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MLB news and moments you should know: 08/09/2024

MLB news and moments you should know: 08/09/2024
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Stay up to date on all things baseball with our morning MLB News & Moments articles. We’ve got you covered to keep you in the know.

Today’s headlines

White Sox fire Grifol, Sizemore takes over

The Chicago White Sox have endured one of the worst seasons in MLB history this year. After flirting with the record for the longest losing streak in major league history, it’s no surprise that big changes are coming soon to Chicago’s south side. One such change was announced Thursday morning when manager Pedro Grifol was relieved of his duties by the team:

Grifol’s tenure with the White Sox was not successful, but to his credit, the organization has not done much to build a competitive roster around him. While the team will not name a long-term manager until sometime this offseason, they announced the former All-Star Grady Sizemore as interim manager for the remainder of the 2024 season, as well as several other changes to the coaching staff.

Although he has been part of the White Sox coaching staff this season, this is Sizemore’s first chance at a full-time job as a major league manager. Sizemore’s path to this role is an interesting one, as his coaching career began with an internship with the Diamondbacks that paid him $15 an hour. It won’t be an easy task, but Sizemore will have a chance to showcase his knowledge and skills as a manager in the final months of the season.

The Grifol era in Chicago is over, and the winds of change are blowing through the Windy City. While the future of the White Sox is uncertain, change can have a big impact on a franchise. Whether future changes involve higher-level restructuring or a move to another city remains to be seen, but at least fans of this historic franchise have something different to look forward to.

Brewers storm to victory in Atlanta

The Milwaukee Brewers played like crazy in their first two games at Truist Park this week and continued their attack on Thursday with a 16-7 win over Atlanta. Milwaukee recorded 20 hits on Thursday, including two home runs by the red-hot rookie Jackson Chourio:

Milwaukee became the first team since 2016 to have 16 hits or more in every game of a three-game series, showcasing its surprisingly strong offense for 27 straight innings. The win pushed Milwaukee to 65-49, good for a 6.5-game lead in the NL Central, while Atlanta fell to 60-54, officially out of the playoffs for the first time in over two years:

The Brewers will head home to Milwaukee this weekend to host the Cincinnati Reds, while Atlanta will try to get back on track against the Rockies’ very powerful pitchers at Coors Field.

Alonso’s attack leads Mets to victory over the Rockies

Atlanta is out of the Wild Card race, meaning a team had to overtake them and take the coveted third spot. After an offensive outburst on Thursday, that spot belongs to the New York Mets, thanks in large part to Pete Alonso‘s destruction of some balls:

How hard were those balls hit? Well…see below. Balls fly far at Coors Field, don’t they?

With eight extra-base hits in Thursday’s game, the Mets are now seven games over .500 (61-54) and in excellent position for the playoffs. This weekend, they travel even further west, where they face the Seattle Mariners in a three-game series.

Walk-Off on the West Coast

While many in the Eastern Time Zone were fast asleep, there were probably some Detroit Tigers fans who stayed up to watch them play the Seattle Mariners. With a 3-1 lead in the second half of the ninth inning, the Tigers had Will Vest on the hill to finish the matter against Mitch Haniger. Until his last at-bat, Haniger hit a ball into right field and the rest is history:

It was not the typical walk-off (Ryan Vilade would be the first to tell you he should have kept the ball in front of him), but it was a big win for the Mariners, who are trying to keep up with the Houston Astros in the AL West. The Mariners, currently tied at the top of the division, host the Mets this weekend in a tougher test, while the Tigers travel south to the Bay Area to face the San Francisco Giants.

The best moments of yesterday

Defensive Magic

The Mets had the last laugh on Thursday, but it was the Colorado Rockies who delivered the defensive highlight of the game, thanks to a crazy double play by Ezequiel Tovar:

Rizzo Rules

There are few better people in the world of baseball than Anthony Rizzo. A typical example:

Vladdy hits 20

One of the hottest players of the summer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wasted no time and extended his hitting streak to 20 games with a double in the first inning of Thursday’s game. He added a home run and a double, narrowly missing the cycle:

Changing of the guard

In today’s edition of “Random Baseball Tidbits”:

A day off for the President

The Texas Rangers were one of the few teams that had Thursday off, but it was still an eventful day for the defending champions. The Rangers visited the White House to celebrate their World Series victory and gave us many great photos and moments:

Injuries and other movements

⚾ Pirates send outstanding rookie SP Jared Jones on a rehab trip to Triple-A Indianapolis. It will probably be a few weeks before we see Jones back with the big club, but this is a step in the right direction.

⚾ Pirates placed RP Colin Holderman on the 15-day IL with a sprained right wrist and also designated as OF Edward Olivares for assignment.

⚾ Atlanta appointed OF Eddie Rosario for assignment.

⚾ Red Sox activates SS Vaughn Grissom from the 10-day injured list and sent him to Triple-A Worcester.

⚾ Atlanta has recalled SS Eli White from Triple-A Gwinnett.

⚾ Radiation activates RP Richard Lovelady from the 15-day injured list.

⚾ Mariners activates OF Dominic Canzone from the 10-day injured list.

⚾ Yankees SS Anthony Volpe He committed a foul on a ball that made contact with his foot and left the game on Thursday, but X-rays were fortunately negative.

Articles you should read

Bryan Sammons’ long journey to the Major League embodies the soul of the game — Cody Stavenhagen, The Athletic

5 fascinating storylines in current baseball – Will Leitch, MLB.com

Dear thugs: It’s okay to take a break — Kiri Oler, Fangraphs

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