Utley sets mark, then joins Babe in history
NEW YORK -- Chase Utley got off to a historic start in this World Series on Wednesday night, setting a Major League Baseball record by reaching base safely in his 26th consecutive postseason game and then joining Babe Ruth in the record books by hitting a pair of solo homers to lead the Phillies to a 6-1 victory over the Yankees.
Utley drew a walk off Yankees ace CC Sabathia in the first inning to break a record he had shared with Boog Powell, who had reached base safely in 25 consecutive postseason games for Baltimore from 1966-71. Then Utley homered off Sabathia in the third to start the World Series scoring, and then doubled the lead with another solo shot in the sixth.
"I didn't know that happened," Utley said, typically humble as media relayed a barrage of statistical records to him. "You know, every day, you try to put a game plan together, and you try to get on base for the next guy. Having Ryan [Howard] and Jayson [Werth] and Raul [Ibanez] hitting behind me, those guys can drive in a lot of runs. The more guys on base we have, the better opportunity we have to score some runs."
Both homers marked the first time a left-handed hitter had gone deep off Sabathia in new Yankee Stadium. Perhaps even more remarkably, Utley's two home runs marked the first time a lefty has hit two homers off a lefty since Babe Ruth homered off Bill Sherdel of the Cardinals in Game 4 of the 1928 World Series. Ruth hit three in that game -- the last one off legendary right-hander Grover Cleveland Alexander.
"I guess that's pretty good company, but no," Utley said when asked if he felt that was important. "You try to take it game-to-game and keep working."
This also is the second World Series opener in a row that Utley had started the scoring with a homer for the Phillies and given them a lead they would not relinquish. He hit a first-inning homer off lefty Scott Kazmir of the Rays in a 3-2, Game 1 victory last October at Tropicana Field.
With the Game 1 homers, Utley tied a record for most career long balls in World Series openers with three. Among the 22 players who have hit two or more career Game 1 homers, Utley becomes the ninth with a two-homer Game 1, the first since the Angels' Troy Glaus in 2002.
"He must like Game 1 home runs," teammate Jimmy Rollins said, smiling.
This time, Utley did it twice, and it marked the third multihomer game by a Phillies player in a World Series. Howard did it last Oct. 26 in Game 4 against the Rays, and Lenny Dykstra, Oct. 20, 1993, in Game 4 against the Blue Jays.
Howard emphasized the importance of starting fast when he was asked about it after the game. But during his news conference, Utley continued to shake off anything that felt like a plaudit. It was as if he honestly did not want to be told he had just done something special.
"That's not your goal going into the game," Utley said of the consecutive Game 1 outbursts. "Your goal is to try to put good at-bats together and see what happens. Obviously, I was able to squeak one over the fence early in the game, but it's a good feeling when you can help your team win."
Both of Utley's homers came on two-strike pitches -- from a 2009 American League Cy Young Award candidate. The third-inning shot happened on the ninth pitch of a classic encounter with Sabathia.
"The majority of the time with two strikes I'll choke up on the bat a little bit to try to stay as short as possible," Utley said. "It doesn't always work out like that, but that's the goal."
Sabathia, the losing pitcher, tipped his hat to Utley. Not many other Phillies did any damage against him.
"The first at-bat he just has a good at-bat," Sabathia said. "He got a pitch out over the middle of the plate and put a good swing on it. The second home run was my fault. It was just a fastball right over the middle. I was trying to go in, and it came right back over the plate."
The record of 26 consecutive postseason games on base came for Utley with two outs in the first. Utley worked Sabathia for a six-pitch walk in that at-bat, and that was followed by a double by Howard and a walk to Werth. Utley was stranded at third on Ibanez's groundout, but it still put Utley into the history books.
Then Utley touched 'em all. Twice.
Utley went 0-for-4 in his first postseason game in 2007. He has since reached base safely in every postseason game in which he has played.
Powell played in an era of fewer opportunities as well; the postseason was merely a World Series until it was expanded to two rounds per league with 1969 expansion.
The record was the first thing Phillies manager Charlie Manuel was asked about in the postgame news conference.
"It says that he works the count and he's patient at the plate, and he finds ways to get on base," Manuel said. "He's always had a good on-base percentage. He had a good night."
Utley came through big after a long, seven-day rest following the National League pennant clincher against the Dodgers. He had a similar long rest last year.
