In the first inning of today's Atlanta-Cincinnati game at Great American Ball Park, Ken Griffey Jr. hit the 599th home run of his historic career.  22-year-old Jair Jurrjens became the 383rd pitcher to serve up a homer to Junior Griffey.

Here's a breakdown of Home Run #599:

First inning: 104th
3-1 Count: 24th
Fifth Pitch: 70th
At Great American Ball Park: 64th
Score Tied: 168th
One Runner On (Jay Bruce): 188th
As a Red: 201st
Against the Atlanta Braves: 8th

I was just watching the Blue Jays-Angels game from yesterday (the first time in two weeks I've actually had the opportunity to sit down and do this…) and one thing jumped out at me that I really needed to talk about here: the lack of aggressiveness on the plate.

First inning, Shannon Stewart leads off the contest with a single that falls just in front of Vladimir Guerrero in right field.  The next batter is Marco Scutaro (.373 OBP!!), who swings on the first pitch, but he is late on it, fouls it off and finally flies out to Guerrero. 

One out.

Then it's Alex Rios' turn and the guy has struggling for a while; he's hitting around .260 and getting on base at a lowly .322 clip.  This is not good for the new millionaire.  First pitch is right down the drain, but he clearly had NO intention of swinging at it.

Why?

The next batter is Scott Rolen and he shows the same exact attitude toward the first pitch; right down the middle, but he might as well have kept his bat on his shoulder, with a clear understanding that he was letting it go, no matter what was offered to him by Jered Weaver.
 
This season, Weaver throws a strike 67% of the time on the first of an at-bat, a number that has been increasing each year since 2006.

My point here is that I'm wondering why hitters are so quick to dismiss the first pitch, when it's almost a given that a pitcher will try to take the lead in the count, especially on the first turn through the lineup. 

It's the same situation with a 3-1 count; why a hitter would not put in his mind that anything near the plate is fair game is beyond me.  If a hitter is not in a good stretch, that becomes of critical importance that he profits from such a favorable count to make good contact and create an opportunity on the field.  He should let the fielders make their mistakes or advance the runners.

Returning to the Blue Jays game, Matt Stairs then takes this approach and swings on the first pitch, an offering in the same exact location that Weaver threw to Rios and Rolen.  Stairs was right on it, but a bit under it, making it a souvenir for a fan behind the plate.

In an interview with minor leaguer A.J. Wideman for “Behind the Dish” magazine, I asked him about his experience with Team Canada at the last tournament for a spot on the 2008 Olympic Games, but more precisely what the other countries did differently compared to the American way of playing baseball.  The first answer was about the way hitters and pitchers approach the 3-2, 3-1 and 3-0 counts and how they were more aggressive, clearly taking advantage of a favorable opportunity for the man at the plate.  For pitchers, it was about keeping the hitters in their toes and throwing off-speed stuff when it was a fastball count.

I understand that certain situations call for taking a pitch and that swinging at all pitches thrown in pitcher's count would be stupid, but it's frustrating to see such opportunities wasted these days when some aggressiveness could mean the difference in a ball game.  Putting the ball in play brings an increased chance of an error or a hit and for the game to become predictable as it is now is baffling to me.

I read an interesting news article yesterday on Yahoo that
detailed how a 58-year-old homeless Japanese woman lived
undetected in a man’s house – in a closet.

“We
searched the house … checking everywhere someone could possibly hide,”
Itakura said. “When we slid open the shelf closet, there she was,
nervously curled up on her side.”

The
woman told police she had no place to live and first sneaked into the man's
house about a year ago when he left it unlocked.

She
had moved a mattress into the small closet space and even took showers, Itakura
said, calling the woman “neat and clean.”

So, that got me to thinking, do most baseball teams have a
58-year-old homeless Japanese woman on their roster – someone who clearly doesn’t
belong? Let’s take a look.

Tampa Bay Rays:
What do you do with a player who has an even chance to finish the season with a
SLG lower than his OBP? You make him your everyday shortstop! Jason Bartlett has a career OPS+ of 84,
and his .281 SLG is twenty points under his OBP. His defense is his “break into
a house and hide in the closest, and take showers when no one’s home” survival
skill.

