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MLB News & Moments You Should Know – 9/24

Pujols hits 700th, Shohei 200th K in '22, J-Rod to IL & More

Steven Giangaspro
MLB Morning News 9/24/2022

Happy Saturday! Stay updated on everything baseball with our morning MLB News & Moments articles. We’ve got you covered to keep you in the know.

 

Today’s Headlines

 

Craig Counsell desires MLB to restrict fans with gloves based on age

Craig Counsell came up with a great idea, possibly by accident. Whether it was said in jest or not: he may be onto something. The Brewers’ skipper made his weekly spot on 620 WTMJ to give an update on the Crew in their pursuit of October glory.

In the segment, Craig Counsell was questioned on the hot-button matter of older fans hawking balls and potentially stealing them from younger fans of the game. This has come to the surface a bit because of the history being made in New York with Aaron Judge and in St. Louis with Albert Pujols. There are people planning to get the ball due to its value.

Specifically, Craig Counsell was asked about the incident where a fan wearing a glove went viral for stealing a ball ticketed to a group of young kids.

Counsell was certainly in favor of what he calls a “national age limit on bringing a glove to the park.”

When asked what age seems appropriate, he zeroed in on 14 and said if anyone happened to get their hands on a ball older than that age, they should pass it to the nearest kid.

Of course, some can consider this a tongue-in-cheek response but there has certainly been a swelling of disdain towards those trying to secure baseballs in the ballpark whether the ball has history tied to it or not.

Whether he actually wants the league to take action or he was just speaking in a reactive fashion, it is a take that some, if not most, would support wholeheartedly.

 

 

NFL’s AJ Brown: Ticketed to be the Next Bo Jackson?

 

You do not see a lot of football names on this website. The Eagles were attempting to deal AJ Brown on draft night to the Titans, but that could have been halted altogether with zero compensation. Rewinding the tape to three months before the Philadelphia Eagles wheeled and dealt into a draft-night accord with the Tennessee Titans, AJ Brown expressed significant and emerging interest in donning a San Diego Padres uniform and playing baseball.

He made it clear he was serious and there was a discussion with the Padres that had legs.

But they hit a speed bump in discussions and AJ Brown conveyed that the San Diego front office didn’t have a desire in him to become the next multi-sport icon like Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders, and he’d have to give up football to play baseball.

There’s no blaming San Diego for their stance. With the amount of money it would take for AJ Brown to play baseball, they would not want to risk their financial standing with a potential injury on the field.

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Kimbrel Out As Closer?

 

Prior to Friday’s contest at home vs. St. Louis, Dave Roberts released a statement that Craig Kimbrel will not be and is not currently the team’s closer for the rest of the regular season.

Los Angeles figures to run with a closer by committee for the remaining games.

The struggles have been noted and this move does not come as a surprise to anyone paying attention.

Kimbrel has shown great difficulty being reliable and consistent through the 2022 campaign. The biggest issue is that he has not shown the ability to throw strikes with regularity that anyone can be comfortable with.

On top of the lack of control, the loss of velocity has him not missing bats at the same rate as in the past. Kimbrel is not going away and he is sure to see some high-leverage situations in the upcoming weeks as the conditions tighten through October but this is certainly a blow to his ego.

For a team with so many positives and seemingly everything going right, this is a massive issue as games in October are sure to be tighter. Dave Roberts is using the rest of the season to find a solution to a problem that he hopes doesn’t cost them a chance at a championship.

The clear answer seems to be right in front of them.

Evan Phillips has been a clear runaway as the Dodgers’ best reliever all season. Only issue is how valuable he is in his current role as the versatile pressure reliever that can be released on any situation Roberts deems fit throughout the game.

 

J-Rod to IL

 

The electric Julio Rodríguez is being placed on the 10-day injured list with a lower back strain.

Obviously, this is a huge blow that Seattle is going to have to withstand. The Mariners are trying to hold on as they’ve watched their grip on the third AL Wild Card playoff spot shrunk to just three over the surging Orioles.

