MLB Showdown Obsession

 Today, July 1, is a fun little holiday in baseball. "Bobby Bonilla Day" is a reminder of how to be a smart negotiator as a player, and a warning to owners about reckless money schemes for more than just baseball. But before we begin our tale, let us highlight the career of the man for who we have named this holiday for... Bobby was originally signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates, but his minor league progression was interrupted by a broken leg, delaying his journey to the majors long enough for the Chicago White Sox to nab him in the Rule 5 draft. He finally tasted the majors in 1986, but Pittsburgh wasn't ready to let him go that easily... ...and made a trade to bring the rookie back to the organization. Bonilla began '87 as the starter at 3rd Base, while still slotting in the corner outfield spots from time to time. 1988 saw Bonilla solely as a 3rd baseman. You may not like Bobby to lose that extra utility, but his first season at just one position was also his best, a...

The Pirates today are often looked down on as a joke. Like most teams now they've been capable of the occasional run for the pennant, but they haven't been a sustained threat since the early 1990's, which many fans today weren't alive to witness, let alone care about. Such is a far cry from the early days of baseball, when they won three straight pennants to open the 20th century. Unfortunately, two of those pennants predated the World Series, and the third pennant ended in an upset defeat. They would finally get off the hump in 1909 with a title, but it seems their first sustained title run ended with only minimal results. Entering 1925, there was another NL team in the midst of a title run. The New York Giants were looking to add to their four straight NL pennants. The Pirates were usually in 2nd or 3rd place on the outside looking in, but this year the Giants were finally stumbling. Manager Bill McKechnie and the Pirates did not waste the opportunity as they posted a...

 It's that wonderful time, again. The World Baseball Classic begins as it seems Japan looks to prove they're better than all the other countries. As the 2026 edition gets started, let's take a moment to look back to 2023 where something truly unique went down... On March 13, 2023, round 1 (called the group stage this year) was continuing in Pool D as Israel faced off against Puerto Rico at LoanDepot Park (Home of the Miami Marlins). Advancement to Round 2 was still very much up in the air with Israel at 1-0 and Puerto Rico 1-1, but on this day Puerto Rico made a statement as their pitching staff combined to toss a "perfect game". Why wasn't it a proper perfect game? WBC rules got in the way in multiple ways. Back in 2017, Marcus Stroman was playing for the United States as he took a no-hitter into the 8th inning during the finals against Puerto Rico. He was able to do that because the rules had fewer limitations on pitchers during the championship round. Round...