Pablo Sandoval pitches perfect ninth inning

Leave it to Panda to bring some levity to the situation. I'm already more confident in him than Melancon (and some others). Of course, the Dodgers will say "It's hard to hit when you're laughing" but to them I would say "Duck the Fodgers".

from mlb.com

https://www.mlb.com/news/pablo-sandoval-pitches-perfect-ninth-inning/c-274318552

Panda pitching alert! Sandoval fires perfect 9th  Apr. 28th, 2018

SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants-Dodgers baseball is serious business, but Pablo Sandoval's joyful spirit gave one of sport's most intense rivalries perhaps its funniest moment ever.

 Sandoval, a third baseman by trade, pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning for the Giants in their 15-6 loss Saturday to the Dodgers. Sandoval's relief appearance had a practical purpose, since it spared Giants manager Bruce Bochy from wasting a reliever's energy in a lopsided game.

Most importantly, the sight of Sandoval pumping across strikes -- eight in 11 pitches -- entertained all who witnessed his outing. That included the Dodgers, whose closer, Kenley Jansen, laughed helplessly as he watched Sandoval.

"Have fun," Sandoval said. "That's one of the things we're going for every day."

Chris Haft has covered the Giants since 2005, and for MLB.com since 2007. Follow him on Twitter at @sfgiantsbeat and listen to his podcast.

Read more: San Francisco Giants, Pablo Sandoval

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'Cutch comes clutch for Giants

This was an epic AB and one that will go down in Giants lore as one of the greatest. A great night for McCutchen to endear himself to SF. Kuiper's call frames the emotion of the moment. What a relief in a game it appeared the Giants were going to let slip away.

Welcome to SF Andrew McCutchen!! Six for seven overall and the game-winning walk-off HR!!

Fourteen innings, over four and a half hours long, I sat through virtually every pitch and no complaints over pace of play or length of game on this one. This is an instant Giants classic.

from SI.com
Andrew McCutchen Hits Walk-Off Homer Against Dodgers | SI.com:


'via Blog this'

Giants' Joe Panik homers off Kenley Jansen (and Kershaw)

The historic first two games (and the entire series) had so many good things to like, especially since they happened to the Dodgers. 

Positives:

• Panik 2 HR's in the first two games to propel the good guys to a 2-0 record.
• Ty Blach working the magic againt Kershaw yet again.
• Cueto looking like an ace in his first start
• Strickland making Melancon's boo-boo look like addition by subtraction
• The bullpen overall looking pretty stout
• Would have rather seen Stratton than Holland in 3rd game, but 3 LHP vs. Dodgers is OK

Negatives:

1. Giants continue to prove, like many sabermetricians, that clutch hitting doesn't exist.
2. Two runs in three games is a recipe for a repeat of last year. 
3. Posey and Longoria where are you?

OTOH, they did win two out of three with the negatives and are the negatives likely to recur or do they regress UPWARDS to the mean? We'll see. It's the first series and I'm very happy with 2-3 on the road against the Dodgers.  

