Tag: Baltimore Black Sox Page 5 of 10

The House of David were the wild card team with the worst regular season record, resulting in a matchup with the best team in the WBL, the Baltimore Black Sox.

#Wandering House of David

The House of David will turn to Jack Taylor (15-9, 3.42), Bob Rush (15-6, 4.39), and then either Frank Sullivan (9-10, 4.77) or CC Sabathia (13-13, 4.83). There’s quite a gap between Taylor and Rush and the rest, and Taylor’s fade–remember, after the all star break he was hailed as the best starter in baseball–is a cause for concern.

Tom Niedenfuer impressed enough to push Scott Downs off the playoff roster, and will, along with Ed Bauta and especially Lee Smith, try to get the ball to Bruce Sutter to close out ballgames. Look for Wade Miley to get the call from the pen when the House of David needs a lefty, with Sabathia being the other option.

But if the House of David are going to make some postseason noise, it’s going to fall on their offence. When they’re clicking on all cylinders, they can mash with the best of them. But its taken a lot of tinkering to make the engine hum: Jim Edmonds (293/348/576), Joe Harris (263/338/526), and Anthony Rizzo (247/346/515) were all in the minors at the start of the season. The key here is Pete Browning, who has to figure out a way out of his late season slump (Browning still finished the year at 331/370/591 after a protracted injury absence). Elrod Hendricks (41) and George Stone (30) lead the team in homeruns, but Browning, Ernie Banks, and Ryne Sandberg each added at least 20.

#Baltimore Black Sox

How do you finish with the best record in the WBL?

You boast a starting rotation where Connie Johnson (9-5, 3.65) is the 4th arm up, behind Bill Byrd (14-3, 3.33), Dennis Martínez (14-10, 3.80), and Mike Mussina (7-4, 4.08).

How do you finish with the best record in the WBL?

You can bring Buddy Groom, John Wetteland, and Joe Beggs out of the bullpen, none of which have an era over 3.60 or a WHIP over 1.25.

How do you finish with the best record in the WBL?

You do all of that while surviving injuries to Ned Garvin (9-4, 2.80) and Sean Marshall (whose injury prompted the acquisition of Beggs from Mephis).

How do you finish with the best record in the WBL?

You back that up with the duo of Frank Robinson (302/383/539 with 37 homeruns and 111 RBIs) and Curt Blefary (280/392/549). Perhaps more importantly–and perhaps a bit overlooked–you add the trio of Larry Gardner, Dan McGann, and Bobby Wallace, each of which have OBPs just shy of .400 to set the table for your big bashers. If there is a weak spot offensively, it’s in CF, but Paul Blair‘s OPS still hovers around .700 to support his excellent defense.

The playoff roster is a little odd–there are many players the Black Sox would rather have on than Brooks Robinson, whose struggles at the plate sent him to AAA for most of the season. But the options weren’t eligible for the post season, so look for Robinson to make a few late inning appearances as Manny Machado‘s glove.

#Prediction

Baltimore’s pitching is just too strong. Black Sox in 5.

TWIWBL 46.2: Series XXXVIII Notes – September 11th (Day 3 of 4)

By mknn

On August 28, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps, TWIWBL

#The Battle for the Final Spot

Albert Belle went deep twice t0 keep the New York Black Yankees hopes alive, driving in all 4 runs in a 4-2 victory over Cleveland. Rheal Cormier earned his first win as a member of the much maligned New York bullpen, and Goose Gossage ended the game for his 3rd save of the year.

NYY 4 (Cormier 1-0; Gossage 3 Sv) @ CLE 2 (Porter 4-5)
HRs: NYY – Belle 2 (19); CLE – Speaker (5).
Box Score

In the end, it didn’t matter: Birmingham’s Cupid Childs brought home Billy Southworth in the bottom of the 10th, beating Philadelphia 4-3 and securing the final playoff spot for the Black Barons. It was Childs’ 3rd RBI of the day, and he and Southworth had 2 hits each.

PHI 3 (Howry 3-8) @ BBB 4 (Gunderson 2-0; Malarkey 2 B Sv) [10 Innings]
HRs: PHI – Freeman (21); BBB – Mathews (26).
Box Score

With that, the playoff teams are set, with Birmingham sealing the final spot.

#Playoff Seeding

Baltimore’s 6-1 win over Kansas City settled the Cum Posey Division, with the Black Sox clinching first place (and the best record in baseball). Curt Blefary had 3 hits and Chick Stahl hit his 3rd homerun since being recalled a few weeks ago in support of a strong 5 innings from Connie Johnson.

A come from behind, walkoff victory for the New York Gothams finalized the standings in the Bill James Division. Wes Westrum‘s 2nd hit of the day brought in the winning run for New York with Brian Wilson getting the win despite allowing 3 hits and a run in his inning of work. With the win, Detroit will win the division and the House of David will finish in 3rd, with the Gothams safely through to the post-season in second place.

#Other Games

There has been very little encouraging about Miami’s pitching this year. But the Cuban Giants may have something in trade acquisition Freddie Fitzsimmons. Fitzsimmons allowed 1 run in 4 hits in a complete game victory over Homestead, improving his record to 3-1 while lowering his ERA to 1.57. Jim Thome hit a bomb just shy of 500 feet in the win, one of 3 hits on the day for him.

Continuing to make a strong argument for extended playing time next year, Roy Hartzell had 4 hits and 4 RBIs as San Francisco blew out Indianapolis, 11-3.

Gary Carter had 5 RBI on 3 hits, Álex Rodríguez had 4 hits including 3 doubles, and Larry Walker add 3 hits as Ottawa downed Houston, 8-5.

