Hats Off to John Pacella

I guarantee that 95% of you that saw this title have no idea who John Pacella is. I can forgive you for that. I’m not sure if even the most hardcore of New York Mets’ fans have heard of John Pacella. He was a pitcher that played in seasons ranging from 1977 to 1986 primarily for the Mets but he also had brief stints with the Yankees, Twins, Orioles and Tigers. He appeared in a grand total of 71 games with a career ERA of 5.74. Yet, he holds a special place in my heart for one, distinguishing characteristic:

The magic of John Pacella. Photo from my personal collection

His cap would fall off after he threw a pitch. I mean every, single pitch.

If you don’t believe me, the back of his 1981 Topps card, pictured above, reads as follows:

“John has unique habit of losing his cap each pitch”.

He appeared in 32 games in 1980 for the Mets. Though I was first six, then seven years old that season, I distinctly remember seeing this during Pacella’s outings. I remember thinking how and why does that happen? I would imitate many things done on the field by Major Leaguers. Losing my batting helmet while running? I couldn’t do it in actual Little League games because of those tight helmets. But it was possible in the backyard with those plastic ones I would win at the fair. Cap falling off while running down a ball? No problem. How cool was that, showing off to everyone how hard you were running and how much you cared? But losing your cap while throwing a pitch? No chance.

These days, many players express themselves after a big play. Usually, it is after a hit or a strikeout. John Pacella, even though it wasn’t a form of self expression, was a man ahead of his time. He was memorable even if the totality of his career was not.

The Week Ahead in Major League Baseball May 27-June 2

It’s hard to believe the Major League Baseball season is already two months old. The warm weather is finally here and school is almost done. We are starting to get an idea of which teams are serious contenders, which are headed for a long Summer and the rest, well, they teeter between slightly below or slightly above average. There is a World Series rematch this week as the Arizona Diamondbacks will visit the Texas Rangers for two games. We will also see how the Atlanta Braves fare with Ronald Acuna, Jr beginning a stint on the Injured List. Here is what else will be going on this week around the league.

Aaron Judge goes to San Francisco for the first time since Arson Judge appeared. Photo from Fox News.

Series to Watch: Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee Brewers

It’s a battle for early control of the National League Central as the second place Cubs visit the first place Brewers. The Crew is a feisty bunch; Sunday against the Boston Red Sox was the third time this year Milwaukee was involved in a benches-emptying encounter. Cubs’ fans always make a Milwaukee their home away from home. Aces battle on Wednesday when Shota Imanaga pitches agianst Freddy Peralta. The two teams face each other for the second time in 2024. The Cubs won two out of three games at Wrigley Field during the first weekend in May.

Player to Watch: Aaron Judge

Since a slow April, Judge has been near impossible to get out. He is hitting .359 over his last 30 games with 13 home runs. On Tuesday, he goes to San Francisco for the first time since he came oh-so-close to signing with the Giants after the 2022 season (remember Jon Heyman’s Arson Judge tweet?). I’m sure the venom Giants’ fans have for the Los Angeles Dodgers will come out during Judge’s plate appearances. The Yankees then travel to Anaheim for the weekend; Judge owns 11 home runs vs the Angels in 31 career games.

Turnaround for the Cincinnati Reds?

Things are looking up in Cincinnati. The Reds are coming off a home weekend sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers and now have a chance to make up ground in the National League Central. Up next are three games against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals followed by a weekend set in Chicago vs. the Cubs. Nick Lodolo makes his return this week from a groin injury and Alexis Diaz picked up back-to-back saves against the Dodgers, showing signs he is out of his early season funk.

Hot in Cleveland

The Guardians are riding a nine game winning streak. Up next is a trip to Colorado to take on the Rockies, one of the worst teams in the National League. The weekend brings a visit from the Washington Nationals who are better but still below .500. Despite the streak, the Guardians are still only 2.5 games ahead of the Kansas City Royals. These next two series offer the opportunity for Cleveland to increase their lead in the American League Central.

MLB Highlights Review May 19-May 25

I’d like to add another new feature to my blog. Each week, I want to showcase five plays from this week’s games that are worthy of extra love. Some you may have seen, some you may not. There is a plethora of clips to choose from and honestly, it could take me a week to say which are the top five. Instead, what I will present each week are five great plays, in no particular order.

