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....
Call it coincidence. Call it timing. Or if you're feeling superstitious, go ahead and call it a jinx. Just days after The Diamond Chronicle ran a glowing feature on Greg Maddux’s masterful 1995 campaign, the Los Angeles ace finally looked—well, human. In his most recent start on June 24, Maddux allowed 10 hits and four earned runs over 8.0 innings in a 4–2 loss to the San Diego Padres, snapping his winning streak and marking his second...
It didn’t take long. Less than a week after The Diamond Chronicle reported on Kirk Gibson’s frustration with his assignment to AAA Danville, the Boston Red Sox made the move everyone was waiting for: they called him back up to the majors. And now, the countdown is back on. After two games in a Red Sox uniform, the 38-year-old slugger has notched his 2,497th career hit, a sharp single to right that drew a loud ovation from the Fenway...
June 22: Abbott Explodes, Erickson Deserved Better, and the Sox Show LifeKurt Abbott has been on a quiet heater, but he blew the doors off on Thursday. The White Sox shortstop went 3-for-4 with 5 RBIs and a home run in a 7–1 win over the Cubs. That gives him three homers and 14 RBIs in his last seven games, and if he keeps hitting like this, someone might want to check his bat for pine tar. Greg Mathews made sure the Cubs didn’t make it...
At this point, it’s not even surprising. Greg Maddux, the Los Angeles right-hander with a Hall of Fame résumé in progress, is once again in vintage form. Now 29 years old and in his tenth full season, Maddux is showing no signs of slowing down—in fact, his recent stretch might be his most dominant work in years. Over his last 10 starts, Maddux has gone 9–0 with a 1.91 ERA, walking just eight batters while striking out 93 across 88.1...
Kirk Gibson is sitting on 2,496 career hits. Just four shy of joining one of the rarest clubs in professional baseball. In the history of the Doubleday Baseball League, only five players—George Brett, Alan Trammell, Tim Raines, Carney Lansford, and Don Mattingly—have ever reached the 2,500-hit plateau. Gibson could be next. The problem? He’s not in the majors. He’s in Danville. Since being traded to the Boston Red Sox on May 29, the...
June 19: Pedro and Neagle Spin Gems, Burnitz Brings the Boom You won’t find many better pitching lines than what Pedro Martinez gave the Expos:9 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 15 K in a 4–0 shutout of the Padres. That’s Pedro’s third double-digit strikeout game in June—and he’s making it look effortless. Not to be outdone, Denny Neagle tossed a complete game, 4-hit shutout against the Spiders, striking out 11. Oh, and Jeromy Burnitz? Two homers and...
It took them half a season, but the St. Louis Cardinals have finally landed at the top of the power rankings. With Montreal and San Francisco tied for second, and Cincinnati surging behind them, the top of the table is starting to reflect performance rather than reputation. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Spiders and Los Angeles Dodgers are among the week’s biggest risers, and the Texas Rangers and Orlando Sun Rays are sliding fast.Teams (Total...