Frank Smith got a spot start for Chicago as the American Giants had nothing left to play for, and promptly delivered a 2-hit shutout in a 7-0 win over Brooklyn. Carlton Fisk hit his 14th homerun to seal the victory.

The House of David’s Elrod Hendricks went deep twice, giving him 41 on the year (and making him the 3rd batter to surpass the 40 homerun mark), but it wasn’t enough as Detroit won 4-2 behind a strong effort from Justin Verlander and Hank Greenberg‘s 31st longball of the season. Verlander reached double digits in wins at 10-4 and Mike Henneman picked up his 38th save despite giving up 3 hits in his inning of work.

TWIWBL 46.0: Series XXXVIII Notes – September 9th (Day 1 of 4)

By mknn

On August 24, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps, TWIWBL

We’re doing it a bit differently for the final series of the season–TWIWBL will come out each day, focusing on three things:

The battle between the Birmingham Black Sox and the New York Black Yankees for the final playoff spot.
Other games between playoff contenders that might determine final seedings for the postseason.
Any other games or performances of note.

#The Battle for the Final Spot

Philadelphia exploded for 6 runs in the 5th, then held on for dear life to defeat Birmingham, 8-5 for the Black Barons 4th consecutive loss (and the Stars’ first win in 11 games). Scott Rolen, Bobby Abreu, and Aaron Judge delivered RBI singles, then Buck Freeman put the icing on top with his 20th homerun of the year, a 3 run shot to put Philadelphia ahead, 7-0. Bob Nieman and Adrián González went deep late to make it close, but it wasn’t enough.

PHI 8 (Collins 9-12; Howry 25 Sv) @ BBB 5 (Baker 7-6)
HRs: PHI – Freeman (20); BBB – Nieman (15), González (10).
Box Score

The Black Yankees were unable to take advantage, however, as a pinch hit homerun from Tris Speaker gave the Spiders a lead they preserved with solid relief efforts from Stan Bahnsen and Cory Gearrin, including Terry Adams picking up his 37th save. This one hurt, as New York scored 4 in the opening inning, and held a 6-4 lead before Speaker’s shot.

NYY 7 (Citarella 4-8, 6 B Sv) @ CLE 8 (Bahnsen 1-0; Adams 37 Sv; Gearrin 14 H)
HRs: NYY – Belle 16; Gehrig 26; CLE – Stahl (26), Speaker (4).
Box Score

#Playoff Seeding

The New York Gothams sealed their wild card spot with a walk-off, 4-3 victory over Portland. Buster Posey delivered the run scoring single in the bottom of the 9th. Jimmy Sheckard (who led off the game with his 20th homerun), Pinky Higgins, and Brian Dozier each had 2 hits for New York. The game also marked Christy Mathewson‘s final start of the regular season–despite a solid 5 plus innings, Mathewson was not around for the decision, leaving him on 17 wins for the season.

Detroit scored 10 runs in the 7th and 8th inning on their way to an 11-6 victory over the House of David. Ty Cobb extended his lead in the batting average race with a 4 hit day, Ed Bailey and Olmedo Sáenz added 3 hits each, and Cecil Fielder hit the first homerun of his career and drove in 4 in the route.

#Other Games

San Francisco eked out a win in 10 innings over Indianapolis, who wasted a strong 7 innings from Dolf Luque (4 hits, only 1 unearned run). Despite giving up 2 runs in the bottom of the 10th, Rod Beck picked up his 33rd save. The Sea Lions’ Rickey Henderson stole his 96th base, keeping the chase for 100 alive.

Jimmy Wynn hit his 19th homerun of the year, a walk-off blast into the Crawford Boxes as Houston edged Ottawa, 2-1. But the real story of the game was the two starting pitchers, each of whom are coming back from injury. For Houston, Bones Ely pitched 7 shutout innings, allowing only 3 hits while Ottawa saw the long anticipated return of Roy Halladay, who allowed only 4 hits and 0 runs in 6 innings. Neither were around for the decision, with the win going to Jay Howell while Sean O’Sullivan took the loss for the Mounties.

Baltimore went back-to-back-to-back in the 3rd inning with homeruns from Bryce Harper, Frank Robinson, and Curt Blefary in their victory over Kansas City. No real impact on the playoff race, but notable nonetheless.

So we end the day with Baltimore’s magic number down to 1 to clinch the Cum Posey Division and Birmingham’s down to 2 for the final playoff spot.

TWIWBL 44.2: Series XXXVI Notes – Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On August 9, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Baltimore wanted to add another lefty to the pen, bringing up Scott McGregor and sending Lindy McDaniel down to AAA.

Curt Blefary‘s second homerun of the game (his 26th of the season) was a walk-off affair as the Black Sox edged Ottawa 7-5. Blefary had 4 hits and 4 RBIs in a game that saw Johnny Sain take back the #5 spot in the rotation from Jim Palmer.

The Black Sox pounded out 15 hits in a 14-1 pounding of the Mounties, getting 4 RBI’s from Blefary who, along with Frank Robinson, had 3 hits. Bill Byrd threw a strong 7 innings, improving to 14-3 on the year.

#Chicago American Giants

Perhaps in a preview of what the post-season holds, Chicago has moved Ed Walsh into the 4th spot of their rotation, and have not named a number five starter, although it is assumed that either Mark Buehrle or Ben Sheets will hold down the back of the staff.

Eddie Collins scored 3 times without an official AB (he walked 4 times), and Shoeless Joe Jackson had 3 hits and 6 RBIs (3 coming on his 29th homerun) to lead Chicago to a back and forth 8-7 win over Kansas City. Cristóbal Torriente had 3 hits as well with the victory going to Buehrle in his first relief appearance.

