Happy Birthday–August 6

Sam Mertes (1872)
Sherry Magee (1884)
Ray Blades (1896)
Jim Turner (1903)
Prez Jones (1905)
Clem Labine (1926)
Ray Culp (1941)
Andy Messersmith (1945)
Ken Phelps (1954)
Ron Davis (1955)
Bob Horner (1957)
Stan Belinda (1966)
Chris Heintz (1974)
Luis Vizcaino (1974)
Jake McGee (1986)
Wilmer Flores (1991)
John Gant (1992)

Prez Jones was the president of Grambling University and started the school's baseball team.

We would also like to wish a happy birthday to MagUidHir's second child.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–August 6

Minor Details: Games of August 4

CLIPPERS 7, SAINTS 0 IN COLUMBUS

Columbus scored three in the second to take a 4-0 lead.

St. Paul had only three hits.

Blayne Enlow pitched three innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits and four walks and striking out two.
Austin Brice pitched a perfect inning.

DRILLERS 14, WIND SURGE 7 IN WICHITA

Tulsa scored nine runs in the first inning.

Yoyner Fajardo was 3-for-5 with a double, a walk, and three runs.
Tanner Schobel was 2-for-5 with a double, a walk, and two runs.

Starter Marco Raya retired no one, allowing six runs (four earned) on four hits and a walk.
Travis Adams struck out six in five innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks.
Francis Peguero struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

KERNELS 8, LUGNUTS 5 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Cedar Rapids scored three in the fifth to break a 3-3 tie and two in the seventh to take an 8-5 lead.

Jorel Ortega was 3-for-5 with a triple and two runs.
Noah Cardenas was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.
Misael Urbina was 2-for-4.

Christian MacLeod pitched five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk and striking out three.
John Wilson struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up three hits.
Miguel Rodriguez pitched a perfect inning.

MIGHTY MUSSELS 5, BLUE JAYS 0 IN DUNEDIN

With two on in the sixth, Rubel Cespedes circled the bases on a double-plus-error to give Fort Myers a 3-0 lead.

Cespedes was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs.
Nate Baez was 2-for-4 with a double.

Ben Ethridge pitched 5.2 scoreless innings, giving up three hits and two walks and striking out five.
Juan Mendez retired all four men he faced, striking out three.
Jackson Hicks struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

FCL RED SOX 7, FCL TWINS 5 AT TWINS

Armando Sierra hit a two-run homer in the a three-run sixth that gave the Red Sox a 6-1 lead.

Byron Chourio was 2-for-5.
Harold Grant hit a three-run homer, his third.

Carlos Gutierrez pitched five innings, giving up three runs on four hits and three walks and striking out four.

DSL GUARDIANS RED AT DSL TWINS

Cancelled due to lightning.

TODAY'S TILTS

9:00  FCL Twins at FCL Red Sox
9:00  DSL Twins at DSL Nationals
5:30  Fort Myers (Jack Noble, 0-2, 2.18) at Dunedin
6:05  St. Paul (Louie Varland, 5-0, 5.00) at Columbus
6:05  Tulsa at Wichita (Jaylin Nowlin, 0-0, 2.45)
6:35  Lansing at Cedar Rapids (Andrew Morris, 0-1, 7.20)

Happy Birthday–August 5

Hiraoka Hiroshi (1856)
Pepper Bassett (1919)
Bill Pleis (1937)
Dwight Siebler (1937)
Tommie Aaron (1939)
Nelson Briles (1943)
Bernie Carbo (1947)
Rick Mahler (1953)
Dave Rozema (1956)
Steve Gasser (1967)
John Olerud (1968)
Carlos Pulido (1971)
John Wasdin (1972)
Bobby Kielty (1976)
Eric Hinske (1977)
Mark Mulder (1977)
Carl Crawford (1981)

Hiraoka Hiroshi is considered by some to be the father of Japanese Baseball.

Catcher Pepper Bassett was a seven-time all-star in the Negro Leagues.

Right-hander Steve Gasser did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system for four years before being traded to the Mets in the Wally Backman deal.  A second round draft choice, he did not play in the major leagues.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–August 5

2023 Game 111: AZ at MN; Celebrate Good Times

Come on!

This weekend the Minnesota Twins will be inducting Joe Mauer into the Twins Hall of Fame, and the celebration starts tonight with some stuff, I assume. The induction happens on Saturday (and I'll be at the game!). So this weekend isn't so much about the 1st place* Twins, as it is about one of the best catchers to ever play the game. And we get to claim him. So that's fun.

Tonight Merrill Kelly pitches against Bailey Ober. Who wishes Joe Mauer was catching him.