicated Stewart's feat by throwing a 6-0 no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals. It was the first time in major league history that two no-hitters were pitched in both leagues on the same day. Advertisement 2003 — Eric Byrnes hit for the cycle and matched a franchise record with five hits as Oakland beat San Francisco 5-2. 2004 — Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks became the fourth pitcher to record 4,000 strikeouts when he struck out San Diego's Jeff Cirillo in the eighth inning of the Padres' 3-2 win. 2007 — Barry Bonds hit his 750th career home run in San Francisco's 4-3, 10-inning loss to Arizona. 2007 — Aubrey Huff hit for the cycle in Baltimore's 9-7 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. 2010 — Whit Merrifield's RBI single with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning gave South Carolina its first baseball national championship with a 2-1 victory over UCLA in the College World Series. The Gamecocks won the last championship played at Omaha's Rosenblatt Stadium, the CWS' home since 1950. Advertisement 2012 — Aaron Hill hit for the cycle for the second time in 12 days, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 9-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Arizona Diamondbacks' second baseman cycled on June 18 against Seattle. Brooklyn's Babe Herman was the only other major leaguer to hit for two cycles in one season since 1900. He accomplished the feat in 1931. 2014 — Felix Hernandez allowed one hit over eight innings while striking out nine for Seattle, and Robinson Cano backed him with a two-run homer in a 3-0 win over Cleveland. Hernandez allowed just Lonnie Chisenhall's single in the fifth inning and walked three. Fernando Rodney earned his 23rd save with a perfect ninth inning. 2019 — The first ever major league game to be played in Europe resulted in the Yankees defeating the Red Sox 17-13 in front of 60,000 spectators at London Olympic Stadium. _____
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
This Date in Baseball - Randy Johnson becomes the fourth pitcher to record 4,000 career strikeouts
June 29 1916 — The Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds played a nine-inning game with just one baseball. 1923 — Brooklyn's Jacques Fournier went 6-for-6 with a home run, two doubles and three singles as the Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies 14-5. 1937 — Chicago Cubs first baseman Rip Collins played an entire game without a putout or an assist. 1941 — In a doubleheader against the Washington Senators, New York's Joe DiMaggio tied and then broke the American League record of hitting safely in 41 consecutive games. DiMaggio doubled in four at-bats in the opener and singled in five at-bats in the nightcap to break the record set by George Sisler of the St. Louis Browns in 1922. 1968 — Detroit's Jim Northrup hit his third grand slam in a week as the Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox 5-2. 1990 — Dave Stewart of the Oakland A's pitched the first of two no-hitters on this day, beating the Toronto Blue Jays 5-0 at the SkyDome. Fernando Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Dodgers duplicated Stewart's feat by throwing a 6-0 no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals. It was the first time in major league history that two no-hitters were pitched in both leagues on the same day. 2003 — Eric Byrnes hit for the cycle and matched a franchise record with five hits as Oakland beat San Francisco 5-2. 2004 — Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks became the fourth pitcher to record 4,000 strikeouts when he struck out San Diego's Jeff Cirillo in the eighth inning of the Padres' 3-2 win. 2007 — Barry Bonds hit his 750th career home run in San Francisco's 4-3, 10-inning loss to Arizona. 2007 — Aubrey Huff hit for the cycle in Baltimore's 9-7 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. 2010 — Whit Merrifield's RBI single with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning gave South Carolina its first baseball national championship with a 2-1 victory over UCLA in the College World Series. The Gamecocks won the last championship played at Omaha's Rosenblatt Stadium, the CWS' home since 1950. 2012 — Aaron Hill hit for the cycle for the second time in 12 days, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 9-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Arizona Diamondbacks' second baseman cycled on June 18 against Seattle. Brooklyn's Babe Herman was the only other major leaguer to hit for two cycles in one season since 1900. He accomplished the feat in 1931. 2014 — Felix Hernandez allowed one hit over eight innings while striking out nine for Seattle, and Robinson Cano backed him with a two-run homer in a 3-0 win over Cleveland. Hernandez allowed just Lonnie Chisenhall's single in the fifth inning and walked three. Fernando Rodney earned his 23rd save with a perfect ninth inning. 2019 — The first ever major league game to be played in Europe resulted in the Yankees defeating the Red Sox 17-13 in front of 60,000 spectators at London Olympic Stadium. _____
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Braves' Chris Sale becomes fastest major league pitcher to 2,500 strikeouts
