Number Eleven
No, not that Edgar

The Mariners' "mysterious" press conference was held.  That in itself was pretty cool.

At it, they announced that --- > after long deliberation, they have decided to --- > wait for it --- > RETIRE. EDGAR'S. NUMBER.  No word on environmental impact studies out of CWU, but the blowback was minimal.

The brass been discussing it a long time, and when Edgar's HOF percent hit 59, well... if baseball's Hall of Fame is going to elect you, you're probably a serious candidate for Mariner myth and legend.  Dr. D has seen Precious in his day, but slap him silly and call him shirley.  You'd been thinkin' about it, eh, the number right after the FLIPPIN STREET BY THE BALLPARK.   

Bill James had a line, the Hall of Fame can no longer honor players; it can only dishonor them, by withholding trivially obvious honors...  :: Give - Me - Sugar - - - In Water - - - More - - More ::

We're kidding, half.  Edgar Weekend will be fun.

.....

Our Edgar number of the day:  he was the last major league hitter to have more walks than strikeouts, 1283:1202 for his whole life.  ... well, I mighta made up that thingy about the last one.  But over the period 2011-16, no fulltime player has done it.  Like Moe sez, strikeouts are a growth industry.  Edgar is pretty close to the last masher you ever saw who was more likely to take his base than to whiff.

Edgar brought his lunch pail.  Aside from the 1995 playoffs, you can't name a single Hey Now Heyyyy Now moment in his career.  Chris Anderson tried gamely and couldn't do it.  After The Double and after the grand slam against Wetteland and after the '95 ALCS shtuff, all you can think of is Edgar charging in from 3B, flipping over a catcher, and breaking his back in six places.  That and the deadpan commercials.

That's 'cause he was less sizzle, more steak.

.....

Here is Larry Stone on the possibility that Our Hitting Coach.  Is.  Good.  Nice read!   Baseball is about the strike zone, and Edgar worked blinkin' hard to figure it out, and now he helps today's Mariners to figure it out.

The M's are doing good, but they got no Edgars.  Last year they had only one batter in the top 60 for EYE ratio.  Kyle Seager at #33.  Hm - hadn't noticed that Seager's EYE is better than Robinson Cano's now.

Here's another stat I never woulda guessed in a million years.  You know that Jay Buhner is one of the top six or seven Mariner legends, one of only a very few lifers in Seattle, a 300 homers guy.  Did you know that Kyle Seager has, at age 28, already passed Buhner for lifetime value as a Mariner?  Blows me away.  The Mariners have had two players grossly underappreciated in the moment, and both happened to play third base.  

As it did in Edgar's twenties, it makes you smile just thinking about who we got at third.

.....

#11,

Dr D

Blog: 

Comments

1

2002, playing with broken bones in the top of his left foot (front foot at the plate), Mariners trailing 4-2 in a crucial game in early August - we lost the game but not because of Edgar - gets the count to 2-1 against, I believe it was an Angel reliever, in the 8th inning...maybe Scot Shields? Someone who threw a nasty sinker that dropped down and in on righties.  And then he hammers a pitch RIGHT. INTO. THE FOOT. Down he goes like the scrawny kid attempting to play peewee tackle football. And he does not get up.  For at least a few minutes he is down and writhing in agony. They come out to look at him, Piniella has a pinch hitter stretching as they talk to him and help him to stand. He waves them off and limps around like he's been shot in the foot by a twelve gauge rifle. They talk to him again, and he points to the dugout and yells something. Gets back in the box.  And homers.  To tie the game.

There are a lot of moments like that for him.  His heroism might go under the radar to some, but that is how I remember Edgar.

2
Arne's picture

A few years ago I took a blog post I'd done on this topic and adapted it into a piece for the Times. It's here: http://o.seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/take2/2020086882_taketwo0.html

About the biggest highlight is that on Sept. 12, 1997, Edgar got stitches during a game vs. Clemens and Toronto at the Kingdome, stayed in, and hit the game-winning, three-run homer in the eighth, off Clemens.

4

'Not flashy' and 'under the radar' are different things Matt.  LOL.

I probably basked in Edgar's glory two, three hundred times at the KINGDOME alone.  Edgar mighta been 'under the radar' in Joisey.  But your topic is an interesting one too.

;- )

5

I felt like he was going to crush the next offering at the time.

I always had the impression that you don't want to intentionally walk anyone to get to Edgar.  Specifically Griffey.  In 1999 that was definitely the case. May 26th against the Twins, up 4-2 in the 5th with 1 out, Brian Hunter walked.  A-Rod doubled him to 3rd.  Cue the intentional walk to Griffey.  Then Edgar cued the 1st pitch off Latroy Hawkins, a slider low and away, out to right center field.  Including that grand slam, he went 5-8 with 7 RBI and 2 k's (one enabling a double steal) that year when Griffey got the IBB in front of him.

Awhile ago I checked on that impression I had and came up with Edgar's career numbers when Griffey was intentionally walked in front of him.  What I came up with: 

.231/.333/.359 2B, HR (Grand Slam) 6 BB (2IBB,1RBBI) 4 K (2 looking on successful A-Rod/Jr. Dbl Stls) 2 DP, 2 SF 12 RBI in 48 PA + a reached on Error.  Not as impressive as I recalled.  

I remember his last triple Sep 24th 2001.  It was the start of a rally that turned their lead into a rout, the game that ended their only 4 game losing streak.

All of those cases, I try to look up more details and there's no video and little written.  The 1st pitch post IBB Grand Slam, Griffey got the post game interview.  Quotes about his career HR #369 were more important. 

6

"Quotes about Griffey's 369th HR were more important"...because...369 is such a round, crucial benchmark number.

If you want to know why Edgar is unappreciated...that's why.  LOL  Stupid media.

7

...apart from enormous mental and physical toughness, I remember Edgar for his professionalism (goes right to Doc's point about him bringing his lunchbox to work), his dedication (thinking of all the eye exercises he had to do and all the weightlifting he did to stay fit well into old age), and lines from Niehaus like "There's a hard ground ball back up the middle for a base hit. One thing you know about Edgar, he's going to get his hits."  Doc captures the flavor of him well...he's the guy you just trust to get things done and, when his career ends and there's no one to get things done from the DH spot...that's when you finally actually appreciate how important he is.

8

I bet that they were always planning on retiring Edgar's number, but wanted to wait until his hall of fame induction year to make it a better ceremony. That's how they did it with Junior.  The Mariners felt snubbed by the hall, and decided not to wait anymore for the jersey retirement.  If they waited until next year to retire Edgar's jersey, and Edgar didn't make the hall, it would seem like too obvious of a consolation prize.  After this, the Mariners are out of ways to honor Edgar, short of naming the park after him.  

That's how I take it anyway.

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