Monthly Archives: December 2016

Keeping Track

Winter Wonderland: Games of December 28

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

MAGALLANES 9, ZULIA 3 IN MAGALLANES

Leading 4-3, Magallanes hit three doubles in a four-run fifth that put the game out of reach.  Endy Chavez was 3-for-4 for Magallanes, scoring twice and driving in one.

MARGARITA 3, CARACAS 1 IN CARACAS

Caracas got a run in the first, but Margarita came back with two in the third and one in the fifth.  Omar Poveda struck out six in five innings for Margarita, giving up one run on six hits and no walks.  Breyvic Valera was 3-for-4 with a double for Margarita, scoring once and driving in one.

ARAGUA 7, ANZOATEGUI 0 IN ARAGUA

Aragua scored three in the second and never trailed.  Eduardo Escobar was 2-for-5 with an RBI for Aragua and is batting .308.  Misael Siverio pitched 6.1 scoreless innings, giving up three hits and no walks with four strikeouts.

LARA 10, LA GUAIRA 1 IN LARA

Manny Pina hit a two-run triple to cap a four-run first that put Lara in control of the game.  Jorge Martinez pitched five innings for Lara, giving up an unearned run on two hits and two walks with one strikeout.  Ildemaro Vargas was 4-for-4 with a walk and three runs for Lara.  Luis Valbuena was 3-for-5 with a run and three RBIs for Lara.  Rangel Ravelo was 2-for-2 with a home run (his sixth) and a walk for Lara, scoring three times and driving in two.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

PLAYOFFS--DAY TWO

AGUILAS 7, ESCOGIDO 4 AT AGUILAS

Each team scored four in the first, the Aguilas scored three in the third, and that was it.  Neither team's starter made it out of the first inning.  Danny Santana was used as a pinch-runner for the Aguilas and did not bat.  Jorge Polanco was 2-for-4 with a walk and a run for Escogido.  Zoilo Almonte was 4-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs for the Aguilas.

GIGANTES AT LICEY

Rained out.

STANDINGS

Licey, 1-0
Aguilas, 1-1
Gigantes, 0-0
Escogido, 0-1

PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE

SANTURCE 1, MAYAGUEZ 0 IN SANTURCE

It was scoreless until the bottom of the ninth, when Neftali Soto hit a one-out walkoff homer.  Eddie Rosario was 0-for-3 with a walk for Mayaguez.  Kennys Vargas was 0-for-3 with a walk for Mayaguez.  Benji Gonzalez was 0-for-3 for Mayaguez.  Dereck Rodriguez struck out two in 1.1 innings for Mayaguez, giving up one run on one hit and no walks, making his ERA 1.02.  Reiner Roibal pitched four shutout innings for Santurce, giving up two hits and two walks with three strikeouts.  Soto's homer was his fourth.

AGUADILLA 3, CAROLINA 2 IN CAROLINA

A two-run double by Jorge Jimenez in the eighth turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead and an eventual win.  Tomas Santiago pitched 5.1 innings for Aguadilla, giving up two runs on five hits and four walks with three strikeouts.

MEXICAN LEAGUE

JALISCO 7, CULIACAN 6 IN JALISCO (12 INNINGS)

Culiacan led 2-1 until the eighth, when they scored four runs to take a commanding 6-1 lead only to see Jalisco get five in the bottom of the inning to tie it 6-6.  Jose Manuel Rodriguez led off the twelfth with a walkoff homer for Jalisco.  Miguel Chalas pitched 5.1 innings for Jalisco, giving up two runs on seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts.  Rodriguez was 3-for-6 and the home run was his seventh.  Jesus Valdez hit a home run for Jalisco, his sixth.

NAVOJOA 8, LOS MOCHIS 4 IN LOS MOCHIS

Alejandro Gonzalez hit a two-run homer in the fourth to break a 3-3 tie and put Navojoa in the lead to stay.  Quincy Latimore was 2-for-3 with a home run (his twelfth) and two walks for Navojoa, scoring twice and driving in four.  Gonzalez was 2-for-2 with two walks for Navojoa.  The home run was his second, as he scored twice and drove in two.

