Monthly Archives: July 2024

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–July 8

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Hank O’Day (1862)
Ivey Wingo (1890)
Clint Brown (1903)
Salty Parker (1912)
Hector Lopez (1929)
Al Spangler (1933)
Darrell Brandon (1940)
Ken Sanders (1941)
Jim Ollom (1945)
Lerrin LaGrow (1948)
Alan Ashby (1951)
Terry Puhl (1956)
Bob Kipper (1964)
Jerome Walton (1965)
Bobby Ayala (1969)
Danny Ardoin (1974)
Jaime Garcia (1986)
Josh Harrison (1987)
Stephen Gonsalves (1994)

Hall of Fame umpire Hank O'Day was the home plate umpire in the first world series game in 1903.  He umpired in ten World Series.

Salty Parker was a long-time minor league manager and major league coach.

We would also like to wish a happy birthday to AMR’s daughter, Moss’ son, and FTLT's daughter.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–July 8 →

Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of July 6

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GWINNETT STRIPERS 4, ST. PAUL SAINTS 1 IN ST. PAUL

It was 1-1 after three, but Gwinnett scored single runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth.

Multi-hit games:  None.  The Saints had two hits.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Ryan Jensen struck out two and walked three in two shutout innings.

Loss:  Aaron Rozek (0-1).

Opposition standout:  Drake Baldwin was 2-for-5 with a home run.

Record:  St. Paul is 5-6, tied for sixth with Gwinnett and Indianapolis, 1.5 games behind Iowa and Memphis.

TULSA DRILLERS 7, WICHITA WIND SURGE 4 IN TULSA

Tulsa scored four in the seventh to break a 1-1 tie.

Multi-hit games:  Noah Cardenas was 2-for-4.  Jeferson Morales was 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs.  Carson McCusker was 2-for-5 with a home run.  Jake Rucker was 2-for-5.

McCusker has had at least two hits in seven of his last nine games.

Home runs:  McCusker (7); Morales (5); Jorel Ortega (5).

Multi-RBI games:  Morales 2 (38).

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Cory Lewis struck out four in four shutout innings, giving up one hit and three walks.  Regi Grace struck out three in two innings, giving up an unearned run on one hit.

Loss:  Cody Laweryson (1-1).

Opposition standout:  Kendall Williams pitched six innings, giving up one run on six hits and three walks and striking out two.

Record:  Wichita is 4-8, in fifth (last) place, four games behind Tulsa.

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 8, QUAD CITIES RIVER BANDITS 2 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Leading 3-1, Cedar Rapids scored three in the fourth on a Kevin Maitan three-run homer.

Multi-hit games:  Rayne Doncon was 3-for-4 with a double and a walk.  Tyler Dearden was 3-for-4.  Maitan was 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs.  Ricardo Olivar was 2-for-3 with a double, two walks, and two runs.  Misael Urbina was 2-for-3.

Home runs:  Maitan (4).

Multi-RBI games:  Maitan 3 (20).

Stolen bases:  Gabriel Gonzalez (3).

Pitching prowess:  Christian MacLeod pitched 5.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits and two walks and striking out four.  Juan Mendez pitched a perfect inning.  Juan Mercedes struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Win:  MacLeod (3-1).

Opposition standout:  None.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 11-4, in first place, two games ahead of Wisconsin.

FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 6, BRADENTON MARAUDERS 1 IN FORT MYERS

Leading 3-1, Fort Myers scored two in the sixth, their only multi-run inning.

Multi-hit games:  Dameury Pena was 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs.  Ryan McCarthy was 2-for-4 with a double.

Home runs:  Pena (2).

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Tanner Hall struck out seven in three innings, giving up an unearned run on one hit and two walks.  Jack Noble pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.  Zack Weiss pitched two shutout innings, walking one.  Paulshawn Pasqualotto struck out six in three shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Win:  Noble (4-2).

Save:  Pasqualotto (2).

Opposition standout:  None.

Record:  Fort Myers is 11-3, in first place, 2.5 games ahead of Lakeland.

FCL TWINS 4, FCL RED SOX 3 AT TWINS (COMPLETION OF SUSPENDED GAME--7 INNINGS)

The deciding run scored on a passed ball in the seventh inning.

Multi-hit games:  Anderson Nova was 2-for-3.  Javier Roman was 2-for-4 with a double.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Miguel Cordero pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.  Matthew Helwig pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Win:  Helwig (2-0).

