Ryan Howard joins Lou Gehrig in MLB record books
St. Louisan Ryan Howard has slugged his way into the Major League Baseball record books with his torrid postseason performance.
As the Philadelphia Phillies make a bid to return to the World Series and defend their world championship, the former Lafayette High star has been in the forefront with his big bat.
On Monday night, Howard became only the second player in MLB history to drive in at least one run in eight consecutive postseason games. His two-run homer off Los Angeles Dodgers starter Randy Wolf in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series put Howard right along side legendary New York Yankee Lou Gehrig in the record books. Gehrig drove in runs in eight consecutive postseason games between 1928-32.
Howard's first-inning blast was his sixth postseason home run, which ties a Phillies' franchise record with Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt. In the Phillies' 11-0 victory in Game 3 on Sunday, Howard stroked a two-run triple, which made him the first Major League player in history to drive in runs in seven consecutive postseason games in the same season.
Heading into Wednesday night's Game 5, Howard was hitting a robust .379 with two home runs and 14 runs batted in the Phillies' eight postseason games. In the first four games of the NLCS, Howard is hitting .400 with an on-base percentage of .588. While he is one of the game's premiere sluggers, Howard has been producing runs in a variety of ways other than the long ball.
''He's a run producer,'' said Phillies' hitting coach Milt Thompson in the Philadelphia Inquirer. ''That means you find any way you can to drive in the run.''
Howard has also been coming through in clutch situations as well. In Game 4 of the National League Divisional Series against Colorado, he delivered a two-out, two-run double in the top of the ninth inning to tie the Rockies at 4-4. He later scored the winning run on Jason Werth's RBI single to give the Phillies the 5-4 win and the series victory.
Howard's record-setting performance in the playoffs just adds to a growing list of great accomplishments by the 29-year old. He already has a Rookie of the Year award (2005), National League Most Valuable Player award (2006) and two National League home run titles (2006, 2008) to his credit. He also hit three home runs in the 2008 World Series to help the Phillies to a 4-games-to-1 victory over Tampa Bay.
(c) 2009 The St. Louis American.
Ryan Howard joins Lou Gehrig in MLB record books
St. Louisan Ryan Howard has slugged his way into the Major League Baseball record books with his torrid postseason performance.
As the Philadelphia Phillies make a bid to return to the World Series and defend their world championship, the former Lafayette High star has been in the forefront with his big bat.
On Monday night, Howard became only the second player in MLB history to drive in at least one run in eight consecutive postseason games. His two-run homer off Los Angeles Dodgers starter Randy Wolf in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series put Howard right along side legendary New York Yankee Lou Gehrig in the record books. Gehrig drove in runs in eight consecutive postseason games between 1928-32.
Howard's first-inning blast was his sixth postseason home run, which ties a Phillies' franchise record with Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt. In the Phillies' 11-0 victory in Game 3 on Sunday, Howard stroked a two-run triple, which made him the first Major League player in history to drive in runs in seven consecutive postseason games in the same season.
Heading into Wednesday night's Game 5, Howard was hitting a robust .379 with two home runs and 14 runs batted in the Phillies' eight postseason games. In the first four games of the NLCS, Howard is hitting .400 with an on-base percentage of .588. While he is one of the game's premiere sluggers, Howard has been producing runs in a variety of ways other than the long ball.
''He's a run producer,'' said Phillies' hitting coach Milt Thompson in the Philadelphia Inquirer. ''That means you find any way you can to drive in the run.''
Howard has also been coming through in clutch situations as well. In Game 4 of the National League Divisional Series against Colorado, he delivered a two-out, two-run double in the top of the ninth inning to tie the Rockies at 4-4. He later scored the winning run on Jason Werth's RBI single to give the Phillies the 5-4 win and the series victory.
