I don't miss the part of owning a truck where everyone called for help, but I miss the part where I could move my own things easily.
Monthly Archives: January 2017
Happy Birthday–January 6
George Shoch (1859)
Phil Masi (1916)
Jiro Noguchi (1920)
Early Wynn (1920)
Ralph Branca (1926)
Lee Walls (1933)
Lenny Green (1933)
Ruben Amaro (1936)
Don Gullett (1951)
Norm Charlton (1963)
Dan Naulty (1970)
Marlon Anderson (1974)
Brian Bass (1982)
Anthony Slama (1984)
Jiro Noguchi was one of the greatest pitchers in the early days of Japanese professional baseball, winning 237 games with an ERA of 1.96.
Winter Wonderland: Games of January 3-4
GAMES OF JANUARY 3
VENEZUELAN LEAGUE
LARA 8, MARGARITA 1 IN LARA
It was 1-1 after three, but Lara scored six in the fourth to take control of the game. Jorge Martinez pitched six innings for Lara, giving up one run on three hits and no walks with three strikeouts. Juniel Querecuto was 3-for-5 with a double, scoring once and driving in two.
The best-of-seven series was tied 1-1.
LA GUAIRA 13, ANZOATEGUI 6 IN ANZOATEGUI
Again a six-run inning made the difference, as La Guaira got that number in the sixth to turn a 3-2 deficit into an 8-3 lead. Hector Sanchez was 4-for-4 with a home run and a walk for La Guaira, scoring three times and driving in four. Danry Vasquez was 4-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs.
La Guaira led the best-of-seven series 2-0.
ZULIA 6, ARAGUA 5 IN ZULIA
It was tied going to the bottom of the ninth. The first two batters went out, but a single was followed by two walks, loading the bases. A wild pitch then brought home the winning run. Reynaldo Rodriguez was 1-for-4 with a double and a walk for Zulia, scoring once. Eduardo Escobar was 1-for-4 for Aragua. Alex Romero was 3-for-4 with two doubles for Zulia, scoring twice and driving in one.
Zulia led the best-of-seven series 2-0.
DOMINICAN LEAGUE
AGUILAS 7, GIGANTES 5 AT GIGANTES
The Aguilas scored three in the first and built a 7-0 lead through four. The Gigantes got back into it with one in the sixth and four in the seventh but did not get the tying run on base. Jose Urena pitched five shutout innings for the Aguilas, giving up one hit and no walks with four strikeouts. Ronny Rodriguez was 3-for-5 with two doubles for the Aguilas, scoring once and driving in two. Alfredo Marte was 3-for-4 with a double for the Aguilas, scoring twice and driving in one.
ESCOGIDO 2, LICEY 0 IN ESCOGIDO
It was scoreless through eight. The first two Escogido batters went out in the ninth, but an error was followed by Ronny Paulino's two-run walkoff homer. Jorge Polanco was 0-for-4 for Escogido. Kelvin Marte pitched six shutout innings for Escogido, giving up four hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
STANDINGS
Aguilas, 5-1
Escogido, 2-3
Licey, 2-3
Gigantes, 1-3
PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE
SANTURCE 2, CAROLINA 1 IN SANTURCE (11 INNINGS)
Ivan De Jesus, Jr.'s RBI single in the bottom of the eleventh won it for Santurce. J. J. Fernandez was 1-for-4 for Carolina. Adalberto Flores pitched 6.1 scoreless innings for Santurce, giving up one hit and one walk with two strikeouts.
Santurce leads the best-of-seven series 1-0.
MAYAGUEZ 4, CAGUAS 3 IN MAYAGUEZ (14 INNINGS)
Caguas got three in the ninth to tie it 3-3. In the fourteenth, however, Yadiel Rivera delivered a two-out RBI single to win it for Mayaguez. Eddie Rosario was 3-for-6 for Mayaguez. Kennys Vargas was 1-for-5 with a double and a walk for Mayaguez, scoring once and driving in one. Benji Gonzalez was 1-for-4 with a run for Mayaguez. Dereck Rodriguez pitched two-thirds of an inning for Mayaguez, giving up no runs on two hits. Jorge Lopez struck out six in five innings for Mayaguez, giving up one run on one hit. Henry Ramos was 3-for-6 with a run for Mayaguez.
