Baseball Digest articles from January 2004

Baseball Digest archives from January 2004

The fans speak out.(Letter To The Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... There was a chart in the October issue showing players who batted below .300 while compiling at least 200 hits in a season. Has there been any major league player who never had a 200-hit season, but was elected to the Hall of Fame? ...

Pitchers who have surrendered most.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Pitchers Who Have Surrendered Most... CAREEN HOME RUNS Pitcher HR Robin Roberts 505 Ferguson Jenkins 484 Phil Niekro 482 Don Sutton 473 Frank Tanana 448 Warren Spahn ...

Ivan Rodriguez earned player of the year honors for leading Marlins.(Warm Up Tosses)(Floriday Marlins catcher)
January 1, 2004... ALL SEASON LONG HE WAS ON A MISSION. BEFORE OPENING DAY, HE SAID, "I think we're going to win a lot of games. I think the 2003 season is going to be the year of the Marlins." Ivan Rodriguez, the best catcher in the major leagues since...

Toronto Blue Jays: Roy Halladay: 2003 Pitcher of the Year: with some help, major league victories leader took control of his talent and emerged as one of the game's top starters.
January 1, 2004... SOMETHING WAS AMISS DURING THE 2002 season for Roy Halladay, although there was no statistical evidence to suggest it. The victories were mounting. Halladay was beginning to realize his vast potential. He was establishing himself as the ace...

On top of the world: Marlins complete 2003 season as baseball's champs.(Florida Marlins)
January 1, 2004... FOR THE FLORIDA MARLINS, THE sweetest sound was silence. The exhilarating cacophony of nothingness, a full stadium reduced to gaping as the interlopers did the familiar scrum dance on the pitcher's mound. It was so quiet in the Bronx, you...

Controversial conclusions: some awards and honors have had a long trail of disputed recipients.(baseball awards)
January 1, 2004... NO SPORT MATCHES BASEBALL IN the number, variety and prestige of awards, honors and trophies for players past and present, but the methods of how and whom to choose for distinction are far from perfect, sometimes even verging on the ludicrous....

A major league adjustment: Hideki Matsui learning American culture and details of the game here.(New York Yankees player)
January 1, 2004... NEVER ONCE, IN HIS FIRST MAJOR LEAGUE SEAson, did Hideki Matsui look overwhelmed or flustered. But it could just be that no one has caught him at the wrong time: during his commute from his Manhattan apartment to Yankee Stadium. "When I...

Baseball profile: Matt Morris--St. Louis Cardinals.
January 1, 2004... FULL NAME: Matthew Christian Morris AGE, HT., WT.: 29. 6-5, 220 Born: August 9, 1974 in Middletown, New York HOME: Jupiter, Florida STATUS/FAMILY: Married NICKNAME: Matty Mo LIFE OUTSIDE BASEBALL: It's pretty quiet. I...

Ned Garver: the game I'll never forget: former Browns pitcher recalls his 20th victory in 1951 for a club that lost 102 games and finished in last place in the A.L.(St. Louis Browns)
January 1, 2004... NINETEEN-FIFTY-ONE WAS THE high point of my career, and there was more than one game I'll always remember. That was the year I won 20 games for the St. Louis Browns, who finished in last place with a 52-102 record. I was the first pitcher...

Baseball rules corner: many players unaware of tag requirements when Infield Fly rule is called.
January 1, 2004... REMEMBER THE BEATLES SONG "Help"? That's what the language of the Infield Fly rule (2.00) needs--help! Every big league player knows that the rule is invoked whenever a batter hits a fair fly that can be caught by an infielder with ordinary...

Baseball quick quiz.
January 1, 2004... Collect ten points for each question answered correctly. Answers on page 90 (If you score 80 or better, you are a baseball expert; 70 or better, superior; between 60 and 70, good, and between 40 and 60, average. 1. True or False. Last...

Final 2003 standings.(Illustration)
January 1, 2004... FINAL 2003 STANDINGS AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST W L PCT GB Home New York Yankees 101 61 .623 - 50-32 Boston Red Sox 95 67 .586 6 53-28 Toronto Blue Jays ...

7th inning stretch: Hall of Famers without a 200-hit season.(Illustration)
January 1, 2004... 7th Inning Stretch Hall of Famers Without A 200-Hit Season EXCLUDING PITCHERS, THERE HAVE BEEN 59 PLAYERS ELECTED TO THE HALL OF FAME WITHOUT HAVING A season in which they collected 200 or more base hits. Listed below are those Hall of...

American League 2003 batting leaders.(Illustration)
January 1, 2004... American League 2003 Batting Leaders HOME RUNS Player, Team HR Alex Rodriguez, Tex. 47 Carlos Delgado, Tor. 42 Frank Thomas, Chi. 42 Jason Giambi, N.Y. 41 Rafael...

National League 2003 batting leaders.(Illustration)
January 1, 2004... National League 2003 Batting Leaders HOME RUNS Player, Team HR Jim Thome, Phi. 47 Barry Bonds, S.F. 45 Richie Sexson, Mil. 45 Javier Lopez, Atl. 43 Albert...

American League.(Final 2003 statistics: team batting and pitching)(Illustration)
January 1, 2004... Final 2003 Statistics Team Batting and Pitching AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING KEY--GP: Games played, AB: At bats, R: Runs, H: Hits, TB: Total Bases, 2B: Doubles, 3B: Triples HR: Home runs, RBI: Runs batted in,...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
January 1, 2004... In the December issue Quick Quiz, the incorrect answer to question live was given on pae 90 due to a printing erro. The correct answer should have read-"Last season, Braves shortstop Rafael Furcal set a new major league record by registering...

National League.(Final 2003 statistics: team batting and pitching)(Illustration)
January 1, 2004... Arizona Diamondbacks BATTING STATISTICS Player G AB R H 2B 3B HR TB RBI Luis Gonzalez 156 579 92 176 46 4 26 308 104 Steva Finley 147 516 82 148 24 10...

Did you know.(runs scored by the Atlanta Braves)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Did you know-that last season the Atlanta Bravers became only the eighth National League team to score 900 or more runs in a season since the major leagues went to a 162 game schedule in 1961? Other N.L. clubs to accomplish this feat were the...