Happy Birthday–October 24

Ned Williamson (1857)
Bill Kuehne (1858)
Lou Sockalexis (1871)
Ossie Bluege (1900)
Jack Russell (1905)
Jim Brosnan (1929)
Rawly Eastwick (1950)
Omar Moreno (1952)
Gary Serum (1956)
Ron Gardenhire (1957)
Junior Ortiz (1959)
Danny Clay (1961)
Rafael Belliard (1961)
Gene Larkin (1962)
Arthur Rhodes (1969)
Rafael Furcal (1977)
Chris Colabello (1983)
Eric Hosmer (1989)

Third baseman Ossie Bluege played for the franchise in Washington for eighteen years and remained in the organization for many years after that. He is credited as being the first third baseman to guard the lines in the late innings. He is also credited as the scout who discovered Harmon Killebrew.

We would like to wish a very happy anniversary to Mr. and Mrs. zooomx.2.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–October 24

FMD: Played an instrument

I think we've talked about this before, but yesterday's guitar conversation got me thinking a little more about what other instruments people played, wished they could play, etc.

I played trumpet all through high school. I actually recently picked it up again (not to learn, just, literally, picked it up and played it for like 3 minutes). It is amazing how my fingers still knew which positions to go to - muscle memory after all these years. At the same time, my embouchure was completely atrophied, and was only strong enough to barely squeak out the range of a single scale.

How about you? What did you play? What would you like to play? When was the last time you picked up an instrument you used to play?

Mazatlan Recap: Game Eight

NAVOJOA 6, MAZATLAN 1 IN MAZATLAN

Batting star:  Carlos Munoz was 2-for-3.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Jaime Lugo pitched six shutout innings, giving up two hits and one walk and striking out two.  Alejandro Gonzalez was 2-for-2 with a walk.  Omar Renteria was 2-for-3 with a walk.  Paul Leon was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.  Victor Mendoza was 2-for-5 with a double and a walk.

The game:  Navojoa opened the second with consecutive singles by Mendoza, Christian Zazueta, Renteria, and David Vidal, scoring two runs.  A sacrifice fly brought home a third, making it 3-0 Navojoa.

It stayed 3-0 until the seventh.  Gonzalez singled, Leon drew a two-out walk, and Mendoza doubled home a run to increase the lead to 4-0.  Mazatlan got on the board in the eighth when Diego Maduro doubled, went to third on Italo Mota's single, and scored on a sacrifice fly.  Navojoa finished the scoring in the ninth.  Gonzalez walked and scored on Jorge Flores' single-plus-error and Leon's double plated the last run.

WP:  Lugo (1-0).  LP:  Edgar Torres (0-1).  S:  None.

Notes:  Lots of guys are batting .333 for Mazatlan:  Munoz, Jose Luna, Ricardo Valenzuela, Daniel Sanchez, and Mota are all batting .333.  I suppose that's not all that unusual this early in the season.  Ricky Alvarez is batting .321.

Torres started for Mazatlan.  He pitched 6.2 innings and gave up four runs on ten hits and no walks, striking out five.  His ERA is 3.55.  Gabino Avalos pitched a third of an inning and did not give up a run, keeping his ERA at zero.

There were two balks called in the game, one on Esteban Haro of Navojoa and one on Gerardo Bojorquez of Mazatlan.

Record:  Mazatlan is 4-4, tied for fourth place with Culiacan and Los Mochis.  They are four games behind Obregon, who has not lost a game yet (8-0).

Next game:  Mazatlan goes to Culiacan tonight.

2003 Rewind: Game Twenty-two

MINNESOTA 6, CHICAGO 1 IN CHICAGO

Date:  Friday, April 25.

Batting stars:  Bobby Kielty was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer (his fourth), a walk, and two runs.  Matthew LeCroy was 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs.

Pitching stars:  Joe Mays pitched seven innings, giving up one run on four hits and no walks and striking out three.  LaTroy Hawkins pitched a perfect inning.  J. C. Romero pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Mark Buehrle pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on five hits and two walks and striking out four.  Frank Thomas was 1-for-3 with a home run, his fourth.

The game:  The Twins jumped on Buehrle early, scoring three times in the first inning.  Dustan Mohr led off the game with a double and went to third on a ground out.  Kielty walked and Corey Koskie hit a sacrifice fly to get the Twins on the board.  Torii Hunter had an RBI triple to make it 2-0 and scored on LeCroy's single to make it 3-0.

That remained the score until the seventh, as neither team even threatened in innings two through six.  In fact, the White Sox did not get a baserunner until the fourth, when Thomas was hit by a pitch, and did not get a hit until the sixth, when Sandy Alomar singled.

In the seventh, however, Thomas homered to get Chicago on the board at 3-1.  Magglio Ordonez and Paul Konerko followed with singles, putting the tying run on base.  But Armando Rios hit into a double play and Joe Crede popped up to end the inning.

