Tag: Brooklyn Royal Giants Page 3 of 9

#Birmingham Black Barons

The Black Barons recalled P John Malarkey, 1B Nate Colbert, and OFs Andy Pafko and Curt Flood to help in their final playoff push.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Lefty Fernando Valenzuela, IF Dickie Thon, and OF Raúl Mondesi were all recalled as Brooklyn chases the final wildcard spot.

3 hits from John Briggs, including his 6th homer of the year weren’t enough as the Royal Giants fell to Memphis, 9-3. The loss officially eliminated Brooklyn from post-season contention, ending a nice late-season surge.

#Miami Cuban Giants

The Cuban Giants went back-to-back twice in a win over Ottawa. First, Yasiel Puig and José Canseco did it in the 8th inning, giving Miami a come from behind lead, then Canseco and Jim Thome did it in the 9th to put the game on ice. Dontrelle Willis, Sandy Consuegra, and Ramón Martínez didn’t allow a run in relief in the 10-4 victory.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Joseíto Muñoz was activated from the DL, with both Atlee Hammaker and Ray Fontenot being sent to AAA. Muñoz takes Mike Cuellar‘s spot in the rotation, and Jerry Blevins was recalled from AAA.

Muñoz was shut down immediately, and will miss time well into next season with elbow surgery. Hammaker was recalled to the active roster.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

With the San Jose Bees season winding down, the Sea Lions made a flurry of moves for the final week or so of the season, promoting Ps Red Ehret, Tommy Bridges and Dennis Eckersley, and IFs Don Money, Keith Ginter and Denny Hocking and activating C Mickey Cochrane from the DL.

Lefty Grove, James Shields, Ron Robinson, and Rod Beck combined on a 2-0 shutout victory for San Francisco. The victory went to Shields, with Robinson picking up his 18th hold and Beck his 31st save.

Series XXXVII Best Games

By mknn

On August 15, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

Playoffs, playoffs, playoffs. Every game here featured at least one team bound for the postseason or one desperately trying to force their way in.

#Birmingham Black Barons @ Detroit Wolverines, Game 1

The matchup between Birmingham’s Alejandro Peña and Detroit’s Hal Newhouser was supposed to be a pitching duel, and while it started that way, things got out of hand in the bottom of the 4th when Detroit rocked Peña for 6 runs on an RBI single from Hank Greenberg, a 3-run shot from Oscar Gamble, and a 2-run homer from Ed Bailey. But the Black Barons made a comeback, keyed by a 3-run dinger from Curtis Granderson and a 2-run double from Eddie Mathews. That gave Birmingham a 7-6 lead heading into the bottom of the 8th.

Bruce Chen has been quite reliable for Birmingham all season, but Detroit touched him for 2 runs on a single from Al Kaline to take the lead. But Mike Henneman, the league leader in saves, couldn’t hold the 8-7 advantage, giving up a 2-run shot to Mathews in the top of the 9th. Birmingham’s closer, Juan Rincón held it down in the bottom of the inning, keeping Birmingham’s postseason drive alive.

BBB 9 (Bedrosian 4-2; Rincón 26 Sv; Merkcer 3 H; Chen 1 B Sv) @ DET 8 (Henneman 2-7, 6 B Sv; Lolich H 7; Schmidt 1 B Sv)
HRs: BBB – Granderson (18), Mathews (25); DET – Gamble (28), E. Bailey (9).
Box Score

#Houston Colt 45’s @ Wandering House of David, Game 1

George Gore hit 2 homeruns, including a walk-off blast in the bottom of the 12th inning to secure a 10-8 victory for the House of David. Gore finished the day with 3 hits and 5 RBIs. Houston was unable to pull out the victory, despite out-hitting the House of David, 17-10, led by 3 hits each from Jimmy Wynn and George Brett.

Houston took the lead with 4 runs in the 8th, keyed by a 2-run triple from Pete Hill and RBI doubles from Andrés Galarraga and Brett, but Ernie Banks tied it up in the bottom of the inning with a 2-run single. Each team scored in the 11th (Houston on a double from Tony Gwynn, the House of David on Elrod Hendricks‘ 36th homerun of the season), setting the stage for Gore’s heroics in the 12th.

