Tag: Ted Williams Page 2 of 5

TWIWBL 56.7: Spring Training Notes – Memphis Red Sox

On February 24, 2024

Spring Training Questions

Half the staff is unknown, and while the OF is far too crowded, both C and the IF are still to be settled.

First round pick Carl Yastrzemski and fourth round pick Bill Lee have an outside shot at making the squad, although Yastrzemski is thoroughly blocked at both LF and 1B.

First Cuts

Not a lot clarified on the mound. Mike Witt and Turk Farrell were sent down, with Eddie Cicotte‘s struggles moving him close to the edge as well. The rest remains complicated: Len Barker and Sadie McMahon have pitched better than their numbers would indicate, while prize FA acquistion Shane Bieber, Jon Lester, and David Bush are struggling a bit.

C Charlie Bennett was sent down, and only Kurt Suzuki‘s arm prevented him from joining Bennett in the minors. Joe Cunningham and David Ortiz have torn the cover off the ball, maintaining quite a crowd at 1B where only George Scott heads off to minor league camp.

The Red Sox had hoped that DJ LeMahieu or Dustin Pedroia would provide some competition at 2B, instead each were sent down after woeful early performances, along with SS Francisco Lindor.

And that brings us to Carl Yastrzemski, who has simply exploded onto the scene. It’s not clear where the 20 year old could fit in Memphis’ lineup, but if he keeps hitting like this, they’ll find a spot for him. Eddie Rosario, Tom Brown, and Lefty O’Doul were optioned to the minors.

These moves leave Memphis still needing to do a lot of work, primarily on the mound and in the outfield, positions that are crowded enough the Red Sox could be challenged in finding enough opportunities for the talent to be accurately evaluated.

Second Cuts

Some of Memphis’ best performers on the mound from last season (Heath Bell, Len Barker, and Bill Doak and, in a slightly lesser key, Tim Wakefield) have struggled mightily this Spring, but will be given some more time to work out the kinks. Tommy de la Cruz, Eddie Cicotte, Bill Hogg, and Sadie McMahon weren’t so lucky, with all four being sent to the minors.

Kurt Suzuki‘s defense again keeps him in camp, at least temporarily.

The IF remains a mess: Iván De Jesús, Wade Boggs and Bill White are all struggling and players considered long shots coming into camp–David Ortiz and Dobie Moore especially–have been jaw-droppingly good.

The situation is the same in the OF, where Yastrzemski and Alex Johnson are tearing the cover off the ball and Mookie Betts, Ted Williams, and David Justice are all mired in the muck of sub .500 OPS’. Look for both of these logjams to break over the next week.

Third Cuts

P remains a conundrum compounded by Bill Doak and Jon Lester (both stalwarts last season) struggling. For all his versatility, Tim Wakefield just can’t seem to get a feel for his knuckleball, and heads to AAA along with Derek Lowe.

Kurt Suzuki is fantastic defensively behind the plate, but his offense is just too weak for the WBL at this point. He joins Iván De Jesús, Mike Greenwell, Andrew Benintendi, Dwight Evans, and Candy Jim Taylor at AAA.

That sounds like a lot, but there are still a lot of roster questions to figure out. The odds are only one of Joe Cronin, Joe Cunningham, and Travis Shaw can make the roster, and it’s not clear if there is space for all three of Nomar Garciaparra, Dobie Moore, and Vern Stephens. Given that Bill White and Wade Boggs are entrenched as starters on the corners (with David Ortiz pushing White for time), there is a lot of pressure in the middle infield.

Even with the demotions of Joe Kelley and Hack Wilson, the Red Sox have eight OFers in camp, with established contributors Ted Williams (!), David Justice, and Mookie Betts all struggling to put the bat on the ball. This felt crowded even before camp started, with Manny Ramírez, Reggie Smith, Sammy Sosa, Williams, and Betts all but assured of spots. Add to that the stellar debuts from Carl Yastrzemski and Alex Johnson, and it’s all a bit of a mess.

Final Cuts

The acquisition of Gabby Hartnett leaves the C position pretty crowded, especially given Dobie Moore can fill in behind the plate in a pinch. As such, Bob Brenly heads to the minors despite a decent showing last season. He was joined by recent acquisition Rollie Fingers who needs another year of development at least.

The C position was finalized with Dave Engle‘s demotion, as Billy Bryan holds on to his roster spot behind Hartnett.

Moore’s presence also allows the Red Sox to keep only 1 of Claude Ritchey and Wayne Causey. Ritchey performed better both last season and in the Spring, so Causey finds himself on his way to AAA.

Young Jim Kaat impressed during the Spring, but will start the year at AAA, as will veteran IF Nomar Garciaparra, who again showed too little to warrant a WBL roster spot.

Despite showing some promise–certainly more than he showed in a disastrous 2000–Nixey Callahan will start the year at AAA, as will Jameson Taillon. 1B was always going to be crowded, when David Ortiz hit 6 homeruns during the Spring, it got ridiculous. That earned Ortiz a roster spot, with Joe Cronin and Joe Cunningham both heading to AAA, and Travis Shaw sticking with the Red Sox due to his ability to backup Wade Boggs at 3B.

And then there was one cut left to make.

The choices were Bill Doak (excellent last year, horrendous this Spring), Alex Johnson (a total unknown tearing the cover off the ball this Spring), or Carl Yastrzemski (a strong Spring, but no real place to get regular playing time). Memphis decided to get Yaz some regular at bats, making him the final cut of the Spring.

Season Review: Memphis Red Sox

By mknn

On December 14, 2023

In Season Reviews, Team News

71 - 83, .461 pct.
5th in Bill James Division, 18 games behind.

