Pirates 3rd Baseman Jung-ho Kang Rehabbing in Indianapolis

Pirates 3rd Baseman Jung-ho Kang Rehabbing in Indianapolis

After months of recovery and extensive physical therapy, Pirates third baseman Jung-ho Kang is finally rehabbing his leg in Indianapolis. Kang suffered a broken leg and torn MCL when he was slid into by then-Cubs left fielder Chris Coghlan who was trying to break up a double play back in September. 

Kang is expected to be back in Pittsburgh sometime in the next week or two and will hopefully be the Pirates every day third baseman again at some point soon after that. 

Voting for the 2016 MLB All-Star Game has Officially Started!

Voting for the 2016 MLB All-Star Game has Officially Started!

Only 20 games into the 2016 Major League Baseball regular season and all star voting has started already. The 2016 MLB All-Star Game will be held on July 12th, 2016 at Petco Park in San Diego, home of the San Diego Padres. 

The all star game happens in Major League Baseball every year in the middle of July and while it is supposed to be fun and games, it is important for the post season as it pits the American League's best against the National League's best and the winning team gets home field advantage in the World Series! So go and vote for your favorite players to see them at the mid season classic! 

Pirates Charities Host Home Run 5K and 10K Races

Pirates Charities Host Home Run 5K and 10K Races 

On April 16th, 2016 the Pittsburgh Pirates Charity group hosted their annual Home Run 5K and 10K races to raise money for Pirates Charities, a fund raising group within the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball organization that builds fields throughout the greater Pittsburgh area for kids with special needs. Canfield, OH native Scott Denham won the 5K with a time of 15 minutes and 38 seconds and Gregory Opp of Somerset, PA won the 10K event with a time of 35 minutes and 17 seconds and it was a fun time for all who attended and all who participated and a great way for the Pirates to give back to the community. 

Top 10 World Series Championship Winners List

 Top 10 World Series Championship Winners List

List of the teams that have won the World Series in Baseball History and the number they have one and the last year that they won one. 

1. New York Yankees (27, Last was in 2009)

2. St. Louis Cardinals (11, last was in 2011)

3. Oakland Athletics (9, last was in 1989)

4. San Fransisco Giants (8, last was in 2014)

4. Boston Red Sox (8, last was in 2013)

6. Los Angeles Dodgers (6, last was in 1988)

7. Cincinnati Reds (5, last was in 1990)

7. Pittsburgh Pirates (5, last was in 1979) 

9. Detroit Tigers (4, last was in 1984)

10. Atlanta Braves (3, last was in 1995)

10. Chicago White Sox (3, last was in 2005)

10. Baltimore Orioles (3, last was in 1983) 

2016 MLB Power Rankings: Week 3

 2016 MLB Power Rankings: Week 3

ESPN's rankings of all 30 teams in order of performance thus far as of Week 3 (April 25th, 2016) 

 TOP 10                              

1. Chicago Cubs (14-5)                                                   

2. Washington Nationals (14-4) 

3. Kansas City Royals (12-6)

4. Baltimore Orioles (11-6)

5. Los Angeles Dodgers (12-7)

6. Chicago White Sox (13-6)

7. New York Mets (10-7)

8. Texas Rangers (10-9) 

9. St. Louis Cardinals (10-8)

10. Pittsburgh Pirates (9-9)

EVERYONE ELSE 

11. Oakland Athletics (10-9)

12. Arizona Diamondbacks (10-9)

13. San Fransisco Giants (9-11) 

14. Cleveland Indians (9-7) 

15. Toronto Blue Jays (10-10) 

16. Detroit Tigers (8-9)

17. Boston Red Sox (9-9)

18. Colorado Rockies (9-9)                                                          

19. Seattle Mariners (9-9)

20. Tampa Bay Rays (8-10) 

21. New York Yankees (7-10) 

22. Los Angeles Angels (8-11) 

23. Cincinnati Reds (9-10)

24. Houston Astros (6-13)

25. Philadelphia Phillies (9-10)

26. Miami Marlins (6-10)

27. San Diego Padres (7-12)

28. Milwaukee Brewers (8-11)

29. Minnesota Twins (5-14)

30. Atlanta Braves (4-14) 

Diamondbacks Score 9 in the 6th, Go On to Defeat the Cardinals 12-7.

