Royal Flush: Wininng Card Hand

[batmagadanleadoff]

[MFS62]

Bruce Chen must have more major league unis than Modell's.
Thanks,
Later

[Vic Sage]

i'm actually surprised by Chen. When he was here, I never thought he'd amount to much, but he's not only managed to stay in the majors for the past 15 years, he's put up a few solid seasons (1 for the Os, 2 for KC).

just shows to go ya.

[Frayed Knot]

Originally signed by the Braves [u:2x2yn01z]20 years ago[/u:2x2yn01z], Chen was at one time (1999) Baseball America's #4 overall prospect and had been #27 the year before that so there were some high hopes in the early years.

Since then there's been a lot of ups and downs
- not only 15 years, 373 games, 206 starts, and 1,400+ innings in the major leagues, but also parts of 14 seasons (1994 - 2011) in the minors with 174 games, 160 starts, and 887 innings there. He didn't pitch at all in 2008

That's a lot of mileage and still just turned 36 years old.

[Edgy MD]

He mostly struck me as a guy who stayed in shape, kept his arm healthy, and threw strikes. A guy like that, the sun is going to shine on now and then.

But then he was completely ineffective in 2006 and 2007, went in for TJ surgery in 2008 and should have been good and done. He instead found a home with the Royals to spend his thirties in, and is now in his fifth season with them.

[Guest d'Kong76]

I have no recollection of Grote being a Royal ... not that
my recollection skills can be trusted anymore.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Kong76 wrote: I have no recollection of Grote being a Royal ... not that my recollection skills can be trusted anymore.

Me neither. Apparently, Grote came out of retirement in 1981 after missing the last two seasons, to play for the Royals for a few weeks. Before his Royals stint, he last played for the Dodgers in 1978. The Grote Royals card is not a real Topps card. It's a faux 1981 DIY I found on the web.



Some other Grote DIY's

1977 Mets card



1982 Dodgers card, front and back

[Benjamin Grimm]

Grote also played in the short-lived Senior League.

[Edgy MD]

Grote retired following the 1978 series, citing a desire to spend more time with his family. That first season, his wife realized she liked him better on the road half the year, and filed for divorce. After a year of having nothing better to do, he came out of retirement with the 1981 Royals.

Changing managers and making big changes after the strike ended, the Royals cut him on September 1, despite an uncharacteristically robust .304 / .344 / .446 // .791 hitting line as a 38-year-old backup catcher. Staring at the end of the tunnel, he somehow got a call from the playoff bound Dodgers, who liked the Grote-ness he brought to the 1978-1979 teams. He only got into two games, but I bet he was allowed to travel with the team in the post-season, catching guys in the bullpen. Heck, maybe he was on the post-season roster, as teams tended to carry three catchers in the post-season back then. Anyhow, he went out a champ. Maybe even got a post-season share.

I also like that Grote played in the Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1989.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy MD wrote: Staring at the end of the tunnel, he somehow got a call from the playoff bound Dodgers, who liked the Grote-ness he brought to the 1978-1979 teams. He only got into two games, but I bet he was allowed to travel with the team in the post-season, catching guys in the bullpen. Heck, maybe he was on the post-season roster, as teams tended to carry three catchers in the post-season back then. Anyhow, he went out a champ. Maybe even got a post-season share.

And more good for him if he got a WS ring for beating the MFY's.

[Edgy MD]

I guess coming after September 1, he was ineligible for post-season duty even if the Dodgers decided they needed a third-stringer, but who knows, as there's always crazy-assed injury exceptions.

Trimming that roster was a minor part of baseball history, as Rick Sutcliffe had put together a season that would ultimately get him voted Rookie of the Year, but nonetheless had failed to operate in Tommy Lasorda's good graces, and found himself left off the post-season roster, leading him to charge screaming into Lasorda's office and overturn all the furniture.

It'd be funny (in retrospect, anyhow) if Grote was carried at the expense of Sutcliffe.

