A Decade of ESPN Sunday Night Baseball: Is It Really Always Red Sox/Yankees? [View all]

[RockaFowler]

http://www.baseballessential.com/news/2015/02/16/a-decade-of-espn-sunday-night-baseball-is-it-really-always-red-soxyankees/





Let’s take a look at the bottom of this nationally televised barrel. Two teams, Seattle and Toronto, have not appeared once on Sunday Night in the last decade. Seattle’s drought is about a month longer than Toronto’s, with the Mariners’ last Sunday night appearance coming on June 6th, 2004 at home against the Chicago White Sox. Some fun facts about that game:

• 41-year-old Jamie Moyer got the start for the M’s
• Esteban Loaiza started for Chicago
• Bob Melvin was managing the Mariners
• Miguel Olivo started at catcher…for the White Sox. Three weeks later, he was traded to the Mariners with Michael Morse and Jeremy Reed for Ben Davis and Freddy Garcia
• Edgar Martinez pinch-hit in the 7th inning
• Three White Sox relievers — Damaso Marte, Shingo Takatsu, and someone named Michael Jackson (?!) — were credited with holds, before Billy Koch blew the save

The Marlins’ only SNB appearance over the last decade was on September 18th, 2005 at home against the Philadelphia Phillies, a game in which 38-year-old Kenny Lofton batted 2nd for the Phillies and 38-year-old Jeff Conine went 3-3 with three walks for the Fish (note: this was the only time in Conine’s 17-year career that he reached base six times in one game). Other notable SNB droughts include…

•The Diamondbacks: last appearance was on August 31st, 2008 at home against the Dodgers
•The Twins: last appearance was on August 22nd, 2010 at home against the Angels
•The Rockies: last appearance was on August 14th, 2011 on the road against the Cardinals