The Detroit Tigers announced on Tuesday a deal to re-sign 39 year old veteran closer Todd Jones. 

Jones, who had 38 saves for the Tigers last season; 117 saves over the last 3 seasons and 4 more in the 2006 post-season including their only win in the 2006 World Series, signed a one year, $7 million dollar deal in what has to be an indicator of the going rate for the current crop of free agent and arbitration-eligible closers.  In fact, MLB’s Ken Mandel indicates that newly acquired Phillies closer Brad Lidge may command in the $7 million range through the arbitration process.  Lidge, however, bests Jones’ lifetime ERA by .63, Jones standing at 3.93 and Lidge at 3.30 ERA.

AP Sports Writer Larry Lage provides background for Yahoo sports;

“For us, he’s done a quality job for the last couple years and for us, a real big need for him to come back and fill that closer role,” Tigers president Dave Dombrowski said.

Re-signing Jones became even more important for Detroit when hard-throwing reliever Joel Zumaya had shoulder surgery, costing him at least the first half of the 2008 season.

MLB.com’s Jason Beck adds these comments from Jones about the deal;

“Ultimately, the team that I think had the best chance to win was Detroit,” Jones said. “And the team that I was most comfortable with is Detroit. And where my heart is, is in Detroit. It’s just great. I just appreciate the Tigers letting me kick tires and letting me look around with no hard feelings. Because in an industry where ultimately it can sometimes become a very harsh business, [president/general manager] Dave [Dombrowski] and I maintain a wonderful, professional relationship.”

**************

The American League announced on Tuesday that Cleveland lefthander C.C. Sabathia, with a 2007 season record of 19-7, 209 strikeouts, only 37 walks in 241 innings pitched and a 3.09 ERA, is their AL Cy Young Award winner. 

AP Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick provides background for Yahoo sports;

C.C. Sabathia won the AL Cy Young Award… beating out several worthy contenders by a comfortable margin and becoming the first Cleveland pitcher in 35 years to earn the honor.

The Indians ace received 19 of 28 first-place votes and finished with 119 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.  Boston’s Josh Beckett was second with eight first-place votes and 86 points…

“I was excited. My family and everybody were around,” Sabathia said on a conference call from his home in California. “I was surprised. Beckett had a great year and an even better postseason.”

Beckett (20-7) became the only big league pitcher to win 20 games since 2005, compiling a 3.27 ERA in 200 2-3 innings…

Voting took place before the postseason, when Sabathia struggled while Beckett pitched the Red Sox to a World Series championship with a string of dominant outings.

The only other Cleveland pitcher to win the award was Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry in 1972. Now that he has one, Sabathia plans to display his trophy prominently at home.

Sabathia is the first black pitcher to win a Cy Young Award since Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets in 1985 — and the first in the AL since Oakland’s Vida Blue in 1971.

“That’s awesome to be mentioned with him,” said Sabathia, adding that he attended a recent meeting designed to foster ideas for how to generate more interest in baseball among black kids.

While the top four Cy Young candidates had similar statistics, Sabathia’s stamina apparently set him apart. After being sidelined by injuries the previous two seasons, the 6-foot-7, 290-pound left-hander stayed healthy all year and made 34 starts to Beckett’s 30. That helped account for their wide gap in innings pitched.

If balloting had included their October results, however, the outcome might have been different. Beckett beat Sabathia twice in the AL championship series and went 4-0 with a 1.20 ERA in four postseason starts, striking out 35 and walking two. Sabathia was 1-2 with an 8.80 ERA and 13 walks in three playoff outings.

The NL is slated to announce their Cy Young Award on Thursday with San Diego ace Jake Peavy apparently the favorite.

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Well, we’ve hit that time of year where major league baseball sits in limbo.  The awards in both leagues; Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, the Cy Young Award have not yet been announced and the winter meetings have not commenced. 

The Free Agency Chase and Trading seasons have not begun in earnest, although rumors abound, such as about Alex Rodriguez’s destination, where  Curt Schilling will end up next season or whether Barry Bonds will be anywhere in baseball in 2008.

And so, to keep the baseball juices flowing, this blog looks back at by-gone times, different eras.

In 1950, another Philadelpha Phillies team known as the “Whiz Kids” won the NL pennant, thus becoming the NL entrant to the World Series opposing the  New York Yankees.

One of the cogs in the “Whiz Kids” engine was a “not such a kid” relief pitcher named Jim Konstanty.
 
