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Tag: Alejandro Oms

TWIWBL 18.4: Series XV Notes – Marvin Miller Division

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On November 10, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

With a pitching staff decimated by use, the Black Barons went ahead and placed Scott Baker on the 10-day DL, even as they await details on the extent of his injury. John Malarkey was recalled from AAA to help out in the meantime.

Hank Aaron went deep twice and Tom Herr and Frank Isbell hit back-to-back triples leading Birmingham to a 10-4 win over Baltimore. Dick Rudolph got the win and Vic Willis picked up his first save.

Willis has allowed only 2 hits in 11 innings, earning the 5th spot in Birmingham’s rotation from here on out. The pairing of Del Crandall and Dale Murphy behind the plate hasn’t really worked out, but it still seems like the best option. Frank McCormick‘s struggles have reduced his playing time going forward, and Pie Traynor‘s incredible start is demanding some more starts at 3B.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Ray Dandridge continued his torrid start in the big leagues, scoring twice and adding 3 hits and Duke Snider drove in 2 with 3 hits of his own as the Royal Giants topped Kansas City, 9-4.

The highly-touted pitching matchup between Brooklyn’s Don Drysedale and Kansas City’s Andy Petitte delivered, with both starters turning in solid performances. But the game was won in the bottom of the 9th on a walk-off homerun just over the left field wall from Raul Mondesi, his 7th blast of the season. Trevor Hildenberger moved to 2-0 with 2 innings of perfect relief.

The Royal Giants shook up their lineup a bit, sending Steve Yeager, Mike Piazza, and Mondesi to AAA–none of them with an OPS over .615. Coming the other way are C Al Lopez, and OFs Jermaine Dye and Michael Brantley. Hobe Ferris was released.

#Miami Cuban Giants

The Cuban Giants’ 2-1 win over Indianapolis was pretty costly. The win was fueled by 4 innings of one-hit relief by Marcelino Lopez after Rube Waddell had to leave the game complaining of a wrist injury. Roenis Elias got the win and Clay Condrey the save, with Alejandro Oms driving in the winning run. Waddell will miss a couple weeks; the news on Carlos Moran is worse, with the speedy outfielder out for 7 or 8 weeks with plantar fasciitis. P Dontrelle Willis and OF Sandy Amoros were recalled after the game to fill the roster spots.

It got a bit worse, even: Alex Colome will miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury, prompting Miami to recall Sandy Consuegra.

Willis was returned to AAA right after his first start, with Jose Mendez being recalled from his rehab assignment.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Rick Langford was returned to AAA, with Bump Hadley taking his spot in the Sea Lions’ bullpen.

TWIWBL 18.0: Series XV Notes

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On November 1, 2021

In TWIWBL

June 3

We’re roughly 60 games into the season. The Baltimore Black Sox have been caught by the Portland Sea Dogs for the best record in the league, with each team sporting a 38-24 record to lead their divisions. They’re the only two teams playing above .600, although the New York Black Yankees, at .597 (37-25) are right there, too.

You can see some of the reason for Portland’s surge in the Relievers listed below, with three members of their bullpen making the list.

Performance

We’re going to look at two things before our usual lists.

Great Performances

Series XV had two standout performances, the first occurrence of each in the league, one on the mound and one at the plate.

First, Sandy Koufax of the Brooklyn Royal Giants threw the WBL’s first one-hitter, walking 2 and striking out 8 in a 3-0 victory over the Kansas City Monarchs. Koufax started the year in AAA, was impressive in Brooklyn’s bullpen, and now has cemented a spot in their rotation, improving to 2-2 with a 3.58 ERA on the season.

Then, the Miami Cuban Giants saw the first cycle of the year, with Alejandro Oms going 4-for-5 with 3 runs scored and 4 RBIs to lead Miami to a 9-6 victory over the Indianapolis ABCs. Oms homered, tripled, and singled in his first 3 at-bats, and then was thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple in his final time up–giving him an unusual completion of the cycle.

Improving?

Some of the storylines of the early season have, of course, focused on batters who have struggled, but for whatever the reason were kept in their lineups despite little to no offensive contribution. Let’s check in on how three of them are doing.

Baltimore’s Paul Blair bottomed out about a month ago, with an OPS under .550. But (a) the Black Sox were winning all the time and (b) he still contributed great defense. Since then, he’s added about .025 to his batting average, as well as some power. He’s reverted, going 4-for-24 in his last few games, leaving him at 214/273/358. Not good, and still in danger, but trending in the right direction.

The Cleveland Spiders hoped Larry Doby would be a key part of their offense, instead, he’s struggled all year. At one point, he had added about .100 points of OPS, peaking in the .650s. Like Blair, though, he’s faded from that, going 2-20 to currently sit at 205/304/310. Cleveland is playing well, but Doby is likely to lose some significant playing time after the lineup adjustments following this series.

If any team could carry a low producing offensive player, it is the Black Yankees, who have patiently waited for Willie Randolph to contribute at the plate. It’s starting to pay off, as Randolph is hitting as well as he has all year, improving to 205/339/282. Clearly, the OBP is the key stat here, and as long as Randolph gets on base, he will probably stay in the 9th position in their lineup.

Two teams have two players each who continue to struggle mightily. The Ottawa Mounties really needs to do something about the combination of Ken Griffey, Jr. (224/273/295 for the lowest OPS of any batting qualifier in the league) and Alex Rodriguez (206/251/333). With Freddy Parent on the edges of the all star discussions at SS, Rodriguez may be sent to AAA to try to work it out offensively.

