Shohei Otani.
Credit: Erik Drost (licensed under CC BY 2.0)

With baseball’s All-Star Game scheduled for Tuesday evening, the first half of the Major League Baseball (MLB) season is in the books. One player has already etched a historic performance in 2021, drawing comparisons to none other than the great Babe Ruth. That player is Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels. Ohtani has earned the nickname “Shotime” for his dazzling play at the plate, on the base paths, and even on the mound.

Ohtani is a two-way player—that is, a player who excels at both hitting and pitching. In the higher levels of professional baseball, most pitchers are highly specialized in that role at the expense of poor hitting. However, Ohtani has excelled at both during his career. He is also one of the fastest baserunners in MLB. Ohtani stands 6 feet 4 inches (193 centimeters) tall and weighs 210 pounds (95 kilograms). He bats left-handed and throws right-handed. He is a starting pitcher, pitching approximately every five days. During games in which he does not pitch, he serves as the Angels’ designated hitter (DH). A designated hitter bats during a game but does not play in the field.

In 2018, Ohtani’s first season with the Angels, he went 4-2 with a 3.31 earned run average (ERA), also collecting 22 home runs, 10 stolen bases, and a .285 batting average. He earned the American League Rookie of the Year award with his performance. Ohtani suffered an elbow injury at the end of the 2018 season that required surgery. His recovery left him unable to pitch in 2019, but he served as the Angels’ designated hitter for much of the year. He suffered a knee injury in September 2019 that also required surgery. Ohtani struggled through his recovery and a schedule disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. He reinjured his elbow after pitching in just two games.

A fully healthy Ohtani made a historic performance in the first half of the 2021 season. As a pitcher, Ohtani went 4-1 with a 3.49 ERA. He hit 33 home runs, stole 12 bases, and posted a .279 average. He hit well even during a period when offensive statistics were down across the Major Leagues.

Early in his career, Ohtani did not bat in the games he pitched. Another player would be used as the designated hitter to bat in his place. In 2021, the Angels manager Joe Maddon declined to include a designated hitter in many games in which Ohtani pitched, letting Ohtani bat for himself. Such a move was virtually unheard of, as the designated hitter rule was designed to replace the pitcher with a stronger offensive player at the plate. Ohtani was selected to the 2021 MLB All-Star Game as both a pitcher and a DH. It was the first time a player was named an All-Star as both a pitcher and a hitter. Ohtani also became the first pitcher invited to compete in the Home Run Derby, a showcase of MLB’s most powerful hitters. His exceptional two-way production was comparable only to that of Ruth, who was a two-way player during parts of the 1918 and 1919 seasons.

Ohtani was born July 5, 1994, in Oshu, Japan. His father played baseball and his mother played badminton. Shohei started playing baseball at a young age. He remained near his hometown to attend Hanamaki Higashi High School. There, he developed into the top-ranked baseball prospect in Japan. Ohtani was drafted by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), Japan’s highest professional baseball league, in 2013. He was one of the hardest-throwing pitchers and fastest runners in NPB. His batting initially lagged behind his pitching, but he produced an outstanding offensive season in 2016, hitting 22 home runs and batting .322 over 104 games.

After the end of the 2017 NPB season, Ohtani requested that the Nippon-Ham Fighters make him available to MLB teams. Under an agreement between MLB and NPB, Japanese players under 25 years of age could only sign a minor-league MLB contract and earn a league-minimum salary. Ohtani, who was 23 at the time, thus gave up the opportunity to negotiate a large MLB contract in order to enter the league at a younger age. Most of the 30 MLB teams offered to sign Ohtani. Ohtani accepted a contract from the Los Angeles Angels.

Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record with his 715th homer. Aaron held the record over 30 years. He holds the major league record for runs batted in with 2,297. This photo shows Aaron batting at the 1974 All-Star Game.
Credit: © Bettmann/Corbis Images

Baseball lost a living legend with the death of Hank Aaron at 86. Aaron was one of the best players in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed the “Hammer” or “Hammerin’ Hank,” Aaron played 23 MLB seasons from 1954 through 1976, nearly all of them with the Milwaukee and then Atlanta Braves. A consistent and powerful hitter, Aaron’s 2,297 career runs batted in (RBI’s) are the most in MLB history. He also ranks second in career home runs (755), third in career hits (3,771) and games played (3,298), and fourth in runs scored (2,174). Aaron was also an outstanding defensive player, winning three Gold Gloves as the best right fielder in the National League (NL). Aaron was an All-Star every season from 1955 through 1975, and he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. After his playing career, Aaron served as an executive in the Braves organization.

