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New York Times
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
MLB All-Quarter Century Team: How the readers voted — with several close calls
The polls have closed. The winners are plotting their agendas. The losers are drafting their concessions. With 100 percent of precincts reporting and more than 12,000 votes tallied, The Athletic is ready to call the MLB All-Quarter Century Team for the following players who have dominated the 2000s: Jose Altuve. Adrián Beltré. Barry Bonds. Trevor Hoffman. Derek Jeter. Randy Johnson. Clayton Kershaw. Pedro Martinez. Shohei Ohtani. Buster Posey. Albert Pujols. Mariano Rivera. Max Scherzer. Ichiro Suzuki. Mike Trout. Justin Verlander. Advertisement That's 14 Cy Young awards, 18 MVP awards and 20 World Series championships since the end of the 1990s. That's 1,064 victories, 1,253 saves, 2,822 home runs, 19,761 hits and countless moments that will play in our memories forever. Some of those folks already have a plaque in Cooperstown. The rest will be there soon. And Bonds — well, he's got a place here, anyway. Pretty much the same thing, don't you think? Enough preamble. Let's get to it! Here's a look at the voting results, position by position, for our readers' team of the quarter century. Miguel Cabrera wasn't just any hitter. He's one of only three players in history with 500 homers, 3,000 hits and a .300 career average. The others? Hank Aaron and Willie Mays — and neither of those guys won a Triple Crown, as Cabrera did in 2012. For Albert Pujols to win so decisively, then, is a powerful commentary on his resume. He's second to Aaron on the career list for RBIs and total bases. He's the only player in history with 700 homers, 3,000 hits and multiple championships. And he was a titan of October, with a .995 OPS, an MVP award (2004 NLCS) and a three-homer game in the 2011 World Series. Of course, Pujols was at his best with the Cardinals, posting only 12.6 WAR (Baseball Reference) in the 10 years after leaving in December 2011. But while Cabrera's late-career fade wasn't quite as long, it was much worse: .262/.329/.381 in his final seven seasons, for minus-2.5 WAR. And Pujols left on a high, with a triumphant encore in 2022 that secured his spot in the pantheon of greats. Down-ballot surprise: Joey Votto got more votes than Paul Goldschmidt and Todd Helton — combined! Helton's in Cooperstown. Goldschmidt has more homers, RBIs, stolen bases and WAR than Votto, and is currently staging a revival with a humble little outfit known as the New York Yankees. But the people love Votto, an on-base force with a wit to match who seems certain to join Helton — and probably Goldschmidt, too — in the Hall of Fame. No broadcasting family has seen more second-base stardom in the 2000s than Harry and Todd Kalas. Harry — the late, great voice of the Phillies — narrated Chase Utley's rise in Philadelphia. His son, Todd, has called most of Jose Altuve's career as TV play-by-play man for the Houston Astros. The readers chose Altuve, a three-time batting champion with a .305 career average and nearly 2,300 hits — some 400 more than Utley, who batted .275 and has the edge in WAR (64.6 to 52.7), homers and RBIs. It's a tough call, but here's Altuve's winning case: 'He's on his way to a Hall of Fame career, and 3,000 hits is certainly in his scope,' Todd Kalas said. 'He has over 100 games played in the postseason, and only Manny Ramirez has more postseason home runs. Altuve has been a big part of the golden era of Astros baseball, one of the leaders on the team, and it's hard to imagine all of those years of success without him. Even this year, he decided to play left field to help the team as much as possible. He's a selfless player who wants to win more than anything. 'All those factors lead me to believe that the fans got this one right,' Kalas continued, 'but Dad would probably still say: 'Chase Utley, you are the man!'' Down-ballot surprise: Robinson Canó over Dustin Pedroia In the second decade of this quarter century (2010 to 2019), nobody had more hits than Robinson Canó, with 1,695. But the number that seems more likely to define him is 2, as in his career suspensions for performance-enhancing drugs. Even so, Canó easily outpaced Dustin Pedroia in the voting (1,708 to 1,334), despite Pedroia's clean reputation and his advantage in MVPs, championships, Gold Gloves, on-base percentage and stolen bases. When the 1990s ended, Derek Jeter had already won three World Series championship rings. Then he started the 2000s by winning the MVP award in the All-Star Game and the World Series in the same season. Francisco Lindor, meanwhile, was 16 years old. He's made up ground quickly, and actually has more WAR in this quarter century than Jeter (51.2 to 47.9), primarily because of his superior glovework and a slightly better OPS (.817 to .806). But Jeter earned this emphatic victory by hitting .307 in the 2000s (33 points higher than Lindor), with six 200-hit seasons, nine 100-run seasons, nine .300 seasons — and two more World Series titles. Advertisement Down-ballot surprise: Lindor tripled Jimmy Rollins' vote total Jimmy Rollins somehow hasn't topped 18 percent in his four years on the Hall of Fame ballot — and readers of The Athletic seem just as dismissive. Rollins is one of only two shortstops with 850 extra-base hits and 450 stolen bases; the other is Honus Wagner. Yet Rollins finished third here, far behind Lindor, who thumped him in total votes, 2,777 to 905. First, his Minnesota Timberwolves fell just short of the NBA Finals. Now Alex Rodriguez finishes just shy of making The Athletic's All-Quarter Century Team. While many of his statistics dwarfed Adrian Beltré's in the 2000s — a .935 to .824 edge in OPS, a 548 to 455 edge in home runs, an 11 to 4 edge in All-Star nods — Rodriguez lost in a narrow vote to the Hall of Famer. His multiple dalliances with performance-enhancing drugs