The Unlikely Scenario: The Miraculous Comeback of Pedro Martinez & the 1999 Boston Red Sox

Despite being a diehard Red Sox fan, I just want to be fair to their World Series opponents, the St. Louis Cardinals. If the St.Louis fans have faith, the team will be fine. Why? If the Red Sox collapse in dramatic fashion (unlikely, but possible!) like the 1999 Cleveland Indians did versus the Boston Red Sox by losing the American League Division Series (ALDS) after leading the series two games to none then the Cardinals will be in good shape. The series began on October 9th, 1999 (10.9.99) at Jacobs Field in Cleveland. The starting pitchers for Game 1 were Pedro Martinez for the Red Sox and Bartolo Colon for the Indians. In 1999, Pedro Martinez had the best season for any pitcher in baseball history (dating back to World War I), as he had twenty three wins and four losses in 29 games pitched. Unfortunately, Pedro left the game in the 5th inning with a back injury and the Red Sox had to use Derek Lowe, who was battling a blister on his right middle finger and, not surprisingly, the Indians won the game 3-2 and took a 1-0 series lead. In Game 2, Boston had another injured pitcher, Bret Saberhagen, (who had resurrected his career more times than Jesus at that point!) pitching against Charlie Nagy of the Indians. The Red Sox took a 1-0 lead in the top of the 2nd inning thanks to a homerun from my all-time favorite Red Sox player, Nomar Garciaparra. But in the bottom of the 3rd inning, Saberhagen's elbow gave out but he toughed through it...poorly. He gave up six runs and never got out of the 3rd inning and was replaced by Robinson Checo, who was equally as bad as Saberhagen...and Checo was healthy! He gave up five runs and hit two guys. The Red Sox didn't have a chance in Game 2 as they lost 11-1. Cleveland was on the cusp of going to New York to face the Yankees in the ALCS. But, then the series shifted to Boston at historic Fenway Park. The Red Sox somehow won Game 3 by a score of 9-3, even though Nomar Garciaparra was given the night off as Manager Jimy Williams thought the Sox were done for the year! The next night, the Indians pitching collapsed. Their starter, Bartolo Colon, who had pitched for eight innings just three nights before, didn't even make it out of the 1st inning in Game 4 after giving up seven runs! Steve Reed didn't help either, giving up eight runs. The Red Sox scored 23 runs in the game and it was no contest after the 2nd inning. The series shifted back to Cleveland. But, if the Boston Red Sox wanted to complete their unlikely comeback, they would have to do it WITHOUT Pedro Martinez, who had been slated to pitch that night, but his back acted up again just minutes before the start of the game. So they had to go with Saberhagen (who had started Game 2). Cleveland went with Nagy (who also started Game 2). The results were poor for both sides as neither pitcher made it past the 3rd inning. Saberhagen's elbow gave out (sarcastic shocker!) and Nagy was ineffective. After Cleveland had gained an 8-7 lead at the end of the 3rd inning, the Red Sox tied it up in the top of the 4th thanks to a surprising homerun by 5 foot 6 inch tall center fielder Darren Lewis. In the bottom of the 4th, Pedro Martinez came in (IT'S A MIRACLE!!!!!!!!!). Cleveland countered with 19 year old Brockton, Mass. native Shaun DePaula. Both pitchers were on top of their game. But Cleveland Manager Mike Hargrove took DePaula out in the 7th and brought in Paul Shuey, who gave up a three run homerun to backup left fielder Troy O'Leary. The sad part was that Cleveland didn't even get a HIT off Martinez. After Saberhagen's replacement, Derek Lowe, left the game after the 3rd inning because of a chronic blister and poor performance, Cleveland didn't get a hit from that point on! The Red Sox had just completed their comeback and shellshocked the baseball world beating Cleveland by a final score of 12 to 8! Cleveland Manager Mike Hargrove was fired by the Cleveland executives mere hours after the end of the game.

Before I end this entry, I would like to answer the question: Why not talk about the 2004 ALCS between the Red Sox and Yankees when the Yankees collapsed? The reason is because the Cleveland series is less known other than in Cleveland and Boston, as there is hardly ANY footage of this series outside of those two cities.

2014 Seattle Mariners Roster Predictions

If the Seattle Mariners want to win anything in 2014, they will have to keep all of their young players and have them play the whole season and keep them healthy so they can be productive members of the team. If they do that, then they will very likely be in the race for a spot in the Playoffs.

Here's my hopeful 25 player roster for the 2014 Seattle Mariners:

First let's start with the pitching side of the team, along with an interesting fact about each player:

Starting Pitchers:

1. Felix Hernandez

"King Felix" is easily the best pitcher in the league, if not all of baseball...and he's still getting better!

2. Danny Hultzen

Danny Hultzen was the 2nd overall pick in the 2011 Baseball draft by the Mariners.

3. Taijuan Walker

Some scouts say that Taijuan Walker is going to be BETTER than Felix Hernandez one day.

4. Hisashi Iwakuma

Hisashi Iwakuma was named the 2008 Rakuten award winner (The award is the Japanese equivilant of the Most Valuable Player award here in the U.S.)

5. James Paxton

James Paxton went to High School with Miami Marlins Right Fielder Giancarlo Stanton.

Relief Pitchers:

Tom Wilhelmsen

Tom pitched for the Mesa Solar Sox in the independent Golden Baseball League in 2007.

Charlie Furbush

Charlie once pitched for the Detroit Tigers.

Lucas Luetge

Lucas is from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.

