Oberg thankful upon retirement
Here’s to Scott Oberg, who officially retired Tuesday. The 32-year-old Rockies righthander hadn’t pitched since 2019 because of recurring blood clots in his arm. Doctors told him trying to restart his career could be dangerous.
The former Tewksbury High and UConn pitcher took a part-time position in baseball operations with the Rockies, who drafted him in 2012. He’ll work in different capacities, learning the game from a new perspective.
Oberg made his major league debut in 2015 and had his most memorable moment in the 2018 National League wild-card game when he struck out all four Cubs he faced in the 12th and 13th innings to get the victory, 2-1.
Oberg appeared in five playoff games in his career and punched out 12 of the 17 batters he faced. The Rockies haven’t won a playoff game since.
“I cannot thank those closest to me enough; from my family, friends, teammates and especially having the unwavering support of my wife. I could not have been able to accomplish anything without any of you. Love you all,” he wrote on Instagram.
Extra bases
This is a strange one. The Cardinals hired Matt Holliday as bench coach Nov. 6 and he resigned Thursday after deciding he didn’t want that much time away from his family. Holliday, who turns 43 on Sunday, finished a long career as a player in 2018. His only coaching experience was three years as a volunteer assistant at Oklahoma State under his older brother, Tom. The Cardinals replaced Holliday with former White Sox coach Joe McEwing. In what will be his second year as manager, Oli Marmol will have a new bench coach, a new hitting coach (Turner Ward), and a new pitching coach
(Dusty Blake) . . . Major League Baseball hired longtime sports television executive Billy Chambers to the newly created position of executive vice president of local media. With cable subscribers steadily dropping, MLB’s reliance on revenues from regional sports networks (such as NESN) are endangered. Over time, the league could create a national product featuring a menu of games along with streaming services of local games that would be safe from blackouts . . . The Tigers changed the dimensions of cavernous Comerica Park. The wall in center field is being moved 10 feet closer, to 412, and reduced in height from 8½ feet to 7 feet. The 13-foot wall in right-center also is dropping to 7 feet, as is the wall in right field. The Tigers hit 52 home runs at home last season. Only the Guardians, with 50, had fewer. How mad must
Miguel Cabrera be? He played 15 years in a home run graveyard and now they’re moving the fences in before his final season . . . Happy birthday to
Wayne Gomes, who is 50. The righthander was 1-2 with a 4.64 ERA in 20 games for the 2002 Red Sox. Gomes was the fourth overall pick of the 1993 draft by the Phillies out of Old Dominion. The Monarchs did not have another first-round pick until Justin Verlander in 2004. Triston Casas is 23. Raise your hand if you have winter boots that have been around longer.