Henry Louis Aaron was born on Feb. 5, 1934, in Mobile, Alabama. Aaron’s brother Tommie (1939-1984) also later played for the Braves. Henry began playing semiprofessional baseball while still in high school. After a brief time playing in the Negro leagues, Aaron signed a minor league contract with the Boston Braves in 1952.

The Braves moved to Milwaukee in 1953, and Aaron debuted for the team in 1954. Now often called “Hank,” Aaron was named the NL Most Valuable Player in 1957, a season in which he and fellow Braves stars Eddie Mathews and Warren Spahn led the team to a World Series title. The Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966. Aaron’s consistency and durability allowed him to put up remarkable offensive numbers throughout his career. He hit 24 or more home runs every year from 1955 through 1973, including 8 seasons of 40 or more. He drove in 100 or more runs 11 times, hit .300 or better 14 times, and scored 100 runs or more 15 times. On April 8, 1974, Aaron hit the 715th home run of his career, surpassing Babe Ruth as the all-time MLB home run king. After the 1974 season, Aaron returned to Milwaukee, this time playing for the American League’s Brewers. He retired after the 1976 season. Both the Braves and the Brewers retired Aaron’s uniform number 44.

In 1976, Aaron received the Spingarn Medal, the highest honor given by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In 2002, Aaron was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor awarded by the president of the United States.

In August 2007, San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds hit his 756th career home run, surpassing Aaron on the all-time list. Suspicions of performance-enhancing drug use persistently surrounded Bonds, however, and many still consider Aaron to be the legitimate home run king.

Team publicity photo for the 1919 Chicago American Giants, a team that played in the Negro leagues.
Credit: Public Domain

Forty-eight years after his death, the baseball star Jackie Robinson just got 38 more hits. In December 2020, Major League Baseball (MLB) decided to grant major-league status to the Negro leagues—recognizing Negro league accomplishments as equal to those in the American and National leagues. The Negro leagues were professional baseball leagues formed for Black players, who were barred from playing alongside whites because of racial segregation. The leagues operated from 1920 to 1962.

Negro league teams were a source of pride for Black communities, where competition was just as fierce and the level of play just as high as in the segregated American and National leagues. Baseball historians agree that many players in the Negro leagues would have shone in the white leagues. Black entrepreneurs operated many of the teams and employed Black people from the local community as ticket-takers, ushers, and vendors.

The MLB plans to review the statistics and records of the approximately 3,400 players who played in the Negro leagues from 1920 to 1948 and incorporate them into major league historical records. The records from the Negro leagues are fragmentary, so the MLB will work with historians and statisticians to search for and review data from the period. The process will be ongoing, with records being updated as new box scores come to light.

In 1945, before the Brooklyn (now Los Angeles) Dodgers fielded Robinson, he played 26 games with the powerhouse Kansas City Monarchs, posting a blistering .384/.445/.606 slash line. Two years later, Robinson became the first Black player in the modern history of the MLB. The stats of some other early crossover stars, such as Larry Doby and Satchel Paige, will be greatly bolstered. Players who spent their entire careers in the Negro leagues, such as Cool Papa Bell, Oscar Charleston, Josh Gibson, and Buck Leonard, will gain entry into the major league record books.

Satchel Paige pitched 18 seasons in the Negro leagues before entering Major League Baseball in 1948 at age 42. Credit: AP/Wide World

The decision makes some amends for a double injustice inflicted upon Black baseball players. First, they were barred from playing on major league teams. Then, their achievements were downplayed or dismissed because of a lack of MLB play. No Negro league stars were enshrined in baseball’s Hall of Fame until the induction of Paige in 1971.

The inclusion of Negro league statistics in the official baseball record books comes too late to offer any consolation to most of the leagues’ veterans. However, it recognizes these players’ incredible talent and their importance in the fight for racial equality and the history of the game. These records will testify to their dogged determination to play America’s pastime in the face of great injustice.

