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TODAY: Monday, May 15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
When in doubt, sneak up from behind Special to ESPN.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last week Frank Robinson handed out suspensions and fines to 25
players and coaches for a combined 82 games for taking part in the recent
brawl between the Tigers and White Sox. Despite some complaints, this firm
and swift action was entirely appropriate, necessary and welcome because
this fight went far beyond the typical baseball brawl.
We don't often have co-winners, but's hard not to reward the two incredible lines coming out of Houston games this year. Not to imply the strike zone was a little elusive Sunday, but Milwaukee and Houston combined to walk 24 batters -- in the first five innings. Houston scored 10 runs on five hits, including its first seven on just two hits. Houston starter Scott Elarton threw 103 pitches, two more more than Randy Johnson threw in his April 20 shutout, but didn't last long enough (4.1 innings) to qualify for the win. Milwaukee starter Everett Stull threw 92 pitches and didn't get out of the fourth inning for this co-winning gem: 3.2 IP, 1 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 9 BB, 3 K, 1 HBP Stull hit Craig Biggio, who walked three times, was hit another time and scored three runs for this co-winning line: 0 AB, 3 R, 0 H, 0 RBI And then we have Houston's Jose Lima, a 21-game-winner last year who somehow reached double-digits in runs in back-to-back starts, allowing 12 runs April 27 and another 10 Tuesday night. His combined line from the two games: 9.2 IP, 26 H, 22 R, 21 ER, 6 BB, 11 K Lira allowed as many runs April 27 as Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez have all season. Lies, damn lies and statistics How good was the Big Unit the season's first month? Johnson won as many games in April as the Tigers (six). ... New York shortstop Rey Ordonez already has more errors (six) than he made all last season. ... The Red Sox entered Wednesday with only two stolen bases. They have been caught stealing four times. The Royals, by comparison, have 30 stolen bases and have been caught only twice. ... The Mariners are averaging more fans per game (35,954) than Canada's two teams combined (33,340). The Mariners also are outdrawing Florida's two teams combined (34,957). ... Between Kevin Tapani wins, Pedro Martinez won 16 games, including the postseason. From left field Vladimir Guerrero entered Wednesday's games with twice as many home runs (eight) as strikeouts (four). He is on pace, albeit an early one, to become the sixth player to hit at least 40 home runs and also have more home runs than strikeouts. The five to have done so and the nine seasons they did it:
Barroom Jeopardy Q. What did Joe DiMaggio finish with more of, home runs or strikeouts? A. Strikeouts, but not by much. Joltin' Joe hit 361 home runs and struck out 369 times. He had more home runs than strikeouts seven times. Jim Caple is the national baseball writer for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which has a website at www.seattle-pi.com. | ALSO SEE Pedro appealing five-game suspension AL: Pedro's punishment doesn't fit crime |