Howard's record-setting performance in the playoffs just adds to a growing list of great accomplishments by the 29-year old. He already has a Rookie of the Year award (2005), National League Most Valuable Player award (2006) and two National League home run titles (2006, 2008) to his credit. He also hit three home runs in the 2008 World Series to help the Phillies to a 4-games-to-1 victory over Tampa Bay.
(c) 2009 The St. Louis American.
Non-strike call benefits Howard, Phils
PHILADELPHIA -- Ryan Howard matched a record that Lou Gehrig set 77 years ago, then answered a curtain call from the Philadelphia fans that have seen him tear through the early portion of this year's postseason.
As the Phillies stand just one win away from returning to the World Series, they can thank Howard for continuing to show why he is one of the game's most fearsome run producers.
With his first-inning two-run homer off Dodgers left-hander Randy Wolf in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Monday night, Howard helped the Phillies gain a 5-4 win that was claimed with a ninth-inning comeback.
But there is a flipside to every heroic achievement, and in this case it was Wolf. The Dodgers left-hander appeared to get squeezed by home-plate umpire Ted Barrett on a key 2-1 pitch during the at-bat.
Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins had started the game off with a single, but Wolf was able to get Shane Victorino to fly out to left and Chase Utley to pop out to first, bringing Howard to the plate. Wolf started him off with a fastball for a ball, then another fastball that Howard swung at and missed. A third fastball was well wide for ball two, setting up a crucial two-pitch sequence that resulted in Howard's home run.
With the count now 2-1, Wolf stuck with the fastball, spotting a 92-mph four-seamer just above Howard's knee on the inside part of the plate. MLB.com's Gameday shows the pitch well within the strike zone, and it certainly appeared to be a strike, but there was no signal from Barrett, and what could have been a 2-2 count in Wolf's favor fell to 3-1 -- a hitter's count.
A day later, Wolf chose to sidestep a question about the pitch, perhaps expressing his opinion without actually doing so.
"That's not up to me to decide," Wolf said. "Those guys are trying to do their jobs, too. I respect what they do."
With the right-handed-hitting Jason Werth on deck, the last thing Wolf wanted to do was to walk Howard to put Rollins in scoring position, so he came into the zone -- too far, as it turns out -- with yet another fastball. And Howard did what he does with 91-mph waist-high fastballs over the heart of the plate.
The blast into the right-field seats allowed Howard to match Mike Schmidt's career club playoff record of six homers. But more significantly from a historical standpoint, this two-run blast allowed Howard to join Gehrig as the only players who have recorded an RBI in eight consecutive postseason games.
After he rounded the bases, Howard was showered with a raucous ovation that led him to return to the top step of the dugout and tip his cap to a group of fans who were appreciative of what he'd just accomplished.
"It feels good any time you can be put in that kind of company," Howard said. "It's pretty cool."
During Sunday night's Game 3 victory, Howard became the first Major Leaguer to record an RBI in seven consecutive playoff games within the same year.
With his home run in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series on Monday, the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez has now driven in a run in seven consecutive postseason games, including six this year.
Within his record-setting streak which spanned from 1928-32, Gehrig hit .536 (15-for-28) with seven homers and 17 RBIs. The only other Major Leaguers to record an RBI in seven consecutive postseason games were Bill Skowron (1958-60) and Clyde Barnhart (1925-27).
During the first eight games the Phillies have played during this year's playoffs, Howard has hit .379 with two homers and 14 RBIs.
While Howard matched Gehrig's record, Phillies second baseman Chase Utley surpassed the legendary Yankees legend on Monday night, when he reached base safely in his 24th consecutive postseason games.
Former Orioles first baseman Boog Powell set the Major League record by reaching safely in 25 consecutive postseason games that spanned from 1966-71.
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Magical Metrodome era ending for one Minnesota sports team
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, also known as The Dome, The Hefty Bag, The Roller Dome, The Thunder Dome and The Homer Dome has acquired a reputation of being a dump and is rated as one of the worst sports stadiums in the country, but for one team is should just be called Magical. Like the Vikings and University of Minnesota football team, the Twins have called the Metrodome their home for the last 27 years.
