BASEBALL DID YOU KNOW: Double Your Pleasure

Since 1916, only 27 players have had 4 or more doubles and no other hits in a single game. One player acheived this feat twice in his career, and he did it in a four week stretch in 1999. 

Name this player, if you can.

                            



Jersey Born - My Birthday Edition

A look at Garden State-born Major League Baseball Players. Some you will know and some are unknown to us all, but represented Jersey in the show.

With today, May 4, being my birthday, I thought I would take a selfish look at what Jersey Born players share my birthday. I only found TWO.



Joe Borowski (Bayonne, NJ) b.1971

Cubs/Indians/Marlins/Orioles/NYY/TBD/Atlanta

Career Highlights: Has a 1-0 post season record with 3 saves in 11 games with Cleveland and Chicago (N). Lead the AL in saves with 45 in 2007 while with the Indians.

Frank Bruggy (Elizabeth, NJ) b. 1891

Catcher - Athletics/Phillies/Reds 1921-25

Career Highlights: Went 2-5 in his ML debut for the Phillies versus the NY Giants. Also in the lineup that day was fellow Jersey Born player Dots Miller (1B), Casey Stengal (RF), Cy Williams (CF) and Irish Meusel (RF).


 

Jersey Born

A look at Garden State-born Major League Baseball Players. Some you will know and some are unknown to us all, but represented Jersey in the show.


George Case (Trenton, NJ) Peddie School
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/casege01.shtml 

Outfielder - Senators/Indians 1937-1947
Career Highlights: Case was a 3-time All-Star who lead AL in stolen bases 6 times. In a July 4, 1940 doubleheader at home in Washington against the Philadelphia A's, Case was 9-10 at the plate. His average went from .287 to .307 as a result.

Jersey Born - Father and Son Edition

A look at Garden State-born Major League Baseball Players. Some you will know and some are unknown to us all, but represented Jersey in the show.

Bill Laxton (Camden, NJ) Padres/Mariners/Tigers/Phillies/Indians 1970-1977

Brett Laxton (Stratford, NJ) Royals/Athletics 1999-2000

Career Highlights (Dad): Was traded from PIT to PHL with Don Money and Woodie Fryman for Jim Bunning; Traded from the Mets with Rusty Staub to DET for Mickey Lolich. In ML debut against first ever batter, he hit Richie Hebner with a pitch.   

Career Lowlight (Son): In ML debut (6/21/1999) against Detroit, entered with bases loaded and threw a wild pitch to allow Luis Polonia to score and the next batter, Juan Encarnacion, hit a SF to allow another run to score. He then struck out Dean Palmer to end the inning. He was later dealt to KC for Jeremy Giambi.

Jersey Born - Father and Son Edition

A look at Garden State-born Major League Baseball Players. Some you will know and some are unknown to us all, but represented Jersey in the show.

Eric Young  (New Brunswick, NJ) Rockies/Dodgers/Cubs/Brewers/Padres/Rangers 1992-2006

Eric Young, Jr. (New Brunswick, NJ) Rockies 2009-2013
 
Career Highlights (Dad): Has a .409 career post-season average (9-22) and 2 HRs (only 79 reg season career). Is tied for 44th all-time with 465 SBs and once lead the NL in swipes with 53 in 1996.

Career Highlights (Son): Singled in his first game (3rd AB) off Clayton Kershaw after an August call-up in 2009. Grounded out in his only playoff AB in '09 against PHL.  

 

Jersey Born - Military Brats Born

Some of our Jersey Born players are from military families and merely were born in our great state while their family was serving our country.

Rich Croushore (Lakehurst, NJ) Mount Vernon, TX H.S.
Cardinals/Rockies/RedSox 1998-2000

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/crousri01.shtml 

Career Highlights: Gave up a triple to Mike Piazza, the fifth batter in his MLB debut, that drove in 2 runs. These were 2 of the 5 runs Piazza drove in during his brief stint in Miami.

Croushore was 2-4 in his career at the plate.

BASEBALL DID YOU KNOW: Balk This Way

Bob Friend of the Pittsburgh Pirates is the only right-handed pitcher in ML history to have 4 or more balks in a game and not one time did he "balk in" a run.

In a 12-4 win over the Reds at Crosley Field, Friend had three of his balks in an eleven batter stretch during the third and fourth innings.



What is also crazy about this game is that the opposing Reds' pitchers (Jim O'Toole and John Tsitouris) had THREE balks between them for a TOTAL of SEVEN balks in one ML game.