Category Archives: Keeping Track

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–June 9

Due to personal time constraints, this is a reprint from last year, which was a reprint from the year before, which was a reprint from the year before that, which has not been updated.  That means we have not yet done a biography for John Andreoli or Tony Wolters.  Sorry about that, guys.  Maybe next year.

Dude Esterbrook (1857)
Irish Meusel (1893)
Mike Ryba (1903)
Frank McCormick (1911)
Jimmy Newberry (1922)
Roy Smalley (1926)
Bill Virdon (1931)
Howie Gershberg (1936)
Jake Jacobs (1937)
Julio Gotay (1939)
Bruce Look (1943)
Tom Egan (1946)
Dave Parker (1951)
Tom Edens (1961)
Randy Winn (1974)
Joe Kelly (1988)
John Andreoli (1990)
Tony Wolters (1992)

Jimmy Newberry was the first black player in Japanese baseball.

Howie Gershberg was a long-time college and minor league pitching coach.

We would also like to wish a happy birthday to SBG’s brother.

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Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–June 8

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

Cub Stricker (1859)
Van Lingle Mungo (1911)
Del Ennis (1925)
Eddie Gaedel (1925)
George Brunet (1935)
Joe Grzenda (1937)
Pete Magrini (1942)
Mark Belanger (1944)
Lenn Sakata (1954)
Don Robinson (1957)
Carmelo Castillo (1958)
Britt Burns (1959)
Kevin Gross (1961)
John Gibbons (1962)
Kevin Ritz (1965)
Dave Mlicki (1968)
T. J. McFarland (1989)

Sadly, Cub Stricker never played for the Cubs.

3' 7" Eddie Gaedel is the shortest person to play in a major league game, walking in his only plate appearance as part of a Bill Veeck promotion.  His great-nephew, Kyle Gaedele, was an outfielder in the Padres organization from 2011-15, reaching AA.  Kyle is listed at 6' 3".

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Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–June 7

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

Bones Ely (1863)
Ed Wells (1900)
Dusty Boggess (1904)
Rosey Gilhousen (1913)
Herb Score (1933)
Roger Nelson (1944)
George Mitterwald (1945)
Don Money (1947)
Thurman Munson (1947)
Bobby Marcano (1951)
Bill Hohn (1955)
Tim Laudner (1958)
Heathcliff Slocumb (1966)
Donaldo Mendez (1978)
Virgil Vasquez (1982)
Mark Lowe (1983)
Luke Farrell (1991)

Dusty Boggess was a National League umpire from 1944-62.

Rosey Gilhousen was a long-time scout who is credit for signing George Brett and Dan Quisenberry.

Bobby Marcano was an all-star in Japan.

Bill Hohn was a major league umpire from 1989-99 and 2002-10.

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Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–June 6

Ed McKean (1864)
Jose Maria Fernandez (1896)
Fresco Thompson (1902)
Bill Dickey (1907)
Wild Bill Wright (1914)
Hector Espino (1939)
Merv Rettenmund (1943)
Bud Harrelson (1944)
Bobby Randall (1948)
Dave Bergman (1953)
Max Venable (1957)
Tony Graffanino (1972)
Brooks Kieschnick (1972)
David Lamb (1975)
Mark Ellis (1977)
Jeremy Affeldt (1979)
Matt Belisle (1980)
Anthony Rendon (1990)

 Wild Bill Wright was a star in the Negro Leagues in the 1930s and 1940s.

Hector Espino is considered the greatest player in the history of the Mexican League, hitting 453 home runs there.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–June 6 →

Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of June 4

SYRACUSE AT ST. PAUL

Rained out.  Will be made up as part of a doubleheader tomorrow.

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS NATURALS 10, WICHITA WIND SURGE 1 IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS

Northwest Arkansas hit three solo homers in the third to take a 4-0 lead.

Multi-hit games:  Carson McCusker was 2-for-4.  Tanner Schobel was 2-for-4.

Home runs:  Ben Ross (3).

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:   None.

Opposition standout:  Josh Lester was 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs.

Record:  Wichita is 19-32, in fifth (last) place, eleven games behind Arkansas.

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 5, GREAT LAKES LOONS 2 IN GREAT LAKES

Dalton Shuffield hit a three-run single-plus-error in the sixth to give Cedar Rapids a 5-1 lead.

Multi-hit games:  None.

Home runs:  Rubel Cespedes (7).

Multi-RBI games:  Cespedes 2 (41); Shuffield 2 (8).

Stolen bases:  Rayne Doncon (1).

Pitching prowess:  John Klein struck out seven in 5.1 innings, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk.  Jordan Carr pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up a walk.  Gabriel Yanez struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition standout:  Brandon Neeck retired all eight men he faced, striking out four.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 31-20, in second place, 1.5 games behind Wisconsin.

FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 4, TAMPA TARPONS 2 IN TAMPA

Fort Myers scored single runs in the second, fourth, seventh, and ninth.  Tampa got both of their runs in the bottom of the ninth on solo homers.

Multi-hit games:  Payton Eeles was 2-for-3 with a walk.

Home runs:  Brandon Winokur (4).

Multi-RBI games:  Isaac Pena 2 (11).

Stolen bases:  Byron Chourio (9).

Pitching prowess:  Jose Olivares struck out six in five innings, giving up four hits.  Spencer Bengard pitched two perfect innings, striking out one.

Opposition standout:  Jackson Castillo was 2-for-4 with a home run.

Record:  Fort Myers is 25-27, in fourth place, nine games behind Clearwater and Lakeland.

FCL TWINS 4, FCL RAYS 1 AT RAYS

The Twins scored two in the fourth and two in the sixth.

Multi-hit games:  Hendry Chivilli was 2-for-3 with a double and two runs.  Javier Roman was 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games;  Roman 2 (5).

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Eduardo Soriano pitched three shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk and striking out two.  Cleiber Maldonado struck out three in two innings, giving up an unearned run on two hits and a walk.  Devin Kirby struck out two in two perfect innings.

Opposition standout:  Erick Lara was 2-for-3 with a double.

Record:  The FCL Twins are 14-9, tied for second with the FCL Pirates, one game behind the FCL Rays.

DSL METS ORANGE 8, DSL TWINS 5 AT TWINS (7 INNINGS)

The Mets Orange built a 4-0 lead through three innings, then scored four in the sixth to put it out of reach.  The Twins scored four in the seventh to make the final score look better.

Multi-hit games:  Yandro Hernandez was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  Hernandez 2 (2).

Stolen bases:  Daiber De Los Santos (1); Luis Fragoza (1).

Pitching prowess:  Fabian Herrera pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.

Opposition standout:  Jesus Anton struck out four in 3.1 innings, giving up one run on no hits and no walks, which isn't easy to do.

Record:  The DSL Twins are 0-1, tied for ninth, 1.5 games out of first.

TODAY'S TILTS

10:00  DSL Twins at DSL Nationals--completion of suspended game
12:00  Fort Myers (Ty Langenberg, 2-3, 3.56) at Tampa
6:05  Cedar Rapids (Christian MacLeod, 0-0, 2.70) at Great Lakes
7:05  Wichita (Travis Adams, 2-4, 5.85) at Northwest Arkansas
7:07  Syracuse at St. Paul (Caleb Boushley, 5-1, 4.24)

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–June 5

Jack Chesbro (1874)
Sandy Thompson (1895)
Harry Williams (1905)
Eddie Joost (1916)
Lou Brissie (1924)
Duke Sims (1941)
Bill Spiers (1966)
Ray Lankford (1967)
Mike Coolbaugh (1972)
Russ Ortiz (1974)
Robinson Chirinos (1984)
Manny Pina (1987)
Jake Petricka (1988)
Andrew Heaney (1991)
Dereck Rodriguez (1992)
Joe Ryan (1996)
Royce Lewis (1999)

Prior to beginning his major league career, Lou Brissie served in World War II.  He suffered severe leg injuries, receiving the Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts, but overcame his injuries to spend seven years in the majors.

Mike Coolbaugh was the first base coach for the Tulsa Drillers when he was struck on the head with a line drive and killed.

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Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of June 3

FCL RAYS 2, FCL TWINS 1 AT TWINS (GAME 1--7 INNINGS)

The FCL Rays scored in the sixth on an error to break a 1-1 tie.

Multi-hit games:  None.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  Omari Daniel 2 (6).

Pitching prowess:  Anthony Narvaez struck out nine in four innings, giving up an unearned run on three hits and a walk.  Eider Machuca struck out four in three innings, giving up an unearned run on a hit and a walk.

Opposition standout:  Jeremy Pilon struck out seven in 4.2 innings, giving up one run on two hits and three walks.

FCL RAYS 7, FCL TWINS 0 AT TWINS (GAME 2--7 INNINGS)

Jose Contreras hit a two-run double in the second to break a scoreless tie.  The FCL Twins had one hit and made four errors.  Our guess is that the record of teams having more errors than hits is not good.

Multi-hit games:  None.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Yency De Jesus struck out three in three innings, giving up two unearned runs on three hits and two walks.

Opposition standout:  Contreras was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.

Record:  The FCL Twins are 13-9, in third place, two games behind the Rays.

DSL TWINS AT DSL NATIONALS

The game was suspended in the bottom of the third inning with no score.  It will be completed Wednesday.

