Category Archives: Keeping Track

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–May 13

Jimmy Archer (1883)
Larry Gardner (1886)
Babe Dye (1898)
Leroy Morney (1909)
Bill McKinley (1910)
Bill Kinnamon (1919)
Dusty Rhodes (1927)
Johnny Roseboro (1933)
Leon Wagner (1934)
Juan Beniquez (1950)
Bobby Valentine (1950)
Lenny Faedo (1960)
Sean McDonough (1962)
Jose Rijo (1965)
Jack Cressend (1975)
Trajan Langdon (1976)
Barry Zito (1978)
David Hernandez (1985)
John Ryan Murphy (1991)

Hockey Hall of Famer Babe Dye was a minor league outfielder from 1919-1926, spending much of his career in the American Association.  In 811 games, he hit .311, slugged .443, and stole 118 bases.

Bill McKinley was an American League umpire from 1946-65.

Bill Kinnamon was an American League umpire from 1960-69.

Sean McDonough has been a baseball broadcaster since 1988.

College basketball star Trajan Langdon was a third baseman in the low minors for three seasons.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–May 13 →

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–May 12

Chicken Wolf (1862)
Lave Cross (1866)
Jumping Joe Dugan (1897)
Hank Borowy (1916)
Ed Runge (1918)
Yogi Berra (1925)
Felipe Alou (1935)
Ted Kubiak (1942)
Vic Albury (1947)
Bob Heise (1947)
Joe Nolan (1951)
Lou Whitaker (1957)
Kevin Bass (1959)
Willie Lozado (1959)
Mark Clark (1968)
Wes Helms (1976)
Felipe Lopez (1980)
Evan Meek (1983)
Lance Lynn (1987)
Terrin Vavra (1997)

Ed Runge was an American League umpire from 1954-1970.  His son Paul and his grandson Brian have also been major league umpires.

Infielder Willie Lozado was drafted by Minnesota in the third round of the January Secondary draft in 1978, but did not sign.

Terrin Vavra is the son of former Twins coach Joe Vavra.

We would also like to wish a very happy birthday to MagUidhir’s sister.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–May 12 →

Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of May 10

ST. PAUL SAINTS 3, TOLEDO MUD HENS 1 IN TOLEDO

Yunior Severino hit a three-run homer in the fourth and it was all St. Paul would need.

Multi-hit games:  Anthony Prato was 2-for-4 with a double.

Home runs:  Severino (5).

Multi-RBI games:  Severino 3.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Randy Dobnak struck out seven in six shutout innings, giving up five hits and two walks.  Ryan Jensen struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and two walks.  Hobie Harris struck out two in a perfect inning.

Opposition standout:  Mason Englert struck out four and walked one in two shutout innings.

Record:  St. Paul is 15-20, in ninth place, 7.5 games behind Omaha.

ARKANSAS TRAVELERS 5, WICHITA WIND SURGE 4 IN WICHITA (11 INNINGS)

Wichita scored two in the ninth to tie it 2-2.  Each team scored once in the tenth, but Arkansas put up two in the eleventh.  Wichita scored one and had the bases loaded with none out, but did not bring the tying run home.

Multi-hit games:  Jorel Ortega was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.  Kala'i Rosario was 2-for-5 with a double and a walk.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  Ortega 2.

Stolen bases:  Alerick Soularie (7); Rosario (2).

Pitching prowess:  Marco Raya struck out four in four innings, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks.  Jaylin Nowlin struck out eight in 5.1 innings, giving up an unearned run on two hits and three walks.

Opposition standout:  Morgan McCullough was 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, two runs, and three RBIs.

Record:  Wichita is 12-18, in fifth (last) place, eight games behind Springfield.

SOUTH BEND CUBS 7, CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 6 IN SOUTH BEND

Trailing 6-3, South Bend scored four in the seventh.  The go-ahead run scored on a Brian Kalmer double.

Multi-hit games:  Luke Keaschall was 2-for-4 with two doubles.

Home runs:  Misael Urbina (2).

Multi-RBI games:  Urbina 2; Danny De Andrade 2.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Ricardo Velez pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opposition standout:  Jefferson Rojas was 3-for-5 with two RBIs.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 17-13, tied for third with Beloit, 1.5 games behind Quad Cities and Wisconsin.

FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 4, DUNEDIN BLUE JAYS 3 IN FORT MYERS

Dunedin tied it 3-3 in the top of the ninth, but Maddux Houghton doubled home the deciding run in the bottom of the ninth.

