Tag: Dick Redding Page 2 of 3

Season Review: Brooklyn Royal Giants

On December 22, 2023

77 - 77, .500 pct.
3rd in Marvin Miller Division, 7.5 games behind.

Overall

The penultimate team to be eliminated from the playoffs, the Royal Giants were a bit of a surprise, but still need help to move into true playoff contention. Most of that needs to come from the offense, where there is a lack of elite talent virtually across the board. But they are one of the few teams in the league stacked on the mound.

What Went Right

Not a lot of high spots offensively. CF John Briggs destroyed AA, was promoted to Brooklyn, and totally crushed WBL pitching over his first 40 games. RF Beals Becker, against all expectations, was the team MVP, combining power and speed to great effect.

Roy White was the heart of the team and Duke Snider their best source of power, but neither were true stars if we’re being honest, with OPS’ in the low .800s.

Beyond that … I dunno … they stole a lot of bases (7 players had over 15: Becker, White, Snider, Frank Isbell, Jackie Robinson, Dickie Thon, and Davey Lopes).

If that all sounds very wishy-washy, let’s move on to a more encouraging topic: the Royal Giants kicked ass on the mound, led by Don Drysedale and Frank Knauss. Sandy Koufax and Dutch Leonard were a little erratic, but very solid behind them, and the bullpen was spectacular, led by Watty Clark (likely to be converted to a starter), Eric Gagne (likely to take Clark’s place as closer), Trevor Hildenberger, and Darren Dreifort.

How good were they? Only one pitcher–Ralph Branca over 31 innings–had a negative WAR.

ALL STARS
SP Don Drysedale

What Went Wrong

The IF was a bit weak all year, with Jackie Robinson and Ray Dandridge both being decent, but not quite good enough to hold down a steady spot in the lineup. Mike Piazza was horrible at C, earning a trip to AAA and leaving duties behind the plate to Al López and Duke Farrell, who weren’t very good.

Probably the biggest mistake on the mound was not calling up Smokey Joe Williams earlier.

Transactions

March

None

June

P Don Sutton to New York Gothams for OF Don Mueller, P Ray Lamb, P Gil Heredia, P Lew Krausse Jr, 1st Round Pick {Al Simmons} & 8th Round Pick

A big win, especially for a team rich in arms.

OF Curt Flood, 2B Manny Trillo & 6th Round Pick to Birmingham for IF Frank Isbell

Isbell did well, but that’s a lot to give up for a 30 year old.

July

None

Looking Forward

SP

The Royal Giants could have as many as 7 starters under long term contracts: Don Drysedale, Smokey Joe Williams, Sandy Koufax, Watty Clark, Orel Hershiser, Dick Redding, and Nap Rucker sounds like a very intimidating staff …

RP

… especially with Darren Dreifort, Eric Gagne, and Ron Perranoski coming out of the bullpen.

C

Brooklyn is hoping this is Mike Piazza but early indications are not great.

1B

A clear void at the moment, but the Royal Giants like the potential of Dan Brouthers.

2B

Hopefully, Jackie Robinson can do a bit more offensively.

3B

At some point, the Royal Giants will need to decide between Ron Cey and Ray Dandridge.

SS

Germany Smith‘s surprising power earned him a look for next year, but if that doesn’t work out, it’s not clear what plan B is.

LF

Roy White for a while, and after that, who knows?

CF

This could be interesting. Right now, this is John Briggs‘ position to lose, but Brooklyn also has Ron Fairly and Duke Snider in the mix.

RF

Beals Becker will hold this down for a while, but the team is really hoping Raúl Mondesi can take it over at some point.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

The Royal Giants have 2 first round picks, so they have a chance to address some of their offensive struggles. The first went to Ed Delahanty, who should actually fit in well: he plays a mixture of 2B, 1B, and the OF, allowing him to slot in around their current talent. The second was more of shock that OF Al Simmons was still available.

Brooklyn was annoyed when Los Angeles took Babe Herman just before their pick in the 2nd round, forcing them to scramble. They eventually settled on Dazzy Vance–an odd choice for a team as pitching rich as the Royal Giants, but Vance projects as a late bloomer.

In the 3rd round, the Royal Giants picked up OF George Selkirk and in the 4th C/OF prospect Elston Howard, their final franchise exemption.

Rounds 5-8

5th round pick Jimmy Johnston is an OFer now, but may end up in the IF eventually and 7th round pick Walker Buehler may actually end up being a bit of a steal.

From here on out, it’s C, pitching, and perhaps some OF depth for the Royal Giants, beginning with Ps Doc Scanlan and Vic Lombardi in the 8th round.

Rounds 9-12

P Odalis Pérez; IF Greg Pryor; P Doc Newton; and P Victor González.

TWIWBL 52.1: End of Season Review – What Went Right

By mknn

On November 8, 2023

In TWIWBL

The first of a 2-parter reflecting on Year I of the WBL.

Overall Statistical Model

Somewhat arbitrarily, I used 2000 as the base year for Year I. MLB produced its 2nd highest ever OPS that season, slashing a cumulative 270/345/437. Year I of the WBL ended at 268/339/433.

That’s pretty darn close.

Year I was actually an almost perfect match for 2006’s 269/337/432.

So, yeah, offense heavy, but not more than asked for.