MAZATLAN 2, OBREGON 1 IN MAZATLAN

Mazatlan scored two in the first and made them stand up.  Felipe Gonzalez pitched six shutout innings for Mazatlan, giving up two hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

MEXICALI 8, HERMOSILLO 7 IN MEXICALI

C. J. Retherford hit a grand slam to cap a six-run eighth, bringing Mexicali back from a 7-2 deficit to win.  Retherford was 2-for-4 with a walk in addition to the home run, which was his thirteenth.

AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE*

ADELAIDE 8, BRISBANE 3 IN BRISBANE

Mitch Dening's two-run homer in the eighth put Adelaide ahead 4-3 and they added four in the ninth to put the game out of reach.  Aaron Whitefield was 0-for-5 for Brisbane.  Logan Wade was 1-for-5 with a double for Brisbane.  Dening was 2-for-5 and the home run was his third.  LeDarious Clark was also 2-for-5 with a home run (his second), as well as a walk.  Jordan Cowan was 2-for-5 with a home run and scored twice.

MELBOURNE 4, SYDNEY 3 IN SYDNEY

Cody Jones' RBI single with two out in the ninth put Melbourne ahead to stay.  Mark Hamburger struck out eleven in eight innings for Melbourne, giving up three runs on nine hits and no walks.

PERTH 8, CANBERRA 2 IN PERTH

With Perth already up 4-2 Joey Wong hit a three-run triple to put the game out of reach.  Matt Kennelly was 3-for-4 with a home run and a double for Perth, scoring three times.  Tim Kennelly was 2-for-3 with a home run (his third), a double, and a walk for Perth, scoring twice.

*Games played December 29.  It's timey-wimey.

Keeping Track

1987 Rewind: Game Eighty-seven

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BALTIMORE 13, MINNESOTA 12 IN BALTIMORE

Date:  Friday, July 10.

Batting stars:  Tom Brunansky was 3-for-3 with a home run (his eighteenth), a double, and two walks, scoring twice and driving in four.  Gary Gaetti was 2-for-5 with a double, scoring twice and driving in one.  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-6, scoring twice and driving in two.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Eddie Murray was 4-for-4 with a home run (his nineteenth) and a walk, scoring four times and driving in three.  Fred Lynn was 2-for-4 with two home runs (his thirteenth and fourteenth) and walk, driving in six.  Alan Wiggins was 1-for-2 with three walks and two stolen bases (his sixteenth and seventeenth), scoring once and driving in two.

The game:  This one got wild early, as each team scored four runs in the first inning.  The Twins got five hits in the first inning, four of them for extra bases, to hand Bert Blyleven a 4-0 lead.  He handed it right back, as Murray singled home one run and Lynn hit a pitch that was left up for three-run homer to tie it 4-4.  The Twins went ahead 5-4 in the second, but a pitch was left up to Murray in the third to tie it again, 5-5.  Brunansky hit a three-run homer in the fifth to give the Twins an 8-5 lead, but Blyleven again instantly gave it back, leaving a pitch up to Lynn for his second three-run homer of the game to again tie the score at 8-8.  The Twins took a 10-8 lead in the top of the sixth, but Dan Schatzeder and George Frazier could not hold down the Orioles, who got five hits and four runs in the bottom of the sixth to go ahead 12-10.  It stayed there until the ninth.  A walk, a single, and a walk loaded the bases with none out.  A pair of ground outs tied the score at 12-12.  Frazier, who had pitched two scoreless innings after giving up the lead in the sixth, remained in the game to start the ninth and gave up a single and a walk.  Jeff Reardon had pitched 1.2 innings the previous day and one inning the day before that, so one assumes Tom Kelly may have deemed him unavailable.  At any rate, Juan Berenguer came into the game at this point and got a force out, putting men on first and third.  An intentional walk loaded the bases and Larry Sheets hit a sacrifice fly to right to bring home the winning run.

Of note:  Puckett's average was now .340...There were obviously lots of others who had a good day at the plate...Steve Lombardozzi was 2-for-5 with a triple, scoring once and driving in one...Kent Hrbek was 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs...Roy Smalley was 2-for-5 with two RBIs, raising his average to .319...Blyleven pitched five innings, surrendering eight runs on five hits and four walks with two strikeouts...Baltimore starter Dave Schmidt lasted only a third of an innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on four hits and no walks with no strikeouts.