Baseball executive Kim Ng, shown at a youth promotional event for Major League Baseball, became general manager of the Miami Marlins in 2020.
Credit: © Rob Leiter, MLB Photos/Getty Images

On November 13, the Major League Baseball (MLB) team the Miami Marlins named Kim Ng as general manager, making her the first woman hired to run a major league team’s operations. As general manager, Ng’s responsibilities include making trades, negotiating contracts, and running the team’s draft. Ng’s appointment is significant not only for baseball, but for all sports—Ng became the first woman general manager in any major North American men’s professional sports league.

In 1990, Ng began working for the Chicago White Sox as an intern. Seven years later, she left the White Sox for the American League office. (The National League and American League kept separate offices until owners voted to consolidate their management in 1999.) At the American League office, she served as the director of waivers and records. At age 29, she became the youngest assistant general manager, when she joined the New York Yankees in 1998. In 2002, she moved to the West Coast, serving as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ vice president and assistant general manager. In 2011, she became the senior vice president of operations for MLB. She worked in this role until her appointment as the general manager of the Marlins in 2020.

Ng was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, but she grew up in Queens, one of the five boroughs (districts) of New York City. Despite growing up close to the home of the New York Mets, she became a Yankees fan. She graduated from Ridgewood High School in New Jersey in 1986. She then attended the University of Chicago, where she played softball. She graduated in 1990 with a degree in public policy.

The Los Angeles Dodgers pour out of the dugout to celebrate their World Series victory after relief pitcher Julio Urias (foreground) strikes out Willy Adames of the Tampa Bay Rays to give the Dodgers the 3-1 win at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on Oct. 27, 2020.
Credit: © Tom Pennington, Getty Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers, one of the best teams in baseball over the past four years, finally have a championship to show for it. They defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 on October 27 to win the 2020 World Series in six games. It was the team’s first championship since 1988.

The Rays took an early 1-0 lead in Game 6 on a home run from rookie Randy Arozarena. Starting pitcher Blake Snell tied Dodger batters in knots for the first five innings. But after Snell yielded a sixth-inning single, Rays manager Kevin Cash opted to remove him in favor of the team’s formidable bullpen. The decision immediately backfired as reliever Nick Anderson allowed two runs to score. It was all the offense LA would need, as manager Dave Roberts mixed-and-matched seven different pitchers in a stifling performance. Game 6 featured a total of 27 strikeouts, the most ever in a 9-inning World Series game.

Both teams emerged from an abbreviated 60-game regular season with the best records in their respective leagues and survived a grueling playoff schedule featuring an additional round of games. The Dodgers had reached the World Series in two out of the previous three years, only to lose to the American League (AL) club. Their 2017 defeat was rendered especially bitter when a subsequent revealed that the Houston Astros, to whom the Dodgers lost, had been cheating. From 2016 to 2018 and possibly longer, Houston made use of a camera feed that was part of their home stadium’s instant replay system to view and decode opposing catcher’s hand signals. Pitch information was relayed to players in the dugout and to batters on the field. In some cases, players in the dugout cued batters to the upcoming pitch by banging on a trash can.

The 2020 Dodgers relied on contributions from many stars to take the championship. Shortstop Corey Seager was named series Most Valuable Player (MVP) with a .400 batting average and 2 home runs. Outfielder Mookie Betts, an offseason acquisition from the Boston Red Sox, delivered clutch base-running, catches, and home runs throughout the playoffs, including a homer in the eighth inning of Game 6 to pad LA’s lead. Ace starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw, much-maligned for poor performances during previous playoff runs, turned in several solid postseason outings.

The Dodgers’ celebration was marred by news of a positive COVID-19 test by third baseman Justin Turner. The veteran was removed from the game in the eighth inning after the team learned of the result. Major League Baseball (MLB) operated its postseason in a bubble like other North American sports, keeping players and team personnel confined in hotels near neutral-site ballparks. (The World Series was played entirely at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, normally home of MLB’s Texas Rangers.) Turner’s case was the first positive result during the postseason.

