TORONTO 4, MINNESOTA 3 IN TORONTO

Date:  Thursday, July 23.

Batting stars:  Gary Gaetti was 1-for-4 with a home run, his eighteenth.  Tom Brunansky was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Kirby Puckett was 1-for-4 with an RBI.

Pitching star:  Joe Niekro pitched 7.2 innings, giving up three runs on five hits and three walks with six strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Dave Stieb pitched a complete game, giving up three runs on five hits and three walks with eight strikeouts.  Lloyd Moseby was 2-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base (his twenty-first), scoring once and driving in one.  Tony Fernandez was 2-for-4 with a walk and two stolen bases (his twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth), scoring once.

The game:  The Twins scored two in the first to take a 2-0 lead.  Fred McGriff homered in the second to make it 2-1.  In the third, Rance Mulliniks delivered a two-out two-run single to put the Blue Jays ahead 3-2.  It stayed there until the sixth, when Gaetti homered to tie it at three.  It was still 3-3 until the bottom of the ninth.  George Frazier, who had come in to get the Twins out of a jam in the eighth, retired the first two batters, but then gave up a single to Garth Iorg.  We again see that not using your closer in a tie game was already a thing thirty years ago, because Tom Kelly brought in Keith Atherton.  He allowed back-to-back singles to Fernandez and Moseby to give Toronto the win.

Of note:  Gagne once again batted second...Puckett was now batting .326...Randy Bush was the DH in this game.

Record:  The Twins were 53-44, in first place by two games over Oakland.

Player profile:  I know people remember Dave Stieb, but I wonder if they remember just how awesome he really was.  He was drafted in the fifth round in 1978, came up to the majors in late June of 1979, immediately went into the starting rotation, and from 1980-85 he was as good as anybody.  He never had great won-lost records (his best was 17-12 in 1983), which probably hurt his reputation a little.  But he made the all-star team in five of those six years and probably should have made it all six.  He was in the top seven of Cy Young voting three times.  He had an ERA under four in all six seasons, an ERA under 3.30 in five of them, and an ERA under three in two.  He led the league in ERA in 1985, in complete games (with 19) in 1982, in shutouts with five that same year, in innings pitched twice, and in ERA+ twice.  He pitched over 240 innings in five of those years and almost certainly would have in 1981 if not for the players' strike.  He averaged 275 innings pitched from 1982-85.  He had one no-hitter and five one-hitters.  The workload took its toll, as he had down years in 1986 and 1987, although he remained in the rotation and still averaged 190 innings in those years.  He bounced back and had three more excellent seasons from 1988-90, and this time his won-lost records showed it:  in those seasons he was 51-22, 3.11, making two more all-star teams and finishing fifth in Cy Young voting in 1990.  He was off to another fine start in 1991, but was injured in mid-May, missed the rest of the season, and never was the same pitcher.  He stumbled through a poor 1992, made four starts for the White Sox in 1993, and then retired.  In 1998, though, at age forty, he decided to come back, pitched pretty well in AAA, and by late June was back with Toronto.  Unfortunately, this isn't a movie:  he went 1-2, 4.83, 1.49 WHIP.  It was a pretty fine career, though:  176-137, 3.44, 1.25 WHIP, 103 complete games, 30 shutouts, 2895.1 innings.  At last report, Dave Stieb was in the real estate business in Reno, Nevada.

MINNESOTA 2, NEW YORK 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Tuesday, July 21.

Batting stars:  Tom Brunansky was 1-for-3 with a home run (his twenty-first) and a walk.  Kent Hrbek was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base, his fifth.  Gary Gaetti was 1-for-4 with a double and a run.

Pitching star:  Bert Blyleven pitched a complete game, giving up one run on seven hits and four walks with eight strikeouts and zero pitches left up.

Opposition stars:  Ron Guidry pitched eight innings, giving up one run on six hits and no walks with four strikeouts.  Mark Salas was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk.  Claudell Washington was 1-for-4 with a double and a run.

