I don't really believe in jinxes, live-blogging variety or otherwise, but I should point out that Oakland went three up/three down in the top of the eighth as I posted this entry.
There appear to have been four pitchers named Fernando who have had major-league careers of significant duration: Fernando Arroyo, whose 1978 Tigers card I can recognize by seeing just a sliver of the skyline at the top of the card; Fernando Valenzuela, who probably was the greatest individual baseball phenomenon of my lifetime (even ahead of Mark McGwire, Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds and Cal Ripken Jr.); Fernando Abad, who I think I had on a fantasy team once or twice, and Fernando Rodney, who played on all of the teams except the A's before this summer and then was traded to Oakland a couple of weeks ago. Fantastic Baseball-Reference.com gives Arroyo a career WAR of 4.9; Valenzuela, 41.6; Abad, 3.1, and Rodney, 8.2. I don't even know exactly what WAR means or is composed of, but I pretty much depend on it now as my singular baseball metric. Anyway, I'm thrilled the A's now have the No. 2 Fernando, and he just struck out Altuve with the potential go-ahead run on second to end the eighth. Given it's the first time the Oakland A's have ever retired Jose Altuve, this was pretty impressive.
I don't really believe in jinxes, live-blogging variety or otherwise, but I should point out that Oakland went three up/three down in the top of the eighth as I posted this entry.
ReplyDeleteAh, jeez, Altuve ...
ReplyDeletePhew.
ReplyDeleteThere appear to have been four pitchers named Fernando who have had major-league careers of significant duration: Fernando Arroyo, whose 1978 Tigers card I can recognize by seeing just a sliver of the skyline at the top of the card; Fernando Valenzuela, who probably was the greatest individual baseball phenomenon of my lifetime (even ahead of Mark McGwire, Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds and Cal Ripken Jr.); Fernando Abad, who I think I had on a fantasy team once or twice, and Fernando Rodney, who played on all of the teams except the A's before this summer and then was traded to Oakland a couple of weeks ago. Fantastic Baseball-Reference.com gives Arroyo a career WAR of 4.9; Valenzuela, 41.6; Abad, 3.1, and Rodney, 8.2. I don't even know exactly what WAR means or is composed of, but I pretty much depend on it now as my singular baseball metric. Anyway, I'm thrilled the A's now have the No. 2 Fernando, and he just struck out Altuve with the potential go-ahead run on second to end the eighth. Given it's the first time the Oakland A's have ever retired Jose Altuve, this was pretty impressive.
ReplyDeleteOakland leaves a man on second to end the top of the ninth. Still 4-4 ...
ReplyDeleteAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!
ReplyDeleteThis may well have concluded my baseball coverage for 2018.
ReplyDelete