Tag: Jackie Robinson Page 3 of 4

TWIWBL 21.1: NL All Star Selections

On January 26, 2022

AL All Stars here.

The final choice was the hardest, as the NL decided to go with only 11 pitchers, electing to select both Rickey Henderson and Josh Gibson over Joseíto Muñoz‘ arm in the bullpen.

Predictably, the New York Black Yankees have the most players going with seven, but the Portland Sea Dogs will supply four of the starters for the NL.

The Indianapolis ABC’s and the Miami Cuban Giants will have a single representative each.

Catchers

Portland’s Joe Mauer is the starting backstop. The question here is whether Thurman Munson (Black Yankees) has done enough to overtake Indianapolis’ Johnny Bench behind him. Munson’s OPS is .001 higher, and he’s spent a little more time behind the plate. But Bench has played more overall, and leads Munson in all counting stats other than doubles. It’s a bit of a moot point, as all three make the team.

That potentially leaves two deserving players off the roster: the Homestead Grays‘ Josh Gibson is putting up incredible numbers for a teenager and Mauer’s teammate, Iván Rodríguez, would easily make the team if he had more playing time (it’s a pretty good problem for the Sea Dogs to have).

Johnny Bench (IND). 278/394/542.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 315/406/472.
Joe Mauer (POR). 317/401/545.
Thurman Munson (NYY). 330/392/544; 20 2B.
Iván Rodríguez (POR). 352/370/555.

First Base

Three players have an OPS over 1.000 but only one will make the roster as a first baseman. The Cleveland Spiders‘ Ron Blomberg will start for the NL, but at DH, while Portland’s Kent Hrbek will take the field at first. The third player, Blomberg’s teammate John Ellis, just hasn’t played enough, with under 200 plate appearances. Still, those numbers are a little hard to ignore.

New York’s Lou Gehrig deserves a selection, but like Blomberg, he’s seen the field very rarely, so he’ll also make the roster as a DH. Finally, both Homestead’s Mike Epstein and Indianapolis’ Jake Stahl deserve a very close look for a roster spot, but with both Blomberg and Gehrig ahead of them, it’s not clear they’ll make it. In the end, Epstein is the strongest candidate from the Grays, so he does make the roster.

Ron Blomberg (CLE). 335/405/618; 18 HR; 18 2B; 49 RBI; 48 R.
John Ellis (CLE). 311/351/659; 16 HR.
Mike Epstein (HOM). 336/438/521.
Lou Gehrig (NYY). 284/382/591; 16 HR.
Kent Hrbek (POR). 322/393/617; 22 HR; 54 RBI; 53 R.
Jake Stahl (IND). 277/337/564.

Second Base

Despite Tom Herr‘s recent slump, the Birmingham Black Barons‘ second baseman remains a media darling, and was anointed as the all star starter many moons ago. It’s a little unfair to Cleveland’s Chuck Knoblauch, who really has surpassed Herr by a hair. Herr has been the superior fielder by quite a bit, so perhaps that justifies his getting the starting nod.

After those two, it’s hard. Indianapolis’ Joe Morgan deserves it, but has played in barely over half the ABC’s games. The other two candidates–the San Francisco Sea Lion‘s Jimmy Bloodworth and the Brooklyn Royal Giant‘s Jackie Robinson–come with their own concerns. In Robinson’s case, he’s really played much more at 1B, where his offensive contribution is decidedly mediocre; Bloodworth’s numbers are just a tad weaker across the board than the others.

Jimmy Bloodworth (SFS). 282/320/467.
Tom Herr (BBB). 310/355/440. 16 2B.
Chuck Knoblauch (CLE). 300/353/451. 16 2B.
Joe Morgan (IND). 301/385/412.
Jackie Robinson (BRK). 273/338/485.

Third Base

The hot corner is a little weak in the NL. The Philadelphia Star‘s Scott Rolen is among the better hitters and has been–by far–the flashiest with the leather, so he gets the starting nod.

Portland’s Buddy Bell has hit better than Rolen, but is both mired in a slump and has been weaker defensively. Still, it’s enough to make the team. After those two … who knows? Brooklyn’s Ron Cey has been fine, and if there is a need for a third player, he’s likely it. San Francisco’s Pedro Guerrero has neither played enough in general, nor enough at 3B to warrant inclusion, but he has been a force offensively.

Buddy Bell (POR). 290/354/506; 44 RBI.
Ron Cey (BRK). 242/350/465.
Pedro Guerrero (SFS). 298/367/530.
Scott Rolen (PHI). 284/353/491. 19 2B.

Shortstop

Offensively, there are really only two contenders: Portland’s Jim Fregosi and New York’s Derek Jeter. Both have been below average defensively, but Fregosi has been better than Jeter: between that and his better offensive output, he gets the starting nod.

Homestead’s Arky Vaughan has been spectacular defensively, but it’s not clear it’s been enough to offset a very poor offensive showing, while San Francisco’s Dick Lundy was making a good argument before he got injured.

Jim Fregosi (POR). 286/356/435; 16 2B.
Derek Jeter (NYY). 278/325/393; 17 2B.
Dick Lundy (SFS). 278/292/421.
Arky Vaughan (HOM). 223/340/327.

