0 comments by Joe Lucia on 5/29/2014
The Houston Astros aren’t a good baseball team. They have the third-worst record in baseball this year, and the second-worst run differential. But this month, and especially over the last week, something seems to be changing. Houston is 13-13 in May, a solid step forward for a team that was so terrible to start the […]
0 comments by Joe Lucia on 5/28/2014
On Wednesday night at Fenway Park, the Red Sox welcomed back members of the 2004 World Championship team. Newly-signed Iowa Cubs player-coach Manny Ramirez was set to throw out the first pitch to Jason Varitek, but as he threw the pitch, Johnny Damon came from out of nowhere to cut off the throw and flip it to Varitek at home plate. This was a hilarious homage to an incident in 2004 when a diving Ramirez cut off a throw from Damon, which led to an inside the park home run.
0 comments by Joe Lucia
Two years ago, we compiled a video gallery of some of the worst first pitches that we’ve ever seen. To this date, the post remains one of the most-viewed in TOC history. But in the two years since, we have seen some even more terrible first pitches and the list needs to be revisited. Of […]
0 comments by Joe Lucia
Managers are really getting a hang of this replay thing…in fact, I’m not even going to whine and complain today! May 21st, Reds vs Nationals – it’s a trap! Is it me, or have we not seen a lot of trap plays get reviewed this year? The Nationals challenged this Billy Hamilton catch down one […]
0 comments by Joe Lucia
Do you remember last month, when Carlos Gomez met a young Brewers fan and drove her to tears? Before Tuesday’s Orioles-Brewers game, that same young fan was in attendance at Miller Park, and Gomez surprised her by having her throw out the first pitch to him. And you know what? It was a damn good toss! 50 Cent could learn a lesson or two from her.
0 comments by Joe Lucia
I don’t have much to say about the Toronto Blue Jays other than “wow”. The Jays won their eighth straight game on Tuesday after beating the Rays 9-6. Mark Buehrle is 9-1 on the season. Edwin Encarnacion has 12 homers in May, and 16 on the season. Scrap heap pickup Juan Francisco has nine homers […]
0 comments by Joe Lucia on 5/27/2014
We have an odd batch of walk offs for you this week, featuring homers, errors, and yes, a balk. You can’t get much more diverse than this! May 20th, Giants vs Rockies – a wild comeback. Nolan Arenado missed a walk off homer by inches, but with two outs and men on the corners in […]
0 comments by Joe Lucia
Hyun-Jin Ryu was flirting with history on Monday night. A day after Josh Beckett no-hit the Phillies, Ryu set the first 21 Reds he faced down in order. Then, things spiraled out of control – quickly. Todd Frazier led off the inning with a double to break up Ryu’s bid at perfection, and Ryan Ludwick […]
0 comments by Joe Lucia on 5/26/2014
Another week of the 2014 season is in the books, and the only thing for sure…is nothing’s for sure. Most impressive team of the week: Toronto Blue Jays. The 2014 Blue Jays are everything that the 2013 Blue Jays were supposed to be. Their 29-22 record leads the AL East, and they’ve actually been able […]
0 comments by Joe Lucia
On Sunday, Josh Beckett added another accolade to his career ledger. He threw the first no-hitter of the 2014 season, and the first of his career, in the Dodgers’ 6-0 win over the Phillies. It was another highlight for him in a career that has mixed flashes of brilliance with crippling disappointment. Sunday, all of […]
0 comments by Joe Lucia on 5/25/2014
Josh Beckett made history on Sunday, throwing the first no-hitter of his 14-year career as the Dodgers beat the Phillies 6-0 at Citizens Bank Park. Beckett’s no-hitter was the first at Citizens Bank Park since Roy Halladay no-hit the Reds in Game 1 of the 2010 NLDS, and the first ever in the regular season. […]
0 comments by Joe Lucia
In the fifth inning of Saturday night’s Royals-Angels game, Alex Gordon very nearly robbed Albert Pujols of a home run in amazing fashion. Gordon scaled the left field wall to make the catch, but the ball bounced out of his glove on the way down. It then proceeded to bounce off of his right shoulder, bounce off of his face, bounce off of his hand, and into his glove.
Unfortunately, the amazing play wasn’t to be. Mike Scioscia challenged the call, and it was overturned as the umpires ruled that the ball hit the wall behind Gordon during the chaos. So close, yet so far away from making this circus catch.
0 comments by Joe Lucia
The Pirates looked dead in the water a week ago. After splitting a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium, the club was 18-25, nine games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. But something happened this week – the Pirates got their game together. After losing game one of a two-game series with the Orioles, Pittsburgh has […]
0 comments by Joe Lucia on 5/24/2014
This is the ultimate moment in dumb luck. This beer vendor at Citizens Bank Park was walking along, hawking cold beers on a warm day during Saturday’s Dodgers-Phillies game. All of a sudden, Carlos Ruiz hits a foul ball down the right field line, and the ball lands in the vendor’s beer bucket – which he was holding on top of his head, with his back facing the field. Give this man a standing ovation, a raise, and some craft beer for that bucket!
0 comments by Joe Lucia
During Friday’s Cubs-Padres game at Petco Park, this Padres fan made a great barehanded catch of a Seth Smith foul ball in the first inning…and proceeded to celebrate by dancing thrusting his hips numerous times. I don’t even know what to say about this – it’s fantastic. Thankfully, he didn’t knock over any of those cans of Boston Lager. That would have been a disaster.
