Major League Baseball Hands Down Suspensions

If you have been following baseball at all in the past decade you might have heard that steroids have been a part of baseball. Furthermore, if you have been following baseball in the past three years you might have hard that steroids have and will be getting players suspended from baseball.

Well Monday, August 5, 2013 brought the biggest suspension to date in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB).

A total of 13 players including New York Yankees Alex Rodriguez and Francisco Cervelli, Detroit Tigers Jhonny Peralta, Texas Rangers Nelson Cruz, San Diego Padres Everth Cabrera, Seattle Mariners Jesus Montero, Philadelphia Phillies Antonio Bastardo, New York Mets Jordany Valdespin, minor leaguers Fernando Martinez, Cesar Puello and Sergio Escalona, as well free agents Jordan Norberto and Fautino De Los Santos were on the list of players linked to Biogenesis.

All of the players except Rodriguez accepted their 50-game suspension on Monday.

Rodriguez who was subject to being suspended for the remainder of the 2013 season and the entirety of the 2014 season, for a total of 211 to 214 games, is scheduled to appeal the ruling that will come down on Thursday, August 8, 2013.

A few other players, including a local one, Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Bartolo Colon as well former San Francisco Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera and San Diego Padres pitcher Yasmani Grandal will not serve any time this year as they had already served their 50-game suspensions last year and this year for their involvement with Biogenesis.

The announcement of the 13-player suspension comes on the heels of Milwaukee Brewers former MVP Award winner Ryan Braun being suspended for the remainder of the 2013 season, 65-games, for the same issue, performance enhancing drugs.

Braun who came up positive for elevated levels of testosterone after winning the MVP in 2011 was the first piece in the puzzle to go down this year.

Braun had publically denied the use of any performance enhancing drugs or steroids and threw the test collector for his urine sample under the bus in front of the MLB. But it was made clear this season that Braun had been using some form of performance enhancing drugs and he was a cheater, despite his lengthy denial of the situation.

While 13 players have been suspended so far, the biggest fish for MLB Commissioner Bud Selig to fry, as it would be is Rodriguez.

Just over four years ago Rodriguez claimed to have used steroids for a three-year period while he was on the Texas Rangers, from 2001-2003. But he was not reprimanded because MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) had yet to come up with its current system for punishment.

In the week up to Monday’s suspensions Rodriguez and his publicists continued to deny that he had any involvement with Biogenesis or any other performance enhancing drugs outside of his admitted use from 2001-2003. Rodriguez and his camp also stated that the Yankees and MLB were plotting against him, to keep him off the field, and that the Yankees were trying to rid themselves of his large contract.

As of Monday afternoon neither the league nor the Yankees responded to the claims of Rodriguez or his group.

So what does this do for Major League Baseball?

Rodriguez, who is the frontrunner in all of these allegations was supposed to be the savior for baseball after Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds blemished the game of baseball by taking steroids and putting up inflated numbers.

Even so, Rodriguez was the youngest player to reach 500 home runs and again 600 home runs, and much like Bonds, McGwire and Sosa, he has now been linked to some form of performance enhancing drugs or steroids.

For baseball this is a deep wound that wont go away. It’s as if Bud Selig doesn’t want it to go away either. Almost as if he has some vendetta set out on this generation of baseball and their players to rid every player and their records of any recognition.

The current system of suspensions under commissioner Selig’s watch is 50-games for the first offense, 100-games for the second offense and a life long ban for the third offense is just making players work harder to play around the rules. All of the suspensions are without pay. In addition, another player can replace a suspended player on the active roster. If a player is on the disabled list, the suspension is served while on the disabled list.

What this looks like to me is that if player “X” gets caught once, “X” works twice as hard not to get caught a second time. After the second suspension for “X”, player “X” is now a liability for any team that wants to sign them because one more failed test and you lose that player for the season and for longer.

I believe the best way to deal with this is to raise the level of the punishment immediately. Make it clear that performance enhancing drug use like steroids  will  not be tolerated.

A first time suspension should be the remainder of the season, no matter what time frame. The second suspension should be the remainder of the season and a full season after. The third punishment for a positive drug test would be the same as the current one, a life long ban from baseball.

But this likely won’t happen because Selig, like any good business owner wants his business to succeed, and for baseball, performance-enhancing drugs are part of the game.

But for the players in the game and trying to move their way up the ranks and into the major league, it hurts their chances to do it the right way, the clean way with so many other players getting away with the usage.

