DG139 - Part 2

Every game of the Pittsburgh Pirates and every fifth game of the Cincinnati Reds were must-see TV for me last summer. For real, watching Andrew McCutchen and Johnny Cueto perform in 2012 made for a lot of enjoyment. McCutchen and Cueto are the feature attractions of Part 2 of dread gallery #139. But before we get to them, we'll start with another player who brought the enjoyment (and the excitement) - although you had to strain a bit to see his dreads.
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1. Rockies OF Eric Young, Jr. sprints across home plate with the go-ahead and eventual winning run in top of 8th inning in a 5-3 victory on Opening Night at Houston on Apr. 6.
Young got caught off 2nd base when a potential wild pitch didn't bounce far enough away from C Jason Castro and should have been thrown out; but he scored when Castro threw the ball into center field trying to get him at 2nd base. Here are the details (click on the Rockies recap link): http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2012_04_06_colmlb_houmlb_1&mode=wrap&c_id=mlb#gid=2012_04_06_colmlb_houmlb_1&mode=recap&c_id=col
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2. Eric Young slides in with his 9th stolen base of the season as the throw to Rangers SS Elvis Andrus is too late in top of 7th on June 24. However, he was stranded at 2nd base as the next two batter struck out. On base again in the 9th, his aggressiveness cost the Rockies, as on a play just like the one in photo #1, he got caught off 2nd base, and the runner that was on 1st ended up getting thrown out. Rockies ended up losing 4-2. Young finished with 14 SB in 2012 and was caught stealing only 2 times.
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3. After reaching base on a HBP as a pinch hitter in top of 8th, EY slides home with the winning run on a sac fly by Tyler Colvin past the tag by Pirates C Michael McKenry, giving Rockies a 2-1 victory on Apr. 25.
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4. EY congratulates CF Dexter Fowler with a backhand five after Fowler's game-winning RBI triple in bottom of 10th as Rockies defeated Astros 7-6 on May 28.
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5. Eric Young makes a beautiful diving catch to take a hit away from Phillies P Cole Hamels during bottom of 3rd at Philadelphia on June 19: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=22414457&c_id=mlb 
Of course, if he hadn't been playing so deep with the pitcher at bat, he would have had an easier catch. Eric appeared in 98 games, but in only 34 on defense - at all three outfield positions - and committed 0 errors.
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6. As I mentioned in my dread news report last August, July 8 was a really good day for MLB's players with dreads. I mean, even Eric Young hit a HR, connecting as a pinch hitter in top of 8th at Washington, his 2nd career home run and his first in nearly 3 years: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=22951887&c_id=mlb
The HR helped Rockies wipe out a 3-1 deficit in their 4-3 victory.
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7. EY is congratulated after crushing a long 2-run HR to give Rockies an 8-2 lead with 2 out in bottom of 6th on Aug. 14. Before I saw this, I had no idea he could hit a ball that far: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=23902591&c_id=mlb
According to the game play-by-play on ESPN.com, the home run measured in at 435 feet! Eric went 3 for 5 with 2 runs in Rockies' 8-6 win.
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You may have noticed in that video that it was his 3rd HR of the season. Well, his 2nd didn't go quite that far, but it was just as exciting .....

8. Leading off the game at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 8, Eric drives a ball to deep CF, over the head of CF Matt Kemp and off the wall .....
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9. When he saw the ball get away from Kemp after it came off the wall, EY knew this had a chance to be an inside-the-park HR, and here he is, flying around 3rd and headed home .....
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10. After diving safely across the plate, EY hops back to his feet .....
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11. ..... and accepts congratulations from Dexter Fowler on his way back to the dugout: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=23744615&c_id=mlb
Rockies lost the game 6-4 but took 2 out of 3 in the series. And it was a career breakout series for EY. He went 8 for 14 with 5 runs scored in the 3 games.
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12. Less than 24 hours after hitting that long HR on Aug. 14, EY slides home with the winning run, scoring from 1st on a 2-run double by Tyler Colvin with 1 out in bottom of 9th as C Jonathan Lucroy jumps to catch the late throw .....
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13. ..... As umpire Cory Blaser gives the 'safe' call, EY celebrates after giving Rockies a 7-6 victory and a sweep of the 3-game series. It was another big series for Eric, as he went 7 for 14 with 5 runs.
EY was on fire in August, his hottest streak at the plate of his career. In 15 games from Aug. 4-19 he hit .423 (25 for 59) with 13 runs, and 8 RBI. But then all of a sudden it was over. He suffered a strained intercostal (rib cage) muscle during his 1st at bat in the Aug. 19 game and was done for the season.
I think it was during my DG last season that I mentioned that Eric would be a really good player if he became a better hitter. Well, he did just that in 2012, finishing with a .316 BA (55 for 174), .377 OBA, 36 runs, 7 doubles, 2 triples, 4 HR, and 15 RBI. And he has gotten off to a good start in 2013 (although he's finding it more difficult to steal bases than it used to be). If he keeps on improving, he'll be in for a very big pay day within the next couple of seasons.
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2012 was just his 2nd season playing with dreads for Young, so they were kind of hard to see. But nobody had any trouble at all seeing the dreads of Pirates CF Andrew McCutchen. With Manny Ramirez seemingly out of MLB for good now, McCutchen has taken the top spot as the MLB player with the longest dreads. He also happens to be one of the best players in the game.
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14. McCutchen and McClucken. Pirate Parrot, the team's mascot, doesn't include dreads as part of his normal costume but dons them here as he gets in a little stretching alongside Andrew before Pirates take on the Yankees in a spring training game on Mar. 6.
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15. With the winning run at 3rd base and 2 out in bottom of the 9th on Apr. 8, Phillies pitch to McCutchen instead of intentionally walking him, and Andrew makes them pay, driving the ball deep and off the wall in center field for the game winning RBI single .....
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16. ..... After delivering the blow that completes a comeback from a 4-1 deficit, Cutch waits for the welcoming committee to arrive .....
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17. ..... When his teammates are finished mobbing him, Andrew's dreads, as has happened in the past, are completely unleashed and he gives them a good shake as P Jeff Karstens tries to congratulate him .....
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18. ..... Finally, Andrew gets the glad hand from manager Clint Hurdle as the Pirates win 5-4 and take 2 out of 3 from Phillies to begin the season. Here's a look at it (and be sure to stay tuned for the second highlight on the menu, which follows immediately): http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2012_04_08_phimlb_pitmlb_1&mode=video
McCutchen went 3 for 4 in the game, the first of 16 games in which he had 3 or more hits. Unfortunately there were not enough moments when we saw his dreads like this. For almost every game he kept them bunched together behind his head. 
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19. Two days later, in the Dodgers' home opener, McCutchen can't make a sliding catch, resulting in a single for 3B Juan Uribe in bottom of 2nd. Pirates began a 9-game western road trip with a 2-1 loss to Los Angeles.
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20. A week later, Andrew McCutchen delivers in the clutch again, hitting a down and away breaking ball for an RBI single with 2 out in top of 9th to give Pirates a 5-4 lead, and they held on for the win over Arizona. It was his 4th hit (all singles) of the game: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=20708081&c_id=mlb
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21. It wasn't until May 8 that McCutchen hit his 1st HR of the season, as 3B Pedro Alvarez congratulates him after hitting a 446-foot blast off Nationals P Edwin Jackson in bottom of 4th. The hit moved Andrew's batting average above .300, and it would remain above .300 the rest of the season. Pirates won the game 5-4.