Duffy Lewis had 4 hits in an 8-5 victory over Kansas City, but the story of the game for the postseason might be the growing success of the American Giants bullpen. Here, Don Newcombe, Fernando Rodney, Ken Sanders, and A.J. Minter combined with over 4 innings of near-perfect relief, with Rodney getting the win and Minter his 28th save.

David Price has been magnificent since joining Chicago, but he saved his best performance for the series finale against Kansas City, spinning a complete game, 2-hit shutout. Price carried a no-hitter into the 8th, improving his record with the American Giants to 4-0. Dick Allen drove in all 4 runs on 2 hits, one his 25th homerun of the season.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Bones Ely‘s return from the DL meant Tom Sturdivant was returned to AAA.

Casey Stengel ripped his second pinch hit homerun of the year, this one a grand slam, but it wasn’t enough as the Colt 45’s fell to Birmingham, 10-6.

#Kansas City Monarchs

OF Max Flack retired at the end of the AA season.

The Monarchs needed a starter and recalled Joe Blong.

#Ottawa Mounties

Clayton Richard returned to the rotation for Ottawa, taking Johnny Podgajny‘s place.

RP Steve Reed announced his retirement from AA.

Randy Johnson left with an elbow injury after only an inning of work, but will likely only miss a few days. Podgajny did a good job in relief, perhaps earning another shot at starting before season’s end. Roberto Alomar tied the game with a homerun and Carlos Beltrán added 2 hits, but it wasn’t enough as Baltimore won the game in the bottom of the 9th, 7-5.

A potential bright spot for Ottawa: Roy Halladay joined AAA to get an outing or 2 after his long DL stint, with an outside shot at seeing action in the WBL before the end of the year.

Series XXXVI Best Games

By mknn

On August 2, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

We start with a couple good games, move into a demonstration of a team’s weakness that is directly impacting the playoff hunt, and close with two mid-season acquisitions going in different directions.

#Ottawa Mounties @ Baltimore Black Sox, Game 1

It’s a cliché, but despite being among the worst teams in the league, Ottawa continues to be a tough foe. Their weakness all year has been their pitching, but in their opening game against the best team in the league–the Baltimore Black Sox–an acceptable start from Bob Moose was followed by almost 5 innings of scoreless relief from Clark Griffith, Ted Bowsfield, Chris Leroux, and Ryan Dempster.

It almost wasn’t enough: Dan McGann and Baby Doll Jacobson went deep early, giving the Black Sox a 4-2 lead after 6 innings. But Bernie Allen–who to this point had shown little potential and less power–launched a 2 run shot to tie the game. Carlos Betlrán threw a runner out at home in the bottom of the 9th to preserve the tie, and in the top of the 10th, a Larry Walker homerun put Ottawa on top for good.

The Mounties seem to have found a closer, as Dempster closed it out for his 11th save.

OTT 5 (Leroux 2-1; Dempster 11 Sv) @ BAL 4 (Ryan 0-2; Betancourt 1 B Sv) [10 Innings]
HRs: OTT – Stephens (3), Allen (1), Walker (20); BAL – Harper (13), Machado (9), McGann (15), Jacobson (10).
Box Score

#Philadelphia Stars @ Cleveland Spiders, Game 1

There is little positive to take from the season for Philadelphia, but the emergence of OF Aaron Judge and, to a lesser degree, IF Roger Peckinpaugh certainly count.

Cleveland took a 3-0 lead into the 7th, but Judge launched a 2-run shot and Ted Kluszewski added a solo homer to tie the game, and from there the bullpens took over until the 11th inning.

Peckinpaugh led off with a double and scored on a single from Judge. Juan Samuel–another possible late season gem for the Stars–doubled in Judge, and Philadelphia suddenly was on top, 5-3. It wasn’t enough: MVP candidate Ron Blomberg doubled home 2 to tie the game and then scored on a sacrifice fly from John Ellis for a walk-off win for the Spiders.

Judge drove in 3 and Buck Freeman had 3 hits for the Stars while Blomberg and Arky Vaughan each had 3 for Cleveland.

PHI 5 (Jackson 5-10, 1 B Sv) @ CLE 6 (Feller 8-4; Walker 1 B Sv) [11 Innings]
HRs: PHI – Judge (6), Kluszewski (25); CLE – none.
Box Score

#New York Black Yankees @ Memphis Red Sox, Game 1

Neither starter–New York’s Jack Scott or Memphis’ Bill Doak–did well. That was, of course, worse news for New York than Memphis, as the bullpen struggles of the Black Yankees have been well documented. A flurry of homeruns had given New York a 5-4 lead after 3 innings (Pee Wee Reese–his first for New York– and Lou Gehrig for the Black Yankees and Reggie Smith, Sammy Sosa, and Dave Justice for the Red Sox).

That lasted until the bottom of the 8th, when Bryan Hickerson was lucky to only allow the tying run: Memphis had 3 hits in the inning with a single from Sosa scoring Mookie Betts, but New York’s Eric Davis nailed Manny Ramírez at the plate. The Black Yankees brought in Ralph Citarella for the bottom of the 9th. Smith led off the frame with a single, stole second, and scored on a single from Claude Ritchey for the walk-off victory.

New York’s relievers gave up 5 hits and 2 runs in 2 innings; Memphis’ 1 hit and 0 runs in just over 4 innings. That was the difference.

