Mark Teixeira makes his way into the history books with his 25th home run

Mark Teixeira / Chris Ptacek - Wikimedia Commons

New York Yankee first baseman Mark Teixeira joined exclusive company when he hit his 25th home run of the season Sunday night against the Boston Red Sox. Find out the other three major leaguers Teixeira joined that hit at least 25 homers during their first eight seasons in the big leagues.

Read More

Darren Oliver: Emerging From Baseball's Graveyard With The Angels in the ALCS

In 2005, Darren Oliver couldn't find a Major League team. Fast forward 4 seasons later; Oliver played a prominent role for the Angels in the 2009 ALCS, appearing in 5 of the 6 games. Oliver pitched 2 2/3rd's innings of scoreless relief in Game 6, showing tremendous resilience after giving up 3 runs in Game 5 without retiring any batters. In 2009, Oliver lead the Angels staff in ERA (2.71) and was third in appearances with 63 games pitched. Oliver even started a game for the Halos.
After being released by the Cubs in 2005, Oliver found salvation with the Mets, signing with them for the 2006 season. Oliver became a mainstay in their bullpen, providing effective long and short relief. During the 2006 NLCS, he turned in arguably the most memorable performance by a Mets pitcher, when he relieved Steve Traschel in Game 3 to shut down the Cardinals for 6 innings. That would be Oliver's last appearance in a Mets uniform. The Mets did not resign Oliver, and he was swooped up by the Angels that off-season. He has since made three consecutive playoff appearances (2007-2009) and posted a combined record of 15-3. While fans may remember Oliver's bases clearing double he surrendered to Mark Teixeira in Game 5, don't let that overshadow Oliver's otherwise consistent production for the Angels. Not bad for a guy teams left for dead a short while ago.

Read More