Tag: Johnny Sain Page 1 of 3

Season Review: Baltimore Black Sox

On January 4, 2024

91 - 63, .590 pct.
1st in Cum Posey Division.
WHIRLED CHAMPIONS!

Overall

Best record in the league for most of the season, plus a thrilling postseason that included two Game 7 victories. It was a great year for the Black Sox who were led by a dominant pitching staff and an especially strong top half of the lineup.

The watchword of the year for Baltimore was resiliency. They lost two all stars to long term injury, including Ned Garvin, who was at the time the most dominant pitcher in the league. But they kept rolling, bringing in some talent and developing some others to not miss a beat. It applied to non-injury situations as well: Baby Doll Jacobson stepped right into the WBL to provide OF depth when needed and the bullpen, while in flux all year, was never less than excellent.

What Went Right

Frank Robinson established himself as a budding superstar, Curt Blefary far exceeded expectations and the trio of Dan McGann, Bobby Wallace, and Larry Gardner were constant thorns in the side of opposing pitchers.

Nobody really struggled. Paul Blair doesn’t hit a lot in CF, but he has some pop and provides elite defense; Jacobson was a revelation in about a half-season of work, making the competition between him, Bryce Harper, and Ken Singleton quite fierce for the final OF spots, especially given that the Black Sox signed the best free agent on the market in Gavvy Cravath.

Garvin, Bill Byrd, Dennis Martínez, Connie Johnson (brought over via trade) and, increasingly as the season wore on, Mike Mussina, combined for as good a rotation as found in the league. That left Jim Palmer and Johnny Sain vying for time from the bullpen: this is a deep staff, and looks to be so for at least a few years.

The duo of Don Bessent and Bob Miller handed closing duties well for the first half of the season, and when they faltered, Joe Beggs, John Wetteland, and Buddy Groom stepped in and performed even better. Groom especially was virtually unhittable.

ALL STARS
P Bill Byrd; C Curt Blefary; P Ned Garvin; RP Sean Marshall; P Dennis Martínez; 1B Dan McGann; SS Bobby Wallace

What Went Wrong

3B was an issue until the arrival of Manny Machado, with none of those given a chance–most notably Brooks Robinson and Harlond Clift, but also Cal Ripken, Jr–doing anything to lay a claim on the hot corner.

I mean … that’s really about it. That and the injuries, which they overcame. I guess that’s how you win a championship.

Transactions

March

P Rube Foster to Indianapolis for 2B Miller Huggins & OF Willie Montañez

Given the overall pitching depth, a nice move.

June

P Mike Morgan, 1B Richie Sexson, C Chris Hoiles & IF Joe Dugan to Miami for IF Manny Machado

Machado is likely to have the best career of this group, so it’s a win.

P Willie Sudhoff, OF Alex Johnson & 4th Round Pick to Memphis for P Joe Beggs

Beggs was great, so this worked out well.

July

OF Merv Rettenmund, P Gene Garber & 2nd Round Pick to Kansas City for P Connie Johnson & 5th Round Pick {Stan Spence}

A clear win.

Looking Forward

SP

Very solid in the immediate, and the long-term foursome of Dennis Martínez, Bill Byrd, Mike Mussina, and Jim Palmer looks formidable. Could use some more depth here, but who couldn’t? Ned Garvin‘s recovery from injury will be key.

RP

Very strong, although there is a chance of an overall regression, which could be concerning.

C

Blefary looks solid, but there is very little behind him if he falters.

1B

Dan McGann was great this year, but young Eddie Murray is pushing from the wings.

2B

Larry Gardner has this locked down for now, although Miller Huggins may argue for some time as well.

3B

It would be nice if Manny Machado, Brooks Robinson, or even Harlond Clift would just perform well enough to settle this spot.

SS

Bobby Wallace for now, but Cal Ripken, Jr. will probably take over at some point.

LF

Frank Robinson.

CF

This is Paul Blair‘s spot, which means there will always be questions about upgrading for better offense. For now, Baby Doll Jacobson and Bryce Harper are likely to see at least occasional time here.

RF

Gavvy Cravath steps right in here, but longer term this is going to be a battle between Jacobson and Ken Singleton.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

The Black Sox didn’t have a pick until the final selection of the 3rd round, so this year’s draft is really more about picking up talent where they can than anything else. They’ll start stocking their system with 24 year old OF Topsy Hartsel, as the Black Sox know the worth of a hitter that can draw a walk.

Rounds 5-8

Look for a focus on 3B, OF, and pitching in these rounds, beginning with OF Stan Spence who was added with the 3rd pick of the 5th round. With the final pick of that round, Baltimore added franchise selection Steve Brodie. In the 6th they picked up OF Bruce Bochte and in the 7th P Joe Dobson with their final franchise exception.

IF Gunnar Henderson has shown some upside, making him their 8th round pick.

Rounds 9-12

P Jack Kramer; OF Homer Smoot; P Allen Sothoron; P Jeff Ballard.

Baltimore was unable to reach agreement with 11th round pick, P Allen Sothoron with no compensation.

TWIWBL 50.6: THE WHIRLED SERIES! Detroit Wolverines v Baltimore Black Sox, Game VI – October 10th

By mknn

On October 18, 2023

In 2000 Playoffs, 2000 Whirled Series, Game Recaps, TWIWBL

And here we are, a Baltimore victory away from crowning the first WBL champion.