Overall

Memphis had a rough year: the pitching was never very good, and there were a ton of disappointments on the offensive side as well. If they can find some pitching, however, there may be no team in the league better positioned for a bounce back, and they ended the year on a 17-4 record, perhaps indicating better times are coming.

What Went Right

There were some things. OF Reggie Smith and Ted Williams look like elite players, despite Williams’ late season slide. Smith is 23, Williams 21, so that should lock up 2 of the Red Sox’s OF slots for a while.

Billy Bryan hit very well in limited action, and both Bill White and Wade Boggs looked solid as well.

Sammy Sosa did very well after being obtained in a mid-season trade, posting a SLG of .551 with Memphis.

Stubby Overmire was a pleasant surprise after arriving from Houston, finishing 3rd in the WBL in ERA. He, Dean Chance and, when healthy, Bill Doak looked solid as starters and Jonathan Papelbon and Heath Bell were each fantastic in the bullpen.

ALL STARS
RP Craig Kimbrel; OF Reggie Smith; OF Ted Williams

What Went Wrong

Neither Mookie Betts nor Manny Ramírez did enough, both being surpassed by Sosa on the depth chart (and with even more OF talent in the minors, it’s not clear if their futures lie with Memphis).

The MI was a mess all year, although Claude Ritchey did well enough at the end of the season to lay a claim for next year. Francisco Lindor and Dustin Pedroia were especially disappointing, leaving the Red Sox far too reliant on Iván De Jesús throughout the season (a fine utility part, not a starter).

The rest of the starting staff was a mess, either far too inconsistent (Jon Lester and Tim Wakefield) or just plain bad (Nixey Callahan especially).

Trade Evaluations

March

None

June

P Roger Clemens to Houston for OF Hack Wilson, P Jim Kaat, 2B DJ LeMahieu, P Stubby Overmire & 5th Round Pick {Nathan Eovaldi}

Clemens was struggling mightily in Memphis, and this is a nice haul of talent in return.

P Joe Beggs to Baltimore for P Willie Sudhoff, OF Alex Johnson & 4th Round Pick {Bill Lee}

Beggs’ age (33) makes this OK, I guess.

OF Tony Conigliaro, OF Fred Lynn & 2nd Round Pick to House of David for OF Sammy Sosa & 5th Round Pick

Seemed quite questionable at the time, but Sosa’s performance since has made this look like a win for the Red Sox.

July

C Jim Pagliaroni & 4th Round Pick to Birmingham for IF Woody English & 3B Candy Jim Taylor

Taylor is the best player in the deal, which usually would mean Memphis wins this one.

Looking Forward

SP

There is just so little talent here long term. Derek Lowe? I guess. A real weakness.

RP

Not bad. Papelbon and Bell for now, along with help from Joe Kelly and the continued effectiveness of Tim Wakefield as a swingman.

C

An area of need, especially if Billy Bryan stumbles. Jason Varitek has some promise and Kurt Suzuki showed outstanding defensive potential in a short trial (although he couldn’t hit a lick).

1B

Bill White did fine here, but he’s really just warming the spot for prospect David Ortiz.

2B

The Red Sox would love to see either DJ LeMahieu or Dustin Pedroia make this position theirs long term.

3B

Wade Boggs should be good here for a long time, although room will eventually need to be made for Candy Jim Taylor.

SS

Vern Stephens was supposed to be the answer, and if not Stephens, Francisco Lindor. Neither showed much, so there is some concern here.

LF

Ted Williams for at least a decade.

CF

Reggie Smith has this locked down, although Hack Wilson looks intriguing down the road.

RF

OK, this just gets messy. Somehow, between RF and DH, the Red Sox need to find playing time for Sammy Sosa, Mookie Betts, and Manny Ramírez, with Dwight Evans coming right behind them.

The Rookie Draft

Rounds 1-4

The most confounding spot in the draft so far is Memphis at #6. The Red Sox don’t have a 2nd round pick, and Carl Yastrzemski is unlikely to be around by the 3rd round. But the team is so deep at 1B/OF right now … there are two options here: take Yaz and make it tomorrow’s problem, capitalizing on his franchise status or take one of the young pitchers who will help them sooner, likely either Tom Glavine or Zack Greinke.

At the end of the day, the team decided to draft on talent over need, selecting Yastremski.

The Red Sox were thrilled that Dobie Moore was still around in the 3rd round, and hope the 25 year old can step right into the starting role at SS.

They took Bill Lee with the final pick of the 4th round.

Rounds 5-8

While more arms are never a bad thing, the Red Sox system is fairly sparse in 1B and OFers. So their 5th round picks are 1B Joe Cunningham, P Nathan Eovaldi, and P Dick Drago. With Eovaldi and Drago being franchise picks, it’s not clear what will compel Memphis to use its remaining exceptions.

One was spent on OF George Case in the 6th round, but franchise pitcher Mickey McDermott was the best arm available in the 7th round. While it’s not clear where he’ll actually play, it is obvious that Charlie Smith can hit, making him a potential steal in the 8th round with their final franchise exception.

Rounds 9-12

P Allen Russell; OF Troy O’Leary; P Dale Mohorcic; and P Connor Seabold.

TWIWBL 44.1: Series XXVI Notes – Bill James Division

By mknn

On August 7, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Detroit Wolverines

Hank Aguirre, Jason Schmidt, and Whitey Wilshire combined to allow only 2 hits in an 8-1 victory over Indianapolis (the run scored on 2 walks, a sac fly, and an RBI groundout). Hank Greenberg had 4 hits, including his 28th homerun, and Ty Cobb added 3 in the victory.

