How do you strike out more times in a season than anyone else in history and have it go virtually unnoticed?
You hit a home run to lead your team to a tie for the division lead.
Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard set a major-league record with his 196th strikeout of the season on Thursday. Howard, last season's most valuable player in the National League, struck out against starter John Smoltz in the third inning of a 6-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves before a crowd of 40,589 at Citizens Bank Park. In doing so, he broke the single-season mark of 195 strikeouts established by Adam Dunn of the Cincinnati Reds in 2004. Howard struck out again in the fifth inning.
"I don't even think about it," he said. "We're winning ball games and that's all that matters."
But it did take Howard 140 games to strikeout more times than Dunn, who struck out 195 times in 161 games. So even when it comes to striking out, Ryan Howard does so impressively and majestically. And while the record is worth noting for posterity, a big victory to pull even with the Mets makes the strikeout record a mere footnote. Keep swingin', Ryan.
But don't read too much into McGraw's absence, he's been dead for over 73 years. So please don't create controversy that isn't there. Let's just focus on the positive, and congratulate Bobby Cox on finally passing McGraw to set the record for all-time ejections with his 132nd career thumb on Tuesday night, courtesy of Ted Barrett. As Cox probably would have wanted it, the historic moment was understated.
Fans at Turner Field didn't even know Cox was ejected for the 132nd time Tuesday night, since the record-breaking ejection wasn't preceded by his familiar jaunt onto the field and cursing argument with an umpire. (...) Cox was thrown out for arguing from the dugout after Chipper Jones looked at a called third strike to end the fifth inning of the Braves' game against the San Francisco Giants. Without any fanfare, home-plate umpire Ted Barrett walked toward the Braves' dugout and signaled to Cox that he was ejected.
Until an announcement was made in the pressbox minutes later, most reporters didn't even realize Cox had been thrown out of the game.
So no post ejection speech, no video tribute (see, don't feel bad Barry ... Hank Aaron probably slept through this milestone too), nobody from the Hall of Fame looking to take artifacts like Cox's lineup card, uniform, and Ted Barrett's thumb for display, and no Met fans to grab the ball that struck out Chipper Jones and go to Sydney on vacation. (Oh yeah, and no Erin Andrews to interview the opposing pitcher.) Have we already forgotten how to celebrate a hallowed baseball record?
Yes, it's true. Giants fans, who have loved Barry Bonds unconditionally for so many years, and who have sunk so much time and money into rooting for him and buying tickets to see him play, were all wondering what they would do if they caught Bonds' record breaking home run. Would they keep it? Give it to the Hall of Fame? Trade it for an autographed jersey? Sell it and put a down payment on a house?
Imagine how Giants fans must have felt when the fan who actually did catch the ball emerged from the crowd wearing ... a Mets jersey and a Mets undershirt.
In the middle of it all was 22-year-old New Yorker Matt Murphy, who emerged from beneath the pile holding the ball Bonds hit for career home run No. 756. His face was bloodied and his clothes stretched and torn from his battle in the bleachers. A team of San Francisco police officers moved in, extracted Murphy from the crowd, and quickly led him through a tunnel and into a secure room.
As he high-fived other fans, Murphy, wearing a New York Mets jersey and cap, slid the ball into the back pocket of his plaid Bermuda shorts.
Reporters screamed out questions, but all he managed to say was, "I'm Matt Murphy from Queens, N.Y." Murphy and a friend were en route to Australia and in San Francisco for a one-day layover, a Giants spokesman said. They purchased tickets just before the game.
Which brings about a very important question: How in the world was this game not sold out just before the game? A Giants home game with Hank Aaron's record on the line? I, for one, am astonished.
Baseball memorabilia experts have pegged the ball's value at $400,000 to $500,000. That's well below the $3 million fetched by the ball Mark McGwire hit to break Roger Maris' single-season home run record in 1998, but still a hefty sum.