"I think when you're a player like Utley, I think -- first of all, when he hits .282, if you want to know the truth, I think that's low for him," Manuel said. "I think he's a .300 hitter. I think he knows he's a .300 hitter. I think it's just a matter of time until he hits. I think he said it today or yesterday, but he's probably going to have a good series. He works hard, he's consistent."
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Dueling personalities lead Series squads
NEW YORK -- There may not be two more different individuals as Major League managers than Joe Girardi and Charlie Manuel. But history will tie them together as the men who managed in the 2009 World Series.
Girardi graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in industrial engineering. Northwestern considers itself the Harvard of the Midwest -- or the Yale of the Midwest, on a quiet day -- so an engineering degree from there tells the rest of the world that you should not be categorized as anything other than intelligent. Girardi was a three-time academic All-American at Northwestern. This fellow did not just recently become diligent.
Girardi is not arrogant, but in his public sessions with the media, he does have a sort of an "I know more than you know" approach to inquiries that appear to question his judgment. He occasionally appears defensive in these settings, but most people might feel defensive, "under the microscope" as Girardi says, in the glare of publicity that accompanies what is the most intensively covered team in North American professional sports.
On the other end of the spectrum is Manuel. He still speaks with the Blue Ridge Mountain accent of his upbringing. His responses to questions may tend to circle around the topic at hand, change directions, take a U-turn and finish up somewhere unexpected. But this tendency is not a fair measurement of the man.
A lot of people from the urban north, when they hear the accent, immediately stereotype the speaker as a rube, a yokel, a hayseed. That has happened to Manuel, who has been written off before he started in some big league jobs. But Manuel, the record is going to show, is one of the most intelligent baseball men around.
The more time you spend with him, the more you see evidence of a sense of humor that can be down-home, but can also be extremely pointed. Forget the speech patterns; this is a shrewd character.
The resumes of these two are also substantially different, not surprising given the gap between their ages. Girardi is 45, Manuel is 65. Manuel was out of high school and playing professionally before Girardi was born.
Manuel is a baseball lifer, but Girardi has a more prominent playing career in the conventional sense. Manuel saw action in only 242 games over parts of six seasons in the Majors. He was a marginal player in the States, but he was a power-hitting star in six seasons in Japanese baseball.
Girardi played in 1,277 games over parts of 15 Major League seasons. He was regarded as a fine defensive catcher, an astute handler of pitchers, and he was far from an easy out. The fact that he played on three Yankees World Series championship teams is a tribute to his worth.
After a long Minor League managerial apprenticeship, Manuel began managing in the Majors in 2000 with Cleveland. He won an AL Central title in 2002. Cleveland went into a rebuilding mode the next season and Manuel departed, but his next managing spot would be the right one. He took over as the Phillies manager in 2005.
The Phillies won an NL East title in 2007, the first of three straight for Manuel. In 2008, the Phillies won the World Series and now they are back, attempting to become the first NL club to win back-to-back World Series since the 1976 Cincinnati Reds.
Girardi had never managed before at any level when he got the Florida Marlins job in 2006. This young Marlins team was expected to be next to nothing, but Girardi kept the Marlins in the hunt for a division title much of the season.
For that, he was named NL Manager of the Year for 2006. That doesn't happen much for rookie managers, but then, Managers of the Year rarely get dismissed. Girardi was let go by the Marlins after the 2006 season due to a series of disagreements with members of the Marlins' front office.
But Girardi, popular from his days as a Yankees player, and trusted as Joe Torre's bench coach before the Marlins stint, got the Yankees managerial job in 2008. Success was not instantaneous. The Yankees had reached the postseason for the previous 12 seasons, but they missed in Girardi's first year as manager, falling to third in the AL East. But 2009 was a completely different story, as the Yankees rolled to a 103-59 record, by far the best in the Majors.
So the two managerial biographies are substantially different. There is also a difference between the managerial styles of these two men, but given the vast differences in their backgrounds, how could there not be?
Manuel lets good players play and treats them like men. He is well-liked and well-regarded by his players. When his mother died during the 2008 postseason, the way his team rallied around him was genuinely touching.
Loyalty is a two-way street and Manuel gets loyalty by being loyal. As an example, look at the struggles of closer Brad Lidge. He had a spotless season in 2008, never blowing a save opportunity. But this year he had serious troubles, blowing 11 saves, finishing with an unthinkable ERA of 7.21. Still, Manuel never totally went away from him, never publicly trashed him, and Lidge repaid this loyalty by emerging from his slump and, in the postseason, looking very much like the highly successful closer of 2008.
