Baseball TIVY Blog

Semiprofessional baseball started in the United States in the 1860s; in 1869, the first fully professional baseball club, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, was formed and went undefeated against a schedule of semipro and amateur teams. By the following decade, American newspapers were referring to baseball as the “National Pastime” or “National Game.” The first attempt at forming a “major league” was the National Association, which lasted from 1871 to 1875. The “major league” status of the NA is in dispute among present-day baseball historians, and Major League Baseball does not include the NA among the major leagues. The National League, which still exists, was founded in 1876 in response to the NA’s shortcomings. Several other major leagues formed and failed, but the American League, which evolved from the minor Western League (1893) and was established in 1901 as a major league, succeeded. The two leagues were initially rivals that actively fought for the best players, often disregarding one another’s contracts and engaging in bitter legal disputes. A modicum of peace was established in 1903, and the World Series was inaugurated that fall, albeit without formal major league sanction or governance. The next year, the National League champion New York Giants did not participate, as their manager, John McGraw, refused to recognize the major league status of the American League and its champion, the Boston Americans who beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first World Series. The following year, Giants’ management relented, and actually led the formal establishment of rules that standardized the format of the World Series and made participation compulsory.

Compared with the present day, games in the early part of the 20th century were lower scoring and pitchers were more successful. The “inside game”, whose nature was to “scratch for runs”, was played more violently and aggressively than it is today. Ty Cobb said of his era especially, “Baseball is something like a war!” This period, which has since become known as the “dead-ball era”, ended in the 1920s with several rule changes that gave advantages to hitters and the rise of the legendary baseball player Babe Ruth, who showed the world what power hitting could produce, altering the nature of the game. Two of the changes introduced were the construction of additional seating to accommodate the rising popularity of the game, which often had the effect of bringing the outfield fences closer to the infield in the largest parks; and the introduction of strict rules governing the size, shape and construction of the ball which, coupled with superior materials becoming available following World War I, caused the ball to travel farther when hit. The aggregate result of these two changes was to enable batters to hit many more home runs.

In 1884, African American Moses Walker (and, briefly, his brother Welday) had played for the Toledo Blue Stockings of the major league American Association. An injury ended Walker’s major league career, and by the early 1890s, a “gentlemen’s agreement” in the form of the baseball color line effectively barred African-American players from the majors and their affiliated minor leagues, resulting in the formation of several Negro Leagues. There was never any formal segregation rule in baseball, which presented an opportunity for integration for someone bold enough to attempt it. The first crack in the unwritten agreement occurred in 1946, when Jackie Robinson was signed by the National League’s Brooklyn Dodgers and began playing for their minor league team in Montreal. Finally, in 1947, the major leagues’ color barrier was broken when Robinson debuted with the Dodgers. Larry Doby debuted in the American League the same year. Although the transformation was not instantaneous, baseball has since become fully integrated.

Major League baseball finally made it to the West Coast of the United States in 1958, when the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants relocated to Los Angeles and San Francisco respectively. The first American League team on the West Coast was the Los Angeles Angels, who were founded as an expansion team in 1961.

Pitchers dominated the game in the 1960s and early 1970s. In the early 1970s the designated hitter (DH) rule was proposed. The American League adopted this rule in 1973, though pitchers still bat for themselves in the National League to this day. The DH rule now constitutes the primary difference between the two leagues.

Despite the popularity of baseball, and the attendant high salaries relative to those of average Americans, the players have become dissatisfied from time to time, as they believed the owners had too much control and retained an unfair share of the money. Various job actions have occurred throughout the game’s history. Players on specific teams occasionally attempted strikes, but usually came back when their jobs were sufficiently threatened. The throwing of the 1919 World Series, the “Black Sox scandal“, was in some sense a “strike” or at least a rebellion by the ballplayers against a perceived stingy owner. But the strict rules of baseball contracts tended to keep the players “in line” in general.

