I've had a few people ask about the "GOATpen" part of the title. It's a play on words. Over the last couple seasons, some of us have felt that "bullpen" doesn't accurately describe the state of the Astros relief corp. They've blown so many leads that they're often the scapegoat of the game, so goatpen seemed more accurate. Also, since we've tried to put together the greatest Astros players, and
"Greatest of All Time" is abbreviated GOAT, well, there you go.
Now then, let's look at the standings:
Here are the highlights from the last two weeks:
6/1 - The various monthly awards were announced. Best batter trophies went to Jeff Bagwell and Rusty Staub. Bagwell hit .352 with 24 RBI for the month, while Staub hit .370. J.R. Richard and Shane Reynolds were the pitchers of the month. Richard went 5-0 with a 2.44 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 48 innings. He's on pace for 425 strikeouts this season!!!. Reynolds was 5-1 with a 1.47 ERA for May.
6/1 - Bill Doran went 5 for 5, all singles, against Albuquerque. In a talkative and jovial mood after the game, the second baseman of the HeisEnsberg's Brick Red Meth said, "Whoa, my swing was really, really there today. I made some good, sweet-spot contact and when that happens...good things happen...like 5-5. I cold get used to a lot of days like this one."
6/6 - Mike Hampton shut out the Andujar Jar Binks, allowing 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 10.
6/7 - Billy Hatcher was 5 for 5 against Albuquerque, prompting one unhappy fan to say "I think the Master Bateman were stealing signs." In the postgame interview, the jubilant Hatcher said "I just felt good today. I saw the ball well and just wanted to make good contact and put the ball in play." Hatcher also added a walk on the day.
Here's how the leaderboards look at this point:
And the team stats:
