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4/8/20

John From Albany – Mets Breakfast Links 4/8/2020


Good morning.  Happy Birthday to Jeff McNeil, reactions the idea of playing in front of empty stadiums in Arizona and Pete Alonso wants to be a great defender.  Let’s hit the links.

SNY.TV: Mets' Pete Alonso says he has a new personal goal for 2020 MLB season. "I want to be not just a force at the plate. I want to not just help my pitchers out, but help my other infielders out as well. I want to be the best defender I can possibly be, because if I keep working and helping other people out around the diamond I feel like that's just gonna improve the team.

Brian Joura Mets 360.com: Ranking Mets’ pitching opponents with the B-R Play Index tool.  Brian looked at the pitchers who have the best stats against the Mets including 1. Sandy Koufax, 1.44 ERA; Greg Maddux, 35 Wins; Lee Smith, 38 Saves.


Centerfield Maz: Hall of Famer Gary Carter: The Mets Years (1984-1989).





Metsmerized online: Best Five Defenders In Mets History. 5) Juan Lagares; 4) Jerry Grote; 3) Carlos Beltran; 2) Rey Ordonez; 1) Keith Hernandez;







NY Post.com: What MLB players think of daunting coronavirus return possibility.  “That’s hell” is how one Met described what could be ahead for players if a plan MLB has mulled to play all of its games in Arizona is enacted. “I mean we’re talking 120 degrees every day and playing weekly doubleheaders and 20 days straight.”



12UP.com: MLB and MLBPA Considering Insane Roster Changes for 2020 Season Plan.  Part of the plan to play all games in Arizona would have teams support a 50-man roster.
















Asian Baseball:

Joel Sherman NY Post: Japanese baseball delayed again in bad sign for all sports. Nippon Professional Baseball announced that the start of the Japanese baseball season, which was rescheduled for April 24, now will not happen until late May at the earliest.

Kyodo News: Nippon Professional Baseball is unlikely to alter its plans for a new schedule in response to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's declaration Tuesday of a state of emergency to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, NPB Secretary General Atsushi Ihara said.



Korea Times: The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) is targeting an early May start to its regular season, after it was postponed from its original March 28 Opening Day because of the coronavirus outbreak. With the number of new cases staying in the double figures this week, down from triple digits over the past several weeks, the KBO has become quite hopeful. 







Born on this date:
Transactions:
New York Mets traded Chris DeWitt to the Chicago Cubs for Matt Franco on April 8, 1996.

Cleveland Indians claimed Jason Anderson of the New York Mets on waivers on April 8, 2004.


1984
A pitch thrown by Mike Torrez, in the Mets' 3-1 victory over Houston at the Astrodome, damages Dickie Thon's face, compromising the promising 25 year-old shortstop's career. The orbital bone around the left eye is broken by the remorseful right-hander's fastball, ending the infielder's season and impacting his future as a major leaguer due to problems with depth perception as a result of the injury.
1988
Gary Carter, celebrating his 34th birthday with a 3-for-3 day including a home run, is doubled off second base after Howard Johnson lines out to right field to end the game on a bizarre play. Shortstop Juan Samuel, who had started to throw the relay from outfielder Chris James back to the mound, tags the Mets' catcher straying off the bag for the final out in the Phillies' 5-1 victory at Veterans Stadium.

2000
Blue Jay southpaw David Wells' nine-hit complete game 4-0 shutout against Texas at The Ballpark in Arlington snaps Kenny Rogers' 19-game home winning streak. 'The Gambler's' accomplishment, compiled while hurling for the Yankees, A's, Mets, and Rangers, is the third-longest in major league history.
2005
Jimmy Carter, who was not invited by the current administration to be part of the American delegation for today's funeral of Pope John Paul, attends the home opener at Turner Field. The former president and his wife Roslyn, who both stayed for the entire game, enjoy watching the Braves beat the Mets, 3-1.

2008
In the last home opener at Shea Stadium, the Mets are beaten by a pitcher who is older than their ballpark. Jamie Moyer pitches six strong innings, giving the 46 year-old the victory in the 45 year-old stadium when the Phillies rally to beat the Mets, 5-2.


1969: Four expansion teams make their debuts. The Kansas City Royals, Seattle Pilots, Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres all win their inaugural games. At Shea Stadium, the Expos defeat the New York Mets, 11 - 10, to keep the Mets winless for openers. Pitcher Dan McGinn hits the Expos' first home run as the key hit, a three-run home run by Coco Laboy, is given up by Canadian-born Mets reliever Ron Taylor.

2008: Chase Utley ties a major league record by being hit by pitch three times in a game as the Phillies top the Mets, 5 - 2. Utley is hit by an Oliver Perez pitch in the 1st inning and is again plunked by Perez in the 4th. In the 7th, he is hit by Scott Schoeneweis to tie the record.


Want something else tracked here each day?  Please leave a comment below.

6 comments:

  1. The perpetually positive and powerful Pete.

    We finally get a pumped hitting gem like him, and we end up with COVID. Aggghh!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pete is a very hard worker. That is something not always measured by the prospect gurus.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi,

    I noticed that the Coronavirus is in very low number of cases in upstate New York. Therefore I can’t see why minor league baseball could not start let’s say in May and maybe with fans in June. I am talking about Syracuse and Binghamton.

    With so few cases they could identify new cases, isolate the patient and locate their contacts to limit any new cases in their area.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Raw -

    The coronavirus hasn't even begun to ravage upstate New York like it is doing in the city.

    ReplyDelete
  5. As Governor Cuomo has said, the virus spreads like wildfire. Caution is critical in winning the war. Playing where "it's not here yet" is not worth considering, even without factoring in the players and fans coming from outside the upstate area.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The wave is coming upstate as well. Just hasn't gotten here yet but social distancing is easier up here. Taiwan and Denmark have worked together and have made progress on a 12 minute test that only requires a drop of blood. If they could mass produce that, it would go a long way in solving the problem. https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3912548

    ReplyDelete