Teammates let gallo down and cost him a chance at a K in the 9 by going down 1-2-3. Baseball is a team sport, Gallo needs more from them in his pursuit of history.

I had to go to bed early last night, and I'm glad I didn't stay up, as Joey Gallo again managed just a single strikeout in the Rangers' win over the New York Yankees. It was a pretty Gallo-esque night overall, 0-for-2 with 2 walks, a strikeout, and grounding into a double play. But just average is not going to cut it for much longer. Gallo is close to completely squandering the huge April effort he put forth in the pursuit of the record.

What's really worrying me at this point is that it's only going to get hotter the next few months. What if Joey and the *****cats is too tired to swing at a bunch of pitches? When it's 105 outside, I can barely walk my dog around the cul de sac without wilting, how is this 6 foot 5, 250 pound manchild going to keep swinging for the fences (in theory) day after day? With 60 strikeouts in 43 games, he's down to a pace of just 226 whiffs this year.

Don't get me wrong, I love his overall game, even though that .220 average is creeping up a little higher for me. Joey, you're a .209 career hitter! Not Rod Carew!

This slowdown in whiff rate has allowed EIGHT other guys to get within 10 strikeouts of the lead, including his own teammate Nate Lowe, who padded Gerrit Cole's strikeout total with 3 yesterday. Other luminaries in the top 10 include Joan Baez's illegitimate grand-nephew Javier from the Cubs (54) and Atlanta shortstop Dansby Swanson (51), who I believe is a 1950s soap opera character.

Joey will want to get that next strikeout as quickly as he can, because he is currently wearing the Mark of the Beast in the all-time whiff count, ranked #666 with 732. Next up, Roger Maris at 733.

History, thy name is Gallo.
The Texas Rangers accomplished Wednesday night what Joey Gallo accomplishes nearly every night, looking clueless at the plate and failing to get a hit for 9 innings in gift-wrapping history to ex-Ranger legend Corey Kluber.

It was the Yankees' first no-hitter since 1999, which came against the Expos, and really tells you how long ago it was. If it doesn't, consider that Joe Girardi caught the no-hitter thrown by David Cone, and Derek Jeter was 8 days short of his 25th birthday.

The real star attraction Wednesday night and every night, was of course, our man Joe. He went 0 for 3 with a strikeout. He's fallen even farther off his torrid pace from April but still getting 1 strikeout a night which hopefully will build to something truly special. His 62nd strikeout has him on pace for exactly 223 strikeouts this year, which would equal Mark Reynolds' record set in 2009.

Of Kluber's no-hit stuff on the night, Gallo said: "It didn't seem any different from most guys I face. When it looks like the pitch might be between my ankles and my neck, I just close my eyes and swing as hard as I can."

Kluber famously pitched for the Rangers for an entire inning in 2020. Was it a bittersweet feeling for him, making history against guys he had forged strong bonds with during the Rangers' thrill-a-minute 22-38 campaign a year ago?

"Of course, it's odd seeing guys who you went to war with last year for that one inning," Kluber said, while trying to look at the Rangers' roster on his smartphone. "Great guys over there. Made some true friends. Guys like um, Josh, Dean, Rusty, Nolan, uh, Oddibe, Bump, Ruben, you know, the whole gang basically."

Daytime Joey Gallo is the tonic for your Thursday blues. Gorgeous strike out swinging in the bottom of the first today for #63 on the year.

Fat Bib Fortuna said:

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Daytime Joey Gallo is the tonic for your Thursday blues. Gorgeous strike out swinging in the bottom of the first today for #63 on the year.

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It's hard to focus at work when you know history is being made by Joey Gallo.

Yet another K

It's his first 2-strikeout game since May 13. It's also his 13th straight game with a strikeout. His previous high this year is 14.

It's Joey Gallo vs. the Astros' Tyler Ivey, making his MLB debut tonight in Arlington.

Not even a joke, Tyler Ivey's birthday is May 12, 1996, the day after I graduated from A&M.

Joey needs to step it up quick because suddenly not only is his MLB lead in strikeouts being challenged, but his AL West lead. Matt Chapman of the A's whiffed three times against Houston on Thursday. Gallo has 64 strikeouts, but Chapman is up to 61.


These two titans are having truly remarkable seasons. Quite frankly it's hard to give one the advantage over the other. JG is ripping it at a .213 pace, while Chapman is hitting at a gaudy .222 pace. Joey is clearly the fleeter of foot, with 2 steals to Chapman's 1, but Chapman is destroying him in WAR at an explosive 0.8 to Gallo's 0.4.

The dark horse in all this remains Cincinnati's Eugenio Suarez, leading the NL with 58 strikeouts and SOMEHOW CONTINUING TO BE IN THE LINEUP despite hitting .157 for the year. Now look, I'm just a caveman, I slipped in some ice and hit my head and got frozen, but how do you get 159 at-bats at this point in the season still hitting .157? I gotta believe that 80-year-old Pete Rose, if he were not banned from baseball, could probably hit at least .175 in today's game.

This is going to be all kinds of special for young Mr. Ivey tonight. He grew up in Rowlett and went to A&M for about 37 minutes before transferring to the always formidable Grayson County Community College, which I have never heard of before this moment. He also once got suspended for a "foreign substance" on his glove. Does that mean it was from Guatemala? Or Portugal? Regardless, he'll fit right in with those cheating Astros, right Ranger fans! Beat you to it!

As with any pitching MLB debut, he'll even throw an 8-inning, 2-hit shutout or give up 9 earned runs in 2/3 of an inning and bean someone in the crowd with an errant throw to first.

Getting a little stressed here. If the Astros don't rally to tie this thing, Yosef Gallo probably only has one AB left tonight with nary a strikeout to show for it.

What's really scary is that Suarez didn't strikeout today, and Matt Chapman has gone 2 at bats without a K tonight. If none of those 3 strikeout on the same night, the Prophecy will be fulfilled, and the Universe will unmake itself.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
THE STREAK IS ALIVE!

Not a lot of guys can strikeout on a wild pitch. I'm not saying Joey Gallo is in a class by himself, but it doesn't take long to call the roll.

PatAg said:

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I have a feeling that, even if he does set the record, it's going to end up not counting because of what so many pitchers are doing to the ball right now.

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steroid homerun record counts, then doctored ball strikeouts count

It was vintage Joey Gallo on Saturday as the "slugger" avoided taking part in the Rangers' offensive output, going 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts to reach 67 whiffs on the year. It was his 15th straight game with at least one strikeout.

He is absolutely locked in, pushing his average down to .205 on the year after hitting a dangerous high-water mark of ..234 back on May 3. The two strikeouts has him back ahead of Mark Reynolds' 2009 pace, now on track to fan 226 times as the 2021 season heads toward the 1/3rd mark.

Over in the NL, Eugenio Suarez hit the 60-K mark this afternoon, with another marvelous 0 for 4 performance that dropped his average down to an incredible .151. He's so terrible that if he went 1 for 6 in a game, his average would go up.

At this point, we have to start giving this thread a double purpose, as the Reds seem to have no intention of shutting Suarez down anytime soon. He's played in 43 of their 44 games so far this year and has 181 plate appearances, 36% of the total necessary to qualify for the batting title (502). In the history of this planet, here are the worst batting averages for guys with at least 502 plate appearances.

[ol]

Chris Davis, 2018 Orioles: .168

Dan Uggla, 2013 Braves.179

Rob Deer, 1991 Tigers179

John Gochnaur, 1903 Indians: .185

John Gochnaur, 1902 Indians: .185

[/ol]
chris Davis had more strikeouts that year (192) than batting average points (168). Not sure how many times that's happened, looks like Adam Dunn did it a couple of time as well, but it's sort of like the anti-40-40 club. Will have to so more research and get back to you.

As suspected, more strikeouts than batting average points in a season where you have at least 502 plate appearances is mega-elite. Suarez, Joseph of Gallolei, Matt Chapman, and whoever the hell Jorge Soler is all have a real shot at it.

Here's the exclusive club as of now:

Mark Reynolds (seriously is there anything this guy can't do?): 2010, .198 AVG, 211 K

Adam Dunn, 2012, .204 AVG, 222 K

Chris Davis, 2018, .168 AVG, 192 K

Joey Gallo, 2018, .206 AVG, 207 K

Yeah, you read that right. Joey Gallo is already in the club. Ain't no party like a Gallo party, cuz a Gallo party don't stop. That means if he keeps really focusing, he could become the first two-time member of this club. That's not just an accomplishment or something to put on the mantle, that's LEGACY.

Here's where our 4 candidates in 2021 are projecting out right now in this exciting chase.

Joey Gallo: .205 AVG, 226 K
Eugenio Suarez: .151 AVG, 221 K
Matt Chapman: .214 AVG, 214 K (gotta pick it up, Matt!)
Jorge Soler: .185 AVG, 203 K

We'll check back on this fascinating development once a week or so. For now, revel in the fact that in order to hit .300 this year in 500 at-bats, Eugenio Suarez would need to hit .449 for the rest of the season. You got this, Eugene!

Well, Joey didn't strike out yesterday. And since the Rangers aren't playing today, I'm pretty sure he won't strike out today.

To pass the time, here is Joey Gallo explaining how he planned to strike out less in 2020. Then he struck out 79 times in 57 games, which projects out to 224 strikeouts in 162 games, one ahead of the all-time record.

Initially, I was pretty furious this evening when I noticed the Rangers were giving Late Night with Joey Gallo the day off, considering the Rangers entire team had the night off yesterday.

That fury grew into a dull rage when I noticed the A's had similarly given Matt Chapman that night off.

Then, like a lone ray of sunshine, I read the game notes for the Reds-Nationals game.

David Bell, Reds' skipper and my personal choice for manager of the millennium, decided earlier today that a good way to get their offense going was to move Eugenio Suarez to LEAD OFF to get him more at-bats.

This is the Eugenio Suarez who entered today's action hitting .148.
To Bell's credit, Suarez went 1-for-4, raising his average to a white hot .150.
He also struck out three times, and suddenly old Jose Rooster has got some company. Suarez is up to 65 strikeouts in 46 games, a pace for 229 whiffs.

Time for the Rangers' brass to get serious on whether they want to be part of history or just wave at it as it drives on by.

As a Rangers fan that otherwise has no real reason to continue following his team, this thread gives me purpose.

He's back!
The Rooster crowed loud and long today as the Rangers fell just short of the Angels in a clash for third in the AL West.
Joey Gallo went 1-for-5 with a 2-run homer but far more importantly a pair of strikeouts, getting him to 69 on the season through 51 games. That puts him on pace for 219 after the Rangers selfishly made him take a day off on Tuesday.

It also moves him into a tie for 653rd place all-time with 741 strikeouts, matching the legendary Richie Hebner who needed 18 years to get there. Who is RIchie Hebner, you might ask? **** if I know. Although I've been such a baseball card nerd for so long I felt like I had a card of him playing for the Cubs in the 1980s and sure as **** he was there in 84-85.

Tonight's trivia - name any or as many of the top 5 active leaders among batters in strikeouts. Joey is currently #77, although at the rate he's going, if he can stay healthy, he's going to fly up that list.