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Series XXVII Featured Matchup: Detroit Wolverines @ Miami Cuban Giants

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On February 24, 2023

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

Game 1: Gene Conley @ Roenis Elias

Detroit scored first after loading the bases in the 2nd, but only managed a single tally on an RBI groundout by Robby Thompson. Will Clark tied it in the bottom of the frame with his 18th homerun of the season.

Roenis Elias has been on a hot streak, and it continued here, as he settled down, allowing 3 hits while striking out 8 over 6 innings. Detroit’s Gene Conley has matched him frame for frame, allowing only 1 run on 2 hits in the same stretch.

In the bottom of the 6th, things took an unlikely turn: Martín Dihigo, he of the .170 average, launched a pitch from Conley nearly 450 feet into leftfield for his first homerun and a 2-1 lead for Miami. Gary Sheffield tripled home a run to make it 3-1, ending Conley’s day in favor of Mickey Lolich.

With 2 outs in the 7th, Elias gave up a solo shot to Al Kaline–the first of his WBL career. That brought in Chris Resop, who closed it out preserving the one run lead for Miami.

Alan Ashby led off the bottom of the 7th with a single, and Paul Molitor came on to run. Two outs later, and Dihigo was up again, this time against Detroit’s reliever Kevin Hart. With the lead, the Cuban Giants kept Dihigo in the game for his glove. He delivered a much more typical response, grounding out weakly to second to end the inning.

It all worked out: Resop and Ed Bauta passed the baton to Aroldis Chapman, who shut the door in the 9th.

DET 2 (Conley 10-3) @ MCG 3 (Elias 5-3; Chapman 19 Sv; Resop 1 H; Bauta 11 H)
HRs: DET – Kaline (1); MCG – Clark (18), Dihigo (1).
Box Score

Game 2: Si Johnson @ Rube Waddell

Detroit comes into the game with a bit of an infield crisis: Sparky Adams is carrying a knock, and both Bob Bailey and George Davis are showing signs of wear and tear. Since they all back each other up at 3B and SS, two of the three are going to forced into action: today, it’s Davis and Bailey.

Will Clark‘s 19th homerun of the year put Miami up 3-0 in the bottom of the first. And that was it through 5 innings. Si Johnson had settled down after Clark’s blast, and Miami’s starter, Rube Waddell had yet to give up a hit.

Geoff Jenkins broke up the no-no with a single to lead off the 6th for Detroit, and singles from Bailey and Hank Greenberg put the Wolverines on the board.

In the bottom of the frame, Johnson issued a walk to load the bases, bringing in Mickey Lolich, who promptly forced in a run with a walk to Carlos Morán, increasing Miami’s lead to 4-1.

Waddell got one out on the 7th, but a hit from Davis and a walk to Robby Thompson turned the game over the Cuban Giants’ bullpen. Phenomenal Smith whiffed Jenkins, but immediately grabbed his left shoulder, and had to leave the game.

José Méndez replaced Smith, and shut down Detroit. He gave up a hit in the 9th, giving way to Ed Bauta, who completed the victory, giving Miami a surprising 2-0 lead in the series.

DET 1 (Johnson 4-7) @ MCG 4 (Waddell 4-6; Bauta 1 Sv; Smith 4 H; Méndez 2 H)
HRs: Det – none; MCG – Clark (19).
Box Score

Game 3: Hal Newhouser @ Eustaquio Pedroso

The matchup certainly favors the Wolverines to get back into the series, with Hal Newhouser and his sub-3.00 ERA going against Eustaquio Pedroso, who is in real danger of losing his rotation spot.

And, you know, just because … Pedroso gets through the top of the first without damage, and Newhouser walks Pete Runnels, Minnie Miñoso, and Gary Sheffield to start the bottom of the frame. But José Canseco whiffed and Ryan Braun grounded into a double play, so we stay scoreless.

Geoff Jenkins took Pedroso deep for a 1-0 Detroit lead in the second, but Sheffield sent a Newhouser pitch in the 3rd deep into the night, putting Miami up 2-1.

