Monthly Archives: December 2020

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game Eighty-five

MINNESOTA 9, CLEVELAND 2 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Friday, July 4.

Batting stars:  Cristian Guzman was 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs.  Justin Morneau was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his third.  Corey Koskie was 1-for-4 with a home run (his thirteenth), a walk, and three RBIs.

Pitching star:  Rick Reed pitched seven innings, giving up one run on six hits and a walk and striking out five.

Opposition stars:  Coco Crisp was 2-for-4.  Alex Herrera pitched two shutout innings, giving up a walk.

The game:  The Twins offense provided the Fourth of July fireworks.  In the second, Torii Hunter singled and Morneau hit a two-run homer.  The Indians got one back in the third when Milton Bradley walked and scored from first on a double by Jody Gerut.  But the Twins scored two more in the bottom of the third Doug Mientkiewicz walked and Koskie hit a two-run homer.

The offense continued in the fourth.  Dustan Mohr walked, Guzman doubled, and Luis Rivas hit a two-run single.  Singles by Bobby Kielty and Mientkiewicz loaded the bases, and an infield out made the score 7-1.  They added two more in the fifth.  Mohr walked, A. J. Pierzynski singled, and Guzman hit a two-run double to put the Twins lead at 9-1.

That was pretty much it.  Cleveland tacked on a run in the eighth but never threatened to get back into the game.

WP:  Reed (4-8).  LP:  Jason Davis (7-7).  S:  None.

Notes:  Mohr was again in left field in place of Jacque Jones.  Kielty was in right and Morneau was the DH.

Lew Ford pinch-hit for Hunter in the third and stayed in the game in center field.  A couple of balls were hit to center in the prior half-inning--perhaps Hunter tweaked something.  He would be back in the lineup the next day.  Tom Prince pinch-hit for Pierzynski in the seventh and stayed in the game to catch.

Ford was 0-for-2 and was batting .319.  Koskie was batting .304.

By game scores, this was Reed's best game in nearly two months.

Indians players in this game who had Twins connections include Matt Lawton, Casey Blake, and Terry Mulholland.

Alex Herrera had come up on July 1.  This was his third game.  He had an ERA of zero through four innings.  He would be unscored upon in his next four appearances.  He would then give up seven runs in 1.1 innings in his next three appearances, be sent to the minors, and would never make it back to the big leagues again.  He was only twenty-three.  He would play in the minors through 2006 and played in a variety of foreign leagues, both summer and winter, through 2015.

The Twins' victory broke a four-game losing streak.

Record:  The Twins were 44-41, in second place in the American League Central, 2.5 games behind Kansas City.  They were just two games ahead of third-place Chicago.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–December 25

Pud Galvin (1856)
Barry McCormick (1874)
Walter Holke (1892)
Lloyd Brown (1904)
Ben Chapman (1908)
Jo-Jo Moore (1908)
Ned Garver (1925)
Nellie Fox (1927)
Gene Lamont (1946)
Manny Trillo (1950)
Luis Quintana (1951)
Jeff Little (1954)
Wallace Johnson (1956)
Charlie Lea (1956)
Rickey Henderson (1958)
Rich Renteria (1961)
Marty Pevey (1962)

There have been 28 major league players with the first name “Jesus”, including ex-Twins Jesus Vega and Jesus “Bombo” Rivera and one whose birthday is today, Manny Trillo.  There have been no major league players with the last name “Christ", although there have been two minor leaguers with that last name:  John Christ, who was in the Cleveland organization from 1999-2001, and Mike Christ, who was in the Seattle organization from 1984-1988.  There have been 21 players whose first name was “Christian” (honorable mention to Cristian Guzman), 19 players whose middle name was “Christian” (including ex-Twins Marcus Jensen, David Lamb, and Kevin Maas), and two players whose last name was “Christian”.  We would be remiss if we did not also mention 1980s journeyman catcher Steve Christmas, as well as Matt Holliday.

The staff of Happy Birthday would like to wish everyone a very merry and blessed Christmas.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–December 25 →

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game Eighty-four

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CLEVELAND 4, MINNESOTA 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, July 3.

Batting star:  Matthew LeCroy was 2-for-4 with a home run, his eighth.

Pitching star:  Kenny Rogers pitched 6.2 innings, giving up three runs on six hits and four walks and striking out three.

Opposition stars:  C. C. Sabathia pitched a complete game, giving up one run on four hits and one walk and striking out five.  Shane Spencer was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.  Coco Crisp was 2-for-5 with a stolen base (his fifth) and two runs.  Jody Gerut was 1-for-4 with a home run, his ninth.

