Category Archives: Keeping Track

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–April 16

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Dutch Leonard (1892)
Paul Waner (1903)
Babe Phelps (1908)
Pete Hughes (1915)
Pete Suder (1916)
Joe Bauman (1922)
Rich Rollins (1938)
Bernie Allen (1939)
Garry Roggenburk (1940)
Jim Lonborg (1942)
Bob Montgomery (1944)
Bruce Bochy (1955)
Curt Young (1960)
Fernando Vina (1969)
Antonio Alfonseca (1972)
Kelly Dransfeldt (1975)
Nolan Arenado (1991)

Pete Hughes was a star in the low minors from 1937-1952. His incomplete career numbers are a .350 average and a .637 slugging percentage, but for some reason he never played above Class B.

Joe Bauman hit 72 home runs for Roswell in the Longhorn League in 1954.

Kelly Dransfeldt was drafted by Minnesota in the seventh round in 1993, but did not sign.

Rich Rollins, Bernie Allen, and Garry Roggenburk all played for the Twins at the same time. I wonder how unusual it is for a team to have three players who share the same birthday. They also all were born or raised in the state of Ohio. Rollins and Allen were also business partners for a while.

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Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of April 14

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ST. PAUL SAINTS 13, IOWA CUBS 11 IN ST. PAUL

The Saints led 8-0 after three, 9-2 after four, and 12-3 after five, then held on to win.

Multi-hit games:  Diego Castillo was 3-for-4 with a home run, three runs, and two RBIs.  Chris Williams was 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, two runs, and two RBIs.  Tanner Morris was 3-for-5 with a double. Yoyner Fajardo was 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs.  Yunior Severino was 2-for-5 with a home run, a double, two runs, and five RBIs.

Home runs:  Castillo (2), Severino (2), Williams (1).

Multi-RBI games:  Severino, 5; Castillo, 2; Williams, 2; Fajardo, 2.

Stolen bases:  Fajardo (2).

Pitching prowess:  None.

Opposition standout:  Chase Strumpf was 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs, and two RBIs.

Record:  St. Paul is 7-7, in fourth place, 2.5 games behind Omaha.

SPRINGFIELD CARDINALS 8, WICHITA WIND SURGE 7 IN SPRINGFIELD

Wichita led 7-1 after four and a half.  It was still 7-3 after seven, but Springfield scored five in the eighth to win it.  Matt Lloyd hit a three-run homer to give the Cardinals the lead.

Multi-hit games:  None.

Home runs:  Carson McCusker (1), Jeferson Morales (1).

Multi-RBI games:  Morales, 4.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  A. J. Alexy pitched 3.2 innings, giving up one run on one hit and six walks and striking out two.  Regi Grace struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition standout:  Nathan Church was 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, and two runs.

Record:  Wichita is 1-8, in fifth (last) place, eight games behind Springfield.

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 4, DAYTON DRAGONS 2 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Jay Harry hit a three-run homer in the seventh, turning a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead.

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

Home runs:  Keaschall (2), Harry (2).

Multi-RBI games:  Harry, 3.

Stolen bases:  Keaschall (5).

Pitching prowess:  C. J. Culpepper pitched four innings, giving up one run on two hits and a walk and striking out three.  Juan Mercedes struck out three in 2.2 innings, giving up an unearned run on two hits and a walk.  Jordan Carr pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, walking three and striking out two.

Opposition standout:  Javi Rivera pitched four innings, giving up one run on a hit and a walk and striking out three.

Record:  Dayton is 4-5, in fourth place, two games behind Great Lakes.

CLEARWATER THRESHERS 5, FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 3 IN CLEARWATER

TJayy Walton hit a three-run homer in the fifth to give Clearwater a 5-3 lead.

Multi-hit games:  None.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Ben Ethridge pitched two perfect innings.  Aaron Holiday pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opposition standout:  Braydon Tucker pitched 4.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk and striking out three.

Record:  Fort Myers is 4-5, in fourth place, three games behind Dunedin and Lakeland.

TOMORROW'S TILTS

5:05  St. Paul (Randy Dobnak, 1-1, 3.65) at Indianapolis
6:05  Jupiter at Fort Myers (Ty Langenberg, 0-0, 9.00)
6:40  Cedar Rapids (TBD) at Wisconsin
7:05  Tulsa at Wichita (TBD)

 

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–April 15

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Jim Creighton (1841)
Ed Abbaticchio (1877)
Chaney White (1894)
Ed Bailey (1931)
Willie Davis (1940)
Ted Sizemore (1945)
Jeromy Burnitz (1969)
Milton Bradley (1978)
John Danks (1985)
Chris Tillman (1988)

Jim Creighton was a star pitcher from 1857-1862, before the National League was created.  He passed away from a ruptured hernia in 1862 at the age of twenty-one.