HOU 8 (Hartley 1-2; Howell H 4; Wagner 9 B Sv) @ HOD 10 (Jenkins 4-6) [12 Innings]
HRs: HOU – Brett (7); HOD – Rizzo (14), Edmonds (18), Gore 2 (5), Hendricks (36).
Box Score

#Memphis Red Sox @ Brooklyn Royal Giants, Game 2

Brooklyn left it late, but preserved their slim post-season hopes by scoring 2 in the bottom of the 9th to beat Memphis, 4-3. The Red Sox tallied a run in the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th to take a 3-0 lead, including the resurgent Sammy Sosa‘s 7th homerun for his new team. Memphis’ Len Barker was sailing along until the bottom of the 5th when Brooklyn’s Germany Smith–a surprising source of power for the Royal Giants–went deep with Al López on base to make it a 1-run game.

Both bullpens were solid into the 9th, with Tim Wakefield and Jon Lester for Memphis and Orel Hershiser and Fernando Valenzuela for Brooklyn each keeping the score 3-2 Memphis. Then, in the bottom of the 9th, Roy White greeted Memphis’ Heath Bell with a homerun to tie the game. White’s blast was followed by singles from Ron Cey, Frank Isbell, and pinch-hitting Matt Holliday, giving Brooklyn a walk-off victory.

MEM 3 (Bell 9-5, 3 B Sv; Wakefield 4 H; Lester 2 H) @ BRK 4 (Gagne 6-5)
HRs: MEM – Sosa (7); BRK – Smith (6), White (17).
Box Score

#Chicago American Giants @ Portland Sea Dogs, Game 4

This game featured 2 playoff teams, and held some storylines to keep a watch on as we move into the postseason.

For Portland, who scored 6 runs in their final 2 innings, Gavvy Cravath shows no sign of slowing down since his mid-season acquisition. In this game, Cravath had 3 hits and 3 RBIs. The key here is the efficiency of the Sea Dogs, who scored 7 times on 12 singles (a bit of an oddity for a team that is 3rd in the league in homeruns and top-half in extra base hits overall). For Chicago, the bullpen continues to be a bit of a worry, as neither Hoyt Wilhelm nor Ken Sanders were effective in this one after a decent start from David Price.

CAG 4 (Wilhelm 5-5, 2 B Sv) @ POR 7 (Miller 11-6; Porterfield 7 Sv)
HRs: none.
Box Score

Series XXXVI Featured Matchup: Brooklyn Royal Giants @ Portland Sea Dogs

By mknn

On August 3, 2023

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

#Game 1: Frank Knauss @ Mike Cuellar

Ron Cey opened up the scoring int he 4th inning with his 21st homerun of the year, a moon shot to deep left. In the 6th, Matt Holliday added a 2-run shot and an RBI double from Jackie Robinson chased Portland’s starter, Mike Cuellar, from the mound. Germany Smith would drive in another, and by the time the inning ended, the Royal Giants were up, 5-0.

Frank Knauss would lose his shutout in the bottom of the inning, surrendering a 2-run homerun to Rogers Hornsby.

That was it, as Brooklyn was able to shut down the Sea Dogs, with Smokey Joe Williams pitching 2 scoreless in relief of Knauss and Trevor Hildenberger picking up his 4th save.

BRK 5 (Knauss 12-5; Hildenberger 4 Sv; Williams 3 H) @ POR 2 (Cuellar 12-8)
HRs: BRK – Cey (21), Holliday (3); POR – Hornsby (12).
Box Score

#Game 2: Sandy Koufax @ Pascual Pérez

Brooklyn took the lead in a very Brooklyn way: Frank Isbell singled to lead off the contest and stole second, moved to third on a soft hit from Duke Snider, and scored on a groundout from Roy White. And Portland tied it in a very Portland way: a solo shot from Buddy Bell in the bottom of the second.

White hit his 15th of the year in the 4th putting the Royal Giants back in front, but Bell was not to be denied: his second shot of the game tied it up at 2.

Both starters turned it over to the bullpens, which seemed to go well until Duke Snider launched a homerun off Wade Miller in the top of the 8th, his 3rd hit of the day.

The Sea Dogs got creative in the bottom of the frame: Gavvy Cravath was sent up to pinch hit and delivered a leadoff double. He was replaced at second by Gary Pettis and Adrián Beltré was inserted to hit for José González. Beltré lifted a flyball to LF just deep enough to move Pettis to third. A walk to Jim Fregosi brought Eric Gagne in to relieve Darren Dreifort, but Gagne couldn’t find the zone, walking Pudge Rodríguez to load the bases for the Sea Dogs leading slugger, Kent Hrbek. Gagne figured it out, fanning Hrbek and getting Bobby Murcer to ground out.