Greenberg continued his hot streak, with 3 more hits and his 29th homerun in a 3-2 win in 10 innings. Chad Bradford got the win over Indianapolis, improving his record to 4-0, and Mike Henneman maintained his league lead in saves, picking up his 36th of the year.

Detroit just continues to look strong as they push for the playoffs: homeruns from Cobb and Greenberg carried them to their 3rd win of the series. There was some concerning news, as reliever-turned-starter extraordinaire Gene Conley was forced out of the game with back stiffness, but it looks like he’ll only miss a few days of action.

#Los Angeles Angels

Jason Vargas has done enough to warrant getting a few starts as the Angel’s season winds down.

P Huck Betts retired from AA.

#Memphis Red Sox

Nixey Callahan was demoted, with Derek Lowe being brought up to Memphis.

After he was released by Ottawa, Memphis took a flyer on 42 year old Terry Mulholland, but it didn’t work out, and Mulholland announced his retirement after the AA season concluded.

This is what the Red Sox thought would happen all year: Memphis suddenly rallied, embracing their role as playoff spoiler in their series against the Black Yankees.

Mookie Betts had 2 homeruns and Ted Williams hit his 27th of the year in a 7-3 victory.

Reggie Smith had 4 hits and Claude Ritchey had 2 homeruns (!), leading Memphis to a 6-5 victory, sealed with Len Barker being called in to face Babe Ruth with the tying run on first in the top of the 9th. Barker got his first save as Stubby Overmire improved to 6-5 in his tenure in Memphis.

Two OF kills, one by Smith and one by Sammy Sosa, were crucial as Memphis held off the Black Yankees in the series finale, 4-3. Williams reached the century mark in RBIs, as he, Boogs, and Smith each had 2 hits in support of Dean Chance, who improved to 11-9 with 6 innings of 1-run ball.

#New York Gothams

Johnny Callison injured his elbow, with only an outside shot at returning before the end of the season. Callison hit the DL. This put the organization in a hard spot, as their AAA affiliate, Hartford, was in the playoffs. But the Gothams are in the mix for a wild card spot, so they recalled Benny Kauff, probably Hartford’s MVP with 39 HR and a 303/370/600 slash line at AAA.

The news on SP Pete Donohoe was not good, as a bum elbow will keep him out for the rest of the season. Edwin Jackson was recalled to take Donohoe’s place.

OF Dode Paskert retired from AA at the age of 40.

TWIWBL 43.1: Series XXXV Notes – Bill James Division

By mknn

On July 26, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Detroit Wolverines

Roberto Hernández‘ stay was brief, as he returns to AAA with Bob Bailey‘s return from the DL. Bailey will step back into the starting role, but Olmedo Sáenz’ hot start will force him into the lineup from time to time as well.

#Los Angeles Angels

Jeromy Burnitz was recalled from AAA to provide some depth in RF.

The Angels pounded out 22 hits and 15 runs, beating Philadelphia 15-8. Doug Rader had 4 hits, Wally Backman 3 (maintaining his .500 average), and Mike Trout scored 4 times. Jason Vargas picked up the first save of his career, dropping his ERA to 3.21 with 3 scoreless innings of relief.

The offense rolled on with 16 hits and 9 runs, led by a 4-hit day from Kal Daniels and 3 from Don Buford. Trout added his 19th homerun of the year as Gerrit Cole improved to 15-9 with a solid outing.

#Memphis Red Sox

Vern Stephens drove in 5 and Bill White had 3 hits as the Red Sox survived a poor 9th inning to beat San Francisco, 10-7. Stephens, Ted Williams, and Manny Ramírez all went deep with the win going to Stubby Overmire and Heath Bell picking up his 2nd save of the year.

With C Billy Bryan out for–most likely–the rest of the year, the Red Sox recalled Bob Brenly from AAA.

#Wandering House of David

Pete Browning hit a grand slam for his 25th homerun of the year, keying a comeback 8-6 victory over Baltimore. Ernie Banks added 3 hits for the House of David in a game where Rick Reuschel picked up his first career win and Bruce Sutter his 23rd save of the season.

Series XXXII Best Games

By mknn

On May 22, 2023

In Featured Games

This series we have a few more well-pitched games than usual, a contest between 2 imploding bullpens, and a few walk-offs.

Indianapolis ABCs @ New York Gothams, Game 2

The ABC’s were held scoreless by the Gothams for 14 innings, with Christy Mathewson combining with 3 relievers on a 10-hit shutout in Game 1 and Gaylord Perry holding Indianapolis scoreless through 5 innings in Game 2.

The ABC’s starter, Willie Mitchell, gave up 4 runs in the 1st, including a 2 run homerun by Willie Mays, but he settled down well from there. Indianapolis finally scored in the top of the 6th on a 3 run shot from Jake Stenzel. Another New York run made it 5-3 heading into the 9th when Dave Henderson and Edd Roush delivered RBI hits to tie the game.

But Indianapolis’ Francisco Cordero couldn’t hold on, surrendering a double to the red hot Pete Runnels and a walk-off single to Buster Posey.

IND 5 (Cordero 0-2) @ NYG 6 (Nen 3-4, 2 B Sv; Gregg 1 H)
HRs: IND – Stenzel (10); NYG – Mays (21).
Box Score

Detroit Wolverines @ New York Black Yankees, Game 2

This is a key series, as the Black Yankees try to make a late season pennant charge.

New York’s bullpen collapsing is old news; Detroit’s imploding is not.