Left Fielders

Even with his numbers dropping over the past few weeks, Babe Ruth of the New York Black Yankees is the dominant player here. There is a bit of a drop after Ruth, with possible arguments being made for Philadelphia’s Rico Carty and Portland’s Harry Hooper. None of those three players bring much defensively, and taking that into consideration, Brooklyn’s Roy White and Homestead’s Rick Reichardt, and perhaps San Francisco’s Rickey Henderson enter the conversation.

Finally, there is the Albert Belle conundrum: his numbers are beyond impressive, but he’s not played a lot of innings.

Albert Belle (NYY). 315/377/558; 18 2B.
Rico Carty (PHI). 287/354/470; 25 2B.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 261/398/370; 52 R; 50 SB.
Harry Hooper (POR). 297/399/418; 45 R.
Rick Reichardt (HOM). 284/372/436; 42 RBI.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 305/413/649; 24 HR; 16 2B; 67 RBI; 58 R.
Roy White (BRK). 284/352/451; 17 2B.

Center Fielders

Now things get a little more interesting.

Bobby Murcer (Portland) is the clear starter, but an argument can be made for another four players behind him: San Francisco’s Bobby Bonds, Brooklyn’s Duke Snider, and the Davis twins–New York’s Eric Davis and Philadelphia’s Willie Davis–are all fairly indistinguishable. Eric was once considered the lock starter, but has slumped recently, but he is still certain to make the squad.

Eric Davis and Snider have been among the better defenders, bolstering each of their arguments as well.

Bobby Bonds (SFS). 314/364/531; 26 SB.
Eric Davis (NYY). 286/337/557; 22 HR; 66 RBI; 55 R; 35 SB.
Willie Davis (PHI). 299/358/537.
Bobby Murcer (POR). 327/402/567; 15 2B; 48 RBI; 46 R.
Duke Snider (BRK). 327/363/548; 16 HR; 44 RBI.

Right Field

The starter is the most obvious selection of all: triple-crown threat Reggie Jackson of the San Francisco Seals earns the honor. Behind Jackson, New York’s Mickey Mantle and Miami’s José Canseco are the clear choices, with Homestead’s Roberto Clemente forcing himself into the conversation over the last few weeks.

José Canseco (MCG). 295/365/502; 41 R.
Roberto Clemente (HOM). 309/336/486; 15 2B; 40 RBI.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 356/453/648; 16 2B; 16 HR; 44 R.
Mickey Mantle (NYY). 292/399/456; 48 R.

Starting Pitchers

Red Ruffing of the New York Black Yankees has come out of nowhere to be in the conversation for the starting slot for the AL with a 9-2 record. San Francisco’s Lefty Grove is close behind at 8-2, and several pitchers have 7 wins. Brooklyn’s Don Drysedale leads the AL in ERA among starters, and Cleveland’s workhorse Cy Young leads in WHIP. So those four feel pretty solid. Two more Black Yankees–Waite Hoyt and WBL strikeout leader Ron Guidry (whose last few starts have probably moved him off the roster)–are in the conversation, as is Miami’s Camilo Pascual and Portland’s Walter Johnson.

Pascual and Guidry have losing records, making their selection harder to justify, although Pascual plays for a bad team, making that less of an issue for him.

Finally, Tim Hudson of the Birmingham Black Barons has forced his way onto the roster, despite being a few inning short of qualifying as a starting pitcher. Going 5-0 with an ERA under 3.00 and a WHIP under 1.00 will do that.

Don Drysedale (BRK). 5-3; 3.23; 1.19 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 8-2; 3.49; 1.30 WHIP.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 5-6; 4.27; 1.25 WHIP.
Waite Hoyt (NYY). 5-1; 3.51; 1.22 WHIP.
Tim Hudson (BBB). 5-0; 2.73; 0.93 WHIP.
Walter Johnson (POR). 7-3; 3.83 ERA; 1.30 WHIP.
Camilo Pascual (MCG). 4-6; 3.42; 1.27 WHIP.
Red Ruffing (NYY). 9-2; 3.79; 1.32 WHIP.
Cy Young (CLE). 6-3; 3.54; 1.17 WHIP.

Relief Pitchers

For the closers, WBL save leader Johan Santana of Portland is an automatic choice, as are Cleveland’s Terry Adams and San Francisco’s Rod Beck. And then it becomes a matter of tradeoffs: Philadelphia’s Bob Howry‘s other numbers are great, but his ERA is over 5.00 while Brooklyn’s Watty Clark and Miami’s Aroldis Chapman have a decent number of saves, but probably fall short.

Portland’s Elmer Brown and San Francisco’s Ron Robinson have 9 Holds each, trailing Philadelphia’s Ron Reed, who has 12.

Indianapolis’ Willie Mitchell has been absolutely dominant, with an ERA barely over 1.00, but it’s hard to really choose between him, San Francisco’s Ken Howell and Charlie Root, and Portland’s Joseíto Muñoz.

