Category Archives: Keeping Track

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–July 4

Mickey Welch (1859)
George Mullin (1880)
Abe Saperstein (1903)
Chuck Tanner (1928)
Bill Tuttle (1929)
Peter Angelos (1929)
George Steinbrenner (1930)
John Sterling (1938)
Hal Lanier (1942)
Ed Armbrister (1948)
Wayne Nordhagen (1948)
Jim Beattie (1954)
Jose Oquendo (1963)
Vinny Castilla (1967)
Brendan Donnelly (1971)
Jay Canizaro (1973)
Jeff Harris (1974)
Jared Hughes (1985)

Best remembered as the founder of the Harlem Globetrotters, Abe Saperstein was a long-time executive in what were then known as the Negro Leagues.

Peter Angelos has been the owner of the Baltimore Orioles since 1993.

George Steinbrenner was the owner of the New York Yankees from 1973 until his death in 2010.

John Sterling broadcast New York Yankees games from 1989-2024.

The staff of Happy Birthday would like to wish everyone a happy and safe Independence Day.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–July 4 →

Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of July 2

ST. PAUL SAINTS 5, GWINNETT STRIPERS 2 IN ST. PAUL

St. Paul scored all their runs in the second inning.  Patrick Winkel had a two-run double and Brooks Lee hit a three-run homer.

Multi-hit games:  Matt Wallner was 2-for-4 with a double.

Home runs:  Lee (7).

Multi-RBI games:  Lee 3 (21); Winkel 2 (21).

Stolen bases:  DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. (19).

Pitching prowess:  Randy Dobnak pitched five innings, giving up one run on five hits and a walk and striking out two.  Jeff Brigham pitched a scoreless inning, walking two.  Nick Wittgren pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two hits and striking out one.

Win:  Dobnak (7-5).

Opposition standout: Chadwick Tromp was 3-for-3 with a home run, a walk, and two RBIs.

Record:  St. Paul is 4-3, in second place, a half-game behind Memphis.

WICHITA WIND SURGE 6, TULSA DRILLERS 2 IN WICHITA

Wichita scored in innings two through five to build a 6-0 lead.

Multi-hit games:  Jeferson Morales was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Noah Cardenas was 2-for-4.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Andrew Morris struck out nine in 6.1 scoreless innings, giving up three hits and three walks.  Taylor Floyd pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two hits and striking out one.

Win:  Morris (4-1).

Save:  Cody Laweryson (2).

Opposition standout:  Dalton Rushing was 2-for-5 with a double.

Record:  Wichita is 4-4, tied for second with Northwest Arkansas, Springfield, and Tulsa, one game behind Arkansas.

CEDAR RAPIDS AT QUAD CITIES

Rained out.  Will be made up today.

FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 6, BRADENTON MARAUDERS 4 IN BRADENTON

Trailing 4-3, Fort Myers scored single runs in innings four, five, and six.

Multi-hit games:  Ryan McCarthy was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and two runs.  Angel Del Rosario was 2-for-4.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  Walker Jenkins 2 (20).

Stolen bases:  Jenkins 2 (2); McCarthy (3).

Pitching prowess:  Wilker Reyes struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.  Zack Weiss pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.  Nolan Santos struck out three in two perfect innings.

Win:  Ricky Castro (3-1).

Save:  Santos (7).

Opposition standout:  Magdiel Cotto struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Record:  Fort Myers is 8-2, in first place, two games ahead of Lakeland.

FCL TWINS 4, FCL PIRATES 3 AT TWINS (7 INNINGS)

Trailing 3-1, the Twins scored three in the sixth when Ariel Castro hit an inside-the-park three-run homer.

Multi-hit games:  Castro was 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs.  Dameury Pena was 2-for-3.

Home runs:  Castro (4).

Multi-RBI games:  Castro 3 (24).

Stolen bases:  Pena (4).

Pitching prowess:  Joel Garcia pitched five innings, giving up two runs on three hits and striking out four.  Cleiber Maldonado pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.

Win:  Garcia (2-1).

Save:  Maldonado (2).

Opposition standout:  Yordany De Los Santos was 3-for-3 with a home run, a double, two runs, and two RBIs.

Record:  The FCL Twins are 20-22, in fourth place, seven games behind the FCL Rays.

DSL RANGERS RED AT DSL TWINS

Rained out.  Will be made up July 19.