The game:  Crisp led off the game with a bunt single and scored from first on Milton Bradley's double to give the Indians a 1-0 lead.  The Twins put men on second and third with one out in the second, but a strikeout and a ground out ended the inning.  In the third, ex-Twin Matt Lawton and Bradley drew two-out walks and Spencer singled home a run to make it 2-0.

Crisp scored again in the fifth.  He had a one-out single, stole second, and scored on Spencer's single to make it 3-0.  The Twins put two on with two out in the fifth, but again could do nothing with it.  In the eighth, Gerut hit a leadoff home run to increase the lead to 4-0.

The Twins did not threaten to get back into the game.  Their lone run came on LeCroy's home run with one out in the ninth, but all that did was spoil Sabathia's shutout.

WP:  Sabathia (8-3).  LP:  Rogers (7-4).  S:  None.

Notes:  The Twins used their B lineup against Sabathia, if that's any consolation.  Tom Prince was behind the plate in place of A. J. Pierzynski.  LeCroy was at first base in place of Doug Mientkiewicz.  Dustan Mohr was again in left and Bobby Kielty in right, with Jacque Jones still out.  Lew Ford was in center field, with Torii Hunter as DH.

Ford was 0-for-3 to drop his average to .333.  Corey Koskie was 1-for-3 and was batting .305.

Grant Balfour made his season debut with the Twins in this game, striking out five in 2.1 innings.  He gave up one run on two hits and a walk.  It was not his major league debut--he had appeared in two games in 2001.  He was not a good pitcher for the Twins, but he would become one in 2008 with Tampa Bay and would make the all-star team with Oakland in 2013.  He didn't have his first good season until he was thirty--I guess he's an example of "sometimes it takes guys a while to figure it out."

Sabathia had 38 complete games in his career.  Ten of them came in 2008, and seven of them came in the half-season he pitched for Milwaukee.

The Twins had now lost four in a row and six of eight.  They were starting to be in danger of dropping below .500.  They were also in danger of dropping to third place.

Record:  The Twins were 43-31, in second place in the American League Central, 2.5 games behind Kansas City.  They were just one game ahead of third-place Chicago.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–December 24

Joe Quinn (1862)
Henry Mathewson (1886)
Chico Garcia (1924)
Frank Taveras (1949)
John D'Acquisto (1951)
Tim Drummond (1964)
Mo Sanford (1966)
Kevin Millwood (1974)
Jamey Wright (1974)
Gregor Blanco (1983)
Andrew Romine (1985)
Fernando Romero (1994)

Henry Mathewson is the younger brother of Christy Mathewson.  He appeared in two games for the Giants in 1906 and one in 1907.

Chico Garcia played professional baseball from 1944-1970, mostly in Mexico.  He played thirty-nine games in the majors in 1954 with Baltimore.  He also was a manager in Mexico for fifteen seasons.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–December 24 →

Keeping Track

Winter Wonderland: Games of December 22

MAZATLAN, GAME 51

OBREGON 9, MAZATLAN 2 AT OBREGON

Batting star:  Edson Garcia was 2-for-3 with two runs.

Pitching stars:  Ignacio Marrujo pitched four shutout innings of relief, giving up four hits and a walk.  Fernando Burgueno pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Martin Carrasco pitched six innings, giving up one run on three hits and a walk and striking out one.  Carlos Sepulveda was 4-for-4 with a walk and two runs.  Sebastian Valle was 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs.  Jesus Valdez was 3-for-4.  Alejandro Gonzalez was 2-for-3 with a walk.  Marco Guzman was 2-for-4 with a home run (his third) and two runs.  Issmael Salas was 2-for-5 with a double, two runs, and four RBIs.

The game:  It got late early, as Obregon scored seven runs in the first two innings to take a 7-0 lead.

WP:  Carrasco (1-1).  LP:  Francisco Rios (6-3).  S:  None.

Stats:  Isaac Paredes was 0-for-3 and is batting .379.  Burgueno's ERA is 1.64.

Record:  Mazatlan is 25-26, in eighth place in the Mexican League, nine games behind Obregon.  They are a half game behind seventh-place Mexicali.

Next game:  Mazatlan is again at Obregon tonight.

GIGANTES, GAMES 18 AND 19

GIGANTES 9, ESTRELLAS 8 AT GIGANTES (GAME 1--7 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Kelvin Gutierrez was 3-for-3 with a home run (his second), a double, a walk, two runs, and three RBIs.  Ronald Guzman was 2-for-3 with a home run (his fifth), a walk, and two runs.  Jose Siri was 2-for-4 with a home run (his third), a double, and a walk.  Abiatal Avelino was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.

