Up Along First

Mets 5, Marlins 1: Bay Hits Grand Slam(?)

Final Score: Mets 5, Marlins 1

Player of the Game: Jason Bay- 2-for-4, first-inning grand slam

Goat of the Game: Scott Hairston- 0-for-4, 2 K

Jason Bay hit a grand slam. I know, I know, it sounds ridiculous, but it actually happened! The struggling Bay, who was hitting .152 coming into today’s game in Miami, had been hitting .120 since returning from a concussion in July and lost a big chunk of his playing time. Normally on days when Bay is playing I can pencil him in the “Goat of the Game” section, but the grand slam came as a huge shocker.

Bay’s grand slam was part of a five-run first inning off Mark Buehrle, who just had a rough inning. Before Bay’s home run, David Wright  grounded out with Ronny Cedeno scoring on the play. After the first, the Mets were in control with the five-run lead.

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Mets 8, Reds 4: Hey, Who’s This Harvey Kid?

Source: FanGraphs

Final Score: Mets 8, Reds 4

Player of the Game: Matt Harvey- 7.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 89 pitches (63 strikes)

Goat of the Game: Frank Francisco- 0.2 IP,  4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, K, HR

Just one night after Mike Leake stole the show in Cincinnati, it was Matt Harvey’s turn. Harvey, looking to snap a personal three-game losing streak, took the mound for his fifth start in the majors.

Harvey dominated early and seemed to keep getting better as the game progressed. He kept his pitch count low and it looked for a while like he had a shot at pitching a complete game. He got into trouble in the seventh inning, however. The Reds plated a run in the inning, smacking two doubles. In the eighth, Harvey allowed a single and a walk. He was removed with two outs in the eighth inning.

Harvey left the mound very disappointed. He knew in the eighth when Drew Stubbs came to bat that if he walked him, it would be the end of the night. Well, he walked Stubbs and pounded his glove. I’m not sure whether he was more upset about leaving the game or handing the ball to the worst bullpen in baseball.

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Reds 3, Mets 0: The Worst Bullpen In Baseball

Source: FanGraphs

Final Score: Reds 3, Mets 0

Player of the Game: Chris Young- 5.2 IP, 8 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 105 pitches (65 strikes)

Goat of the Game: Josh Edgin- 0.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 HR/ Manny Acosta- 0.0 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB

Notes:

• Chris Young wasn’t particularly great. Sure, he kept the Reds scoreless, but they were so close to breaking the game open. He had trouble every inning. Despite allowing at least one baserunner in every inning, he didn’t allow the Reds to score.
• The same was true (although to a lesser degree) for the Mets against Mat Latos and the Cincinnati bullpen. They loaded the bases in the sixth and seventh innings, but still couldn’t come up with a single run. This is the third time in six games the Mets have been shut out.

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An Idea With Upside

I came across an article today on CBS Sports (h/t Minor League Ball) in which Bryan Fischer talks about a possible between Major League Baseball, and the NCAA in which MLB would help fund some scholarships. Fischer said:

The partnership is aimed at expanding the importance of college baseball and is expected to result a significant investment by MLB that could include funding scholarships across the sport. The NCAA Board of Directors was briefed on the matter last week at their annual meeting.

“It’s very early,” a source said. “But we’re hopeful something meaningful will come out of the talks.”

Baseball is currently an equivalency sport at the collegiate level, with schools allotted 11.7 full scholarships to distribute how they see fit. This results in players receiving a wide range of scholarship money to attend school, from nothing to a select few getting a full scholarship depending on how the coach recruits. What form an MLB sponsorship will take is yet to be determined but it could result in a general scholarship fund or additional scholarships for each school paid by the league.

A move like this could not only put college baseball back on the map, but also offer greater opportunities to players after baseball. Think about all the high school players who get drafted. The vast majority of them don’t make it. However, if they can afford to go to college thanks to a scholarship, they won’t be left with nothing.

The fact that baseball only get 11.7 scholarships is ridiculous. Scholarships are divided up in odd ways to fill out a roster. That’s not how it should be. Everyone who is good enough should be able to play college ball. Also, as Matt Garioch pointed out on Minor League Ball, the quality of play in the NCAA would rise and it would become a great developmental way.

Anything that encourages high school players to attend college, and makes it readily available to them- is something I’m all for.

Original Article

MLB announces addition of Wild Card

Major League Baseball announced officially today that the playoffs will be expanding to ten teams. Here is the press release:

MLB Adopts Expanded Format for 2012 Postseason

Two Additional Wild Cards Will Form 10-Team Postseason in 2012, Marking First Change to Postseason Format Since 1994

The 2012 Postseason will feature a 10-team format that includes two additional Wild Card Clubs and an elimination game in each League prior to the Division Series, Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig announced today.

Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association agreed to the changes to the new Postseason format as a part of last year’s collective bargaining. The new Basic Agreement, announced on November 22nd, provided that MLB and the MLBPA would expand the Postseason no later than 2013; that a second Wild Card would be awarded in both the American League and the National League; and that a single Postseason game would be played between each League’s two Wild Card Clubs, with each winner advancing to compete among the three division champions from each League in the Division Series. Following further discussions to address player concerns, the parties agreed that the new format would be used in 2012.

The change, which was endorsed by the Commissioner’s 14-member Special Committee for On-Field Matters, marks the first amendment to the Postseason since MLB adopted the six-division, eight-team Postseason structure in January of 1994. The first Postseason to be played under that format occurred in 1995.

Commissioner Selig said: “I greatly appreciate the MLBPA’s cooperation in putting the new Postseason format in place this year. The enthusiasm for the 10-team structure among our Clubs, fans and partners has been overwhelming. This change increases the rewards of a division championship and allows two additional markets to experience playoff baseball each year, all while maintaining the most exclusive Postseason in professional sports.”

Michael Weiner, the Executive Director of the MLBPA, said: “The players are eager to begin playing under this new format in 2012 and they look forward to moving to full realignment in 2013. Our negotiating committee and the owners’ representatives worked hard to develop a schedule that should make for fairer competition and provide our fans with a very exciting season.”

For the 2012 Postseason only, the five-game Division Series will begin with two home games for lower seeds, followed by up to three home games for higher seeds. This one-year change will eliminate a travel day prior to a decisive Game Five of the Division Series and was necessary because the 2012 regular season schedule was announced before the agreement on the new Postseason was reached. Next year, the Division Series will return to the 2-2-1 format used in previous years. Details on the scheduling of the new elimination games between each League’s Wild Cards will be announced in the near future.

Prior to 1994, the only changes to the Postseason system in Baseball history were in 1903 and from 1919-1921, when the sport had a nine-game World Series, and in 1969, with the advent of League Championship Series play before the World Series. (Prior to the inaugural World Series in 1903, Baseball experimented with Postseason competition as compact as a best-of-five system in 1884 and as elongated as a best-of-15 series in 1887.)

Original Article

dear-mlb:

Dear Jose Reyes,

Thank you for getting me into baseball. Your enthusiasm for the game and your speed made me enjoy watching the Mets. I can’t imagine the team without your smile. Please stay.

Sincerely, your biggest fan :)