Diamondbacks Score 9 in the 6th, Go On to Defeat the Cardinals 12-7

Backed by a big night from leadoff hitter Jean Segura who went 4 for 6 with one run and three runs batted in (RBI's) coming off one swing which was a three run homer off of Cardinals reliever Kevin Siegrist, the Arizona Diamondbacks came back to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks by a final score of 12 to 7 that included a 9 run sixth inning. The Diamondbacks were down by a score of 5-2 going to the bottom of the 6th inning when the Arizona offense exploded for nine runs off of Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia as well as a few relievers and they never looked back. 

Updated 2016 MLB Season Standings for Each Division as of 4/26/16

Updated 2016 MLB Season Standings for Each Division as of 4/26/16
                                              
A. AL EAST

                                     Wins  Losses   PCT  GB
1. Baltimore Orioles     11          7       .611   --
2. Boston Red Sox       10          9       .526  1.5
3. Toronto Blue Jays    10         11      .476  2.5
4. Tampa Bay Rays      9          10      .474   2.5
5. New York Yankees   8          10     .444   4.0


B. AL Central            

                                      Wins  Losses  PCT  GB

1. Chicago White Sox   14        6        .700  --
2. Kansas City Royals   12        7        .632  1.5
3. Cleveland Indians      9         8         .529  3.5
4. Detroit Tigers            9         9         .500  4.0
5. Minnesota Twins       6         14       .300  8.0

C. AL WEST

                                      Wins  Losses  PCT  GB
1. Seattle Mariners         10         9       .526   --
2. Oakland Athletics      10        10       .500  0.5
3. Texas Rangers            10        10       .500  0.5
4. Los Angeles Angels    9         11      .450   1.5
5. Houston Astros           6         14      .300   4.5

D. NL EAST

                                        Wins  Losses PCT  GB
1. Washington Nationals   14        4      .778   --
2. New York Mets             11        7      .611   3.0
3. Philadelphia Phillies      9         10    .474   5.5
4. Miami Marlins               7         11    .389   7.0
5. Atlanta Braves               4         15    .211   10.5

E. NL CENTRAL

                                       Wins  Losses PCT  GB
1. Chicago Cubs             14          5      .737  --
2. Pittsburgh Pirates       11          9       .550  3.5
3. St. Louis Cardinals    10          9       .526  4.0
4. Cincinnati Reds          9          11       .450 5.5
5. Milwaukee Brewers   8          11       .421 6.0

F. NL WEST

                                           Wins  Losses PCT  GB
1. Los Angeles Dodgers     12         8      .600  --
2. Arizona Diamondbacks  11        10     .524  1.5
3. San Fransisco Giants      10        11     .476  2.5
4. Colorado Rockies           9          10     .474  2.5
5. San Diego Padres           7           13    . 350 4.0

Pirates Pull off a Big Win in Extras in the Arizona Desert

Pirates Pull Off a Big Win in Extras in the Arizona Desert

Thanks to some clutch hitting from Pirates utility man Sean Rodriguez and left fielder Starling Marte as well as some key defensive plays, the Pirates defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks last night at Chase Field by a final score of 12-10. However, this game was not scheduled to end at around 9:30pm or so Eastern Time as it started at 4:10pm Eastern Time. These two teams went back and forth in a game that took 13 innings and lasted nearly five and a half hours before the Pirates came out on top, one of the longest games of the season in all the major leagues. 

The Baseball Stadiums of Major League Baseball: Part 8

The Baseball Stadiums of Major League Baseball: Part 8 

Continuing the tours of the ballparks of Major League Baseball (MLB).

NL WEST

1. Chase Field-Home of the Arizona Diamondbacks 

Opened in 1998, Chase Field is another one of only a few ballparks in the MLB that is indoors with a retractable roof. Chase Field has a seating capacity 48,519 and is somewhat unique in having a dirt strip down the middle of mound to home plate similar that of Comerica Park.

2. Coors Field-Home of the Colorado Rockies 

Nicknamed Jurassic Park, Coors Field opened in 1995 and has a seating capacity of 50,398. It is known for its beer and beautiful views of the well, rockies haha.

