Tag: Jack Billingham Page 1 of 2

{Each week, we pick one club at random and give them a bit more depth–how they thought the season would go, how it’s going, and what the future might hold.}

After making the playoffs in 2000, Portland lost 91 games last year. They are 16-15 right now, in second place, and are a little puzzled by it all.

	POR	WBL rank	2001 rank
Batting average	.241	11th	18th
On-base	.304	14th	17th
Slugging	.403	15th	20th
OPS	.708	14th	19th
Runs scored	138	11th	19th
Homeruns	36	14th	18th
ERA	3.90	6th	9th
WHIP	1.23	7th	16th
Strikeouts per 9	10.30	2nd	11th
Walks per 9	3.40	14th	17th
Homeruns per 9	1.13	8th	5th

Portland Sea Dogs | 6 May

#How We Thought it Would Go

The season preview was blunt about it: “Nobody in Portland is selling 2002 as a contention year, but getting back on track is the highest priority for the organization.” The club had sold every veteran they could, and had decided 2002 was a year to allow an extraordinary–and extraordinarily young–rotation (a 20-year-old, two 21-year-olds and a 26-year-old) to develop.

#How It’s Going

Second in the Cum Posey, 2.5 games out, 138 runs scored and 123 allowed. Not bad.

The pitching has done more than just arrive ahead of schedule — Portland strikes out more men per nine innings than every club in the WBL except one, after ranking 11th at that last season.

That needs a caveat: the league ERA has fallen from 5.38 to about 4.19, so a staff ERA of 3.90 against last year’s 5.33 is mostly the league coming back to earth. Griffith Stadium is also a harder place to score in than it was a year ago. The rank is the signal — 9th to 6th in ERA, 16th to 7th in WHIP, and 11th to 2nd in strikeouts. That last one is not a park effect.

Can this rotation stay together? So far, yes. All five starters have taken every turn. Walter Johnson is pitching like the best arm in the league: 42.1 innings, a 2.76 ERA, and 64 strikeouts to share the league lead. And his control has come around, with only 13 walks allowed. Joseíto Muñoz is 2-0 with a 2.55 ERA, and Bert Blyleven, despite an 0-3 record, is sporting a 2.70 ERA.

Not all is great on the mound (remember, the Sea Dogs are hovering around .500). Walter Ball, Portland’s Pitcher of the Year last year, is struggling with his control and has an ERA over 6.00 and Jake Peavy, given a rotation spot despite a limited resume, isn’t doing much better.

Does Griffey learn the strike zone? The early answer is a cautious yes. Ken Griffey Jr is walking in 8.3% of his trips, up from 4.5% last season, and is hitting (287/342/491) with 4 homeruns. The strikeouts haven’t moved. One month is one month, but it is the first month of his career that the walk rate has looked more acceptable than not.

Who gets the ball in the 9th? Right now, Jack Billingham does. Billingham has 7 saves. There remain calls for Johan Santana to return to his closer role, but Portland seems set on seeing if the young lefty can make the transition to a starter. Santana currently has a 1.06 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 17 innings, clearly showing a full return from last season’s injury.

#The Crystal Ball

The rotation seems to be delivering on its promise.

The more challenging question is the offense. Five men with 50 or more trips to the plate are hitting under .220, and the fixes available are all 26-to-32-year-olds at Seattle having good months — useful, but not what a rebuild is for.

Portland is 11th in average and 14th in on-base, and the lineup is carried by Bobby Murcer (297/351/446) — graded the worst regular on the roster coming in — plus Griffey and Paul Molitor (261/300/479, 6 homeruns).

#Buy or Sell?

Who knows? It’s May. The Sea Dogs did sell last year, so they don’t really have veteran talent to move this year. But by midseason some of their depth questions might have clarified to the point they can be answered.

#Stories

Shortstop

The preview called it “Hughie Jennings and Clayton and hope.” Through a month: Hughie Jennings is at (183/206/233) in 63 plate appearances and Royce Clayton at (149/184/319) in 51. 114 PA between them and 19 hits.

So I guess there’s hope.

The DH Problem

Gil Hodges hit 38 homeruns in 2001 and was worth −1.4 wins doing it; he is now at (185/228/222) in 57 plate appearances. Kent Hrbek is doing a little better than that, but at least Hrbek has some pedigree to fall back on. Still, patience with Hodges may be wearing thin, and there are some intriguing bats in the minors that may get a look sooner rather than later.

Right Field, Three Ways

Chuck Klein has 5 homeruns, but only a .192 average. Bobby Abreu has been … fine … and then there is Murcer, who seems to have recaptured his form. Klein’s power continues to intrigue, but the OF feels like it is still in its exploratory phase.

The Big Train, Both Ways

Walter Johnson is hitting (333/379/778) with 3 homeruns in 29 plate appearances, mostly from hitting when he starts. 29 PAs decide nothing, but it’s easily the most fun line on the roster.

#Down on the Farm

The system is thin, but there are some names worth tracking.

Hugh Duffy (RF, 21, AAA): 373/413/508 in 63 plate appearances at Seattle, with 3 steals. The preview named him the organization’s best raw power in the minors; he is now also its best performer and, given the discussion of the OF above … may be the next man up.

Vladimir Guerrero (RF, 21, AA): 143/200/286 in 55 plate appearances at Vancouver. Stalled, but only 21.

Brant Alyea (LF, 29, AA): 333/390/710 with 8 homeruns in 77 plate appearances. Loud, but he’s 29 and at AA, which muffles quite a bit.

Not much on the mound. Shaun Marcum (P, 25, AAA): 3.70 in 41.1 innings with 32 strikeouts, the closest thing to a sixth starter. Bill Dietrich (P, 26, A): 2.18 in 33 innings. Tom Glavine (P, 20, A-ball) has thrown 13 innings.

Jack Fournier (1B, 16, A-ball): 225/262/375 in 42 plate appearances. He is sixteen, and playing. That by itself is a confirmation of potential.

#One Number

13.6. Walter Johnson’s strikeouts per nine innings, against 7.6 last season and 7.0 the year before. Whatever Portland thought it had in him, this is even better.

TWIWBL 102.1: Year 3, Week 5 – One Month In!

By mknn

On October 13, 2026

In TWIWBL

6 May, 2002

And we enter the second month of the season! Whoo Hoo!

Which means we have monthly awards for the first time, and we have our first review of the early standings.

#Awards

Miami‘s Robin Yount is the AL Player of the Week, hitting .450 with 2 homeruns, 6 runs and 5 RBI, and slugging an even 1.000. Yount is up to .283 with 6 homeruns and 12 doubles on the year.

The NL Player of the Week goes to Grant Johnson of the New York Gothams for the second week running: Johnson hit .409 with 3 homeruns, 3 doubles and 7 RBI while slugging .955. Overall, he’s hitting .379 with 9 homeruns and a league-leading 15 doubles.

In the minors: Freddie Lindstrom (Chicago American Giants) took the award at AAA Milwaukee, where the 21-year-old third baseman is hitting .306 with 7 homeruns, making his early demotion seem a bit of a mistake in judgement by the American Giants; Raúl Mondesi (Wandering House of David) won at AA Albuquerque, and Al López (Brooklyn) at A-ball Albany, where the 33-year-old catcher is hitting .426.

#April Awards

The first month is in the books, and one name on the list is no surprise at all.

Ted Williams (Memphis) is the AL Batter of the Month, having hit .437 with 14 homeruns, 30 runs and 34 RBI in April while slugging an even 1.000. Grant Johnson takes the NL award–not a surprise given the above.

Waite Hoyt (Chicago) is the AL Pitcher of the Month, going 4-1 with a 2.45 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 36.2 innings. For a team whose primary weakness was dependable starting pitching, the acquisition of Hoyt sure looks like good work for Chicago.

Over in the NL, the Pitcher of the Month goes to one of Johnson’s teammates on the Gothams, Christy Mathewson. Seemingly returning to his 2000 form, Matty has started the season perfectly, going 6-0 with a 2.27 ERA.

Whitey Ford (New York Black Yankees) went 3-2 with a 2.25 ERA in April, earning the AL Rookie of the Month Award, and in the NL, Philadelphia‘s Harmon Killebrew is the Rookie of the Month, despite only hitting .255. 9 homeruns in a calendar month will do that.

The minors have their own monthly awards too, of course.

At AAA, Roger Maris of the New York Black Yankees was the Batter of the Month, hitting .418 with 11 homeruns at Newark, and Mike Scott (Los Angeles) won the Pitcher of the Month, going 4-1 with a 1.98 ERA. Cody Bellinger (Wandering House of David) hit .404 at AA Albuquerque and Hugh Mulcahy (Homestead) went 3-0 with a 1.93 at AA Syracuse. At A-ball, John Bass (Philadelphia) hit 10 homeruns and Fred Gladding (Indianapolis) allowed only 2 earned runs in 15.1 innings, as they took home the monthly honors.

#Team Performance

I know it’s early. You know it’s early. Still, it is May. And that’s no longer April, right?

The best records in the WBL belong to two surprise teams: Memphis leads the Bill James Division and Philadelphia tops the Effa Manley, each with a 20-11 record–that’s a .645 clip.

Ottawa (a game behind Philadelphia) and Chicago (leading the Cum Posey Division) are the only other teams playing over .600 ball.

The Baltimore Black Sox sit at the other end of the scale, already 11.5 games out in the Bill James Division, sitting at 8-22. But they aren’t the only major disappointments: both Birmingham and Indianapolis are only winning at a .333 clip (10-20).

Full standings are at the top of each divisional page for the curious.

#Player Performance

Five weeks in, qualifying is 3.1 plate appearances or 1 inning per team game — about 96 PA and 31 innings.

Some early season streaks of note: The Gothams’ Grant Johnson has a 15 game hitting streak going and Memphis’ Ted Williams has reached base in 30 straight. On the mound, Chicago’s Joel Horlen hasn’t allowed a run in 23 innings and Kansas City’s Smokey Joe Wood in 14.

