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Greetings, fellow baseball enjoyers! And welcome to your thrice-weekly dose of baseball banter!
My name’s AJ… and this is Two-Strike Count.
Devers makes history
Ted Williams. Jim Rice. Carlton Fisk. David Ortiz. Some of the best hitters to ever swing a bat have worn a Red Sox jersey. But none of them were able to do what Rafael Devers did.
The 27 year-old third baseman made Red Sox history Monday night against the Rays when he homered for the sixth game in a row. Devers’ history-making home run helped power the Red Sox to a 5-0 win at Tropicana Field.
It’s pretty incredible that out of all the great hitters who have played for the Sox over the years never accomplished this feat. But, hey, that’s baseball I guess. Devers’ streak puts him in rare company outside of Boston, too.
He’s the first player to homer in as many as six straight games since Mike Trout did it in seven consecutive games back in 2022. And, if Devers can find a way to extend his streak another two games, he’d be tied with Ken Griffey Jr (1993), Don Mattingly (1987), and Dale Long (1956).
But even if he doesn’t, this power burst is a great sign for Devers and the Red Sox offense.
Ohtani-gate takes another turn
Well, well, well, how the turn tables. In the latest Ohtani-gate twist, news broke that his former teammate and close friend, David Fletcher, made bets with illegal bookmaker Matt Bowyer from 2018 to 2023.
If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Bowyer is the same bookie who took bets from Ohtani’s ex-interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. Fletcher reportedly didn’t bet on any baseball games, but his friend Colby Schultz (who spent two years in the Kansas City Royals farm system) did.
But here’s the real kicker. Schultz’s bets included Angels games when Fletcher and Ohtani were both still on the team.
Needless to say… this is a bad look. For the Angels, for MLB, and maybe most of all… for Ohtani.
Mizuhara’s already pled guilty to federal charges of stealing millions from Ohtani. Maybe that’s what really happened. Maybe. This new information about Fletcher and Schultz, though, casts some serious doubt on Ohtani’s version of events.
Buckle up, ladies and gents, cause somethin tells me things are about to get very interesting indeed.
MLB’s balanced schedule isn’t quite balanced
MLB made some radical changes to its schedule last year, opting for a so-called “balanced” schedule that sees every team play each other at least once. And while there’s no doubt it’s a great opportunity for fans to see teams and players they wouldn’t normally get a chance to see, there’s a major flaw with the changes.
Before 2023, divisional rivals would play each other 19 times a year. Now, they only meet 13 times. And, many divisional series aren’t being played until later in the season. For example, the Red Sox and Yankees won’t face each other until June. I’m all for variety, but putting arguably the best rivalry in baseball (maybe in sports?) on hold until near the middle of the season so teams can play less important games in other cities is a bit ridiculous.
The chance to see some different teams and players, or for fans like me who live in a different city than their favorite team is very cool. I’m stoked to see my Red Sox come play in Denver this July, because, short of going to Boston, I wouldn’t get a chance to. But de-emphasizing divisional rivalries isn’t the way to go.
Surely there must be a compromise. Surely the schedule makers can figure out a way to keep the variety while keeping division rivalries intact. Afterall, division rivalries and division races are one of the best parts of baseball.
I’m not sure what the solution is, but there’s gotta be one. Cause losing division games in the name of “balance” isn’t balanced at all.
That’s it for this edition of Two-Strike Count, baseball fans. Until next time!
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