Baseball 2012: The game's best off-beat, under-the-radar statistics and trivia

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Homer Bailey throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012, in St. Louis. (Jeff Roberson/AP)

In May, Ryan Dempster of the Chicago Cubs and Homer Bailey of the Cincinnati Reds became the first starting pitchers in major-league history to oppose each other on their birthdays

Backstory: Frankly, it?s amazing that baseball?s statmeisters would know this is a first over the entire sweep of big-league history. Bailey, the younger player by nine years, was unaware of the coincidence until a Baseball Hall of Fame rep approached him in the trainer?s room afterward.

Bailey and Dempster were asked to sign several balls to record the event. It was not really a happy occasion for Dempster, who had pitched eight scoreless innings and left the game with a 3-0 lead, only to see the Reds come from behind to win in the 10^th inning.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/GQA_2O4RwTs/Baseball-2012-The-game-s-best-off-beat-under-the-radar-statistics-and-trivia

tim gunn built to last obama state of the union address 2012 mitt romney tax return flip saunders academy award nominations cynthia nixon