certainly didn't help. That said, the winner has no reason to apologize: Beltré actually had the exact same WAR total as Rodriguez in the 2000s, right down to the decimal point — 89.7. Down-ballot surprise: Scott Rolen finished 7th of 8. Third base is the least represented defensive position in the Hall of Fame, with just 19 members. But from the looks of it, that could change soon. Rolen has a spot in Cooperstown, but finished behind three active third basemen: Nolan Arenado, José Ramírez and Manny Machado. If you like Gold Gloves, longevity and the ability to communicate with pitchers the way Robert Redford whispered to horses, Yadier Molina's your guy. If you liked Silver Sluggers, concentrated greatness and World Series titles, Buster Posey's your pick. Our readers were basically split, with Posey edging Molina by only 57 votes. The championship edge was slim — three for Posey, two for Molina — but Posey earned it, with the Giants beating the Cardinals twice in the NLCS. Down-ballot surprise: Salvador Perez got twice as many votes as Jorge Posada. Here's another example of why New York bias is a myth. Perez has played his entire career in Kansas City. Posada was a career Yankee. Perez's career slash line: .266/.302/.455. Posada's career slash line: .273/.374/.474. Posada has a big edge in WAR and championships. But Perez was a World Series MVP in 2015, owns five Gold Gloves (Posada has none), recently passed Posada in career homers — and crushed him in votes here, 563 to 288. The next time you wonder why Barry Bonds has never been elected to the Hall of Fame, remember this: 75 percent, the threshold for enshrinement via the writers' ballot, is a huge number. Even here, in an election with no clause for character, integrity and sportsmanship, Bonds couldn't amass three-quarters of the vote. To recap, Bonds essentially broke the sport in the first eight years of the 2000s, winning four MVP awards while slashing .322/.517/.724. Of the 356 players with at least 4,000 plate appearances in the 2000s, Bonds' 1.241 OPS is by far the best — the runner-up, Aaron Judge, is at 1.022. Down-ballot surprise: Lance Berkman, the forgotten superstar Let's pause for a moment to hail our fifth-place finisher, Lance Berkman. In the 2000s, Berkman hit .294 with a .407 on-base percentage, .539 slugging percentage and 362 home runs. Only one player can match him in all four categories: Mike Trout. Berkman also hit .410 in two World Series and saved the Cardinals from elimination when they were down to their last strike in the wildest October game of the era. Criminally overlooked. We all know that Mike Trout has spent far too much of the 2020s on the injured list. But while he's largely been out of sight — he's back now from a knee injury — Trout was front of mind for our voters. His 9,451 votes were the most of any position player in the poll. That's appropriate. From his 2012 Rookie of the Year season through 2019, Trout averaged 9 WAR per year, with a .308/.422/.587 slash line. He won three MVP awards and was runner-up four times, the definition of dominance in his prime. Down-ballot surprise: Andruw Jones at less than 5 percent While Andruw Jones started wowing us in the 1996 World Series, most of his achievements have come in this century. He's the only player in the 2000s with 350 home runs and eight Gold Gloves (though Nolan Arenado is close to joining him), and while Trout is the obvious winner here, Jones received just 4.8 percent of the votes. In 2009, the ninth of his 10 seasons with 200 hits, Ichiro Suzuki gave this all-time great quote to Brad Lefton of The New York Times: 'Chicks who dig home runs aren't the ones who appeal to me. I think there's sexiness in infield hits because they require technique. I'd rather impress the chicks with my technique than with my brute strength. Then, every now and then, just to show I can do that, too, I might flirt a little by hitting one out.' Aaron Judge is flirting with .400 now, showing that even a generational slugger can be a skilled technician. But Suzuki's appeal is as strong as ever, and he narrowly edged the brawny Bronx Bomber. Down-ballot surprise: Only 19 votes for Giancarlo Stanton! Speaking of hulking Yankees, Giancarlo Stanton amassed just 19 votes. He's no Suzuki or Judge, obviously, and he's missed all season with elbow injuries. But Stanton is the majors' active leader in home runs, and only four players in the 2000s can match him in both homers (429) and OPS (.871) — Pujols, A-Rod, Ortiz and Cabrera. They all got a lot more than 19 votes. David Ortiz hit 531 home runs in the 2000s. He broke a fabled curse, won three championships and made it to Cooperstown on his first try. He even had a bridge named after him in Boston. Yet he's still not our readers' pick for best DH of the 2000s, thanks to that Shohei Ohtani guy. As stupendous as Big Papi was, he didn't win an MVP award. Ohtani's won three. He stole 16 bases in 17 seasons. Ohtani stole 59 last year, while also bashing 54 homers. His career OPS, a mighty .937, still falls a bit short of Ohtani's, .952. (And Ortiz didn't pitch, either.) So congrats to Ohtani, who can add this prestigious honor to the many others he's collected in a career like no other. Down-ballot surprise: No love for Edwin Encarnación. Edwin Encarnación finished last among our eight candidates, with less than 1 percent of the vote, but what a career. He hit 424 home runs with an .846 OPS. The only guys who can match those numbers in the 2000s: Pujols, Rodriguez, Ortiz, Cabrera and Stanton, as mentioned above, plus Nelson Cruz and Adam Dunn. And among those sluggers, only Pujols had fewer strikeouts than Encarnación. (Next five: Roy Halladay, 46.7; Zack Greinke, 22.3; Jacob deGrom, 20.0; CC Sabathia, 17.1; Félix Hernández, 15.2) This was a tough one, in a way, because Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez both have Cy Young awards that start with '19' and '20'. They starred in the