Record:  The Twins were 48-39, in first place by two games over Kansas City and Oakland.

Notes:  As the Twins continued their search for a second place hitter, Lombardozzi was put in that spot in this game...Schatzeder came into the game with the Twins leading 8-5.  He gave up two singles, got one out on a popped up bunt, and gave up an RBI single, leaving the game with the score 8-6.  Both runners he left on base came around to score, so he was charged with three runs in a third of an inning.  He got a hold for his efforts.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–December 29

Hank DeBerry (1894)
Bill Knickerbocker (1911)
Ted Del Guercio (1927)
Ken Rudolph (1946)
Jim Wilson (1960)
Devon White (1962)
Craig Grebeck (1964)
James Mouton (1968)
Tomas Perez (1973)
Richie Sexson (1974)
Emil Brown (1974)
Jaret Wright (1975)
Jack Wilson (1977)

Ted Del Guercio was part of the largest trade in baseball history. He was traded by the New York Yankees along with Don Larsen, Billy Hunter, Bob Turley, Kal Segrist, Bill Miller and Don Leppert to the Baltimore Orioles for Gene Woodling, Harry Byrd, Jim McDonald, Hal Smith, Gus Triandos, Willy Miranda, Mike Blyzka, Darrell Johnson, Jim Fridley and Dick Kryhoski in the off-season following the 1953 campaign. Del Guercio was the only person involved in the trade not to play in the majors.

James Mouton was drafted by Minnesota in the eighth round in 1990, but did not sign.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–December 29 →

WGOM Videos

Sturgill Simpson – Call to Arms

Video 3 Comments

Okay, okay, yeah, this is an obvious pick.  Truthfully, this is probably about my 5th choice.  Played one, some have been taken, or nothing live exists (looking at you, Ocean & Cave).

It's a favorite of many here anyway, so figured I'd give it a spin. Here's a nice manic cut to lanch you into 2017. Good luck, you guys.


17 Sep 2016

Fun little tribute buried in the middle.

6 votes, average: 9.67 out of 106 votes, average: 9.67 out of 106 votes, average: 9.67 out of 106 votes, average: 9.67 out of 106 votes, average: 9.67 out of 106 votes, average: 9.67 out of 106 votes, average: 9.67 out of 106 votes, average: 9.67 out of 106 votes, average: 9.67 out of 106 votes, average: 9.67 out of 10 (6 votes, average: 9.67 out of 10)
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Keeping Track

Winter Wonderland: Games of December 27

VENEZUELAN LEAGUE

ZULIA 6, CARACAS 4 IN CARACAS

Trailing 3-1 through eight, Zulia scored five in the ninth to win.  Caracas scored one in the ninth and had the bases loaded when the third out was made.  Wilfredo Boscan pitched four shutout innings for Zulia, giving up two hits and two walks with two strikeouts.  Jose Flores was 3-for-4 with a double for Zulila, scoring once and driving in one.

MARGARITA 15, ANZOATEGUI 3 IN ANZOATEGUI

Margarita scored six in the second inning and was never threatened.  Breyvic Valera hit a two-run triple in the inning.  Randy Boone pitched six innings for Margarita, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk with two strikeouts.  Angelo Castellano was 3-for-5 with a double and a walk for Margarita, scoring twice and driving in three.

LARA 5, ARAGUA 3, IN ARAGUA

A walk was followed by four singles in the fifth inning, producing three Lara runs and breaking a 2-2 tie.  Eduardo Escobar was 2-for-4 for Aragua.  Rangel Ravelo was 3-for-5 with a double for Lara, scoring twice.

LA GUAIRA 2, MAGALLANES 1 IN MAGALLANES

In the first inning, La Guaira got three singles and two walks, producing two runs that turned out to be all La Guaira needed.  Jonathan Albaladejo pitched six innings for La Guaira, giving up one run on four hits and a walk with two strikeouts.

DOMINICAN LEAGUE

PLAYOFFS--DAY ONE

LICEY 4, AGUILAS 1 IN LICEY

Three singles and two errors produced two Licey runs in the first and Licey led all the way.  Danny Santana was used as a reserve for Licey and was 0-for-1.  Yohan Flande pitched 5.1 innings for LIcey, giving up one run on four hits and a walk with three strikeouts.  Diory Hernandez was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs for Licey.  Austin Wynns was 3-for-4 with an RBI.