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22. Just as good a player on defense as he is on offense, Andrew McCutchen makes a spectacular leaping, juggling catch on the warning track to retire Nationals 1B Adam LaRoche for the 1st out in bottom of 5th on May 17 to (temporarily) preserve a no-hitter for P James McDonald. http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=21537601&topic_id=11493214&c_id=mlb  
Moments later McCutchen led off top of 6th with his 2nd HR of the game, helping Pirates to a 5-3 victory.
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23. Wearing a Pittsburgh Crawfords Negro League throwback uniform, McCutchen heads home after belting a 2-run HR off Tigers P Drew Smyly in top of 5th on May 19, putting Pirates in front 4-2. Cutch, who also had a 2-run homer in the 1st, accounted for all the runs in a 4-3 victory.
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24. It was close, but McCutchen avoids a collision with RF Jose Tabata as he catches a fly ball by DH Delmon Young for the last out of 4th inning on May 20. McCutchen went 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts in the game as Pirates lost 4-3, dropping 2 out of 3 in the series at Detroit. 
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25. Thank God for padded walls. McCutchen slams into the wall at Busch Stadium after failing to catch a drive that went for a double by Cardinals C Tony Cruz in bottom of 3rd of Pirates' 7-3 win on June 30. "I missed it, man. That would have been a sick catch if I caught it," said Cutch after the game. Later in the game Andrew gave us all quite a scare when he injured his wrist while making a diving catch. But luckily he was not injured seriously and missed only 1 game.
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26. Andrew McCutchen is safe at 2nd with one of his 2 doubles at Philadelphia on June 26 as 2B Mike Fontenot is late with the tag. Pirates lost 5-4. McCutchen finished the season with 29 doubles, his fewest since his rookie season in '09.
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27. Reds 1B Joey Votto puts the tag on McCutchen as he is picked off by P Johnny Cueto for the 2nd out of top of 4th at Cincinnati on June 6 .....
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28. ..... Before having to make the long, embarrassing jog back to the dugout, McCutchen futilely argues the call with umpire Bill Welke as 1st base coach Luis Silverio tries to make sure he doesn't get ejected from the game: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=22067929&c_id=mlb
McCutchen later hit a 3-run HR after Cueto had left the game to bring Pirates within 1, but Reds held on to win 5-4.
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29. Andrew swings and sends a drive to deep right center for an RBI double in bottom of 1st on June 10 for his 1st career hit vs. Kansas City, ending an 0 for 17 streak. It didn't take long to get his 2nd. His next time up he blasted a 2-run homer in the 3rd, accounting for all of the Pirates' runs in a 3-2 victory over Royals.
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30. Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, and Eric Young all hit home runs on July 8, and here Andrew McCutchen hits his 2nd HR of the day and 18th of season, a 2-run shot to increase Pirates' lead to 12-2 on their way to a 13-2 victory over San Francisco. Andrew went 3 for 5 with 4 RBI in the game and went 15 for 29 (boosting his BA to .362) with 11 runs and 9 RBI on a 6-1 homestand that moved Pirates into 1st place in the NL Central at the All-Star break.
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31. Unexpectedly among the league leaders in home runs, McCutchen was picked to compete in the Home Run Derby at Kansas City on July 9, one night before the All-Star Game. He didn't make it past the 1st round, but he certainly didn't embarrass himself either, finishing with 4 home runs. As you can see, this is why Cutch keeps a rubber band around his dreads; because when he doesn't, they end up in his face every time he swings. 
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32. Steadily rising for two and a half months, McCutchen's batting average reaches .375 with a ground ball single on this swing in 5th inning at Denver on July 17. Cutch also homered in the game as Pirates won 6-2. Although his BA rose no higher, McCutchen remained on fire throughout July, finishing the month at .371. He batted .370 in June and .446 (!) in July, earning NL player of the month in both months.
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33. Andrew ends up at 3rd with a Little League triple, and dirty on both the front and back of his uniform after the Diamondbacks' defense turned his bloop single into an adventure during bottom of 4th on Aug. 6: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=23668831&c_id=mlb&topic_id=vtp_star_of_the_game
McCutchen scored moments later and also singled and scored in the 8th as Pirates won 4-0.