Red Sox Retire Yastrzemski's Jersey

On August 6, 1989 Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox retire Carl Yastrzemski's number 8 jersey.

Yastrzemski played his entire 23-year baseball career with the Boston Red Sox (1961–1983). He was primarily a left fielder, with part of his later career played at first base and as a designated hitter.
Yastrzemski is an 18-time All-Star, and the 1970 All-Star Game MVP. He is the possessor of seven Gold Gloves, including three consecutive from 1967-1969. He is a member of the 3000 hit club, and the first American League player in that club to also accumulate over 400 home runs. Since then Cal Ripken Jr. has matched the feat.

He is second on the all-time list for games played, and third for total at-bats.

He is the Red Sox' all-time leader in career RBIs, runs, hits, singles, doubles, total bases, and games played, and is second on the team's list for home runs behind another Red Sox great, Ted Williams, his predecessor in left field.

In 1967, Yastrzemski achieved a peak in his career, leading the Red Sox to the American League pennant for the first time in over two decades, in that season being voted the American League MVP, and was the last winner of the Triple Crown for batters in the major leagues until Miguel Cabrera achieved the feat in 2012.

Sports Illustrated named Yastrzemski the Sportsman of the Year after winning the Triple Crown.
Yastrzemski retired in 1983 at the age of 44, although he stated in his autobiography Yaz that he was initially planning on playing the 1984 season, until he tired from a long midseason slump. He also stated that had he known how good Roger Clemens would have been as a pitcher, he would have played in 1984 to have a chance to play with him.

Yastrzemski would finish his career with a .285 career batting average with 3,419 hits, 452 home runs and 1,844 RBIs.

Yastrzemski was inducted into the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989 with 94.63 percent of the vote on the first ballot in which he appeared.

In 1999, Yastrzemski ranked number 72 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players. That same season, he was named a finalist to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
As of the 2008 baseball season, on the all-time lists for Major League baseball, Yastrzemski ranks at number one for games played for one team, a record shared with Baltimore Orioles great and Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson.

Yastrzemski is number two for games played with 3,308, number three for at-bats, number six for hits with 3,419, number six for bases on balls with 1,845, number eight for total bases, number eight for doubles with 646, number nine with 1,157 extra base hits and 12 for RBIs with 1,844.

In addition, Yastrzemski only trails Ty Cobb in hits collected with a single team, and trails only Cobb and Tris Speaker in hits collected playing in the American League, both of whom played before World War II.

Aaron Hits Record Breaking Homers

On August 6, 1972 Atlanta Braves Hank Aaron hits his 660 and 661 home runs. The home runs are a record for a single player on a single team.

Henry Aaron also known as "Hammerin' Hank Aaron," is a retired American baseball right fielder that played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1954 through 1976. Aaron spent 21 seasons with the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves in the National League (NL) before playing for the Milwaukee Brewers of the American League (AL) for the final two years of his career. Aaron is considered to be one of the greatest baseball players of all time. In 1999, The Sporting News ranked Aaron fifth on their "100 Greatest Baseball Players" list.

After playing with the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League and in the minor leagues, Aaron started his major league career in 1954. In his final season, he was the last Negro League baseball player on a major league roster.

His most notable achievement was breaking the career home run record set by Babe Ruth. During his career, Aaron performed at a consistently high level for an extended period of time. He hit 24 or more home runs every year from 1955 through 1973, and is the only player to hit 30 or more home runs in a season at least fifteen times.

Aaron made the All-Star team every year from 1955 through 1975 and won three Gold Glove Awards. In 1957, he won the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, while that same year, the Braves won the World Series.

Aaron's consistency helped him to establish a number of important hitting records. He holds the MLB records for the most career runs batted in (RBIs) (2,297), the most career extra base hits (1,477), and the most career total bases (6,856).

Aaron is also in the top five for career hits with 3,771 (third), behind only Detroit Tigers Ty Cobb (4,191) and Cincinnati Reds Pete Rose (4,256) and runs with 2,174, which is tied for fourth with Babe Ruth, and only behind San Francisco Giants Barry Bonds (2,227), Cobb (2,246) and Oakland Athletics Rickey Henderson (2,295).

Aaron is one of only four players to have at least seventeen seasons with 150 or more hits, the other three are New York Yankees Derek Jeter, Rose and Cobb.

