Zack Greinke

2012 Stats: 34 Games, W-L: 15-5, 3.48 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 200 Ks

The top free-agent pitcher Zack Greinke signed a 6 year contract worth $147 million with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2012 Greinke started the season with the Milwaukee Brewers and finished it with the Los Angeles Angels. Greinke is 9 career wins away from 100 and has a strikeout-walk ratio of 3.5. In 2009 he won the Cy Young Award while leading the AL in ERA and WHIP. Greinke joins a rotation which includes Clayton Kershaw, Josh Beckett and Chad Billingsley. The Dodgers are definitely going "all-in" and expect to see them playing in October.

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This Day in Sports History - 10/12/1982

Paul Molitor becomes the first player in World Series history to collect five hit in a game while leading the Brewers to a 10 - 0 thrashing of the Cardinals in Game 1 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. It is also Molitor's first World Series. Batting leadoff, Molitor grounds out in the first inning, then hits singles in the second, fourth, and sixth innings off Bob Forsch. Facing Dave LaPoint, Molitor singles again in the eighth and adds a fifth single in the ninth with Jeff Lahti on the mound. Three of Molitor's five hits fail to leave the infield. Robin Yount, batting second, has four hits in six at bats. Molitor will end the 1982 Series with a .355 average (11 - 31), although Milwaukee loses to St. Louis in seven games. He will play in one other Fall Classic, with the Blue Jays in 1993, and bat .500 (12 - 24) as Toronto downs the Phillies in six games.

This Day in Sports History - 10/10/1982

The California Angels lose the fifth and deciding game of the ALCS, 4 - 3, to the Brewers at County Stadium in Milwaukee. The Angels won the first two games in Anaheim before dropping games 3 & 4 by scores of 5 - 3 and 9 - 5. In game 5, the Angels lead 3 - 2 in the seventh with two out, the bases loaded, and left-handed-batting first baseman Cecil Cooper at the plate. Angels manager Gene Mauch decides to stick with right-handed pitcher Luis Sanchez instead of bringing in lefty Andy Hassler who is warming up in the bullpen. Cooper delivers a two-run single for a 4 - 3 lead. The Angels have the tying run on second base with one out in the ninth, but reliever Bob McClure retires the final three batters to give the Brewers their first World Series berth. Milwaukee will lose the Series in seven games to the Cardinals.

Prince Fielder

Prince Fielder signed a nine year deal worth $214 million with the Detroit Tigers; the team his father played for during a large portion of his Major League career. With the addition of Fielder the Tigers will now have to move Miguel Cabrera to 3B, a position that he hasn't played in quite some time. Look for Fielder to have a monster season, even though Comerica Park is known as a pitcher's haven.

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Andy Pettitte & Trevor Hoffman

The final two players on my 25 Free Agents to watch are Andy Pettitte and Trevor Hoffman. Both players decided to retire instead of returning for another season. Pettitte has a career record of 240 - 138 and 2,251 strikeouts. He also has the most postseason wins with 19. Hoffman, who started as a SS in the Minor-Leagues, had 601 career saves. Included in that were nine seasons of 40 or more saves. Hoffman is known for his change-up like Bruce Sutter is known for his splitter or Mariano Rivera is known for his cutter.

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