Category Archives: Keeping Track

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–August 9

Due to personal time constraints, this is a reprint from last year which has not been updated.

John Grim (1867)
John Galbreath (1897)
Jack Tighe (1913)
Ralph Houk (1919)
Julian Javier (1936)
Claude Osteen (1939)
Paul Lindblad (1941)
Tommie Agee (1942)
Chris Wheeler (1945)
Bill Campbell (1948)
Ted Simmons (1949)
John Moses (1957)
Matt Young (1958)
Deion Sanders (1967)
Troy Percival (1969)
Pat Mahomes (1970)
Ryan Radmanovich (1971)
Matt Morris (1974)
Mike Lamb (1975)
Brian Fuentes (1975)
Jason Frasor (1977)
Steve Lomasney (1977)
Drew Butera (1983)
Jason Heyward (1989)
Kyle Cody (1994).

John Galbreath was the owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1946-1985.

Jack Tighe was a long-time minor league player, manager, and scout.  He also managed the Detroit Tigers from 1956-1957.

Ralph Houk is best known as a manager of the New York Yankees, but he was also a special assistant to the general manager for the Twins from 1987-1989.

Chris Wheeler was a broadcaster for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1977-2013.

Better known for his Hall of Fame NFL career, Deion Sanders was a major league outfielder for nine seasons, leading the league in triples in 1992.  He hit .263/.319/.392 in 2,123 at-bats.

Kyle Cody was drafted by the Twins in the second round in 2015 but did not sign.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–August 9 →

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–August 7

Due to personal time constraints, this is a reprint from last year which has not been updated.

Adonis Terry (1864)
Joe Hewitt (1885)
Bill McKechnie (1886)
Rocky Bridges (1927)
Art Houtteman (1927)
Don Larsen (1929)
Ron Henry (1936)
Jerry McNertney (1936)
Gary Dotter (1942)
Mike Poepping (1950)
Steve Kemp (1954)
Jason Grimsley (1967)
Danny Graves (1973)
Edgar Renteria (1976)
Wade LeBlanc (1984)
Ryan Lavarnway (1987)
Brock Stassi (1989)
Tony Zych (1990)
Mike Trout (1991)
Jose De Leon (1992)

Tony Zych broke Dutch Zwilling's record for last in alphabetical order for major league baseball players.

There are three people named "Josh Smith" who have played major league baseball.  Two of them were born on this day.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–August 7 →

Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of August 6

COLUMBUS CLIPPERS 7, ST. PAUL SAINTS 4 IN ST. PAUL

Columbus scored four in the first and led all the way.  It was 7-1 before St. Paul scored three in the ninth.

Multi-hit games:  DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. was 2-for-4 with a triple.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  Edouard Julien 4 (17).

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Nick Wittgren struck out three in three innings, giving up one run on four hits.  Matt Bowman struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.  Hobie Harris pitched a scoreless inning, striking out one.

Loss:  Adam Plutko (6-2).

Opposition standout:  Doug Nikhazy struck out eight in 5.2 scoreless innings, giving up three hits and two walks.

Record:  St. Paul is 16-18, tied for sixth with Gwinnett and Memphis, 7.5 games behind Columbus.

WICHITA WIND SURGE 5, CORPUS CHRISTI HOOKS 4 IN CORPUS CHRISTI (10 INNINGS)

Corpus Christi scored three in the sixth to tie it 4-4, and there it stayed until Jorel Ortega singled home the deciding run in the tenth.

Multi-hit games:  Tanner Schobel was 2-for-4 with two home runs.  Ortega was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

Home runs:  Schobel 2 (7).

Multi-RBI games:  Schobel 2 (44); Ortega 2 (33).

Stolen bases:  Ortega (7).

Pitching prowess:  Christian MacLeod struck out eight in five innings, giving up one run on three hits and a walk.  Mason Fox pitched a scoreless inning despite giving up one hit and four walks and striking out one.  Taylor Floyd pitched three perfect innings, striking out two.

Win:  Floyd (2-2).

Opposition standout:  Ethan Pecko struck out six in five innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits.

Record:  Wichita is 13-21, in fifth (last) place, eight games behind Springfield.

