Tag: Yankees

NOV 6 in baseball history – 2020 predictions

NOVEMBER 6, 2020 : Where will your team be in the standings when the 2020 season (how ever it’s set up) comes to a close? Lets see what the number crunching geeks (I say that fondly. I’m one of them) responsible for PECOTA – Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm have to say.

But before you get too excited, or depressed, we’ll look at how accurate PECOTA was in 2019.

November 6th – the American League. November 7th – the National League.

2020 PREDICTED FINAL STANDINGS
AL East

  1. Yankees
  2. Rays
  3. Red Sox
  4. Jays
  5. Orioles

In 2019 the Yankees were favored by PECOTA to win the Division, which they did. Then lost to the Astros in the ALCS.

The Rays were favored to finish 3rd, but finished 2nd. They beat A’s in the 2019 wild card game. Lost to Astros in the AL Division Series

AL Central  

  1. Twins
  2. Indians
  3. White Sox
  4. Tigers
  5. Royals

In 2019 PECOTA had the Minnesota Twins finishing in 2nd, playing just .500 baseball. The Twins took the Division with 101 wins. They were beaten by the Yankees in the ALDS.

AL West

  1. Astros
  2. Angels
  3. Athletics
  4. Rangers
  5. Mariners

PECOTA favored the Astros to win the AL West in 2019, which they did. They made it to the World Series, losing to the Washington Nationals.

Now, it’s a whole new season. How will MLB shake out in 2020? That’s why they play the games.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/2019.shtml  2019 final standings
https://www.baseballprospectus.com/standings/  PECOTA Predictions for 2020
https://doublegsports.com/pecota-projected-mlb-standings-2019/  DoubleGSports

Oct 5: Dramatic dropped 3rd strike

OCTOBER 5, 1941 | BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – It would have been the final out of Game-4 of the 1941 World Series and a 4-3 victory for the Brooklyn Dodgers had catcher Mickey Owen held on to strike three on this date in 1941. Instead, the ball went all the way back to the screen. The batter, New York Yankee right fielder Tommy Henrich ran safely to first instead of the dugout.

What followed was a single, double, two runs scored, a walk, another double, two more runs scored, another walk before a ground-out for the third out. The Yankees won 7-4. Instead of the series being tied 2-2, the Yankees were up 3 games to 1. They won the next day to take the Series.

What could have been had Mickey Owen held on to Hugh Casey‘s  3-2 pitch. Ironically, Owen set a record that season for the most consecutive chances without an error. He finished the season with a .995 fielding percentage, but he will always be remembered for his passed ball that snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
October 5, 1941 box score/play-by-play
More on Mickey Owen

MARCH 5 – YANKS SWAP WIVES

MARCH 5, 1973 |FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA – On this date New York Yankee pitchers Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich dropped a bombshell on spring training camp on this date. They announced to the world that they had swapped wives… and kids and a poodle and a terrier. “It wasn’t a wife swap,” they said, “It’s a life swap.” It was no joke.

America had lived through the turbulent, permissive 1960’s, but this was a shock on so many levels, not the least of which was that the swap was announced to the world.

Just like in baseball; you win some, you lose some and some get rained out. Peterson and Kekich had been close friends for years. They said there was nothing sordid about the “affair.” They and their wives began discussing the switch the previous summer and put it in effect in October, 1972.

Fritz Peterson was still living with Susanne Kekich and her two daughters, aged 4 and 2, at the time of the press conference, but Mike Kekich and Marilyn Peterson‘s relationship had already gone south. Their living arrangement with her two sons, aged 5 and 2, had been on-again/off-again. It also became apparent that the two left-handers had had a falling out over one affair working and the other not. Murray Chass wrote in the next day’s New York Times that, “…it was obvious they had bitter feelings toward each other.”

Fritz Peterson and the former Susanne Kekich eventually married and had four children of their own. The last that was heard they were still married and living outside Chicago. Peterson attended a Yankees charity event in Fort Lauderdale in January of 2013. The Mike Kekich and Marilyn Peterson affair was over before it started. Kekich eventually remarried and at last report was living in New Mexico.

Both achieved some success on the mound, but neither saw their careers flourish after the swap. Kekich finished his 12-year major league career with a 39-51 record. Peterson had career record of 133-131 over an 11-year career. He also did better on the domestic front.

There are rumblings that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck may make a movie about the “affair.” No joke.

