MLB Showdown Obsession

Some guys, you just know are a Hall of Fame lock....and there are guys where you *know* they're a lock. For Ichiro Suzuki, the only question was if he could be unanimously voted in and was such a lock that I made his HoF card right after I made all the ballot cards for the January post. He was also joined from the ballot with two high profile New York guys as well as a couple Classic Baseball Era honorees. 

 The Hall of Fame would swell to over 100 members with the inclusion of the 1964 class. It would not be without some controversy, however. The BBWAA would meet and not be able to elect anyone the first time, so the controversial run off was done where Luke Appling, who finished the initial vote closest to the 75% threshold, get the nod. Joining him were 6 men selected by the Veterans Committee. Included with that group is perfect game pitcher John Montgomery Ward , who excelled both on the mound with a perfect game but also at the plate, so he'll receive the rare duel player distinction. He wasn't quite like Babe Ruth as a duel threat, but think of him more as a good pitcher who transitioned because of injury into a good position player like Rick Ankiel did (or what Shohei Ohtani should do if he wants to stay healthy).  Also inducted: Miller Huggins (Manager - New York Yankees / St. Louis Cardinals)

 Baseball is America's pastime, and this there might be a bit of undue pressure on the country to back that claim up. USA is already the place famous for 100% of the Super Bowl titles and all but 2 World Series champions in addition to the most medals all time in the history of the Olympics...so hard hard could it be to come out on top in the WBC? Round 1 began with a solid 2-0 win over Mexico, but Canada of all places provided a reality check the next day when they upset the Americans 8-6. With their advancement in doubt and all the pride on the line in the final game of round 1 play, America pulled out all the stops and thrashed South Africa 17-0 in a 5 inning mercy rule shortened game. It would be the only time a WBC would end after only 5 innings until the 2023 competition. With the help of 2 shutouts, the US would finish better than Canada with the tie breaker and advance. Every other pool had a 3-0 team easily advance, and expectations were on the US to be the 3-0 team from t...

Today, when a Japanese player wants to leave his native land behind to go chase the millions of dollars in America, there is a complicated posting process involved. This became the norm not because of Suzuki, Matsui, Ohtani or Nomo, but a man named Hideki Irabu. The San Diego Padres originally signed him, but when the 27 other teams cried foul, MLB decided to create the posting system we know today to give everyone a chance to get a foreign all star. Irabu had no interest in being a Padre and made it public that he would only play for the Yankees. With that kind of leverage, the Yankees were able to swing a trade and bring him in. Now Hideki was a Yankee in the 90s, with all the good and bad that was associated with playing under George Steinbrenner in those days. The Boss was able to tout another big name pitcher in his rotation...and he would ultimately become so frustrated with Irabu and his weight issues that he would give him the infamous nickname "Fat ***** Toad" Irabu ...

 Canada has a bit of a rough existence in the WBC. Currently they've never escaped the first round, even some years having to requalify for the competition. It wasn't always so bleak. In 2006, Canada put up a good fight and almost made the 2nd round, but a bit of bad luck and tie-breakers left them out in the cold. Things started out strong for Canada, with an 11-8 victory over South Africa, but allowing so many runs compared to how Mexico and America would beat SA would come back to hurt. Up next would be the high point of Canada in their entire WBC existence: a shocking 8-6 upset victory over the United States. All they had to do now was beat Mexico and they'd be able to punch their ticket to round 2...but Mexico thrashed them 9-1. After the round 1 games, Canada, the United States and Mexico all were sporting a 2-1 record, but only 2 teams could advance. Enter: the controversial tie breaker system. Ranking of these three teams would be based on Runs Against per 9 Innings...