And probably enough to pay for a trip to Australia. (And in a good point provided by the first comment, enough to pay for what he may have given a scalper for that ticket.)Sorry, No Photos
Thankfully for Tom Glavine, it only took two starts after 299 to win his 300th career game. Glavine, with help from his bullpen, becomes the 23rd pitcher and first lefty since Steve Carlton to perform the trick after an 8-3 win over the Cubs. He's also, despite only winning 58 of the 300 as a New York Met, the first pitcher to win his 300th while wearing the Mets uniform.
"I think the feeling right now is probably relief," Glavine said. "At some point in time, I don't know when, the historic side of it will sink in. I know the company I'm in, and I'm as proud as can be to be in that company."
Now the question is: Will the latest 300-game winner be the last? Randy Johnson has 284 wins but back problems have plagued him and he turns 44 in September.
"I'm not saying I want to be the last one. I would love for someone to have this feeling and this sense of accomplishment," Glavine said. (...) "I guess it would be pretty cool to be the last one to do something in the history of the game," he said (earlier).
It would be silly to ever say never ... but with the way starters are babied these days, and with the added National League issue of needing pinch hitters earlier, it's going to be extremely difficult for somebody to do it down the road. That's what makes Glavine's achievement so remarkable, along with the fact that Glavine had to change his entire game around with Questec changing the calls umpires were giving him. There was a time early in 2005 when people thought he was done. And now, he's a 300 game winner. Congratulations, Tom!
Once upon a time, Tom Glavine did not want to talk about 300 victories. But after a 6-3 win over the Pirates put Glavine at 299, he's more than willing to discuss his forthcoming achievement with you:
"I guess once you get to that point where you feel like it's achievable, then yeah, you want it," said Glavine, who is scheduled to go for 300 Tuesday night in Milwaukee. "You want to do whatever you have to do to make it happen."
The 41-year-old left-hander, who needed 10 wins coming into the year to reach the milestone, expects a ton of phone calls and some work getting everyone to Miller Park for his first chance at becoming the 23rd player to reach 300 wins. What he isn't sure of is how he will feel when the game arrives.
"I think the preparation is easy," he said. "It's just going out there and being in the moment that's probably the more difficult thing."
Being in the moment? Is Tom Glavine going all Zen on us? Is he going to borrow some books from Phil Jackson to make sure that he is less like Early Wynn (took seven tries to win his 300th after winning number 299) and more like Tom Seaver (won number 300 one start after winning his 299th)? Glavine's first try at the magic 300 comes Tuesday against the Brewers at Miller Park.
It was a dark and stormy night ... but not dark enough nor stormy enough to keep Tom Glavine off the mound at Shea Stadium on Wednesday. But it was dark and stormy enough to shorten the game to five and a half innings, and give Glavine not only a complete game (in name only), but career victory number 297.
Glavine also pitched his second career one-hitter, an infield hit by Scott Rolen being the only mark in the "H" column for the Cardinals, as David Wright made a wild throw on the play.
"He wants it the real way. He don't want the asterisk by it," teammate David Wright said. "He'll live. He'll take the win I'm sure." (...)
"If I would have known it would have been a rain-shortened outing, I would have tried a little harder," Wright said, joking. "I was giving Tom a hard time. Maybe next outing."
This begs the question: Wouldn't it be ironic after 45 seasons of never having a no-hitter in their franchise history, that the first one would have been a rain shortened no-hitter without the usual celebration and pile of bodies on the mound? Thankfully, we don't have to answer that question just yet. Previously on The Fanhouse: Tom Glavine Waits a Long Time to Win Number 296 Don't Talk to Tom Glavine About 300
When you've gone a month without a victory, you'll take an ugly win where you can get it. Although the Mets scored six unearned runs in their 9-1 victory, it was far from ugly for Tom Glavine as he finally won a game for the first time since a victory against the Yankees on May 19th ... and more importantly, his 296th major league victory. Glavine went eight plus innings, only giving up a home run to Shannon Stewart and five other harmless hits.