This began to change in 1966 when former United Steelworkers chief economist (and assistant to the president) Marvin Miller became the Baseball Players Union executive director. The union became much stronger than it had been previously, especially when the reserve clause was effectively nullified in the mid-1970s. Conflicts between owners and the players’ union led to major work stoppages in 1972, 1981, and 1994. The 1994 baseball strike led to the cancellation of the World Series, and was not settled until the spring of 1995. During this period, as well, many of the functions — such as player discipline and umpire supervision — and regulations that had been administered separately by the two major leagues’ administrations were united under the rubric of Major League Baseball.

The number of home runs increased dramatically after the strike. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa both surpassed Roger Maris’s long-standing single season home run record in 1998. In 2001, Barry Bonds established the current record of 73 home runs in a single season. In 2007, Bonds became MLB’s all-time home run leader, surpassing Hank Aaron’s total of 755. Even though all three sluggers (McGwire, Sosa, and Bonds) have been accused in the steroid-abuse scandal of the mid-2000s, their feats did do a lot at the time to bolster the game’s renewed popularity.

Pedro gets work in at simulated ‘event’.

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — For decades, the term a “Spring Training event” constituted an oxymoron. Darryl Strawberry facing Dwight Gooden in batting practice might have been one. Reggie Jackson’s first day in pinstripes, Derek Jeter’s donning armor to face Roger Clemens or Garth Brooks swinging, singing and signing all might have qualified, too. Or not. The tone of Spring Training is different now; witness Johan Santana’s first start and the home run Juan Gonzalez hit off him.

If the Mets had some able-body players, there might have been a few more before Friday morning when Camp Triage temporarily suspended operations so that all who had gathered could gaze upon Pedro Martinez throwing a simulated game.

No fielders, no runners, no score; just Martinez vs. Damion Easley, Endy Chavez and two “happy-to-be-part-of-it” Minor Leaguers. Clearly, the circumstances didn’t make for distinction and news. The guy on the mound was center of this Friday universe.

The only result that mattered was that Martinez pitched the equivalent of two innings and walked off the mound on the artificial field with a genuine smile and, seemingly, not a care.

“As far as my health and making my pitches,” Martinez said, “I’m right there … right there.”

Right there is where he had hoped to be. Everything had gone as well as it could — given the time, 10 a.m. ET, and that Martinez had endured a two-hour round trip Thursday night for a game against the Nationals that was canceled because of rain.

Chavez seemed to “be on” Martinez’s pitches, even though the pitches weren’t identified in advance. But what did that matter? It was another procedural step for Martinez.

Indeed, Chavez thought Martinez’s velocity was better than it was after his return in September.

“I wasn’t as comfortable as last time out,” Martinez said.

He said he was “sluggish,” and he attributed that to the hour and Thursday’s trek. And he assessed his curveball as “so-so.” But he got his day’s work in. And that made it as important as it would be for any other starter. The fact that it was Martinez made it an event.

As usual, manager Willie Randolph and pitching coach Rick Peterson remained at the Mets’ complex well after the team’s bus departure to watch. They would leave much later for Winter Haven and a game against the Indians. Oliver Perez would start against Cleveland, but the Mets’ staff preferred to have its eyes on Martinez. The importance of Martinez can’t be simulated.

But on this morning, owner Fred Wilpon brought four friends. He stood directly behind the batting cage and even served as the plate umpire late in Martinez’s second inning. David Wright sprawled in the grass near the cage and watched while chatting with Easley. At times, Duaner Sanchez, Brian Schneider, Carlos Delgado, Joe Smith, Scott Schoenewies, Mike Pelfrey, Aaron Heilman and, finally, Santana were spectators.

And a dozen more Mets formed a shoulder-to-shoulder line in right field and watched Martinez pitch.

It was nothing less than an event. And another one will happen Tuesday, when his day to pitch comes around again. Again it will be in simulated-game conditions. The Mets are to play the Red Sox in Fort Myers — three hours away — and as Martinez noted after the cancellation Thursday, no one should expect to see him in road grays again, not when it’s a six-hour roundtrip. “I doubt it,” he said before he left the field Friday morning.