Like many so many times before, the 2009 Minnesota Twins used their home field advantage and utilized their Metrodome Magic to capture the Division title in the one-game tiebreaker game against the Detroit Tigers. It's not too surprising; the 2006 Twins did the same thing, needing to beat the Kansas City Royals at the Metrodome and for the Detroit Tigers to lose to the Chicago White Sox to clinch the division on the very last day of the regular season. And it happened.
The Metrodome saw two World Series in '87 and '91. Both saw a little magic of their own. In 1987, the Twins had the worst record of any of the playoff teams. And came back from a 3-2 series deficit and won their last two games in the best of seven series to win the World Series four games to three. The last two games of the series were played at the Metrodome.
In 1991, the Twins also had to come back from a 3-2 series deficit. Twins' centerfielder Kirby Puckett became the star of game six. After a home run saving catch in the third inning, Puckett hit the game winning home run in the 11th inning to extend the series to a game seven. That home run led to Jack Buck's now famous call of ''And we'll see you tomorrow night!'' Jack Morris became the star of game seven, in which he pitched a 10-inning complete game shutout and the Twins won 1-0. The 1991 World Series was ranked by ESPN to be the best ever played.
The Metrodome has been home for several events. It has hosted the 1985 MLB All- Star Game, held several World Series games in '87 and '91, hosted Super Bowl XXVI in 92', ten Men's Basketball NCAA tournaments ranging from 1st and 2nd round coverage to Final Fours, Prep Bowls for High School football championships, Motocross, Wrestling Shows such as AWA Wrestlerock 86' and WWE, Monster Jam and the list goes on.
The Metrodome is the seventh-oldest stadium in the MLB and tenth-oldest in the NFL. It was the scene for several players joining the 3000 hit club, including Eddie Murray, Dave Winfield, and Cal Ripkin Jr. In 2007, as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, Frank Thomas hit is 500th career home run. In the same year, Brett Favre threw his 421st touchdown pass to Greg Jennings to break former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino.
In 2009, Chicago White Sox pitcher, Mark Buehrle broke the MLB record of consecutive batters retired. The record was 41; Buehrle retired 45 in a row. And just this last Monday, Minnesota Vikings quarterback, Brett Favre, beat his former team, Green Bay Packers, 30-23 to become the first quarterback in NFL history to defeat the league's 32 franchises. This fall the U of M football program moved out to go to their new home TCF Bank Stadium. Now, the Twins are next. This upcoming spring the Twins move to their new stadium, Target Field.
While the Twins are ready for outdoor baseball, the Metrodome is not ready to let go of the Twins just yet. The 2009 postseason is upon us and now the question is, does the Metrodome have enough magic left in it for another World Series run this postseason? We will just have to wait and see.
(c) 2005-2009 Student Voice.
Pujols sets MLB record for assists at first base
ST. LOUIS --- A niche record was just the excuse the fans at Busch Stadium needed this afternoon to give Albert Pujols two standing ovations -- two! -- in the middle of an inning, in the middle of a game the home crowd is losing.
Leave it to Joel Pineiro to have played his part in the record-setting putout.
For the first out in the fifth inning of today's game against Milwaukee, Jody Gerut chopped a Pineiro sinker to the right side of the diamond. Pujols fielded it and flipped to Pineiro at first base for his 185th assist of the season. That breaks the record held by Bill Buckner, who had 184 assists for the Boston Red Sox in 1985. (It was the next year that he famously did not have an assist.)
When Pujols set the record, the Cardinals flashed an announcement on the scoreboard.
Pujols doffed his cap to the crowd when an ovation followed.
As that ovation worked its way around the stadium, the applause took on a more earnest pace -- as if it was also a chance to laud the season Pujols, the universally acknowledged MVP of the league, is about to complete today. (Let me bang a drum again: He'll also be the fourth player in history to complete a Decade Triple Crown, if such a thing suggested.) Pujols, standing off first base, doffed his cap a second time before the inning continued.