All Around Player Performance

Tomorrow I’ll publish what didn’t go so well, and the biggest thing is a couple specific outlier performances. But, so much about the league felt right. Babe Ruth did Babe Ruth things, sure.

But the all-around players were also dominant in a great way: Eddie Collins may have been the best player in the league, Willie Mays‘ impact was irresistible. Players who had “career years” (Tom Herr, Doug Rader, even Eric Davis) did so well within the overall shape of their MLB careers.

Pitching was weird as always. But the list of those at the front of the “best starter in the league” ranking was a great list: Walter Johnson, Gerrit Cole, Jack Taylor, Andy Pettitte, Christy Mathewson? Sure. Pettitte and Taylor overperformed, but pitching–and especially of course W/L records–are weird. Ron Guidry had a great year according to the deep stats, but struggled in the traditional evaluations.

And lots of pitchers struggled, which, again, feels about right.

NeL Players

The all-time greats may feel a little under-represented, but that’s largely because of the career perspective of the WBL. Cristóbal Torriente, Pete Hill, Oscar Charleston, and Louis Santop were each everyday starters by the end of the season despite being teenagers. Martín Dihigo and John Beckwith struggled a bit, but again, teenagers.

Here’s an overview of how the NeL entries did.

Name	Team	Age	Pos	Notes
John Beckwith	SFS	18	IF	237/306/384. Sent to AAA midseason. Showed WBL power, but struggled at AAA. Likely another year at AAA.
Ray Brown	HOM	23	P	7-7, 5.80. Struggled in WBL, but in the running for Year 2 rotation spot.
Bill Byrd	BAL	26	P	14-3, 3.33. An all-star and a front of rotation starter for the best team in the league.
Oscar Charleston	IND	19	OF	277/313/438. Not many HR, but good power, great defense. A solid start.
Ray Dandridge	BRK	21	IF	256/323/359. Sparkplug for Brooklyn when healthy. A solid enough offensive start.
Leon Day	HOU	18	P	1-1, 4.91. Day was promising across 14 games (2 starts) before struggling with injuries and then being knocked out in June for the rest of the season. Expected to compete for swing role in Year 2.
Martín Dihigo	MCG	18	U	195/235/319; 0-2, 12.15. Overwhelmed as a hitter, purely mop up on the mound. But perhaps the greatest defensive talent the league has ever seen, and adds so much roster flexibility that, if the OPS can just get over .600, a valuable piece.
Bunny Downs	HOD	25	U	216/256/351. 40 PAs of mediocre utility. Defensive flexibility helps.
Josh Gibson	HOM	20	C	289/386/448. An all star behind the plate at 20? Yes, please. Power will come, a great start.
Frank Grant	HOD	21	IF	200/263/200. A rough first 100 PA for the promising IF. AAA likely next year.
Pete Hill	HOU	17	OF	287/323/440. A starter for about half the year. What a start for a 17 year old.
HR Johnson	HOU	24	IF	252/310/357. A bit disappointing, honestly. Defensive flexibility is nice, but the Colt 45’s need more from him offensively.
Dick Lundy	SFS	21	IF	268/284/377. Total sparkplug when healthy. good defense, 30 SB. Should be a starter next year.
Carlos Morán	MCG	21	OF	221/369/262. Great defense and an OBP machine. Certainly in the mix to start in Year 2.
José Méndez	MCG	22	P	4-6, 4.56. Good secondary numbers and, by the end of the year, looked like a front of the rotation starter.
Joséito Muñoz	POR	19	P	5-5, 2.57. Fantastic when healthy. But now out until a few months into next year.
Alejandro Oms	MCG	20	OF	259/313/410. Solid. more power and better zone control would help. But, solid.
Eustaquio Pedroso	MCG	22	OF/P	278/316/444; 9-6, 4.81. Someone who performs around league average both in the field and on the mound has value.
Dick Redding	BRK	20	P	0-5, 4.57. Not good enough to stay with Brooklyn all year, but not horrible. Showed enough at AAA at the plate (106 OPS+) to warrant a look as a two-way player.
Louis Santop	CLE	19	C	293/322/447. Doesn’t get on base enough, but he’s a C with solid D and still a teen. Future star.
Sam Streeter	BBB	24	P	7-6, 4.91. Very solid, pushed to bullpen at end of year.
Cristóbal Torriente	CAG	17	OF	289/347/392. Excellent defense, solid–if low on power–offense. Likely to be a mainstay for the American Giants for a long time.
Smoky Joe Williams	BRK	20	P	4-1, 3.47. Sent down to spend most of the year at AAA, returned very strong down the stretch.

There are, of course, some others in the minor leagues–A. Rube Foster (9-2, 4.60 ERA across 5 minor league teams), Cool Papa Bell (252/304/339 with 39 SB, mostly at AA), some others.

Continuity

I started the first season of the WBL something like 40/45 years ago. The third season was completed over 20 years ago. This season–the first on OOTP, the fourth overall–was completed in about 3 years.

Across all of that–from handheld Strat-O-Matic play through SOM on a half-dozen different computers (beginning on a Commodore 64, natch) through 3 versions of OOTP–it feels similar. Storylines emerge that I enjoy, frustrations emerge at players underperforming, personalities of teams and franchises begin to appear.

I love all that.

