Category Archives: Keeping Track

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–April 5

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Bill Dinneen (1876)
Wid Conroy (1877)
Bill Lachemann (1934)
Ron Hansen (1938)
Rennie Stennett (1951)
Andy MacPhail (1953)
Cris Carpenter (1965)
Ross Gload (1976)
Jorge De La Rosa (1981)
John Curtiss (1993)

The brother of Rene and Marcel Lachemann, Bill Lachemann is a long-time minor league manager, coach, and scout.

Andy MacPhail, of course, was the general manager of the Twins from 1985 through 1994, a period which included both of the Twins' World Series titles.  He later worked for the Chicago Cubs, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Philadelphia Phillies.  He is the son of baseball executive Lee MacPhail and the grandson of baseball executive Larry MacPhail.

We would also like to wish a happy birthday to Mrs. brianS.

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Keeping Track

Minor Details: Game of April 3

ST. PAUL SAINTS 6, NASHVILLE SOUNDS 5 IN NASHVILLE

St. Paul scored four in the fourth to take a 5-1 lead, then held on.  Nashville had the bases loaded when the game ended.

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

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBI games:  Keirsey drove in two runs.

Stolen bases:  Michael Helman, 2 (2).

Pitching prowess:  Caleb Boushley pitched 5.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits and striking out five.  Michael Boyle retired the only man he faced to get the save.

Opposition standout:  Jared Koenig retired all five men he faced, striking out four of them.

TOMORROW'S TILT

6:35  St. Paul (Randy Dobnak, 1-0, 2.25) at Nashville

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–April 4

Bill Hinchman (1883)
John Hummel (1883)
Tris Speaker (1888)
Joe Vosmik (1910)
Mickey Owen (1916)
Gil Hodges (1924)
Gary Geiger (1937)
Bart Giamatti (1938)
Eddie Watt (1941)
Jim Fregosi (1942)
Mike Epstein (1943)
Nick Bremigan (1945)
Ray Fosse (1947)
Herm Schneider (1952)
Tom Herr (1956)
Brad Komminsk (1961)
Scott Rolen (1975)
Casey Daigle (1981)
Cameron Maybin (1987)
Martin Perez (1991)

Bart Giamatti was commissioner of baseball from April 1, 1989 until his death on September 1, 1989.

Nick Bremigan was an American League umpire from 1974-1988.

Herm Schneider has been a trainer in major league baseball for over thirty years.

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

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Keeping Track

Minor Details: Game of April 2

NASHVILLE SOUNDS 5, ST. PAUL SAINTS 4 IN NASHVILLE

Yonny Hernandez hit a three-run homer in the eighth to give Nashville a 5-4 lead.

Multi-hit games:  Jose Miranda was 2-for-4.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBIs:  None.

Stolen bases:  Will Holland (1), DaShawn Kiersey, Jr. (2)

Pitching prowess:  Simeon Woods Richardson pitched five shutout innings, giving up three hits and two walks and striking out four.  Scott Blewett retired both men he faced.

Opposition standout:  Hernandez, of course, but the homer was his only hit.  Brewer Hicklen was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs.

Record:  The Saints are 2-1, tied for third with Omaha, a half game behind Louisville and Memphis (3-1).

TOMORROW'S TILT

6:35  St. Paul (Caleb Boushley) at Nashville

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–April 3

Guy Hecker (1856)
Henry McHenry (1910)
Larry Shepard (1919)
Alex Grammas (1926)
Art Ditmar (1929)
Wally Moon (1930)
Jerry Dale (1933)
Hawk Taylor (1939)
Larry Littleton (1954)
Darrell Jackson (1956)
Gary Pettis (1958)
Doug Baker (1961)
Chris Bosio (1963)
Mark Shapiro (1967)
Mike Lansing (1968)
Ryan Doumit (1981)
Kyle Phillips (1984)
Jay Bruce (1987)
Jason Kipnis (1987)

Guy Hecker is one of three pitchers to have won over fifty games in a season.  He is also the only pitcher to have won a batting title.

Larry Shepard managed Pittsburgh in 1968-1969.  Coincidentally, he was replaced by Alex Grammas.

Jerry Dale was a National League umpire from 1971-85.  He pitched in the minors for the Washington (now Minnesota) franchise from 1951-52.

Mark Shapiro was the general manager of the Cleveland Indians from 2001-10 and was president of that club from 2011-2015, when he became president of the Toronto Blue Jays.

We would also like to wish a very happy birthday to Papa Pirate.

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Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–April 2

Tommy Bond (1856)
Hughie Jennings (1869)
Bill Yancey (1904)
Luke Appling (1907)
Al Barlick (1915)
Vedie Himsl (1917)
Bobby Avila (1924)
Billy Pierce (1927)
Gordon Jones (1930)
Dick Radatz (1937)
Al Weis (1938)
Mike Kekich (1945)
Reggie Smith (1945)
Don Sutton (1945)
Daniel Okrent (1948)
Tom Johnson (1951)
Billy Sample (1955)
Hank Steinbrenner (1957)
Pete Incaviglia (1964)
Curtis Leskanic (1968)
Denny Hocking (1970)
Jon Lieber (1970)

Shortstop Bill Yancey played in the Negro Leagues for fourteen years, later becoming a manager, coach, and scout.

Al Barlick was a National League umpire from 1940-1970.

Vedie Himsl was a longtime coach and scout, primarily in the Cubs organization.  While pitching for St. John's (Minnesota) University, he struck out twenty batters in a game.

Daniel Okrent was one of the creators of the first fantasy baseball league.

Hank Steinbrenner is one of the owners of the New York Yankees, inheriting the team from his father in 2010.

We would also like to wish a very happy birthday to Lucy.

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Keeping Track

Minor Details: Game of March 31

ST. PAUL SAINTS 5, COLUMBUS CLIPPERS 4 IN ST. PAUL (11 INNINGS)

Yoyner Fajardo's two-run single in the eleventh produced a walkoff win.

Multi-hit games:  Anthony Prato was 2-for-3 with two walks.

Home runs:  None.

Multi-RBIs:  Fajardo drove in two runs.

Stolen bases:  DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. (1).

Pitching prowess:  Ronny Henriquez struck out two and walked one in a scoreless inning.  Jeff Brigham struck out two in a perfect inning.  Hobie Harris struck out two in a perfect inning.  Diego Castillo pitched a perfect inning.

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

TUESDAY'S TILT

6:35  St. Paul (Simeon Woods Richardson) at Nashville

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–April 1

Hugo Bezdek (1884)
Jeff Heath (1915)
Vern Hoscheit (1922)
Bo Schembechler (1929)
Giulio Glorioso (1931)
Ron Perranoski (1936)
Ted Sadowski (1936)
Phil Niekro (1939)
Rusty Staub (1944)
Willie Montanez (1948)
Mike Bacsik (1952)
Mike Kinnunen (1958)
Rich Amaral (1962)
Frank Castillo (1969)
Matt Herges (1970)
John Axford (1983)
Daniel Murphy (1985)

Hugo Bezdek is the only man to manage a major league team and coach an NFL team.  He was the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1917-1919 and the coach of the Cleveland Rams in 1937.  He is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Vern Hoscheit was a long-time minor league manager, scout, and major league coach.  He was also the president of the Three-I League from 1960-61.

Better known as a college football coach, Bo Schembechler was the president of the Detroit Tigers from 1990-1992.

Giulio Glorioso won six ERA titles and four pitching triple crowns in Italy and is a member of the Italian Baseball Hall of Fame.

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Keeping Track

Minor Details: Game of March 30

ST. PAUL SAINTS 8, COLUMBUS CLIPPERS 1 IN ST. PAUL

Alex Isola hit a three-run homer in the second and Yoyner Fajardo hit a three-run homer in the fourth to lead the Saints to victory.

Multi-hit games:  Jose Miranda, 2-for-4; Fajardo, 2-for-4.

Home runs:  Isola, Fajardo, Miranda.

Multi-RBIs:  Isola 3; Fajardo 3.

Stolen bases:  None.

Pitching prowess:  David Festa struck out four in three shutout innings, giving up one hit and three walks.  Randy Dobnak struck out six in four innings, giving up one run on two.  Jordan Balazovic struck out two in a perfect inning.  Scott Blewett struck out one in a perfect inning.

Opposition standout:  Nic Enright struck out all three men he faced.

TOMORROW'S TILT

2:07  Columbus at St. Paul (Brent Headrick)

 

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–March 31

Bill Hallman (1867)
Jack Stivetts (1868)
Big Jeff Pfeffer (1882)
Brick Owens (1885)
Tom Sheehan (1894)
Carson Bigbee (1895)
George Mitchell (1900)
Mule Suttles (1900)
Marv Grissom (1918)
Dave Koslo (1920)
Moises Camacho (1932)
Moose Stubing (1938)
Balvino Galvez (1964)
Chien-Ming Wang (1980)
Jeff Mathis (1983)
Peter Bourjos (1987)
Josmil Pinto (1989)

There have been two players in the majors named Jeff Pfeffer.  They were brothers.  "Big Jeff" Pfeffer was actually Francis Xavier Pfeffer.  Plain old Jeff Pfeffer was actually Edward Joseph Pfeffer.  "Big Jeff" was 6'1", 185 pounds.  Plain old Jeff was 6'3", 210.

Brick Owens was a longtime major league umpire.  His first name was Clarence.  He got the nickname "Brick" after being hit by one while umpiring a game in Pittsburg, Kansas early in his career.

Mule Suttles is sometimes credited as the all-time Negro Leagues home run leader with 237.  He swung a fifty-ounce bat.

One of the top second basemen in the history of the Mexican League, Moises Camacho played  there from 1951-1975.  He was known as the Rogers Hornsby of Mexico.

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