TODAY'S TILTS

4:30  Cedar Rapids (Jeremy Lee, 1-3, 4.76 and TBD) at Quad Cities (2).
5:30  Fort Myers (Ross Dunn, 1-1, 4.84) at Bradenton
6:07  Gwinnett at St. Paul (Caleb Boushley, 8-2, 3.48)
6:35  Tulsa at Wichita (Zebby Matthews, 2-1, 1.75)

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–July 3

Nig Cuppy (1869)
Curt Walker (1896)
Buddy Rosar (1914)
Art Fowler (1922)
Ed Roebuck (1931)
Cesar Tovar (1940)
John Verhoeven (1952)
Frank Tanana (1953)
Matt Keough (1955)
Danny Heep (1957)
Warren Newson (1964)
Greg Vaughn (1965)
Moises Alou (1966)
Brian Cashman (1967)
Juan Rivera (1978)
Edinson Volquez (1983)
Tommy Hunter (1986)
Yangervis Solarte (1987)

Brian Cashman has been the general manager of the New York Yankees since 1998.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–July 3 →

Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of July 1

WICHITA WIND SURGE 12, TULSA DRILLERS 5 IN WICHITA

Wichita led 2-0 after one and 6-1 after seven, then scored six in the eighth.

Multi-hit games:  Jake Rucker was 3-for-5 with three runs and two RBIs.  Carson McCusker was 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, two runs, and two RBIs.  Aaron Sabato was 2-for-4 with two doubles and a walk.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  Rucker 2 (43); McCusker 2 (36); Jeferson Morales 2 (35).

Stolen bases:  Andrew Cossetti 2 (5); Jorel Ortega (6).

Pitching prowess:  Aaron Rozek struck out six in five innings, giving up one run on three hits and three walks.  John Stankiewicz pitched 2.2 scoreless inning, giving up two hits and striking out two.

Win:  Rozek (4-3).

Opposition standout:  Damon Keith was 3-for-5.

Record:  Wichita is 3-4, tied for fourth with Springfield, one game behind Arkansas, Northwest Arkansas, and Tulsa.

QUAD CITIES RIVER BANDITS 1, CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 0 IN QUAD CITIES

The lone run scored in the seventh on a wild pitch.

Multi-hit games:  None.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Jordan Carr pitched 5.2 scoreless innings, giving up six hits and two walks and striking out four.  Kyle Bischoff struck out four and walked one in 1.2 scoreless innings.

Loss:  Ricardo Velez (7-1).

Opposition standout:  Ryan Ramsey struck out five in five shutout innings, giving up four hits and two walks.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 7-3, in first place, one game ahead of Quad Cities and Wisconsin.

FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 9, BRADENTON MARAUDERS 6 IN BRADENTON (11 INNINGS)

Fort Myers led 1-0, 5-1, and 6-3, but it took three in the eleventh to win it.  Byron Chourio had a two-run single in the inning.

Multi-hit games:  Isaac Pena was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Maddux Houghton was 2-for-5 with a double.

Home runs:  Nick Lucky (2); Dameury Pena (1).

Multi-RBI games:  Chourio 2 (20); Lucky 2 (7).

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Cesar Lares struck out five in four innings, giving up two runs on four hits.  Samuel Perez pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.

Win:  Xander Hamilton (6-7).

Opposition standout:  Axiel Plaz was 2-for-4 with two home runs, a walk, and three RBIs.

Record:  Fort Myers is 7-2, in first place, 1.5 games ahead of Lakeland.

FCL TWINS 7, FCL PIRATES 3 AT PIRATES (7 INNINGS)

The Twins scored three in the third to take a 4-0 lead.

Multi-hit games:  Ricardo Pena was 3-for-3 with a walk.  Jayson Bass was 2-for-2 with a triple, two walks, two runs, and two RBIs.

Home runs:  Moises Lopez (2).

Multi-RBI games:  Bass 2 (18); Lopez 2 (9).

Stolen bases:  Bryan Acuna (3); Ariel Castro (3).

Pitching prowess:  Juan Cota pitched three shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out two.  Anthony Narvaez struck out four in four innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on two hits and a walk.

Win:  Narvaez (1-2).

Opposition standout:  Jose Regalado struck out three in 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk.

Record:  The FCL Twins are 19-22, in fourth place, seven games behind the FCL Rays.

DSL TWINS 13, DSL MIAMI 12 AT TWINS

The Twins led 4-0, trailed 8-4, led 9-8, trailed 11-9, and trailed 12-10 before scoring three in the bottom of the ninth to win it.  Eduardo Beltre singled home the winning run.