So that seems to have been the key opportunity.

Watty Clark threw a 1-2-3 ninth to cement the victory for the Royal Giants, whose push for the wildcard continues.

BRK 3 (Dreifort 4-3; Clark 25 Sv; Gagne 9 H) @ POR 2 (Miller 10-6)
HRs: BRK – White (15), Snider (29); POR – Bell 2 (20).
Box Score

#Game 3: Dutch Leonard @ Dizzy Trout

Brooklyn needs at least 3 wins in the series, preferably 4, so todays matchup of Dutch Leonard (11-11, 4.19) against Dizzy Trout (6-5, 4.53) looms large.

Beals Becker may be Brooklyn’s MVP this season: again he comes through, this time with a leadoff homerun. Portland’s Buddy Bell tied it up in the 3rd with his 21st round-tripper of the season. But that was it: through 5 innings, Trout had allowed 4 hits and Leonard only the single long ball.

Trout struck out the side in the 6th, and gave way to Mark Melancon in the 7th after a 1-out double from Jackie Robinson. Pinch hitter Matt Holliday singled Robinson home to give the Royal Giants a 2-1 edge.

Gavvy Cravath picked up Portland’s second hit in the bottom of the 7th and eventually came around to tie the game on an RBI single from Bell. That chased Leonard, which might have been a mistake: Orel Hershiser gave up a double to Jeff Burroughs, scoring 2 and putting the Sea Dogs on top, 4-2. Hershiser and Ralph Branca proved far too hittable, and by the time the 9th rolled around, Portland was up 7-2.

This is what Melancon did in Houston before joining Portland, earning him the nickname of The Vulture. It was his first win for the Sea Dogs, but his 10th on the season out of the bullpen. Leonard took the loss, but the blame really falls on the Royal Giants pen as Brooklyn missed a great chance to edge closer to the wildcard spots.

BRK 2 (Leonard 11-12) @ POR 7 (Melancon 1-0)
HRs: BRK – Becker (25); POR – Bell (21), Murcer (23).
Box Score

#Game 4: Tommy Hanson @ Walter Johnson

Getting a 3rd win in the series could be a challenge for Brooklyn as they’ll send Tommy Hanson up against one of the best in the league in the Sea Dogs’ Walter Johnson.

A Joe Mauer homerun in the bottom of the first put the Sea Dogs up early. In the 3rd, Brooklyn broke through against Johnson with 2 outs: 2 walks, a single, and a wild pitch tied the game, and then a single from Roy White plated 2 for a 3-1 lead for the Royal Giants. Portland responded immediately with an RBI single from Rogers Hornsby scoring Kent Hrbek and Gavvy Cravath and tying the game at 3rd.

And that was where we stayed: Hanson was laboring, throwing over 100 pitches across 4 innings, and was replaced by Smokey Joe Williams in the 5th. Jackie Robinson chased Johnson in the 7th with a double, and came around to score on a single from Al López off reliever Frank Williams. Beals Becker and John Briggs followed with singles to load the bases and bring in Ray Fontenot from the Sea Dogs bullpen. Which did not go as planned, as White drove in 2 more before Ron Cey launched his 22nd homerun deep to left. That made the score 9-3 Brooklyn.

Portland made it close with 2 homeruns in the 9th (including Mauer’s second of the game), but Brooklyn held on for the 10-8 win and their 3rd of the series.

White finished with 3 hits and 5 RBIs while both Cravath and Hornsby had 3 hits for Portland.

BRK 10 (Williams 3-1; Clark 26 Sv) @ POR 8 (Johnson 14-5)
HRs: BRK – Cey (22), White (16); POR – Mauer 2 (15), Hornsby (13).
Box Score

Series XXXVI Preview: Brooklyn Royal Giants @ Portland Sea Dogs

By mknn

On August 1, 2023

In Featured Series, Series Previews

The Brooklyn Royal Giants were the last team in the WBL to only be featured twice (Series II and XVII). They head to Portland for Series XXXVI 5 games out of the final wild card spot and on their last legs with fewer than 15 games to play. Portland should be more familiar, having been featured in Series IV, XVII, and XXXI.

