Last week, I mentioned in passing that the lowest paid attendance for a World Series game was in 1908 between the Tigers and the Cubs. Well, that is not all that was notable about that game and I learned more about it from the “reader in Houston” later that day:
“Regarding the smallest attendance at a World Series game between the Cubs at Tigers in 1908, the crowd of 6,210 in attendance at the game was more than the Tigers’ average regular season attendance, which was 5,665 at Bennett Park (capacity 8,500 – increased to 14,000 in 1910).
“That Game 5 was also the fastest World Series game in history being clocked in at 1:25 and the last championship by the Cubbies until 2016.”
And now you know.
Moving on … The Washington Nationals are not a good MLB team this year and have not been “above average” for the last 5 years. Over the weekend, the Nats fired their manager and their GM. On one hand, you can look at the record since the Nats won the World Series in 2019 and think that the management team of Mike Rizzo and Dave Martinez deserves to be out looking for work. In his tenure with the team, Martinez’ cumulative record was 500-622 – – and there was a World Series season included in that cumulative record. Both men were in the final year of their contracts so one could also wonder why a firing near the All-Star break is going to matter much; this morning the Nats are in last place in the NL East and are 16 games out of first place in that division. Only the woeful Colorado Rockies have a worse record in the NL as of this morning.
For those of you who do not live in the DC area and have no reason to follow the Nats closely, I think at least an equal measure of blame for the team needs to rest with the owners themselves. The Nats have drafted and developed lots of young talent, but the owners do not pay them once they get to free agency. Here are young talents that have come and gone since Dave Martinez took the job 8 years ago:
- Bryce Harper
- Anthony Rendon – – perennially injured
- Juan Soto
- Stephen Strasbourg – – suffered career ending injury
- Trea Turner
It is nice to note that two young Nats are going to be in the All-Star Game this year. Pitcher MacKensie Gore and outfielder James Wood deserve that recognition. And, fans in this area have exactly no reason to think that they will continue to be with the Nats once they accumulate enough MLB time to become free agents.
Switching gears … Last week, Clayton Kershaw recorded his 3000th strikeout. That earns him membership in a rather exclusive club; only 20 pitchers in MLB history have ever done that and Kershaw is only the 4th left-hander to do so. [Aside: Steve Carlton, Randy Johnson and CC Sabathia are the other three lefties on that short list.] So, naturally, that raises the question:
- Is there another active pitcher who might make a run at 3000 career strikeouts?
Here are 4 possibilities:
- Chris Sale is 36 years old and has 2528 Ks to his credit. His injury history is catching up to him – – but he has a shot at 3000Ks if he stays healthy.
- Gerrit Cole is 34 years old and has 2251 Ks to his credit. He is out rehabbing from elbow surgery and will not pitch again until at least 2026 – – he too has a shot if he can have three or four healthy years ahead.
- Charlie Morton is 41 years old and has 2124 Ks to his credit. I think he will need to drink from the Fountain of Youth to find 876 more Ks to record.
- Yu Darvish is 38 years old and is the only other active pitcher with 2000+ Ks to his credit; he has 2007 of them.
Sale and Cole might make it to the “3000-Club” although neither would be an odds-on favorite to do so. Looking at the list of the Top Ten active pitchers with strikeout totals, only Aaron Nola (age 32) is under the age of 35. It could be a while until fans see another pitcher record 3000 strikeouts.
Finally, Connie Mack, former owner and manager of the A’s, had this to say about striking out:
“You’re born with two strikes against you, so don’t take a third one on your own.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………
In 1978, Gaylord Perry became the third MLB pitcher to record 3,000 strikeouts. That means that seventeen pitchers have reached that mountaintop in the last 47 years. Is there a lesson here?
TenaciousP:
There are two lessons. 1. Pitcher injuries can be better attended to with surgery now than in the 40s and 50s. 2. Batters strike out a lot more today with the “swing for the fences” mode of operation at the plate.
Your point about the ownership of the Nats is well taken. They have consistently failed to sign their stars. However, the organization under Mike Rizzo has produced too few stars. The record of drafting and player development is pure awful. The best talent on the team today, Gore, Wood, and Abrams, all came over in the Soto trade. At the same, San Diego, after trading all that young talent, continues to thrive. It is time for Mike Rizzo to go.
Gil:
I agree. the timing is strange though. The Draft is upcoming and Rizzo has to have been prepping for that. (Nats have the overall #1 pick by the way). Also the trade deadline is upcoming and the new interim GM has never orchestrated one of those.
Yes, it is time to move on as an organization – – but his contract is up at the end of this season, so why now?