The game:  Dave Winfield singled Washington home in the first to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead.  Brunansky homered in the fourth to tie it 1-1.  There was no more scoring until the ninth, when Gaetti led off with double off Tim Stoddard.  Brunansky was intentionally walked and Pat Clements came in to face Hrbek, who singled to center to bring Gaetti home with the winning run.  Apparently, saving your closer for a save situation was a thing back then, too, because Dave Righetti had not pitched since July 17 and would seem to have been available, but was not used.

Of note:  Kirby Puckett was 0-for-4, dropping his average to .325...TK used a rather strange top of the order.  Al Newman led off and was the DH, one of two times that season and in his career that he was a starting DH.  Puckett batted second, with Dan Gladden third.  If someone had the time to look it up, it would be interesting to know if the papers at the time said anything about the reasons for that arrangement.

Record:  The Twins were 52-43, in first place, two games ahead of Oakland.

Player profile:  Tim Stoddard had a pretty long career for being no better than he was.  He was drafted by the White Sox in the second round of the January Secondary draft in 1975.  He pitched one inning for the White Sox in 1975, but didn't really start his major league career until 1978.  He was with Baltimore by then, having been released by the White Sox after the 1977 season.  and started the season with the Orioles, but was sent down in early May.  In the next two years, 1979-80, he was excellent.  He posted a 1.71 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP in 58 innings in 1979, became the closer in 1980, and did a fine job, going 5-3, 26 saves, 2.51, 1.28 WHIP.  In the next two years, however, he was not nearly as good--his ERAs were around 4.00, but his WHIPs were around 1.5.  He was even worse in 1983 and the Orioles traded him to Oakland.  He never played for them, as they included him in a deal with the Cubs before the 1984 season started.  He was 10-6, 3.82 in relief for them, but with a WHIP of 1.46.  He became a free agent, signed with San Diego, was not very good for them, and was traded to the Yankees in in July of 1986 for Ed Whitson.  The Yankees probably thought it was a good trade just because they were rid of Whitson, but Stoddard was actually a useful reliever for them for the rest of 1986 and 1987, posting ERAs in the threes and WHIPs in the 1.2s.  He imploded the next year, however, was released in mid-August, played about half a season for Cleveland in 1989, and then was done.  For his career, he was 41-35, 3.95, 76 saves, 1.42 WHIP in 485 games (729.2 innings, all in relief).  Not awful numbers, I suppose, but not as good as could be expected from someone who played thirteen years in the big leagues.  A random fact about Tim Stoddard:  he is the only man to play on an NCAA basketball champion (NC State, 1974) and a World Series champion (Baltimore, 1983).  The only other man to play in the Final Four and the World Series is Kenny Lofton.  The two men went to the same high school, Washington High School in East Chicago, Indiana.

MINNESOTA 3, NEW YORK 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Wednesday, July 22.

Batting stars:  Kent Hrbek was 1-for-1 with a two-run homer (his twenty-fourth) and three walks.  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-4 with a home run, his fifteenth.  Dan Gladden was 1-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base (his eighteenth), scoring once.

Pitching stars:  Frank Viola pitched eight innings, giving up one run on four hits and two walks with six strikeouts.  Jeff Reardon pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Claudell Washington was 1-for-4 with a home run, his seventh.  Rick Cerone was 1-for-3 with a double.  Bobby Meacham was 1-for-2 with a walk.

The game:  Hrbek hit a two-run homer in the first inning to give the Twins all the runs they needed.  Puckett homered in the fifth to make it 3-0.  The Yankees didn't get a hit until the fourth and did not get a man past first base until the sixth, when Washington homered.  The only other Yankee threat came in the seventh, when Cerone hit a two-out double followed by a walk to Meacham.  Wayne Tolleson then struck out to end the inning.

Of note:  Puckett raised his average to .327...Greg Gagne batted second...Yankee starter Rick Rhoden pitched 6.1 innings, giving up three runs on nine hits and four walks with five strikeouts...The Twins stranded eleven and went 1-for-9 with men in scoring position, with the "one" being the Hrbek homer...The Yankees were 0-for-1 with men in scoring position.