World Series in the 2000s and posted winning percentages over .600 in this quarter century. All-time legends, for sure. But, man oh man, what about Roy Halladay? The Hall of Famer had a lot more starts than the others and sure did make the most of them: 194-98 with a 3.36 ERA, two Cy Youngs, a perfect game, a playoff no-hitter and 65 complete games — 26 more than the next-closest pitcher (Liván Hernández). Quite a legacy, even without the nod here. Advertisement Down-ballot surprise: Tim Lincecum got 400-plus more votes than Johan Santana. Sometimes the WAR machine malfunctions. Look at Lincecum and Santana. Both won two Cy Young awards. Both led their league in strikeouts for three consecutive seasons. Santana made 284 career starts, Lincecum 270. Both were finished before their 34th birthday. Would you believe that Lincecum compiled just 19.5 career WAR, while Santana had 51.7? It's true. Santana had better control, prevented runs more effectively and worked about 350 more innings. But Lincecum — a three-time World Series champion — had a much stronger impact on our readers, with 1,243 votes to Santana's 820. (Next two: Billy Wagner, 23.1; Aroldis Chapman, 20.4) How about that? A Yankee and a Padre. You were expecting maybe Jonathan Albaladejo and Jeremy Fikac? MLB named its reliever of the year awards after Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman. They're the only guys with 500 career saves — and both topped 600! They didn't do it all in this quarter century, of course, but both had an unmistakable aura and our readers picked up on it. Down-ballot surprise: Craig Kimbrel got nearly 500 more votes than Kenley Jansen. The most similar player in baseball history to Craig Kimbrel, according to Baseball Reference, is Kenly Jansen. The most similar player in baseball history to Kenley Jansen? Craig Kimbrel, naturally. They both reached the majors in 2010. Their ERAs and strikeout totals are nearly identical. They've both pitched for the Braves, Dodgers and Red Sox (among other teams). Jansen has more career saves (458 to 440), and might become the last pitcher to reach 500. Yet it's Kimbrel — currently in the minors with Atlanta — who resonated more with our readers, with 1,468 votes to Jansen's 941. (Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Photos: Elsa, Nick Laham, Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
New York Times
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Presenting the MLB All-Quarter Century Team, the very best in baseball since 2000
Wait. It's 2025 already? Boy, that 21st century is flying by, isn't it? So here at The Athletic, we had a fun idea. Let's pick a baseball All-Quarter Century Team. And guess what? We're going to let you pick one, too. Elsewhere on this site, Tyler Kepner will lay out the ballot we came up with, and explain how you can vote. We're figuring you'll have some thoughts on the best players of the 2000s. Advertisement But in the meantime, somebody — like me, for instance — has to write a column that sets the tone for this project. So … based solely on 21st century stats, I've picked the starters and the pitching headliners … and I'm taking a wild guess that (bold prediction coming) I also might get thousands of you so annoyed by my picks that you'll cast your own ballots, simply to straighten me out. So let's do this. Here comes my MLB All-Quarter Century Team. Feel free to disagree — and remember to direct all your disagreement toward my good friend Tyler Kepner. Let's kick this off with an easy one. I think we've had six Hall of Fame (or Hall-destined) first basemen working their magic in the 2000s: Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, Joey Votto, Todd Helton, Freddie Freeman and Paul Goldschmidt. It would be more than six if we included Joe Mauer, Jim Thome and Bryce Harper. So why did I pick Albert? Oh, no particular reason … other than that he ranks first among this group in pretty much everything. We're talking over 700 homers and 3,300 hits, 101.3 WAR (according to Baseball Reference) and the most total bases in history (6,211) by anyone not named Henry Aaron. Want to argue that any of those other first basemen were greater? Sure. Go for it. But Pujols was the easiest pick, for me, on this whole ballot. #Legend Full confession: I'm dinging Robinson Canó here for being a two-time offender for performance-enhancing drugs. And since that's the case, this feels like a choice between Altuve and Chase Utley. Disagree? I knew that would happen. We have no hard and fast rules on this team for how to handle the PED mess — and I'll run into it again later in this column. When I do, let's just say my choices down the road are going to tick off the Robbie Canó Don't Ya Know Fan Club. Advertisement But enough on him. Why Altuve, despite his hazy association with the Astros' trash-can scheme and whatever the heck went on with Buzzer-gate? Because he's on a Cooperstown path himself. Altuve has already passed Canó in FanGraphs' calculation of WAR (58.0 to 57.5). And I think his career offensive accomplishments outweigh Utley's by almost any measure. So that's three batting titles, two stolen-base titles, four 200-hit seasons … and I hope you noticed that Altuve actually has the same career slugging percentage as Utley (.465). I'll admit I was really tempted to pick Utley, a guy I've already cast two Hall of Fame votes for. But is there really a wrong answer between those two? Let's go with no. You have no idea how close I came to typing the name Francisco Lindor in this space. Jimmy Rollins hung over me for a long time, too, especially while I was strongly considering making his longtime amigo, Utley, at second base. Then there was Alex Rodriguez. But he's on this ballot at third base. So don't A-Rod me — until the next category. With all due respect to Troy Tulowitzki, Miguel Tejada, and all the talented shortstops playing now, I think the debate here is among three names: Jeter, Lindor and Rollins. And once I got down to Jeter versus Lindor, I was surprised by how tempting it was to pick Lindor, since only 21st-century stats count in our exercise. Lindor is still just 31, and he already has more WAR just in the 2000s than Jeter (or Rollins), as measured by both Baseball Reference and FanGraphs. That shocked me at first — considering that Lindor could get another 1,000 hits and still not catch Jeter's totals since 2000: JETER 2000-14 — 2,658 hits LINDOR 2015-24 — 1,548 hits So picking Lindor would have been a fun episode of Hot Take Theater. But I just couldn't do it — even though I'm not allowed to count the 1995-99 chunk of Jeter's career. Advertisement There's a Hall of Fame plaque to consider! And four trips to the World Series in the 2000s. … And so many vintage, Jeter-esque October moments, plus a .301/.366/.467/.833 postseason slash line. … So overlooking all that didn't feel cool, no matter how curious I was to see the reaction to a Lindor was better than Jeter take. Guess I'll never know. Did I get this pick right? I'm still not sure. My first inclination was to go with Chipper Jones — and I almost got there … until it hit me that his only MVP trophy, all of his team's best October moments and his one World Series title happened in the previous century. But Beltré versus Chipper was only one ring in this circus. This was a field with three Hall of Famers: Beltré, Jones and Scott Rolen. And that group could eventually reach six, as Manny Machado, Nolan Arenado and José Ramírez keep doing their thing. Then there's A-Rod. What the heck. One of the greatest players of modern times. But another two-time PED scoundrel who tarnished so many of his on-field accomplishments. So in the end, how could this not be Beltré, who fell just short of 3,000 hits and 500 homers on this side of the Y2K line, while redefining what elite third-base leatherwork looked like? Still I'm happy to take your alternative suggestions. Anthony Rendon anyone? Hold on one minute. I have to slip on my noise-canceling ear buds to drown out all the whining from the A-Rod/Robbie Canó crowd. All right, you've got me. I'm a hypocrite. I'm the king of the double standard. I'm an activist judge, looking the other way at PED suspects like Bonds while handing out selective life sentences to other dudes in my court. But there is a difference between Barry and those other guys, you know. Bonds obliterated Mark McGwire's single-season home run record before this sport imposed serious PED testing and punishment. And he never did test positive afterward, or do anything more than look really guilty in Game of Shadows. Advertisement So there's that. But also … if it's not Bonds in left field on this team, then who? Manny Ramírez? Ryan Braun? They don't earn any sainthood points, either. I had some Juan Soto thoughts. But he and Bonds have almost an identical number of games played in the 2000s — and Soto isn't even close, on any meaningful line on the stats sheet. I tried to talk myself into Matt Holliday – but before I traveled too far down that road, I got stuck on this thought: How can I leave the greatest player I ever saw play off this team? Bonds played 12 seasons before the 2000s (and rolled up 103.7 bWAR plus 445 homers) — versus only eight seasons from 2000-07. But he still was the runaway leader in this position at WAR in the 2000s, with 59.0, meaning he averaged nearly 7.4 WAR per season even in the 'down' years of his career. So Barry it is. Sorry, Robbie. Sorry, Alex. It's my ballot. Do yourself a favor and pretend the aches-and-pains-filled 2021-25 edition of Mike Trout never happened. Just dream on the 2011-20 edition, and this choice gets easier every minute. With all due respect to Carlos Beltrán, Andruw Jones, Torii Hunter, Jim Edmonds and Andrew McCutchen, those first 10 seasons of Trout were epic. He could easily have won seven MVP awards. And he averaged 9.6 WAR per 162 games. He piled up more WAR in those years (74.0) than Tony Gwynn, Eddie Murray or Miguel Cabrera were worth for their entire careers. And how many Face of the Sport bonus points should we add? We'll take your votes for literally anybody else. But good luck winning that debate. So this was fun. Could we maybe just have a whole team full of right fielders? Think about it. Ichiro Suzuki could lead off. Mookie Betts would bat second. Then how about a middle of the order with Judge, Harper and Vlad Guerrero Sr.? Our bottom of the order would be some combination of Gary Sheffield, Bobby Abreu, young Giancarlo Stanton and Sammy Sosa. And I can't believe there was no room for the prime years of José Bautista, the Houston model of George Springer or Ronald Acuña Jr. Advertisement Right field. Loaded. I told a few people I was leaning toward Judge, and they all tried to talk me out of it. Ichiro has 2,000 more hits in this century than Judge. And that doesn't even include his Japan stats. So was I sure about this, they asked? Well, no, actually. I wasn't sure. But I just finished writing a column that argued that Judge is the greatest right-handed hitter of the last 100 years … and that he's doing things we've literally never seen. His weighted Runs Created+ — a metric based on the premise that the average player is graded at 100 — is now at 207 over a period that includes the last four seasons. So am I trying to prove my own point by putting him on this team? Maybe. But it's my point — and I'm sticking to it. My apologies to all my friends on the other side of the Pacific. Did I really just overlook Joe Mauer's whole first-ballot Hall of Fame career? I did. Did I seriously then bypass Buster Posey, the face of a three-time World Series champion? I did that, too. I overlooked those men because I watched the impact Yadier Molina had on the Cardinals for nearly two decades. It was real. And it was spectacular. I ran this by a scout who once played in the big leagues. He didn't even hesitate. 