#Batters

Ted Williams is still the story, and it is getting harder to describe without sounding like an advertisement: he leads the WBL in batting average, on-base, slugging, homeruns, runs, RBI, walks and WAR, outright. That only leaves 2B, 3B, and SB for others.

This list should reduce a little over time, but it’s got some decent WBL storylines in it–the resurgence of a healthy Pete Browning, Rico Carty‘s deal with the devil to combat his age, Cool Papa Bell giving Rickey Henderson some competition for the SB crown, etc.

But it’s really all about The Splendid Splinter for now.

Ernie Banks (HOD). .225/.299/.549. 9 HR, 27 RBI.
Cool Papa Bell (KAN). .204/.295/.280. 10 SB.
Dan Brouthers (BRK). .369/.416/.612. 11 2B.
Pete Browning (HOD). .331/.389/.508. 10 2B, 9 SB.
Rico Carty (PHI). .374/.442/.670.
Oscar Charleston (IND). .300/.341/.642. 12 HR, 29 RBI, 1.9 WAR.
Roberto Clemente (HOM). .372/.413/.698. 7 HR.
Ty Cobb (DET). .345/.390/.708. 10 HR, 2.0 WAR.
Eric Davis (NYY). .260/.353/.452. 8 SB.
Lou Gehrig (NYY). .288/.373/.635. 25 RBI.
Hank Greenberg (DET). .272/.348/.476. 4 3B.
Bobby Grich (BBB). .202/.362/.279. 22 BB.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). .229/.333/.365. 9 SB.
Grant Johnson (NYG). .379/.402/.741. 9 HR, 15 2B, 1.6 WAR.
Harmon Killebrew (PHI). .275/.325/.569. 10 HR.
Willie Mays (NYG). .289/.344/.588. 25 R.
Joe Morgan (IND). .253/.405/.374. 23 BB.
Jackie Robinson (BRK). .336/.381/.509. 14 2B.
Babe Ruth (NYY). .232/.387/.611. 11 HR, 21 BB.
Chino Smith (CAG). .292/.324/.736. 13 HR, 30 R, 32 RBI.
Mike Trout (LAA). .300/.349/.567. 12 2B.
Ted Williams (MEM). .419/.533/.914. 15 HR, 33 R, 39 RBI, 27 BB, 2.7 WAR.

#Pitchers

#Starters

There’s nowhere near the single person dominance on the mound–early days, of course, but it looks like we may have some good years on the mound coming.

Brett Anderson (HOD). 4-2, 2.84.
Steve Carlton (PHI). 4-1, 2.56. 41 K.
Don Drysdale (MEM). 2-1, 2.48. 49 K.
Bob Feller (CLE). 1-4, 4.58. 52 K.
Whitey Ford (NYY). 3-2, 3.19. 2.94 FIP.
Ned Garvin (BAL). 1-2, 4.10. 50 K, .208 BABIP.
Lefty Gomez (BBB). 2-4, 2.82. 2.30 FIP.
Dwight Gooden (LAA). 2-2, 4.30. 1.96 FIP, 1.7 WAR.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 3-1, 3.47. 62 K.
Waite Hoyt (CAG). 4-1, 2.52. 42 K, 2.60 FIP.
Walter Johnson (POR). 3-3, 2.76. 64 K, 2.66 FIP.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 6-0, 2.74. 64 K, 49.1 IP.
José Méndez (MCG). 3-2, 2.57. 0.93 WHIP.
Joseíto Muñoz (POR). 2-0, 2.55. 46 K, 2.48 FIP.
David Price (HOM). 2-1, 2.90. 0.94 WHIP.
Charles Radbourn (OTT). 3-1, 1.57. 2.28 FIP, 1.5 WAR.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 2-3, 3.24. 50 K, 2.53 FIP, 1.5 WAR.
Tom Seaver (MEM). 2-1, 1.59.
J.M. Ward (PHI). 4-2, 3.51. .213 BABIP.
Jim Whitney (MCG). 1-1, 3.40. 54 K, 0.86 WHIP.
Smokey Joe Wood (KAN). 3-0, 2.23. 47 K, 0.69 WHIP, 2.31 FIP.

#Relievers

Rate stats still want another week or two. The saves and holds:

Rod Beck (SFS). 1-2, 4.09. 7 Sv.
Dellin Betances (HOD). 2 Sv, 4 Hld.
Jack Billingham (POR). 3.60. 7 Sv.
Chad Bradford (DET). 2-2, 3.68. 5 Hld.
Jeurys Familia (LAA). 3.21. 5 Hld.
Eric Gagné (BRK). 0.75. 8 Sv.
Andrew Miller (MEM). 1.26. 6 Sv.
Jonathan Papelbon (MCG). 3.27. 7 Sv.
Eustaquio Pedroso (MCG). 4.87. 4 Hld.
Vito Tamulis (NYG). 3.38. 6 Hld.
Kent Tekulve (NYG). 2-0, 4.76. 5 Hld.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1.74. 9 Sv.

Note that the Gothams may be back on track in their quest to rebuild their bullpen.

Two arms have yet to allow a run at all: Birmingham’s Kerry Ligtenberg over 16.1 innings, with 21 strikeouts and 4 hits allowed, and Chicago’s Joe Horlen over 20.2.

#Hardest Shots

Birmingham’s Eddie Mathews hit the hardest ball of the season so far, a 126 mph solo homerun. Mathews doesn’t hit many balls, but at least that one was a freaking rocket. Cleveland‘s Ed Bailey and Birmingham’s Bobby Grich also hit balls over 120 mph.

The hardest out belonged to a pitcher: Jim Whitney (Miami) flew out to center at 118 mph.

#Injuries

Houston‘s outfield took another hit–with Tony Gwynn already sidelined, the eternally underappreciated Jim Wynn will miss 2-3 weeks.

Frank Grant of the San Francisco Sea Lions is out a couple weeks and some other important names (Ottawa’s Gary Peters, Cleveland’s Louis Santop, Kansas City‘s Rube Foster, and Homestead’s Ricardo Rincón) will each miss about a week.

TWIWBL 101.1: Year 3, Week 4 – Easing Into the Season

By mknn

On September 17, 2026

In TWIWBL

29 April, 2002

#Awards

Al Kaline is the AL Player of the Week for Detroit, on a .400 week with 6 doubles, 2 homeruns and 10 RBI — powered by a 3-double game followed by a 2-homer, 5-RBI day. He is hitting .326 with 7 homeruns.

The NL Player of the Week is the New York Gothams‘ HR Johnson, who hit .400 with 4 homeruns and 9 RBI over 6 games, slugging .960. Johnson is fast becoming a fan favorite for the Gothams, for obvious reasons, but also for confirmation that perhaps they pulled a fast one on the Black Yankees in the offseason with his acquistion.

In the minors: Josh Harrison (New York Black Yankees) took the award at AAA Newark on a 14-for-28 week, and continues to make an argument for a longer trial at the WBL level; Steve Henderson (Los Angeles) took the AA Player of the Week, and Bob Cerv (Houston) won it at A-ball.

#Three Games

{A new section: when I can’t think of better topic for the front page, we’ll highlight 3 games of note from the week that was.}

Cleveland @ Ottawa, 24 April

Two pitchers with lightning in their arms and massive question marks on their futures faced off in Ottawa, with Cleveland’s Bob Feller taking the mound against the Mounties’ Big Question Mark, Randy Johnson. Both did well, allowing only a single run each. Feller’s day was better, with 11 strikeouts in over 6 innings, while Johnson did his usual thing, walking as many as he whiffed (5 of each).

Neither were around for the exciting parts of the game.

First, in the top of the 7th, RBI’s by Tris Speaker and Larry Doby gave Cleveland a 3-1 lead. Then, the Spiders turned the game over to Aroldis Chapman–their key offseason acquisition, who has been even more important with closer Terry Adams hurt for about a week. Chapman has been … awful. Which continued here.

First, he hit Gary Carter, then gave up singles to Álex Rodríguez and Adrián Beltré, loading the bases. And then Ottawa’s manager got creative, first sending pitcher Bill Smith in to pinch run for Beltré and then sending Old Hoss Radbourn, another pitcher, up to hit for the struggling John Olerud. While the fans were scratching their heads–Olerud is obviously better at the plate than Radbourn–Radbourn simply delivered, driving in 2 with a sharply hit single to left.

Chapman got to 2 outs, but no further, as a single from Roberto Alomar plated Radbourn with the winning run.

CLE 3 (Chapman 0-2, 3 BSv) @ OTT 4 (Holland 2-0)
HRs: none.
Box Score

Chicago @ San Francisco, 28 April

After a rough start, San Francisco has begun to right the ship while Chicago has been surprisingly good in the early going. This game felt like the Sea Lions continuing to reassert their dominance … until ….

Hits from Reggie Jackson and Jack Clark were the big blows, each driving in 2, and San Francisco led 5-0 behind easily the best start of the year so far from Tom Brewer. With the strength of the Sea Lions’ bullpen a well known commodity, some fans had even begun to eye the exits.

And then came the 8th.

Charlie Ferguson allowed a single to Jack Doyle before being relieved by Ken Howell. Howell got two outs–strikeouts of Chino Smith and Mickey Vernon–but allowed 2 singles and 2 doubles before giving way to Trevor Hoffman. Cristóbal Torriente doubled in 2, Kevin Mitchell and Travis Jackson had RBIs, and Eddie Collins greeted Hoffman with a double of his own and suddenly the American Giants were, somehow, ahead, 6-5.

They didn’t need it, but Chicago wasn’t done: Smith hit a 2 run shot in the 9th and Jackson drove in 2 more with a double. With Alex Reyes shutting down San Francisco in the 8th and 9th, that was it and the American Giants emerged with a 10-5 victory.

Allen, Collins, and Jackson each had 3 hits for Chicago on the day.

CAG 10 (Reyes 1-0) @ SFS 5 (Howell 1-1; Hoffman 1 BSv)
HRs: CAG – C. Smith (9); SFS – none.
Box Score

Birmingham @ the House of David, 28 April

It was the last game of the week. We were all just tired.

