Tag: Ron Cey Page 2 of 3

Series XXX Best Games

On April 18, 2023

No real theme this time, just three close contests and checking in on the New York Black Yankees’ revamped bullpen.

Miami Cuban Giants @ New York Black Yankees, Game #2

Down 2-0 and 4-2, the New York Black Yankees scored the last 5 runs of the game in a 7-4 victory over Miami. Most importantly, the reconstructed New York bullpen provided 3.2 innings of scoreless, 2-hit relief to close out the game, with Aroldis Chapman picking up his 3rd save since being acquired. As is often the case, Miami was nearly totally reliant on José Canseco, who had 3 hits and 3 RBIs, including his 29th homerun of the year. Ryan Braun also had 3 hits for Miami.

MCG 4 (Pedroso 6-6; López 1 B Sv) @ NYY 7 (Burnett 3-2; Chapman 3 Sv; Cormier 1 H)
HRs: MCG – Canseco (29); NYY – Mattingly (24).
Box Score

Baltimore Black Sox @ Memphis Red Sox, Game #2

Baltimore held an early 4-2 lead, but Memphis exploded in the 5th inning, with Ted Williams‘ 3-run shot being the key hit. That put the Red Sox in front, 6-4.

It wouldn’t last very long: RBI hits from Bryce Harper and Manny Machado gave the lead back to the Black Sox, but another 3 run homerun, this one from Vern Stephens, put Memphis back ahead by 1 run at 9-8.

The Red Sox’s closer, Jonathan Papelbon, took the mound in the top of the 9th. He pitched decently, but a single by Paul Blair, an error by Memphis’3B, Wade Boggs, and a sacrifice fly from Larry Gardner tied the game. Papelbon and Baltimore’s Joe Beggs traded scoreless frames through the 11th, but in the 12th, Frank Robinson hit a long homerun off Bill Doak, his 29th of the season, to put the Black Sox ahead, 10-9.

Baltimore’s bullpen was pretty stretched, but Johnny Sain and Buddy Groom combined to successfully close out the game.

BAL 10 (Sain 9-7; Groom 2 Sv; Wetteland 1 B Sv) @ MEM 9 (Doak 1-3; Callahan 1 H; Bell 4 H; Wakefield 1 B Sv; Papelbon 3 B Sv) [12 Innings]
HRs: BAL – Wallace (5), Robinson (29); MEM – Williams (23), Stephens (6).
Box Score

Brooklyn Royal Giants @ Ottawa Mounties, Game #3

Pitching lines can be deceptive, right? Brooklyn’s Tommy Hanson looks to have been thoroughly average, giving up 4 runs in 5 innings. But he turned in an solid start, fanning 9 but suffering from giving up 2 homeruns (to Carlos Beltrán and Gary Carter) and an ineffective outing from Dave Von Ohlen, who allowed both inherited runners to score.

Brooklyn used a 3 run shot from Ron Cey to keep the game tied at 5 after 7 innings, but were unable to manage anything late, as Monk Dubiel, Randy Johnson, and Ryan Dempster combined to allow only 1 hit over the final 3 innings.

Ottawa’s Larry Parrish hit a walkoff homerun to give the Mounties the victory.

BRK 5 (Gagne 4-5; Von Holen 4 H; Hildenberger 2 B Sv) @ OTT 6 (Dempster 3-1)
HRs: BRK – Cey (18); OTT – Carter (15), Beltrán (8), Parrish (4).
Box Score

Wandering House of David @ Homestead Grays, Game #4

Homestead got off to a great start as Mike Epstein hit a grand slam in the bottom of the first. But the House of David clawed back, scoring in 3 different innings to tie the game at 4. The Grays again responded with the long ball, with Davey Johnson hitting a 2-run homerun in the bottom of the frame, but again we were quickly tied with Ron Santo going deep in the 7th.

And there we stayed for 4 more innings, until the House of David’s Bruce Sutter–asked to stretch into a second inning–gave up a triple to Chief Wilson and a 2-run shot to Rick Reichardt for a walk-off victory for the Grays. Homestead’s duo of Cliff Lee and Dave Giusti combined for 4 innings of 2-hit relief.

The standout performance of the game–by far–came from the House of David’s Pete Browning, who had 5 hits in 6 at-bats, raising his average to .361 in the process. If he stays healthy, Browning should take over the WBL lead in batting within the month.

