@zach

3mo

Brother vs. Brother Leads to a Broken Hand

On October 5th, 2022, Phil Maton of the Houston Astros faced his younger brother Nick in a matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies. With both dugouts invested, the brothers battled to a 2-2 count before Nick smacked Phil’s fastball into shallow right field for a single. The Phillies dugout roared, the Astros dugout laughed and groaned. Phil showed visible frustration, but joked with the media later about the at-bat. That was, however, after Phil punched his locker out of frustration. “I was upset with how my outing went,” the older Maton said. He'd broken the fifth metacarpal in his right (throwing) hand and missed the ensuing playoffs.

Astros

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The Niekro Brothers' Only Homer

On May 29, 1976, Houston Astros pitcher Joe Niekro hit the only home run of his 22-year Major League career — off his older brother, Atlanta Braves pitcher Phil Niekro. Both brothers were knuckleballers. Both would pitch into their 40s. Between them they'd win 539 games — the most by any pair of brothers in baseball history. Phil is in the Hall of Fame. Joe won 221 games himself. But Joe could not hit. He came to the plate over 1,000 times in his career and never once cleared a fence — until this night at Atlanta Stadium, when he got hold of one of his brother's pitches and drove it over the wall. The Astros won 4-3. Joe's homer was the difference. The brothers laughed about it for the rest of their lives. Phil — who gave up nearly 500 home runs in his Hall of Fame career to the best hitters who ever lived — had to live with the fact that the one his little brother hit off him was the only one Joe ever managed. Joe rounded the bases. Phil, on the mound, reportedly just shook his head. The greatest sibling moment in baseball history, and it came at the worse-hitting brother's expense.

@Landon

Max Max Muncy Muncy

Please take a moment to look at the picture up above. Yes, that is true. Though it seems like a glitch in the matrix it’s not. These two individuals share the exact same name, same profession, some position, drafted by the same team, mostly hit towards the bottom of the order, and don’t even know each other. Completely unrelated too! I’d love to see these two on the same team one day.

@ChuckieHussy

500 / 500 Club, Membership of One

On June 23rd, 2003 In a dramatic extra inning game at Pac Bell Park (now Oracle Park) against the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers, Bonds delivered one of the signature moments of his career. In the bottom of the 11th inning of a 2-2 tie, he reached base and then swiped second against prime-time closer Éric Gagné (one of the most dominant relievers of that era). That theft was his 500th career stolen base. He famously pulled the base out of the ground, hoisted it onto his shoulder, and carried it off the field as the crowd erupted. The Giants went on to win 3-2 in walk-off fashion, with Bonds scoring the winning run later in the inning. This moment capped an incredible stretch for Bonds. In 2003, despite playing only 130 games, he hit .341 with 45 HR, slugged .749, and posted a .529 on-base percentage — walking 148 times. en.wikipedia.org Love him or hate him (and the era's PED controversies fuel plenty of debate), the 500-500 club remains a club of one more than two decades later. It perfectly symbolizes the rare blend of power, speed, plate discipline, and longevity that defined Bonds at his peak. No one else has come close. This moment capped an incredible stretch for Bonds. In 2003, despite playing only 130 games, he hit .341 with 45 HR, slugged .749, and posted a .529 on-base percentage — walking 148 times. Love him or hate him (and the era's PED controversies fuel plenty of debate), the 500-500 club remains a club of one more than two decades later. It perfectly symbolizes the rare blend of power, speed, plate discipline, and longevity that defined Bonds at his peak. No one else has come close.