The House of David has run out of patience with OF Sammy Sosa, who is limping along at 177/231/344.The power potential is clearly there, but the overall production is just far too weak. Mark McGwire is perhaps a more interesting case, hitting 167/314/203. A 150 point gap between BA and OBP is usually indicative in a player who will turn things around, but those are just putrid numbers for the big redhead.

Leading Performers

Note that Babe Ruth has tied teammate Eric Davis for the league lead in RBI, something Davis had a large lead in for most of the season. Ruth continues to dominate the leaderboards, topping the lead in 5 categories, and sitting 2nd in another, while San Francisco’s Reggie Jackson continues to lead in both BA and OBP.

On the mound, Baltimore’s Ned Garvin now qualifies for the rate stats, and tops the leaderboard in ERA and WHIP, and is second in BA against. Garvin is the only starting pitcher to lead the league in more than one category, although Portland’s Walter Johnson is close. The Black Yankees’ Ron Guidry still leads the league in strikeouts, but has slumped elsewhere.

Both Joseito Munoz (Portland) and Koufax are likely to join Garvin on the leaderboards as they accumulate more starts.

Best Batters

Rico Carty (PHI) 316/377/505, 22 2B
Eddie Collins (CAG) 329/440/551
Eric Davis (NYY) 283/337/557, 19 HR, 59 RBI
Bobby Grich (LAA) 292/369/475, 22 2B
Rickey Henderson (SFS) 254/402/348, 50 BB, 44 SB
Joe Jackson (CAG) 352/436/648, 50 R, 3.4 WAR
Reggie Jackson (SFS) 368/469/637
Willie Mays (NYG) 351/404/569, 84 H
Babe Ruth (NYY) 318/426/682, 21 HR, 59 RBI, 53 R, 43 BB, 3.5 WAR
Louis Santop (CLE) 312/342/482, 8 3B
Frank Thomas (CAG) 352/432/591, 81 H

Best Starting Pitchers

Gerrit Cole (LAA) 9-3, 4.23 ERA
Ned Garvin (BAL) 5-2, 2H, 2.76 ERA, .201 BAa, 0.93 WHIP
Lefty Grove (SFS) 6-2, 3.45 ERA, .198 BAa
Ron Guidry (NYY) 5-5, 3.74 ERA, 97 Ks
Walter Johnson (POR) 7-2, 3.61 ERA, 83 Ks,2.8 WAR
Johnny Marcum (DET) 6-2, 1H, 2.76 ERA
Dennis Martinez (BAL) 7-2, 3.15 ERA, 1.11 WHIP
Andy Petitte (KCM) 5-3, 3.13 ERA, 2.3 WAR
Toad Ramsey (HOU) 5-5, 4.52 ERA, 91.2 IP
Red Ruffing (NYY) 7-1, 4.12 ERA
Cy Young (CLE) 5-2, 3.65 ERA, 93.2 IP, 2.3 WAR

Best Relievers

Terry Adams (CLE) 0-3, 3.20 ERA, 14 Sv
Rod Beck (SFS) 0-1, 1.84 ERA, 14 Sv, 1 H
Elmer Brown (POR) 2-3, 2.33 ERA, 3 Sv, 3 H, .160 BAa
Ken Howell (SFS) 3-2, 1.38 ERA, 3 Sv, 3 H
Bob Howry (PHI) 1-2, 4.35 ERA, 15 Sv
Sandy Koufax (BRK) 2-2, 3.58 ERA, .132 BAa
Mark Melancon (HOU) 6-1, 2.86 ERA
Joseito Munoz (POR) 2-1, 0.77 ERA, 3 Sv, 0.94 WHIP
Ron Reed (PHI) 0-2, 3.00 ERA, 2 Sv, 11 H
Johan Santana (POR) 1-1, 2.76 ERA, 19 Sv
Doc White (IND) 1-1, 1.76 ERA, 1 Sv, 2 H, 0.65 WHIP

Streaks

The Homestead Grays are winning the race to the bottom, with only 1 victory in their last 10 games, leaving them with the worst record in the WBL at 23-39.

Miami and the Philadelphia Stars have only won 3 of their last 10, while at the other end, the Memphis Red Sox, Ottawa, the San Francisco Sea Lions, and the Birmingham Black Barons have all won 7 of their last 10 games. Memphis, Ottawa, and Birmingham were all among the worst teams in the league by winning percentage, so the tables are once again tightening up.

The House of David’s Elrod Hendricks has the most prolonged hot streak in the league, slashing 390/422/976 with 6 homeruns over his last 11 games. The miracle that is Birmingham’s Tom Herr isn’t far behind, hitting 424/500/758 over his last 9 contests.

At the other end, Sammy Sosa‘s struggles were mentioned above. The House of David OF is at 098/098/220 over his last 41 at-bats. Once among the hottest in the league, Philadelphia’s Chase Utley has had a rough 10 games, managing only a 132/154/211 line in that time.

Series XV Results

By far the shock of Series XV was Birmingham taking 3-out-of-4 from Baltimore. Nobody saw that coming.

Series XV Sweeps

Brooklyn over Kansas City

Taking 3 Out of 4 in Series XV

Birmingham over Baltimore
Detroit Wolverines over Los Angeles Angels
Portland over Homestead
Memphis over Philadelphia

Series XV Splits

Chicago American Giants @ Ottawa
Cleveland @ Houston Colt 45’s
Indianapolis @ Miami
Black Yankees @ San Francisco
New York Gothams @ House of David

Series XV Featured Game: Baltimore Black Sox @ Birmingham Black Barons

By

On October 29, 2021

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

The opening and closing matches between the Baltimore Black Sox and the Birmingham Black Barons were both worthy of consideration as the Game of the Series.