Multi-hit games:  Rayne Doncon was 2-for-4.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  Angel Del Rosario 2.

Stolen bases:  Brandon Winokur (6); Payton Eeles (1); Doncon (3); Omari Daniel (1).

Pitching prowess:  Ty Langenberg struck out seven in six shutout innings, giving up two hits and two walks.  Xander Hamilton pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition standout:  Manuel Beltre was 1-for-2 with a double and two walks.

Record:  Fort Myers is 12-19, in fifth place, eight games behind Clearwater and Lakeland.

FCL TWINS 6, FCL RED SOX 5 AT TWINS (7 INNINGS)

A three-run double in the third by Jayson Bass put the Twins up 6-2.  The Red Sox had the tying run on second in the sixth and third in the seventh.

Multi-hit games:  Hendry Chivilli was 2-for-2 with a double and a walk.  Damuery Pena was 2-for-3 with a home run.

Home runs:  Pena (1).

Multi-RBi games:  Bass 3.

Stolen bases:  Bass (1); Yilber Herrera (1).

Pitching prowess:  Liam Rocha struck out four in 3.1 innings, giving up an unearned run on five hits and two walks.  Devin Kirby struck out two and walked one in 1.1 scoreless innings.

Opposition standout:  Jesus Garcia pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.

Record:  The FCL Twins are 3-2, tied for second with the Pirates and Red Sox, one game behind the Rays.

TODAY'S TILTS

9:00  FCL Twins at FCL Red Sox
3:05  Cedar Rapids (C. J. Culpepper, 0-0, 3.65) at South Bend
4:05  St. Paul (David Festa, 0-1, 3.75) at Toledo
5:05  Dunedin at Fort Myers (TBD)
6:05  Arkansas at Wichita (Aaron Rozek, 1-1, 0.53)

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–May 11

Charlie Gehringer (1903)
Rip Sewell (1907)
Eddie Chiles (1910)
Jack Lang (1921)
Nestor Chylak (1922)
Milt Pappas (1939)
Frank Quilici (1939)
Jerry Martin (1949)
Dane Iorg (1950)
Mark Huismann (1958)
Walt Terrell (1958)
Trent Hubbard (1964)
Bobby Witt (1964)
Kerry Ligtenberg (1971)
Francisco Cordero (1975)
Miguel Sano (1993)

Eddie Chiles was the owner of the Texas Rangers from 1980-1989.

Jack Lang was a long-time sportswriter in New York and was the secretary-treasurer of the Baseball Writers Association of America from 1966-1988.

Nestor Chylak was an American League umpire from 1954-1978.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–May 11 →

Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of May 9

TOLEDO MUD HENS 5, ST. PAUL SAINTS 1 IN TOLEDO

Toledo scored two in the second and three in the third to take a 5-0 lead.

Multi-hit:  Mall Wallner was 2-for-4 with a home run.  Alex Isola was 2-for-4 with a double.

Home runs:  Wallner (5).

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  Tony Kemp (2).

Pitching prowess:  Jordan Balazovic struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit.  Scott Blewett pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.  Diego Castillo pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.

Opposition standout:  Brant Hurter struck out nine in five shutout innings, giving up five hits and a walk.

Record:  St. Paul is 14-20, in tenth (last) place, 7.5 games behind Omaha.

WICHITA WIND SURGE 6, ARKANSAS TRAVELERS 2 IN WICHITA

Carson McCusker hit a three-run double in the seventh to break a 2-2 tie.

Multi-hit games:  McCusker was 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.  Emmanuel Rodriguez was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.

Home runs:  Andrew Cossetti (4).

Multi-RBI games:  McCusker 3.

Stolen bases:  Alerick Soularie (6).

Pitching prowess:  Zebby Matthews struck out nine in 6.2 innings in his AA debut, giving up two unearned runs on three hits.  Jarret Whorff pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.  Jared Solomon pitched a scoreless inning, walking one and striking out one.

Opposition standout:  Juan Mercedes pitched five innings, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks and striking out three.

Record:  Wichita is 12-17, in fourth place, seven games behind Springfield.

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 8, SOUTH BEND CUBS 1 IN SOUTH BEND (5 INNINGS--RAIN)

Cedar Rapids scored three in the first and led all the way.

Multi-hit games:  Rubel Cespedes was 2-for-2 with a double, a walk, three runs, and three RBIs.  Keoni Cavaco was 2-for-3 with a home run and two runs.  Danny De Andrade was 2-for-3.