I have no idea what to do with the first 3 years–the teams were totally different, some players occur in this version as well, many do not. If I can find an easy way to incorporate that history, I may do so, but I don’t see it yet. Shock of shocks, Babe Ruth would be the career HR leader …

TWIWBL 31.4: Series XXIV Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On January 23, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

The Black Barons just keep on doing their thing since the All-Star break. against Cleveland, 3 hits from Adrián González and a key homerun from Eddie Mathews sparked a comeback from a 5-0 deficit. Bruce Chen got the win and Juan Rincón picked up his 15th save in the 6-5 victory.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Ralph Branca was recalled from AAA to start in Brooklyn’s doubleheader with Dick Redding being sent down, most likely just for the one day. Indeed, after giving up 5 runs in 4 innings, Branca was immediately sent back down to AAA. Jermaine Dye was waived, and Nap Rucker and Michael Brantley joined the big leagues.

Beals Becker tied the WBL record with 5 hits (all singles) in a 6-3 win over Indianapolis. Roy White had 3 hits and 4 RBIs in the game, but not all the news was good for the Royal Giants, as Ray Dandridge headed back to the DL after spraining his knee in the first inning. Davey Lopes was waived and Todd Walker promoted to the big leagues.

Both Dye and Lopes cleared waivers, rejoining the franchise with AAA Queens. Tommy Hansen has earned a shot at the #5 spot in the Royal Giants’ rotation.

#Miami Cuban Giants

José Canseco almost brought the Cuban Giants back single-handedly, hitting a pinch-hit homerun in the 7th and another in the 9th to give him 5 RBI’s on the day. It wasn’t quite enough, as Miami fell to Baltimore, 6-5.

The Cuban Giants did salvage the final game of the series, as Roenis Elías, Phenomenal Smith, Ed Bauta, and Aroldis Chapman combined on a 5-hit shoutout. Gary Sheffield went deep and Miami won, 2-0, with Elías improving to 4-3 on the year and Chapman picking up his 15th save.

Prize acquisition Minnie Miñoso came off the DL, and was sent to AAA on a short rehab assignment before being recalled to the big league club, along with infielder Alexei Ramírez. Sandy Amorós moved to AAA, along with struggling slugger Jim Thome with more moves expected as Paul Molitor and Carlos Morán return from the DL this week.

On the mound, Steve Brown–hammered in his WBL stay–moved to AAA, along with once-WBL-darling Marcelino López. Ramón Martínez was brought back from a rehab assignment, nudging José Méndez out of the rotation with his return. Braden Looper will be brought up once space is cleared on the 40-man roster.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Joe Mauer will be out a couple weeks, but the Sea Dogs have a stellar replacement as Pudge Rodríguez takes over slashing 347/364/533. Cliff W. Lee, one of the best young catchers in the minor leagues, was recalled for a taste of the show.

Somehow, against all odds, Greg Litton still has a roster spot: playing 6 positions, no matter how badly you hit, has its benefits. But his offensive woes do continue to lessen his projected playing time.

Series XXI Best Games

By mknn

On June 29, 2022

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

Five games made the list for Series XXI. We’ll give the detailed treatment to a great comeback, but the others all have some noteworthy moments.

#Indianapolis @ Memphis, Game 2

Just another see-saw …

A solo homerun by Mookie Betts and a 2 run shot by Ted Williams were the key hits as the Red Sox jumped out to a 7-0 lead. A 2-run homerun by Danny Hoffman and a triple from Oscar Charleston made it 7-3, and then, in the 7th inning, another homerun from Hoffman and a key, 2-0ut, 2-run shot from Johnny Bench brought the ABC’s within 1 run at 7-6. Reggie Smith added a solo shot off Lefty James, making it 8-6 heading to the top of the 9th.

Memphis brought in Jonathan Papelbon to close it out, which was certainly a reasonable choice. Tommy Helms led off the inning with a single, but a groundout by Hoffman seemed to set Memphis on the road to victory.

And then, Edd Roush and Charleston singled to load the bases and Bench cleared them with a double. A single by Dave Henderson scored Bench, and another by Denis Menke chased Papelbon from the game with Indianapolis having come all the way back to take the lead 10-8. Rob Dibble dominated the bottom of the frame, and the ABC’s had a great comeback win under their belt.

IND 10 (James 5-1, Dibble 16 Sv) @ MEM 8 (Papelbon 0-4, 2 BSv; Cicotte 1 H; Farrell 3 H)
HRs: IND – Hoffman 2 (11), Bench (17); MEM – Betts (6), Williams (18), Smith (11).
Box Score

#Ottawa @ Philadelphia, Game 2

A mismatch on paper as a tough Philadelphia lineup faces Joe Mays in his WBL debut. Tim Raines opened the game with homerun for Ottawa, but after that it went pretty much according to form, with Mays surrendering back-to-back-to-back homeruns in the 1st (José Ramírez, Rico Carty, and Scott Rolen) and then being chased from the game by back-to-back doubles in the 4th. Ottawa turned to Randy Johnson in relief, and the Big Unit delivered with a couple effective innings. Ottawa scored 7 runs in 2 innings to take the lead in a game with decimated bullpens. It was dicey throughout–Greg Holland, just recalled from AAA, had been hammered at the WBL level earlier in the year. But he gave the Mounties a good inning, and was followed by Ryan Dempster, asked to close the game. Dempster did so, but only when Raines threw out J.M. Ward at home for the final out. Larry Walker finished with 3 hits including his 8th homerun for the Mounties.