3. Dodger Stadium- Home of the Los Angeles Dodgers

The  Los Angeles Dodgers, who once played in Brooklyn, New York, have played at Dodger stadium since 1958 and it is one of the oldest stadiums in the major leagues. Hall of Famer announcer Vin Scully is the ballpark announcer for the Dodgers and is finally retiring following the 2016 season. Dodger Stadium has a seating capacity of 56,000.

4. Petco Park-Home of the San Diego Padres

Home of the San Diego Padres, Petco Park has a very cool backdrop of skyscrapers in its lovely city of San Diego, CA. The Padres started playing at Petco in 2004 and they are one of only 8 teams in the MLB league who has yet to win a World Series title. Petco park has a seating capacity of 40,162.

5. AT&T Park-Home of the San Fransisco Giants

Formally known as Pacific Bell Park and SBC Park, AT&T Park is home to the NL West and Eight time World Series Champion San Fransisco Giants. Known famously for the brick wall in right field as well as McCovey Cove behind this wall and the famous large coke bottle in left field, AT&T Park has a seating capacity of 41,915 and opened in April of 2000.

The Baseball Stadiums of Major League Baseball: Part 7

The Baseball Stadiums of Major League  Baseball: Part 7 

Continuing the tour of the ballparks of Major League Baseball (MLB)

NL CENTRAL

1. Wrigley Field- Home of the Chicago Cubs                         

Opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park, Wrigley Field is one of the oldest stadiums in all of baseball, second only to Fenway Park which opened on April 20th, 1912. Just recently installing a electronic scoreboard in right field (Not shown in this picture), Wrigley, like Fenway, still does manual scoreboard keeping as well as the electronic scoreboard. Its seating capacity is 41,268. The Cubs are famous for having the longest championship drought of any team across the four major sports of baseball, basketball, football, and hockey, having last one their only their last World Series in 1908, actually having back to back championships in 1907 and 1908 before this 100+ year drought.

2. Great American Ballpark-Home of the Cincinnati Reds 

Located along the Ohio River and right next to the Ohio-Kentucky boarder, Great American ballpark is home to the National League Central and five-time World Series champion Cincinnati Reds and opened on March 31st, 2003. Nicknamed GABP, this park can hold up to 42,319 fans per baseball game.

3. Miller Park-Home of the Milwaukee Brewers

One of only a few MLB stadiums with a retractable roof, Miller Park is home to the Milwaukee Brewers of the National League Central Division. The Brewers are one of only 8 active MLB teams to never win a World Series championship. Miller park has a seating capacity of 41, 900 and has a slide that their mascot slides down every time a Brewer hits a home run there.

4. PNC Park-Home of the Pittsburgh Pirates

Voted repeatedly by multiple different sports websites and magazines as the best ballpark in Major League Baseball, PNC Park is home to the Five-time World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates. Nicknamed, "The City of Bridges" Pittsburgh's passion for sports does not stop with the Penguins and Steelers, but in fact, baseball is very popular in this amazing city too. Having one of the smallest seating capacities in all of baseball at 38,362, PNC is always a good time for baseball and food lovers alike.

5. Busch Stadium III-Home of the St. Louis Cardinals

Also named one of the best stadiums in all of the MLB because of its stunning views of the St. Louis Arch and downtown skyscrapers, Busch Stadium III is home to the St. Louis Cardinals of the National League Central. This stadium can seat up to 43,975 fans without standing room and 46,861 with standing room and it opened in April 2006.

The Baseball Stadiums of Major League Baseball: Part 6

The Baseball Stadiums of Major League Baseball: Part 6

Continuing the tour of the ballparks of Major League Baseball (MLB)

NL EAST

3. Citi Field-Home of the New York Mets 

Citi Field opened in April 2009 and has a seating capacity of around 45,000 people, including standing room only seats. It is home to the other New York team, the Mets, and is located in Flushing in the borough of Queens on Long Island, NY. It's naming rights belong to Citigroup, an investment banking and financial services corporation that is headquartered in Manhattan, NY.

4. Citizens Bank Park-Home of the Philadelphia Phillies

Home of the two-time World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies, Citizens Bank Park is located in the heart of the city of Philadelphia, PA. This park hosted the 2012 NHL Winter Classic between the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers and has a seating capacity of approximately 43,651 and opened in April 2004, replacing Veterans Stadium which was home to the Phillies for over 30 years prior to its demolition and the the opening of Citizens Bank Park.