So nobody thought much about it when Paul Konerko blasted a solo shot off Bob Shaw to tie the game 5-5 in the top of the 8th. Given how well the offenses performed earlier, it seemed obvious that more runs were coming (Birmingham’s John Malarkey had surrendered 11 hits and 5 runs in 5 innings, including a 3 run shot by Ernie Banks; Jack Taylor was barely better for the House of David, giving up 4 runs in his 5 innings of work).

But the bullpens decided to change the script. For Birmingham, Al Javery, Akinori Otsuka, Harley Young, and Kerry Ligtenberg combined to allow 3 hits and zero runs over 9 innings of work, while for the home team, Scott Downs, Ed Bauta, Dellin Betances, Fergie Jenkins, and Karl Spooner gave up more hits (6), but were equally effective over 8 combined frames.

So, what happened?

Birmingham turned to Slim Embrey in the bottom of the 16th. And Embrey can’t really be blamed for what happened: he retired Ryne Sandberg, then saw Pete Browning and Ernie Banks reach on errors before Ron Santo singled to load the bases. Embrey then grooved one to Anthony Rizzo, who deposited in the seats for a walkoff grandslam homerun.

Cap Anson, Sandberg, and Santo had 3 hits each for the House of David, and Bobby Grich and Melky Cabrera had 3 for the Black Barons.

BBB 5 (Embrey 0-1) @ HOD 9 (Spooner 2-0; Shaw 1 BSv)
HRs: BBB – Konerko (5); HOD – Banks (6), Rizzo (4).
Box Score

#Player Performance

Four weeks in, the lists are starting to hold their shape. Qualifying is 3.1 plate appearances or 1 inning per team game — about 80 PA and 26 innings.

#Batters

The Ted Williams problem has not gone away. He leads the WBL in batting average, on-base, slugging, runs, RBI, walks and WAR outright, and shares the homerun lead with Indianapolis’ Oscar Charleston at 12. Williams is hitting .434 with a .952 slugging percentage.

As usual, top 2-3 in most all stats below.

Cool Papa Bell (KAN). .203/.292/.291. 8 SB.
John Briggs (MEM). .247/.306/.438. 12 2B.
Pete Browning (HOD). .337/.393/.525. 9 SB.
Rico Carty (PHI). .375/.446/.694.
Oscar Charleston (IND). .304/.345/.676. 12 HR, 29 RBI, 1.8 WAR.
Ty Cobb (DET). .348/.402/.685. 1.5 WAR.
Lou Gehrig (NYY). .311/.398/.711. 24 RBI.
Hank Greenberg (DET). .241/.327/.448. 3 3B.
HR Johnson (NYG). .372/.400/.691. 12 2B.
Willie Mays (NYG). .283/.343/.641. 21 R.
Joe Morgan (IND). .230/.396/.297. 20 BB.
Jackie Robinson (BRK). .323/.368/.515. 13 2B.
Bullet Joe Rogan (PHI). .344/.385/.885. 9 HR.
Babe Ruth (NYY). .228/.384/.608. 9 HR, 19 BB.
Chino Smith (CAG). .277/.307/.699. 9 HR, 22 R.
Turkey Stearnes (SFS). .259/.300/.635. 9 HR.
Roy White (BRK). .303/.402/.487.
Ted Williams (MEM). .434/.542/.952. 12 HR, 28 R, 32 RBI, 22 BB, 2.4 WAR.

At the other end, Los Angeles’s Dobie Moore has now struck out 55 times, 9 clear of anyone else. Moore has shown some signs of life lately, but it’s a deep hole to crawl out of.

#Pitchers

Christy Mathewson of the New York Gothams is the league’s only 5-game winner, sitting at 5-0.

#Starters

Steve Carlton (PHI). 4-1, 1.89.
Whitey Ford (NYY). 3-2, 2.25. .195 BABIP.
Dwight Gooden (LAA). 2-2, 4.41. 1.90 FIP, 1.5 WAR.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 3-1, 3.63. 54 K.
Waite Hoyt (CAG). 4-1, 2.45.
Walter Johnson (POR). 3-1, 2.37. 45 K, 0.82 WHIP, 1.74 FIP, 1.3 WAR.
Dennis Martínez (BAL). 3-1, 3.45. .178 BABIP.
Christy Mathewson (NYG). 5-0, 2.50. 48 K.
Charles Radbourn (OTT). 2-0, 1.38.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 2-3, 3.28. 1.4 WAR.
Tom Seaver (MEM). 1-1, 1.95.
Smokey Joe Wood (KAN). 2-0, 2.78. 0.77 WHIP.

#Relievers

One more week until we actually have some decent insight into the relievers–for now, here are the 4 closers tied atop the league with 6 saves each.

Rod Beck (SFS). 1-1, 3.00. 6 Sv.
Jack Billingham (POR). 0-1, 4.00. 6 Sv.
Jonathan Papelbon (MCG). 0-0, 3.00. 6 Sv.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 0-1, 2.35. 6 Sv.

#Hardest Shots

Josh Gibson owned the week: a 124 mph solo homerun off Indianapolis‘s Luis Padrón on Saturday was the hardest ball struck by anyone, and he also had a 120 mph double and a 119 mph homerun. Gibson’s overall stats aren’t showing it yet, but the thunder in the bat is clearly still there.

The hardest out was Ted Williams‘s — a 122 mph fly ball to right.

#Injuries

The big one is Bullet Joe Rogan, out about 2 weeks — Philadelphia loses a rotation turn and a bat with 9 homeruns in one move, and he is the fourth Stars pitcher on the disabled list in 10 days. The Gothams lose Dave Righetti for about the same stretch.

Memphis swingman Len Barker and Los Angeles OF Dwight Evans both hit the DL this week as well.

Year III Season Preview: Portland Sea Dogs

By mknn

On August 12, 2026

In 2002 Season Previews, Team News

▌ State of the Franchise

Portland won the Cum Posey Division in 2000 and finished last there the following year, ending 2001 at 71-91, 32 games out. Nobody in the Pacific Northwest thought it could fall apart that fast, that hard.

The collapse was on the offensive side, and it wasn’t one man having a bad year. Gil Hodges led the club with 38 home runs and was worth −1.4 WAR, which takes some doing. Bobby Murcer hit 33 and finished at −0.4. Kiki Cuyler and Cliff Lee also went negative in real playing time. The Sea Dogs finished last in most offensive measures while 4 different men cleared 30 homers, empty totals boosted by the extreme nature of the league last season.

So they sold everything with an age on it. Rogers Hornsby went to the Black Yankees for Jake Peavy and a 1st. Buddy Bell went out for Robin Ventura and some arms. SS Jim Fregosi is gone, as are half the bullpen.

What’s left is young, perhaps recklessly so. Joseíto Muñoz is 20 and in the rotation. Walter Johnson (the clear ace) and Bert Blyleven are 21. Joe Mauer caught 125 games and took the organizational MVP at age 23. Ken Griffey Jr is 21 and already the best bat here.

Nobody in Portland is selling 2002 as a contention year, but getting back on track is the highest priority for the organization.

▌ 2001 Revisited

We opened last spring asking for a deep playoff run once again, with championship contention. They lost 91 games. There’s no reading of that which doesn’t make it the worst call we’ve ever printed.

The best case wanted everyone behind Johnson to step up — Blyleven as a real number 2, Dizzy Trout as a more consistent rotation option, even Elmer Brown converting into a starter out of the pen, and 1st-round pick Walter Ball stepping straight in. Ball delivered: a 4.26 ERA over 141 innings, which against a league that gave up 5.38 is genuinely good, and enough for the organizational Pitcher of the Year. But he missed half the season through injury. The rest were fine (Blyleven, Trout) or bad (Brown, others).

The worst case reads like it was written afterward. Hornsby and Hodges show the effects of age, and the OF regresses towards absolute mediocrity. Hodges hit 208/292/461. Murcer hit 250/311/489. Hornsby played well enough to be traded in July and is a Black Yankee now.

Johnson is the part nobody should skip past. He threw 214 innings with a 4.28 ERA and 182 strikeouts, led the club at 4.6 WAR, and won a Gold Glove on the mound. He is 21, and looks quite likely to dodge the standard concerns about consistency and injury that accompany young arms.

▌ Key Changes

In: Jack Billingham (IND); Royce Clayton (SFS); Robin Ventura (IND)
Out: Buddy Bell (IND); Trevor Hoffman (SFS)

Opening Day Rookies: Chuck Klein; Willard Schmidt

▌ Best Case for 2002

The rotation arrives ahead of schedule. Johnson goes from very good to the best arm in the league. Ball’s 4.26 turns out to be who he is, over a full year this time. Muñoz holds a rotation spot and Peavy — who missed all of 2001 after coming over in the Hornsby trade — throws 150 healthy innings.

And, the bats do their part. Griffey starts taking a walk. Ventura steadies 3B. Abreu turns a 90-plate-appearance cameo into an everyday corner. And, perhaps, even Vladimir Guerrero, 21 and knocking from Vancouver, forces his way in.

Portland doesn’t win anything in 2002, but it could be a year the team can see the path back to where they were in 2000.

▌ Worst Case for 2002

Young pitching does what young pitching does. An elbow goes, Peavy’s lost year becomes a lost career, and Muñoz can’t stay healthy while Johnson drifts towards league average.

The bats stay put, which is the more likely problem, because there’s no internal fix waiting. SS is Hughie Jennings and Clayton and hope. 2B is Paul Molitor, who by common agreement can’t play there. Both corner OF spots are competitions between men who were below average last year.

And the real challenge is there isn’t much left to dump — this is the hand Portland drew, so regression can quite easily slide into apathy if no hope arrives.

▌ Key Questions

How long does this rotation stay together? Johnson, Ball, Blyleven and Muñoz are 21, 26, 21 and 20, and 3 of them have already thrown 140 or more WBL innings. That’s either the best young rotation in baseball or a list of injuries waiting to happen.
Does Griffey learn the strike zone? 292/326/568 with 33 homers at 21, and 23 walks in the whole season. He was worth 0.8 WAR while looking like the best hitter on the roster. This is an organization that has twice now chosen the on-base bat over the louder one — Mauer over Iván Rodríguez, Bell over Adrián Beltré, but Griffey remains on the periphery of that approach.
Who gets the ball in the 9th? Hoffman is in San Francisco. John Wetteland posted a 6.75 after arriving in Portland and a 9.90 before it. Huston Street was a waiver claim. Jack Billingham is the only reliever here who was reliably fine, and nobody has called him the closer.

