Monthly Archives: December 2020

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game Seventy-seven

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CHICAGO 5, MINNESOTA 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, June 26.

Batting star:  Corey Koskie was 2-for-4 with a double.

Pitching star:  Micheal Nakamura pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Mark Buehrle struck out nine in a complete game, giving up one run on five hits and two walks.  Jose Valentin was 2-for-3 with a triple, a double, and two RBIs.

The game:  With two out in the third Sandy Alomar singled and scored from first on a D'Angelo Jimenez double.  Aaron Rowand followed with a run-scoring single and it was 2-0 White Sox.  In the sixth, Magglio Ordonez and Brian Daubach singled, and Valentin circled the bases on a double-plus-error, making the score 5-0.

Meanwhile the Twins were doing next to nothing on offense.  Through eight innings they had three hits and did not advance a man past first base.  They avoided the shutout in the ninth when Denny Hocking led off with a single and scored from first on Koskie's double.  The next three batters went out and the game was over.

WP:  Buehrle (5-10).  LP:  Brad Radke (5-7).  S:  None.

Notes:  Matthew LeCroy was behind the plate in place of A. J. Pierzynski.  Hocking was at short in place of Cristian Guzman.  Bobby Kielty was the DH.  There were no in-game lineup substitutions.

Koskie raised his average to .311.  Mientkiewicz was 0-for-3 and was at an even .300.  Jacque Jones was 0-for-4 and fell under .300 at .299.

Radke pitched eight innings but allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits.  He walked none and struck out two.  His ERA came down to 5.64.

By game scores, this was Buehrle's best game of the season, narrowly beating eight shutout innings in his second start of the year.  The Twins had beaten up on him the last time they saw him, on May 16 (10 runs, 9 earned, in 3.1 innings), but he got his revenge here.  That's baseball.

Record:  The Twins were 41-36, in second place in the American League Central, one game behind Kansas City.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–December 17

Cy Falkenberg (1879)
Ray Jablonski (1926)
Cal Ripken (1935)
Jerry Adair (1936)
Leo Cardenas (1938)
Bob Ojeda (1957)
Marvell Wynne (1959)
Curtis Pride (1968)
Alex Cintron (1978)
Chase Utley (1978)
Fernando Abad (1985)
Taylor Rogers (1990)

Cal Ripken was in the Orioles organization for many years, managing in the minors from 1961-1974, coaching in the majors from 1976-1986 and 1989-1992, and managing the big club from 1987-1988.  He had a son, also named Cal, who had a fairly decent major league career.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–December 17 →

Keeping Track

Winter Wonderland: Games of December 15

MAZATLAN, GAME 44

MAZATLAN 7, LOS MOCHIS 4 IN MAZATLAN

Batting stars:  Ricky Alvarez was 3-for-4 with two RBIs.  Anthony Giansanti was 2-for-3 with a home run (his third), a walk, and two runs.  Hector Mora was 2-for-4.  Maxwell Leon was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.

Pitching stars:  Marco Antonio Duarte pitched three shutout innings, giving up four hits.  Four relievers each pitched a scoreless inning:  Ivan Zavala, Marco Antonio Rivas, Roberto Espinosa, and Jesus Pirela.

Opposition stars:  Francisco Cordoba was 3-for-4 with a double.  Isaac Rodriguez Salazar was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Rodolfo Amador was 2-for-4.

The game:  Mazatlan led 3-0 after one, but a four-run third for Los Mochis left Mazatlan trailing by one.  Giansanti homered leading off the fourth to tie it and Hector Mora's RBI single later in the inning put Mazatlan ahead to stay.  Mazatlan got insurance runs in the seventh and ninth.

WP:  Duarte (3-2).  LP:  Marcos Machado (0-2).  S:  PIrela (11).

Stats:  Isaac Paredes was 1-for-4 and is batting .347.  Carlos Munoz was 0-for-4 and is batting .303.  Rivas' ERA is 1.61.  Espinosa's ERA is 1.73.  Pirela's ERA is 1.45.

Record:  Mazatlan is 22-22, in seventh place in the Mexican League, five games behind Obregon.  They are a half-game behind sixth-place Mexicali.

Next game:  Mazatlan hosts Los Mochis again tonight.

GIGANTES, GAME 20

GIGANTES 11, AGUILAS 2 AT GIGANTES

Batting stars:  Ronald Guzman was 4-for-4 with two home runs, a walk, and four runs.  Juan Francisco was 3-for-5 with two home runs (his second and third), three runs, and seven RBIs.  Melvin Mercedes was 2-for-4.  Oneil Cruz was 2-for-5.  Alfredo Marte was 1-for-3 with a home run.