Multi-hit games:  Daiber De Los Santos was 2-for-4 with two walks and two RBIs.  Beltre was 2-for-5 with a home run, a walk, and two RBIs.  Merphy Hernandez was 2-for-5 with a double and two runs.

Home runs:  Beltre (3).

Multi-RBI games:  De Los Santos 2 (12); Luis Fregoza 2 (9); Beltre 2 (8); Irvin Nunez 2 (6).

Stolen bases:  Hernandez (17); Fragoza (8); Luis Rodriguez (4); Nunez (2).

Pitching prowess:  Anderson Chacon struck out three in 2.2 innings, giving up one run on six hits and two walks.  Aaron Carranza pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and one walk and striking out one.  Fabian Herrera pitched a perfect inning.

Win:  Herrera (2-0).

Opposition standout:  Adrian Bello was 5-for-5 with a double, a walk, and two runs.

Record:  The DSL Twins are 11-10, in fourth place, six games behind the DSL Rangers Red.

TODAY'S TILTS

10:00  DSL Rangers Red at DSL Twins
11:00  FCL Pirates at FCL Twins
5:30  Fort Myers (Ricky Castro, 2-1, 3.38) at Bradenton
6:30  Cedar Rapids (Mike Paredes, 1-0, 3.38) at Quad Cities
7:05  Tulsa at Wichita (Jerming Rosario, 1-0, 2.45)
7:07  Gwinnett at St. Paul (Randy Dobnak, 6-5, 4.05)

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–July 2

Grover Hartley (1888)
Cliff Bell (1896)
Hal Wagner (1915)
Dick Greco (1925)
Red Rush (1927)
Chuck Stobbs (1929)
Mike Reilly (1949)
Tony Armas (1953)
Jose Canseco (1964)
Joe Magrane (1964)
Sean Casey (1974)
Greg Dobbs (1978)
Angel Pagan (1982)
Samuel Deduno (1983)
Brett Cecil (1986)
Rene Tosoni (1986)

Grover Hartley is one of ten players named "Grover" to play in the major leagues. There has been only three since the 1930s and none since the 1960s.  I guess nobody names their kid "Grover" anymore.

Dick Greco played twelve seasons in the minors, hitting 328 home runs, but never got a chance in the majors.

Red Rush was a radio broadcaster for the White Sox, the Athletics, and the Cardinals.

Mike Reilly was a major league umpire from 1977-2010.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–July 2 →

Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of June 30

IOWA CUBS 9, ST. PAUL SAINTS 1 IN IOWA

It was scoreless through five, but Iowa got two in the sixth, two in the seventh, and five in the eighth.

Multi-hit games:  Matt Wallner was 2-for-4.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Adam Plutko struck out six in five innings, giving up four hits.

Loss:  Hobie Harris (1-4).

Opposition standout:  Kyle McGowin struck out six in five shutout innings, giving up three hits and two walks.

Record:  St. Paul is 3-3, tied for second with Columbus, Iowa, Louisville, Nashville, Omaha, and Toledo, one game behind Memphis.

WICHITA WIND SURGE 7, NORTHWEST ARKANSAS NATURALS 3 IN WICHITA

Trailing 4-3, Wichita scored five runs in the seventh.  Carson McCusker's two-run double brought home the tying and go-ahead runs.

Multi-hit games:  McCusker was 2-fo-3 with a double, a walk, and two RBIs.  Dalton Shuffield was 2-for-4 with a double.  Aaron Sabato was 2-for-4 with a walk.  Tanner Schobel was 2-for-4.  Jake Rucker was 2-for-5.  Luke Keaschall was 2-for-5.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  McCusker 2 (34); Jorel Ortega 2 (23).

Stolen bases:  Sabato (6).

Pitching prowess:  Cory Lewis pitched 3.1 scoreless innings, giving up three hits and four walks and striking out three.  Jared Solomon pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.

Win:  Cody Laweryson (1-0).

Opposition standout:  Mason Barnett struck out five in five innings, giving up an unearned run on five hits and two walks.

Record:  Wichita is 2-4, tied for fourth with Springfield, two games behind Arkansas, Northwest Arkansas, and Tulsa.

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 7, BELOIT SKY CARP 3 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Cedar Rapids took a 4-0 lead in the second.  Beloit cut it to 4-3, but Ricardo Olivar hit a two-run double in the sixth.