The first game started with Birmingham taking it to the best team in the league, with the legend that is Tom Herr and Dale Murphy both going deep. Earlier in the season, Murphy was sent to AAA after an absolutely horrific start to the season, and while he’s not exactly setting the world on fire, he has been doing better since his recall.

A Frank Isbell homerun extended Birmingham’s lead to 4-3, but the Black Sox tied it up in the top of the 5th when Ken Singleton drove in 2 with a single.

And there it stayed until the bottom of the 7th, when there goes that man again as Herr doubled and scored on a single by Bob Nieman. But Bobby Wallace took Hoyt Wilhelm deep for a 2-run shot and for a brief moment, the world was normal once more, with Baltimore on top, 6-5.

I did say briefly. Hank Aaron led off the bottom of the inning against Mike Mussina with a solo shot of his own, knotting the contest at 6.

And there we stayed, until the top of the 13th, when Bryce Harper singled home Curt Blefary for a 7-6 lead for Baltimore. And with Don Bessent heading out for the bottom of the frame, Black Sox fans began to pack up … but Aaron would lead off with a single, moving to 3rd on a base-hit from Pie Traynor. He would score on a groundout by Del Crandall, which moved Traynor to third … and Curtis Granderson would deliver the walk-off base-hit for an improbable victory for The Black Barons.

But the series wasn’t done delivering the goods. Baltimore’s Bill Byrd threw a 3-hit shutout in game 2, and Birmingham rode big days from Aaron and Isbell to win game 3.

That brought us to what could be a great pitching matchup, with Baltimore’s Ned Garvin taking on Birmingham’s Tim Hudson. Neither pitcher were in their team’s rotations at the start of the year (Hudson was in AAA), and both were doing fantastically well.

Garvin came into the game at 5-2 with a 2.47 ERA and Hudson at 5-0 with a 2.70 ERA.

And, for once, the matchup held! Hudson had a shutout through 6 innings while Garvin’s line was only marred by a 2-run homerun from Granderson.

The 7th was definitive for the game: Hudson gave up a homerun to Blefary and an RBI single to tie the game in the top of the frame, but Garvin was touched for an RBI double from Murphy and a run-scoring single from Frank McCormick, extending the lead to 4-2.

Neither starter would make it out of the 8th, as a solo shot from Frank Robinson chased Hudson. His replacement, Steve Bedrosian, was greeted by Blefary’s second homerun of the game, with the back-to-back jacks tying the game at 4.

Buddy Groom came in for Baltimore to start the bottom of the 8th, and gave up an RBI double to Aaron and a 2-run shot to Troy Tulowitzki, putting the Black Barons back in front, and their closer, Juan Rincon came on to shut the door on the 7-4 victory.

So, a great series with an especially thrilling two games.

BAL 7 (Bessent 1-2, 1 B Sv) @ BBB 8 (Benton 1-1; Wilhelm 1 B Sv) [13 Innings]
HRs: BAL – Wallace (4); BBB – Murphy (1), Herr (2), Aaron (8), Isbell (1)
Box Score

BAL 4 (Groom 1-1) @ BBB 7 (Bedrosian 1-0, 1 BSv)
HRs: BAL – Blefary 2 (18), Robinson (14); BBB – Granderson (7), Tulowitzki (7)
Box Score

Other Games of Note

That’s more like it. After struggling in his first start, Sandy Koufax delivered perhaps the finest start in the league so far, a 1-hit shutout of Kansas City. Koufax walked 2 and struck out 8 in the 3-0 victory. Brooklyn took the lead on a solo homerun from Roy White, and was helped out by2 hits from Duke Snider. Luke Hamlin pitched quite well, but still took the loss and Kansas City’s only hit was a double by Stan Musial in the top of the first.

KCM 0 (Hamlin 3-5) @ BRK 3 (Koufax 2-2)
HRs: BRK – White (7)
Box Score

The opening game of the Cleveland Spiders’ visit to Houston was an old-fashioned pitcher’s duel. For the Colt 45’s, Roy Oswalt‘s only error in 8 innings was a first inning homerun by Ron Blomberg as the Houston starter only allowed 5 hits and 2 walks in that span. But Cleveland’s Bob Feller was even better, throwing a 6-hit shutout with 9 whiffs over 7.2 innings. Trevor Hoffman came on in the top of the 9th, and Blomberg took him deep for his 2nd of the day, and the Spiders’ closer, Terry Adams, made it stand up.

CLE 3 (Feller 5-4; Gearrin 4 H; Adams 14 Sv) @ HOU 0 (Oswalt 5-4)
HRs: CLE – Blomberg 2 (15)
Box Score

The series closer between Indianapolis and Miami was notable for a few reasons. First, Miami’s Dontrelle Willis was making his first career start. It did not go well, as Willis was touched for 5 runs (4 earned) in 4 innings. But Indianapolis’ Red Faber fared little better, surrendering 7 runs in only 5 innings of work. The Cuban Giants’ Eustaquio Pedroso delivered 3 solid innings of relief en route to the victory for Miami, which also saw Alejandro Oms hit for the first cycle in WBL history. Jim Thome added 3 hits and 2 homeruns for Miami, and Oscar Charleston and Ed Charles had strong days at the plate for the ABC’s. Finally, Aroldis Chapman did indeed record his 11th save, but he did it in Chapman style, giving up 2 walks while walking his tightrope.