from mlb.com

https://www.mlb.com/news/giants-joe-panik-homers-off-kenley-jansen/c-270230822

2 games, 2 Panik HRs, 2 1-0 wins for Giants

4:06 AM ETLOS ANGELES -- Joe Panik won't hit 162 home runs that account for the scoring in each game. He doesn't have to. His accomplishments in two such games are rare enough.
For the second game in a row, Panik was the only player on either team to touch home plate without kicking it in frustration. His ninth-inning home run Friday off Kenley Jansen, the Dodgers' formidable closer, gave the Giants a 1-0 victory that was nothing short of precedent-setting.
View Full Game Coverage
According to STATS, Panik, who went deep off Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw in Tuesday's season opener, is the first Major Leaguer to hit back-to-back solo homers at any juncture of the season to win 1-0 games for his team. The Giants are also the first team since the 1943 Reds to open a season with consecutive 1-0 victories.
"It's a good feeling to be in the situation to make those hits happen," said Panik, who made sure to add, "It all stems from pitching. I said it yesterday -- without [them], I wouldn't be standing here."
This game cornered the early-season market on drama. Giants starter Johnny Cueto retired the first 18 batters he faced before Chris Taylor punched a soft single to right field. That would be the Dodgers' lone hit for the entire game.
• Cueto flirts with perfection in first startThe Giants mustered only two hits as pitching continued to dominate this season-opening series. San Francisco is batting .154 (10-for-65); Los Angeles is batting .121 (7-for-58). Only Panik has provided meaningful offense with his power.
"That's not his game," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "But the guys he's hit 'em off, that's pretty remarkable. Couldn't have come at a better time."
Teaming with relievers Tony Watson and Hunter Strickland, who recorded his second consecutive save, Cueto helped San Francisco doom the Dodgers to their second shutout defeat in the season's first two games for the first time in 50 years and second time in history.
Dodgers starter Alex Wood lost his perfect game on the first of three Logan Forsythe errors in the top of the fourth inning. Wood lost the no-hitter on an infield single by Brandon Crawford to fellow shortstop Corey Seager with two out in the top of the fifth inning. Wood struck out five and made 90 pitches.
MOMENTS THAT MATTEREDCan't cash in: The Giants had their best early chance after Forsythe's fourth-inning error. Panik bunted Austin Jackson to second base, but Andrew McCutchen struck out and Buster Posey grounded to shortstop.
Still got it: Left fielder Matt Kemp, whose defense has been the Dodgers' biggest area of concern, made a long run to flag down Jackson's towering fly on the warning track in the corner to end the top of the eighth inning.
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDSJansen's pickoff of McCutchen at first base in the ninth inning, which required a Dodgers challenge and video review to overturn the original safe call, was the first one of Jansen's career.
MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAYThe Giants achieved what for them was nearly impossible -- creating a baserunner against Wood -- with the help of replay. With one out in the fifth inning, Hunter Pence tapped a grounder to Dodgers third baseman Forsythe, who briefly lost control of the ball. As usual, Pence hustled to first base. He initially was called out, but replays demonstrated otherwise, and the call was overturned.
WHAT'S NEXTLeft-hander Derek Holland will make his first National League appearance Saturday when he starts for the Giants in a 6:10 p.m. PT contest at Dodger Stadium. Los Angeles will counter with righty Kenta Maeda in its effort to secure its first victory of the season.
Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV.
Chris Haft has covered the Giants since 2005, and for MLB.com since 2007. Follow him on Twitter at @sfgiantsbeat and listen to his podcast.
Read more: Johnny Cueto, Kenley Jansen, Joe Panik, Alex Wood

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Kershaw dominates, Giants stay close (seriously?)

I watched the entire excruciating three-game series because that's just how I roll. If indeed the Giants did lose all three games by only one run each in reality, the games were never that close from my vantage point. The games were never as close as the scoreboard indicated.



At no point during last nights debacle did I ever expect the Giants were going to score enough runs to win that game, Kershaw was that much in control,

from Yahoo Sports:
Clayton Kershaw's 132-pitch masterpiece closes out Dodgers' sweep of Giants - Yahoo Sports:

Don Mattingly had dodged questions all week about these Los Angeles Dodgers against those San Francisco Giants, about the long (and possibly naïve) view of burying the Giants and winning a division a full month before the season would end, and then Wednesday night happened. He went to the mound in the ninth inning to see Clayton Kershaw, to see if 127 pitches in a one-run game weren't quite enough for his ace, what with two Giants on the bases and one out still undone. "How am I doing. I'm good. That was about it," Kershaw recalled of a meeting he had little use for.

'via Blog this'

I must truly love torture to have sat through all of that. I must be the Dick Cheney of baseball fan-dom to have sat through all of that.  The Giants only chance was when Mattingly came out and decided to exercise his managerial discretion. It looked like the entire infield would have wrestled him into submission if he extended his hand and tried to take the ball from Kershaw. Once they talked some sense into him, it was GAME OVER!!

If people want to hang their hat on the fact that the last four games are against these same Dodgers in AT&T Park and therefore the Giants only need to stay within four games of the Dodgers to have some hope, well they can hang it up. Ain't going to happen. That just means that the Giants could theoretically finish eight games behind the Dodgers this season.

Maybe there is something to this even year thing. Sheesh!! Free Clayton Blackburn!!!

MadBum HR's off Kershaw, Giants sweep/shutout Dodgers AGAIN!!

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/73955164/v125753583

Old-schoolers would just say that Bumgarner "ambushed" a Kershaw "get-ahead" fastball and call it a day. I like the video game aspect that Statcast™ provides but it is hardly providing new information. It does repackage it and present it in a modern, eye-catching format.

From the article below, apparently a lot of hitters are doing the same to Kershaw, knowing that if they get down 0-2, 1-2 their chances of success are greatly diminished. Another No Duh!! moment.

I like the Statcast presentation, but I would, I'm a baseball geek. I just wonder how much they really believe the casual fan, who doesn't even know what many of these metrics mean, is going to be WOW!!-ed by them long-term.

from mlb.com
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/125882604/how-san-franciscos-madison-bumgarner-homered-off-la-lefty-clayton-kershaw

1. That fastball wasn't a regular Kershaw fastballA typical Kershaw fastball comes out of his hand at 93.836 mph, but because he's releasing the ball at an average extension of 6.547 feet in front of the rubber, the "perceived velocity" -- or what it looks like to the batter -- is actually 94.178 mph. Though he's not necessarily an elite flamethrower, that improvement is still quite good; among pitchers who have thrown the four-seamer at least 40 times, his velocity ranks 110th, but his perceived velocity is 87th.On that pitch, however, the output just wasn't what you'd expect. This one came out of his hand at only 91.614 mph, and because he didn't get as much extension as he usually does -- only 6.075 feet -- the perceived velocity was only 90.909 mph. A usual Kershaw fastball seems faster to the batter; this one actually looked slower. Toss in the fact that his usual fastball spin rate is 2230.421 rpm, and this one was at just 2135.124, and it's clear to see that this wasn't a typical Kershaw offering.Now, that might not have been an issue, except …2. The placement couldn't have been worseIf we watch the video, we can see where Kershaw put this pitch, and, well, this is why they say a picture says a thousand words.  A standard-issue Kershaw heater can get away with being down the middle. A flat Kershaw fastball down and away might not be remembered. But a sub-par fastball right down the middle of the plate, well, even he can't get away with that.Worse, the pitch came at the exact moment when hitters know they ought to be attacking him …3. It came on the first pitchOver the last few years, hitters have learned that getting down two strikes against Kershaw, when he can bury them with that slider or curveball, is a recipe for disaster. In 2010, hitters offered at just 6.489% of Kershaw's first pitches, only the 98th-highest rate in baseball. Last year? 11.131%, the highest rate in baseball. To restate that: No pitcher in baseball in 2014 saw as many swings on 0-0 counts as Kershaw. And why not? 85% of his first pitches last year were fastballs. At least you've got a prayer against that, as opposed to that 1-2 slider.Though first-pitch swings haven't increased against him this year (down slightly to 10.276%), the productivity has continued, with a .400/.400/.743 first-pitch line headed into Thursday's game. When Kershaw is ahead in the count, that falls to .203/.214/.333. When he has two strikes, it's .144/.226/.250, which is a numerical version of saying "don't even bother."The rumors of Kershaw's demise, it must be said, are sorely exaggerated: His 2.88 FIP -- a metric on the ERA scale that focuses on events the pitcher has complete control over and strips away things like defense and "luck" -- is far more representative of his performance than his 4.32 ERA. Even so, the best pitcher on earth can't get away with a first-pitch meatball right down the middle, even when the other pitcher is batting.Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) is an analyst for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Giants Report Card Day

It's actually kind of early for that. We're really only in the middle of the first marking period, but since we have a day off, what better time to evaluate where we are?

Oh lookie, lookie. we're in LAST PLACE!!!  How precious, 9-13 now aren't we the special ones? Actually a game and a half in last place, which technically qualifies as SOLIDLY in last place. You little eager beavers, you Giants. You guys are so cute!!! Yes you are!!!

I guess I didn't notice with all the bling coming off the World Series rings. But hey fellas, enough is enough. We are playing for 2015 now. Yes,  an odd year, I get it. But still. Have some pride and defend the title, would you please? Just a little bit? Please. 

PITCHING - Shitty. I take that back. STARTING PITCHING, especially guys not nicknamed MadBum or Hesto-Presto, SHITTY. Relief pitching has been stalwart as usual. 

Hudson, Vogelsong and Peavy a combined 0-6? Hudson, you can make the case has pitched in bad luck and with a lack of run-support (it is the Giants), but the other two? C'mon man!!! And anybody seen Matt Cain? Anybody? Time to throw a pitch in anger. 

HITTING - Shitty. Surprising and shitty.

HR leader - Brandon Crawford. Surprising. 

RBI leader - Brandon Crawford. Surprising. 

Brandon Crawford Average - .235 Shitty. 

Brandon Crawford spot in the order - 8th. Surprising. 

This only makes sense in the Bizarro-world of the Giants 2015 offense. 

