What a difference a year makes. Below are the five teams that have experienced the greatest improvement in winning percentage since this time last year. And the five with the biggest drops in that statistic (through Thursday): %% %%
%% Biggest gains
Team 1998 1997 Diff.
Pct. Pct.
Phillies. .519 .301 .218
Yankees .740 .573 .167
Padres .651 .491 .160
Cubs .561 .406 .155
Red Sox .587 .467 .120
Biggest Drops
Team 1998 1997 Diff.
Pct. Pct.
Marlins .355 .563 .208
Expos .377 .514 .137
Orioles .500 .627 .127
Mariners .457 .577 .120
White Sox .438 .495 .057
%%
WELL-SEASONED
The Minnesota Twins have counted on wily veterans Mike Morgan and Bob Tewksbury to shore up their pitching rotation while younger pitchers develop in the teams farm system. With Morgan and Tewksbury in the rotation, the average age of the Twins’ five starters was 29.4 years. With Morgan and Tewksbury both on the disabled list, the starters average 24.2 years of age.
FENCE SITTING
Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals is closing in on Babe Ruth’s record of 161 homers in three consecutive seasons. Ruth set the record from 1926 through 1928 hitting 47, 60 and 54 homers in those three seasons. Through Thursday, McGwire had hit 155 long balls over the last three years, the third most in major-league history. The Seattle Mariners’ Ken Griffey Jr., with 145 homers since 1996, also could surpass Ruth. A player has hit 142 or more home runs over a three-year period only 12 times, as listed below: %%
Player Years Homers Total
Babe Ruth 1926-28 47-60-54 161
Babe Ruth 1927-29 60-54-46 160
Mark McGwire* 1996-98 52-58-45 155
Jimmie Foxx 1932-34 58-48-44 150
Babe Ruth 1928-30 54-46-49 149
Mark McGwire 1995-97 39-52-58 149
Babe Ruth 1920-22 54-59-35 148
Ralph Kiner 1947-49 51-40-54 145
Ken Griffey, Jr* 1996-98 49-56-41 146
Ralph Kiner 1949-51 54-47-42 143
Babe Ruth 1919-21 29-54-59 142
Harmon Killebrew 1962-64 48-45-49 142
*Through Thursday
%%
HOMER-MANIA
Reserve second baseman Homer Bush of the New York Yankees seems to be enjoying life in the majors: He’s batting .375 (12 for 32) and playing for a World Series contender. Bush is only the 11th player in the majors whose true first name is Homer and the first Homer since Homer Howell in 1956. The 11 big-league Homers are: %%
Player Years
Homer Smoot 1902-06
Homer Hillebrand 1905-19
Homer Davidson 1908
Homer Thompson 1912
Homer Summa 1920-30
Homer Blankenship 1922-28
Homer Ezzell 1923-25
Homer Peel 1927-34
Homer Spragins 1947
Homer Howell 1947-56
Homer Bush 1997-present
%%
IN ANOTHER LEAGUE
Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez (14-3, 2.59 earned-run average) could become only the second pitcher to win Cy Young Awards in both leagues. The first was Gaylord Perry, who won the award in 1972 with the AL’s Cleveland Indians and in 1978 with the NL’s San