Wikipedia records the start of Konstanty’s career this way;

Konstanty starred in sports in high school and also at Syracuse University, where he earned a bachelor of science degree. He pitched briefly with the Cincinnati Reds in 1944 and Boston Braves in 1946, and spent three seasons in the minors until 1948, when the Phillies called him up.

It would also seem that World War 2 had it’s effect on Konstanty’s career as there is a gap between 1944 and 1946 about which little is known.

Baseball Library attributes Konstanty’s sticking with the Phillies to his “developing a palmball.”

In 1949, Konstanty garnered a 9-5 record and a 3.25 ERA as the Phils finished in 3rd place, 16 games behind the NL Pennant winning Brooklyn Dodgers.

But what Konstanty accomplished in 1950 was nothing short of astounding.  Konstanty went 16-7 with a 2.66 ERA and a then unheard of 22 saves in 74 appearances as the Phillies, with Robin Roberts, Richie Ashburn, Del Ennis,  Granny Hamner, Willie “Puddin Head” Jones, Curt Simmons, Dick Sisler and more, won their long-illusive NL pennant.

But it was Konstanty’s feats as a reliever in that “Whiz Kids” season which kept the Phillies ahead in the race, although, after a late-season tailspin, the Phils won the pennant in a do-or-die final regular season game against the 2nd place Brooklyn Dodgers — which the Phillies won 4-1 on a pitching gem by Roberts and Sisler’s famous 10th inning 3 run homer. 

Phillies manager Eddie Sawyer opted to start Konstanty in game one of the World Series against the Vic Raschi for the Yanks.   But Raschi held the Phils to 2 hits in completing the game while Konstanty gave up a 4th inning run and 4 hits over 8 innings as the Yanks won the series opener by a 1-0 score.
Konstanty went on to make two other relief appearances in the series as the Phils lost 3 of the 4 games by 1 run and the 4th game by a 5-2 score.

Konstanty made the 1950 NL All Star team pitching a perfect, scoreless 6th inning as the NL won the game 4-3.    He garnered awards and trophies for his performance including being named the NL’s Most Valuable Player, receiving the AP Athlete of the Year and The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year awards. 

He compiled relief pitching stats which would not be approached until the great seasons which reliever Elroy Face compiled with the Pittsburgh Pirates between 1958 - 1962.  But not even Face appeared in 74 games in a season.

However, in 1951, Konstanty slumped losing 11 games, 10 out of the bullpen and never regained his 1950 form although he appeared in 45 games for the  1955 Yankees going 7-2 with a career low 2.32 ERA in helping them to win the AL Pennant. Konstanty retired after the 1956 season.

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It’s all over but the screaming and the celebrating as the newly crowned Champion Boston Red Sox, winners of 2 World Series in the last 4 years arrive at Fenway in the afternoon.

As many expected, the Red Sox overwhelmed the Colorado Rockies in sweeping them 4 games to none in the 2007 World Series.

But in the clinching game 4 which Boston won by a 4-3 score, as with game 2, the Rockies made it a tight game. 

The Red Sox touched Rockies starter Aaron Cook for single runs in the 1st, 5th and 7th innings, chasing him in the 7th after series MVP 3rd baseman  Mike Lowell’s leftfield solo homer.  Cook tossed 70 pitches for the game while striking out 2 and issuing no walks.

Meanwhile, Boston starter Jon Lester carried a shutout thru 2 outs in the 6th inning before issuing a walk and being relieved by Manny Delcarmen who got the final out of the inning. 

Centerfielder Jacoby Ellsbury led-off the game with a double, got to 3rd on a groundout and scored on 1st baseman David Ortiz’s single to rightfield.

Both teams registered zeros until the Red Sox scored in the 5th on catcher  Jason Varitek’s long single to rightfield.

In the 7th inning, both teams traded runs on solo homers, Boston’s by Lowell and Colorado’s by rightfielder Brad Hawpe to rightfield.

In the 8th inning, rarely used pinch hitter Bobby Kielty went ballpark to leftfield on reliever Brian Fuentes for what turned out to be the winning run as Boston led 4-1.

In the Colorado 8th, 3rd baseman Garrett Atkins blasted a 2 run homer to leftfield off of lefthanded Japanese reliever Hideki Okajima to draw to 4-3 and to make the 9th inning dramatic.