'It's Yadi,' he said. 'It's got to be Yadi. End of story. I don't care about the numbers. Yadi has all the nuanced stuff you can't measure. Go look at all those Cardinals pitching staffs that got better when he was behind the plate. And the second he left, they have not been the same. So it's Yadi. It's got to be Yadi.' There are no numbers that would tell us that. But you know what? I agree! Leaving Shohei Ohtani off this team might have been the worst part of this entire exercise. Just the thought of that made me want to invent a whole different 'position' just for him: DH/ace/superhero/international man of mystery? Advertisement I'm pretty sure if that was the question, he was the answer. Unfortunately for him, that was not the question in this All-Quarter Century election. So eight seasons of Ohtani's multitasking brilliance did not equal Ortiz's 14 humongous curse-busting, life-changing seasons in Boston. Those seasons shifted the arc of the entire Red Sox franchise. And the one mammoth presence in the middle of all of it was Big Papi. Once again, I extend my heartfelt apologies to the entire population of Japan. Anyone have any issues with the first four old-school aces on this list? How the heck could you? I had their boxes checked in like 45 seconds. But who's the fifth starter? I can hear you out there, spitting out the names: CC Sabathia, Pedro Martínez, Zack Greinke, Johan Santana, Curt Schilling, Félix Hernández, Adam Wainwright, Chris Sale, Mark Buehrle, Cole Hamels, Mike Mussina … and on and on. I know the answer, in a purely data-driven world, should be Greinke, who ranks in the top four in both the Baseball Reference and FanGraphs versions of WAR among all starters in the 2000s. He pitched 20 excellent seasons in this century. And his counting numbers crush the numbers of my pick, Randy Johnson. I totally got the memo that the 2000s were merely the back end of the Unit's career. And five of the 10 seasons he pitched in the Y2K era were nothing special. But what about those other five! I'm awarding massive bonus points for three Cy Young awards. For three straight seasons (2000-02) in which he averaged 351 strikeouts a year. For cinematic World Series heroism in 2001. And, frankly, for becoming (probably) the last pitcher in history to reach 300 wins. So you can fill out your All-Quarter Century rotation any way that makes you happy. I'll take next-level greatness. Always. Advertisement I'm forced, by the rules of this fun little exercise, to overlook the first five seasons of Mariano's career. And it's still no contest. I shouldn't need to remind you that this guy was The Man. But 14 seasons in the 2000s with an ERA barely over 2.00 (at 2.05) … along with a sub-1.00 WHIP (0.95) … plus 65 postseason appearances with a 0.86 ERA, against the best teams in baseball … would be a thing that no other closer on this planet could compete with. So enter Sandman … and drive home safely. (Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; Top photos: Harry How, Jason Miller, Mike Stobe, Sean M. Haffey, Donald Miralle / Getty Images)
Associated Press
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
This Date in Baseball - Hank Aaron connected off Gaylord Perry for his 600th career home run
April 28 1901 — Cleveland pitcher Bock Baker gave up a record 23 singles as the Chicago White Sox beat the Indians 13-1. 1915 — The Detroit Tigers trim the St. Louis Browns, 12 - 3, with Ty Cobb stealing home in the 3rd inning. Cobb will steal home six times this season. 1930 — The first night game in organized baseball was played in Independence, Kan. In a Western Association game, Muskogee defeated Independence 13-3. 1934 — Detroit's Goose Goslin hit into four double plays, but the Tigers still beat Cleveland 4-1. 1956 — Cincinnati rookie Frank Robinson hit the first home run of his 586 lifetime homers in a 9-1 win over Chicago. Robinson homer came off Paul Minner in Crosley Field. 1961 — Warren Spahn, at the age of 40, no-hit the San Francisco Giants 1-0 at Milwaukee. 1966 — Cleveland's Sonny Siebert defeated the Angels 2-1 as the Indians tie the modern major league record with its 10th straight win since opening day. 1971 — Hank Aaron connected off Gaylord Perry for his 600th career home run in the Atlanta Braves' 10-inning, 6-5 loss to the San Francisco Giants. 1982 — Philadelphia's Pete Rose went 5-for-5 to tie Max Carey for the NL record with nine career 5-hit games. The Phillies scored six runs in the top of the ninth to beat Los Angeles 9-3. 1985 — The New York Yankees hire Billy Martin as their manager for a fourth time. The fiery Martin, one of George Steinbrenner's favorite managers, replaces Yogi Berra, who is fired just 16 games into the season. 1988 — The winless Baltimore Orioles set an American League record by losing their 21st straight, falling to the Minnesota Twins 4-2. 1989 — Rickey Henderson of the New York Yankees set a major league record when he led off a game with a home run for the 36th time in his career, breaking a tie with Bobby Bonds. 1999 — Colorado's Larry Walker hit three home runs and drove in eight runs to lead the Rockies to a 9-7 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. 2001 — The Seattle Mariners defeat the Chicago White Sox, 8 - 5, for their 20th win this month, setting a new major league record for April. 2001 — Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals ties the major league record for home runs in April by a rookie with 8. 2006 — Barry Bonds hits a bases-clearing double to tie Babe Ruth for third on the all-time career list with 1,356 extra-base hits. 2006 — St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols hits his 13th home run in April to tie the major league record, matching the mark shared by Ken Griffey, Jr. in 1997 with Seattle and Luis Gonzalez in 2001 with Arizona. 