Latest news with #Ichiro
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Seattle Mariners Shortstop Breaks Record Held by Ichiro
When you're in the record books alongside Seattle Mariners legend Ichiro Suzuki, you're in royal company. When you surpass Ichiro, it's special. J.P. Crawford is in rarified air after besting the freshly-minted Hall of Famer over the weekend in Texas. Advertisement Crawford, like Ichiro once did, bats leadoff for the Mariners. That's the spot where Crawford made his mark in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Texas Rangers. On the first pitch of the game against Rangers starter Patrick Corbin, Crawford sent a towering shot to right field. The 369-foot blast off an 88-mph sinker gave the M's a quick 1-0 lead before most fans had even settled into their seats. That proved to be Crawford's third career home run on the first pitch of the game, setting a new franchise record in that category. Crawford had been tied with Ichiro, who did it twice in his illustrious 14-year career with the Mariners. This is Crawford's seventh season with Seattle. The 30-year-old shortstop also has 12 career leadoff home runs in Seattle, which is second to Ichiro in club annals. Advertisement The chances of catching Ichiro on this list don't look quite as promising. Crawford is 25 leadoff homers behind Ichiro, who had 37 such solo shots with Seattle. One of the perks of being with the M's for Crawford is being around Ichiro on an everyday basis. Ichiro, who is a special assistant to the chairman, still does a daily workout with the team. 'When I first got over here, seeing Ichiro, I was kind of starstruck,' Crawford said on YouTube last year. 'That guy, 'til this day, probably does more than our whole team combined.' Ichiro was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame earlier this year, falling one vote shy of being an unanimous selection. His jersey is being retired by the Mariners on Aug. 9. Advertisement 'It meant so much to have felt that,' Ichiro said through an interpreter, according to 'As I've gone through my career and interacted with many people, I felt like those peoples' kindness and their feelings really helped me perform and also be the person that I am. 'Obviously the feelings I have toward the Seattle fans are very special.' The Mariners (20-13) lead the American League West and open a series at the Athletics on Monday night.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mariners retiring Randy Johnson's #51 jersey in 2026 — after retiring Ichiro's #51 this August
Number 51 is about to be extra special in Seattle. The Seattle Mariners announced Monday that the team will retire legendary pitcher Randy Johnson's #51 jersey in 2026 — retiring the number for the second time in a year. Johnson, a 10-time All-Star, spent nine years with the Mariners early in his career. The lefty put up huge stats in Seattle, earning five of his All-Star selections in that span and leading the league in strikeouts for four straight seasons, from 1992-1995. Advertisement The Mariners made the announcement on the 35th anniversary of the franchise's first career no-hitter — thrown by Johnson on June 2, 1990. While the exact date for Johnson's jersey retirement has yet to be determined, there's a small wrinkle: By the time of that ceremony, no. 51 will already be retired. On August 9, 2025, the Mariners are retiring #51 in honor of Ichiro Suzuki, while also celebrating his selection to the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2025. There's a good reason for the oddity. When Ichiro first joined the Mariners in 2001, the star right fielder wrote a letter to Johnson asking if he could wear his number, per USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale; Johnson gave his blessing. Advertisement In addition, per Nightengale, Johnson intentionally delayed his own retirement ceremony to next year, so that Ichiro could have his own spotlight this year. As a result, No. 51 will be retired twice in Seattle, honoring both of the legendary former players who wore it. The pair of 51s will join the three numbers already retired by the Mariners: Ken Griffy Jr.'s #24, Edgar Martinez's #11 and the league-wide #42 worn by Jackie Robinson. After his time in Seattle, Johnson went on to play with the Arizona Diamondbacks, earning four straight Cy Young awards from 1999-2002 and winning a World Series in 2001. He threw a perfect game on May 18, 2004, one of only 24 in the history of the MLB. Johnson was inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2015. His #51 was retired by Arizona that same year.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mariners retiring ‘Big Unit' Randy Johnson's No. 51 during 2026 season