But with closer Jon Papelbon pitching, the last 1 2/3 innings were lights out for Colorado and wild victory parties and parades in Boston.

AP baseball writer Ben Walker makes some choice observations about this World series for Yahoo sports;

… No NL team could have blocked Boston this October.

At this rate, New England fans might get spoiled. Francona’s team has become a perfect counterpart to coach Bill Belichick’s bruisers on the Patriots.

As for his comment about NL teams, I have to grudgingly agree.  The  National League seems to be suffering a severe shortage in good, young consistent pitching at all levels; starting, middle relief, set-up as well as closers.  But, that’s comment for a blog entry in and of itself.  It’s off-season winter talk.

Mike Lowell’s MVP is well-deserved.  AP Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick offers these thoughts and observations about Lowell;

Earlier in the Series, Lowell called himself “the throw-in” on the 2005 deal with Florida that brought ace Josh Beckett to Boston. Nobody looks at Lowell that way anymore.

“Pretty good throw-in, I guess,” Lowell said, drenched in champagne as he clutched his glistening trophy in the raucous Red Sox clubhouse. “Icing on the cake. This is just extra special.”

“I’m on Cloud 9. It’s unbelievable,” said Lowell, a survivor of testicular cancer. “We’ve got a lot of people to give credit to.”
 
A key cog in Boston’s powerful lineup, Lowell bats fifth behind David Ortiz and  Manny Ramirez.

Few could have done it better this year.

Lowell homered, doubled and scored twice in the Game 4 clincher at Coors Field, dirtying his uniform with a headfirst slide at the plate that typified his whatever-it-takes attitude. He hit .400 (6-for-15) in the Series with four RBIs, three walks and a team-high six runs.

Lowell, who also won a World Series ring with the Marlins in 2003, hit .348 this postseason with two homers and 13 RBIs. He did it quietly, like almost everything. But that doesn’t mean it went unnoticed.

It may be a pipe-dream, but here’s hoping that Mike Lowell finds himself playing 3rd base for the Phillies.  But after the season he’s had and his World Series MVP, it’s too much of a long-shot to bet on.

On the Colorado Rockies behalf, their phenomenal late-season 21 out of 22 game run will be remembered for years to come, as will the Phillies’ September charge to catch and overtake the Mets to win the NL East. 

The Rockies have a lot of real good young players and are going to be a force in the NL Central for years to come.

Well, the 2007 season which has been memorable has drawn to a close.  This blog will be around throughout the off-season commenting on the various award recipients, the annual winter exhibition series in Japan, the winter meetings, the trades, free agency, arbitration, etc. as well as bringing many more all-time baseball highlights, through to spring training for 2008.

Many thanks for your readership throughout these past two seasons. Stay tuned and stay surfing to Blogging Baseball.

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Red Sox leadoff man 2nd baseman Dustin Pedroia, who hit 8 homeruns the entire season, became only the 2nd leadoff hitter ever to lead off a World Series with a homerun.  Starter Josh Beckett was beyond awesome on the mound and the Colorado Rockies, off of an 8 day layoff awaiting the AL pennant winner, went totally flat and were unable to cope with Beckett.  These factors plus a 17 hit Red Sox offensive explosion added up to a 13-1 Boston rout in game one of the world series.  Boston’s win also ended Colorado’s 10 game winning streak and 21 wins in 22 games run.

AP sportswriter Ronald Blum reports on how the game started for Yahoo sports;

Beckett got off to the most overpowering start since Sandy Koufax…

Beckett began by fanning Willy Taveras, Kaz Matsui, Matt Holliday and [Todd] Helton, becoming the first pitcher to strike out the first four batters in a Series game since Koufax got five  Yankees to start the 1963 Series, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. And what a five those were: Tony Kubek, Bobby Richardson, Tom Tresh, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris.

Then, in the bottom of the 1st inning, Pedroia pounded lefthander Jeff Francis’ second pitch over what they call the “Green Monster” in leftfield and Boston scored two more 1st inning runs as the Rockies pulled their infield in with a runner on third. Leftfielder Manny Ramirez, who went 3 for 4 for the game with 3 runs scored and 2 RBIs, singled over Troy Tulowitzki — who might have caught the ball had he been in his normal position, but he was playing in on the shift.  Rightfielder J.D. Drew doubled to made it 3-0.

AP sportswriter Blum notes;

The only other player to homer starting a Series was Baltimore’s Don Buford against Tom Seaver and the 1969 Miracle Mets.