Close readers will notice that this is a repeat match up: In Series XVII: Brooklyn took 3 out of 4 from the Sea Dogs. A repeat would keep their postseason hopes alive.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Brooklyn has an outside shot at the postseason, but it’s going to take something special for them to get there. They are 7 games back in the Marvin Miller Division, and 5 games out of the final wild card spot.

They are only 2 games over .500, so they aren’t a great team by any stretch. But, man can they pitch.

The staff is led by Frank Knauss (11-5, 3.40) and Don Drysedale, whose solid performances and 3.91 ERA deserve better than his 8-9 record. Dutch Leonard is solid in the #3 slot and the mercurial Sandy Koufax (who has a 1-hitter, but also a 4.75 ERA).

But that’s only part of the story, as Watty Clark (24 saves) has been among the most effective closers in the league, and Darren Dreifort and Trevor Hildenberger have been fantastic in getting him the ball.

So that’s the good news.

The best regular has been Beals Becker (304/373/505), with OFs Duke Snider and Roy White and 3B Ron Cey providing solid production. Snider, who leads the team with 81 RBIs, has 28 homeruns, with Becker adding 24 and Cey 20.

There are a few other stories here: 20 year old John Briggs was promoted to the WBL to much consternation after dominating the lower leagues. He’s proven himself more than capable, slashing 365/455/612 over his first 100 PAs. Germany Smith, a fantastic fielder, has also provided some surprising power from SS. And, finally, there’s Jackie Robinson, whose stat line (239/324/399) is nothing special, but seems to be in the middle of most positive offensive moments for the Royal Giants.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Portland has a 2 game edge in the Marvin Miller Division, and look like a good bet for the postseason.

They’re a solid team top to bottom, but also one that has navigated quite a few key injuries and has made some brilliant acquisitions on the trade market.

Their staff is led by Walter Johnson (14-4, 3.36) and Bert Blyleven (10-11, 4.25), but Mike Cuellar (12-7, 4.52) and Wade Miller (10-5, 4.56) both have reached double digits as well. Cuellar has 48 appearances out of the bullpen and only 4 starts, but seems for now to be entrenched in the rotation.

Johan Santana was the best closer in the league before losing the season to injury. Since then, that role has been passed between Elmer Brown and Bob Porterfield, with Porterfield currently getting most of the save opportunities. Trevor Hoffman and Mark Melancon, obtained from Houston at the All-Star break, have been solid, with Hoffman also edging into the closer conversation.

Speaking of trade acquisitions …

2B Rogers Hornsby was brought in in the first trading period and has solidified the infield for Portland. While his numbers are slightly down from his time with Kansas City, Hornsby is still slashing 285/356/469 with 80 RBIs on the year. And then there is OF Gavvy Cravath, picked up from Philadelphia at the break. Cravath is slashing 367/484/776 with 11 homeruns since arriving in Portland and 306/387/554 overall.

They join Kent Hrbek (301/370/572 with 36 homeruns and 102 RBIs), Bobby Murcer (313/390/534), and Joe Mauer (310/380/507) in a lineup that is dangerous top to bottom. No fewer than 11 players are in double digits for homeruns with 4 (Hrbek, Cravath, Murcer, and Gil Hodges) over 20. Murcer’s performance keeps Gary Pettis (351/434/485) on the bench, and while Iván Rodríguez has cooled off slightly to 299/324/459, he and Mauer form one of the most formidable catching pairs in the league.

#Projected Starters

Brooklyn starter listed first.

Frank Knauss (11-5, 3.40) @ Mike Cuellar (12-7, 4.52)
Sandy Koufax (5-8, 4.75) @ Wade Miller (10-5, 4.56)
Dutch Leonard (11-11, 4.19) @ Dizzy Trout (6-5, 4.53)
Tommy Hanson (4-4, 4.22) @ Walter Johnson (14-4, 3.36)

#Prediction

I like this Portland team, but just for the way it would tighten the wild card race, I’ve got to be rooting for a Brooklyn sweep.

TWIWBL 43.4: Series XXXV Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On July 31, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Birmingham welcomed back reliever Harley Young from the DL.