5. Nationals Park-Home of the Washington Nationals 

Home to the newest MLB Franchise the Washington Nationals who, in 2005, moved from Montreal as the Montreal Expos to their current home in Washington DC, Nationals park has amazing food to go along with the wonderful game of baseball played on the field. This includes chili dogs as well as mac and cheese hot dogs, yum...Nationals park has a seating capacity of 41,313 and opened on March 30th, 2008 and has been home to the Nationals ever since.

The Baseball Stadiums of Major League Baseball: Part 5

The Baseball Stadiums of Major League Baseball: Part 5

Continuing the tours of the ballparks of Major League Baseball (MLB)

 NL EAST

2. Marlins Park- Home of the Miami Marlins 

Opened in April 2012, Marlins Park is the newest ballpark in all of Major League Baseball as of the start of the 2016 season and will be the second newest ballpark once the Atlanta Braves open their new ballpark next season. This stadium is unique in having a fiberglass aquarium located behind home plate. Marlins Park can hold up to 37,442 people for a game.

Source of Inspiration Post #5

Source of Inspiration Post #5

Also a couple of years ago, I went with my family to Alabama for Christmas Vacation. I thought that was really weird until we went to the Rosa Parks Museum and MLK Museum and stumbled upon this piece of stone that I snapped a pic of. This is my final source of inspiration and I picked it because of it the symbolism is that it stands for and the design is really simplistic yet really cool with her name and the outline of her footprints.

Source of Inspiration Post #4

Source of Inspiration Post #4

I visited Arlington National Cemetery a couple of years ago with my family while we were in Washington, DC and it was really cool. This is a picture I took of JFK's grave stone and I chose it as my 4th source of inspiration because of the cool carving into the stone that forms his name and year of birth and year of death and because of how JFK impacted this country when he was alive and I thought it would be cool to share for this blog project.

Source of Inspiration Post #3

Sources of Inspiration Post #3

I came across this picture a while ago on the internet and I thought it was really cool and the message behind it is really cool and inspiring. That being said, I love this picture for reasons of my faith, but I also just love the design of it, putting a bunch of words together right next to each other to form a cross and having the background be a solid black is both simple and helpful to focus on the middle. All the words are in white except God, who is at the center and that is even more inspiring to me #unashamed.

Source of Inspiration Post #2

Source of Inspiration Post #2

This is my second source of inspiration. I love the colors that glow from behind the words and the actual words are an inspiration for my life as a Christian and as a person who cares about the world in so many different ways. I am unashamed of my faith and willing to post about it not to try and shove Christianity down people's throats but to give a declaration of my faith. This is a bible verse that means a lot to my life and to a lot of people close to me and it is inspiring to me each and every day.

The Baseball Stadiums of Major League Baseball: Part 4

The Baseball Stadiums of Major League Baseball: Part 4

Continuing the tours of the ballparks of Major League Baseball (MLB). 

NL East

1. Turner Field- Home of the Atlanta Braves 

Turner Field is home to the Atlanta Braves of the National League East Division of Major League Baseball. Turner Field is in its final season of usage for the braves, as the city of Atlanta is currently building a new stadium to better handle the incoming traffic for games with a substantial increase in parking space. Turner Field opened in 1993 for the Olympics and was reconverted for baseball in 1997. Nicknamed, "The Ted", this park can hold up to 49,586 patrons per game, making Turner field the 4th highest capacity in all of the MLB. 

The Baseball Stadiums of Major League Baseball: Part 3

The Baseball Stadiums of Major League Baseball: Part 3

Continuing the tours around the ballparks of Major League Baseball (MLB). 

AL West

1. Minute Maid Park- Home of the Houston Astros  

Minute Maid Park is the home field of the AL West Houston Astros of Major League Baseball. A few cool things about this stadium is that it has a retractable roof and has a train that runs behind its left field fence every time an astro hits a home run. Minute Maid Parks' seating capacity is currently 41,656 and this ballpark opened in April of 2000.

2. Angel Stadium- Home of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Nicknamed the Big A, Angel Stadium is home to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of the AL West Division. They share this beloved city of baseball with the Los Angeles Dodgers of the National League West Division. A unique feature this stadium has is that left of the Center field wall, there is a waterfall located that catches baseballs and is just overall a cool feature that adds unique flare to the stadium. The Big A fits 45,957 home and visiting fans within its confines.