In the 2nd, while the game remained competitive, shortstop Tulowitzki drove in the Rockies’ only run with a double to centerfield to narrow the score to 3-1.

From there, the Sox plundered Francis for another run in the 2nd inning, 2 more runs in the 4th as the lefthander got through his final inning.   The Sox scored 7 more runs with two out in the 5th inning, all charged to rookie lefthander starter and reliever Franklin Morales, although reliever Ryan Speier contributed to the mess walking the 3 hitters he faced.  Mercifully, Matt Herges came on to get 1st baseman Kevin Youkilis to fly out to rightfield end the onslaught.  

Rockies’ relievers Herges, Jeremy Affeldt and LaTroy Hawkins held the Red Sox scoreless over the final 2 1/3 innings, but  by then, the game was way out of control.

Beckett was masterful through 7 innings allowing only the one run on sic hits while walking one, striking out nine and keeping the Rockies off-balance throughout.  Relievers Mike Timlin and Eric Gagne were perfect over the final 2 innings to seal the rout.

For the boxscores and recap on Wednesday’s game, click here.

The Rockies, who lost for only the 2nd time in their last 23 games, need to shake the rust off in order that they not, as the lead on the Yahoo sports’  Steve Henson column turns the phrase, “flatline fast,” and that the series not get out of control.  Thursday’s game two at Fenway Park features rookie Ubaldo Jimenez (4-4) facing veteran and future Hall of Famer Curt Schilling (9-8) with his 10-2 career post-season record.

For the boxscores and recap on Thursday’s game, click here.

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The World Series is upon us.  The opener is a mere day and a half away. 

The red-hot victors of 21 of their last 22 games, the Colorado Rockies oppose the Boston Red Sox, who in typical fashion, got down by 3 games to 1 to the  Cleveland Indians before roaring back to take the final 3 games and the AL pennant, outscoring the Indians by 30-5 in the process.

I will not even begin to venture a prediction of the series victors.  One can throw away the on-paper records for the entire season because this series comes down to who has the most heart and more stamina.

It comes down to who will be more adversely affected by rest, or lack thereof; the Colorado Rockies who charged from out of nowhere to catch San Diego for the wild-card, blew through the offensively potent Phillies and the Arizona Diamondbacks and then got 8 days off, or the Red Sox, who led the AL East for the entire season, cut through the LA Angels, charged back against the Indians and got 3 days off.

AP baseball writer Mike Fitzpatrick gives an excellent position-by-position analysis of both teams for Yahoo sports, although I disagree with his pick of the Red Sox in 5 games. 

As a lifetime Phillies fan, Future Hall of Famer Curt Schilling is one of my favorites, David “Big Papi” Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are fun to watch and I sure hope that Mike Lowell ends up at 3rd base for the Phils in 2008, but those children of destiny — the Rockies are full of young talent and are sentimental favorites.  It’s a tough call and a series to be watched as a fan of the game, not necessarily of either city.

It is too early and too hard to make a call in this series.  Let’s look again after the first two games — the Rockies need to win at least one of the first two in Boston to come back to Colorado for the next three. 

Starting pitchers for Wednesday’s series opener in Fenway Park are Rockies’ ace lefthander Jeff Francis vs Red Sox ace Josh Beckett.   Thursday’s game two pitchers are as yet undetermined.

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Well, I was half right.  Back in February, I predicted that the Phillies and the Boston Red Sox would oppose each other in the 2007 World Series.  I predicted wrong about the NL entrant.   But the Red Sox, after having disposed of the Cleveland Indians with a 7th game 11-2 pasting, will have to contend with the red-hot Colorado Rockies, who tore through the Phillies and the Arizona Diamondbacks to reach the Series.

Rookie Daisuke Matsuzaka went 5 innings and left with a 3-2 lead as Jake Westbrook was touched for single runs in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd innings before settling down to pitch 6 innings. The Red Sox held on to the lead despite single  Indians’ runs in the 4th and 5th innings and got insurance on 2nd baseman Dustin Pedroia’s 7th inning one out, 2 run shot.  A 6 run Red Sox outburst in the 8th inning put the game and the series out of reach.

Pedroia went 3 for 5 with 5 RBIs for the game including the 2 run homer and an 8th inning 2 out, bases-clearing double amidst the Red Sox’ 6 run explosion.  Both drives were hit off of Indians’ reliever Rafael Betancourt who was bludgeoned for 7 runs in 1 2/3 innings and should have been long gone rather than facing Pedroia a 2nd time.