▌ Roster Evaluation

Tier = the player’s 2001 positional grade (S best → F worst; color coded S A B C D F). Bold names carry a substantive WBL track; italic names are pure projection — a hope, not a grade — with no qualifying track to anchor them.

Pos	Players
C	Mauer C · Ashby
1B	Hrbek B · Hodges F
2B	Molitor C · Frey
SS	Jennings · Clayton
3B	Ventura · Garrett
LF	Murcer D
CF	Griffey Jr B
RF	Abreu · Klein
DH	Hodges F
SP	Johnson C · Ball C · Blyleven D · Muñoz D · Peavy
RP	Billingham C · Street F · Wetteland F · Springer · Schmidt

Mauer is the quiet argument for the whole approach: a catcher who hit 278/360/463 with 31 steals, made the AL All-Star team and took the organizational MVP on a last-place club, at 23. Portland kept him over Rodríguez and has had no reason to revisit it.

▌ Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	SP Dizzy Trout	RF Hugh Duffy
Batting Eye	3B Wayne Garrett	2B Jack Crooks
Contact	SS Hughie Jennings	LF Riggs Stephenson
Running Speed	SP Walter Johnson	LF David Hulse
Base Stealing	SS Hughie Jennings	LF David Hulse
IF Defense	SS Hughie Jennings	SS Bobby Wine; 3B Lee Tannehill
OF Defense	RF Bobby Abreu	CF Gary Pettis
Stuff	RP John Wetteland	RP Harry Harper
Control	SP Bert Blyleven	RP Jack Wisner
Velocity	RP Huston Street; RP John Wetteland	RP Migel Puente; SP Joaquin Benoit

▌ Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	Pos	Name
1 (5)	21	RF	Hugh Duffy

Others: IF Jack Fournier, P José Berríos, P Harry Harper, C Frankie Hayes.

Graduated to the active roster since the ranked list: Chuck Klein (83).

One ranked name, and he’s the 5th-best prospect in baseball. Hugh Duffy is 21 and slated as a WBL starter in a corner Portland can’t currently fill, which is convenient. Alongside him at Vancouver is Vladimir Guerrero, also 21, who came over in the Iván Rodríguez deal and is off the ranked list entirely — the kind of omission that either looks foolish in 2 years or explains itself. Fournier was a high draft pick, and should have a career, but he’s only 16 — child labor laws be damned.

▌ Superlatives

	Most	Least
Age	Russ Springer, 38	Jack Fournier, 16
Height	Walt Bond, 6’7″	Nemo Leibold, 5’6″
OPS	Ernie Krueger, 1.059 (AAA)	Fred Dunlap, 0.500 (AA)
HR	Gil Hodges, 38	Gary Pettis, 1 (AA)
SB	Hughie Jennings, 45 (AAA)	–
WAR (bat)	Walt Bond, 3.9 (AAA)	Fred Dunlap, -1.8 (AA)
W	Walter Johnson, 13	–
SV	Harry Matuzak, 20 (AAA)	–
ERA	Joe H Coleman, 2.94 (A)	Kris Medlen, 6.60 (AAA)
WAR (pit)	Walter Johnson, 4.6	Kris Medlen, -1.0 (AAA)

Stats across all levels, 2001. 200 PA / 75 IP min (SV: all pitchers). Non-WBL levels tagged.

Year III Season Preview: Indianapolis ABC’s

By mknn

On August 2, 2026

In 2002 Season Previews, Team News

▌ State of the Franchise

Indianapolis sees a path to victory based on roster depth and flexibility. The challenge is they still need quality — a gap the organization has been addressing, bit by bit, and optimism runs high for the ABC’s in 2002.

The instinct is as old as the franchise, with the most discussed impact being Indianapolis’ commitment to being the only club in the WBL that runs a 6-man rotation by choice. And they’ve been solid at addressing their holes — the OF was a churn of bodies in 2000, less so in 2001, and heading into 2002, the holes in the roster have shrunk considerably. Given they were in the postseason last Fall a year ahead of schedule, the optimism may be warranted.

The core is exceptional: Oscar Charleston in center, Johnny Bench behind the plate, Joe Morgan at second, Luis Padrón on the mound — 21, 26, 22 and 22 years old. Of the 4, Padrón is both the highest risk (pitchers, don’t you know), and the most important: the offense hasn’t shown that it can carry the club on its own, and Padrón’s dependable ace-level start is needed. The ABC’s are working on it, though: 3B was mediocre last year (no insult intended for the workmanlike production of Chris Sabo), so they gave up the most precious commodity in the WBL — pitching talent in the shape of Tom Glavine, George Medich and Jack Billingham — to Portland for third baseman Buddy Bell (repeated WBL failure Robin Ventura was included as well, but that was as much a favor to him to get a fresh start as anything else; of course Indianapolis was his prior fresh start).

Billingham’s inclusion is potentially telling. Rob Dibble led a carnival ride of a bullpen (Dibble saved 24 games with a 4.87 ERA and 29 walks in 44 innings) with Billingham being the single steady arm. The move signals faith in the options in hand, but we’ll see.

▌ 2001 Revisited

The bar for 2001 was modest: playing .500 ball would be a nice step; doing so while nurturing some talent for the future would begin to raise hopes. Indianapolis went 80-83, missing the bar, but qualifying for a Wild Card series anyway — 2nd in the Marvin Miller Division, in October a year early.

Three things came together. Padrón, a curiosity in last year’s preview, went 23-3 with a 3.22 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP at 22 and took the Brock Rutherford Award. Charleston hit 337/381/619 at 21 with 38 homers and 46 steals, and led the WBL with 14 triples. Morgan hit 306/425/612 in 104 games and then was hurt in September, essentially dooming the playoff run.

Padrón’s emergence masked some serious questions: the ABC’s were banking on the continued development of Doc White and Willie Mitchell. Both regressed a bit: White posted a 6.55 ERA and Mitchell walked 55 in 118 innings.

Speaking of regression … Bench was arguably the best backstop in the WBL in 2000; in 2001, he still led the club with 46 homers, but hit only .238, dropping about 3-and-a-half WAR from 2000. A catcher producing a 2.3 WAR still has immense value, but there is a significant gap there, and it’s not clear which is more likely for his career.

▌ Key Changes

In: Buddy Bell (POR); Jeff D Robinson (NYY)
Out: Jack Billingham (POR); Ed Charles (NYY); Robin Ventura (POR)

Opening Day Rookies: Norm Charlton; Luke Gregerson; Billy McCool; Jeff D Robinson; Ed Swartwood; Steve Yeager

▌ Best Case for 2002

Most of all, Padrón repeats. But, also, Bench bounces back, Morgan stays on the field for a full year, and Charleston at 22 is what he was at 21. Bell settles third base and the supporting cast holds its shape: George Foster‘s 38 homers, Joey Votto‘s 36 alongside a Gold Glove, Bob Bescher stealing 80 bases out of the bottom of the order.

And the ninth inning resolves itself in-house. Luke Gregerson, Norm Charlton or 19-year-old Billy McCool takes the job, Dibble’s walks come down, and a Wild Card team turns into a problem for the rest of the division.

▌ Worst Case for 2002

The bullpen remains an unpredictable ordeal, Morgan’s health goes again, or Padrón’s 235 innings at 22 prove a serious error in judgement.

Barry Larkin doesn’t hit, shortstop goes back on the want list, and the lineup turns out to be homers and walks stapled to a lot of empty at-bats: 4 of the 9 regulars hit .246 or worse last year.

▌ Key Questions

Where does the eighth inning come from? Behind Dibble are Pedro Strop, Gregerson, Charlton, McCool and Jeff D Robinson, a set of live arms with a combined big-league record of nearly nothing. Rob Murphy, the other half of last year’s back end, posted a 5.66 and opens this season at Triple-A.
Does the 6-man rotation survive? I mean, at some point this stops being a question and just the operating norm for Indianapolis. But it’s still a bit of a curiosity, and last year’s final form was really more akin to 4 starters taking irregular turns behind Padrón and Johnny Cueto. Cueto threw 212 innings of 4.62 ball; behind the 2 horses sit veteran Eppa Rixey (5.16 in the WBL, 3.88 at Triple-A), Mitchell, White, and 20-year-old Edward Nolan, who struck out 94 in 83 innings while walking 52.
Does the offense hold a second season? It raked, and it did it strangely: Bench at .238, Adam Dunn at .207 with 36 homers and 30 steals, Foster at .259 with 38. The power and the on-base are real, the batting averages are not. That means the margin for error is pretty slim, and any regression or dip could tank the offense entirely.

▌ Roster Evaluation

Pos	Players
C	Bench B · Yeager
1B	Votto C
2B	Morgan S
SS	Larkin D · Menke
3B	Bell D · Sabo D
LF	Bescher D · Dunn D
CF	Charleston S
RF	Foster C · Swartwood · Mondesi
DH	Dunn D
SP	Padrón S · Cueto C · Rixey · Nolan · White F · Mitchell · Luque
RP	Dibble D (CL) · Gregerson · Charlton · McCool · Robinson · Strop

One line in that grid is doing 2 jobs. Padrón made 33 starts on the mound in 2001 and also started 23 games at third base and 14 at second, taking 259 plate appearances — a genuine 2-way season.

▌ Talent Ratings

	WBL	Minors
Raw Power	C Johnny Bench	CF Dave Henderson
Batting Eye	2B Joe Morgan	3B Harlond Clift
Contact	RF Oscar Charleston	LF Pete Rose
Running Speed	RF Raúl Mondesi	SS Tex McDonald; LF Gary Redus
Base Stealing	SS Barry Larkin	LF Vince Coleman; CF Sam Mertes
IF Defense	SS Barry Larkin	1B Sean Casey
OF Defense	RF Oscar Charleston	RF Nelson R Cruz
Stuff	RP Rob Dibble	RP Rob Murphy
Control	SP Tommy Bond	RP Joe Moeller
Velocity	RP Pedro Strop	RP Bobby Jenks

▌ Best In The Minors

Rank	Age	Pos	Name
1 (38)	21	LF	Dave Winfield
2 (48)	20	SP	Jim Maloney
3 (82)	21	SP	Pete Schourek
4 (84)	24	1B	Sean Casey

Others: 3B Bob Aspromonte, SS Donie Bush, 3B Oliver Marcell, P Brad Radke.