Both starters–New York’s Waite Hoyt and Detroit’s Hal Newhouser–did well enough. But the Black Yankees’ Dick Tidrow gave up RBI knocks to Hank Greenberg and Chili Davis in the 7th, putting the Wolverines up, 4-2. But Chad Bradford gave it right back as Tom Herr drove in 2 to tie the game.

The 8th inning was more of the same: Goose Gossage gave up an RBI to Ty Cobb to send Detroit in front, but Mickey Lolich and Matt Anderson gave up 2 runs in the bottom of the frame, the first on a solo shot from Mike Schmidt, the second on an RBI double from Manny Sanguillén.

And then we hit the one, and perhaps the most important, bright spot in the Black Yankees’ bullpen: recent acquisition Aroldis Chapman has been essentially lights out, and here, despite putting the tying run on base, he closed out the game for a victory for the Black Yankees.

Detroit lost Tony Phillips for a few days, and were forced to put him on the DL to keep some infield flexibility with Jimmy Collins being recalled from AAA.

DET 5 (Anderson 1-3; Bradford 1 B Sv) @ NYY 6 (Citarella 4-6; Chapman 6 Sv)
HRs: DET – none; NYY – Schmidt (19).
Box Score

Brooklyn Royal Giants @ Homestead Grays, Game 2 & 3

These two games followed similar arcs. Both featured a great 7 innings by Homestead’s starter (Francisco Liriano in the first game, Bob Friend in the second). In the first game, powered by a Josh Gibson homerun, the Grays took a 5-1 lead into the 9th inning; in the second, backed by a grand slam from Chief Wilson, the Grays led 6-1 heading into the 9th.

But, oh those 9th innings.

In game 1, Brooklyn torched Josh Lindblom for a 2-run double from Beals Becker and a 3-run homer from Matt Holliday (the first of his WBL career) to take a 6-5 lead. Homestead responded in this one, with Rick Reichardt sending a walkoff shot into the stands with Andy Van Slyke on base for the Grays to pull out a victory.

The second game was far weirder.

Carlos Zambrano got 2 quick outs to start the 9th and then … Holliday reached on an error by Homestead’s SS, Frank Taveras. Frank Isbell walked and Zambrano plunked Ray Dandridge to load the bases, bringing in Cliff Lee. Lee walked Becker to force in a run, then hit Duke Snider to force in another. Lee was replaced by Michael Jackson, who threw grease on the fire the old fashioned way, by giving up a bases-clearing double to Ron Cey. All told, and all with 2 outs, the Royal Giants scored 5 times on 1 hit, 3 walks, 2 HBPs, and an error.

Becker would single in the winning run in the top of the 10th.

Willie Stargell had 5 hits across the 2 games.

BRK 6 (Clark 3-4, 7 B Sv) @ HOM 7 (Jackson 3-2; Lindblom 5 B Sv)
HRs: BRK – Holliday (1); HOM – Gibson (7), Reichardt (24).
Box Score

BRK 7 (Gagne 5-5; Hildenberger 2 Sv) @ HOM 6 (Jackson 3-3, 3 B Sv) [10 Innings]
HRs: BRK – none; HOM – Wilson (9), Reichardt (25).
Box Score

Houston Colt 45’s @ Memphis Red Sox, Game 4

Memphis’ Dean Chance had a great start, allowing 1 run in just under 7 innings. But it was nothing like Toad Ramsey‘s effort for Houston. Ramsey had his knuckleball dancing, carrying a 2-hit shutout into the 9th inning, but Memphis managed to touch him for a game-tying run when Ted Williams doubled home Reggie Smith with 2 outs.

Ramsey allowed the 1 run on 3 hits through 9 innings, but wasn’t part of the decision. Four hits in the 11th gave Houston a 4-1 lead, and Tug McGraw–who is still sporting an ERA of 0.00 in his WBL career–closed it out. Craig Biggio had 3 hits and Jeff Bagwell and Tony Gwynn 2 each for Houston.

HOU 4 (Qualls 1-1) @ MEM 1 (Farrell 2-4) [11 Innings]
HRs: none.
Box Score

Series XXXI Best Games

By mknn

On May 2, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

This time, we have two see-saw games and two series that deserve a little focus.

Let’s do the one-offs first.

#Homestead Grays @ Ottawa Mounties, Game 1

This one got wild. Ottawa took the lead on Larry Walker‘s 18th homerun of the year, a 2-run shot in the bottom of the first. Hits from Davey Johnson and Roberto Clemente got a run back for Homestead, but Ottawa scored 2 on a single from Roberto Alomar to increase their lead to 4-1. Homestead’s Rick Reichardt sent a pitch from Clayton Richard into the stands to tie the game in the top of the 3rd, so, we’re back to all square at 4-4.

The game continued to swing back and forth: a sacrifice fly from Johnson offset a solo shot from Roy Sievers, but an RBI double from Andy Van Slyke put Homestead back on top momentarily: a 2-run double from Sievers and a single from Bernie Allen gave Ottawa a 2-run lead, 8-6.

And then the 9th. Ted Bowsfield started the inning for Ottawa, walking Mike Epstein and giving up a single to Van Slyke. Bowsfield grabbed his elbow after the hit, and the Mounties brought in their closer, Ryan Dempster. Dempster retired 2 and walked one, loading the bases with Johnson at the plate. He singled to right, driving in 2. Perhaps more importantly for Ottawa, their star RF, Walker, was forced out of the game after the throw. But, the game was tied.

Tied, that is, until a single from Rusty Staub scored Carlos Beltrán to give the Mounties a walk off victory.

