Tag: Pedro Guerrero Page 4 of 5

TWIWBL 24.18: Mid-Season Reviews – San Francisco Sea Lions

On May 4, 2022

Summary

The Marvin Miller is a hard division. The Sea Lions are over .500, and within striking distance of Portland, but it will take some doing.

What’s Gone Right

REG-GIE REG-GIE. Those chants may turn into MVP MVP MVP by the end of the year. Reggie Jackson is threatening the triple crown and while that feels very unlikely, well, he’s got a shot.

The Rest of the Lineup. Bobby Bonds and AAA find Pedro Guerrero have OPS’ just under .900; Jimmy Bloodworth, Rickey Henderson, Jack Clark, and Wally Moon follow them without a real weak link.

High End Arms. Lefty Grove, Rod Beck, Ken Howell, Charlie Root, and Diego Seguí have all performed excellently in their roles.

What’s Gone Wrong

The Rest of the Arms. Jim Devlin and Cy Falkenberg have pitched themselves back to AAA, but it’s not clear who is there to replace them.

Achilles’ Heels. Henderson has 52 steals and an OBP around .400 … but little else. John Beckwith hits the ball as hard as anyone in the league … but only to a .700 OPS. Clark has power … but not much else. There are significant questions about many key contributors.

Shortstop. Dick Lundy solved this … and then he got hurt, putting San Francisco back in the hands of Eddie Joost, who has a good eye, some power, but cannot put it all together in a way that lifts his OPS over .600.

Key Storylines

Can the new players–Guerrero, Lundy, Seguí–keep up their torrid pace? And can a team likely to stay pat during the trading period improve in the second half?

The continued development of Grove bears watching, and the OF has storylines at all three spots: is Jackson’s triple crown pursuit for real? Can Henderson improve offensively to complement his unworldly base-stealing? And can Bonds continue to perform at a very high level?

Trading Outlook

HOLDING.

Bob Cerv and Moon could each move on in search of more playing time, but that’s about it.

AAA Shuttle

Guerrero and Seguí look to be true gems, as did Lundy before his injury, and both Cerv and Miguel Cairo have started very well. Overall, it’s been quite a success.

Midseason Changes

Falkenberg and Devlin head to AAA, with Nick Altrock coming back, as well as Dennis Eckersley, who struggled mightily to start the year with the big league club.

Awards

All Stars: Rod Beck (P); Lefty Grove (P); Rickey Henderson (LF); Ken Howell (P); Reggie Jackson (RF); Charlie Root (P).

Offensive MVP: Reggie Jackson (OF)
Pitching MVP: Lefty Grove (SP)

Down on the Farm

AAA: San Jose Bees

Next to the Show: P Nick Altrock, 2B Ron Hunt, 3B Sal Bando

Prospects: P Bump Hadley (21)

Projects: P Nick Altrock (28), 3B Sal Bando (25), Ron Hunt (29)

Suspects: P Rube Walberg (34)

AA: Atlantic City Bacharach Giants

Prospects: 1B Jimmie Foxx (20)

Projects: P Chad Gaudin (22), OF Dwayne Murphy (24), 2B Dick Green (23), SS Bill Russell (20), P Shawn Estes (35), RP Turk Wendell (28), RP Joe Klink (28), P Matt Barnes (25).

Suspects: C John Mizerock (22),

TWIWBL 21.1: NL All Star Selections

By mknn

On January 26, 2022

In All Star Games, TWIWBL

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).

TWIWBL 20.4: Series XVII Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On January 14, 2022

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Del Crandall threw out 4 runners in a 13 inning loss against Houston.

A first inning grand slam from Troy Tulowitzki was all Vic Willis needed in a 6-0 victory over Houston. Willis allowed 4 hits and whiffed 8 in 8 innings, lowering his ERA to a microscopic 0.70 and picking up his first victory of the year.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Called on to make a rare start, Eustaquio Pedroso turned in 5 strong innings before a rain delay of just over an hour chased him from the game. Miami hit four homeruns, with José Canseco, Alan Ashby, Manny Machado, and Ryan Braun each going deep and Roenis Elías and Clay Condrey pitched 4 innings of 1-run ball after the rain stopped as the Cuban Giants defeated the House of David, 9-3.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Pedro Guerrero, Reggie Jackson, and Jack Clark hit back-to-back-to-back homeruns in the 5th inning, but it wasn’t enough as the Sea Lions couldn’t stop Los Angeles’ offense in an 8-6 loss.