Pitching stars:  Gabriel Ynoa pitched five innings, giving up one run on three hits and a walk and striking out two.  Three relievers each pitched a scoreless inning:  Adonis Rosa, Domingo Tapia, and Ramon E. Ramirez.

Opposition stars:  Juan Carlos Perez was 2-for-3 with a double.  Rodrigo Vigil was 2-for-4.

The game:  Francisco hit a three-run homer in the first and the Gigantes led the rest of the way.  Francisco also hit a grand slam, in the eighth inning.  The Gigantes hit five homers in the game.

WP:  Ynoa (1-0).  LP:  Yoanner Negrin (3-2).  S:  None.

Stats:  Marte is batting .500.  Guzman is batting .333.  Logan Moore was 1-for-4 and is also batting .333.  Ynoa's ERA is 0.90.  Tapia has an ERA of zero.

Record:  The Gigantes are 9-11, in fifth place in the Dominican League, 2.5 games behind Este.  They are one game behind fourth-place Estrellas.

Next game:  The Gigantes host Escogido tonight.

LARA, GAMES 17 AND 18

LARA 7, LA GUAIRA 6 IN LARA (GAME 1--8 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Jecksson Flores was 3-for-3.  Josmar Cordero was 2-for-3 with a double.  Carlos Rivero was 1-for-3 with a home run, his second.

Pitching stars:  Daniel Alvarez struck out two in two perfect innings.  Wilking Rodriguez pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and one and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Victor Diaz pitched five shutout innings, giving up three hits and two walks and striking out three.  Junior Sosa was 4-for-5.  Danry Vasquez was 3-for-4.

The game:  La Guaira led 4-0 through five, but Lara scored four in the sixth to tie it.  La Guaira scored two in the top of the eighth, but Lara came back with three in the bottom of the eighth.  Osman Marval's RBI single tied it.  That single was followed by a hit batsman and two walks, the last of which forced home the deciding run.

WP:  Leonel Campos (3-0).  LP:  Gregory Infante (0-3).  S:  None.

LARA 6, LA GUAIRA 1 IN LARA (GAME 2--7 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Josmar Cordero was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.  Yojhan Quevedo was 2-for-3 with two RBIs.  Jecksson Flores was 2-for-3.  Ildemaro Vargas was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.  Gorkys Hernandez was 2-for-4 with two runs.

Pitching stars:  Leonel Aponte pitched three innings, giving up one run on one hit and one walk and striking out two.  Luis Oviedo pitched three shutout innings, giving up two hits and no walks and striking out one.  Ricardo Gomez pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  None.  La Guaira had four hits, all singles.

The game:  La Guaira scored one in the top of the second, but Lara scored four in the bottom of the second and never trailed again.  They had a walk and five singles in the inning.

WP:  Oviedo (1-0).  LP:  Ofreidy Gomez (0-2).  S:  None.

Stats:  Cordero is batting .432.  Vargas is batting .383.  Flores is batting .343.  Aponte's ERA is 1.08.  Ovideo's ERA is zero.  Gomez' ERA is 1.50.

Record:  Lara is 11-7, in first place in the Venezuelan League West Division, one game ahead of Margarita.

Next game:  Lara hosts Magallanes tonight.

MAYAGUEZ, GAME 7

CAGUAS 5, MAYAGUEZ 2 AT CAGUAS

Batting stars:  Ex-Twin Brian Navarreto was 2-for-3 with two doubles and a walk.  Emmanuel Rivera was 1-for-3 with a home run (his second) and a walk.

Pitching stars:  Luis Quinones retired all four men he faced, striking out three.  Yacksel Rios pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk and striking out one.  Jean Cosme pitched two shutout innings, giving up two hits and striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Jose De Leon struck out twelve in five innings, giving up one run on three hits and a walk.  Noel Cuevas was 2-for-3 with a home run, a triple a walk, two runs, and two RBIs.  Johneshwy Fargas was 2-for-4.

The game:  Leading 2-0, Caguas scored three in the fourth to take control of the game.  Cuevas had an RBI triple in the inning and Jancarlo Cintron had an RBI double.

WP:  De Leon (1-0).  LP:  Eric Stout (0-1).  S:  None.

Stats:  Navarreto is batting .438.  Henry Ramos was 1-for-4 and is batting .423.  Ex-Twin Danny Ortiz was 1-for-4 and is batting .321.  T. J. Rivera was 0-for-4 and is batting .321.  Rivera is batting .310.  Xavier Fernandez was 0-for-1 and is batting .308.  Quinones and Rios each has an ERA of zero.

