Mercedes 1st modern player to open year 8 for 8, streak ends wsiltv.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wsiltv.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Chicago White Sox s Yermin Mercedes (73) runs the bases after hitting a home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels Saturday, April 3, 2021, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) Credit: The Associated Press
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Yermín Mercedes finally made an out, but not before the Chicago White Sox rookie became the first player since at least 1900 to begin a season with eight straight hits.
The 28-year-old Mercedes got hits his first three times up Saturday night against the Los Angeles Angels before a flyout in the eighth inning. On Friday night he became the second player in the modern era to get five hits in his first career start, and the first to go 5 for 5.
Yermin Mercedes record: White Sox DH opens season with eight hits si.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from si.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A look back at the 1997 Royals
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Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
The 1997 Royals were a zombie franchise. The franchise that was once a crown jewel and a champion a decade before were now set adrift, without an owner or any sense of direction. The team was ostensibly in a youth movement, but seemed focused on adding veterans to prop up a Potemkin village for a potential new owner. The result would be one of the worst seasons in franchise history.
The 1997 Royals
Record: 67-94, 5th place, 19 games back
Say hello to: Jay Bell, Ricky Bones, Hector Carrasco, Scott Cooper, Chili Davis, Jermaine Dye, Jeff King, Gregg Olson, Dean Palmer, Scott Service, Jaime Walker
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Winning a Cy Young Award is a testament to an excellent season. It’s also an important line on a pitcher’s resume, and it can often increase his value moving forward. Sometimes, that shows in free agency there have been seven pitchers to become free agents in the offseason immediately following a Cy Young win. Other times, it’s evident in the return a team gets on a deal, trading away a pitcher who recently won an award.
There have been four pitchers to be traded in the offseason immediately following a Cy Young Award. And there have been 29 instances of a pitcher being traded within two seasons of earning the honor, including the offseason after that second season. Blake Snell, who went from the Rays to the Padres two seasons after winning the 2018 American League Cy Young Award, is the most recent.