Stephen Pryor

Stephen was part of the 10th combined no-hitter in Major League Baseball versus Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012. He also won his first career game that night.

Danny Farqhuar

Danny Farqhuar was acquired from the Yankees for Ichiro...so he better be good!

Chance Ruffin

Chance throws 104 Miles Per Hour

Brandon Maurer

Brandon was named Southern League Pitcher of the Year in 2012

Now the projected lineup:

1. Brad Miller (Shortstop)

Brad doesn't wear batting gloves.

2. Nick Franklin (2nd Base)

Nick went to the University of North Carolina (UNC) with Kyle Seager and Dustin Ackley.

3. Kyle Seager (3rd Base)

Kyle was once a second baseman.

4. Kendrys Morales (Designated Hitter)

Kendrys is from Fomento, Cuba.


5. Abraham Almonte (Right Fielder)


Abraham was acquired from the Yankees in a trade for pitcher Shawn Kelley.

6. Justin Smoak (1st Base)

Justin was originally drafted by the Texas Rangers.


7. Mike Zunino (Catcher)

Mike Zunino was drafted with the third pick in the 2012 Draft.


8. Michael Saunders (Left Fielder)

Michael grew up in Vancouver.


9. Dustin Ackley (Center Fielder)

Dustin was the second pick overall in the 2009 Draft


Backups: Xavier Avery(Outfielder), Jesus Sucre(Catcher), Carlos Triunfel (2nd Base/Shortstop) and Raul Ibanez (Emergency Catcher/1st Base/Outfielder/Designated Hitter)

1993 World Series Game 6: Philadelphia Phillies vs. the Toronto Blue Jays

If someone were to walk up to me and say "What World Series game would you want to go to that happened before you were born?" I would tell them: Game 6 of the 1993 World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Blue Jays. Why would I choose this game? Look and see how many players on both teams who had or later became members of the Seattle Mariners franchise. Some were more known(John Olerud and Rickey Henderson) than others (Dave Hollins, Ed Sprague). That game is also known as when Joe Carter hit just the second World Series winning homerun.

Here is the homerun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zBetduLEv0&feature=player_detailpage#t=70

Why the Seattle Mariners will be playoff contenders in 2014 and beyond

Despite the slow start, the Seattle Mariners will be playoff contenders in 2013 because of these two reasons:

1. Harang and Saunders won't be in Seattle for much longer



Taijuan Walker



The two weak links in the Mariners pitching staff, Aaron Harang and Joe Saunders, will not be with the team for much longer, as the Mariners have Taijuan Walker, James Paxton and Danny Hultzen waiting in the minor leagues right now. But once Walker, Hultzen and Paxton are in the Majors, they will be there for good!

2. Mike Zunino

The third overall pick in the 2012 draft, Zunino is the Mariners catcher of the future. He is clearly ready to play at the Major League level and should snag the starting catching job from Jesus Montero, a catcher who can't catch, and Kelly Shoppach, a catcher who can catch, but strikes out far too often. Zunino should be in the Majors anytime. Zunino has Montero's hitting potential and Shoppach's good defensive abilities. Zunino also gives the Mariners a good young hitting catcher, something they haven't had since they traded Jason Varitek to Boston back in 1997.


Mike Zunino



Giancarlo Stanton

Giancarlo Stanton is probably the best homerun hitter you have never heard of. Why is that? It's because he plays for one of baseball's worst teams (in terms of wins): the Miami Marlins! Now, Stanton is a diamond in the rough on a team that has little to no talent anyway! Don't believe me that he's the best homerun hitter you've never heard of? Here's a scary statistic for you: Only Mel Ott, Eddie Mathews and Frank Robinson hit more homeruns in their career than the 56 home runs that Stanton had hit by the time he turned 22 years old! All three of those players are in the Hall of Fame and Robinson was the most recent in 1956! Here are some highlights from Stanton's young career:

What I think of Angels Outfielder Mike Trout

Umm...this guy's good and stuff. But all jokes aside, Mike Trout is the best player in baseball...and he's only 21 years old! It would take me 200 blog entries to supply you with the brilliance of baseball's newest superstar. But I will try to supply some of that brilliance in this entry. In my opinion, Mike Trout is the most exciting player in baseball since Ichiro came into the league. Trout can hit for average, hit for power, he can run, he can field and although he doesn't have as strong an arm as Ichiro, it's incredibly accurate. Trout is a once in a lifetime player. Mike Trout has a bright future ahead of him and is such a gift to the game of baseball.

The Parkhill Rating System [20-80 rating scale]:

Mike Trout

Hitting: 80/80

Power: 75/80

Speed: 80/80

Fielding Ability: 80/80

Arm: 75/80

My take on Reese McGuire:



McGuire behind the plate

After watching Reese McGuire at Safeco Field back on April 6th, I'm sure of two things: 1) He must provide his ID when he attends an R-rated movie and 2) Although he went hitless with a strikeout in four at-bats, he helped his pitchers calm down and get out of pitching jams. He reminds me of former Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek, with his leadership skills and team-first attitude. McGuire is also a good hitter with amazing plate discipline. Despite the fact that McGuire is committed to a college in San Diego, he has gained the interest of the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team that hasn't had a winning season since Bill Clinton was in office! They do need a catcher, though and McGuire will likely be a key component for the Bucs future if they pick him!
Update: He officially signed with the Pirates as the 14th overall pick! http://wapc.mlb.com/pit/play/?content_id=27805709&c_id=pit#

McGuire's 20-80 rating scale:

Hitting ability: 70

Defensive ability: 80

Baserunning ability: 60

Leadership ability: 80