Weird Stats by Al Doyle Major league teams took note of America's 200th anniversary in 1976. Pre-game ceremonies and postgame fireworks shows were part of the bicentennial celebration, but nothing was nearly as spectacular or explosive as Detroit Tigers rookie pitcher Mark "The Bird" Fidrych. Even with solid minor league numbers, the 10th-round draft pick didn't arrive in Motown on a cloud of media hype. Fidrych was the last man on the Tigers' staff out of spring training. Manager Ralph Houk planned to let The Bird do more sitting and observing at the start of the season, which explains why he didn't debut until the team's 7th game on April 20.

RIP to pitcher Rollie Sheldon, who reached the majors just in time to be a part of some of the greatest Yankees teams of the 20th Century. He died on August 31 in Lee's Summit, MO, at the age of 89. Sheldon played for the New York Yankees (1960-61, 1964-65), Kansas City Athletics (1965-66) and Boston Red Sox (1966). Roland Frank Sheldon was born in Putnam, CT, on December 17, 1936. According to his family-placed obituary, he was something of a late bloomer. He was a rather small third baseman at Woodstock Academy high school in Woodstock, CT.

RIP to Pat Putnam, a hard-hitting first baseman in the majors and in Japan in the 1970s and '80s. He died on August 25 in Punta Gorda, FL, at the age of 72. Putnam played for the Texas Rangers (1977-82), Seattle Mariners (1983-84) and Minnesota Twins (1984), as well as the Nippon Ham Fighters (1986-87). Patrick Edward Putnam was born in Bethel, VT, on December 3, 1953. There have been a total of 38 major-league Vermonters, and Putnam is fourth all-time in games played, behind Carlton Fisk, Larry Gardner and Birdie Tebbetts.

While there is no guaranteed formula for success in the baseball world, it sure seems like if your name is "Joe Morgan," you're going to become a beloved baseball icon. There have been two such players in baseball history. One became a Hall of Fame second baseman and long-time baseball announcer, and the other put more than 50 years into the game and became a Boston folk hero along the way. That Joe Morgan, aka Walpole Joe, died on September 5 at the age of 95. During his playing career, he spent time with the Milwaukee Braves (1959), Kansas City Athletics (1959), Philadelphia Phillies (1960), Cleveland Indians (1960-61) and St.

The pitcher finished his professional career in Japan in 2018.

RIP to Anthony Varvaro, a reliever who pitched for 6 seasons in the 2010s. He retired from baseball in 2016 in order to become a policeman with the New York Port Authority. Varvaro, 37, was killed …

RIP to Rich Rowland, who spent parts of 6 seasons during the 1990s as a big-league catcher. He died on August 27 at the age of 62. Rowland played for the Detroit Tigers (1990-1993) and Boston Red Sox (1994-1995). Richard Garnet Rowland was born in Cloverdale, CA, on February 25, 1964. His road to professional sports had a few detours along the way. He was an all-star basketball player at Cloverdale High School and an excellent catcher as well, but he was best known for football. He set the school's record for passing yards in 1981 as the quarterback and won the Most Valuable Player Award in the North Central League I Conference.

The Philadelphia Phillies announced that Larry Christenson, a pitcher and part of the 1980 World Champions, died on Friday, August 28, while on a fishing trip in Washington. He was 72 years old. Christenson spent his entire 11-year career with the Phillies, from 1973 to 1983. Larry Richard Christenson was born in Everett, WA, on November 10, 1953. He was an all-star pitcher dating at least back to his days playing for the Everett Babe Ruth League in 1968. He was both a pitcher and a quarterback at Marysville High School in Everett, and the 6'4" athlete also played basketball.

Legendary Montreal Expos broadcaster and Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Jacques Doucet has died at the age of 86.

The career backup played 98 games in his MLB career.

When faced with the choice of retirement or a novel surgery with an unknown chance of success, Tommy John probably never imagined that the resulting surgery would become his baseball legacy. His recovery from a torn ligament in his elbow has made it possible for hundreds of pitchers to continue their careers, including Hall of Famers and Cy Young winners. And lost in all that talk about the surgery was the fact that Tommy John the man was a really, really good pitcher. He was an All-Star pre-surgery and post-surgery, and you can make the argument that John is a deserving Hall of Famer, either as a baseball pioneer or as a player.

(Note: For the full story on John Reilly’s life, click here.) On June 11, 1880, John Reilly boarded the steamer SS Narragansett, which was traveling from New York City to Providence. He’d lat…

RIP to Butch Huskey, who reached the majors as a hard-hitting third baseman with the Mets and played for 7 seasons in the majors. He died on August 14 at the age of 54 in Lawton, OK, reportedly from a blood clot in his lungs. Huskey played for the New York Mets (1993, 1995-98), Seattle Mariners (1999), Boston Red Sox (1999), Minnesota Twins (2000) and Colorado Rockies (2000). Robert Leon Huskey was born in Anadarko, OK, on November 10, 1971. A Daily News profile from 1993 reported that he was raised by his grandmother until he started running with the wrong crowd when he was around 10.

Former MLB pitcher Tommy John has died, according to reports. He was 83.

Butch Huskey, a seven-year MLB veteran who was among the last players to regularly wear No. 42 after it was permanently retired, has died at age 54. Huskey played for five teams during his career but ...