HOD 6 (Sutter 2-3) @ HOM 8 (Giusti 2-0; Zambrano 2 B Sv) [11 Innings]
HRs: HOD – Santo (13); HOM – Epstein (20), Johnson (13), Reichardt (20).
Box Score

Series XXIX Best Games

By mknn

On March 29, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

Detroit‘s trip to Brooklyn and Kansas City‘s visit to Indianapolis each provided 3 games worth recapping.

We’ll take a look at the Wolverines matchup with the Royal Giants first.

#Detroit Wolverines @ Brooklyn Royal Giants

Detroit’s Charlie Root and Brooklyn’s Frank Knauss hooked up in a pitcher’s duel. Ty Cobb‘s 17th homerun of the year–a 3 run shot–gave the Wolverines a 3-1 lead in the top of the 8th, but John Briggs sent one over the fence to tie it in the bottom of the frame. Bill Carrigan doubled in Hank Greenberg in the top of the 10th, and Detroit turned to the league leader in saves, Mike Henneman, to close it out. Ron Cey greeted Henneman with a double, but was thrown out, inexplicably trying to stretch the hit into a triple. That ended the threat, and Henneman ended the game.

DET 4 (Hiller 3-1, 2 B Sv; Henneman 31 Sv) @ BRK 3 (Von Ohlen 5-2) [10 Innings]
HRs: DET – Cobb (17); BRK – Becker (18), Briggs (4).
Box Score

Detroit won game 2, taking the lead on a 3-run homer from Oscar Gamble in the top of the first and never looking back. That put the Wolverines up 2-0 in the series, setting the stage for game 3.

Gene Conley continues to be a rare find for Detroit, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) and 3 hits in 7 innings. But the usually reliable Wolverines bullpen wasn’t able to hold a lead, giving up 4 runs in the final 3 innings with Duke Farrell doubling in the winning run in the bottom of the 9th.

John Hiller blew his second save of the series, falling to 3-2 on the season, with the victory going to Trevor Hildenberger who pitched a scoreless final 2 innings.

DET 3 (Hiller 3-2; 3 B Sv) @ BRK 4 (Hildenberger 4-1)
HRs: DET – Greenberg (22); BRK – Briggs (5).
Box Score

Whoops he did it again … Just like in Series XXV, Beals Becker ended a game with a walk-off grandslam. Again it was the Detroit bullpen that collapsed, this time–shockingly–it was Mike Henneman who gave up a walk and 3 hits (including Becker’s blast) to the 4 batters he faced.

Tony Phillips–who has sparkled since his return from injury–had 4 hits for Detroit, and Frank Isbell went 3-for-3 for Brooklyn.

DET 5 (Henneman 1-5, 4 B Sv; Lolich 3 H; Anderson 6 H) @ BRK 7 (Dreifort 1-3)
HRs: DET – Bailey (17), Kaline (2), Phillips (7); BRK – Farrell (6), Snider (27), Becker (21).
Box Score

#Kansas City Monarchs @ Indianapolis ABC’s

Indianapolis won all four games against Kansas City. A bases-clearing double by Joe Morgan was the key hit in game 1. The other 3 games were all close contests.

In the 2nd game, Kansas City out hit the ABC’s 17-7, but 4 RBIs (3 on his 25th homerun of the year) by Johnny Bench keyed an 8-6 Indianapolis victory. Ted Simmons had 4 hits for the Monarchs and Ducky Medwick 3, but Kansas City left 11 runners on base.

KCM 6 (Blong 3-2, 1 B Sv) @ IND 8 (Murphy 2-4; Dibble 24 Sv; Carroll 8 H)
HRs: KCM – Pujols (18), Medwick (12); IND – Votto (5), Bench (25).
Box Score

Game 3 saw Kansas City’s Trevor Rosenthal and Frank DiPino implode as the ABC’s scored 6 runs in the 7th, coming back from a 7-2 deficit. The ABC’s Dolf Luque logged only 2 innings, but Johnny Cueto had his best appearance in a while, allowing a single run in 5 strong innings of relief work.

KCM 7 (DiPino 1-5) @ IND 8 (Cueto 8-6; Carroll 2 Sv; James 5 H)
HRs: KCM – Medwick (13); IND – none.
Box Score

It took 12 innings for Indianapolis to secure the sweep in a see-saw game. The ABC’s were wasteful throughout, leaving 19–nineteen–runners on base in the contest. Joey Votto and Jake Stenzel had 4 hits each, with Votto driving in 3. Kansas City’s Boog Powell tied the game in the top of the 9th with his 14th homerun of the season.

