Bryce Harper, the National League’s Most Valuable Player, and Kris Bryant, its Rookie of the Year received keys to the city during a ceremony on the the 3rd Street Stage at the Fremont Street Experience downtown Thursday night.
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Clayton Kershaw, the ace of the Dodgers, a five-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner, and a Most Valuable Player if ever there was one — pitcher of a no-hitter and thousands of strikeouts and possessor of a career 2.43 earned-run average, best of the current era — couldn’t get anybody out.
A lot people, including young general managers and desperate guys trying to impress women in bars, are into baseball sabermetrics: WAR, WHIP, OPS, what have you.
Because guys who started the baseball season pitching for the 51s apparently will get you only so far, this World Series might be remembered as being more anticlimactic than memorable.
It must drive 51s president Don Logan nuts that baseball fans who live within a relay throw of Cashman Field don’t think like that when it comes to top-line pitching prospects.
Bryce Harper not hustling to first base probably would have gone unnoticed had Jonathan Papelbon not gone Boston Strangler on him in the dugout, Boston being the place whence Papelbon came, via stopover in Philadelphia.
It was in the wee hours of the morning when the bulletin declared it an official game, that lovable Yogi Berra had died at age 90.
People always enjoy stories about a guy spending a lot of time in the minor leagues, paying serious dues and whatnot, before he breaks into the majors. Especially if he does something in the majors.
A few weeks ago I heard from Mike Bryant, father of Chicago Cubs slugger Kris Bryant, the player soon to be named National League Rookie of the Year. It might have been in July, when his son was scuffling.
It was Labor Day, and game 144 (of 144) of the Pacific Coast League season was played before only a sunbaked smattering of spectators at Cashman Field. You could hear Beer Man Bruce bellow from foul line to foul line.