No Jeter for them.  No Papi for you.

I am willing to bet that a lot of otherwise good baseball fans missed the fact that the Nats Jordan Zimmermann threw a no-hitter yesterday. And, how sad is that? So many do, but I myself can not imagine stowing my interest in a sport that is still underway, and changing interest to another. Splitting attention and interest is not what I am talking about. But, some just turn a knob around 9/1, and totally shift their attention elsewhere.

For those that have, you missed a season ending gem yesterday.

Looking forward to an exciting post season, no doubt. 

And, my early guess as to whom will meet in the big dance would be the Dodgers vs. the Tigers.

Getting back to the Zimmermann no-no, and while lacking scientific proof, I am just 100% that every no-hitter has a catch like this in it to make it so.

This is just flat out cool.

If you've ever wondered whether karma exists, look no further than White Sox fan Chris Claeys. Nine years ago, Claeys caught this grand slam from Paul Konerko in Game 2 of the 2005 World Series. Though Claeys says he probably could have sold the ball for somewhere between $50,000-100,000 (or roughly one-to-two diamond-encrusted bluetooth headsets -- for the person who must make hands-free phone calls in style), he instead held onto the ball. At least until the White Sox asked if he would be willing to part with the souvenir on Paul Konerko Day.

Of course Claeys agreed. As Scott Merkin reported, after meeting Konerko, receiving a signed picture and a getting a White Sox suite for the day, Claeys said "That's really all I wanted was that."


If the story endeds there, it would be enough. But,......, it didn't. Because, in the bottom of the 3rd inning, Claeys caught a foul ball. But not just any foul ball, this was a ball off the bat of (who else?) ... Paul Konerko.

After the catch, Claeys said "This has been an awesome experience, I'm having a really great day!"


So while the odds of catching a foul ball at the park are roughly 1 in 1,189, the odds of someone catching a foul ball off the bat of the player they surprised mere hours before with a World Series grand slam ball that they hit nearly a decade ago ... well, let's just say that mathematicians don't have the ability to calculate that number.

Lol, that's awesome.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw became the first pitcher to lead the major leagues in earned run average in four straight years, and Houston's Jose Altuve and Colorado's Justin Morneau won their first batting titles.

Kershaw's 1.77 ERA was the lowest in the National League since Greg Maddux's 1.63 for Atlanta in 1995.

"I'm not really thinking about that right now," said Kershaw, who went 21-3 to lead the major leagues in wins and already has turned his tunnel-vision focus toward the postseason.

Kershaw became the first to lead the NL in ERA in four consecutive seasons since the Dodgers' Sandy Koufax strung together five years in a row from 1962-66.

"It says a lot about his work ethic and not being satisfied," said Magic Johnson, one of the Dodgers' owners.

Seattle's Felix Hernandez won his second AL ERA title, pitching 5 1-3 scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Angels and leaving about 10 minutes after the Mariners were eliminated from playoff contention by Oakland's win at Texas.

Hernandez started the weekend with a 2.34 ERA but it dropped to 2.18 Saturday when Major League Baseball Executive Vice President Joe Torre changed a hit to an error in Hernandez's previous start, making four runs unearned. Hernandez finished at 2.14, besting Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox (2.17).

Originally left out of the starting lineup by the Astros on Sunday, Altuve talked his way in and went 2 for 4 against the New York Mets to win the AL batting title at .341. Altuve began the day with a three-point lead over Detroit's Victor Martinez, who went 0 for 3 and wound up at .335.

Altuve became Houston's first batting champion, leaving the Seattle Pilots-Milwaukee Brewers, Arizona and Tampa Bay as the only teams without at least one.

"I think this is way better than just sitting on the bench and waiting for something," Altuve said. "If you want to win something, you've got to win it on the field."

Morneau, who sat out Saturday, pinch-hit in the eighth inning and grounded out, leaving him at .319 — the lowest average for a batting champion in either league since Tony Gwynn hit .313 for San Diego in 1988. Pittsburgh's Josh Harrison was second at .315 following an 0-for-4 day against Cincinnati.

Playing home games in Denver's thin mile-high air, Colorado won its second straight batting title and ninth in 22 years. Andres Galarraga (1994), Larry Walker (1998, '99 and '01), Todd Helton ('00), Matt Holliday ('07), Carlos Gonzalez ('10) and Michael Cuddyer ('13) also won batting titles with the Rockies.

A year after serving a 50-game suspension for violating the major league drug program, Nelson Cruz hit 40 home runs for Baltimore and won his first AL home run title and the Orioles' second straight following Chris Davis' 53 long balls last year. Giancarlo Stanton topped the NL with 37 despite missing Miami's last 17 games after he was hit on the face by a pitch.

Mike Trout of the Angels had 111 RBIs, the fewest for an AL leader in a non-shortened season since Baltimore's Lee May had 109 in 1976. The Dodgers' Adrian Gonzalez led the NL with 116.

Milwaukee's Jonathan Lucroy set the season record for doubles by a catcher with 46, one more than Texas' Ivan Rodriguez in 1996. With 53 doubles overall, Lucroy became the first player who was primarily a catcher to lead his league.