When I first joined the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), I also joined up with my local chapter. I was living in Atlanta at the time, and that local branch was (and still is) called the Magnolia Chapter. Most of the other branches across the country are named after a baseball great that lived or played in the area, but the Atlanta chapter was named after a tree -- probably the most significant tree in baseball history. The magnolia tree in question was located in the outfield of Atlanta's Ponce de Leon Park, which had been the home of both the minor-league Atlanta Crackers and the Atlanta Black Crackers of the Negro Leagues.

RIP to Gil Blanco, a left-handed pitcher who made his big-league debut as a 19-year-old and appeared in 28 games in the majors. He died on July 9, though his online obituary only went online within the last week. The lifelong resident of Phoenix, AZ, was 80 years old. Blanco played for the New York Yankees (1965) and Kansas City Athletics (1966). Gilbert Henry Blanco was born in Phoenix on December 15, 1945. He went to North High School, and he played baseball both at school and for the local American Legion league as well.

Here lies Frank Bell, whose major league career lasted 10 games in 1885. After baseball, he doled out violence as a security guard until the violence finally caught up with him. Bell played for the…

RIP to Scott Brown, a right-handed pitcher who appeared for the Cincinnati Reds during the 1981 season. The native and resident of DeQuincy, LA, died on July 21, at the age of 69, Scott Edward Brown was born in DeQuincy on August 30, 1956. The high school that he attended, DeQuincy High, didn't have a baseball team, so Brown spent his springs as a track and field star. At a 1975 meet, he set a new state record for the high jump with a leap of 5 feet 11-1/4 inches.

By Al Doyle Of the 462 sets of brothers who have played in the majors, the DiMaggios are the exception when it comes to fame. Most baseball siblings draw little notice, and that is the story of Oswaldo and Orlando Arcia. Oswaldo (born May 9, 1991) made his major league debut on April 15, 2013, with the Minnesota Twins. The older brother could hit for power, as he clubbed 37 home runs in 733 at-bats for Minnesota in 2013 and 2014. Making consistent contact was the outfielder's problem. He struck out 244 times during those seasons with the Twins.

RIP to Duane Ward, one of the best relievers in Toronto Blue Jays history. The Las Vegas resident had flown to Toronto to join the rest of his ex-teammates in a celebration of the 1992-93 back-to-back Blue Jays championships. According to various news reports, Ward left a dinner early on July 17 and did not show up to the celebration on the 18th. A wellness check revealed that Ward, 62, had died overnight. During a 9-season career that was curtailed by arm injuries, Ward played for the Atlanta Braves (1986) and Toronto Blue Jays (1986-93, 1995).

RIP to Ron Hunt, an All-Star infielder who set records for being hit by pitches. He led the NL in that particular category for seven straight seasons, including 50 times in 1971. Unfortunately, all those blows may have contributed to Parkinson's disease and memory loss that he endured later in life. Hunt died on July 16 while in hospice care in St. Louis for Parkinson's and cancer. He was 85 years old. Hunt played for the New York Mets (1963-66), Los Angeles Dodgers (1967), San Francisco Giants (1968-70), Montreal Expos (1971-74), and St.

By Al Doyle If you're looking for eye-catching statistics, 2026 has been an abundant source of such figures. Here are some of the highlights. What happened?: No one could reasonably expect Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh to repeat his record (for backstops) 60 home runs of 2025, but this season has been a nightmare. The switch-hitter stands at .169 (41 for 242) with 9 HR and 29 RBI. Manny Machado's 19 HR and 55 RBI seem normal by his standards, but it took a 3-for-4 game on Sunday to nudge the San Diego Padres third baseman over the Mendoza Line to .203.

RIP to former All-Star pitcher Al Holland. The left-handed closer for the 1983 pennant-winning Phillies died on July 4 in Fort Mill, SC, at the age of 73. Holland pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1977, 1985), San Francisco Giants (1979-82), Philadelphia Phillies (1983-85), California Angels (1985) and New York Yankees (1986-87). Alfred Willis Holland was born in Roanoke, VA, on August 16, 1952. His father left when he was 12 years old, but Holland noted in a 1973 interview with The Roanoke Times that he had several father figures in his youth.

At North Carolina A&T, Holland was a commanding pitcher with four collegiate no-hitters. Later, while pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies, he saved 25 games ...

RIP to Wes Gardner, who pitched for 8 years in the majors in the 1980s and '90s. The resident of Benton, AR, died on June 10 at the age of 65. Gardner played for the New York Mets (1984-85), Boston Red Sox (1986-90), San Diego Padres (1991) and Kansas City Royals (1991). Wesley Brian Gardner was born in Benton on April 29, 1961. He was interviewed for his SABR biography but did not speak about his childhood much. He spoke about it a little in a 1985 interview with the…

RIP to Wes Gardner, who pitched for 8 years in the majors in the 1980s and '90s. The resident of Benton, AR, died on June 10 at the age of 65. Gardner played for the New York Mets (1984-85), Boston Red Sox (1986-90), San Diego Padres (1991) and Kansas City Royals (1991). Wesley Brian Gardner was born in Benton on April 29, 1961. He was interviewed for his SABR biography but did not speak about his childhood much. He spoke about it a little in a 1985 interview with the…

Here lies Charlie Gibson, who had an extensive career throughout the Southeast as a catcher in the 1920s. He also spent 12 games with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1924. Charles Griffin Gibson was born in LaGrange, GA, on November 21, 1899. He was one of nine children of Walter and Emma Gibson. He attended LaGrange High School and, after graduation, spent February 1918 through February 1919 in the Army for World War I. Though he didn’t serve overseas, he was assigned to the 819 Aero Squadron and reached the rank of sergeant just before his discharge.