Let’s get the party started!

Fittingly enough, the very first highlight presented will be from a game I attended. Check out Corey Julks robbing Jose Trevino of a home run.

Lars Nookbar pulls off a nifty double play, you know, the routine 9-3 kind.

Matt Chapman with the throw and Lamond Wade, Jr with the pick to win the game for the San Francisco Giants.

Ceddanne Rafaela with the big time stretch.

Seiya Suzuki slides perfectly.

Immaculate Grid Superstar: Joe Morgan

When playing Immaculate Grid, there are a number of “go to guys” I use whenever I am stuck on a particular box. Guys that have bounced around like Edwin Jackson, J.D. Martinez and any left-handed reliver with a pulse are good options when trying to go Immaculate. One surprising player that I have used frequently over this past year is in the Hall of Fame, and arguably the best player ever to have played second base: Joe Morgan.

Joe Morgan checks many boxes for Immaculate Grid. Photo from CBS News.

The two-time Most Valuable Player winner started his career with the then Houston Colt 45’s in 1963 before shockingly getting dealt to the Cincinnati Reds in 1972 where he had his best seasons. After his time with the Reds was complete, he went back to Houston for the 1980 season before hopping to the Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants and the Oakland A’s to close out his legendry career after the 1984 campaign. Not only does Morgan check a number of team boxes, he also fills out categories such as MVP, played one game at second base and All-Star. You don’t think of Hall of Famers as options from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s when playing Immaculate Grid. However, I seem to use Morgan to fill out my grid at least once every ten days.

If there was an Immaculate Grid for baseball announcers, Morgan would fill in nicely there as well. He has worked with broadcasting icons John Miller and Bob Costas on ESPN and NBC. He’s a Hall of Fame player and one of the great Immaculate Grid superstars. He’s Joe Morgan.

A Beautiful Day at Yankee Stadium

The Lynch family ventured out for our first baseball game of the year on Sunday, May 19. We saw the New York Yankees take on the Chicago White Sox with the Bronx Bombers looking for the sweep. I would describe the game as a ho hum affair as the Yanks are really good and the White Sox, not so much. New York would win 7-2 thanks to home runs by Aaron Judge and Jon Berti and six solid innings pitched by Carlos Rodon.

It was a picture perfect day at Yankee Stadium. After what seemed to be an endless array of cool and rainy weather, we were treated to a gorgeous, sunny 72 degree day. We sat in Section 331, first row, near the left field foul pole, pretty high up but able to see all the action on the diamond. It really is my happy place: my family with me watching the great game of baseball. Even transportation, long the bane of a sports fan’s existence, was a good time. Taking the train to the Stadium is super quick and convenient and for entertainment, we were treated to a drunk fan passing out on the ride home. The one odd sight, though common in the new Yankee Stadium, is the scores of empty seats as many fans opted to indulge in the restaurants and bars on the lower level. I understand wanting to shelter on a cold day in April but a picturesque Sunday afternoon? No place better than outdoors.

We have two other games to go to on our calendar: Philadelphia at the end of June and Citi Field in mid-July. We hope that, just like the Yankees, the home teams win both of those contests. No matter the result, going to a ballpark with the family is always a beautiful day.

The Week Ahead in Major League Baseball (May 20-May 26)

This is the start of a weekly feature looking at the following week’s activities in Major League Baseball. I will look at the series I feel you should pay attention to as well as focusing one one specific player. Beyond those two items, the rest of the post will feature anything that pops into my scattered but fertile baseball mind. Like this blog, I am sure it will be ever changing and, over time, will be improved with each entry. Enjoy the maiden voyage of this new feature!

Catch Shota Imanaga this weekend against the Cardinals. Photo from the Chicago Sun Times.

Series to Watch: Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals

The Cubs are two games out of first place in the National League Central while the Cardinals are six games under .500. Fans of both teams will tell you this is the best rivalry in baseball. We’ve never had a true two team pennant race between the clubs since the switch to three divisions thirty years ago. They will have tough early week matchups prior to their clash over the weekend with the Cubs visiting the Atlanta Braves and the Cards hosing the Baltimore Orioles. The first series matchup of the season between them features a national audience on Sunday Night Baseball.

