Tag: Don Mattingly Page 3 of 4

Preview here.

#Game One: Dave Righetti @ Lefty Grove

Despite a few superb outings, New York‘s Dave Righetti comes into this game with a losing record (3-4) and a poor ERA (5.43). San Francisco will start one of the more dependable arms so far in the league, Lefty Grove, who sits at 5-2 with a sparkling 3.23 ERA.

Derek Jeter led off the game against Grove with a grounds-rule double, but was left stranded at 2B. San Francisco’s leadoff hitter, Rickey Henderson, walked and, as he is wont to do, stole second while Bobby Bonds and Reggie Jackson were striking out. But Pedro Guerrero singled to left, and Henderson scored easily, putting the Sea Lions up, 1-0.

It didn’t last long: Lou Gehrig took Grove deep in the top of the 2nd to tie the game. Willie Randolph–continuing to keep his average over .200–added an RBI single to give the Black Yankees the lead, but it could have been much worse for Grove, as Bonds caught a fly ball by Don Mattingly in shallow centerfield for the 2nd out and nailed Thurman Munson, trying to score from 3rd, to end the inning.

Again the lead barely lasted: Jimmy Bloodworth took Righetti deep to lead off the bottom of the 2nd. Later in the inning, a Henderson single scored Cy Perkins to edge San Francisco in front, 3-2.

It was a sloppy game through 3 innings with each team committing 2 errors (Randolph and Babe Ruth for New York, Dick Lundy and Jack Clark for the Sea Lions), Righetti walking 2 and Grove walking 3.

Mattingly would tie the game with homerun in the top of the 4th, and Jeter would drive in a run in the top of the 6th, giving the lead back to New York, 4-3. Again though: a lead with a short life. Perkins chased Righetti from the game with a 3-run shot in the bottom of the frame, with the Black Yankees bringing in Dellin Betances who got out of the inning without any further damage and a 6-4 lead for San Francisco.

The Black Yankees got one run back when Eric Davis singled, stole second and third, and scored on a base hit by Albert Belle.

San Francisco added 2 in the bottom of the 7th on Randolph’s second error of the game, an errant throw that allowed both Henderson and Bonds to score.

But this New York team is hard to put away: Davis led off the top of the 9th with a single against Ron Robinson, and after Gehrig whiffed, Belle walked and Munson doubled, scoring Davis to make it a 2-run game, 8-6. Ken Howell relieved Robinson and promptly fanned Doug DeCinces and got pinch-hitter Mike Schmidt to groundout weakly in front of the plate to end the game.

NYY 6 (Righetti 3-5) @ SFS 8 (Grove 6-2; Howell 3 Sv; Street 1 H; Devlin 2 H; Robinson 8 H)
HRs: NYY – Gehrig (14), Mattingly (10); SFS – Perkins (3), Bloodworth (10)
Box Score

#Game Two: Waite Hoyt @ Eddie Plank

This one started out as a pitching duel, with New York’s Waite Hoyt and San Francisco’s Eddie Plank each only allowing a single hit through 4 innings.

New York added 2 hits in the 5th–a double by Mike Schmidt and a single by Willie Randolph–but Plank fanned Derek Jeter and Don Mattingly to get out of the inning.

Dick Lundy opened the scoring in the bottom of the 5th when Lundy singled home Bob Cerv. Lundy would score in a hit by Rickey Henderson, and the Sea Lions took the lead, 2-0.

Plank held the shutout through the 6th, then gave up a single to Thurman Munson and a walk to Schmidt to lead off the 7th. That was it for him, as San Francisco brought in Chad Bradford from the pen with 2 on and no outs. New York would counter by bringing Lou Gehrig out to pinch-hit for Randolph. Gehrig was retired, but Bradford allowed one run before getting Babe Ruth to end the inning on a flay to deep center.

That narrowed the game to a 2-1 lead for San Francisco, which is where it stayed heading to the top of the 9th, where the Sea Lions turned to their closer Rod Beck.

The first batter was Munson, who immediately added to his incredible few weeks by taking Beck into the left field seats to tie the game. Schmidt would walk, followed by an infield single from Gehrig, and it suddenly felt like New York might blow the game open. Instead, Jeter grounded into a double play, and with the hugely ineffective Craig Counsell up, San Francisco seemed in decent shape … until Beck’s 2-2 pitch was wild, bouncing past Mickey Cochrane and allowing Schmidt to score. Counsell flew out to left, but the Black Yankees were ahead, 3-2.

They brought in their closer, Sparky Lyle, who set the side down in order, striking out Bobby Bonds to end the game.

Munson ended the day 3-for-4 with 2 runs scored as all 6 of the Black Yankees’ hits came from the bottom 3 slots in their lineup.

NYY 3 (Hoyt 5-1; Lyle 7 Sv) @ SFS 2 (Beck 0-1, 1 B Sv; Bradford 2 H)
HRs: Munson (7)
Box Score

#Game 3: Ron Guidry @ Cy Falkenberg

Rickey Henderson led off the bottom of the first with a long fly that sliced down the right field line, and barely stayed fair for a leadoff homerun off Ron Guidry and a 1-0 Sea Lions lead.

