Fox Sports
The halfway mark this baseball season has come and gone, and some interesting — and in come cases downright shocking — performances are beginning to take shape.
So what are the most amazing, the most jaw-dropping, the most, dare we say, outrageous things you'll see happen before the curtain drops? The list below will give you an idea of the marvels that await baseball fans down the stretch of the 2004 season.
1. The Devil Rays or the Tigers will make the postseason.
Sure, either scenario is unlikely, but either scenario is also quite possible. The D-Rays can disabuse themselves of any notions of winning the AL East — that's the Yankees' turf. Lou Piniella's charges, at this writing, are three games below .500 and a whopping 13 1/2 games off the pace in the East. But there is that AL wild card floating around. Currently, the Devil Rays are 6 1/2 games back of the wild card-leading A's. That's a substantial bit of ground to make up, but the last time the Rays were in whiffing distance of a playoff spot was, well, never.
As for the Tigers, fresh of their worst-ever showing last season, they find themselves having already equaled their win total from '03 and sitting 7 games off the wild-card pace. Of course, the good news is that they toil in the accommodating environs of the AL Central, where they trail the division lead by only 5 games.
The White Sox lead the way in the Central, but with their best hitter — Frank Thomas — sidelined for the next two months, they're certainly vulnerable. And Motown also has a much better run differential than the other team ahead of them, the Minnesota Twins. Stranger things have happened.
2. Four of the six division races will be determined by one-game playoffs.
Twins, White Sox tied atop AL Central
Braves, Phillies tied atop NL East, with Mets 2.0 games behind
Deficit in the AL West: 2.5 games
Deficit in the NL West: 2.5 games.
Say what you will about the noxious consequences of the expanded playoffs, but they have ramped up the intrigue in a big way. The margin for error in four of the six division races is thinner than Calista Flockhart. Within those four divisions, 14 teams are either leading or within five games of the division lead. That's almost half of the entire league. From this gaggle of surprising contenders, those four playoff spots could yield October combatants as familiar as the Twins, A's, Braves and Giants (each has made the playoffs at least the last two seasons) or as pleasantly novel as the Tigers, Rangers, Phillies and Padres.
Sure, the odds are terribly long that all four of these races will end in ties, but without dreams, where would we be as a people?
3. Barry Bonds will draw 300 walks on the season.
Sounds insane, does it not? Bonds already owns the top two spots on the all-time, single-season walks list (his total of 198 in 2002 is tops), and this year he's on pace to log an amazing 241 free passes. With the Giants squarely in contention and with 46 games against fellow contenders still on the docket, Bonds will see more than his share of free passes down the stretch.
King Barry will also clout his 700th career homer at some point this season and shatter his own single-season mark for the highest on-base percentage. He might also become the first qualifying hitter in major-league history to record more intentional walks than hits.
4. Roger Clemens will wind up pitching for the Red Sox once again and face the Yankees in the ALCS.
Would the Rocket approve a trade from Houston to Boston? Probably not. But it makes a fascinating hypothetical. You can muster a strong case that Clemens is the greatest pitcher in the annals of the game, and a Boston redux would only add to his legend.
Rumors of the Astros' demise are a bit exaggerated. They won't be winning the NL Central, but they are only five games out of the wild-card race. Should they utterly collapse over the next two weeks, a deadline selloff is possible. And just maybe another shot at October glory, in the mind of the Rocket, will outweigh comforts of home. Besides, after the season's over he'll have plenty of time to have more sons and give them names that start with "K."
5. In that same hypothetical ALCS, Yankee Randy Johnson will square off against Boston's Curt Schilling in Game 7.
It could happen. The Unit reportedly will accept a trade only to the Yankees, Angels, Cubs or Cardinals. The Yankees aren't blessed with copious amounts of minor-league talent to send Arizona's way, but they do have a payroll that's as flexible as Stretch Armstrong.
Johnson and Schilling made history in Arizona as one of the greatest one-two punches ever. The idea of their facing off on the wide stage and wearing two of the hoariest uniforms in sports sends the brain all aflutter. And they wouldn't have to embarrass themselves at the plate.