He also is in second place in home runs (755), to Bonds (762) and at-bats (12,364) to Rose (14,053) and in third place in games played (3,298), behind only Red Sox Carl Yastrzemski (3,308) and Rose (3,562). At the time of his retirement, Aaron held most of the game's key career power hitting records outright, including most total bases with 6,856, most RBI’s with 2,297, extra-base hits 1,477.

Aaron is also the only player with 700 home runs and 3,000 hits, and one of only two players with 600 home runs and 3,000 hits, the other being Willie Mays. He is also one of only four players with 500 home runs and 3,000 hits, the others being Mays, Eddie Murray and Rafael Palmeiro.

Aaron finished his career with .305 batting average, 25 All-Star game appearances, and two NL Batting titles in 1956 and 1959, and was a four-time NL home run champ in 1957, 1963, 1966-1967.

The Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers retired his no. 44 jersey. He was named to Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.

Aaron was inducted into the Cooperstown Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1982, on the first ballot in which he appeared, with 97.83 percent of the vote.

Glavine Joins 300 Win Club

On Aug. 5, 2007 New York Mets pitcher Tom Glavine becomes just the twenty-third pitcher to reach 300 wins, joining a prestigious group that included Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Tom Seaver, Steve Carlton, and Nolan Ryan. 

Glavine won 20 games five times in his career as well as two Cy Young Awards and one World Series Championship.

A high school hockey star, he was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL before signing on with the Atlanta Braves. 

 At first he struggled, losing a National League-high 17 games in 1988, but he eventually found his groove and posted double-digit wins in 18 of the next 19 seasons.

Glavine spent the bulk of his career in Atlanta, where he teamed with John Smoltz and Greg Maddux to form one of the best pitching rotations in baseball. 

With the help of those three, Atlanta won 14 division titles in a row, and quickly fell back to earth when Maddux and Glavine left for bigger markets (Glavine in '02 to New York, Maddux in '04 to Chicago).

Lewis Takes Gold In 100-Meter Dash

On August 4, 1984 United States Olympian Carl Lewis wins the Gold medal in the 100-meter dash at the Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

In addition to winning the Gold medal in the 100-meter dash, Lewis won the 200-meter spring, 4x100-meter relay and the long jump at the 1984 Olympics.

In 1988 is Seoul Lewis continues his reign in the 100-meter dash by earning his fifth Olympic Gold medal, and his sixth with the Gold medal in the long jump as well. He wouldn’t be able to keep his streak of Gold medals alive though as he earned a Silver medal in the 200-meter dash.

In 1992 in Barcelona Lewis won Gold in the 4x100-meter relay and the long jump.

In the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta Lewis earned his ninth Gold medal of his Olympics career, also his last in the long jump.

But it wasn’t just at the Olympics where Lewis shined, in the Inaugural World Championships in 1983 at Helsinki, Lewis took Gold in the 100-meter dash, 4x100-meter relay and long jump.

In the 1987 World Championships in Rome he earned Gold in all three events again, topping the field in the 100-meter dash, 4x100-meter relay and long jump.

Again in 1991 at the World Championships in Tokyo Lewis continued his reign on the track taking Gold in both the 100-meter dash and the 4x100-meter relay.

"The best race of my life," Lewis said of his 100-meter dash. "The best technique, the fastest. And I did it at thirty."

Lewis was referring to what would be the deepest 100 meters race ever to that time, with six men finishing in under ten seconds, with Lewis not only defeating his opponents, but he reclaimed the world record with a clocking of 9.86 seconds. Lewis's world record would stand for nearly three years.

However, he was dethroned in the long jump, taking home his only Silver medal in his World Championships career.

Lewis would be dethroned by Mike Powell who took Silver behind Lewis at the Olympics in 1988.

The two battled, in what is considered by some to have been one of greatest competitions ever in any sport.

Powell's 8.95 meter jump and Lewis's final two jumps of 8.87 and 8.84 meters still stand as of October 2011 as the top three low altitude jumps ever. The farthest anyone has jumped since under legal conditions is 8.74 meters.

In reference to his efforts at the 1991 World Championships, Lewis said, “This has been the greatest meet that I’ve ever had.”

In 1993 at the Stuttgart World Championships, Lewis placed third, taking home his only Bronze medal in World Championships competition.

At the San Juan Pan American Games in 1979, Lewis took Bronze in the long jump before coming back for Gold at the 1987 Indianapolis Pan American Games. He also took Gold in the 4x100-meter relay.

In the Goodwill Games of 1986 in Moscow, Lewis took home Gold in the 4x100-meter relay, but was only able to grab Bronze in the 100-meter dash.