Curtis Granderson and Pie Traynor had 2 hits each, leading the Black Barons to a 7-6 victory over Miami. Alejandro Peña was sailing along until things fell off the rails in the 7th, but still emerged with the victory, improving his record to 12-9. Juan Rincón picked up his 24th save for Birmingham.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

5 RBI’s including a grand slam from Germany Smith led the Royal Giants to a 9-2 victory over the Black Yankees. Sandy Koufax threw 5 strong innings to improve to 5-8 on the year.

Dave Von Ohlen will miss the rest of the season with a herniated disk. The Royal Giants promoted Smokey Joe Williams in his absence, something that was sure to annoy their AAA club who was looking for Williams to contribute to their playoff run.

Matt Holliday had 3 hits, including a walk-off homerun as Brooklyn won 7-6 over the Black Yankees in 10 innings.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Eustaquio Pedroso turned in a great start, allowing only 1 run in just shy of 8 innings as the Cuban Giants topped Birmingham 7-1. Paul Molitor and Robin Yount had 3 hits, with Yount driving in 3 in the win, which improved Pedroso’s record to 9-6.

Jim Thome had 2 hits including a grand slam (his 13th homerun of the year), but Miami’s comeback fell short as they were unable to overcome a disastrous start by Martín Dihigo in a 7-6 loss to Birmingham.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Gavvy Cravath–slugging around .800 since joining Portland–hit another 2 homeruns as the Sea Dogs topped Kansas City, 6-5.

3 hits from Harry Hooper helped Walter Johnson improve his record to 14-4 as Portland edged the Monarchs 2-1. Johnson allowed 1 run in just over 7 IP, with Trevor Hoffman picking up his first save since joining the Sea Dogs.

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

TWIWBL 42.5: Series XXXIV Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On July 17, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Jackie Robinson had 3 hits including his 13th homerun, driving in 3 and leading the Royal Giants to a 7-2 victory over the Monarchs. Don Drysedale was solid through 5 innings, evening his record at 8-8 and stopping a recent streak of poor starts.

Dave Von Ohlen was injured during the game, but it’s not clear how long he’ll be out.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Ramón Martínez tied a WBL record with 8 walks but a great debut performance by Yasiel Puig and José Canseco‘s 32nd homerun of the year were enough for Miami to top Indianapolis, 8-7. Puig’s Miami debut saw him go 4-for-4 with an RBI and 2 runs scored. Dontrelle Willis and Eustaquio Pedroso pitched well in relief of Martínez, and the win went to Bob Duliba as Braden Looper picked up his 5th save despite a rocky 9th.

#Portland Sea Dogs

3 hits from Gavvy Cravath and a grand slam from Buddy Bell (his 18th homerun of the season) were more than enough as the Sea Dogs beat Homestead, 10-0. The real story here was Walter Johnson, who allowed only 2 hits through 6 innings and finished with a 9 strikeout, 5 hit shutout, improving to 13-4 on the season.

Bert Blyleven evened his record at 10-10 on the year with a strong 7.2 IP in a 4-3 win over Homestead. Cravath hit his 9th homerun with Portland (his 22nd overall), and Bobby Murcer, Rogers Hornsby, and Jeff Burroughs each had 2 hits.

Series XXXIV Best Games

By mknn

On July 3, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

A good collection of games overall … a few pitching duels, a few intriguing games.

We’ll start with two games from the series between San Francisco and the New York Black Yankees–first a great pitching matchup, then a bit of a see-saw.

#San Francisco Sea Lions @ New York Black Yankees, Games 2 and 4

The opening game of the series saw a great pitching matchup where, honestly, the better performance lost. Ron Guidry continued a bit of a hard-luck season, falling to 7-11 on the year despite allowing only 2 hits in 7 innings while striking out 9. But an error by Eric Davis (1 of 2 on the day by the Black Yankees’ CF) led to a run in the 6th and a solo shot by Sal Bando in the 7th put the Sea Lions up, 2-0. That was all San Francisco’s starter, Eddie Plank, needed, as San Francisco’s starter allowed 4 hits and 0 runs in his time. Plank improved to 11-6 on the season with Rod Beck picking up his 29th save.

SFS 2 (Plank 11-6; Beck 29 Sv) @ NYY 0 (Guidry 7-11)
HRs: None.
Box Score

San Francisco, powered by key hits from Bob Cerv and Pedro Guerrero, held a 5-3 edge going into the bottom of the 7th inning (Babe Ruth‘s 43rd and 44th homeruns of the year, both off Lefty Grove, had kept the Black Yankees in the game). Late season call-up Roger Maris started New York off with a pinch hit single. Maris was replaced at first by Tommy Herr, who, along with Thurman Munson, scored on a single by Mickey Mantle to tie the game. Mike Schmidt followed with a 2-run shot to put New York up, 8-5.

