2008 Woodie Awards
MLB Came Hot Out of the Oven Part 2
Brian Fitzsimmons Sports Columnist
Issue date: 4/14/05 Section: Sports
Time sure does fly since the agonizing countdown to opening day and the first week of major league baseball has come and gone. The built up anticipation was well worth the wait because many highlights, dramatic outcomes, and individual stand-out performances consumed the first week of the 2005 campaign.
The sports world's fiercest rivalry wasted no time in resuming baseball's blood war between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. The pinstripes took two of the three games played highlighted with the hyped up debut of Randy Johnson and the slugging of Hideki Matsui who can be considered a possible American League MVP candidate.
This series gave fans a preview of what is to come as the season progresses, but the rivalry's true colors will show when bean town's ace pitcher Curt Schilling returns from injury. The bitter tone that reeks off this rivalry was no surprise, and it will continue throughout the regular season and into the heated playoffs.
However, there were some surprises that were unwrapped in a big way. The biggest surprise so far has been how Pat Burrell has come out of the gate. As of April 10, he leads the major leagues in runs batted in with 15; slugging percentage with .960, hits with 12, and his.486 batting average is good for second. This outbreak has been waiting to happen ever since he came up as a top prospect.
Over the course of his career with the Philadelphia Phillies, he has battled chronic injuries that stripped him of his MVP or all-star contention. If this superstar caliber production continues, pitchers will fear a Philly lineup that consists of Bobby Abreu, Jim Thome and Burrell.
Speaking of breakout hacking, Brad Wilkerson hit for the cycle and in a three game span, managed to slug a scorching 9-for-12 against the Phillies and Marlins.
The bats played a huge role in the exciting first week of the season, but the number one notable hitting statistic is that on April 9, there were 5 grand slams around the majors, which almost tied the major league record of 6 in one day.
The sports world's fiercest rivalry wasted no time in resuming baseball's blood war between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. The pinstripes took two of the three games played highlighted with the hyped up debut of Randy Johnson and the slugging of Hideki Matsui who can be considered a possible American League MVP candidate.
This series gave fans a preview of what is to come as the season progresses, but the rivalry's true colors will show when bean town's ace pitcher Curt Schilling returns from injury. The bitter tone that reeks off this rivalry was no surprise, and it will continue throughout the regular season and into the heated playoffs.
However, there were some surprises that were unwrapped in a big way. The biggest surprise so far has been how Pat Burrell has come out of the gate. As of April 10, he leads the major leagues in runs batted in with 15; slugging percentage with .960, hits with 12, and his.486 batting average is good for second. This outbreak has been waiting to happen ever since he came up as a top prospect.
Over the course of his career with the Philadelphia Phillies, he has battled chronic injuries that stripped him of his MVP or all-star contention. If this superstar caliber production continues, pitchers will fear a Philly lineup that consists of Bobby Abreu, Jim Thome and Burrell.
Speaking of breakout hacking, Brad Wilkerson hit for the cycle and in a three game span, managed to slug a scorching 9-for-12 against the Phillies and Marlins.
The bats played a huge role in the exciting first week of the season, but the number one notable hitting statistic is that on April 9, there were 5 grand slams around the majors, which almost tied the major league record of 6 in one day.