Record:  The Twins were 53-43, in first place, two games ahead of Oakland.

Player profile:  I remember Bobby Meacham being touted as a really good prospect, but it didn't happen for him.  He was a first-round draft choice, chosen by St. Louis with the eighth pick in 1981.  He had a couple of lackluster years in the Cardinals organization, then was traded to the Yankees with Stan Javier for Steve Finch, Bob Helsom, and Marty Mason, none of whom made the majors.  Meacham at least did better than that, getting a September call-up in 1983 and spending most of 1984-88 with the big club, although he was sent back to AAA for periods of time in most of those years.  He was the semi-regular shortstop for them in 1984, sharing the position with Tim Foli and Andre Robertson but getting the majority of the starts.  He was their full-time shortstop in 1985, starting all but nine games.  Unfortunately, he didn't do much with the chance, batting .218/.302/.266 in 1985 and striking out 102 times.  He did lead the league in sacrifice hits with 23.  He had a shot at getting the shortstop job back in 1986, as the Yankees used seven different players there, but his numbers that year were remarkably similar to 1985 in far less playing time.  In fact, the Yankees really didn't find a shortstop until 1996, when Derek Jeter came along--their starters in that period included Wayne Tolleson, Rafael Santana, Alvaro Espinoza, Andy Stankiewicz, Spike Owen, Mike Gallego, and Tony Fernandez.  Meacham was not around for most of that, though--he was a part-time player for the Yankees through 1988, then spent a couple of years in AAA for Pittsburgh and Kansas City before his playing career ended.  For his career, Meacham hit .236/.313/.308 in 1371 at-bats.  He stayed in baseball as a minor league coach and manager, and in 2016 was the manager of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in the Toronto organization.

NEW YORK 7, MINNESOTA 1 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Monday, July 20.

Batting stars:  Steve Lombardozzi was 2-for-3 with a double.  Greg Gagne was 2-for-4 with a double.  Tim Laudner was 1-for-4 with a triple.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Tommy John pitched a complete game, giving up one run on seven hits and a walk with one strikeout.  Mike Pagliarulo was 1-for-2 with a home run (his eighteenth) and two walks, scoring three times and driving in two.  Mark Salas was 3-for-4 with a three-run homer, his sixth.

The game:  There was no score until the fifth, when Pagliarulo hit a two-run homer.  Laudner tripled and scored in the bottom of the fifth to make it 2-1.  Salas then hit a three-run homer in the seventh to put the Yankees in control of the game.  They added single runs in the eighth and ninth.

Of note:  Dan Gladden went 2-for-4...Gagne was moved up to the second spot in the order for this game...Kirby Puckett was 0-for-4, dropping his average to .329...Mark Davidson played right field, with Tom Brunansky at DH and Roy Smalley out of the lineup...Laudner's triple was his only one for the season and one of five in his career...Les Straker pitched well other than the home runs, but his line was still seven innings, six runs, six hits, three walks, and four strikeouts...Four Yankees with Twins connections played in this game:  Salas, who had been a Twin; Pagliarulo, who would be one; Dave Winfield, who also would be one; and John, who broadcast cames for the Twins from 1994-96.  If you want to stretch a point, you could make it five, as Wayne Tolleson's son Steven was in the Twins farm system from 2005-09.

MINNESOTA 7, TORONTO 6 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Sunday, July 19.

Batting stars:  Tom Brunansky was 2-for-4 with a home run (his twentieth) and three RBIs.  Dan Gladden was 1-for-3 with two walks and three stolen bases (his fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth), scoring once.  Gene Larkin was 2-for-4 with a run.

Pitching stars:  Dan Schatzeder struck out six in 3.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk.  Keith Atherton retired all five men he faced, striking out one.

Opposition stars:  Ernie Whitt was 3-for-4 with a home run (his eighth) and a walk, driving in two.  Rick Leach was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, scoring twice and driving in one.  Rance Mulliniks was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer, his sixth.