The Dodgers overcame a heartbreaking loss in Game 4 to win the series. The lead changed hands four times, all after the fifth inning. The game ended with the wildest play to ever occur during major-league playoff baseball. With the Rays down 7-6 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, backup outfielder Brett Phillips pinch-hit with runners on first and second. He laced a single into right-center field off Dodgers closer Kenley Jensen. Center fielder Chris Taylor bobbled the ball, allowing the tying run to waltz home. Trailing runner Randy Arozarena attempted to score as well, but he stumbled and fell while rounding third. The ball reached home in plenty of time, but catcher Will Smith, expecting a close play at the plate, spun to apply the tag too quickly. The ball clanked off his mitt and rolled into foul territory. Arozarena scrambled to his feet and stumbled home, securing a shocking 8-7 Rays victory.

The playoffs were a coming-out party for the Rays’ Arozarena. The Cuban outfielder was called up in late August and hit a robust .281/.382/.641 with 7 home runs in just 23 games. His postseason performance, however, was nothing short of historic. Over the course of 20 games, he mashed a spectacular .377/.442/.831 with a postseason-record 10 homers.

Arozarena was part of a low-cost Rays team featuring castoff veterans and young stars. Two of the Dodgers’ highest-paid players, Kershaw and Betts, together earned just $2 million less than the entire Rays roster. The small-market club was able to parlay its meager payroll into a ticket to baseball’s championship series through shrewd acquisitions, analytics, and management. The Rays will need to continue their shrewdness to stay ahead of their free-spending AL East rivals, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, in 2021 and beyond.

The Dodgers, on the other hand, combine their comparable shrewdness with a massive payroll. Betts signed a lucrative contract extension before playing even a single game in LA. Several young starters are vying to take the veteran Kershaw’s place as ace of the pitching staff, though not if the old left-hander has anything to say about it. The reigning champions may be the team to beat for years to come.

January 27, 2020

On Tuesday, January 21, Major League Baseball (MLB) greats Derek Jeter and Larry Walker were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Jeter, an outstanding all-around shortstop, earned 99.7 percent of the possible votes (396 of 397) in his first year of eligibility. Walker, a powerful outfielder in his 10th and final year of eligibility, received 76.6 percent of votes cast, just exceeding the 75 percent required for election. The former catcher Ted Simmons, elected in December 2019 by the Modern Baseball Era Committee, will also be enshrined in the Hall of Fame on July 26, 2020. Joining the players will be the sportswriter Nick Cafardo, the broadcaster Ken “Hawk” Harrelson, and the former players’ union executive Marvin Miller.

The longtime Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter will headline baseball’s Hall of Fame class in 2020. Credit: © Rebecca Cook, Reuters/Landov

Derek Jeter, who was born in New Jersey and grew up in Michigan, played 20 MLB seasons from 1995 through 2014 with the New York Yankees. He won five Gold Glove awards as the best defensive shortstop in the American League (AL). He also won five Silver Sluggers as the best hitter at his position. A career .310 hitter, Jeter was a 14-time All-Star, hit 260 home runs, and his 3,465 career hits are the most ever by an MLB shortstop. Known for his leadership as well as his playing ability, Jeter served as team captain of the Yankees from 2003 through 2014. During Jeter’s time in New York, the Yankees won seven AL pennants and five World Series.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum honors players and other individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the sport. It is located in Cooperstown, New York. Credit: National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

The Canadian Larry Walker played 17 seasons for the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies, and St. Louis Cardinals from 1989 to 2005.  Walker blossomed in Montreal, where in 1992 he made the first of five career All-Star teams. It was in Denver, however, that Walker made his case for the Hall of Fame. In nine full seasons with the Rockies, he batted .300 or better seven times and led MLB in hitting in 1998 (.363), 1999 (.379), and 2001 (.350). In 1997, he hit .366 with 49 home runs and 130 runs batted in (RBI’s) and was named the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player. Walker ended his career with 2,160 hits, 383 home runs, 1,311 RBI’s, and a .313 lifetime batting average.