Until Henry Aaron came along, Ed Abbaticchio held the “first in the alphabet” record.  Now, of course, David Aardsma has them both beat.  Abbaticchio is now eighth in alphabetical order, behind, among others, ex-Twin Fernando Abad.

There do not appear to be any major league players with connections to the Minnesota Twins born on this day.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–April 14

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Cannonball Redding (1890)
Marvin Miller (1917)
Gordon Gillespie (1926)
Don Mueller (1927)
Marty Keough (1934)
Pete Rose (1941)
Joe Lahoud (1947)
Ron Schueler (1948)
David Justice (1966)
Greg Maddux (1966)
Greg Myers (1966)
Mike Trombley (1967)
Brad Ausmus (1969)
Steve Avery (1970)
Gregg Zaun (1971)
Kyle Farnsworth (1976)
Cory Gearrin (1986)

Cannonball Redding was a star pitcher in the Negro Leagues.

Marvin Miller was the head of the Major League Baseball Players association from 1966-1983.

Gordon Gillespie holds the record for most wins by a college baseball coach.

It must be kind of a bummer for a big league ballplayer to not only not be the best player born on the day and year he was born, but to not even be the best player with his first name born on the day and year he was born.

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Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of April 12

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IOWA CUBS 6, ST. PAUL SAINTS 0 IN ST. PAUL

Matt Mervis hit a two-run homer in the first and Iowa led all the way.

Multi-hit games:  Yoyner Fajardo was 2-for-4.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Josh Staumont struck out the side in a perfect inning.

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

Record:  St. Paul is 6-6, tied for fourth with Indianapolis and Toledo, 1.5 games behind Iowa and Omaha.

SPRINGFIELD CARDINALS 3, WICHITA WIND SURGE 1 IN SPRINGFIELD (GAME 1--7 INNINGS)

Noah Mendlinger hit a two-run double in the fifth to break a 1-1 tie.

Multi-hit games:  None.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Marco Raya struck out three in three innings, giving up one run on four hits.  Scott Engler struck out three in 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

Opposition standout:  Nathan Church was 3-for-4 with two stolen bases and two runs.

SPRINGFIELD CARDINALS 10, WICHITA WIND SURGE 2 IN SPRINGFIELD (GAME 2--7 INNINGS)

Springfield scored six runs in the third to take a 6-2 lead.

Multi-hit games:  None.

Home runs:  Emmanuel Rodriguez (3).

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  None.

Opposition standout:  Ian Bedell struck out seven in five innings, giving up two runs on three hits and three walks.

Record:  Wichita is 1-6, in fifth (last) place, six games behind Springfield.

DAYTON DRAGONS 5, CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 3 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Cam Collier hit a three-run homer in the ninth to give Dayton a 5-3 lead.

Multi-hit games:  Rubel Cespedes was 2-for-3 with a walk.

Home runs:  Ricardo Olivar (1), Willie Joe Garry, Jr. (1).

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  Jose Salas (2).

Pitching prowess:  John Klein pitched three innings, giving up one run on two hits and four walks and striking out one.  Jacob Wosinski struck out six in three shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk.

Opposition standout:  Rhett Lowder struck out five in five innings, giving up one run on four hits and a walk.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 2-4, in fifth place, 2.5 games behind Wisconsin.

CLEARWATER THRESHERS 3, FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 0 IN CLEARWATER

Clearwater scored one in the fifth and two in the seventh.

Multi-hit games:  None.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  Angel Del Rosario, 2 (5); Brandon Winokur (3).

Pitching prowess:  Jeremy Lee struck out seven in 4.2 innings, giving up one run on four hits and two walks.

Opposition standout:  George Klassen struck out eight in five shutout innings, giving up two hits and two walks.

Record:  Fort Myers is 3-4, in fourth place, three games behind Dunedin.