Terry Adams (CLE). 0-3; 17 Sv; 2.91; 1.66 WHIP.
Rod Beck (SFS). 1-1; 16 Sv; 2.65; 1 H; 0.76 WHIP.
Elmer Brown (POR). 2-4; 4 Sv; 2.35; 9 H; 1.14 WHIP.
Aroldis Chapman (MCG). 201; 12 Sv; 1.59 ERA; 2.06 WHIP.
Watty Clark (BRK). 3-1; 13 Sv; 1.66; 1.11 WHIP.
Ken Howell (SFS). 3-3; 3 Sv; 1.45; 3 H; 0.97 WHIP.
Bob Howry (PHI). 2-3; 16 Sv; 5.04; 1.66 WHIP.
Willie Mitchell (IND). 2-2; 1 Sv; 1.08; 1 H; 1.16 WHIP.
Joseíto Muñoz (POR). 3-1; 3 Sv; 1.19; 2 H; 1.02 WHIP.
Ron Reed (PHI). 0-2; 3 Sv; 2.72; 12 H; 1.13 WHIP.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-1; 3.45; 9 H; 1.36 WHIP.
Charlie Root (SFS). 4-1; 2.98; 0.99 WHIP.
Johan Santana (POR). 1-1; 22 Sv; 2.57; 1 H; 1.48 WHIP.

Selections by Team

Listed alphabetically, Italic indicates a starter.

Birmingham Black Barons: Tom Herr (2B); Tim Hudson (P).
Brooklyn Royal Giants: Don Drysedale (P).
Cleveland Spiders: Terry Adams (P); Ron Blomberg (DH); Chuck Knoblauch (2B); Cy Young (P).
Homestead Grays: Mike Epstein (1B); Josh Gibson (C).
Indianapolis ABC’s: Johnny Bench (C)
Miami Cuban Giants: José Canseco (RF)
New York Black Yankees. Eric Davis (CF); Lou Gehrig (1B); Derek Jeter (SS); Mickey Mantle (RF); Thurman Munson (C); Red Ruffing (P); Babe Ruth (LF).
Philadelphia Stars: Ron Reed (P); Scott Rolen (3B).
Portland Sea Dogs: Buddy Bell (3B); Jim Fregosi (SS); Kent Hrbek (1B); Joe Mauer (C); Bobby Murcer (CF); Johan Santana (P).
San Francisco Sea Lions: Rod Beck (P); Lefty Grove (P); Rickey Henderson (LF); Ken Howell (P); Reggie Jackson (RF); Charlie Root (P).

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

By mknn

On December 27, 2021

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

#Game One: Walter Johnson @ Dutch Leonard

Walter Johnson and Dutch Leonard both started well, with Portland taking the lead in the top of the 2nd on a Jeff Burroughs homerun. The Royal Giants tied it in the bottom half of the 3rd, when Beals Becker returned the favor, depositing a fastball from Johnson in the left field seats.

Brooklyn would take their first lead in the 4th, with a Ron Cey double scoring Duke Snider. Dan Brouthers added an RBI single and Ray Dandridge a sacrifice fly, and the Royal Giants were up 4-1 at the end of the inning.

Leonard sailed through the game, not allowing another run until Kent Hrbek hit his 19th homerun of the season in the ninth inning.

POR 2 (Johnson 7-3) @ Brooklyn 6 (Leonard 5-7)
HRs: POR – Burroughs (9), Hrbek (19); BRK – Becker (8)
Box Score

#Game Two: Bert Blyleven @ Frank Knauss

Fred Dunlap led off the game with a homerun off Frank Knauss on the first pitch of the game to give the Sea Dogs a 1-0 lead, but Brooklyn tied it up when Dan Brouthers, who tripled, scored on a Bert Blyleven wild pitch.

The Royal Giants took the lead for good on a two run shot by Dickie Thon in the bottom of the 2nd. The Sea Dogs closed it to 3-2 on Kent Hrbek‘s 20th homerun of the year, but the game was broken open in the bottom of the 7th when, after a leadoff double by Duke Farrell, Joseito Muñoz relieved Blyleven. Muñoz had been virtually unhittable all season, but the Royal Giants got to him, with Hi Myers and Jermaine Dye delivering RBI hits, extending the lead to 6-2.

It should have been worse: the Royal Giants’ batters left 16 runners on base.

POR 2 (Blyleven 5-4) @ BRK 6 (Knauss 5-4; Von Ohlen 1 Sv)
HRs: POR – Dunlap (5), Hrbek (20); BRK – Thon (1)
Box Score

#Game Three: Jerry Koosman @ Sandy Koufax

Harry Hooper stole second and scored on a single by Bobby Murcer to give Portland the lead in the top of the first. Sandy Koufax would struggle, walking in a run and allowing another to score in a sacrifice fly, as the Sea Dogs jumped out to a 3-0 lead attempting to win their first game of the series.

An Iván Rodríguez RBI single and a 2-run shot into the left field seats by Kent Hrbek–his third of the series–made it 6-0 in the second.

But Brooklyn wasn’t ready to give it up: after an RBI infield singly by Ray Dandridge, Jackie Robinson came through with his 9th homerun of the year, a grand slam that just cleared the outfield fence.

That made the score 6-5, and while Koufax wouldn’t make it out of the 4th, Tommy Hanson was able to close the door, keeping the game a one run affair.

Jermaine Dye tied the game in the bottom of the 6th, greeting Pascual Pérez with a homerun to make it 6-6.