IND 6 (Faber 4-4) @ MCG 9 (Pedroso 3-4; Condrey 2 H; Bauta 8 H; Chapman 11 Sv)
HRs: MCG – Oms (2), Thome 2 (9)
Box Score

TWIWBL 15.4: Series XII Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By

On August 27, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

The Black Barons may have found something with Tim Hudson. The recent callup improved to 3-0 with 8 strong innings against Portland, allowing 4 hits and 2 runs. Birmingham scored 5 runs against Walter Johnson in the 3rd inning in the 6-2 victory, preventing Johnson from notching his 7th win of the year. Tommy Herr–he of the .354 average–hit his first homerun of the season.

Not all the news was great for Birmingham, as Hoyt Wilhelm had to leave the game injured in the 9th inning. It looks like Wilhelm will miss about 5 days, leaving it up in the air whether the Black Barons will put him on the DL.

Playing .400 ball, the Black Barons made some major changes. Greg Maddux and Warren Spahn were both sent to AAA, as was closer Carlos Diaz, with Fred Fussell returning to Birmingham after injury rehab and Steve Bedrosian being recalled all the way from AA, where he had allowed only 8 hits in 22 innings. Juan Rincon will take over as closer from Diaz. Additionally, Chipper Jones and Emil Frisk were both waived, and 3B Pie Traynor was recalled into a platoon with struggling Eddie Matthews.

They would shake it up more, but the minor league talent that is performing well largely duplicates the only bright spots at the big league level–OFs Bob Nieman and Billy Southworth and IFs Frank McCormick, Frank Isbell, and Herr are playing too well to be replaced at the moment.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Brickyard Kennedy and Smokey Joe Williams were both sent to AAA, with Dave Von Ohlen completing his rehab assignment and Tommy Hanson being recalled. Sandy Koufax moves into the starting rotation, taking Kennedy’s slot. Additionally, Pee Wee Reese was released and Hobe Ferris demoted to AAA, with Ray Dandridge and Hi Myers coming to Brooklyn. Mike Piazza lost his starting role, and is on the verge of demotion as well.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Alejandro Oms and Will Clark each hit homeruns (Oms’ first of the year) and Charlie Bennett added a key long ball to blow the game open as Miami beat Memphis, 8-4. Don Newcombe got his 2nd win on the year. Not all the news was good for the Cuban Giants, as Carlos Moran had to leave the game with an apparent elbow injury.

Sandy Consuegra was sent to AAA with Steve Brown receiving the call to Miami, a move that necessitated Yonder Alonso‘s being waived. 17 year old Martin Dihigo has struggled since returning from the DL, but his defensive versatility keeps him in Miami for the time being.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Kent Hrbek had 4 hits and Jim Fregosi–who had stranded 6 runners on base earlier in the game–delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning to lead the Sea Dogs over the Black Barons 3-2. Portland pitchers only allowed 4 hits in the game (all from starter Jerry Koosman, who gave up 2 earned runs in 8 innings of work). Johan Santana picked up the win to even his record at 1-1.

The Sea Dogs have some good decisions to make on the mound. Wade Miller‘s fantastic turns in the starting rotation mean that Smokey Joe Wood returns from injury to the bullpen instead of his starting spot. Bob Porterfield and Randy Myers both did well in Portland, but Wood and Jim Kern‘s return send them back to AAA, along with Frank Williams.

On the bench, the Greg Litton question persists: Litton serves as a reserve at a ton of positions, but is struggling to reach a .400 OPS. He remains for now, but the team is considering a bench shake up, returning Litton, Jeff Burroughs, and Gary Pettis to AAA due to their offensive struggles.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

The Sea Lions overcame a 5 run deficit, winning the game against Detroit 8-7 with a walk-off homerun from Jack Clark in the bottom of the 10th. Jimmy Bloodworth homered and had 4 RBIs and Reggie Jackson continued his torrid season going 3-for-5. The win went to Ron Robinson, who is now 3-1.

Dennis Eckersley was returned to AAA to try to find his rhythm on the mound again, with Huston Street being recalled to shore up the middle of the bullpen. Charlie Root will replace Eckersley in the rotation.

In a somewhat surprising move, Charlie Reilly was sent to AAA, while Eddie Joost and Mickey Cochrane remain on the roster. Bob Cerv, who had impressed in a brief stint with the Sea Lions, was recalled into a very crowded OF.

Series XI Featured Matchup: New York Black Yankees @ Miami Cuban Giants

By

On July 29, 2021

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Preview here.

Overall, the season has gone as anticipated for these two teams. At 25-17, the Black Yankees lead their division and have a dominant offense and a top-end pitching staff. At 18-24, the Cuban Giants are … mediocre at best.

Miami welcomed Martin Dihigo back to the lineup after a long injury absence in the series opener.

#Game 1: Red Ruffing @ Tommy Bridges

Both teams had 2 hits in the first inning, but neither scored, with Red Ruffing striking out Manny Machado and Will Clark with 2 on. Ruffing fanned 6 through the first 3 innings.

A 2-run homerun from Mickey Mantle in the top of the 4th opened the scoring, putting New York on the board. Eric Davis followed with a solo shot, and the Black Yankees led, 3-0.

