Pitchers at the plate and on the base paths are all but extinct. That’s what makes this moment extra special — even if it was always unique. There was a time in which even the best left-handed major leaguers found excuses to avoid facing Randy Johnson. Dae-Sung Koo, though, had no fear. Or he didn’t know any better. Whatever the reason, the 35-year-old relief pitcher stepped into the...
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Even as Jacob deGrom has since left New York, it’s still hard not to be nostalgic about his first big-league start nine years ago and how unexpected it all turned out. With a 2.58 ERA in seven starts at Triple-A Las Vegas, he was called up as a replacement for the injured Dillon Gee. Originally slated to be a reliever among the organization’s young crop of highly-touted starting...
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The short but eventful career of Matt Harvey in New York covered countless emotions. There was great anticipation, electrifying performances, disappointment, frustration, and empathy. It didn’t end the way anyone wanted, but it had plenty of thrills. Here are the best: The Debut – July 26, 2012 Considering everything that transpired after this, it’s poignant to look back at the...
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No matter how many baseball games you watch, each holds the chance of witnessing something you’ve never seen before. A player’s first career homer. A pitcher hitting a homer. Both are rare — the latter now extremely rare. Countless pitchers have a home run on their résumé. But there’s one that stands alone. Bartolo Colón was a terrible hitting pitcher even by hitting pitcher...
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This was three years in the making. No player in Mets history had more hype surrounding him than Darryl Strawberry. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, two walks, and a stolen base in a 13-inning victory on a Friday night. But the mere fact that the team’s proclaimed savior was officially on a major league diamond was worth celebrating. Even still, the debuts of hot prospects...
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