3. O.co Coliseum- Home of the Oakland Athletics 

O.co Coliseum is the home of both the Oakland Athletics of the American League West in Major League Baseball and the Oakland Raiders of the AFC West Division of the National Football League. This stadium is the only one in all of baseball that also houses a professional football team. Although the stadium has a capacity of 56,027 seats, only 35,067 are available for use for baseball games, making this stadium the  2nd smallest in all of the Major Leagues right behind the Tampa Bay Rays of the American League East.

4. Safeco Field- Home of the Seattle Mariners

Seattle is home of many awesome places like the space needle and also, Safeco Field which is home of the AL Wests' Seattle Mariners. This stadium does not have a great view of the city of Seattle because of the retractable roof that when not in use, seems to hover over right and center field respectively. Never the less, Safeco is an awesome place to be that the Mariners have called home since 1999 and is nicknamed, "The House that Griffey Built", referring to retired Mariner and nearly unanimously-voted MLB Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. Safeco's seating capacity is 47,943.

5. Globe Life Park in Arlington- Home of the Texas Rangers

Arguably one of the coolest ballparks in all of baseball, Globe Life Park in Arlington is home to the Texas Rangers of the American League West. Interestingly, former President of the United States George W. Bush was once part owner of this historic franchise. This stadium opened in opened on April Fools Day in 1994 and can seat 48,114 wild sports loving Rangers fans as well as visiting team fans (as long as they aren't Astros fans). 

The Baseball Stadiums of Major League Baseball: Part 2

The Baseball Stadiums of Major League Baseball: Part 2 

Continuing on the tour of each Major League Baseball club and their ballpark (MLB).  

The AL Central Teams

1. U.S. Cellular Field- Home of the Chicago White Sox

U.S. Cellular Field is home to the Chicago White Sox of the American League Central Division. Chicago is one of only three cities with multiple MLB teams, the other two being Los Angeles (Angels and Dodgers), and New York (Mets and Yankees). Opened in 1991, this baseball park  on the South Side of Chicago has a seating capacity of around 40,615.

2. Progressive Field- Home of the Cleveland Indians 

Progressive Field is home of the AL Central Cleveland Indians. Opened in 1994 as Jacobs Field and renovated most recently in this past off season from December 2015 to the beginning of this season, this ballpark has an amazing city skyline view that lights up the city of Cleveland at night. Nicknamed, "The Jake", the Indians ballpark can seat about 37,675, one of the smallest stadiums in all of baseball.

3. Comerica Park- Home of the Detroit Tigers

Home of the Detroit Tigers of the AL Central, Comerica Park has a lot to offer. From the amazing views and of course, baseball there is so much that makes this baseball stadium unique. It is one of only two stadium in the major leagues to have a dirt path that goes completely from the mound to home plate, the other being Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. This stadium has a seating capacity of about 41,574.

4. Kauffman Stadium- Home of the Kansas City Royals 

Home of the Kansas City Royals of the AL Central, Kauffman Stadium is quite an interesting baseball stadium. Nicknamed the K and formally known as Royals stadium, this ballpark now boasts a 2015 World Series Champions plaque as the Royals won the World Series last year. Its seating capacity is about 40,933 and it opened in 1973.

5. Target Field- Home of the Minnesota Twins 

Target Field is the 2nd newest MLB stadium (Marlins Park opened in 2012), opening in April of 2010 to start the 2010 MLB Season for its team, the Minnesota Twins of the AL Central. It's seating capacity is about 38,871.

The Baseball Stadiums of Major League Baseball: Part 1

The Baseball Stadiums of Major League Baseball: Part 1

A tour through the baseball stadiums of every Major League ball club (MLB). 

A. AL EAST
1. Oriole Park at Camden Yards- Home of the Baltimore Orioles

Oriole Park at Camden Yards is home to the Baltimore Orioles of the American League East Division within Major League Baseball (MLB). This ballpark is unique for having a brick building as part of its direct backdrop. The seating capacity of this ballpark is 45,791 and this park opened for Major League play on April 6th, 1992. Oriole Park's signature food is barbeque, specifically the BBQ located at none other than Boog's Bar-B-Que, located under the orange tent behind the centered field bleachers, this is a popular eatery for any Orioles fan or any fan visiting the ballpark.