The Twins got the run back with interest in the eighth.  With one out, Cristian Guzman was hit by a pitch and Kielty followed with a two-run homer.  With two out Hunter reached on an error and Doug Mientkiewicz and LeCroy singled, bringing home another run to make the score 6-1.  The White Sox got only one baserunner after that.

WP:  Mays (3-2).  LP:  Buehrle (2-3).  S:  None.

Notes:  Mohr led off and was in left field in place of Jacque Jones.  Kielty was in right field in place of Michael Cuddyer, who had started most of the games in right field to this point.

Kielty raised his average to .370.  Mohr was 1-for-5 and raised his average to .135.

Hawkins maintained his ERA of zero.

By game scores, this was Mays' best game of the season, at 68.  He'd had a score of 63 on April 2.  He would have only three more starts about fifty and only one above sixty.

The White Sox used two players who would have connections to the Twins:  D'Angelo Jimenez and Crede.

The win snapped a six-game losing streak for the Twins.  So far this season the Twins have won three, lost six, won six, lost six, and now won one.  As we've pointed out, each of the seven series the Twins have played so far has been a sweep.  Having won the first game of this series, the were obviously hoping for another sweep.

Record:  The Twins were 10-12, in third place in the American League Central, seven games behind Kansas City.

Happy Birthday–October 23

William Hulbert (1832)
Mike Sullivan (1866)
Lena Blackburne (1886)
Rube Bressler (1894)
Billy Sullivan (1910)
Vern Stephens (1920)
Ewell Blackwell (1922)
Jim Bunning (1931)
Greg Thayer (1949)
John Castino (1954)
Dwight Lowry (1957)
Al Leiter (1965)
Todd Sears (1975)
David Riske (1976)
John Lackey (1978)
Bud Smith (1979)
Kyle Gibson (1987)

William Hulbert was one of the founders of the National League and was its president from 1877 until his death in 1882.

Infielder Lena Blackburne discovered and marketed the mud from the driver beds near the Delaware River in New Jersey that has been rubbed on every major league baseball used since the 1950s.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–October 23

Mazatlan Recap: Games Six and Seven

MAZATLAN 4, NAVOJOA 3 IN MAZATLAN (GAME 1)

Batting star:  Ricky Alvarez was 2-for-2 with a triple, a walk, and two RBIs.

Pitching star:  Ryan Newell pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Jorge Flores was 3-for-4.  Oscar Felix pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.  Jose Isidro Marquez pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up a walk.

The game:  With two out in the bottom of the first, Anthony Giansanti doubled, Carlos Munoz walked, and Alvarez tripled them both home to give Mazatlan a 2-0 lead.  Navojoa tied it in the third.  Flores singled with one out.  With two down, Paul Leon and Victor Mendoza walked, loading the bases.  David Vidal walked to bring one run in and Christian Zazueta singled to bring home another, making the score 2-2.

Navojoa took the lead in the fourth when Marco Guzman singled, was bunted to second, and scored on Flores' single.  The lead lasted until the bottom of the fourth.  Alvarez singled, Issmael Salas was hit by a pitch, and RBI singles by Ricardo Valenzuela and Diego Maduro made it 4-3 Mazatlan.

And that was it.  Navojoa got a man on base in each of the last three innings, but did not advance him past first base.

WP:  Francisco Rios (2-0).  LP:  Raul Carrillo (0-1).  S:  Newell (2).

Notes:  Valenzuela was 1-for-3 and is batting .400.  Salas is 0-for-1 and is batting .400.  Alvarez raised his average to .364.

Rios has an ERA of 2.70.  Newell has an ERA of zero.  Marco Antonio Rivas pitched two-thirds of an inning and also has an ERA of zero.

Rios started for Mazatlan.  He pitched five innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and four walks and striking out two.  Carrillo started for Navojoa.  He pitched 3.2 innings, giving up four runs on five hits and one walk and striking out four.

Record:  Mazatlan was 3-3.

MAZATLAN 4, NAVOJOA 3 IN MAZATLAN (GAME 2)

Batting stars:  Ramon Rios was 2-for-3 with a triple.

Pitching stars:  Adolfo Ramirez pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk.  Roberto Espinosa retired all four batters he faced.  Alejandro Soto pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Christian Zazueta was 2-for-4.

The game:  Navojoa got on the board in the first inning when Jorge Flores singled, went to third on a stolen base-plus-error, and scored on a Juan Perez single.  In the third Jorge Sesma singled, Flores walked, a double steal put them on second and third, a sacrifice fly scored one, and an error brought home another, making the score 3-0.

Mazatlan got back into it in the fourth.  Rios and Anthony Giansanti singled.  Carlos Munoz had an RBI double, Ricky Alvarez hit a run-scoring single, and an infield out tied the score at 3-3.  Mazatlan took the lead in the fifth.  Itali Mota singled, was bunted to second, and scored on Rios' triple, going ahead 4-3.