#Detroit Wolverines v Baltimore Black Sox, Game 6

Both teams are a little betwixt and between with their rotations. Detroit will send out Charlie Root, hoping they get the chance to benefit from an extra day’s rest for Gene Conley while the Black Sox will counter with Johnny Sain. Sain, Mike Mussina, and Jim Palmer have each at different times held down the number four slot; Sain seems to be the strongest at the moment.

Detroit clearly knows what’s at stake: Tony Phillips led off the game with a homerun and Hank Greenberg added a 2 run shot for an early 3-0 lead and lots of second guessing for the Black Sox’s choice of starting pitcher.

Baltimore got one back right away: Bobby Wallace doubled and consecutive sacrifice flies brought him home.

Sain only lasted 3 innings, departing having given up 5 hits and 4 runs. Palmer was magnificent in relief: 3 scoreless innings, 1 hit, and 5 strikeouts.

Frank Robinson singled and Curt Blefary walked to start the 6th, chasing Root and bringing the home crowd to its feet. Justin Verlander fanned Dan McGann and Bryce Harper, but walked Ken Singleton to load the bases. Up stepped Manny Machado, who reprised his role as playoff hero with a grand slam into the left field bleachers. Baltimore was now up, 5-4.

Bob Miller retired Detroit in order in the 7th.

The 8th was much more difficult: Gregg Olsen gave up 2 singles and a walk to load the bases with one out, bringing in Don Bessent to face Al Kaline … who promptly tripled, swinging the score back in favor of the Wolverines. Kaline would score on a sacrifice fly from George Davis, putting Detroit up 8-5.

Matt Anderson retired Baltimore in order in the 8th.

Mike Henneman did his usual thing in the 9th: one out, then a walk and a single to make it interesting, bringing up Robinson as the tying run. Robinson singled to load the bases, but Henneman struck out Blefary. Two outs, with McGann up … and then Henneman uncorked a wild pitch making it 8-6. Eventually, Henneman came through as McGann flew out to center, ending the game and giving us a game 7.

Gardner and Robinson had 3 hits for Baltimore; Cobb had 3 for Detroit.

The drama was fantastic: the much-maligned Machado’s grand slam, and then the hot rookie Kaline’s triple.

DET 8 (Verlander 1-0, 1 B Sv; Henneman 3 Sv; Anderson 3 H) @ BAL 6 (Olson 0-1; Bessent 1 B Sv; Miller 1 H)
HRs: DET – Phillips (1), Greenberg (4); BAL – Machado (3).
Box Score

TWIWBL 50.2: THE WHIRLED SERIES! Detroit Wolverines v Baltimore Black Sox, Game II – October 4th

By mknn

On October 11, 2023

In 2000 Playoffs, 2000 Whirled Series, Game Recaps, TWIWBL

Detroit leads 1-0 after a convincing victory in the opening game.

#Detroit Wolverines v Baltimore Black Sox, Game II

With Mike Mussina having thrown an effective 2 innings in game one, Baltimore will turn to Johnny Sain in the second game of the series, giving the 30 year old righty his first postseason start. Detroit will counter with Charlie Root, and will give Geoff Jenkins a start at DH, with Al Kaline likely the first bat off the bench for the Wolverines.

The Black Sox wasted no time in taking their first lead of the series, with Bobby Wallace leading off the bottom of the first with a double and scoring on a single from Larry Gardner. The 1-0 lead lasted until the fifth, when Sain surrendered only his second hit of the day, a homerun to Oscar Gamble to tie the game.

Two walks in the 6th brought in Jim Palmer in relief of Sain. Palmer whiffed Hank Greenberg, but gave up RBI singles to Gamble and Chili Davis, and then Paul Blair dropped the ball on a difficult catch for an error. At the end of it, the score was 4-1 in favor of Detroit.

Palmer gave up a 2-run homerun to Bob Bailey in the top of the 7th, making it 6-1. A solo shot from Dan McGann and a single by Bryce Harper chased Root in the bottom of the inning, but Buddy Napier was able to get out of a bit of a jam–two on with no outs–without allowing another run, taking us to the 8th inning with the Wolverines up, 6-2.

Kaline registered his displeasure at being benched by launching a pinch-hit homerun in the 8th with a runner on base, providing the final score of 8-2, and giving Detroit a 2-0 edge in the series.

Both teams had 8 hits in the contest, but Detroit made the most of their opportunities, hit 3 homers, and the 5 walks surrendered by Sain didn’t help.

DET 8 (Root 3-0) @ BAL 2 (Sain 0-1)
HRs: DET – Gamble (2), B. Bailey (4), Kaline (2); BAL – McGann (4).
Box Score

TWIWBL 50.0: THE WHIRLED SERIES, Preview Edition

By mknn

On October 9, 2023

In 2000 Playoffs, 2000 Whirled Series, Series Previews, TWIWBL

We have our matchup for the very first WHIRLED SERIES, the Detroit Wolverines against the Baltimore Black Sox. This was the matchup the numbers wanted from the beginning: Baltimore had the best record in the league during the regular season, finishing with 91 wins and a .591 winning percentage, but Detroit was right behind them with 89 wins and a .578 percentage.