2007 — Trevor Hoffman pitches in his 803rd game for the San Diego Padres, breaking the record for games pitched with one club. 2010 — Major League Baseball announces a number of changes to the rules that govern the All-Star Game that have been agreed with the Players' union: the designated hitter will now be used in all games, not just those played in American League parks; a pitcher who started a game on the last Sunday before the All-Star break will not be eligible to play in the game and will be replaced on the roster, although he will still be recognized as an All-Star (this will become known as the Sunday Starter rule); rosters are expanded to 34 players, adding one position player; one of the position players will be designated as being able to re-enter the game in case of injury - catchers are already allowed to do so in those circumstances. 2011 — Ben Zobrist set a Tampa Bay record with eight RBIs, hitting a home run and two doubles as the Rays routed the Minnesota Twins 15-3 in the first game of a day-night doubleheader. 2012 — Bryce Harper makes his much-anticipated major league debut for the Nationals. 2016 — Marlins 2B Dee Gordon, the defending National League batting champion, is suspended for 80 games for testing positive for PEDs. 2019 — The Nationals do something unprecedented as three players all 21 or younger - Juan Soto, Victor Robles and Carter Kieboom - all homer against the Padres. _____
USA Today
08-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Exclusive: Albert Pujols wants to make history as MLB's first manager with 700 HR
Exclusive: Albert Pujols wants to make history as MLB's first manager with 700 HR Show Caption Hide Caption With the Dodgers favored to repeat, is the MLB becoming too top-heavy? Bob Nightengale and Gabe Lacques discuss whether or not the MLB is lacking parity and could be facing a potential problem in the future. Sports Seriously TEMPE, Ariz. − He is one of only four players in history to hit 700 home runs, along with Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds. He and Aaron are the only two players to hit 700 home runs and drive in 2,000 runs. He and Ruth are the only players to hit 700 home runs and win a World Series championship. Now, Albert Pujols is daring to go where no 700 home-run hitter has gone before. Pujols, 45, is ready to become the first 700-homer hitter to be a major-league manager. 'For me, I've always been serious about everything that I do in this game," Pujols told USA TODAY Sports, 'and now I'm serious about managing. This game has done so much for me, and now, I want to give back. 'I'm ready." Life after retirement Pujols, the 11-time All-Star, three-time MVP, two-time World Series champion who hit 703 homers and drove in 2,218 runs, retired after the 2022 season. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do next, but knew he wanted to stay in the game. He became a special assistant to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. He worked as an analyst for the MLB Network. And he showed up every spring as a guest instructor for the Los Angeles Angels as part of his 10-year, $10 million personal services contract. Then, last February when Jose Miguel Bonetti, one of the owners of Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League, telephoned Pujols once again trying to persuade him to manage. It was a short winter-ball season. He could be home in the Dominican Republic where his wife, Nicole Fernandez, the daughter of former Dominican president Leonel Fernandez, was born and raised. Why not? The next thing Pujols knew, he's leading Leones del Escogido to the playoffs, then the Dominican League championship, then the Caribbean Series championship. Now, the Dominican Republic national team, under GM Nelson Cruz, is hiring Pujols to manage its star-studded group for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Pujols can't wait, but there could be one little snag to those plans. He might be tied up managing a major-league team next spring. 'He's ready," said Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa, who managed Pujols 11 years in St. Louis. 'And he's going to be great. 'You talk about integrity. You talk about his IQ. You talk about his discipline. I call him APP, Albert Perfect Pujols. When a guy has that much to offer and has so much love for the game, the game benefits when he wants to stay active and share.'' Says Angels GM Perry Minasian: 'I remember the old-school managers back in the day whether it was Tom Kelly or Sparky Anderson or Tommy Lasorda or Whitey Herzog, there was a presence when they walked into the room. The volume in the room would go a little lower. The shoulders of the players would go back a little more. And Albert has that presence wherever he goes. 'He's just a winning guy, he'll be great whatever he wants to do." Mentors convinced Pujols will be successful There's a long list of All-Star and Hall of Fame players who have struggled as managers. Many of the managerial greats actually had short or mediocre playing careers. But it's a lazy narrative to suggest bench players make the best managers. There are plenty of cases where All-Stars became Hall of Fame-caliber managers. Joe Torre was a nine-time All-Star and batting champion, leading the Yankees to four World Series enroute to the Hall of Fame. Dusty Baker was a two-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger and a Gold Glove winner, leading five different teams to the postseason winning three pennants and a World Series title. Lou Piniella was an All-Star and two-time World Series champion, and led three different teams to the playoffs and a World Series championship. 'The key is not whether you're a great player or not, but whether you have that love for the game," La Russa said. 'Torre, Dusty, they love the game. And Albert loves the game. He always had the mental side commitment, and was inquisitive, always talking about the game. 