Leading off the bottom of the 3rd, it was Henderson again, this time with a double. He scored on an RBI single from Pedro Guerrero, making it 2-0. And, while Henderson led off the bottom of the 5th with a strikeout, the Sea Lions did add to their league on singles from Guerrero, Bobby Bonds, and Jimmy Bloodworth.

Through 5 innings, Cy Falkenberg had easily outmatched Guidry, allowing only 1 hit and 2 walks while strikeout out 5. But the top of the 6th began with a leadoff walk to Mickey Mantle, followed by Babe Ruth‘s 20th homerun of the year, cutting the lead to 3-2. Falkenberg walked Lou Gehrig and Albert Belle, and Thurman Munson dinked a little looper into right to load the bases. Don Mattingly tied the game with a sacrifice fly, but Falkenberg was able to escape the inning without further damage.

So, Guidry got a reprieve, having given up 8 hits through 5 innings while striking out 6. He struck out John Beckwith and Eddie Joost to lead off the 6th, but Dick Lundy doubled to deep left-center, chasing Guidry from the game in favor of Cole Hamels, who was able to retire Henderson to maintain the tied score.

Rick Langford may have pitched himself to AAA, allowing homeruns to Mantle and Gehrig, giving the Black Yankees a 6-3 lead.

Henderson would plate 2 in the bottom of the 8th with a double, scoring Beckwith and Lundy, and pulling San Francisco to within 1 run.

Ralph Citarella relieved Hamels, and promptly surrendered a ground-rule double to Guerrero, tying the game once more. Left in to pitch the bottom of the 9th, Bloodworth took Citarella deep to win the game for San Francisco.

Guerrero had 4 hits in the victory and Henderson 3 hits, driving in 3 and scoring 3 times.

NYY 6 (Citarella 1-3, 1 B Sv) @ SFS (Howell 3-2)
HRs: NYY – Ruth (20), Mantle (8), Gehrig (15); SFS – Henderson (3), Bloodworth (11)
Box Score

#Game 4: Jack Scott @ Diego Segui

Ah, the pitching duel we all expected … Diego Segui has been one of the shocks of the season, with an ERA near 2.00 since being recalled from AAA. He delivered here, allowing only 1 hit through 5 innings while the Black Yankees’ Jack Scott did him one better, with a no-hitter through 5.

Manny Sanguillen took Segui deep for his first homerun of the year in the top of the 6th and from there the wheels sort of fell off: Mickey Mantle drove in 1 run, then Babe Ruth hit his 21st homerun of the year with a couple runners on, making it 5-0 New York.

A single by John Beckwith broke up the no-no, but Scott kept the shutout intact for another inning, until Reggie Jackson sent a line drive into the rightfield stands, cutting the lead to 5-1.

An Eddie Joost homerun closed it to 5-2, and Sparky Lyle seemed to close the door, easily retiring the first 2 Sea Lions in the bottom of the 9th. But singles by Jimmy Bloodworth and Wally Moon were followed by a pinch-hit double from Bob Cerv, bringing the winning run to the plate in the form of the conundrum that is Joost.

Lyle struck him out on a slider, preserving the win for New York and splitting the series at 2.

Derek Jeter was 3-for-4 for New York.

NYY 5 (Scott 6-3; Lyle 8 Sv; Gossage 4 H) @ SFS (Segui 2-3)
HRs: NYY – Sanguillen (1), Ruth (21); SFS – Jackson (11), Joost (6)
Box Score

#Series Notes

So, a split in a close series with some excellent baseball on both sides.

Babe Ruth hit 2 homeruns, driving in 5 for New York, but those were his only 2 hits in the series. Other than the unstoppable Thurman Munson–who went 6-for-11, lifting his average to .320 on the year– and Derek Jeter (6-for-18) the Black Yankees offense was kept largely in check.

For San Francisco, Jimmy Bloodworth went 6-for-17 with 2 homeruns and Pedro Guerrero 5-for-17. Perhaps more importantly for the Sea Lions, Rickey Henderson showed signs of breaking out of his slump, going 5-for-10 while scoring 5 runs and driving in 5.

TWIWBL Special Edition: All Star Preview II – First Basemen

By mknn

On September 30, 2021

In All Star Games

{ With under three weeks until the All Star Teams are announced, we’re looking at what’s changed since our original previews. }

Preview I here.

#AL – Bill James & Cum Posey Divisions

Original selections: Hank Greenberg, Boog Powell, Frank Thomas.

The first spot is easy: Detroit’s Greenberg sits at 320/377/625 with 14 homeruns and 51 RBIs. So, he’s in.

Chicago’s Frank Thomas is clearly an all-star, but he has only played 20 games at 1B, so we’re going to slide him over to DH in all likelihood. Baltimore’s Frank Robinson has played even less 1B than Thomas, and will be considered with the outfielders.

Taking those two out of the running leads to it getting a little more interesting.

Memphis’ Bill White has improved to 312/395/537 and Baltimore’s Dan McGann has been steady all year at 306/411/481. Kansas City’s Powell has slumped all the way to 282/386/446, and while that’s perfectly respectable, his argument for inclusion here is certainly weaker now.

Add to the mix that McGann has been the best defensive 1B of the group by quite a bit, and the selection now should be Greenberg, White, and McGann. Of this group, the AI only includes Greenberg (Thomas is selected as the 2nd 1B, Robinson in the OF).

#NL – Effa Manley & Marvin Miller Divisions

Original selections: Lou Gehrig, Kent Hrbek, Mike Epstein.