This injury comes at a bad time as the Mariners are indeed slumping. They have been trying to break out of the funk but have been downed in six of their last eight games.

With the current timeline and projection, Julio Rodríguez can be back at full strength by the end of the regular season if all goes well. With a lot on the line, having his game-changing ability on the sidelines is painful.

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

Pujols hits #700

 

Albert Pujols was on the doorstep of history entering Friday night. He was 2 home runs shy of the very elite 700-home run fraternity when the night started and that shrunk to 1 rather quickly after he hit a homer in the 3rd inning.

Despite being on the road, fans were excited to see him deposit #699 at Dodger Stadium. With so much game left, they were hoping to see him do the deed in the upcoming at-bats.

You could feel the swell building when Pujols came up in the 4th inning.

Baseball has a way of building tension to the perfect breaking point before the moment of release.

What a moment in Los Angeles as he launched the historic bomb to an elated road crowd.

They didn’t seem to care how it hurt the Dodgers.

This was history.

Albert Pujols now gets to rub shoulders with Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), and Babe Ruth (714) as the only power hitters in MLB history to mash at least 700 home runs. Albert Pujols and Hank Aaron are the only two players in history with at least 3,000 hits combined with 700 home runs. What a feat.

This run towards history has created a buzz and an electric feeling in the crisp air of St. Louis. The NL Central-leading Cardinals have been playing in front of sell-out crowds on a nightly basis in hopes to see the historic tater.

Despite the disappointment that it didn’t happen in their yard, the fans will be sure to greet one of their all-time great players with a standing ovation when he returns to Busch Stadium.

 

 

Adley’s Show

 

The quiet pounding of the drum has left the Orioles alive and hanging on deep in September baseball. Camden faithful has to be so proud of what their baby birds have been able to accomplish this year, no matter where it ends.

Adley Rutschman was the center of all of it Friday night. He not only was responsible for giving the O’s the lead in a deadlock tie in the fourth inning with his 12th homer of the year, but he was also able to get aboard base four times. He was a machine that could not be stopped.

Adley wasn’t done there though. He was an essential piece in the five-run power surge in the seventh with an RBI double. He called a masterful game-catching Dean Kremer in the first shutout of his career. He literally did it all. It was quite the showing for the young Baltimore backstop.

Baltimore figured out a way and was able to shut down the bats in an explosive Astros lineup. Impressive last two days for the Orioles who are fighting for their playoff lives.

 

Ohtani Reaches 200 Ks on the Season

 

Shohei Ohtani is continuing to make history.  Ohtani fanned seven hitters over five-plus innings Friday night to total 200 strikeouts in the 2022 campaign. This was the first time he reached the mark in his young career. On top of his pitching prowess, he continues to show why he is an offensive weapon as well.

He has a total of 34 homers in 146 games as a batter and was the first player in MLB history with 30 homers at the dish and 200 strikeouts on the bump in one season.

Before this, the most taters hit by a pitcher with 200 strikeouts in a season were only seven blasts. This was completed twice (Don Drysdale in 1965 and Earl Wilson in 1966).

That certainly puts Ohtani’s greatness in perspective.

 

 

 

 

Injuries

  • Julio Rodríguez (lower back spasms) left Thursday’s contest against Oakland and was subsequently placed on the IL on Friday.
  • Ronald Acuña Jr.(lower back tightness) was removed from Thursday’s lineup against the Phillies. He was not in the lineup on Friday which raised some red flags however Brian Snitker is hopeful he can avoid a stint on the injured list and be back in the lineup today.
  • Byron Buxton (right knee) will undergo season-ending right knee surgery. He is expected to be ready for all activities in time for Spring Training next season.
  • Tim Anderson (finger) had surgery to fix a left middle finger tear. He is said to be close to coming back to the lineup.
  • Eloy Jiménez (sore left hand) remained out of the lineup Friday and his return process is unknown.
  • Nick Castellanos (right oblique strain) may be able to begin Minor League rehab assignment by this weekend. There are murmurs he wants to join the Phillies when ready and jump over the rehab so stay tuned to that,

 

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Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)

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