'I don't want to be critical, but there are guys who were great players in our game, gave it all they got, and then needed to back off. So, if you have somebody with the kind of greatness like Albert, and is still motivated to stay close to the game, it's a win-win for all of us.'' San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt, who has known Pujols since 2005 in their days together in St. Louis, is convinced that Pujols will be an overwhelming success. 'I truly believe he's doing to be a tremendous asset to any organization,'' Shildt said. 'A lot about managing is caring about people, and Albert does that. He has such attention to detail. He's very clear in his messaging, a very principled guy with a great reputation. Really, he's almost out of central casting for a manager. 'You always observed his talent, but you appreciated the work and how this guy competed. Some guys are naturally gifted, but Albert used his brain and talent to become one of the best right-handed hitters in the history of the game. I never saw this guy give away anything in work or competition. I remember one spring it's 7 in the morning and he's fielding grounders from [coach] Dave McKay. He says, 'Albert, you may want to ease into this.' Albert says, 'What do you mean? It's time to go. It's time to work.' There was another time when it was the first spring-training game of the year, I look around, and there's Albert sitting there, grinding a towel over his head with that grimace, stalking the pitcher like he was stalking his prey. 'So, when he told me last year that he was going to manage in winter ball, I knew it wasn't some gimmick. He was going to take it seriously. It was clear he had a tremendous experience, and now he's ready to take the next steps. He has such love and passion for the game that it's important for the game to recognize and support a guy like Albert with his legacy." Pujols wants to give back to the game The way Pujols sees it, it's a way to give back. He certainly doesn't need the money, earning about $350 million in his playing career. He will cruise into the Hall of Fame when he's eligible for induction in 2028. And he has plenty going on in his life with four kids and new wife without putting in 12-hour days at the ballpark. 'But at the end of the day, man, you want to give back," Pujols said. 'This opportunity came really quick for me because I wasn't looking for it.'' When Bonetti approached him for the third time to manage, Pujols still wasn't sure he was ready. He was out of the game only for a year. He was newly married. And he knew there would be a whole lot of pressure to succeed. Bonetti persisted, calling and calling. He finally convinced Pujols to go to lunch for a serious conversation. By the time Pujols put down his knife and fork, he agreed. 'I wasn't curious about how much I'd like it,'' Pujols said, 'because when you're in the game as long as I've been, this is all you know. So, I knew I'd like it. And I'm the kind of person if I'm going to try something, I'm going to take it seriously. I wasn't going to waste my time. 'For me, it was the competition that I really loved. And doing it in your country, the team that you grew up rooting for as a little boy, it was pretty sweet. It meant so much for me and everyone in the Dominican." And, yes, that familiar feeling of being in the middle of a championship celebration sure felt good, even if there was no bottle of champagne to be found. 'Down there, they don't use champagne,'' Pujols said. 'It's just beer and water. They don't use champagne. It's too expensive." Anyone who has been around Pujols wasn't surprised in the least that he delivered a championship. Angels owner Arte Moreno fired off a congratulatory text message to him after the game. It simply re-affirmed Minasian's belief that Pujols could be a great manager. 'I always felt his baseball acumen is second-to-none," Minasian said. 'His desire to win is second-to-none. And his ability to connect with all different kind of players, and make players believe in themselves is a hell of an attribute. 'Just the person, take the baseball part of it out, is impressive. The honesty. The belief. Everything. I think he can do whatever he wants in this game.'' Next stop: 2026 World Baseball Classic Next stop: The World Baseball Classic. It could feature a Who's Who lineup of Manny Machado, Juan Soto, Julio Rodriguez, Jose Ramirez, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Elly De La Cruz, Julio Rodriguez, Fernando Tatis, Rafael Devers and Ketel Marte. 'That," Pujols said, 'is going to be awesome. A lot of responsibility because you're representing not just one team, but an entire country. I'm pretty pumped up.'' Just hearing Pujols' introductory speech to this array of talent could be worthy of a documentary. The Angels players still are raving about Pujols' 45-minute meeting with their hitters on Monday, with La Russa stopping in and had pitchers even sneaking into the meeting. 'It was so good," Angels three-time MVP Mike Trout said. 'He talked about approach, preparation, routine, and how important it was to carry that routine out. For a guy with all of that knowledge, and being in the trenches for that long, and being on teams that won, it was great to hear his message. 'I think he's going to be a great, great manager." Pujols called his speech a collection of knowledge from his early years with the Cardinals, listening to stories from Lou Brock, Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Red Schoendienst, Joe Buck and Mike Shannon. They took the time to talk to him, and now he's paying it forward. 'Now I have the responsibility to help these young players," Pujols said. 'That's my job. I need to share that same knowledge. I love to talk about the game and talk about the blessings that the Lord has given me in my career. 'I told them, 'You see how much passion comes out of me talking to you guys, and it's because I was taught by so many other great players before me. They opened that path and helped me to get to where I am today.'' Pujols will now wait to see if anyone calls this summer or in the off-season with any managerial vacancies. If someone is interested, they'll know where to find him. 