ESCOGIDO AT GIGANTES

Rained out.

PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE

CAROLINA 4, CAGUAS 3 IN CAGUAS

Carolina trailed 3-2 going to the eighth, but a strikeout/wild pitch, a double, and a throwing error brought home the tying and go-ahead runs.  Giovanni Soto struck out six in six innings for Carolina, giving up two runs on seven hits and no walks.  Jeff Dominguez was 4-for-4 with two doubles and a run for Carolina.  Both Giovanni Soto and Geovany Soto play for Carolina, which one would think must get confusing at times.

MAYAGUEZ 2, AGUADILLA 1 IN AGUADILLA

Mayaguez scored two in the first and made it stand up.  Eddie Rosario was 0-for-5 for Mayaguez.  Kennys Vargas was 0-for-3 with a walk for Mayaguez.  Benji Gonzalez was 0-for-3 with a walk for Mayaguez.  Jorge Lopez struck out six in four shutout innings for Mayaguez, giving up three hits and three walks.

MEXICAN LEAGUE

HERMOSILLO 6, LOS MOCHIS 2 IN HERMOSILLO

Efren Navarro's two-run triple brought home the go-ahead runs in a four-run fourth that broke a 2-2 tie.  Travis Blackley pitched 6.2 innings for Hermosillo, giving up two runs on ten hits and a walk with one strikeout.

NAVOJOA 8, JALISCO 1 IN NAVOJOA

Already leading 4-1, Navojoa scored four in the seventh to put the game out of reach.  Hector Velazquez struck out six in 6.1 innings for Navojoa, giving up one run on four hits and no walks.  Quincy Latimore was 2-for-4 with a home run (his eleventh) and a double for Navojoa, scoring twice.  Niko Vazquez hit a two-run homer for Navojoa, his eighth.

AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE

No games scheduled.

Keeping Track

1987 Rewind: Game Eighty-six

1 Comment

MINNESOTA 3, BALTIMORE 1 IN BALTIMORE

Date:  Thursday, July 9.

Batting stars:  Tim Laudner was 1-for-4 with a three-run homer, his twelfth.  Mark Davidson was 2-for-4 with a double.

Pitching stars:  Les Straker pitched 7.1 innings, giving up one run on six hits and two walks with one strikeout.  Jeff Reardon struck out four in 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Eric Bell pitched 7.2 innings, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts.  Mark Williamson struck out three in 1.1 perfect innings.

The game:  It was scoreless until the fifth, when Laudner hit a three-run homer.  Straker allowed only one hit through six innings, but gave up three singles in the seventh that led to a run.  He allowed a single and a double in the eighth, bringing Reardon on with one out.  He struck out Cal Ripken and Eddie Murray to end the threat.  Larry Sheets got a leadoff single in the ninth but did not advance past first base.

Of note:  Kirby Puckett was 0-for-3 with a walk and was batting .340.

Record:  The Twins were 48-38, in first place by two games over Kansas City.

Notes:  Davidson was in right field and batted second, with Tom Brunansky at DH and Roy Smalley out of the lineup.

Player profile:  This was the only year Eric Bell would be a rotation starter.  A ninth round draft choice by the Orioles in 1982, he reached Baltimore as a September call-up in 1985 after a good year in Class A.  He got another September call-up in 1986 and was with the Orioles all of 1987 at age twenty-three despite having made only 11 starts in AAA.  He wasn't a disaster, but it wasn't a good year, either:  10-13, 5.45, 1.53 WHIP.  He was apparently injured much of the next two seasons, making only seven minor league starts in 1988 and fourteen in 1989.  He played a full season in AAA in 1990, and while he may have been healthy he was not particularly effective.  The Orioles let him become a free agent after the season and he signed with Cleveland.  He was a starter in the minors, but whenever he got a chance in the majors it was in the bullpen.  He got ten appearances with the Indians in 1991, seven more in 1992, and got ten appearances with Houston in 1993.  That was his major league swan song, although he continued to pitch in AAA through 1996.  His major league numbers are 15-18, 5.18, 1.49 WHIP in 234.2 innings (68 games, 34 starts.  165 of those innings came in 1987.