Mr. Smith, say hello to Mr. Hoffman
Make that two no-hitters in September! Wait...maybe not. San Diego's Chris Young came within two outs of no-hitting the Pirates at PetCo Park Friday. And thanks to the trusty MLB Extra Innings package, I was able to witness Young's entire no-hit bid, which was certainly impressive.
Young had a perfect game going through 5 2/3 innings before issuing a walk to pinch hitter Rajai Davis; however, Young still faced the minimum through six after Davis was caught stealing by coming off the bag at second base.
It wasn't until Young issued his second walk of the game to Jose Bautista that the no-hitter appeared to be in jeopardy. The 6-foot-10 righty appeared to tire as the ninth went on, and then it happened. Joe Randa took a 3-1 fastball and crushed it to deep center for a two-run homer.
Young took the homer in stride and bounced back by striking out Chris Duffy for the second out of the ninth, but then he walked Jack Wilson and that was all she wrote for the dazzling starter.
Reliever extraordinaire Cla Meredith grabbed the reins and promptly struck out N.L. batting average leader Freddy Sanchez to give the Padres another key win.
CHASE FOR HISTORY
There's just nine days left in the 2006 season, and even though the playoff race will most likely run 'til the final game, one thing is certain -- Trevor Hoffman will dethrone the legendary Lee Smith as the all-time saves leader.
Sitting at 477 saves, one shy of Smith's mark, heading into Friday night's action, Hoffman should easily tie and break the record within the week, especially with the Padres in the thick of both the N.L. West and Wild Card races.
Hoffman has converted 41 of 46 save opportunities and has allowed earned runs in only seven of his 60 appearances, while leading the National League in saves (41) and all closers who have played the entire season in the N.L. in ERA (2.02) and WHIP (0.97).
His wicked changeup has enabled him to post nine 40-save seasons, including a career-high 53 in 1998, when San Diego made it all the way to the World Series only to be swept by the most dominant Yankees team in recent history.
Hoffman's achievement is a testament to his longevity. The 38-year-old has been a mainstay in the ninth inning for the Padres since mid-1993, when he came over from the Florida Marlins with two others for Gary Sheffield, and his "Hell's Bells" entrance song gets the San Diego crowd electrified every time the first note hits the airwaves.
He underwent shoulder surgery in 2002 and played just nine games in 2003, but his strong work ethic enabled him to make a full recovery, and now, history is right around the corner.
Young had a perfect game going through 5 2/3 innings before issuing a walk to pinch hitter Rajai Davis; however, Young still faced the minimum through six after Davis was caught stealing by coming off the bag at second base.
It wasn't until Young issued his second walk of the game to Jose Bautista that the no-hitter appeared to be in jeopardy. The 6-foot-10 righty appeared to tire as the ninth went on, and then it happened. Joe Randa took a 3-1 fastball and crushed it to deep center for a two-run homer.
Young took the homer in stride and bounced back by striking out Chris Duffy for the second out of the ninth, but then he walked Jack Wilson and that was all she wrote for the dazzling starter.
Reliever extraordinaire Cla Meredith grabbed the reins and promptly struck out N.L. batting average leader Freddy Sanchez to give the Padres another key win.
CHASE FOR HISTORY
There's just nine days left in the 2006 season, and even though the playoff race will most likely run 'til the final game, one thing is certain -- Trevor Hoffman will dethrone the legendary Lee Smith as the all-time saves leader.
Sitting at 477 saves, one shy of Smith's mark, heading into Friday night's action, Hoffman should easily tie and break the record within the week, especially with the Padres in the thick of both the N.L. West and Wild Card races.
Hoffman has converted 41 of 46 save opportunities and has allowed earned runs in only seven of his 60 appearances, while leading the National League in saves (41) and all closers who have played the entire season in the N.L. in ERA (2.02) and WHIP (0.97).
His wicked changeup has enabled him to post nine 40-save seasons, including a career-high 53 in 1998, when San Diego made it all the way to the World Series only to be swept by the most dominant Yankees team in recent history.
Hoffman's achievement is a testament to his longevity. The 38-year-old has been a mainstay in the ninth inning for the Padres since mid-1993, when he came over from the Florida Marlins with two others for Gary Sheffield, and his "Hell's Bells" entrance song gets the San Diego crowd electrified every time the first note hits the airwaves.
He underwent shoulder surgery in 2002 and played just nine games in 2003, but his strong work ethic enabled him to make a full recovery, and now, history is right around the corner.
posted by The Knuckler @ 9/22/2006 06:32:00 PM
2 Comments:
At 9/30/2006 08:17:00 AM ,
Anonymous said...
Where does Mr. Hoffman stand now?
Do you have any predictions for the postseason? Will Philly overcome LA?
At 9/30/2006 11:29:00 AM ,
The Knuckler said...
Hey Luigi, just a few days after I wrote this post, Trevor Hoffman became the all-time saves leader and currently has 480.
My postseason predictions will be revealed in my next post, which will go up in a few hours.
But just as a teaser for it, Philly is done. L.A. and San Diego caught fire in September.
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