Baseball News and Updates

Sox close deal for backstop Lopez

It didn't take long for Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein to find a replacement for injured catcher Jason Varitek. The Red Sox acquired veteran Javy Lopez and cash considerations from the Orioles on Friday for a player to be named later.

The cash the Red Sox will receive is expected to pay a considerable portion of the $2.75 million Lopez is due for the remainder of the season. The prospect the Orioles receive is expected to be of the mid-level variety.

Lopez is expected to join the Red Sox on Friday in St. Petersburg and be in uniform and be active for their game against the D-Rays. To make room for Lopez on the roster, the Red Sox designated catcher Ken Huckaby for assignment.

The trade serves a purpose for both teams, as the Orioles, who had been using Lopez mainly at designated hitter, have an overflow of players at that position. Additionally, Lopez, who was supplanted at catcher by Ramon Hernandez at the start of the season, had strongly urged the Orioles to find a new home for him.

As for the Red Sox, they get a productive bat and an experienced catcher to replace Varitek, who could be out a month or longer following left knee surgery.

Lopez, 35, is expected to share catching duties with Doug Mirabelli. When Varitek returns, Lopez can give the Red Sox a dangerous bat off the bench.

The Orioles immediately replaced Lopez by signing veteran catcher Chris Widger, who was released by the White Sox earlier this week.

Lopez is hitting .265 with eight homers and 31 RBIs in 76 games this season. He is a .288 career hitter with 260 homers and 860 RBIs. Lopez is a three-time All-Star.

Though he's started just 19 games at catcher this season, Lopez has played that position on an everyday basis for most of his career.

2006-08-04 14:50:34

0 Comment(s) - 0 Trackback(s)

Bonds' No. 715 ball fetches $220,100

The baseball that Barry Bonds hit on May 28 to pass Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list at 715 drew a winning eBay bid of $220,100 from an anonymous fan in California on Thursday -- stunningly low in the big picture, but exceeding experts' predictions considering the controversy surrounding Bonds' chase.

The sale price earned by Giants fan Andrew Morbitzer was less than half of the $517,500 that Todd McFarlane paid in 2003 for the ball that Bonds hit to set the Major League Baseball single-season home run record of 73.

It also was less than half of the price that an Eddie Murray 500-homer ball once went for, and not substantially more than the sale price of a ball Ruth himself once hit for his first longball at Yankee Stadium. It was practically a rounding error on the amount McFarlane once paid for a Mark McGwire 70th-homer ball -- $3 million.

Nevertheless, Morbitzer -- the 38-year-old marketing director whom the trickling Bonds baseball found while he stood in line for beer and food -- was pleased with the passage of this heirloom for someone.

"For standing in line waiting for a beer and something to eat -- you can't be unhappy with an amount like that," Morbitzer told the Associated Press.

There were 69 bids on the ball. Morbitzer said he planned to donate 10 percent of the proceeds to the charity Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America.

2006-08-04 14:44:41

0 Comment(s) - 0 Trackback(s)

Ichiro nominated for Hank Aaron Award

Ichiro Suzuki is the player who makes the Mariners' offense go. Stationed atop Seattle's batting lineup, the Japanese-born outfielder is a major reason that his team is in playoff contention after suffering two straight 90-loss seasons.

Ranking among the American League's top-10 in batting average, stolen bases, runs scored and on-base percentage, Ichiro is once again playing like one of the elite players in the Majors. For his stellar play, Ichiro has been named the Mariners' nominee for this year's Hank Aaron Award.

Since 1999, the 25th anniversary of Aaron breaking Babe Ruth's all-time home run record, Major League Baseball has recognized the best offensive performer from each league with the Hank Aaron Award presented by CENTURY 21. Past recipients include Barry Bonds (three times), Alex Rodriguez (three times), Manny Ramirez (twice), Albert Pujols, Todd Helton, Sammy Sosa and Carlos Delgado. Last year's winners, selected during balloting on MLB.com during the regular season's final month, were Boston's David Ortiz and Atlanta's Andruw Jones.

It seems like every season, Ichiro is chasing down a record that was previously thought untouchable. This season has been no different. Already he has surpassed Wade Boggs for most hits accumulated during a six-year span since 1935. The previous mark was set at 1,274 by Boggs during the 1983-88 seasons.

"Every now and then comes a guy who can handle a bat like this," is the only way that Mariners hitting coach Jeff Pentland can describe Ichiro's achievements. "He'll sit on a pitch, and he'll foul off pitches until he gets one he's looking for. And he'll rip it somewhere."

Mariners manager Mike Hargrove also has his theories about why it's so difficult for pitchers to face his leadoff batter.

"He understands what the pitcher is trying to do with him, and he has a swing for it every time," he explained. "A lot of clubs try to work him down and away, and he makes them pay."

Ichiro has also set a new franchise mark for most consecutive stolen bases without being thrown out. At last count, the speedster was up to 28 consecutive steals without being caught.

Another record that seems to be in sight is the record for hits earned in a single season. Ichiro set the current mark at 262 in 2004. Through 100 games this season Ichiro had 147 hits. During his record-setting season he had 153 at the same point.

A good amount of this season's hits came during two lengthy hitting streaks that came nearly back-to-back near the beginning of the season.

"A lot of times, guys will get off a streak and have five or six games where it looks like they couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat," said Hargrove at the time. "Ichiro, he missed a game and got back into it."

Ichiro also shines with the glove. He has been awarded an American League Gold Glove in each of his previous five seasons, and he has a legitimate shot at winning his sixth consecutive this year.

Now, six seasons into his Major League tenure, Ichiro has firmly established himself as one of the best all-around players in the game. Winning the 2006 Aaron Award would just firm up that fact even more.

"He just stays with his program, that's what I like about him," said Pentland. "He knows he's good, he knows he can hit. He stays with his program. That's kind of rare."

2006-08-04 14:43:20

1 Comment(s) - 0 Trackback(s)