Penton: Three great stat stories from MLB
By Bruce Penton
Baseball statistics used to be fairly straightforward. Batting average, home runs and runs batted in were the important ones for hitters; victories, strikeouts and earned run average for pitchers were the categories that mattered.
Today, Major League Baseball has a ballpark full of advanced stats, some that are easy to understand and some that need a 20-minute tutorial describing how they identify a great ballplayer.
Today, we’re going back in time. No mention of advanced stats, analytics be damned. We’re going to pretend it’s 1957 and the basic baseball statistics are the only ones that matter. Today, there are three MLB players who are having outstanding seasons and only one of them is likely to wind up playing in the World Series.
Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros has a legitimate shot at winning baseball’s Triple Crown — leading the American League in batting average, homers and RBI. At the end of July, the Astros’ designated hitter led the A.L in average, 20 points ahead of his nearest rival; had a four-homer lead on Ben Rice of the Yankees; and was nine ahead of Rice in the RBI category. Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera was the most recent Triple Crown winner, accomplishing the rare feat in 2012. Prior to that, Carl Yastrzemski of the Red Sox, in 1967, was the last player to lead his league in all three categories. Notice those former winners were all from the American League. The last N.L. player to win the Triple Crown was Joe Medwick of St. Louis in 1937.
Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers is on a trail that’s leading to the Hall of Fame. In only his second year with the Brewers, the flame-throwing 24-year-old is must-see baseball every time he takes the mound. Misiorowski regularly throws pitches faster than 100 MPH and recently threw the year’s winner — a 105.5 mph heater against the Cubs in June. But the sophomore flash is not just about blazing fastballs. He will be the strong favourite to win the Cy Young award in the National League based on his strikeouts (1.55 per inning), his ERA (a league-leading 1.58 at the end of July, the only starter under 2.00) and the .149 batting average opposing hitters are managing against him. Oh, yes, Misiorowski’s Brewers are leading the NL Central, too, and are on track to meet the Dodgers in the NL championship series.
Speaking of the Dodgers, no survey of outstanding individual baseball accomplishments can be put together without mentioning Shohei Ohtani, the two-way Japanese star who could go down in history as the game’s best player ever. The Dodgers have reduced his mound appearances, but through the all-star break, Ohtani was 8-2 with a 1.79 earned-run average, numbers which would make most pitchers drool. As the Dodgers’ regular designated hitter, Ohtani had 23 homers through July and recently passed the 300 career HR total, in only his ninth season. Fifteen-year veteran CC Sabathia didn’t beat around the bush on a radio talk show recently, saying Ohtani is “already the greatest player of all time.”
David Beri, on Bluesky: “I have a theory for why LeBron keeps playing basketball. I think he likes playing basketball! That's the entire theory.”
Eamon Lynch of Golfweek.com, on legal problems the LIV golf tour is facing: “Another lawsuit has been filed by a group alleging its original concept for LIV was stolen (apparently there’s a competition to claim ownership of a fiasco).”
Ron Green, Jr., of Global Golf Post, describing the speed at which Open Championship winner Ryan Fox plays the game: “He goes about his business with the speed of a man trying to put out a grease fire.”
Green again, on fellow PGA speedsters Ludvig Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick: “Left to their own devices, they could play nine holes before a cup of coffee gets cold.”
Another one from Greg Cote, on LeBron James spurning Miami and signing with Philadelphia: "Miami and the NBA were waiting for LeBron like Vladimir and Estragon waiting for Godot.”
Janice Hough of leftcoastsportsbabe.com, on FIFA’s since-rejected plan to sell off part of the World Cup’s commercial interests to private investors: “Infantino is trying to turn the World Cup into LIV golf.”
Headline at fark.com: “World Cup sell-off shelved thanks to UEFA threatened pull-out; childish Gianni forced to find anther way to grift.’
Another sportscurmudgeon.com post, after broadcaster Tony Romo was arrested in Wisconsin for drinking and driving: “Dean Martin had an interesting piece of advice that Tony Romo should consider: ‘If you drink, don’t drive. Don’t even putt.’”
Headline at theonion.om: “Baseball Hall Of Fame Displays Fossilized Skeleton Of Stan Musial”
Falcons’ receiver Drake London, after proposing to girlfriend Sofia Gabay during a meal featuring her favourite food, Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supremes and hot sauce: “She was actually more stoked about the Taco Bell than the ring,"
Another fark.com headline, after San Jose of the NHL made a critical signing: “Sharks fans can Celebrini for the next five years.”
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