Mountain View
IBWAA
Paying Homage To The Three-Peat "Swingin' A's" Of 1974
Take a ride with me in Mr. Peabody’s “Wayback Machine” to 1974. Under the weight of the Watergate investigation, Richard Nixon had resigned as president in August. “Here’s Lucy” was canceled by CBS, ending Lucille Ball’s legendary 23-year series television career.Disco music was emerging from the club scene to mainstream radio, and by the end of the year, everybody was “Kung Fu Fighting” along with Carl Douglas.
Remembering When NOT Completing a Game Was Big News
In 2023, Major League Baseball pitchers threw 35 complete games. This season, as of August 22, the count stands at 25. Twenty-two pitchers have gone the distance and only three pitchers—Max Fried, Kevin Gausman, and Cristopher Sánchez—have done it twice.
Four Twins Hall of Famers Delight SABR Audience in Minneapolis
The best part of Hall of Fame Induction Weekend is the Monday Roundtable that closes festivities for the new members. An informal discussion held at Doubleday Field, just off Main Street, the event gives spectators a chance to see the stars close-up and to ask questions submitted through a moderator.
Relievers — Mainly Clase — Merit Recognition In 2024 Cy Young Voting
In a year when most starting pitchers are struggling, maybe it’s time closers got more consideration in voting for the Cy Young Award. When this week began, the top-rated closer in the majors was Ryan Helsley of the St. Louis Cardinals. He converted 38 of 41 save chances, fanned 58 in 51 2/3 innings, and crafted a 2.61 earned run average out of a busy Cardinal pen.
Will We Ever See A Fourth-Generation Major Leaguer?
When the Draft-eligible players were being highlighted prior to this year’s MLB amateur Draft, Arizona high school standout Landon Hairston was mentioned. He is the son of former Major Leaguer Scott Hairston. The father-son combo brought to mind the extensive family of ballplaying Hairstons, and the potential of Landon becoming the family’s fourth generation to play in the Major Leagues.
The Harmonica Incident and the 1964 New York Yankees
Sixty years ago today, a slumping New York Yankees team found itself stuck in traffic while trying to get to the airport for a flight that would allow them to escape Chicago where the first-place White Sox had just beaten the Yankees 5-0, their fourth straight win over the defending American League champions.
Major League Baseball Could See Two Triple Crown Winners in 2024
Ahead of Tarik Skubal’s home start against the New York Yankees on Sunday night, Skubal and the Atlanta Braves’ Chris Sale were each on track to do something that’s only been done 39 times previously in the history of the game, and even more rare that the top pitchers in each league would do so in the same year - win the pitching Triple Crown.
Alvin Dark And The Persistence Of Racism In The Major Leagues
I have spent much of this year researching the 60th anniversary of the 1964 Major League Baseball season and specifically the thrilling rise and spectacular fall of the Philadelphia Phillies, whose epic collapse has left a permanent scar on those Phillies fans old enough to remember. Recently my research brought to light an incident that I had forgotten, but which remains illustrative of how baseball continued to struggle with race relations 17 years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier.
Is This The Year An NL Slugger Wins The Triple Crown?
The lowest average ever recorded by a batting champion was the .301 mark of Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski in 1968. Since this is the Year of the Pitcher Part II, that dubious achievement is in definite danger — at least in the National League.
SABR Completes 52nd Convention On A High Note
Seldom have so few done so much for so many. If it weren’t for the devoted members of the Society for American Baseball Research, Walter Johnson would have fewer wins, Hack Wilson’s single-season RBI record would be one short, and Ty Cobb would have two more hits.
MLB Attendance Record Could Fall at 2025 Bristol Speedway Game
For the second time in recent seasons, the Atlanta Braves will play in one of Major League Baseball’s one-night stands in a new venue. The Bristol Motor Speedway, with a seating capacity of 146,000 for stock car racing, will host the Braves and Cincinnati Reds in a nationally-televised game on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025.
Writing Sports Books: Insights and Experiences, Part 1
It’s not often that I am asked to share my writing experiences, so when an industry contact recently inquired, I decided to take the opportunity to review and reflect on my writing journey. This process of reflection is important to me as it allows me to appreciate how far I’ve come and to recognize the challenges I’ve faced along the way.
Are We Headed to a New Era in the MLB Draft?
On August 1st, the Major League Baseball draft deadline passed with all of the first-round picks signing. However, four selections in the first 10 rounds of the draft did not sign, the most that have not signed in the “slotted” portion of the draft since 2018.
New York Yankees Can Control AL East By September
To say that the 2024 season has been a roller coaster for the New York Yankees would be an understatement. A season that started as well as anyone could have imagined took a quick nosedive after the team traveled to Boston in June. The skid saw injuries to Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo, and the team began to look like the 2023 Yankees team that just barely finished above .500 and missed the playoffs.
Jose Miranda did not match Kling and Dropo
When Twins’ third-baseman Jose Miranda reached 12 hits in 12 at-bats on July 6, he was widely credited with becoming the fourth player to do so. Indeed, he joined Pinky Higgins of the Red Sox, who in 1938 similarly had 12 hits in 12 at-bats, one of the four players mentioned in every news story.
Opinion: Top 10 Who Should Be In Hall of Fame But Aren’t
Voters view the Hall of Fame election process from many different angles. Some use analytics, specifically WAR (Wins Against Replacement), before casting their ballots. Others bank on statistical comparisons. And still others count on the good old Eye Test, going by what they saw over years of watching the game.
IBWAA
1K+
Posts
11M+
Views
The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America represents hundreds of writers and content creators wherever baseball is played all over the world, ranging from hobbyists to professionals and everywhere in between. Learn more at ibwaa.com or follow @ibwaa on Twitter.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.