Michigan’s Ted Simmons played 21 seasons with the Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, and Atlanta Braves from 1968 to 1988. Simmons become an everyday catcher in 1971, and in 1972 he made the first of eight All-Star teams. An exceptional switch-hitter, Simmons hit .300 or better seven times, hit 20 or more home runs six times, and topped 90 RBI’s eight times. He retired with 248 home runs, 2,472 career hits (second all-time to Iván Rodríguez among MLB catchers) and 1,389 RBI’s (second to Yogi Berra among catchers).

Nick Cafardo, a longtime beat writer for the Boston Red Sox, joined the Hall of Fame as the winner of the J. G. Taylor Spink Award “for meritorious contributions to baseball writing.” Hawk Harrelson, who hit 131 home runs as an MLB player in the 1960′s, broadcast MLB games–mainly for the Chicago White Sox–from 1975 through 2018 and entered the Hall as the winner of the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasters. Marvin Miller oversaw the advent of player free agency during his tenure as the executive director for the Major League Baseball Players Association from 1966 to 1982.

Hall of Fame voting is based upon a player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team or teams on which the player played. Votes are cast by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America with at least 10 consecutive years of service. To be eligible, ballplayers must have spent at least 10 seasons in the majors and been retired for 5 years. Exceptions are made in the case of severe injury or sudden death, such as with Roberto Clemente. Eligible players remain on the Hall of Fame ballot for 10 years, after which they can gain entry only though the select eras committees. The eras committees, made up of former executives, managers, players, and umpires, also choose nonplayers such as Cafardo, Harrelson, and Miller for entry into the Hall of Fame.

November 6, 2019

Last week, on Oct. 30, 2019, the Washington Nationals defeated the Houston Astros 6-2 to win the Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series four games to three. It was the first MLB title in the history of the Nationals, a team that originated in 1969 as the Montreal Expos. The franchise moved from Montreal to Washington, D.C., following the 2004 season. Washington entered the playoffs as a National League (NL) Wild Card team, having finished second in the NL East at 93-69. For the American League (AL) champion Astros, the World Series defeat was something of a surprise. The team was a heavy favorite to win it all after leading MLB with 107 regular season wins.

The Washington Nationals celebrate winning the World Series at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas, on Oct. 30, 2019. The Nats beat the Astros 6-2 in game seven to win the series four games to three. Credit: © Mike Ehrmann, Getty Images

The Nats’ game seven win at Houston’s Minute Maid Park capped a World Series in which the visiting team won every game—a first in MLB history. The Nats won games one and two in Houston, dropped games three through five at home in D.C., and then rebounded in Houston to win games six and seven. Typically, teams playing at home have a slight advantage. For Washington, D.C., it is the city’s first baseball title since the Washington Senators, an AL team, won the World Series in 1924. That Senators’ team became the Minnesota Twins in 1961. A second Senators team floundered in D.C. until becoming the Texas Rangers in 1972. D.C. then went without an MLB team until the Nats arrived in 2005.

The Nats got off to a strong start in the 2019 World Series, defeating the two favorites for the AL Cy Young Award (given to the best pitcher in the league)—Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander—in games one (5-4) and two (12-3). Of course, the Washington starters were pretty good, too: veteran ace Max Scherzer won game one and 18-game winner Stephen Strasburg notched the “W” in game two.

The Astros had their work cut out for them as the series moved to D.C., and the team went to work in style. MLB’s best regular season ball club dominated the Nats on their home field, easily winning games three (4-1), four (8-1), and five (7-1). Momentum seemed to have fully swung in Houston’s direction as the series returned to Texas, but the orange-clad fans at Minute Maid Park were disappointed as the Nats and Strasburg beat Verlander a second time (7-2) in game six.

In the winner-take-all game seven, Astros starter Zack Greinke cruised early, giving up just one hit through six innings. For the Nats, a gassed and ailing Max Scherzer did not have his best stuff. He allowed numerous Astros to reach base, but Houston scraped across just two runs against him in five innings. Nationals lefty Patrick Corbin then took over, crisply throwing three scoreless innings to hold Houston at bay.

