On July 8, 1939, prior to the first game of a doubleheader with the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, a horde of Japanese beetles formed a wall in front of the home dugout. Over 5,000 insects were captured in the process of fending off the insects, however, the problem would return later in that same month.
It’s like baseball. Life is like baseball. Before you can ever get a hit, you’ve got to step up to the plate. When you step up to the plate you’ve got to swing … And you keep swinging.
~Billy Ray Cyrus
To all my readers in the States, Happy Independence Day! Stay safe and don’t forget to check on your furry friends during all the chaos.
Maybe it is a result of the chaos of the coronavirus pandemic and the fact that these games got postponed from their original timeline (or maybe it’s the fact that the Royals have been struggling much of the season), but I find myself especially interested in the Summer Olympics this year. Not that the Olympics haven’t had my attention in the past, but I’ve been paying closer attention than usual. I know that some of my favorite runners have earned trips to Tokyo, that Simone Biles continues to dazzle the world with her gymnastics (how does a person do some of the stuff that she pulls off???), and this 14-year-old diver — while he didn’t make the Olympic team — managed to wow the world with his talent at the trials.
As for baseball, Team USA announced its Olympic baseball roster yesterday. You can find the roster and details about the coaching staff at the USA Baseball site here. Or, for your convenience, you can also find the roster down below.
CATCHER
Tim Federowicz (Dodgers)
Mark Kolozsvary (Reds)
INFIELD
Nick Allen (A’s)
Eddy Alvarez (Marlins)
Triston Casas (Red Sox)
Todd Frazier
Jamie Westbrook (Brewers)
OTUFIELD
Tyler Austin
Eric Filia (Mariners)
Patrick Kivlehan (Padres)
Bubba Starling (Royals)
UTILITY
Jack Lopez (Red Sox)
PITCHERS
Shane Baz (Rays)
Anthony Carter
Brandon Dickson (Cardinals)
Anthony Gose (Indians)
Edwin Jackson
Scott Kazmir (Giants)
Nick Martinez
Scott McGough
David Robertson
Joe Ryan (Rays)
Ryder Ryan (Rangers)
Simeon Woods Richardson (Blue Jays)
On July 2, 1930, Carl Reynolds became just the second player in major league history to homer in three consecutive innings. Reynolds went deep in the first three innings of a contest against the Yankees, leading the White Sox to a 15-4 victory. The Chicago outfielder’s performance included two inside-the-park homers, and he collected 8 RBIs in the game.
The box score for the game can be found here.
Here’s a fun documentary short about Dusty Baker. I had never stopped to think about the origins of the high five before. It’s one of those things that I always took for granted, but I guess that, like all things, it had to start somewhere.