As you would expect, both teams were solid all around, but the general theme is that the Black Sox rode a superior pitching staff while the Wolverines do a little more offensively.

Today we’ll do things a little differently, comparing the teams position by position as we get ready for the fall classic.

#Starting Pitching

The Wolverines starters have been excellent, led by Hal Newhouser. Their rotation has been transformed since opening day, with Gene Conley joining the staff from the bullpen and Charlie Root being obtained via midseason trade. Behind those three, Justin Verlander and lefty Hank Aguirre are most likely to get starts, with the struggling Johnny Marcum being moved to the bullpen.

Some questions have emerged during the postseason for Baltimore’s rotation. During the regular season, the trio of Bill Byrd, Dennis Martínez, and Connie Johnson (a mid-season acquisition) were spectacular, but in the postseason, only Martínez has really lived up to his billing, with Byrd alternating dominant starts with being hit pretty hard. Behind them, there is a bit of a logjam: Mike Mussina is struggling, as is Jim Palmer, so if a 4th starter is needed, look for Johnny Sain to get the opportunity.

Edge: I’ve got to go with Baltimore, with an expectation that their top three bounce back to their level of performance during the regular season. But Newhouser has been the most dominant pitcher left in the postseason, which can always count for something.

#Relief Pitching

This gets interesting. Baltimore’s bullpen has suffered injuries all year, and has just kept rolling along. Ned Garvin was here before spending a few weeks as the best starter in the league, before getting injured. Don Bessent and Bob Miller were co-closers for a time, before getting injured. Sean Marshall was among the most dominant bullpen arms in the league, before getting injured. Sense a theme?

Now, midseason acquisition Joe Beggs and Buddy Groom form the back end. Groom has been especially dominant, with a 1.96 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP over 51 games. John Wetteland has been excellent since being recalled from the minors, and Bessent and Miller join him in handling the middle innnings.

For the Wolverines, the bullpen has been a bit of an oddity. Mike Henneman ended the season tied for the season league in saves, but he certainly had his struggles, exemplified by his 4.60 ERA and 6 blown saves. John Hiller and Buddy Napier were excellent getting the ball to Henneman, but Hiller is out injured, meaning Detroit will be leaning heavily on Matt Anderson and Chad Bradford, both of whom were solid in the regular season. Either Aguirre or Mickey Lolich may be called on for key outs against lefties in Hiller’s absence. Finally, there is Verlander, who was on the verge of moving into the rotation all season, but never quite made it. He is the most reliable option in the early or middle innings, if needed.

Edge: Solidly in favor of Baltimore. That said, Verlander, Henneman, Napier, and Anderson have combined to allow 3 runs in 17 innings this postseason, so the gap may be narrower than it appears from the regular season performances.

#C

In the regular season, Detroit split its duties behind the plate between Bill Carrigan, Ed Bailey, and Ernie Lombardi with Carrigan and Bailey in a rough platoon until Lombardi came over from Indianapolis. Bailey is one of the hottest hitters around these days, so look for him to get most of the starts, but Carrigan was the best of them in the regular season, slashing 316/369/477.

Curt Blefary had a spectacular year for Baltimore, with a 280/392/549 slash line and 29 homeruns. He has struggled mightily in the postseason, but showed signs of coming out of it against Portland.

Edge: Even with Detroit’s far greater depth, you have to give the edge here to Baltimore and Blefary.

#1B

Baltimore’s Dan McGann may be 37, but sure plays like he has a lot left in the tank, racking up a 282/388/445 slash line for the Black Sox.

It’s all about Hank Greenberg for Detroit, one of the Wolverines’ two elite players. Greenberg finished the regular season at 317/374/595 with 31 homeruns and 113 RBI’s.

Edge: McGann had a great year. Greenberg is in the second tier of the MVP conversation. Edge, Detroit.

#2B

Detroit is thrilled to have their 38 year old sparkplug, Tony Phillips, back from injury. Phillips is a nuisance at the top of the batting order, with an OBP just shy of .400. He is not very good defensively, as Sparky Adams will often replace him late in the game, earning him the nickname The Old Man’s Glove.

Larry Gardner‘s 318/393/471 slash line is fantastic for anywhere, let alone a middle infielder. Gardner looks like he is fully recovered from a chest contusion suffered in the first round of the playoffs.

Edge: Baltimore.

#SS

Bobby Wallace is one of the better offensive shortstops in the WBL, slashing 302/396/418, drawing lots of walks and hitting 40 doubles in the regular season. He’s not bad defensively.

Detroit’s George Davis is a whiz defensively, and his .662 OPS, while well under league average, isn’t awful for a middle infielder.

Edge: Baltimore, although Davis’ defense does close the gap a bit.

#3B

When Bob Bailey was injured, Olmedo Sáenz filled in admirably, earning a spot on the playoff roster over Jimmy Collins, by far the better fielder. But he was no replacement for Bailey, who slashed 277/364/462 in the regular season. Sáenz remains a threat off the bench.

Manny Machado hit better for Baltimore than he did for Miami at the start of the year, but is still seen as a bit of a disappointment overall, with a .729 OPS for the year. Brooks Robinson hasn’t shown anything offensively, but is a whiz defensively, providing essentially the same role at 3B as Adams does for Detroit at 2B, but without the cool nickname.

