You can get the game recaps and player profiles just about anywhere, but at Topps, you’ll get the official Pennant infographics depicting the action from this year’s 2012 World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Detroit Tigers.

Here’s a run down of some of the top moments from each of the four games played in this series:

GAME 1

Pablo Sandoval was 4-for-4 in Game 1, hitting three home runs, including two off Tigers ace Justin Verlander.

GAME 2 

Brandon Crawford’s fielder’s choice was all San Francisco needed to score Hunter Pence and take a 1-0 lead in the eventual 2-0 victory in Game 2.

GAME 3

Another game, another shutout for San Francisco. Pence scored off Gregor Blanco’s triple in the second inning. The Giants won, 2-0.

GAME 4

Ryan Theriot scored the game winning run in the 10th inning, giving the Giants their seventh world title in franchise history.

To have an inside look at baseball history, check out the new Topps Pennant app today and follow us on Twitter @ToppsPennant.

-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro

With a loss Friday night at Progressive Field, the Cleveland Indians would set a franchise record with 24 losses in one month, breaking the existing mark of 23 set in July 1914. To put it harshly, it’s been 98 years since Cleveland has had this bad of a month.

Unfortunately Cleveland is hosting Texas, who leads the AL West and is 7-3 in its last 10 games. The handful of Indians fans who make it to the ball park Friday may see history.

“I’ve never been through a month like this anywhere,” Indians manager Manny Acta told the Associated Press. “Not in Washington, the minor leagues or winter ball, either as a coach or a manager.”

According to STATS LLC., the Indians have matched the worst 32-game stretch in the majors this year. Since July 27, Cleveland is a poultry 5-27.

To have an inside look at baseball history, check out the new Topps Pennant app today and follow us on Twitter @ToppsPennant.

-Words and photo by Chris R. Vaccaro

On this day 73 years ago, Yankees legend Lou Gehrig said he was the luckiest man on the face of the Earth. His speech and legacy will live on forever. Happy Fourth of July!

Photo credit: Graig Kreindler

MINNEAPOLIS - Friday was an eventful day at SABR42. Twins General Manager Terry Ryan (pictured above) made the opening speech in the morning, which was followed by big news about SABR’s new deal with Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM), and the annual SABR awards luncheon.

SABR and MLBAM partner

SABR announced the finalization of a licensing deal with MLBAM, which will provide valued content from SABR members with the baseball community through MLB.com.

“SABR is excited to be partnering with baseball’s premier online presence,” said Marc Appleman, the Executive Director of SABR. “This deal is an acknowledgement of the outstanding contributions that our members make to the baseball community.”

Finkel wins Bob Davids Award

Jan Finkel, the chief editor of SABR’s Baseball Biography project, was announced as the winner of this year’s Bob Davids Award, announced during an awards luncheon Friday. If you haven’t heard about the bio project, click here to check it out. The award — which is SABR’s highest honor — honors members whose contributions to the society and baseball reflect the ingenuity, integrity, and self-sacrifice of the founder and past president of SABR, L. Robert “Bob” Davids.

“I come to the convention every year, hear the name of the winner and think, ‘Of course! Who else could it have been?’ But this year … I can think of so many people in this room who are deserving. I am stunned. Thank you so much,” Finkel said.

Other notes from the day

• SABR members enjoyed a trip to Target Field to catch the Twins-Royals game.
• Among Friday’s interesting presentations was a discussion about baseball bat research by Alan Nathan, a physics professor at the University of Illinois, and a talk about genetic testing in Latin America and Major League Baseball’s involvement by Ben Wiggins, a Ph.D. candidate from the University of Minnesota.
• Many authors and researchers have been roaming around SABR42, talking baseball and marketing their books. Dennis Corcoran, the author of “Induction Day at Cooperstown,” published by McFarland in 2010, has captured the historical significance of the hall of fame, and specifically the enshrinement day festivities. The book is available on McFarlandPub.com.

Stay tuned for more coverage from #SABR42 throughout the weekend.

To have an inside look at baseball history, check out the new Topps Pennant app today and follow us on Twitter @ToppsPennant.

-Chris R. Vaccaro

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. – While wins and loses are the least bit of concern at the Baseball Hall of Fame Classic, Desi Relaford did happen to lead Team Knucksies to a victory with a two-run walkoff single against Team Wizards Saturday at historic Doubleday Field.

For that, Relaford earned Bob Feller Player of the Game honors and Phil Niekro has bragging rights over hall of fame brother Ozzie Smith and the Wizard crew.

Observations from Doubleday: It’s always interesting to see how hall of famers play baseball as old men. For the most part, despite a sometimes sluggish approach, they’re still far superior than the average man. Bert Blyleven was throwing smoke and his location was dead on. His off-speed pitches were also working affectively. Niekro, 73, could locate his pitches – regular pitches, not his signature knuckleball – and lasted a few innings. Tony Perez may have hit the most interesting ball of the day in the first inning when he lined a shot foul down the third base line. His lightening bat speed instantly took you back to 1976. Dmitri Young and Relaford looked to be the closest to playing shape as anyone in the game.

Hitting challenge recap: For the second straight season, Young, sporting his Rio Mesa High jersey, captured a hitting challenge title. He and Dante Bichette exchanged long drives and home runs for three rounds, including balls that hit houses and traveled deep into the farthest parts of the ball park in left centerfield.

Hall of Fame Weekend: While Hall of Fame Classic weekend has quickly become a modern staple of the hall of fame, the crown jewel of festivities in Cooperstown is Hall of Fame Weekend. This year Barry Larkin and Ron Santo will be inducted on July 22 at 1:30 p.m.

Reliving Hall of Fame Classic history: This was the fourth year of this Hall of Fame Classic set up. According to a member of the communications staff at the hall of fame, it became difficult to have two Major League Baseball teams find time in their schedules for an exhibition game – formerly known as the Hall of Fame Game – so the next best thing was creating the current weekend. It began in 2009 when then 90-year-old legend Bob Feller took the mound and started for Team Wagner and led his crew to a 5-4 win over Team Collins.

Niekro on R.A. Dickey: Niekro’s team wasn’t called “Team Knucksies” for nothing. Niekro is the most famous knuckle hurler of all time and he appreciates the craft of pitching a good knuckleball as much as anyone. Right now the clear-cut favorite for knucklers is New York Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey, who has been unconscious on the mound this season and is coming off a one-hit performance during his last outing. Niekro said he has worked with Dickey in the past and saw him pitch live once during a game in Atlanta.

“Right now he is as good as any knuckleball pitcher who has every pitched in this game,” Niekro said. “He’s getting it over the plate, he’s not walking guys, he’s almost unhittable. Full of confidence; he doesn’t care who comes up to the plate, he’s going to get you out. I don’t know of anyone in baseball who wants to face him right now.”

Blyleven was relaxed: By the looks of it, Blyleven was in a comfort zone on the mound Saturday, just as he was for his 287 career wins. Last year things were a bit hectic for Blyleven, who was officially inducted into the hall. “This year I don’t have to worry about a speech and all the other stuff that comes with it,” he said. “I’m very honored to be here.”

Asked if his life has changed since being inducted, he said it’s remained relatively the same.

“Other than when you sign a baseball you put HOF,” he said, “and that’s a nice honor.”

Fisk misses playing, sort of: Fisk said he misses playing the game, but like many former players, doesn’t miss the arduous scheduling and constant grind.

“I played until I couldn’t play any more,” said Fisk, who at the time of his retirement in 1993, played the most games of any catcher in baseball history (2,226). “I ran the table on how long a player can play at my position. When I retired I had enough. I really had no desire to go back on the field because I know what it takes to get on the field and stay on the field.”

Fun weekend fact: Fisk, Murray, Niekro, Smith, Perez and Blyleven combined for 605 wins and 5,826 RBI, according to Baseball Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson.

Key players from Wizards

• Ozzie Smith, hall of famer
• Bert Blyleven, hall of famer
• Tony Perez, hall of famer
• Dante Bichette
• Darrell Evans

Key players from Knucksies

• Phil Niekro, hall of famer
• Carlton Fisk, hall of famer
• Eddie Murray, hall of famer
• Desi Relaford
• Russ Ortiz
• Dmitri Young

Check out our Facebook page to see some more photos from the Hall of Fame Classic.

Stay tuned to the Topps Pennant Tumblr page for more coverage from Cooperstown over the next couple of days. To have an inside look at baseball history, check out the new Topps Pennant app today and follow us on Twitter @ToppsPennant.

-Chris R. Vaccaro

We let the Matt Cain hype die down slightly this morning before we posted something. It also helped to wait while every bit of historical information is available, to find the interesting, odd and fun facts about Cain’s dance with perfection Wednesday night.

