MLB Memorable Moments of the First Half

Hey Leatherheads, how was your fourth of July? It's amazing to thing that we are just about halfway through the season. Even though the season is nearly six months long, 162 games a year is never nearly enough. I was going to write an article about All-Star snubs but I decided it would be more fun to reflect on the first-half that was. Instead of writing this myself, Sports Illustrated has a great photo gallery with accompanying captions wonderfully chronicling the first half thus far. Here are SI's top 17 moments of the first half, with the latest first:

On June 28th, Angels starter Jered Weaver threw six no-hit innings but yielded a run in the fifth when Matt Kemp reached on Weaver's questionable error as he failed to come up with a squibber past the mound. A stolen base, another error and a sacrifice fly later, the Dodgers had the only run they'd need. Weaver was lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh and reliever Jose Arredondo (inset) added two more no-hit innings, but the Angels didn't score and the Dodgers became the fifth major-league team to win without a hit.




Atlanta Braves first baseman Mark Teixeira hits the majors' second three-homer game of the season. The switch hitter blasted the first two while batting lefty against Mariners starter Carlos Silva and nailed batting righty against reliever Ryan Rowland-Smith in an 8-3 Braves win. Joey Votto of the Reds had the first three-HR game, on May 7.




On June llth, after striking out in his first three at bats, Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla replaced a possible golden sombrero for a victory crown by hitting a fastball from Phillies reliever Tom Gordon for a walk-off grand slam. Uggla, who is averaging a home run every 12.5 at bats (best in the NL), is tied with the Phillies' Chase Utley for the major-league lead with 23 home runs.




On June 7th, Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon went 6-for-6 and became only the second player with six hits in a game at Yankee Stadium (joining Omar Vizquel who went 6-for-7 in a 22-0 Indians victory on Aug. 31, 2004). Most importantly for Yankee fans, his last hit was an RBI single to right off Royals closer Joakim Soria to complete New York's 12-11 comeback victory.



On June 5ht and 6th, Atlanta's Chipper Jones went 4-for-5 and 2-for-3 in back-to-back games against the Marlins and Phillies to raise his average to .421 through his first 57 games and 216 at bats. He has since cooled off, comparatively speaking, to .394 (batting .237 in his last 14 games) and has been bothered by a lingering thigh injury.




On June 5th, after Rays starter James Shields pelted Red Sox centerfielder Coco Crisp in the thigh -- which followed Crisp's hard slide into second base the previous night -- Crisp charged the mound and needed a Matrix-like maneuver to avoid Shields' fist. The benches cleared and eight players were ultimately suspended. Later in the game Manny Ramirez, who paced Boston's offense with a homer and five RBIs, got into a shouting match with teammate Kevin Youkilis in the dugout, and the two had to be separated.




Ten days apart, Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez and Reds rightfielder Ken Griffey Jr. joined exclusive home-run company. In Baltimore on May 31 Ramirez hit a 410-foot home run to right-center field off Orioles reliever Chad Bradford for his 500th to become the 12th-youngest member of the fraternity, reaching the milestone in 2,004 games and 7,263 at bats. In Miami on June 9, Griffey launched a 413-foot homer to rightfield off Marlins starter Mark Hendrickson to become the sixth player with 600 home runs. It took Griffey 2,439 games and 9,042 at bats.




On May 26th, Phillies second baseman Chase Utley has three hits, including his then major league-leading 16th home run, and has six RBIs as the Phillies rout the Rockies 20-5, a day after blasting the Astros 15-6. Utley's homer was part of an eight-game stretch in which he homered in seven.





On May 19th, it took 130 pitches, but Red Sox lefty Jon Lester threw the 18th no-hitter in club history, blanking the Royals 7-0 in what was also his first career complete game. Lester struck out nine and walked two in his 22nd start since returning from cancer last season. Jason Varitek also entered the history books, catching his major-league record fourth no-hitter.



On May 16th, the comeback story of Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton keeps getting better and better: against the Astros he went 5-for-5 with a triple and two home runs -- 13 total bases -- and five RBIs in a 16-8 win. Through June 30, he remained a Triple Crown contender. He led the American League in RBIs (80), tied for the lead in home runs (19) and was tenth in average (.312).




On May 14th, with Orioles on first and second and one out in the fourth inning of a game at Camden Yards, Kevin Millar laced a line-drive to deep leftfield where Manny Ramirez -- Manny?!?! -- raced back and stretched for a great catch a step shy of the warning track. His momentum kept carrying him, so Manny leapt into the wall to brace for the impact, noticed a Red Sox fan in the first row, gave the fan a high five, then turned around and relayed the ball to Dustin Pedroia, who doubled off the runner at first. Say it with me now: That's just Manny Being Manny.





On May 10th, Padres starter Greg Maddux threw six innings, allowing just three hits and one unearned run to the Rockies to win his 350th career game. He is the ninth pitcher to reach that mark, doing so against 217 losses in 23 seasons. On the opposite end of the spectrum his catcher, Luke Carlin, made his major-league debut and caught his first win.



On May 7th, a day after the Twins were one-hit, centerfielder Carlos Gomez provided one of each hit, completing the cycle in reverse: leading off the game with a home run, then tripling in the fifth, doubling in the sixth and singling in the ninth during a 13-1 Minnesota victory over the White Sox. Gomez was a key acquisition in the preseason trade that sent ace Johan Santana to the Mets.



On May 6th, White Sox starter Gavin Floyd flirted with a no-hitter for a second time, pitching 8 1/3 no-hit innings against the Twins before Joe Mauer hit a fly ball that Chicago centerfielder Nick Swisher couldn't track down. In his second start of the year, on April 12, Floyd threw 7 1/3 no-hit innings in a victory over Detroit. He is 9-4 with a 3.45 ERA.





April 20th, With the Astros leading 7-5, Arizona pitcher Micah Owings pinch hit for reliever Brandon Medders and delivered a two-run, game-tying homer en route to an 8-7 Diamondbacks win. In 108 career at bats Owings has five home runs and an .873 OPS.





On April 24th, new Cubs rightfielder Kosuke Fukudome, making both his major-league debut, went 3-for-3 with a walk and hit a game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth off Brewers closer Eric Gagne. Fukudome is hitting .296 with a .404 on-base percentage to help the Cubs to the National League's best record (50-33).





On March 31st, Indians lefthanded starter Cliff Lee, who had been a mainstay of Cleveland's rotation for three seasons until a horrific '07 led to a demotion to the minors, began '08 pitching the best of his career. He threw a complete-game, three-hit, no-walk, nine-strikeout shutout of the Royals to improve to 4-0--the third of his first four starts in which he didn't allow an earned run. He won his first six starts of the year and is now 11-1 with a 2.34 ERA.



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