That is a short list. A year ago it ran 10 deep and led with 2 teenage arms; Edward Nolan has graduated into the rotation and Foster into the outfield, while Ventura and Tom Glavine — 4th and 7th on that list — went to Portland in the Bell deal. Dave Winfield, the 15th pick of the 2001 draft but nearing readiness for the WBL level already, is the bat that replaced them at the top, and Jim Maloney is still the arm to watch, though at 20 he’s being asked to move from the bullpen into a rotation. Sean Casey is a big-league-ready first baseman with Votto in front of him.

What’s underneath is infield-shaped and a year or 2 out: Aspromonte and Marcell are the 3B pair, Bush the in-house answer at shortstop, Radke the organizational Minor League Pitcher of the Year. And for the sentimental, Pete Rose, is playing out the string at the Cincinnati affiliate, having gotten his WBL looks and not hit a lick in them. But, you know, don’t bet against him.

▌ Superlatives

	Most	Least
Age	Ed Swartwood, 35	Ricky Gutiérrez, 18
Height	Kameron Loe, 6’8″	Donie Bush, 5’6″
OPS	Avisaíl García, 1.036 (AAA)	Matt Chapman, .448 (A)
HR	Johnny Bench, 46	Johnny Temple, 0 (AA)
SB	Bob Bescher, 80	–
WAR (bat)	Oscar Charleston, 5.0	Johnny Temple, −1.3 (AA)
W	Luis Padrón, 23	–
SV	Rob Dibble, 24	–
ERA	Brad Radke, 3.12 (A)	Doc White, 6.55
WAR (pit)	Luis Padrón, 7.8	Howard Ehmke, −0.0 (A)

Stats across all levels, 2001 season. 200 PA / 75 IP minimum. Non-WBL levels tagged in parentheses.

WBL Year III 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

3+ 2B Games

3. Lou Gehrig (NYY); Grant Johnson (NYG); Al Kaline (DET); JD Martinez (DET); Jackie Robinson (BRK); Robin Yount (MCG).

3+ HBP Games

3. Melky Cabrera (BBB).

3+ HR Games

3. Gary Carter (OTT); Oscar Charleston (IND); Lou Gehrig (NYY); Rogers Hornsby (NYY).

3+ OF Assists

4+ BB Games

4+ CS Games

4+ Run Games

4. Oscar Charleston (IND); Andy Van Slyke (HOM); Roy White (BKR); Ted Williams x2 (MEM).

4+ SB Games

5+ Hit Games

6. Rogers Hornsby (NYY).
5. Dan Brouthers (BRK); Charles Rogan (PHI); Andy Van Slyke (HOM).

5+ SO Games

5. Lou Gehrig (NYY); Evan Longoria (CLE); Ron Santo (HOD).

6+ RBI Games

8. Lou Gehrig (NYY); Rogers Hornsby (NYY).
6. Gary Carter (OTT).

Cycles

Longest HRs

{ OOTP has, for a long time had a problem with surreally long HR distances. So we threw math at it–these distances are modified based on the game’s projected exit velocity, which puts a cap on how far the ball could actually travel. Far more realistic. }

510. Chuck Klein (POR).
497. Willie Mays (NYG).
495. Josh Gibson (HOM).
495. Duke Snider (BRK); Willie Stargell (HOM).
490. Rogers Hornsby (NYY).
485. Buster Posey (NYG); Anthony Rizzo (HOD); Ted Williams (MEM).
484. Don Buford (NYG).
481. Andrew Payne (PHI).
480. Johnny Callison (NYG), Roberto Clemente (HOM), Ted Williams (MEM), Smokey Joe Wood (KAN).

Pitching Statistics

80+ Game Scores

97. Jock Menefee (KAN).
90. Whitey Ford (NYY).
89. Waite Hoyt (CAG); Mickey Welch (KAN).
88. Christy Mathewson (NYG).
87. Old Hoss Radbourn (OTT).
85. Dupee Shaw (OTT); Smokey Joe Wood (KAN).
84. Steve Carlton (PHI); Hardie Henderson (PHI); José Méndez (MCG).
83. Walter Johnson (POR).
82. Walter Johnson (POR); JM Ward (PHI).
81. Bill Byrd (BBB); Smokey Joe Wood (KAN).
80. Watty Clark (SFS).

10+ Strikeout Games

16. Sid Fernandez (DET).
13. Bob Feller (CLE); Lefty Grove (SFS); Walter Johnson (POR); Christy Mathewson (NYG); Hal Newhouser (DET)..
12. Lefty Gomez (BBB); Lefty Grove (SFS); Ron Guidry (NYY); Waite Hoyt (CAG); Pat Malone (CLE); Jock Menefee (KAN); Dick Redding (BRK); Jim Whitney (MCG); Smokey Joe Williams (BRK).
11. Steve Carlton (PHI); Bob Feller (CLE); Ned Garvin (BAL); Bump Hadley (SFS); Hardie Henderson (PHI); Walter Johnson (PR); Joseíto Muñoz (POR); Luis Padrón (IND); Charlie Root (DET); Bob Shawkey (KAN); Bill Steen (CLE); Smokey Joe Williams (BRK).
10. Don Drysedale x2 (MEM); Ned Garvin (BAL); Cole Hamels (MCG); Connie Johnson (DET); Walter Johnson x2 (POR); Pat Malone (CLE); Christy Mathewson (NYG); Toad Ramsey (HOU); José Rijo (LAA); Red Ruffing (MEM); Sam Streeter x2 (CAG); Fernando Valenzuela (BRK); Justin Verlander (DET); Jim Whitney x2 (MCG); Smokey Joe Wood x2 (KAN); Cy Young x2 (CLE).

8+ Walk Games

8. Hardie Henderson (PHI).

Shutouts

1 Hit. Mark Buehrle (CAG, 6 IP); Whitey Ford (NYY); Jock Menefee (KAN).
2 Hits. Lefty Grove (SFS, 6 IP); Old Hoss Radbourn (OTT); Mickey Welch (KAN).
3 Hits. Smokey Joe Williams (BRK, 5 IP)
4 Hits. Dupee Shaw (OTT).
5 Hits. Hardie Henderson (PHI).

Shutouts (Combined)

1 Hit. Old Hoss Radbourn / Kevin Gross / Ryan Dempster / Billy Koch (OTT).
3 Hits. David Price / Babe Adams (HOM, 7 IP); Charlie Root / Dick Donovan / Jason Frasor / Troy Percival (DET); Dave Righetti / George Jeffcoat / Vito Tamulis / Brian Wilson (NYG); Whitey Ford / Hoyt Wilhelm / Goose Gossage (NYY); Jock Menefee / Jeff Reardon / Lee Smith (KAN); Pete Donohue / Masahiro Tanaka / Kent Tekulve / Brian Wilson (NYG; 10 IP); Bump Hadley / Charlie Ferguson (SFS); Watty Clark / Joe Nathan (SFS); Waite Hoyt / AJ Minter (CAG); Bert Bleyleven / Johan Santana / Jack Billingham (POR); Red Ruffing / Jon Lester / Bucky Walters (MEM).
4 Hits. Mel Harder / Whit Wyatt / Ron Reed / Aroldis Chapman / Terry Adams (CLE); Brett Anderson / Jimmy Key / Dellin Betances / Karl Spooner / Ed Bauta (HOD); Toad Ramsey / Jim Kern / Billy Wagner / Tug McGraw (HOU); Smokey Joe Wood / Lee Smith (KAN); Randy Johnson / Kevin Gross / BJ Ryan (OTT); Tony Brizzolara / Tony Mullane / Rheal Cormier / Goose Gossage (NYY); Roy Oswalt / Andrew Chafin / Sparky Lyle (HOU); Ray Collins / Ryan Madsen / Mark Melancon (PHI).
5 Hits. Cy Young / Ron Reed / Cory Gearrin (CLE); Greg Maddux / Kerry Ligtenberg / Bruce Chen / Akinori Otuska / Harley Young (BBB); Waite Hoyt / Wilbur Wood / Will Smith (CAG); Joseíto Muñoez / John Wetteland (POR); Gaylord Perry / Hoyt Wilhelm (NYY).

TWIWBL 97.2: The Spring Training Trades

By mknn

On July 18, 2026

In TWIWBL

With just over a week left in Spring Training, we get to see how panicked some teams are, and how much they want to shake things up before opening day.

Unsurprisingly, we start with the Black Yankees and their perennial win-now mentality.

#The Black Yankees Add MI

NYY sends RP Aroldis Chapman, IF Mark Grudzielanek, 2nd Round Pick to CLE for IF Joe Sewell, IF Bill Phillips.

This is more fallout from the Grant Johnson trade in some ways: Sewell will have every shot at displacing Derek Jeter at SS for New York, and the team looks set to juggle their middle infield between those two, Robby Thompson, and Rogers Hornsby.

For Cleveland, they took a blocked talent–Sewell was never displacing Arky Vaughan–and converted it into a great bullpen arm and a valuable pick.

#The Red Sox Have a Rotation

Unsatisfied with just adding Don Drysdale and Red Ruffing, Memphis went shopping on the West coast.

MEM sends IF Dobie Moore, OF Dwight Evans, P Mike Witt to LAA for P Tom Seaver, IF Xander Bogaerts, IF Andrelton Simmons, C Mark Salas.

Clearly, the spine of the deal is Seaver for Moore, but this one has a lot of repercussions: Memphis continues to weed out some of its OF talent, and takes a gamble on Seaver continuing to develop at the WBL level. SS for Memphis is now a scramble between the two new bodies, Adam Everett, and Bud Harrelson; while for Los Angeles, this settles at least half of their middle infield question, and opens the door for some more arms to prove themselves in the rotation as they look to the future.