The Black Yankees bullpen continues to be weak, with Ralph Citarella giving up 2 runs (one one on a solo shot by Gene Oliver, the other on an RBI from Jack Clark) in the 8th. Aroldis Chapman had a rough 9th, but did survive to earn his 10th save with the Black Yankees and 30th overall.

Mantle had 3 hits on the day, Ruth scored 3 times, and Schmidt drove in 3.

After the game, San Francisco’s Mickey Cochrane hit the DL, with the Sea Lions recalling Brian Downing.

SFS 8 (Howell 4-5, 4 B Sv; Shields 2 H) @ NYY 9 (Lavelle 1-3; Chapman 10 Sv; Citarella 11 H; Cormier 3 H)
HRs: SFS – Oliver (2); NYY – Ruth 2 (44), Mantle (24), Schmidt (21).
Box Score

Let’s look at a few other games with fantastic efforts by the starting pitchers, starting with Miami‘s visit to Indianapolis then heading to Kansas City, where the Monarchs, and one of the most mercurial arms in the league, hosted Brooklyn.

#Miami Cuban Giants @ Indianapolis ABC’s, Game 2

Johnny Cueto and José Méndez each delivered their best start of the year, with Cueto’s 7 scoreless innings topped by Méndez’ 8 innings of 3-hit, shutout ball. Neither would figure in the decision. Cookie Rojas put Miami ahead with a solo shot in the top of the 9th, but Indianapolis tied it on an Ed Charles single in the bottom of the frame. The ABC’s walked off in the bottom of the 10th on a Jake Stenzel single, with Octavio Dotel earning the victory with an inning of scoreless relief.

MCG 1 (López 3-2; Looper 2 B Sv) @ IND 2 (Dotel 2-1) [10 Innings]
HRs: MCG – Rojas (2); IND – none.
Box Score

Brooklyn Royal Giants @ Kansas City Monarchs, Game 4

Kansas City’s Luke Hamlin is one of the more frustrating pitchers in the league. He turned in his 3rd start with a Game Score over 80 in this one, allowing only 3 hits over 9 innings. But he also has four starts this year with a Game Score below 30. And it’s hard to build a rotation around someone that mercurial: the 87 pitch gem he threw today merely improved his record to 9-12 with an above-league-average 4.80 ERA.

Brooklyn’s Frank Knauss was the hard-luck loser here, giving up a single to Stan Musial to lead off the bottom of the 9th. Knauss was replaced by Trevor Hildenberger, who surrendered a deep fly to Ducky Medwick, scoring Jack Rowe, who had pinch-run for Musial.

BRK 0 (Knauss 11-5) @ KCM 1 (Hamlin 9-12)
HRs: none.
Box Score

Two more season finales of note.

#Philadelphia Stars @ Memphis Red Sox, Game 4

Memphis‘ Bill Doak turned in a strong start, but Philadelphia used a late comeback to force extra innings in this one. The game entered the 9th inning tied at 2, but a homerun by one of the few bright spots for Philadelphia, young RF Aaron Judge, gave the Stars a 1 run lead.

It wouldn’t last, as Memphis’ Claude Ritchey followed up a Vern Stephens sacrifice fly with a 2-run triple, putting the Red Sox up, 5-3 with their closer, Jonathan Papelbon taking the mound in the top of the 9th. Papelbon was hit hard: a single by Juan Samuel was followed by a triple from Willie Davis and a double from Bobby Abreu, tying the contest at 5.

Sammy Sosa–who is playing fantastically for Memphis after being brought over from the House of David–singled to lead off the bottom of the 10th and eventually scored the winning run on a Manny Ramírez double.

PHI 5 (Howry 3-7; Rojas 2 B Sv) @ MEM 6 (Farrell 3-4; Papelbon 5 B Sv) [10 Innings]
HRs: PHI – Freeman (17), Judge (4); MEM – none.
Box Score

#Detroit Wolverines @ Los Angeles Angels, Game 4

Homeruns by Mike Trout and Steve Garvey helped the Angels to a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the 5th, but a 2-out rally fueled by 2 walks, a wild pitch, and a 2 run single by Ty Cobb pulled Detroit back into the lead, 5-4. A sacrifice fly from Los Angeles’ Elmer Valo tied the game in the 8th, and the bullpens took over from there.