Martín Dihigo was forced out of the game with a back injury in the 6th after a hard slide into second and Paul Molitor, who replaced him, scored on a single by Runnels. Miami loaded the bases again, but again Canseco and Braun failed to deliver, so we headed to the 6th with the Cuban Giants ahead, 3-1.

That was it for Pedroso, who had pitched gamely in one of his better outings of the year. His reliever, Braden Looper, gave up a leadoff double to Chili Davis, but escaped with only 1 run scoring, making it a 1 run game at 3-2.

Newhouser didn’t finish the 6th, but Justin Verlander escaped without giving up a run. Looper, on the other hand, gave up a double to Robby Thompson and a single to Bob Bailey to lead off the 7th. Looper was relieved by Chris Resop who gave up a single to Ty Cobb to tie the game at 3. An RBI double from Hank Greenberg and a sacrifice fly by Davis put the Wolverines up, 5-3.

Cobb took Aroldis Chapman deep in the top of the 9th, giving Mike Henneman the ball with a 3-run lead, 6-3. Which seemed plenty for the WBL’s save leader, but Canseco and Robin Yount each hit solo homeruns, closing it to 6-5. Alan Ashby‘s soft line was speared by Thompson, though, to end the game.

Cobb ended the day with 4 hits, 2 runs, and 2 RBI’s, raising his league-leading average to .351.

After the game, Dihigo was placed on the DL, with Tony Taylor being recalled.

DET 6 (Verlander 8-3; Henneman 28 Sv; Napier 6 H) @ MCG 5 (Looper 1-1; Resop 1 BSv)
HRs: DET – Jenkins (9), Cobb (16); MCG – Sheffield (6), Canseco (26), Yount (9).
Box Score

Game 4: Johnny Marcum @ Camilo Pascual

Before the game, Miami continued to get bad news from their medical staff as Phenomenal Smith–excellent in his early time with the Cuban Giants–will miss about a year with an elbow injury. That prompted the recall of Ricky Nolasco from AAA.

The pitching matchup of the series finale was the best of the four games, with Johnny Marcum (10-2, 3.38) taking on Camilo Pascual, Miami’s most consistent starter all season.

Detroit pushed across a run in the opening inning on a wild pitch, but Miami tied it up in the bottom of the second with Alan Ashby‘s 7th homerun of the year. The Wolverines regained the lead on a deep sacrifice fly from Hank Greenberg, scoring George Davis. But again Miami would reply in the next inning, tying the game on a triple from José Cardenal, scoring Will Clark. Cardenal would score on a single from Robin Yount, giving the Cuban Giants their first lead of the day, 3-2.

Each team would score a run on a sacrifice fly in the 5th, making it 4-3 in favor of Miami.

Marcum was the first starter to be chased from the game, giving way to Matt Anderson in the bottom of the 6th, but Anderson was able to close the door with runners on base, keeping the score 4-3.

José Méndez relieved Pascual in the top of the 8th and retired Cobb, Greenberg, and Oscar Gamble–no mean feat. Chili Davis led off the 9th against Méndez with a single, but Detroit was unable to bring him around, and Miami emerged with the victory and the very surprising series win.

DET 3 (Marcum 10-3) @ MCG 4 (Pascual 7-10; Méndez 1 Sv)
HRs: DET – none; MCG – Ashby (7).
Box Score

Series XXVI Best Games

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On February 10, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

In Series XXVI, we’re going to look at a game that allowed some individual storylines to play out and then two series that featured a couple of great contests each.

Portland Sea Dogs @ New York Black Yankees, Game 2

The game itself isn’t so interesting: Portland exploded for 8 runs in the top of the 5th inning, blowing it open en route to an 11-5 victory. But some of the details may have some impact on the rest of the season:

  • Portland’s Hal Griggs, recalled for the start, was battered, giving up all 5 runs in 3 innings of work and seeing his MLB ERA balloon over 10. The challenge is that injuries are beginning to take their toll on the Sea Dogs’ staff, and with Pascual Pérez injured later in the game, maybe Griggs sticks around? Atlee Hammaker‘s scoreless 3 plus innings of relief put him in a position to get a look as a spot starter from here on out.
  • Kent Hrbek had 2 hits and drove in 3, and tied New York’s Babe Ruth for the WBL homerun lead with 30. Could Ruth be surpassed?
  • Rogers Hornsby has, despite hitting for good power, struggled since being acquired from Kansas City. But he’s turning it around, scoring twice and driving in 2 in this game, and edging his numbers up. New York’s Tommy Herr is in a similar position, but his 3-for-4 performance here is also part of a resurgence, having found some footing with his new team.
  • New York’s bullpen just continues to struggle, but today actually had some decent innings, especially 2 hitless frames from Goose Gossage.