There is similar upheaval here: it turns out New York’s Gehrig has only played 15 games at 1B (he plays as a DH, with Don Mattingly manning the bag). So he’s out of contention here.

Portland’s Hrbek and Homestead’s Epstein remain clear selections. Hrbek is slashing 327/398/599 with 15 homeruns; while Epstein is at 331/433/548. The third slot is really pretty clear as well, actually: Cleveland’s Jake Stahl‘s power output has moved him into contention with a slash line of 287/351/592.

That makes it Hrbek, Epstein, and Stahl. The AI actually goes with those three, plus Gehrig, so it’s not a terribly controversial choice.

Series XV Preview: New York Black Yankees @ San Francisco Sea Lions

By mknn

On September 21, 2021

In Series Previews

It hasn’t been too long since we visited these two teams: the San Francisco Sea Lions were featured in series IX and the New York Black Yankees in Series XI.

#New York Black Yankees

Really, not a lot has changed. The Black Yankees are still in first place, they still look like a dominant team, and they still have no idea what to do at 2B.

They are, pretty clearly, the best offensive team in the WBL, and while the production of Babe Ruth (1.122 OPS, 19 homeruns, 51 runs, 54 RBIs) and Lou Gehrig (somehow, a quiet 1.033 OPS) was expected, that of Albert Belle (.981 OPS in less than a full time role) and especially Eric Davis (.928 OPS, tied with Ruth for the league lead at 19 homeruns and leading the league with 59 RBIs) was not.

Add in Thurman Munson, who has an argument to be included in the elite catchers of the league and steady production from Mickey Mantle and Don Mattingly, and you have a nightmare for opposing pitchers.

The only black mark are the continued struggles of Willie Randolph (.622 OPS) and Craig Counsell (.577 OPS) at 2B. Randolph has actually been hitting much better of late, raising his OPS about 20 points in the last month. Counsell would be demoted immediately if there were any other options–right now, the minor league system is totally barren in the middle infield.

Ron Guidry (5-5, 3.67 ERA) has struggled a little bit more of late, although he still leads the WBL in strikeouts and remains the ace of the staff. At the other end, Dave Righetti (3-4, 5.43 ERA) seems to have lost his mojo and may actually be facing demotion to the bullpen. The other starters–Red Ruffing, Waite Hoyt, and Jack Scott–have combined for a 16-5 record with solid secondary numbers.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

The Sea Lions are, perhaps, more interesting. They trail Portland by 5 games in the Marvin Miller Division, and feel like a team that is underperforming.

Part of the conundrum remains what to do with Rickey Henderson, who leads the WBL in walks (47) and stolen bases (41), but has an OPS barely over .700. He still has an OBP around .400, so he holds on to his leadoff spot, but the choice is much clearer when he’s doing something besides walking to help out at the top of the order.

San Francisco has a frightening big three behind Henderson, led by triple crown contender Reggie Jackson, who is leading the league in batting average and on base percentage with an OPS of 1.134. Bobby Bonds is slashing 331/382/577 and Pedro Guerrero–who started the year at AAA–continues to hack, posting a .933 OPS. Add in 9 homeruns from Jimmy Bloodworth at 2B and 10 homeruns from Jack Clark, as well as the emergence of Dick Lundy as a solid infield presence, and you have a very strong offensive team.

So the problem must be on the mound, right?

It’s certainly not in the bullpen. Rod Beck has 14 saves and an ERA of 0.66, and the rest of the back end–Ron Robinson, Chad Bradford, and Ken Howell–have great numbers.

Lefty Grove hovers just outside the elite starters of the league, at 5-2 with a 3.23 ERA and Diego Segui has been fantastic since he joined the rotation (2-2 with a 2.18 ERA). But beyond that … well. Cy Falkenberg, Jim Devlin, and Eddie Plank have all struggled, with Devlin replaced in the rotation by Charlie Root.

So there it is: if the starters can do their job, the Sea Lions have a shot.

#Projected Starters

Black Yankees starter listed first.

Dave Righetti (3-4, 5.43) @ Lefty Grove (5-2, 3.23)
Waite Hoyt (4-1, 3.84) @ Eddie Plank (4-3, 4.27)
Ron Guidry (5-5, 3.67) @ Cy Falkenberg (3-2, 5.11)
Jack Scott (5-3, 3.75) @ Diego Segui (2-2, 2.18)

It could be a great series, but I think it’s more likely the Black Yankees take 3 of the 4–losing to Grove and winning the rest.

TWIWBL 17.3: Series XIV Notes – Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On September 18, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Cleveland Spiders

John Ellis drove in 5 with 2 homeruns, one a grand slam, and Cy Young threw a complete game allowing only 6 hits as the Spiders beat Miami, 6-2. Young improved to 5-2 on the year.

#Homestead Grays

Hal Carlson will miss just over a month with an elbow injury, prompting Homestead to recall Billy Pierce from AAA. More from necessity than a reward for their performance, both Carlos Zambrano and John Candelaria returned to the starting rotation for the Grays.

Francisco Liriano was recalled from his rehab assignment, with Bartolo Colon returning to AAA.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Edd Roush went 4-for-4 and Red Faber threw a solid 6+ innings, improving his record to 4-3 as the ABC’s beat the best team in the WBL, Baltimore, 4-2. Roush hit his 2nd homerun of the season and Joe Morgan his 1st, and Rob Dibble pitched a scoreless 9th for his 7th save.