The 1990 Goodwill Games in Seattle saw Lewis take Silver in the 100-meter dash while taking Gold in the long jump.

At the 1994 Saint Petersburg Goodwill Games Lewis took Gold in his only event, the 4x100-meter relay.

In the Olympic Boycott Games of 1980 in Philadelphia Lewis took Bronze in the long jump.

Lewis goes down as one of most glorified American athletes with his nine Gold and one Silver medal in Olympic competitions.

Henderson Steals His Way Into Records Books

On August 3, 1989 Oakland Athletics great and Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson sets the American League record mark of 50 steals in nine consecutive seasons.

Henderson was a left fielder who played in Major League Baseball for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four stints with his original team, the Oakland Athletics.

Nicknamed "The Man of Steal", he is widely regarded as the sport's greatest leadoff hitter and base runner^/ holding the record for most career leadoff home runs with 81, and winning three Silver Slugger awards in 1981, 1985 and 1990. His 1,406 career steals are almost double the previous record of 938 by Lou Brock, and almost 800 above the current active leader in stolen bases, Juan Pierre, who has 610.

Henderson is the all-time stolen base leader for the Oakland A’s and previously held the New York Yankees' franchise record from 1988-2011.

He also holds the major league records for runs scored and unintentional walks.

Henderson also holds the single-season record for stolen bases with 130 in 1982, and is the only player in AL history to steal 100 bases in a season, having done so three times.

A 12-time stolen base champion, he was also among the league's top ten base stealers in 21 different seasons.

Henderson was named the American Leagues Most Valuable Player in 1990, and he was the leadoff hitter for two World Series champions: the 1989 Oakland A's and the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays. Henderson was in the MVP conversation eight times during his career, and in the top five in voting three times.

At the time of his last major league game in 2003, the ten-time American League All-Star ranked among the sport's top 100 all-time home run hitters and was its all-time leader in base on balls.

His 25-year career elevated Henderson to the top ten in several other categories, including career at bats, games, and outfield putouts and total chances.

His high on-base percentage, power hitting, and stolen base and run totals made him one of the most dynamic players of his era.

Henderson also won a Gold Glove in 1981.

At the end of his 25-year career Henderson accumulated a .279 batting average with 3,055 hits comprised of 510 doubles, 66 triples and 297 home runs. He also added in a major league record 2,295 runs scored, 1,115 RBIs, 2,190 walks and a major league record 1,406 steals with a major league record 335 times caught stealing. Henderson struck out 1,694 times.

A dozen times Henderson led the league in stolen bases with his highest single season total coming in 1982 with 130 stolen bases, the major league record for a single season. Five times he led the league in caught stealing, with his highest single season total coming in 1982 with 42, a major league record for caught stealing in a single season.

Five times Henderson led the league in runs scored with his highest single season total coming in 1985 with 146 runs scored. Four times Henderson led the league in walks, with his highest single season total coming 1989 with 129 walks. Once Henderson led the league in hits, 1981 when he had 135 hits, however his highest single season total came in 1985 with 172, although he did not lead the league that year.

He was further known for his unquenchable passion for playing baseball and a buoyant, eccentric and quotable personality that both perplexed and entertained fans.

Once asked if he thought Henderson was a future Hall of Famer, statistician Bill James replied, "If you could split him in two, you'd have two Hall of Famers^.

In 2009, he was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot appearance with 94.8 percent of the vote.

The Oakland Athletics also retired Henderson’s no. 24 jersey in 2009.

Rockets Trade Olajuwon

On August 2, 2001, following in the footsteps of New York Knicks, who had recently traded Patrick Ewing to Seattle, the Houston Rockets trade an aging Hakeem Olajuwon, their best player in franchise history, to the Toronto Raptors for a pair of draft picks. 

Olajuwon was one of the 50 greatest players in history and had spent the previous 17-years in Houston. 

But upon making it clear that the Raptors were offering him more money, the Rockets moved him in a sign-and-trade.

Many wondered if the alliance of Olajuwon and Vince Carter would make the Raptors, who came within a jump shot of beating the Eastern Conference champion 76ers, a legitimate contender. 

But those who felt this way overestimated Olajuwon, who had been trailing off in his later years in Houston. 

With the Raptors, on a new team, in a different country, Hakeem's performance faltered. In 61 games, Olajuwon shot only 46.4 percent from the floor while averaging just 7.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, which were all career lows.

