MLB London Series - Yankees vs Red Sox

Ahead of this weekend's historic visit to the UK from the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, I wrote a couple of profile pieces for Bat Flips & Nerds, our nation's leading authority on the great game of baseball.

Each post focuses on a respective legend from each of team; for the Yankees and I chose Joe DiMaggio, and for the Red Sox I opted for Pedro Martinez.

If you're new to baseball and want to brush up on a couple of these club's legends before the weekend, or even if you're an experienced fan and just want to reminisce, please see the links below:

Joe DiMaggio - The Yankee Clipper

Pedro Martinez - El Grande

Jason Kipnis - Kickstart My Heart

Over the course of his nine-year career in Cleveland, Jason Kipnis has experienced every emotion a ballplayer can possibly encounter. In recent years he's routinely had fans get on his back, constantly question him and demand his removal from the team on social media.

But how quickly things change.

Last night, Kipnis was a hero for the Indians like he has been so many times before, thanks to his 10th inning home run that brought a victorious end to a rain-delayed 3-2 victory over the Royals.

As a fanbase we're very quick to assign blame when the Indians are struggling. This is not unique to Cleveland, or even baseball. Sadly, Kipnis has found himself on the receiving end more than most. Once upon a time he was a fan favorite, but the fickleness of a sports fan can be a cruel beast, and before long Kipnis was catching flak for his below-par batting average and inability to stay on the field (hardly his fault).

There can be no doubting his effort though, and just when you think he might be done, the 32 year-old surprises you.

Some of the Kipnis cards added to my modest collection this month - good timing!

This month, Kipnis has helped spark the Indians back to life, putting the Tribe in the win column with regularity, posting a 15-6 record in June to keep the pressure on the Twins, still atop the AL Central.

Since the start of the month Kipnis has a batting line of .286/.325/.500 (BA/OBP/SLG) for a .825 OPS over 19 games and 70 at-bats. He's hit 4 home runs in that span, plus a double and a triple, with 17 RBIs for good measure. It's a small-sample size of course, but is much more like the Kipnis we came to love in his prime just a few years ago.

Kipnis was still struggling when the calendar flipped to June but on Father's Day he made an adjustment with his hands, and our second baseman has been on fire ever since; he's hit .471 with a 1.411 OPS in nine games, including all 4 of his home runs this month. After last night's win, Terry Francona said of Kip, "he has such good hitter’s hands that when he feels good he’s pretty dangerous.” Kansas City pitcher Wily Peralta learned that the hard way.

If the Indians are going to contend for a postseason berth, they will need their leaders like Kipnis to raise their game and continue performing at this level. This month the signs have been very good and the veterans like Kip, Carlos Santana, and Francisco Lindor have restored an air of positivity to this ballclub. It's perfect timing ahead of Cleveland hosting the All-Star Game in just a few weeks time.

Partnered with Jose Ramirez (hitting .326/.388/.558 since the middle of June) and the rookies Oscar Mercado and Bobby Bradley making an impact, things are starting to look up for both Kipnis and Cleveland.

Leonys Martin - Stealing History

Don't get carried away folks, but the Indians have been playing some solid baseball of late. They've gone 8-4 since the start of the month, including series wins over the Twins, Yankees and Tigers.

Both Jake Bauers and Leonys Martin have enjoyed historic success during this winning run, most notably in Detroit; Bauers and Martin etched their names into Indians history on back-to-back nights, when Bauers hit for the cycle in Friday night's 13-4 rout, and then Martin stole home in Saturday's 4-2 victory.

Today I'm going to pay special attention to Martin's ridiculous display of athleticism in the eighth inning of last night's win. For me, there's nothing in sport quite like a guy stealing home.

With the Indians holding onto a slim 3-2 lead, Martin led off the inning with a line drive into the right field corner and jogged into second base for an easy double. Francisco Lindor could only fly out to left field in the next at-bat but Martin had the presence of mind and raw speed to tag and take third base with surprising ease, no slide necessary.

Tigers reliever Victor Alcantara had only been in the game for a moment but had managed to recover and get two outs, after Cleveland rookie Oscar Mercado could only ground out. With Carlos Santana at the plate, easily Cleveland's most dangerous hitter in 2019, Alcantara had a lot on his mind as he started into his windup.

Alcantara bent down as he started his motion and Martin, alert and with a huge lead off third base, was watching the pitcher's every move. The veteran instantly spotted his opportunity. With Alcantara still staring at his feet, Martin broke for home and was hurtling down the line before the reliever was aware of what was going on.

Tigers catcher John Hicks was screaming for his pitcher to look up but it was too late, Martin was in full flow and already diving towards Hicks. Finally awake, Alcantara stepped off the mound and threw home but Martin’s hand got beneath the catcher's glove to touch home plate, and the ball rolled harmlessly away.