6. Brad Radke will end the season with more wins than walks.
The last time this happened? It was 1994, and Bret Saberhagen turned the trick. The last time before that? Something called Slim Sallee pulled it off way back in 1919. In fact, in the entire history of the game only four times has this feat been accomplished (the other two were both by the inestimable Christy Mathewson in 1913 and 1914).
Granted, Radke's got a lot of work to do if he's to join this short list. Right now, Radke sports five wins on the season and 11 walks, so he needs to up the Ws pace if he's going to have a shot. Still, it's an accomplishment as rare as any in sports, and that Radke is in hailing distance of it means it's a story worth following over the next 2 1/2 months.
7. Vlad Guerrero will win the triple crown.
It hasn't happened in 37 years, since Boston's Carl Yastrzemski turned the trick in 1967, but Vlad has a fighting chance. He trails David Ortiz by one for the RBI lead, he six homers behind Manny Ramirez, and he needs 22 more points of batting average to catch Pudge Rodriguez. OK, so Vlad doesn't lead any of the three categories. Still, he's on the radar for each one, and, well, after 37 years we need a triple-crown story to follow.
8. Ryan Klesko and Darin Erstad, the starting first basemen on contending teams, will combine to hit no more than five home runs this season.
Normally, first base is a power position. For the most part, this year is no exception; first basemen have once again put up the highest slugging percentages of any position. What is an exception is the power bestowals of Ryan Klesko of the Padres and Darin Erstad of the Angels.
Right now, Klesko has a pair of home runs, while Erstad has gone deep on three occasions — power numbers befitting the Rafael Belliards of the world. If they're to remain with five combined homers, neither can hit another homer the rest of the season. While that's not likely, it's certainly possible given the outages these two have suffered to date. It'll be a miracle if they do it, but it'll be a bigger miracle if their two teams stay in the race despite such paltry production from a the first-base spot.
9. Pudge Rodriguez will become the first catcher in American League history to win the batting title.
Pudge right now is batting .363, and he leads the AL by a robust 16 points over Baltimore's Melvin Mora. That's notable because no catcher in junior-circuit history has ever won the batting title. In the NL, no catcher has topped the loop in batting average since Ernie Lombardi of the Boston Braves in 1942. Pudge surged in front thanks to an unbelievable performance in June, when he batted, believe it or not, an even .500 for the month (43-for-86). Since then, however, he's come down from the firmament, batting a paltry .237 in June. Still, it's his to lose. In fact, in another week or so, Pudge will notch the 2,000th base hit of his career.
Given the dramatic strides the Tigers have made this season, Pudge might also pick up his second AL MVP award to go along with that batting title.
10. Bartolo Colon will break Bert Blyleven's record for most home runs allowed in a season ... by 10.
Bert Blyleven had the misfortune of coughing up a record 50 homers in 1986 (his 1987 total of 46 homers is tied for third on the all-time list), but Bartolo Colon may relieve Blyleven of his historical burdens. In 104.1 innings this season, Colon has graced fans in the outfield bleachers with 28 souvenirs (but from the looks of things, he's retrieved each of those balls and eaten them with a cheese topping). And wouldn't you know it, he's on pace for an even 50 this year. In June alone, Colon had more than three times as many homers (10) as Oakland's Tim Hudson has on the entire season (three). Heck, Colon gave up as many homers as Hudson on April 16 alone (and June 12 ... and June 17 ... and July 3).
If Colon, as predicted, is to shatter Blyleven's mark by 10, he'll need to up the pace. And if the continued gopheritis comes in tandem with improved control, Colon might just become the ninth qualifying pitcher in major-league history to end a season with more home runs than walks. Ah, the whiplash.
Here's hoping you enjoy the rest of the season more than Mr. Colon probably will.
Dayn Perry is a regular contributor to FOXSports.com and can be reached at his e-mail address: daynperry@yahoo.com.