Opposition standout:  Kleyver Salazar was 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBIs.

FCL TWINS 11, FCL RED SOX 7 AT RED SOX (SCHEDULED GAME--7 INNINGS)

Yasser Mercedes hit a two-run homer in the sixth to break a 5-5 tie.

Multi-hit games:  Mercedes was 2-for-4 with two home runs and five RBIs.  Emmanuel Rodriguez was 2-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, and two RBIs.

Home runs:  Mercedes 2 (6).

Multi-RBI games:  Mercedes 5 (19); Rodriguez 2 (2).

Stolen bases:  Hendry Chivilli  (8); Amilcar Vasquez (1).

Pitching prowess:  None.

Win:  Devin Kirby (3-0).

Opposition standout:  Andruw Musett was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.

Record:  The FCL Twins are 22-24, in fourth place, 6.5 games behind the FCL Rays.

DSL TWINS 6, DSL ARIZONA BLACK 3 AT ARIZONA BLACK

The Twins scored three in the ninth to break a 3-3 tie.

Multi-hit games:  Alver Medina was 3-for-5.  Victor Leal was 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs.  Ricardo Paez was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.

Home runs:  Leal (1).

Multi-RBI games:  Paez 2 (7); Ruben Velasquez 2 (5).

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Cristian Hernandez struck out eight in four innings, giving up one run on four hits and two walks.  Jose Vasquez struck out five in two shutout innings, giving up two hits and three walks.  Sebastian Pulido retired all five men he faced, striking out two.

Win:  Pulido (2-0).

Opposition standout:  Luis Carrasco pitched three shutout innings, giving up three hits and striking out one.

Record:  The DSL Twins are 14-10, in third place, six games behind the DSL Rangers Red.

TODAY'S TILTS

2:07  Gwinnett at St. Paul (Randy Dobnak, 6-5, 4.05)

Oddly, most of the minor leagues are taking today off.  There's probably a reason, but we have no idea what it is.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–July 7

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George Moriarty (1885)
Double Duty Radcliffe (1902)
Satchel Paige (1906)
Billy Herman (1909)
Sammy White (1927)
John Gordon (1940)
Bill Melton (1945)
Tommy Moore (1948)
Len Barker (1955)
Dan Gladden (1957)
Glenn Hoffman (1958)
Tim Teufel (1958)
Dave Burba (1966)
Jeff Shaw (1966)
Chuck Knoblauch (1968)
Matt Mantei (1973)
Cory Provus (1978)
John Buck (1980)
Brandon McCarthy (1983)

Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe played in the Negro Leagues for many years.  He got his nickname because he would sometimes catch one game of a doubleheader and pitch the other.  He played professionally until 1954, when he retired at age 52.  He is the oldest player to ever appear in a professional baseball game, throwing one pitch for the Schaumberg Flyers of the Northern League in 1999 when he was 96.  I'm no expert on the Negro Leagues, but it seems to me that he should be in the Hall of Fame.

John Gordon was a radio broadcaster for the Twins from 1987 through 2011.

Tommy Moore was drafted by Minnesota in the twenty-eighth round in 1966, but did not sign.

Cory Provus was a radio broadcaster for the Twins from 2012-2023 and is a television broadcaster for them in 2024.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–July 7 →

Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of July 5

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ST. PAUL SAINTS 11, GWINNETT STRIPERS 5 IN ST. PAUL

St. Paul scored two in the fifth to take a 6-4 lead.

Multi-hit games:  Chris Williams was 3-for-3 with two home runs, three runs, and four RBIs.  Edouard Julien was 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, and four RBIs.

Home runs:  Williams 2 (8); Julien (3).

Multi-RBI games:  Williams 4 (19); Julien 4 (9); Anthony Prato 3 (11).

Stolen bases:  Prato (7); Julien (4); Payton Eeles (1).

Pitching prowess:  Ronny Henriquez pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and two walks and striking out one.

Win:  Adam Plutko (3-1).

Opposition standout:  Andrew Velasquez was 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs, and three RBIs.

Record:  St. Paul is 5-5, tied for fourth with Indianapolis, 1.5 games behind Memphis.

TULSA DRILLERS 5, WICHITA WIND SURGE 4 IN TULSA (COMPLETION OF SUSPENDED GAME)

Wichita scored two in the ninth to take a 4-2 lead, but Tulsa came back with three in the bottom of the ninth.  Damon Keith won it with a walkoff homer.

Multi-hit games:  Carson McCusker was 3-for-4 with a home run and a walk.  Luke Keaschall was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.