NYY 5 (Citarella 4-7, 5 B Sv; Hickerson 2 H) @ MEM 6 (Farrell 4-4)
HRs: NYY – Reese (1), Gehrig (24); MEM – Smith (21), Sosa (6), Justice (3).
Box Score

#San Francisco Sea Lions @ Los Angeles Angels, Game 2

Just imagine if Tim Hudson had pitched like this since San Francisco acquired him. Hudson allowed 1 run in over 7 innings while striking out 7 and being generally dominant. He exited with a 2-0 lead, but San Francisco’s closer, Rod Beck, had a very rough appearance, allowing 4 hits and 3 runs in his 1 inning of work.

Mike Trout, who is really coming on as the year winds down and had 3 hits on the day, drove in 1 run in the 8th, then Elmer Valo tied the game with a 2-out single in the bottom of the 9th. John Stearns won it with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th.

SFS 3 (Beck 1-5, 6 B Sv; Shields 3 H) @ LAA 4 (Familia 2-1) [10 Innings]
HRs: None.
Box Score

#Houston Colt 45’s @ Birmingham Black Barons, Game 3

And then we have Andy Pettitte, whose move to Birmingham seems to have transformed him from a good starting pitcher for Kansas City to an absolute ace for the Black Barons. Here, Houston’s Stephen Strasbourg was nearly as good as Pettitte, allowing 1 run in 7 innings while Pettite allowed 2 (but only 1 earned) over 8.

Houston took a 2-1 lead on a homerun by Jeff Bagwell in the top of the 9th, but Jim Kern did Jim Kern things after an error on Lance Blankenship, giving up a 2-out walk and a 2-run double to Gene Tenace. Billy Wagner relieved Kern and gave up an RBI single to Adrián González to give Birmingham a 4-2 lead.

Casey Stengel–a surprising source of power for Houston–led off the bottom of the 9th with a solo shot, but Jorge Posada whiffed with 2 on to end the game.

HOU 3 (Kern 0-3, 1 B Sv) @ BBB 4 (Pettitte 6-0; Bedrosian 1 Sv)
HRs: HOU – Bagwell (15), Stengel (11); BBB – none.
Box Score

Series XXXV Best Games

By mknn

On July 21, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

A mixture of checking in on series that impact the playoffs, the drive towards statistical milestones, and just good old fashioned close games.

#New York Gothams @ Ottawa Mounties, Game 1

Oh what could have been … Christy Mathewson headed into the bottom of the 8th inning with 16 wins on the year, a 3-hit shutout in the works, and a 7-0 lead. The Gothams had been propelled to that lead via homeruns from Buster Posey and Will Clark and 3 hits from Wes Westrum. Matty walked Bernie Allen and gave up a single to Tim Raines, which brought in Mike Norris from New York’s bullpen.

Norris was less than his stellar self, giving up a double to Jim Stephens that scored 2 runs and allowing a 3rd to score on a wild pitch. Still, that left the Gothams with a 4-run lead, 7-3, with perhaps the most effective closer in the league, Brian Wilson, taking the mound in the bottom of the 9th.

Wilson surrendered 4 consecutive hits including a 2-run triple from Roberto Alomar, closing it to a 1-run game. Robb Nen came on in relief of Wilson and promptly gave up a double to Larry Walker and a game-ending single to Stephens, scoring Walker and Rusty Staub and giving Ottawa a highly improbably 8-7 walk off win.

Mathewson should have come out of this with 17 wins, an outside shot at 20, and a strong argument for being the best starter in the WBL. Instead, the Gothams bullpen collapsed, a clear warning sign for their postseason ambitions.

NYG 7 (Nen 3-5, 3 B Sv) @ OTT 8 (Leroux 1-1)
HRs: NYG – Posey (11), Clark (4); OTT – none.
Box Score

#Baltimore Black Sox @ Wandering House of David, Games 2 and 4

Baltimore’s series against the House of David was perhaps the best matchup of Series XXXV, with both teams seemingly safe in their postseason ambitions.

It opened with a 15 inning classic, with Baltimore’s Johnny Sain twirling a shutout over 7+ innings, allowing only 3 hits. Singles from Ken Singleton and Ramón Hernández, helped by an error by House of David RF Dan Ford, put the only run of the game on the board in the 4th. But Baltimore’s current closer, Buddy Groom, couldn’t shut the door in the 9th, allowing a solo homerun to Jim Edmonds, his 17th of the season, to send the game into extra innings.

Baltimore’s bullpen took over form there, with a dominant outing from John Wetteland, a shaky one from Gregg Olsen, and a solid one from Don Bessent combing for 6 shutout frames. Singleton, who finished the day 3-for-6, launched a 3-run shot in the top of the 15th, giving the Black Sox a 4-1 victory.

BAL 4 (Bessent 2-7) @ HOD 1 (Smith 0-1) [15 Innings]
HRs: BAL – Singleton (17); HOD – Edmonds (17).
Box Score

The House of David would win the next 2 games, setting up a confrontation in the final match between Baltimore’s Connie Johnson and the Hosue of David’s ace Jack Taylor. What looked like a great pitching matchup on paper sizzled out a bit, with each starter allowing 4 runs over the first 6 innings.

Baltimore was able to pull away, scoring in the 7th, 8th, and 9th en route to the 7-4 victory for the series split. Bryce Harper (who had 3 hits), Manny Machado, and Frank Robinson all went deep for the Black Sox. The House of David left 13 runners on base, meaning Edmonds’ 4 hits, Browning’s 3, and Elrod Hendricks‘ 35th homerun of the year were all for naught.