Edge: Detroit

#LF

Frank Robinson is the most feared hitter on the Black Sox, with 37 homeruns, 111 RBIs, and a 302/383/539 slash line. Truly elite.

For Detroit, this is usually the provenance of Oscar Gamble, whose 28 homeruns were second on the team. Gamble was the emotional heart of the Wolverines, and should stay out there despite some late season struggles. Gamble is the best fielder of the group here.

Edge: I love Gamble, too, but the edge here goes clearly to Baltimore.

#CF

Detroit’s Chili Davis is fairly significantly under appreciated, both in Detroit and across the WBL. But Davis is a solid performer out there, slashing 273/328/443 while playing solid defense. The Wolverines are a bit thin here, with Cobb the presumed backup should Davis go down.

Paul Blair could barely make contact for the first third of the season. The fact that he got his OPS to .700 is a strong accomplishment, and, combined with his elite level defense, makes Blair a solid contributor for Baltimore. Baby Doll Jacobsen, who has a fair bit of pop, is the usual reserve here, although Harper can slide over as well.

Edge: Detroit

#RF

The Black Sox stuck with Bryce Harper through his early season struggles, and it paid off as the nineteen year old settled into the league. He has a great eye, a bit of power, and ended up slashing 259/360/403 on the year.

The other legitimate elite player for the Wolverines is the batting champion, Ty Cobb, whose 352/391/557 slash line and 52 SB’s combine to form a truly fantastic offensive player.

Edge: Detroit.

#DH

Al Klaine has 34 games under his belt at the WBL, and has slashed 301/374/573 in that span. That performance has generally left Detroit without a spot for Geoff Jenkins, who was the usual DH, especially against right-handers.

As both Harper and Jacobson established themselves throughout the season, DH duties for Baltimore fell more and more often to Ken Singleton, who was … fine. Singleton was almost the picture of a useful hitter, slashing 266/352/407 with 17 homeruns and 88 RBIs. Nothing to complain about, but nothing to love, either. He’s been excellent so far in the postseason.

Edge: Toss up, although if Kaline maintains his level of performance, slides to Detroit.

#Overall

Quantitatively, 6-4 in favor of Baltimore, with one tie. So, very close.

I have to go with Baltimore: they are so good at getting on base, and their pitching is just better. But Detroit really has no weak spots offensively (maybe SS with Davis), and if they can get enough from their pitching staff, they certainly have a shot.

Prediction: Black Sox in 6.

TWIWBL 49.6: The Playoffs! Division Round, Day VI– September 30

By mknn

On October 4, 2023

In 2000 Playoffs, Featured Games, TWIWBL

Two game six’s on tap …

#Detroit Wolverines v New York Gothams, Game 6

Detroit leads, 3-2.

The news on John Hiller was not good, as he will be sidelined for about 5 months with a torn pectoral muscle. Mickey Lolich was added to the playoff roster as Hiller’s replacement.

New York would turn to Gaylord Perry for this must-win contest while Detroit would counter with Gene Conley in their attempt to clinch.

Hank Greenberg would open up the scoring for Detroit in the bottom of the 3rd, singling home Tony Phillips, who had doubled to lead off the inning. Perry would lose the strike zone, walking in not one, but two runs before getting out of the inning. Detroit was up 3-0, one-third of the way through the game.

Perry would last into the 4th, when a 2-out double by Ty Cobb would bring in Juan Marichal from the Gothams bullpen, who was able to end the inning without any damage.

The problem for New York was Conley, who was in full control, scattering 5 hits over 6 innings of work. Conley was relieved after the 7th, and the game remained 3-0 Wolverines as we entered the top of the 9th, with Mike Henneman on the mound to close it out.

Benny Kauff–2-for-3 today and hitting .500 in the postseason–led it off, but whiffed on a pitch on the inside corner. Will Clark foulded out to Oscar Gamble in left. Which meant the Gothams’ season was down to Carl Furillo. A lazy fly ball to Cobb in right later, and we knew the first team to the Whirled Series, the Detroit Wolverines!

Cobb went 4-for-4, but the plaudits need to go to Conley, Lolich, Buddy Napier, and Henneman, who combined on a 6 hit shutout to clinch the series. Mention should also be made of the Gotham’s Marichal, who was roughed up in his first start, but delivered 3 scoreless innings here to keep the game seemingly within reach.

NYG 0 (Perry 0-1) @ DET 3 (Conley 2-1; Henneman 2 Sv; Lolich 1 H; Napier 2 H)
HRs: None.
Box Score

Cobb’s .538 average earned him the MVP award, although a strong argument could made for Hal Newhouser, who finished the series 2-0 with a 0.57 ERA.

#Portland Sea Dogs v Baltimore Black Sox, Game 6

Pascual Pérez‘ recent struggles led Portland to offer Mike Cuellar his first start of the playoffs as they try to finish off Baltimore, whose season rests on the capable right arm of Connie Johnson, 2-0 so far in the postseason.

A bloop single, a walk, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly from Kent Hrbek led to Portland’s first run and an RBI double from Gavvy Cravath doubled their lead. Rogers Hornsby singled home Cravath, and the Sea Dogs had staked Cuellar to a 3-0 lead before his first pitch.

