Great pitcher/centerfielder combos

This year, whenever Clayton Kershaw takes the mound and Matt Kemp mans center field, the Dodgers will boast one of the greatest pitcher/center field combos of all time. Last year, they combined for 17 Wins Above Replacement* — 10 for Kemp, 7 for Kershaw. That's not the highest total of all time, but it's not too far off. In fact, based on my research, it ranks as the sixth highest pitcher/CF total of all time. Here's the top 10:

1. 1912 Red Sox: Tris Speaker (11) / Joe Wood (9.6)
2. 1965 Giants: Willie Mays (11) / Juan Marichal (9.2)
3. 1956 Yankees: Mickey Mantle (12.9) / Whitey Ford (5.8)
4. 1937 Yankees: Joe DiMaggio (9.0) / Lefty Gomez (8.9)
5. 1997 Mariners: Ken Griffey Jr. (9.4) / Randy Johnson (7.7)
6. 2011 Dodgers: Matt Kemp (10) / Clayton Kershaw (7)
7. 1985 Cardinals: Willie McGee (8.5) / John Tudor (7.5)
8. 1964 Dodgers: Willie Davis (7.6) / Don Drysdale (8.2)
9. 1953 Phillies: Richie Ashburn (6.0) / Robin Roberts (9.6)
10. 1964 Dodgers: Willie Davis (7.6) / Sandy Koufax (7.8)

Just a few steps behind: Puckett/Viola 1988, Jones/Maddux 2000, Aaron/Spahn 1961, Wynn/Messersmith 1974, Jones/Glavine 1998, Snider/Newcombe 1956

Some notes:

- No surprise to see Speaker and Wood at number one. Those were two genuinely historic performances, but if you notice, they barely beat out Mays/Marichal, which were simply two great seasons of many for those two all-timers.

- It's great to see Willie Davis, a truly underrated Dodger, on this list. He had numerous good seasons and a couple of great seasons; 1964 was his best but not either Koufax's or Drysdale's best.

- Willie McGee is the big surprise on this list. He really only had one good season, but he won the MVP for it and went to the World Series. That's called great timing.

*I used Baseball-Reference WAR totals. Fangraphs only provides historical WAR for position players, not pitchers, so I couldn't compare the two totals.

Video trailer for "The Book of Baseball Literacy"

Hall of Fame voting

Congratulations to Barry Larkin on being elected to the Hall of Fame this week. When active, he wasn't the kind of player who screamed out as a Hall of Famer. But when you compare his numbers to other great shortstops in baseball history, it's clear he belongs among the greats. Next year's ballot is stuffed with legendary players — Bonds, Clemens, Maddux, et al — so it might be tough for other worthies like Raines and Bagwell to break through. But it should be interesting. More to come.

Coming soon to Cooperstown

Exciting news: The Book of Baseball Literacy: 3rd Edition has been selected for the bookstore at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. When the bookstore opens up in April, the book will appear on the shelves alongside dozens of other great titles.

You can beat the crowd today by buying The Book of Baseball Literacy from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or iBooks. The eBook is just $2.99 for a limited time, print edition just $14.95.

Print edition now available of The Book of Baseball Literacy

Great news: The print edition of The Book of Baseball Literacy: 3rd Edition is now available for purchase. At 384 pages, it's a huge book, but it's just $14.95 from Amazon.com.

Of course, the Kindle, iBooks, and Nook editions are still available at only $4.99.

Book Excerpt: The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR)

Today is the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). Here's what I wrote about SABR in my new ebook, The Book of Baseball Literacy: 3rd Edition (available for Kindle, Nook, and iBooks):


Society for American Baseball Research (SABR)
Founded in 1971 by Bob Davids, SABR (pronounced “saber”) is baseball’s premier research organization. Each year, they publish numerous research journals and other books containing articles about baseball history—usually a previously unknown research topic or unremembered part of history. They also hold a yearly convention in a major league city with guest speakers, contests, and other big events. Clearly, SABR has significantly advanced the research of the game’s history. Memberships cost just $65 a year, which includes its yearly publications, discounts on baseball books, and more. If you want to join, visit SABR on the Internet at http://www.sabr.org

© 2011 David H. Martinez. Excerpted from The Book of Baseball Literacy: 3rd Edition

Book Excerpts: The Curse of the Bambino and The Bloody Sock

Last weekend, the Red Sox ran their record against the Yankees this year to 10 wins and 2 losses. Who knows what will happen in the next two months, but remember when the Yankees treated the Sox as their perennial whipping boys? It wasn't that long ago. Thanks to the "Bloody Sock" episode that helped end the "Curse of the Bambino," a whole new generation of Red Sox fans are going to grow up without an inferiority complex. Here's what I wrote about "The Curse" and "The Bloody Sock" in my new ebook, The Book of Baseball Literacy: 3rd Edition (available for Kindle, Nook, and iBooks):


“Curse of the Bambino”
The superstition—first named in New York Times article by George Vecsey following the Game 6 debacle in 1986, then amplified in a 1990 book by Boston reporter Dan Shaughnessy—that purported to explain why the Red Sox didn’t win a World Series after they sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1919. The Sox had won the championship a year before that, and they had come within a single game of winning it in 1946, 1967, 1975, and 1986. But each time, Ruth’s curse supposedly struck them down. Of course, Ruth had nothing to do with bad personnel decisions, unlucky plays, institutional racism, and the other actual reasons why Boston went without a championship so long. Among Boston diehards, the “Curse” may have simply become an easy excuse for preventable and accidental errors. When the Sox finally won the World Series in 2004, it took the “Curse” entirely off the table. Which is good for Boston, good for baseball, and good for rational thinking in general (but bad for New York fans).


Bloody Sock
The artifact from one of the most dramatic and important clutch performances in a generation. The sock belonged to Curt Schilling, who had suffered a serious ankle injury early in the 2004 postseason and was not expected to return to action. When the Red Sox fell behind the Yankees three games to zero in the American League Championship Series, it looked like his season would be over. But then the Sox won Games 4 and 5, and they needed Schilling. Problem was, one of the tendons in his right ankle had broken loose from its protective sheath, and with every step, it was snapping painfully across the bone. “I couldn’t push off,” he told reporters. “It affected both my command and velocity.”

Boston’s medical staff tried various methods to make Schilling’s ankle well enough so that he could pitch again in Game 6, including a special ankle brace and a custom-made shoe, but nothing worked. Then, team physician Dr. William Morgan had a brainstorm: he would suture the tendon directly to the skin to keep it from snapping around the bone. It had never been done, so Morgan practiced the procedure on a cadaver first, and the night before Game 6, he performed it on Schilling. The procedure seemed to work, but nobody knew how the sutures would hold up in a real game.

In Game 6 at Yankee Stadium, Schilling pitched brilliantly and the Sox won, but sometime in the first or second inning, a suture broke and caused blood to seep through his white sock. TV cameras homed in on the stain repeatedly, and more than one observer ascribed divine meaning to Schilling’s gutsy performance by likening the bloody image to a stigmata.

The Sox went on to win Games 6 and 7, capping their miraculous come-from-behind victory over the Yankees and reversing the “Curse of the Bambino.” And Schilling’s bloody sock stands as dramatic symbol of Boston’s achievement.

© 2011 David H. Martinez. Excerpted from The Book of Baseball Literacy: 3rd Edition