Baltimore’s bullpen was stellar again, as Rafael Betancourt, Lindy McDaniel, Bessent, Joe Beggs, and Groom combining for just over 4 scoreless innings in relief of Johnson.

BAL 7 (McDaniel 1-0; Bessent 2 H; Beggs 10 H) @ HOD 4 (Niedenfuer 0-2)
HRs: BAL – Robinson (35), Machado (8), Harper (12); HOD – Hendricks (35).
Box Score

#New York Black Yankees @ Brooklyn Royal Giants, Game 4

Brooklyn still has a slim chance at the postseason, so every game counts. Which is why wasting a great start from their ace, Don Drysedale, is such a shame. Drysedale had 8 shutout innings allowing only 3 hits, and the Royal Giants were riding a pinch-hit RBI from John Briggs to a 1-0 lead. And then, the 9th …

Babe Ruth singled, but Drysedale induced a horrible bunt from Tommy Herr, caught by a hard-charging Ray Dandridge at 3B. Eric Davis doubled home Ruth to tie the game and bring Brooklyn’s closer, Watty Clark, from the bullpen. Clark gave up RBI singles to Mickey Mantle, Mike Schmidt, and Don Mattingly for a 4-1 lead. Aroldis Chapman had a perfect 9th for his 12th save for the Black Yankees.

Still, Brooklyn took 3 of the 4 games in the series, keeping their postseason hopes alive.

NYY 4 (Lavelle 2-3; Chapman 12 Sv) @ BRK 1 (Drysedale 8-9)
HRs: None.
Box Score

#Memphis Red Sox @ San Francisco Sea Lions, Game 4

Just because teams are out of the playoffs doesn’t mean they can’t play good games …

Each team had their presumptive ace on the mound (Jon Lester for Memphis, Lefty Grove for San Francisco), but neither were terribly impressive. We pick up the action with Memphis leading, 4-3, heading into the bottom of the 6th, where a 2 RBI single from Pedro Guerrero and a 3 run shot from Reggie Jackson put San Francisco up, 8-4.

Bill White would double in 2 to cut the lead in half in the top of the 7th, and then Ron Robinson, usually reliable this year, gave it all back in the top of the 8th on a 3 run homer from Reggie Smith. Tim Wakefield, Heath Bell, and Jonathan Papelbon were excellent in relief, allowing only 1 hit in over 3 innings out of the pen.

Gene Oliver had 3 hits for the Sea Lions and Jackson drove in 4 while Memphis got 2 hits each from Smith, White, Mookie Betts, and Iván de Jesus.

MEM 9 (Wakefield 7-7; Papelbon 14 Sv; Bell 8 H; Cicotte 2 B Sv) @ SFS 8 (Robinson 6-5, 3 B Sv)
HRs: MEM – Smith (20); SFS – Bonds (19), Oliver (3), Jackson (30).
Box Score

Series XXXIV Featured Matchup: Birmingham Black Barons @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On July 6, 2023

In Featured Games, Featured Series

Series preview here.

#Game 1: Andy Pettitte @ Bill Byrd

This has the chance to be a fantastic matchup. Baltimore’s Bill Byrd is 13-3 on the year with a 3.48 ERA while Birmingham’s Andy Pettitte is 14-4 with a league leading 3.14 ERA overall and a stunning 5-0 / 1.75 since joining the Black Barons.

And then we play the game: Byrd gave up an infield single, two walks, and hit a batter in the top of the first. But it all only resulted in a single run on a sacrifice fly to put the Black Barons up 1-0.

Pettitte was better through 3 frames, allowing only 2 hits. But Byrd didn’t allow another run, despite a steady stream of baserunners. Baltimore tied the game in the bottom of the 5th with consecutive hits from Dan McGann, Manny Machado, and Bryce Harper.

We were still tied at 1 after 7 innings, so it looked like this would be decided by the bullpens eventually.

Baltimore threatened in the bottom of the 9th, as Larry Gardner reached on an infield single and Frank Robinson walked. But Steve Bedrosian induced a foul pop from Curt Blefary, bringing up Ken Singleton … who laced a single back up the middle to score the winning run.

Bob Nieman had 3 hits for Birmingham, but this was a game for the pitchers: Pettitte allowed 1 run in 8 innings, Byrd 1 run in 7.

BBB 1 (Mercker 1-1) @ BAL 2 (Groom 2-2)
HRs: none.
Box Score

#Game 2: Greg Maddux @ Mike Mussina

Another potentially great matchup, this one between 2 pitchers who struggled at the start of the season only to come on strong. On May 18th, Birmingham’s Greg Maddux earned a trip to AAA with an ERA approaching 7. He was recalled just under a month later and, since then, has lowered his ERA to just under 3.00, locking up the #3 slot in the Black Barons’ rotation.

Mike Mussina started the season at AAA for the Black Sox, but quickly earned a recall to Baltimore, and while he’s been hit a bit in his last few starts, he stood at 4-1 with a 3.15 ERA on July 24th (he’s lost 2 of his last 3 starts and seen his ERA jump to 4.11 since then).

So, advantage Birmingham? It certainly seemed so early, as a Frank McCormick single drove in a run in the top of the first and solo shots from Herman Long and Bob Nieman increased the lead to 3-0 in the second.

But Maddux lost his usual pinpoint control, walking 3 and giving up 2 hits, allowing the Black Sox to tie the game in the bottom of the frame.

And so we stayed until a Frank Robinson shot into the leftfield stands in the bottom of the 5th. A double by Curt Blefary and a walk to Bryce Harper chased Maddux. Jim Whitney relieved him, walked in a run and gave up a 2-run single to Paul Blair as Baltimore surged into the lead, 7-3.