Despite blowing the save in the top of the inning, a walk-off double from Bob Cerv gave Rod Beck the victory in a 5-4 victory for the Sea Lions over the Angels. Miguel Cairo stole 3 bases and scored 2 runs, including the game-winner, but the real star for San Francisco was Charlie Root, who pitched a very strong 8 innings, but didn’t figure into the decision.

Jackson had 3 hits and 5 RBI’s in a 9-4 victory over Los Angeles. Bobby Bonds also had 3 hits, and Jackson and Guerrero went deep. Lefty Grove improved to 8-2 with 11 strikeouts in 6 innings.

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

By mknn

On October 12, 2021

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Preview here.

#Game One: Dave Righetti @ Lefty Grove

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#Game Two: Waite Hoyt @ Eddie Plank

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#Game 3: Ron Guidry @ Cy Falkenberg

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#Game 4: Jack Scott @ Diego Segui

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#Series Notes

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

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

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

TWIWBL Special Edition: All Star Previews II – Left Fielders

By mknn

On October 5, 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: Duffy Lewis, Frank Robinson, Don Buford.

With Los Angeles’ Buford sliding slightly, this is really down to a pool of four: Baltimore’s Robinson and Chicago’s Lewis along with the House of David’s George Stone and Detroit’s Oscar Gamble. Here’s how they compare:

Gamble: 268/388/536; 14 HR; 43 RBI
Lewis: 310/354/619; 17 HR
Robinson: 319/397/529; 12 HR
Stone: 322/413/539; 10 HR

Lewis is on a tear and currently the dominant choice to start. The other three are virtually indistinguishable and perhaps Baltimore’s overall performance combined with Stone’s very poor defense provides the difference, making the final selections Lewis, Robinson, and Gamble.

The AI selects all four and adds Jimmy Sheckard of the New York Gothams. Sheckard has a good argument: 306/412/477 with 42 runs scored.

#NL – Effa Manley & Marvin Miller Divisions

Original Selections: Babe Ruth, Rico Carty, Roy White.

The New York Black Yankees’ Ruth is the clear starter. Beyond that, though, it’s gotten a little muddy. Brooklyn’s White has slumped, and even his great defense can’t make up that ground.

That leaves Philadelphia’s Carty, who has been rock-solid all year with an OPS over .900 and tied for the league lead in doubles. So he’s in.

The third spot probably goes, right now, to Homestead’s Rick Reichardt, who is hitting 302/391/450, and is the only other LF with an OPS in the .800’s.

The challenge here is really San Francisco’s Pedro Guerrero and the Black Yankees’ Albert Belle. Both of them have hit well enough to warrant selection, but neither have played enough for me. Belle has been seeing more time in the field lately, so there is a chance he slides in, either directly or as a “utility” choice.

The AI selects Ruth, Carty, and Belle.

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

By mknn

On September 21, 2021

In Series Previews

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

#New York Black Yankees

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

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

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

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

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

#San Francisco Sea Lions

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

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

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

So the problem must be on the mound, right?

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

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

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

#Projected Starters

Black Yankees starter listed first.

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

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

Series XIV Featured Game: Brooklyn Royal Giants @ San Francisco Sea Lions

By mknn

On September 13, 2021

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

Brooklyn had already lost the first 2 games of the series against San Francisco when they sent Dutch Leonard to the mound to face Diego Segui. The two pitchers were on dramatically different trajectories: Leonard, at 3-7 with an ERA approaching 5.00, was trying desperately to hold on to his place in the Royal Giants’ rotation; Segui, on the other hand, had performed well enough since being recalled in mid-April to earn his 5th start of the season. His record was only 2-2, but his ERA was a sparkling 2.36.

Roy White would take Segui deep in the top of the first, but that would be the only run he allowed in 7 sparkling innings where he actually lowered his ERA to 2.18 before departing.

Leonard matched him frame-for-frame, though, only giving up a run in the 4th, when a leadoff single by Ricky Henderson was followed by a double from Jack Clark and a sacrifice fly from Pedro Guerrero to tie the game at 1.

So, after 7 innings, we had a 1-1 deadlock, with the game now in the hands of the two bullpens.

They were not up to the task.