The Nats finally got to Greinke in the seventh inning as third baseman Anthony Rendon ripped a home run to left. After a walk to the young Nats slugger Juan Soto, Astros manager A. J. Hinch replaced Greinke with reliever Will Harris. Nats designated hitter Howie Kendrick touched Harris for a two-run homer, giving Washington a 3-2 lead. The Nats then added insurance runs in the eighth and ninth to make it a 6-2 game. Washington manager Dave Martinez brought in closer Daniel Hudson for the bottom of the ninth, and Hudson recorded the final three outs on just 12 pitches. Nats pitcher Stephen Strasburg was named World Series Most Valuable Player, but the award could have gone to a number of other Nats players who played brilliantly in the series.

October 7, 2019

As the 2019 Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason rolls along in cities across the United States, World Book looks back 100 years ago to the Black Sox scandal, a conspiracy to fix the 1919 World Series played between the Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds. The conspiracy involved a number of White Sox players taking money from gamblers to throw (intentionally lose) games in the series. The scandal shocked baseball fans and hurt the game’s reputation. It also led to the lifetime bans of eight White Sox players, the introduction of a league commissioner, and strict rules prohibiting gambling in baseball. The name Black Sox was chosen to symbolize the tarnished reputation of the White Sox team.

The 1919 Chicago White Sox pose for a team photo. The eight players banned for life because of the Black Sox scandal were Eddie Cicotte (1st row, 3rd from left); Happy Felsch (2nd row, 3rd from right); Chick Gandil (2nd row, 2nd from right); Joe Jackson (3rd row, 2nd from right); Fred McMullin (3rd row, 5th from right); Swede Risberg (3rd row, 5th from left); Buck Weaver (2nd row, 1st from right); and Lefty Williams (1st row, 2nd from right). Credit: Public Domain

In the early 1900’s, gambling in baseball was fairly common, and there were often reports of players—who were poorly paid by today’s standards—throwing games to make extra money. In 1919, the White Sox enjoyed a terrific season and were heavily favored to win the World Series. Right before the series, however, large sums of money were bet on the Reds to win, causing many people to suspect the series might be fixed. Several White Sox players underperformed in the series, which the Reds eventually won.

In 1920, a grand jury investigated allegations of corruption during the 1919 World Series. Three White Sox players confessed to taking bribes. Seven players were eventually tried for conspiracy. The players were acquitted in 1921. MLB’s newly appointed commissioner, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, banned all eight of the players accused in the scandal from baseball for life. Landis later banned or suspended other MLB players suspected of gambling or other infractions. Landis’s actions restored the public’s faith in the game. New rules stated that any player, umpire, or other baseball official who bet on games unconnected to the bettor would be suspended for one year. Players or others who gambled on games in which they were involved would be “permanently ineligible”—banned for life.

Star outfielder “Shoeless” Joe Jackson was banned from Major League Baseball because of the Black Sox scandal. He is seen here with the Cleveland Naps before his trade to Chicago in 1915. Credit: Public Domain

The eight players banned from baseball because of the Black Sox scandal were pitchers Eddie Cicotte and Claude “Lefty” Williams; infielders Arnold “Chick” Gandil, Fred McMullin, Charles “Swede” Risberg, and George “Buck” Weaver; and outfielders Oscar “Happy” Felsch and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. Evidence suggests that Weaver was not in on the fix, but he was banned for being aware of the plan and doing nothing to stop it.

The American author Eliot Asinof’s 1963 book about the scandal, Eight Men Out, was made into a popular motion picture of the same name in 1988.

July 24, 2019

On Sunday, July 21, the Major League Baseball (MLB) greats Harold Baines, Roy Halladay, Edgar Martínez, Mike Mussina, Mariano Rivera, and Lee Smith were inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Rivera, the MLB career leader in saves, was the first player unanimously voted into the Hall of Fame, having received 100 percent of the possible votes in his first year of eligibility. Halladay, an outstanding starting pitcher who died in an airplane crash in 2017, was also elected on the first try. Voters named him on 85 percent of the ballots, well above the 75 percent required for election. Martínez, a slugging infielder and designated hitter, made the Hall with 85 percent of the vote on his tenth and final time on the ballot. Mussina, another starting pitcher, earned 77 percent of the vote on his sixth try. The former pitcher Lee Smith and the outfielder-designated hitter Harold Baines were elected in December 2018 by the Modern Baseball Era Committee. Joining the players were the broadcaster Al Helfer and the sportswriter Jayson Stark.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum honors players and other individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the sport. It is located in Cooperstown, New York. Credit: National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Some 55,000 people packed the grass field outside the Hall of Fame’s Clark Sports Center, where a ceremony initiates the exclusive club’s newest members each year. On stage with the newcomers were 53 members elected in previous years and decades. “Moose” Mussina was the first to take the stage and deliver an acceptance speech. Mussina pitched 18 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees from 1991 to 2008. A durable and consistent winner, Mussina started at least 24 games, pitched at least 150 innings, and had at least 11 wins from 1992 to the end of his career. He led the AL in wins in 1995 (19), made five All-Star teams, won seven Gold Gloves as his league’s best fielding pitcher, and reached the 20-win mark for the first time in 2008, his last season in the majors. Mussina retired with 270 wins and a career 3.68 earned run average (ERA).