Miami’s Tommy Bridges was chased from the game in the top of the 7th, allowing a 2-out, opposite field, 3-run shot to Babe Ruth. Eustaquio Pedroso relieved him, but perhaps a batter too late?

Ruffing finally gave up a run in the bottom of the 7th when Robin Yount took him deep to center for a solo homerun. The Black Yankees’ righthander kept trying to get out of the inning, but errors by Willie Randolph and Derek Jeter (his first of the year) prolonged it, eventually bringing Jose Canseco to the plate with 2 outs and the bases loaded. Ruffing got the slugger to popout to Don Mattingly at first base, preserving New York’s lead at 6-1.

Each team would score once more: Davis’ second homerun of the game, and an RBI from Yount, for the final score of 7-2.

This was one of those rare games where a team makes 4 errors and wins–Mattingly had 2 miscues in addition to Randolph’s and Jeter’s, but Miami, who left 11 runners on base, were unable to capitalize.

Ruffing moved to 5-0 with his 7 innings, allowing 1 run and striking out 8.

NYY 7 (Ruffing 5-0) @ MCG 2 (Bridges 3-1)
HRs: NYY – Ruth (16), Mantle (5), Davis 2 (13); MCG – Yount (2)
Box Score

#Game 2: Dave Righetti @ Camilo Pascual

Camilo Pascual is the current ERA leader in the WBL, at 2.26 while Dave Righetti has struggled a bit, with a 2-3 record and an ERA just over 5.

Mike Schmidt led off the top of the 3rd with a double, and Thurman Munson singled him to third, extending his hitting streak to 18 games. Derek Jeter was able to drive in the first run of the game with a single, but that was all the Black Yankees could muster.

The score stayed 1-0 through 6 innings, until, in the top of the 7th, Munson singled home Albert Belle, extending the lead to 2-0 and chasing Pascual from the game. Alex Colome gave up an infield single to Don Mattingly, pinch-hitting for Willie Randolph, and a 2 run double to Jeter.

Dellin Betances relieved Righetti in the bottom of the 8th, loaded the bases (single, walk, hit batsman), and was relieved by Ralph Citarella, who walked in Miami’s first run with four straight balls to Gary Sheffield. A pinch-hit single from Jim Thome added another run, closing the gap to 4-2.

Pascal ended up being charged with 3 runs in 6.2 innings, but 2 of those were allowed in by Colome. Still, the loss drops him to 4-2 on the year. Righetti picked up the victory with 7 shutout innings.

NYY 4 (Righetti 3-3; Citarella 7 H; Lyle 5 Sv) @ MCG 2 (Pascal 4-2)
HRs: none
Box Score

#Game 3: Rube Waddell @ Waite Hoyt

Rube Waddell comes into the game with great numbers, including a 3.19 ERA, but only a 2-3 ERA. Waite Hoyt, on the other hand, is 3-1 with an ERA almost exactly a run higher than Waddell–another reminder that W-L is a team metric.

Derek Jeter led the game off for New York with a homerun to left field, but a Manny Machado sacrifice fly and a wild pitch from Hoyt put the Cuban Giants up 2-1. Alejandro Oms drove home Carlos Moran in the 2nd, extending the lead to 3-1.

In the top of the 3rd, Waddell motioned for the trainer to come out, and had to leave the game with an arm injury. This could be a challenge, as Miami is running out of bullpen arms. They brought in Clay Condrey initially.

Condrey did well until Eric Davis took him out of the yard in the 4th, tying the game at 3.

Gary Sheffield got the first hit of his WBL career with an RBI triple in the bottom of the 4th, effectively ending Hoyt’s day.

Davis brought the Black Yankees level all by himself in the 6th: a walk, a steal of second, a steal of third, and trotting home on Manny Sanguillen‘s fly to right field. That gave him 20 steals on the season: imagine what he’d do if he played fulltime!

Eustaquio Pedroso walked in a run in the top of the 8th, putting New York up again by one run, 5-4, but Miami would fight right back with Sheffield delivering his second hit, a solo homerun into the left field stands.

And so we headed to extra innings. New York has the clear edge, with Miami having to stretch each reliever to their limit.

The top of the 11th brought Thurman Munson to the plate for the first time, after Mike Schmidt pinch-hit for Sanguillen. Munson led off the inning with a double down the right field line, which both extended his hitting streak to 19 games and put the go-ahead run on second base. Miami brought in Aroldis Chapman, who promptly whiffed Jeter, Babe Ruth, and Mickey Mantle to preserve the tie.

The challenge is where the Cuban Giants go next: Chapman needed 23 pitches to get out of the inning, and clearly has at most one more inning in him. Not even: Don Newcombe relieved Chapman with 2 outs and 2 on, but he got Munson to fly out to get out of the 12th inning.

It was all that was needed. Will Clark led off the bottom of the 12th against Dellin Betances with a single. Jose Cardenal came on to pinch-run, and a walk to Machado moved him to second. He scored on a single by Jim Thome, sending Miami home with the win, 6-5.

It took 7 pitchers, with Newcombe finally earning the win–his first on the year–with 3 pitches. But it’s likely to mess up the Cuban Giants’ rotation for a few days. After the game, Waddell was put on the DL, with Miami recalling Marcelino Lopez and waiving Edwin Encarnacion.