Huston Street relieved Segui and gave up a 2-out, 2-run homerun to Duke Snider, scoring White and putting Brooklyn on top, 3-1.

But Eric Gagne–who had been lights out for the Royal Giants all season–gave up a leadoff homerun to San Francisco’s Cy Perkins, and then a triple to Dick Lundy. Lundy would score on a sacrifice fly by Henderson, and after 8 innings, we were tied at 3.

Ken Howell set Brooklyn down in order in the top of the 9th, setting the stage for the bottom of the frame. Gagne got two outs, but then allowed a double to Wally Moon, prompting Brooklyn to bring in Trevor Hildenberger.

Out came Reggie Jackson–triple crown and early season MVP candidate–to pinch hit. The crowd rose as one, the ever-present chant of REG-GIE, REG-GIE filling the air …

… Jackson delivered, lifting an RBI single into right field that easily scored Moon for the walkoff victory for the Sea Lions.

BRK 3 (Gagne 1-2, 3 B Sv) @ SFS 4 (Howell 2-2)
HRs: BRK – Snider (13), White (6); SFS – Perkins (2)
Box Score

Other Notable Games

Homestead suffered from an overly tired bullpen, as the Grays really had nobody to pick up the slack once starter Carlos Zambrano ran out of steam. Instead, Kansas City was able to chip away until scoring 3 in the bottom of the 9th, with Rogers Hornsby delivering the winning, walk-off single. Hornsby and Ted Simmons had 3 hits each and Ducky Medwick went 4-for-4 with 3 RBIs. Roberto Clemente had a strong game for the Grays in a losing effort, with 3 hits and 2 RBIs.

HOM 8 (Lindblom 0-3, 3 B Sv; Linzy 1 H) @ KCM 9 (Kimbrel 2-1)
HRs: n/a
Box Score

It was a wild night in Portland as the Sea Dogs held off a furious rally by Ottawa to hold on for an 11-10 victory. Freddy Parent hit 2 homeruns and Alex Rodriguez 1 for the Mounties while Jeff Burroughs, Bobby Murcer, and Harry Hooper all went deep for Portland. Murcer drove in 5 on 3 hits and Burroughs added 3 RBIs.

OTT 10 (Griffith 1-5) @ POR 11 (Miller 3-0; Santana 18 Sv; Kern 5 H)
HRs: OTT – Parent 2 (8), Rodriguez (4); POR – Burroughs (6), Murcer (9), Hooper (5)
Box Score

Despite a shaky outing that saw him surrender his first earned runs of the year, Aroldis Chapman did enough to earn his 10th save as Miami defeated Cleveland 7-6. The Cuban Giants got 2 hits each from Gary Sheffield and Carlos Moran and 2 RBIs from Jim Thome, while Jake Stahl had 3 hits and 3 RBIs (including a solo homerun off Chapman) for the Spiders.

MCG 7 (Bridges 4-1; Chapman 10 Sv; Willis 1 H; Bauta 6 H) @ CLE 6 (Coveleski 3-1)
HRs: CLE – Stahl (11)
Box Score

TWIWBL 13.4: Series XI Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On August 11, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Where did that come from? Sam Streeter threw a complete game, 5-hit shutout, blanking Kansas City 1-0, with a homerun from Bob Nieman plating the game’s only run. Streeter leveled his record at 2-2 and Rube Marquard was the hard-luck loser for the Monarchs, falling to 2-3 despite only giving up 3 hits in 7 innings.

Dick Rudolph was cruising along with his best outing of the year, allowing no runs and 2 hits through 8 innings. Consecutive hits in the top of the 9th chased Rudolph, but Carlos Diaz did just enough to preserve the win, despite giving up a homerun to the Monarchs’ Albert Pujols. Rudolph improved to 3-3, and Diaz notched his 7th save.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the 9th against Ottawa’s closer Tom Henke, Brooklyn pulled victory from the edge of defeat in the first game of a doubleheader as Beals Becker sent a pitch just over the right field wall for the 5-3 win. They couldn’t come back against Henke in the second game, as Ottawa split the twin bill with a 5-2 victory.

