MLB History

For Houston Astros fans, and management alike, the only question on their minds is this: Will Roy Oswalt still be with the team come the trade deadline on July 31?

And if you ask Oswalt, he’ll tell you the blunt truth: he has no idea.

by Matt Webb

Houston Astros general manager Ed Wade may feel like he’s the only one frustrated surrounding the Delino DeShields situation and the fact the team’s No. 8 pick has yet to sign a contract.

But he's far from being alone, and fans have every reason to be worried as well—especially if history repeats itself.

Alex Rodriguez is on the threshold of joining an elite club.

Currently sitting at 599 homers, A-Rod will become one of only seven major league players to ever reach the 600 mark.

At only 34 years old, Rodriguez has a chance to surpass Barry Bonds for the all-time home run lead.

Six of the top 10 sluggers of all-time played for an average of 22 seasons.

In order for Rodriguez, currently in his 17th season, to eclipse Bonds, he will have to average nearly 30 home runs per season over the next five and a half years.

I want you to ask yourself this, what Major League Baseball players deserve to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame? Does Pete Rose deserve to be in the Hall of Fame? How about Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, or Roger Clemens? Maybe even one day New York Yankess third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who is on the eve of hitting home run No. 600?

While watching Hall of Fame outfielder Andre Dawson give his speech after his induction into Cooperstown on Sunday, he said some things that struck a chord with me and became the inspiration for this article.

The day was April 14, 2010, the second home game of the season.

The Yankees were the reigning 2009 World Series champions, making New York glow with pride. Yankee fans' subdued looks of unfamiliarity from 2009 were replaced with smiles because our new house felt like a home.

At least that is how I felt that Wednesday afternoon, until the game started.

Tampa Bay Rays' Pitcher Matt Garza now joins Edwin Jackson, Dallas Braden, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Roy Halladay as MLB's pitchers to throw no hitters or perfect games in this amazing 2010 baseball season.

So really, what is it? It's gotta be something. First off, this is the third time the Rays have been involved in a no hitter (Braden threw a perfect against them and Jackson threw a no hitter against them) three times in one year. The last time that's happened was 1917. 

Now that Matt Garza has provided us with the fifth no-hitter of the season we might as well rank the great performances we have seen. It is apparent that the steroids-era in baseball is over.

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The Padres and Mets are now the only Major League Baseball teams that have never had a pitcher throw a no-hitter.

Matt Garza threw the first no-hitter in Tampa Bay Rays history as they beat the Detroit Tigers 5-0. Garza completed the fifth no-hitter in Major League Baseball this year.

You knew eventually the tide would turn for the Rays, who had been on the wrong side of phenomenal pitching outings this season.

Garza only allowed a second-inning walk out of the 27 batters he faced.

Ben Zobrist sealed the game, catching a routine fly ball to right field.

Last year, Kenley Janson was the Netherlands' starting catcher in the World Baseball Classic. Now he's pitching for the LA Dodgers.

Janson is among a short list of guys who used to be position players but couldn't hit their weight or perhaps field their position, so they turned into pitchers instead.

Meanwhile, there were other guys who switched from pitcher to position player, though not all of them did so because they couldn't pitch, as we will see.

Jansen recorded a save on Sunday in his second big-league game, so he's the story du jour.