The Big Unit recognizes the lengthy wait — but Randy Johnson's No. 51 will finally ascend into Mariners immortality. The Seattle Mariners announced they will retire Johnson's No. 51 during the 2026 season, on the 35th anniversary of his no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers on June 2, 1990. The 6-foot-10 southpaw's masterpiece was the first no-no in team history and sparked his Hall of Fame career, posting a 290-150 record and 3.21 career ERA from that day on. 'When I stepped over the line, I was very animated and emotional, and a lot of people might not want to be in my path,' Johnson said Monday. 'But I also never forget the places that I've been, and the people that helped me get where I've been, nor will I ever forget that. 'That's why I've always felt like Seattle had a big impact on my career.' When Johnson first heard the news, he had one contingency — to wait until the 2026 season for his number retirement, so as not to interfere with Ichiro's approaching Hall of Fame induction. Both Mariners icons will have their own No. 51 displayed alongside Seattle's Ken Griffey Jr. (24), Edgar Martinez (11), and the league-retired No. 42 that honors Hall-of-Famer Jackie Robinson. 'I know the significance of Ichiro and his accomplishments, and I didn't want to interfere with his Hall of Fame induction or number retirement this year,' Johnson said. 'The one contingent factor I had was that if this was going to happen, I didn't want to take away from his deserving day. It would have to be done a different day, a different year, because he deserves to have his own day for all of his accomplishments.' On May 25, 1989, the Mariners acquired Johnson in a five-player trade that sent Mark Langston to the Montreal Expos, now considered one of the best deals in team history. Despite leading the American League in walks for three consecutive seasons from 1990-92, Johnson emerged as one of the game's best pitchers in '93, amassing a 19-8 record with a 3.24 ERA and 308 strikeouts. Johnson appeared in 10 seasons with the Mariners (1989-98), compiling a 130-74 record with a 3.42 ERA and a fitting 51 complete games. His 2,162 strikeouts in a Seattle uniform rank second in team history. He went on to play for six teams across 22 major league seasons and collect five Cy Young Awards, including Seattle's first in 1995, when Johnson went 18-2 with a 2.48 ERA. He threw two no-hitters — the 1990 gem inside the Kingdome and MLB's 17th perfect game with the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 18, 2004. Johnson retired after the 2009 season with a career 303-166 record and 3.29 ERA with 4,875 strikeouts, second in MLB history to Nolan Ryan (5,714). He was inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame in 2012 and the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015, when the Arizona Diamondbacks retired his No. 51. 'I'm proud that I had a significant role in two different franchises, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Seattle Mariners,' Johnson said. 'A lot of people, I think, were hurt and disappointed that, when the time came in 2015, that I picked the Arizona Diamondbacks to represent in the Hall of Fame. 'But I had to think with my statistics in my head, and the emotions, I had to leave out of the equation. Everything I did here in Arizona was just a little bit more than what I had done in Seattle. 'But that's not to take away what I did in Seattle. It was significant, it really was. And people need to understand that. It wasn't an easy decision. … I pitched a no-hitter (in Seattle), I pitched a perfect game here. I pitched in playoff games there, I helped the team win the World Series here. I won a Cy Young there, I won four here. 'If we could split the hat, and put a little bit of an M and a little bit of an A… I don't know if we could've done that. But I didn't try to ever disrespect the Seattle Mariners.' Ichiro penned a letter to Johnson requesting to wear his No. 51 upon joining the Mariners in 2001, a courtesy that 'honored' the former Seattle left-hander. 'I said, 'Go for it,'' Johnson recalled. ''Wear it.' 'Ichiro had 10 amazing years there. He's probably, arguably, the best hitter that's ever played in MLB, next to Pete Rose. … I know what he did because I'm a pitcher and faced him a few times, and he did it against me in those at-bats that we had.' The 27-year-old rookie from Japan remembers the pressure of donning a number recently tied to the franchise's best arm: 'When I first got the No. 51, I knew that No. 51 was a special number,' he said during his Hall of Fame news conference in January. 'I knew it was a special number to the organization, and I knew that it was a special number to the fans here in Seattle. 'Obviously, I wanted to make sure No. 51 was (done) justice, make sure that 51 wasn't going to be embarrassed. And I felt like if No. 51 was just an average player, I wouldn't do Randy Johnson justice. I knew (what it meant) for that number to keep going and for that, I took very seriously.' This story will be updated.