Both bullpens were exhausted, so an unexpectedly strong performance from Octavio Dotel was desperately needed by Indianapolis.

KCM 8 (Rosenthal 5-2; Kimbrel 4 B Sv; Russell 1 B Sv) – IND 9 (Dotel 1-1; James 6 H; Murphy 2 B Sv) [12 Innings]
HRs: KCM – Powell (14); IND – Stenzel (8).
Box Score

Series XXIII: Best Games

By mknn

On December 7, 2022

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

For Series XXIII, we’re going to look at 3 series, each of which had 2 compelling games to visit more closely.

#Baltimore Black Sox @ Brooklyn Royal Giants, Games 1 and 3

The opening game of the series between Baltimore and Brooklyn was a bit of a surprise as the pitching matchup–Dennis Martínez and Don Drysedale–hinted at a pitcher’s duel. Instead, it was a see-saw affair, with the Black Sox taking an early lead, and then surrendering 6 runs in the bottom of the 6th. The key hit was Germany Smith‘s 2nd homerun of the year which, along with another run the following inning, gave the Royal Giants a 7-4 lead. Baltimore came back with a run in the 7th and 4 more in the 8th behind Larry Gardner‘s second homerun of the day en route to a 9-7 victory. Gardner finished with 3 hits and 5 RBIs for the Black Sox, whose bullpen delivered 5 innings of 1-hit relief.

BAL 9 (Palmer 7-7; Bessent 12 Sv; Beggs 3 H) @ BRK 7 (Dreifort 0-2, 1 B Sv; Hanson 4 H)
HRs: BAL – Gardner 2 (8), Robinson (19); BRK – Smith (2), Snider (20).
Box Score

The 3rd game of the series went to extra innings, but we should start with the great starts put in by Baltimore’s Mike Mussina (4 IP, 1 run) and Brooklyn’s Sandy Koufax (5 shutout innings allowing only 2 hits). Both of their days were cut short by a long rain delay, turning the game over to a pair of already thin bullpens. They got by–at the end of the 6th, the game was tied at 2, and it stayed that way into the 11th.

In the top of the frame, Baltimore’s Baby Doll Jacobson put down a great bunt to score Brian Roberts from 3B, and later came around on a single from Bobby Wallace to give the Black Sox a 4-2 lead.

The Royal Giants wouldn’t go down without a fight, however: Ron Cey doubled home Jackie Robinson to cut the lead to 1 run, and a 2-out single from Dickie Thon loaded the bases … but Don Bessent got the Royal Giants’ John Briggs to popout to 3B to end the game.

BAL 4 (Miller 3-1; Bessent 13 Sv) @ BRK 3 (Hanson 0-1; Gagne 5 B Sv)
HRs: BRK – Thon (4)
Box Score

#Miami Cuban Giants @ New York Gothams, Games 2 and 3

Miami‘s pitching–and especially their bullpen–has been pretty woeful all year, so when the Gothams scored 4 in the bottom of the 2nd to take a 4-3 lead, you could be excused for thinking the game was over. But the Cuban Giants fought back behind 2 homeruns from José Canseco and effective innings from Ed Bauta and Aroldis Chapman, not to mention a key OF kill from Alejandro Oms, who gunned down Willie Mays trying to score in the bottom of the 8th.

MCG 10 (Elias 3-3; Chapman 14 Sv; Brown 1 H; Bauta 9 H) @ NYG 7 (Marichal 7-6)
HRs: MCG – Canseco 2 (21); NYG – Adcock (3), Kerins (3), Higgins (7)
Box Score

José Méndez turned in one of his better performances of the year for Miami in game 3: 5 innings, 2 earned runs. A quality start. And nobody was talking about it, as New York’s Christy Mathewson won his 10th game of the year with a masterful 1-hit complete game shutout, striking out 7 and walking only one. Indeed, it was one of the best starts in the WBL all season, and Mark Loretta‘s 2 hits and 3 RBIs were more than enough for the Gothams.