And it stayed that way for six more innings: Pérez, Jim Kern, and Mike Cuellar for Portland traded blanks with Hanson, Trevor Hildenberger, and Eric Gagne for Brooklyn. That was, until the 12th, when Gagne gave up a triple to Gary Pettis, a run-scoring single to Joe Mauer, and another homerun to Hrbek for a 9-6 Portland lead. Johan Santana picked up his 22nd save of the season and the Sea Dogs had their first victory of the series.

POR 9 (Cuellar 5-4; Santana 22 Sv; Pérez 3 BSv) @ BRK 6 (Gagne 2-3)
HRs: POR – Hrbek 2 (22); BRK – Robinson (9), Dye (2)
Box Score

#Game Four: Wade Miller @ Don Sutton

In addition to salvaging a series split, Portland’s Wade Miller will try to protect his perfect record as he sits at 5-0 on the year. Brooklyn’s Ron Cey had other ideas, though, taking Miller deep in the bottom of the 2nd for an early 1-0 lead for the Royal Giants.

Adrián Beltré took Don Sutton deep with the bases loaded to put the Sea Dogs up, 4-1 and two batters later, Jeff Burroughs sent a ball to almost the same spot, extending Portland’s advantage to 5-1.

A Duke Farrell double and a triple from Davey Lopes helped Brooklyn get back in it in the bottom of the 4th, closing the lead to 5-4. Brooklyn tied it in the bottom of the 7th when, after stealing second and moving to third on a fielder’s choice, Lopes scored on a sacrifice fly by Ray Dandridge.

Despite getting two runners on in the bottom of the 9th, the teams were unable to score, and we had the second consecutive extra-inning game.

Beals Becker would send the crowd home happy when he ended the game in the bottom of the 12th with a solo homerun, giving Brooklyn the 6-5 win and the 3-1 edge in the series.

Beltré is now hitting .481 in his first 14 WBL games after his 3-for-5, 4 RBI performance here.

POR 5 (Brown 2-4; Wood 1 BSv) @ BRK 6 (Von Ohlen 4-0) [12 Innings]
HRs: POR – Beltré (2), Burroughs (10); BRK – Cey (11), Becker (9)
Box Score

#Series Summary

For Portland, Kent Hrbek had a dominant performance, going 6-for-19 with 4 homeruns and Jeff Burroughs went deep twice.

Brooklyn was led by Beals Becker, who went 6-for-16 in the four games with 2 homeruns. Duke Snider went 5-for-18 for Brooklyn, and Dickie Thon and Roy White had 4 hits each.

A bit of a surprise as Portland was favored going in, but a good series for sure.

Series XVII Preview: Portland Sea Dogs @ Brooklyn Royal Giants

By mknn

On December 5, 2021

In Series Previews

Series XVII allows us to check back in with two teams we haven’t touched on in quite a while: for the Portland Sea Dogs, it was way back in Series II, for the Brooklyn Royal Giants, Series IV.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Portland comes into their series with the best record in the league and a 5.5 game lead in the Marvin Miller Division. As you would expect given that, there are a lot of fine performances across the board here.

On the mound, the Sea Dogs are led by Walter Johnson, who is 7-2 with a 3.61 ERA. Since moving into the rotation to replace the injured Smokey Joe Wood, Wade Miley has been a revelation, posting a 5-0 record in 6 starts, with an ERA under 4.00. The rest of the starting rotation is solid, if unspectacular, each of them with ERA’s in the mid 4’s.

The bullpen has been strong, with the emergent Joseito Munoz making it spectacular. Since his recall, Munoz has pitched in 9 games (1 start), amassing a 2-1 record, 2 holds, and 3 saves. His ERA is a microscopic 0.70, with a WHIP under 1. Elmer Brown has been great as a setup arm, and Mike Cuellar quite good as well. And all of that leads to the WBL’s saves leader, Johan Santana, who as 21 saves on the season.

No fewer than five Sea Dogs sport OPS’ over .900. Two of those share a position, with Joe Mauer (321/404/560) getting most of the time behind the plate ahead of Ivan Rodriguez (361/372/565). The others are 1B Kent Hrbek (318/393/597), CF Bobby Murcer (330/411/573), and 3B Buddy Bell (308/371/545). Hrbek leads the team in homeruns with 18 (Gil Hodges has 16) while Harry Hooper leads in RBIs with 37.

Even Greg Litton–at one point much maligned and on the verge of being sent down–has eased his OPS over .600 which, combined with his defensive versatility, continues to earn him a roster spot.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Brooklyn sits second in the Marvin Miller Division, behind the Sea Dogs, but the gap between them is fairly clear: while the Royal Giants have a fantastic pitching staff (arguably the best in the league), they have struggled to score runs.

The pitching staff is led by Don Drysedale whose 3.32 ERA and 1.23 WHIP warrant more than his 4-3 record. After Drysedale, it falls off a bit. Frank Knauss and Sandy Koufax (he of the only 1-hitter in WBL history) have been solid; Dutch Leonard and Don Sutton less so.

The bullpen has been very strong, with Eric Gagne and Trevor Hildenberger quite effectively bridging the way to closer Watty Clark (12 saves).

After their last series, the Royal Giants turned over both catchers and a few outfielders and the jury is still out on whether that was a good move. In extremely limited opportunities so far, Jermaine Dye and Al Lopez have done well, while Hi Myers and Michael Brantley are still looking to find their sea legs. Recalled a few weeks ago, Ray Dandridge has had an excellent start to his WBL career, and looks poised to take over from Dickie Thon at SS.