Home runs:  Cavaco (4).

Multi-RBI games:  Cespedes 3; Agustin Ruiz 2.

Stolen bases:  Cespedes (1); Willie Joe Garry, Jr. (4).

Pitching prowess:  Andrew Morris pitched a five-inning complete game, giving up one run on six hits and two walks and striking out four.

Opposition standout:  Yohendrick Pinango was 2-for-2 with a walk.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 17-12, tied for third with Beloit, 1.5 games behind Wisconsin.

DUNEDIN BLUE JAYS 8, FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 3 IN FORT MYERS

Dunedin scored three in the second and led the rest of the way.

Multi-hit games:  Rafael Cruz was 2-for-4 with a triple.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Aaron Holiday struck out three in two innings, giving up an unearned run on two hits and a walk.  Ben Ethridge pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.

Opposition standout:  Grant Rogers struck out six in six innings, giving up one run on five hits and a walk.

Record:  Fort Myers is 11-19, in fifth place, nine games behind Lakeland.

FCL ORIOLES 4, FCL TWINS 2 AT TWINS (7 INNINGS)

The Orioles scored all four runs in the second.  The Twins got both of their runs in the ninth but did not get the tying run on base.

Multi-hit games:  Yasser Mercedes was 2-for-4 with a walk.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  Mercedes (1); Hendry Chivilli (2).

Pitching prowess:   Miguel Cordero struck out four in three perfect innings.  Wilker Reyes struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition standout:  Eccel Correa pitched five shutout innings, giving up four hits and striking out three.

Record:  The FCL Twins are 2-2, in fourth place, one game behind the Pirates, Rays, and Red Sox.

TODAY'S TILTS

11:00  FCL Red Sox at FCL Twins
6:05  Dunedin at Fort Myers (Ty Langenberg, 0-3, 5.75)
6:05  Cedar Rapids (Darren Bowen, 2-2, 4.00) at South Bend
6:05  St. Paul (Randy Dobnak, 2-3, 5.28) at Toledo
7:05  Arkansas at Wichita (Marco Raya, 0-0, 3.07)

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–May 10

Chippy McGarr (1863)
Ed Barrow (1868)
Klondike Douglass (1872)
Harry Salsinger (1885)
Allan Roth (1917)
Hideo Fujimoto (1918)
John McMullen (1918)
Herb Carneal (1923)
Jim Hickman (1937)
Ken Berry (1941)
John Cumberland (1947)
Chris Berman (1955)
Joey Meyer (1962)
Robby Thompson (1962)
Pete Schourek (1969)
Edward Mujica (1984)
Salvador Perez (1990)

Ed Barrow was the manager of the Boston Red Sox from 1918-1920, and is credited with making the decision to make Babe Ruth an outfielder, rather than a pitcher.  He was then general manager of the New York Yankees from 1921-1944.

Harry Salsinger was the sports editor of the Detroit News for forty-nine years.

Allan Roth was the first full-time statistician employed by a major league team, being hired by Branch Rickey in 1947.  He is credited with promoting the idea that on-base percentage is more valuable than batting average and with providing the first evidence that right-handed batters hit better against left-handed pitchers and vice versa.

Hideo Fujimoto holds the Japanese records for lowest career ERA and lowest one-season ERA.

John McMullen was the owner of the Houston Astros from 1979-1992.

With all due respect to John Gordon and Cory Provus, some of us will always consider Herb Carneal to be the Voice of the Twins.

It is rumored that Chris Berman has also been a baseball broadcaster, but no evidence supporting this rumor could be discovered.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–May 10 →

Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of May 8

ST. PAUL SAINTS 11, TOLEDO MUD HENS 6 IN TOLEDO

St. Paul scored five in the second to take a 5-0 lead.  Toledo came back to 6-4 after six, but the Saints scored one in the seventh and four in the eighth.

Multi-hit games:  Chris Williams was 3-for-4 with a double and a walk.  Matt Wallner was 3-for-6 with a triple and three RBIs.  Anthony Prato was 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, and two runs.  Alex Isola was 2-for-5 with a home run, a walk, and three RBIs.  DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. was 2-for-5 with a triple, a double, a walk, two runs, and two RBIs.  Diego Castillo was 2-for-5.

Home runs:  Isola (3).

Multi-RBI games:  Wallner 3; Isola 3; Keirsey 2.

Stolen bases:  Keirsey (9); Castillo (4).