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34. Andrew looks despondent as he takes a break while Astros change pitchers in bottom of 6th on Sept. 3. On Aug. 8 Pirates were 63-47 and 3 games behind Cincinnati; but 4 weeks later, with this 5-1 loss to Houston, they were 11 games behind and just 6 games over .500 at 70-64. During that span McCutchen's BA slumped from .370 to .341.
The Pirates' free fall continued throughout September, and they managed to finish under .500 again, with their 79-83 record good for their 20th consecutive losing season.
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There was one last Andrew McCutchen highlight in the season's final week. It happened on a Saturday night, so I didn't see it (I might have been watching football instead).

35. In an 0 for 16 slump and with his BA below .330 for the first time since June, Andrew follows through after launching a solo HR with 1 out in bottom of 9th, giving Pirates a 2-1 victory over Reds .....
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36. ..... The umpire makes sure McCutchen touches home plate after rounding the bases, while his teammates can hardly wait to mob him .....
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37. ..... As usual, Andrew's rubber band and skull cap are long gone by the time his teammates are through with him and as he accepts congratulations from the manager: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=25202057&c_id=mlb&topic_id=vtp_budweiser .....
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38. ..... McCutchen's teammates let him off easy during the postgame interview - shaving cream pie on the side of the face instead of in the face and ice water on his back instead of on his dreads: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=25208547&c_id=mlb
Andrew ended up leading the NL in hits with 194, but his .327 final BA was only 2nd best. He also was 2nd in runs with 107 and also finished with a.400 OBA, 6 triples, 31 HR, 96 RBI, and 20 SB. On defense he committed only 1 error all season and was named a Gold Glove winner. McCutchen, who just began his 5th season in MLB, is still only 26 years old, so he's still likely to improve. But it's going to be hard to top his 2012 numbers. I hope not, but we may have just seen his career year. Andrew's birthday is Oct. 10, so one of these years let's hope he'll get to celebrate his birthday in a playoff game. But for that to happen, the Pirates are going to have to find a way to win at least 90 games. Well, I don't think they'll get 90 this year, but I'm betting they'll finally finish with a winning record and end their 2 decades long streak of losing.
McCutchen's peers voted him the winner of the Players Choice Award for the NL in 2012. If you like, you can check out Andrew's reaction in this interview from shortly after the World Series ended: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=25473123&topic_id=1&c_id=mlb
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39. As was seen in DG121 Jose Reyes gets his dreads cut off live on the MLB Network on Feb. 3, a couple of weeks before going to training camp with his new team, the Miami Marlins. Similar to the Yankees, the Marlins have a no-dreads policy for their players; but Jose decided signing with them as a free agent (they made the highest offer) was worth losing his dreads for. After the season Marlins management, not similar to the Yankees, decided to return to their penny pinching ways, and Reyes was traded to the Blue Jays.
With Reyes added to the ex-dread list (and Michael Martinez too), that left just one MLB player with dreads from the Dominican Republic .....
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40. Johnny Cueto pitches against the Marlins on Opening Day in Cincinnati on Apr. 5. He held them to 3 hits in 7 IP as Reds won 4-0, the first of many outstanding performances he had.
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41. As part of his pitching motion, Johnny Cueto turns his back to the batter before delivering the pitch, as seen here during a 4-3 victory over the Cubs on Apr. 22. He added that turn to his motion in 2011, and it seems to have made him a better pitcher; but you wonder if it also has caused some of the injury issues that he's had.
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42. Johnny Cueto follows through on a pitch to Pirates 3B Pedro Alvarez during bottom of 9th on May 4. Johnny struck out Alvarez for the last out of a complete game 7-hitter, improving his record to 4-0 with a 6-1 victory.
