Akinori Iwamura, who was Tampa Bay’s everyday second baseman in 2008 when the team made a run to the World Series, was traded to the Pirates for Jesse Chavez, a relief pitcher. Iwamura will likely become Pittsburgh’s everyday second baseman.

In 2009, Iwamura’s season was cut sure due to a knee injury. The 30-year-old native of Japan hit .290 with 22 RBIs and 28 runs in 231 at-bats. In 2008, he hit .274 with six homers, 48 RBIs, 91 runs and an on-base percentage of .349.

Chavez pitched in 73 games last year for the Pirates and posted a 4.01 ERA. It was the 26-year-old’s first full season in the big leagues.

The Rays were able to trade Iwamura since Ben Zobrist emerged as a potential star at second base last year after Iwamura’s injury.

Akinori Iwamura is the new second baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Akinori Iwamura Traded to the Pirates

The clip (2m, 11s) shows how Crisp let his hands to the talking in the eighth inning, much to the detriment of Iwamura’s teabag.

The high-and-mighty ESPN sportscaster says on the clip that Crisp can expect some payback during tonight’s game.

Crisp’s arugment? He was just helping Iwamura adjust.

Just kidding. He claims it was in retaliation for SS Jason Bartlett’s earlier baseball no-no: dropping his knee as Crisp stole second on a previous play.

Post from: EveryJoe

VIDEO: Coco Crisp Slides Into Second, Grabs a Handful of Jewels

Unless our Blog Foddah Radar is slightly out of tune and needs recalibration, this marks the first bench clearing brawl of the pre-season.

The teams made it all of two innings before tempers flared. (Sort of. A homeplate crash that injured a Bronx Bombers would-be catcher set the tone between these teams several days ago.)

In the first inning, Yankees pitcher Heath Phillips got yanked—pun intended—for beaning Rays prospect Evan Longoria, who is an actual male and not a post-sex change Eva Longoria or anything. When Shelley Duncan of the Yankees slid spikes up into Rays second baseman Akinori Iwamura, all h-e-double-hockey-sticks broke loose.

And baseball fans everywhere rejoiced.

Post from: EveryJoe

Bench-Clearing Brawl Between Yanks and Rays