Nobody pitched particularly well, but Ottawa’s Monk Dubiel and Dempster did manage to escape without being scored on.

Both Bowsfield and Walker were sent to the DL after the game, with Chris Leroux and Sam Thompson being recalled from AAA.

HOM 8 (Ownbey 1-3; Brown 1 B Sv) @ OTT 9 (Dempster 4-1, 2 B Sv; Bowsfield 7 H)
HRs: HOM – Reichardt (21); OTT – Walker (18), Sievers (7).
Box Score

#San Francisco Sea Lions @ Detroit Wolverines, Game 2

This one had everything except good pitching (Mickey Lolich‘s 2 innings of clean relief for Detroit notwithstanding).

San Francisco kicked off the game with a bang: a leadoff homerun from Rickey Henderson, a 2 run shot from Reggie Jackson, and an RBI groundout from Phil Garner made it 4-0 Sea Lions before Diego Seguí threw his first pitch.

But the Bailey Boys got to him the following inning: Ed Bailey launched a 3 run shot and Bob Bailey added an RBI groundout to score Sparky Adams, who had doubled, tying the game at 4. Momentarily: Garner went deep and another run scored on a Sal Bando single, putting San Francisco back on top, 7-4. A solo shot from Hank Greenberg clawed one back, but a 2-run single from San Francisco’s Pedro Guerrero made it 9-5 heading into the 6th, when Detroit chased Seguí and hammered his replacement, James Shields, who only lasted 4 batters. Al Kaline singled home one run and Tony Phillips brought in another with a double. By the time it was all done, San Francisco’s lead was slashed to a single run, 9-8. Kaline would put the Wolverines in front with a 3-run shot in the 7th, and a Bob Bailey triple scored Phillips, who was hit by a pitch. Suddenly, Detroit was up, 12-9.

Their closer (and the WBL leader in saves), Mike Henneman, struggled in the 9th, facing 8 batters and giving up 2 runs (one on a solo shot by Jimmie Foxx, the other on a single by Guerrero). But he got Jack Clark to ground out with 2 batters on to preserve the victory.

SFS 11 (LaRoche 1-1, 1 B Sv; Hadley 2 H) @ DET 13 (Bradford 2-0)
HRs: SFS – Jackson (25), Henderson (6), Foxx (2); DET – E. Bailey (6), Greenberg 2 (24), Kaline (5).
Box Score

#Memphis Red Sox @ Miami Cuban Giants, Games 1 & 3

This series is a battle of basement teams, but that doesn’t keep the games from being entertaining.

The Red Sox scored 4 runs early with the RBIs coming on a sacrifice fly, a fielder’s choice, a bases-loaded walk, and an error by Miami’s shortstop, Robin Yount. Miami took a more conventional route back: a walk and 4 singles scored 3 runs in the 4th. But they followed Memphis’ lead to tie the game, as a sacrifice fly from José Cardenal plated Ryan Braun. The Cuban Giants then took the lead on a solo shot from their best player, José Canseco.

Wade Boggs finally brought home a conventional run for Memphis in the 8th with a single, but the Red Sox immediately reverted to form, with a bases-loaded walk and another sacrifice fly giving them a 7-5 lead. Three perfect relief innings from Turk Farrell, Heath Bell, and Jonathan Papelbon, closed the game out.

Ted Williams and Bill White finished the game with 3 hits each for Memphis; Cookie Rojas had 3 for Miami.

MEM 7 (Farrell 2-3; Papelbon 11 Sv; Bell 5 H; Callahan 4 B Sv) @ MCG 5 (Consuegra 0-4)
HRs: MEM – none; MCG – Canseco (30).
Box Score

In Game 3, Memphis was up 6-0, and then 8-5, powered by a grandslam from David Justice and 2 homers from Billy Bryan. It wasn’t enough: Minnie Miñoso broke out of his funk with 3 hits and 3 RBIs and Cookie Rojas, Gary Sheffield, and Chris Hoiles each drove in 2. As importantly for Miami, Eustaquio Pedroso, Sandy Consuegra, Ricky Nolasco, and Braden Looper combined for 4 innings of 1-hit relief of an ineffective Ramón Martínez.

MEM 8 (Callahan 5-10) @ MCG 11 (Pedroso 7-6; Looper 3 Sv; Consuegra 2 H; Nolasco 2 H)
HRs: none.
Box Score

New York Black Yankees @ Houston Colt 45’s, Games 2 and 4

In Game 2, Houston had a 6-3 lead heading to the 9th inning. The Colt 45’s got 2-run shots from Jim O’Rourke and Tony Gwynn and a solo dinger from Jorge Posada to take the lead.

The problem was their closer, Billy Wagner, was tired, leaving them turning to Brad Lidge, who had been solid since his recall, but here reverted to his old form: an RBI groundout from Tom Herr and a 3-run shot from Don Mattingly put the Black Yankees up 7-6.

Andrés Galarraga singled home a run in the bottom of the 9th, sending us to extra innings. Mattingly and Eric Davis homered in the 10th to put New York up 11-7, which seemed safe until you remembered the fragility of the Black Yankees’ bullpen. Here, Ralph Citarella and Rheal Cormier gave up RBI’s to Jim Wynn and Craig Biggio, but Cormier fanned Galarraga with the tying run on third base to close it out.