Blefary’s 3rd double of the day–tying the WBL record–was a weird and wind-blown thing, but in the end it was just another run scored for Baltimore as the game devolved into an 11-4 rout. Blefary finished with 4 hits and Blair with 3 RBIs.

For Birmingham, Nieman continued his hot streak with 3 hits, 2 runs, and 2 RBIs, but it was far from enough as Baltimore eased to a 2-0 lead in the series.

Baltimore’s Rafael Betancourt and Milt Pappas both made their WBL debuts in relief.

BBB 4 (Maddux 4-6) @ BAL 11 (Mussina 6-3)
HRs: BBB – Long (9), Nieman (12); BAL – Robinson (34).
Box Score

#Game 3: Alejandro Peña @ Connie Johnson

Birmingham turned to Alejandro Peña, their #1 starter all season, to try to get something out of the series, with Baltimore countering with a rested Connie Johnson, displacing Jim Palmer from his scheduled start. Johnson and Peña matched each other through 5, with neither allowing a run despite a fair sprinkling of hits for each side (6 for Birmingham, 5 for Baltimore).

Peña would crack first in the bottom of the 6th, as Larry Gardner doubled to lead off the frame and moved to third on a single from Frank Robinson. Curt Blefary brought Gardner home with a sacrifice fly to right, but Dan McGann hit into a double play to limit the damage to a single run.

The 1-0 lead seemed like it might be enough, as Johnson was getting stronger as the game wore on, fanning 2 each in the 6th and the 7th, but a leadoff double in the 8th by Adrián González chased him from the mound, with Baltimore bringing in their current closer, lefty Buddy Groom to face the pinch-hitting Jim Whitney. Whitney moved Al Schweitzer–pinch-running for González–to third with a ground out, but Groom got a popout from Billy Southworth and struck out Bob Nieman to end the inning.

Groom gave up a pinch-hit to Pie Traynor in the top of the 9th, but held on for the narrow victory.

Robinson had 3 hits in the victory.

BBB 0 (Peña 11-9) @ BAL 1 (Johnson 2-1; Groom 6 Sv)
HRs: none.
Box Score

#Game 4: Vic Willis @ Dennis Martínez

Baltimore’s sweep of the first 3 games dropped Birmingham to a game behind in the Marvin Miller Division. The Black Barons will turn to Vic Willis to try to salvage a game while the Black Sox will counter with their ace, Dennis Martínez.

Chick Stahl took advantage of his first opportunity in the WBL, sending a pitch from Willis deep into the LF stands in his first at-bat in the bigs for a 1-0 Baltimore lead, but Eddie Mathews tagged Martínez for his 23rd of the year to tie it up in the 4th. A 2nd run scored on an Adrián González sacrifice fly, and the Black Barons held a slim lead, 2-1.

Baltimore looked to tie it up in the bottom of the inning when, with one out and the bases loaded, Manny Machado launched a fly to right, but Hank Aaron sent an absolute strike to the plate, cutting down Curtis Granderson attempting to score form third. An RBI from Cupid Childs added to the lead in the 5th, and then 2 out hits from González and Jim Pagliaroni both added to the lead and chased Martínez from the mound in the 6th. That made it 4-1 in favor of Birmingham with Willis sailing along, allowing only 5 hits and 1 run through 5 innings.

A solo shot from Curt Blefary made it 4-2, but Herman Long preserved the 3 run lead with an RBI double in the 7th which was followed by a 2-run single from Granderson, and the flood gates opened from there. By the time the inning was over, Birmingham was up 10-2.

Baltimore would score a couple times, but not enough to threaten. Long, Pagliaroni, and Traynor each had 3 hits for Birmingham. The game saw 3 OF kills: 2 by Birmingham (Aaron and Granderson) and 1 from Baltimore’s Stahl.

BBB 10 (Willis 4-3) @ BAL 4 (Martínez 14-9)
HRs: BBB – Mathews (23); BAL – Stahl (1), Blefary (23).
Box Score

Series XXXIV Preview: Birmingham Black Barons @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On June 30, 2023

In Featured Series, Series Previews

Nobody has more at stake in this series than Portland: if Baltimore–the best team in the league–can slow down Birmingham, Portland may be able to sneak by them into first place in the Marvin Miller Division.

Baltimore has been featured in Series IX, XVI, XXV, and XXIX; Birmingham in Series III, XIV, XXIII, and just now in XXXI.

#Birmingham Black Barons

In 3 months, the Black Barons went from a dozen games below .500 to a dozen games above, taking them from the basement to first place in their division. They’ve done it with spectacular pitching and a seeming omniscient sense of how to navigate the trade market.

Andy Pettitte is 5-0 with a 1.75 ERA since joining Birmingham, joining advanced metrics darling Alejandro Peña (11-8, 3.82, but with a 4.5 WAR and 3.49 FIP) and Greg Maddux (a 2.97 ERA) to form as fearsome a front of the rotation is exists in the league. While Juan Ríncón has been hit a little harder of late, he’s still got 22 saves and a solid 3.45 ERA, with both Steve Bedrosian and Bruce Chen proving quite capable as setup men.

Offensively, it’s a patchwork quilt, but it’s getting the job done. Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron lead the offense, although neither is a superstar, they each sport an OPS around .820 and have combined for 49 homeruns and 158 RBIs. Cupid Childs has locked down the 2B job, managing an OPS over .900 through his first 100 ABs, but other than that … Bob Nieman has been solid in the OF, Herman Long hits really well for a SS, Curtis Granderson is a threat … patchwork.