Multi-hit games:  Olivar was 3-for-4 with two doubles and five RBIs.  Jose Salas was 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs.  Misael Urbina was 2-for-4 with two runs.

Home runs:  None,

Multi-RBI games:  Olivar 5 (38).

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Jarret Whorff struck out four in three shutout innings, giving up one hit.  A. J. Labas pitched a perfect inning.

Win:  Christian MacLeod (2-1).

Opposition standout:  Johnny Olmstead was 2-for-4 with a home run and a double.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 7-2, in first place, two games ahead of Quad Cities and Wisconsin.

FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 3, TAMPA TARPONS 2 IN FORT MYERS (COMPLETION OF SUSPENDED GAME--6 INNINGS--RAIN)

Fort Myers scored two in the first and led all the way.

Multi-hit games:  Walker Jenkins was 2-for-3 with a home run.

Home runs:  Jenkins (2).

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  Poncho Ruiz (2).

Pitching prowess:  Paulshawn Pasqualotto pitched 3.1 innings, giving up one run on three hits and a walk and striking out three.  Nolan Santos pitched a perfect inning.

Win:  Pasqualotto (2-4).

Save:  Santos (6).

Opposition standout:  Cody Morales was 2-for-2 with a home run and two RBIs.

Record:  Fort Myers is 6-2, in first place, 1.5 games ahead of Bradenton and Lakeland.

TODAY'S TILTS

10:00  DSL Miami at DSL Twins
11:00  FCL Twins at FCL Pirates
5:30  Fort Myers (Cesar Lares, 2-2, 3.30) at Bradenton
6:30  Cedar Rapids (Jordan Carr, 2-2, 6.08) at Quad Cities
7:05  Tulsa at Wichita (TBD)

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–July 1

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

Roger Connor (1857)
John Clarkson (1861)
Jack Quinn (1883)
Ben Taylor (1888)
Bob Prince (1916)
Frank Baumann (1933)
Brian Sabean (1956)
Jamie Walker (1971)
Nelson Cruz (1980)
Matt Carson (1981)
Justin Huber (1982)
Charlie Blackmon (1986)
Michael Wacha (1991)
Aaron Sanchez (1992)
Jaylin Davis (1994)

First baseman Ben Taylor was a star in the Negro Leagues, batting over .300 in fifteen of his sixteen seasons.

Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Prince is best remembered for his years with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1948-1975.

Brian Sabean was the general manager of the San Francisco Giants from 1997-2014 and has been their executive vice president of baseball operations since that time.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–July 1 →

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–June 30

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

Davy Jones (1880)
Ed Rile (1900)
Ron Swoboda (1944)
Chuck Meriwether (1956)
Bud Black (1957)
Al Newman (1960)
Tony Fernandez (1962)
Mark Grudzielanek (1970)
Garret Anderson (1972)
Chan Ho Park (1973)
Pat Venditte (1985)
Jesus Aguilar (1990)
Trea Turner (1993)

Chuck Meriwether was a major league umpire from 1993-2010.

We would also like to wish a happy birthday to spookymilk’s wife and to hungry joe’s son, Famished Pete.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–June 30 →

Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of June 28

IOWA CUBS 8, ST. PAUL SAINTS 1 IN IOWA

Leading 2-1, St. Paul scored six in the eighth.

Multi-hit games:  DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. was 2-for-4 with a home run.  Those were the only two Saints hits.

Home runs:  Keirsey, Jr. (10).

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Caleb Boushley pitched six innings, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks and striking out five.  Jordan Balazovic struck out two and walked one in a scoreless inning.

Loss:  Boushley (8-2).

Opposition standout:  Riley Thompson pitched 6.2 innings, giving up one run on one hit and four walks and striking out three.

Record:  St. Paul is 2-2, tied for third with Iowa, Louisville, Nashville, and Toledo, one game behind Columbus and Memphis.

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS NATURALS 11, WICHITA WIND SURGE 7 IN WICHITA

Northwest Arkansas scored four in the sixth to take a 7-4 lead.

Multi-hit games:  Carson McCusker was 3-for-5 with a home run, a triple, a walk, and five RBIs.  Tanner Schobel was 2-for-4 with a walk and three runs.

Home runs:  McCusker (5).

Multi-RBI games:  McCusker 5 (32).

Stolen bases:  Ben Ross 2 (10); Schobel (9).

Pitching prowess:  Marco Raya struck out seven in four innings, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks.  Scott Engler struck out two and walked one in two shutout innings.

