baseball returns from - hey... an off day?

Just when you think they're back from the all-star break, the Astros have an off-day. Just when Craig Biggio moves to within 2 plunks of tying Hughie Jennings all time record, the Astros give him Sunday off, then the league takes 3 more days for a so-called All-Star break that doesn't even include the most prolific hitter and get hitter of the past 20 years, and then the schedule makers leave another day off. Following an HBP chase requires patience, but it helps if there's at least a baseball game being played. This is much to long a break to wait for the plunk chase to resume, yet not long enough to really get a good jump on another project, like coming up with a campaign slogan for Cletus J "Bubba" Huckabee Jr's run for Chesterfield County Sanitation Commissioner. (I'm thinking "Ask not what your County can do for you..." - but leave the "..." open to interpretation).

Well, since we're waiting and looking forward, here's a few other milestones to look forward to:

3021 hits - 8 hits away - this would give Biggio the post-1983 hitting record, passing Rafael Palmeiro for the most hits since 1984.

3300 hits + hbps - just 2 hbps or hits away. Biggio would be the 12th player to reach base on a clean hit or a hit-by-pitch 3300 times.

664 doubles - this would give Biggio the post-1973 doubles record.

666 doubles - many people have pointed this out, including that he may reach that milestone against the Padres, but it would move Biggio to 4th all time on doubles list.

286 plunks - this would break the post-1891 HBP record, passing the current mark of 285 held by some guy named Craig Biggio.



Kip Wells plunked Biggio on July 12, 2003. Tomorrow is Friday the 13th, but the Astros don't appear to be facing anyone named Jason.