This kind of thing will not only impress Lidge. It will also impress the rest of the Phillies. Manuel is good with people. Baseball players, for the numbers and statistical outcomes, still end up as humans.
There is a smaller body of work in the Girardi file at this moment, but some things are clear. Girardi is supremely organized, with a grasp of the game's countless details and possibilities. During the regular season, he did a masterful job of handling the Yankees bullpen. Weighing the possibilities, pondering the plausible matchups, this would be the kind of thing at which Girardi could excel.
There were those who believed that Girardi was too tightly wound to succeed in the Major Leagues' most pressurized managing job. The notion was that the Yankees clubhouse would become too tense under Girardi and the team would not be able to fulfill its splendid potential. This turned out to be a narrow, uninformed view of Girardi. When a team wins 103 games and an American League championship, there is an excellent chance that nobody is too uptight.
In the same vein, Girardi was criticized for overmanaging in the Yankees' two losses to the Angels in the American League Championship Series. If he had a tendency to overmanage, it wasn't a fatal flaw because the Yankees won in six. Again, you would have to see more of Girardi managing in the postseason to cast a vote in either direction.
Both men can manage diversified offenses. There is obvious power on both clubs, but neither simply waits for the three-run homer. The Phillies are one of the NL's best running teams and you saw the Yankees play successful small ball in eliminating the Angels.
But there is evidence to support the notion that there is a sizable contrast between these two skippers. We go all the way from Mr. Girardi, a pinstripe kind of guy in more ways than one, to "Big Chuck," from Buena Vista, a man who defeats a cornpone characterization just about every day of the season.
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Padres may hire first ever female GM in MLB history
The San Diego Padres may be ready to make a little baseball history as they appear willing to give their open General Manager position to a woman. If they do they would be the first team in MLB history to give that position to a female. Kim Ng has reportedly interviewed for the position with Padres CEO Jeff Moorad. The team is looking for a replacement for Kevin Towers who was fired two weeks ago. This isn't an idea so far out of the box since Ng has interviewed for several other GM positions, and as the resume to be a fine baseball GM.
Ng graduated from the University of Chicago, and went to work for the Chicago White Sox as a special project analyst. During her time there she became the youngest person, and the first female to present an arbitration case in MLB history. After her years with the White Sox, she was hired by the American League where she served as Director or Records and Waivers approving all American League transactions. In 1997 the New York Yankees hired her as Assistant General Manager and right hand woman to Brian Cashman. Currently she is the Assistant GM for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
She has interviewed for the Dodgers GM position in 2005, while that job ultimately went to Ned Colletti, his first move was to keep Ng on has his assistant GM. She has also interviewed for the GM position with the Seattle Mariners. The point here is Ng is well qualified for this position, and just might be able to help the Padres become a contender.
(c) 2008-2009 The Inquisitr.
ALCS to add to Angels-Yankees history
BOSTON -- Next stop: The Bronx, N.Y.
Fueled by an emotional, stunning American League Division Series sweep of the Red Sox, the Angels' express is headed for Yankee Stadium, where the regal residents, the Yankees, will be looking to even a score or two in the AL Championship Series starting on Friday night.
After the Angels rallied for three runs with two outs in the ninth for a 7-6 conquest of the AL Wild Card Red Sox on Sunday, the Yankees polished off the Twins in another three-game ALDS sweep, bringing the curtain down on the Metrodome.
The Yankees, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said, are "an incredible team," one of the few in the game with a lineup as deep as the one he manages. These have been the Majors' two most consistent and persistent offenses, which could generate lots of electricity and fireworks in both ballparks.
The Angels and Yankees have some history in October, and the memories are not warm and fuzzy for the Bronx Bombers and their fans.
In 2002 and in '05, the Angels eliminated the Yanks in ALDS showdowns.
En route to the franchise's lone World Series championship in '02, the Halos knocked out New York in four games, splitting the first two in the Bronx and then taking two in Anaheim.
Three years later, in a rematch, the Yankees again split their two home games before going west and losing the decisive fifth game at Angel Stadium.
Few clubs have treated the Yankees so rudely in the organization's rich and storied history as the Angels, who didn't have much history in October until Mike Scioscia took over the managerial reins in 2000.
With a third consecutive AL West crown, Scioscia became the first manager in history to bring six clubs into postseason play in his first 10 seasons.
