NEWSLETTER
Well, the trade deadline has come and gone, and it was as underwhelming as it could possibly be around these parts. I held off on MLBits on Monday and Tuesday this week because all eyes were on the deadline, and I didn’t want to take away from the spectacular coverage of all the action that Brett and Michael put together. With that in the rearview mirror, we’re back.
Legendary Broadcaster Vin Scully Passes
I planned on leading today’s MLBits with trade deadline winners and losers, but the unfortunate late-night news of the passing of Vin Scully has changed that. Scully was the soundtrack of baseball for Los Angeles Dodgers fans and beyond for nearly seven decades and will go down as the undisputed best to ever do it.
Scully called baseball games with a level of elegance and grace that no one will ever accomplish again; a true classic baseball storyteller. Here are some of Scully’s most memorable calls courtesy of Twitter users remembering his greatness late last night.
Scully’s recall of Madison Bumgarner and his wife saving a baby rabbit by killing a snake during a Dodgers-Giants game was a perfect example of how Scully could seamlessly weave stories into his calls.
Who can forget Scully’s call of Kirk Gibson’s pinch-hit home run against Dennis Eckersley in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series:
It was only fitting that Scully was on the call for Hank Aaron’s record-setting 715th home run:
Scully’s greatness wasn’t limited to the diamond. He also called NFL games, including ‘The Catch’ in the 1981 NFC Championship Game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco:
Luis wrote about Scully’s passing and greatness for us late last night. Here it is for your enjoyment this morning:
Jacob deGrom’s Return
I’ve got the Mets and their hesitance to make the big deal as one of the losers of this trade deadline, but they did get Jacob deGrom back on Tuesday, so they’ve got that going for them. deGrom picked up where he left off by firing a 99 mph fastball for his first major league pitch in 391 days against the Washington Nationals last night.
deGrom also fired in a 101.6 mph fastball, the fifth fastest pitch of his career in a 1-2-3 first inning that featured strikeouts of Victor Robles and Luis Garcia and a ground out by Yodel Hernandez.
deGrom struck out Nelson Cruz to open the second and then got some help from Starling Marte who gunned down Keibert Ruiz at second base trying to stretch a single into a double. deGrom then rung up Joey Menses to end the second scoreless.
After another 1-2-3 inning in the third, deGrom surrendered his first and only earned run of the evening on an RBI double by Luis Garcia. All told, deGrom allowed one run on three hits while striking out six and walking none in five innings of work for the Mets.
The Nats would score four after deGrom exited to beat the Mets 5-1, but the Mets have their ace back, and that’s going to be a big boost for their World Series hopes down the stretch.
Odds and Ends …
- The Tampa Bay Rays cut ties with utility man Brett Phillips this weekend, but he’s already found a new home in Baltimore. After Phillips found some pop last season, hit 13 home runs, and drove in 44 runs in 292 plate appearances with the Rays, his bat returned to career norms this season, and he was hitting .147 with five home runs and 14 RBI in 75 games this season.
- Box scores aside, Phillips is one of the more liked personalities in baseball, and his connection with young cancer battler Chloe this season is one of my favorite stories. A devastated Chloe learned that Phillips was heading to Baltimore but got to see Phillips one last time before he left town when he stopped by her school to deliver a custom Wilson baseball glove that the two created together.
- The No. 2 pick in the MLB Draft, Druw Jones, will have surgery to repair the postural labrum in his left shoulder. Jones will have the surgery performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed the same surgery on Jordan Lawlar a year ago. Lawlar bounced back nicely, hitting .351 with nine home runs at Low-A this season.
- We know that New York can be a tough sports town if expectations aren’t met, but this Q&A with Joey Gallo was simply heart-breaking. Gallo didn’t even leave his home to walk the streets of New York in his final days in town. Be nicer human beings, people.
- The Padres now have three of the most prominent Dominican stars in baseball on the same roster, giving us a preview of the power that will lead the Dominican Republic in next spring’s World Baseball Classic.
- Jonathan Lucroy has announced his retirement from baseball and will be inducted into the Milwaukee Brewers Hall of Fame this weekend.
- Aaron Judge is in some pretty elite company this season:
- Dylan Cease allowed three earned runs in July and was named the AL Pitcher of the Month for the second straight month despite not being an All-Star. I’m no mathematician, but that doesn’t add up.
- Ian Happ made a leaping catch to rob Paul DeJong of a home run last night, just hours after he learned that he wouldn’t be traded at the deadline, which was so fitting.
