By Juan Páez
- The reason you saw Raisel Iglesias pitch for the Angels on Monday is because he is still appealing the two-game suspension imposed by Major League Baseball. During the process, Iglesias can remain active until the verdict is known. The Cuban closer was one of the 12 players suspended for the brawl between the Angels and the Mariners (Sunday).
- Yordan Alvarez, yesterday’s birthday boy, projects to finish the season with 162 hits, 50 home runs, 122 RBIs and 77 walks. Only 12 players in history have achieved those numbers in a Major League season. In those 12, there are only three left-handers (Babe Ruth, Ryan Howard, Luis González). By the way, no member of that dozen made it with the Astros. It will dawn and we’ll see!
- PopularityContest.com: The All-Star Game seems to be losing legitimacy little by little when it comes to evaluating the merits of a baseball player today. One of the reasons is because fans vote for who they want to vote for, no matter what. If you want to see some proof: Fernando Tatís Jr. is fifth among shortstops in the National League. The problem with that is that, due to injury, Tatís Jr. hasn’t played this year! POP!
- Ronald Bolanos was put on assignment by the Royals after they moved up prospect Vinnie Pasquantino. Bolanos has a 4.42 ERA this year in the majors (18.1 innings). Kansas City will have a week to trade him to another club or try to put him on waivers and send him to the Minor Leagues again if he was not taken. We’ll see, said a blind man!
- HatefulComparisons.com: Sometimes it’s good to look back and evaluate the greats. One fact that never ceases to amaze is that Tony Gwynn, over 20 seasons (2,440 games), struck out only 434 times. For reference, Yoán Moncada struck out 443 times between the 2018 and 2020 campaigns. That’s the way it is, dear readers.
Top Performers 6/27/2022:
Jose Iglesias vs Dodgers: 4-1, HR (1), 2 RBI (20), R.
Jose Abreu vs Angelinos: 4-1, 2B (17), RBI (33).
Raisel Iglesias vs White Sox: 1.0 IP, K, saved 14
Remember that you can enjoy the day’s recap in its entirety (in Spanish) by clicking here.
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On this date:
Born on a day like today:
1967: Eduardo Cardenas
1976: Osmani Urrutia
It happened on a day like today:
2012: Yasiel Puig becomes the third Cuban “defector” to sign a high-figure contract with a Major League team this year, inking a seven-season pact with the Dodgers for $42 million. He joins Jorge Soler and Yoenis Cespedes.
Trivia:
Five Cubans share the most extra-base hits in a single game: Yoenis Cespedes, Yunel Escobar, Kendrys Morales, Rafael Palmeiro and Yasiel Puig, all with four.
Quote of the Day
“When Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon, he and all the space scientists were puzzled by an unidentifiable white object. I knew immediately what it was. That was a home run ball hit off me in 1973 by Jimmie Foxx.”
— Lefty Gomez
