On July 30, 1933, Dizzy Dean of the St. Louis Cardinals struck out 17 en route to an 8-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Dean also helped himself by driving in two RBIs in the Sportsman’s Park contest, which was completed in an hour and 42 minutes.
Hear, hear!
Hot dogs, baseball, summer. What more could you need? pic.twitter.com/m0e3x4BdhZ
— Charlie Brown (@Peanuts_4Fans) July 26, 2023
On July 25, 1913, Carl Weilman became the first player ever recorded to strike out six times in a single game. The St. Louis Browns’ 23-year-old lefty entered the game in relief with one out in the first inning, pitching the rest of the contest. Weilman accomplished the dubious strikeout feat over the course of 15 innings at Griffith Stadium against the Senators, and the game ended in an 8-8 tie.
People always told me that my natural ability and good eyesight were the reasons for my success as a hitter. They never talk about the practice, practice, practice.
~Ted Williams
Here is a short little haiku poem that I think captures the unpredictability of baseball. As fans, it can be easy to criticize and to think we could run a team better than it is being run, but deep down, we usually know that isn’t really the case.
*
home team us did stun
after game was over and done
they had lost by one
they should entertain
instead of driving insane
more team needs to train
in future must draft
players team will really need
to make success complete
worry and worry
baseball has really become
total guessing game
mind became a blank
who would win game after game
God always will know
after players die
found in hall of fame in heaven
glad to see them there
In a game against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 18, 1912, the Chicago Cubs collected 21 hits in eleven innings. The Cubs still lost to the Phillies, however, when Philadelphia scored two runs in the top of the eleventh, and Chicago was only able to respond with one. The final score of the contest was 9-8.
I seem to be on a Major League kick lately, though this viewing was prompted by coming across Major League II available for free on YouTube. Released in 1994, this flick serves as sequel to the original Major League. Many of the original cast returned for this installment of the series, including Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, and Corbin Bernsen. However, Omar Epps replaced Wesley Snipes in playing Willie Mays Hayes, and a number of new cast members also appear in this film.
In this installment, the Indians have become complacent and arrogant after their success in the previous season/movie and they start losing games due to their poor performance and attitude. For example, Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn is so caught up in trying to impress the media and his new girlfriend that he has lost his fastball and his edge. Instead, he begins to rely on ineffective breaking balls, for which he has given nicknames such as “Eliminator” and “Humiliator.” Former voodoo practitioner Pedro Cerrano has converted to Buddhism, which has made him so peaceful and passive that he’s lost his power as a hitter. Willie Mays Hayes has become a movie star and has injured his knee, making him unable to run fast or hit well, and he therefore now fancies himself a power hitter.
Meanwhile, Roger Dorn, the former third baseman, has bought the team from Rachel Phelps, the former owner who wanted them to lose, but he doesn’t have the funds to pay the players or improve the facilities. Additionally, at the end of spring training, manager Lou Brown informs catcher Jake Taylor that he is keeping him on as a coach rather than a player. Jake is upset and rejects the offer at first, but then reluctantly accepts the position.
The team also faces challenges from the newer members of its roster. Jack Parkman is a selfish and arrogant catcher who joins the Indians, but later leaves for their rivals, the Chicago White Sox. Isuro “Kamikaze” Tanaka is a Japanese outfielder who clashes with Cerrano over their cultural differences. Rube Baker is a rookie catcher who has trouble throwing the ball back to the pitcher because he gets nervous.
Faced with no other options, Dorn sells the Indians back to Rachel Phelps. With the Indians positioned in last place, Phelps decides this is the perfect opportunity to revive her dream to try to move the team to Florida. The team continues on in a chaotic, disunified vein that culminates in an all-team on-field brawl that leads to their ejection.
In the end, the Indians manage to overcome their difficulties and take off on a hot streak that allows them to make it to the playoffs, where they face the White Sox in a decisive game. The players have regained their old spark and end the film with a World Series berth.
All in all, I can’t say I enjoyed this film as much as the original. It has its moments, for sure, but it is not the original Major League. It largely mirrors the plot of just about every other sports sequel — a team growing complacent and losing its spark. As someone who enjoys baseball movies in general, I can’t honestly discourage anyone from watching this movie, because a part of me did still enjoy it. Just don’t go in with any expectations that it will match its predecessor.
There are surprisingly few real students of the game in baseball; partly because everybody, my eighty-three year old grandmother included, thinks they learned all there was to know about it at puberty. Baseball is very beguiling that way.
~Alvin Dark
On July 12, 1906, Phillies outfielder Sherry Magee established a franchise record by stealing four bases in a game against St. Louis at Robison Field. In spite of Magee’s performance, Philadelphia lost to the Cardinals, 7-6. Magee’s mark would later be matched by Garry Maddox (1978) and Jayson Werth (2009).
The All-Star break has officially begun, and I am amazed that we are already halfway through the season. The 2023 All-Star Game is set to take place at T-Mobile Park (formerly known as Safeco Field) in Seattle.
At this point, the HBCU Swingman Classic, the All-Star Futures Game, and the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game have already taken place. The schedule for the rest of the break is as follows:
Monday, July 10: MLB Home Run Derby at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Tuesday, July 11: MLB All-Star Red Carpet Show at 2 p.m. ET (MLB Network)
Tuesday, July 11: MLB All-Star Game at 8 p.m. ET (FOX)