Mayaguez leads the best-of-seven series 1-0.
MEXICAN LEAGUE
MEXICALI 7, NAVOJOA 6 IN NAVOJOA
Navojoa led 6-4 after four, but Mexicali got single runs in the fifth, sixth, and seventh, the last on a C. J. Retherford homer, to take the lead. Yuniesky Betancourt was 3-for-5 with an RBI for Mexicali.
The best-of-seven series is tied 1-1.
HERMOSILLO 6, CULIACAN 4 IN CULIACAN
Hermosillo got three in the third and three in the sixth to gain the victory. Barry Enright pitched 5.1 innings for Hermosillo, giving up one run on four hits and a walk with three strikeouts. Jorge Flores was 3-for-4 for Hermosillo. Tim Torres hit a two-run homer for Hermosillo.
The best-of-seven series is tied 1-1.
LOS MOCHIS 6, MAZATLAN 4 IN LOS MOCHIS
Eugenio Velez hit a two-run homer in the seventh to turn a 4-3 deficit into a 5-4 Los Mochis lead. Saul Soto homered in the eighth for an insurance run. J. C. Linares and Leandro Castro also homered for Los Mochis.
AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE
No games scheduled.
GAMES OF JANUARY 4
VENEZUELAN LEAGUE
No games scheduled.
DOMINICAN LEAGUE
ESCOGIDO 5, LICEY 0 IN LICEY
Erik Gonzalez hit a two-run double in a three-run third and Escogido never trailed. Jorge Polanco was 1-for-5 for Escogido. Bryan Evans pitched 4.2 scoreless innings for Escogido, giving up five hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
AGUILAS 5, GIGANTES 3 AT AGUILAS
Already leading 3-2, the Aguilas scored two runs in the fifth and the Gigantes were never able to get the tying run on base after that. Danny Santana was 0-for-1 for the Aguilas in a reserve role. Angel Castro pitched five innings for the Aguilas, giving two runs on four hits and no walks with one strikeout. Jonathan Villar was 3-for-5 with a double for the Aguilas, scoring once and driving in one.
STANDINGS
Aguilas, 6-1
Escogido, 3-3
Licey, 2-4
Gigantes, 1-4
PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE
CAROLINA 6, SANTURCE 3 IN CAROLINA
Luke Tendler hit a three-run homer in the fifth to break a 3-3 tie. J. J. Fernandez was 1-for-3 for Carolina.
The best-of-seven series is tied 1-1.
MAYAGUEZ 5, CAGUAS 1 IN MAYAGUEZ
Mayaguez took a 2-0 lead in the first and put the game out of reach with a three-run sixth. Eddie Rosario was 1-for-5 with a run and two RBIs for Mayaguez. Kennys Vargas was 2-for-5 with an RBI for Mayaguez. Benji Gonzalez was 1-for-3 with a walk for Mayaguez. Hiram Burgos pitched six innings for Mayaguez, giving up one run on five hits and no walks with three strikeouts. Henry Ramos was 3-for-5 with a run for Mayaguez.
Mayaguez leads the best-of-seven series 2-0.
MEXICAN LEAGUE
No games scheduled.
AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE*
MELBOURNE 4, BRISBANE 3 IN MELBOURNE
Melbourne scored two in the sixth to tie it 3-3. In the ninth, Mike Walker delivered an RBI single to win it for Melbourne. Aaron Whitefield was 3-for-5 with a run for Brisbane and is batting .344. Logan Wade was 2-for-5 with a run for Brisbane and is batting .317. Mark Hamburger struck out thirteen in eight innings for Melbourne, giving up three runs on ten hits and a walk.
SYDNEY 3, PERTH 0 IN PERTH
Sydney scored one in the first and two in the second and the pitchers took it from there. Trevor Foss struck out seven in six shutout innings for Sydney, giving up five hits and a walk. Todd Van Steensel pitched a perfect inning for Sydney, striking out one.