The team is led by the trio of Duke Snider (329/366/557), Jackie Robinson (287/349/509), and Roy White (288/354/468). Snider leads the team in homeruns and RBIs with 15 and 41, respectively.

But Brooklyn needs someone else to step up–whether one of the newly promoted players, or, perhaps more likely, Beals Becker, Davey Lopes, or Dan Brouthers–in order to have a hope of catching Portland.

#Starting Pitchers

Portland starter listed first.

Walter Johnson (7-2, 3.61) @ Dutch Leonard (4-7, 4.25)
Bert Blyleven (5-3, 4.73) @ Frank Knauss (4-4, 3.10)
Jerry Koosman (4-5, 4.85) @ Sandy Koufax (3-2, 3.86)
Wade Miller (5-0, 3.76) @ Don Sutton (2-4, 4.71)

#Series Prediction

My heart wants a Brooklyn sweep to tighten up the division race.

But my head says the best the Royal Giants could hope for is a tie, with the more likely outcome being three Sea Dogs victories.

TWIWBL 19.4: Series XVI Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On December 3, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Frank McCormick led the Black Barons to a 7-1 win over Miami, driving in 5 with 2 homeruns. One was a grand slam, the other a 525 foot bomb for the 2nd longest homerun in WBL history. Omar Infante, Frank Isbell, and Bob Nieman added 2 hits each in support of Alejandro Pena, who moved to 5-5 with 6 strong innings.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

3 hits each from Duke Snider and Jermaine Dye (including Snider’s 15th homerun of the season) led Brooklyn to a 10-5 victory over the Black Yankees. Jackie Robinson and Ray Dandridge added 2 hits apiece and each scored 2 runs in support of Sandy Koufax, who improved to 3-2 on the season.

#Miami Cuban Giants

A WBL record-tying 3 doubles from José Cardenal weren’t enough as the Cuban Giants fell to Birmingham, 5-4. Manny Machado added 2 hits for Miami, who are more troubled by Camilo Pascual‘s fall from among the league’s best than this particular loss. Pascual is now 4-5 with an ERA heading towards the mid-3.00’s.

With Paul Molitor out for about a month, Miami recalled Pete Runnels from AAA. Runnels, who started the year with Memphis, was released on May 25th and signed with the Cuban Giants five days later.

The injuries keep coming for Miami: Alejandro Oms is out for just over a week with a strained shoulder. Eddie Milner was recalled from AAA to help out in CF in Oms’ absence.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Harry Hooper drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 11th in a game Portland almost gave away. Hooper and Fred Dunlap each drove in two runs, and Mike Cuellar earned the victory with three innings of relief, evening his record at 4-4.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Dick Lundy, who has forced his way into the starting lineup, will miss about a month with a strained oblique muscle. This both prolongs the challenge of Eddie Joost (still struggling at 156/277/291) and brings Miguel Cairo up from AAA.

Wally Moon and Rickey Henderson had 3 hits each, leading the Sea Lions to a come from behind victory over Memphis by a score of 8-6. Henderson scored 3 times and stole 2 bases–just another day at the office for Rickey–and Jack Clark hit a 3-run homerun. After Cy Falkenberg struggled through 5 innings, the victory went to Huston Street, with Rod Beck picking up his 16th save.

Series XVI Featured Game: Philadelphia Stars @ Los Angeles Angels

By mknn

On November 17, 2021

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

Entries for Series XVI come down to a single game and a great series. First, the game.

#Philadelphia Stars @ Los Angeles Angels, Game 3

With the series tied at 2, Philadelphia sent Jaret Wright to the mound to take on Nolan Ryan. Ryan was making his 6th start of the year, and his 3rd after returning to the rotation. It hasn’t gone great: 2 losses and 9 runs in 9 innings.

It didn’t start great for Ryan, as he gave up a leadoff single to Willie Davis and walked Rico Carty, but induced a double play from Ted Kluszewski to escape the inning.

Los Angeles scored in the bottom of the frame on a Mike Trout single after Don Buford led off with a base hit and stole second.

The top of the second was more of the same for Ryan: a single, a hit by pitch, and a walk, but no runs allowed. The third was not so kind: Gavvy Cravath doubled in a run, Kluszewski scored on a wild pitch, and Cravath scored on a groundout to give the Angels the lead, 3-1. Ryan wouldn’t make it through the 4th, as he hit another batter and walked Kluszewski, bringing in Pud Galvin from the bullpen, who was able to shut the door despite a walk to load the bases.

Wright was sailing along at this point, but a leadoff single in the bottom of the 4th was followed by a 2-run homerun from Trout, tying the game at 3.

Wright and Galvin traded goose eggs until the bottom of the 7th, when Wright walked Doug Rader and gave up a double to Bobby Grich.

So we went to the top of the 9th with the Angels ahead by a run. It had been an hard game on the Angels’ staff, and with their usual closer, Joe Nathan, a bit fatigued, they turned to Francisco Rodriguez. Rodriguez got Sherm Lollar to strike out swinging, but gave up a double to Carty.