PEORIA CHIEFS 7, CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 5 IN PEORIA

Cedar Rapids led 5-3, but Peoria scored four in the eighth to win it.  Leonardo Bernal singled home the go-ahead run.

Multi-hit games:  Misael Urbina was 2-for-3 with a walk.  Poncho Ruiz was 2-for-4.  Walker Jenkins was 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs.  Gabriel Gonzalez was 2-for-5.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  Jenkins 2 (4).

Stolen bases:  Nick Lucky (1).

Pitching prowess:  None.

Loss:  Nolan Santos (0-1).

Opposition standout:  Trey Paige was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 18-19, in third place, 5.5 games behind Wisconsin.

FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 9, JUPITER HAMMERHEADS 7 IN JUPITER

Fort Myers scored three in the sixth to break a 6-6 tie.  Kyle DeBarge tripled home the go-ahead run.

Multi-hit games:  Caden Kendle was 2-for-3 with a double in his professional debut.  Rixon Wingrove was 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, two runs, and three RBIs.  Khadim Diaw was 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs in his professional debut.  DeBarge was 2-for-5 with a triple and two RBIs in his professional debut.  Billy Amick was 2-for-5 with a double in his professional debut.  Jay Thomasson was 2-for-5 in his professional debut.

Home runs:  Wingrove (8).

Multi-RBI games:  Wingrove 3 (32); DeBarge 2 (2).

Stolen bases:  Yasser Mercedes (3); Diaw (1).

Pitching prowess:  Jack Noble struck out four in 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk.  Xander Hamilton pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.

Win:  Noble (5-2).

Save:  Hamilton (8).

Opposition standout:  Jacob Jenkins-Cowart was 2-for-4 with a walk.

Record:  Fort Myers is 21-12, in first place, one game ahead of Lakeland.

DSL NYY BOMBERS 4, DSL TWINS 3 AT BOMBERS (7 INNINGS)

The Twins led 3-2, but the NYY Bombers scored two in the sixth.  Browm Martinez singled home the go-ahead run.

Multi-hit games:  Ramiro Dominguez was 2-for-3 with a double.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  Luis Rodriguez 2 (9); Merphy Hernandez (27).

Pitching prowess:  None.

Loss:  Anderson Ramos (4-3).

Opposition standout:  Carlos Almonte struck out five in 2.1 innings, giving up an unearned run on a hit and a walk.

Record:  The DSL Twins are 23-21, in fifth place, seven games behind the DSL Rangers Red and the DSL Tigers 2.

TODAY'S TILTS

9:00  DSL Twins at DSL NYY Yankees (completion of suspended game)
1:07  Columbus at St. Paul (Ronny Henriquez, 1-2, 3.40)
5:30  Fort Myers (Charlee Soto, 0-4, 5.64) at Jupiter
6:35  Cedar Rapids (Darren Bowen, 2-6, 6.17) at Peoria
6:35  Wichita (Andrew Morris, 5-3, 2.14) at Corpus Christi

Keeping Track

Minor Details: Game of August 5

DSL RANGERS BLUE 14, DSL TWINS 9 AT TWINS

The Twins led 9-7 through eight, but the Rangers Blue scored seven in the ninth.  Jose Marcano hit a three-run triple in the inning.

Multi-hit games:  Nestor Urbina was 3-for-4 with two runs.  Ricardo Paez was 2-for-3 with a triple, a walk, and two runs.  Daiber De Los Santos was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.

Home runs:  Eduardo Beltre (9).

Multi-RBI games:  De Los Santos 2 (33); Merphy Hernandez 2 (15).

Stolen bases:  De Los Santos (12); Victor Leal (4).

Pitching prowess:  Daniel Manzueta struck out three in 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one run on two hits.

Loss:  Raymi Castillo (1-1).

Opposition standout:  Manni Ramirez was 3-for-6 with a home run, two doubles, two runs, and five RBIs.

Record:  The DSL Twins are 23-20, in fourth place, six games behind the DSL Rangers Red and the DSL Tigers 2.