OTT 8 (Johnson 2-4; Dempster 2 Sv; Holland 3 H) @ PHI 7 (Cormier 4-1, 3 BSv; Laskey 1 H)
HRs: OTT – Raines (10), Walker (8); Ramírez (4), Carty (9), Kluszewski (14), Davis (14).
Box Score

#New York Gothams @ Brooklyn, Game 2

A tight pitching duel: Brooklyn’s Dick Redding was as good as the Gotham’s Christy Mathewson, but New York managed a sacrifice fly and a well-timed single by Eugenio Suárez to lead, 2-0. It was enough: Mathewson allowed 7 hits through 7 innings, but was dominant, fanning 11 and allowing only a solo shot from Duke Snider. Robb Nen and Brian Wilson slammed the door in relief to preserve the narrow victory.

NYG 2 (Mathewson 9-6; Wilson 13 Sv; Nen 4 H) @ BRK 1 (Redding 0-3)
HRs: BRK – Snider (19).
Box Score

#Miami @ Portland, Game 2

Portland only managed 2 hits, but leveraged 3 Miami errors and 10 walks by Cuban Giant hurlers to score 5 runs. Four of the runs scored off a chain of 2 walks, a double by Rogers Hornsby, and then 2 more walks and a wild pitch. The winning run in the bottom of the 9th was scored on a sacrifice fly from Joe Mauer after Adrián Beltré delivered a pinch-hit single. Eustaquio Pedroso‘ pitching line wasn’t pretty, but he was really let down by Phenomenal Smith‘s wildness, and Pedroso’s start was actually a source of some encouragement for Miami.

MCG 4 (Bauta 1-4; Smith 1 BSv) @ POR 5 (Williams 2-1)
HRs: MCG – Braun (11), Sheffield (3).
Box Score

#Birmingham @ New York Black Yankees, Game 4

We had to put something in here for the shocking performance of the Black Yankees in this series, who came into the final game desperately trying to avoid a sweep by the Black Barons having only scored 3 runs total over the first 3 games.

New York took the lead in the bottom of the 1st on a 2-run shot by Don Mattingly and extended it to 3-0 on a solo shot by Manny Sanguillén in the 5th. And that seemed plenty as Ron Guidry was dominant in his best start since early in the season, allowing only 3 hits and 1 walk through 7 innings while striking out 7.

But then came the 8th. Guidry gave up back to back walks and a single to load the bases and was clearly out of gas, relieved by Ralph Citarella, who let the wheels fall of: an error and a wild pitch scored runs, and then RBI singles from Curtis Granderson, Bob Nieman, and Pie Traynor chased Citarella with Birmingham holding a 6-3 lead.

Granderson added a 2-run inside-the-park-homerun in the 9th, giving plenty of cushion even when Albert Belle got 2 runs back in the final frame with his 10th homerun of the year. Vic Willis continued the strong start to his career, striking out 9 in 6 innings despite not factoring in the decision and Bruce Chen was nearly perfect over 2 innings in relief for the win, sealing the most surprising series sweep of the season.

BBB 8 (Chen 1-0) @ NYY 5 (Citarella 1-4; 3 BSv)
HRs: BBB – Granderson (10); NYY – Mattingly (17), Sanguillén (2), Belle (10).
Box Score

Series XII Featured Game: Cleveland Spiders @ New York Gothams

By mknn

On September 9, 2021

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

{ Whoops. This never got published from about 10 game days ago. }

The second game between the Cleveland Spiders and the New York Gothams saw the Spiders’ Bob Feller (4-4, 5.09 ERA) facing off against the Gothams’ Sad Sam Jones (3-3, 3.28). Feller’s peripheral numbers aren’t great, although his strikeout rate is impressive, while Jones has been one of the hottest starting pitchers in the league.

Feller struggled more, but neither pitcher did very well.

Cleveland opened the scoring in the top of the first, with Johnny Bates (who reached to lead off the game on an error by New York’s Pinky Higgins at 3B) coming home on an RBI double from John Ellis.

But the bottom of the first saw New York provide a strong response. Feller sandwiched strikeouts of Jimmy Sheckard and Buster Posey around a double by Higgins, but, after Willie Mays walked, Johnny Callison ripped a double scoring two and–after another walk–RBI singles by Joe Adcock and Brandon Crawford gave the Gothams a 4-1 advantage.

Cleveland would claw one back in the top of the 4th, when Jake Stahl led off the inning with a solo homerun. But again Feller would struggle in the bottom of an inning where his team scored in the top of the frame, and New York would add 2 more runs on two hits and two walks, with RBIs from Higgins and Mays extending the lead to 6-2.

That would be it for Feller, as Mel Harder replaced him in the bottom of the 5th. It wasn’t much better, as Adcock, Cookie Rojas, and Sheckard each hit doubles, making the score 8-2 and seeming to send the Gothams on their way to a comfortable victory.

The Spiders finally got to Jones again in the top of the 7th, with an RBI from Louis Santop and Stahl’s second homerun of the game (moving him into double digits on the year) chasing him from the game in favor of Al Mays. That made the score 8-5, and New York added another run in the bottom of the frame, extending it to a four run lead heading to the 8th inning.