MCG 0 (Méndez 2-4) @ NYG 3 (Mathewson 10-6)
HRs: n/a.
Box Score

#Houston Colt 45s @ Chicago American Giants, Games 2 & 4

Finally, we have two games from the Houston Colt 45s visit to Chicago. Game 2 was a pitcher’s duel between Houston’s Bones Ely and Chicago’s Mark Buehrle. Ely was better, allowing 1 run in over 7 innings of 3-hit ball, but Buehrle was quite good, allowing only an unearned run on an error by Dick Allen over 6 innings of work.

Chicago would score its first run in the bottom of the 8th on a wild pitch by Andrew Chafin, and win the game on a walkoff homerun from Allen, atoning for his earlier miscue. Mid-season acquisition Hoyt Wilhelm got the win with 3innings of 1-hit relief.

HOU 1 (Melancon 8-2; Chafin 2 B Sv) @ CAG 2 (Wilhelm 2-0)
HRs: CAG – Allen (15).
Box Score

The series finale was a fun one.

Houston jumped out to a 6-0 lead behind homeruns from Jimmy Wynn and Jeff Bagwell, but also left nine batters on base through the first 4 innings, which is actually hard to do. But with Roger Clemens giving his best work since joining the Colt 45’s, it seemed OK. Clemens reached 100 pitches after 6 innings of work, and left with leading, 6-3.

But Chicago rocked Luke Gregerson and Scott Erickson, torching Houston’s relievers for 5 runs in the bottom of the 7th to take the lead, 8-6. Recently recalled Andrés Galarraga sent a moon shot into the RF stands in the top of the 8th to swing the lead back to Houston, 9-8, and with Houston’s closer, Billy Wagner, taking the mound in the bottom of the 9th, all looked safe.

But Carlton Fisk reached on an error by SS Carlos Correa and José Abreu walked, setting the stage for a double from Magglio Ordóñez to tie the game and a single from Eddie Collins (who finished the day with 3 hits and 5 RBIs) to win it.

HOU 9 (Wagner 0-2, 4 B Sv; Gregerson 2 H; Melancon 8 H; Erickson 1 B Sv) @ CAG 10 (Newcombe 1-2, 1 B Sv)
HRs: HOU – Wynn (13), Bagwell (10), Galarraga (2).
Box Score

Series XIX: Best Games – Chicago American Giants @ Brooklyn Royal Giants

By mknn

On May 13, 2022

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

And with all that, we are back from the first All-Star Break!

The theme in Series XIX was what came after the great starting pitching, as three of the games feature no-hitters in the early going.

#Chicago American Giants @ Brooklyn Royal Giants, Game Four

The American Giants would send Dick Rudolph to the mind, hoping to salvage a split of the series against Brooklyn, with the Royal Giants countering with young Sandy Koufax.

Frank Isbell–acquired by Brooklyn over the all-star break–singled off Rudolph in the bottom of the first and Jermaine Dye singled and scored on a double by Duke Snider in the bottom of the 4th.

And that was it.

Rudolph was good. But Koufax was masterful.

He was perfect through five innings before walking Mike Fiore and Freddy Parent to start the 6th, and didn’t allow a hit until the top of the 8th, when Dick Allen led off with a single and, after Carlton Fisk whiffed, Fiore hit a homerun. That was it for Koufax, who was clearly tiring, but what a performance!

After Koufax was replaced by Trevor Hildenberger, Freddy Parent singled and scored on a double by Magglio Ordóñez, putting Chicago in front, 3-1.

Rudolph allowed six hits, but only the single run through 7 innings. But his replacement, Sonny Dixon, wasn’t as strong, allowing a leadoff double to Beals Becker in the bottom of the 8th, and eventually seeing Becker score on a groundout from Dye.

Chicago sent their closer, A.J. Minter, to the mound in the bottom of the 9th with a 3-2 lead. Roy White doubled to lead off the inning, but Minter retired Ron Cey and Hi Myers, putting the American Giants one out away from the win … but Al López ripped a single through the infield, scoring White and sending the game to extra innings.

Fisk started the extra frame with a double off Eric Gagne. After one out, Parent–acquired as the final piece in Chicago’s postseason push–hit his second homerun as an American Giant, making the score 5-3.

Minter retired Isbell to start the bottom of the tenth, and was then replaced by Clay Condrey to close the game. But Germany Smith, in his first at-bat in the big leagues, greeted Condrey with the first hit of his WBL career, a homerun that just cleared the right field fence. Condrey retired Jackie Robinson for the second out, and walked Duke Snider. Up stepped White, who has really been the heart and soul of Brooklyn all year … and he deposited Condrey’s pitch into the right-field stands for a walk off victory for Brooklyn.