The Raptors lost to the Detroit Pistons in the first round that year. 

Before the start of the next season, the 39 year-old Olajuwon called it quits after suffering a back injury, ending one of the best careers in NBA history. 

Olajuwon was so irrelevant in Toronto that many people may be surprised to learn he even played there.

Olajuwon finished his career as a two-time NBA Champion in 1994 and 1995, and was the NBA MVP in 1994, and the NBA Finals MVP in 1994 and 1995.

Olajuwon was also a 12-time NBA All-Star including six-consecutive appearances twice, once form 1985-1990 and from 1992-1997. He was a six-time All-NBA First Team member, including three consecutive appearances from 1987-1989. He was a three-time All-NBA Second Team member, and a three-time All-NBA Third Team member.

Olajuwon was a five-time All-Defensive First Team member including back-to-back nominations in 1987-1988 and 1993-1994. He was a four time All-Defensive Second Team member, including back-to-back nominations in 1996-1997.

Twice Olajuwon was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, with back-to-back awards coming in 1993-1994.

Olajuwon was a three time NBA blocks leader including back-to-back awards in 1990-1991. He was a two-time NBA rebounding leader with back-to-back awards in 1989-1990.

He was named the Rookie of the Year in 1985, as well named to the NBA All-Rookie Team that same year.

Olajuwon was also selected to the NBA Fiftieth Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996.

Olajuwon's career numbers include  1,238 games played, with 1,186 starts. A total of 10,749 field goals, with a .512 field goal percentage. He made 5,423 free throws in his career with a .712 free throw percentage. He also made 25 three pointers in his career for a total of 26,946 points. He collected 4,034 offensive rebounds, and 9,714 defensive rebounds, for a total of 13,748 rebounds. He had 3,058 assists, 2,162 steals and 3,830 blocks.

Four times Olajuwon led the league in games played, playing all 82 games of the NBA schedule four times. He led the league in field goals attempted in the 1993-1994 season with 1,694.  That was also his highest single season total of field goals attempted.

Olajuwon led the league in defensive rebounds and total rebounds twice, the same years 1988-1989 and 1989-1990. With his highest single season total coming in 1989-1990, 850. He led the league in offensive rebounding once, his rookie year, 1984-1985, with 440 offensive rebounds. That was also his highest single season total for offensive rebounds.

Olajuwon led the league in blocks twice in 1989-1990 and 1992-1993 with 376, his highest single season total coming in 1989-1990.

Olajuwon ended his career as one the most prolific scoring centers to have played the game and was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 2008. 

Olajuwon's no. 34 jersey was also retired by the Rockets in 2008.

New Orleans Saints Play First Game

On August 2, 1967 that the New Orleans Saints played their first ever pre-season game.  

The Saints lost to the Los Angeles Rams 16-7 in the first professional football game ever held at Anaheim Stadium.

The Saints first season in the NFL started off with a bang as John Gilliam took the opening kick-off of the year and returned it 94-yards for a touchdown.  

However, the Saints would go on to lose the game and finished the season with a 3-11 record, which surprisingly was the most ever wins by a team in their expansion year.  

New Orleans had been one of the worst franchises in the league for quite awhile, but all that changed a few seasons ago.

The New Orleans Saints had a magical 2009 season, in which they started the year 13-0, on their way to the no. 1 seed in the NFC.  

They smashed the Arizona Cardinals 45-14 in the divisional round and beat the Minnesota Vikings 31-28 to reach the Super Bowl. 

 The Colts entered the Superbowl as the favorite, but that didn’t stop the Saints from winning it all for the franchise’s first ever Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Since their spectacular win in 2009, the Saints organization has been in ‘hotwater’ regarding bounties and coaching issues with over the last few seasons, and as recently as the 2011 NFC Divisional Playoff game against the 49ers here in San Francisco.

Mr. October Is Enshrined In Cooperstown

On August 1, 1993 slugger Reggie Jackson is enshrined in Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown New York.

During his 21-season career Reggie Jackson played for the Kansas City and Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees and the California Angels.

Jackson finished his career as a 14-time All-Star, including eight consecutive appearances from 1977-1984. He was a five time World Series Champion, including three consecutive with the Oakland Athletics from 1972-1974 and back-to-back titles with the New York Yankees in 1977-1978. He was the World Series MVP in 1973 and 1977. He won the American League MVP in 1973, and was awarded the Babe Ruth award in 1977. He was also a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner in 1980 and 1982.