Navojoa got the tying run to third with two out in the seventh, but a ground out ended the inning and the game.

WP:  Espinosa (1-0).  LP:  Esteban Haro (0-1).  S:  Soto (1).

Notes:  Alvarez was 1-for-2 and is batting .375.

Gabino Alvarez pitched two-thirds of an inning and has an ERA of zero.  Ferrol Heredia walked the only man he faced, but the man didn't score, so his ERA remains zero.

Mario Garcia started for Mazatlan.  He pitched 2.1 innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on two hits and three walks and striking out two.  Ruddy Acosta started for Navojoa.  He pitched 3.1 innings, giving up three runs on five hits and no walks and striking out three.

Both games were seven innings.

Mazatlan has now won three in a row.

Record:  Mazatlan is 4-3, tied for fourth place with Los Mochis, three games behind Obregon.

Next game:  Mazatlan once again hosts Navojoa tonight.

 

2003 Rewind: Game Twenty-one

KANSAS CITY 2, MINNESOTA 1 IN KANSAS CITY

Date:  Thursday, April 24.

Batting stars:  A. J. Pierzynski was 2-for-3.  Torii Hunter was 2-for-4.

Pitching star:  Brad Radke pitched an eight-inning complete game, giving up two runs on four hits and one walk and striking out four.

Opposition stars:  Chris George pitched six innings, giving up one run on five hits and two walks and striking out three.  Jason Grimsley pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.  Carlos Febles was 2-for-3 with a stolen base.  Mike Sweeney was 1-for-2 with a home run (his fourth) and a stolen base.

The game:  The Twins got a pair of one-out singles in the first but did not score.  Neither team threatened after that until the fourth, when Sweeney hit a two-out home run to put the Royals up 1-0.  The Twins tied it in the sixth with a two-out rally:  Bobby Kielty walked and singles by Corey Koskie and Hunter plated the run.

Kansas City went back in front in the bottom of the sixth.  Febles led off with a single and scored from first on a one-out double by Joe Randa.

And that was it.  The Royals did not get a man on base after the sixth, but it didn't matter.  The Twins got a couple of singles, but never advanced a man past first base.

WP:  George (3-1).  LP:  Radke (1-3).  S:  Mike MacDougal (9).

NotesMichael Cuddyer was again in right field.  Kielty was again the DH.  There were no in-game lineup substitutions.

Kielty was 1-for-3 with a walk and was batting .340.  Cuddyer was 0-for-3 and was batting .193.

Radke lowered his ERA to 6.28.  This was the first of three complete games Radke had in 2003.  He had 37 for his career.  By game scores this was his second-best game of the season, topped only by a complete game shutout on August 26.

After a lowpoint of .111 on April 11, Hunter finally climbed above the Mendoza line to stay at .216.  It seems like he was pretty hot-and-cold in 2003, posting averages by month of :.217, .269, .273, .229, .233, and .284.  On thinking about it, though, I wonder just how unusual that really is.  Everyone bounces up and down over the course of a season--how much variance is "normal" and how much is "unusual"?  I don't really know.

I kind of remember Joe Randa as a Twins killer, but he really wasn't.  He batted .275/.315/.404 for his career against the Twins and .264/.293/.431 against them in 2003.  His overall career numbers are .284/.339/.426, so he actually was worse against the Twins than against the rest of MLB.  Maybe I just remember a few big hits he got or something.

I didn't actually go through his whole career to check, but this has to be one of the best games Chris George ever pitched.  By game scores it was the second-best of the season, topped only by his first game of the season, when he pitched 6.2 innings and also gave up one run on five hits.  He made eighteen starts in 2003 and had an ERA of 7.11 with a WHIP of 1.75.  Somehow he went 9-6, which is probably why he was allowed to make 18 starts.  It's not like this was just a bad year--for his career he was 14-20, 6.48, 1.66 WHIP in 237.1 innings (47 games, 44 starts).  His "best" season was his first one, 2001, when he went 4-8, 5.59, 1.37 WHIP in 13 starts.  In his defense, he was rushed to the majors at age 21 on the strength of 18 AA starts in which he went 8-5, 3.14, but with a WHIP of 1.47.  He was on the Omaha/Kansas City shuttle from 2001--2004, spent all of 2005 in Omaha, then became a free agent.  He was with several organizations after that, but never made it to the majors.  Would more time in the minors when he was younger have helped?  It's hard to say.  It wouldn't have hurt, but at the same time, his career AAA numbers are 66-73, 4.95, 1.52 WHIP in 1223 innings.  It seems more likely that he just was never that good in the first place.

This made six losses in a row for the Twins, and was the seventh series sweep they'd been involved in at the start of the season.

Record:  The Twins were 9-12, in third place in the American League Central, eight games behind Kansas City.