#CAG Settles at SS. Maybe.

CAG sends U Trea Turner & IF Yoán Moncada to HOU for IF Travis Jackson.

Jackson is clearly ready for WBL time–here he may actually get it; in return HOU gets a prospect in search of a position and one of the ST surprises in Moncada.

#Monarchs Make Moves

KAN sends OF Dale Murphy & IF Carlos Baerga to NYG for OF Benny Kauff.

A classic now v later move. Murphy is desperately in need of a change of scenery, and Baerga remains 4-5 years away, while Kauff should help deepen a lineup in need of power.

But Kansas City wasn’t done.

KAN sends P José Rijo, P Jeff Pfeffer & 1st Round Pick to LAA for 3B Doug Rader.

The Albert Pujols at 3B experiment looks to be officially over, with Los Angeles clearly reacting to the loss of Seaver. Expect David Wright and/or Pedro Álvarez to inherit the hot corner for the Angels.

And this led to another move for Los Angeles.

LAA sends P Brett Anderson & 3rd Round Pick to HOD for IF Richie Hebner, OF Cy Williams & 2nd Round Pick

Los Angeles has now gotten rid of their 2 best pitchers from last season: this is either great faith in their stockpiled arms or pure madness.

#Easy as A-B-C

IND sends P Tom Glavine, P George Medich, P Jack Billingham & IF Robin Ventura to POR for IF Buddy Bell.

Indianapolis gets an all star and former gold glove winner to take over at the hot corner, while Portland lands a lot of future potential, headlined by the 19 year old Glavine.

This deal set the stage for the next one.

IND sends IF Ed Charles & P Dan Plesac to NYY for P Jeff D. Robinson & P Jack Armstrong.

The Black Yankees get a decent bench piece for the price of a Rule V selection–which seems fair to all. The other two arms are essentially fliers–Armstrong back to his seed franchise, Plesac as a veteran LHP hedge.

#Memphis Not Done Yet

MEM sends IF Candy Jim Taylor, P Nathan Eovaldi & 1st Round Pick to BRK for OF John Briggs & 3rd Round Pick.

This one has some heads shaking. Memphis and Brooklyn team up again, with the Red Sox landing what they hope is the CF of the future, and Brooklyn adding some minor league talent and a coveted #1 pick.

Briggs has been doubted every step of his career–this is just another chance for him to prove the haters wrong. For Brooklyn, it clears CF for Duke Snider, and also means their OF glut can now route into the DH for the year.

#BB to BBB

BAL sends IF Asdrúbal Cabrera, P Bill Byrd, IF Roy Smalley Jr. & 3rd Round Pick to BBB for P Steve Avery, P Gio González, P Warren Spahn, OF Curt Flood & 1st Round Pick.

An interesting deal.

In 7 years, Baltimore may see this as a massive win–if Avery develops, if González becomes a rotation starter, if the 1st Round Pick pans out and, perhaps most of all, if a change of scenery reboots Spahn’s career.

That’s a lot of if’s. In the meantime, Birmingham gets a potential answer to their SS woes and a front of rotation arm that excels in limiting homeruns, the Black Barons’ current Achilles’ heel.

TWIWBL 92.5: Off Season Review – Indianapolis ABC’s

By mknn

On April 25, 2026

In TWIWBL

80 - 83, .491 pct.
2nd in Marvin Miller Division, 5.5 GB
Lost in NL Wild Card, 4-2 to BRK

Overall

Indianapolis has to be pretty happy with the season, which included their first postseason appearance, some major hardware, and the clear emergence of a young nucleus to build around.

Two names jump out above all others: CF Oscar Charleston and P Luis Padrón. Padrón, at 22, was the dominant pitcher in the league and Charleston, at 21, moved into the elite category of WBL outfielders.

It’s a team that needs a few more pieces in place and, as importantly, needs a bounce back year from Johnny Bench and a healthy year from Joe Morgan. But if that happens, and if the preferred 6 man rotation finally clicks, the ABC’s could easily make another postseason run.

What Went Right

We’ll start on the mound, with Luis Padrón‘s Brock Rutherford Award winning season. Padrón went 23-3 with a 3.22 ERA and a miniscule 1.04 WHIP in a dominant year. Nothing is less predictable than young pitching, but Padrón sure looks like a long-term ace for the ABC’s.

Johnny Cueto wasn’t as good as Padrón, but was quite effective over his 35 starts.

Mike LaCoss was very impressive in a late season opportunity. And … that’s about it on the mound.

Oscar Charleston slashed 337/381/619, with 38 homeruns, 130 RBIs, and 101 runs scored, adding 46 steals for good measure. He played in 152 games, collected 207 hits, and even led the WBL with 14 triples (for even more good measure).

Joe Morgan was the ABC’s sparkplug until a late season injury ended his hopes of showing up in the playoffs. Morgan hit even better than Charleston, slashing 306/425/612 in 104 games, and the prospect of the two of them being healthy for a full season is mouth-watering.

Joey Votto and George Foster exceeded expectations, combining for 74 homeruns and 167 RBIs, with Foster showing more pure power but Votto a more rounded overall offensive game.

Johnny Bench fell off from the heights of last season, but still led the team with 46 homeruns, driving in 116. He’s still an elite backstop, and is just coming into his prime at 25.

Chris Sabo was surprisingly effective at 3B after coming over via trade, posting an .854 OPS.

Bob Bescher can’t hit much, but he sure can run, stealing 80 bases while posting a .355 OBP.

The ABC’s had a quartet of late season call ups that were quite impressive at the plate, with Hal Morris, Emil Frisk, Ed Swartwood, and Ross Youngs all showing well in limited appearances.

ALL STARS

Oscar Charleston
Luis Padrón

MAJOR AWARDS

Oscar Charleston, All NL Team; NL CF Silver Slugger
Luis Padrón, All NL Team; NL Brock Rutherford Award
Joey Votto, NL 1B Gold Glove

RECOGNITIONS

Oscar Charleston, NL Mel Trench Award 2nd Place; NL All Rounder 3rd Place; NL 25 & Under Team; NL 23 & Under Team; NL 21 & Under Team
Adam Dunn, NL All Rookie Team
George Foster, NL All Rookie Team
Dave Henderson, NL Over 30 Team
Mike LaCoss, NL All Rookie 2nd Team
Joe Morgan, All NL 2nd Team; NL 24 & Under Team
Edward Nolan, NL 21 & Under Team
Luis Padrón, NL 25 & Under Team; NL 23 & Under Team
Eppa Rixey, NL Over 30 Team
Chris Sabo, NL All Rookie Team

ORGANIZATIONAL AWARDS

Oscar Charleston, MVP
Luis Padrón, Pitcher of the Year
Joe Morgan, Heart & Soul
Oscar Charleston, Fan Favorite

Brad Radke, Minor League Pitcher of the Year
Ed Swartwood, Minor League Player of the Year

What Went Wrong

On the mound, the biggest thing that went wrong was thorough mediocrity: Eppa Rixey, Doc White, Sad Sam Jones, and Willie Mitchell were all very meh across a combined 52 starts.

Rube Foster and The Only Nolan, however, were downright bad (Nolan’s year was cut short due to injury, and at 20, he certainly can bounce back).

The back end of the bullpen was among the worst in the league, with Rob Dibble struggling mightily despite his 24 saves and Rob Murphy just plain struggling. Still, both arms are live enough that they’ll be back.

In the field, Dave Henderson wasted 170 PAs to the tune of a .543 OPS before heading to the minors.

After Morgan was hurt, neither Denis Menke nor Tommy Helms did much at all. Helms was slightly better, but still posted only a .699 OPS.

SS remains highly unsettled: as much as the ABC’s would like to see Barry Larkin take over, he’s yet to show that he can really handle WBL pitching.

Robin Ventura was given another shot at the WBL and once again failed miserably, with a sub .500 OPS over 20 games.

Lew Ritter, Larry Pratt, and Mike Redmond were all awful as Bench’s backup.

Transactions

March

IF Davey Concepción & 3rd Round Pick to NYG for P Sad Sam Jones & 4th Round Pick.

Feels pretty meaningless, although perhaps Concepción will turn into the SS the ABC’s are missing.

July

4th Round Pick to HOM for IF Chris Sabo.

Sure, this worked out decently enough.

August

OF Jake Stenzel to CAG for P Joe Lake.

Stenzel was performing well, but was pretty blocked with Indianapolis, while Lake profiles as a decent back of rotation option, so this seems fine.

Positional Overview

C

Johnny Bench has this locked up, but his backup spot is up for grabs. Veteran Mike Redmond is probably the best defensive option, but he, Bo Díaz, Patsy Gharrity, and Christian Vázquez will be given a look.

1B

Joey Votto has made this his own, and with Adam Dunn also being able to play here, probably thoroughly blocks Sean Casey, Patsy Gharrity, and Hal Morris from seeing time in the WBL with the ABC’s.

2B

Joe Morgan is expected to be fully healthy by Spring Training, but the backup infield spot is pretty wide open, given Denis Menke and Tommy Helms‘ struggles this season.

There’s not a lot of options in the system–young Donie Bush can play here, but is better suited for SS, and veteran Craig Counsell could help out in a pinch.

SS

Barry Larkin will be given every chance to succeed here, with Donie Bush the most likely alternative, although the defensive wizardry of Pokey Reese may also be attractive.

3B

A bit unsettled, as while Chris Sabo will go into the Spring as the starter, the ABC’s would really love to see Robin Ventura finally deliver on his promise. Bob Aspromonte and Oliver Marcell have great potential here, but are probably a year or 2 away at this point.

LF/RF

George Foster is set, but there will be some competition at the other spot. Bob Bescher is a useful spark plug, but Ross Youngs, Ed Swartwood, and Edd Roush may offer enough offensively to displace him.

Leroy Stanton and Pete Rose lurk in the high minors as well.

CF

With Oscar Charleston around, there is some talent here that is blocked. Roush and Foster can play here, and the defensive skill of Jim Eisenreich has some attraction as well.