Half the team is hitting well. Pagan at .341, Aoki at .303 and Panik at .280 are the only regulars hitting above average. 

Posey at .253, Maxwell at .255 with some pop, OK for now. 

Arias and Susac off the bench are OK. 

Duffy off the bench is really good. It seems like when he has to carry the bat up there 3-4 times, the load is too much to bear. This could be a problem for the Duffer, who has to decide if he wants to be typecast more as Walt Weiss than Al Weiss. 

Blanco is snoozing through another April. When the weather heats up.....Oh no. I don't want to reinforce another stereotype, let's just say it's coincidence and call it a day. 

Crawford, always vexing with the bat and the hair flips. Thank God for that glove (and that hair) or there'd be a bounty on........never mind. 

McGehee.......I don't know what to say. Bochy is supportive, as he should be. But at some point he has to put the team first. Duffy could help by hitting as well in starts as he does off the bench. The door opened, but it shuts quickly for rooks around here. Ask Conor Gilaspie. 

Sanchez, I don't know what to say. At .148, the bat is not as appealing as it used to be. In a little while, being Timmy's caddy isn't going to be as appealing as it used to be, If it weren't for that role, there might be a bounty on Sanchez' roster spot.


CONDUCT - Needs Improvement (LOL)
http://m.mlb.com/video/v93684483/?query=bumgarner


He probably missed Puig ( who is making strides in the area of conduct ) and channeled it towards Guerrero. Just the usual Giants - Dodgers heat. No worries, 

So it seems as if all is right in Gigante-land. It's all banners and rings and 2014 highlights, Oh my !!

Oh and having Pence and Cain breaking a sweat wouldn't hurt. Let's just hope we don't slide too far behind before they stop doing towel drills and hitting soft toss. 

Shit, I can do that and I'm older than the speed limit in most states.. 

Enjoy the day off fellas. 

Giants sweep Dodgers!!!

McGehee needed this type of contribution to the team in the worst way. He looks like he is starting to press, he hasn't contributed much since the picture above, which is from Opening Day. 

from mercurynews.com
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/giants/2015/04/23/maxwell-knocks-winning-run-mcgehee-vogelsong-might-gained-giants-complete-sweep-dodgers/#more-19933

One at-bat isn’t the end-all, be-all (but( it’s a relief, I guess, is the best word I can think of,” said McGehee, who left for pinch runner Matt Duffy. “In that last at-bat, instead of chasing hits, it was, `Let’s just get in there and compete instead of worrying about the outcome.’ The feeling I had in that at-bat and that swing is something I’ll file away and hopefully be able to build off.”

Lately, he makes me nervous when a ball is hit to him, when he throws a ball across the infield and he doesn't really do much for me when he is AB, unless I get a sudden craving to see another rally killing DP being bounced into.

McGehee  has to start turning things around or the drum starts getting beat for more PT at 3B for Mr. Matt Duffy, the hit machine. I know it's early......but.........

It doesn't help McGehee that the Fat Panda is out-hitting him by over 100 points or so. 

The whole middle of the Giants lineup has been a big, fat doughnut hole to the offense. McGehee, Posey and Belt have to do more than hit their weight if the Giants offense is going to click. I'm going to leave Crawford out of it for now because if he keeps putting up the highlight reels defensively at SS, I've always said I could tolerate him hitting .190,  I just didn't really think he would take me up on it long-term. 

Crawford should be a much better hitter than he is, I've been saying that for years.

He makes this play routinely. The clip is from April 10th and he just did it again the other night.


http://m.mlb.com/video/?content_id=66780583&topic_id=8878828



http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/8878828/v83996783/ladsf-lincecum-induces-four-double-plays-in-outing

Rule 7.09 (h) on full display

http://m.mlb.com/video/?content_id=85380883&topic_id=6479266

Anytime you can walk-off win against the Dodgers is a god win. I agree with Don Mattingly though, my first impression was "Dang, Roberto Kelly just cost us an out, big-time", but he got away with one. The umpires should know he's new and just learning the ropes on the 3B coaching side. The 3B umpire had his head on a swivel looking into LF (Why, IDK).


from ESPN:
http://espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=350422126

 7.09 (h): It is interference by a batter or a runner when: (h) In the judgment of the umpire, the base coach at third base, or first base, by touching or holding the runner, physically assists him in returning to or leaving third base or first base. (i) With a runner on third base, the base coach leaves his box and acts in any manner to draw a throw by a fielder.