The Herald Scotland
05-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Oldest living Met Jim Marshall looks back at 70 years in baseball
He worked for Charlie Finley. And he hung out with Sadaharu Oh. Welcome to the beautiful life of Jim Marshall. Marshall is an original member of the infamous 1962 New York Mets, and will be honored Monday night as the oldest living Met before their game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. "I worked in baseball for 70 years," said Marshall, who turns 94 later in May, "and as a baseball player or manager, we always dream of being No. 1. "Well, I finally made it." His greatest memory of that historic season where the Mets went 40-120 and produced the most losses in a single season until the Chicago White Sox toppled it last year? "Opening Day at the Polo Grounds," Marshall says. "They were doing the player introductions, and when they got to me, they booed the hell out of me because Gil Hodges wasn't playing. He was hurt, but they just buried me. "Welcome to New York." Rufus James Marshall, who has gone by his middle name since attending Compton High School, spent five years in the major leagues as a first baseman and pinch-hitter. He played three years in Japan for the Chunichi Dragons. He managed the Chicago Cubs for three years and Oakland Athletics for a season. He scouted nearly 25 years for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He spent two hours with USA TODAY Sports talking about his life, his fondest memories and favorite funny moments from his 70-year professional baseball career. Casey Stengel's trouble with names "Casey was so bad with names, and when I was playing for the Mets, he kept calling me Blanchard. There was a [Johnny] Blanchard with the Yankees where he managed before. He kept calling me Blanchard, so I just let him do it. "One day I'm in the batter's box at the Polo Grounds, and here comes Casey out of the dugout. I step out and he says to me, 'Shoot for the lines. Shoot for the lines.' I say, "What the hell does that mean?' He says, 'All of the players are in the middle of the so shoot for the lines.' I guess it made sense. "He didn't know the players' names, but I'll tell you one thing, he was magic with the press." The time he saw his life flash before his eyes "I'm facing Bob Gibson. The batter ahead of me had dug a pretty good hole in the batter's box, so I'm just filling in the hole, brushing dirt into it. Gibson sees me and says, 'Make it nice and comfortable because that's where you're going to be [expletive] laying. "I thought, 'Holy [smokes], I think he means it.' Sure enough he knocked me down on my [butt]. He went right at my head. That ball just missed me. If it hit me, I wouldn't be sitting here today." Ichiro family fandom "When I was scouting the Pacific Rim, I saw Ichiro [Suzuki] a lot, and he told me that his dad was a huge Chunichi Dragons fans and actually has a picture of me in their house. Ichiro was such a great guy, a great kid. He would always call me gaijin, which means foreigner in Japanese. So, the first time I see him when he gets to Seattle, I walk into their clubhouse and say, "Well, you're the gaijin now.' He says, 'Oh, grandfather, don't tease me.' "I remember how he wanted to come to America so bad, and he used to come and swing the bat right in front of me, and then we'd go have dinner together. He was my favorite player, my absolute favorite player. The dedication. The discipline. The speed. The arm. My God, he had it all. "I knew Ichiro would be a great player, but not a Hall of Famer. He could run, he could play defense, and he could spray the ball. The crazy thing is he could have been a great home run hitter if he wanted to, but chose to be a batting champion. That's how talented he was." Life in Japan In 1963, Marshall was the first American-born player to go from the major leagues to Japan. "I was playing in Pittsburgh, the season is over, and Joe Brown, the general manager, calls me into his office. He says, 'You don't have a chance of making this team next year. We got two first basemen. If I were you, I'd go to Japan and make good money. I want you and your wife to fly over, see if you feel comfortable, and see if you want to do it.' "It changed my life. I loved the people there. I made some good money, played every day. They had such a love for baseball and nobody ever talked about the war. The only trouble was when we went to places like Osaka and Hiroshima, and the crowd chanted, 'Go Home White Monkey,' in Japanese - but the players protected me." Japanese legends who could have been MLB stars "People always ask me how many home runs Sadaharu Oh would have hit in this country. I don't know, but I do know that there were some players that would have