NYY 5 (Betances 0-1) @ MCG (Newcombe 1-4; Pedroso 1 BS)
HRs: NYA – Jeter (3), Davis (14); MCG – Sheffield (1)
Box Score

#Game 4: Ron Guidry @ Marcelino Lopez

The Cuban Giants will turn to the recently recalled–like, yesterday–Marcelino Lopez, hoping to earn a series split. It’s a tall order against one of the better arms in the league, Ron Guidry, who comes into the game with a 4-3 record and a 3.41 ERA.

It did not begin well: Willie Randolph led off the game with a triple. But Lopez recovered, and got out of the inning without any damage. The game was a struggle for Lopez: he labored through five innings, giving up 7 hits and 3 runs, which was surely better than expected.

Guidry, on the other hand, was sailing through five, striking out 4 and allowing only 2 hits.

The problem was that Miami’s bullpen was totally gassed, so Lopez was left to fend for himself. Ultimately, he recovered and e did well, completing 7 innings–and 119 pitches–before giving way, still trailing by 3 runs. It got a little worse: Jose Mendez came in, and with 2 outs in the 9th, had to be replaced with elbow pain.

Machado put Miami on the board with homerun in the bottom of the 9th against Guidry, but that was all they could muster, losing both the game and the series, 3-1.

NYA 3 (Guidry 5-3) @ MCG 1 (Lopez 0-1)
HRs: NYA – None; MCG – Machado (9)
Box Score

Series Notes

Jose Mendez hit the injured list after the series, with Sandy Consuegra returning to Miami to help the beleaguered bullpen. Marcelino Lopez is likely to get more innings to see if he can help out at the big league level.

Alejandro Oms went 6-for-19 in the four games for Miami, and was really the only consistent bright spot for them offensively.

For New York, Thurman Munson extended his hitting streak to 20 games, going 6-for-13 in the series. Derek Jeter went 5-for-15 with 4 RBIs, and Eric Davis was 4-for-11 with 3 homeruns and 4 RBIs. Babe Ruth saw his average drop to a season low of .337, going hitless over the final 3 games.

TWIWBL 12.4: Series X Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By

On July 25, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Tim Hudson‘s first start was a good one: five innings, five hits, and 2 earned runs. Hudson improved to 2-0, and the Black Barons used good days from Eddie Mathews (2-for-3 with 2 RBIs and 4 runs scored) and Bob Nieman (3-for-4 with 2 RBI’s) to beat the Grays, 7-3.

#Miami Cuban Giants

With 17-year old Martin Dihigo healthy again, the Cuban Giants were faced with a difficult roster choice, given Alexei Ramirez‘ strong performance (333/385/542 in 9 games). Wanting to give Gary Sheffield, who has only played in 1 game, a longer look, Miami sent Paul Molitor, who had been scuffling along at 254/289/338, to AAA to make room for Dihigo.

#Portland Sea Dogs

In a highly anticipated matchup with Cleveland’s Cy Young, Walter Johnson was denied in his attempt to become the WBL’s first 7-game winner. Johnson gave up 5 runs–3 earned–in 6 innings. The win went to Elmer Brown, now 2-2, who pitched 3.2 innings of hitless relief as, in the bottom of the 11th, Jeff Burroughs, who has raised his OPS about 100 points since being recalled from AAA, sent a pitch from Cory Gearrin over the right-centerfield wall for the walk-off 7-6 victory.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Lefty Grove was delivering one of the better stars of the season–a 3 hit shutout through 7 innings. Then a double from Alejandro Oms and a 2-run homerun from Jose Canseco tied the game against Miami at 3. But Jack Clark hit his second homerun of the game in the bottom of the 9th for a walk-off, 4-3 victory for the Sea Lions. The win went to Ken Howell, who allowed 1 hit in 1.1 innings in relief of Grove.

It’s very hard to win a game when you commit 5 errors. But that’s what the Sea Lions did, topping Miami 6-3 behind homeruns by Bob Cerv (his first since his recent recall) and Pedro Guerrero. Cerv was 2-for-4 on the day with 3 RBIs. Diego Segui continued his stellar string of performances, allowing only 4 hits and 1 run in 6 innings. Rick Langford and Howell each earned their 2nd holds of the season, giving up 1 unearned run each, and Rod Beck picked up his 9th save.

TWIWBL 8.4: Series VII Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By

On June 22, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

OF Billy Southworth hit 2 HRs, but it wasn’t enough as Brooklyn beat the Black Barons, 7-4.

Birmingham OF Curtis Granderson had 3 assists, throwing out both Davey Lopes and Raul Mondesi at home in the bottom of the 1st inning, and then nailing Beals Becker trying to score in the bottom of the 5th.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

OF Beals Becker hit 2 HRs, leading the Royal Giants past Birmingham, 7-4. In the series finale, it was Duke Snider‘s turn, as he hit 2 HRs in a game Brooklyn won 5-2.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Camilo Pascual‘s scoreless streak ended at 19 innings, but leaving with a 6-1 lead over Houston, he looked destined for his 4th win of the year. But a disastrous debut from Jose Mendez let the Colt 45’s tie the game in the 9th. Miami did come away with the win on a walk-off RBI single from Alejandro Oms in the bottom of the 10th, with Aroldis Chapman moving to 2-0 on the year.

#Portland Sea Dogs

The four game series against the Black Yankees ended in the most improbable of fashion. Bert Blyleven delivered a quality start, but left the game trailing 3-2, a score that maintained until the bottom of the 9th. Goose Gossage was pitching for New York, and when Gil Hodges walked with 1 out, the Sea Dogs sent Gary Pettis to first as a pinch-runner. Up came Kiki Cuyler, struggling to get his batting average over .200. Cuyler delivered with a rope to right-center field, with Pettis scoring and Kiki taking 3rd on the throw. New York called in their closer, Sparky Lyle, to face the left-handed Harry Hooper … who pulled off a successful squeeze but, with Cuyler sliding outside of Thurman Munson‘s desperate, lunging tag for the 4-3 Portland victory!