Terry Forster has scuffled recently, earning himself a trip back to AAA, with Brooklyn recalling Trevor Hildenberger from his rehab assignment.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Wade Miller continues to sparkle for the Sea Dogs, turning in another great performance in his second start of the year, allowing 4 hits and 2 runs over 7+ innings in a 4-3 victory for Portland over Indianapolis. Johan Santana picked up his 15th save despite giving up a run in the 9th.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Eddie Plank evened his record at 3-3 with 7 shutout innings, allowing only 5 hits in a 2-0 victory over Houston. Rod Beck pitched a scoreless 9th for his 11th save, and Pedro Guerrero provided the offense with his 4th homerun of the season.

Bob Cerv hit really well in his week in the big leagues, slashing 286/286/714 with 2 homeruns. But Bobby Bonds‘ return from the DL saw Cerv returned to AAA.

TWIWBL 12.4: Series X Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On July 25, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

Tim Hudson‘s first start was a good one: five innings, five hits, and 2 earned runs. Hudson improved to 2-0, and the Black Barons used good days from Eddie Mathews (2-for-3 with 2 RBIs and 4 runs scored) and Bob Nieman (3-for-4 with 2 RBI’s) to beat the Grays, 7-3.

#Miami Cuban Giants

With 17-year old Martin Dihigo healthy again, the Cuban Giants were faced with a difficult roster choice, given Alexei Ramirez‘ strong performance (333/385/542 in 9 games). Wanting to give Gary Sheffield, who has only played in 1 game, a longer look, Miami sent Paul Molitor, who had been scuffling along at 254/289/338, to AAA to make room for Dihigo.

#Portland Sea Dogs

In a highly anticipated matchup with Cleveland’s Cy Young, Walter Johnson was denied in his attempt to become the WBL’s first 7-game winner. Johnson gave up 5 runs–3 earned–in 6 innings. The win went to Elmer Brown, now 2-2, who pitched 3.2 innings of hitless relief as, in the bottom of the 11th, Jeff Burroughs, who has raised his OPS about 100 points since being recalled from AAA, sent a pitch from Cory Gearrin over the right-centerfield wall for the walk-off 7-6 victory.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Lefty Grove was delivering one of the better stars of the season–a 3 hit shutout through 7 innings. Then a double from Alejandro Oms and a 2-run homerun from Jose Canseco tied the game against Miami at 3. But Jack Clark hit his second homerun of the game in the bottom of the 9th for a walk-off, 4-3 victory for the Sea Lions. The win went to Ken Howell, who allowed 1 hit in 1.1 innings in relief of Grove.

It’s very hard to win a game when you commit 5 errors. But that’s what the Sea Lions did, topping Miami 6-3 behind homeruns by Bob Cerv (his first since his recent recall) and Pedro Guerrero. Cerv was 2-for-4 on the day with 3 RBIs. Diego Segui continued his stellar string of performances, allowing only 4 hits and 1 run in 6 innings. Rick Langford and Howell each earned their 2nd holds of the season, giving up 1 unearned run each, and Rod Beck picked up his 9th save.

Series IX Featured Series: San Francisco Sea Lions @ Baltimore Black Sox

By mknn

On July 9, 2021

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

#Game 1: Eddie Plank @ Bill Byrd

Eddie Joost is a mystery to San Francisco–and to most fans of the WBL. His batting average sits under .150, but he draws enough walks to have an OBP over 100 points higher, and while he doesn’t hit with much power, when he does, the ball leaves the ballpark. In early April, that meant his slash line was 267/333/567. A month later, he’s at 131/277/250.

With 2 outs in the top of the 3rd, Joost took Baltimore starter Bill Byrd‘s second pitch over the right field wall for an early 1-0 lead for the Sea Lions.

But the Sea Lions’ Eddie Plank struggled mightily with his command, and after an error by John Beckwith helped load the bases, Plank walked in a run, and then allowed two more to score on a wild pitch and a passed ball.

Curt Blefary tripled home a run in the bottom of the fifth, extending the lead to 4-1.

In the top of the 7th, a single by Mickey Cochrane chased Byrd, who was relieved by Mike Mussina. Beckwith–who has showed some signs of life at the plate recently–singled, bringing up Joost. The Sea Lions decided not to pinch hit, and Joost rewarded them with … a groundball double-play to second base. Cochrane would score on a single by Rickey Henderson, but a great opportunity to get back in the game went by the wayside.

The Black Sox are the only team in the WBL without a designated closer, instead rotating key situations between Bob Miller and Don Bessent. Today was Bessent’s turn, and despite struggling with control a bit, he only allowed a double to Beckwith in the 9th, preserving the victory for Baltimore.

