Another Milestone Passed

Someday we will certainly look back on the last few years as some of the best years in baseball, as far as watching some significant milestones being broken. In between Bonds' maligned chase of Aaron and Randy's recent conquering of Clemens' K record, we've seen Frank Thomas, Jim Thome, and ARod all reach the 500-HR plateau, and Sosa reach 600, with Griffey knocking on the same door. Maddux recently won his 350th game, and Glavine won his 300th, and Smoltz recorded his 3000th strikeout just before he went down to a season- (and possibly career-) ending injury, and not long after Pedro reached that same level.

Then, last night, Chipper Jones hit homer number 400, becoming the only switch hitter to reach that level while maintaining a career .300 average. This in a year where he's currently hitting .418, one of only 14 players since 1980 to be above .400 in June, guys with names like Boggs, Carew, Walker and Gwynn. One can only wonder how many more homers Chipper might have hit, if he hadn't fallen to injury so often in recent times--he hasn't played more than 150 games since 2003, and has only cracked 130 games twice since then. He's got a few more years in the majors, so we may see him hit 500, and perhaps pass Eddie Murray (504) or the Mick (536) in the switch-hitting home run department.

Chipper's also done all this at the demanding defensive position of third base. Mick played center much of his career, but after his injury-shortened age 30 year, he never again was a full-time outfielder, shifting to the corner OF positions and finally to first base, the final destination of all NL power hitters. Murray had a handful of games at third and in the outfield, but was mostly a 1B/DH for his career. Except for the five years he spent with the Dodgers and Mets in the NL, Murray's load steadily shifted to the DH spot, a rest-day start option Chipper's never had. 

Except for the two ill-begotten years that Vinny Castilla took over at third when Chipper played in left, a further fifty-some games in the outfield at various other times, and a small sample of DH games during interleague play, Chipper's played at the hot corner. Oh, yeah, let's not forget the fifty-some times he's played shortstop, the latest of which came last season.

Yes, there are certain advantages of switch-hitting, including the fact that you almost never see a pitch fading away from you. Opposing managers can't bring in the lefty/righty specialist, so you might be able to take advantage of the pitcher who's out there for one too many hitters, or who lacks the devastating out pitch that usually gets righties or lefties out. Still, it ain't easy.

Try this: Next time you're at the ballfield or the batting cage, whether it's at your beer league game or your kid's tee-ball practice, step over into the other side of the plate and see if you can even figure out which hand should be on top. Take a few cuts and realize how totally goofy it seems to you. Now imagine doing that all the time, and making consistent contact. Not just that, hitting more than your share of home runs, while maintaining a .310/.406/.550 stat line, that lauded .300/.400/.500 category--see this entry for a discussion of this feat--that so few reach, and which Chipper did six years running.

Add Chipper's amazing chase for 400 HRs and .400 this season as yet another reason to be eternally grateful that we're all watching baseball when we are. These are historic times, fellow fans, so be sure you're watchiing.