2. Fenway Park-Home of the Boston Red Sox

Fenway Park is home to the Boston Red Sox also of the American League East Division within Major League Baseball (MLB). Opening in 1912, this is the oldest operating stadium in all of the major leagues. Interestingly, it opened on April 20th, only 5 days after the sinking of the Titanic on its way to New York. Fenway Park has a seating capacity of 36,673. This park is one of only two in Major League Baseball to, despite adding an electronic scoreboard during its last major renovation, still do score keeping by hand on the left field scoreboard where there is a score board operator who manually puts in and takes out numbers according to the action on the field.  

3. Yankee Stadium II- Home of the New York Yankees

Yankee Stadium II is home to the New York Yankees of the American League East Division. Opened in 2009 replacing the Old Yankee Stadium, this ballpark is the 2nd newest in all of major league baseball, right behind Minnesota's Target Field which opened in 2010.  (until next year when the Braves open their new stadium). Its current seating capacity is 49,642 and this ballpark is located in the heart of the Bronx borough of New York City. Some of the greatest names in sports have played here including, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.

4. Tropicana Field- Home of the Tampa Bay Rays

Tropicana Field is home to the newest MLB team, the Tampa Bay Rays. They play in the AL East Division. This team was created in 1998 and this stadium is the only MLB team to operate completely indoors and one of only seven teams that has a permanent or retractable roof system. The seating capacity is currently about 40,473 and this ballpark also has a catwalk located high above the fields that sometimes gets baseballs stuck in it.

5. Rogers Centre- Home of the Toronto Blue Jays

The Rogers Centre is home to the final team of the AL East, the Toronto Blue Jays. This is the only Major League Baseball team that plays their home games outside of the United States as this franchise is located in the city of Toronto, Canada. All the seats in this stadium are the color blue, as the mascot for the team is the Blue Jay. The stadium opened in 1989 and has a seating capacity of 49,282.

This is just one of six posts that will be included in this blog about all 30 MLB stadiums. Enjoy it!

Sources of Inspiration Post #1

The Good Will and Life Scene Story 

This blog post will consist of discussions of my various trips to the store, Good Will as well as ones just from my life, and the designs, color, and typography of various items I have found at this store, although not ones that I have necessarily bought. 

 

1. This is a coffee cup that I bought from a Good Will a couple of months ago. As you can see, there are a couple different font types and designs. There are also many different colors that, combined with the design and font types make this coffee cup unique. As with most things that come from Good Will, this coffee cup was probably about five or six years old when I found it, however it was still in fairly good shape. I like the design of it because all of the color combinations really make it pop out to the viewer. I also have a personal connection to what is written on this mug because of my Christian beliefs. Also, one word is written in larger print and in red, signifying its importance to the whole concept of the inspirational and biblical quote on the cup. 

2. This second item I did not find at Good Will, but rather at Barnes and Noble, a bookstore near my house with other locations throughout the United States. I really like the design of the cover of this book. The typography is visually appealing and fairly simple, and the spacing makes the title, subtitle, author, and sub authors' name, easy to read and clear. I also like the coloring of this font being a simple black color and the color blue for the cover itself. It is also cool how the lines come from the center of the top of this cover along with circles at the ends of them that makes it look like a light ascending down from heaven. 

I enjoy how both of these items signify my believe system and both have really cool designs to them as well. I enjoy just looking around for things that help show my identity and shape my life and are overall just really cool aspects in the world as well, and I can't wait to share more with you in my second sources of inspiration post coming soon! 

Baseball Statistics 101

Baseball Statistics 101: The Basics

A large part of baseball that is often overlooked by most fans that aren't super fans, but is extremely important to the sport. 

Baseball is more than just the game, batting practice, infield drills, outfield drills, bullpen sessions, spring training, trades, food, and free agent signings. Baseball, like all sports, includes something important about the players that can help determine how good of a player they will be each year and it is: stats. 

Baseball Pitching Stats example (Clayton Kershaw through 2013 season)

First of all, this is what the back of a baseball card looks like. It usually has some basic information about the player such as height, weight, if they throw and bat left or right (or switch for hitting meaning they can bat left or right) date of birth, where they are from and when they were drafted.