According to Elias Sports Bureau …

• Matt Cain struck out 14 batters on Wednesday, tying the most in a perfect game - Sandy Koufax had 14 strikeouts against the Cubs on Sept. 9, 1965. Before Wednesday, the last pitcher with 14 or more strikeouts in a no-hitter was Nolan Ryan, who had 16 against the Blue Jays on May 1, 1991. (Ryan had 14 or more strikeouts in four of his seven no-hitters.)
• The Giants scored 10 runs for Cain when he least needed it. San Francisco had scored 10 or more runs in only six of Cain’s previous 215 starts for the Giants, and his average career run support entering the night - 3.75 runs per game - was the lowest among pitchers with at least 150 starts since 2005, when Cain joined the big leagues. No previous team had scored more than six runs in support of a perfect-game pitcher. 
• One of those runs was scored by Cain himself - he’s the first pitcher to score a run in a perfect game.
• There have now been five perfect games in the last four seasons - by Cain, Philip Humber, Roy Halladay, Dallas Braden and Mark Buehrle (and don’t forget Armando Galarraga’s near-perfect night in 2010) - as many as there were in the first 88 seasons of major-league history (1876 through 1963).
• There have been three no-hitters in the last 13 days: Johan Santana against the Cardinals on June 1, the Mariners’ group effort versus the Dodgers on June 8 and Cain on Wednesday. 
• It’s the first time since 1917 that there have been three no-hitters in a span of less than two weeks. From May 2-6, 1917 there were three no-hitters (Fred Toney, Ernie Koob and Bob Groom).
• Cain threw a perfect game with 14 strikeouts; R.A. Dickey struck out 12, allowed no walks and no earned runs; and Lance Lynn struck out 12, walked one, and did not allow an earned run. It’s the first time since the major leagues have been tracking earned runs that three pitchers didn’t allow an earned run while striking out 12 and walking no more than one batter on the same night.

According to ESPN …

• Ted Barrett was behind the plate Wednesday night when Cain pitched a perfect. He also was the home plate umpire when David Cone threw his perfect game for the New York Yankees in a 6-0 win over the Montreal Expos on July 18, 1999. It makes Barrett the first major league umpire to call balls and strikes for two perfect games.
• Brian Runge, who was at third base for Cain’s gem, was behind the plate when six Seattle pitchers combined for a 1-0 no-hit win over the Los Angeles Dodgers last week and for Philip Humber’s perfect game for the Chicago White Sox against the Mariners on April 21.

To have an inside look at baseball history, check out the new Topps Pennant app today and follow us on Twitter @ToppsPennant.

-Compiled by Chris R. Vaccaro

On June 7, 2007, Joe Torre earned career win No. 2,000 when the New York Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox, 10-3, at U.S. Cellular Field. 

That night Torre became the first person in Major League Baseball history to have 2,000 career hits as a player and 2,000 wins as a manager.

Torre, who is now the Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations for Major League Baseball, is the fifth all-time winningest manager in big league history with 2,326 wins.

To have an inside look at baseball history, check out the new Topps Pennant app today and follow us on Twitter @ToppsPennant.

-Chris R. Vaccaro

The Houston Astros have selected shortstop Carlos Correa with the first pick in the 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, Astros Assistant General Manager/Director of Scouting Bobby Heck announced tonight.

Correa, 17, played amateur baseball at the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy in Gurabo, P.R. The 6-foot-4 shortstop is the highest-drafted player ever out of Puerto Rico. That label was held by catcher Ramon Castro, who was picked 17th overall by Houston in 1994. Correa was named a Rawlings First Team All-American this season, in his final year at the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy.

“I feel so excited to be the number one pick. I just worked hard to be here,” said Correa, who was one of a select group of amateur players at the MLB Network Studio in Secaucas, NJ, tonight. “I feel proud to be here and I’m excited.”

Correa is the first shortstop taken first overall since 2008 (Tim Beckham-TB), and is just the fourth shortstop taken first overall since 1994. Other notable players who were selected as shortstops with the first overall pick were Shawon Dunston (1982-CHC), B.J. Surhoff (1985-MIL), Chipper Jones (1990-ATL), Alex Rodriguez (1993-SEA) and Justin Upton (2005-ARI).

ABOUT THE FIRST PICK

CARLOS CORREA

Position: Shortstop

Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Height/Weight: 6-4/190

Age: 17

High School: Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, Gurabo, P.R.