Mattingly on umpires' explanation: "He didn't see it. He was watching the play. I don't know why the third-base ump is watching the play. There's nothing for him to watch. It's a ground ball to left. I don't know who's watching to see if he touched the base. I really don't know what the umpires' responsibilities are there. But I do know there's no way in baseball they allow the third-base coach to come up and basically block the runner from going forward, and that's what happened tonight. That's obviously a missed call. It's not reviewable from their explanation."

Third-base umpire Fieldin Culbreth: "Don came out and asked me did I see him grab him. I told him no, I did not see him grab him. . . . The rule is pretty specific in the fact that he had to touch and physically grab him and assist him in returning to the base. That did not happen. If he doesn't physically assist him in returning to the base then there's no interference."

It is a win against the Dodgers and I am not sorry to say I don't much care how it was acquired. I do look the new-look Yasiel Puig, who seems to finally "get" how the game is supposed to be played and is taking the Dodger veterans advice about behavior modification to heart. He is going to be a flat out beast.

Oh, and F-you Chris Rock. It seems as if the lines of baseballs ascent and the descent of AA-participation, sad though it may be, have been running in a pretty neat little correlation. Kind of throws your little monologue, cute though it may be, right into the dumpster where it belongs. 

from FoxSports.com

http://www.foxsports.com/buzzer/story/chris-rock-major-league-baseball-diversity-042215

I'll take the culture of baseball and hockey over that of the NBA and the NFL any day. Let's just compare police blotters. Another day, another  ex-NFL star convicted of murder. Ho-hum. When exactly was the last murder attributed to an MLB or NHL player?  

Maybe the community should bend to the mores of baseball and hockey instead of the other way around. We'd all be better off. 

Giants ready to renew rivalry with Dodgers - Yahoo Sports

Giants - Dodgers running neck and neck for the divisional title face-off this weekend with both teams looking to avoid the wild card, do or die game.

from Yahoo Sports:
Giants ready to renew rivalry with Dodgers - Yahoo Sports:

PHILADELPHIA -- The San Francisco Giants hit the road after the All-Star break and took care of BUSINESS.

Now the fun begins.

 After a 5-2 trip away from the Bay Area, the first-place Giants (57-45) welcome the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers (56-47) to AT&T Park for a three-game weekend series that has must-see entertainment written all over it.

'via Blog this'

In the NL, it looks as if the Nationals are the top team in the league over the Giants and Dodgers, but not by much. All three are low 90's win teams. The Nats advantage is that they seem to have distanced themselves from the Braves, who are positioned as the second wild card team, with the first wild card being the Dodgers - Giants consolation prize.

The Central Division is developing into a mud wrestling match between the Brewers, Pirates and Cardinals all struggling at the 85-86 win pace and  the Reds drifting towards an 81 win,  .500 type finish. The Cardinals could really make a move here if they can pry David Price from the Rays.

Let the tussling begin.

My NL Power Ranking as of today:

** Nationals - 92 Wins

** Giants - 91 Wins

** Dodgers - 90 Wins

** Braves - 88 Wins

** Cardinals - 88 Wins

Brewers - 87 Wins 

Pirates - 85 Wins 

Reds - 81 Wins

** - Playoff Teams

In the American League, things are a bit clearer at the top with a competitive race for the Wild Card spots shaping up as well. 

The A's and Angels will battle it out for the division with the loser facing the wild-card death match. Both teams seem to be hovering around the 95 win pace. The Tigers seem to have the Central in hand with a low 90's win season. 

For now, the Orioles appear to be the class of the AL East, but appear destined for an 86-88 win season.

The Mariners and Blue Jays appear to be the class of the wild-card contenders, both headed for an 85 win finish. The Yankees, Indians, Royals and Rays seem destined for the 80-82 win mark which will leave them short of the mark. 

The Rays will signal their organizational confidence level in a playoff finish by either dealing Price/Zobrist or keeping them both and mounting a challenge. The Royals have already signaled their lack of confidence.  