The Yankees haven't been to an ALCS since 2004, when the Red Sox chased away all their ghosts with their implausible dream of a comeback from a 3-0 deficit.
The Angels' most recent visit to an ALCS also was less than satisfying. The White Sox took them out in five games in '05, winning the last four.
The Angels and Yanks split 10 games this season, the Bombers taking three of four in their dazzling new digs.
Scioscia, never one to tip his hand, will have a fully rested rotation and bullpen with four days off, like it or not.
Joe Saunders, who won his last seven decisions to finish 16-7 after missing 2 1/2 weeks to mend his left shoulder, was set to go in a Game 4 that didn't materialize in Boston.
Saunders is a Game 1 option along with John Lackey, who shut down the Red Sox in 7 1/3 innings in Game 1 in Anaheim.
Southpaws are known historically to benefit from the dimensions in the Bronx, with those same inviting right-field stands in the newest version of Yankee Stadium. Saunders won his only career start in New York, yielding two earned runs in six innings. Lackey is 3-3 with a 3.76 ERA in eight career outings in New York. Neither has pitched in the Yankees' new palace.
Saunders hasn't worked since Oct. 4 in Oakland when he went five innings. If Lackey is the choice, he'd be operating with seven days of rest.
By going with Saunders and Lackey in New York, Scioscia would have Jered Weaver ready for Game 3 in Anaheim on Monday, Oct. 19, followed by Scott Kazmir, who worked six innings in Game 3 in Boston.
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Billy Butler of the Kansas City Royals named Sharp Presents the American League Player of the Month for September
Kansas City Royals first baseman Billy Butler has been named the Sharp Presents the American League Player of the Month for September. This marks Billy's first career monthly award honor.
In 27 games last month, Butler batted an American League-best .363 (37-102) with 10 doubles, one triple, six home runs and 26 RBI. The 23-year-old posted a .459 on-base percentage along with a .675 slugging percentage. On September 9th, Butler collected three doubles and two RBI to lead the Royals to a 5-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. The three-double game marked his fourth of the season, two more than any other Royals player in a season, and the most ever in a season in baseball history since 1900. The 14th overall pick in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft collected two multi-double outings this month, bringing his season total to seven. On September 25th, Billy went 4-for-5, slammed two homers and knocked in the only four runs of a 9-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins at home. The outing marked his third career multi-home run game and his second of the month, the first taking place on September 7th in a 6-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Orange Park, Florida native collected his 50th double of the season on September 26th, becoming just the fifth player in Major League history to compile at least 20 home runs and 50 doubles in a season before the age of 24, joining Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg (1934), Alex Rodriguez (1996), Albert Pujols (2003) and Miguel Cabrera (2006). The right-handed slugger finished the season with career-highs in every offensive category and led the Royals in at-bats (608), hits (183), doubles (51), walks (58), RBI (93), batting average (.301), slugging percentage (.492) and on-base percentage (.362). His 51 doubles during the 2009 campaign ranked second in the Majors behind Baltimore's Brian Roberts, and were just three shy of Hal McRae's club record of 54 in 1977.
The runner up was Minnesota Twins outfielder Michael Cuddyer, who tied for an A.L.-best with eight home runs in pursuit of the A.L. Central crown. Also receiving votes were New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira, who led the A.L. with a .686 slugging percentage, and Toronto Blue Jays slugger Adam Lind, who also knocked eight homers and drove in 25 runs.
MLB fans should visit sharpmlb.com throughout the season to access information, unique statistics, video clips and exclusive editorial content focused on the Sharp Presents the American League and National League Players of the Month Award.
For setting the highest definition of excellence, Sharp, the presenting sponsor of the American League Player of the Month Award, presents Billy Butler with a 52" AQUOS®. Sharp AQUOS is the "Official High-Definition Television of Major League Baseball." Butler will also receive a specially designed trophy to mark his achievement.
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Marlon Byrd of the Texas Rangers Named the American League Player of the Week Presented by Bank of America
Texas Rangers outfielder Marlon Byrd has been named the American League Player of the Week presented by Bank of America for the period ending September 27th. Bank of America is the Official Bank of Major League Baseball and the only place where you can get your favorite Club logo on checks, check cards or credit cards. For more information on MLB (R) banking, visit bankofamerica.com/MLB.