The win gave Portland the series against the best team in baseball, 3 games to 1, and made them the second team in the league to reach 20 wins.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Dennis Eckersley‘s return from the DL did not go well: two-thirds of an inning, 3 hits, 5 walks, and 6 runs allowed, setting the stage for a shellacking for the Sea Lions at the hands of the Chicago American Giants with a final score of 12-5. The only bright spot is the performance of newly-promoted OF Pedro Guerrero, who went 3-for-5 including his first big league HR.

Season Preview: Miami Cuban Giants

By

On August 21, 2020

In Team News

This team is a bit of a conundrum. If all goes well, there is a lot of talent here, but they could also be quite mediocre. A lot depends on whether Eustaquio Pedroso can really emerge as a front-of-the-rotation starter behind Rube Waddell. Aroldis Chapman is lights out in the bullpen, and the offense should be respectable, although it’s hard to find a truly standout talent at this point.

Final Roster

SP: Rube Waddell, Eustaquio Pedroso, Ramon Martinez, Camilo Pascual, Tommy Bridges.
RP: Dontrelle Willis & Don Newcombe; Ed Bauta & Ryota Igarashi; Sandy Conseugra & Bill Landrum; Aroldis Chapman.

C: John Munyan; Charlie Bennett
1B: Joe Adcock
2B: Cookie Rojas; Martin Dihigo
3B: Manny Machado
SS: Robin Yount
LF: Tony Gonzalez & Ryan Braun
CF: Jose Cardenal
RF: Jose Canseco; Alejandro Oms
DH: Yonder Alonso

Notes

As expected, Jose Mendez heads to AAA to try to develop his immense potential … Tommy Bridges and Dontrelle Willis were neck-and-neck for the final rotation slot, with Bridges veteran status giving him the edge over the 24 year old Willis … John Munyan and defensive whiz Charlie Bennett will split the duties at C, with Bennett’s glove edging out Andy Ashby‘s utility as a switch hitter … the final cut was quite complicated: 17 year old Martin Dihigo is a defensive whiz across the spectrum and Alejandro Oms provides that same ability in the OF. But neither really hit all that well, although Oms certainly has the tools to do so. Still, they allow the Cuban Giants such flexibility that keeping them is highly attractive. That makes the choice boil down to Ryan Braun and Willie Kamm. Kamm’s roller coaster of a Spring–from the hottest player in the league to a deathly cold finish–sends him off to the minors … Jose Canseco, Oms, and Yonder Alonso form a platoon trio, with Alonso playing v LHP and Oms v RHP and Canseco moving between RF and DH.

1B Joe Adcock is winding down his career at 38 and SP Tommy Bridges at 36 is no spring chicken. At the other end is Dihigo at 17 and 2 SP–Eustaquio Pedroso and Ramon Martinez–at 21.

Mendez should be the 1st starter recalled from AAA, while Gary Sheffield, Yasiel Puig, and Evan Longoria are also all waiting there for their opportunity. At AA, the brightest lights are a pair of 2B, 18 year old Clete Boyer and 24 year old Tony Taylor.

Spring Training Preview: Miami

By

On June 20, 2020

In 2000 Spring Training, Team News

  • The final 2 rotation slots are likely to be pulled from Don Newcombe, Ramon Martinez, and Livan Hernandez, but both Jose Mendez and Eustaquio Pedroso have outside shots as well.
    • Rube Waddell has been excellent, but neither Camilo Pascual nor Tommy Bridges as good as expected. As such, there are a lot of open slots. Pedroso has seized 1 of them with some great performances, and Mendez has an edge on the other, while Hernandez has been pretty awful.
      • Hernandez has pitched himself back to AAA, while the front of the rotation has solidifed as Waddell, Pedroso, Martinez, and Bridges.
      • That leaves Willis, Pascual, Newcombe, and Mendez competing for the final rotation spot.
  • In the bullpen, while Aroldis Chapman and Bill Landrum are solid, and Tony Fossas can succeed in a situational role, doubts exist about Dalier Hinojosa and Ed Bauta especially.
    • Unfortunately, Fossas, Bauta, and Sandy Consuegra have had a rough go of it. Miami has recalled Ryota Igarashi, Dontrelle Willis, and Alex Colome to help find some bullpen solutions to get to Chapman and Landrum.
      • Both Bauta and Hinjosa have solidified their roster spots, if not their exact roles, while Fossas has moved to AAA. Igarashi could join him, but deserves another couple of appearances.
  • 2B, 3B, and SS are all up for grabs: Cookie Rojas and Paul Molitor are neck-and-neck at 2B; Evan Longoria, Manny Machado, and Gary Sheffield at 3B; and Robin Yount and Chico Fernandez at SS.
    • Molitor is on the verge of playing himself out of the league behind Rojas (which would clearly open a role for Dihigo, but he hasn’t hit a lick either). But he’s doing better than Longoria, who is literally hitless so far, at the bottom of a muddled pile at 3B, led by the surprising Willie Kamm.
      • Molitor and Longoria were both sent to AAA to work it out, with Tito Fuentes getting a shot in major league camp.
    • Yount has taken control at SS, so there’s that, at least.
  • In the OF, the talents of Alejandro Oms and Martin Dihigo are undeniable, but there are questions about whether they are ready for the WBL.
    • The OF is still crowded, with Jose Cardenal, Ryan Braun, and Eddie Milner all arguing for playing time and Ozzie Canseco being sent to AAA.
      • Oms and Dihigo don’t have to hit much to earn a roster spot due to their versatility and glovework. Milner and Braun, however, are on the bubble.
      • Tony Gonzalez has forced himself into the conversation, and perhaps even into a starting role.
  • C is now an issue as well, as both John Munyan and Alan Ashby are performing on par with expected starter Charlie Bennett.
    • The trio continues to be indistinguishable–if that continues, Bennett will start due to his defense, and a coin flip will pick his backup.
    • At 1B, Joe Adcock and Yonder Alonso are pounding the ball, leaving Edwin Encarnacion‘s roster spot in doubt.
Near DefiniteLikelyPossibleLong Shot
Starting PitchersRube Waddell
Eustaquio Pedroso		Ramon Martinez
Tommy Bridges		Jose Mendez
Camilo Pascual
Don Newcombe
Dontrelle Willis
Middle RelieversAlex Colome
Ed Bauta
Sandy Consuegra		Ryota Igarashi
SetupDalier Hinojosa
Bill Landrum
CloserAroldis Chapman
CCharlie Bennett
John Munyan
Alan Ashby
1BJoe Adcock
Yonder Alonso		Edwin Encarnacion
2BCookie RojasMartin DihigoTito Fuentes
3BWillie KammManny Machado
Gary Sheffield
SSRobin YountChico Fernandez
OFJose CansecoJose CardenalTony Gonzalez
Tommie Agee
Yasiel Puig
Sandy Amoros
Alejandro Oms		Ryan Braun
Eddie Milner
Martin Dihigo and Alejandro Oms of the Miami Cuban Giants

