The Major League Baseball Post

[wearinthefourfive]

Yeah, Geren is a joke. Especially when he decides to give guys days off, and he sits the entire heart of our already $!*!+$#+ lineup.

 

[speakup23]

Originally Posted by briannnnn

M's and Angels wore 1995 throwbacks on Saturday.  Almost forgot that this was the Angels uniform in 1995.  Nice to see the M's with the teal tops.

Grey underbrim caps too

Those jerseys

 

[proshares]

Heard today that the top four teams in the AL East are the top four in runs scored in the majors. Skimming through the stats, I had no idea that KC was 2nd in the majors in batting average.

 

[dland24]

Anyone have any idea who will be closing for the Red Sox while Papelbon is gone for the next 3-7 games?

 

[captaincrown]

So how good is Bryce Harper? He's been on ESPN all day, I just want NTs opinion on the kid

 

[shaunhillftw49]

Bard dland

 

[proshares]

Dland, Bard will probably be taking over until Paps comes back. They recalled Boof Bosner from Triple A for his roster spot.

 

[johnnyredstorm]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrown

So how good is Bryce Harper? He's been on ESPN all day, I just want NTs opinion on the kid

They call him the best prospect since Mickey Mantle, and his numbers in Juco were ridiculous for a 17 year old kid. I think he's the real deal and will be making an impact from the get go like Puljols and Miguel Cabrera did when they came up. I can't see Harper staying in the minors past the age of 20. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he got called up at the age of 19.

 

[pj and bompton]

at the M's throwbacks...

and Bard will be the Sox closer as others have said...

Baltimore scores getting Machado at #3

 

[wildkycat]

glad i didn't go see Chapman pitch tonight...

2 innings, 6 hits, 7 earned, 6 walks, 1 K.

ouch.

 

[rudemiester]

Originally Posted by SpeakUp23

Originally Posted by briannnnn

M's and Angels wore 1995 throwbacks on Saturday.  Almost forgot that this was the Angels uniform in 1995.  Nice to see the M's with the teal tops.

Grey underbrim caps too

Those jerseys

Where can one find those Angels fitteds?

 

[Retroballer]

Mike Stanton debuts tonight lost behind the Strasburg hype.
can we talk about his AA numbers though
.311 average
21 homeruns
52 RBIs
1.167 OPS
in 52 games

 

[proshares]

I really hope he doesn't strike out as much as I think he will. Joining a team that's up at the top in strikeouts too. Picked him up in a couple leagues

 

[cincoseisdos]

Originally Posted by Rudemiester

Originally Posted by SpeakUp23

Originally Posted by briannnnn

M's and Angels wore 1995 throwbacks on Saturday.  Almost forgot that this was the Angels uniform in 1995.  Nice to see the M's with the teal tops.

Grey underbrim caps too

Those jerseys

Where can one find those Angels fitteds?

Lids, but it'll have the NE logo on the side

 

[651akathepaul]

Strasburg is pretty good.

 

[MON5T3R]

I was thinking since the draft just recently passed, whats good with Tim Beckham?

 

[dland24]

Hopefully something better than Gordan Beckham.

 

[kiddin like jason]

A little bird told me that Carlos Santana will make his debut June 15th versus the Mets...

 

[proshares]

Porcello getting mopped again.

 

[kiddin like jason]

Andy Marte.

First and second, one out: easy double play ball - boots it; gets no out.

Bases loaded, two outs: routine grounder - boots it; throws the ball into the photo bay.

All in the first inning.

 

[cincoseisdos]

A-Rod pinch hit for in the 2nd

 

[briannnnn]

Supposedly A-Rod was showing signs he had tightness in his leg. Or his groin might have tightened up on him again.

 

[cincoseisdos]

Yeah the groin is what MLBnetwork was specifying

 

[kiddin like jason]

I don't know how common this is, but I'm guessing not at all: Victor Martinez, back in Cleveland for the past four days with the Red Sox, has been staying with his host parents from his Single-A days.

CLEVELAND -- When the ball jumped off Victor Martinez's bat andlanded in the outfield grass Monday night, his 5-year-old son, VictorJose, jumped out of his seat in the suites at Progressive Field andtapped Patti Bixler on the leg.

"Grandma!" little Victor said. "My daddy got a single!"

An 11-year tale led to this moment, in which a boy of Venezuelanheritage referred to a woman from Howland, Ohio, as his grandma.

It's a baseball story, certainly, but it's also a story ofcompassion. Because when Patti and her husband, Bob, opened their hometo Victor Martinez in 1999, they also opened their hearts. Theconnection that ensued between host family and Minor League ballplayerat that time lasts to this very day.

"They're my family," Martinez said of the Bixlers.

And when Martinez's Red Sox came to Cleveland to face the Indians this week, the family was happily reunited.

A happy home

The short-season Class A Mahoning Valley Scrappers played theirinaugural season at Eastwood Field in '99, and Bob, a commercial loanofficer for J.P. Morgan Chase, and Patti were in attendance for one ofthe team's first games.