NYY 11 (Chapman 1-0, 1 B Sv; Cormier 1 Sv) @ HOU 10 (Kern 0-2; Chamberlain 1 H; McGraw 7 H; Lidge 4 B Sv) [10 Innings]
HRs: Mattingly 2 (26), Davis (31); HOU – O’Rourke (6), Gwynn (8), Posada (7).
Box Score

Game 4 of the series was a similar story: a Houston comeback that just fell short. Mattingly had 3 hits and 3 RBIs and Mike Schmidt hit his 17th homerun for the Black Yankees, who also got 3 brilliant innings from Goose Gossage. They did have to withstand a horrible outing from the heretofore solid Dick Tidrow, who surrendered 4 hits (2 to pinch hitters Jim O’Rourke and Harry Stovey) and 3 runs in 1/3 of an inning.

Andrés Galarraga had 4 hits and Casey Stengel and Jorge Posada had 3 each for Houston. Tug McGraw closed the game for the Colt 45’s, and has yet to surrender a run in his first 10 innings at the WBL level.

NYY 8 (Gossage 5-4; Chapman 5 Sv; Citarella 10 H) @ HOU 7 (Strasburg 7-7)
HRs: NYY – Schmidt (17); HOU – Stengel (9), Biggio (7).
Box Score

TWIWBL 38.1: Series XXX Notes – Bill James Division

By mknn

On April 21, 2023

In TWIWBL

#Detroit Wolverines

Whitey Wilshere‘s return from a rehab stint means Jason Schmidt‘s stay with Detroit is very fleeting.

#Los Angeles Angels

Sid Fernandez had some good innings, but his tendency to add some truly horrid ones left him with a 13.50 ERA, and a trip back to AAA. His replacement is Ron Romanick–who sports an ERA of 15.12 himself in 2 games in the bigs–was called up for the start.

Romanick dropped his ERA by almost 5 runs, but still headed back to AAA with Tom Seaver being recalled for another shot at the WBL.

#Memphis Red Sox

Bill Doak‘s success in the bullpen has moved him into the starting rotation as Memphis struggles to find something to salvage the season: they know what they have in Tim Wakefield, they might as well find out more about what Doak can do.

After losing the lead in the 7th, Memphis used clutch hits from Claude Ritchey and Ted Williams for a walk-off victory over Baltimore. Sammy Sosa–who may finally be justifying his repeated chances at the WBL for 2 separate teams–went deep for the Red Sox, as did the slumping Francisco Lindor.

#Wandering House of David

Eddie Rommel was returned to AAA with Tom Niedenfuer‘s rehab assignment ending.

Jack Taylor just keeps rolling, tossing a 4-hit shutout against Homestead that improved his record to 12-8 and lowered his ERA to a shade under 3.00.

Ryne Sandberg‘s streak of consecutive games scoring a run ended at 15 in a 10-2 loss to Homestead.

Pete Browning–who seems poised to take over the league lead in batting if he can stay healthy–had 3 hits and 5 RBIs in the House of David’s 13-4 victory. Browning had 2 homeruns and a triple and Dan Ford added 3 hits as well in the victory. Bunny Downs injured his hamstring running the bases and was placed on the DL after the game with Skeeter Barnes called up to take his place.

Series XXX Best Games

By mknn

On April 18, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

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 XXVII Best Games

By mknn

On February 23, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

For Series XXVII, we’ll start with the ongoing miracle of the Birmingham Black Barons, touch on a couple of games with great starting pitching, and finish with an update to the saga of Greg Litton.

#House of David @ Birmingham, Game 2

The House of David scored 5 runs in the top of the first (2 on a Pete Browning triple, 2 more on a homerun from Dan Ford) to take an early 5-0 lead. Browning’s production has been expected, Ford has come out of nowhere to cement a starting spot in their OF. Anthony Rizzo (who has a similar narrative and an even more impressive start than Ford) drove in another, and even when Birmingham‘s Bob Nieman went deep with a man on in the 3rd, it was still 6-2 in favor of the House of David.

Birmingham kept edged closer in the bottom of the 4th on a 2 run shot from Gene Tenace, but the game seemed well out of reach when the House of David scored 3 more in the top of the 5th, pushing the lead to 10-4.

It was a 5 run lead–10-5–in the bottom of the 8th. With 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th. Then 4 consecutive singles off Kerry Wood resulted in 3 runs, making it 10-7. But it’s OK, right? The House of David still had its closer, Bruce Sutter, to handle the 9th, right?

Al Schweitzer walked, Hank Aaron singled, and Adrián González walked to load the bases, but Sutter got a double play from Pie Traynor. Tenace singled home Aaron, and Cupid Childs–who sure looks like a solution at 2B for Birmingham–singled. Sutter walked Frank McCormick, and that was all for him, bringing in Scott Downs … who promptly gave up a game-winning hit to Herman Long, capping Birmingham’s comeback.

Ryne Sandberg and Browning had 3 hits each for the House of David, with Browning driving in 4. McCormick had 4 hits for Birmingham, and Tenace and Childs had 3, with Childs scoring 4 times.

HOD 10 (Sutter 2-2; Smith 9 H; Downs 2 B Sv) @ BBB 11 (Young 2-4)
HRs: HOD – Ford (9); BBB – Nieman (8), Tenace (10).
Box Score

San Francisco Sea Lions @ New York Gothams, Game 1

A good old fashioned pitching duel. San Francisco‘s Eddie Plank and New York‘s Christy Mathewson each went 8 strong innings. Mathewson allowed only 3 hits and 2 runs and, if anything, Plank was even better, allowing a single run and fanning 9. That turned the game over to the bullpens with the Sea Lions up, 2-1. The Gothams’ Mike Norris pitched a perfect 9th, preserving his sub-2.00 ERA. San Francisco’s closer, Rod Beck, walked Jimmy Sheckard and gave up a single to Johnny Callison. That brought up John Kerins, who had doubled home the Gothams’ only run earlier in the game … he took Beck deep for a 3-run homer, and a walkoff win for New York.