Baltimore would come back in the bottom of the 3rd, on RBI singles by Larry Gardner and Curt Blefary and a sacrifice fly from Dan McGann. That tied the game at 3, and got the Sea Dogs’ bullpen up and working. A leadoff double from Bryce Harper chased Cuellar, but Pérez was able to close out the inning cleanly.

Gardner took Pérez deep in the 5th to give the Black Sox a one run lead, but Hornsby sent a pitch from Johnny Sain deep into the night with a runner on, putting Portland back on top.

Mark Melancon came in for the bottom of the 7th and walked pinch-hitter Baby Doll Jacobson and, after a Bobby Wallace sacrifice bunt, retired Gardner. Frank Robinson singled home Jacobson to tie the game and bring in Atlee Hammaker to face Blefary, who fanned. Wade Miller relieved Hammaker and got McGann to ground out to Hornsby at second.

So: 7 innings played, and we are tied at 5 runs each with Baltimore’s season on the line.

Manny Machado has struggled all postseason, but he now has a chance to go down as Black Sox hero, as his homerun in the bottom of the 8th off Miller gave Baltimore a slim advantage.

Joe Beggs was perfect in the 9th, and we were heading to a game seven!

Machado, Gardner, Robinson, and Blefary each had 2 hits for Baltimore, but it will be Machado’s key blast that is most remembered.

POR 5 (Miller 0-1; Melancon 1 B Sv) @ BAL 6 (Beggs 1-0; Sain 1 B Sv)
HRs: POR – Hornsby (3); BAL – Gardner (2), Machado (2).
Box Score

TWIWBL 49.3: The Playoffs! Division Round, Day III– September 26

By mknn

On September 28, 2023

In 2000 Playoffs, Game Recaps, TWIWBL

Both series are tied at 1, giving us a best of five situation in each of them.

#Detroit Wolverines v New York Gothams

Charlie Root will get the ball for Detroit; he’ll be opposed by Don Sutton, making his first start of the postseason for the Gothams. Al Kaline will get a start at DH for the Wolverines, with Oscar Gamble starting the game on the bench.

The top of Detroit’s lineup has been key for them. Here, Tony Phillips led off the game with an infield hit and Bob Bailey followed with a long drive into the right field seats for an early 2-0 Wolverines lead. Sutton gave up two more hits and a wild pitch, but no more runs.

The Gothams loaded the bases in the bottom of the first, and Benny Kauff got one run back with a single, but Root got a double play ball from Carl Furillo to end the inning with the score 2-1. Root again loaded the bases in the bottom of the second, and this time Buster Posey drove in 2 with a single, putting the Gothams up, 3-2.

Hank Greenberg sent an offering from Sutton into the seats in the 3rd, resetting the game in a 3-3 tie, and then RBI singles from Bob Bailey and Ty Cobb drove in 3 more runs and chased Sutton from the mound. Detroit poured it on, keyed by a triple from Ed Bailey, and built an 8-run lead.

That made Posey’s grand slam in the 9th a moot point, although perhaps New York putting up a fight means something for the Gothams’ fan base.

Bob Bailey had 3 hits and 5 RBI, and Chili Davis, George Davis, and Kaline each added 3 hits for Detroit. Posey had a good day, with 3 hits and 6 RBIs in the losing cause.

DET 12 (Root 2-0) @ NYG 8 (Sutton 0-1)
HRs: DET – B. Bailey (3), Greenberg (3), C. Davis (3); NYG – Posey (1).
Box Score

#Baltimore Black Sox v Portland Sea Dogs, Game 3

With the series reduced to a best-of-five, we have the matchup everyone wanted: Baltimore’s Bill Byrd against Portland’s Walter Johnson. Both hurlers are 2-0 in the postseason.

Although perhaps not 100%, Larry Gardner returns to Baltimore’s starting lineup after missing a few postseason came through a chest injury.

Byrd struggled mightily: 5 hits and an error in the bottom of the first led to a 6-0 lead for Portland, with Jim Fregosi blasting a 3-run homerun. Johnson struggled in the top of the first, walking two, but the lead seemed to energize him, and he struck out the side in the second.

Byrd settled down, keeping Portland scoreless into the fifth when he tired, but Johnny Sain got the final out of the inning in relief, preserving the score. Fregosi’s 4th hit of the night was a double in the bottom of the 8th, and he scored when Gil Hodges followed with a two-bagger of his own, making it 7-0.

The challenge for Baltimore was finding some traction against the Big Train, who had allowed 3 hits and whiffed 5 through five shutout innings. Gardner picked up the Black Sox’s 4th hit in the 8th, but that was it as Johnson picked up his second shutout of the postseason and the Sea Dogs took a 2-1 lead.

Gardner had 2 hits in his return and Fregosi drove in 3 to go with his 4 hits. Johnson ended the day with 7 strikeouts, giving up only 4 hits and 2 walks in another dominant performance for the Sea Dogs.

BAL 0 (Byrd 2-1) @ POR 7 (Johnson 3-0)
HRs: BAL – none; POR – Fregosi (2).
Box Score

TWIWBL 49.1: The Playoffs! Division Round, Day I– September 23

By mknn

On September 25, 2023

In 2000 Playoffs, Series Previews, TWIWBL

And away we go with the Divisional Round!