POR 11 (Hammaker 2-1) @ NYY 5 (Hoyt 8-5)
HRs: POR – Murcer (16), Hrbek (30), Hornsby (6); NYY – none.
Box Score

Baltimore Black Sox @ Detroit Wolverines, Games 1 and 3

This series was a matchup of league heavyweights and 2 of the games lived up to the billing.

In the series opener, Mike Mussina was dominant for Baltimore … until he wasn’t, and then the Black Sox’ bullpen just collapsed, with Joe Beggs, Bob Miller, and Don Bessent combining to give up 5 runs in 1.1 innings, with Miller forced onto the DL with injury (a move that effectively ends the closer-by-committee for a while).

Detroit’s pitching wasn’t much better, but Si Johnson held it together for 5 plus, and Mike Henneman is quite a weapon in the bullpen, as the WBL leader in saves picked up his 26th of the season.

Detroit hit four homeruns in the game, with Bob Bailey‘s 3 run shot in the bottom of the 8th off Bessent being the deciding moment.

BAL 6 (Miller 3-2; Bessent 3 B Sv; Beggs 5 H) @ DET 8 (Lolich 1-1; Henneman 26 Sv)
HRs: BAL – Jacobson (6), Machado (3); DET – Greenberg (20), Jenkins (8), C. Davis (17), B. Bailey (16).
Box Score

Hal Newhouser would dominate in the 2nd game, leading Detroit to a 6-1 win. The most important note from that contest was Ned Garvin‘s injury, which turned out to be disastrous, sidelining the Brock Rutherford Award favorite for close to a year. But we’re here to talk about Game 3, which pitted each team’s current ace against each other–Baltimore’s Dennis Martínez and Detroit’s Johnny Marcum.

Both were excellent through 4, but Martínez lost the game in the 5th to the most unlikely of foes: Detroit’s light hitting utility infielder, Sparky Adams, took him deep for his first longball of the year, giving the Wolverines a 3-2 lead. Each team would add one more, but again it was Henneman closing the door, despite surrendering a run on an RBI double from Bobby Wallace.

A nice, taut game.

BAL 3 (Martínez 10-7) @ DET 4 (Marcum 10-2; Henneman 27 Sv; Hiller 11 H)
HRs: BAL – none; DET – Adams (1).
Box Score

FWIW, Baltimore did win the final game to avoid the sweep.

Miami Cuban Giants @ Houston Colt 45’s, Games 1 and 4

These teams split the series, but the more interesting games were the 2 victories by the Cuban Giants.

The story of game 1, at least early on, was missed opportunities. Miami’s 2-way OF/P Eustaquio Pedroso, gave up 9 baserunners in the first 4 innings, but the Colt 45’s managed only 1 run. Pedroso was tagged with a 3-run HR from Tony Gwynn in the 5th, but the score should have been much worse than 4-0.

Meanwhile, Houston’s Stephen Strasburg was magnificent, twirling a 3 hit shutout through 7. In the 8th, Robin Yount led off with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly from Alan Ashby, chasing Strasburg from the game with a still comfortable 4-1 lead.

You can tell what’s coming.

Houston’s closer, Billy Wagner came in and gave up a game-tying 3-run moon shot to José Canseco. Miami’s bullpen was excellent, with José Méndez, Ed Bauta, and Aroldis Chapman combining for 5.2 innings of 1-hit relief. Chapman was already gassed, so after he retired a batter, the Cuban Giants turned to Braden Looper as we headed to the 12th.

In the top of the frame, Houston’s Scott Erickson could not get the final out, giving up a walk and 2 hits, the last being a 2-run single from Chris Hoiles to give Miami a 2 run lead. Looper gave up 4 hits in the bottom of the 12th, all singles, but escaped with the victory when José Cardenal gunned down George Brett at the plate to end the game.