SFS 2 (Beck 1-4, 5 B Sv) @ NYG 4 (Norris 4-3)
HRs: SFS – none; NYG – Kerins (4).
Box Score

#New York Black Yankees @ Chicago American Giants, Game 1

This one started with great pitching, as New York‘s Jack Scott and Chicago‘s Mark Buehrle locked horns through the early going. Solo homers by Joe Jackson and Derek Jeter left the game tied at 1 heading to the bttom of the 6th, when Frank Thomas took Lady Baldwin–on in relief of Scott–deep for a 2-run shot for a 3-1 lead for the American Giants.

We stayed that way until the top of the 9th, when Chicago’s closer, AJ Minter, took the mound. Singles from Albert Belle, Lou Gehrig, and Don Mattingly loaded the bases bringing up the person Chicago least wanted to see in this situation, the ever-dangerous Babe Ruth. Ruth singled in 2 runs to tie the game and, perhaps even worse for Chicago, Minter was forced out clutching his elbow.

New York had emptied the bench, and now had a purely makeshift infield: Manny Sanguillén at first, Mattingly at 3B, and Mike Schmidt at SS. But they survived the inning, which took us to the 10th. Again 3 singles loaded the bases (this time by Thurman Munson, Mickey Mantle, and Sanguillén). Munson scored on a passed ball, Mantle on a sacrifice fly, and Sanguillén on a single by Mattingly. New York now lead 6-3.

José Abreu singled to lead off the bottom of the frame and New York brought in Sparky Lyle, the poster child for their much maligned bullpen. Could Lyle redeem himself and, perhaps, his season?

You know the answer: he struck out the first two batters he faced, but walked Jackson and Thomas to load the bases, and then Mike Fiore to force in a run. Dick Allen singled and Cole Hamels replaced the clearly dejected Lyle … only to allow a game winning, walk-off single to Cristóbal Torriente.

Minter will head to the DL, with Ken Sanders being recalled to Chicago.

NYY 6 (Lyle 0-3; Hamels 1 B Sv) @ CAG 7 (Walsh 5-3; Dixon 8 H; Minter 2 B Sv) [10 Innings]
HRs: NYY – Jeter (8); CAG – Jackson (22), Thomas (20).
Box Score

Portland Sea Dogs @ Memphis Red Sox, Games 3 & 4

We close out with an update on Greg Litton, who has, somehow, someway, remained with Portland all year despite being perhaps the worst offensive regular in the league. Litton sticks around because he plays 6 positions, and most decently, allowing the Sea Dogs to conserve precious roster spots.

And in these two games against Memphis, miraculously, he found a way to hit the ball, going 7 for 9 across the 2 contests, both of which were won by Portland in 10 innings. That raised Litton’s average for the year to a whopping .230.

All four games went to extra innings, and by the time the 2nd two games rolled around, both bullpens were pretty much shredded.

In game 3, Portland was forced to throw the (so far) thoroughly ineffective Hal Griggs out for the start. He struggled as expected, but so did Mike Cuellar in relief, which was a bit of a surprise. However, nobody for Memphis could get consistent outs: not Len Barker, who started and gave up 4 runs in 6 IP, not Bill Doak, who was hit hard for 3 runs in his 2.2 IP, and not Nixey Callahan, who ultimately took the loss. Memphis outhit Portland, 16 to 11, with Claude Ritchey, Ted Williams, and Bill White each knocking out 3 in the loss.

The final game of the series saw Portland’s Walter Johnson and Memphis’ Jon Lester each throw 7 strong innings, but the Sea Dogs’ bullpen was a notch better. Both teams asked their closers to stretch out, and Portland’s Elmer Brown didn’t give up a hit in his 2 innings, while Jonathan Papelbon hit a batter and gave up 2 hits–the last an RBI single by Adrián Beltré–to take the loss.

POR 8 (Trout 6-3) @ MEM 7 (Callahan 5-8; Doak 1 B Sv) [10 Innings]
HRs: POR – Lee (1); Fregosi (12); MEM – Williams (20).
Box Score

POR 4 (Brown 3-4; Hammaker 1 B Sv) @ MEM 3 (Papelbon 0-6) [10 Innings]
HRs: POR – none; MEM – White (14).
Box Score

Series XXV Best Games

By mknn

On January 25, 2023

In Featured Games, Game Recaps

Some very nice see-saw rides in series XXV.

San Francisco Sea Lions @ Portland Sea Dogs, Game 4

The conclusion of the clash of the sea creatures did not disappoint …

The Sea Lions scored in the first in typical fashion: Rickey Henderson bunted for a base hit, stole 2nd, moved to 3rd on a single by Bobby Bonds, and scored on a sacrifice fly from Pedro Guerrero. The 1-0 lead held until the bottom of the fifth, when Rogers Hornsby scored Kent Hrbek with a double into the gap.

Guerrero scored Bonds for a 2-1 lead, but it was short-lived, as a Bobby Murcer triple scored Harry Hooper and Iván Rodríguez, putting Portland up, 3-2. Portland looked in good shape at that point, good enough that Gary Pettis replaced Murcer in CF for better defense. Well, perhaps not only defense: after a horrid start to the year, Pettis has pushed his average well over .300.

San Francisco would tie the game in the top of the 9th in a decidedly unexpected way. With one out, John Beckwith, who is barely retaining his spot on the roster, pinch hit for Jimmy Bloodworth and singled. Phil Garner pinch ran for Beckwith and, after a walk to Sal Bando, light-hitting Miguel Cairo, forced to remain in the game for defensive purposes, doubled home the tying run off Portland’s Elmer Brown.