DH

Adam Dunn has the inside track here, but could be pushed by any number of the OF or 1B contenders.

SP

The front 2 of the rotation are obvious in Padrón and Johnny Cueto–indeed, the ABC’s are likely to go with less of a 6 man rotation and more of a 4 starters taking irregular turns between Padrón and Cueto.

Look for Rube Foster, Willie Mitchell, Joe Lake, Mike LaCoss, Eppa Rixey, Doc White, and The Only Nolan to be the primary contenders to fill out the rotation.

Jim Maloney has turned some scouts’ heads, but needs to transition from the bullpen to the rotation–at only 20, he still can. But probably the highest ceiling starting prospect remains Tom Glavine, who may see the high minors this year.

RP

Jack Billingham had a good year. Nobody else did, but the same crew–Clay Carroll, Rob Murphy, and Rob Dibble–are likely to be trotted out once more.

Jeff Robinson and Norm Charlton are knocking on the door if they falter (again).

Draft Outlook

DRAFT PICKS

1st Round: 1
2nd Round: 1
3rd Round: 0
4th Round: 1
5th Round: 1

Not a lot of capital here to work with.

TWIWBL 87.12: The Relievers & the Setups

By mknn

On February 9, 2026

In TWIWBL

On to the pitchers! Same Tier system.

Here we have everyone with at least 30 IP, and no more than 2 games started or 5 saves: essentially, pitchers who got some usage, but were not used as swing-starters or closers. A few other relievers who were clearly not closers were added despite having more than 5 saves.

This is an incredibly volatile populations, and success in one year should not be seen as a predictor for future seasons. Ron Reed, I’m looking at you. It’s also hard to find good bullpen arms: there are a ton more names in Tiers C and D than above.

Our usual practices prevail: bold for top 3 and italics for bottom 3.

#S Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	G	WHIP	Other
NL	KCM	Eddie Guardado	26	2-3	2.53	47	0.99	2 Sv; 10 H 1.7 BB/9 4.7 K/BB
NL	HOD/ KCM	Lee Smith	34	5-2	2.65	50	0.75	6 Sv; 12 H 2.78 FIP

Lee Smith was probably the best overall reliever in the game, obviously good enough to be a closer, but a devastating arm in the late innings. His teammate, Eddie Guardado, was just quietly undeniable all season.

#A Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	G	WHIP	Other
NL	PHI	Fred Cambria	23	5-1	3.04	39	1.14	2 Sv; 7 H 5.5 K/9
NL	HOU	Andrew Chafin	25	2-3	3.77	47	1.10	4 Sv; 7 H
NL	BRK	Terry Forster	22	1-2	4.25	47	1.21	2 Sv; 16 H 2.92 FIP
NL	NYG/ HOM	Robb Nen	32	4-5	3.32	55	1.02	10 Sv; 13 H

Terry Forster may have an argument to be nudged up, but that ERA is distracting. Andrew Chafin was steady all season in an otherwise tumultuous Houston pen, while Fred Cambria just ran under the radar end to end.

#B Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	G	WHIP	Other
NL	PHI	Pedro Feliciano	33	0-2	4.66	41	1.04	9 H .200 BA 5.6 K/9
NL	BRK	Trevor Hildenberger	27	6-3	5.03	53	1.01	11 Sv; 7 H
AL	SFS	Ken Howell	24	5-1	2.79	52	1.26	6 Sv; 15 H
NL	PHI	Ted Kennedy	22	6-4	4.05	60	1.17	5 Sv; 15 H
NL	KCM	Mike Kume	30	4-1	1.95	22	1.08	.187 BA 0.3 HR/9 1.5 K/BB
NL	NYG	Mike Norris	36	4-5	4.34	52	1.24	6 Sv; 12 H
AL	MEM	Andrew Miller	23	8-8	4.21	74	1.29	6 Sv; 12 H
—	CAG/ BBB	Akinori Otsuka	33	8-3	2.50	45	1.25	7 Sv; 7 H
AL	LAA	Ross Reynolds	26	2-1	3.56	33	1.30	1 Sv; 6 H 0.2 HR/9 2.92 FIP
AL	CLE	Al Smith	26	0-0	2.87	33	1.47	6 H 0.3 HR/9 5.5 BB/9 3.07 FIP
NL	HOD	Karl Spooner	24	3-3	5.01	37	1.04	6 Sv; 6 H

Of this group, Mike Kume looks like the most likely to be a fluke–it’s hard to sustain that kind of success with that low of a K rate. Al Smith‘s debut was fantastic, but he may be more suited to be a lefty specialist. Ross Reynolds was strong all season, and should see an expanded role next season.

We should also mention Mike Norris, who followed last year’s stellar season with a very solid one and the eternally dependable Ken Howell.

#C Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	G	WHIP	Other
NL	IND	Jack Billingham	24	5-2	5.15	52	1.38	2 Sv; 9 H
AL	MEM	Tommy de la Cruz	34	1-5	6.12	36	1.22	5 Sv; 3 H
NL	KCM	Frank DiPino	26	3-1	3.81	48	1.34	2 Sv; 9 H
NL	HOU	John Franco	27	3-3	4.83	56	1.37	1 Sv; 15 H
AL	CLE	Cory Gearrin	27	5-1	3.22	46	1.35	8 Sv; 10 H
NL	HOM	Michael Jackson	33	1-7	5.67	56	1.43	1 Sv; 21 H 2.0 BB/9
NL	PHI	Brad Kilby	27	3-3	6.20	49	1.24	2 Sv; 14 H 3.4 HR/9 1.2 BB/9 7.7 K/BB
AL	CLE	Firpo Marberry	28	7-0	4.83	51	1.33	3 Sv; 13 H
AL	DET	Buddy Napier	32	2-3	5.04	38	1.32	2 Sv; 8 H 6.0 K/9
AL	CLE	Ron Reed	34	4-6	4.71	44	1.26	2 Sv; 6 H
AL	MEM	Skel Roach	29	2-1	4.31	41	1.49	3 Sv; 12 H .143 BA 0 HR/9 9.1 BB/9 10 K/9 1.1 K/BB
NL	OTT	BJ Ryan	28	2-3	4.61	56	1.39	2 Sv; 16 H 10.2 K/9
AL	CAG/ NYY	Hoyt Wilhelm	31	4-4	4.72	59	1.35	3 Sv; 12 H

This group gets a little more interesting: Michael Jackson had a few horrible outings, but was otherwise quite steady for Homestead while Brad Kilby was only a few homeruns from moving up a level or 2.

And then there is Skel Roach. Unhittable. Dominant strikeout pitcher. And can’t find the strike zone ever, allowing over a walk per inning. That means there’s huge potential there, but how often does someone who throws this hard master their command?

#D Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	G	WHIP	Other
NL	HOD	Ed Bauta	28	4-5	3.41	55	1.45	8 Sv; 8 H
AL	DET	Chad Bradford	30	8-7	5.32	64	1.40	10 Sv; 10 H
NL	IND	Clay Carroll	31	1-3	4.66	53	1.41	2 Sv; 10 H
AL	NYY	Rheal Cormier	35	1-4	5.40	55	1.56	18 H
—	NYG/ DET	Steve Howe	27	2-1	6.02	64	1.39	9 H 4.4 K/BB
—	POR/ PHI	Mark Melancon	31	7-2	5.16	59	1.49	3 Sv; 7 H .310 BA .361 BABIP
AL	BAL	Gregg Olsen	24	3-4	5.44	41	1.72	4 Sv; 8 H .313 BA .379 BABIP
NL	HOM	Rick Ownbey	28	3-1	4.33	44	1.37	7 H
—	NYG/ DET	Troy Percival	32	3-4	5.99	64	1.40	1 Sv; 11 H 3.9 HR/9 7.74 FIP
AL	DET	Jack Wilson	23	6-1	5.43	38	1.57	5 H 5.6 BB/9 1.7 K/BB

Mark “The Vulture” Melancon continues to win at a rate his statistics don’t support while Rheal Cormier was another victim of a few poor outings in an otherwise solid season. You also see all of Detroit’s struggles here: while both Troy Percival and Steve Howe pitched better after their arrival, their pen remained weaker than hoped for even with the changes.

#F Tier

Lg	Tm	Name	Age	W-L	ERA	G	WHIP	Other
AL	MEM	Heath Bell	32	3-5	6.53	58	1.53	2 Sv; 8 H
NL	HOU	Brad Lidge	28	4-3	6.26	43	1.57	6 H
AL	MCG	Braden Looper	26	2-2	5.90	47	1.55	3 Sv; 10 H
NL	IND	Rob Murphy	27	3-8	5.66	50	1.62	2 Sv; 13 H 7.49 FIP
AL	NYY	David Robertson	25	3-3	6.94	44	1.73	5 H .311 BA .348 BABIP 9.4 K/9
AL	CLE/ SFS	Huston Street	24	6-3	6.27	44	1.50	1 Sv; 9 H
AL	BAL/ POR	John Wetteland	24	1-10	7.96	53	1.50	5 Sv; 9 H 3.5 HR/9 7.82 FIP

Why Portland kept trotting John Wetteland out there is a mystery that may remain forever unsolved. He was awful, despite an obviously live arm.

Huston Street pitched far better for San Francisco than Cleveland, and David Robertson‘s arm is clearly better than his initial WBL performance.

TWIWBL 84.7: NL Wild Card Round – Indianapolis ABC’s v Brooklyn Royal Giants

By mknn

On January 12, 2026

In 2001 Playoffs, TWIWBL

#Game 1, Wed Oct 3rd

Brooklyn surprised some fans by going with Orel Hershiser in the opening game of the series. Hershiser’s credentials are clear–19 wins and a sub 4.00 ERA–but Don Drysdale is (was?) the established ace of Brooklyn’s staff. We’ll see if this fires up Drysdale in Game 2, but that’s for another day.

Today, Hershiser will face the best pitcher in the league, Indianapolis’ Luis Padrón.