My AL Power Ranking as of today:
** Angels - 96 Wins
** A's - 94 Wins
** Tigers - 92 Wins
** Orioles - 87 Wins
** Mariners - 85 Wins
Blue Jays - 85 Wins
Indians - 83 Wins
Yankees - 83 Wins
Rays - 81 Wins
Royals - 81 Wins
** - Playoff Teams

P.S. - If the Giants do get involved in the Price / Zobrist sweepstakes,

I would favor any deal that includes:
RHP Chris Stratton
RHP Martin Agosta
LHP Edwin Escobar
LHP Steven Okert (has potential as a closer or worse-case, a LOOGY)

I will lose my lunch over any deal that includes:
LHP Ty Blach
RHP Clayton Blackburn
RHP Derek Law (injured)
RHP Kendry Flores
RHP Keury Mella
LHP Adalberto Mejia (OK, maybe I could live with this one)
RHP Kyle Crick (although maybe after a good nights sleep, I could live with this one as well)

Giants and Dodgers stand united in support of injured fan - Big League Stew - MLB Blog - Yahoo! Sports

Good move on the part of both teams. This use of a rivalry in sports as an excuse to commit mayhem has to end somewhere. We are not soccer fan. The difference in the colors of our favorite teams uniforms cannot be an excuse for violence and hatred.



Giants and Dodgers stand united in support of injured fan - Big League Stew - MLB Blog - Yahoo! Sports:

"'When the last out is made, that rivalry ends on the field.'

Those were the words of  pitcher Jeremy Affeldt(notes) on Monday night as his San Francisco Giants teammates joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in a pregame show of support for Bryan Stow. The 42-year-old Giants fan — a paramedic and father of two from Santa Cruz — remains in a medically induced coma after he was attacked by two Dodgers fans on opening night at Dodger Stadium.

Whether or not Affeldt's words can ever really resonate with the cowards who use differing team allegiances as a pitiful excuse to attack others remains up for debate. But given Monday night's situation at AT&T Park — where increased security was on the lookout for any forms of retribution —  it was a solid way to place the game in its proper perspective.

As Jamey Carroll(notes) of the Dodgers put it: 'There's no room in this game for hatred and violence. It is about respect. This is America's national pastime ... Let's keep it that way.'"

Talkin' Baseball (Willie, Mickey, and the Duke)

Talkin' Baseball (Willie, Mickey, and the Duke)

Talkin' Baseball (Willie, Mickey, and the Duke) @ Yahoo! Video

Duke Snider, Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle walk in from center field during an Old Timer's Day celebration on July 16, 1977.

Who owned during the late 1950's? The Yankees did in hindsight, but the most intense debates of the era centered around New York’s three All-Star and future Hall of Fame center fielders:

Willie Mays of the Giants,
Mickey Mantle of the Yankees
and Duke Snider of the Dodgers.

Willie, Mickey, and the Duke.

With the passing of Duke Snider (RIP) this week, we had a chance to reflect on the Duke's career specifically and the era in general and the question arose - Can you imagine if Mays, Mantle and Snider were able to arrange a LeBron-esque "Dream Team" which would have allowed all three to patrol a single outfield? That pesky issue of the Reserve Clause, of course, stood in the way. (thank you Curt Flood and Andy Messersmith).

The closest we came to this was when Terry Cashman and company airbrushed DiMaggio out of the picture for the song, Talkin' Baseball (Willie, Mickey, and the Duke), leaving our "Dream Outfield" intact.

This is such a great song, I can forgive the sacrilege.

Clearly, the Yankees would have been the team to pull this off. It may have even accelerated the Giants and Dodgers eventual move to the West Coast. Heck, the Giants and Dodgers fans may have pitched in to pack their bags.

Imagine this outfield.

LF Duke Snider
CF Willie Mays
RF Mickey Mantle

Not too shabby. The Yankees would have had to have moved Gene Woodling and Hank Bauer, but my guess is they might have been willing to make the effort.

The Dream Outfield smashed all kinds of records during four seasons — 1954, 1955, 1956 and 1957:

During those three seasons, The Big Three combined for:
- Three MVPs,
- multiple HR, RBI and batting championships
- One Triple Crown
- League leadership in over 30 major statistical categories
- Six pennants
- Three World Championships.

That was performing on the separate teams. Imagine them combining their talents with the Yankees. They would have owned NY. Oh yeah, they already did. DAMN YANKEES!!
---

"We never had no rivalry between us. The three of us would talk among ourselves when we would all go to the All-Star Game. We used to kid each other. I would call up Mick (Mickey Mantle) and say, 'We got that little guy from Brooklyn coming over.' Mick says, 'You go up to him and find out what he's hitting, and when he tells you, I'll say, 'I don't think so, Willie.' We'd laugh. The Duke was a really nice man," -— Willie Mays on the late Duke Snider, in an interview with the Oakland Tribune.