And there it stayed, until the 15th inning. San Francisco had turned the game over to Charlie Root, Portland to José Muñoz, and each were excellent. Mickey Cochrane–much maligned and in danger of losing his job–singled to lead off the 15th. Portland had nobody on the bench to pinch-run–or catch in the bottom of the frame–so Cochrane stayed in the game, moving to 2nd on a wild pitch by Muñoz and to third on a groundout. He scored on a single from Garner, and Root closed it out.

SFS 4 (Root 5-4) @ POR 3 (Muñoz 3-5; Brown 1 BSv; Cuellar 8 H) [15 Innings]
HRs: none.
Box Score

Homestead Grays @ Memphis Red Sox, Game 1

Willie Stargell led off the top of the 2nd with a solo homerun to kick off the scoring and while a 2-RBI double from Billy Bryan put Memphis ahead briefly, Stargell would do the same in the 4th, leading off with a homerun which, combined with an RBI groundout from Arky Vaughan that scored Chief Wilson, tied the game at 3. The teams would trade runs until, in th ebottom of the 5th, Ted Williams sent one deep to put Memphis up by 2, 6-4.

And then the Grays exploded, with a bases-clearing double from Stargell and a 2-run shot from Wilson putting Homestead up, 10-6. Each team would add a run, and Homestead would head to the bottom of the 9th, up 11-7. Should be safe, right? Especially with their closer, Michael Jackson, on the mound.

Wade Boggs doubled to start the inning, Williams walked, and Bill White doubled, scoring Boggs. Josh Lindblom promptly uncorked a wild pitch, scoring Williams and, when David Justice reached on an error from Homestead’s CF, Andrew McCutcheon, scoring White, the score was 11-10 with no outs. Manny Ramírez singled, but a fantastic throw from Rick Reichardt nailed Justice at the plate. Lindblom retired Bryan and Reggie Smith on flyouts, and the Grays squeaked through with a game that looked well in hand.

Boggs, Stargell, and Wilson each had 4 hits, with Pops driving in 5 and scoring 4.

HOM 11 (Pierce 1-2; Giusti 1 H) @ MEM 10 (Gibson 0-1; Callahan 1 BSv)
HRs: HOM – Stargell 2 (18), Wilson (8); MEM – Williams (19)
Box Score

Kansas City Monarchs @ New York Black Yankees, Game 2

New York’s Ron Guidry keeps putting in good performances to little results: in this one, he went 7 innings, giving up only 1 run. He was matched by a trio of Monarchs’ arms as Smokey Joe Wood (injured in the 4th), Joe Blong, and Trevor Rosenthal combined to also allow 1 run through 7.

And then the bullpens collapsed–expected for the Black Yankees, but a surprise for Kansas City. First, New York’s Goose Gossage and Gary Lavelle combine to give up 3 runs in the top of the 8th, with the key hits being 2-out RBI’s from Stan Musial and Ducky Medwick. But Craig Kimbrel was equally weak for the Monarchs, giving up back-to-back doubles to Eric Davis and Thurman Munson to start the frame, and a 2-run homerun to Don Mattingly to give the Black Yankees a 5-4 lead.

But no lead is safe for New York: Lavelle gave up a single, a walk, and an error to tie the game, and Ralph Citarella gave up a go-ahead single to Albert Pujols. Kansas City’s Jeff Pfeffer had no such struggles, picking up his 12th save in closing the game out.

KCM 6 (Kimbrel 3-2, 2 BSv; Pfeffer 12 Sv) @ NYY 5 (Lavelle 0-3)
HRs: KCM – none; NYY – Mattingly (20).
Box Score

Ottawa Mounties @ Los Angeles Angels, Game 3

A successful suicide squeeze from Jim Stephens scored Anthony Rendon for Ottawa, tying the game at 1 in the top of the 4th. In the next inning, Rendon would single in a run before Larry Parrish went deep with a 3-run blast to put the Mounties up, 5-1. The Angels would roar back, taking a 7-5 lead behind RBI hits from Don Buford, Bobby Grich, Mike Trout, and Carlos Delgado.

But Ottawa doesn’t fold as easily as they did earlier in the season, with George Van Haltren sending Francisco Rodríguez‘ 4th pitch of the ballgame into the bleachers for a 3-run homerun, putting the Mounties back on top, 8-7. Ted Bowsfield, Steve Howe, and Ryan Dempster closed the game out with 3.1 hitless innings.

OTT 8 (Bowsfield 5-2; Dempster 4 Sv; Dubiel 2 BSv; Howe 4 H) @ LAA 7 (Rodríguez 3-2, 1 BSv)
HRs: OTT – Parrish (2), Van Haltren (2); LAA – none.
Box Score

Miami Cuban Giants @ Brooklyn Royal Giants, Game 4

Brooklyn’s Frank Knauss has been great all year. Miami’s Roenis Eliás less so. But they matched frame for frame in this one, each tossing 7.1 IP while allowing only 3 hits and 1 run. The game remained tied at 1 into the 10th, when Miami’s closer Aroldis Chapman was left in to pitch a second inning. He gave up a walk to Art Griggs, a single to Duke Farrell, and a walk to Al López. That brought José Méndez in from the pen for the Cuban Giants … who promptly gave up a walkoff, grand slam shot to Beals Becker.

MCG 1 (Chapman 4-3) @ BRG 5 (Gagne 4-4) [10 Innings]
HRs: MCG – Canseco (24); BRG – Becker (16).
Box Score