I should pop in a few of my favorites of 2019 quick. This album was definitely up there for me.
(3 votes, average: 9.33 out of 10)
Loading... Stealing Phil's question from yesterday, how many ballpark have you been to? For now, let's keep it in the major leagues, past and present both acceptable.
Date: Sunday, July 28.
Batting stars: Dan Gladden was 3-for-5 with a double. Shane Mack was 2-for-4.
Pitching stars: Terry Leach pitched 4.1 scoreless innings, giving up eight hits but no walks and striking out three. Rick Aguilera struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.
Opposition stars: Jaime Navarro pitched a complete game, giving up two runs on ten hits and two walks and striking out five. Darryl Hamilton was 5-for-6 with a double, a stolen base (his seventh), and three runs. Paul Molitor was 5-for-6 with a stolen base (his tenth) and two runs. Candy Maldonado was 3-for-6 with a home run (his fourth) and three RBIs. Dante Bichette was 3-for-6 with a double. Jim Gantner was 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs. Franklin Stubbs was 2-for-5 with a home run (his seventh), a stolen base (his eighth) and two RBIs.
The game: This one was over early. Singles by Molitor, Hamilton, Stubbs, and Bichette put the Brewers up 2-0 in the first. In the second Molitor and Hamilton again singled, a ground out produced one run, and Maldonado hit a two-run homer to make it 5-0. In the third, Jim Gantner doubled and Dale Sveum was hit by a pitch. The next two batters went out, but Hamilton hit a ground-rule double to make the score 6-0 and finally get Twins starter Jack Morris out of the game. Singles by B. J. Surhoff and Maldonado made the score 8-0 after three.
The Twins never got back into the game. They loaded the bases with one out in the fourth, but nothing came of it. They finally got on the board in the seventh on Gladden's RBI double, but Milwaukee got three in the eighth. An RBI ground out in the ninth got the Twins one more run.
WP: Navarro (8-8). LP: Morris (13-7). S: None.
Notes: Gene Larkin was the DH in place of Chili Davis. Al Newman was at shortstop in place of Greg Gagne.
Junior Ortiz came in to catch in the seventh inning, replacing Brian Harper. Randy Bush came in to play right field in the seventh inning, with Shane Mack moving to center and Kirby Puckett coming out of the game. Scott Leius pinch-ran for Kent Hrbek in the eighth and stayed in the game in center field, with Mack moving back to right and Bush going to first base.
Puckett was 0-for-3, dropping his average to .331. Harper was 1-for-3 and was batting .319. Leach lowered his ERA to 3.07. Aguilera's ERA was 2.80.
Morris pitched 2.2 innings and allowed eight runs on nine hits and two walks and struck out two. This was his worst game of the season according to game scores, which gave him an eight. His second-worst was his second start of the season, when he gave up eight runs in 5.2 innings and had a game score of fifteen.
This was one of two games in his career in which Leius played the outfield. Both times he played center and both were in 1991. This was the first one. The second would come August 10, when he would again play a couple of innings there at the end of a blowout loss.
I always thought "Candy Maldonado" was a cool name.
Gladden was now 8-for-20 with three doubles and a home run since coming back from the disabled list.
Molitor hit the stuffing out of the Twins in 1991. In 56 plate appearances, he batted .463/.482/.635. He also was 3-for-3 in stolen bases. In terms of OPS, the Twins were only his second-best team to bat against--the best was California, against whom he batted .395/.509/.791 with 4 home runs in 53 plate appearances. For the season he batted .325/.399/.489. His career numbers against the Twins were .303/.362/.464 in 797 plate appearances.
The White Sox defeated Boston 5-2, so they gained a game on the Twins.
Record: The Twins were 58-41, in first place in the American League West, three games ahead of Chicago.
Johnny Nee (1890)
Ray Chapman (1891)
Steve Gromek (1920)
Georges Maranda (1932)
Dr. Mike Marshall (1943)
Bobby Grich (1949)
Rance Mulliniks (1956)
Jerry Narron (1956)
Don Cooper (1956)
Delino DeShields (1969)
Ray King (1974)
Matt Holliday (1980)
Armando Galarraga (1982)
Mitch Garver (1991)
Johnny Nee was a long-time minor league manager and scout.