National Baseball Hall of Fame logo.
Credit: © National Baseball Hall Of Fame

Up next was Brandy Halladay, who represented her late husband, Roy. “Doc” Halladay pitched 16 seasons for the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies from 1998 to 2013. Halladay stumbled through his first few MLB seasons, but he harnessed his talent in 2002 with a 19-7 record and a 2.81 ERA. In 2003, he won 22 games and the Cy Young Award as his league’s best pitcher. Halladay went on to make eight All-Star teams and win a second Cy Young Award in 2010. Injuries hampered his last seasons and he retired with 203 wins, 67 complete games, 20 shutouts, and a career 3.38 ERA.

Harold Baines then spoke for 10 minutes, a lengthy time for the soft-spoken slugger. Baines played 22 MLB seasons from 1980 to 2001. He spent the majority of his career with the Chicago White Sox, but he logged significant time with four other teams during his long career. Baines played outfield before transitioning into a full-time designated hitter. A remarkably consistent and productive hitter, Baines hit 20 or more home runs 12 times and drove in 80 or more runs 11 times. He made six All-Star teams and retired with 2,866 hits, 384 home runs, 1,628 RBI’s (runs batted in), and a career .289 batting average.

Edgar Martínez took the podium after Baines. Martínez played 18 seasons with the Seattle Mariners from 1987 to 2004. He did not earn regular playing time until 1990, when he started at third base and hit .302. Two years later, he hit .343 to win the American League (AL) batting title. In 1995, by then primarily a designated hitter, Martínez led the league in hitting again with a stout .356 average. He went on to hit .312 for his career, during which he was named to seven All-Star teams. He retired with 2,247 hits, 309 home runs, and an outstanding career on-base percentage of .418.

Lee Smith, a dominant closing pitcher, took the role of set-up man at Sunday’s ceremonies. Smith played 18 seasons from 1980 to 1997. Known best for his early years with the Chicago Cubs, Smith pitched for seven other teams during his career. Smith led the National League (NL) in saves in 1983 (29) and averaged 33 saves his next four seasons with the Cubs. Pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals, Smith led the NL in saves in 1991 (47) and 1992 (43). In 1994, at age 36, he led the AL in saves (33) with the Baltimore Orioles. Smith retired with a career 3.03 ERA and a then-MLB record 478 saves, a mark that was later passed by Mariano Rivera—who fittingly wrapped up the day’s speeches.

In 2019, Mariano Rivera became the first player unanimously voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Credit: © Scott Anderson, Dreamstime

Rivera, the greatest closing pitcher in MLB history, played 19 seasons for the Yankees from 1995 to 2013. Rivera started 10 games his rookie season, but quickly shifted to the bullpen, where he became the team’s regular closer in 1997. Rivera saved 43 games that season, and went on to record at least 28 saves in 15 consecutive seasons (averaging 40 over that period). He retired as the all-time career leader in saves (652). Rivera made 13 All-Star teams, was a key part of five Yankees World Series titles, and posted a sparkling 2.21 career ERA.

Major League Baseball (MLB) Logo.
Credit: © Major League Baseball

Al Helfer, who called games for eight MLB teams from 1933 through 1969, joined the Hall of Fame as the 2019 winner of the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasters. Jayson Stark, a beat writer for the Phillies for 20 seasons before covering baseball for ESPN and then The Athletic online magazine, earned entry as the 2019 winner of the J. G. Taylor Spink Award “for meritorious contributions to baseball writing.”

