How Whit Merrifield became an instant standout for KC Royals | The Kansas City Star

Nice feature on Whit Merrifield.

SEE IT: Mets wore male rompers on flight home

What do male rompers and this Mets season have in common? Neither one should be a thing.

Possible comments:

A) Um.

B) Didn’t realize they hired George Costanza as their new traveling secretary.

C) WTF?

It’s Friday, OMNICHATTER’S in love! for September 15, 2017

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 9-15-2017

Chicago Eagle, September 15, 1917:

Don’t use your meat hand to stop hard-hit balls that are batted back at you. If you do you may put an end to your pitching career.
...
Early last spring [Yankees pitcher Allen] Russell reached for a hard-hit ball through the box with his nude flipper. He got his hand on the ball and succeeded in retarding its progress, but immediately afterwards he suffered a sharp pain in the first two digits of his pitching hook, which was followed by numbness. Then his hand ...

Chase Utley on Hall of Fame: ‘Something that I don’t really focus much on’

The 38-year-old Utley is a famously tough interview, well-known among media members for his unwillingness to say much. Some players and coaches hold court in the clubhouse before games, happy to expound when approached. This isn’t Utley. He has all the joy answering questions of a person giving a deposition.

He admits only sparingly, for instance, that people sometimes talk about him as a future Baseball Hall of Fame candidate.

“I mean, you hear it once in awhile but it’s something that ...

OMNICHATTER’S going to win so much, you’re going to get tired of winning, for September 14, 2017

How Tim Tebow became the greatest value in minor league baseball

Baseball America calculated that Tebow was worth nearly $1.6 million in additional tickets, parking, concessions and other revenue.

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 9-14-2017

Pittsburgh Press, September 14, 1917:

Ray Caldwell isn’t in jail [in New York] today, but it isn’t the fault of New York fans.

When Caldwell was served with an order for his arrest on a charge of abandoning his wife and their seven-year-old son, the New York club planned to take enough money from the gate receipts of the Boston-New York game to make up his bail of $1,000. They found, however, there were not enough spectators to make the required sum and Ray had to get his bail elsewhere.

Jeez, ...

New delivery, old results for Tyler Glasnow in loss to Brewers | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Why not give him some time in the pen in a long reliever role?

Rhys Hoskins hits 17th homer in Phillies win over Marlins

The Phillies are trending up. Aaron Nola also has been pitching well.

Kelly’s Last Trip: The King of Players Put Out by Death

Good stuff here.

Jaime Garcia upset with Joe Girardi after getting pulled - NY Daily News

A win heals all.

“I appreciate it,” Garcia said. “He came over and said it was a tough decision for him and that I was throwing the ball well. But at the end of the day, my job is to execute pitches until they take me out of the game. I thought for the most part I was able to do that today, and the biggest thing is that we won a big game.”

Brewers’ Brett Phillips puts arm on display | MLB.com

The Brewers are doing something right.

Indians defeat Tigers for 21st straight win | MLB.com

It’s Moneyball magic!

Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger has 3 RBIs vs. Giants | MLB.com

Dodgers can’t stop winning.

Elbow surgery will sideline Tigers’ Michael Fulmer for rest of the 2017 season

Ulnar nerve transposition surgery means doctors will move a nerve to a spot in Fulmer’s elbow were it is less likely to be irritated. Fulmer has had issues with numbness and tingling in his fingers on and off all season. There is no structural damage in the elbow.

The 3-4 month recovery indicates Fulmer will be ready for spring, though with the Tigers rebuilding, it stands to reason they will be cautious with their prized young arm. The surgery and recovery will undoubtedly change his ...

Traina: Evan Longoria reveals his top food pet peeve

When pennant dreams fade, sports bar owner Evan dreams of sushi.

“I love sushi,” Longoria said. “Sushi is one of my favorite things to eat. I hate when people slather their sushi with Sriracha. I used to do it just after college and I didn’t know how to eat sushi, so it was like, “I’m gonna eat this fish, but I’m just gonna put Sriracha all over it and it’ll taste like Sriracha.”

He continued, “But now you go to these nice places, there’s a place [in New York] that started in Boston ...

McCullers scratched from start with arm fatigue

Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr., who came off the disabled list Wednesday in Seattle in his first start in more than month, was scratched from his scheduled start Wednesday against the Angels with what manager A.J. Hinch called “arm fatigue.”
...
“I feel fine,” he said.

My credulity, it is strained.

Reports From Japan Suggest Shohei Otani Will Request To Be Posted | MLBTR

Japanese star pitcher/outfielder Shohei Otani has long been on the radar as one of the most talented players on the planet who isn’t already with a MLB organization. He stoked expectations before the season that he might ask his current team — the Nippon Ham Fighters — to make him available to major league clubs through the posting system. Now, reports out of Japan tonight suggest that’s just what will occur.

The article is more eloquent in the original Japanese.

OMNICHATTER shows 20, but gimme one more, for September 13, 2017

A’s want to build new ballpark next to Laney College in Oakland

The Oakland A’s have settled on land near Laney College as their preferred spot for a 35,000-seat, privately financed ballpark to replace the Coliseum, team officials said Tuesday.
“Finally, we’ve got our site,” team President Dave Kaval said of the 13-acre location near downtown, which the A’s selected after also considering the Oakland Coliseum site and land on the waterfront northwest of Jack London Square. “It’s really the strongest location when it comes to private financing, ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 9-13-2017

Pittsburgh Press, September 13, 1917:

James C. Dunn, president of the Cleveland Americans, protested the game which Umpire Owens forfeited to Chicago last Sunday with the score tied in the tenth inning. Owens forfeited the game because he believed the Cleveland players were making a burlesque out of the contest.

The protest was denied.

The story, as best as I can tell: Cleveland’s Jack Graney was called out, the third out of the tenth inning, for interfering with Chicago third baseman Fred ...

2018 Season opens Thursday, March 29, with all 30 teams playing

The earliest non-international start date ever. The last time all the teams started the same day was 1968.

This also confirms that SABR 48 will be held June 20-24, 2018, in Pittsburgh.

I’ll set the over/under for games not completed on that day due to weather at 2.5

Buckets of tears, got all them buckets comin’ outa OMNICHATTER’s ears, for September 12, 2017

Yankees’ Jacoby Ellsbury breaks Pete Rose catcher’s interference mark

[Ellsbury] reached base on catcher’s interference for the 30th time, passing the mark that had been held by Pete Rose. [...] Rose, baseball’s career hits leader, had 15,890 plate appearances. Ellsbury reached the record in 5,308.

Obscure records are the best.

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 9-12-2017

Tulsa Daily World, September 12, 1917:

Uncle Sam’s uniforms are worth a ticket to baseball games in Cincinnati. All soldiers in uniform will be admitted free to games at the Cincinnati National league park, President Herrman announces. This offer, however, will be suspended on Sundays.

That’s very cool of them. No snark. Thumbs up.

Giants send Dodgers to 11th straight loss | MLB.com

The Dodgers keep losing.

Indians rout Tigers, winning streak hits 19 | MLB.com

The Indians keep winning.

As storm clears, Rays focus turns back to baseball | Tampa Bay Times

But they had a lot more important things to be relieved about, principally that with Hurricane Irma largely sparing the Tampa Bay area, their houses, families and friends all said to be safe.

Plus, they are likely to head home after Wednesday’s game to host the Red Sox as planned this weekend at the Trop.

A final decision is expected today, but after determining there was no major damage or flooding at the Trop and talking with St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman about staffing and public ...

High odds against Dodgers, Indians streaks | MLB.com