A: After watching umpires in last weekend’s Mets-Reds series miss more calls than they got right, I should be for it. But I’m not. Baseball is a human game. Players make errors. Pitchers make bad pitches. And umpires miss calls. It’s the human element. And I miss the Lou Piniella, Earl Weaver, Billy Martin and Bobby Cox tantrums. If one of those managers could find the ABS machines, they’d smash it with a bat.
Q: When was the last time the Cincinnati Reds swept the first series after the All-Star break? — CHRIS, Vandalia.
A: They came within a key hit or two this season from doing it against the Mets. Alas, the last time they swept the first series after the break was - hold your breath - 2012 with 5-3, 3-2 and 5-2 wins over the St. Louis Cardinals. Since then, opposing teams have worn out their brooms against the Reds immediately after the All-Star break. The Reds have been swept six times after the break since 2012: 2014 (Yankees), 2017 (Nationals), 2018 (Pirates, 2021 (Brewers), 2023 (Brewers) and 2024 (Nationals).
Q: When a position player like Reds catcher Jose Trevino pitches in a game, will his earned run average go into the record books? —ROB, Beavercreek.
A: Absolutely. Every record kept for pitchers goes on Trevino’s playing record. He and his 35 miles an hour knuckleball have appeared in two games. He has pitched/lobbed 4 1/3 innings and given up four runs and nine hits, an 8.31 earned run average. He has walked three and actually struck out a batter. Amazingly, he has not thrown a wild pitch or given up a home run. Maybe next time.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Q: On what count on the batter are the most home runs hit? — CHUCK, Troy.
A: Based on statistics from last season, it is the sneak attack approach, the ambush. There were 432 homers hit on the first pitch, the 0-and-0. That was 19% of the homers hit. Second most was on a 1-and-1 count, 314 homers or 14%. The fewest? No surprise. It is 3-and-0, when most hitters take a pitch. Only 13 homers on 3-and-0, a mere 0.5%.
Q: Do they still have the Fireman of the Year award? — JOHN, Kettering.
A: The name, no. The award, yes. The Fireman of the Year award, given to the best relief pitcher in each league, was inaugurated by The Sporting News in 1960 but with the diminishing regard for TSN it was discarded in 2010. But in 2014 MLB picked it up, a Reliever of the Year Award named after Trevor Hoffman (National League) and Mariano Rivera (American League). I was happy they quit calling it Fireman of the Year. What a baseball relief pitcher does is not even close to what a real fireman does.
Q: Will Tyler Stephenson ever see the light of first base because Spencer Steer is not a first baseman and Jose Trevino is a better catcher than Stephenson? — MIKE, Indianapolis.
A: I disagree and agree. Don’t know what you’ve been watching, but Steer is a natural at first base, rated as one of the best in MLB at saving runs. He digs more stuff out of the dirt than a mortician. As for the catching, yes, Trevino is mechanically better than Stephenson, but Stephenson keeps getting better. And over the long haul, Stephenson will be a better hitter with more power.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Q: Why does Reds manager Tito Francona continue to leave pitchers having an off night in games too long? —RYAN/ELVIS, Englewood.
A: I assume you sent this right after Brady Singer gave up four runs in the first and three in the third to the woe-be-awful Washington Nationals. He did pitch a 1-2-3 second. And Francona did use six relief pitchers in that game. He has to be careful about burning up his bullpen and is close to that now because the starters use up too many pitches early. Hey, the man has won 2,000 major league games, so I think we have to acknowledge that he knows what he is doing.
Q: I commend the community work players do without fanfare, but is it a requirement in their contracts? — BRYSON, Lewisburg.
A: No, it is not. The player’s union would never allow it to make it a must. Players do it on their own and you are right, they are to be commended for volunteering their time without pay or recognition. Brent Suter of the Reds leads the league in doing community work. He shows up everywhere and a lot of times it is unannounced. The players may be vastly and grossly overpaid, but most of them are willing to give some of it back.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Q: When was the last time you saw a manager smoking in the dugout? — GREG, Beavercreek.
A: Earl Weaver and Jim Leyland were notorious sneaky smokers in the dugout. When Leyland managed in the minors, he was puffing away on a Camel (or was it a Chesterfield?) when an umpire made a bad call. Leyland stuffed the lit cigarette into his back pocket and charged onto the field to argue. By the time he returned to the dugout he had a higher located version of a hot foot.
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