August 30, 2006

G133: Athletics 7, Red Sox 2

Update: The Tigers won the Bronx nightcap 5-3.

***

Schilling got his 3,000th career strikeout (Nick Swisher, 1st inning), but allowed six runs and 11 hits in 5.1 innings.

Eric Hinske and Dustin Pedroia drove in today's runs; for Pedroia, it was #1 of his major league career. Every starter got a hit except for Alex Cora. Jonathan Papelbon pitched the bottom of the eighth, his first appearance in six days.

Coco Crisp hurt his wrist on a dive last night, so he was out of the lineup today.

New York won this afternoon 2-0, so Boston is 8.5 GB in the all-but-decided AL East. Toronto is 10 GB with a chance to close within one game of the Sox before the big battle-for-second begins tomorrow night. (The Red Sox are 7 GB the White Sox for the wild card.)

Trivia for those who didn't watch the game: Which player was the 3,000th strikeout victim for two different pitchers? (Answer later in comments.)

***

Curt Schilling (3.95) / Barry Zito (3.64), 3:30 PM

Schilling's first strikeout this afternoon will be the 3,000th of his career, making him the 14th pitcher to reach that lofty total.

On his BB/K ratio (only 683 career walks): "That's huge; that's bigger. I don't know where I'll fall on that scale as far as how many walks people have when they got to 3,000, but I'd imagine I'll be close up there. ... Earlier in my career, the two guys I wanted to emulate were Clemens and Maddux. I wanted Clemens's power with Maddux's control. I never quite got to either one of them, but I felt like I was kind of a mishmash of the two in some cases."

Schilling will have the best ratio (easily) among members of the 3,000K club.
                  K    BB   K/BB
Nolan Ryan 5714 2795 2.04
Roger Clemens 4566 1536 2.97
Randy Johnson 4509 1402 3.21
Steve Carlton 4136 1833 2.25
Bert Blyleven 3701 1322 2.79
Tom Seaver 3640 1390 2.61
Don Sutton 3574 1343 2.66
Gaylord Perry 3534 1379 2.56
Walter Johnson 3509 1363 2.57
Phil Niekro 3342 1809 1.84
Fergie Jenkins 3192 997 3.20
Bob Gibson 3117 1336 2.33
Greg Maddux 3148 936 3.36

Curt Schilling 2999 683 4.39

Pedro Martinez 2986 697 4.28
The Red Sox have lost Schilling's past four starts. ... Since the Yankees series, Boston has scored an average of 2 runs per game (9 games, 18 runs); the Red Sox have scored a mere 9 runs in their last 6 games.

Zito took a no-hitter into the eighth inning last Friday in Texas, finishing with 8.1 innings and two hits allowed.

Yankees-Tigers play a day-night DH in the Bronx (1 PM, 7 PM). Royals-Twins at 1PM and Devil Rays-White Sox at 2 PM.

15 comments:

Peter N said...

And baseball life as we know it goes on, today at 3.

9casey said...

It makes you wonder what if: .......Theo never leaves in October do we still sign Beckett and Lowell..I mean it reeks of everything he is now against..trading two blue chippers for a slightly above average pitcher and a third baseman coming off a terrible season . Also why he is gone trading Renteria, when they just traded Hanley........and getting Marte from the Braves and when Theo returns trading him for Crisp....

Something just doesn't add up .even the other day with the three amigos loading into a limo....Somethin' stinks here...

9casey said...

Not to mention they also trade Mirabelli for loretta when he his gone.....then he gets him back???

Kyle said...

Yeah, its almost as if Theo had to repair things that happened while he was gone and return them to the course he had the team on.

Jere said...

Trivia response: I'd guess it was maybe Seaver and Blyleven that had the same victim. So an ALer in the early 80s-ish? Uh...Tony Armas? I really have no idea.

allan said...

Trivia: Cesar Geronimo.

Bob Gibson (July 17, 1974) and Nolan Ryan (July 4, 1980). Pitchers are correct, and I'm pretty sure I got the dates right.

It was weird that when Orsillo gave the answer, he mentioned Geronimo catching the final out of the 1975 World Series (hit by Yaz to center) -- but never mentioned the two pitchers.

It wasn't until two batters later that he said, "getting back to the trivia question ..."

Jeez.

Jere said...

I'm *not* surprised another Yankee fan confused "your" with "you're." (Also note the "r" in "surprised.")

Peter N said...

And Jack Marshall, great comment. I started very young, in that oh so magic year of 1967, when hopes were dashed by an inside fastball to Tony C. But the always "best I've ever seen season long performance" by a guy named Yaz, so clutch so long, carried us, against all odds, into the post season, and a date with the Cardinals, who had the luxury of throwing out one of the best pitchers who ever lived, now AND then. His name. Bob Gibson. A magical season remembered by the mind of a 5 year old, helped by history's writings. My point? You are correct in not being able to remember something of this size, this scope. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Papi, and Jon. Thanks

laura k said...

Ragging on Yankee fans' spelling, Jere? Kinda lame, don't you think?

I bet some Red Sox fan somewhere misspells or mistypes a word now and again.

Jere said...

L-Girl, I was fully prepared for you to say this and here is my answer:

If they didn't get this usage--usage--wrong, at least the ones who type on the internet, almost consistently, I wouldn't say anything.

And, okay, you got me, I threw in a dig at his or her spelling just to rub it in. But if you look at my site or Red Sox Chick (my commenting name there is Two2067), you'll see this your/you're thing is a pet peeve of mine, I guess. But I kid you not, among Yankee fans who comment on Red Sox blogs (we'll narrow it down that far), they get that one wrong more than they get it right. And I have said it before, we all make typos, but this is a fundamental misunderstanding of the English language. And I'm sure this person--who a few days ago here was joyous about Papi having heart problems--will tell you that he or she just hit the wrong key, but I'm guessing not.

Jere said...

In fact, google "your/you're Yankees" and you'll see some of my past rantings on the subject. Second listing, haha.

allan said...

Please don't get me started on the inappropriate use of the apostrophe.

Stuff like "We sell hat's" or "The Red Sox better fucking win some game's" or "Did you see David Well's glove?"

Talk about a basic ignorance of the language. It drives me up the fucking wall. And there is plenty of it at Sons of Sam Horn, by the way. (But probably even more at MFYFans, heh.)

And I think I will delete any post that uses any variation of the phrase "having said that". ... Accept this one!

...

...

...

That was intentional.

Jere said...

I can except that.

laura k said...

I'm a stickler for correct grammar, spelling and usage in my own life. I also think it's rude and self-righteous to correct other people on theirs.

People have different strengths, also different levels of education and literacy. I can write well but but I can't throw a ball 10 feet. But that doesn't show on the internet.

Gutch is a harmless guy. He actually expressed sympathy about Papi's condition recently, which is a far sight more than you (or Allan) would do about an infirm Yankee.

If you're going to make an argument that Sox fans are somehow more literate than Yankee fans, really Jere, you've moved your irrational hatred into another universe.

DanM said...

And best comedy in an internet blog goes to ...

Thanx for the chuckles - it is too funny!

I guess we (Sox fans) give up, eh?

Too FUNNY!