Pitching stars:  Jesus Reyes struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit.  Chris Smith and Ryan Kussmaul each pitched a perfect inning and each struck out one.

Opposition stars:  Ex-Twin Lewin Diaz was 2-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs.  Eric Filia was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Jeremy Pena was 2-for-5 with two runs.

The game:  Estrellas had leads of 3-0, 7-3, and 8-5.  The Gigantes scored two in the fifth to make it 8-7 and won it with two in the seventh.  Gutierrez' homer tied it 8-8 and Oniel Cruz scored from first on Siri's double to win it.

WP:  Kussmaul (3-2).  LP:  Matt Pobereyko (0-1).  S:  None.

ESTRELLAS 5, GIGANTES 4 AT GIGANTES (GAME 2--7 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Logan Moore was 2-for-3 with a home run (his second), a double, and two RBIs.  Kelvin Gutierrez was 2-for-3.  Ronald Guzman was 2-for-4.

Pitching stars:  Miguel Del Poza retired all four men he faced, striking out one.  Jose Cisnero and ex-Twin Fernando Romero each pitched a scoreless inning.

Opposition stars:  Jeremy Pena was 4-for-4 with a triple, two runs, and two RBIs.  Radhames Liz pitched four shutout innings, giving up three hits and a walk and striking out three.  Ramon Santos struck out four in two shutout innings, giving up two walks.

The game:  Estrellas scored three in the sixth to break a 2-2 tie.  Pena had a two-run single in the inning.  The Gigantes scored two in the bottom of the sixth and had the bases loaded with one out, but a double play ended the inning.  They went down in order in the seventh.

WP:  Franco Terrero (1-0).  LP:  Domingo Tapia (0-1).  S:  Santos (1).

Stats:  Gutierrez is batting .388.  Guzman is batting .361.  Moore is batting .333.  Del Pozo, Tapia, and Romero each has an ERA of zero.  Tapia gave up the three runs in the sixth, but all were unearned.

Record:  The Gigantes are 15-14, tied for third in the Dominican League with Estrellas, one game behind Este.

Next game:  The Gigantes are at Este tonight.

LARA, GAME 24

LARA 8, CARIBES 6 AT CARIBES (10 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Gorkys Hernandez was 4-for-5 with two home runs (his third and fourth), three runs, and four RBIs.  Osman Marval was 2-for-5 with a double.  Yonathan Mendoza was 2-for-5 with two runs.

Pitching stars:  Yapson Gomez retired all four men he faced.  Vicente Campos and Pedro Rodriguez each pitched a scoreless inning.

Opposition stars:  Andruw Monastario was 2-for-4 with a home run, his second.  Niuman Romero was 2-for-5 with a home run (his second) and two runs.  Minnesota Twin Willians Astudillo was 2-for-5.  Luis Sardinas was 2-for-5.  Andres Machado pitched five innings, giving up one run on four hits and three walks and striking out two.

The game:  Lara scored two in the ninth to tie it 5-5.  They then scored three in the tenth, with Hernandez hitting a two-run homer in the inning.  Caribes loaded the bases with none out in the bottom of the tenth, but a double play took them out of the inning.

WP:  Rodriguez (1-1).  LP:  Henry Martinez (1-1).  S:  Ricardo Gomez (2).

Stats:  Monasterio is batting .375.  Astudillo is batting .347.  Sardinas is batting .346.  Romero is batting .333.  Tomas Telis was 0-for-3 and is batting .309.  Rafael Ortega was 1-for-5 and is batting .300.  Gomez has an ERA of zero.  Campos' ERA is 1.13.  Gomez gave up an unearned run in one inning and has an ERA of 1.00.

Record:  Lara is 15-9, in first place in the Venezuelan League West, 1.5 games ahead of Margarita.

MAYAGUEZ, GAME 13

MAYAGUEZ 2, RA12 0 AT RA12

Batting stars:  None.  Mayaguez had just two hits.

Pitching stars:  Luis Medina struck out ten in 4.2 innings, giving up two hits and a walk.  Nick Travieso pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, walking one and striking out one.  Nefi Ogando, Jacob Condra-Bogan, and Nicholas Padilla each pitched a scoreless inning.

Opposition stars:  Juan Aponte pitched six innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on one hit and three walks and striking out three.  Henry Nunez pitched two shutout innings, giving up a hit and two walks.

The game:  Mayaguez scored in the fourth on a walk, a wild pitch, and an error.  They scored in the fifth on a walk, a wild pitch, a ground out, and a sacrifice fly.  RA12 had just one hit, a one-out single by Roby Enriquez in the second inning.

