Texas Rangers - Washington Senators

1B  Rafael Palmeiro – PEDs helped produce six seasons with 35+ HRs and 100+ RBI for Texas.
2B  Ian Kinsler – Hit .319 in ’08; a 30-30 man in ’09 and ’11; helped Rangers win the pennant in 2010.
SS  Michael Young – Batted over .300 six times (.331 in ’05); Gold Glove in ’08
3B  Buddy Bell – Won six straight Gold Gloves (1979-84); batted over .290 five times for Texas.
OF  Frank Howard – The Capital Punisher slammed 44+ HRs three straight seasons (1968-70) for Washington.
OF  Ruben Sierra – Solid power numbers; five straight 90+ RBI seasons (1987-91); Josh Hamilton may take this spot in a couple years.
OF  Juan Gonzalez – Hit 40+ HRs five times during the power-crazy ’90s; AL MVP in ’96 and ’98.
C  Ivan Rodriguez – Peerless behind the plate (TEN straight Gold Gloves); power hitter with eight straight .300 seasons; MVP in ’99.
DH  Pete Incaviglia – Five straight seasons with 20+ HRs for Texas (1986-90); challenged the single-season record for Ks
Bench  Julio Franco – Three-time All-Star; hit .341 in ’91 to win AL batting title; Teixeira didn’t complete five seasons with the Rangers.
Pitcher  Ferguson Jenkins – Won 25 games in ’74; solid starter for Texas four other seasons.
Pitcher  Charlie Hough – Knuckleballer who won 14+ games seven straight seasons (1982-1988).
Pitcher  Kenny Rogers – Won 13+ games six times for the Rangers; Gold Glove fielder with an effective pickoff move; sang a lovely duet with Dolly Parton.
Closer  John Wetteland – Four straight seasons with 30+ saves for the Rangers (1997-2000).

Power hitters and Gold Glove fielders abound on this team.

Toronto Blue Jays

1B  Carlos Delgado – Six straight 100-RBI seasons; hit 30+ HRs for the Jays eight times.
2B  Roberto Alomar – Won five Gold Gloves in Toronto; batted .307 as a Blue Jay and twice stole 50+ bases.
SS  Tony Fernandez – A fine hitter with speed (17 triples in ’90); won 4 straight Gold Gloves (1986-1989).
3B  Kelly Gruber – Tallied 31 HRs and 118 RBI in 1990; also won the Gold Glove.
OF  Jesse Barfield – Strong arm helped win 2 Gold Gloves; topped 20 HRs four times in the 1980s.
OF  Lloyd Moseby – Stole 30+ bases five straight years (1984-88); decent power.
OF  Joe Carter – Six seasons in Toronto with 100+ RBI; walk-off HR ended the ’93 World Series.
C  Ernie Whitt – Blue Jay backstop of the 1980s; hit 15+ HRs six times.
DH  George Bell – Hit 47 HRs during his MVP season in 1987.
Bench  John Olerud – Several good years in Toronto and one great one in ’93 (.363, 24, 107).
Pitcher  Roy Halladay – Dominant starter for nearly a decade in Toronto before leaving in 2009.
Pitcher  Dave Stieb – Blue Jay ace of the ’80s; won ERA crown in 1985.
Pitcher  Jimmy Key – Barely edges out Hentgen; posted 17 wins and a league best 2.76 ERA in ’87.
Closer  Tom Henke – Saved 217 games for the Jays from ’85 to ’92.

The Blue Jays won back-to-back titles in ’92 and ’93, but haven't done much since. I wonder if NAFTA had anything to do with that.

A Cardinal Day

On April 27, 1896, Rogers Hornsby was born in Winters, Texas. Arguably the greatest hitting second-baseman in baseball history, Hornsby won six straight batting titles for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1920 to 1925. He twice won the NL triple crown, and in 1924 he batted .424, the highest single-season mark for the twentieth century. Hornsby's .358 lifetime batting average is second only to Ty Cobb.

Other Cardinals with birthdays on this date include Hall of Famer Enos Slaughter and current St. Louis ace Chris Carpenter. April 27 has been a good day for the Redbirds.

Classic Ballparks

On this date three venerable stadiums hosted their first major league baseball games:

Tiger Stadium: 1912
Fenway Park: 1912
Wrigley Field: 1916*

Tiger Stadium (originally called Navin Field)

Fenway Park

Wrigley Field (originally called Weeghman Park)

*In 1914 and 1915, the Chicago Whales of the Federal League (recognized as a major league) played at the stadium now called Wrigley Field. April 20, 1916 is the first day the Chicago Cubs played at Wrigley. 

Jackie Robinson Day

On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers, thereby integrating major league baseball. At ballparks across the nation, players are wearing the number 42 today in honor of Robinson's pioneering achievement.

Dottie Schroeder

Dorothy "Dottie" Schroeder was born on this date in 1928. At the age of fifteen, she became the youngest player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She remained in the league for all twelve years of its existence, playing shortstop for the South Bend Blue Sox, Kenosha Comets, Fort Wayne Daisies, and Kalamazoo Lassies. Schroeder was one of the league's best fielders and ranks as the AAGPBL's all-time leader in games played (1,249), RBI, and walks. She also tallied the second highest total of hits, while becoming one of the AAGPBL's most popular players.

Learn more about Dottie and the AAGPBL at http://www.aagpbl.org/

One Tough Dominican

On this date 35 years ago, pitcher Joaquin Andujar made his major league debut with Houston. The Astros traded him to St. Louis a few years later. In the second half of the 1982 season, Andujar emerged as the Cardinals ace, finishing the season at 15-10 with a 2.47 ERA. He played a vital role in St. Louis's title run that October by winning Game 3 of the NLCS and two games (including Game 7) in the World Series. In 1984 and 1985, Andujar posted back-to-back 20-win seasons. He was to the Cardinals then, what Chris Carpenter is to the Cardinals now. Hopefully in 2011 Carpenter will match Andujar's achievement by notching his second 20-win season as a Cardinal.

You never know.