Boston Red Sox:
So, you have a great prospect in center field with Jacoby Ellsbury who has all
the skills Coco Crisp has and more,
and is earning less money. Who gets the starting job in center? Coco Crisp, of
course. Crisp has somehow dodged multiple off-season trade rumors and
successfully put on a Boston uniform in spring training without getting escorted
out by security. Look at him now: still here!

Toronto Blue Jays:
The Jays get a pass because they’ve had to deal with injuries to both of their
shortstops, but Joe Inglett has
oozed his way into the starting 25. He falls in the same boat as Bartlett – it
has to do with their last names ending with double-T’s – having almost nothing
positive offensively to bring to the table (not even speed, as he brandishes a
55% stolen base success rate in the Minors).

New York Yankees:
What does the most storied franchise in baseball history – with the largest
payroll by far in the Majors – do with a catcher who has a 32 combined OPS+ in
the last two years? Why, you make him your third-string catcher of course! In
2006, Chad Moeller had a 29 OPS+ for
Milwaukee in 98 at-bats, and gave the Reds and Dodgers a combined 3 OPS+ last
season.

Baltimore Orioles:
Seriously, Baltimore, come on. What are you doing using Luis Hernandez at shortstop? I know you traded Miguel Tejada, but
you can’t find anyone better than a guy with a career-high 73 OPS+? Barry Bonds
is available, I hear. Make him responsible for covering second base and turning
double plays – at least he’ll hit for you! Oh, right, you’re too
busy colluding!

Chicago White Sox:
Easy target: Juan Uribe. Easier target: Pablo
Ozuna. Uribe hasn’t really been good throughout his career (he gets on base
like Tony Romo enjoys the
company of Jessica Simpson’s father) but at least he has some power,
hitting at least 20 HR in three out of the last four seasons going into 2008.
Ozuna’s career spotlight is his 105 OPS+ in 2006 in 189 at-bats. Oh, and he’s
not really good with the glove, either.

Minnesota Twins:
The Twins get a pass like the Blue Jays because they traded away their biggest
player and lost another one to free agency. However, you could nominate almost
their entire reserve squad here. Matt Tolbert,
Nick Punto, and Denard Span are three notables. Don’t the Twins know that
you’re supposed to sign cagey veterans to emit the pungent odor of leadership
in the clubhouse? Where’s Kenny Lofton?

Cleveland Indians:
Cleveland Indians, paging Marcus Giles. Their second base situation makes me
long for the days Marlon Anderson was the Phillies’ everyday second-sacker. Asdrubal Cabrera and Jamey Carroll man
the position for the Tribe… what a disaster! Cabrera has put up a 46 OPS+ (my
rule of thumb is that if you can’t OPS+ higher than Jamie Moyer’s age, you’re
not hitting too well) and Carroll, with half as many at-bats as Cabrera, has a
76.

Detroit Tigers:
This one is almost too easy. Jacque
Jones! Fortunately for the Tigers, they saw their 58-year-old homeless
Japanese woman trying to take B.P. and knew immediately something was fishy.
Jacque Jones… batting practice? At least his SLG wasn’t lower than his OBP, but
it was awfully close: .253 to .244. Jones has found a new home with the Florida
Marlins, for whom he’s given two singles in 18 at-bats.

Kansas City Royals:
Can I nominate entire teams? Well, it’s my article, so yes, I can. I nominate the entire Kansas City Royals team.
Lent was a couple months ago, but I think the blue and gold gave up winning
belatedly. They haven’t won a game since Harry first met Sally. Scientists have
developed a cure for polio in the time between Royals wins. And no, I’m not
exaggerating. Hey, Tony Pena, I have
a rule of thumb: if you can’t OPS+ higher than the age of Tom and Katie’s daughter
Suri, you’re not having a good season.

Los Angeles Angels of
Anaheim: Teams are using players like Erick
Aybar and Luis Hernandez (Orioles) at shortstop, which makes me realize how
lucky the NL East is: Jimmy Rollins, Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes, Yunel Escobar,
and Cristian Guzman – five top-tier shortstops on both ends. The Angels have so
many outfielders it seems they couldn’t fill the gap at shortstop, so that
might explain Aybar getting 152 at-bats this season despite his 50 OPS+ being his
best effort going into the season.

Oakland Athletics:
The A’s are the third team to get a pass for using 58-year-old homeless
Japanese women on their roster. Not only did GM Billy Beane trade away his two
best players in the off-season (Dan Haren and Nick Swisher), they’ve had to
deal with injuries all season long. Despite getting the pass, however, the A’s
don’t really have any 58-year-old homeless Japanese women in the starting 25
mix. One can argue, however, that giving 50+ at-bats to Chris Denorfia is like giving your kid a pat on the back when he
comes home with an all-F report card.