[G-Fafif]

Jerry enjoyed one out-of-nowhere offensive explosion a little before the strike.

Enjoyed indictment a couple of years later significantly less, one imagines.

[batmagadanleadoff]

G-Fafif wrote: Jerry enjoyed one out-of-nowhere offensive explosion a little before the strike.

Did you notice that Grote even stole a base in that game?

[batmagadanleadoff]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: G-Fafif wrote: Jerry enjoyed one out-of-nowhere offensive explosion a little before the strike. Did you notice that Grote even stole a base in that game?

Any Met ever hit a grand slam and steal a base in the same game?

[G-Fafif]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: G-Fafif wrote: Jerry enjoyed one out-of-nowhere offensive explosion a little before the strike. Did you notice that Grote even stole a base in that game?

Yes, but unlike the 7 RBIs, I didn't remember it. One-fifteenth of his career total and his first in five years!

Amazingly, he was caught stealing 23 times...and that doesn't include the cattle allegations.

[Edgy MD]

... "This is my 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers World Championship Ring. Tommy Lasorda had me join the club in September of 1981 for the purpose of coaching Mike Scioscia...This is my original ring and there were no duplicates made." http://catalog.greyflannelauctions.com/LotDetail.aspx?lotid=18375

[Benjamin Grimm]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Any Met ever hit a grand slam and steal a base in the same game?

1986-10-05 Darryl Strawberry
1987-08-01 Howard Johnson
1993-08-05 Jeromy Burnitz
2003-06-15 Jos� Reyes

[Gwreck]

I think that Graeme Lloyd photo was taken at Shea, and they changed a black Mets jersey to a black Royals jersey through photoshop.

[Edgy MD]

Jerry had massive hands. That ring is actual size!

[Benjamin Grimm]

Jerry had massive hands. That ring is actual size!

In Dutch, that would be: Jerry had grote handen. Die ring is werkelijke grootte.

[G-Fafif]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: Any Met ever hit a grand slam and steal a base in the same game? 1986-10-05 Darryl Strawberry 1987-08-01 Howard Johnson 1993-08-05 Jeromy Burnitz 2003-06-15 Jos� Reyes

Straw's and Reyes's game are Happiest Recaps, though not necessarily for the GS-SB combo (well, maybe a little for Jose).

Grote in that power/speed club, albeit in a strange uniform. Amazin'!

[batmagadanleadoff]

Any Met ever hit a grand slam and steal a base in the same game? 1986-10-05 Darryl Strawberry 1987-08-01 Howard Johnson 1993-08-05 Jeromy Burnitz 2003-06-15 Jos� Reyes Straw's and Reyes's game are Happiest Recaps, though not necessarily for the GS-SB combo (well, maybe a little for Jose). Grote in that power/speed club, albeit in a strange uniform. Amazin'!

That single game performance of Grote's has got to be one of the most statistically improbable games ever. Grote played in 16 seasons and accumulated almost 5,000 PA's (4,844). For his career, he stole 15 bases and homered just 39 times -- and I doubt that more than three of his HR's, if even that many, were grand slams. Here's how Grote stacks up in lifetime HR's and SB's against the four Mets that also stole a base and hit a grand slam in the same game:

HR's

Strawberry - 335
Burnitz - 315
Hojo - 228
Reyes - 98
Grote - 39

SB's

Reyes - 421
Hojo = 231
Strawberry - 221
Burnitz - 74
Grote - 15

Grote's lifetime HR's and SB's, combined, add up to 54. 54 would still place last on any of the above two lists.

[Edgy MD]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Grote played in 16 seasons and accumulated almost 5,000 PA's (4,844). For his career, he stole 15 bases and homered just 39 times -- and I doubt that more than three of his HR's, if even that many, were grand slams.

Two grannies for Grote. The only other one came during the Mets mad late dash of 1973. Ya gotta believe.