Player to Watch: Shota Imanaga

Paul Skenes is getting all the hype and Ranger Suarez has been the best pitcher on the best team in baseball. Somehow, the Cubs’ Imanaga has been slightly overlooked despite an ERA of less than 1 through nine starts. He is due to start on Friday, getting his first taste of the storied Cubs-Cardinals history. The St. Louis offense has been terrible in 2024 so it will be interesting to see how the rookie deals with them.

Ugly Alert:

It could get nasty in Chicago this weekend. The American League worst White Sox host the Orioles, led by home run leader Gunnar Henderson. Chicago’s pitchers have allowed a Majors-worst 63 homers not exactly a good recipe when facing a team that has hit the most round-trippers. The White Sox would prefer to see a different AL East team, the Tampa Bay Rays as they took four of six from them earlier in the year. After getting swept by the New York Yankees this weekend and then traveling to Toronto for a series against the Blue Jays before hosting the O’s, the Sox could fall further into the abyss by this time next week.

Underachiever Series: Miami Marlins at Arizona Diamondbacks

These two playoff teams from 2023 are a combined 21 games under .500. The Marlins have already punted on 2024 with their trade of Luis Arraez. Arizona has a date with the Los Angeles Dodgers starting on Monday, who would love to inflict more damage on the team who eliminated them last postseason. Though Miami is too far gone to dream of October baseball, this series may represent the start of the last chance for the D-backs to defend their National League crown. After the Marlins depart, Arizona has a stretch until June 21 of playing teams .500 and under.



The Yo Yo Known as the Arizona Diamondbacks

Once upon a time, I was the editor of Venom Strikes, a blog dedicated to the Arizona Diamondbacks. It’s true. Just Google, “Tom Lynch Venom Strikes” and you can link to one of my articles like this. When I tell people that I am a huge baseball fan and that I once blogged about the Diamondbacks, inevitably they want to know how a Yankees fan in New York became a writer for the Snakes. The answer is I was asked and so I obliged. That makes me one of the only people in the tristate area that has a rooting interest in the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Corbin Carroll has lately been showing off his All Star form. Photo from NBC News

But that’s not what this entry is about.

The D’backs are the defending National League champions yet have had an uneven start to this season, to say the least. They sit at 20-22, too early to panic but fair to wonder if they can make the playoffs. It has been one of the those seasons where pieces have been missing or underperforming. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. started off on fire while Corbin Carroll was in a major slump. Now, Carroll has seemingly turned the corner and Gurriel is batting .235. Jordan Montgomery arrived just as Merrill Kelly got hurt. Eduardo Rodriguez hasn’t pitched yet. Paul Sewald recently returned and Kevin Ginkel has not been the playoff Kevin Ginkel. On the bright side, Joc Pederson has been a solid addition and Ketel Marte is looking like Top 5 MVP Ketel Marte.

Remember, Arizona finished the 2023 season with an 84-78 record. It won’t take much effort to reach that number this season but it may not be good enough for the playoffs in 2024. In order to reach their full potential of being a 90 win, postseason team, the yo-yoing needs to stop and the killer instinct that was on display during that October series in Philadelphia needs to return by the end of the month.

Dave Stieb, Pitching Master

I was watching the Yankees-Astros game Tuesday night when Michael Kay and David Cone were talking about pitchers. I wasn’t hearing the exact background but I did perk up when I heard the name Dave Stieb. For those who are unaware, Stieb was one of the great pitchers of the 1980’s, totaling 176 victories over his 16 year career, mostly with the Toronto Blue Jays. Perhaps more memorable was the fact that it seemed like once per season, he would lose a no hitter in the ninth inning.

Dave Stieb was a great pitcher in the 1980’s. Photo from the Toronto Sun

Dave Stieb twirled five one hitters over the course of his career, three of them coming with two outs in the ninth inning. Finally, on September 2, 1990, “Sir David” completed the elusive no-hitter, beating the Cleveland Indians 3-0. This string of brilliant outings came as no surprise. Stieb is a seven time All Star and finished in the top ten of the Cy Young voting four times. In 1982, he was named the Sporting News Pitcher of the Year as he led the American League in shutouts with five and complete games with 19. When the Blue Jays made their first playoff appearance in 1985, Stieb led the American League with a 2.48 ERA as Toronto finished one game short of the World Series. After four appearances with the Chicago White Sox in 1993, he didn’t pitch for four years and made a comeback with the Blue Jays at age 40. After 19 appearances in 1998, Stieb called it a career; he still holds the most victories by a pitcher in Jays’ history.