Chicago 5 (Condrey 0-1, 1 BSv; Dixon 3 H; Minter 1 BSv) @ Brooklyn 6 (Von Ohlen 5-0) [10 Innings]
HRs: CAG – Fiore (8), Parent (2); BRK – Smith (1), White (9).
Box Score

#Other Games of Note

Two games from the Los Angeles Angels‘ visit to Memphis bear mentioning. In the first, Los Angeles jumped out to 6-0 lead while Doc Gooden carried a no-hitter through 4 innings before Jim Pagliaroni singled with one out in the fifth. Two singles and a walk would chase Gooden … and then the wheels would come off for the Angels, who ended up giving up 7 runs in the inning. Mike Trout would hit one out of the park in the 8th to put them ahead, and the Angels, led by Carlos Delgado‘s 4-for-5 debut after his acquisition from Ottawa, would win, 9-7.

Another pitcher would take a no-hitter into the middle of the third game of the series, but it wasn’t the WBL leader in wins, Los Angeles’ Gerrit Cole. Instead, Memphis’ Tim Wakefield had his knuckleball dancing, not allowing a hit until Don Buford‘s solo homerun in the top of the 6th. The back end of the Angels’ bullpen wasn’t available, forcing Los Angeles to turn to Harry Howell to close out the game, which didn’t work out well, as Memphis’ David Justice took Howell deep for a walk-off homer to win the game for the Red Sox.

Los Angeles 9 (Rodríguez 2-0; Venters 9 H; Nathan 11 Sv) @ Memphis 7 (Farrell 0-3, 4 BSv)
HRs: LAA – Delgado (1), Trout (8)
Box Score

Los Angeles 3 (Howell 3-5, 1 BSv) @ Memphis 4 (Bell 5-3)
HRs: LAA – Buford (6), Delgado (2); MEM – Justice (1)
Box Score

Lefty Grove and Doc White locked horns in the second game between Indianapolis and San Francisco, which was scoreless through 6. Indianapolis scored 4 times in the top of the 7th, keyed by a 2-run double by Jake Stenzel, and held on as Lefty James retired Pedro Guerrero with the bases loaded to preserve a 4-3 victory for the ABC’s.

Indianapolis 4 (Faber 5-4; James 1 Sv; Dibble 1 H) @ San Francisco 3 (Grove 8-4)
HRs: None
Box Score

TWIWBL 24.2: Mid-Season Reviews – Brooklyn Royal Giants

By mknn

On February 17, 2022

In Team News, TWIWBL

Summary

Brooklyn sits in 2nd place in the Marvin Miller Division, only 3.5 games behind Portland, despite a general sense they’ve underperformed on the season. So, I guess that’s good?

What’s Gone Right

The pitching. Don Drysedale has been among the better starters in the league, and Frank Knauss has emerged as a quality #2 starter. Don Sutton, Dutch Leonard, and Sandy Koufax have been solid behind them with Koufax occasionally spectacular (including the only 1-hitter in the league). Add to that a back-end trio in the bullpen of Dave Von Ohlen and Trevor Hildenberger setting up Watty Clark, and the Royal Giants have everything they need on the mound.

The AAA Shuttle. The Royal Giants have been quite successful in their call-ups.

Orel Hershiser and Smokey Joe Williams started the year in the WBL, but struggled. Their replacements–Tommy Hanson, Knauss, and Von Ohlen–have been excellent.
The original duo behind the plate–Mike Piazza and Steve Yeager–were horrible. Their replacements, Al López and Duke Farrell, look OK so far.
Raúl Mondesí, who earned a spot on the roster out of spring training, struggled, but Jermaine Dye looks to be the real deal as his replacement.

The Running Game. Five players (Duke Snider, Beals Becker, Jackie Robinson, Davey Lopes, and Dickie Thon) have more than 10 steals each.

What’s Gone Wrong

Power. Only Snider and Ron Cey have more than 10 homeruns (although, to be fair, both Becker and Robinson have 9). Still, some more pop would be a welcome addition.

Catching. As referenced above, Piazza was especially a disappointment, as he was expected to add some power to a lineup that really needs it.

The Infield. Cey is set at 3B, and Robinson clearly has a role. But the rest has been … unsettled at best. Dan Brouthers has been miserable at 1B, and may be on his way out of town, and neither Lopes (2B) nor Thon (SS) have really convinced. Ray Dandridge has been excellent in a limited opportunity, and should be an everyday starter from here on out.