The game:  Toronto scored two in the top of the first, but Brunansky's two-run homer capped a four-run bottom of the first that put the Twins up 4-2.  Twins starter Mike Smithson couldn't hold the lead, as Mulliniks hit a two-run homer in the second to tie it and Whitt homered leading off the third to put the Blue Jays up 5-4.  In the fifth, Brunansky came through again, delivering an RBI single that tied it 5-5.  Greg Gagne led off the sixth with a single, was bunted to second, took third on a fly ball, and scored on a wild pitch to give the Twins a 6-5 advantage.  Gagne brought home a run in the eighth with a single-plus-error to give the Twins an insurance run and they needed it, because Cecil Fielder homered off Jeff Reardon in the ninth to make it 7-6.  Reardon gave up a two-out walk to Whitt but came out of the rest of the inning unscathed to preserve the win.

Of note:  Gagne was 2-for-4 and scored once...Gladden started in center field, with Kirby Puckett getting the day off.  He moved to left in the ninth when Mark Davidson came in as a defensive replacement for Randy Bush...Bush started in right and batted third, with Brunansky in left...Larkin was the DH, with Roy Smalley out of the lineup...Smithson lasted only 2.2 innings, giving up five runs on seven hits and three walks with one strikeout...Toronto starter Jose Nunez was not a whole lot better, going 4.2 innings and allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out five.

Record:  The Twins were 51-42, in first place, one game ahead of Oakland.

Player profile:  College football star Rick Leach had his best years as a part-time player for Toronto.  Drafted by Detroit with the thirteenth pick in 1979 (he was also drafted in the fifth round by the Denver Broncos), he reached the majors in 1981, spending half the season there.  He was with the Tigers for almost all of 1982 and really all of 1983, and for some reason I think of him mainly as a Tiger, although he spent more seasons with the Blue Jays.  He was primarily a reserve first baseman for Detroit, although he also played some outfield.  In his three years with the Tigers he batted .236/.307/.335 and had only seven runs in 543 at-bats.  Those aren't exactly the sort of numbers you're looking for in a first-round draft choice, so the Tigers released him during spring training of 1984.  He signed with Toronto and became primarily an outfielder.  He didn't do a lot his first two years there, and in fact he spent most of 1985 in the minors.  In 1986-87, though, he was a solid contributor to the Blue Jays as a reserve, batting .297/.351/.421 in 441 at-bats.  He left Toronto after the 1988 season, playing for Texas in 1989 and San Francisco in 1990.  He again put up good numbers as a reserve for the Giants:  .293/.372/.402 in 174 at-bats.  That was his last year, though, as he was released in spring training of 1991 and no one signed him.  He had failed a drug test in August 1990, which probably contributed to the end of his playing career.  For his career, Rick Leach hit .268/.335/.369.  At last report, he was living in Petosky, Michigan.

TORONTO 7, MINNESOTA 5 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Saturday, July 18.

Batting stars:  Gary Gaetti was 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs.  Kirby Puckett was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.  Tom Brunansky was 1-for-4 with a home run, his nineteenth.

Pitching star:  George Frazier pitched three shutout innings, giving up one hit with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Rance Mulliniks was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer (his eleventh) and a double, scoring twice.  Ernie Whitt was 2-for-4 with a home run (his seventh) and three RBIs.  Dave Stieb pitched seven innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts.

The game:  The Twins scored three in the third to take a 3-1 lead, but it was downhill from there.  Whitt hit a two-run homer in the fourth to tie it and Mulliniks hit a three-run homer in the fifth to make it 6-3 Toronto.  Lloyd Moseby's RBI double in the seventh made it 7-3.  The Twins got single runs in the eighth and ninth off Tom Henke but never got the tying run up to bat.

Of note:  Puckett raised his average to .332...Roy Smalley went 0-for-4 and dropped his average to .299.  He would not get back over .300 the rest of the season...Al Newman played second base in place of Steve Lombardozzi, again batting second...Joe Niekro pitched six innings, giving up seven runs (six earned) on seven hits and three walks with two strikeouts.