The Astros will have an additional selection tonight in the supplemental first round (41st selection overall). Tonight’s portion of the draft included only the first round out of a scheduled 40, and will resume tomorrow beginning at 11 a.m. CT. Rounds 2-15 are scheduled for tomorrow and the draft will conclude with the final 25 rounds on Wednesday, June 6.

ASTROS DRAFTS BY POSITION:  Through 2011, the Astros have selected with their first pick: 19 pitchers, 12 infielders, eight catchers and eight outfielders.

PICKING FIRST OVERALL: 2012 will mark the third time that the Astros have had the first overall pick in the MLB Draft. The previous two times were in 1992 (IF Phil Nevin) and 1976 (LHP Floyd Bannister). Houston has had the second overall pick once in their history, which came in 1969 (RHP J.R. Richard).

LUHNOW AND THE DRAFT:  Prior to being named the Astros General Manager in December, Jeff Luhnow had success overseeing several drafts while with the St. Louis Cardinals. Luhnow, who last served as the Cardinals vice president of scouting and player development, produced 24 Major League players in his first three drafts (2005-07), which were more than any other club in that time frame. From 2006-10, the Cardinals organization won five minor league championships and had the best combined system record in baseball in 2010. In 2011, the Cardinals were named Organization of the Year by Baseball America.

ASTROS FIRST ROUNDER UPDATE:  2011 first-round pick George Springer (OF) is currently hitting .291 at Class A Lancaster with 10 home runs and 40 RBI, the latter of which ranks T-5th in the California League…2010 first-rounder Delino DeShields (IF) leads the South Atlantic League in stolen bases with 36 in 53 games at Class A Lexington…2009 first-rounder Jiovanni Mier (IF) was hitting .309 in 26 games at Lancaster before being sidelined with a hamstring injury…2008 first-rounder Jason Castro is the Astros starting catcher in the Major Leagues…Castro was Heck’s first draft pick after joining the Astros.

-Major League Baseball

To have an inside look at baseball history, check out the new Topps Pennant app today and follow us on Twitter @ToppsPennant.

A number of well-known baseball figures are expected at this year’s Major League Baseball Draft being held inside Studio 42 at the MLB Network.

According to Major League Baseball, Hall of Famers Pat Gillick, Ferguson Jenkins, Tommy Lasorda and Frank Robinson are among the group of stars and front office figures who are scheduled to attend.

Others include five-time All-Star and 2007 American League Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees and recently retired 14-time All-Star catcher Ivan Rodriguez, the 1999 A.L. Most Valuable Player, who will represent the Texas Rangers.

Other former All-Stars who are scheduled to be on hand include Brady Anderson (BAL), Brad Ausmus (SD), Bob Boone (WSH), Mike Cameron (SEA), MLB Network analyst Sean Casey (CIN), Ron Cey (LAD), Larry Dierker (HOU), Dwight Evans (BOS), Ryan Franklin (STL), Ralph Garr (ATL), Luis Gonzalez (ARI), Pat Hentgen (TOR), Roberto Hernandez (TB), Don Money (MIL), Tony Oliva (MIN), Jim Sundberg (TEX), Kent Tekulve (PIT) and MLB Executive Vice President for Baseball Operations Joe Torre.  In addition to Dierker, Gillick, Lasorda, Robinson and Torre, former managers and executives scheduled to attend include Pat Corrales (WSH), Mike Hargrove (CLE), Roland Hemond (ARI) and Jack McKeon (MIA). 

Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig will announce selections in the first round.  Club representatives will announce the selections in Compensation Round A, spanning picks 32-60. 

The 2012 Draft will span three days.  For day one on June 4, MLB Network and MLB.com will provide live pick-by-pick coverage during the first round as well as the first compensation round. The draft will resume at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on both Tuesday, June 5 and Wednesday, June 6 via conference call from MLB headquarters in New York City.  Tuesday, June 5 will cover rounds two through 15, and Wednesday, June 6 will cover rounds 16 through 40.

The Houston Astros will have the first overall selection of the 2012 Draft, marking the third time in Club history it has the top choice (previous: 1976, 1992).  Four Clubs have two first round picks: the Toronto Blue Jays (17^th and 22^nd), the St. Louis Cardinals (19^th and 23^rd), the Boston Red Sox (24^th and 31^st) and the Milwaukee Brewers (27^th and 28^th).  The Cardinals have five of the first 59 selections and the Blue Jays hold five of the first 60 picks.

To have an inside look at baseball history, check out the new Topps Pennant app today and follow us on Twitter @ToppsPennant.

