Today is Willie Mays Day.
I have heard many anecdotes over the years about people timing their deaths. There is research on this subject regarding taxes. George Steinbrenner might be an example of that. I knew two Red Sox fans in their 80s who were failing, and died shortly after Boston won the 2004 World Series. I’ve heard stories of people sitting vigil over a loved one, only for that person to die when the room was empty. Maybe Mays thought a game at Rickwood Field would be a fitting funeral.
This was planned to be a celebration of Mays. He did issue a statement for Dusty Baker to read:
Mays remained a class act to the end. His Giants will be the visiting team as they face the Cardinals. Both teams are involved in an extremely tight race for the second and third wild card slots in the NL, Nine teams are within a game and half of the second slot, with Washington and St. Louis tied and for the last playoff positions right now. All those teams are under .500.
Kenton Winn takes the mound for San Francisco. On a day where there will likely be talk of Mays in heaven, Winn takes a 6.66 ERA to the mound. Opponents slug .470 against him and his five triples allowed make him one of four pitchers to give up that many this season.
The Cardinals may try to exorcise Winn’s ERA as Andre Pallante takes the mound against him. Pallante moved into the St. Louis rotation on 5/29, and is 2-2 with a 3.63 ERA in his four starts. He does own a high walk rate in that time, but it’s tempered by only allowing one home run.
Enjoy the game, and keep Mays and the other legends of Rickwood Field in mind as you watch tonight.
Tidbit the Orioles broadcasters are touting:
Orioles have not lost an intradivisional series for the last 21 series, which ties the MLB record. The opponents of the other three team had a sub .500 record. Orioles’ opponents record is .549.
So the Orioles are the real deal.
And now it looks like it’ll be 22 straight series.
Yes, they are for real.