SAN DIEGO (AP) — There was a big number reached in Major League Baseball during the San Diego Padres' 16-1 blowout over Seattle, and it had nothing to do with runs. Because when Mariners backup catcher José Godoy made his big league debut Friday night, he became the 20,000th player in MLB history. There was no fanfare at Petco Park when Godoy came in to catch in the bottom of the sixth inning with the Mariners trailing 12-1. The 26-year-old from Venezuela who signed with St. Louis in 2011 and joined the Seattle system last winter grounded out and walked in his two plate appearances. But to fans who had been tracking the procession to 20,000 on the Twitter postings by the web site Céspedes Family BBQ, it was a big deal. The Mariners got in the spirit, too, marking the occasion with a “Jeopardy!”-style answer to: “Who is José Godoy?” “Welcome to the show and baseball trivia lore, José!” it said. The list of big leaguers began in 1871 and ranges from A to Z — there has never been a player... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — There was a big number reached in Major League Baseball during the San Diego Padres' 16-1 blowout over Seattle, and it had nothing to do with runs. Because when Mariners backup catcher José Godoy made his big league debut Friday night, he became the 20,000th player in MLB history. There was no fanfare at Petco Park when Godoy came in to catch in the bottom of the sixth inning with the Mariners trailing 12-1. The 26-year-old from Venezuela who signed with St. Louis in 2011 and joined the Seattle system last winter grounded out and walked in his two plate appearances. But to fans who had been tracking the procession to 20,000 on the Twitter postings by the web site Céspedes Family BBQ, it was a big deal. The Mariners got in the spirit, too, marking the occasion with a “Jeopardy!”-style answer to: “Who is José Godoy?” “Welcome to the show and baseball trivia lore, José!” it said. The list of big leaguers began in 1871 and ranges from A to Z — there has never been a player... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors today: ___ COUNT ’EM! Major League Baseball is full of huge numbers — 4,256 hits by Pete Rose, 511 wins for Cy Young, 2,632 consecutive games played by Cal Ripken Jr. Real soon, the sport will reach a big, round number: 20,000 total players. There had been 19,989 players in MLB history going into the weekend, according to baseballreference.com, boosted by Seattle rookies Jarred Kelenic and Logan Gilbert making their debuts Thursday night. The list that began in 1871 ranges from A to Z. First on the alphabetical chart is pitcher David Aardsma, who moved into the top spot ahead of Hank Aaron when he started out in 2004 for San Francisco. Aardsma’s last season was 2015 — that was the same year the player last on the list, pitcher Tony Zych, made his debut with the Mariners. Of all the nearly 20,000 players so far to get into at least one game, 266 have reached the Hall of Fame. Walter Alston played two innings in his only game in 1936 for the Cardinals,... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors Saturday: ___ COUNT ’EM! Major League Baseball is full of huge numbers — 4,256 hits by Pete Rose, 511 wins for Cy Young, 2,632 consecutive games played by Cal Ripken Jr. Real soon, the sport will reach a big, round number: 20,000 total players. There had been 19,989 players in MLB history going into the weekend, according to baseballreference.com, boosted by Seattle rookies Jarred Kelenic and Logan Gilbert making their debuts Thursday night. The list that began in 1871 ranges from A to Z. First on the alphabetical chart is pitcher David Aardsma, who moved into the top spot ahead of Hank Aaron when he started out in 2004 for San Francisco. Aardsma’s last season was 2015 — that was the same year the player last on the list, pitcher Tony Zych, made his debut with the Mariners. Of all the nearly 20,000 players so far to get into at least one game, 266 have reached the Hall of Fame. Walter Alston played two innings in his only game in 1936 for the... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors Saturday: ____ COUNT ’EM! Major League Baseball is full of huge numbers — 4,256 hits by Pete Rose, 511 wins for Cy Young, the 2,632 straight games by Cal Ripken Jr. Real soon, the sport will reach a big, round number: 20,000 total players. There had been 19,989 players in MLB history going into the weekend, according to baseballreference.com, boosted by Seattle rookies Jarred Kelenic and Logan Gilbert making their debuts Thursday night. The list that began in 1871 ranges from A to Z. First on the alphabetical chart is pitcher David Aardsma, who moved into the top spot ahead of Hank Aaron when he started out in 2004 for San Francisco. Aardsma’s last season was 2015 — that was the same year the player last on the list, pitcher Tony Zych, made his debut with the Mariners. Of all the nearly 20,000 players so far to get into at least one game, 266 have reached the Hall of Fame. Walter Alston played two innings in his only game in 1936 for the Cardinals,... [More]