There are only four early MLB games to enjoy live during the British evening this working week. Arizona and Atlanta will meet in an early game today, with the Royals facing the White Sox in a day game at U.S. Cellular Field on Wednesday and then Giants-Reds and Mariners-Tigers on Thursday. All times are in BST. Continue reading
Two cycles, two more players hit on the head, one mound-storming, and an outfielder covered in beer… just another week in the Majors.
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Yesterday’s early games produced a fair amount of drama and excitement as two star closers came up short. The Braves got to Brad Lidge in the ninth inning of their game against Philadelphia, turning a 3-2 deficit into a walk-off 4-3 victory. Meanwhile the Mets’ Francisco Rodriguez was blasted for a solo home run by Bengie Molina in the tenth inning of their game against the Giants.Â
More seriously, David Wright was forced to leave the game after being hit in the head by a Matt Cain fastball. Dodgers pitcher Hiroki Kuroda was also struck on the head by a comebacker on a day that reminded us all of the dangers of this non-contact sport. Hopefully there are no repeats of those incidents in today’s early games. Continue reading
Baseball is like any other sport: it’s nothing without the fans. Unfortunately, sometimes the fans are the ones who grab the headlines and it’s normally not for the right reasons.
Shane Victorino received an unwelcome present at Wrigley Field this week. He would normally be quite happy to be given a free beer, but it’s not such a treat when it’s being chucked over you while you’re attempting to make a catch in the outfield. Continue reading
The Cubs put an absolute beating on the Buccos in yesterday’s early game. Let’s hope today’s early encounters produce much closer contests.
18.05. Pirates @ Cubs – Duke (9-10), Gorzelanny (4-2)
21.00. Phillies @ Braves – Hamels (7-7), Kawakami (5-9)
21.05. White Sox @ A’s – Floyd (9-7), Gonzalez (4-2)
21.10. Indians @ Twins – Huff (6-6), Swarzak (3-5)
21.10. Giants @ Mets – Cain (12-4), Santana (13-8)
23.10. Rockies @ Marlins – Cook (10-4), van den Hurk (2-1)
All times are in BST. Continue reading
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board announced yesterday that golf and rugby would be put forward for entry to the 2016 Olympics. The decision ended baseball and softball’s hopes for an immediate return to the Olympic fold after a previous decision in 2005 removed the sports from the 2012 London Games.Â
While supporters of the bid tried to remain optimistic, most baseball fans had little confidence in the IOC’s willingness to listen to the sport’s argument, despite the best efforts of the International Baseball Federation (IBAF). Yesterday’s events lend credence to the belief that baseball never really stood a chance. Continue reading
Scenario: With two outs and no runners on base, the batter hits a grounder between the first baseman and second baseman. The first baseman moves across and gloves the ball cleanly, and has plenty of time to throw to first, but the pitcher neglects to cover the bag and the runner is thus able to reach safely.
As the official scorer, do you charge the pitcher with an error for allowing the batter-runner to reach first?
A – Yes.
B – No.
Highlight the text below to reveal the answer:
Answer: B – No.
Rule 10.12(a)(1) Comment states:
The official scorer shall not charge an error if the pitcher fails to cover first base on a play, thereby allowing a batter-runner to reach first base safely.
While those involved in the National Baseball League (NBL) will inevitably have their thoughts on the approaching National Baseball Championship (NBC) at Roundshaw on 29 and 30 August, the final weekend of the regular season still offers much of interest.
Guest author
Josh Chetwynd
Summary
This article tells the story of how a speedway fan named Albert King came to follow the West Ham Hammers in the London Major Baseball League of the 1930s. The article is based on correspondence that King had with Chetwynd in 2006, around the time that Chetwynd’s book British Baseball and the West Ham Club was being published by McFarland.
Access the PDF
Click here
Please leave comments on the article below.
Here’s the latest BaseballGB Fantasy League write-up. Due to a lack of time, or a tribute to Twitter, I’ll be summarising the week’s results in under 140 characters.| Â |
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| SWAT | 37 | 9 | 43 | 5 | .316 | .914 | 2 | 2 | 25 | 0 | 7.09 | 2.03 | 7 |
| Syracuse Nationals | 25 | 7 | 22 | 3 | .271 | .777 | 1 | 3 | 38 | 0 | 4.99 | 1.39 | 4 |
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| The Wright Stuff | 34 | 7 | 28 | 6 | .284 | .819 | 5 | 5 | 43 | 1 | 3.38 | 1.11 | 7 |
| Bonestalkers | 21 | 11 | 37 | 0 | .290 | .860 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 3.21 | 1.13 | 5 |
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| Orpington Isotopes | 28 | 8 | 29 | 1 | .261 | .799 | 2 | 3 | 54 | 0 | 5.19 | 1.30 | 7 |
| Rio Crande Typos | 32 | 1 | 17 | 7 | .198 | .564 | 4 | 1 | 32 | 2 | 3.92 | 1.37 | 5 |
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| The Cheddar Chasers | 27 | 10 | 31 | 5 | .282 | .829 | 2 | 4 | 32 | 0 | 3.96 | 1.42 | 4 |
| RussDev Giants | 31 | 12 | 40 | 7 | .332 | .922 | 0 | 3 | 24 | 2 | 4.50 | 1.12 | 8 |
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| stevenston angels | 39 | 14 | 36 | 2 | .344 | 1.066 | 4 | 0 | 42 | 1 | 4.68 | 1.34 | 8 |
| Tribal Warfare | 25 | 9 | 21 | 2 | .259 | .825 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 2.45 | 1.33 | 2 |
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| Josh & Jonny Whos | 25 | 3 | 11 | 6 | .232 | .624 | 4 | 1 | 33 | 1 | 5.48 | 1.63 | 5 |
| Borders Bats | 42 | 12 | 35 | 4 | .319 | .905 | 1 | 1 | 30 | 2 | 5.53 | 1.65 | 6 |
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| Braughing’s Bangers | 23 | 5 | 20 | 3 | .312 | .837 | 5 | 2 | 36 | 0 | 2.67 | 1.04 | 7 |
| the gas | 23 | 7 | 28 | 2 | .279 | .771 | 4 | 2 | 30 | 1 | 4.44 | 1.37 | 3 |