Johnny Bench hit 2 homeruns, and the ABC’s beat the Black Sox 3-1, with Dolf Luque out-dueling Dennis Martinez. Luque improved to 4-5 with 7 strong innings, and Dibble struck out the side for his 8th save of the season.

#New York Black Yankees

New York’s Waite Hoyt started off their series against Philadelphia with a 4 hit shutout, his best performance of the year. Eric Davis and Don Mattingly hit homeruns, and Thurman Munson, Babe Ruth, and Mattingly had 2 hits each as the Black Yankees won, 4-0.

3 hits from Davis, Lou Gehrig, and most surprisingly of all, Willie Randolph–who got his average up to .200 on the day–led the Black Yankees to a 10-3 win over the Stars. Jack Scott improved to 5-3 with 8 strong innings of work for New York.

#Philadelphia Stars

George Hendrick hit 2 homeruns to lead the Stars to a victory over the New York Black Yankees. Perhaps more importantly for Philadelphia, Jaret Wright only allowed 1 run in 7 innings in leveling his record at 2-2.

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

By mknn

On July 29, 2021

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Preview here.

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

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

#Game 1: Red Ruffing @ Tommy Bridges

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#Game 2: Dave Righetti @ Camilo Pascual

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

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

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

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

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

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

#Game 3: Rube Waddell @ Waite Hoyt

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#Game 4: Ron Guidry @ Marcelino Lopez

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

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

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

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

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

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

Series Notes

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

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

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

Series XI Preview: New York Black Yankees @ Miami Cuban Giants

By mknn

On July 27, 2021

In Featured Series, Series Previews

The Cuban Giants and the Black Yankees were the only two remaining teams that hadn’t been previewed. And somehow they played each other in Series XI!

New York Black Yankees

The Black Yankees lead the Effa Manley Division by 3 games with a record of 25-17. That’s pretty good, but a few weeks ago, they looked poised to run away from the league, but they have gone 7-13 in their last 20 games.

But don’t be fooled: they are still the best offensive team in the league, and still have the best starters ERA. The offense is, of course, led by the best player in the league right now, Babe Ruth (357/451/732 with 15 homeruns). But it’s not like the Babe is doing it alone. Lou Gehrig is at 358/462/692 and Albert Belle at 337/395/615.

The challenge for the Black Yankees on offense is finding playing time for Belle, Mickey Mantle (297/411/434), and Eric Davis (296/337/537) in the OF and both Gehrig and Don Mattingly (309/359/525) at 1B. With the DH, 5 of those 6 can play each game, but only Ruth (along with SS Derek Jeter at 291/339/395 have played at least 40 games).

Their only real issue is at 2B, where starter Willie Randolph is struggling mightily at 179/312/265. His (and Jeter’s) backup, Craig Counsell, is doing even worse.

Ron Guidry leads the starting pitchers at 4-3 with a 3.41 ERA and a league-leading WHIP. Red Ruffing sits at 4-0, 3.74. If the Black Yankees have an Achilles’ heel, it could be the bullpen. Sparky Lyle has been solid as the closer, with 4 saves and a 3.60 ERA, and David Robertson has been excellent, with a 2.08 ERA in 13 appearances. But Goose Gossage and Dellin Betances have both struggled at times.

Miami Cuban Giants

Simply, Miami needs to improve. The Cuban Giants sit at 18-24, 9 games back in the Marvin Miller Division.

The two Jose’s–Canseco and Cardenal–have been the best performers for Miami, with Canseco slashing 313/383/497 and Cardenal 323/351/465. Will Clark leads the team with 9 HRs and 30 RBIs.

The Cuban giants have already made some moves with hopes of changing it up: John Munyan, Paul Molitor, and Tony Gonzalez have been sent to AAA Orlando, replaced at the big league level by Gary Sheffield, Alan Ashby, and Alexei Ramirez.

Jim Thome is hitting 429/478/905 over his last 8 games … which has only brought his season numbers up to 186/293/372. Which is pretty amazing.

The pitching has been a bit better, and has some interesting possibilities. Camilo Pascual leads the way at 4-1 with a league-leading 2.26 ERA. Tommy Bridges missed a start, but is still 3-0 with a 2.87 ERA and Rube Waddell has pitched far better than his 2-3 record, with a 3.19 ERA.

Aroldis Chapman has been a bit of an adventure in the bullpen, allowing 11 hits and 11 walks in 11.2 innings … and somehow maintaining a 0.00 ERA so far, with 9 saves. But getting to Chapman has been hard, with only Ed Bauta (0-1, 3.32 ERA with 5 holds) being dependable to date.

#Series Matchups

New York pitcher first: Red Ruffing (4-0, 3.74) @ Tommy Bridges (3-0, 2.87); Dave Righetti (2-3, 5.18) @ Camilo Pascual (4-1, 2.26); Waite Hoyt (3-1, 4.17) @ Rube Waddell (2-3, 3.19); Ron Guidry (4-3, 3.41) @ Don Newcombe (0-4, 5.79).

Clearly, the Ruffing v. Bridges matchup is intriguing, and you could even see the matchups favoring Miami for the first 3 games.

