Giant announcers talked about nothing but McClain's homer for the rest of the game.

not sure what's going on, but he only has 13 years listed in bb-ref, including a gap from 01-04.

oh...thebaseballcube has it: he spent 01-04 in japan. and bb-ref doesn't have rookie leagues years (90-91, even though he spent part of the 91 season on the same team as his 92 season, which bb-ref has).

funny thing is the article references 19 years in the minors, but only 287 hr (which is the number from bb-ref's 13 year minor league history). the cube tallies up 355 home runs for him in 19 seasons.

dude got short-changed again!

I got a chance to talk to Scott McClain in Japan back in 2003 when I was touring all the parks. He was a very nice, soft-spoken guy. He's also quite big. He was really enjoying Japan at the time because with Seibu, he got to play. He said his time in Tampa Bay sitting on the bench wasn't much fun.

A few days before, I had seen Seibu play Kintetsu and the Lions pitcher drilled Nori Nakamura and Tuffy Rhodes (already on base) decided to go after the pitcher. Pretty much everyone got into the brawl except McClain, the third baseman, and Alex Cabrera, the first baseman, who just stood at their bases.

He said that they weren't paid to get into fights.

Didn't he play for the Cubs for a minute?

Yeah, some spring training he hit about 8 HRs for them and was the last cut. He wound up with a September call up the following year I believe.

He played briefly in the majors for TB in 98, Cubs in 05 and SF in 07. Just never hit a ML homer till yesterday.

“I’m glad I hit one that was a no-doubter.”

heh - reminds me of something a commentator (might have been Ken Singleton) said about whenever you ask a ballplayer about his first ML hit, they'll always say it was a line drive over the shortstop's head instead of the duck snort or seeing-eye grounder that it probably was.

bb-ref doesn't have rookie leagues years (90-91, even though he spent part of the 91 season on the same team as his 92 season, which bb-ref has).

B-R only has minor league stats since '92, regardless the level. Hopefully more will come, soon. The Cube is still necessary for certain things.

I like the Cube far more than BBRef when it comes to looking up minor leaguers. Not only to do they have more info than BBRef when it comes to things like how many times a guy was drafted (and by who, and when.. BBRef only lists the draft the player actually signed out of) but they also have college stats for many guys, which is very awesome.
Plus I find it easier to read the Cube's stats than the minors page of BBRef, although I think the majors pages on BB Refs are super easy to read

Not only to do they have more info than BBRef when it comes to things like how many times a guy was drafted (and by who, and when.. BBRef only lists the draft the player actually signed out of)

No, BB-Ref lists every time a player was drafted, whether he signed or not. Look down at the bottom of his page, in the Transactions section.

I do agree that the minor league stats section of BB-Ref isn't the best. But it is gradually improving, and having it interlinked with all the major league stuff on a single site is terrific.

Sounds like an episode of that time-travelling TV show with Scott Bakula. OK the TV show didn't actually travel through time but you get the drift.

I'm seeing Bakula, 19th year in the minors, all set to give up his dream after being called a loser for the millionth time by his devoted girlfriend's father and thinking he's lost her to the playboy owner of the team only to be reminded by his dying son (from a previous marriage) that he promised to hit him a HR in the majors. Finally getting his chance, he gets a hold of one and just as the ball clears the wall, Bakula gets transported out of the guy's body.

Then finds himself looking in the mirror and realizing he's Andruw Jones now.

Primey!

BB-Ref's minor league stats seem more up to date than the Cube's, at least the last few times I've checked. The Cube always seems a few months behind on the current season while BB_Ref is current.

It must be McC(l)ain's year!

Ziggy says you have to murder TJ Simers in order to save the LA Times from going under and costing hundreds their jobs.

Ziggy says you need to improve the tone of the umpire thread.