Pitching prowess:  Caleb Boushley pitched five innings, giving up one run on four hits and striking out three.

Opposition standout:  Justice Bigbie was 3-for-4 with two RBIs.

Record:  St. Paul is 14-19, in ninth place, 6.5 games behind Omaha.

WICHITA WIND SURGE 5, ARKANSAS TRAVELERS 4 IN WICHITA

Trailing 4-3 in the ninth, Wichita loaded the bases on two singles and a walk, and an error brought home the tying and deciding runs.

Multi-hit games:  Jeferson Morales was 3-for-4 with two doubles.

Home runs:  None.

Mulit-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  Carson McCusker (1); Jorel Ortega (3).

Pitching prowess:  Pierson Ohl pitched five innings, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks and striking out three.  A. J. Alexy struck out two and walked one in a scoreless inning.  Miguel Rodriguez pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition standout:  Hogan Windish was 2-for-2 with a double and two walks.

Record:  Wichita is 11-17, in fifth (last) place, 7.5 games behind Springfield.

SOUTH BEND CUBS 7, CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 6 IN SOUTH BEND

South Bend scored four in the first and led the rest of the way.  Cedar Rapids scored two in the ninth, but Rubel Cespedes was thrown out trying to go from first to third on an RBI single to end the game.

Multi-hit games:  Keoni Cavaco was 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, two runs, and two RBIs.  Cespedes was 2-for-4 with a walk.

Home runs:  Luke Keaschall (3); Cavaco (3); Willie Joe Garry, Jr (2).

Multi-RBI games:  Garry 2; Cavaco 2.

Stolen bases:  Misael Urbina (6).

Pitching prowess:  Gabriel Yanez pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit.  Kyle Bischoff struck out two in a perfect inning.

Opposition standout:  Chase Watkins pitched 3.1 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out three.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 16-12, in fourth place, 2.5 games behind Wisconsin.

FORT MYERS MIGHT MUSSELS 5, DUNEDIN BLUE JAYS 4 IN FORT MYERS (11 INNINGS)

The winning run scored on a sacrifice fly by Byron Chourio.

Multi-hit games:  Rayne Doncon was 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, and three RBIs.  Payton Eeles was 2-for-4 with a double.  Maddux Houghton was 2-for-5.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  Doncon 3; Chourio 2.

Stolen bases:  Doncon (2).

Pitching prowess:  Samuel Perez struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.  Xander Hamilton struck out three and walked one in two shutout innings.

Opposition standout:  Jean Joseph was 2-for-5 with a double and three RBIs.

Record:  Fort Myers is 11-18, tied for fourth with Bradenton, eight games behind Lakeland.

TODAY'S TILTS

11:00  FCL Orioles at FCL Twins
5:35  St. Paul (Louie Varland, 1-0, 0.75) at Toledo
6:05  Dunedin at Fort Myers (Paulshawn Pasqualotto, 0-2, 3.57)
6:05  Cedar Rapids (Andrew Morris, 1-1, 2.81) at South Bend
7:05  Arkansas at Wichita (Zebby Matthews, no record)

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–May 9

Frank Bancroft (1846)
Tommy Clarke (1888)
Neck Stanley (1905)
Billy Jurges (1908)
Tony Bartirome (1932)
Ron Jackson (1953)
Tom Chism (1954)
Tony Gwynn (1960)
Aaron Harang (1978)
Prince Fielder (1984)
Chase Headley (1984)
Buddy Boshers (1988)
Jace Peterson (1990)
Oswaldo Arcia (1991)
Cade Smith (1999)

Frank Bancroft managed seven teams in nine different seasons over the period of 1880-1902.

Infielder Tony Bartirome is better known as an athletic trainer, working for Pittsburgh from 1967-1985 and for Atlanta from 1986-1988.

Cade Smith was drafted by Minnesota in the sixteenth round in 2017, but did not sign.

We would also like to wish a happy birthday to UncleWalt’s youngest child and to Philosofer's third child.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–May 9 →

Keeping Track

Minor Details: Games of May 7

TOLEDO MUD HENS 7, ST. PAUL SAINTS 5 IN TOLEDO

Toledo scored four in the first.  St. Paul never got closer than two runs.

Multi-hit games:  DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. was 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs.  Patrick Winkel was 2-for-4 with two doubles.

Home runs:  Yunior Severino (4), Keirsey, Jr 2 (6).

Multi-RBI games:  Keirsey, Jr. 3.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Michael Boyle pitched two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.