Detroit's David Price struck out eight in the Tigers' AL Central-clinching win over Minnesota on Sunday to lead the AL with 271, two more than Cleveland's Corey Kluber. Cincinnati's Johnny Cueto struck out seven against the Pirates on Sunday to tie Washington's Stephen Strasburg for the NL lead at 242.

Kluber and the Los Angeles Angels' Jered Weaver shared the AL wins lead at 18 with Detroit's Max Scherzer, who led the majors in 2013 with 21.

Dee Gordon of the Dodgers led the NL with 64 steals and Altuve topped the AL with 56.

Seattle's Fernando Rodney had a major league-high 48 saves. Atlanta's Craig Kimbrel had 47, the fourth straight year he's topped the NL or shared the lead.

Reported first by Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com, the Twins have fired manager Ron Gardenhire after 13 seasons on the job.

Gardenhire replaced Tom Kelly in 2002 and had immediate success, winning six division titles in nine seasons. However, those teams went 6-21 in the playoffs. And now the Twins have lost 90 or more games in four consecutive seasons and only the Astros have fewer total wins since 2011.

Only two managers in the history of baseball have avoided being fired following four straight 90-loss seasons. One is Connie Mack, who literally owned the team. And the other is Kelly, who won a pair of World Series titles in Minnesota. Gardenhire will not be the third.

I'll go all LA World Series.

I question the Angels pitching myself.  C.J Wilson has been up and down all year.  And, how knows how much of Matt Shoemaker they will be getting, as he comes back from a strained oblique.  At least their bullpen is now solid, something I can not say about the Tigers.... 

Being the odd dude that I am, here is how I root for playoff teams, when teams I otherwise care about don't make it.

I tend to root for the matchup that I feel T.V will hate. A.K.A, the "small market" & underdog teams.

Just me being weird, thinking that it should not matter who is in the W.S, as I can never imagine not watching, no matter who is playing.

BTW: Someone mind the fort for me for the rest of the day, as I have an otherwise useless and unnecessary 4 hours of "team building".


And me, only wanting to NOT be a part of any team anymore ever......

I guess he is taking over the Astros

After checking with his Wiki page ( not that it is any sort of end all ), I see I was mostly right, save for no health issue, and that he was only with the A's as a player.  A smart dude, and Stanford grad, he is just a rare bird that saw his playing career as a stepping stone to bigger and better things behind the scenes, and, when given a chance, he has done a fine job.

Allen Craig, epic failure.

.215-8-46 in 461 at-bats.

It looks like the batting line of a defensive-minded shortstop. That’s certainly what it has been through the history of baseball. But that’s what noted first baseman-right fielder Allen Craig did for the Cardinals and Red Sox this year.

Craig received MVP votes for the Cardinals in 2012 and ’13, making his first All-Star team in the latter season. He opened 2014 as a 29-year-old with a career .306/.358/.492 line and a reputation as one of the game’s top clutch hitters. However, he was also coming off a foot injury that cost him most of September and limited him during the Cardinals’ postseason run in 2013. The Cards made the choice to move him back to right field anyway, making room for Matt Adams at first base.

Craig went on to start 2014 cold, but not disastrously so. He hit .220/.277/.367 with three homers in April and then improved to .291/.354/.427 with three homers in May, suggesting that he was returning to form. It didn’t materialize. Craig hit .255 in June, but without a single homer and just four walks in 112 plate appearances. After he hit .122 as a part-time player in July, the Cards shipped him to the Red Sox in the John Lackey trade. Things got even worse. Craig soon went back on the DL with more foot problems. Upon returning, he hit .128/.234/.191 in 94 at-bats for the Red Sox. He played in 29 games for the Red Sox and had exactly one hit for an RBI; it was a two-run homer off the Jays’ Sergio Santos, who was immediately designated for assignment after the game and was never heard from again.

The end result was that Craig hit .215/.279/.315 with eight homers and 46 RBI in 461 at-bats.

In so doing, Craig became the fifth player since 1990 to finish a season with at least 450 at-bats and a batting average under .220, fewer than 10 homers and fewer than 50 RBI:

Alfredo Griffin (1990 Dodgers): .210-1-35 in 461 AB
Cristian Guzman (2005 Nationals): .219-4-31 in 456 AB
Nick Punto (2007 Twins): .210-1-25 in 472 AB
Darwin Barney (2013 Cubs): .208-7-41 in 501 AB

Yes, middle infielders the lot of them. Going back through history, such seasons have mostly come from shortstops. Ozzie Smith had one. Mark Belanger had two, as did Hal Lanier and Leo Durocher. Zoilo Versailes did it in 1967, two years after winning AL MVP.

The last outfielder to do it was Gary Pettis in 1980. A speedster always in the lineup for his glove, he hit .210-3-36 as the Tigers’ center fielder in 1988. No first baseman or corner outfielder had turned in such a season since Joe Kuhel of the White Sox in 1943. He hit .213-5-46 as an everyday first baseman. The only other two first basemen or corner outfielders to have such seasons since 1901 were Charlie Carr and George Barclay, both in 1904.

That’s how bad Craig’s season was. And now the Red Sox, who are on the hook for $26.5 million to Craig over the next three years, have to hope for a bounce back. It might happen, but there’s no good reason to pencil him in as a starting outfielder right now.