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43. After cruising through his first 7 starts allowing a total of only 7 runs, Cueto hits some turbulence in Atlanta on May 15. Here he reacts after allowing one of the 4 runs he gave up during bottom of 3rd. It was the only time all season he allowed as many as 4 runs in one inning. Braves won 6-2, with Cueto being relieved after allowing 8 hits and 6 runs in 4 IP, causing his ERA to jump from 1.12 to 1.89.
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44. After allowing an RBI single to Giants CF Angel Pagan with 2 outs in bottom of 1st on June 28, a second run scores on the play as Cueto drops the throw from C Ryan Hanigan trying to tag out Buster Posey at the plate. Posey began the play on 1st base but came in to score when the throw home trying to retire the runner who was on 2nd got past Hanigan. Giants went on to win 5-0, with Cueto's record dropping to 9-4.
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45. Johnny Cueto lays down a sacrifice bunt at Wrigley Field during 4th inning of a 4-3 victory over Cubs on Apr. 22. Cueto, as has been the case throughout his career, was an easy out when it was his turn to bat once again in 2012. He batted .090 (6 for 67) but helped himself by tying for the league lead with 17 sacrifice bunts.
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46. It's all good for Johnny Cueto after scoring the first run of the game in top of 5th at Dodger Stadium on July 3. Cueto led off with a single and came in on a Brandon Phillips RBI double. However, the Reds never scored again, and Dodgers rallied to win 3-1, dealing Johnny his 5th defeat of the season.
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47. Cueto was on base again (after an unsuccessful attempt to sacrifice) in his next game on July 8, going from 1st to 3rd on a single by SS Zack Cozart with 1 out in top of 3rd, just ahead of the tag by Padres 3B Chase Headley. But Johnny was stranded at 3rd as the next two batters struck out. Cueto was knocked out of the game in bottom of 6th, but Reds' bullpen did a great job to save the game for him. He improved to 10-5 at the All-Star break with the 3-2 victory.
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48. Reds' manager Dusty Baker congratulates Cueto after the final out of a 7-1 win over Cleveland on June 12. Johnny pitched a 7-hitter, with 7 strikeouts and 0 walks, for his 2nd complete game of the season and 6th of his career.
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49. I guess the excitement of getting his 1st career extra base hit was too much for Johnny to handle at New York on June 17. After hitting a double (but being stranded at 3rd) in top of 3rd inning, a trainer comes to check on him after his first pitch in bottom of 3rd after he felt some dizziness. After standing around for a couple of minutes, a cup of water was brought out for him to drink, and he was good to go from then on, ending up with 8 strikeouts in 7 IP in a 3-1 win over Mets.
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50. Johnny Cueto has a smile on his face and his dreads tied back as he looks on from the dugout after finishing his day's work on June 23 at Cincinnati. And why not? He pitched 7 scoreless innings, striking out a season high 9, allowing just 3 hits, and driving in 2 runs in a 6-0 win over Minnesota: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=22518153&c_id=mlb&topic_id=vtp_star_of_the_game
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51. Johnny Cueto tries to cool off between innings on July 17 at Cincinnati. Game time temperature was 96 degrees. Since Cueto was scheduled to pitch the last day before the All-Star Game (July 8), he was not named to the NL team, despite a 2.39 ERA. But he put his time off to good use, adding a little color to his dreads and his chin. Cueto battled through 6 innings in the heat, throwing 106 pitches, but held Arizona scoreless, improving to 11-5 with a 4-0 victory.
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52. Cueto follows through on a pitch during bottom of 1st at Coors Field on July 28. After allowing 5 runs to Colorado in a 6-3 loss in May, Rockies got him for 5 runs again - and 10 hits - in 6 IP; but this time Johnny got the W, improving to 13-5 with a 9-7 victory.
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53. The dreads were back to black by the end of the season. Here in his final start of the regular season at Pittsburgh on Sept. 30 Johnny looks disappointed as pitching coach Bryan Price consoles him after he was relieved from the game trailing 3-2 in bottom of 8th. He was trying for his 20th win of the season. Reds scored 2 runs in top of 9th, but it was too late to help Cueto. He got the no decision in a 4-3 Reds win.
