2004 Donruss Leather and Lumber Cuts #LC-37
Honestly... it's not that rare. I couldn't find a complete list, but at least 50 pitchers have done it.
I figured I'd show off a few autographs sitting within my collection of pitchers who have accomplished the feat...
2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites Autographs #FFA-JAN
The day before Carlton hit his grand slam, Andujar hit one against the Atlanta Braves. This was his 5th and final MLB home run.
2007 UD Masterpieces Stroke of Genius #FH
Felix Hernandez hit a grand slam off of Johan Santana on June 23rd, 2008. That year Santana led the National League in earned run average.
2012 Topps Golden Moments Autographs #NNO
I told you I'd get back to Mad Bum. Back in 2014 he became the second pitcher in MLB history to hit two grand slams in the same season. Tony Cloninger was the first guy to do it. It took him only one game to accomplish that feat. I'd love to add his signature to my collection one day.
The last pitcher I'll feature is Mike Cuellar...
2005 Topps Retired Signature #TA-MC
According to Wikipedia, he's one of two pitchers to hit a grand slam during the postseason. Dave McNally is the other. Mike hit his off of Minnesota's Jim Perry in Game One of the 1970 ALCS. McNally hit his ten days later off of Wayne Granger in Game Three of the 1970 World Series.
Anyways... Rob Manfred called me up and said he'd let my readers decide once and for all...
Do we get rid of the designated hitter? Keep it in the American League? Or keep it in the AL and bring it to the National League?
It's up to you. Every vote matters.
Happy Saturday and sayonara!
29 comments:
Cool Andujar card! I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I say get rid of it all together. Never, never gonna happen though!
Great post. I am not entirely sure where I stand on this. Points can be made for all cases and I think my current stance is leave things as they are. I think the special nuances that exist in each league make them unique and provide fans the best of both worlds.
Fantastic cards. I'm pro pitcher hitting. Anti-DH. Though I'd be fine if they left it the way it is. I know it's a losing battle, however, which is sad.
Those are some pretty big-name pitcher's autos and I'm impressed that they have at least one grand slam under their belt. I'm wondering who was the first pitcher to hit a grand slam (and who was the last)?
I'm a traditionalist, so I say get rid of the DH altogether.
Hate pitchers hitting. Very pro-DH. I think days of pitchers hitting might be done. If baseball comes back this year and has a universal DH, that might be the end.
I am not a fan of the dh but am reconciled to the fact that it is inevitable across mlb. I always thought that it would be a concession that the owners would make during labor negotiations in exchange for some financial benefit.
Love when pitchers do cool things when they're up to bat, but it's rare. I'm pro-DH. I'd love to see a Pitcher Home Run Derby during the ALl-Star Break though.
Carlton had some decent penmanship. Nice card you have there.
I think with inter-league play both leagues either should have it or not. I would have been opposed to it when it was added to the AL back in the '70s. But now I don't really care either way. It's been in the A.L. my entire life.
I'm not a DH fan, but now these pitchers are just so bad at hitting. Ken Brett homered in four consecutive starts. He didn't always bat ninth either and it wasn't just a goofy Joe Maddon stunt. There were a few pitchers who we'd always watch bat, but that number is shrinking quickly.
Hasta la vista DH.
I don't like the DH. It's like having a guy come and shoot free throws for your center because those guys just don't shoot free throws very well. Figure it out, pitchers! It's part of the way the game was built that pitchers would hit.
All the moments you mentioned and many others -- I just wrote about Rick Wise hitting two home runs while pitching a no-hitter -- will never happen again with the universal DH. That should be enough to make sure the DH dies.
But it's inevitable that the NL will have the DH one day. It's stupid and it's greed-influenced, and the real answer is: teach pitchers how to hit like they used to be able to do, but it's going to happen because the masses are asses.
That's what I don't understand - as RunFore.. and NOwl said - Why can't the majority of pitchers even come close? "Oh, they don't have to hit in the minors." Not even with NL teams? If fielders can work on their throwing and catching, and still hit well, why can't pitchers work on their hitting like the rest? They have four days in between games that they play in to do it....?
I don't mind the difference in the leagues, but make it consistent. Don't put it in the NL. That would be caving to the lazy fans who just want to see high scoring.
For myself, I'm inclined to invoke the ancient Roman maxim, "lex clavatoris designati rescindenda est". But, actually, I do think keeping things the way it is is best. AL fans seem to like the DH. Old guys or players who can't play the field due to injury have a place to go, and so do pitchers who can hit. Prospective fans have two different versions of baseball to potentially become fans of. Win-win.