Texas Rangers: He
only made starts in April for the Rangers, but I still have to nominate Jason Jennings for the 58-year-old
homeless Japanese woman award. Jennings somehow had a good season for the
Rockies in 2006, but has been mind-numbingly awful since, putting up a 68 and
48 ERA+ in 2006 and ’07, respectively.

Seattle Mariners:
Barry Bonds is sitting at home, and the Seattle Mariners are using Jose Vidro as their designated hitter.
That’s really all that needs to be said. He has a .340 SLG this season,
something Bonds can do blindfolded with his arms tied behind his back.

Stay tuned for the National League installment.

• Jim Edmonds singled, doubled, homered and drove in 3 runs, and Mark DeRosa blasted a 3-run shot that completed a monumental comeback as the Cubs rallied from a 9-1 deficit to stun the Rockies, 10-9. Jeff Baker hit 4 doubles and scored twice for Colorado.
• Ryan Howard walked twice, hit a 3-run home run, and scored 3 times, and Chase Utley had 2 hits, hit his 18th homer of the season, and drove in 2 as the Phillies crushed the Marlins12-3. Brett Myers struck out 11 over 8 strong innings for Philadelphia.
• James Shields gave Tampa Bay another strong outing, and Cliff Floyd provided the heroics by smacking a solo home run in the bottom of the 9th as the Rays walked off with a 2-1 win over the White Sox, 2-1. Jose Contreras allowed just one run on 5 hits in 7 innings for Chicago.
• Manny Parra gave up just one run over 6 innings, and Ryan Braun went 4-for-4 with a home run and 2 RBI to lead the Brewers to a 5-1 win over the Astros.
• Grady Sizemore hit 2 home runs and knocked in 3 runs, and Casey Blake added a 2-run shot as the Indians sent the Royals to their 12th consecutive loss, 5-4. John Buck had 2 hits and 2 RBI for Kansas City.
• Todd Wellemeyer allowed one run in 7 innings, and Albert Pujols reached base 3 times and hit a 2-run home run as the Cardinals held off the Pirates, 5-4. Jason Michaels hit a 3-run triple for Pittsburgh.
• Lyle Overbay went 3-for-5 with 2 home runs and 3 RBI, and Brad Wilkerson added 3 hits and 2 RBI as the Blue Jays defeated the Angels 10-4. Torii Hunter collected 3 hits for Los Angeles.
• Adrian Gonzalez reached base 4 times, and Brian Giles walked twice, doubled, tripled, and drove in 2 runs as the Padres scored 4 times in the 13th inning to defeat the Giants, 7-3.
• Jacoby Ellsbury singled, doubled twice, and stole 3 bases, and Mike Lowell went 3-for-5 with 2 RBI as the Red Sox downed the Orioles, 5-2. For a complete recap of the game check out the report from our own Brian Joseph who was covering the game for BDD.
• Jay Bruce went 4-for-5 with a double and 2 runs scored, and Edinson Volquez struck out 7 over 6 quality innings to lead the Reds to a 3-2 win over the Braves.
• Russell Martin went 4-for-4 with a double, home run, 3 RBI, and 3 runs scored, and Los Angeles rallied for 5-8th inning runs to knock off the Mets, 9-5.
• Brandon Boggs doubled twice and drove in 3 runs, and Kevin Millwood allowed just one run in 6 innings of work as the Rangers got by the A's, 3-1.
• Bobby Abreu went 3-for-4 with 2 triples and 4 runs scored, and Alex Rodriguex, Hideki Matsui, and Melky Cabrera each had 3 hits and 2 RBI as the Yankees battled back to edge the Twins, 6-5.
• Cristian Guzman went 3-for-5, and Willie Harris hit a 3-run home run in the 7th inning as the Nationals surprised the Diamondbacks, 7-4. Chad Tracy reached base 3 times and homered for Arizona.
• Curtis Granderson and Miguel Cabrera picked up 3 hits apiece, and Brandon Inge tripled and drove in 2 run to lead the Tigers over the Mariners, 7-4. Adrian Beltre hit 2 solo home runs for Seattle.

Friday's Scoreboard