TWIWBL 12.2: Series X Notes – Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On July 22, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Bryce Harper hit 2 homeruns, scoring 4 runs and driving in 5, and Frank Robinson had 4 hits (including a homerun) as did Bobby Wallace (Wallace also drove in 4 runs). That was enough to support a decent effort from Jim Palmer and defeat the Black Yankees, 12-2. Palmer improves to 4-3 on the year.

Despite 15 strikeouts–a record 5 by Wallace–the Black Sox beat the Black Yankees in game 2 as well, 8-3 behind homeruns from Curt Blefary, Harlond Clift, and Robinson. Johnny Sain improved to 5-2 on the year and Mark Baldwin, recently moved to the bullpen, earned his first save with 3 scoreless innings.

Ned Garvin‘s hitless streak ended at 9 innings when Don Mattingly doubled with one out in the top of the first. That didn’t stop Garvin from another fine outing, holding the Black Yankees to one run in 7.2 innings. Robinson had 3 hits as the Black Sox triumphed, 4-2, with Garvin improving to 3-1 and Don Bessent picking up his 6th save.

#Chicago American Giants

Dick Allen made 3 errors in the American Giants’ 8-1 loss to Los Angeles. They led to 2 unearned runs, so the loss can’t really be pinned on Allen’s poor glovework. Tricky Nichols gave up 6 runs in 5 innings to take his first loss of the year.

Despite setting a league record for strikeouts with 13, Ed Walsh took the loss, 2-1 against Los Angeles, evening his record at 3-3.

#Houston Colt 45’s

A 3-run homerun by Lance Berkman and a dominant start from Roy Oswalt led to a 4-2 victory for Houston over Philadelphia. Oswalt allowed only 4 hits in 7 innings, moving to 4-2 on the year and Brad Lidge picked up his 5th save in a game that dealt the Stars’ Ray Collins his first loss of the season.

Jimmy Wynn went 5-for-5 with 3 runs and 3 RBIs as Houston routed Philadelphia 15-6. Felipe Alou made his WBL debut, and went 3-for-5 with 5 RBIs and HR Johnson added 4 hits, with the win going to Toad Ramsey, who is now 4-3 on the season.

With Trevor Hoffman complaining of shoulder pain, the Colt 45’s recalled Mike Hartley from his rehab assignment while placing Hoffman on the 10 day DL.

#Ottawa Mounties

Old Hoss Radbourn was brilliant, allowing 1 run and 4 hits over 8 innings, and Tom Henke struck out the side for his 10th save. Radbourn evened his record at 3-3, helped by a first inning HR from Tim Raines, who had 3 hits on the day. Carlos Delgado and Phil Bradley added 2 hits and an RBI each.

A pinch-hit single in the bottom of the 9th by Delgado scored Alex Rodriguez–who had singled home Freddy Parent to tie the game–and gave the Mounties a 4-3, walk-off win in a game they trailed 3-0 in the bottom of the 7th. Gary Carter hit a two-run homerun then, setting the stage for Delgado’s heroics.

Monk Dubiel will miss two or three weeks, prompting Ottawa to recall Chris Leroux, who has been essentially unhittable at AAA.

TWIWBL 10.3: Notes from Series VIII – Effa Manley Division

By mknn

On July 6, 2021

In TWIWBL

With two rainouts, the Spiders and the Grays ended up playing two doubleheaders. The losing team scored 1 run … combined. Three shutouts, and a 3-1 victory, as each twin bill was split.

#Cleveland Spiders

Cy Young delivered a complete game, 4-hit shutout to take the second half of the first doubleheader against Homestead, striking out 5 and evening his record at 2-2. Cleveland’s offense was led by John Ellis, who had 3 hits and a homerun, with Ron Blomberg and Bill Knickerbocker adding 2 hits apiece in the 8-0 victory.

Whit Wyatt opened the second doubleheader by combining with Chuck Porter and Terry Adams on a 6-hit shutout. Wyatt improved to 2-1 and brought his ERA under 3, but he also walked 7 in 7.2 innings, making the performance a little less impressive than it may seem.

#Homestead Grays

Vean Gregg and Stan Bahnsen combined on a 5-hit shutout in the first game of the series against Cleveland. Gregg pitched 7.1 innings, improving his record to 2-3, and Bahnsen followed with a perfect 1.2 for his first save. Davey Johnson had 3 hits and drove in 2, and Pops Stargell had 2 hits for the Grays.

Corey Kluber continues to improve his performances, but not his results: Kluber went 6.2 innings, giving up 3 runs in the opening game of the second doubleheader, but fell to 0-6 on the season.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Danny Hoffman delivered a 3-run homerun in the top of the 9th against Ottawa’s closer Tom Henke, giving the ABC’s a 5-2 comeback win. Hal Morris added 2 hits, and Red Faber, despite not being involved in the decision, had a strong start. The win went to Lefty James, his first of the year, and Rob Dibble picked up his 5th save.

The last game of the series was almost a contender for the featured game. Indianapolis blew the game open in the fifth inning, scoring 5 runs, keyed by a 2-run double from Oscar Charleston and a 2-run single from Edd Roush (Roush had replaced Jake Stenzel, who was tossed for arguing ball and strikes in the first inning). Johnny Cueto was sailing along with one of the better games we’ve seen all year: a 2-hit shutout through 8 innings.