#New York Gothams v Detroit Wolverines, Game One

A very different start for Christy Mathewson in this one: Tony Phillips led off with a double and Bob Bailey followed with a homerun, giving Detroit an early 2-0 lead. Ty Cobb and Hank Greenberg followed with singles, but Matty recovered, retiring the next 3 batters. He gave up 2 more hits–but no runs–in the second, but his pitch count was skyrocketing.

He never settled down: a hit and a walk in the third were followed by a 3-run homerun by Chili Davis, extending Detroit’s lead to 5-0.

Meanwhile, Hal Newhouser was perfect through 3 innings.

Matty didn’t make it through the 4th, having thrown 91 pitches, and surrendered 9 hits and 3 walks. Sergio Romo put in a yeoman’s effort: 1 hit in over 2 innings in relief of Matty, helping prevent the Gothams’ bullpen from becoming too worn.

Newhouser surrendered his first hit in the top of the 6th, a leadoff single by Carl Furillo, and took a 2-hit shutout into the top of the 9th. And that’s all he allowed: what a performance! 2 hits, 7 strikeouts, and no runs allowed.

Look, you can blame Matty all you want for this one, but the Gothams weren’t touching Newhouser today.

NYG 0 (Mathewson 1-1) @ DET 5 (Newhouser 1-0)
HRs: NYG – none; DET – B. Bailey (2), C. Davis (2).
Box Score

#Portland Sea Dogs v Baltimore Black Sox, Game One

Neither team are set for their optimal rotations here, but Baltimore has an edge, sending Dennis Martínez against Portland’s Dizzy Trout.

Both pitchers were strong early, throwing shutouts through 3 innings. Baltimore struck first, with Frank Robinson doubling home Dan McGann in the top of the 4th. Bobby Murcer cut down Robinson trying to score on a fly to deep center to end the inning, leaving the score 1-0, Baltimore.

The throw fired Murcer up: he led off the Portland 6th with a homerun to tie the game. Martínez walked Kent Hrbek, and that was it, with El Presidente being pulled despite only throwing 75 pitches. It looked smart in the immediate: Johnny Sain came in and retired the side in order to end the inning.

Trout was removed with one out in the 7th, with Portland turning to a surprise reliever: Atlee Hammaker, despite his struggles during the regular season, was called in to face a string of lefties. Hammaker gave up a double to Curt Blefary, but got out of the inning unscathed, preserving the 1-1 tie.

Rogers Hornsby led off the top of the 9th with a double. He was replaced on the basepaths by Gary Pettis, who moved to third on a bunt by Buddy Bell and scored on a single from Jim Fregosi.

That gave Portland a chance to steal a game in Baltimore, taking a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the 9th. The Sea Dogs’ two acquisitions from Houston–Mark Melancon and Trevor Hoffman–combined to finish it off, as the Black Sox were unable to score, giving Portland a 1-0 lead in the series.

Murcer had 3 hits for Portland.

POR 2 (Melancon 1-0; Hoffman 1 Sv) @ BAL 1 (Wetteland 0-1)
HRs: POR – Murcer (4); BAL – none.
Box Score

TWIWBL 44.2: Series XXXVI Notes – Cum Posey Division

By mknn

On August 9, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Baltimore Black Sox

Baltimore wanted to add another lefty to the pen, bringing up Scott McGregor and sending Lindy McDaniel down to AAA.

Curt Blefary‘s second homerun of the game (his 26th of the season) was a walk-off affair as the Black Sox edged Ottawa 7-5. Blefary had 4 hits and 4 RBIs in a game that saw Johnny Sain take back the #5 spot in the rotation from Jim Palmer.

The Black Sox pounded out 15 hits in a 14-1 pounding of the Mounties, getting 4 RBI’s from Blefary who, along with Frank Robinson, had 3 hits. Bill Byrd threw a strong 7 innings, improving to 14-3 on the year.

#Chicago American Giants

Perhaps in a preview of what the post-season holds, Chicago has moved Ed Walsh into the 4th spot of their rotation, and have not named a number five starter, although it is assumed that either Mark Buehrle or Ben Sheets will hold down the back of the staff.

Eddie Collins scored 3 times without an official AB (he walked 4 times), and Shoeless Joe Jackson had 3 hits and 6 RBIs (3 coming on his 29th homerun) to lead Chicago to a back and forth 8-7 win over Kansas City. Cristóbal Torriente had 3 hits as well with the victory going to Buehrle in his first relief appearance.

Duffy Lewis had 4 hits in an 8-5 victory over Kansas City, but the story of the game for the postseason might be the growing success of the American Giants bullpen. Here, Don Newcombe, Fernando Rodney, Ken Sanders, and A.J. Minter combined with over 4 innings of near-perfect relief, with Rodney getting the win and Minter his 28th save.

David Price has been magnificent since joining Chicago, but he saved his best performance for the series finale against Kansas City, spinning a complete game, 2-hit shutout. Price carried a no-hitter into the 8th, improving his record with the American Giants to 4-0. Dick Allen drove in all 4 runs on 2 hits, one his 25th homerun of the season.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Bones Ely‘s return from the DL meant Tom Sturdivant was returned to AAA.