Hall of Fame voting is based upon a player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played. Votes are cast by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, which consists of writers with 10 consecutive years of service in the association. To be eligible, ballplayers must have spent at least 10 seasons in the majors and been retired for 5 years (exceptions are made in the case of severe injury or sudden death, such as with Roberto Clemente). Eligible players remain on the Hall of Fame ballot for 10 years, after which they can gain entry only though the select eras committees. The eras committees, made up of former executives, managers, players, and umpires, also choose nonplayers such as Helfer and Stark for entry into the Hall of Fame.

July 12, 2019

On Tuesday night, July 9, the American League (AL) topped the National League (NL) 4-3 in a crisply played Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. The AL jumped out to a 4-1 lead and held on for its seventh consecutive win. The All-Star Game features the best MLB players in a midseason interleague exhibition. Cleveland Indians right-hander Shane Bieber, pitching before an adoring home crowd, struck out three National Leaguers in the fifth inning to earn the game’s Most Valuable Player award. Events surrounding the All-Star Game were rock music themed, as Cleveland is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

The 2019 MLB All-Star Game logo honors the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, where the American League topped the National League 4-3 at Progressive Field on July 9, 2019. Credit: © Major League Baseball

Los Angeles Dodgers lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu, a first-time All-Star, started the game for the NL, and eight-time All-Star Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros took the hill for the AL. Both sides then rolled out new arms every inning, using 18 of the 31 pitchers invited to the game. Another Dodgers left-hander, Clayton Kershaw, surrendered the game’s first run in the second inning on a double by Astros outfielder Michael Brantley, scoring fellow Astro Alex Bregman. Minnesota Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco delivered an RBI (run batted in) single in the fifth for a 2-0 AL advantage, but Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon homered in the sixth to cut the lead in half.

In the seventh inning, Oakland Athletics third baseman Matt Chapman scored on a double play and Texas Rangers slugger Joey Gallo homered to extend the AL lead to 4-1. New York Mets rookie Pete Alonso brought the NL closer with a clutch two-out, two-run single in the eighth, but New York Yankees fireballer Aroldis Chapman fanned the side in the ninth to seal the 4-3 AL victory. AL pitchers set a record by striking out 16 NL hitters, the most ever in a 9-inning All-Star game.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout, seen here hitting at San Francisco’s Oracle Park, played in his eighth-straight All-Star Game on July 9, 2019. Trout wore number 45 during the game to honor his late teammate, Tyler Skaggs. Credit: Keith Allison (licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0)

The AL squad was led by Alex Cora, manager of the 2018 World Series champion Boston Red Sox. Dave Roberts, manager of last year’s NL champion Dodgers, led the NL side for the second-straight year. A moment of silence before the game honored Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, who passed away suddenly at age 27 on July 1, 2019 (there has been no official cause of death). Angels All-Stars Mike Trout and Tommy La Stella both wore Skaggs’s number 45 on their jerseys, and all players wore a black 45 patch on their uniforms.

Major League Baseball (MLB) Logo.
Credit: © Major League Baseball

Cleveland has now hosted six All-Star games (1935, 1954, 1963, 1981, 1997, and 2019), more than any other city. In the 1997 game, a 3-1 AL victory, the AL began an era of dominance over the NL, and the American Leaguers have now won 19 of the past 23 games. Overall, however, the history is nearly even. Since the first All-Star Game in 1933, the AL has won 45 times and NL squads have won 43 (along with 2 ties). The AL has outscored the NL by a scant 3 runs (373-370) in All-Star play. There was no All-Star Game in 1945 because of World War II travel restrictions, and from 1959 through 1962, there were two All-Star games each year.

In other All-Star festivities, a pair of slugging rookies took the Home Run Derby to new heights on Monday night. The Blue Jays’ 20-year-old Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., broke the single-round home run record (40) as well as the derby total record (91), but the Mets’ phenom Alonso bested Guerrero (son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero) 23-22 in the final round for the title. On Sunday evening, the best of Minor League Baseball squared off in the All-Star Futures Game. The AL and NL future stars battled to a 2-2 tie.