The Angels may have swapped out Maicer Izturis for Howie Kendrick at second base on Wednesday night, but the .300 club still had a strong showing. Entering the game, every Angel starter except Kendrick had an average of .300 or better. By the end of the game, catcher Mike Napoli’s average had dropped below .300 after he went 0-for-2 with two walks. Mr. Lonely Hearts will now carry a .298 average into his next game. Still, it’s pretty incredible that the Angels could field an every-day lineup of nothing but .300 hitters. Heading into the season, you would have figured Vladimir Guerrero and Bobby Abreu were near locks to reach that mark, while Chone Figgins and Howie Kendrick were likely to surpass it. That the Erick Aybars, Juan Riveras, Torii Hunters, and Mike Napolis are also hitting .300 is just a statement of how well the Angels are hitting the ball right now. In the case that Napoli has dipped below .300 for good, here’s a screen capture for the ages, from Tuesday’s game.
It was the first time since 1930 that had happened. I will definitely savor that moment because the chances of it happening again are very slim. The only thing better than having a lineup full of .300 hitters is having a lineup full of .300 hitters in late September and October, and said lineup does not have to face Red Sox pitching.
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That is freaking impressive.