Mays retired Rowland Office to start the inning, but then gave up 3 walks and 2 singles, exiting with the bases loaded and the score 9-7. New York turned to Mike Norris, one of their more reliable bullpen arms so far this season. Norris had one of his worst outings of the year, giving up an RBI single to Ellis, walking Stahl to drive in another run, and hitting Evan Longoria to give Cleveland a 10-9 lead in an inning where the Spiders sent 10 batters to the plate.

We weren’t done, though: Cleveland turned to Cory Gearrin in relief of Stan Coveleski with Gearrin entering the contest with one out and a runner on first. He struck out McCovey for the second out, but then walked two batters to load the bases. Rojas sent a ball to center that Office seemed to lose sight of, turning to see it sail over his head for a bases-clearing double. Higgins would add an RBI single, and we headed to the 9th with the Gothams back in front, 13-10.

Despite surrendering a double to Santop, New York’s closer, Brian Wilson, was able to slam the door, earning his fifth save of the year. Norris picked up both his third blown save and his second win and Mays–despite giving up 5 runs, 3 walks, and 2 hits in under an inning–picked up a hold.

Gearrin took the loss, but in the end, the poor outings from Feller and Harder just dug too deep of a hole.

Santop went 3-for-6 with 2 RBI’s, and Stahl had 3 hits and 4 RBIs for Cleveland. If there was any offensive blame for the Spiders, it went to shortstop Bill Dahlen, who stranded seven runners.

For New York, the offensive star was Rojas, who scored 3 times and drove in 4 with his 3 hits. Higgins also had 3 hits and 3 RBIs. Perhaps most surprisingly, the Gothams’ best player, Buster Posey, went 0-for-5 on the day.

The pitching staffs combined to allow 28 hits and 17 walks. Ouch.

CLE 10 (Gearrin 0-4, 3 BSv) @ NYG 13 (Norris 2-1, 3 BSv; Wilson 5 Sv; Mays 1 H)
HRs: CLE – Stahl 2 (10)
Box Score

#Other Games of Note

Birmingham and Portland combined for 7 homeruns in an 8-7 victory for the Black Barons. For Birmingham, Eddie Mathews, Curtis Granderson, and Frank McCormick all went deep; for the Sea Dogs, Bobby Murcer, Buddy Bell, Fred Dunlap, and Ivan Rodriguez all found the seats.

BBB 7 (Spahn 2-5) @ POR 8 (Munoz 2-1, 1 BSv; Myers 1 H; Santana 16 Sv)
HRs: BBB – Mathews (9), McCormick (5), Granderson (4); POR – Murcer (8), Bell (9), Dunlap (2), Rodriguez (2)
Box Score

Philadelphia edged Brooklyn with a walk-off single by Gavvy Cravath scoring Chase Utley in the bottom of the 11th inning. The game was notable for the very strong starts by both the Stars’ Steve Carlton (6.1 IP, 1 run) and the Royal Giants’ Don Sutton (8 IP, 2 runs). Brooklyn’s Dick Redding took the loss, despite pitching well enough in relief while Bob Howry–Philadelphia’s usual closer–got the win with 2 scoreless innings to close out the game.

BRK 2 (Redding 0-1) @ PHI 3 (Howry 1-2; Reed 4 BSv) [11 Innings]
HRs: none
Box Score

Indianapolis carried a 4-1 lead into the 9th, with closer Rob Dibble on the mound against Chicago. They got there largely on a key double by Davey Concepcion and 6 stolen bases in support of just shy of 8 innings of 1-run pitching from a commanding David Price. But Dibble imploded after Luke Appling reach on an error by Ed Charles (who was in the game as a defensive replacement) to start the inning. After getting an out, Dibble hit a batter and gave up 2 hits, including an RBI single by Eddie Collins that left the bases loaded. Joe Jackson walked, forcing in another run, Frank Thomas hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game, and Duffy Lewis singled to right, scoring Collins for the Chicago win.

IND 4 (Dibble 2-2, 3 BSv; Carroll 2 H) @ CHI 5 (Dixon 2-1)
HRs: none
Box Score

Series XIII Featured Game: New York Black Yankees @ Detroit Wolverines

By mknn

On September 1, 2021

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

The final game between the New York Black Yankees and the Detroit Wolverines saw Justin Verlander make his 7th start of the year for the home team, while Dave Righetti would start for the visiting Black Yankees.

Verlander had been incredibly effective as a reliever to start the year, but less so as a starting pitcher, making this an important game for him as Detroit tries to sort out its pitching staff.

Hank Greenberg took Righetti deep in the bottom of the second for a 1-0 lead for the home team, but it was short-lived, as Thurman Munson continued his argument as the best catcher in the league with a homerun to lead off the 3rd off Verlander. Two outs later, Derek Jeter went deep as well, pushing New York out to a 2-1 lead.

But the Wolverines are a decent team, and they fought back with an RBI single from Chili Davis in the bottom of the 4th that left 2 on and 2 out. However, Righetti retired Geoff Jenkins on a flyball to right to end the threat.

The same New York duo struck in the 5th when Jeter singled home Munson to edge the Black Yankees back in front, 3-2.

That lasted until Righetti–who was perhaps left in a few batters too long–gave up a 3 run home run to Bill Carrigan, scoring Greenberg and Ty Cobb and moving Detroit into the lead, 5-3. A solo homerun by Lou Gehrig made it 5-4, with the Wolverines trying to hold on for the victory.