Contributing sources:
The New York Times, March 6, 1973, pages 51-52, by Murray Chass
The New York Times, September 9, 2009, Fritz Peterson writes a book
Washington Times, March 7, 2005
The Palm Beach Post, January 26, 2013   
Jackson, MS Clarion Ledger, by Rick Cleveland, August 29, 2000

Mar 1: MANTLE RETIRES

MARCH 1, 1969 | FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA – A sports icon of the 1950’s and 60’s retired on this date.  Mickey Mantle made the announcement at the spring training home of the New York Yankees, ending an 18-year career.

It’s remarkable it lasted that long considering “Mick” endured a variety of injuries, mostly to his legs. In announcing his decision, Mantle revealed the frustrations of a proud athlete, whose body would not perform, “I don’t hit the ball when I need to. I can’t steal when I need to, I can’t score from second base when I need to.” It’s cruel how 37 can look so old.

Mantle had superstar numbers, but they could have been better. He was the prototype 5-tool player when he came up to the Yankees at age 19. He could run, hit, hit for power, throw and catch.

Early in his career he was described as the fastest player from home to first, but that was before leg injuries turned him into a 4-tool star.

Career Milestones:

  • 3-time MVP
  • 16-time all-star
  • On 12 pennant winners
  • On 7 World Series championship teams
  • 536 home runs
  • .298 average
  • .421 on-base percentage
  • .557 slugging percentage

Being among the first superstar players to face the best Black ballplayers for an entire career, Mantle put a mark of authenticity on the American athlete. When the news came, “Mickey Mantle Retires,” it was the end of an era.

Contributing sources:
New York Times, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, March 2, 1969
More on Mantle

JAN 25: TEAM VALUE$ SOAR

THIS STORY STARTS IN NEW YORK IN 1945 –

These aren’t your father’s Yankees anymore. The New York Yankees were sold for $2.5 million on this date in 1945. If the Yankees were sold today, the asking price would be about 1400 times more than that – $3.7 BILLION, with a “B”.

MLB team values continue to skyrocket. The increases are almost incomprehensible. Even comparing for inflation, they’re way beyond the hikes in costs of everything else.

Here is Forbes Magazine’s comparison of team values in just the 10-year span from 2007 to 2017:

                                                                                            2007              2017
1. New York Yankees         $1.2B             $3.7B
2. Los Angeles Dodgers      $632M             $2.75B 
3. Boston Red Sox           $724M             $2.7B
4. Chicago Cubs             $592M             $2.68B
5. San Francisco Giants     $459M             $2.65B 
6. New York Mets            $736M             $2.0B    
7. St. Louis Cardinals      $460M             $1.8B 
8. LA Angels of Anaheim     $431M             $1.75B
9. Philadelphia Phillies    $457M             $1.65B 
10. Washington Nationals    $447M             $1.6B
11. Texas Rangers           $365M             $1.55B
12. Atlanta Braves          $458M             $1.5B
13. Houston Astros          $442M             $1.45B  
14. Seattle Mariners        $436M             $1.4B
15. Chicago White Sox       $381M             $1.35B
16. Toronto Blue Jays       $344M             $1.3B
17. Pittsburgh Pirates      $274M             $1.25B
18. Detroit Tigers          $357M             $1.2B
19. Baltimore Orioles       $395M             $1.18B 
20. Arizona Diamondbacks    $339M             $1.15B
21. San Diego Padres        $367M             $1.13B
22. Minnesota Twins         $288M             $1.03B 
23. Colorado Rockies        $317M             $1.0B
24. Kansas City Royals      $282M             $950M
25. Miami Marlins           $244M             $940M 
26. Milwaukee Brewers       $287M             $925M
27. Cleveland Indians       $364M             $915M
28. Cincinnati Reds         $307M             $915M 
29. Oakland A's             $292M             $880M 
30. Tampa Bay Rays          $267M             $825M

In 2007 one team (the Yankees) was worth a billion dollars. In 2017, 23 of the 30 teams were worth at least a billion dollars.

Everything costs more today than it did in 1945:

  • The average cost of a new home today ($371,200) is 81 times what it was in 1945 ($4,600).
  • The average cost of a gallon of gas today ($2.43) is 16 times greater than the average gallon in 1945 ($0.15).

But the value of the New York Yankees is 1,460 times greater than it was in 1945. And team values continue to skyrocket.

Contributing Sources:
Forbes Magazine
The New York Times, January 26, 1945
Census Bureau – home prices