#Baltimore Black Sox

We kept waiting for the Black Sox to stumble, but they never did. Turns out good pitching and good hitting tends to win games.

Strictly speaking, the pitching has been a bit better. The front 3 of the rotation (Dennis Martínez, Bill Byrd, and Mike Mussina) has been excellent, but there is very little drop off to Connie Johnson, Jim Palmer, and Johnny Sain (the last 2 have alternated in and out of the fifth slot all year, currently, it’s Palmer’s). Byrd, Johnson, and Martínez all have ERA’s under 4.00, led by Byrd at 3.48. Martínez leads in victories with 14, but Byrd’s record is better at 13-3 on the season. The bullpen seems to have settled a bit behind the superlative Buddy Groom (13 H, 5 Sv, and a 2.03 ERA), although the loss of Sean Marshall has certainly hurt.

Frank Robinson is a bonafide star, with 33 HR and 102 RBIs driving an OPS near .900. But Baltimore is very solid top to bottom, 2B Larry Gardner, SS Bobby Wallace, and 1B Dan McGann all sporting OBP’s near .400 and Curt Belfary (22), Manny Machado (17), and Ken Singleton (16) all adding power.

#Projected Starters

Birmingham’s pitcher listed first.

Andy Pettitte (14-4, 3.14) @ Bill Byrd (13-3, 3.48)
Greg Maddux (4-5, 2.97) @ Mike Mussina (5-3, 4.09)
Scott Baker (7-4, 4.68) @ Jim Palmer (9-8, 4.65)
Alejandro Peña (11-8, 3.82) @ Connie Johnson (6-5, 3.88)

Series XXXIII Best Games

By mknn

On June 13, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

We have more good pitching than usual in the best games of Series XXXIII.

We’ll start with the opening and closing game from a series with potentially massive playoff implications.

#Birmingham Black Barons @ New York Gothams, Games 1 and 5

Birmingham’s Greg Maddux wasn’t bad: just over 6 innings and only 2 runs allowed. The problem was the Gothams’ Christy Mathewson was stellar, picking up his league-leading 16th win of the season by throwing a 3-hit shutout over 7 innings. Maddux left the game after allowing an RBI single to Will Clark, replaced by Kent Mercker who gave up a deep flyball to the pinch-hitting Carl Furillo, scoring another run.

Hank Aaron took Robb Nen deep in the 8th to cut the lead in half, but Mike Norris (pushed into service due to Brian Wilson‘s injury) picked up his 6th save of the year, allowing only a walk in the 9th.

BBB 1 (Maddux 4-5) @ NYG 2 (Mathewson 16-7; Norris 6 Sv; Nen 11 H)
HRs: BBB – Aaron (25); NYG – none.
Box Score

The Gothams turned to Don Sutton for a spot start, and the 24 year old was simply brilliant … but it wasn’t enough. Sutton gave up 1 run–a solo shot by Aaron–through 7 innings, and while New York’s bullpen beckoned, Sutton was still well under 90 pitches. But with 2 outs in the 8th, Cupid Childs took him deep and Aaron launched his second of the game, edging Birmingham in front, 3-2.

Birmingham’s closer, Juan Rincón, allowed only 1 hit in the 9th, closing out the victory for the Black Barons.

NYG 2 (Sutton 2-4) @ BBB 3 (Whitney 1-2; Rincón 22 Sv)
HRs: NYG – Higgins (13); BBB – Aaron 2 (27), Childs (4).
Box Score

Two more good games with good pitching!

#Memphis Red Sox @ Detroit Wolverines, Game 1

Through six innings, the only score was a solo shot from Memphis’ Manny Ramírez. That was one of only 2 hits allowed by Detroit’s Gene Conley over his 7 innings, further cementing Conley’s adaptation from reliever to starter over the season. Buddy Napier gave up an unearned run in the top of the 8th, putting the Red Sox in front, 2-0.

Memphis’ Stubby Overmire was nearly as good: a shutout through 6, a single run in the 7th on an RBI single from Chili Davis, and finally being chased in the 8th after giving up 2 hits and a walk. Overmire’s relief, Tim Wakefield, gave up a sacrifice fly to Hank Greenberg tying the game at 2.

It stayed that way until the top of the 10th, when Memphis’ Claude Ritchey took John Hiller deep. Jonathan Papelbon pitched a perfect inning in the bottom of the frame, fanning Greenberg to end the game.

MEM 3 (Wakefield 6-7, 2 B Sv; Papelbon 13 Sv) @ DET 2 (Hiller 3-3) [10 Innings]
HRs: MEM – Ramírez (15), Ritchey (8); DET – none.
Box Score

Baltimore Black Sox @ Indianapolis ABC’s, Game 3

Baltimore’s pitching is just hard to gain traction against: Connie Johnson, John Wetteland, and the suddenly resurgent Buddy Groom limited Indianapolis to 5 hits, 2 of which were solo homers by the ABC’s Danny Hoffman. Indianapolis got a good start from Willie Mitchell (2 runs in 6.2 innings), but in the end superstars gonna’ superstar: Frank Robinson took Rob Dibble deep in the top of the 9th with a 2-run shot, his 33rd of the year, to provide the winning margin for Baltimore.

BBB 4 (Wetteland 3-0, 2 B Sv; Groom 5 Sv) @ IND 2 (Mullane 1-1)
HRs: Robinson (33); Hoffman 2 (15).
Box Score

And now back to our usual see-saw slugfests.

#Portland Sea Dogs @ Ottawa Mounties, Game 1

The scoring started fairly innocuously: Ottawa’s Tim Raines led off the bottom of the first with a single, was bunted to second, then scored on a Roy Sievers single (helped along by an error).