Houston ended the game with 13 runners left on base, to Miami’s 4. Offensive efficiency matters.

Thrilling.

MCG 6 (Looper 1-0) @ HOU 5 (Gregerson 0-1; Hoffman 6 H; Wagner 6 B Sv) [12 Innings]
HRS: MCG – Canseco (25); HOU – Gwynn (6).
Box Score

The series finale was somewhat similar. Here, though, both starters had excellent outings, with Miami’s Ramón Martinez and Houston’s Toad Ramsey essentially matching efforts, each surrendering only 2 runs.

When Jim Wynn took Braden Looper deep in the 8th for a 3-2 lead for Houston, the script seemed written: Mark Melancon has been a victory vulture all year, with a 9-2 record out of the bullpen. Again, though, Trevor Hoffman and Billy Wagner were unable to hold it–this time with more dire consequences, as both pitchers left with injuries (Wagner will only miss a few days, Hoffman is looking at a trip to the DL).

The late innings were highly tactical: Miami tied it because Carlos Morán, pinch hitting for Pete Runnels, scored from 1st on a José Canseco double.

Brad Lidge, who started the year as Houston’s closer and was just recently recalled from AAA, matched Miami’s Phenomenal Smith with great relief efforts (Lidge pitched 2 perfect frames, Smith allowed a single hit in 3.1 innings), but Houston turned to Dock Ellis, highly mediocre all year, in the 12th.

It didn’t work well: Gary Sheffield doubled and, after Ellis was able to get 2 outs, Alan Ashby singled him home for the lead. Alejandro Oms pinch ran for Ashby, and scored on a single from Ryan Braun for a 5-3 lead for the Cuban Giants.

Aroldis Chapman shut the door, cementing the series split for Miami.

Hoffman’s injury opened the door for Tug McGraw to be recalled from AAA for Houston.

MCG 5 (Smith 1-1; Chapman 18 Sv) @ HOU 3 (Ellis 0-5; Hoffman 1 B Sv)
HRs: MCG – Yount (8); HOU – Wynn (14)
Box Score

Series XXII Featured Matchup: Chicago American Giants @ Miami Cuban Giants

By

On August 4, 2022

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series Preview here.

#Game 1: Mark Buehrle @ Roenis Elias

Chicago jumped on Roenis Elias in the top of the first, with Eddie Collins leading off the game with a long homerun, Carlton Fisk tripling and scoring on a sacrifice fly, and Freddy Parent drilling a solo shot to right field for an early 3-0 lead for Chicago.

But Elias settled down after that, and a solo shot by Chris Hoiles in the bottom of the 2nd put Miami on the board.

Elias kept the game 3-0 until the top of the 5th, when a single by Joe Jackson and a walk by Fisk chased him from the game. Still, not a bad effort given the start. He was relieved by Phenomenal Smith who has been, um, yeah, pretty phenomenal in his first dozen WBL innings. Today, though, not so much: Smith hit a batter, walked in a run, gave up an RBI single to José Abreu, increasing the American Giants’ lead to 5-1.

Meanwhile, Mark Buehrle continued to sail along, giving up only 3 hits and the single run through 6 innings until an RBI double from Eustaquio Pedroso chased him from the game. Ed Walsh relieved Buehrle, and induced a groundball to third from pinch-hitter Sandy Amorós, but Jack Doyle booted the ball, letting Pedroso score and closing the game to 5-3.

Miami refused to go away, though, and an RBI double from Gary Sheffield in the 8th made it a 1 run game, 5-4 despite Miami only managing 5 hits.

AJ Minter walked one in the 9th, but that was it, to preserve the victory and pick up his 16th save.

CAG 5 (Buehrle 7-7; Minter 16 Sv; Walsh 1 H; Dixon 5 H) @ MCG 4 (Elias 2-3)
HRs: CAG – Collins 14, Parent 3; MCG – Hoiles 1.
Box Score

#Game 2: Dick Rudolph @ José Méndez

José Méndez took the mound for Miami in the second game of the series, but it was Chicago’s Dick Rudolph who gave up the first run of the game on a sacrifice fly by Gary Sheffield.