In the top of the 9th, Detroit had its closer–Mike Henneman–on the mound, and made three defensive substitutions, including putting Greg Brock at 1B in place of Greenberg. Remember that.

Henneman gave up a single to Albert Belle, who was replaced at first by Eric Davis. Davis promptly stole 2nd and 3rd, and scored, after a walk to Munson, on a single by Mike Schmidt. That tied the game, and when Jeter again brought Munson home with a single, the Black Yankees moved in front.

With usual closer Sparky Lyle a bit tired, New York turned to Goose Gossage to face a Detroit lineup weakened by their defensive substitutions. The first of them, Sparky Adams, led off with a walk, and was bunted to second by Jimmy Collins. Cobb singled him to third, bringing up Brock … who promptly whiffed, making the Wolverine faithful question the choice to replace Greenberg.

But, with 2 outs, Oscar Gamble took Gossage’s second pitch deep into the night for a walkoff, 3-run homerun giving Detroit the 8-6 win. This marked the second consecutive game both Greenberg and Gamble went deep for the Wolverines.

It was one of those odd nights for relievers, as Henneman picked up both a blown save and a victory, and Gossage a blown save and a loss.

NYA 6 (Gossage 3-2, 4 BSv) @ DET 8 (Henneman 1-2, 2 BSv)
HRs: NYA – Jeter (4), Munson (6), Gehrig (12); DET – Gamble (13), Carrigan (3), Greenberg (14)
Box Score

Other Games of Note

The third game between New York and Detroit–the one preceeding the above–was memorable for its shenanigans, as Whitey Wilshire plunked Albert Belle, resulting in a bases-clearing brawl. Belle was suspended for 4 games; Wilshire for 6. Additionally, New York’s David Robertson was injured while pitching, leading to the recall of OF Sam Thompson from AAA. The game itself was never really in doubt as New York led wire-to-wire in an 8-4 victory.

NYA 8 (Ruffing 6-1) @ DET 4 (Wilshire 6-3)
HRs: NYA – Ruth (19), Mantle (6); DET – Greenberg (13), Gamble (12)
Box Score

Indianapolis outhit the New York Gothams 16 to 9, and scored 4 runs in the final 2 innings … but it was all for naught, as the Gothams rode an early 8-1 lead to an 8-6 victory. Jimmy Sheckard had 3 hits, 3 runs, and 3 RBIs for the Gothams. Edd Roush had 4 hits for the ABCs, raising his average to .352 on the season.

NYG 8 (Perry 2-4; Norris 1 Sv) @ IND 6 (Luque 3-5)
HRs: NYG – Sheckard (5), Mays (7)
Box Score

Sandy Koufax, who had impressed mightily from the bullpen, took the mound for Brooklyn for his first start of the season against Homestead. It didn’t go great, as Koufax gave up 5 runs in 5 innings before giving way to Dick Redding. Redding and Dave Von Ohlen combined for 5 innings of 2-hit relief. Brooklyn needed all of that, as the Grays had a 5-1 lead after 5 innings behind 2 homeruns from Davey Johnson. But the Royal Giants came back to tie the game, and Mike Piazza–he of the sub .200 average–won it in the bottom of the 10th with a solo shot against Homestead’s closer, Josh Lindblom.

HOM 5 (Lindblom 0-2; Jackson 4 H; Tekulve 1 BSv) @ BRK 6 (Von Ohlen 3-0)
HRs: HOM – Johnson 2 (6), Epstein (9); BRK – Cey (9), Robinson (6), Piazza (4)
Box Score

TWIWBL 7.4: Series VI Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On June 8, 2021

In TWIWBL

{With the day off on April 25th, it was a time of roster moves and lineup and pitching adjustments. As such, there are a few more notes for each team than usual.}

#Birmingham Black Barons

Omar Infante‘s first HR of the season was dramatic: a walk-off drive to LF off Indianapolis’ Rob Dibble that gave the Black Barons a 5-4 victory in 11 innings.

Birmingham totally overhauled its pitching staff, sending John Clarkson, Warren Spahn, and Jim Whitney to AAA Atlanta and bringing Larry Benton, Tim Hudson, and Vic Willis back the other way. Ken Griffery, Sr. was waived to make room for Benton on the 40-man roster.

Sam Streeter and Dick Rudolph have been named to the starting rotation, joining Alejandro Pena and Scott Baker, leaving one spot still up for grabs.

The Black Barons would love to send Dale Murphy (059/179/059) down, but the only C doing anything in their farm system is Earl Battey at AA. Murphy stays in the WBL for now, but Battey has been promoted to AAA, and is likely to come up if he shows much of anything there. Ginger Beaumont was demoted, with Bob Nieman coming up to the big leagues. 2B Tommy Herr and OF Curtis Granderson have moved into the starting lineup.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Dave Von Ohlen has been a bright spot in the Royal Giants’ bullpen, with 2 holds and an ERA of 2.02. He has a tight back now, and given the general bullpen pressure, Brooklyn will put him on the DL, even though he’s likely to be ready to go in under ten days. 20 year old Sandy Koufax was recalled from AAA in the meantime.

Don Drysedale may be the best pitcher in the league right now: he moved to 4-0 on the year with a complete game victory over Miami, allowing only 1 run in his 9 innings, maintaining his 1.00 ERA on the season.

