These horses, horses that I mention below, believe it or not, with all due respect to Ripley, do not have their plaque in the immortals' niche of Cooperstown: Barry Bonds, Rogers Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodríguez and Manny Ramirez.
And hold on if you are standing, not even HOF Peter Edward Rose possibly the best player to have ever played this sport.
In 1963, Pete Rose burst onto the National League scene with 170 hits, 25 doubles, 41 RBIs, and a batting average of .273 on his way to the Rookie of the Year award.
Rose’s passion for the sport was evident through the work ethic and intensity he brought to every game, earning him the nickname "Charlie Hustle" and still remembered for his headfirst slides into third base.
Pete Rose was selected to the All-Star Game 17 times, led the National League seven times in hits and plate appearances, three times in batting average, and five times in doubles. A member of the Big Red Machine that won consecutive World Series titles in 1975 and 1976 and added another World Series ring as a member of the Phillies in 1980.
Pete Rose played for the Cincinnati Reds (1963-1978, 1984-1986), the Philadelphia Phillies (1979-1983), and the Montreal Expos (1984). Rose was a perennial MVP candidate, finishing in the top 25 in MVP voting 15 times in his career, winning the NL MVP in 1973 after hitting .338 with 230 hits in 680 at-bats.
Pete Rose retired as MLB’s all-time leader in games played (3,562), plate appearances (15,861), at-bats (14,053), and hits (4,256) totaling 2,165 runs, 160 home runs, 1,314 RBIs, 198 stolen bases, and a career batting average of .303 over his 24-year career.
That ocean of numbers is not buried, three years after Rose retired, he accepted a permanent ban from baseball for allegedly betting on baseball while playing and managing the Cincinnati Reds, including accusations of betting on his own team. Pete Rose has that stain and remains on the ineligible list despite numerous appeals.
In the mirror of Rose and other outcasts from Cooperstown, young players just starting to crawl must see themselves and practice fair play because on that long journey, cheaters won’t reach immortality.
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1952: With a game of Eagles and Stars, on Saturday, they clash at the President Trujillo Normal Stadium, where pitcher Terry McDuffie blanked the eastern team 9-0. That same day, Licey, with pitching from Guayubín Olivo, defeated Escogido 2-1.
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1966: Felipe Alou becomes the first Latin player to hit four extra-base hits in a Major League game, with a pair of doubles and two triples.
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2002: Odalís Pérez, of the Dodgers, faced 27 batters in the first shutout of his career and defeated the Cubs 10-0 at Wrigley Field.
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2005: Alex Rodríguez hits 3 homers and becomes the tenth player with 10 RBIs in a game. The Yankees defeated the Angels 12-4, and the 3 home runs were off Bartolo Colón.
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2019: All eyes are on Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who makes his MLB debut with the Toronto Blue Jays against the Oakland Athletics. With his father, Vladimir Guerrero, watching from the stands. Vlad Jr. starts the winning play in the ninth by leading off with a double against Yusmeiro Petit for his first MLB hit, and then gets replaced by a pinch runner. Two outs later, Brandon Drury hits a two-run homer to give Toronto a 4-2 victory.
Somos EL TESTIGO. Una forma diferente de saber lo que está pasando. Somos noticias, realidades, y todo lo que ocurre entre ambos.
Todo lo vemos, por eso vinimos aquí para contarlo.