The halfway mark this baseball season has come and gone, and some interesting — and in come cases downright shocking — performances are beginning to take shape.
So what are the most amazing, the most jaw-dropping, the most, dare we say, outrageous things you'll see happen before the curtain drops? The list below will give you an idea of the marvels that await baseball fans down the stretch of the 2004 season.
1. The Devil Rays or the Tigers will make the postseason.
Sure, either scenario is unlikely, but either scenario is also quite possible. The D-Rays can disabuse themselves of any notions of winning the AL East — that's the Yankees' turf. Lou Piniella's charges, at this writing, are three games below .500 and a whopping 13 1/2 games off the pace in the East. But there is that AL wild card floating around. Currently, the Devil Rays are 6 1/2 games back of the wild card-leading A's. That's a substantial bit of ground to make up, but the last time the Rays were in whiffing distance of a playoff spot was, well, never.
As for the Tigers, fresh of their worst-ever showing last season, they find themselves having already equaled their win total from '03 and sitting 7 games off the wild-card pace. Of course, the good news is that they toil in the accommodating environs of the AL Central, where they trail the division lead by only 5 games.
The White Sox lead the way in the Central, but with their best hitter — Frank Thomas — sidelined for the next two months, they're certainly vulnerable. And Motown also has a much better run differential than the other team ahead of them, the Minnesota Twins. Stranger things have happened.
2. Four of the six division races will be determined by one-game playoffs.
Twins, White Sox tied atop AL Central
Braves, Phillies tied atop NL East, with Mets 2.0 games behind
Deficit in the AL West: 2.5 games
Deficit in the NL West: 2.5 games.
Say what you will about the noxious consequences of the expanded playoffs, but they have ramped up the intrigue in a big way. The margin for error in four of the six division races is thinner than Calista Flockhart. Within those four divisions, 14 teams are either leading or within five games of the division lead. That's almost half of the entire league. From this gaggle of surprising contenders, those four playoff spots could yield October combatants as familiar as the Twins, A's, Braves and Giants (each has made the playoffs at least the last two seasons) or as pleasantly novel as the Tigers, Rangers, Phillies and Padres.
Sure, the odds are terribly long that all four of these races will end in ties, but without dreams, where would we be as a people?
3. Barry Bonds will draw 300 walks on the season.
Sounds insane, does it not? Bonds already owns the top two spots on the all-time, single-season walks list (his total of 198 in 2002 is tops), and this year he's on pace to log an amazing 241 free passes. With the Giants squarely in contention and with 46 games against fellow contenders still on the docket, Bonds will see more than his share of free passes down the stretch.
King Barry will also clout his 700th career homer at some point this season and shatter his own single-season mark for the highest on-base percentage. He might also become the first qualifying hitter in major-league history to record more intentional walks than hits.
4. Roger Clemens will wind up pitching for the Red Sox once again and face the Yankees in the ALCS.
Would the Rocket approve a trade from Houston to Boston? Probably not. But it makes a fascinating hypothetical. You can muster a strong case that Clemens is the greatest pitcher in the annals of the game, and a Boston redux would only add to his legend.
Rumors of the Astros' demise are a bit exaggerated. They won't be winning the NL Central, but they are only five games out of the wild-card race. Should they utterly collapse over the next two weeks, a deadline selloff is possible. And just maybe another shot at October glory, in the mind of the Rocket, will outweigh comforts of home. Besides, after the season's over he'll have plenty of time to have more sons and give them names that start with "K."
5. In that same hypothetical ALCS, Yankee Randy Johnson will square off against Boston's Curt Schilling in Game 7.
It could happen. The Unit reportedly will accept a trade only to the Yankees, Angels, Cubs or Cardinals. The Yankees aren't blessed with copious amounts of minor-league talent to send Arizona's way, but they do have a payroll that's as flexible as Stretch Armstrong.
Johnson and Schilling made history in Arizona as one of the greatest one-two punches ever. The idea of their facing off on the wide stage and wearing two of the hoariest uniforms in sports sends the brain all aflutter. And they wouldn't have to embarrass themselves at the plate.