Opposition standout:  Andrew Navigato was 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, and two runs.

Record:  St. Paul is 13-19, in tenth (last) place, 7.5 games behind Omaha.

WICHITA WIND SURGE 16, ARKANSAS TRAVELERS 2 IN WICHITA

Leading 2-1, Wichita scored two in the fifth, three in the sixth, four in the seventh, and five in the eighth.

Multi-hit games:  Carson McCusker was 5-for-5 with three home runs, a double, five runs, and six RBIs.  Aaron Sabato was 3-for-5 with a home run, three runs, and four RBIs.  Kala'i Rosario was 3-for-5 with two doubles and three runs.  Jorel Ortega was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.  Jeferson Morales was 2-for-5 with a home run and two runs.  Tanner Schobel was 2-for-5 with two RBIs.  Noah Cardenas was 2-for-5 with two runs.

Home runs:  McCusker 3 (4), Morales (2), Sabato (1).

Multi-RBI games:  McCusker 6, Sabato 4, Ortega 2, Schobel 2.

Stolen bases:  Rosario (1).

Pitching prowess:  Travis Adams struck out six in six innings, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk.  John Stankiewicz pitched a scoreless inning, walking one and striking out one.  Taylor Floyd pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out one.

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

Record:  Wichita is 10-17, in fifth (last) place, eight games behind Springfield.

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 16, SOUTH BEND CUBS 6 IN SOUTH BEND

Cedar Rapids scored four in the third to take a 4-3 lead.  It was 10-5 when the Kernels added six in the ninth.

Multi-hit games:  Agustin Ruiz was 3-for-4 with a double, two walks, two runs, and two RBIs.  Rubel Cespedes was 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, three runs, and six RBIs.  Danny De Andrade was 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, and three RBIs.  Ricardo Olivar was 2-for-4 with two walks and two runs.  Nate Baez was 2-for-5 with three runs.  Willie Joe Garry, Jr. was 2-for-5 with two runs.

Home runs:  Cespedes (5).

Multi-RBI games:  Cespedes 6, De Andrade 3, Ruiz 2, Jay Harry 2.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  A. J. Labas pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and striking out two.  Juan Mercedes struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk.

Opposition standout:  Yohendrick Pinango was 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, a walk, and two runs.

Record:  Cedar Rapids is 16-11, in third place, 1.5 games behind Wisconsin.

FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 8, DUNEDIN BLUE JAYS 7 IN FORT MYERS

Jose Rodriguez hit a walkoff grand slam.

Multi-hit games:  Poncho Ruiz was 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs.

Home runs:  Ruiz 2 (2), Rodriguez (4).

Multi-RBI games:  Rodriguez 4, Ruiz 3.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  Spencer Bengard pitched six innings, giving up an unearned run on five hits and striking out five.

Opposition standout:  Eliander Alcalde pitched two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.

Record:  Fort Myers is 10-18, tied for fourth with Bradenton, 8.5 games behind Clearwater.

FCL TWINS 2, FCL PIRATES 0 AT PIRATES (7 INNINGS)

The Twins scored single runs in the third and fifth.

Multi-hit games:  None.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  None.

Stolen bases:  Dameury Pena (1).

Pitching prowess:  Anthony Narvaez struck out six in four shutout innings, giving up four hits and two walks.  Adrian Bohorquez struck out three in three shutout innings, giving up a walk.

Opposition standout:  Miguel Sosa was 2-for-3 with a double.

Record:  The Twins are 2-1, tied for second with the Pirates and Red Sox, one game behind the Rays.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–May 8

Dan Brouthers (1858)
Edd Roush (1893)
Turkey Stearnes (1901)
Mike Cuellar (1937)
Steve Braun (1948)
Dennis Leonard (1961)
Orestes Destrade (1962)
Todd Greene (1971)
John Maine (1981)
Adrian Gonzalez (1982)
Wily Peralta (1989)
Sean Gilmartin (1990)

I could not find out why Edd Roush's first name was spelled with two d's.  I did find out, however, that he had a twin brother whose name was Fred, not Fredd.

Outfielder Turkey Stearns was a star in the Negro Leagues from 1923-1940, posting a slugging percentage of .619.

Mike Cuellar pitched in AAA in the Twins’ organization in 1961.  He does not seem to have belonged to the Twins, however.  It may be that he was temporarily loaned to them, a practice which was not uncommon in the 1960s.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–May 8 →