TODAY'S TILTS

1:05  Dayton at Cedar Rapids (Christian MacLeod, no record)
2:07  Iowa at St. Paul (Aaron Rozek, no record)
5:30  Fort Myers (Charlee Soto, 0-0, 6.00) at Clearwater
6:05  Wichita (Pierson Ohl, 0-0, 3.60) at Springfield

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–April 13

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Herman Long (1866)
Kid Elberfeld (1875)
Jake Stahl (1879)
Claude Hendrix (1889)
Dewey Creasy (1900)
Ben Cantwell (1902)
Pete Quesada (1904)
Roxie Lawson (1906)
Bill Deegan (1935)
John Stephenson (1941)
Jeff Bittiger (1962)
Mark Leiter (1963)
Doug Strange (1964)
Ricardo Rincon (1970)
Kevin Ohme (1971)
Steve Pearce (1983)
Hunter Pence (1983)
Lorenzo Cain (1986)

Air Force General Pete Quesada was one of the original owners of the expansion Washington Senators.  He also was the first head of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Bill Deegan was an American League umpire from 1971-1980.

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Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of April 11

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ST. PAUL SAINTS 5, IOWA CUBS 2, IN ST. PAUL

Diego Castillo hit a three-run homer in the sixth to give St. Paul a 3-1 lead.

Multi-hit games:  Anthony Prato was 2-for-3 with a walk.  DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. was 2-for-4 with a home run.

Home runs:  Castillo (1), Keirsey, Jr. (2).

Multi-RBI games:  Castillo (3).

Stolen bases:  Michael Helman, 2 (4).

Pitching prowess:  Jordan Balazovic retired all seven men he faced, striking out four.  Scott Blewett struck out the side in a perfect inning.  Hobie Harris pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition standout:  Chris Clarke pitched 3.2 scoreless innings, despite giving up three hits and five walks.  He struck out one.

Record:  St. Paul is 6-5, tied for third with Indianapolis, 1.5 games behind Omaha.

SPRINGFIELD CARDINALS 7, WICHITA WIND SURGE 6 IN SPRINGFIELD (10 INNINGS)

Wichita scored single runs in the seventh, eighth, and ninth to tie it  6-6, but Chandler Redmond singled home the winning run with one out in the tenth.

Multi-hit games:  Andrew Cossetti was 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs, and three RBIs.  Emmanuel Rodriguez was 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, a walk, and three runs.  Kyler Fedco was 2-for-4.

Home runs:  Cossetti (1), Noah Cardenas (2), Rodriguez (2).

Multi-RBI games:  Cossetti, 3.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Alex Whorff pitched four innings, giving up one run on three hits and three walks.  John Stankiewiez pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and striking out one.  Hunter McMahon pitched two perfect innings.

Opposition standout:  Nathan Church was 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs.

Record:  Wichita is 1-4, in fifth (last) place, four games behind Springfield.

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 8, DAYTON DRAGONS 4 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Keoni Cavaco hit a two-run double to break a 4-4 tie in a four-run eighth.

Multi-hit games:  Luke Keaschall was 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, and three RBIs.  Jose Salas was 2-for-5.

Home runs:  Keaschall (1).

Mulit-RBI games:  Keaschall, 3; Cavaco, 2.

Stolen bases:  Keaschall (1).

Pitching prowess:  Andrew Morris pitched six innings, giving up one run on three hits.  Kyle Bischoff struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

Opposition standout:  Kevin Abel struck out six in four innings, giving up one run on two hits and a walk.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 2-3, tied for third with Peoria and Quad Cities, two games behind Wisconsin.

CLEARWATER THRESHERS 10, FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 5 IN CLEARWATER

Trailing 5-4, Clearwater scored four runs in the seventh.

Multi-hit games:  Trevor Larnach was 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, and two RBIs.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  Larnach, 2; Rafael Cruz, 2.

Stolen bases:  Angel Del Rosario (3).

Pitching prowess:  Ross Dunn struck out four in three innings, giving up one run on four hits and two walks.

Opposition standout:  Otto Kemp was 3-for-3 with a home run, a double, two walks, three runs, and two RBIs.

Record:  Fort Myers is 3-3, in fourth place, two games behind Dunedin.

TODAY'S TILTS

5:05  Wichita (Marco Raya, 0-0, 3.00) and Travis Adams, 1-0, 0.00) at Springfield (doubleheader)
5:30  Fort Myers (Jeremy Lee, 1-0, 2.25) at Clearwater
6:35  Dayton at Cedar Rapids (John Klein, 0-0, 0.00)
6:37  Iowa at St. Paul (Joe Gunkel, 0-0, 7.71)

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–April 12

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Vic Willis (1876)
Addie Joss (1880)
Bill Bailey (1888)
Eric McNair (1909)
Bill Wight (1922)
Bob Zuk (1927)
Johnny Antonelli (1930)
Terry Cooney (1933)
Charlie Lau (1933)
Woodie Fryman (1940)
Vicente Romo (1943)
Terry Harmon (1944)
Mike Macfarlane (1964)
Paul LoDuca (1972)
Antonio Osuna (1973)
Brad Brach (1986)
Pedro Hernandez (1989)
Dennis Santana (1996)

Bob Zuk was a long-time scout who was responsible for signing, among others, Reggie Jackson, Willie Stargell, and Gary Carter.

