# MLB (Baseball) Return July 23. 60 game season in 66 days **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** baseball-mlb\ **Created:** [June 24, 2020, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-return-july-23-60-game-season-in-66-days/912771 "2020-06-24T16:23:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2020, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-return-july-23-60-game-season-in-66-days/912771/342 "2020-08-17T23:24:28Z")
It is great to see that Gleyber Torres in a short period of time raised his batting average to .254 & OBP to .351. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-return-july-23-60-game-season-in-66-days/912771/343 "2020-08-18T00:08:27Z")
Right now the Cubs are batting first at their home ballpark for the first time since July 16, 1908. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-return-july-23-60-game-season-in-66-days/912771/344 "2020-08-18T02:43:10Z")
Follow up… The road team just won both games of a double header that the Cubs and Cards split at Wrigley. 2020 is something else. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-return-july-23-60-game-season-in-66-days/912771/345 "2020-08-18T02:59:24Z")
Mike Trout is still the best player in the game, and the Angels are still terrible. Trout now has 10 homers; the Angels have only won seven games. Has anyone ever had more dingers in a season than his own team had wins? I doubt it. I guess this won’t last, but… you never know. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-return-july-23-60-game-season-in-66-days/912771/346 "2020-08-18T03:06:47Z")
1999 Cubs were close with 67 wins compared to Sosa’s 63 HR. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-return-july-23-60-game-season-in-66-days/912771/347 "2020-08-18T03:13:34Z")
1935 Boston Braves also close with 38 wins to Wally Berger’s 34 HR. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-return-july-23-60-game-season-in-66-days/912771/348 "2020-08-18T03:23:42Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > It is great to see that Gleyber Torres in a short period of time raised his batting average to .254 & OBP to .351. But Frazier has cooled off from .500+ to just .444. The Yanks have just swept a 4 game series with the Red Sox by a combined score of 31-13, and they did it without Stanton or Judge (or LeMahieu for the last 2 games). I almost felt sorry for the Sox. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-return-july-23-60-game-season-in-66-days/912771/349 "2020-08-18T11:58:50Z")
If Frazier continues to bat as he has, the Yankees Vice President In Charge Of Keeping Frazier Off The Roster is going to have a hard time justifying his job. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-return-july-23-60-game-season-in-66-days/912771/350 "2020-08-18T12:35:07Z")
Yes, but the VP in charge of not trading him despite all the pundits will get a bonus. And I like that guy better. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-return-july-23-60-game-season-in-66-days/912771/351 "2020-08-18T12:40:22Z")
The only thing dumber than pitchers batting is the unwritten rules of baseball. Up 10-3 in the 7th inning, Fernando Tatis Jr. comes up to bat with the bases loaded. On a 3-0 count, he unleashes a grand slam for his 2nd homer of the game, and the MLB HR lead. Of course, the Rangers think swinging on a 3-0 pitch up 7 runs late in the game is “unsportsmanlike”, and get all up in arms about it. What utter bullshit - this is where baseball loses me. I don’t understand the vitriol at Tatis - these are professional athletes, and they start crying when they’re not allowed to groove a pitch down the middle without someone swinging at it? Tatis had to apologize after the game! [It’s not like teams have been known to come back within striking distance being down 7 late…](https://www.mlb.com/news/rangers-score-6-in-9th-in-loss-to-orioles) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-return-july-23-60-game-season-in-66-days/912771/352 "2020-08-18T12:47:24Z")
I recall one manager in a similar situation saying words to the effect of “I’ll agree not to score more runs if you’ll agree you won’t score more than 6 runs for the rest of the game.” ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-return-july-23-60-game-season-in-66-days/912771/353 "2020-08-18T13:25:54Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > What utter bullshit - this is where baseball loses me. I don’t understand the vitriol at Tatis - these are professional athletes, and they start crying when they’re not allowed to groove a pitch down the middle without someone swinging at it? It’s not like teams have been known to come back within striking distance being down 7 late… Yeah, but when Tatis came to the plate up 7, with one out, and the bases loaded in the top of the 8th, the Padres’ Win Expectancy was 99.1%. 😃 But seriously, I completely agree. I was watching the game, and it’s incredible seeing these big babies making millions of bucks a year getting all butthurt because the other guys give them a walloping on the field. I know that none of the same players are still around (obviously), but it’s also the same Texas Rangers organization that obliterated the Orioles 30-3 back when I was living in Baltimore, including 10 runs in the 8th inning, and 6 in the 9th. Fun fact: the Orioles led that game 3-0. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-return-july-23-60-game-season-in-66-days/912771/354 "2020-08-18T14:11:16Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Of course, the Rangers think swinging on a 3-0 pitch up 7 runs late in the game is “unsportsmanlike”, and get all up in arms about it. What utter bullshit - this is where baseball loses me. I don’t understand the vitriol at Tatis - these are professional athletes, and they start crying when they’re not allowed to groove a pitch down the middle without someone swinging at it? The appropriate response is “If you don’t want me to hit it far, why did you pitch it so easy to hit?” ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-return-july-23-60-game-season-in-66-days/912771/355 "2020-08-18T15:41:03Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > The only thing dumber than pitchers batting is the unwritten rules of baseball. Up 10-3 in the 7th inning, Fernando Tatis Jr. comes up to bat with the bases loaded. On a 3-0 count, he unleashes a grand slam for his 2nd homer of the game, and the MLB HR lead. When I first read this article I couldn’t believe my eyes. Chris Woodward is complaining that… the other team is trying to hit? Huh? I’ve been watching, studying, playing and following baseball for forty years. I have never heard of an “unwritten rule” that you’re not allowed to keep trying to hit just because you have a big lead. Chris Woodward made that up not because Tatis was unsportsmanlike, but because Woodward is a big fucking baby whose team was sucking. Woodward has beclowned himself. Fernando Tatis was looking for a big meatball on the 3-0 count because he predicted, correctly, that he’d get one in that situation, and he smoked it. He did his job. Smart baseball is what that is. If the Rangers don’t like it they should find better pitchers. But even more disgusting is that Tatis’s own manager didn’t back him up: "It’s a learning opportunity and that’s it. He’ll grow from it. Just so you know, a lot of our guys have green light 3–0. But in this game in particular, we had a little bit of a comfortable lead. We’re not trying to run up the score or anything like that." What a fucking asshole. The correct response here is “Fernando really nailed that pitch. He’s our best player and he had a great night. If Woodward doesn’t like it, too goddamn bad.” ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-return-july-23-60-game-season-in-66-days/912771/356 "2020-08-18T15:48:44Z")
Added fun fact: Chris Woodward’s only career grand slam came in the ninth inning with his team up six runs. > **[Toronto Blue Jays vs Baltimore Orioles Box Score: August 20, 2004 |...](https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BAL/BAL200408200.shtml)** > > Toronto Blue Jays beat Baltimore Orioles (14-4). Aug 20, 2004, Attendance: 35024, Time of Game: 3:18. Visit Baseball-Reference.com for the complete box score, play-by-play, and win probability ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-return-july-23-60-game-season-in-66-days/912771/357 "2020-08-18T15:51:08Z")
But was it on a 3-0 count?!!! ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-return-july-23-60-game-season-in-66-days/912771/358 "2020-08-18T15:54:00Z")
That’s a tremendous fact. The more I think about this, the more pissed off I am. I saw a tweet showing Eric Hosmer yelling into the Rangers’ dugout that he’d talk to Tatis about it. There’s nothing to talk about. How about you have Fernando talk to you about your swing, Eric? Or diving to your right? And of course I’m sure the Rangers will throw at Tatis tonight, and everyone will nod about how now the baseball gods have been assuaged, and the Rangers have gotten their 5 pounds of flesh. It’s. All. Such. Bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-return-july-23-60-game-season-in-66-days/912771/359 "2020-08-18T16:10:54Z")
I think if you’re up by 7 in the 7th, swinging on 3-0 is pretty poor sportsmanship. I have seen a manager signal to the other bench and ask if their guy can swing 3-0 and I’ve seen the losing manager signal back go ahead (as I recall, it was Sparky Anderson of the Tigers giving the ok). Stealing bases in a rout is taboo, and so is swinging 3-0. Had he waited for a 3-1 pitch, no problem. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Greenjeans](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.greenjeans/32/551_2.png) [@Mr.Greenjeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Greenjeans)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-return-july-23-60-game-season-in-66-days/912771/360 "2020-08-18T17:23:27Z")
It should be mentioned that the Padres on 1st and 2nd had both walked. And Tatis Jr., with a 3-0, appeared to about to walk as well, which also would have run up the score. Tatis did the Rangers a favor by clearing the bases for them, something Nicasio couldn’t do. They should thank him. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-return-july-23-60-game-season-in-66-days/912771/361 "2020-08-18T17:45:18Z")
Nah, I’m with RickJay and others on this. It’s such bullshit (this so-called “unwritten rule” if it even really exists) and not at all poor sportsmanship. A 7-run lead can disappear in just one bad inning and even moreso in two. Is it probable? No. Is it possible, does it happen, hell yes. Hit away. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-return-july-23-60-game-season-in-66-days/912771.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-baseball-return-july-23-60-game-season-in-66-days/912771.md?page=19)