been stars over here. I'll never forget seeing [Shigeo] Nagashima. He was an unbelievable player. He and Oh were such great guys. They would always come over to the stands and say hello to my wife whenever they saw her. They were superstars, and great, great friends. They definitely could have been stars over here. "But after spending so many years there as a player and a scout, I never imagined we'd see someone that big and strong coming out of Japan like [Shohei] Ohtani." Favorite teammate Piper Davis, his teammate with the Oakland Oaks in the Pacific Coast League. "I was in the Pacific Coast League and Piper took me under his wing. We would go to each other's room and talk baseball almost every night, which was unusual back in the day. He would tell me so much about Willie Mays and how he helped develop him and protect him from outside influence. I loved the man. What a special person.'' Davis played for the Birmingham Black Barons and the Homestead Grays in the Negro Leagues, and later managed Birmingham. He was most famous for getting Willie Mays to play for the Black Barons in 1947 when Mays was just 16. Mays credits him in his early development into becoming one of the greatest players in history. Davis nearly joined Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby breaking the color barrier in 1947 when he was signed by the St. Louis Browns and the Boston Red Sox for 1950, but never got to play in the majors. "That was such a shame because he was such a fabulous man," Marshall said. "I would have loved to have seen that.'' Favorite player to manage "It's tough to separate, but I've got to say Rick Monday is on the top of the list when I managed the Cubs. He was such a great, young kid. I was there the day he grabbed the American flag when those kids were about to burn it. That was the greatest play of his career. "I told Rick, 'You owe me money, man. I put you in the lineup so you could do that, now you have a lifetime job with the Dodgers! So now he gives me $1 every time he sees me." Favorite player to watch "Hank Aaron, oh my goodness, I couldn't believe that wrist action. Those are the days you got knocked down quite a bit, I'm telling. But he'd get right back up and hit. He was quiet about it, too. I never saw him get emotional. He was one special player. "I did remember outdoing him in something. I played in Memphis and they had a sign for steamed laundry. If you hit that sign, you get $1,100. I was really proud of that. Some guy came up to me and said, 'Did you know that Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews just missed it?' Well, I got it, and that was one of my biggest thrills in baseball." The history-making trade Marshall was part of the first interleague trade in baseball history when the Cubs traded him along with pitcher Dave Hillman to the Boston Red Sox for first baseman Dick Gernert on Nov. 21, 1959. "I never played a game for them. They didn't want left-handed pull hitters. They wanted right-handed hitters. So they traded me in spring training to Cleveland. I go down there. Put on my uniform and I'm really happy. Then I was traded along with Sammy White, a great catcher, for Russ Nixon. "Well, nine days later, White decides to retire. Now the trade is over and I've got to go back to the Red Sox, and I know they don't want me. So the general manager comes over and tells me, 'Jim, my wife is swimming over in the apartment right beyond right field. Go spend the day with her, and by the end of the day I'll find a team for you.' At the end of the day I went to the San Francisco Giants. "You know something, I got a nice letter from him later on apologizing. That was so nice of him." Best gesture by a teammate "I went to the Chicago White Sox when Larry Doby [the first Black player in American League history] was there. I walked into the clubhouse, and the first thing he said was, 'Jim, anything in my locker you can have. My bat, glove, take whatever you want, OK?' He couldn't have been nicer. We played catch a few times together. He was a great player and an awfully nice man." Favorite ballpark "It had to be Wrigley Field, and that's when they still had people sitting in center field with white shirts. It was tough to see. But my very first game there as a Cub in August 1958, I hit three home runs in one day. I hit two in the first game of the doubleheader against the Phillies, and they were forced to put me in the second game, and I homered again. I couldn't believe it. Unfortunately, I only hit two more homers the rest of the season. "I still remember sitting on the bench in Chicago. We're playing the Giants and there's a young guy sitting next to me on the bench. They called on him to go pinch hit, and he struck out on three pitches. He came back