Méndez couldn’t overcome an error in the top of the 2nd, allowing a 2 run double by Jack Doyle. He settled down for a few innings after that, but an RBI single from Mike Fiore and a bases-loaded walk to Dick Allen chased him from the game, trailing 4-1 in the top of the 5th. Steve Brown was summoned from the bullpen, and got the final two outs of the inning with the bases loaded to hold the score steady.

Despite giving up the run, Rudolph didn’t give up a hit until Alan Ashby doubled in the bottom of the 5th. A bases loaded walk to Sandy Amorós cut the lead in half, 4-2.

But Brown was ineffective in the 6th, giving up a 2 RBI single to Freddy Parent and another run scoring knock to Frank Thomas. That put Chicago up by 5, 7-2. Marcelino López imploded at that point, eventually giving up a 3 run homerun to Doyle (his 3rd hit of the game). That made it 11-2, and a 2 run shot from Thomas essentially ended the contest.

That did allow Cristóbal Torriente to make his first mound appearance of the year to close out the final inning of the blowout. It went pretty smoothly, with only a walk to Chris Hoiles blemishing a perfect inning.

Doyle, Thomas, and Parent each had 3 hits and Doyle drove in 5 runs for Chicago, with Rudolph picking up his 2nd victory since joining the American Giants.

CAG 15 (Rudolph 2-0) @ MCG 3 (Méndez 2-3)
HRs: CAG – Doyle (2), Thomas (18).
Box Score

#Game 3: Don Newcombe @ Eustaquio Pedroso

Don Newcombe faces his old team trying to avoid becoming the first 11 game loser in the WBL. He’ll be opposed by Eustaquio Pedroso, desperately trying to hold onto his rotation spot.

It didn’t start well for Pedroso as a couple of hits and a couple of walks resulted in a 2-0 lead for Chicago with the runs scoring on a single from Cristóbal Torriente. Jack Doyle took Pedroso deep in the 2nd, extending the lead to 3-0.

Miami would get on the board in the bottom of the 2nd, with a double by Robin Yount plating their first tally and a sacrifice flies from Jim Thome and Sandy Amorós tying the game at 3.

It was short lived, as a homerun by Dave Nilsson gave Chicago the lead once more, but an RBI double by Will Clark tied it up again and a single from Yount put the Cuban Giants ahead once more, 5-4. A single in the bottom of the 4th from Canseco increased the lead to 6-4 and chased Newcombe from the game, replaced by Ed Walsh. Gary Sheffield greeted Walsh with a double that scored 2, making it 8-4.

Pedroso gave way to Phenomenal Smith in the 6th, who gave up 1 run in 2 innings, leaving the score 8-5.

Akinori Otsuka gave up a long homerun to Thome in the bottom of the 7th, pushing the lead to 10-5 and another 2 run homerun, this one from José Canseco off Clay Condrey made it 12-5 heading into the bottom of the 9th.

Frank Thomas greeted Aroldis Chapman with a solo shot to left, but that was it as Miami won their first game of the series, 12-6. Canseco finished with 4 hits, 3 runs scored, and 3 RBI.

CAG 6 (Newcombe 2-11) @ MCG 12 (Pedroso 5-5)
HRs: CAG – Doyle (3), Nilsson (5), Thomas (19); MCG – Thome (11), Canseco (19).
Box Score

#Game 4: Ben Sheets @ Camilo Pascual

Chicago will turn to Ben Sheets in the series finale while Miami will hope Camilo Pascual can salvage a split for the Cuban Giants.

José Cardenal led off the bottom of the first with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly from Pete Runnels for an early 1-0 Miami lead. It lasted exactly to the start of the next inning when Joe Jackson took Pascual deep to tie the game. Which lasted until Will Clark went deep to lead off the bottom of the frame. And that lasted until Jackson lashed a 2-run single in the top of the 3rd with the bases loaded, putting the American Giants back on top, 3-2.

Miami returned the favor with RBI’s from Runnels, Gary Sheffield, and Clark–that’s right, a 3-run inning–to retake the lead, 5-3. Runnels continued his great game with a 3-run shot that chased Sheets in the 4th and a 2-run single in the 5th.

