Jonah Cox had never set foot in Wrigley Field prior to June 5th of this season. It turned out to be a day he won’t soon forget. Six games into his MLB career, the 25-year-old San Francisco Giants outfielder went 3-for-3 and left the yard for the first time at baseball’s highest level. In front of an announced crowd of 39,060, the visitors ran roughshod over the Chicago Cubs by a count of 18-3.
His initial impression of the Friendly Confines?
“It’s one of those stadiums you see in movies, like Rookie of the Year, so when you walk out there it’s like ‘Oh my gosh,’” the Colorado native told me earlier this week. “Knowing the history and the fanbase, it’s just a really cool place to play.”
“Oh man, the ball was flying,” Cox went on to say of the contest, which featured eight home runs, seven of them by the Giants, “It was a ton of fun watching guys swing and have so much success. Then I got the call to come in and face Hoby Milner, the lefty [in the sixth inning with the Giants leading 9-0]. I was excited to get in there, and one thing led to another.”
Did it ever. The rookie recorded his second hit of the game — and just his third in the majors — in that same inning, which ended with the Giants on top 16-0. Then came the top of the ninth. With Cubs catcher Carson Kelly toeing the rubber, Cox cleared the ivy.
“It was kind of a running joke with some of the buddies I was coming up [through the minors] with,” Cox said of the gopher. “When I first came into pro ball, I was miserable against position players. I was something like 0-for-7 with six strikeouts and a broken bat against them. But then last year we were facing a position player and a coach came up to me said, ‘Hey dude, just try to hit a home run and see what happens.’ I ended up doing it.”
His repeating the feat at Wrigley included a brief moment of confusion.
“I knew that I hit it well, but it was a guy throwing 60 mph,” recalled Cox. “I was kind of just running and thinking, ‘Sweet, it’s going to be a hit.’ The crowd went louder, and when I looked up the ball was already back on the field. I thought it must have gone off the wall, but then the umpire told me it was a home run. [A fan in the bleachers had thrown it back.] I was like, Awesome. Lets go!’”
Upon rounding the bases, he had equaled his father’s home run total. Playing for the Montreal Expos in 1999, Darron Cox took Los Angeles Dodgers southpaw Onan Masaoka deep for one of his six career hits.
“I did tie him,” acknowledged the second-generation big-leaguer, whose ledger now includes 10 hits in 43 at-bats. “But he might actually have me beat, because his was off of a guy not throwing 60. There was a little trash talk about it after the game. He was there, as was my wife and some other family.”
There is more to Cox’s rookie-season story. A week earlier, he had recorded his first career hit, a double, in a 19-6 Giants shellacking of the Rockies at Coors Field — and it came against Colorado catcher Brett Sullivan.
Had he been trying to hit a home run?
“I was for the first two swings,” Cox told me. “But then it got to a full count and panic set in. It’s kind of a lose-lose situation. If you get a hit against a position player, it’s pretty much, ’OK, that’s what you were supposed to do,’ and if you strike out… I mean, that’s horrible. I didn’t want to strike out, so I was just trying to hit the ball.”
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RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS
Ed Armbrister went 3 for 16 against Tommy John.
Steve Garvey went 3 for 16 against Brent Strom.
Miguel Vargas is 2 for 6 against Jackson Jobe.
Doc Cramer went 8 for 25 against Ivy Andrews.
Paul Molitor went 6 for 23 against John Farrell.
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Which opponent has most impressed Torey Lovullo this season? I asked the Arizona Diamondbacks manager that question earlier this week.
“We played the Chicago Cubs at the beginning of May—- we haven’t seen them in awhile, but are getting ready to play them again — and I walked away from that series thinking they were a pretty complete team,” said Lovullo. “Obviously, they’re well run with Craig Counsell at the helm. The players knew their roles and were playing at a pretty high level. They were playing very fast. For me, that’s about prep, and also about talent and execution. I would say they have been the best.
“We’ve seen the Dodgers with some banged-up athletes,” Lovullo went on to say. “They’ve had some guys out, so we haven’t seen them as a complete team. I know they’ve had some good and bad moments. I think they’re yet to play their best baseball.”
The D-Backs went 7-6 versus the Dodgers this season. The Cubs, who visit Arizona for a three-game series beginning tomorrow, swept the aforementioned three-game series back in May.
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A quiz:
The Giants moved from New York to San Francisco in 1958. Since that time, four players have a batting average of .300 or higher while logging 2,000 or more at-bats with the team. Who are they? (A hint: two are in the Hall of Fame.)
The answer can be found below.
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NEWS NOTES
Marlene Vogelsang has been honored with the 2026 SABR Founder’s Day Award, which recognizes a member who has contributed significant or enduring service as a leader of a regional chapter or research committee. Vogelsong is the president of the Bay Area-based Lefty O’Doul chapter.
Baek In-Chun, the only player to log a batting average of .400 or higher in a full KBO season, died last weekend at age 83. Baek batted .412 over 298 plate appearances for MBC Chungyong (now the LG Twins) in 1982.
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The answer to the quiz is Hall of Famers Orlando Cepeda (.308) and Willie Mays (.301), and non-Hall of Famers Barry Bonds (.312) and Buster Posey (.302). If you guessed Will Clark, he batted .299 as a Giant. Jeff Kent, at .297, also just missed.
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Cody Bowker came home to Maine and impressed Roman Anthony. Pitching against the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs on Thursday night, the 22-year-old right-hander took the mound for the Reading Fightin’ Phils and allowed just two hits and one run over five innings. The rehabbing Boston Red Sox outfielder grounded out in each of his two at-bats versus Bowker.
“He threw really well,” Anthony said of the 2022 Maine Gatorade Player of the Year, whom the Philadelphia Phillies drafted in the third round last year out of Vanderbilt University. “He’s got a funky arm, for sure. He kind of kept us all over the place. It was his Double-A debut, and I’ve been there. Things can tend to speed up on you when you’re playing in front of all your friends and family. Hats off to him.”
Shortly after those words were shared with a small group of reporters — including yours truly — I let the young pitcher know that Anthony had been impressed with not only the quality of his stuff, but also his demeanor.
“That means a lot,” responded Bowker who was born in Massachusetts and played his high school ball at Thornton Academy in Saco, Maine. “Especially with me being a Red Sox fan. I have their games on every night, so that’s extra special.”
Currently ranked 21st in the Phillies system with a 40 FV, Bowker has a 4.48 ERA, a 3.58 FIP, and 33.9% strikeout rate over 80-and-third frames across three levels.
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FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Bobby Dalbec has 20 home runs to go with a .256/.323/.462 slash line and a 135 wRC+ over 443 plate appearances for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows.The 31-year-old erstwhile Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox corner infielder also has NPB’s highest strikeout rate at 32.6%.
Misho Nishikaw is slashing .302/.368/.421 with seven home runs and a 131 wRC+ over 446 plate appearances for the Chiba Lotte Marines. The 23-year-old outfielder batted .281 with a 108 wRC+ last year in his first NPB season.
Min Seok Choi is now 11-3 with a 2.72 ERA over 115-and-two-thirds innings for the KBO’s Doosan Bears. The right-hander, who celebrated his 20th birthday last month, is the youngest player in Bears history to have a double-digit-win season.
Hao Wei Ghang is slashing .347/.396/.429 with four two-baggers and a pair of triples in 107 plate appearances for the Chinese Professional Baseball League’s Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions. The 21-year-old infielder/outfielder has stolen six bases in as many tries.
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Claire O’Sullivan has been impressive on both sides of the ball for the WPBL’s New York Heights. The 31-year-old Maroubra, Australia native has gone 2-0 with a 2.61 ERA across three mound appearances, and is 8-for-16 with a home run at the plate.
Suzuka Yamamoto is 6-for-10 with a double and two walks for the WPBLs Boston Hunters. The 27-year-old shortstop from Setouchi City, Japan is graduate of graduate of Kwansei Gakuin University and a founding member of the Hanshin Tigers Women’s team, which was established in 2021.
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Last week’s column led with Bryce Rainer, the subject at hand being his no-longer-in-play prowess as a pitcher. Prior to his being drafted 11th overall by the Detroit Tigers in 2024, the 21-year-old shortstop prospect showed ample promise on the mound, with some scouts seeing two-way potential. Left on the cutting-room floor from my conversation with Rainer was what he said about his ongoing development as a position player.
“There are things we all work on every day, just because every day is a new day,” said Rainer, who ranks 25th on The Board with a 55 FV. “For me, there have definitely been things over the course of the past year, especially with the [shoulder] injury, that I’ve kind of had to maneuver around. But now, I think we’re at a point where the biggest thing for me is kind of just going out there and trying to help [the High-A West Michigan Whitecaps] win games. I’m not really worrying too much about the ins and outs, the more detailed stuff.”
Prompted for any specific tweaks he’s made to his left-handed stroke, Rainer was equal parts elusive and straightforward.
“Honestly, the more I was trying to kind of change the swing, the worse it seemed to get,” he told me. “Once I started to just come out here and have fun, and not really think about it too much, everything kind of cleaned up by itself. My dad has a saying that he’s repeated to me for a very long time: “A light mind is a quick bat.’ I’ve taken that to heart, and it’s working for me.”
The numbers back that up. Less than two months removed from celebrating his 21st birthday, Rainer is slashing .274/.382/.484 with 15 home runs and a 128 wRC+ over 377 plate appearances versus Midwest League pitching. Moreover, he recently went deep in five consecutive games, setting a West Michigan record.
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FARM NOTES
Tai Peete is slashing .281/.348/.545 with 11 home runs and a 121 wRC+ over 267 plate appearances between High-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield (plus 10 hitless at-bats in a brief rehab stint in the FCL). The recently-turned-21-year-old outfielder was acquired by the St. Louis Cardinals over the offseason in the trade that sent Brendan Donovan to the Seattle Mariners.
Jaiden Lo Re has 23 stolen bases to go with a .344/.447/.463 slash line and a 146 wRC+ over 314 plate appearances between the Florida Complex League and Low-A Delmarva. The 19-year-old outfielder was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the fifth round last year out of Tempe, Arizona’s Corona del Sol High School.
Grady Emerson made his professional debut earlier this week with the Low-A Charleston RiverDogs and has since gone hitless in nine at-bats, with one walk and one strikeout. The 18-year-old shortstop was drafted second overall this summer by the Tampa Bay Rays out of a North Richland Hills, Texas high school.
Ace Reese is 16-for-33 with four doubles, a pair of home runs, and nine walks for the Low-A Inland Empire 66ers. The 21-year-old third baseman was drafted 24th overall this summer by the Seattle Mariners out of Mississippi State University.
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A random obscure former player snapshot:
Barney Schultz was a major contributor to a St. Louis Cardinals club that captured the National League pennant, and subsequently a World Series title, in 1964. Seemingly out of the race in mid-August — they were 11 games out of first on today’s date — the Cards caught fire and went on to blow past the fading Philadelphia Phillies in the final days of the season. Schultz was front and center. The 38-year-old knuckleballer earned saves against Gene Mauch’s snakebitten side on September 28 and 29, culminating a five-saves-in-as-many-days stretch. Moreover, all 14 of the saves he garnered that season came from August 6 onward. Despite appearing in just 30 games all year (he also took the mound four times in the Fall Classic], Schultz received a down-ballot vote for NL MVP.
All told, the right-hander made 227 appearances while seeing action for three teams — the Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and Detroit Tigers — from 1955-1965. His ledger includes a 20-20 won-lost record, 35 saves, and 3.63 ERA over 346-and-two-thirds innings. Humble as that may be, Schultz — for one season a hero in St. Louis — played a huge part in the most infamous collapse in Phillies history.
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LINKS YOU’LL LIKE
Donovan Casey spent five days in the majors, all with the Washington Nationals in 2022, but never appeared in a game. Jesse Dougherty has the story at NOTUS.
Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar is active in his support of pediatric healthcare. MLB.com’s Thomas Harding wrote about the young infielder’s efforts.
The Athletic’s Tim Britton wrote about how the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies have been baseball’s best team since the trade deadline.
A Gorham, Maine native named Horace Wilson brought baseball to Japan in 1870. Ray Routhier wrote about it for The Portland Press Herald.
Johnny Ray was a solid performer for the Pittsburgh Pirates and California Angels across the 1981-1990 seasons, then played for NPB’s Tokyo Yakult Swallows in 1991 and 1992. Madison McEntire chronicled the erstwhile second baseman’s career for SABR’s BioProject.
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RANDOM FACTS AND STATS
On Friday, Logan Webb became the 25th pitcher in Giants franchise history to make 200 career starts. Per the team’s press notes, that tied the club with the Cincinnati Reds for the most in MLB history.
In Monday’s 11-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Red Sox had all nine hitters in the starting lineup record at least one RBI with none of them striking out. The last time a team accomplished that feat was on June 25, 1949, when the Red Sox outscored the St. Louis Browns 13-2.
The Cincinnati Reds are 62-68 and have a minus-92 run differential.
The Detroit Tigers are 61-68 and have a plus-77 run differential.
The Tigers have had four players record a hit in their first MLB plate appearance this season. They completed a cycle while doing so. Ben Malgeri singled, Kevin McGonigle doubled, Brett Callahan tripled, and Eduardo Valencia homered. The Tigers last had four players record a hit in their first plate appearance in the same season in 1963: Willie Horton singled, Alan Koch and Don Wert doubled, and Gates Brown homered.
Mason Miller has a 0.83 ERA over 54 1/3 innings across 52 relief appearances.
Brayan Bello has a 0.85 ERA over 52 2/3 innings across 11 relief appearances.
On today’s date in 1989, Rick Dempsey took Dennis Martinez deep to end a 22-inning marathon and give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 1-0 win over the Montreal Expos. L.A.’s Alfredo Griffin went hitless in nine at-bats, which is two short of the major league record. On May 1, 1920, Boston Braves infielder Charlie Pick went 0-for-11 in a 26-inning affair against the Brooklyn Robins. That game was called in account of darkness with the score knotted at 1-1. Both pitchers went the distance.
Bob Feller made his first career start on today’s date in 1936. Just 17 years old at the time, the flame-throwing right-hander from Van Meter, Iowa fanned 15 batters while going the distance in a 4-1 Cleveland Indians win over the St. Louis Browns.
Players born on today’s date include Dale Mitchell, whose .312 batting average ranks eighth best in Cleveland franchise history among players with at least 4,000 plate appearances. An outfielder whose Indians tenure spanned the 1946-1956 seasons, Mitchell recorded 1,237 hits and was fanned just 116 times. Twice an All-Star, he was a key member of the last Cleveland team to capture a World Series title, in 1948.
Also born on today’s date was Cowboy Jones, a southpaw who toed the rubber for the Cleveland Spiders in 1898, and for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1899-1901. The first from his home state of Colorado to play in the majors, the Golden native also spent several years on the farm. His first professional club was the Western League’s Milwaukee Brewers, who were managed by Connie Mack, and he later toiled for teams such as the Adrian Fencevilles, Meridian Ribboners, and Paducah Polecats.
Baseball annals include an outfielder named Tommy Johns, whose MLB career comprised one game for the National Association’s Baltimore Marylands in 1873. Per his SABR BioProject entry, Johns went hitless in four at-bats versus the Baltimore Canaries — a.k.a. the Lord Baltimore Baseball Club — whose pitcher that day was Candy Cummings, who is credited by many as the inventor of the curveball.
* This article was originally published here
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