Why was Willie McCovey the Rookie of the Year in 1959?

I always wondered why Vada Pinson didn't get the Rookie of the Year. Because when you look at the numbers it is a no-brainer.

1959 (Vada Pinson)  G-154, AB-648, R-131*, H-205, 2B-47*, 3B-9
                    HR- 20, RBI-84, BA-.316, SB- 21,CS-6

1959 (Willie McCovey) G-52, AB-192, R-32, H-68, 2B-9, 3B-5, HR-13,
                      RBI- 38, BA-.354

Currently rookie status applies to any player with fewer than AB-130
or IP-50 or 45 days on a major league roster in a previous season.

In 1959, fewer than 75-at bats or 45 innings pitched in a previous
season. 

McCovey won the Rookie of the Year award on a mere technicality, Vada Pinson played too much. He had 96 at-bats versus 75 at-bats.

Nobody else had a good enough season to give McCovey any competition.


Kevin J. Marquez

Extra Inning games of Yesteryear

On September 1, 1967, at Crosley Field, the Giants and the Reds played a night game that went 21 innings. The game lasted five hours and forty minutes but I doubt the 13,745 fans who attended the game were complaining. They got a whole lot of bang for their bucks on that Cincinnati evening.

The starting pitchers were Gaylord Perry for SF and Mel Queen for the Redlegs.

Pitching lines: Queen IP-9.1, H-8, BB-1, K-10
Ted Abernathy IP-3.2, H-1, K-2
Don Notre Bart IP-5, H-3, BB-1, K-3
Bob Lee IP-3, H-3, R-1, BB-2, K-3

Perry IP-16, H-10, BB-2, K-12
Frank Linzy IP-5, H-2, K-3
WP Linzy. LP B Lee

Home plate umpire: Tom Gorman

Game ended on a bases-loaded walk to Dick Groat.

Jimmy Ray Hart scored the game's only run.
Red rookie catcher, Johnny Bench had three hits in eight at-bats.

Remember "Downtown" Ollie Brown? He had four hits in eight at-bats.

Side note: On the same night at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh Pirate lefty Woodie Fryman pitched a gem. IP-9, H-3, R-0, BB-1, K-15.  Against the Phillies.

In December of 1967, Fryman was traded to the Phillies with Don Money for Jim Bunning.

Kevin J. Marquez

Kyle Crick is Ready for Bullpen Duty

There are many people who believe the way to break a pitcher into the bigs is to season him and work on his finer points to see how he matures as a starter. But not all players are cut from this tried and true method of molding a prospective starting pitcher.

After last year's horrific bullpen experience, when relievers were unable to get outs for a starter who got the game past the 7th inning with a two or three run lead. That much of a cushion should have been darn near automatic for the bullpen. But the beauty of baseball is you have to execute because in the truest of phrases Yogi Berra ever uttered, 'It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over.'

During spring training Kyle Crick showed the demeanor of someone who can be successful in the bullpen. No nonsense shut down stuff and boy could the Giants use a guy like that out of their bullpen.

I don't know who the odd man out might be, Matt Cain? But we have games that need to be won in April and May.

We need someone with tenacity who is looking for any way to crack the Major League team's lineup. Kyle Crick is that guy.

Kevin J. Marquez

Jack HARSHman

In reading about Juan Marichal vs. Warren Spahn I saw a footnote about other such marathons. Of course, since these other games didn't have the marquee names of Spahn and or Marichal, these tale of yore got tucked away on a dusty shelf to be read another day.

On August 13, 1954, while a member of the White Sox, Jack Harshman faced Al Aber of the Tigers.  The lefty Harshman, is the only guy to give the opponents 65 chances without allowing a run, a feat that hasn't been matched before or since in the live ball era.

Harshman's pitching line: IP-16, H-9,R-0, BB-7, K-12. W (10-6).

Harshman was also a good hitter, hitting 21 career home runs, twice hitting as many as six (6) in a season. (1956 with the Chisox and 1958 with the Baltimore Orioles.)

There have been a lot of ballgames played in the majors and many more in the minors so it shouldn't be too surprising to come across games with unbelievable accomplishments every now and then.

I completely forgot about the game at Shea Stadium, on August 19, 1969, when Juan Marichal had another shutout going into the 14th inning when with one out Tommie Agee hit a walk-off homer. This was the year of the Miracle Mets. History would be written in two months of that year (1969).

The pitching lines were:

Marichal 13.1 IP, 6-H, 1-R, 1-BB, 13-K
Gary Gentry 10-IP, 4-H, 4-BB, 5-K
Tug McGraw 4-IP, 1-H, 1-BB.
WP- McGraw (6-2)
LP- Marichal (14-9)

Giants starting lineup for that game:
Bobby Bonds-RF
Ron Hunt-2B
Willie Mays-CF
Willie McCovey-1B
Bob Burda-LF
Bobby Etheridge-3B
Bob Barton-C
Hal Lanier-SS
(Lanier was only Giant with 2 hits.)

Kevin J. Marquez

The Real Problem in Baseball

The real problem in baseball is how the strike zone is interpreted by major League umpires.

On those days when the home plate umpire can't distinguish a ball from a strike, why not give the pitcher the benefit of the doubt and call pitches hard to decipher STRIKES!

Because the umpire calling balls and strikes is being fooled the pitcher should be rewarded with strikes being called, not balls. (Note: This is predicated on the notion that there will be days the umpire calling balls/strikes will have little difficulty in determining balls from strikes.)

If an umpire, say C.B. Buckner, is regularly butchering the strike zone he should not be given the opportunity to spoil a baseball game with his incompetence.

Kevin J. Marquez

Diamonds in the Rough

A non-roster invitee to the 2017 SF Giants is right-hander Bryan Morris. A 6'3," 29-year-old who turns 30 on March 28.
Morris was the first pick of the L.A. Dodgers in 2006, 26th overall.
On the Marty Laurie show, KNBR680AM, February 25, Tom Hudson was a guest. Marty asked him who he liked and the name Bryan Morris came up. How he has a Mariano Rivera type cutter and how the Giants have had their eyes on this guy. When he became available the Giants pounced.
Something the fans have to know about the Giants' scouting and personnel department, they can spot the diamond in the rough. They don't go after the marquee name because an Andres Torres (to name drop) can contribute just the same.
(Note: A similar thing happened with Chris Marrero. As soon as they heard he was available, whoosh, there they were to snap him up.)

Brian Sabean has a stellar crew working for him. They spend on players they want to keep in the organization. This crew deserves some financial security for keeping the Giants ultra competitive. It sure makes me, a Giant's fan, feel secure.

Kevin J. Marquez

Aaron Hill You are the next...for the 2017 SFGiants

Remember the old Bob Barker "Price is Right?" The voice (Rod Roddy) that would call out the next contestant for the show? Well that's exactly how the Giants are handling this year's Spring training.

They are looking to make the most complete roster with utility players who have quality experience and hopefully still more to offer the game they have added so much to.

Aaron Hill, a name baseball fans are familiar with, especially Giant fans. He's hurt them as a member of the Diamondbacks. He was a first round pick for the Blue Jays, went to Arizona and last season with the Brewers. And I seem to recall him helping the Brewers defeat the Giants in the 2016 campaign last year.

With Jimmy Rollins, Michael Morse, Nick Hundley, and now Aaron Hill, the Giants are hoping to find a spot for these guys to contribute something to a team that can compete with the best the majors has to offer.  I am getting stoked.

Kevin J. Marquez