Prince Fielder then hit a 439-foot homer a few moments later ...
(c) St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Roberts captures doubles record
ST. PETERSBURG -- It may be a Major League record, but it came without pomp and circumstance. Brian Roberts broke Lance Berkman's record for the most doubles by a switch-hitter in a season on Tuesday night, and he said after the Orioles' 3-1 loss to the Rays that he'd rather set a personal best when his team is having more success.
"It seems kind of silly to talk about personal things at this point," said Roberts. "I guess it's pretty much the same things I've said over and over again. When I'm sitting down after the year is over and you can kind of reflect back on the season, personally, team-wise and everything, maybe it will mean a little something. It's certainly a blessing and humbling to be put in the category of all those great switch-hitters that have played the game."
Roberts, who had dealt with questions about his historic approach for weeks before Tuesday's hit, set history on a routine double. The speedster nailed a shot to the left-center-field gap and easily cruised into second base. Roberts, the second-longest tenured Orioles player, came around to score Baltimore's only run later in the inning.
Roberts also set some doubles-related history earlier in the season, when he became just the fourth player all-time to record three 50-double seasons. The other three -- Stan Musial, Tris Speaker and Paul Waner -- are Hall of Famers. Roberts, who tied Berkman's record last week, took his achievement in stride.
Roberts, Baltimore's leadoff hitter, already holds the top three doubles marks in franchise history. The 31-year-old has an outside chance to be the first big league player in more than 70 years to hit 60 doubles. The last player -- Charlie Gehringer in 1936 -- also set the all-time record (60) for second baseman, giving Roberts another target.
Just two players in the past 50 years -- Todd Helton and Carlos Delgado in 2000 -- have gotten within three doubles of 60, setting the bar high for Roberts. Helton actually got to 59 doubles, falling one short in a season in which he also had 42 home runs. Delgado, who got to 57 two-baggers that year, also hit 41 homers.
Roberts, one of Baltimore's most consistent players, hit 29 doubles in 344 at-bats before the All-Star break and has hit 28 more in his first 267 at-bats after the intermission. The switch-hitter consistently has handled his success with self deprecation, and he underlined that in early September when he logged his 50th double.
"Any time you're in the company of three Hall of Famers -- and you're the only one who's not a very good player -- that's kind of cool," he said. "I never would've expected any positive category to be in the same category as three Hall of Famers. I don't want to downplay it to the point where you don't respect the guys that have done it before you. That's for sure, because those are obviously incredible guys that have played the game."
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Reynolds breaks MLB strikeout record
PHOENIX -- Arizona third baseman Mark Reynolds broke his major league strikeout record by fanning for the 205th time this season in the fourth inning of the Diamondbacks' game against San Francisco.
Reynolds struck out for the second time Tuesday night to break the record he established last season. After doubling in a run for his career-high 100th RBI in the first, he struck out against Matt Cain in the third and rookie left-hander Madison Bumgarner in the fourth.
Reynolds added another strikeout in the sixth to up his total to 206.
"So what?" Reynolds said when asked about the strikeouts. "So what?"
Reynolds is the only player in major league history to strike out at least 200 times in a season.
"Deep down inside, I'm sure it bothers him more than he likes to portray," manager A.J. Hinch said. "At the end of the day, he is 40-plus home runs and 100 RBIs. That's a productive season, for anyone to really focus on the strikeout record being reset. When that production is coming with the strikeouts, it's almost a moot point. We all want him to be a more productive player and strike out less, but when the production follows, it is hard to knock him."
The 26-year-old Reynolds is hitting .266 with 43 homers, second to St. Louis' Albert Pujols, who has 47.
Oakland's Jack Cust set the American League record with 197 last season.
(c) 2009 ESPN Internet Ventures.
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