That brought in Jonny Venters to face Kluszewski, who grounded out, sending John Montgomery Ward (who pinch-ran for Carty) to third. With that, the Angels turned to a tired Nathan to close the game out. Instead, he walked Cravath and gave up a game-tying single to Scott Rolen.

Larry Jackson, on for Philadelphia, kept it tied, and with nobody else to turn to, LA kept Nathan out there. It wasn’t a great move, as Davis took him deep for a 5-4 lead for the Stars.

The Stars’ Bobby Howry relieved Jackson, and retired the side on six pitches to preserve the win. Davis had three hits and Cravath two for the Stars, while Trout had 2 hits and 3 RBI for the Angels.

PHI 5 (Jackson 3-1; Howry 16 Sv) @ LAA 4 (Nathan 3-3, 3 BSv; Gooden 1 H; Rodriguez 4 H; Venters 7 H) [10 Innings]
HRs: PHI – Davis (10); LAA – Trout (6)
Box Score

#Brooklyn Royal Giants @ New York Black Yankees, Games 1, 3 & 4

Since I don’t want to write detailed summaries of each game–we do have a featured series, after all–I will instead trace some of the major throughlines.

Game one was a pitching duel between Frank Knauss and Red Ruffing. The Black Yankees scored a run in the bottom of the first two innings on a homerun from Babe Ruth and a triple from Lou Gehrig.

Ruffing–who is quickly moving into all-star contention–had a shutout through 8, but with one out in the 9th, gave up a double to Roy White and a single to Duke Snider. That brought in the Black Yankees’ closer, Sparky Lyle. Lyle struggled, giving up an RBI single to Jermaine Dye and base hit to Ron Cey to load the bases, before inducing a double play groundout from Hi Myers to preserve the victory.

Brooklyn shuffled its roster significantly prior to the series, and the game saw the WBL debuts of Dye and Michael Brantley.

BRK 1 (Knauss 4-4) @ NYY 2 (Ruffing 9-1; Lyle 9 Sv)
HRs: NYY – Ruth (22)
Box Score

Game three was somewhat similar: Waite Hoyt of the Black Yankees had a solid start going, while Brooklyn’s Don Sutton struggled a bit, leaving New York leading 5 to 4 (Brooklyn’s Al Lopez hit a homerun in his first WBL at-bat and Babe Ruth hit a 2-run shot for New York) heading into the top of the 9th.

Again, the Black Yankees turned to Sparky Lyle. And that’s where the game turned.

Lyle gave up a leadoff walk to Dickie Thon, a single to Duke Farrell, an RBI single to Beals Becker and another to Jackie Robinson. Roy White singled to load the bases, and that was it for Lyle. Ralph Citarella gave up a double to Duke Snider, and when the inning ended, Brooklyn was on top 8-5.

Despite giving up a leadoff single to Lou Gehrig, Brooklyn’s closer, Watty Clark, shut the door in the bottom of the 9th.

Becker, Robinson, Snider, and Lopez each had 2 hits for the Royal Giants while Mickey Mantle was 4-for-4 for New York.

BRK 8 (Hildenberger 3-0; Clark 11 Sv) @ NYY 5 (Lyle 0-2, 3 BSv; Betances 4 H)
HRs: BRK – Lopez (1); NYY – Ruth (23)
Box Score

The final game of the series promised to be another pitching duel between Brooklyn’s Don Drysedale and New York’s Ron Guidry. It wasn’t. Drysedale gave up 10 hits and 6 runs (5 earned) in 6 innings and while Guidry fared a little better (4 runs in 5.2 innings), it wasn’t a great performance by any means.

Guidry did become the first WBL pitcher to notch 100 strikeouts on the season.

The Black Yankees led 6 to 4 heading to the top of the 8th. But Jermaine Dye took Lady Baldwin deep for a 2-run homerun to tie the game. Then, in the top of the 9th, Goose Gossage (perhaps auditioning to become New York’s new closer) gave up another 2-run shot, this one to Roy White, to give the Royal Giants the lead.

Thurman Munson continued his torrid streak, getting his fourth hit of the day with a double to lead off the bottom of the 9th, but Watty Clark was able to get out of the inning with only 1 run scoring, giving Brooklyn the win and a 3-1 edge in the series.

BRK 8 (Gagne 2-2; Clark 12 Sv) @ BYY (Gossage 3-3; Baldwin 3 BSv)
HRs: BRK – Cey (10), Dye (1), White (8); NYY – Jeter (5), Belle (7)
Box Score

TWIWBL Special Edition: All Star Previews II – Second Basemen

By mknn

On October 1, 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: Eddie Collins, Tim Raines, Larry Gardner.

After struggling briefly on his return from the DL, Chicago’s Collins has resumed being the class of the second basemen in the league with a 309/431/517 slash line. He’s the clear starter.

But after that, it gets awfully muddled. Purely by OPS, you would go with Kansas City’s Rogers Hornsby (309/390/500) and Baltimore’s Gardner (288/419/464).

But Ottawa’s Raines certainly deserves strong consideration (and he may be Ottawa’s only representative in the midseason classic). Raines’ OPS is a shade worse at 282/365/445, but he leads the group with 7 homeruns and 38 runs scored, and is way ahead with 38 steals, putting him behind only Collins in WAR (2.5 to 1.8). Los Angeles’ Bobby Grich is also at a 1.8 WAR, slashing 300/374/485.

