all star notes and spare parts

Roger Clemens is the only pitcher in today's all star game who has hit a batter, and of course it was Craig Biggio in 1998.

It probably went unnoticed Friday, and it wasn't that big a deal that you'd save the ball, but in the 6th inning when Jason Grabowski hit into a 6-4-3 double play, Craig Biggio joined the 1000 double play club. It's a pretty big club (141 including Biggio), populated mostly by first basemen who mostly just caught the ball for the second out and didn't have to throw it anywhere, but Biggio is just the second player to reach 1000 double plays after recording 20 as a catcher. The other was Rudy York who tallied 1076 double plays, mostly as a first baseman after a few early seasons as a catcher. He's also the only 1000 double play member who has recorded at least one from catcher, second base and center field (with the possible exception of Cap Anson who may have had one in the two game he played center field in 1875).

164 of Biggio's 268 HBPs have come before the all star break. The most plunks he's recorded before the break are 19 in 2001, and the most post all star break plunks he's had was 20 in 1997. Another 20 plunk second half this year would put him at the top of the all time list.

Kip Wells hit Craig Biggio with a pitch on July 12, 2003.