When the Washington Senators selected Andy Pettitte with the first overall pick in this June’s amateur draft, it wasn’t greeted with overwhelming fanfare. There were louder names on the board. Flashier arms. But what the Senators saw was a 23-year-old lefty with polish, poise, and the kind of mental makeup you can’t teach. Now, just a month after that pick, Pettitte is already showing why Washington's front office might have hit a home...
As the Chicago Cubs navigate a competitive Central Division race, they’re doing so without one of their most consistent and quietly dominant arms. Teddy Higuera, the 36-year-old veteran left-hander with over 2,100 career strikeouts and nearly 40 WAR to his name, remains sidelined with a strained hamstring that has now stretched into its second month of complications. Originally diagnosed on June 5th as a four-week, day-to-day injury,...
Koji Akiyama’s 1995 season may have ended before it ever really got started. The Minnesota Twins center fielder, who went down on April 15th with a partially torn labrum, was expected to miss four months. But after a recent setback in his rehab, team officials confirmed on June 28th that Akiyama will now be out for an additional three months. With the Twins buried in the standings, the odds of seeing him back on the field this season are...
Teams (Total Points, Tendency):1) Kansas City Royals (126.0, ++)2) San Francisco Giants (124.7, +)3) Cincinnati Reds (122.3, +)4) Montreal Expos (118.8, -)5) St. Louis Cardinals (109.6, --)6) New York Mets (104.2, o)7) Chicago Cubs (104.0, o)8) Pittsburgh Pirates (103.0, +)9) Washington Senators (101.6, ++)10) Seattle Pilots (96.1, ++)11) Cleveland Spiders (94.9, --)12) Los Angeles Dodgers (93.0, -)13) Colorado Rockies (91.9, ++)14) Toronto...
As the final week of June came to a close, two of the game's premier sluggers stepped up in big ways. Washington’s Fred McGriff found his power stroke to claim United League Player of the Week, while Chicago’s Mike Piazza put on a hitting clinic to take home Federal League honors. United League: McGriff’s Muscle on Display Fred McGriff made a loud statement this week, reminding everyone just how dangerous his bat can be. The 31-year-old...
June 25: Clemens and Johnson Command, Pedro Gets No Help Roger Clemens was in vintage form, firing a 5-hit shutout with 9 strikeouts in the Dodgers’ 3–0 win over San Diego. He carved through the Padres lineup with precision, and Los Angeles used a 3-run sixth to secure the win behind The Rocket’s 124-pitch gem. Over in Denver, Randy Johnson was equally nasty. The Big Unit struck out 13 in 7.1 innings as Seattle blanked the Rockies 2–0....