That gave Pascual–who had clearly settled down–a 10-3 lead heading into the 6th. The teams scored a few more times, but the outcome was never in doubt.

Runnels ended up with 3 hits and 7 RBIs, leading Miami to a series split.

CAG 4 (Sheets 7-6) @ MCG 13 (Pascual 5-8)
HRs: CAG – Jackson (19); MCG – Clark (15), Runnels (1).
Box Score

Series Notes

Miami’s comeback to split has to be quite a surprise, the manner they did it even moreso, outscoring Chicago in the series, 32-30.

José Canseco was 6-for-12 in the series and Will Clark and Gary Sheffield had 6 hits each.

Freddy Parent continued to endear himself to his new team, going 6-for-14 while Frank Thomas had 5 hits and 2 homeruns for Chicago

TWIWBL 22.4: Series XVIII Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By

On February 4, 2022

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

OF Al Schweitzer will miss about a month with a strained groin. Ginger Beaumont–who couldn’t hit .200 in an earlier stint with the big league club, but has been slashing 423/516/654 at AAA–was recalled.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Don Drysedale rebounded from a rough start to turn in over 8 strong innings in earning his fifth win of the season in an 7-2 win over Memphis. Duke Farrell had 3 hits and 3 RBIs including his 3rd homerun of the year.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Sandy Consuegra was sent to AAA as, with Tommy Bridges out for a few days, the Cuban Giants needed another starter. Dontrelle Willis was recalled to the big leagues.

Pete Runnels went 4-for-4, continuing his great start with his new team, and Robin Yount scored three times, helping Miami to a 6-5 come-from-behind win over Ottawa. The big blow was a grand slam from José Canseco in the 8th inning, giving Ed Bauta his first win on the season. Aroldis Chapman picked up his 12th save of the year.

#Portland Sea Dogs

With Dizzy Trout out for 2 weeks, the Sea Dogs recalled Bob Porterfield from AAA.

TWIWBL Special Edition: All Star Previews II – Shortstops

By

On October 2, 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: George Wright, Bobby Wallace, & Freddy Parent.

Baltimore’s Wallace is is the likely starter here, slashing 325/427/471, but after him it gets difficult. Parent is hitting well for a shortstop, slashing 275/341/464, but he’s been slightly less than a fulltime player for Ottawa.

Behind those two, the House of David’s Ernie Banks, Memphis’ Vern Stephens, and Los Angeles’ Wright are all pretty identical offensively, with OPS’ in the .770s. Banks has 8 homeruns (as does Parent), and 31 RBIs to lead the group.

Detroit’s George Davis, Los Angeles’ Wright, and Kansas City’s Ozzie Smith have been the best defensive shortstops in the AL.

So, given all that, I think we go with Wallace, Banks, and Wright. But if Parent continues to post an OPS over ,800 while staying in the lineup, he’ll have to displace either Banks or Wright.

The AI avoids the confusion, only selecting Wallace.

#NL – Effa Manley & Marvin Miller Divisions

Original Selections: Jim Fregosi, Derek Jeter, & Arky Vaughan.

Homestead’s Vaughan made the original list solely on the strength of his defense, and the conundrum continues: with an OPS of .670 to go along with the best defensive numbers in the league, Vaughan remains a borderline choice.

Portland’s Fregosi is the likely starter right now, slashing 281/344/444, and the Black Yankees’ Jeter isn’t that far behind at 288/335/415. So the two of them are in.

After that, it’s between Vaughan and three others: San Francisco’s Dick Lundy is hitting well enough to make it, but just recently moved from a reserve role to the starting lineup; Birmingham’s Troy Tulowitzki and Miami’s Robin Yount are both hitting around the same level as Vaughan.

So, right now, I would stick with same trio as before, but with a sense that one of the others–perhaps Lundy, perhaps Yount–gets on a hot streak to force the conversation.

The AI ducked the issue again, selecting only Fregosi.

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

By

On July 29, 2021

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Preview here.