Portland took the lead in the 3rd on a 2-run shot by Gavvy Cravath, then Ottawa took it back, scoring twice on back-to-back doubles from Rusty Staub and Sievers, giving the Mounties a 3-2 edge. A George Burns double drove in 2, extending it to 5-2 in the bottom of the 4th.

But, Portland roared back: a 2 run single from Jeff Burroughs chased Ottawa’s starter, Kirk Reuter, from the game, and Jim Fregosi drove in 2 more later in the inning, putting the Sea Dogs back on top, 6-5. The lead would reach 9-5 on Cravath’s 2nd homerun of the day and RBI’s from Buddy Bell (a bases loaded walk) and Gil Hodges (a sacrifice fly).

But Ottawa had also caught on to the utility of the long ball: Larry Parrish and Roberto Alomar both went deep in the bottom of the 6th, cutting the gap to 9-8.

Portland added 2 in the following inning via 2 hits and a walk, but Ottawa was unleashed: Sievers scored on an unlikely triple by Gary Carter and a 2-run shot from Carlos Beltrán. Suddenly, we were tied at 11.

Tired of running, Carter ended the game with a walkoff homerun leading off the bottom of the 9th.

Burroughs had 4 hits and he and Cravath drove in 3 each for Portland. Burns had 4 hits for Portland, and Sievers added 3.

POR 11 (Porterfield 3-1; Hammaker 2 B Sv) @ OTT 12 (Holland 6-2)
HRs: POR – Cravath 2 (6); OTT – Parrish (6), Alomar (3), Beltrán (10), Carter (17).
Box Score

#Los Angeles Angels @ Houston Colt 45’s, Game 2

With Harry Howell sailing along on the mound, the Angels had a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the 6th, with the key hit being a solo homerun by Mike Trout. Houston scored 1 in the inning, but Tom Seaver and Jonny Venters were excellent in relief of Howell, allowing Los Angeles to send out their closer, Joe Nathan, for the bottom of the 9th.

Nathan was rough: Casey Stengel walked as a pinch-hitter, Tony Gwynn singled, Jim Wynn doubled in a run, and Jeff Bagwell tied the game with a sacrifice fly, sending us to extra innings.

José Reyes drove in a run in the top of the 11th, but Pete Hill singled in Gwynn, who had doubled, in the bottom of the frame to keep the game going. Which it did, until the 14th, when Bagwell was hit by a pitch. HR Johnson pinch-ran, stole second, and scored on a walk-off single by George Brett.

Trout, Gwynn, and Wynn each had 3 hits in the game, which was rough for Houston’s staff, as both Bones Ely and Tug McGraw were forced to leave with injuries. McGraw’s was especially unfortunate, as the young lefthander was on the brink of being named the Colt 45’s closer for the rest of the season.

The game also saw Los Angeles’ Wally Backman get a hit in his first WBL at-bat.

LAA 4 (Vargas 1-2; Seaver 1 H; Venters 15 H; Nathan 8 B Sv; Anderson 2 B Sv) @ HOU 5 (Clemens 4-1) [14 Innings]
HRs: LAA – Trout (17); HOU – none.
Box Score

TWIWBL 40.2: Series XXXII Notes – Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On June 5, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Don Bessent has lost his role as closer for the Black Sox, with that honor now being split between Joe Beggs and Buddy Groom.

Paul Blair threw out a runner at home and launched a grandslam for his 10th homerun of the season, leading the Black Sox to a 6-3 win over Cleveland. Larry Gardner had 3 hits and 2 RBIs and Connie Johnson pitched into the 9th for his first win with Baltimore and Groom got the final 2 outs to pick up his 3rd save of the season.

Dennis Martínez had a solid start, earning his 14th victory of the year in a game where Curt Blefary and Brooks Robinson went deep in a 7-2 win over Cleveland.

The Black Sox kept rolling, pounding out 19 hits in a 13-6 victory in the last game of the series with Cleveland. Bobby Wallace and Baby Doll Jacobson had 3 hits each and Dan McGann and Manny Machado each drove in 3 in a game that saw Bill Byrd improve to 13-3 despite giving up 5 runs in under 6 innings.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Holding onto a slim shot at the playoffs, the Colt 45’s made some changes, abandoning some of their flexibility for some more offensive pop. Jim O’Rourke heads to AAA as Pete Hill is activated from a short stint on the DL.

After another blown save by Brad Lidge–his 7th of the year–Houston decided enough is enough, returning Lidge to AAA and recalling Jay Howell.

Harry Stovey had 4 hits and scored 3 times, but it wasn’t enough as the Colt 45’s fell to Memphis in 12 innings.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Lou Brock‘s year keeps getting better: 3 hits lifted his average to .308, and 4 RBIs led the Monarchs to a 10-2 victory over Ottawa. Ted Simmons drove in 3 runs and a solid start from Luke Hamlin improved his record to 8-11. Brock’s OBP edged over .350, and his OPS is nearing .800, proving he is more than just a set of wheels (although his 45 steals ranks 6th in the league).

#Ottawa Mounties

Clayton Richard pitched 6 strong innings, but left injured after 6 innings of 1 run ball. Chris Leroux, Ryan Dempster, and Gary Peters combined for 5 innings of scoreless relief, and the Mounties eked out 1 2-1 win in 11 innings over Kansas City, with Ken Griffey, Jr. driving in the winning run. Richard hit the DL after the game, with Clark Griffith being recalled.

Sam Thompson will miss the next month–meaning perhaps the rest of the season. Young Julio Gotay was recalled to help out defensively.