Nine to Know: Let’s play Bingo!
I got an email yesterday from Marty Appel, the author of Pinstripe Empire: The New York Yankees from before the Babe to after the Boss, a terrific new book that will be released May 8. I will have a complete review of this definitive Yankee history, but I can tell you now: I’m reading it and it is terrific.
Marty told me me about a fun, for the most part schadenfreudian, game called Bingo Batting Averages created by Bruce Nash, who co-authors the Baseball Hall of Shame series with Allan Zullo (a new one, The Baseball Hall of Shame: The Best of Blooperstown just came out and I’ll be reviewing that as well). Their version is for batters hitting under .100, so that their averages are spoken like bingo numbers – “oh-seventy-seven,” for instance.
Here’s your Nine to Know Bingo Batting Averages:
| Rk | Player | AB | Tm | H | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marlon Byrd | 47 | .085 | TOT | 4 |
| 2 | Clint Barmes | 45 | .089 | PIT | 4 |
| 3 | Ryan Raburn | 41 | .073 | DET | 3 |
| 4 | Rod Barajas | 33 | .091 | PIT | 3 |
| 5 | Josh Donaldson | 32 | .094 | OAK | 3 |
| 6 | Willie Harris | 26 | .077 | CIN | 2 |
| 7 | Nick Johnson | 23 | .000 | BAL | 0 |
| 8 | Chris Snyder | 22 | .091 | HOU | 2 |
| 9 | Brandon Inge | 18 | .056 | DET | 1 |
Now I would like to add a positive twist to Billy-Ball Bingo, by adding pitchers whose ERA are below 1.00, so that they are spoken like bingo numbers – “oh-forty-seven,” for instance.
Here’s your Nine to Know for ERA Bingo:
| Rk | Player | IP | Tm | ER | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Lohse | 27.1 | 0.99 | STL | 3 |
| 2 | Brandon Beachy | 19.1 | 0.47 | ATL | 1 |
| 3 | Ross Detwiler | 16.0 | 0.56 | WSN | 1 |
| 4 | Philip Humber | 14.1 | 0.63 | CHW | 1 |
| 5 | Ted Lilly | 13.0 | 0.69 | LAD | 1 |
| 6 | Luis Perez | 11.1 | 0.00 | TOR | 0 |
| 7 | Josh Lindblom | 10.2 | 0.84 | LAD | 1 |
| 8 | Aroldis Chapman | 10.1 | 0.00 | CIN | 0 |
| 9 | Duane Below | 10.0 | 0.00 | DET | 0 |
Well, that should keep you busy for awhile.
