Monthly Archives: December 2016

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–December 8

Jack Rowe (1856)
Jimmy Austin (1879)
Sam Zoldak (1918)
Jim Pagliaroni (1937)
Brant Alyea (1940)
Ed Brinkman (1941)
Ken Roy (1941)
Masahiro Doi (1943)
Alan Foster (1946)
Jeff Grotewold (1965)
Mike Mussina (1968)
Reed Johnson (1976)
Vernon Wells (1978)

Ken Roy was a minor league umpire for two years before becoming a Catholic priest.  He said that his umpiring career helped him in ministry because it gave him more patience with people and made him a better listener.

Masahiro Doi was a fifteen-time all-star in the Japanese Pacific League, playing from 1962-1981.

We would also like to wish a happy ninth birthday to AMR’s son, HPR.

Outfielder Garrabrant Ryerson Alyea played for the Twins from 1970-1971, the first of which was the best season of his career. Born in Passaic, New Jersey, he attended Rutherford High School in Rutherford, New Jersey. He then went to Hofstra, and was signed by Cincinnati as a free agent in 1962. He had a tremendous year for Class D Geneva, hitting .319 with 32 home runs. After the 1962 season, Alyea was drafted by Washington in the first-year draft. He jumped to Class A in 1963, and advanced a level per season after that. He reached AAA in 1965, hitting 27 homers for Hawaii, earning a September callup. In 1966, however, he fell to .218 with 21 homers for Hawaii, and the next year, 1967, he found himself back in AA. Alyea rebounded in 1968, hitting .253 with 31 home runs for AAA Buffalo, and was back in the big-leagues by late July, this time to stay a while. He had a mediocre season in 1969 as a part-time outfielder for the Senators, and was traded to Minnesota in March of 1970 for Joe Grzenda and Charlie Walters. He went on to have his best season in 1970, setting career highs in batting average (.291), home runs (16), doubles (12), and RBIs (61), and at-bats (258). The next year, however, he fell on his face, hitting only .177 with two homers. Left unprotected, he was chosen by Oakland in that winter's rule 5 draft. He did little for Oakland, was traded to St. Louis in May, did little there, and was returned to the Athletics in July. He was traded to Texas in the off-season, didn't make the team, went to AAA Pawtucket in the Boston organization, and then retired. After baseball, Alyea went into bartending, the insurance business, worked for a casino in Atlantic City, then worked for a Volvo dealership in Huntington, Pennsylvania. At last report, Brant Alyea was living in Pleasantville, New Jersey.  His son, Brant Jose Alyea, born in Nicaragua, played in the minor leagues from 1985-1990, briefly reaching AAA.

Catcher/first baseman Jeffrey Scott Grotewold, who shares his first two names with your author, did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system in 1993. He was born in Madera, California, went to the University of San Diego, and was signed by Philadelphia as a free agent in 1986. He rose slowly through the Phillies’ system, reaching AA in 1989 and AAA in 1991. Nothing about his minor league record is particularly noteworthy, either for good or for bad. His best season was probably 1990, when he hit .269 with 15 homers and an OPS of .827. He reached the majors in 1992, spent nearly the entire season there, and was used almost exclusively as a pinch-hitter, playing 72 games but making just 75 plate appearances.  In July of that year, he hit three pinch-hit home runs in three consecutive days, setting a record.  He hit only four home runs in his major league career. In late March of 1993, the Phillies traded Grotewald to Minnesota for minor league infielder Mica Lewis. The Twins sent him to AAA Portland, where he did okay as a reserve, hitting .252/.370/.450 in 151 at-bats. He signed with Detroit for 1994, was released late in spring training, and played in independent ball that year. He then signed with Kansas City and spent two years playing in AAA Omaha, getting about one month in the majors in 1995. His playing career ended after the 1996 season. He then went into business, and has successfully started Grotewold Construction, Inc., Carpet Station, Inc., and Motocinch, Inc. in the Los Angeles area.

Keeping Track

Winter Wonderland: Games of December 6

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

MAGALLANES 4, ZULIA 3 IN MAGALLANES

Magallanes scored two in the fifth to break a 2-2 tie.  Luis Arraez was 1-for-3 for Magallanes and is batting .348.

MARGARITA 1, LA GUAIRA 0 IN MARGARITA

A single, an error, and two more singles produced the game's lone run in the first inning, with Jose Osuna delivering the RBI hit.  Omar Bencomo pitched six shutout innings for Margarita, giving up two hits and one walk with one strikeout.

CARACAS 7, ARAGUA 3 IN CARACAS

Henry Alejandro Rodriguez hit a three-run homer in the seventh and Jesus Aguilar followed with a solo homer to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 6-3 lead.  Luis Diaz struck out six in 5.2 innings for Caracas, giving up one run on four hits and two walks.  Anderson De La Rosa was 2-for-4 with two home runs (his second and third) for Caracas.  Rodriguez was 2-for-4 and the homer was his seventh.  Aguilar's homer was his fifth.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

ESCOGIDO 5, AGUILAS 3 IN ESCOGIDO

A sacrifice fly in the sixth put Escogido up 3-2 and they added two insurance runs in the seventh.  Jorge Polanco was 0-for-3 with two walks and a run for Escogido.

