A look at what is happening around the majors on Wednesday:
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Derek Jeter, Larry Walker, Ted Simmons and the late Marvin Miller will be inducted into the Hall of Fame a year after induction ceremonies were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The four were selected last year – no new members have been selected since then.
“As strange as it sounds or sounds, I try not to think about it,” said 47-year-old Jeter, the former Yankees star and now owner and CEO of the Miami Marlins, last week. “I just want to go there and experience it.”
In 2007, the introductions of Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn drew an estimated record number of 82,000 to the sprawling lawn of the Clark Sports Center on the edge of this one-stop-light village in New York State. When the hugely popular Jeter was chosen in January 2020, that brand seemed in jeopardy as its fans from New York and beyond booked reservations well in advance.
With a mid-week ceremony instead of the traditional Sunday afternoon, school resumption, and the risk of bad weather, the Hall of Fame offered no forecast of attendance.
The deaths of eight Hall of Famers in the past year and a half, including Hank Aaron, Bob Gibson, and Whitey Ford, and the ongoing pandemic have capped the number of Hall of Famers returning to 31. Two years ago there was a record of 58.
SICK COLE
The Yankees will see how Gerrit Cole feels the day after the ace was pulled out of a game due to tension in his left hamstring muscles.
Cole was knocked out with two outs in the fourth inning and New York were 3-1 back against Toronto. He hit two and connected Philadelphia’s right-hander Zack Wheeler with 217 for the Major League lead.
Cole had won 4-0 with an ERA of 0.73 in four starts since missing time after testing positive for COVID-19, fanning 15 against the Angels in seven innings last week.
FIGHTING STARTER
Dallas Keuchel (8-8, 5.22 ERA) tries to get back on track against a playoff contender when the Chicago White Sox, led by AL Central, visit Oakland.
The 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner Keuchel has an ERA of 7.26 in his last 11 starts after being marked in a 7-2 loss to Kansas City last Friday night. The veteran left-hander only went one inning and allowed five well-deserved runs on his previous outing, then admitted to being “the weakest starter in the rotation for much of the year”. He may have to change that soon if he wants to serve Chicago in the postseason.
Frankie Montas (11-9, 3.68) gets the ball for the athletics chasing an AL wildcard.
GET WELL
Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona is resting comfortably after his toe surgery, his second surgery since leaving for the July season.
Francona, who had hip replacement surgery in August, had the procedure on Tuesday at the Cleveland Clinic. The operation consisted of repairing his left big toe, which had become infected during the off-season.
62-year-old Francona hobbled around in hiking boots for months before deciding to leave the team to resolve his medical problems. It will take Francona months to recover from the toe surgery.
Bank trainer DeMarlo Hale, who represents Francona, is certain that his good friend is relieved now that the operations are behind him.
“It’s a big step today and he’s going to get through this and he’s in rehab and I think it’s going to work well,” said Hale. “Come around the holidays and Thanksgiving, everything should be fine and I pray and certainly hope for that.”
METS ARMS
Sandy Alderson, president of the New York Mets, said pitcher Jacob deGrom’s elbow is healthy but the team is unsure whether his ace will return this season.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner plays catch on level ground but has not pitched since July 7th due to a sprained elbow. The 32-year-old Righty was 7-2 with a 1.08 ERA and 146 strikeouts before being sidelined.
“At that point the sprain resolved on its own,” said Alderson. “The elbow is completely intact according to the MRIs and clinical evaluations from our doctors. We have to start to see if this is more of a chronic problem that is mechanically related in some way. “
Mets right-handed Noah Syndergaard, who was slowed down in rehab from March 2020 by a positive COVID-19 test on Tommy John, is about to be quarantined. He’ll be back in New York this week, but it’s unclear whether Syndergaard will make it to the Mets in time this season – even as a reliever.
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