Grich sits just behind Collins and the New York Gothams’ Cookie Rojas in the defensive rankings. (Houston’s HR Johnson–who has hit well enough to be in the conversation–has been among the worst defensive 2B in the league, moving him clearly out of contention at this point.)

So, what to do …

This is a position I expect to change a little as the month plays out, but right now, I would go with Raines and Gardner behind Collins. But I could also be convinced to carry four to include Hornsby. And, if Baltimore drops off as a team, that probably weakens Gardner’s argument as well.

Somewhat inexplicably, the AI goes with Collins, Johnson, and Raines.

#NL – Effa Manley & Marvin Miller Divisions

Original selections: Chase Utley, Jimmy Bloodworth, Tom Herr.

Brooklyn’s Jackie Robinson presents a bit of a conundrum, having split his time almost equally between 1B and 2B. He clearly hasn’t hit well enough to make it as a 1B, but his 291/350/511 is pretty spectacular for a middle infielder. For now, I’m going to punt on him though, and perhaps add a utility category for each league in the final selections.

The feel-good story of the season so far, Birmingham’s Herr, is not only still performing at an all-star level, he’s likely the starter right now, hitting 338/381/455. It doesn’t seem sustainable, but it didn’t at the last update either.

San Francisco’s Bloodworth sits just behind him in OPS at 288/328/488 with 9 homeruns and 25 RBIs. Utley has been in a slump, but he remains the only other candidate with an OPS over .800, and at 263/335/481 still would make it, although a surge by Homestead’s Davey Johnson or Indianapolis’ Joe Morgan could remove him.

Utley and Bloodworth have been the best defensive 2B so far, which helps them here as well.

So I would stick with the same three, just in a different order. The AI selects only Herr, which is amusing.

Series VIII Featured Game: Brooklyn Royal Giants @ Houston Colt 45’s, Game 4

By mknn

On June 29, 2021

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

These are, simply, fair-to-middling teams with more promise than performance so far on the season. Houston has won the first three games of the series, raising their record to 15-18 while lowering Brooklyn‘s to 18-14.

The final game would see Brooklyn’s Don Sutton face the Colt 45’s Roy Oswalt, a well anticipated matchup as both hurlers have shown flashes of strong performances.

In the top of the first, Oswalt gave up a 1-out double to Beals Becker, but he struck out Duke Snider and seemed to be out of danger when Roy White lashed the first pitch he saw into right field for an RBI single, giving the Royal Giants an early 1-0 lead.

Houston would tie it up in the bottom of the frame when Casey Stengel sent a pitch from Sutton deep into the night for a solo homerun.

Oswalt struggled all day, never really finding his rhythm, giving up 2 more runs in the top of the second on RBI hits from Jackie Robinson and Becker, and then another in the top of the third on a double from Robinson. He would get through 5 innings, leaving the game with Houston down 4-2 (they scored their second run in the bottom of the 5th on an RBI groundout from DJ LeMahieu, scoring Carlos Correa who had led off the inning with a double down the left field line).

Houston would tie it up in the bottom of the 6th on doubles from Jimmie Wynn, Jeff Bagwell, and Lance Berkman. Despite the 4 runs, Sutton was actually in control for most of the game, and lasted 8 innings, allowing only 6 hits and 1 walk.

Houston’s Leon Day followed Oswalt with 2 scoreless innings, and he was followed by Trevor Hoffman, who pitched a scoreless 8th.

That brought us to the top of the 9th, with Hoffman still on the mound. Dickie Thon led it off with a single, then stole second and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Robinson. Becker hit a ball deep enough to centerfield to score Thon, and Brooklyn had a 5-4 lead. Hoffman served a gopher ball into the short left field seats to Snider, giving the Royal Giants a 2-run cushion.

Brooklyn’s closer, Watty Clark, relieved Sutton in the bottom of the 9th. His first 16 pitches included 11 balls and a wild pitch, with George Brett and Correa starting the inning with walks before Jorge Posada doubled them both home to tie the game at 6. That was enough for Clark, who was relieved by Terry Forster … who had similar problems, walking pinch-hitter Paul Goldschmidt on five pitches (HR Johnson replaced Posada as a pinch-runner) and Tony Gwynn on four to load the bases. Forster got Wynn to ground weakly to Robinson at second, who threw to Mike Piazza to force Johnson at the plate, and when Stengel flew out in shallow right field, it looked like extra innings were likely.

Bagwell worked Forster from a 1-2 count to 3-2 … and looked on as his next pitch was low and outside, forcing in the winning run.

Bagwell finished the game 2-for-4 with a run and 2 RBIs, Correa scored twice and Posada drove in 2 as well as the Colt 45’s left only 3 runners on base all day.

Brooklyn outhit Houston 11 to 7, with Robinson, Becker, White, and Thon each having 2. Thon scored three times and Robinson and Becker drove in 2 each.

Clark suffered both his 2nd blown save of the year and his first loss, giving up 3 runs on a hit and 2 walks without recording an out. Mark Melancon picked up the win for one-third of an inning in relief of Hoffman.