Miami Cuban Giants

Florida Marlins / Tampa Bay Devil Rays / Milwaukee Brewers

AAA – Orlando Rays
AA – Havana Industriales
A – Cienfuegos Elefantes

Cum Posey Division

WBL | Home Page| Roster | Leaders | News | Transactions

The Florida franchises (plus, um, Milwaukee) combine with a pipeline of Cuban talent. The banner comes from the latter, with both Alejandro Oms and Martin Dihigo.

Baker Bowl (41,000)
HR: 1.445 | BA: 1.018
Tropicana Field (31,042)
HR: .919 | BA: .959
Estadio Latinoamericano (55,000)
HR: .993 | BA: 1.020
Estadio 5 de Septiembre (15,600)
HR: .965 | BA: 1.008

2000: 5th Place, .422.

2001 Projections

As of the end of Spring Training.

CIván Rodríguez
Smoky Burgess		Chris Hoiles
Harry Danning
Clyde Sukeforth		Paul Casanova
Doug Allison
Joe Oliver		Jim Donahue
Stan Andrews
Bill Heath
1BJim ThomeWillie McCovey
Ramón Webster		Richie Sexson
Julio Becquer
Jiggs Donahue		Charlie Briggs
2BMartín DihigoNellie Fox
Vic Power
Luis Castillo
Tito Fuentes		Tony TaylorClete Boyer
SSRobin YountAdeiny Hechavarría
Alexei Ramírez		George MagoonHéctor Torres
Zoilo Versalles
3BGary SheffieldJoe Dugan
Russell Branyan
Kevin Kouzmanoff
Celerino Sánchez		Willie Kamm
Carlos Morán
OFAlejandro Oms
Cookie Rojas
Al Oliver
Julio Rodríguez
José Canseco
Yasiel Puig

Ryan Braun
Minnie Miñoso		Bert Campaneris
José Cardenal
Tony González
Bob Loane
Eddie Milner
Roy Thomas

Hideki Matsui		Chris Denorfia
Carlos Quentin
Gus Bell
Tommie Agee
Mike Brown

John Callahan		José Tartabull
Dain Clay
Marquis Grissom

Sandy Amorós
randy arozarena
Jason Bay
Nelson Cruz
Jim Fairey
Marcus Thames
Max Venable
Dan Dobbek
mark kotsay
Adolis García
Dariel Álvarez
SPCamilo Pascual
Freddie Fitzsimmons
José Méndez
Cole Hamels
Ramón Martínez		Marcus Stroman
Kenshin Kawakami
Ed Brandt
Gary Gentry
Ray Lamb		josh beckett
Marcelino López
Bob Gillespie
Johnny Murphy
Lefty George		Jon Matlack
Carlton Loewer
Nick Strincevich
Art Hagan
Mike Morgan
RPRicky Nolasco
Sandy Consuegra
Adonis Terry
Braden Looper
Barry Latman
Eustaquio Pedroso		Scott Linebrink
Walt Lanfranconi
Denny Lemaster
Hugh McQuillan
Dale Murray		Bobby Jenks
Brad Brach
Aaron Barrett
Alex Colomé
John Romonosky
Ryan Tepera		Ed Seward
jim colborn
Scott Alexander
Aaron Poreda
Billy Milligan
Kevin Shackelford
David Aardsma
UPPhenomenal SmithBob Forsch
Ed Whitson
Steven Wright
John Stuper		Roenis Elías
John Boozer
Steve Brown
Dámaso Marté
Jim Roland		luis tiant Sr
Chris Resop
josé lima
5+ Year Contracts; 2-4 year contracts; future rights; Injured

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