Chris Sale added another milestone to his Hall of Fame resume. The reigning National League Cy Young winner became the fastest pitcher in major-league history to reach the 2,500-strikeout milestone, breaking the record previously held by Hall of Famer Randy Johnson. Advertisement On his final pitch Thursday night, Sale struck out Edmundo Sosa of the Philadelphia Phillies to end the sixth inning for his 2,500th victim. The Atlanta Braves left-hander reached the milestone in 2,026 innings, besting Johnson's record of 2,107 ⅔ innings in 1999. In doing so, Sale also became the 38th pitcher in modern history to reach the milestone. "I appreciate it for what it is, but I try not to get too caught up in stuff like that right now," Sale said after the Braves' 9-3 win in Philadelphia. "I know what our job is here. And no matter whether you have a good one or a bad one, the next one is the most important one." Said Braves manager Brian Snitker: "He's kind of doing Hall of Fame stuff. That guy is probably as big a baseball fan as anybody, just the history of the game and the competition. He's a ballplayer, and it's really cool to watch." Advertisement Sale, who is one of the highest-paid starting pitchers this season, is 3-3 with a 3.06 ERA through 12 starts this year. Last season, he went 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA and led the NL with 225 strikeouts en route to his first Cy Young award. During the course of his 15-year major league career, he has struck out 200-plus batters eight times and is one of four active pitchers with 2,500-plus career strikeouts, trailing Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chris Sale becomes fastest MLB pitcher to 2,500 strikeouts
Forbes
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Just As The Mariners Offense Steps Up, Their Pitching Staff Falters
Being a Seattle Mariner fan can be hazardous to one's health. They're a long-suffering bunch - heck, they already were when I worked there over a decade ago. The M's are the only major league club that has never played in the World Series. And that's not to say they haven't had some good clubs - indeed, perhaps the greatest regular season team in MLB history, the 116-win 2001 edition, hailed from Seattle. That was only part of the franchise's golden age, which saw the likes of Ken Griffey, Jr., Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson and Ichiro Suzuki, Hall of Famers all, play their best seasons in the city. We're not exactly living in another Mariner golden age, but they have been a relevant club in recent seasons. Led by a deep, durable starting rotation, the M's have been consistent contenders in recent seasons, though it has translated to only a single playoff appearance. Along the way, the club's ownership and front office has run into criticism - deserved, in my opinion - for not putting its best financial foot forward and attempting to transform a good team into a great one. In just the last two offseasons, two of their biggest moves were dealing power-hitting 3B Eugenio Suarez to Arizona for minor leaguers, and signing utilityman Donovan Solano as a free agent. Not exactly what pennant dreams are made of. In both 2023 and 2024, they missed the playoff by a single game. In the former season, it burned just a bit more, as one of the teams who edged them out in the AL West (by all of two games), the Texas Rangers, went on to win it all. That one extra move, those few million extra dollars that weren't spent, just might have cost them that precious World Series berth. The strongest unit of the M's recent contending clubs has been their starting rotation. In 2023, their rotation had the 3rd best ERA in the AL, and logged the most innings. They stepped up their game even further in 2024, leading the AL with a 3.38 ERA, threw 31 2/3 more innings than any other rotation in the league, and also had the most strikeouts (889) and fewest walks (185). Despite all of this, their subpar team offense kept them from reaching the postseason in either year. So now turn the page to 2025. It should be the M's season. Alex Bregman left the rival Astros as a free agent last offseason, and Yordan Alvarez has been sidelined with a hand injury for most of the first half. The door to the AL West title is wide open. And suddenly the Mariners have a fairly potent offense, led by AL home run leader, catcher Cal Raleigh, and center fielder Julio Rodriguez. Whither the M's? Through Monday's games, just a single game over .500, in 2nd place, 4 1/2 games behind those pesky Astros. The pitching staff has not been up to its usual form, due both to injury and ineffectiveness. George Kirby was hit in the face by a line drive, and is only now rounding into form. Logan Gilbert missed time with an elbow injury, and just returned to the rotation this week. And Bryce Miller is dealing with elbow woes of his own, and is likely weeks away from returning. While Bryan Woo and Luis Castillo have been holding their end of the bargain, youngsters Emerson Hancock and Logan Evans have only been able to offer reasonable quality without the innings bulk their injured counterparts have tended to deliver. Thank heavens for Raleigh. He's a fairly unique offensive player. His 23.6 degree average launch angle is about as high as a MLB regular can reach. Tons of fly balls, lots of pop ups. He also strikes out a ton, so he needs to deliver big power to be an impact bat. And that's what he does - though he has had some good fortune at the plate this season, especially in the most important batted ball categories, fly balls (274 Unadjusted vs. 200 Adjusted Fly Ball Contact Score) and line drives (128 vs. 116). He 'should be' hitting .235-.341-.530, with 146 