Braves look for dandy series finale against Yankees
Born in South Carolina.
The 22nd overall pick in 2014 by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Traded as part of a deal for Rich Hill and Josh Reddick.
Originally signed as a minor-league free-agent with the Atlanta Braves.
His brother, Colby, also played in the Braves organization.
He currently doesn't have a nickname listed on Baseball-Reference, so we should change that. Let's get some recommendations in the comments.
He likes fishing.
On the other side, Marcus Stroman takes the hill. The Yankees were reportedly considering releasing/trading him in the offseason, and I even wrote about whether or not the Braves should try to acquire him. And well, he has not been good.
In 6 starts and 24 innings (so small samples still apply), his strikeout rate is barely above his walk rate, though his groundball rate remains strong. His 6.66 ERA is … interesting, if nothing else, but while it's technically a little high based on expected metrics, it's only high by like a run. If you'd like a look at his Statcast.
Yikes. His repertoire.
Well, he throws a #$%&-ton of pitches, but apparently, none of them are very good. He still relies heavily on his sinker, which isn't surprising given his 50% groundball rate, but his stuff hasn't been good. He's still re-establishing himself after an early-season knee injury, but he's been declining for a while.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Sunday, July 20th, 1:35 p.m. EDT
Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA
TV: FanDuel Sports Network South and Southeast
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan / La Mejor 1600/1400/1130 AM
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Ichiro Suzuki becomes comedian during Baseball Hall of Fame induction speech
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Suzuki's comedy act was just beginning, reciting baseball stats, his 3,089 hits, his record 262-hit season, and saying how his career was recognized by the Baseball Writers Association of America, but it still wasn't good enough for the one anonymous writer who didn't vote for him, preventing him from joining Mariano Rivera as the only unanimous Hall of Famers in history. He paused, listened to the laughter from the crowd, and then with a perfect delivery said, 'Oh, by the way, and that offer for that writer to have dinner at my house has now ... expired.'' He thanked the Seattle Mariners and Hall of Fame GM Pat Gillick for believing in him and signing him in 2001, thanked the New York Yankees for his 2 ½ years with them, and Hall of Famer Derek Jeter for his valuable leadership. And then thanked the Miami Marlins for extending his career for three more years, but with a twist: 'Honestly, when you guys called to offer me a contract for 2015,'' Suzuki said, pausing again, 'I had never heard of your team.'' Suzuki's teammates all knew that he spoke perfect English, and had a delightful sense of humor, but now the baseball world became clued into his secret. 'I played with him for three years, so I knew he could do that,'' Sabathia said. 'I was just excited for people to get to know his personality and how funny he is.'' In the press conference after the ceremony, Suzuki said there was never any thought to delivering his speech in Japanese, saying it was important to him to provide humor to the fans and baseball officials in attendance in Cooperstown, while also making sure everyone understood the importance of respecting the game. 'I always said that being a Hall of Famer wasn't a goal,'' Suzuki said, 'but to make people laugh here was a goal of mine.'' The only time Suzuki spoke Japanese during his entire speech was thanking Hideo Nomo for giving him the courage to play Major League Baseball. 'Because of Hideo's courage,'' Suzuki said, my eyes opened to the idea of challenging myself by going somewhere I never imagined.' Nomo was the first Japanese player in 30 years to play in MLB in 1995, pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and was an inspiration to Suzuki, who wrote an essay when he was in the sixth grade that he wanted to be a professional baseball player. 'I think you can imagine, there was much doubt when I tried to become the first position player from Japan in MLB,' he said. 'But it was more than just that. There was criticism and negativity. Someone even said to me, 'Don't embarrass the nation.' 'I encourage young players to dream, and dream big, but to also understand the difference between your dream and the goal. 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When he wanted to work at Marine World as a teenager, his grandmother wouldn't let him, telling him he needed to focus on baseball. 'You'd be lucky to have even one of those women in your life,'' Sabathia said, 'and I had them all. A village of women who raised me, guided me, made me laugh, fed me, protected me, and a few times, literally save me, starting with my mom.'' Billy Wagner's wait finally ends Wagner, who had to wait until the 10th and final year of eligibility to enter the Hall of Fame while Suzuki and Sabathia made it on the first ballot, thanked dozens of teammates from Jeff Bagwell to Russ Springer to his pitching coaches to bullpen catchers to managers to writers. Wagner, 5-foot-10, is the second pitcher to be inducted under six feet tall. 'I wasn't the biggest, I wasn't left-handed [until twice breaking his right arm], I wasn't supposed to be here,' Wagner said. 'Perseverance isn't just a trait. It's a path to greatness. 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