Dick Redding will lose his spot in the rotation to Frank Knauss. OF Hi Myers and Jermaine Dye are tearing up AAA for Queens, but there’s really no room in the Brooklyn OF at this time.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Camilo Pascual delivered one of the better performances of the year with a 6-hit shutout of Brooklyn, improving his record to 3-1. Pascual struck out 9 while walking 3.

Miami’s bullpen has suffered, but it’s not clear who at AAA can help. Ryota Igarashi was demoted, with Jose Mendez recalled. Gary Sheffield is tearing up AAA, but the Cuban Giants are going to give struggling Jim Thome (149/270/257) a little more time before pulling the plug.

#Portland Sea Dogs

OF Jeff Burroughs (178/245/211) will head to AAA with 19 year-old P Joseito Munoz coming up to the big leagues to bolster the back end of the bullpen.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Just recalled from AAA, Diego Segui was pressed into service, making his WBL debut and facing off against Portland’s Jerry Koosman. Segui was terribly impressive, and the game was one of the better pitching duels on the young season, but despite allowing only 2 hits and 2 runs in 7 innings, Segui was tagged with the loss. Still, it was enough that he should stick around.

The Sea Lions expect Dennis Eckersley to come off the DL tomorrow, so they cleared room for his arrival by sending Jim Shields down to AAA. Eddie Plank was moved into the rotation. Gene Oliver and Ron Hunt were both sent down to San Jose as well (John Beckwith at 182/258/291 and Eddie Joost at 162/287/309 are on the edge as well). Cy Perkins and Pedro Guerrero come back the other way (Bob Cerv has hit better than Guerrero, but there’s no room for him in LF in San Francisco).

TWIWBL 5.6: Series IV Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On May 16, 2021

In TWIWBL

Brooklyn leads the division, with San Francisco and Portland close on their heels. Even this early, a bit of a gap appears between those three teams and Miami and Birmingham at the bottom of the division.

Leading Starters: Don Drysedale, BRK, 3-0, 1.27 ERA, 1.03 WHIP; Walter Johnson, POR, 3-0, 2.54 ERA, 1.16 WHIP; Lefty Grove, SFS, 2-0, 1.57 ERA, 0.78 WHIP.
Leading Relievers: Johan Santana, POR, 7 SV, 1.69 ERA, 1.31 WHIP; Dave Von Ohlen, BRK, 2-0, 2 H, 2.19 ERA.
Leading Batters: Reggie Jackson, SFS, 396/500/679; Bobby Bonds, SFS, 364/432/697; Will Clark, MCG, 211/234/493, 6 HR, 19 RBI; Beals Becker, BRK, 293/408/379, 9 SB; Rickey Henderson, SFS, 250/424/359, 9 SB.

#Birmingham Black Barons

OF Al Schweitzer–one of the better performers for the Black Barons in the early season with a 267/389/422 line–is injured; depending on the duration, a roster move might be looming, with both Dale Murphy (038/194/038) and Chipper Jones (088/238/206) possibly being sent to AAA as part of the transaction.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

It was an unkind week for the Royal Giants, with both SP Orel Hershiser and 3B Jim Delahanty hitting the injured list. Hershiser will miss close to 2 months with an oblique strain, moving Dick Redding into the rotation. Lefty Frank Knauss was recalled from AAA to take Redding’s slot in the bullpen. Delahanty will be out close to a year, and Duke Farrell was recalled to take his spot, also clearing room for phenom SS/3B Ray Dandridge to move to AAA.

RP Jeff Montgomery–released by Houston–was signed to a minor league contract.

#Miami Cuban Giants

An 0-4 day at the plate against the New York Giants ended Will Clark‘s 10 game RBI streak.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Dennis Eckersley was put on the 10-Day IL and Carlos Carrasco was demoted to AAA to help address some pitching issues. If, as expected, Eddie Plank is available in a day, the Sea Lions should be fine with the addition of Ps Rick Langford and Diego Segui from AAA.

FA OF Mookie Wilson was signed to a minor league contract.

Season Preview: Brooklyn Royal Giants

By mknn

On August 21, 2020

In Team News

It could be a really long year in Brooklyn. There is talent here, but most of it is aimed at the future. It is possible the starting rotation is better than anticipated, and closer Watty Clark was dominant during the Spring. But the offense … there just isn’t a lot here unless a couple players join Duke Snider in creating runs at a high level.

Final Roster

SP: Dutch Leonard, Orel Hershiser, Don Sutton, Don Drysedale, Brickyard Kennedy.
RP: Dick Redding & Smokey Joe Williams; Dave Van Ohlen & Terry Forster; Trevor Hildenberger & Eric Gagne; Watty Clark.

C: Mike Piazza; Steve Yeager
1B: Dan Brouthers & Jackie Robinson
2B: Davey Lopes
3B: Ron Cey; Jim Delahanty
SS: Tommy Corcoran & Pee Wee Reese
LF: Roy White
CF: Duke Snider
RF: Raul Mondesi
DH: Beals Becker

Notes

Sandy Koufax was a long shot to make the roster after missing most of the Spring through injury, but he didn’t last an inning in a final start, making the choice pretty easy … Frank Knauss joins Koufax at AAA, meaning Dick Redding earns the final bullpen slot … opening day starter Dutch Leonard was the worst of the Royal Giants’ Spring starters, which could be a good witch or a bad witch … none of the rest of the cuts were particularly dramatic, which is a problem for Brooklyn: when 5 players finish the Spring with OPS under .700 and none of them have their roster spots threatened, there are warning flags flying … 2 of those are Tommy Corcoran and Pee Wee Reese, making Brooklyn another team in search of a better SS, and 2 others are Ron Cey and Jim Delahanty, making them also desperate for a 3B upgrade … 2 bright spots from the Spring: neither Raul Mondesi nor Davey Lopes were scheduled to make the roster, both hit well enough to force themselves into the starting lineup.