TODAY'S TILTS

10:00  DSL Mets Orange at DSL Twins
11:00  FCL Twins at FCL Rays
5:30  Fort Myers (TBD) at Tampa
6:05  Cedar Rapids (John Klein, 3-1, 3.89) at Great Lakes
7:05  Wichita (Jaylin Nowlin, 3-2, 3.38) at Northwest Arkansas
7:07  Syracuse at St. Paul (Caleb Boushley, 5-1, 4.24)

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–June 4

Tim Murnane (1851)
Tony Venzon (1915)
Billy Hunter (1928)
John McNamara (1932)
Phil Linz (1939)
Terry Kennedy (1956)
Tony Pena (1957)
Kurt Stillwell (1965)
Scott Servais (1967)
Rick Wilkins (1967)
Darin Erstad (1974)
J. C. Romero (1976)
Aaron Nola (1993)
Cody Stashak (1994)

 Tim Murnane had a long and varied career in baseball, but is best remembered as a sportswriter in Boston.

Tony Venzon was a National League umpire from 1957-71.

John McNamara managed six different major league clubs, going to the World Series with Boston in 1986.

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Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of June 2

ST. PAUL SAINTS 8, ROCHESTER RED WINGS 1 IN ROCHESTER

St. Paul scored four in the fourth to take a 4-1 lead.

Multi-hit games:  Tony Kemp was 3-for-6 with a double and two runs.  Diego Castillo was 2-for-3 with two walks and two runs.  Matt Wallner was 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, two runs, and three RBIs.  Yunior Severino was 2-for-4.  Alex Isola was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.

Home runs:  Wallner (9).

Multi-RBI games:  Wallner 3 (30); Castillo 2 (21); Isola 2 (20).

Stolen bases:  Yoyner Fajardo (3).

Pitching prowess:  Randy Dobnak pitched six innings, giving up one run on three hits and five walks and striking out three.  Nick Wittgren struck out two in a perfect inning.  Ryan Jensen pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.  Kody Funderburk pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.

Opposition standout:  Travis Blankenhorn was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk.

Record:  St. Paul is 25-31, in eighth place, 14.5 games behind Omaha.

SPRINGFIELD CARDINALS 6, WICHITA WIND SURGE 2 IN WICHITA

Springfield scored four in the ninth to break a 2-2 tie.  Wichita had ten hits but was 1-for-12 with men in scoring position.

Multi-hit games:  Kyler Fedco was 2-for-2 with a double and two walks.  Jeferson Morales was 2-for-3.  Kala'i Rosario was 2-for-4 with a home run and a double.  Aaron Sabato was 2-for-4.

Home runs:  Rosario (5).

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Andrew Morris pitched six innings, giving up one run on three hits and two walks and striking out three.  Mike Paredes pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opposition standout:  Max Rajcic struck out seven in 5.2 innings, giving up two runs on nine hits and one walk.

Record:  Wichita is 19-31, in fifth (last) place, 10.5 games behind Springfield.

LAKE COUNTY CAPTAINS 8, CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 1 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Lake County scored four in the third to take a 5-1 lead.  Cedar Rapids made two errors and issued four walks in the inning.  For the game Cedar Rapids made six errors and walked seven.

Multi-hit games:  Dillon Tatum was 2-for-3 with two doubles.  Jose Salas was 2-for-3 with a walk.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Ricardo Velez struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.  Keoni Cavaco pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opposition standout:  C. J. Kayfus was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and two runs.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 30-20, in second place, 1.5 games behind Wisconsin.

FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 2, BRADENTON MARAUDERS 1 IN FORT MYERS

Fort Myers took a 2-0 lead with single runs in the second and third and made it hold up.  Bradenton scored one in the ninth and had the bases loaded when the game ended.

Multi-hit games:  Payton Eeles was 2-for-3 with a walk.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Samuel Perez struck out five in four innings, giving up one hit and one walk.  Ben Ethridge pitched four shutout innings, giving up one hit and three walks and striking out two.

Opposition standout:  Connor Oliver struck out four in three shutout innings, giving up two hits and three walks.

Record:  Fort Myers is 24-27, in fourth place, ten games behind Clearwater.

TODAY'S TILTS

9:00  FCL Rays at FCL Twins--doubleheader
10:00  DSL Twins at DSL Nationals

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–June 3

Ameal Brooks (1907)
Don Osborn (1908)
Barney Morris (1910)
Jim Gentile (1934)
Steve Dalkowski (1939)
Duane Josephson (1942)
Ron Keller (1943)
Ed Glynn (1953)
Barry Lyons (1960)
Steve Lyons (1960)
Nelson Liriano (1964)
Carl Everett (1971)
Bryan Rekar (1972)
Jose Molina (1975)
Travis Hafner (1977)
Ryan Jeffers (1997)
Luis Gil (1998)

Don Osborn won 201 games in the minors.  He later was a minor league manager, pitching coach, and scout.

Some old-timers say Steve Dalkowski had the fastest fastball ever.  He struck out 1,396 batters in 995 minor league innings.  However, he also walked 1,354, which is why he never made the majors.

We also wish a happy birthday to hungry joe's son, Ravenous Rick!

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