AP Sports Writer Jimmy Golen recaps the game for Yahoo sports;

After digging out of a 3-0 hole against the Yankees in the  ‘04 ALCS, the Red Sox needed three straight wins to advance this time. The Rockies, who have won 10 in a row and 21 of 22, will come back from a record eight days off.

“The Rockies are on a magical run and we are going to have our hands full. We’re going to try and represent the American League the best we can,” Epstein said. “We haven’t grown up any since ‘04. That’s part of what keeps these guys so good. It keeps us all loose and we never stop believing.”

Colorado outscored Boston 20-5 in winning two of three during an interleague series at Fenway in June. The Red Sox did even better in winning the last three games against Indians, outscoring them 30-5 in that span.

Matsuzaka pitched five solid innings, and [Hideki] Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon each threw two scoreless innings in relief. Boston also got some help by a key blunder by an Indians base coach when Cleveland trailed just 3-2 with a chance to tie the game.

Franklin Gutierrez hit a sharp grounder over third base that bounced off the photographer’s box in front of the grandstand and into shallow left. But Skinner held up both hands for the speedy  [Kenny] Lofton, and the 40-year-old outfielder skidded to a stop.

Lofton looked back for the ball and, seeing it in no man’s land in shallow left, snapped his head back to stare at Skinner.

“The ball was behind me. It’s not my job. My job is to pick up the third base coach. He stopped me. I just got to do what he says. He’s the third base coach,” Lofton said.

Said Skinner: “The ball kicked off hard there and it’s hard to tell exactly where it is.”

“I’ve seen it bounce right back to the shortstop. When you have to make a decision and that’s what I did. The ball ended up a little deeper than I thought. But it was one out, runners at first and third. We were OK,” he said.

“We won three games in a row and they won three in a row,” Indians manager Eric Wedge said. “I’m disappointed, obviously, we weren’t able to finish it off.”

Westbrook settled down after spotting Boston a 3-0 lead, retiring seven consecutive batters.

In the 7th inning, Indians manager Wedge sent Betancourt to replace Westbrook.  AP Sports Writer Golen picks up the action from here;

Jacoby Ellsbury — another rookie — bounced a chopper through third baseman Blake for an error. After Lugo’s sacrifice bunt, Pedroia was up.

The diminutive second baseman, with eight major league homers to his credit, hit an 0-1 pitch into the first row of the Monster Seats to make it 5-2.  

He also doubled to clear the bases after Boston loaded them in the eighth against Rafael Betancourt.

With the score 5-2 in the 8th inning and Boston still catchable, no one else seems to be questioning why Wedge stayed with Betancourt to the tune of 6 Boston 8th inning runs.

MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan offers this explanation which just doesn’t seem to wash in the situation;

 Rafael Betancourt was a big reason why the Indians led 3-1 after four games. What happened to him over the final three games is part of what went wrong for the Indians.

Go back to Game 5 on Thursday when the Indians trailed 2-1 going into the seventh.  [C.C.] Sabathia had thrown 106 pitches, but Wedge sent him out to the seventh instead of bringing in Betancourt. Wedge said he did not want to use Betancourt for two innings, but the Indians had been off Wednesday and had another day off Friday.

Sabathia gave up a double to Dustin Pedroia and a triple to Kevin Youkilis. Wedge then went to Betancourt before David Ortiz’s sacrifice fly gave the Red Sox a 4-1 lead.

In almost the same situation in Game 7, Betancourt was brought in to pitch the seventh with the Indians trailing, 3-2. This time Betancourt couldn’t do the job. Pedroia hit a two-run home run off him in the seventh and the Red Sox scored five more off him in the eighth.

Despite Betancourt’s 5-1 regular season mark and 1.47 ERA, and his 8.1 innings of 2 hit, 8 strikeout, shutout ball in the post-season to that point; when a reliever gives up a 2 run homer in one inning and comes back in the next inning to get the first out before giving up a double, a single and a run in a game that is not yet out of hand — it’s time to make a move.  But Wedge stayed with Betancourt and the game did get out of control and beyond reach.

For the boxscores and recap on Sunday’s game, click here.

The World Series opens on Wednesday in Boston for the first 2 games, then switches to Colorado for 3 games with the final 2, if necessary, being played in Boston.  Pitching rotations have yet to be determined.

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