… and then came the 9th, with the ABC’s up, 9-0, thanks to 2 homeruns by Morris.

Cueto walked Tim Raines and Anthony Rendon, but got Freddy Parent to fly out to center for the first out. And then the wheels fell off: Carlos Delgado and Phil Bradly sandwiched RBI singles around a bases-loaded walk to Terry Puhl, and Cueto left the mound, still up 9-3.

Indianapolis called on the controversial Bronson Arroyo, who made waves by refusing to be sent to AAA despite a horrific season to date. Arroyo was as inefficient as ever this year: a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly, an RBI single to Ken Griffey, Jr. and a pinch hit homerun to Gary Carter made the score 9-7 … but Arroyo finally ended the game with a groundout from Raines.

Arroyo was waived after the game, with Doc White–who had dominated AAA–being recalled.

#New York Black Yankees

New York salvaged a split in their series with Chicago thanks to 3 RBIs each from Don Mattingly and Thurman Munson, and 3 hits from Mike Schmidt. Each of them–as well as Lou Gehrig–went deep in the 12-6 win, which went to Lady Baldwin for 3.1 innings of 1-run relief of a hugely ineffective Dave Righetti.

#Philadelphia Stars

Jaret Wright had been hit hard in his first 5 WBL appearances, so there wasn’t much optimism when he was pressed into an emergency start in the Stars’ final game against Baltimore. Wright responded with 6.1 innings of 1-run ball, surrendering only 1 run to the Black Sox. Philadelphia made it stand up, winning the game 6-4 behind key 5th inning RBIs from Gavvy Cravath and Ted Kluszewski. Bob Howry picked up the save, his 9th, while Pedro Feliciano continued to collapse out of the bullpen. Feliciano gave up 3 runs in less than an inning, and is likely to lose his setup role as his ERA balloons close to 12.

WBL Year I Statistics

I needed a place to hold statistics that aren’t easily displayed in OOTP. Most of these are game-level performances.

For complete statistics, poke around on the WBL Stats Page.

Batting Statistics

2+ 3B Games

2. Oscar Charleston (HOM); Rickey Henderson (SFS); Pete Hill (HOU); Gary Pettis (POR); Rick Reichardt (HOM); Manny Sanguillen (NYY); Billy Southworth (BBB); George Stone (HOD)

3+ 2B Games

4. Stan Musial (KCM)
3. Bob Bailey (DET); Curt Blefary (BAL); Pete Browning (HOD); Rico Carty (PHI) x2, Rick Ferrell (HOM); Pinky Higgins (NYG); Baby Doll Jacobson (BAL); Davey Johnson (HOM); Scott Rolen (PHI); Jimmy Sheckard (NYG); Ozzie Smith (KCM); Roy White (BRK)

3+ HR Games

3. Joe Adcock (NYG); Gil Hodges (POR); Reggie Jackson (SFS); Yasiel Puig (NYG); Chase Utley (PHI)

3+ OF Assists

3. Jim Edmonds (HOD); Curtis Granderson (BBB)

4+ BB Games

4. Eddie Collins (CAG); Gavvy Cravath (PHI); Mickey Mantle (NYY); Joe Morgan (IND); Babe Ruth (NYY) x2; Reggie Jackson (SFS); Reggie Smith (MEM); Elmer Valo (LAA); Joe Votto (IND)

4+ Run Games

5. Don Mattingly (NYA)

4. John Briggs (BRK); Johnny Callison (NYG); Robinson Cano (KCM); Cupid Childs (BBB); Will Clark (MIA); Mark Ellis (LAA); Carlton Fisk (CAG); Dan Ford (HOD); Bryce Harper (BAL); Kent Hrbek (POR); Frank Isbell (BBB/BRK) x2; Joe Jackson (CAG); Reggie Jackson (SFS); Geoff Jenkins (DET); Eddie Mathews (BBB); Willie Mays (NYG); Andrew McCutcheon (HOM); Willie McGee (KCM); Boog Powell (KCM); Edd Roush (IND); Pops Stargell (HOM); Mike Trout (LAA) x2; George Wright (LAA)

4+ SB Games

4. Bobby Bonds (SFS); Lou Brock (KCM); Eddie Collins (CAG); Billy Southworth (BBB)

5+ Hit Games

5. Pete Browning (HOD); Robinson Cano (KCM); Ty Cobb (DET); Chili Davis (DET); Mark Ellis (LAA); Tom Herr (BBB); Frank Isbell (BBB); Stan Musial (KCM); Ken Singleton (BAL); Jim Stephens (LAA); Mike Trout (LAA); Andy Van Slyke (HOM); Jim Wynn (HOU)

5+ SO Games

5. Phil Bradley (OTT); Mike Piazza (BRK); Bobby Wallace (BAL)

6+ RBI Games

9. Jim Stephens (LAA)
7. Mickey Cochrane (SFS); Eric Davis (NYY) x2; Reggie Jackson (SFS); Doug Rader (LAA); Pete Runnels (MCG)
6. Bob Bailey (DET); Carlos Delgado (LAA); Rogers Hornsby (KCM); Jim Pagliaroni (MEM); Yasiel Puig (NYG); Honus Wagner (HOM)