and sat down next to me, and I said, 'Don't worry, kid, things are going to get better.' It was Billy Williams. So, yeah, things got a lot better for him. "Then, there was Ernie Banks, another great teammate. We had been beating this team pretty good, and well, they somehow found out that we were stealing signs. The next day, they decided that Banks would be the target. They brushed back a few guys, but when they got to Banks, they hit him right in the middle of the back, down by his spine. He could hardly move the next day. He's not out there in the field for BP, and could barely walk up the flight of stairs up to the clubhouse. I don't think he's even playing. Well, the game starts, he's in the lineup, and he hits a grand slam. He went around the bases without saying a word. "Yes sir, did I ever admire him." The famous batting race It was the final day of the 1976 season and Cubs infielder Bill Madlock was trailing Ken Griffey Sr. in the batting race, .338 to .333. While Griffey was kept out of the lineup to help preserve his batting title, Madlock promptly went 4-for-4, increasing his batting average to .339. "I got a call from upstairs and they said to not let Madlock hit. Take him out now. I said, 'Man, he's 4-for-4. But they explained he just went ahead of Griffey.' "I went to Madlock to tell him and he asked why. I told him, just do me a favor, and walk to the clubhouse. He went down there, Sparky hurried Griffey back into the game, and he struck out twice, and ended up short [.336]. I've got to say, it was the first time in my life I took a guy out of a game who was 4-for-4." John Wooden recruitment "I'm playing for Compton High School, and he comes right down after the game and offers me a scholarship. He says, 'I want you to be my point guard.' I thought about it a lot. If I'd known I was going to be in the minor leagues so long, I would have gone there." Favorite Vin Scully memory "I remember walking out of the stadium one day with Vin Scully, and Vinny says, 'I'm going to move.' I say, "Vinny, you've got a nice home, why are you going to move?' "He said, 'My neighbor keeps throwing trash over my fence.' "I said, 'Why the hell don't you tell him?' "He says, 'Well, it's Sylvester Stallone, come on, what can I do?'" Favorite Jackie Robinson tribute "I got to become good friends with Don Newcombe, and he played a year for the Chunichi Dragons too. So I said one day, 'Newk, tell me about Jackie Robinson.' I saw Jackie play football at UCLA. "Newk goes, 'Well, I'll tell you something Jim. He's not much fun to be with. He is such a fierce competitor that you can't have fun doing anything with him. He's out to beat your (expletive) in golf or whatever else you want to do.' "It wasn't a knock on Jackie, that's just the way he was." The ring collection Marshall was wearing his 2001 Diamondbacks World Series ring on his left hand and the 2023 NL pennant ring on his right hand at lunch, has a Chunichi Dragons championship ring and Triple-A Denver Bears championship at home, as well as a ring honoring him from the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation. So, what's his favorite? "My wedding ring," he said. "Bev was everything to me. I met her in junior high school at Roosevelt in Compton. We met because we were listening together to the [1946] World Series on the radio between the Red Sox and the Cardinals during class. She was from Missouri and was a Cardinals fan. We got married when I was 19, and were married for 64 years. I give all of the credit for everything to her. She's been gone for nine years, and I can't tell you how much I miss her every day." Around the basepaths - The Tampa Bay Rays, who have a lot of money invested in the outcome, have been paying rather close attention to suspended former All-Star shortstop Wander Franco's recent posts on social media. The posts have shown him visiting a nursing home, playing baseball and saying, "There is no torment that God cannot heal." Franco, who insisted that his career is not over in his last court appearance, begins his trial on June 2 in the Dominican Republic and faces 20 years in prison on charges of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation against a minor and human trafficking. Franco has been on MLB's restricted list since July 2024, and is under MLB investigation for violating its domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy. He would be free to resume his major-league career and the Rays would likely be legally required to fulfill his contract after his case is resolved by Dominican authorities and MLB's investigation. Franco, who signed an 11-year, $182 million extension in 2021, is owed in excess of $150 million after this season. - While the Miami Marlins will wait until ace