Baltimore scored 4 runs on only 5 hits, with Blefary’s triple and a double from Paul Blair the only extra-base shots. Byrd moves to 3-2 on the year, allowing 2 runs in 6 innings, with Mussina and Bessent combining for 3 innings of 3-hit, scoreless ball.

The Sea Lions saw Beckwith go 3-for-4 in the losing effort, with Henderson stealing 3 bases in a game for the first time this season. Plank evened his record at 2-2 with the loss, despite only allowing 1 earned run in 5 innings.

SFS 2 (Plank 2-2) @ BAL 4 (Byrd 3-2; Mussina 1 H; Bessent 5 Sv)
HRs: BAL – Joost (4).
Box Score

Game 2: Jim Devlin @ Johnny Sain

This may be a make-or-break game for San Francisco’s Jim Devlin, who comes in with an 0-2 record and a 6.57 era, allowing almost 2 baserunners per inning.

Both Devlin and his opposite number, Johnny Sain, gave up runs in the first. For San Francisco, back-to-back doubles by Pedro Guerrero and Reggie Jackson gave the Sea Lions an early 1-0 lead, while the bottom of the first was very Devlin: 2 hits, 1 walk, an HBP, an error … 8 batters faced, 2 runs scored, 1 earned.

But both would settle down. Sain allowed 1 more run, on an RBI double from Charlie Reilly, scoring Wally Moon and Devlin 2 more, on a double from Dan McGann and a sacrifice fly by Brooks Robinson, leaving the score 4-3, Baltimore, after 7 innings.

It would stay that way, with Ned Garvin, Buddy Groom, Gregg Olson, and Bob Miller combining for 3 innings of 1-hit relief to preserve the Black Sox victory.

Garvin finished with a good enough line for him (7 innings, 6 hits, 2 walks, 3 earned runs)–perhaps enough to stave off the demotion, but not to preserve his spot in the rotation.

SFS 3 (Devlin 0-3) @ BAL 4 (Sain 4-2; Garvin 2 H; Groom 3 H; Olson 2 H; Miller 2 Sv)
HR: SFS – Bloodworth (4)
Box Score

#Game 3: Cy Falkenberg @ Dennis Martinez

Dennis Martinez has been excellent so far, with a 3-1 record and a sub-4.00 ERA; Cy Falkenberg has been solid: his 2-0 record belies some poor outings leading to a 4.40 ERA.

Helped by a homerun from Eddie Joost, San Francisco was up 2-0 in the 6th, but then the wheels fell off for Falkenberg, with Harlond Clift hitting a grand slam as the Black Sox moved out to a 6-2 lead. A 2-run shot by Larry Gardner in the 8th provided the final margin of 8-2 as Baltimore moved to the verge of sweeping the four game series.

Martinez moved to 4-1, lowering his ERA to 3.42 in his 8 innings of work, while Falkenberg too his first loss of the year.

SFS 2 (Falkenberg 2-1) @ BAL 8 (Martinez 4-1)
HR: SFS – Joost (5); BAL – Clift (5), Gardner (3)
Box Score

#Game 4: Dennis Eckersley @ Mark Baldwin

Dennis Eckersley was absolutely hammered in his first start back from the DL, lowering his record to 1-3 and seeing his ERA balloon to 9.00. He’ll be opposed by Baltimore’s Mark Baldwin, who at 2-4, 6.62 has had his own fair share of struggle.

Both pitchers struggled, but somehow at the end of 5 innings, San Francisco only lead by 1, 3-2. A solo homerun by Jimmy Bloodworth in the 8th extended it to 4-2, and Ron Robinson and Rod Beck each pitched a 1-hit, scoreless inning in relief of Eckersley, who lowered his ERA by well over a run in his 7 innings of work.

Dan McGann and Frank Robinson each had 2 hits in the losing effort.

SFS 4 (Eckersley 2-3; Robinson 4 H; Beck 8 Sv) @ BAL 2 (Baldwin 2-5)
HR: SFS – Bloodworth (5)
Box Score

Series Notes

John Beckwith showed signs of emerging from his season-long slump, going 5-for-11 in the series for San Francisco.

For Baltimore, Dan McGann was 5-for-7 and Ken Singleton 5-for-15 in a series dominated by the pitchers.