BRK 6 (Clark 2-1, 2 BS) @ HOU 7 (Melancon 2-1)
HRs: BRK – Snider (8); HOU – Stengel (4)
Box Score

TWIWBL 6.4: Series V Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On May 26, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

John Clarkson fell to 1-2 with a miserable outing against the Cleveland Spiders, giving up 7 earned runs in under 3 IP and sending his ERA to 12.74. Jim Whitney was ineffective in relief, and Dick Rudolph‘s 2.2 scoreless IP may have been enough to slide him into the rotation. With only three rotation spots settled, look for those three, Greg Maddux, and Sam Streeter to get opportunities starting for Birmingham.

OF Al Schweitzer, who had a solid start to the season slashing 267/389/422 will be out over a month with a hamstring strain, with Curtis Granderson being promoted to Birmingham to take his roster spot.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Jackie Robinson‘s first HR of the year was a 2-run shot in the bottom of the 7th against Indianapolis, providing the winning margin in a 3-1 victory for the Royal Giants.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Rube Waddell, Eustaquio Pedroso, Ed Bauta, and Aroldis Chapman combined for a 6-hit shutout of the Baltimore Black Sox, with Waddell moving to 1-1 on the year with the 4-0 Cuban Giants victory.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Gil Hodges became the first player in the WBL to swat 3 HRs in a single game, sending 3 balls out of the park against Philadelphia‘s Pete Alexander in a 7-4 win for the Sea Dogs.

Walter Johnson threw 8 strong innings to become the league’s first four game winner, leading the Sea Dogs over Philadelphia 4-1.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Wally Moon may have defined Moonshot, sending a pitch from Kansas City‘s Luke Hamlin 502 feet into the night, helping San Francisco eke out a 7-6 victory.

Capping a 3-for-4 day, Reggie Jackson tagged Kansas City’s Frank DiPino with his first earned runs of the year with a 2-out, 2-run HR, 9th inning HR to give the Sea Lions a 3-2 lead. Rick Langford debuted with three innings of scoreless relief for the victory, and Rod Beck pitched a perfect bottom of the 9th for his 6th save of the season.

Getting to 30: Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On August 8, 2020

In 2000 Spring Training, Team News

#Birmingham Black Barons

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

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

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

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

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

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

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

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

#Miami Cuban Giants

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

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

#Portland Sea Dogs

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

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

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

#San Francisco Sea Lions

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

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

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

Spring Training Preview: Brooklyn

By mknn

On June 20, 2020

In 2000 Spring Training, Team News

The back end of the rotation is up for grabs, with Frank Knauss and Fernando Valenzuela having the inside track on the #3 and #4 spots, with 1 out of Don Sutton, Jordan Zimmerman, and Smokey Joe Williams likely to hold the final slot.
- Only Dutch Leonard and perhaps Orel Hershiser have been solid as SP, with Knauss and Valenzuela being downright horrible. It’s early, but look for Sutton, Dick Redding, and Brickyard Kennedy to get looks as well.
  - Four slots are set, with Sutton, Don Drysdale, Leonard, and Hershiser earning starting slots. Kennedy, Redding, and Williams are vying for the last spot, with Valenzuela heading to AAA.
Dave Von Ohlen, Trevor Hildenberger, Darren Dreifort, and Terry Forster are battling for the middle of the bullpen.
- The bullpen has been very strong through 10 games, with only Watty Clark‘s role as closer settled.
There’s no question Jackie Robinson can contribute, the question is at what position. 1B is blocked by Dan Brouthers, leaving the challenge of Hobe Ferris at 2B.
- Robinson has performed well, for sure. Davey Lopes, called up when Sandy Koufax went down injured, hasn’t done much to change the situation at 2B, where Ferris’ glove still probably gives him the edge.
  - Lopes–and Tommy Corcoran–have hit better than any other middle infielders, so it’s pretty unsettled up the middle, especially since neither Dickie Thon nor Pee Wee Reese have been able to crack the Mendoza line..
It’s possible that 1 of Michael Brantley, Matt Holliday, Jeffrey Leonard, Curt Flood, and Art Griggs forces their way onto the roster.
- Flood, Brantley, Hi Myers, and Griggs have been totally overmatched in the early going, with Holliday and the surprising Jermaine Dye moving up the roster.
  - Griggs, Flood, Myers, and Brantley have all headed down to AAA (along with C Hank Gowdy). Todd Walker, Morrie Arnovich, and Raul Mondesi have been recalled for some OF flexibility.

	Near Definite	Likely	Possible	Long Shot
Starting Pitchers		Dutch Leonard Orel Hershiser Don Sutton Don Drysedale	Dick Redding Smokey Joe Williams Brickyard Kennedy	~~Sandy Koufax~~ Frank Knauss Jordan Zimmerman
Middle Relievers		Dave Von Ohlen Darren Dreifort		Kyle McPherson
Setup		Erig Gagne Trevor Hildenberger Terry Forster
Closer	Watty Clark
C	Mike Piazza		Steve Yeager Duke Farrell
1B	Dan Brouthers		Jackie Robinson	Todd Walker
2B		Hobe Ferris	Davey Lopes
3B		Ron Cey	Jim Delahanty
SS			Dickie Thon Pee Wee Reese Tommy Corcoran
OF		Roy White Duke Snider Matt Holliday	Jermaine Dye John Briggs Beals Becker Jeffrey Leonard	Morrie Arnovich Raul Mondesi