Then there's the actual baseball stats based on the year, what team the player was on that year and then the stats themselves and how they performed in each category that year. For pitchers, there are 12 main stats as shown in the example above. They are as follows:

IP: Innings Pitched
OS%: Strike percentage
RS/GS: Runs per game started
HR/9: Home runs given up per nine innings of pitching
SO/BB: Strike out to walk ratio
LOB%: Runners left on base percentage
GB%: Ground ball out percentage
WHIP: Walks and Hits per inning
ERA: Earned run average
FIP: Fielding Independent Pitching
WPA: Win Probability Added
WAR: Wins Above replacement

NOTE: We will cover these in more detail in a later blog post probably.

Baseball Batting Stats example

Batting statistics on the other hand, which there are 15 main ones, are more simple to understand and explain so they will be explain in full below:

G- Games, the number of games the player has participated in a season (both batters and pitchers have this stat)
AB- At bats, the number of times a player has batted in a season ((does not include, walks (intentional and not intentional) sacrifice flies, bunts, and ground outs, and hit by pitches))
R- Runs, number of runs scored by a batter in a season
2B- Doubles, number of doubles a batter hit in a season
3B- Triples, number of triples a batter hit in a season
HR- Home runs, number of home runs a batter hit in a season
RBI- Number of runs batted in by a batter in a season
SB- Stolen bases, number of stolen bases by a batter in a season
BB- Walks, number of walks by a batter in season
SO- Strikeouts ,Number of strikeouts by a batter in a season
SLG- Slugging percentage, percentage of hits that are not singles in a season by a batter in a season
OBS- On base percentage, percentage of times a batter gets on base out of their total at bats in a season.
OPS- On base plus slugging percentage, the slugging percentage plus the on base percentage of a batter in a season.
AVG- Batting average, percentage of at bats that are hits by a batter in a season.


Hopefully this will help you out with learning more about the awesome game of baseball as you watch this season! 

The World Series

The World Series and the Road to its Path

One of the biggest championships in all of the major sports in America and around the world is discussed in some detail here. 

The World Series, the Fall Classic, etc. Major League Baseballs' championship is known by many names, but most sports fans refer to it as the World Series. It is to baseball as the Super Bowl is to football, the NBA Finals are to basketball, and the Stanley Cup is to hockey. It is the biggest set games in all of baseball and the winning team not only gets a trophy and bragging rights for the year, but also a lot of attention and money. 

The 27-Time World Series Champion New York Yankees with 

another World Series Trophy (2009)

Each Major League baseball season consists of a 162-game regular season that runs from the beginning of April till, depending on the year, either the end of September or the first couple of days of October and each team makes the trades, plays as hard as they can, and tries to avoid as many injuries and stratagise as well as possible for one goal: Make it to the playoffs and win the coveted World Series trophy and all the glory that comes with it. 

Here is a basic explanation of the MLB Playoff format as it currently stands. In each league (The National League and the American League), the winner of each division automatically makes the playoffs. To win the division, you have to have a better record than every other team in your division. However, if there is a tie and two teams have the same record, the team who has won more head to head match ups is the team that wins the division. If the two teams have the same record and have tied in head to head match ups, then the team that wins the division is the team with a better overall division record. There's even more tie breakers after this if the division winner still isn't determined but that will not be covered in this blog post. 

Anyways, so there are three division winners in each league and are seeded as the 1, 2, and 3 seeds based on their records. However, there are also two wild card teams in each league, the teams that haven't won their divisions but have the next best records. Unfortunately, this makes there be 5 playoff teams in each league and so to bring it down to 4 so that the ALDS and NLDS (Division Series) can be played, there is a one game wild-card playoff between the two wild card teams which is played at the stadium of the higher-ranked wild card team which is the team with the better record of the two wild card teams. Whoever wins this then plays the number 1 seed in one of  the 2 division series in each league. As you can see, the playoff system in Major League Baseball isn't as simple as it may seem at first. 

The rest of the playoffs runs as follows:

1) ALDS (American League Division Series- Best of 5 Games)  

• AL Number 1 Seed Vs. AL Number 4 Seed 
• AL Number 2 Seed Vs. AL Number 3 Seed

NLDS (National League Division Series- Best of 5 Games) 

• NL Number 1 Seed Vs. NL Number 4 Seed
• NL Number 2 Seed Vs. NL Number 3 Seed

2) ALCS (American League Championship Series- Best of 7 Games)

• AL Number 1/4 Seed Vs. AL Number 2/3 Seed 

WINNER: AL Champions

NLCS (National League Championship Series- Best of 7 Games)

• NL Number 1/4 Seed Vs. NL Number 2/3 Seed

WINNER: NL Champions

3) The World Series ( Best of 7 Games)

• AL Champions Vs. NL Champions 

Hopefully, this post has helped you understand some more of how the MLB playoffs work! 