'Tru' Production+, significantly below his current actual numbers. He finished 18th and 12th in the AL MVP voting in 2023 and 2024, and according to my batted ball-based method, should have finished even higher - 8th in 2023 and 7th in 2024 with 24.5 and 35.5 'Tru' Player Runs Above Average (TPRAA), respectively. Raleigh is signed to a six-year, $105 million contract that extends through the 2030 season, and while that appears to be a great deal for the M's as things stand, his aging curve could be a tricky one. He has historically been a great defender (he won a Gold Glove last season), but hasn't looked quite as good this season. Plus, his offensive skills are of the 'old player' variety. He's a career .224 hitter (his SLG is over twice as high at .467). It's all walks and homers, and if either of those dry up, what've you got? To date, he has 17.2 TPRAA, which is again on track to land him in the Top 10 of my MVP list - but you might have been expecting a higher number, right? Then there's Rodriguez, who just keeps you wanting more. At 24, his offensive production continues to dwindle ever so slightly with each passing season. He's hitting .257-.318-.413 through Monday's games, continues to be overaggressive at the plate, and just doesn't seem to be the guy to whom the M's committed $209.3 million over 12 years. But wait a second. After adjusting for his batted ball data, Rodriguez' bat projection improves only slightly, to .261-.309-.429. But he also brings plenty of value to the table in other facets of the game, like baserunning and especially defense. He has emerged as one of the elite defensive center fielders in the game, and has a solid chance to win his first career Gold Glove this season. He finished 9th on my hypothetical MVP ballot in 2023, right behind Raleigh, and if he can firm up his offensive game, a down ballot MVP presence could result. He presently has 11.5 TPRAA. I would argue that his aging curve will be a much smoother one than Raleigh's, and that he will be worth his contract and then some. So the Mariners remain in the playoff hunt. Their starting pitchers are slowly rejoining the rotation, and hopefully their offensive improvements can stick. The front office/ownership group will also need to do their part and add talent - and salary - at the deadline. Playoff windows don't stay open forever, and the M's are probably closer to the end than to the beginning of theirs.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Randy Johnson admits change in personality after legendary career
The post Randy Johnson admits change in personality after legendary career appeared first on ClutchPoints. Randy Johnson, one of baseball's most dominant left-handed pitchers, enjoyed a legendary 22-year career. Nicknamed 'The Big Unit,' he pitched for six teams: the Montreal Expos, Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, and San Francisco Giants. Notably, the Diamondbacks named him as one of the first inductees into their franchise Hall of Fame. Advertisement Johnson recently joined Jon Morosi on the Road to Cooperstown podcast. According to Morosi, their conversation stood out. 'Of all the Hall of Famers I've interviewed for the full hour, the Randy Johnson conversation was the one in which I asked the fewest questions,' he said. 'His answers were that in-depth and, in many ways, probably unexpected for fans.' Importantly, Morosi emphasized how much Johnson had changed. Gone is the intense figure who once glared from the mound. Instead, listeners heard a more reflective and candid version of the Hall of Famer. 'If I wasn't that person on the mound at the time, then we probably wouldn't have achieved what we did,' Johnson explained. 'I wouldn't have had the career or the season I did. So, I look at it that way.' He continued, 'You go about your business your way, and I'll go about mine. Do I have some regrets? Yeah, maybe along the way.' Over the course of his career (1988–2009), Johnson compiled an incredible record. He made ten All-Star teams (1990, 1993–1995, 1997, 1999–2002, 2004) and won five Cy Young Awards (1995, 1999–2002). In addition, he led the league in strikeouts nine times and ERA four times. His 2002 season was historic, he captured the pitching Triple Crown with 24 wins, a 2.32 ERA, and 334 strikeouts. Advertisement He also delivered two no-hitters. One came on June 2, 1990, for Seattle, the franchise's first. The other, a perfect game, came on May 18, 2004, when Johnson was 40 years old. At the time, he became the oldest pitcher ever to throw a perfect game. Furthermore, he starred in the 2001 World Series, winning three games and earning co-MVP honors. No pitcher had done that since Mickey Lolich in 1968. Statistically, Johnson's numbers remain staggering. He recorded 303 career wins, a 3.29 ERA, and 4,875 strikeouts, ranking second all-time behind Nolan Ryan. In 1995, he went 18–2 and helped lead Seattle to its first-ever postseason, earning his first Cy Young Award. Despite his dominance, Johnson remains humble. Reflecting on today's game, he admitted he might not thrive in modern MLB because, as he put it, 'everyone throws so hard.' In 2015, Johnson entered the Baseball Hall of Fame with 97.3% of the vote on his first ballot. Looking ahead, the Mariners will retire his iconic No. 51 in 2026 to honor the 35th anniversary of his first no-hitter. Related: 2025 MLB Power Rankings, Vol 13: Trouble brewing at the top Related: Red Sox-Yankees game gets delayed by chicken bucket that fell from stands