Sandy Alcantara (2-3, 8.31 ERA) starts showing signs of improvement to trade him, several contenders are keeping a close eye on Minnesota Twins ace Pablo Lopez. Lopez, who returned a week ago from a hamstring injury, is in the second year of a four-year, $73.5 million contract that the Twins could unload this summer if their free-fall continues. The Twins entered Saturday with more losses than any team in the American League except the Chicago White Sox, and already are eight games behind the first-place Detroit Tigers. - The Cardinals were hoping that hanging onto closer Ryan Helsley the first half of the season would enhance his trade value, but after saving a league-leading 49 games last season, he has only four saves in six opportunities with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. Meanwhile, they still are trying to trade All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado. The Los Angeles Dodgers have yet to express interest while still hoping that third baseman Max Muncy escapes his early-season struggles. - If the Baltimore Orioles aren't a contender by the All-Star break, teams will be pouncing on starter Zach Eflin, reliever Seranthony Dominguez and center fielder Cedric Mullins at the trade deadline. - It turns out that the teams who waited out the free-agent market wound up getting the best bargains in baseball (stats through Friday): Starter Jose Quintana, Milwaukee Brewers, 1-year, $4.25 million in March: 4-0, 1.14 ERA. Starter Nick Pivetta, San Diego Padres, 4-year, $55 million in February: 5-1, 1.78 ERA. Infielder Jorge Polanco, Seattle Mariners, 1-year, $7 million in February: .367, 9 homers, 25 RBI. First baseman Pete Alonso, New York Mets, 2-year, $54 million in February: .345, 8 homers, 30 RBI. Third baseman Alex Bregman, Boston Red Sox, 3-year, $120 million in February: .331, 8 homers, 27 RBI. Reliever Shelby Miller, Arizona Diamondbacks, 1-year, $1 million in February: 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 13 appearances. Outfielder Alex Verdugo, Atlanta, one-year, $1.5 million in March: .313, .782 OPS. - This weekend was the first time Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson was able to meet up with Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich since their commercial shoot in March, and the first thing he planned to tell Yelich: "You look good in hair." Swanson, Yelich and Dustin May of the Dodgers shot a commercial this spring for DIRECTV in which they appeared bald in the national advertising campaign, "Take Me Out to the Bald Game." "We had a ton of fun," Swanson told USA TODAY Sports. "Let me tell you, it was quite the experience. We all enjoyed it. You get to know guys like playing against them, but at the same time, being able to do things like that with one another is, is also really, really, really, really cool ... "It was just obviously pretty funny, everybody has gotten a kick out of it. Everyone's just like, "I hope that you never actually go bald.'" - Prayers to Pucino family. Scott Pucino, the former NCAA All-America wrestler who became one of the most successful agents in the business working alongside Alan Nero of Octagon, passed away at the age of 71 after battling cancer. He made such an impact that Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez missed a game to attend his funeral and Bobby Witt Jr. sent out a heartfelt message on social media. "Scotty was more than an agent for me," Witt said. "He was truly a part of our family. It was an honor for our family that he could represent both me and my dad in our careers. We will carry his legacy for years to come." - Remember when everyone thought the Los Angeles Dodgers had too much pitching? Well, they made history this past week when they became the first team in history to use 11 different starting pitchers before May, thanks to 13 pitchers on the IL. No pitching staff has produced fewer innings by their starters and no bullpen has thrown more innings. "It's not a good quality of life," Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior told reporters. - Future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander badly wants to join the exclusive 300-win club, but time is running out. He's stuck at 262 victories with the Giants' blowing his last three games in which he's yielded a 1.96 ERA. - The Seattle Mariners, who have lost six members of their opening-day roster to injuries, including ace Logan Gilbert and leadoff hitter Victor Robles, suddenly are hitting like it's 2001. They finished April ranking third in homers (45); third in on-base percentage (.339); sixth in OPS (.754); and seventh in runs per game (5.07). They entered Saturday having gone 15-4 in their last 19 games, leading MLB in runs (128), HRs (35), batting average (.275), OBP (.367) and OPS (.850). Not bad for a team whose splashiest move in the offseason was signing 31-year-old Jorge Polanco to a one-year, $7.75 million contract after declining his $12 million option. - The Dodgers not only got a reliever, but also a front-office nerd when they acquired Ryan Loutos from the Cardinals. Loutos, who had a computer science background, worked in the Cardinals' front office it its analytics department to help develop an app, "Chirp," that is still in use by the Cardinals. - Has anyone seen the Texas Rangers' offense? Anyone? It's as if they swapped uniforms with the Mariners from a year ago. They have scored three or fewer runs in 21 games this season, hit one home run in the last eight games, enduring their longest drought since June 25-July 5, 1990, with only five extra-base hits in their four-game series last week against the Athletics. They've squandered their fabulous pitching, with the rotation yielding a 2.93 ERA, the lowest it has been through 33 games in franchise history. Tyler Mahle has been sensational, going 3-1 with a 1.19 ERA. - Yes, the Athletics would be in the playoffs if the season ended today after finishing 105 1/2 games out of first place in the AL West the past three years. They have baseball's third-best record since April 15. - If you've got a spare left-handed reliever, stay by your phone, the New York Mets will be calling you. - A year ago, Aaron Judge had a slash line of .207/.340/.414 with six homers and 18 RBI in April, and was the unanimous AL MVP winner hitting .322 with 58 homers and 144 RBI. So, what in the world could be in store for him this year by having the greatest April of his career, now hitting .432 with 11 homers, 32 RBI and a 1.322 OPS? He's hitting nearly 200 points higher than the league average of .241, and 83 points higher than any player in baseball. He's the only player in the DH era to lead the AL in all three Triple Crown categories entering May, and only the third player to hit at least .430 with 10 home runs in the first 33 games, joining Henry Aaron in 1959 and Jimmie Foxx in 1932. "I wanted to come out, especially after how we ended the year last year not winning the World Series, there was a lot of work to be done," Judge told reporters. "All you can do is look in the mirror and try to figure out ways to get better and try to improve. Hopefully, that inspires somebody else to improve." - Who would have imagined that the small trade in December when the Yankees acquired right-handed reliever Fernando Cruz and minor-league catcher Alex Johnson from the Cincinnati Reds for catcher Jose Trevino would pay such dividends? Cruz has been one of the game's most stunning surprises, striking out 27 batters, the most by any reliever in baseball, in just 16 2/3 innings with a 1.62 ERA. And Trevino filled in quite nicely during Tyler Stephenson's absence, hitting .319 with an .887 OPS. - You wonder how important three-time batting champion Luis Arraez is to the Padres' lineup? They are 19-6 with him in the starting lineup and 1-5 without him. The Padres about to become even better with center field sensation Jackson Merrill expected to return to the team on Monday. - No pitching staff has been more surprising than the Mets this year, who have the top starting rotation in baseball (2.36 ERA) despite being without Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas, while letting Jose Quintana and Luis Severino walk away. All that for a Mets starting five that currently carries a total price tag of $38.85 million -- which ranks right between the 2025 salaries of Zack Wheeler ($42M) and Jacob deGrom ($37M). - The most underrated player in baseball continues to be Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez, who became the first third baseman in history to hit at least 250 homers and steal 250 bases in his career. - Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert finally started to hit (.346 with three homers, eight RBI and six stolen bases) this past week. If he continues, the White Sox hope to have him traded by Memorial Day. - The Kansas City Royals, who are averaging just 3.14 runs per game, are trying to become the first team since 1900 to reach the postseason averaging less than 3.5 runs for a season. They have hit just 15 homers all year, but yet still have a winning record in the woeful AL Central. - That was former Uber driver and substitute teacher J.C. Escarra who hit his first career homer last week for the Yankees. "It's stuff that you dream about, stuff that you think about, goals that you have," Escarra told reporters, "but to actually do it, for it to be reality, it's crazy." - Kudos to Orioles GM Mike Elias for blaming himself, and no one else, for their woeful