Relief Roundup: San Francisco Giants Brandon Crawford remains hot
Birthdays today
Two incredible superstars of the 1990s were born on this day 50 years ago and are now both members of the Hall of Fame.
Frank Thomas can be argued as one of the most pure hitters from the right hand side over his 19-year career. Nicknamed “Big Hurt” by many for his size and the punishment he’d put upon baseballs, Thomas not only drove baseballs for distance (521 home runs), but he was also an incredible contact hitter, hitting .301 for his career.
Thomas won 2 MVP awards, was elected to 5 All-Star games, won 4 Silver Sluggers, and also won the batting title in 1997. He hit 40 or more home runs 5 times and 30 or more 9 times in his career.
While a much more awkwardly constructed stance and swing, Jeff Bagwell had much the same success as Thomas over his career, hitting for a .297 career average and pounding out 449 home runs over a 15 year career.
Bagwell won an MVP, Rookie of the Year, was an All-Star 4 times, won a Gold Glove, and won 3 Silver Slugger awards over his career. If not for the strike in 1994, it is very feasible that Bagwell would have been the one to break Roger Maris’ home run record.
Active MLB players born today: Jose Berrios, Brad Boxberger, Jairo Diaz, Miguel Gonzalez, Yoan Moncada, Garrett Richards
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Notable events on this day
Carl Hubbell wins his 24th straight decision on this day in 1937 in relief as Mel Ott hits a late home run to help the Giants defeat the Reds.
While it will later be banned, Orioles manager Paul Richards and catcher Clint Courtney momentarily solve the issue of the dancing knuckler of Hoyt Wilhelm by using an oversized catcher’s mitt.
Two-time MVP Dale Murphy retires from baseball on this day in 1993. He was stuck on a bad Atlanta Braves franchise for most of his career, so he did not receive the notice he likely should have and missed the Hall of Fame.
San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford powers out a grand slam in his first major league game.
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