BRINGING THE BOMBA RAIN
(2 votes, average: 7.50 out of 10)Loading... Josh Donaldson: $84 million plus $8 million buyout on fifth year at $16 million.
Total Voters: 21
Loading ...The board.
Philospher
Algonad
Mike
SoCalTwinsFan
Freealonzo
sean
bhiggum
Nibbish
brianS
CarterHayes
Beau
TheDreadPirate
cheaptoy
hungryjoe
rowsdower
Date: Saturday, July 27.
Batting stars: Chuck Knoblauch was 3-for-3 with a triple, a double, a walk, and a stolen base (his twelfth). Dan Gladden was 2-for-5 with a three-run homer (his fifth) and two runs.
Pitching star: Paul Abbott pitched four innings of relief, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk and striking out three. Carl Willis retired all four batters he faced, striking out one.
Opposition stars: Candy Maldonado was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer, his third. Dale Sveum was 2-for-4 with a home run (his fourth) and two RBIs. Paul Molitor was 2-for-5 with a double. Dante Bichette was 2-for-5 with two runs.
The game: The Twins scored two in the first inning. Gladden singled and Knoblauch followed with a double. A pair of productive out made the score 2-0. Sveum hit a home run in the second to cut the lead to 2-1. In the fourth the Brewers got two singles, a bunt, and a sacrifice fly to tie the score 2-2.
The Twins took the lead back in the bottom of the fourth. Kent Hrbek walked, and Chili Davis and Brian Harper each singled, loading the bases with none out. A fielder's choice/error scored one run and a force out scored another, and the Twins led 4-2.
It stayed 4-2 until the eighth. Abbott had pitched three scoreless innings, but he gave up a leadoff single to Bichette followed by Maldonado's two-run homer, and the score was tied 4-4.
No problem. Milwaukee starter Bill Wegman was still in the game to start the ninth. He retired Mike Pagliarulo on a grounder, but gave up singles to Shane Mack and Randy Bush. Now approaching one hundred twenty pitches, he remained in the game to face Gladden. It was a mistake, as Gladden hit a walkoff three-run homer down the left field line.
WP: Willis (5-2). LP: Wegman (6-5). S: None.
Notes: This is the first time in a long time where the Twins completely used what one would call their standard lineup. No one injured, no one being rested. Bush pinch-hit for Greg Gagne in the ninth and Al Newman pinch-ran for Bush.
Kirby Puckett was 0-for-4 and was batting .333. Harper was 1-for-4 and was batting .318. Abbott's ERA was 3.43. Willis lowered his ERA to 2.36.
It seems really strange that Tom Trebelhorn left Wegman in to pitch a complete game. It's true that he hadn't given up a run since the fourth, but he wasn't exactly blowing people away, either. He'd given up a hit in each of the last three innings. He didn't have a low pitch count--he ended at one hundred twenty-two pitches. He was their best starter that year, and apart from Doug Henry their bullpen was nothing to brag about. Still, it was well-rested, and if you're not going to use them then there's no point in having them.
Gladden was 5-for-15 with two doubles and a home run since his return.
The Twins had won three in a row and seven out of nine. The White Sox won, so the Twins neither gained nor lost ground.
Record: The Twins were 58-40, in first place in the American League West, four games ahead of Chicago.
Billy Meyer (1892)
Smead Jolley (1902)
Phil Piton (1903)
Chet Brewer (1907)
Sonny Siebert (1937)
Dave Campbell (1942)
Ron Clark (1943)
Derrel Thomas (1951)
Terry Forster (1952)
Wayne Gross (1952)
Mike Pelfrey (1984)
Erick Aybar (1984)
Logan Forsythe (1987)
J. R. Graham (1990)
Billy Meyer won 1,604 games as a minor league manager, mostly in the Yankees organization.
Phil Piton was president of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues from 1964-1971.
Chet Brewer was a star pitcher in the Negro Leagues known for his mastery of throwing scuffed baseballs.
That was fun.
