# MLB: July 2021 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** baseball-mlb\ **Created:** [July 1, 2021, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2021/945434 "2021-07-01T15:58:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2021, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2021/945434/221 "2021-07-30T23:51:44Z")
Max Scherzer, Trea Turner, Daniel Hudson, Yan Gomes, Kyle Schwarber, all gone from my Nationals. I could use some good news. Tell me the prospects we’re getting are good ones. ---
**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:** [July 31, 2021, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2021/945434/222 "2021-07-31T02:51:51Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > Looks like they shopped Merrifield and didn’t get a deal they liked. Yeah, I know. They’ve been getting offers for Merrifield for years, and I just know that when the Royals have a chance to be competitive, it’s not going to be in the next 2 years. The haul from a player with another year of control is a whole lot more. Whit’s one of my favorite players, and I’d be bummed if he was traded. But he’s a lot older than most realize, and I’d rather build. > [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > The Royals have the whole offseason and up to the 2022 trade deadline to move Santana, and longer for Merrifield and Barlow. Nick Pratto is going to be ready next year, and he’d be better served in KC than Omaha in 2022. The Royals don’t have a 40-man roster crunch to deal with this off-season, so it’s not critical to trade guys off the roster, so I get the reasoning to keep good players on the roster who are under reasonably priced control. Dayton Moore said he was going to be more transactional this year - I was hoping for some more moves. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2021/945434/223 "2021-07-31T03:11:14Z")
The Nats also dump Jon Lester on the Cards. I think Lester is done, personally. > **[St. Louis Cardinals acquire left-handers Jon Lester, J.A. Happ prior to...](https://apple.news/At8qCzSFPTWS6f3-uOBfYGw)** > > The St. Louis Cardinals acquired left-handers Jon Lester from the Washington Nationals and J.A. Happ and cash from the Minnesota Twins on Friday, in deals finalized in the last hour before the trade deadline. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2021/945434/224 "2021-07-31T06:38:19Z")
Nothing to do with trades, but I was just glad to see the Toronto Blue Jays playing in Toronto again. It’s been 670 days since they last played a game in their real home park, and I was happy to see that they could still play well there, as they beat the KC Royals in Friday night’s game. I should add that many thanks go to Buffalo and Dunedin for hosting the Blue Jays when they couldn’t go home to play. But seeing the Blue Jays play in Toronto’s Rogers Centre tonight? That was special. ---
**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:** [July 31, 2021, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2021/945434/225 "2021-07-31T12:17:46Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > The Nats also dump Jon Lester on the Cards. The Cards also picked up J.A. Happ, and I’m not sure what they are up to. Two old lefty starters with ERAs over 5. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2021/945434/226 "2021-07-31T19:40:42Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Nothing to do with trades, but I was just glad to see the Toronto Blue Jays playing in Toronto again. It’s been 670 days since they last played a game in their real home park, and I was happy to see that they could still play well there, as they beat the KC Royals in Friday night’s game. I am quite certain it’s been a VERY long time since an MLB team made three ballparks home in one season. Back in the day, it was not that uncommon because ballparks were pretty flimsy things. In 1902 Cleveland - then called the “Bronchos” - played in five different home parks, one of which was in Fort Wayne, Indiana and another in Canton. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2021/945434/227 "2021-07-31T20:30:37Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I am quite certain it’s been a VERY long time since an MLB team made three ballparks home in one season. The New Orleans Saints in the NFL did that in 2005 post Katrina, but yes, it’s definitely quite odd. I have read about the multiple parks in books on baseball’s early days, sometimes to get around Sunday blue laws ---
**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:** [July 31, 2021, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2021/945434/228 "2021-07-31T23:12:58Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I am quite certain it’s been a VERY long time since an MLB team made three ballparks home in one season. The 1903 Detroit Tigers played one home game at Ramona Park, Grand Rapids, MI and two at Armory Park, Toledo, OH with the rest of their games at Bennett Park in Detroit. I think that’s the last time a team played home games at three parks. ---
**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 1, 2021, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2021/945434/229 "2021-08-01T00:58:36Z")
This is an interesting question. Do we exclude exhibition type games where they play a regular season game in an Iowa cornfield, or at the Little League World Series park? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2021/945434/230 "2021-08-01T01:11:42Z")
Or the weird ones where they have to make up games at neutral sites? That year of the massive winter storms, for example. Or the occasional game when they’re the home team in the visitor’s park due to some crazy scheduling reason? ---
**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 1, 2021, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2021/945434/231 "2021-08-01T01:59:48Z")
Yeah - there was a lot of that last year with Covid, and trying to keep traveling to a minimum, plus a lot of bonus doubleheaders to make up for Covid postponements. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2021/945434/232 "2021-08-01T02:08:01Z")
The Blue Jays are undefeated in Toronto this year! ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2021/945434/233 "2021-08-05T03:56:55Z")
In the Mets game tonight in bottom of the 9th Marlins hitter gets to 3-2. The next pitch is about a foot outside and Angel Hernandez calls it a strike. Hitter slams his bat into the ground. Ron Darling says, “It’s not an official game until Angel plays a part in it.” ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2021/945434/234 "2021-08-05T04:28:38Z")
Two position players for the cubs had batting averages below .190 tonight including the pitcher they had 3. Their opponents were the Rockies who were also starting a sub .200 position player and of course pitcher. Is 5 hitters with a batting average under .200 a record. I hope so. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2021/945434/235 "2021-08-05T04:44:34Z")
In the Indians-Blue Jays game tonight there were 3 sub-.200 hitters and they used the DH. Another hitter on the Indians is hitting .208 and was below .200 a game or so back. But the answer to your question is almost certainly no unless you restrict it to later in the season. Bob Feller pitched an opening day no hitter in 1940 against the White Sox. The Sox used the same 8 starting players the next game against the St. Louis Browns so all 8 were sub-.200. Not sure how many Browns starters that day were sub-.200 but likely a few. They’d already played 3 games. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2021/945434/236 "2021-08-05T09:32:27Z")
tell me something how does a pitcher “allow” a home run? in the linked article it mentions the new dodger pitcher "allowed " a home run … like he said "ah the hell with it if he hits a home run he hits it " and threw an easy pitch straight down the middle … ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2021/945434/237 "2021-08-05T12:38:30Z")
Bert Blyleven once allowed 50 homers in one season, which is still a record. There are a lot more home runs in general now but of course pitchers don’t pitch as much as they used to. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2021/945434/238 "2021-08-05T12:42:40Z")
Remember the time Hernandez had three calls overturned by replay in one game? A freaking playoff game? All umpire jokes aside, he might be legally blind. And he has plenty of company in the Shitty Umpires With Seniority fraternity. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2021/945434/239 "2021-08-05T12:51:05Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > But the answer to your question is almost certainly no unless you restrict it to later in the season. Ya, I was thinking after the all-star break to avoid early season weirdness. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2021/945434/240 "2021-08-05T13:03:33Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Remember the time Hernandez had three calls overturned by replay in one game? A freaking playoff game? All umpire jokes aside, he might be legally blind. His problem is arrogance. There is evidence many umpires have really improved with replay and post-game instruction, stuff like studying the Pitchf/x data (or whatever the system is called now.) Hernandez famously refuses to do so. It’s not like his incompetence is a secret. Everyone knows he’s a disgrace. The ump union, however, is just too intransigent to allow an incompetent ump to be fired. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2021/945434.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-july-2021/945434.md?page=13)