In seven games last week, Marlon hit .320 (8-25) with two doubles and seven runs scored while tying for the A.L.-high with three home runs and posting an A.L.-best 11 RBI. Byrd also posted a .760 slugging percentage and a .433 on-base percentage. On September 26th, the right-handed slugger hit his sixth career grand slam, sparking an 11-run fifth inning and helping carry the Rangers to a 15-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The 10th-round selection in the 1999 First-Year Player Draft knocked two home runs and collected five RBI, marking his fourth career multi-homer game and his third this season as he reached his career-high RBI total for the fifth time. With 59 career home runs through that grand slam, Byrd became the only player in Major League history to compile six-or-more grand slams with fewer than 60 career home runs, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The 32-year-old is currently hitting .283 with career highs in doubles (43), home runs (20) and RBI (89). This marks Marlon's second career weekly award (previous: 8/11/08).
Other noteworthy performances included Detroit Tigers slugger Carlos Guillen, who led the Majors with a .563 batting average, a 1.125 slugging percentage and a .600 on-base percentage. Also considered were New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, whose four saves helped his club clinch the A.L. East title, and Kansas City Royals ace Zack Greinke, who posted a perfect 2-0 record and a 0.69 ERA. Another notable performance was by Minnesota Twins outfielder Denard Span, whose career-best six-RBI game highlighted Saturday's win over the Royals, which helped the Twins gain ground in the A.L. Central title race.
Tourneau, the world's largest watch store, will supply Marlon Byrd with a luxury Swiss Tourneau timepiece, suitably engraved, in recognition of his achievement as the A.L. Player of the Week presented by Bank of America.
(c) 2001-2009 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Reynolds' year a hit or miss; two K's shy of setting record
PHOENIX --- Mark Reynolds stares ahead with a look of aggravation and dares you to make a big deal of it.
The Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman is on the verge of making baseball history -- again -- with a dubious record. He entered Monday night's game against San Francisco two strikeouts from setting the single-season mark, surpassing the 204 he totaled last year.
Reynolds' response is short and simple: "So freakin' what?"
Reynolds, 26, is having one of the best seasons of power and speed by any third baseman in history. He has 43 home runs, second in baseball to Albert Pujols (47) of the St. Louis Cardinals. He has 24 stolen bases and 99 RBI.
No one has produced better power numbers after the sixth inning, with Reynolds' 18 homers and .676 slugging percentage leading baseball.
Two weeks still remain, but already he is just the 11th player in history to hit at least 42 homers and steal at least 24 bases in the same season, joining such elite players as Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey Jr. No third baseman has hit more than 45 homers and stolen 25 or more bases in a season. Only Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews (112) and Bob Horner (91) hit more than Reynolds' 87 homers in their first three years.
"He's well on his way to becoming one of the best players in this game," Milwaukee Brewers All-Star left fielder Ryan Braun says. "You don't hear people talking about what he's doing, but it's incredible. He just has sick power."
Yet, while his fabulous season may be lost in obscurity playing in the desert for one of baseball's worst teams, the only statistic drawing notice these days is his strikeout total. No one has struck out 200 times in a season. Reynolds has done it twice. He has struck out more times in two seasons than Joe DiMaggio did in his career (369 strikeouts, 13 seasons).
His ratio of 2.68 at-bats per strikeouts ranks fifth all-time among position players with at least 1,000 at-bats.
"That's why I'm hoping one day I can lead the big leagues in homers," says Reynolds. "It would be nice to be in the record books for something besides punching out."
Reynolds, only the 11th third baseman to hit 42 homers in a season, can laugh about the strikeouts. Sure, he wants to cut them down. Take away his strikeouts this year, and he'd be batting .430 instead of .272.
So to Reynolds, he's a more desirable commodity as one of the finest power hitters in the land, rather than a .270 singles hitter with 100 strikeouts.
"Last year, it was a sore point with me," says Reynolds, who opened the door to his home one morning this summer to find a dozen neighborhood kids waiting for an autograph. "Now, whenever guys say stuff, I just roll with it. Reporters ask, and I say, 'Whatever. Write what you want. It is what it is.'
"I hate it when people say, 'It is what it is,' but that's what it is. It's a strikeout. Damn. Don't make more out of it than it is."
In today's game, it's nothing to strike out 150 times or more. Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard has struck out at least 170 times from 2006-09. Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Jim Thome has 564 career homers, but has struck out 2,311 times, second only to Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson (2,597). Thome's career high was 185 strikeouts in 2001; Jackson's high was 171 in 1968, his first full season.