Stieb was one of the best pitchers of his era. He gets overshadowed by names like Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan and Jack Morris. However, if I had to win one game against any one of those great pitchers, I wouldn’t hesitate to give the ball to Dave Stieb.

Immaculate Grid Superstar: Paul Lindblad

Earlier this year, I wrote about my daily activity of playing Immaculate Grid. With my oldest son coming home from college in a couple of days, our playing family will be complete. From time to time, I will be featuring players whom I consider Immaculate Grid Superstars. This can be someone who has bounced around from team to team, thereby making certain grid boxes easy. Or, it is a player whom I know will get a low percentage of respondents. Today’s post features the latter option: former pitcher Paul Lindblad.

It is amazing that I even would think of Paul Lindblad. After all, he retired after the 1978 season when I was five years old. Yet, he sticks out because back when I first started collecting baseball cards, I needed two players to complete my Topps 1979 New York Yankees: Lindblad and Gary Thomasson, two players who saw extremely limited time with the Yanks. Lindblad was the proud owner of three World Series rings, two with the Oakland A’s in 1973 and 1974 and one with the Yankees in 1978. He also pitched for the Washington Senators who later became the Texas Ranges. Three teams may not seem like a lot for Immaculate Grid but if you get stuck in a grid, Lindblad will provide a nice low score as my picture above demonstrates.

Besides the three championships, other notable career accomplishments for Paul Lindblad include a combined no hitter for the A’s on September 28, 1975. While with the Rangers in 1972, he led the American League in appearances with 66. The lefty was a valuable member of the Oakland bullpen in 1974 sporting a 2.04 ERA in over 100 innings pitched. Paul Lindblad enjoyed a successful 14 year career in the Majors and is now your first Immaculate Grid Superstar.

Saluting Ranger Suarez

This has been a rough first month for Major League Baseball starting pitchers. A rash of season ending injuries to multiple starters, including All Stars Shane Bieber and Spencer Strider, has left fans, players and media alike wondering what is the culprit. I come here not with any definitive answers (though I have ideas) and instead propose acknowledging someone who doesn’t light up radar guns. He doesn’t wow you with spin rates and knee buckling curves. He’s what you call an artist and right now he is painting a masterpiece of a season.

Give it up for Ranger Suarez, please.

Ranger Suarez can hopefully change a lot of minds on pitching. Photo from the Philadelphia Inquirer

The 28-year old left hander is coming off a streak of 32 consecutive scoreless innings, tied for fifth best in Philadelphia Phillies’ history. To call this a breakout season so far is an understatement. His ERA is a miniscule 1.32 and he has thrown one of the Majors’ only complete game shutouts. He gives the Phillies a formidable 1-2-3 combination with Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. Yet, outside of Philadelphia, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of fanfare about Suarez’s work. The easy and correct answer is that he is not a strikeout pitcher. He has 40 K’s in 41 innings pitched. He doesn’t throw 98 miles an hour. He doesn’t scream after a big out.

I’d rather focus on the fact he has only issued six walks and 20 hits. That translates to a phenomenal .0634 WHIP (Walks and Hits per Innings Pitched.) All the big pitching talk revolves around strikeouts per nine innings, an obsession that is killing the pitching profession. Suarez’s success is a credit to both his physical ability and his acumen in knowing HOW to get batters out. That to me is much more impressive than someone looking to hit triple digits on the radar gun on nearly every pitch. Large amounts of strikeouts leads to shorter outings by your starting pitching and more use of the bullpen. Suarez’s pitching saves the bullpen, keeps his fielders active and goes deep into games, a combination all starting pitchers should be emulating. Would we be overlooking Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine if they were pitching today?

I have no idea if Ranger Suarez’s ERA will remain below 1.50 for the rest of the season. Chances are, the laws of baseball will catch up and he will be closer to 2.00 or higher by the end of the season. However, what I do know is that the only way for the baseball establishment to become less reliant on velocity and spin rates is for Ranger Suarez to out together a string of Cy Young worthy seasons. Maybe then we will focus on the art of pitching. I’ll be rooting for him.