The 11th was eventful, as Oscar Gamble touched Francisco Rodríguez for a solo shot, giving Detroit a 1 run lead. The Wolverines turned to the league leader in saves, Mike Henneman, who promptly blew the game, allowing a single and 2 walks to load the bases, followed by a sharp single from Trout that allowed the winning run to score when Chili Davis‘ throw was wildly errant.

Gamble and Cobb had 3 hits each for Detroit; Trout and John Stearns had 3 hits for the Angels, with Trout driving in 4.

DET 6 (Henneman 1-6, 5 B Sv; Anderson 2 B Sv) @ LAA 7 (Venters 5-3; Smith 2 B Sv) [11 Innings]
HRs: DET – Gamble (26); LAA – Trout (18), Garvey (3).
Box Score

TWIWBL 41.4: Series XXXIII Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On June 26, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Birmingham is still tinkering with the edges of their roster; for now, Scott Baker replaces Jim Whitney as their #5 starter.

Hank Aaron had 4 hits and Frank McCormick added 3 to go with 4 RBIs as Birmingham beat the Gothams 12-8, overcoming a subpar start from Alejandro Peña who improved to 11-8 despite allowing 4 runs in 5 shaky innings. McCormick, Adrián González, Bob Nieman, and Cupid Childs each went deep for the Black Barons.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Frank Isbell went 4-for-4 and scored 4 runs as Brooklyn topped San Francisco 7-2. Frank Knauss had a strong start to improve to 11-4, Beals Becker hit his 24th homerun of the season and Roy White added his 12th as a pinch-hitter.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Freddie Fitzsimmons will miss about a week, prompting the Cuban Giants to put him on the DL, recalling Bob Duliba from AAA.

Eustaquio Pedroso had 3 hits and Minnie Miñoso was hit by pitches 3 times, but that was about all that went right for Miami in a 9-6 loss to Cleveland.

Alan Ashby was the star, breaking out of a funk with a 4-for-4 day that included scoring the winning run in the bottom of the 9th on, of all things, a wild pitch. Camilo Pascual was strong over 7 innings, and Duliba and Pedroso were perfect in relief, with Pedroso improving to 8-6 on the year with the victory.

Four hits from Paul Molitor helped the Cuban Giants to a come from behind 9-7 victory over Cleveland. Molitor scored 3 times and José Cardenal and Alejandro Oms (who is now tied for the league lead in triples with 11) drove in 2 for Miami.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

4 hits from Pedro Guerrero and 3 from Bob Cerv led the Sea Lions to a 5-3 win over Brooklyn. Guerrero and Reggie Jackson went deep, and 4.1 innings of near-perfect relief from Dave LaRoche, Ron Robinson, and Rod Beck closed out the contest.

TWIWBL 40.4: Series XXXII Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On June 7, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Jim Whitney replaced Sam Streeter at the back end of the Black Barons’ rotation.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Make no mistake, Germany Smith is on a WBL roster because of his glove at SS. But once in a while, he can do somethings with the bat, like drive in 4 runs with 3 hits in a 5-3 victory over Homestead. Jackie Robinson had 3 hits as well in a game that saw Watty Clark earn his 22nd save.

Smith really is trying to prove he belongs with another 3 hits and 3 RBIs in the series finale. Duke Farrell and Beals Becker also had 3 hits, with Becker pounding out his 23rd homerun of the year in an easy 8-2 win behind a solid 7 innings from Tommy Hanson, who improved to 3-4 on the year.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Walter Johnson‘s return from the DL forced Frank Williams back to AAA. Mike Cuellar takes Atlee Hammaker‘s place in the Sea Dogs’ rotation. After a few shaky outings, Elmer Brown was replaced by Bob Porterfield as Portland’s closer.

Johnson picked right back up, allowing 1 run in 7 innings to improve to 11-4 on the year. Joe Mauer had 3 hits including his 12th homerun on the year in the 6-2 victory over the House of David.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Dick Lundy‘s season is over, with the young infielder hitting the DL with a sprained shoulder. Glove man extraordinaire Eddie Miller was recalled from AAA to take Lundy’s spot, meaning Roy Hartzell will finish out the year as the Sea Lions’ everyday SS.