Loss:  Jaylin Nowlin (4-4).

Opposition standout:  Leonel Valera was 3-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs.

Record:  Wichita is 1-3, tied for fourth with Springfield, two games behind Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas.

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 7, BELOIT SKY CARP 6 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Cedar Rapids won in with two in the ninth.  The tying run scored on a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly brought home the decider.

Multi-hit games:  Jay Harry was 2-for-4 with a double.

Home runs:  Rayne Doncon (2).

Multi-RBI games:  Doncon 2 (15).

Stolen bases:  Payton Eeles 2 (7).

Pitching prowess:  Juan Mendez struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.  Jacob Wosinski pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and two walks and striking out one.

Win:  Wosinski (2-2).

Opposition standout:  Josh Zamora was 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBIs.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 5-2, in first place, a half game ahead of South Bend.

TAMPA TARPONS 9, FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 2 IN FORT MYERS

Tampa led 5-0 after three.

Multi-hit games:  None.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  Byron Chourio (15).

Pitching prowess:  Ben Ethridge struck out three in three innings, giving up one run on a hit and a walk.  Samuel Perez pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Loss:  Charlee Soto (0-3).

Opposition standout:  Josh Grosz pitched 6.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and two walks and striking out six.

Record:  Fort Myers is 5-2, tied for first with Bradenton.

FCL RED SOX 17, FCL TWINS 5 AT RED SOX (7 INNINGS)

Leading 2-1, the Red Sox scored six in the third and eight in the fourth.

Multi-hit games:  Yasser Mercedes was 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs, and two RBIs.

Home runs:  Mercedes (4); Moises Lopez (1).

Multi-RBI games:  Mercedes (14).

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Zack Weiss struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Loss:  Miguel Cordero (0-2).

Opposition standout:  Frederik Jimenez was 4-for-5 with two doubles, two runs, and three RBIs.

Record:  The FCL Twins are 18-21, in fourth place, 6.5 games behind the FCL Rays.

DSL TWINS 7, DSL NATIONALS 4 AT NATIONALS

The Twins scored four in the first and led all the way.

Multi-hit games:  Eduardo Beltre was 3-for-4 with a double.  Ricardo Paez was 2-for-2 with a home run, a triple, two walks, and two RBIs.

Home runs:  Daiber De Los Santos (4); Paez (2).

Multi-RBI games:  Paez 2 (4).

Stolen bases:  Guillermo Sosa 2 (3).

Pitching prowess:  Cristian Hernandez struck out five in three innings, giving up an unearned run on four walks.  Aiburson Ventura pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.  Fabian Herrera pitched two shutout innings, giving up three hits and a walk.

Win:  Ventura (1-0).

Save:  Herrera (3).

Opposition standout:  Feldi Tavares was 2-for-5 with two doubles.

Record:  The DSL Twins are 10-9, tied for third with the DSL Tigers 2, five games behind the DSL Rangers Red.

TODAY'S TILTS

9:00  FCL Red Sox at FCL Twins
9:00  DSL Twins at DSL Mets Orange
5:05  Tampa at Fort Myers (Jose Olivares, 2-1, 2.55)
6:05  Northwest Arkansas at Wichita (Travis Adams, 4-5, 4.72)
6:08  St. Paul (Louie Varland, 2-6, 7.33) at Iowa
6:35  Beloit at Cedar Rapids (John Klein, 4-2, 4.75)

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–June 29

Wilbert Robinson (1863)
Harry Frazee (1880)
Bobby Veach (1888)
Ollie Carnegie (1899)
Ken Blackman (1911)
Dizzy Trout (1915)
Cal Drummond (1917)
Bob Shaw (1933)
Katsuya Nomura (1935)
Harmon Killebrew (1936)
John Boccabella (1941)
Larry Stahl (1941)
Bruce Kimm (1951)
Rick Honeycutt (1954)
Pedro Guerrero (1956)
John Wehner (1967)
Trey Hodges (1978)
Dusty Hughes (1982)
Brooks Raley (1988)
Jose Miranda (1998)

Harry Frazee was the owner of the Red Sox from 1916-1923 and is best remembered for selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees.

Ollie Carnegie is the all-time home run king of the International League with 258.  He started his minor league career at age 32.

Ken Blackman was a minor league player, college coach, minor league executive, and major league scout.

Cal Drummond was an American League umpire from 1960-1969.

Katsuya Nomura hit 657 home runs in Japan during his twenty-five-year career.

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