The game was scoreless with each hurler allowing only a single hit until Indianapolis’ Johnny Bench took Hershiser deep to lead off the top of the 5th. Hershiser drilled George Foster in the back–as you do–but escaped without allowing additional runs.

The bottom of the 6th saw the first challenge for Padrón: a walk to John Briggs was followed by a single by Jackie Robinson. Padrón whiffed Ron Cey but Mike Piazza took him deep to right, putting Brooklyn on top, 3-1. Even though he was done on the mound, Padrón wasn’t finished, though: he took Hershiser deep in the top of the 7th, once more tying the game.

Clay Carroll took over on the mound from Padrón, and was greeted quite rudely: Duke Snider and Vern Stephens singled and Beals Becker followed with a 3 run shot, doubling the Royal Giants’ advantage to 6-3. Carroll was relieved by Rube Foster, who fared little better as Piazza hit his 2nd of the day, putting Brooklyn on top, 8-3.

Stephens added a solo shot for the final tally, 9-3 in favor of Brooklyn.

Piazza drove in 5 and Stephens and Robinson chipped in with 2 hits each for Brooklyn.

IND 3 (Carroll 0-1) @ BRK 9 (Hershiser 1-0)
HRs: IND – Bench (1), Padrón (1); BRK – Piazza 2 (2), Becker (1), Stephens (1).
Box Score

#Game 2, Thu Oct 4

The key second game would fall to Johnny Cueto for Indianapolis. Brooklyn turns to Don Drysdale, and the question on everyone’s mind is how the big righthander would react to being passed over for the opening game.

Brooklyn’s Dickie Thon continues to be sidelined with an abdominal strain, but Indianapolis has regained the services of OF Emil Frisk, a useful piece off the bench, perhaps.

Drysdale struggled in the top of the first, giving up a double and a walk. But he also whiffed 2, and escaped the frame without harm. Brooklyn would take the lead on a sacrifice fly, taking advantage of an error by Indianapolis’ Barry Larkin, for an early 1-0 lead.

Oscar Charleston took Drysdale deep with a runner on, putting the ABC’s ahead, 2-1. But Indianapolis’ fielding would continue to betray them, with Jackie Robinson reaching on a miscue by Chris Sabo at 3rd and then scoring on a poor throw from Bescher in left on a Ron Cey single. Clearly frustrated, Cueto delivered a belt high fastball to Mike Piazza, who promptly hit it out. 4-2, Brooklyn.

Cueto surrendered another homerun–a solo shot to Vern Stephens–before a John Briggs single chased him from the game.

Drysdale toughed it out through 6 innings, fanning 7 and exiting with the Royal Giants up, 5-2.

Frisk would get his chance: Johnny Bench greeted Burleigh Grimes with a double, and moved to 3rd on a groundout, bringing Frisk to the plate, pinch-hitting for Tommy Helms. But Grimes prevailed, retiring Frisk and Larkin to maintain Indianapolis’ edge.

Bescher atoned for his fielding mistake with a leadoff homerun in the 8th off Terry Forster, but Rob Murphy continued to struggle on the mound, allowing a double to Dan Brouthers and a triple to Jackie Robinson. So we head to the 9th with Brooklyn ahead, 6-3 and Eric Gagne coming in from the bullpen.

Gagne was not his usual self, walking Adam Dunn and Bench to start the 9th. But he recovered, fanning 2 and getting a groundout from Larkin to end the game and put the Royal Giants up, 2 games to nothing.

Piazza’s third homerun in 2 games was key, but the errors were probably more important as only 2 of the runs were earned, leaving Indianapolis’ fans to wonder what if.

IND 3 (Cueto 0-1) @ BRK 6 (Drysdale 1-0; Gagne 1 Sv; Grimes 1 H; Forster 1 H)
HRs: IND – Charleston (1), Bescher (1); BRK – Piazza 1 (3), Stephens (2).
Box Score

#Game 3, Sat Oct 6

We head to Indianapolis for game 3, with Smokey Joe Williams getting the ball for Brooklyn and the ABC’s turning to Eppa Rixey.

Both hurlers delivered, with the game scoreless through 3 innings, but Dan Brouthers led off the 4th with a double and moved to 3rd on a single from Jackie Robinson. Ron Cey grounded into a double-play, scoring the run for a 1-0 edge to the Royal Giants.

Williams only allowed 1 hit through 5 innings, but 5 walks were nudging his pitch count up earlier than Brooklyn would like.

Rixey gave up 2 hits to start the 6th and a sacrifice fly to Dan Brouthers, doubling Brooklyn’s lead and bringing Dolf Luque in from the ABC’s.

The ABC’s got on the board in the 6th when Joey Votto took Williams yard, but Mike Piazza got the run back with a shot to right in the top of the 7th making the score 3-1 in favor of Brooklyn.

Williams stayed in until a single by Adam Dunn in the bottom of the 7th, but the rest of the inning passed without incident. But the ABC’s wouldn’t go without a fight, using a walk and a single to put runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out in the bottom of the 8th. That brought Sandy Koufax in from the bullpen to face Oscar Charleston and Joey Votto. The runners advanced on a double-steal and Charleston singled in 2 runs, tying the game at 3.

The pitching continued to be solid, and we had the first extra inning game of this year’s postseason.

Brooklyn was the first to threaten, with a Vern Stephens double leading off the 10th. Stephens was replaced by the speedier Ray Dandridge, but Clay Carroll got out of the inning when a hard liner from John Briggs turned into an inning ending double play.

George Foster singled to lead off the bottom of the 11th and after Dave Von Ohlen fanned Dunn, the Royal Giants summoned Eric Gagne from the pen. Gagne walked Luis Padrón and then gave up a game-winning single to Barry Larkin, giving Indianapolis a 4-3 victory that keeps the ABC’s in the series.

BRK 3 (Von Ohlen 0-1; Hildenberger 1 H; Forster 2 H; Koufax 1 BSv) @ IND 4 (Carroll 1-1) [11 Innings]
HRs: BRK – Piazza (4); IND – Votto (1).
Box Score

#Game 4, Sun 7 Oct

Pitching depth begins to matter more and more: for Brooklyn, they get to trot out Fernando Valenzuela, who would be a top of rotation starter for most teams, while Indianapolis goes with Joe Lake, brought over mid-season from Chicago to help bolster their staff.

Brooklyn will give Ray Dandridge his first start of the series while Indianapolis will turn to Ed Charles for the first time, sliding Chris Sabo to DH in an attempt to get more right handed bats against the lefty Valenzuela.

With 2 outs in the bottom of the first, Oscar Charleston and Joey Votto doubled, and Johnny Bench followed with a homerun, making it 3-0.

Dandridge rewarded the faith in him with an RBI single in the 2nd, and then scored on a base hit by John Briggs, making it a 1 run game at 3-2 in favor of the ABC’s.

Charleston took Valenzuela deep with a runner on, but the Royal Giants bounced back with a vengeance: Ron Cey and Mike Piazza went back-to-back with big flies and Dandridge tripled in a run by the time the inning ended, Lake had been replaced by Doc White and Brooklyn held a 1 run advantage, 6-5.

Brooklyn added 2 more, fueled by a 2-out double from Roy White, and Barry Larkin got 1 back for Indianapolis with a solo shot. At that point, both bullpens were fully engaged: Sandy Koufax for Brooklyn and Rube Foster in relief of White for the ABC’s. Koufax gave up a run on another Larkin RBI, so after 6 innings we had a 1 run game, 8-7 in favor of Brooklyn. Roy White took Foster deep and Brouthers added another RBI, giving the Royal Giants a 3 run cushion as they turned to the back end of their bullpen

Brouthers drove in 2 more with a double in the 9th, which became important when Charleston hit a 2 run shot in the bottom of the inning. That fetched Eric Gagne from the bullpen, who was able to close it out for a 12-9 win for Brooklyn, and the all-important 3-1 series lead.

Charleston finished with 3 hits and 4 RBIs in the losing cause; Briggs and Dandridge each had 4 hits for the victors.

BRK 12 (Koufax 1-0; Gagne 2 Sv; Forster 3 H; Hildenberger 2 H) @ IND 9 (Lake 0-1)
HRs: BRK – Piazza (5), Cey (1), White (1); IND – Bench (2), Charleston 2 (3), Larkin (1).
Box Score

#Game 5, Mon Oct 8

With Brooklyn having a chance to clinch, the 2 teams will bring out the same hurlers who faced off in Game 1–Orel Hershiser for Brooklyn and Luis Padrón for Indianapolis.

Pedro Guerrero will see his first action of the series for the Royal Giants while Ed Charles will start at 3B for Indianapolis in place of the struggling Chris Sabo.

Indianapolis would take the lead on a fairly unlikely event–a triple by Johnny Bench, which scored Joey Votto. Hershiser and Padrón were dealing, and the game remained 1-0 through 4 innings. In the top of the 5th, Guerrero came through with an RBI single, driving in 2. Ray Dandridge followed with a single, and Brooklyn had a 3-1 lead.

Padrón went 6, giving up the 3 runs. Duke Snider greeted his replacement, Jack Billingham, with a solo homerun; 2 walks and a hit later, the ABC’s brought in Willie Mitchell. It was a challenging ask: Mitchell came into the game with 1 out and the bases loaded. H walked in a run and gave a single to Mike Piazza, making it 7-1 Brooklyn, with 9 outs to go.

Hershiser got 2 of them, pitching into the 7th, but a walk to Padrón and a 2-out single from Bob Bescher brought Burleigh Grimes in from the pen. Grimes got the final out–a flyout from Charles–and we were off to the 8th.

Frank Knauss–yet to see action the series–was given the chance to close the game out for the Royal Giants. Knauss allowed 2 baserunners in the 9th but eventually got Bescher to groundout, ending the ABC’s season and joining Houston in the Division Series.

Dandridge continued to argue for more playing time, banging out 3 hits in the game, but it was really Hershiser’s performance that sealed the deal.

BRK 7 (Hershiser 2-0) @ IND 1 (Padrón 0-1)
HRs: BRK – Snider (1); IND – none.
Box Score

Mike Piazza took home the MVP Award, hitting .400 with 5 homeruns and 12 RBIs for Brooklyn.