Key Storylines

The Royal Giants have managed their AAA movement very well, as detailed above. Probably the key storyline here is their ability to remain competitive while still searching for their identity.

Koufax is a bit of an enigma, and his continued development bears watching–and the thought of what he and Smokey Joe Williams could be is quite enticing.

What to do with Robinson remains a challenge: he doesn’t field well enough to play 2B a ton, and doesn’t hit well enough to play 1B.

Trading Outlook

BUYING.

OFs Dye, Hi Myers, and Matt Holliday have some value. If the right opportunity came along, some of their SP surplus could be on the trading block: Hershiser, Leonard, Knauss.

AAA Shuttle

Piazza and Yeager have both done well at AAA, and may be due for a recall if López or Farrell falter. Likewise, Hershiser has been dominant in the minors and he, along with Darren Dreifort, are ready should they be needed.

Midseason Changes

Infield changes a-plenty. Robinson becomes the everyday 1B, with Brouthers being sent to AAA (Eric Karros was recalled to backup Robinson). 2B/SS is trickier: Dandridge becomes the starter at one of those, but there’s just nobody in the system arguing for playing time. So Dandridge will start, with a bit of rotation between Thon and Lopes, if no other moves are made.

Hildenberger moves into the setup role, demoting Eric Gagne.

Awards

All Stars: Don Drysedale (P).

Pitcher of the Month: Don Drysedale (April)

Offensive MVP: Duke Snider (CF)
Pitching MVP: Don Drysedale (SP)

Down on the Farm

AAA: Queens Kings

Next to the Show: OFs Matt Holliday & Curt Flood, RP Darren Dreifort.

Prospects: P Ralph Branca (22), P Tim Stauffer (26).

Projects: There are a ton, but let’s just focus on the 24 year-olds: P Smokey Joe Williams, C Mike Piazza, OF Raúl Mondesí, OF Curt Flood, and 1B Dan Brouthers.

Suspects: Ron Perranoski (25), Jordan Zimmerman (26), IFs Todd Walker and Manny Trillo (both 33), SS Germany Smith (28).

AA: Jersey City Skeeters

Prospects: CF John Briggs (20), P Lou Marone (23), 3B Hank Majeski (23).

Projects: P Chris Short (21), P Fernando Valenzuela (23), P Dustin McGowan (23), OF Morrie Arnovich (25), C Phil Lombardi (23), SS Sonny Jackson (19).

Suspects: P Ben Hendrickson (23), 1B Kevin Maas (30), IFs Don Heffner (33) and César Izturis (27). P Johnny Ryan (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).

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

By mknn

On December 27, 2021

In Featured Series, Game Recaps

Series preview here.

#Game One: Walter Johnson @ Dutch Leonard

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

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

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

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

#Game Two: Bert Blyleven @ Frank Knauss

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

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

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

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

#Game Three: Jerry Koosman @ Sandy Koufax

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#Game Four: Wade Miller @ Don Sutton

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#Series Summary

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

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

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

Series XVI Featured Game: Philadelphia Stars @ Los Angeles Angels

By mknn

On November 17, 2021

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

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

#Philadelphia Stars @ Los Angeles Angels, Game 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TWIWBL Special Edition: All Star Previews II – Third Basemen

By mknn

On October 4, 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 and Cum Posey Divisions

Original selections: Doug Rader, Dick Allen, Pinky Higgins.

It’s a pretty clear top three right now, with one change from the above. Not only has Kansas City’s Albert Pujols forced himself into the conversation, he may be the starter for the AL, with a 303/365/514 line.

Chicago’s Allen and Los Angeles’ Rader are holding steady, Allen at 278/335/512 and Rader at 306/362/505. Each of them match Pujols’ 9 homeruns, and Rader has 54 RBIs.

Higgins of the New York Gothams is still in the conversation, he’s just fallen a bit off the pace with an OPS of .830.

None of the contenders are very good with the glove, with Higgins especially not showing much skill with the leather at the hot corner. But the best gloves in the league–Detroit’s Jimmy Collins and Baltimore’s Harlond Clift–aren’t hitting anywhere near enough to make it.

The AI picks Rader and Detroit’s Bob Bailey, but Bailey has spent only 44 innings at 3B, playing most of the time as a DH.