Record:  Mayaguez is 6-1, in second place in the Puerto Rican League, one game behind Caguas.

Next game:  Mayaguez hosts Caguas tonight.

Keeping Track

2003 Rewind: Game Seventy-six

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MINNESOTA 6, CHICAGO 5 IN MINNESOTA (11 INNINGS)

Date:  Wednesday, June 25.

Batting stars:  Jacque Jones was 3-for-6 with a home run (his tenth), a double, and three RBIs.  Dustan Mohr was 2-for-3 with two walks.  Corey Koskie was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.

Pitching stars:  Juan Rincon pitched 3.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk and striking out two.  Johan Santana struck out two in 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up three hits.  LaTroy Hawkins struck out four in 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk.  Eddie Guardado pitched a perfect inning and struck out one.

Opposition stars:  Joe Crede was 2-for-5.  Frank Thomas was 2-for-5.  D'Angelo Jimenez was 2-for-6.  Jose Valentin was 1-for-5 with a three-run homer, his tenth.  Damaso Marte pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.  Tom Gordon struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up a hit and two walks.

The game:  The Twins loaded the bases with one out in the first on two singles and a walk, but could only score one on a sacrifice fly.  The 1-0 lead held up until the fourth.  Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for the White Sox with none out, and they did a lot more with the situation.  Brian Daubach singled home a run, another run scored on a ground out, and Valentin hit a three-run homer, making the score 5-1 Chicago.

The Twins got one back in the fourth when Torii Hunter reached on an error and scored on an A. J. Pierzynski double.  They then tied it with three in the sixth.  Doug Mientkiewicz hit a one-out triple and scored on Mohr's single.  Luis Rivas singled with two out and Jones delivered a two-run double to make the score 5-5.

The White Sox put two on with two out in the seventh and loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, and the Twins loaded the bases with two out in the tenth, but the score remained tied until the eleventh.  With one out Jones put an end to things with a walkoff home run.

WP:  Guardado (1-2).  LP:  Billy Koch (2-4).  S:  None.

Notes:  Justin Morneau was the DH.  Bobby Kielty pinch-hit for Rivas in the eleventh.

Koskie raised his average to .308.  Mientkiewicz was 1-for-5 and was batting .304.  Jones raised his average to .303.  Morneau was 1-for-5 and was batting .302.

Joe Mays started for the Twins.  He did well for three innings, but his line was 3.1 innings, five runs, six hits, a walk, and zero strikeouts.  His ERA went up to 5.77.  Santana's ERA went down to 2.09.  Hawkins was at 1.88 and Guardado went to 2.84.

Record:  The Twins were 41-35, in second place in the American League Central, two percentage points behind Kansas City.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–December 16

Sammy Strang (1876)
Tony Kaufmann (1900)
Neil Chrisley (1931)
Adolfo Phillips (1941)
Mike Flanagan (1951)
Rick Sofield (1956)
Tom Gorman (1957)
Billy Ripken (1964)
Jeff Granger (1971)
Charles Gipson (1972)
Matt Kinney (1976)
Alcides Escobar (1986)
Hector Santiago (1987)

The reason Neil Chrisley is listed is because his given name is Barbra O’Neil Chrisley. No explanation for this name could be found, but it seems reasonable to assume that he’s the only man to play major league baseball whose first name was Barbra.

Jeff Granger was drafted by Minnesota in the fourteenth round in 1990, but did not sign.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–December 16 →

WGOM Games

Initial Time We Play A Game With Two Letters During Hanukkah

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Just in case the guy on KFAN has got his intellectual property ducks in a row with his Kickstarter thing, I will not refer to this game by the same name he has given his version. Instead, this will be the initial time I "host" a game for the second on this platform with the following rules:

1. I will give you two letters (for example, "K.P"). All the items that week will be a two-word answer in which each word begins with letter in the appropriate spot. The answer can be a person, place, thing, or other two-word phrase. For example, if "K.P." are the letters, then one answer might be Kirby Puckett. Another answer might be "Krakow, Poland." And so on.

2. I will provide six clues for each answer. The clues will be provided one-at-a-time.

3. If you believe you know the answer, make a Spoilered guess in the thread. The point will go to whomever correctly identifies the answer first. If you submit an incorrect response, then you can no longer submit for that particular answer.

4. The participant with the most correct answers at the end of the week wins. (If there is a tie, then I will have tiebreakers for only the participants in the tie.)

5. You're going to be on the honor system, but you should not be using the internet or other resources.

The letters will be revealed, and clues for the first phrase will commence at about 10:30am.

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