'I'm open, you know,'' Pujols said. 'Right now, I have the responsibility with the World Baseball Classic, but if any opportunity opens up and somebody call me and wants to interview me, I will evaluate it for sure. 'I'd love the opportunity to give back to the game of baseball. I know I don't have the experience as a manager, but 23 years in this game, you go through a lot. I'm talking about experience from baseball, being on the field and in the locker room. It's not going from a university to try to be a manager and not having any baseball experience. Old-school mentality can help young mentality. I've learned from some of the best managers in the game. I believe with my experience, and the way I can communicate with players, I can have success. 'I just need someone to take a chance on me. I don't know how long it's going to take, but I'll be in the corner waiting. If they give me the opportunity, I can promise you that I'm going to do my best to prepare the team to win a World Series. Is that a guarantee? No. But I can guarantee that I will prepare the guys to play the game just like I did with that mentality and toughness." It's not all that different from three-time World Series champion Buster Posey becoming the San Francisco Giants' president of the baseball operations. Or All-Star pitcher Chris Young to becoming GM of the Texas Rangers and leading them to the 2023 World Series title. Or for Hall of Famer Derek Jeter to become CEO of the Miami Marlins for four years. 'I love it," said Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who managed Pujols in 2021. 'It's just really rare that a guy who accomplished so much on the field wants to continue to grind in coaching and managing. 'But I think the game needs him. I think he needs the game as well, clearly." Certainly, for what Pujols has given to the game, it's time for the game to give back to him, too. 'People that have given so much to the game," Minasian said, 'and still have a lot to give even after playing, is going to have a positive effect on any organization. 'The game is better with Albert Pujols in it." Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale
New York Times
02-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Albert Pujols will manage Dominican Republic in World Baseball Classic, sees path to MLB
TEMPE, Ariz. — In past years, when Albert Pujols came as a guest instructor to Angels camp, he was in the more immediate aftermath of his playing career. One of the greatest all-time players, he was still a novice to the game's teaching element. This time, however, he arrived as his coaching career has taken off, and he's hoping to take the next steps of leveraging his legendary playing career into the role of a big league skipper. Advertisement More immediately, Pujols confirmed reports that he will manage the Dominican Republic, his home country, in the World Baseball Classic next year. The move comes after Pujols won a Dominican Winter League championship this year, leading Escogido to a title over Licey. 'I feel really proud, not just to be able to represent my country as a player, when I did it,' Pujols said of his WBC duties. 'But now to be able to lead a great group of guys, I'm really excited. I'm really pumped up.' Pujols, 45, has said he views these managerial opportunities as a chance to grow, with the ultimate goal of becoming a big league manager some time in the not-too-distant future. He left open the possibility of taking over the reins as a skipper somewhere, as soon as 2026. He already has a host of responsibilities, in addition to his winter ball and WBC gigs. He's also a special assistant to Commissioner Rob Manfred, an MLB Network analyst, and is paid $1 million annually by the Angels as part of his 10-year personal services contract. A big league managerial role would likely supersede all of that for Pujols. 'If the opportunity is right and they open the door for me, I always say openly that I want an opportunity here in the big leagues,' he said. 'I think being in Winter League and doing it this year, it gave me the experience that I needed. I think it prepared me for the big job.' Pujols retired from playing after the 2022 season, which he spent back with the Cardinals. He hit 703 home runs and won two World Series rings during his 22-year legendary run. He'll be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2028, but clearly hopes to be leading a club well before that. Angels manager Ron Washington lauded Pujols as a great presence in camp, given his experience and accomplishments. 'It won't be long before he has a managing job, that's for sure.' Advertisement 'Time will tell, whenever the opportunity comes,' Pujols said. 'If there is some team knocking this year or next year, then why not? Right now, I have a job, which is focusing on the World Baseball Classic. But if there is any club knocking on the door, I would be open to hear that.' Pujols arrived in Tempe on Sunday to spend several days at Angels big league camp before going to work with the organization's minor leaguers in Scottsdale. He said he also spends some time every year at their complex in the Dominican. The soon-to-be Hall of Famer spent 10 seasons with the Angels, where he made the playoffs just once and did not win a postseason game. When asked how close he felt the organization was to putting a winning product on the field, Pujols lauded his former club. 'I think they put a winning product (on the field) every year,' he said. 'I think the problem is injuries. When you've got the guys that you're counting on getting hurt, it's hard to replace those guys. The biggest things is that, I think if the organization is able to keep guys healthy, guys being on the field and produce, I think we have a pretty good chance to win a championship.'