"We were sitting next to some people who were rooting ratherconvincingly for one of the players," Bob said. "We knew these peoplein the community, and we asked them, 'Do you know this young man?' Theysaid, 'He's staying at our house. We're hosting him.'"

The Bixlers, who had housed foreign-exchange students andchurch parishioners in the past, were instantly intrigued. When thegame ended, they went to the Scrappers' clubhouse to make themselvesavailable to any players in need of a place to crash for the summer.They encountered four Venezuelan players who were about to make atwo-mile trek toward their apartment.

"It was," Martinez recalled, "a pretty long walk back to theplace. And then I remember this lady outside saying she was going totake us home."

That would be Patti, who Martinez now affectionately refers to as "Mom."

Unable to house all four, the Bixlers, who had three kids oftheir own, arranged for Bob's sister to take in one player and hissister's friend to host another. Martinez and pitcher Dennis Malavestayed with the Bixlers.

Malave, though, didn't stay long. He was promoted to Class AColumbus in the South Atlantic League, and the Bixlers were left alonewith Martinez, who barely knew a word of English, aside from"McDonald's." So they taught him the language through Post-It notesleft on various items in the house, and they taught him some other insand outs of life in America, as well.

"One time, we were driving, and I asked, 'Have you ever heardof a Chinese fire drill?'" Patti said with a smile. "I said, 'When Istop the car, we're all going to get out and run around and then jumpback in.' I got in the backseat, and Victor was stuck driving. He goes,'Mom! What am I supposed to do?' I said, 'Drive the car!'"

Hey, it was only a mile back to the house, but Martinez wasofficially one step closer to one day driving himself to the ballpark.

Roots remembered

Martinez's time in the New York-Penn League didn't extend beyondthat summer. He made it to high Class A Kinston the following year andopened 2002 at Double-A Akron.

"I knew he was a good ballplayer when I watched him play," Bobsaid. "But nobody asked for or hoped for anybody in our house to besuccessful. We just opened our home because we would want somebody todo the same for our kids if they were abroad."

Even as he made the quick ascent to the Major Leagues, Martineznever forgot the family that took him in at the most impressionablestage of his career. And he showed just how much that family meant tohim the night of his big league debut against the Blue Jays.

"It was Sept. 10, 2002," Bob said reverently. "He had calledPatti and me and said, 'Mom and Dad, come to the game and see meplay.'"

But the Bixlers had other priorities. Their son, Ryan, was inthe hospital having one of 16 surgical procedures that would beperformed to address a cyst on his brain.

Still, the nurses at University Hospital and even Ryan himselfkept encouraging Bob and Patti to go to the game. Ryan, though, hadjust one request: Could they ask Victor to come see him in thehospital?

Surely, it seemed, that was out of the question, becauseMartinez had his priorities, as well. He started behind the plate forthe Tribe that night and contributed a two-run single -- his firstMajor League hit and RBI.

When the Bixlers came down to the clubhouse to congratulateVictor after the game, they told him they had to get back to thehospital. Patti asked him if he might be willing to come.

"Let's go," Martinez said with no hesitation.

They piled into the Bixlers' van -- Bob and Patti, Victor andhis wife, Margaret. A family bonded together in support of a loved one.

"It was awesome getting to have him come to my hospital room,"Ryan remembered. "He could have gone out and partied and done anythinghe wanted, but he chose to come see me at the hospital."

A lasting bond

Seven years later, Ryan would return the favor.

Martinez was devastated when the Indians traded him to the RedSox on July 31, 2009. He loved the organization and loved the citywhere Victor Jose and daughter Maria Victoria were born.

The Bixlers were devastated, too.

"Don't quote what I have to say about it," Patti said.

Martinez was due to join his new teammates in Baltimore the next day.

"He called me on the way to the airport," Ryan said. "I toldhim, 'I want to be there for you. If you leave me two tickets to thegame, I'll drive out.' So I drove out with three buddies of mine to gosee the game."

Families bond together in those kinds of moments. And nothingthat's happened in Martinez's career -- not the All-Star Games ormultiyear deal or prominent trade -- has made him forget his family inHowland.

That point was proven this week, when little Victor Joseclimbed into Bob's bed and woke up his grandpa. Unbeknownst to Bob,Patti and Margaret had arranged for the Martinez family to stay withthe Bixlers during the four-game series between the Red Sox and Tribe.Victor eschewed the ritzy team hotel for the bed he used to sleep inwhen he was a 20-year-old Minor Leaguer getting his first taste of lifein the States.

"We went down in the basement," Bob said, "and looked at allthe pictures and pennants from 1999, and Victor said, 'Wow, daddy, 11years ago!'"

The next morning, Patti fixed Victor three homemade eggMcMuffins -- the same breakfast he used to have each morning in thatsummer of '99. Only this time, she had her grandkids over, as well. 
"They're our family," she said. "It's just nice to have them come home and visit us."
Love that guy.

Random question: Anyone ever been to Cape Cod to watch the college kids play? I'm thinking about making a trip (nothing to do with baseball, but it's certainly another plus).

 

[djaman]

That's an absolutely fantastic story about Victor Martinez. I had no idea that kind of thing happened. Very touching, kudos to that family.