*Games played January 5. It's timey-wimey.
1987 Rewind: Game Ninety-four
NEW YORK 7, MINNESOTA 1 IN MINNESOTA
Date: Monday, July 20.
Batting stars: Steve Lombardozzi was 2-for-3 with a double. Greg Gagne was 2-for-4 with a double. Tim Laudner was 1-for-4 with a triple.
Pitching stars: None.
Opposition stars: Tommy John pitched a complete game, giving up one run on seven hits and a walk with one strikeout. Mike Pagliarulo was 1-for-2 with a home run (his eighteenth) and two walks, scoring three times and driving in two. Mark Salas was 3-for-4 with a three-run homer, his sixth.
The game: There was no score until the fifth, when Pagliarulo hit a two-run homer. Laudner tripled and scored in the bottom of the fifth to make it 2-1. Salas then hit a three-run homer in the seventh to put the Yankees in control of the game. They added single runs in the eighth and ninth.
Of note: Dan Gladden went 2-for-4...Gagne was moved up to the second spot in the order for this game...Kirby Puckett was 0-for-4, dropping his average to .329...Mark Davidson played right field, with Tom Brunansky at DH and Roy Smalley out of the lineup...Laudner's triple was his only one for the season and one of five in his career...Les Straker pitched well other than the home runs, but his line was still seven innings, six runs, six hits, three walks, and four strikeouts...Four Yankees with Twins connections played in this game: Salas, who had been a Twin; Pagliarulo, who would be one; Dave Winfield, who also would be one; and John, who broadcast cames for the Twins from 1994-96. If you want to stretch a point, you could make it five, as Wayne Tolleson's son Steven was in the Twins farm system from 2005-09.
Happy Birthday–January 5
Other than an update to Eduardo Escobar, this is a reprint from last year. If you know that anyone on this list has passed away, taken a different job, etc., please include that in an LTE.
Ban Johnson (1864)
Bob Carruthers (1864)
Bill Dahlen (1870)
Jack Norworth (1879)
Art Fletcher (1885)
Rube Foster (1888)
Riggs Stephenson (1898)
Luke Sewell (1901)
Jack Kramer (1918)
Earl Battey (1935)
Bud Bloomfield (1936)
Charlie Hough (1948)
Jim Gantner (1953)
Bob Dernier (1957)
Ron Kittle (1958)
Milt Thompson (1959)
John Russell (1961)
Henry Cotto (1961)
Danny Jackson (1962)
Jeff Fassero (1963)
Brian Runge (1970)
Fred Rath (1973)
Mark Redman (1974)
Eduardo Escobar (1989)
Ban Johnson was one of the founders of and the first president of the American League.
Jack Norworth wrote the lyrics to "Take Me Out to the Ball Game".
Rube Foster was a player, manager, and owner in the Negro Leagues, eventually becoming president of the Negro National League.
Brian Runge was a major league umpire from 1999-2012. He is the son of major league umpire Paul Runge and the grandson of major league umpire Ed Runge.
Oddly, there are three players born on this day who go by their initials: J. P. Arencibia, C. J. Cron, and A. J. Cole.
We would also like to wish a very happy birthday to freealonzo.
January 5, 2017: I Almost Typed “1993”
Your guess is as good as mine.
Craig Finn – Newmyer’s Roof
OK, I lied. Here's the only song I really liked off Finn's 2015 album.
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1987 Rewind: Game Ninety-three
MINNESOTA 7, TORONTO 6 IN MINNESOTA
Date: Sunday, July 19.
Batting stars: Tom Brunansky was 2-for-4 with a home run (his twentieth) and three RBIs. Dan Gladden was 1-for-3 with two walks and three stolen bases (his fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth), scoring once. Gene Larkin was 2-for-4 with a run.
Pitching stars: Dan Schatzeder struck out six in 3.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk. Keith Atherton retired all five men he faced, striking out one.