I'm for pitchers hitting and against the DH but to be honest with the way pitchers are being used and the devaluing of starting pitching I could probably be convinced to accept a universal DH but ONLY for the starting pitcher. Once you go to the bullpen you lose the DH and pitchers need to hit.
I kind of like that idea.
I'm with Brett Alan on this one.
I don't have a feeling one way or the other on that topic, but amazing cards!
Nice to see a mention of Tony Cloninger. On a family vacation to Milwaukee for a Braves game at County Stadium my parents humored me even more by going to Ray Jackson’s Restaurant near the stadium for dinner after the game. Tony sat at the table next to ours and signed my always ready baseball. The restaurant was quite a shrine to the Braves and baseball.
I've always enjoyed watching the pitcher hit. I imagine this will change as the game continues to evolve. It appears most of today's NL pitchers never pick up a bat until they're in a real game.
I like the strategy around the pitcher hitting, but I think that we are going to end up with the DH. I made my peace with it awhile ago.
Put the DH in the NL finally!! The only leagues where pitchers still hit besides the NL are little league. The DH is in college, the minors, the AL, foreign leagues. Why not bring it to the NL? There isn't strategy in the NL. Everyone knows that the manager will do a double switch when the pitchers spot comes up. In the AL, you have the DH, which prolongs careers, adds another spot to the roster, and it adds a little strategy to the game by having the hitters have to deal with a manager keeping a starter in a tad longer. Do you risk putting a pinch-hitter in the game to try to knock the starter out of the game, or do you leave them out until later in the game?
I only like when strategy is involved with a pitcher at bat. When the pitcher wont even swing or give any effort, there is zero point and a DH would be much better suited. Plus, a DH in the NL would extend players' careers.
Nice collection there!
And keep the DH, but only in the AL. I like that arbitrary difference between the two leagues for some reason.
Most sports seem to be getting streamlined in some way. Keep the quirks, I say. If there's no differences between the 2 leagues, why bother having 2 leagues?
In a perfect world the DH wouldn't exist at all, but as futile as it may seem, I hope the NL at least clings to it for a little while longer.
Survey says...
Pitchers Hit - 11
I'm Down with DH - 3
Keep Things the Same - 6
Mixed Emotions, the Jury is Still Out or Don't Really Care - 5
I'm not 100% sure these results are accurate. Regardless... the responses varied... which is why it's a great topic to debate.
the diamond king - andujar is one of those guys who reminds me of 80's cardinals baseball.
pro set cards - what's the saying? if it ain't broke...
peter k steinberg - it's pretty cool seeing pitchers with the ability to hit mlb level hitting
bbcardz - i was really surprised so many pitchers have hit grand slams. that's a lot of pressure stepping into the batter's box with the bases loaded.
the lost collector - it'll be interesting to see how things play out
gcrl - gotta find leverage where they can ;)
alex markle - ooh. a pitcher home run derby? that would be cool.
elliptical man - carlton is old school. love how you can see the different letters in his signature
runforekelloggs - wow. didn't know about that ken brett fact. that's pretty cool.
johnnys trading spot - muy bien
wax pack wonders - shaq could have really used a designated free throw shooter back in the day ;)
night owl - the masses are asses? i love that phrase. definitely need to borrow it. as for that no-hitter, it's one for the ages.
gca - you bring up a great point. they've got time in between starts to practice.
brett alan - lol. had to look that up. i thought it'd be all philosophical ;D
nick vossbrink - i've heard that concept being debated and i like the idea.
gregory - nice. jump on the brett bandwagon. all aboard!
sport card collectors - thanks.
tom robak - very cool. even cooler that you had a baseball ready to go. i wonder if the restaurant is still around. i did a quick search and discovered that jackson's son has a restaurant called jackson grill.
acrackedbat - maybe one day we'll see a compilation video of pitchers who really struggled in the batter's box
the snorting bull - i like the strategy behind it too. and the more i read these comments, the sadder i'll be when things evolve
jeremya1um - i didn't realize college and minor leagues went all in on the dh. no wonder pitchers can't hit anymore ;D
grant - yeah... i don't like it when i see pitchers enter the batter's box and don't even care. but i don't like laziness in baseball in general
sean - i think there's something about having something unique about each league.
jongudmund - yeah... like i said to sean... there's something about something unique about each league.
nick - i love seeing pitchers hit and would love the nl to keep them swinging. that being said... lazy at bats suck.
Excellent post and hard to believe that there are that many pitchers who have hit grand slams. I’m all about getting rid of the DH. I like the variability the pitchers bring to the game when they hit.
sumomenkoman - i was surprised to see that too. i entered this post leaning towards supporting the dh, but walked away even more torn than ever.
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