-Chris R. Vaccaro

Johan Santana made history Friday night throwing the first no-hitter in Mets history against the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals.

“Tonight we made history @mets,” Santana said on Twitter. “I want to thank all my teammates and all the fans for the support…Believe it!! You guys are the best!!!”

You can read the game story through dozens of media outlets and you can read the sappy columns about how great it is for Mets fans and baseball on countless blogs, but we’ve got something different for you. We scoured the Internet for the most robust compilation of historical anecdotes and an inside look at the meaning of this magical Mets moment:

Stats via ESPN Stats & Info:

• Santana pitched the Mets’ first no-hitter in franchise history, which came in their 8,020th game.
• He threw a career-high 134 pitches against the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals. 
• Santana had never thrown a one-hitter or two-hitter. He’d previously thrown five three-hitters.
  
• Santana was the fourth pitcher with multiple Cy Young Awards at the time of his first career no-hitter; others are Bob Gibson (1971), Tom Seaver (1978) and Bret Saberhagen (1991).
• It was Santana’s second consecutive shutout, making him the first Met to record back-to-back shutouts since David Cone in 1992.
• Seven former Mets had thrown no-hitters for other teams, including Philip Humber this season.
• Santana is the 1st Venezuelan-born pitcher with a no-hitter since Carlos Zambrano in 2008 against the Astros.
• Teams with one no-hitter in franchise history: Mets, Brewers, Blue Jays, Rays and Rockies.
• Seven former Mets had thrown no-hitters for other teams, including Philip Humber this season.
• Last time a defending champion was no-hit was on June 11, 1990 as Nolan Ryan held the Athletics hitless.
• Santana becomes first non-rookie to throw no-hitter after not pitching in majors previous season since Doc Gooden no-hit Seattle in 1996 as a member of the Yankees.
• After Ervin Santana threw a no-hitter last season for the Angels, Santana is the 11th surname in baseball history to be shared by two different pitchers who have thrown a no-hitter. The only pitchers with the same first and last names to throw no-hitters are Sam Jones (1955) and “Sad Sam” Jones (1923). Oddly enough, Ervin Santana was born with the name Johan Santana, and changed it in 2003 because the lefty was already an established pitcher. 
• There have been 12 no-hitters since the start of the 2010 season (including the postseason). There were eight no-hitters thrown from 2005-2009 combined. 
• Santana also survived five walks. He threw 58 percent strikes, his second-lowest percentage in any of his starts this season.

Stats via Elias Sports Bureau:

• Santana was the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter in his next start after throwing a shutout since Dave Righetti in 1983. 
• The Mets went 8,019 games without a no-hitter, tthe most by any team before it recorded its first no-no. Elias said the team with the next-most was the Cardinals, who played 4,826 games before their first no-hitter.
• The Padres are now the only current team without a no-hitter. They’ve gone 6,895 games without one.
• The Cardinals were the first defending World Series champions to be no-hit since the 1990 Oakland Athletics were no-hit by Nolan Ryan and the Texas Rangers.
• Santana was the third non-rookie in the past 50 seasons to throw a no-hitter after not pitching in the majors the previous season. The other two were Jim Palmer for the 1969 Baltimore Orioles and former Met Dwight Gooden for the 1996 New York Yankees.
• It was just the eighth no-hitter in major-league history against the defending World Series champs.
• Santana’s no-hitter was caught by Josh Thole, who was appearing in his first game after missing the Mets’ last 22 games while recovering from a concussion. Only one other player in modern major-league history caught a no-hitter after coming off such a prolonged absence: 37 years earlier to the day, on June 1, 1975, the Angels’ Ellie Rodriguez caught Nolan Ryan’s fourth no-hitter in his first game off the disabled list after he had missed the team’s previous 25 games.
• Only two previous no-hitters were thrown on June 1: Ryan’s against the Orioles in 1975, and one by Bill Dietrich of the White Sox in 1937. But, in another sense, June 1 is a date very connected to no-hitters: Five different pitchers born on June 1 have thrown big-league no-hitters: Carlos Zambrano, Derek Lowe, Dean Chance, Jack Kralick and Ted Breitenstein (don’t feel bad if you don’t remember him; he was born on June 1, 1869). No other birthday has produced five pitchers who have thrown no-hitters in the major leagues.                

To have an inside look at baseball history, check out the new Topps Pennant app today and follow us on Twitter @ToppsPennant.

-Compiled by Chris R. Vaccaro