Home runs:  Aaron Sabato (9); McCusker (6); Ben Ross (6).

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  McCusker (6); Keaschall (5).

Pitching prowess:  Kyle Jones struck out three in three shutout innings, giving up one hit and two walks.

Loss:  Travis Adams (4-6).

Opposition standout:  Taylor Young was 3-for-4 with a walk.

TULSA DRILLERS 7, WICHITA WIND SURGE 0 IN TULSA (SCHEDULED GAME)

Tulsa scored five in the fifth to take a 6-0 lead.

Multi-hit games:  Jorel Ortega was 2-for-3.  Jake Rucker was 2-for-5.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Jared Solomon struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and two walks.  Ricardo Velez struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up two hits and striking out one.

Loss:  Marco Raya (0-2).

Record:  Wichita is 4-7, in fifth (last) place, three games behind Tulsa.

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 11, QUAD CITIES RIVER BANDITS 5 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Cedar Rapids led 4-1 after one and scored three in the sixth to go up 8-3.

Multi-hit games:  Tyler Dearden was 4-for-5 with two doubles and two RBIs.  Nate Baez was 3-for-5 with a triple and two RBIs.  Gabriel Gonzalez was 3-for-6 with a home run and two RBIs.  Ricardo Olivar was 2-for-4 with a triple, two walks, and three runs.  Rayne Doncon was 2-for-6 with a home run, a triple, and two runs.

Home runs:  Jay Harry (7); Doncon (6); Gonzalez (3).

Multi-RBI games:  Baez 2 (23); Gonzalez 2 (19); Dearden 2 (2).

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  John Klein pitched six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk and striking out two.

Win:  Klein (6-2).

Opposition standout:  Jared Dickey was 5-for-5 with a triple, two doubles, two runs, and three RBIs.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 10-4, in first place, two games ahead of Wisconsin.

FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 7, BRADENTON MARAUDERS 3 IN FORT MYERS

Leading 3-2, Fort Myers scored three in the sixth.

Multi-hit games:  Byron Chourio was 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk.

Home runs:  Carlos Aguiar (3); Chourio (2); Wilfri Castro (1).

Multi-RBI games:  Castro 2 (5).

Stolen bases:  Ryan McCarthy (4).

Pitching prowess:  Charlee Soto struck out six in four innings, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks.  Wilker Reyes struck out three and walked two in two shutout innings.  Nolan Santos struck out four in three innings, giving up one run on two hits and three walks.

Win:  Reyes (2-1).

Save:  Santos (8).

Opposition standout:  None.

Record:  Fort Myers is 10-3, in first place, 2.5 games ahead of Lakeland.

FCL RED SOX 3, FCL TWINS 0 AT TWINS (GAME 1--7 INNINGS)

The Red Sox scored one in the first and two in the fifth.

Multi-hit games:  None.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Kyle Bloor pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.  Cleiber Maldonado pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.

Loss:  Adrian Bohorquez (1-3).

Opposition standout:  Adam Bates struck out seven in four shutout innings, giving up two hits.

Record:  The FCL Twins are 20-24, in fifth place, eight games behind the FCL Rays.

FCL RED SOX AT FCL TWINS

The game was suspended in the bottom of the first.

DSL TWINS 9 DSL TIGERS 2 5 AT TWINS (7 INNINGS)

Trailing 5-0, the Twins scored five in the fifth and four in the sixth.

Multi-hit games:  Irvin Nunez was 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs, and five RBIs.  Ricardo Paez was 2-for-3 with two runs.

Home runs:  Nunez (1).

Multi-RBI games:  Nunez 5 (11); Eduardo Beltre 2 (11).

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Alberson Ventura pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.  Melvin Rodriguez struck out four in three shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Win:  Rodriguez (1-2).

Opposition standout:  Newremburg Rondon was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

Record:  The DSL Twins are 13-10, in third place, six games behind the DSL Rangers Red.

TODAY'S TILTS

9:00  FCL Twins at FCL Red Sox
9:00  DSL Twins at DSL Arizona Black
5:05  Bradenton at Fort Myers (Jose Olivares, 2-1, 2.73)
6:35  Quad Cities at Cedar Rapids (Christian MacLeod, 2-1, 3.13)
6:37  Gwinnett at St. Paul (Aaron Rozek, 0-0, 18.69)
7:00  Wichita (Cory Lewis, 0-1, 2.61) at Tulsa