Milestone day (June 28, 2007)!

Frank Thomas hit career home run number 500.

Craig Biggio reached 3000 hits.

Frank Thomas hit the fourth pitch of his first AB, with a 1-2 count, as a three run home run which happened to be number five hundred for him. He became the 21st player to join the 500 home run club. He is only the fourth active player to be on the list. Toronto were visiting Minnesota for a four game series, and it was Carlos Silva who gave up Frank Thomas' 500th home run. Unfortunately for the Jays, they lost the game by a score of 8-5.

Craig Biggio hit the third pitch of his fourth AB, with a 2-0 count, to center fielder Willy Taveras, his 3000th. He singled, but was sprinting from the start right around first, and was out at second base. Just seeing the replay one can see why he is the leadoff man. He is the only active player with 3000 or more hits. He was three hits shy going into the game, and ended the night with 3002, as he went 5-6. To top it off, Carlos Lee hit a walk off grand slam home run to win the game for the Astros in the 11th. The Colorado Rockies were the visiting team. Willy Taveras, who got Biggio out at second on the outfield assist, was a former Houston Astro, therefore obviously a former teammate of Biggio's. Also to note, Willy Taveras is the leadoff hitter for Colorado. Finally, Aaron Cook was the pitcher who gave up hit 3000 to Biggio.

Further reading:
Thomas launches No. 500 at Metrodome
Biggio reaches 3,000-hit milestone

Pair of milestones make for historic day

National Baseball Hall of Fame - The 3,000 Hit Club
500 Home Runs Club by Baseball Almanac

1 win away from sweeping the ex Expos

So the Toronto Blue Jays are one win away from sweeping the ex Expos, oh, the Washington Nationals, in Toronto. It is a three game set, and the only three they are playing together, as now the Orioles are the interleague rival for the Nationals. When the Expos played the Blue Jays, in the past, the winner of the interleague games won the Pearson Cup. The last two years, 2003 and 2004 resulted in a 3-3 tie.

When the Expos first moved I definitely rooted against the Nationals, but now I don't care as much, however it will be nice to see them swept by the Jays! The odds of them winning the World Series anytime too soon isn't very likely. Also it seems they have inherited the same injury trouble the Expos had, and even worse. In 2003 as the Expos they lost 869 man games to injury, in 2004, 825. in 2005 in Washington now, they lost 1434 man games to injury, and in 2006, 1615! Currently now they already have 519! So looks like they won't exceed 1625, but will probably end around 1200!

Slowly I am moving towards getting into the Jays again. I liked them around the late nineties, when they had Shannon Stewart, Carlos Delgado, Shawn Green, and Tony Batista.

It would be nice to see baseball in Montreal again, maybe once Bud Selig is out of the picture. It definitely would have been something to have had a downtown ballpark, just down the street from where the Canadiens play now, with the Montreal buildings as a backdrop over center field. Here is what it potentially could have looked like. The image above shows where it would have been had all gone well, instead condominiums are going up, if not already, as that image is circa summer 2005. And had that happened, Vlad would have been hitting homers there. Also the thought of a ballpark somewhere along the water would have been nice, in latter years, a la San Francisco. Again, maybe once Selig is gone.

In the meantime, Go Jays!