"Let's face it, if you don't hit a lot of home runs," Thome says, "strikeouts are a big deal. If you're hitting 40 homers like Reynolds, it doesn't really matter."
Dodgers manager Joe Torre remembers Hall of Famer Lou Brock sitting out the final game of the 1970 season with the St. Louis Cardinals to avoid 100 strikeouts. Times have changed. Adam Dunn, then with the Cincinnati Reds, asked for the baseball when he set the strikeout record in 2004 with 195.
"People don't care about strikeouts anymore," Torre says. "One hundred strikeouts used to be the bugaboo.
"It's just like buying a quart of milk these days. It's going to cost you more than it did. It's the same with homers. They're going to cost you more in strikeouts."
Minor start, major arrival
It was eight years ago, but Virginia Beach high school coaches Norby Wilson and Rick Ezell recall it as if recalling Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon.
"I have never, ever, seen anything like it," says Wilson, "and you're talking to a guy who has seen 40 years of high school baseball.
"We were up in Roanoke (Va.) playing in the Commonwealth Games. We had some great players up there with us like David Wright and B.J. and Justin Upton. Well, Mark steps up, and he hits a ball that went over the left-field fence. Went up over the recreation league complex behind the fence. And over the parking lot after that. It was a good 475 feet."
Reynolds, who went to the University of Virginia and played shortstop while Ryan Zimmerman (who later signed with the Washington Nationals) played third, always had plenty of pop. He just had no natural position. He also played with a stress fracture in his wrist his junior year. He figured he'd be drafted in the top 10 rounds, but Arizona grabbed him in the 16th round of the 2004 draft.
Reynolds, who signed for only $50,000 while his buddies from Virginia Beach were first-rounders, was only a backup infielder in his third minor-league season. He caught a break with a rash of injuries to infielders. He became the starting shortstop in Class A Lancaster and Class AA Tennessee in 2006, hitting .318 with 31 homers and 98 RBI in 106 games.
He was promoted to Class AA Mobile in 2007. He not only became the starting third baseman, but met Kathleen Shanahan, whose father is the Mobile team president.
"We had to keep it low key," says Kathleen, who married Reynolds last November. They are expecting a boy Nov. 4. "My dad had an unwritten law, the baseball players are off limits."
Reynolds' stay in Mobile was short. Diamondbacks third baseman Chad Tracy and infielders Brian Barden and Augie Ojeda suffered injuries. Reynolds was called up May 16, believing he'd stay two weeks. He hit .426 with four homers and 15 RBI in his first 15 games. He hasn't been back to the minors.
"The thing that drives me is knowing this organization has nothing invested in me," says the 6-2, 200-pounder. "They took a chance on a kid at Double-A because everyone else was hurt. I was lucky enough to stick around, but I also know that somebody is working just as hard as I did trying to get my job."
Bearer of bad news
It's this resolve that led Reynolds to call out teammates after a 5-0 defeat July 3 to the Colorado Rockies. He called them the "Bad News Bears," saying they should be embarrassed by not only their play, but their attitude.
"What came out is something that needed to be said," says Reynolds, who usually is reserved, listening to country singer Hank Williams before games. "It was the elephant in the room."
Reynolds was praised by management and teammates, but said a few were angry, saying his comments should have been private.
"I went up to him the next day and told him, 'I like what you said, but now you better back it up,' " ace Dan Haren said. " 'You better run out every ball. Play hard until the end of every game.'
"He's done that. He's played through injuries. He plays much better defense. And he hits homers when they mean something."
If Reynolds, who is making $422,500 this year, keeps having 40-homer seasons, he could wreak havoc on the payroll. General manager Josh Byrnes said he plans to broach the possibility of a long-term contract.
"He has game-changing power," Byrnes says. "I don't want to say the strikeouts are a non-issue, but we don't want to make more out of it than we need to."
Manager A.J. Hinch, who watched Reynolds develop when he was the farm director until May, still believes the strikeouts will diminish.
It's those home runs, with blasts off a horde of All-Star pitchers this year -- Zack Greinke, Felix Hernandez, Aaron Cook, Matt Cain, Bronson Arroyo, Aaron Harang, Heath Bell, Jason Marquis, and Jonathan Broxton-- that has folks shaking their heads.
"What can I say, I'm just an average dude that somehow can hit the ball a long ways."
(c) 2009 USA TODAY.
|