ORIENTE 3, LICEY 0 IN ORIENTE

Oriente scored single runs in each of innings five through seven.  Evan MacLane pitched six shutout innings, giving up three hits and no walks with two strikeouts for Oriente.

ESTE 4, GIGANTES 1 AT GIGANTES

Este scored once in each of the first three innings and added one more in the fifth.  Frank Garces pitched 4.1 innings, giving up one run on five hits and two walks with two strikeouts for Este.  Austin Wynns was 3-for-4 with a home run for Este.

PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE

SANTURCE 3, MAYAGUEZ 2 IN MAYAGUEZ

Mayaguez got two in the first but no more, and an RBI single in the eighth by Christian Vazquez capped the Santurce comeback.  Adalberto Flores pitched five innings for Santurce, giving up two runs on four hits and one walk with four strikeouts.  Neftali Soto was 2-for-3 with a home run (his second) and a walk, scoring twice for Santurce.

AGUADILLA 5, CAGUAS 4 IN CAGUAS (10 INNINGS)

Jorge Jimenez delivered an RBI single in the tenth to give Aguadilla a lead they would not give up.  Ruben Gotay was 3-for-4 with two doubles and a walk, scoring once and driving in three for Aguadilla.

MEXICAN LEAGUE

NAVOJOA 10, LOS MOCHIS 0 IN NAVOJOA

An eight-run sixth, aided by three walks, a hit batsman, and an error, put the game away for Navojoa.  Zack Dodson struck out seven in six innings for Navojoa, giving up two hits and a walk.  Niko Vasquez was 4-for-4 with a home run (his fifth) and a double for Navojoa, scoring twice and driving in four.

CULIACAN 6, HERMOSILLO 5 IN CULIACAN

Hermosillo led 5-2 going to the bottom of the ninth.  Culiacan scored two and loaded the bases with two out.  Oscar Robles then delivered a two-run single to win the game for Culiacan.  Daniel Rodriguez struck out six in six innings for Culiacan, giving up two runs on seven hits and a walk.  Joey Meneses was 3-for-4 with a double for Culiacan, scoring twice and driving in one.

MAZATLAN 8, OBREGON 7 IN MAZATLAN

Mazatlan led 8-3 after six.  A home run in the ninth made it 8-7 but the tying run did not get on base.  Brian Hernandez was 3-for-5 with a run and three RBIs for Mazatlan.  Carlos Munoz was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs for Mazatlan.

MEXICALI 6, JALISCO 0 IN MEXICALI

Chris Roberson's two-run double in a three-run fourth gave Mexicali a 3-0 lead.  Miguel Pena pitched six shutout innings for Mexicali, giving up two hits and three walks with two strikeouts.  Roberson was 3-for-5 with two RBIs.

AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE

No games scheduled.

Keeping Track

1987 Rewind: Game Sixty-five

2 Comments

MILWAUKEE 8, MINNESOTA 5 IN MILWAUKEE

Date:  Wednesday, June 17.

Batting stars:  Gene Larkin was 2-for-4 with a home run (his second) and a double, scoring once and driving in three.  Al Newman was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, driving in one.  Dan Gladden was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Robin Yount was 3-for-5 with a home run (his seventh) and three RBIs.  B. J. Surhoff was 1-for-3 with a three-run homer (his fourth) and a walk.  Juan Castillo was 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI.

The game:  Newman had an RBI double in the third and Larkin had a two-run double in the fourth to put the Twins ahead 3-0.  In the bottom of the fourth, however, Surhoff hit a three-run homer and Castillo singled in a run later in the inning to give the Brewers a 4-3 lead.  The Twins battled back, as Gladden doubled in a run in the fifth to tie it and Larkin homered in the sixth to give the Twins a 5-4 advantage.  It was short-lived, though, as Yount hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to put Milwaukee on top 6-5.  Yount struck again in the eighth, delivering a two-run single that gave the Brewers some insurance runs.  The Twins did not get a hit after the Larkin homer in the sixth.

Of note:  Kirby Puckett was 1-for-4 with a run and was batting .326.  Larkin raised his average to .328.  Roy Smalley pinch-hit and was 0-for-1, making his average .316.  Neither starter lasted long.  Mike Smithson pitched well for three innings, but his line is 3.1 innings, four runs, nine hits, one walk, and four strikeouts.  John Henry Johnson didn't do a lot better, going 4.1 innings and allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts.

Record:  The Twins were 37-28, in first place by two games over Oakland.

Notes:  It was an unusual lineup.  Newman was at third base in place of Gary Gaetti and led off.  Greg Gagne batted second, Gladden third, and Puckett fourth.  Larkin was the DH, with Smalley out of the lineup, and Sal Butera caught in place of Tim Laudner.

Player profile:  Juan Castillo was the more-or-less regular second baseman for Milwaukee in 1987, the only season he would see that much playing time.  He came from the cradle of shortstop, San Pedro de Macoris, and signed with the Brewers in 1979.  He never hit much, even in the minors.  His best season was 1984, when he batted .288 with an OPS of .736 for AA El Paso.  He started 1986 in the majors as reserve infielder but was not used much, playing in only 26 games in half a season and batting just .167.  He was the most regular of the second basemen Milwaukee had in 1987, starting 81 games, as Jim Gantner missed about half the season.  He did not take advantage of his chance, batting .224 with an OPS of .613.  He was back to a reserve role in 1988 and after the 1989 season he was a free agent.  He was in AAA for Cleveland in 1990, in AAA back with Milwaukee in 1991, and played sporadically in the Mexican League through 1998.  His major league numbers were .215/.282/.279 in 469 at-bats (199 games).  At last report, Juan Castillo was living in Miami.

Keeping Track

Winter Wonderland: Games of December 5

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

ANZOATEGUI 8, LARA 7 IN ANZOATEGUI

Lara scored four in the seventh to go ahead 7-6, but in the bottom of the ninth Rene Reyes hit a two-run homer to give Anzoategui the win.  Reyes was 3-for-5 with two home runs, scoring three times and driving in four.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

GIGANTES 4, ESCOGIDO 2 IN ESCOGIDO

Trailing 4-0, Escogido scored twice in the sixth.  They loaded the bases with two out in both the sixth and the seventh, but were thwarted each time.  Jorge Polanco was 1-for-5 for Escogido.

AGUILAS 5, ORIENTE 2 AT AGUILAS

Joey Terdoslavich hit a two-run double in the fourth to break a scoreless tie and the Aguilas led the rest of the way.

LICEY AT ESTE

Rained out.

PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE

AGUADILLA 5, CAGUAS 4 IN CAGUAS

Caguas led 4-2 going to the ninth, but a two-run single by Ruben Gotay tied it up and a fielder's choice brought home the go-ahead run.  Jarret Leverett struck out five in 5.2 innings for Aguadilla, giving up two runs on five hits and two walks.  Yariel Gonzalez was 3-for-5 with two doubles and two walks for Aguadilla.

MEXICAN LEAGUE

No games scheduled.

AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE

No games scheduled.

Keeping Track

1987 Rewind: Game Sixty-four

MINNESOTA 7, MILWAUKEE 3 IN MILWAUKEE

Date:  Tuesday, June 16.

Batting stars:  Greg Gagne was 3-for-4 with a triple and two doubles, driving in four.  Kent Hrbek was 2-for-5 with a home run, his fourteenth.  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-5 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.

Pitching star:  Frank Viola struck out six in 6.1 innings, giving up an unearned run on four hits and no walks.

Opposition stars:  Chuck Crim pitched 6.1 innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts.  Bill Schroeder was 2-for-4 with a run.  Dale Sveum was 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI.

The game:  Gagne hit a two-run triple in the second to open the scoring.  Milwaukee got one back in the fifth, but the Twins broke it open with three in the eighth and two in the ninth.  Hrbek opened the eighth with a home run and Gagne delivered a two-run double later in the inning.  Milwaukee rallied in the ninth, scoring twice on four singles and bringing Jeff Reardon into the game.  He threw a wild pitch but then retired Rick Manning on a fly ball for one of the easier saves of his career.

Of note:  Roy Smalley was 2-for-4 with a walk, scoring once and driving in one, to make his average .317.  Puckett raised his average to .327.  Gene Larkin was 0-for-5, dropping his average to .318.  Viola's ERA was 3.30.

Record:  The Twins were 37-27. in first place, two games ahead of Oakland.

Notes:  Smalley played third base, with Larkin at DH and Gary Gaetti out of the lineup.

Player profile:  This was one of only six career starts Chuck Crim made.  Five of them were in June of 1987, with this being his fourth.  It was his rookie year--he started it in the bullpen and moved into the rotation on June 2.  Two of his starts were fairly good, but as a starter he was 1-4, 5.17, 1.58 WHIP.  He was pretty good as a reliever, though, and stayed pretty good through 1990.  He led the league in appearances in 1988 and 1989 and came close in 1990, averaging over 100 relief innings in those three seasons.  The workload may have taken a toll, though, because he never had a good season after 1990.  He was with California from 1992-93, but was released at the end of May of 1993.  He missed the rest of the season, came back with the Cubs in 1994, but then his playing career was over.  He was never the closer, but for his career he was 47-43, 45 saves, 3.83, 1.35 WHIP.  He was a coach for many years, most recently as the bullpen coach of the Dodgers from 2013-15, but does not appear to have a job in baseball at the moment.