Longest HRs

526 ft. Jim Thome (MCG)
525 ft. Albert Pujols (KCM)
524 ft. Frank McCormick (BBB)
515 ft. Carlos Correa (HOU)
514 ft. Casey Stengel (HOU)
511 ft. Boog Powell (KCM)
504 ft. Curt Blefary (BAL); Eugenio Suárez (NYG)
503 ft. Ernie Banks (HOD)
502 ft. Wally Moon (SFS)
501 ft. Curt Blefary (BAL)

Pitching Statistics

80+ Game Scores

91. Sandy Koufax (BRK); Christy Mathewson (NYG)
89. Dave Righetti (NYY)
88. Bert Blyleven (POR); Bob Gibson (KCM); Ron Guidry (NYY); Bill Steen (CLE)
87. Pete Donohue (NYG); Jack Taylor (HOD)
86. Luke Hamlin (KCM); Mel Harder (CLE); José Rijo (KCM); Jack Taylor (HOD)
85. Freddie Fitzsimmons (MCG); Waite Hoyt (NYY)
84. Bert Blyleven (POR); Gene Conley (DET); Freddie Fitzsimmons (MCG); Ned Garvin (BAL); Lefty Grove (POR); Luke Hamlin (KCM); Harry Howell (LAA); Greg Maddux (BBB); Stubby Overmire (MEM); David Price (CAG); Frank Smith (CAG).
83. Jamie Moyer (OTT); Toad Ramsey (HOU).
82. Ned Garvin (BAL); Luke Hamlin (KCM); Walter Johnson (POR); Dutch Leonard (BRK); Tricky Nichols (CAG); Bob Rush (HOD); Stephen Strasburg (HOU); Jack Taylor (HOD); Cy Young (HOM)
81. Brett Anderson (LAA); Bert Blyleven (POR); Walter Johnson (POR); Tricky Nichols (CAG); Camilo Pascual (MCG); Whit Wyatt (CLE)
80. Brett Anderson (LAA); Bob Brown (OTT); Steve Carlton (PHI); Gerrit Cole (LAA); Lefty Grove (POR); Waite Hoyt (NYY), Ramón Martínez (MCG); Wade Miley (HOD); Old Hoss Radbourn (OTT); Charlie Root (DET)

10+ Strikeout Games

14. Bert Blyleven (POR)
12. Ed Walsh (CAG)
11. Bob Brown (OTT); Lefty Grove (POR) x2; Ron Guidry (NYY); Luke Hamlin (KCM); Tommy Hanson (BRK); Ramón Martínez (MCG); Christy Mathewson (NYG); Tricky Nichols (CAG); Dave Righetti (NYY); Bret Saberhagen (HOU); Ed Walsh (CAG)
10. Bob Feller (CLE); Lefty Grove (POR); Ron Guidry x2 (NYY) x2; Walter Johnson (POR); Mike Mussina (BAL); Frank Knauss (BRK).

8+ Walk Games

8. Ramon Martínez (MCG); Nolan Ryan (LAA); Carlos Zambrano (HOM)

Shutouts

1 H. Sandy Koufax (BRK); Christy Mathewson (NYG)
2 H. Luke Hamlin (KCM); Waite Hoyt (NYY) [7 Inn]; David Price (CAG); José Rijo (KCM); Frank Smith (CAG); Jack Taylor (HOD)
3 H. Brett Anderson (LAA); Pete Donohue (NYG); Freddie Fitzsimmons (MCG); Ned Garvin (BAL): Bob Gibson (KCM); Luke Hamlin (KCM); Mel Harder (CLE); Ron Guidry (NYY); Greg Maddux (BBB); Tricky Nichols (CAG); Stubby Overmire (MEM); Dave Righetti (NY); Bob Rush (HOD); Jack Taylor (HOD).
4 H. Brett Anderson (LAA); Bert Blyleven (POR); Gerrit Cole (LAA); Gene Conley (DET); Ned Garvin (BAL); Waite Hoyt (NYY); Wade Miley (HOD); Tricky Nichols (CAG); Old Hoss Radbourn (OTT); Toad Ramsey (HOU); Bill Steen (CLE); Jack Taylor (HOD); Cy Young (CLE)
5 H. Bert Blyleven (POR); Steve Carlton (PHI); Harry Howell (LAA); Walter Johnson (POR); Dutch Leonard (BRK); Ramon Martinez (MCG); Jamie Moyer (OTT); Milt Pappas (BAL); José Rijo (KCM); CC Sabathia (HOD); Sam Streeter (BBB)

Shutouts (Combined)

1 H. Luke Hamlin / Frank DiPino / Jeff Pfeffer (KCM)
3 H. Whit Wyatt / Chad Qualls / Chuck Porter (CLE); H. Newhouser / Gene Conley / Kevin Hart (DET); Stephen Strasburg / Billy Wagner (HOU); Mel Harder / Chuck Porter (CLE)
4 H. Hank Aguirre / Mike Henneman (DET); Dizzy Trout / Elmer Brown (POR); Vic Willis / John Malarkey (BBB); Doc Gooden / Mike Smith (LAA); Stubby Overmire / Lance Broadway / Heath Bell / Jonathan Papelbon (MEM); Willie Mitchell / Clay Carroll / Rob Dibble (IND)
5 H. Ray Collins / Rheal Cormier (PHI); Vean Gregg / Stan Bahnsen (HOM); Connie Johnson / Smokey Joe Wood / Jeff Pfeffer (KAN); Bob Rush / Rollie Fingers / Scott Downs / Lee Smith / Bruce Sutter (HOD); Francisco Liriano / Frank Linzy (HOM); Gene Conley / Buddy Napier / John Hiller; Jack Taylor / Scott Downs / Kerry Wood (HOD); Roenis Elías / Phenomenal Smith / Ed Bauta / Aroldis Chapman (MCG); Stephen Strasburg / Chad Qualls / Brad Lidge (HOU) / Eddie Plank / Dave LaRoche / Rob Beck (SFS); Jack Scott / Aroldis Chapman (NYY); Pat Malone / Chuck Porter / Cory Gearrin / Terry Adams (DET)