starting rotation, which is yielding the worst ERA in the American League. The Orioles failed to re-sign free agent Corbin Burnes, and then tried to replace him with Charlie Morton, 41, Kyle Gibson, 37, and Tomoyuki Sugano, 35. "I'm in charge of baseball operations," he told reporters, "and when we have a bad record to start the year, that's my responsibility." - No one in baseball loves PNC Park in Pittsburgh more than Padres manager Mike Shildt. He is 26-5 at PNC, an .839 winning percentage, the highest by any manager with at least 25 games at a ballpark in MLB history. - Zac Gallen, who will be a coveted free agent this winter, certainly loves pitching in New York. He is 2-0 with 0.71 ERA and 21 strikeouts in two starts this season at Citi Field and Yankee Stadium, compared to 0-4 with a 7.01 ERA everywhere else. - No one delivers heartbreak like the Cleveland Guardians, who now have 12 walk-off victories against the Minnesota Twins since just 2022. - How impressive has the Cubs offense been this season? They entered Saturday having scored an MLB-leading 202 runs, their most in the first 33 games since 1938. They have scored at least 10 runs in eight games this season. - Welcome back Lance McCullers Jr., who's scheduled to start Sunday for the Houston Astros in his first game since the 2022 World Series, a span of 915 days. Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news -- fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Japan Times
19-03-2025
- Sport
- Japan Times
New Japanese baseball exhibit to open at Baseball Hall of Fame in July
An exhibition highlighting the long and storied history of baseball in Japan will open at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, in July — the same month Ichiro Suzuki will become the first Japanese player inducted into the Hall. 'Yakyu Baseball / The Transpacific Exchange of the Game' is a partnership between the Hall of Fame and several Japanese institutions that will explore the connection between Japan and America's pastime over the 150-plus-year history of baseball in the nation. The opening coincides with Ichiro's induction into Cooperstown. Ichiro, who has visited the Hall of Fame eight times, expressed his support for the project and lent items to the exhibition. The wristbands he wore when he collected his 261st and 262nd hits of the 2004 season, the year he set the single-season record, will be displayed along with his batting helmet from the 2006 World Baseball Classic, the spikes from his 500th career stolen bases and other artifacts. Shohei Ohtani has also provided various items, including the hat he wore when he struck out Team USA's Mike Trout to secure the 2023 World Baseball Classic title for Samurai Japan. 'Probably about two years ago was the first time that we had a chance to sit down and have dinner and explain to (Ichiro) what we were doing, well before he was elected,' Hall of Fame President Josh Rawitch said. 'Going back 15 years, almost 20 years, more than 20 years, he's been giving artifacts and visiting the Hall of Fame. So we've always known he's been supportive. I can't think of another player who has come to Cooperstown eight times, seven times while they were still playing in the big leagues. 'He would come in the winter time in the offseason after a long season and come just visit. So to have that sort of support, to know how much he cares about what we're doing there, to know that Shohei has followed in his footsteps and donated so many artifacts, to know that they believe that this is the perfect place for these to be, it's very clear when you talk to them how much they recognize it and how much it means to them.' The exhibition will cover more than 160 square meters. Among the Japanese institutions that helped with the exhibition is Japan's Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, which donated items including a jersey worn by baseball legend Mickey Mantle during the New York Yankees' tour of Japan in 1955. Fukuzawa Yukichi Memorial Keio History Museum and The Museum of Hanshin Koshien Stadium also donated artifacts to the exhibition. The Masutaro Shoriki Award given to former Chiba Lotte Marines manager Bobby Valentine will also go on display. 'I really commend the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, which is a beautiful little town in upstate New York,' said Valentine, who led the Marines to the 2005 Japan Series title. 'And the Hall of Fame itself is like a sacred monument. 'When you walk in, you can feel the presence of greatness. And working on this, I learned many things, and I believe that the American public will learn so much about this great relationship that not only was important on the field but also the relationship of us and Japan off the field.'