WP:  Travieso (3-0).  LP:  Aponte (0-1).  S:  Padilla (3).

Stats:  Henry Ramos was 0-for-3 and is batting .364.  Ex-Twin Danny Oritz was 0-for-3 and is batting .304.  Medina, Travieso, Condra-Bogan, and Padilla each has an ERA of zero.  Ogando's ERA is 1.50.

Record:  Mayaguez is 10-3, in second place in the Puerto Rican League, two games behind Caguas.

Next game:  Mayaguez is at RA12 again tonight.

MELBOURNE

Melbourne did not play.  They remain 1-1, tied for second place in the Australian League, a half game behind Perth.  Their next game is at Canberra on Friday.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game Eighty-three

CHICAGO 8, MINNESOTA 6 IN CHICAGO (12 INNINGS)

Date:  Wednesday, July 2.

Batting stars:  Bobby Kielty was 4-for-5 with two doubles, a walk, and a stolen base, his fifth.  Torii Hunter was 3-for-6 with a home run (his twelfth) and three RBIs.  Justin Morneau was 2-for-6.

Pitching stars:  Johan Santana struck out two in two perfect innings.  LaTroy Hawkins pitched two perfect innings and struck out one.  J. C. Romero pitched a scoreless inning despite giving up two hits and a walk.

Opposition stars:  Frank Thomas was 2-for-5 with two home runs (his nineteenth and twentieth), a walk, and four RBIs.  Brian Daubach was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer (his fourth) and a walk.  Paul Konerko was 1-for-4 with a home run, his fourth.  Damaso Marte pitched two shutout innings, giving up two hits and striking out one.  Tom Gordon struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

The game:  The Twins scored two in the first when Kielty led off with a walk and Hunter hit a two-out two-run homer.  Kielty started another two-run rally in the third with a single.  He scored on a double by Doug Mientkiewicz, who in turn scored on Morneau's single to give the Twins a 4-0 lead.

It didn't last long.  In the bottom of the third Jose Valentin drew a two-out walk and Thomas homered to make it 4-2.  In the fourth Carlos Lee singled and Daubach followed with a two-run homer to tie it 4-4.  The White Sox struck again in the fifth.  Valentin singled, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a Magglio Ordonez double to give Chicago their first lead at 5-4.

The Twins tied it in the seventh, and again it was Kielty getting things started, this time with a double.  Hunter brought him home with a two-out single and it was 5-5.  It stayed there through nine, and we had extra innings.

The White Sox loaded the bases with one out in the tenth, but a double play ended the inning.  The Twins took a 6-5 lead in the eleventh when Luis Rivas hit a two-out triple and scored on Kielty's single, but Chicago tied it in the bottom of the eleventh on a pinch-hit two-out home run by Konerko.  With two out in the twelfth, Thomas hit a walkoff two-run homer.

WP:  Billy Koch (5-4).  LP:  Eddie Guardado (1-3).  S:  None.

Notes:  Denny Hocking was at shortstop in place of Cristian Guzman.  Dustan Mohr was again in left field in place of Jacque Jones, with Kielty in right.  Morneau was the DH.

Guzman entered the game in the eighth.  He went to short, with Hocking moving to first base and Mientkiewicz leaving the game.  The only reason I can think of that you'd do that is an injury or illness to Mientkiewicz.  He would miss the next day's game, but be back in the lineup after that.

Corey Koskie was 1-for-6 and was batting .305.

Kyle Lohse started and pitched five innings, allowing five runs on six hits and three walks.  He did strike out six.  Santana lowered his ERA to 2.43.  Hawkins went down to 1.70.

Konerko apparently had some sort of minor injury that he was dealing with.  He hadn't played since June 28 and would not play again until July 6.  Whatever it was, it apparently didn't affect his swing.

Dan Wright started for Chicago.  He pitched four innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and a walk and striking out one.  This was the third of his four major league seasons.  His career record was 20-26, 5.65, 1.53 WHIP.  He appeared in 70 games, 64 of them starts.  He had been jumped from AA, and it really didn't work very well.  He did have a couple of short stints in AAA in 2003 and 2004 and didn't get much accomplished.  It may have hurt him that he was rushed to the majors, or it may be that he simply wasn't good enough, and wouldn't have been no matter how he was handled.

The White Sox swept the series, words that we never like to write.  They would come home to play Cleveland for a four-game series next.

Record:  The Twins were 43-40, in second place in the American League Central, 1.5 games behind Kansas City.  They were only 1.5 games ahead of third-place Chicago.