Martin was safe and the Indians led 4-2. It was a moment of pure inspiration from the Cuban center fielder.

Against all odds, Martin had pulled off a play rarely seen in the modern game, especially against a right-handed pitcher, who should theoretically see it developing every step of the way. That is, if they aren't staring at their feet.

Martin's historic play secured the Indians' first straight steal of home in 14 years, not since Grady Sizemore performed the feat in Toronto on 26th August 2005.

Many of us would consider stealing home a lost art. Some of the best baserunners in the game will go their entire career without ever doing it. Some don't feel comfortable and most won't risk it, not the chance of killing a rally or killing themselves - the chance of injury is significantly higher diving headfirst into an opposition catcher.

When I think of stealing home, my mind instantly conjures the image of Jackie Robinson, a master of the art, who famously stole home in the 1955 World Series against the Yankees' Yogi Berra. It is one of baseball's iconic moments - it should not be physically possible for a man to make up that much ground and succeed. For most, it isn't; the success rate for stealing home is extraordinarily low, between 20-30% this millennium.

Once upon a time, in the days of Ty Cobb, stealing home was a more common practice. The legendary Cobb set the single season record in 1912 with eight steals of home. These days it's unlikely the yearly total for all of major league baseball will surpass eight. Somehow even the husky Babe Ruth achieved it ten times in his career - it was certainly a different time! Nowadays though the game has changed; pitchers are not so elaborate in their delivery, third basemen hold would-be thieves closer to the bag, and the entire pace of the game is different, among other factors.

Thus, when you witness a steal of home in the twenty-first century, it is magic made real.

Leonys Martin, for one night at least, transported fans back in time and created history in the process. After everything Martin experienced in 2018, it's amazing for him to be playing at all, so we should rightly celebrate his historic achievement.

"How about that?!" called Indians radio broadcaster Tom Hamilton, as Martin picked himself up and celebrated with his teammates.

How indeed Tom.

Carlos Santana - Mr Consistent

As we enter the month of June, the Indians have experienced their fair share of uncertainty in 2019, which has left the fanbase feeling rather demoralized and underwhelmed.

Who could have foreseen the Twins owning the best record in the entire league? Who could have envisioned Jose Ramirez declining so drastically?

Thankfully Cleveland have at least one pillar of consistency to rely upon, in the shape of Carlos Santana.

The 33 year-old made his major league debut with the Tribe in 2010 and spent 8 successful years with the Indians before joining the Phillies as a free agent in December 2017. After a year away in the National League and a brief 10-day tenure with the Mariners, Santana returned to Cleveland almost a year to the day he departed, part of a three-team trade with Seattle and Tampa Bay.

It's safe to say that his homecoming has been a huge success thus far, and Indians fans have welcomed him back with open arms.

It's like he never left, like 2018 never happened.

To date, Santana has posted an impressive slashline of .286/.405/.510. The veteran's .915 OPS, 11 home runs, 11 doubles, 37 RBIs, 40 walks, and 34 runs scored all lead the club. With the majority of his teammates under-performing, Santana has been the only reliable bat in Terry Francona's arsenal.

His patient approach at the plate always made him a difficult out for opposition pitchers but Santana has tweaked his approach in 2019 to raise his offensive contribution significantly. A combination of aggressiveness (when he previously would be happy to take a walk) and his ability to spread the ball to all-fields has helped counter those pesky defensive shifts his opponents would usually deploy. Santana has begun to take advantage of the gaps willingly offered to him, and the Indians have benefited enormously. It's a scary proposition to think where this team would be without Santana this year.

With Cleveland hosting the All-Star Game, is Santana on track to represent the Tribe on 9th July?

Despite his history of consistency, the veteran has never featured in the Midsummer Classic, but perhaps this could finally be his year. His competition at first base includes:

• Miguel Cabrera - .284 AVG, 2 HR, 22 RBI, .712 OPS
• Jose Abreu - .246 AVG, 15 HR, 50 RBI, .797 OPS
• C.J. Cron - .275 AVG, 13 HR, 38 RBI, .873 OPS
• Edwin Encarnacion - .245, 15 HR, 37 RBI, .849 OPS
• Luke Voit - .268 AVG, 15 HR, 39 RBI, .901 OPS
• Mitch Moreland - .228 AVG, 13 HR, 34 RBI, .870 OPS

Glancing at that group, Santana should warrant serious consideration to be the starting first baseman for the American League. At the time of writing there doesn't appear to be an overwhelming choice so if Santana can maintain his current form until the end of the month, he will put himself in a strong position to feature in his first All-Star Game.

And where better to make your All-Star debut than Cleveland, the city he's called home for close to a decade?

I can think of no finer representative, and will be voting for Santana as often as MLB lets me.