TODAY'S TILTS

10:00  DSL Twins at DSL NYY Bombers
5:30  Fort Myers (Cesar Lares, 2-3, 4.40) at Jupiter
6:35  Cedar Rapids (Jeremy Lee, 1-4, 4.38) at Peoria
6:35  Wichita (TBD) at Corpus Christi
7:07  Columbus at St. Paul (Adam Plutko, 6-1, 3.81)

Keeping Track

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 →

Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of August 4

IOWA CUBS 10, ST. PAUL SAINTS 9 IN IOWA (11 INNINGS)

Payton Eeles homered in the ninth to tie it 4-4.  Each team scored four in the tenth.  St. Paul scored one in the eleventh, but Caleb Knight hit a two-run homer to win it for Iowa.

Multi-hit games:  Eeles was 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs.  Diego Castillo was 3-for-5 with two doubles and two runs.  Wynton Bernard was 2-for-5 with a triple, a walk, and two runs.  Edouard Julien was 2-for-5 with a double.

Home runs:  Eeles (3).

Multi-RBI games:  Eeles 4 (7); Alex Isola 2 (29).

Stolen bases:  Julien (6).

Pitching prowess:  Justin Topa pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.  Ronny Henriquez struck out two in a perfect inning.  Jeff Brigham gave up one hit in a scoreless inning.

Loss:  Hobie Harris (3-5).

Opposition standout:  Chase Strumpf was 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs.

Record:  St. Paul is 16-17, tied for fifth with Gwinnett and Toledo, 6.5 games behind Columbus.

WICHITA WIND SURGE 3, NORTHWEST ARKANSAS NATURALS 2 IN WICHITA

Trailing 2-0, Wichita scored two in the eighth and won it in the ninth on a walkoff walk.

Multi-hit games:  Jake Rucker was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  Rucker 2 (52).

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Travis Adams pitched six innings, giving up an unearned run on two hits and a walk and striking out four.  Regi Grace pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.  Jarret Whorff pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk.

Win:  Whorff (2-2).

Opposition standout:  Tyson Guerrero struck out seven in six shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk.

Record:  Wichita is 12-21, in fifth (last) place, eight games behind Springfield.

GREAT LAKES LOONS 3, CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 2 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Great Lakes took a 3-1 lead in the fourth, scoring all of their runs in that inning.

Multi-hit games:  None.  Cedar Rapids had five hits.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Ty Langenberg pitched six innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on six hits and striking out five.  Spencer Bengard pitched three shutout innings, giving up one hit and two walks and striking out one.

Loss:  Langenberg (3-1).

Opposition standout:  Jacob Meador struck out five in 4.2 innings, giving up one run on one hit and four walks.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 18-18, tied for second with Peoria, 5.5 games behind Wisconsin.

ST. LUCIE AT FORT MYERS (2)

A doubleheader was rained out.  Fort Myers is 20-12, in first place, one game ahead of Lakeland.

TODAY'S TILT

10:00  DSL Rangers Blue at DSL Twins

Keeping Track

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.

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Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–August 4

Jake Beckley (1867)
Dolf Luque (1890)
Chick Galloway (1896)
Ski Melillo (1899)
Bill Hallahan (1902)
Joe Strong (1902)
George Caster (1907)
Tuck Stainback (1911)
Luke Easter (1915)
Don Kolloway (1918)
Dallas Green (1934)
Frank Kostro (1937)
Ray Oyler (1938)
Cleon Jones (1942)
Johnny Grubb (1948)
Roger Clemens (1962)
B. J. Surhoff (1964)
Matt Merullo (1965)
Troy O’Leary (1969)
Bob Howry (1973)
Eric Milton (1975)
Scott Linebrink (1976)
Josh Roenicke (1982)
Jason Adam (1991)

While this is a pretty good day for names, it should be pointed out that none of these players was listed here because of his name.  In fact, each of them had a substantial baseball career.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–August 4 →

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–August 3

Silver Flint (1855)
Ed McFarland (1874)
Harry Heilmann (1894)
Jim Hegan (1920)
Roger Repoz (1940)
Dan Meyer (1952)
Bob Davidson (1952)
Jim Gott (1959)
Mike Jeffcoat (1959)
Sid Bream (1960)
Mackey Sasser (1962)
Kevin Elster (1964)
Rod Beck (1968)
Troy Glaus (1976)
Travis Bowyer (1981)
Mark Reynolds (1983)
Matt Joyce (1984)
Travis Blankenhorn (1996)

Bob Davidson was an umpire from 1985-1999 and 2005-2016.

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