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Happy Hump Day, baseball fans! This time out we’re talkin about the passing of a baseball legend, how the Pirates have gotten off to their hottest start since the Reagan administration, and the pitcher who threw a no-hitter after working at a car wash.
My name’s AJ… and this is Two-Strike Count.
Larry Lucchino passes away at 78
Legendary baseball executive and visionary Larry Lucchino, whose career spanned three MLB teams, passed away Tuesday morning. Lucchino served as the president of both the Orioles and Padres, where he oversaw the construction of both Camden Yards and Petco Park, along with building a Padres team that went all the way to the World Series in 1998.
But it was Lucchino’s tenure in Boston where he really made a name for himself. He pushed for the team to promote baseball wünderkind Theo Epstein to general manager while helping to build a 2004 Red Sox roster that finally got past the rival Yankees and ended the team’s 86-year championship drought.
Lucchino also helped rejuvenate Fenway Park, overseeing $300 million in renovations, including the trademark Green Monster Seats. After leaving the Red Sox in 2015, he took over as president of the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox and led a charge to move them out of an outdated stadium and into a new, modern one in Worcester, MA.
And now, as we mourn the loss of Larry Lucchino, it’s time to reflect on all he did for the game of baseball… and say “thank you.”
Pirates plunder their way to hot start
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: the Pittsburgh Pirates are off to a hot start. The Buccos have started a season 5-0 for the first time since 1983. To put that in perspective, the last time they won their first 5 games: viewers gathered around their TV’s to watch the MASH finale, the space shuttle Challenger made its maiden voyage, and Nintendo’s Famicom (which would later come to the US as the Nintendo Entertainment System) went on sale in Japan.
Thing is, we’ve seen this from the Pirates before. They started last year 20-9 before going 56-77 the rest of the way and missing the playoffs. Again. But take heart, Pirates fans. Your team made some key additions (Aroldis Chapman, Rowdy Tellez, and Yasmani Grandal among them) this winter and improved from last year.
Will it be enough to get the Pirates back to the playoffs? It’s too early to tell, but I’d say it’s a safe bet the Jolly Roger will be flying this October.
From car wash to no-hitter
If you’d never heard the name Ronel Blanco before Tuesday night, you’re not alone. He was an unheralded prospect in the Astros’ system. And before that he worked at a car wash in the Dominican Republic. Most people (including within the organization) never thought Blanco would step onto a Major League pitcher’s mound, even after he dazzled in the Dominican Winter League.
But Tuesday night, in just his eighth Major League start, Blanco threw 2024’s first no-hitter in a 10-0 Astros win over the Blue Jays. Not too shabby for a guy who’d never gone more than six innings or thrown more than 100 pitches. Not too shabby at all.
From working at a car wash to etching his name into the history books. It’s a story not even Hollywood could dream up. Take a bow, Ronel Blanco. You earned it.
That’s it for this edition of Two-Strike Count, baseball fans. Until next time!
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