The Different Divisions in Baseball

The Different Divisions in Baseball

A look into all the different teams that make up the  Major League Baseball League.


Below are each of the thirty Major League Baseball teams, in order vertically by division and alphabetically in each division. As you can see, there are six different division with five teams in each of them, making up the thirty teams of the league. Also, the first three columns make up the teams in the American League and the last three columns make up the teams in the National League, but we will go into more detail with this very soon.

All 30 MLB Teams and Their Divisions




There hasn't always been thirty teams in Major League baseball. In fact, back as early as 1901, there were still do leagues, but there was only one division in each league with only eight teams in each league, totaling a mere sixteen teams (http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/standings/#19011006).
However, slowly, more cities wanted to invest in professional teams, with the Tampa Bay Rays being the most recent team in 1998 unless you count the Montreal Expos move to Washington and becoming the Washington Nationals, as a whole new team in 2005 (Major League Baseball, Wikipedia Contributors).


Anyways, there are 6 divisions in the current MLB format, with each having 5 teams in them are two leagues, the National League and the American League, which each have 3 of these divisions within them. This is how the MLB Teams are set up based on each division which is based on the locations of each of the teams within the country, and Toronto in Canada.


A) The American League (AL):


1) AL East:                                       
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Tampa Bay Rays
Toronto Blue Jays


2) AL Central:
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals
Minnesota Twins


3) AL West:
Houston Astros
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Oakland Athletics
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers


B) National League (NL):


1) NL East:
Atlanta Braves
Miami Marlins
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Washington Nationals


2) NL Central:
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Brewers
St. Louis Cardinals
Pittsburgh Pirates


3) NL West:
Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants


Now you know all the teams in the MLB, the divisions they play in, the leagues they play in, and where they are located.

The Fundamentals of the Game

The Fundamentals of the Game 

The basics of how the wonderful game of baseball is played and some of the most important rules that apply to it. 

As with all sports and games alike, there are rules that need to be followed while playing the game of baseball, some of which will be discussed in this blog post. 

Again, most sports have people that aren't playing the game to make sure that the rules of the game are followed by those that are playing the game and this is no different with baseball. In major league baseball, these people are called umpires and there are four of them in each game during the regular season, six for the MLB All Star Game, and seven for the World Series.

MLB umpire Ray Renegade


Along with the umpires of the game of baseball, there are some actual rules that go along with it as well and the really simple basics will be discussed briefly in this post.


There are nine innings in a regulation professional baseball game. There are three outs for each team when they are batting, known simply as, half innings. To record an out, the team on the field, which is known as the fielding team or defensive team during each at bat, has to either strikeout the batter by making them swing and miss, ground out where the batter hits the ball on the ground in the infield and then they throw the ball to first base before the batter, who is now a runner, gets there, the ball is caught by a fielder (known as a popup, line drive, or fly ball), or on the nine fielders on the field tags the runner with their glove when they have the ball in their glove.


The goal of the game of baseball in these nine innings is to score more runs than the other team. This happens in a matter of many different ways, but the basic concept is simple. Hit the ball where the fielders aren't, but still in fair territory (marked by white chalk down the lines), and run around all three bases and get to home plate (which is also where you bat) without getting tagged and that is called a run.


There's also different ways to score these runs by achieving different hits. A single is where you hit the ball and make it to first base without getting tagged, usually on a group ball to the outfield or a bunt infield base hit. A double is where you hit the ball and make it to second base, a triple is where you make it to third base, and a homerun is where the batter hits the ball over the fence and is awarded a run for themselves and however many players are on base at that time. So, a homerun without anyone on base is a solo home run, then with one on a two run homer, with two on a three run homer, and three on a grand slam, which scores four runs. The most you can score at any one time in a baseball game.


There is more to the game of baseball that is also important and will be looked at in future posts. Have fun, and enjoy applying what you've learned so far, to the game of baseball!