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Today’s Headlines
CCCora
Alex Cora only started his managerial career in 2018, and he missed the 2020 season entirely (we won’t go into why right now) so it seems pretty dang impressive that he’s already hit the 300 win mark.
That’s a lot of dubs.
Congrats, AC! ? pic.twitter.com/0oZEUdz6qV
— Red Sox (@RedSox) May 20, 2022
Tonight was a real rollercoaster of a game for Boston and Seattle but in the end, Cora’s guys came out on top, and he gets to pass a nice round number milestone. I’m sure it won’t be the last.
Tell Me A Story
And speaking of that rollercoaster game, it was mostly a lift hill for Trevor Story. Well, for his stats at least.
SHEESH ? pic.twitter.com/SRymLSocjN
— Red Sox (@RedSox) May 20, 2022
Story’s been off to a very slow start this season, but if the man is gonna play anywhere outside of Coors, Fenway is probably the best place for his style, and boy did he show it last night. To put it into perspective, have some more numbers:
Some crazy stats from Story’s huge game tonight:
?More RBI himself (7) than the entire Mariners team (6)
? SLG went up from .320 to .413
? OPS went up from .613 to .730
This is the game Red Sox fans were waiting for and wow did Story deliver.#DirtyWater
— DataBase Hit (@DatabaseHit) May 20, 2022
Right now there are a bunch of fantasy players over the moon, and a bunch (including my brother) absolutely tearing their hair out. But much like Cora’s managerial wins, I doubt this is the last time we’ll see something like this from Story.
X For EE
Meanwhile, on the subject of milestones and dumb Roman numeral wordplay in the subheaders, a hearty congratulations to Eduardo Escobar, who reached 10 years of MLB service time on Thursday.
A decade in The Show! ?
Congrats @escobardelapica on ? years in @MLB. ? pic.twitter.com/b2DdNP6CwQ
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 19, 2022
A decade of service time is an incredibly impressive feat all on its own terms, baseball is incredibly hard! To do it at the highest level for a full 10 years is amazing! To quote from the following linked article:
[As of 2018] the average career lasts about 3¾ seasons, and 60% of the players never reach salary arbitration, which in most cases takes three full years.
In addition to the customized champagne, a decade of play comes with some nice perks and the respect of your peers. Maybe most importantly, you get a very cool metal card that guarantees you free admission to MLB games for life.
The Callup Connection
And now, on the opposite end of the spectrum, a pair of dudes who are just getting the MLB service time started.
INF Nolan Gorman and LHP Matthew Liberatore will be joining the team in Pittsburgh.
Libertore will make his MLB debut Saturday at Pittsburgh. pic.twitter.com/j64GQIEDDc
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 19, 2022
That’s the Cardinals announcing the callups of two of their Top 5 prospects for the weekend, specifically their #2 and 3 according to MLB Pipeline. Nolan Gorman was the 19th overall pick in the 2018 draft taken by St. Louis, and Matthew Liberatore was the 16th overall pick in the same draft…taken by Tampa Bay. Liberatore made his way to the Cardinals as part of the Randy Arozarena trade, and now they’re both getting the callup together. But the story doesn’t start there.
these dudes have been best friends since they were 5-years-old so this is obviously extremely cool
from: https://t.co/1dmsspiBr8 https://t.co/Qd9VEArcsm pic.twitter.com/ojSEzv9X0Y
— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) May 19, 2022
The duo made Arizona sports history in the draft, but the odds of two childhood friends getting drafted 3 spots apart seem so wildly slim. The odds of them being drafted by two different teams in different divisions, in different leagues, and then ending up together on the same team and getting called up together must be…astronomical. I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do.
Best Moments From Yesterday
Hats Off To Harper
An unexpected bonus of the universal DH is that we are getting to still see Bryce Harper play on a daily basis. He has a partial UCL tear and has doctor’s orders to refrain from throwing for 6-8 weeks while it heals, which is hard for a starting outfielder to do. But it’s wildly easy for a starting DH to do. And hence, we get to watch Bryce do Bryce things. Like makin’ hat trades.
Harper: Hey dude I want your hat
Fan: say less pic.twitter.com/DtjkEqRmM5— Cut4 (@Cut4) May 19, 2022
Man, that throwback Phillies hat design sure is handsome. I might be talking myself into ordering once. So, thanks for that Bryce.
Dating Yourself
It’s been a whirlwind season debut for Julio Rodríguez, who started the year getting punched out on seemingly any pitch throw his way no matter where it actually crossed the plate. But now he’s getting a good and proper zone, and the performance has followed. A good calendar though? Apparently, that’s still on the way.
I got too excited…? I will fix it later. https://t.co/P5c5tc2tie
— Julio Rodriguez??? (@JRODshow44) May 19, 2022
I think we can probably all forgive Julio for the excitement getting the better of him. Plus, he got the year right, and honestly I have to stop and think about that part of every date I am writing down somewhere.
Pete’s On Fire!
I know that technically you’re only on fire after your shirt swish (so maybe Story was on fire last night?) but I figure a walk-off dinger has to count at least as much, right? Regardless, Pete Alonso sure seems to.
Nothin’ but plate! #LGM pic.twitter.com/VRaDJByK6i
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 20, 2022
I am fully in favor of more and more ever-increasingly elaborate walk-off home run celebrations at the plate. I want costumes, staging, lighting! Give them mics! FULL ON PRO WRESTLING STUFF LET’S GO.
Doogie Howser Makes House Calls?
They call Alex Verdugo “Doogie,” right? I didn’t just make that up, did I? Well, either way, he made a house call to the Green Monster camera pit last night:
Hey there, whatcha doin' Verdugo? ? pic.twitter.com/QhfWJFjjtE
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) May 20, 2022
Listen, if the pitcher is allowed to have a mound visit, why shouldn’t the outfielders get to have a…porthole visit? Hole talk? No, definitely not that last one. A cutout convo! Yes, that’s the one!
This is also a nice reminder of how truly insane the Green Monster is. Just all that…stuff happening at person-level in play. Weird old ballpark stuff rules, I want more of it.
Injuries
- Max Scherzer has a moderate to high-grade internal oblique strain. That comes with a 6-8 week timeframe.
- Chad Green left Thursday’s game with right forearm discomfort.
- Matt Manning left his rehab start in the third inning, but it’s not arm-related.
- Tylor Megill may start throwing again soon.
Articles You Should Read
Jalen Beeks and the Case of the Fun Fact – Ben Clemens, FanGraphs
We’re Talking About Seam-Shifted Wake Wrong – Michael Ajeto, Baseball Prospectus (Sub req’d)
Fantasy Baseball Coverage
Reliever Ranks (Closers) (Holds)
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)