So, Pujols, Rader, and Allen it is.

#NL – Effa Manley and Marvin Miller Divisions

Original selections: Scott Rolen, Buddy Bell, Mike Schmidt.

Not much has changed in the NL: Portland’s Bell (312/382/540 with 10 homeruns) is head and shoulders above the rest, and Philadelphia’s Rolen (279/353/492) solidly behind him. But after that, it gets difficult.

Brooklyn’s Ron Cey, with an OPS just over .800, is the next best hitter. But Miami’s Manny Machado and the New York Black Yankees’ Schmidt are contributing a lot more defensively. Machado and Schmidt’s OPS’ are roughly equal, in the .780 range.

I continue to just have more faith that Schmidt will get hot, so we’ll keep going with him, but it really is likely to come down to which of those has a good rest of the month.

The AI shares the dilemma, picking only Bell and Rolen.

TWIWBL 16.4: Series XIII Notes – Marvin Miller Division

By mknn

On September 7, 2021

In TWIWBL

#Birmingham Black Barons

In a blowout loss to Chicago, 3B Pie Traynor hit a homerun in his first WBL at-bat.

Tim Hudson cemented his spot in the rotation, moving to 4-0 with over 7 strong innings in a 4-3 win over Chicago. Recently moved into the closer role, Juan Rincon picked up his 2nd save and Tom Herr, Bob Nieman, and Eddie Mathews had 2 hits each.

The American Giants were sailing along until, in the bottom of the 4th, Birmingham suddenly exploded for 5 runs behind a grand slam from Troy Tulowitzki. The Black Barons kept pouring it on, ending up with a 14-3 win. Billy Southworth has 3 hits including 2 triples, Del Crandall–replacing an injured Gene Tenace–went 3-for-3 with 3 runs and 3 RBIs and Herr added 3 hits in pushing his average back towards .350. Traynor continued his torrid start, going 2-for-5 with another homerun, and is now hitting .600 in his first few games for the club.

With Tenace’s injury still being diagnosed, the Black Barons went ahead and sent him to the DL, recalling Dale Murphy–who hasn’t done any better at AAA than he did before being sent down–and reinstating Al Schweitzer from the DL (Fred Fussell was sent back to AAA).

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Don Drysedale put in another strong start, but wasn’t around to see Ron Cey stroke a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 10th, lifting Brooklyn to a 6-5 victory over Homestead. The win went to Watty Clark, who moved to 3-1 with 2 innings of scoreless relief. Roy White had 3 hits, and he and Dan Brouthers both went deep.

In a game that saw Dutch Leonard become the WBL’s first 7 game loser, Tommy Hanson made his WBL debut by striking out the first 4 batters he faced.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Miami destroyed Los Angeles 18-3, with Will Clark going 4-for-4 with 4 runs and 4 RBIs. Both Clark (his 11th) and Charlie Bennett (his 3rd) went deep, and Bennett drove in 5. The news wasn’t all good: Ramon Martinez was sailing along, allowing only 2 hits and no runs into the 6th inning when he had to be removed from the game with tricep pain. It was enough to get his 3rd win of the year, but he’ll miss about six weeks. Dalier Hinojosa was waived to make room for Dontrelle Willis on the roster.

Steve Brown was returned to AAA as Rube Waddell came off the DL.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Dizzy Trout allowed only 2 hits through 8 innings (1 a 2-run homerun by Ernie Banks) in an 11-3 blowout win for Portland. Five Sea Dogs hit homeruns (Jeff Burroughs, Kent Hrbek, Gil Hodges, Harry Hooper, and Adrian Beltre), and Hodges and Ivan Rodriguez had 3 RBIs each.

Bert Blyleven threw a complete game, 4 hit, 132 pitch shutout as the Sea Dogs blew out the House of David, 11-0. Buddy Bell hit a 3-run homerun, and Rodriguez and Fred Dunlap had 3 hits each. Rodriguez and Hrbek also went deep for Portland.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Lefty Grove had a no-hitter through 6 innings as the Sea Lions defeated Philadelphia, 9-1. Jack Clark had 3 hits and 3 RBIs for San Francisco and Cy Perkins hit his first homerun of the year, a 3 run shot to seal the victory for Grove, who improved to 5-2 on the year. Rickey Henderson was caught stealing after 28 consecutive thefts when the Stars’ Sherm Lollar gunned him down.