Terry Cooney was an American League umpire from 1975-1992.

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Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of April 10

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IOWA CUBS 4, ST. PAUL SAINTS 1 IN ST. PAUL

Patrick Wisdom hit a three-run homer in the fifth to break a scoreless tie.

Multi-hit games:  Chris Williams was 2-for-4 with a double.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. (4).

Pitching prowess:  Matt Bowman struck out three in 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk.  Ryan Jensen struck out three in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition standout:  Thomas Pannone struck out six in five innings, giving up one run on three hits and two walks.

Record:  St. Paul is 5-5, tied for fifth with Nashville, 1.5 games behind Iowa and Omaha.

WICHITA AT SPRINGFIELD

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

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 11, DAYTON DRAGONS 2 IN CEDAR RAPIDS

Leading 3-2, Cedar Rapids scored five in the seventh and three in the eighth.  Rubel Cespedes hit a three-run homer in the seventh.

Multi-hit games:  Cespedes was 4-for-5 with a home run and seven RBIs.  Danny De Andrade was 3-for-4.  Ricardo Olivar was 2-for-3 with two walks, a double, and four runs.  Luke Keaschall was 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs.  Keoni Cavaco was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs.

Home runs:  Cespedes (2).

Multi-RBI games:  Cespedes,7.

Stolen bases:  De Andrade (1).

Pitching prowess:  Zebby Matthews struck out eight in five innings, giving up one run on four hits.  A. J. Labas struck out three in 1.2 innings, giving up an unearned run on two hits.  Ricardo Velez struck out three in 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits.  Miguelangel Boadas struck out two in a scoreless inning.  Kernels pitchers recorded sixteen strikeouts.

Opposition standout:  Hector Rodriguez was 3-for-4.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 1-3, in fifth place, 2.5 games behind Wisconsin.

CLEARWATER THRESHERS 8, FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 7 IN CLEARWATER

Fort Myers scored five in the seventh to take a 6-5 lead.  It was 7-5 going to the bottom of the eighth, but Clearwater scored three to win the game.  Trent Farquhar singled home the deciding run.

Multi-hit games:  Maddux Houghton was 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs.  Angel Del Rosario was 2-for-4.

Home runs:  Houghton (1), Brandon Winokur (1).

Multi-RBI games:  Houghton, 4.  Winokur, 2.

Stolen bases:  Houghton (1), Rayne Doncon (1).

Pitching prowess:  Wilker Reyes struck out three and walked two in two shutout innings.

Opposition standout:  Farquhar was 4-for-5 with a triple, a double, two runs, and two RBIs.

Record:  Fort Myers is 3-2, tied for second with Clearwater and Lakeland, one game behind Dunedin.

TODAY'S TILTS

5:30  Fort Myers (Ross Dunn, 0-0, 2.25) at Clearwater
6:35  Dayton at Cedar Rapids (Andrew Morris, 0-0, 0.00)
6:35  Wichita (Jarret Whorff) at Springfield
6:37  Iowa at St. Paul (David Festa, 0-0, 1.59)

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–April 11

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Pop Corkhill (1858)
Ossee Schrecongost (1875)
Matsutaro Shoriki (1885)
Sam Chapman (1916)
Barney McCosky (1917)
Jim Hearn (1921)
Bob Casey (1925)
Sid Monge (1951)
Bret Saberhagen (1964)
Turner Ward (1965)
Sean Bergman (1970)
Robin Jennings (1972)
Jason Varitek (1972)
Trot Nixon (1974)
Todd Dunwoody (1975)
Kelvim Escobar (1976)
Mark Teixeira (1980)
Andres Blanco (1984)
Alejandro De Aza (1984)
Kenta Maeda (1988)

Matustaro Shoriki is known as the father of Japanese baseball.

Bob Casey was the Twins' public address announcer from 1961 until his death in March of 2005.

Jason Varitek was drafted by the Twins in the first round in 1993, but did not sign.

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