Spin Around the Bases

I guess Jordany Valdespin couldn’t wait to celebrate with his teammates. Can you blame him? Not only did his 9th-inning home run in Philadelphia last night break a 2-2 tie, it was his first major league hit. The New York Mets rookie didn’t stroll around the bases, savoring the moment, as many home run hitters do. Undoubtedly amped by adrenaline, Valdespin raced around the bases.

The 24-year-old had not reached base in his short major league career, a total of six plate appearances, but he made his first hit memorable—a three-run homer off Philadelphia Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon. Just 18.47 seconds after connecting with the pitch, Valdespin touched home plate. Contrast that with the 29 seconds it took Atlanta’s Chipper Jones to round the bases after he beat the Phillies with a homer last week and Valdespin’s jog seems like an all-out sprint. The average trot time for a home run in 2010 was 22.02 seconds.
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by Andrew Kahn on May 8, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in 2012 MLB season, Baseball, MLB, New York Mets

Posted by Andrew Kahn on May 8, 2012

http://andrewjkahn.com/2012/05/08/jordany-valdespin-home-run-papelbon/

Philip Humber’s Improbable Perfect Game

No-hitters and perfect games come out of nowhere. That’s what makes them so special. Even when a dominant ace like Justin Verlander throws one, as he did last May, it is amazing and unexpected. But the perfect game thrown by Philip Humber yesterday for the Chicago White Sox was particularly shocking.

Heading into Saturday’s game against the Seattle Mariners, Humber had 11 career wins and had made just 29 starts. Below is a chart showing the 21 perfect games in major league history, and the number of career wins, starts, and innings pitched each pitcher had heading into that game. Only Charlie Robertson, also of the White Sox, had fewer career wins before his perfect game than Humber.
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by Andrew Kahn on April 22, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in 2012 MLB season, Baseball, MLB, New York Mets

Posted by Andrew Kahn on April 22, 2012

http://andrewjkahn.com/2012/04/22/philip-humber-perfect-game/

Coaching from the Couch

Baseball is a great sport for a lot of reasons, but one of them is that it allows fans to play manager. The chatter at the stadium, or on Twitter, during a basketball, football, or hockey game is focused on the play itself: “That was an awesome dunk!” “How did he drop that pass?” “What a save!” During a baseball game, there is cheering, but there’s a lot of second-guessing of the manager.

From your seat on the couch (or in the stands) you have access to almost all of the same information as your favorite team’s skipper, meaning you can have an opinion on when the starting pitcher should come out of the game, who should replace him, whether to call for a sacrifice bunt or a hit-and-run or to shade the left fielder toward center. You have no effect on any of these things, of course, but it is a fun way to engage with the game.
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by Andrew Kahn on April 21, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in 2012 MLB season, Baseball, MLB

Posted by Andrew Kahn on April 21, 2012

http://andrewjkahn.com/2012/04/21/coaching-from-the-couch/

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