Like most expansion teams, the San Diego Padres spent their first few seasons flailing in the standings. The team didn't have a pitcher reach double-digit win totals until its second year of existence in 1970, and it didn't have a starting pitcher with a win-loss record above .500 until 1971. In fact, during the Padres' … Continue reading Obituary: Randy Jones (1950-2025)
RIP to Tom Timmermann, who didn't reach the majors until he was 29 years old but had had one record-setting year as a closer. He was also the start of a multi-generation pitching family, although he didn't know that until well into his retirement. Timmermann died at his home in Farmington Hills, MI, on November … Continue reading Obituary: Tom Timmermann (1940-2025)
For six seasons, lefty Bill Pleis was a pretty reliable reliever for the Twins, contributing to the team's 1965 pennant-winning season. Then, for nearly 40 years, he worked as a scout, doing his part to help bring future generations of ballplayers into pro baseball. Pleis died on October 17 at the age of 88. During … Continue reading Obituary: Bill Pleis (1937-2025)
By Al Doyle When starting pitchers routinely had 25 to 30-plus decisions in a season, a 10-10 performance represented ho-hum, mundane mediocrity. That kind of record might have been good enough for the back of the rotation, but 10-game winners were nothing special. Fewer innings for starters today make 20 decisions more of an accomplishment, but … Continue reading When 10-10 Equals Excellence
RIP to left-handed pitcher Rob Mallicoat, a one-time top prospect in the Houston organization before an array of injuries limited his major-league career to 53 games over 3 seasons. He died in Yakima, WA, on October 19 at the age of 60 from colon cancer. He played for the Houston Astros in 1987 and 1991-92. … Continue reading Obituary: Rob Mallicoat (1964-2025)
RIP to John Morris, who was, for 6 games, a member of the Seattle Pilots as part of an 8-year major-league pitching career. Morris died on October 15 in Scottsdale, AZ, at the age of 84. Morris played for the Philadelphia Phillies (1966), Baltimore Orioles (1968), Seattle Pilots/Milwaukee Brewers (1969-71) and San Francisco Giants (1972-74). … Continue reading Obituary: John Morris (1941-2025)
In the span of just 18 games, Jesús Montero made such a splash in the major leagues that he was included in a blockbuster offseason trade that was supposed to bring the New York Yankees a new ace pitcher. Montero, a one-time highly regarded catching prospect, died on October 19 in Valencia, Venezuela, after being … Continue reading Obituary: Jesús Montero (1989-2025)
By Al Doyle Except for double play situations, the concept of pitching to contact – as in efficiently inducing outs through grounders, popups and harmless fly balls – is nearly extinct in modern baseball. This style of pitching is often associated with soft tossers, but even guys with above-average velocity would go for quick outs … Continue reading Weird Stats: The Ultimate Pitch-to-Contact Pitcher
RIP to Larry Burright, an infielder who played in the majors for 3 years in the 1960s as part of a 9-year professional career. He died on October 15 at the age of 88. Burright played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1962) and New York Mets (1963-64). Larry Allen Burright was born in Roseville, IL, … Continue reading Obituary: Larry Burright (1937-2025)
To more recent generations, Sandy Alomar Sr. is best known as the father of two All-Star ballplayers. If you know of Sandy Alomar before the "Sr." was added to his name, you likely remember him as an All-Star major-leaguer in his own right. The elder Alomar played for 15 years in the majors and coached … Continue reading Obituary: Sandy Alomar Sr. (1943-2025)
