Orioles Didn’t Have a 1st Pitch at Their Home Opener
They just placed the ball on the mound in honor of the late Earl Weaver.
h/t @masnRoch
Home Opener Stat of the Day
Including the 2012 playoffs, the Giants have won the last 14 games that Barry Zito has started.
We need 100,000 signatures by the end of April.
This can be done.
The White House petition link: http://wh.gov/6sFF
Presidential First Pitches, Part I: Taft - JFK
On April 14, 1910, President William Howard Taft threw out the first pitch at Boundary Field as the Washington Senators faced off against eventual World Series champs, the Philadelphia Athletics. Walter Johnson outdueled the pride of Gettysburg College, Eddie Plank, 3-0. Thus began a somewhat erratic tradition of the President of the United States opening the major league baseball season. So how did things turn out? This week we look at the first 9 POTUSes and their roles as harbingers of luck - good or bad.
Note: From 1910 through 1963 all the games involved the Washington Senators: “First in War, First in Peace and Last in the American League.”
Taft, Throws: Right, Career: 2-0
1910 - W, 3-0 vs. Philadelphia
1911 - W, 8-5 vs. BostonWilson, Throws: Right, Career: 3-0
1913 - W, 2-1 vs. NY
1914 - No pitch
1915 - W, 7-0 vs. NY
1916 - W, 12-4 vs. NY
Because of WWI and a subsequent stroke Wilson doesn’t throw out anymore pitches.Harding, Throws: Right, Career: 2-1
1921 - L, 3-6 vs. Boston - the game took 2 hours
1922 - W, 6-5 vs. NY
1923 - W, 2-1 vs. Phil.
Harding died in office in 1923Coolidge, Throws: Right, Career: 3-1
1924 - W, 4-0 vs. Phil. - Senators win their only World Series that year
1925 - W, 10-1 vs. NY - Lou Gehrig plays RF for the Yankees
1926 - No pitch
1927 - W, 6-2 vs. Phil.
1928 - L, 5-7 vs, BostonHoover, Throws: Right, Career: 1-3
1929 - L, 4-13 vs. Phil.
1930 - L, 3-4 vs. Boston
1931 - L, 3-5 (11 inn.) vs. Phil. - Future HOFer Lefty Grove pitches 9th-11th for the win
1932 - W, 1-0 vs. BostonRoosevelt, Throws: Right, Career: 5-3
1933 - W, 4-1 vs. Phil.
1934 - W, 6-5 (11) vs. Boston
1935 - W, 4-2 vs. Phil. - Future HOFer Jimmie Foxx plays catcher; caught 109 games in his career
1936 - W, 1-0 vs. NY
1937 - L, 3-4 vs. Phil.
1938 - W, 12-8 vs. Phil. - Brothers Rick Ferrell and Wes Ferrell (HOF) are the battery for the Senators
1939 - No pitch for FDR. Couldn’t find out why.
1940 - L, 0-1 vs. Boston
1941 - L, 0-3 vs. NY
The outbreak of WWII in 1941 and FDR’s death in 1945 end his service on Opening Day.Truman, Throws: Left, Career: 3-4
1946 - L, 3-6 vs. Boston
1947 - L, 3-9 vs. Boston
1948 - L, 4-12 vs. NY
1949 - W, 3-2 vs. Phil.
1950 - W, 8-7 vs. Phil.
1951 - W, 5-3/W, 8-4 vs. NY - Doubleheader
1952 - L, 0-3 vs. BostonEisenhower, Throws: Right, Career: 5-3
1953 - L, 3-6 vs. NY
1954 - W, 5-3 (10) vs. NY
1955 - W, 12-5 vs. Baltimore - 1st time the Senators play a team that’s not NY, Boston or Philly. The Orioles had moved from St. Louis before the 1954 season.
1956 - L, 4-10 vs. NY
1957 - L, 6-7 vs. Balt.
1958 - W, 5-2 vs. Boston
1959 - W, 9-2 vs. Balt.
1960 - W, 10-1 vs. Boston - Senators pitcher Camilo Pascual strikes out 15. Gives up one run - a home run to Ted Williams in his last Opening Day.Kennedy, Throws: Right, Career: 1-2
1961 - L, 3-4 vs. Chicago - First time facing a team from the Central time zone on Opening Day. This is also the 2nd Washington Senators franchise. The original moved to Minnesota during the offseason to become the Twins.
1962 - W, 4-1 vs. Detroit
1963 - L, 1-3 vs. Baltimore
JFK was assassinated in November 1963.POTUS record 1910-1963: 25-17
List of presidential first pitches courtesy of baseball.about.com. Scores and boxscores available from the amazing www.retrosheet.org.
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The Longest Extra-Inning Opening Day Game…
took place on April 19, 1960….in Cleveland. The Indians hosted the Detroit Tigers. It went 15 innings, both starters went 10 innings before being relieved. Hall of Famer (and former U.S. Senator) Jim Bunning pitched the 11th for Detroit. Teams used a total of 8 pitchers (Detroit - 5, Cleveland - 3)
The Tigers won the game 4-2. Hall of Famer Al Kaline knocked in the winning runs in the top of the 15th. Pete Burnside was the winning pitcher having pitched four innings of perfect relief. The losing pitcher was Mudcat Grant, who would go on to be the Sporting News’ AL Pitcher of the Year for the Twins in 1965. The game lasted 4:54.
took place on April 5, 2012…in Cleveland. The Indians hosted the Toronto Blue Jays. It went 16 innings. The Blue Jays’ starter, Ricky Romero, went 5 innings. The Indians’ starter, Justin Masterson, went 8 innings. Chris Perez, of Cleveland, gave up 3 runs in the 9th to blow the save and send the game into extra innings. Teams used a total of 14 pitchers (Toronto - 8, Cleveland - 6).
The Blue Jays won the game 7-4. J.P. Arencibia hit a 3-run home run in the top of the 16th. Luis Perez was the winning pitcher having pitched 4 scoreless innings of relief. Sergio Santos earned the save. The losing pitcher was Jairo Asencio. The game lasted 5:14.
Thanks to retrosheet.org and the MLB AtBat app.
Play Ball!
“Being with a woman all night never hurt no professional baseball player. It’s staying up all night looking for a woman that does him in.” ~Casey Stengel
Ichiro is currently hitting 1.000 in 2012. This is unlikely to continue, but I’m unwilling to completely rule out a 1.000 season out of hand - I’ve read The Kid Who Batted 1.000, after all.
(Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