Casey Stengel ripped his second pinch hit homerun of the year, this one a grand slam, but it wasn’t enough as the Colt 45’s fell to Birmingham, 10-6.

#Kansas City Monarchs

OF Max Flack retired at the end of the AA season.

The Monarchs needed a starter and recalled Joe Blong.

#Ottawa Mounties

Clayton Richard returned to the rotation for Ottawa, taking Johnny Podgajny‘s place.

RP Steve Reed announced his retirement from AA.

Randy Johnson left with an elbow injury after only an inning of work, but will likely only miss a few days. Podgajny did a good job in relief, perhaps earning another shot at starting before season’s end. Roberto Alomar tied the game with a homerun and Carlos Beltrán added 2 hits, but it wasn’t enough as Baltimore won the game in the bottom of the 9th, 7-5.

A potential bright spot for Ottawa: Roy Halladay joined AAA to get an outing or 2 after his long DL stint, with an outside shot at seeing action in the WBL before the end of the year.

Series XXXV Best Games

By mknn

On July 21, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

A mixture of checking in on series that impact the playoffs, the drive towards statistical milestones, and just good old fashioned close games.

#New York Gothams @ Ottawa Mounties, Game 1

Oh what could have been … Christy Mathewson headed into the bottom of the 8th inning with 16 wins on the year, a 3-hit shutout in the works, and a 7-0 lead. The Gothams had been propelled to that lead via homeruns from Buster Posey and Will Clark and 3 hits from Wes Westrum. Matty walked Bernie Allen and gave up a single to Tim Raines, which brought in Mike Norris from New York’s bullpen.

Norris was less than his stellar self, giving up a double to Jim Stephens that scored 2 runs and allowing a 3rd to score on a wild pitch. Still, that left the Gothams with a 4-run lead, 7-3, with perhaps the most effective closer in the league, Brian Wilson, taking the mound in the bottom of the 9th.

Wilson surrendered 4 consecutive hits including a 2-run triple from Roberto Alomar, closing it to a 1-run game. Robb Nen came on in relief of Wilson and promptly gave up a double to Larry Walker and a game-ending single to Stephens, scoring Walker and Rusty Staub and giving Ottawa a highly improbably 8-7 walk off win.

Mathewson should have come out of this with 17 wins, an outside shot at 20, and a strong argument for being the best starter in the WBL. Instead, the Gothams bullpen collapsed, a clear warning sign for their postseason ambitions.

NYG 7 (Nen 3-5, 3 B Sv) @ OTT 8 (Leroux 1-1)
HRs: NYG – Posey (11), Clark (4); OTT – none.
Box Score

#Baltimore Black Sox @ Wandering House of David, Games 2 and 4

Baltimore’s series against the House of David was perhaps the best matchup of Series XXXV, with both teams seemingly safe in their postseason ambitions.

It opened with a 15 inning classic, with Baltimore’s Johnny Sain twirling a shutout over 7+ innings, allowing only 3 hits. Singles from Ken Singleton and Ramón Hernández, helped by an error by House of David RF Dan Ford, put the only run of the game on the board in the 4th. But Baltimore’s current closer, Buddy Groom, couldn’t shut the door in the 9th, allowing a solo homerun to Jim Edmonds, his 17th of the season, to send the game into extra innings.

Baltimore’s bullpen took over form there, with a dominant outing from John Wetteland, a shaky one from Gregg Olsen, and a solid one from Don Bessent combing for 6 shutout frames. Singleton, who finished the day 3-for-6, launched a 3-run shot in the top of the 15th, giving the Black Sox a 4-1 victory.

BAL 4 (Bessent 2-7) @ HOD 1 (Smith 0-1) [15 Innings]
HRs: BAL – Singleton (17); HOD – Edmonds (17).
Box Score

The House of David would win the next 2 games, setting up a confrontation in the final match between Baltimore’s Connie Johnson and the Hosue of David’s ace Jack Taylor. What looked like a great pitching matchup on paper sizzled out a bit, with each starter allowing 4 runs over the first 6 innings.

Baltimore was able to pull away, scoring in the 7th, 8th, and 9th en route to the 7-4 victory for the series split. Bryce Harper (who had 3 hits), Manny Machado, and Frank Robinson all went deep for the Black Sox. The House of David left 13 runners on base, meaning Edmonds’ 4 hits, Browning’s 3, and Elrod Hendricks‘ 35th homerun of the year were all for naught.

Baltimore’s bullpen was stellar again, as Rafael Betancourt, Lindy McDaniel, Bessent, Joe Beggs, and Groom combining for just over 4 scoreless innings in relief of Johnson.

BAL 7 (McDaniel 1-0; Bessent 2 H; Beggs 10 H) @ HOD 4 (Niedenfuer 0-2)
HRs: BAL – Robinson (35), Machado (8), Harper (12); HOD – Hendricks (35).
Box Score

#New York Black Yankees @ Brooklyn Royal Giants, Game 4

Brooklyn still has a slim chance at the postseason, so every game counts. Which is why wasting a great start from their ace, Don Drysedale, is such a shame. Drysedale had 8 shutout innings allowing only 3 hits, and the Royal Giants were riding a pinch-hit RBI from John Briggs to a 1-0 lead. And then, the 9th …

Babe Ruth singled, but Drysedale induced a horrible bunt from Tommy Herr, caught by a hard-charging Ray Dandridge at 3B. Eric Davis doubled home Ruth to tie the game and bring Brooklyn’s closer, Watty Clark, from the bullpen. Clark gave up RBI singles to Mickey Mantle, Mike Schmidt, and Don Mattingly for a 4-1 lead. Aroldis Chapman had a perfect 9th for his 12th save for the Black Yankees.