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

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

#Game 1: Red Ruffing @ Tommy Bridges

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#Game 2: Dave Righetti @ Camilo Pascual

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

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

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

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

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

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

#Game 3: Rube Waddell @ Waite Hoyt

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#Game 4: Ron Guidry @ Marcelino Lopez

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

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

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

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

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

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

Series Notes

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

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

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

Spring Training Preview: Miami

By

On June 20, 2020

In 2000 Spring Training, Team News

  • The final 2 rotation slots are likely to be pulled from Don Newcombe, Ramon Martinez, and Livan Hernandez, but both Jose Mendez and Eustaquio Pedroso have outside shots as well.
    • Rube Waddell has been excellent, but neither Camilo Pascual nor Tommy Bridges as good as expected. As such, there are a lot of open slots. Pedroso has seized 1 of them with some great performances, and Mendez has an edge on the other, while Hernandez has been pretty awful.
      • Hernandez has pitched himself back to AAA, while the front of the rotation has solidifed as Waddell, Pedroso, Martinez, and Bridges.
      • That leaves Willis, Pascual, Newcombe, and Mendez competing for the final rotation spot.
  • In the bullpen, while Aroldis Chapman and Bill Landrum are solid, and Tony Fossas can succeed in a situational role, doubts exist about Dalier Hinojosa and Ed Bauta especially.
    • Unfortunately, Fossas, Bauta, and Sandy Consuegra have had a rough go of it. Miami has recalled Ryota Igarashi, Dontrelle Willis, and Alex Colome to help find some bullpen solutions to get to Chapman and Landrum.
      • Both Bauta and Hinjosa have solidified their roster spots, if not their exact roles, while Fossas has moved to AAA. Igarashi could join him, but deserves another couple of appearances.
  • 2B, 3B, and SS are all up for grabs: Cookie Rojas and Paul Molitor are neck-and-neck at 2B; Evan Longoria, Manny Machado, and Gary Sheffield at 3B; and Robin Yount and Chico Fernandez at SS.
    • Molitor is on the verge of playing himself out of the league behind Rojas (which would clearly open a role for Dihigo, but he hasn’t hit a lick either). But he’s doing better than Longoria, who is literally hitless so far, at the bottom of a muddled pile at 3B, led by the surprising Willie Kamm.
      • Molitor and Longoria were both sent to AAA to work it out, with Tito Fuentes getting a shot in major league camp.
    • Yount has taken control at SS, so there’s that, at least.
  • In the OF, the talents of Alejandro Oms and Martin Dihigo are undeniable, but there are questions about whether they are ready for the WBL.
    • The OF is still crowded, with Jose Cardenal, Ryan Braun, and Eddie Milner all arguing for playing time and Ozzie Canseco being sent to AAA.
      • Oms and Dihigo don’t have to hit much to earn a roster spot due to their versatility and glovework. Milner and Braun, however, are on the bubble.
      • Tony Gonzalez has forced himself into the conversation, and perhaps even into a starting role.
  • C is now an issue as well, as both John Munyan and Alan Ashby are performing on par with expected starter Charlie Bennett.
    • The trio continues to be indistinguishable–if that continues, Bennett will start due to his defense, and a coin flip will pick his backup.
    • At 1B, Joe Adcock and Yonder Alonso are pounding the ball, leaving Edwin Encarnacion‘s roster spot in doubt.
Near DefiniteLikelyPossibleLong Shot
Starting PitchersRube Waddell
Eustaquio Pedroso		Ramon Martinez
Tommy Bridges		Jose Mendez
Camilo Pascual
Don Newcombe
Dontrelle Willis
Middle RelieversAlex Colome
Ed Bauta
Sandy Consuegra		Ryota Igarashi
SetupDalier Hinojosa
Bill Landrum
CloserAroldis Chapman
CCharlie Bennett
John Munyan
Alan Ashby
1BJoe Adcock
Yonder Alonso		Edwin Encarnacion
2BCookie RojasMartin DihigoTito Fuentes
3BWillie KammManny Machado
Gary Sheffield
SSRobin YountChico Fernandez
OFJose CansecoJose CardenalTony Gonzalez
Tommie Agee
Yasiel Puig
Sandy Amoros
Alejandro Oms		Ryan Braun
Eddie Milner

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