SS Pee Wee Reese is the veteran leader at 35, followed by 34 year old SP Brickyard Kennedy. Dick Redding is the only teen on the roster at 19.

There is talent at AAA, with 24 year old SS Dickie Thon the most likely to get a chance, given the poor performance of the current crop at SS. On the mound, the final 2 cuts–Frank Knauss and Sandy Koufax–are likely to get a chance. AA is a bit bare, although the 3 teenagers–3B Tim Foli, SS Sonny Jackson, and P Hilly Flitcroft all have time to develop.

Getting to 30: Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On August 8, 2020

In 2000 Spring Training, Team News

#Birmingham Black Barons

Alejandro Pena, Fred Fussell, and Scott Baker have rotation slots nailed down, and Greg Maddux and Vic Willis were sent to AAA. The rest is a muddle with John Clarkson, Jim Whitney, Sam Streeter, Warren Spahn, and Dick Rudolph vying for 3, maybe 4, slots.

Carlos Diaz has struggled as the closer, but he’s still there, with Harley Young and Hoyt Wilhelm working behind him.

Omar Infante has impressed enough to stick around, especially given his defensive versatility. Bob Nieman‘s inability to hit opens up some possibilities for him in LF, and given how little either Troy Tulowitzki or Herman Long have hit, he may see some more time at SS as well.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Smokey Joe Williams, Frank Knauss, and Dick Redding are fighting over the final 2 rotation spots. As a 19 year old, it may make sense for Redding to get some more work at AAA in before a longer stint in the bigs.

The rest of the pen looks set, with the quartet of Terry Forster, Trevor Hildenberger, and Eric Gagne setting up Watty Clark looking to be one of the best in the league.

Despite Pee Wee Reese‘s struggles, he stays as Tommy Corcoran‘s backup at SS. Davey Lopes has burst onto the scene, to the point that Hobe Ferris–the presumptive starter–will head to AAA (while note great defensively, Jackie Robinson, Todd Walker, and Corcoran can all spell Lopes as needed).

Neither John Briggs nor Duke Snider have impressed, but Briggs was worse, and heads to the minors. What’s not clear is if Snider starts the year at CF, or if newcomer Raul Mondesi forces himself into the picture.

#Miami Cuban Giants

With Alex Colome and Dalier Hinojosa sent to AAA, the pitching staff is coming into focus. The remaining competition is between Dontrelle Willis, Don Newcombe, Tommy Bridges, and Jose Mendez for the final starting role and 2 bullpen slots. Mendez is a long shot at this point.

Perhaps as expected, Willie Kamm has cooled off dramatically, moving Manny Machado back into the starting position at 3B. His performance does, however, keep him in camp at the expense of Gary Sheffield, who was quite a disappointment all Spring.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Dizzy Trout has seized the #4 starter slot, leaving the final 3 slots up for grabs. This is all a little controversial, as others have pitched better than Walter Johnson, but the Sea Dogs remain convinced of the 19 year old’s potential, despite a growing sense from fans that he would be better served by starting the year in AAA. Still, the staff have the final say, leaving Ray Fontenot, Bert Blyleven, Mike Cuellar, and Wade Miller in competition, with Pascual Perez and Atlee Hammaker already moved down to the minors.

The good news is the back end of the bullpen is set, with the trio of Elmer Brown, Jim Kern, and Johan Santana looking almost unhittable.

Don Baylor and Kirby Puckett‘s demotions surprised some, but quite a few of Portland’s OFers hit well during the Spring, leaving those 2 out in the cold. On the infield, too many people hit well to make the choices easy. Greg Litton came to camp late, but has hit well and, more importantly, provides some needed defensive flexibility. The choice ended up being unorthodox, as with Marty Cordova being sent to AAA, they lack a true LF on the roster, relying on Kiki Cuyler, Harry Hooper and, yes, Litton there.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

The pitching staff has gotten some astounding performances, led by Cy Falkenberg, James Shields, and Dennis Eckersley. That leaves Eddie Plank, Jim Devlin, Carlos Carrasco, Charlie Root, and Lefty Grove in contention for 2 starting spots and 2 bullpen roles. Grove has struggled with his control, Devlin has been hit pretty hard, and Plank–despite the best WHIP of the bunch–has an ERA over 7.

That’s really all that is up for grabs as the back end of the bullpen, anchored by Rod Beck and Chad Bradford, looks pretty solid.

The position cuts were all a bit surprising: Mark McGwire couldn’t move through the logjam at 1B, Bert Campenaris couldn’t hit enough to warrant keeping his defensive versatility, and Pedro Guerrero was at the bottom of the OF list. The biggest shock was the failure of highly touted 20 year old Jimmie Foxx to earn a roster spot, although he’s expected to return in pretty short order.