Game of Series IV: New York Black Yankees @ Ottawa Mounties

By mknn

On May 11, 2021

In Featured Games, Game Recaps, TWIWBL

Sometimes a game is so good it deserves its own writeup.

Such was the case in game two of the series between the New York Black Yankees and the Ottawa Mounties. A lot of narrative threads came into play in this one, although before the game started, the only items of note were the disparity in records (New York came into the game at 12-3, Ottawa at 5-10) and Babe Ruth‘s 15 game hitting streak.

Ron Guidry (2-1) got the start for New York while Bob Brown (0-1) took the mound for Ottawa.

Eric Davis singled in the New York 2nd, and promptly stole 2nd and 3rd, but Brown was able to get back-to-back popups from Lou Gehrig and Thurman Munson, stranding Davis at 3rd.

Meanwhile, Guidry was unhittable, striking out the first 5 batters he faced.

Mike Schmidt–struggling with a sub .200 average–led off the 3rd inning with a HR to left, putting the Black Yankees up, 1-0.

Larry Walker–fresh off a return from the DL–led off the bottom of the 5th with a double. Anthony Rendon reached on an error by Willie Randolph, but was thrown out on the back end of a double-steal and Guidry forced a groundout from Gary Carter to get out of the inning with the 1-0 lead.

Guidry was great, allowing only 3 hits in 6 2/3 innings, walking 1 and striking out 10, but when, in the bottom of the 7th, Freddy Parent doubled with 2 outs, The Black Yankees went to the bullpen, bringing in Dellin Betances to face Carter. Betances walked The Kid, but got a popout from Ken Griffey, Jr to end the inning.

And, when Ruth threw out Tim Raines at the plate in the bottom of the 8th after Phil Bradley–mired in a horrific slump–doubled into the corner, it looked like the Black Yankees had the game in hand.

If anything, Brown was even better than Guidry, allowing 3 hits in 8 innings with 11 strikeouts, before giving way to Old Hoss Radbourn. Radbourn got Ruth to fly out to LF in the top of the 9th, presumably ending the Babe’s hitting streak.

The bottom of the 9th saw New York’s closer, Sparky Lyle, take the mound with the 1-0 advantage. But Lyle’s first pitch was launched by Walker deep into the night for a 450 foot HR to tie the game. Rendon followed with a double, but Lyle was able to get out of the jam, sending the game into extra innings.

Schmidt doubled in the 10th and scored on pinch-hitter Manny Sanguillen‘s single. A hit by Derek Jeter chased Radbourn from the game, and New York greeted Ted Bowsfield quite rudely, with Don Mattingly singling in a run and then Ruth–getting an unexpected chance to extend his streak–singling through the infield to plate Jeter. When the inning ended, New York now led 4-1.

After a leadoff walk to Raines, Lyle was relieved by Lady Baldwin, who struck out Bradley and Carlos Delgado around an Alex Rodriguez double. That meant there were 2 outs and 2 on for Walker, who promptly deposited a Baldwin pitch deep, deep into CF for his 2nd HR of the game, a game-tying, 487 foot HR monstrosity of a blast.

That took us to the 11th. Gehrig led off the inning with a 4-pitch walk from Bowsfield, and Munson followed with a single to RF. Walker threw out Munson trying to stretch the hit into a double for the 1st out of the inning. It would matter, as Schmidt hit his 2nd HR of the game to give the Black Yankees a 6-4 lead. Bowsfield recovered to strike out Craig Counsell and Jeter.

Baldwin gave up consecutive singles to Parent and Emil Gross before getting Griffey, Jr. to fly out. He was relieved by A.J. Burnett, who gave up a single to Raines to load the bases with 1 out.

John Olerud pinch hit for Bradley and grounded the ball down the 1B line. Gehrig picked it cleanly and threw to Jeter, but the return throw was too late for the double play, and Parent scored, making it a one run game.

Rodriguez singled to score Gross and tie the game, Delgado singled to load the bases and that brought up, you guessed it, Walker.

He deposited Burnett’s first pitch into shallow RF, scoring Olerud and giving Ottawa a great 7-6 win in extra innings.

Burnett ended up taking the loss, with Lyle, Baldwin, and Burnett all blowing save opportunities while the victory went to a largely ineffective Bowsfield.

So, Ruth extended his hitting streak to 16 games; Schmidt pushed his BA above .200 by going 3-for-5 with 2 HRs, 3 runs, and 3 RBIs, and Walker won the game almost single-handedly with 4 hits, 2 runs, 5 RBIs, and 2 HRs, plus an OF assist.