Chipper and the other 400
Atlanta 7, Miami Marlins of Miami 5. While all the focus has been on Chipper chasing the .400 that’s preceded by a decimal point this, he’s also been inching closer to 400 career home runs. I know with Manny Ramirez hitting 500 and Ken Griffey Jr. slouching towards 600 that 400 is not quite as glamorous a number as it used to be. But when Chipper Jones knocked a towering bomb into the right field bleachers tonight, he became just the third switch hitter in baseball history to hit 400 career home runs. He trails only Eddie Murray and Mickey Mantle in that category. Chipper’s punching his ticket to Cooperstown from both sides of the plate.
Now, slide your eyes a little bit further down that list to number 25. Young Mark Teixeira is already at 179 HR in his 6th season. If continues along at this pace, he’ll be joining his current teammate in that elite club at some point down the line.
The Braves slugged it out to take three (should’ve been four) out of four from the Marlins. Yunel Escobar bounced another home run off the top of the fence. McCann went yard as well.
Jair Jurrjens pitched better than his line (6IP, 11H, 5ER) would indicate, but still well enough to get the win. Most of the damage came in a four-run fourth inning in which the Marlins didn’t hit much hard and just beat out a couple of close plays. They did manage to do one thing the Braves haven’t this year which was to use runners on base to their advantage. They made some holes with the threat from their running game and punched a few soft shots through the holes. The home team should take note and try to bring a little of that type of mojo on the road next time.
No Comments Yet