Jackson was in the MVP discussion 13 times, while in the top five in voting five times.

Jackson ended his playing career with a .262 batting average with 2,584 hits with 463 doubles, 49 triples, 563 home runs, 1,375 walks with 1,702 RBIs, 1,551 runs scored and 228 steals. He struck out a major league record 2,597 times.

Jackson led the league in runs scored twice, with his highest single season total coming in 1969 when he scored 123 times. He led the league in home runs four times, although his highest single season total came in 1969 with 47 when he did not lead the league. He also led the league in RBIs once with 117 in 1973, although his highest single season total came in 1969 with 118. He did not lead the league that year.

Jackson was the first major leaguer to hit one hundred home runs for three different clubs, having hit over 100 for the Athletics, Yankees, and Angels.

Jackson is also the only player in the 500 home run club that never had consecutive 30 home run seasons in a career.

Jackson, while a home run slugger, also was the all-time leader in strikeouts. Over the course of his career he led the league in strikeouts five times with his highest single season total coming in 1968 with 171.

Because of his post-season heroics with the New York Yankees where he hit three home runs in a single game during the 1977 World Series Jackson has been nicknamed “Mr. October.”

Jackson was inducted into the Cooperstown Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993 with 93.6 percent of the vote on the first ballot in which he was on.

The Oakland Athletics retired his no. 9 jersey in 2004 and the New York Yankees retired his no. 44 jersey in 1993.

Ott Joins 500 Home Run Club

On August 1, 1945 New York Giants Mel Ott becomes the first National League player to hit 500 home runs, joining two American League players in New York Yankees great Babe Ruth and Philadelphia Athletics great Jimmy Foxx.

Since Ott joined the 500 home run club, the feat has been achieved by, in this order, Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Eddie Matthews, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Harmon Killebrew, Frank Robinson, Willie McCovey, Reggie Jackson, Mike Schmidt, Eddie Murray, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, Ken Griffey Jr., Frank Thomas, Alex Rodriguez, Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez and Gary Sheffield.

Ott has the third fewest home runs of any member in the 500 home run club just above Murray, 504 and Sheffield, 509. He is also one of four New York and San Francisco Giants on the list, with Mays McCovey and Bonds joining him in that order.

In his 22-year career Ott played for the New York Giants and was a 12-time All-Star, with 12 consecutive appearances from 1934-1945. He was part of the 1933 New York Giants World Series Championship team. Ott never won an MVP award but was in the MVP discussion 13 times during his career, and in the top five in voting three times.

During his career Ott set quite a few Major League Baseball records including being a six-time National League Home Run champion, including three consecutive seasons from 1936-1938. He became the youngest player to hit 100 home runs, as well the first National League player to hit 500 home runs. He also holds a major league record by leading his team 18 consecutive years in home runs from 1928–1945.

Ott also passed Rogers Hornsby to become the all-time NL home run leader in 1937 and held that title until Willie Mays passed him in 1966.

Ott also held several other records outside of hitting the long ball. He was a very patient batter, as he led the National League in walks six times, including three consecutive years from 1931–33. He also shares an MLB record by drawing a walk in seven consecutive plate appearances from June 16 through 18, 1943.

Other offense records that Ott holds are twice scored six runs in a game, on August 4, 1934 and April 30, 1944. He was also the first National League player to post eight consecutive 100-RBI seasons, only Willie Mays, Sammy Sosa, Chipper Jones, and Albert Pujols have joined him.

His defensive skills were also above par, as he twice led all National League outfielders in double plays in 1929 and 1935.

Ott finished his career with a .304 batting average, 2,876 hits with 488 doubles, 72 triples, 511 home runs, 1,708 walks with 1,860 RBIs, 1,859 runs scored and 89 steals. He struck out 896 times.

Twice Ott led the league in runs scored, 1938 and 1942, although his highest single season total of 138 came 1929. He led the league in home runs six times, although his highest single season total of home runs, 42, came in 1929 when he did not lead the league. He led the league in RBIs once, 1934, although his highest single season total of 151 came in 1929 when he did not lead the league. He led the league in walks six times, although his highest single season total of 118 came in 1938, when he did not lead the league in walks.

Near the end of Ott’s playing career he coached the New York Giants from 1942 until his retirement in 1947 and one season after retirement in 1948. The Giants best finish during that time was in third place in 1942. Ott also set a record for managers, as he was the first manager to be ejected from both games of a doubleheader, when the Giants lost both games to the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 9 1946.