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54. In Game 1 of the NLDS at San Francisco on Oct. 6 Johnny Cueto grimaces as he throws a pitch during bottom of 1st. While warming up before the game he experienced back spasms. He started the game anyway but lasted only 8 pitches .....
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55. ..... After the 8th pitch the pain becomes too much for Cueto to handle .....
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56. ..... The trainer and home plate umpire arrive on the mound to see if Johnny is going to be able to continue .....
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57. ..... JC: I can't pitch, coach ..... Dusty: Come on, Johnny; don't do this to me. You can't leave, not in the 1st inning .....
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58. ..... but leave he does, as he tosses the ball to C Ryan Hanigan .....
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59. ...... Johnny frowns as he leaves the mound and walks to the dugout.
Here's a look at the whole sad story: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=25346211&c_id=mlb
His injury was listed officially as a strained oblique muscle. Reds managed to win Game 1 5-2. But with the best of 5 series tied at 2, Cueto was unable to pitch in Game 5 either, and Reds' season ended with a 6-4 home loss on Oct. 11.
It was a great season for Johnny until it ended on that sour note. He went 19-9 (his previous career high was 12 wins), pitching 217 innings and allowing 205 hits and 73 runs, with 49 walks and 170 strikeouts. A 3-game slump in early September (14 runs allowed in 15 1/3 IP) killed his chance to win the Cy Young Award. He finished 4th in the voting. His 2.78 ERA was 3rd best in the NL.

You get the feeling that Cueto wants to keep his dreads for many more seasons to come. But at some point they're going to get to a point where they're so long that they'll be constantly getting in his face. Well, he's not at that point yet. At the start of 2013 the dreads are longer than ever, and he's still going with the same look - with all his dreads loose but tucked behind his head. His injury issues are back too. He left the Apr. 13 game at Pittsburgh (his 3rd start of the season) with a strained back muscle and is currently on the disabled list. He's expected to be at full strength soon. I hope he's going to be OK, because it's a lot of fun watching him pitch.
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60. Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald usually takes batting practice during his annual trip to a Diamondbacks game; but this time he tries out some infield practice before the game on Apr. 16.
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61. With summer minicamps all finished, Cleveland Browns rookie RB Trent Richardson makes the rounds around his new home, including a stop at the Indians' game on June 18, where he plays catch with a member of the team before the game.
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62. (Now former) Chicago Bears G Lance Louis throws out the first pitch before the White Sox home game vs. Tigers on May 14. If Lance throws out any first pitches this season, it'll likely be at Marlins Park.
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63. CB Lardarius Webb, who signed a 6-year, $50 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens last April, throws out the first pitch before the Orioles' game on May 25. Webb unfortunately was not part of the Ravens' Super Bowl run because he tore an ACL early in the season.
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NEW FOR 2013

I expected to be welcoming a player from the Dominican Republic to the house this season; but I thought it was going to be Hanley Ramirez. Instead .....

64. ..... and much to my surprise, it's Cleveland Indians' C Carlos Santana, shown here during a spring training game on Feb. 22. Obviously these dreads are just in the beginning stage, so you won't be able to see them clearly until next season. Welcome to the house, Carlos ......
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65. ..... and welcome back (finally) Cameron Maybin, shown here at the San Diego Padres' spring training facility on Feb. 27. Maybin, along with Hanley Ramirez, had started growing dreads before the 2009 season but lost them when the Marlins suddenly instituted a no long hair policy. Now in his 3rd season with the Padres, Cameron finally decided to start growing again ...... But he has struggled so badly at the start of this season that I wouldn't be surprised if he's done away with them by now. Hopefully not.

And I'm not giving up on Hanley yet either. There's always room in the house for you, Hanley. We'd love to have you.