Opposition stars: Ernie Whitt was 3-for-4 with a home run (his eighth) and a walk, driving in two. Rick Leach was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, scoring twice and driving in one. Rance Mulliniks was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer, his sixth.
The game: Toronto scored two in the top of the first, but Brunansky's two-run homer capped a four-run bottom of the first that put the Twins up 4-2. Twins starter Mike Smithson couldn't hold the lead, as Mulliniks hit a two-run homer in the second to tie it and Whitt homered leading off the third to put the Blue Jays up 5-4. In the fifth, Brunansky came through again, delivering an RBI single that tied it 5-5. Greg Gagne led off the sixth with a single, was bunted to second, took third on a fly ball, and scored on a wild pitch to give the Twins a 6-5 advantage. Gagne brought home a run in the eighth with a single-plus-error to give the Twins an insurance run and they needed it, because Cecil Fielder homered off Jeff Reardon in the ninth to make it 7-6. Reardon gave up a two-out walk to Whitt but came out of the rest of the inning unscathed to preserve the win.
Of note: Gagne was 2-for-4 and scored once...Gladden started in center field, with Kirby Puckett getting the day off. He moved to left in the ninth when Mark Davidson came in as a defensive replacement for Randy Bush...Bush started in right and batted third, with Brunansky in left...Larkin was the DH, with Roy Smalley out of the lineup...Smithson lasted only 2.2 innings, giving up five runs on seven hits and three walks with one strikeout...Toronto starter Jose Nunez was not a whole lot better, going 4.2 innings and allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out five.
Record: The Twins were 51-42, in first place, one game ahead of Oakland.
Player profile: College football star Rick Leach had his best years as a part-time player for Toronto. Drafted by Detroit with the thirteenth pick in 1979 (he was also drafted in the fifth round by the Denver Broncos), he reached the majors in 1981, spending half the season there. He was with the Tigers for almost all of 1982 and really all of 1983, and for some reason I think of him mainly as a Tiger, although he spent more seasons with the Blue Jays. He was primarily a reserve first baseman for Detroit, although he also played some outfield. In his three years with the Tigers he batted .236/.307/.335 and had only seven runs in 543 at-bats. Those aren't exactly the sort of numbers you're looking for in a first-round draft choice, so the Tigers released him during spring training of 1984. He signed with Toronto and became primarily an outfielder. He didn't do a lot his first two years there, and in fact he spent most of 1985 in the minors. In 1986-87, though, he was a solid contributor to the Blue Jays as a reserve, batting .297/.351/.421 in 441 at-bats. He left Toronto after the 1988 season, playing for Texas in 1989 and San Francisco in 1990. He again put up good numbers as a reserve for the Giants: .293/.372/.402 in 174 at-bats. That was his last year, though, as he was released in spring training of 1991 and no one signed him. He had failed a drug test in August 1990, which probably contributed to the end of his playing career. For his career, Rick Leach hit .268/.335/.369. At last report, he was living in Petosky, Michigan.
Happy Birthday–January 4
Tommy Corcoran (1869)
Ernest Lanigan (1873)
Al Bridwell (1884)
Ossie Vitt (1890)
George Selkirk (1908)
Gabe Paul (1910)
Herman Franks (1914)
Don McMahon (1930)
Tito Fuentes (1944)
Charlie Manuel (1944)
Ken Reynolds (1947)
Paul Gibson (1960)
Daryl Boston (1963)
Trey Hillman (1963)
Ted Lilly (1976)
Willie Martinez (1978)
Ernest Lanigan was the nephew of the Spink brothers who founded The Sporting News and worked for the publication from the time he was 15. Among other things, he compiled baseball's first encyclopedia, published in 1922, and served as curator, historian, and director of the Hall of Fame from 1946 until his death in 1962.
Gabe Paul was the general manager of the Cincinnati Reds, the Cleveland Indians (twice), and the New York Yankees.
Trey Hillman was the manager of the Kansas City Royals from 2008-2010.
January 4, 2017: Moving Sucks
I'm sure I've given a CoC this exact title before, but whatever.