Record:  The Twins were 50-42, in first place by a game over Oakland.

Player profile:  Rance Mulliniks is another player who had a pretty solid career.  He was drafted by California in the third round in 1974.  He was the Angels' regular shortstop for the second half of 1977 and actually did fairly well, especially for a twenty-one-year-old:  .269/.329/.365.  He had a poor April in 1978, was taken out of the lineup and eventually shipped back to the minors.  He hit very well in AAA, but didn't do much with the very limited playing time he got with the Angels in 1978 or 1979.  The Angels were playing Dave Chalk and an elderly Bert Campaneris at short, so one would think they'd have given Mulliniks more of a chance, but instead they traded him with Willie Aikens and Craig Eaton to Kansas City for Al Cowens and Todd Cruz.  The Royals kept him on the roster all of 1980 and 1981 but rarely played him, although it's more understandable in their case because they had some pretty good infields back then.  They then traded him to Toronto for Phil Huffman, which was the break Mulliniks needed.  Now twenty-six, he became the Blue Jays' regular first baseman in 1982 and took a substantial step forward in 1983, batting .275/.373/.467.  From 1983-88 he had an OPS of over .800 every year but 1986, when it was .757.  He batted .300 or better in three of those six seasons and had double-digit home runs in five of them.  He fell off in 1989, was a part-time player in 1990 and 1991, and got two at-bats in 1992 before ending his major league career.  He never led the league in anything, never made an all-start team, and never won any awards, but he was a solid contributor to a major league team for several seasons.

TORONTO 5,  MINNESOTA 2 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, July 16.

Batting stars:  Steve Lombardozzi was 2-for-3 with a triple, a double, and a walk, driving in two.  Kent Hrbek was 2-for-4.  Tom Brunansky was 1-for-3 with a walk.

Pitching star:  Keith Atherton pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Fred McGriff was 1-for-2 with a home run (his ninth) and two walks, scoring twice.  Jesse Barfield was 4-for-5 with a double and an RBI.  George Bell was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, driving in one.

The game:  Lombardozzi's RBI triple tied it 1-1 in the third, but Bert Blyleven left a pitch up to Fred McGriff in the fourth, putting the Blue Jays up 2-1.  Two walks and two singles made it 4-1 in the fifth.  Lombardozzi doubled home a run in the bottom of the fifth, but the Twins left men on second and third and did not get another hit until the ninth.  Toronto scored in the eighth to make it 5-2.  The Twins opened the ninth with two singles and a two-out walk loaded the bases, but pinch-hitter Randy Bush struck out against Tom Henke to end the game.

Of note:  Kirby Puckett was 0-for-4 to drop his average to .333...Roy Smalley was 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter and his average fell to .308...Blyleven pitched 7.2 innings, allowing five runs on ten hits and six walks with five strikeouts...Toronto starter Jimmy Key pitched six innings, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts.

Record:  The Twins were 49-41, in first place, one game ahead of Oakland.

Notes:  This was the Twins' first game after the all-star break...Puckett had been the Twins' only representative at the all-star game and went 0-for-4 as the National League won 2-0 in thirteen innings...Mark Davidson played center field, with Puckett at DH.

BALTIMORE 5, MINNESOTA 0 IN BALTIMORE

Date:  Sunday, July 12.

Batting stars:  Greg Gagne was 1-for-2.  Al Newman was 1-for-3.  Those were the only two hits the Twins had.

Pitching star:  Keith Atherton struck out two in two perfect innings.

Opposition stars:  Dave Schmidt pitched a complete game shutout, giving up two hits and no walks with seven strikeouts.  Mike Young was 2-for-3 with two home runs (his eighth and ninth), driving in four.  Eddie Murray was 1-for-3 with a home run (his twentieth) and a walk, scoring twice.

The game:  Young hit a two-run homer in the second, Murray homered leading off the fourth, and Young hit another two-run homer later in the fourth.  The Twins did not have a baserunner until the sixth, when Gagne got a two-out single.  Newman singled leading off the seventh, but was erased on a double play, so the Twins batted only one over the minimum.