By that point, he knew the club already had planned an alternative to Fort Myers for him — even though Randolph and Peterson declined to divulge any plans after they arrived in Winter Haven.

Martinez had pitched in the morning rather than later so his body could get as much rest as possible before Tuesday and so he could remain on schedule despite the rainout. He remains on schedule, but that schedule has him not facing opposing batters until Sunday, March 16. That would leave him two more exhibition game starts before the beginning of the regular season — not a lot for a pitcher who said Friday, “I tried to approach it as close to a game as possible,” and who indicated he prefers to pitch in more realistic conditions “so I can see if a hit is a hit or if I have to cover first base on a ground ball.”

The matter of becoming familiar with new catcher Brian Schneider — he caught Martinez on Friday — and refamiliarizing himself with other normal game circumstances (real umpires, holding actual runners, pickoffs, rundowns, et al) are component in this “work in progress.” But the events of the day sometimes make normalcy impossible.

TAMPA, Fla. — Yankees fans were treated to Metallica music for the first time on Friday, as New York’s very own Sandman took the mound in his spring debut. Mariano Rivera’s always been on his own schedule. The 37-year-old closer has 13 years of Major League duty, and he knows his body — and his arm — well. He’s not subject to the strict Spring Training regimen that’s set in place to guide some of the younger Yankees, and Rivera has the support of manager Joe Girardi and his staff throughout camp to ease his way back into baseball shape.

After the way Rivera blew through his Grapefruit League debut, it’s easy to understand why the Yankees have a laissez-faire approach with him.

“He understands his craft as well as any pitcher I’ve ever been around, what he needs to do to get ready,” Girardi said after Friday’s game. “He’s been so consistent since I met him in 1996. I’d be shocked if it were the other way, because he is so good.”

The eight-time All-Star needed just eight pitches to retire the Astros in the fourth inning, which included a first-pitch out sandwiched between two punch outs — the former swinging and the latter frozen. He then calmly walked off the field to raucous applause, just a few minutes after the crowd greeted him the same fanfare.

“I felt really good out there,” Rivera said. “And I’ll go again on Monday.”

And as has been the pattern during the last several springs, Rivera formulated his pitching schedule and the team will adhere to it. The righty found the most success with his four-seam fastball on Friday, which flirted in the mid-90s. Rivera also mixed in a few sinkers to keep hitters on their toes.

Whatever he was doing out there, it worked.

Victor Diaz was Rivera’s first victim. The Astros left fielder managed to foul off the first pitch he saw, but he came up empty-handed on two powerhouse swings that followed. Lance Niekro, too, made Rivera’s job easy and got a piece of the first offering to come by. The first baseman tapped the ball weakly to second base for a groundout.

Finally came second baseman David Newhan, who earned Rivera’s first and only “ball” call of the afternoon. After the freebie, Rivera was back to business, hammering three straight strikes to send Newhan packing.

Not too shabby for the first time out.

“Mo’s Mo,” Girardi said. “He’s so good at what he does, you know that you just have to have him ready.”

In order to be fully prepared for the 2008 season opener at home against the Blue Jays, Rivera said he’d like to get in nine to 10 innings of work. Included in that, he said, is working back-to-back games one time in late spring, and maybe even making a trip across the street to the Minor League complex, where he’s routinely visited once in past years to pitch two consecutive innings.

“We’ll see about this year,” Rivera said.

Back in the clubhouse after his outing, Rivera fielded peer praise from all sides. Hall of Fame closer Goose Gossage sauntered by in street clothes, offered Rivera a congratulatory pat and a “Nice job, Mo.” Teammate Darrell Rasner sat down and discussed the outing with his fellow pitcher. The sinker looked good, how did it feel? That was nice.

Even Andy Pettitte, who made his second start of the spring season on Friday, had a few choice words for Rivera’s outing.

“Oh my gosh,” Pettitte said. “It must be tough [to face him].”

Perhaps the best way to sum up Rivera’s day, though, came during his postgame interview.

“Do you feel like you’re 25 [years old] again?” one reporter queried.

“I feel like I’m 20,” Rivera laughed.