"That's the Tom Glavine we know," Randolph said. "You're entitled every once in a while to get out of rhythm a little bit. Hopefully this is the start of something more consistent." (...)
"I was much more consistent than the last two outings but not where I want to be," Glavine said.
At least Glavine is where he wants to be at the plate with a double and a single which drove in two runs. After the single, Glavine made a mad dash around the bases on a Jose Reyes double, only to be thrown out at the plate. Glavine pitching two strong innings after that was highly encouraging. But it didn't make the surprising trip around the bases any less amusing:
"I couldn't have lapped him," said a smiling Reyes. "He's very good, you know."
"At least I didn't get hurt," Glavine said.
Said catcher Paul Lo Duca: "Now I don't feel so bad about my running after watching that."
Glavine didn't want to talk about 300, and probably still doesn't. But now that he's finally at 296, the road from here on in should be relatively easy ... as long as he doesn't have to run on that road.
Perhaps Tom Glavine is feeling the pressure a little bit. Glavine's last victory was on May 19th against the Yankees, keeping him at 295 career victories while not pitching particularly horribly ... that is, until Sunday's horrific 15-7 loss to the Tigers where Glavine gave up 8 runs in 4 and 1/3 innings. To make matters worse, the Mets themselves have lost seven of their last nine. So you'll forgive Tom for being a tad dismissive when asked about the magic 300 mark:
"I'm getting tired of talking about the whole 300 win thing," Glavine said. "Everybody thinks that's all I'm thinking about and it's not."
Glavine wants you to know that he also thinks about things like what The Sopranos ending was going to be tonight. He pitched like that was the only thing on his mind.
Perhaps people ask him about 300 it's because it's all anybody really talked about back this past winter when Glavine was deciding whether to return to the Mets this season, or go back to Atlanta. If Tom was to go back to Atlanta, the prevailing thought was that the reason would have been to win his 300th game back in the city where he had his greatest success. So it's no mystery why the milestone is brought up often.
Truth is, Glavine has deserved a better fate lately. Before Sunday, he got three runs of support in his last three games combined (two losses and a dreaded no-decision). On Sunday, he got three runs in the first inning ... but couldn't hold the lead. Glavine's next start will most likely be Saturday at Yankee Stadium. But don't ask him about 300. He'll have other things on his mind.
Sammy Sosa has homered twice today in the Rangers game against the Cleveland Indians. This leaves him only six home runs shy of becoming the fifth man in baseball history to reach 600 career home runs.
Though Sosa will never catch Aaron or Bonds, his first home run today did set a record.
By hitting his first career home run in Jacob's Field, Sosa has now homered in more Major League ballparks than any other player in MLB history, forty-four.
Sosa hit the first pitch from Cleveland Indians starter Paul Byrd into the left-field seats leading off the sixth inning.
Sosa had been tied with Ken Griffey Jr, and Fred McGriff with homers in 43 ballparks. The only stadiums currently in use where the 38-year-old has not hit a homer are RFK Stadium in Washington and the new Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
Though it's not a record that most people generally keep track of, it's kind of cool when you think about it. A lot of baseball players don't hit 44 home runs in their career, let alone seperate ballparks.
Despite Sosa's milestone, the Rangers still trail the Indians 9-4 in the 8th inning. As always you can follow all the exciting action here using AOL's Scorecast.
How do you strike out more times in a season than anyone else in history and have it go virtually unnoticed? 
But don't read too much into McGraw's absence, he's been dead for over 73 years. So please don't create controversy that isn't there. Let's just focus on the positive, and congratulate 
Yes, it's true. Giants fans, who have loved 
Thankfully for 
It was a dark and stormy night ... but not dark enough nor stormy enough to keep
When you've gone a month without a victory, you'll take an ugly win where you can get it. Although the Mets scored six unearned runs in their 
Sammy Sosa has homered twice today in the Rangers game against the Cleveland Indians. This leaves him only six home runs shy of becoming the fifth man in baseball history to reach 600 career home runs.