Of note:  Kirby Puckett was 0-for-3, dropping his average to .337...Roy Smalley was 0-for-3, dropping his average to .310...Joe Niekro pitched six innings, giving up five runs on six hits and three walks with four strikeouts.

Record:  The Twins were 49-40, in first place, two games ahead of Kansas City and Oakland.

Notes:  This was the Twins' last game before the all-star break...Newman played second and batted second, replacing Steve Lombardozzi.  I know Lombardozzi was a weak bat, but he was no worse than Newman, and given that Lombardozzi was an excellent defensive player (at least in my recollection) it's hard to understand why Newman played so much.

Player profile:  This is one of three career shutouts for Dave Schmidt, which isn't bad considering that he spent most of his career in the bullpen.  He had 63 career starts and only started more than 14 games once, in 1989, while making 313 appearances in relief.  He was drafted by Texas in the 26th round in 1979 and made his major league debut in 1981.  He was with the Rangers through 1985 and pitched very well for them, going 20-22, 3.14, 1.26 WHIP with 26 saves in 343.2 innings.  After the 1985 season, he was traded to the White Sox with Wayne Tolleson for Ed Correa, Scott Fletcher, and a player to be named later (Jose Mota).  After a year there, he signed as a free agent with Baltimore.  He started the year in the bullpen, went into the rotation in early June, and stayed there until late August, when his season ended due to injury.  He started 1988 in the bullpen, but again was put into the rotation, this time in August.  He pitched well in both roles, so one assumes teams generally found him to be more valuable in the bullpen.  In 1989, however, he started the year in the rotation and had a bad year, going 8-11, 5.34 before being sent back to the pen in late July.  A free agent after the season, he signed with Montreal and went back to relief, but was not the same pitcher he'd been.  He pitched for two more years, mostly in AAA, then was done.  A Google search reveals very little about his career other than his stats--one could speculate that his arm could not hold up to the rigors of starting regularly, but it would only be speculation.  He has stayed in baseball, in the Orioles organization, and at last report was the Florida and Latin America pitching coordinator for Baltimore.

MINNESOTA 2, BALTIMORE 1 IN BALTIMORE

Date:  Saturday, July 11.

Batting stars:  Randy Bush was 1-for-3 with a home run (his sixth) and a walk.  Gary Gaetti was 1-for-4 with a home run, his sixteenth.  Al Newman was 1-for-4 with a double.

Pitching star:  Frank Viola pitched a complete game, giving up one run on eight hits and two walks with five strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Mike Griffin pitched a complete game, giving up two runs on five hits and four walks with three strikeouts.

The game:  It was a sharp contrast to yesterday's game.  Ron Washington singled in a run in the third to put Baltimore up 1-0.  Bush got the run back in the fourth, leading off the inning with a solo homer.  Gaetti put the Twins ahead in the sixth with another solo homer.  Ray Knight singled leading off the bottom of the ninth and got as far as third base with two out, but pinch-hitter Mike Young grounded out to end the game.

Of note:  Roy Smalley was 0-for-3 with a walk, dropping his average to .314...Viola's ERA fell to 2.96...This was Ron Washington's second game with the Orioles.  He was 4-for-9 in the two games.

Record:  The Twins were 49-39, in first place by two games over Kansas City and Oakland.

Notes:  It was somewhat of a B lineup.  Newman was at shortstop in place of Greg Gagne and led off.  Bush was in right field and batted second.  Brunansky shifted to left, with Dan Gladden out of the lineup, although Gladden came into the game for defense in the seventh.  Mark Davidson started in center field in place of Kirby Puckett.

Player profile:  This was the only complete game of Mike Griffin's career, a career that was most notable for the trades that he was involved in.  He was drafted by Texas in the third round in 1976 but was traded to the Yankees before reaching the majors in a deal that sent Greg Jemison, Juan Beniquez, Paul Mirabella, and Dave Righetti to New York for Mike Heath, Sparky Lyle, Larry McCall, