Tuesday, April 22, 2014

#199 Junior Ortiz

About the Front: Now this is cool. This photo was taken moments before the photo that appeared on the front of Gary Gaetti's card. Yes, Gaetti was out.

About the Back: The current record holder for most consecutive games caught without an error is Mike Matheny, who went 252 games straight without a miscue.

Triple Play:

1. Junior's B-R Bullpen entry claims that he was known for wearing fur coats, even in the summer. I don't care if it's unsourced. That's just too good to ignore.

2. When asked if he was bothered by the prospect of Rickey Henderson breaking Lou Brock's career stolen bases record at Ortiz's expense, the backstop replied: "No, he's stolen lots of bases on good catchers too."

3. Junior hit a stunning total of five career home runs in 2,071 games. The last came off of Dennis Cook on July 30, 1989, meaning that the catcher ended his career on a 364-game homerless skein.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I thought "Junior" was a pretty silly nickname for a bearded guy in his thirties.

Bill James Said: "He's had on-base percentages and slugging percentages below .300 for three straight years, making him one of the worst hitters in baseball, plus he grounds into double plays all the time."

On This Date in 1993: April 22. The Holocaust Memorial Museum is dedicated in Washington, DC.

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