Still, Brooklyn took 3 of the 4 games in the series, keeping their postseason hopes alive.

NYY 4 (Lavelle 2-3; Chapman 12 Sv) @ BRK 1 (Drysedale 8-9)
HRs: None.
Box Score

#Memphis Red Sox @ San Francisco Sea Lions, Game 4

Just because teams are out of the playoffs doesn’t mean they can’t play good games …

Each team had their presumptive ace on the mound (Jon Lester for Memphis, Lefty Grove for San Francisco), but neither were terribly impressive. We pick up the action with Memphis leading, 4-3, heading into the bottom of the 6th, where a 2 RBI single from Pedro Guerrero and a 3 run shot from Reggie Jackson put San Francisco up, 8-4.

Bill White would double in 2 to cut the lead in half in the top of the 7th, and then Ron Robinson, usually reliable this year, gave it all back in the top of the 8th on a 3 run homer from Reggie Smith. Tim Wakefield, Heath Bell, and Jonathan Papelbon were excellent in relief, allowing only 1 hit in over 3 innings out of the pen.

Gene Oliver had 3 hits for the Sea Lions and Jackson drove in 4 while Memphis got 2 hits each from Smith, White, Mookie Betts, and Iván de Jesus.

MEM 9 (Wakefield 7-7; Papelbon 14 Sv; Bell 8 H; Cicotte 2 B Sv) @ SFS 8 (Robinson 6-5, 3 B Sv)
HRs: MEM – Smith (20); SFS – Bonds (19), Oliver (3), Jackson (30).
Box Score

Series XXXIV Preview: Birmingham Black Barons @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On June 30, 2023

In Featured Series, Series Previews

Nobody has more at stake in this series than Portland: if Baltimore–the best team in the league–can slow down Birmingham, Portland may be able to sneak by them into first place in the Marvin Miller Division.

Baltimore has been featured in Series IX, XVI, XXV, and XXIX; Birmingham in Series III, XIV, XXIII, and just now in XXXI.

#Birmingham Black Barons

In 3 months, the Black Barons went from a dozen games below .500 to a dozen games above, taking them from the basement to first place in their division. They’ve done it with spectacular pitching and a seeming omniscient sense of how to navigate the trade market.

Andy Pettitte is 5-0 with a 1.75 ERA since joining Birmingham, joining advanced metrics darling Alejandro Peña (11-8, 3.82, but with a 4.5 WAR and 3.49 FIP) and Greg Maddux (a 2.97 ERA) to form as fearsome a front of the rotation is exists in the league. While Juan Ríncón has been hit a little harder of late, he’s still got 22 saves and a solid 3.45 ERA, with both Steve Bedrosian and Bruce Chen proving quite capable as setup men.

Offensively, it’s a patchwork quilt, but it’s getting the job done. Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron lead the offense, although neither is a superstar, they each sport an OPS around .820 and have combined for 49 homeruns and 158 RBIs. Cupid Childs has locked down the 2B job, managing an OPS over .900 through his first 100 ABs, but other than that … Bob Nieman has been solid in the OF, Herman Long hits really well for a SS, Curtis Granderson is a threat … patchwork.

#Baltimore Black Sox

We kept waiting for the Black Sox to stumble, but they never did. Turns out good pitching and good hitting tends to win games.

Strictly speaking, the pitching has been a bit better. The front 3 of the rotation (Dennis Martínez, Bill Byrd, and Mike Mussina) has been excellent, but there is very little drop off to Connie Johnson, Jim Palmer, and Johnny Sain (the last 2 have alternated in and out of the fifth slot all year, currently, it’s Palmer’s). Byrd, Johnson, and Martínez all have ERA’s under 4.00, led by Byrd at 3.48. Martínez leads in victories with 14, but Byrd’s record is better at 13-3 on the season. The bullpen seems to have settled a bit behind the superlative Buddy Groom (13 H, 5 Sv, and a 2.03 ERA), although the loss of Sean Marshall has certainly hurt.

Frank Robinson is a bonafide star, with 33 HR and 102 RBIs driving an OPS near .900. But Baltimore is very solid top to bottom, 2B Larry Gardner, SS Bobby Wallace, and 1B Dan McGann all sporting OBP’s near .400 and Curt Belfary (22), Manny Machado (17), and Ken Singleton (16) all adding power.

#Projected Starters

Birmingham’s pitcher listed first.

Andy Pettitte (14-4, 3.14) @ Bill Byrd (13-3, 3.48)
Greg Maddux (4-5, 2.97) @ Mike Mussina (5-3, 4.09)
Scott Baker (7-4, 4.68) @ Jim Palmer (9-8, 4.65)
Alejandro Peña (11-8, 3.82) @ Connie Johnson (6-5, 3.88)