OK, I yield. Bellhorn happened to be the #2 hitter in someone's off-the-top-of-the-head list of four lineups that were in the running for best 1-4 of all-time, but no one was actually suggesting Bellhorn was an all-time great #2 hitter. Just that he was good enough in conjunction with Damon, Ortiz, and Manny to hold his own in a grouping with 1-4 of Duran, Soto, Devers, and Vlad Jr.No, it's really not.
An apology would be nice.OK, I yield. Bellhorn happened to be the #2 hitter in someone's off-the-top-of-the-head list of four lineups that were in the running for best 1-4 of all-time, but no one was actually suggesting Bellhorn was an all-time great #2 hitter. Just that he was good enough in conjunction with Damon, Ortiz, and Manny to hold his own in a grouping with 1-4 of Duran, Soto, Devers, and Vlad Jr.
When the original Bellhorn hating post was made, my first thought was, "Wow, that's going to go over like a 'THUNK' in here", and that sound is the specific one that was in my head at the time.Mark Bellhorn hit one of the most beautiful, soul crushing home runs in Red Sox, and Yankee, history.
That homerun alone should prevent him from ever having to pay for a drink or meal in Boston ever again.
"I think that's the worst sound I've ever heard."
View: https://youtu.be/9Ehw7iThgmU?si=38bTsRIBdnXKtVWs&t=7435
To Bellhorn? No apology necessary. The nicest thing I'll say is that I was pleasantly floored when he made contact with that 1-2 pitch in Game 6 of the ALCS.An apology would be nice.
I prolly should have qualified my off-the-cuff post—I was really only considering ‘modern era’ lineups. Of course the 1881 Albany Parallelograms lineup of Tater McFarland - Whitney “Whitey” Sinclair - Grandpa Gennero - and Blind Biffy Munroe would have been better.Eh, this was pretty damn close:
The implication seemed to be that it's a stretch to include Duran (8.7 bWAR; 6.5 oWAR last year) in a best 1-4 of all-time conversation with Soto, Devers, and Vlad Jr.... but Bellhorn could be in the conversation for his 2004 (3.7 bWar; 3.5 oWAR). Sure, everything I've said about Bellhorn being a total drain is tongue-in-cheek, but I stand by my point that he was worse than people remember.
Somebody used cWPA to help advance the SABRmetric case for his performance in the playoffs that year. Even I would have assumed Bellhorn would have a positive cWPA for his homeruns in the ALCS, but cWPA has him as a negative for both the ALDS and ALCS.
My question is:To Bellhorn? No apology necessary. The nicest thing I'll say is that I was pleasantly floored when he made contact with that 1-2 pitch in Game 6 of the ALCS.
To all the people who were offended that I remember Bellhorn more for his entire career than for the highlights of his aberrant 2004 season? Yes, I'm sorry.
In your defense Tim Salmon, you're entitled to your opinion. Disagreement and vigorous disagreement is part of the purpose of this site, though hopefully never at the expense of disrespecting anyone. Bellhorn did strike out a lot, and didn't have any kind of blazing career. I will say he was a very effective player in 2004 - walked a ton, so the OBP was good, and hit some dingers. He was a good player, and made some key contributions.To Bellhorn? No apology necessary. The nicest thing I'll say is that I was pleasantly floored when he made contact with that 1-2 pitch in Game 6 of the ALCS.
To all the people who were offended that I remember Bellhorn more for his entire career than for the highlights of his aberrant 2004 season? Yes, I'm sorry.
Counterpoint: 2004 was a different hitting environment across the league.His .817 OPS would have been 4th best on the 2024 Red Sox.
His .373 OBP would have been BEST on the 2024 Red Sox. Just think about that!
Man...... I remember thinking how he looked like he could've been a good regular backup 1B/DH/3B right handed hitter for the Sox.... just cut down on the K's and get that OBP up to a respectable .325 and watch 30HR's and a consistent .820OPS for 5+ more seasons.Bobby Dalbec OPS+ in 2021, when he went .240/.298/.494. I love me some Bobby D. (.792 OPS, 5th on the Sox) and remember him as a vital cog in the team's ALCS run.
Congratulations You must have a great wife...Does she have any sisters?One shortcoming of the 2004 Sox Netflix doc is that it didn't show Bellhorn's Game 6 dinger. Nor did it mention that a Sosher got head from his wife anytime Bellhorn went deep.