6. Brad Radke will end the season with more wins than walks.
The last time this happened? It was 1994, and Bret Saberhagen turned the trick. The last time before that? Something called Slim Sallee pulled it off way back in 1919. In fact, in the entire history of the game only four times has this feat been accomplished (the other two were both by the inestimable Christy Mathewson in 1913 and 1914).
Granted, Radke's got a lot of work to do if he's to join this short list. Right now, Radke sports five wins on the season and 11 walks, so he needs to up the Ws pace if he's going to have a shot. Still, it's an accomplishment as rare as any in sports, and that Radke is in hailing distance of it means it's a story worth following over the next 2 1/2 months.
7. Vlad Guerrero will win the triple crown.
It hasn't happened in 37 years, since Boston's Carl Yastrzemski turned the trick in 1967, but Vlad has a fighting chance. He trails David Ortiz by one for the RBI lead, he six homers behind Manny Ramirez, and he needs 22 more points of batting average to catch Pudge Rodriguez. OK, so Vlad doesn't lead any of the three categories. Still, he's on the radar for each one, and, well, after 37 years we need a triple-crown story to follow.
8. Ryan Klesko and Darin Erstad, the starting first basemen on contending teams, will combine to hit no more than five home runs this season.
Normally, first base is a power position. For the most part, this year is no exception; first basemen have once again put up the highest slugging percentages of any position. What is an exception is the power bestowals of Ryan Klesko of the Padres and Darin Erstad of the Angels.
Right now, Klesko has a pair of home runs, while Erstad has gone deep on three occasions — power numbers befitting the Rafael Belliards of the world. If they're to remain with five combined homers, neither can hit another homer the rest of the season. While that's not likely, it's certainly possible given the outages these two have suffered to date. It'll be a miracle if they do it, but it'll be a bigger miracle if their two teams stay in the race despite such paltry production from a the first-base spot.
9. Pudge Rodriguez will become the first catcher in American League history to win the batting title.
Pudge right now is batting .363, and he leads the AL by a robust 16 points over Baltimore's Melvin Mora. That's notable because no catcher in junior-circuit history has ever won the batting title. In the NL, no catcher has topped the loop in batting average since Ernie Lombardi of the Boston Braves in 1942. Pudge surged in front thanks to an unbelievable performance in June, when he batted, believe it or not, an even .500 for the month (43-for-86). Since then, however, he's come down from the firmament, batting a paltry .237 in June. Still, it's his to lose. In fact, in another week or so, Pudge will notch the 2,000th base hit of his career.
Given the dramatic strides the Tigers have made this season, Pudge might also pick up his second AL MVP award to go along with that batting title.
10. Bartolo Colon will break Bert Blyleven's record for most home runs allowed in a season ... by 10.
Bert Blyleven had the misfortune of coughing up a record 50 homers in 1986 (his 1987 total of 46 homers is tied for third on the all-time list), but Bartolo Colon may relieve Blyleven of his historical burdens. In 104.1 innings this season, Colon has graced fans in the outfield bleachers with 28 souvenirs (but from the looks of things, he's retrieved each of those balls and eaten them with a cheese topping). And wouldn't you know it, he's on pace for an even 50 this year. In June alone, Colon had more than three times as many homers (10) as Oakland's Tim Hudson has on the entire season (three). Heck, Colon gave up as many homers as Hudson on April 16 alone (and June 12 ... and June 17 ... and July 3).
If Colon, as predicted, is to shatter Blyleven's mark by 10, he'll need to up the pace. And if the continued gopheritis comes in tandem with improved control, Colon might just become the ninth qualifying pitcher in major-league history to end a season with more home runs than walks. Ah, the whiplash.
Here's hoping you enjoy the rest of the season more than Mr. Colon probably will.
Dayn Perry is a regular contributor to FOXSports.com and can be reached at his e-mail address: daynperry@yahoo.com.
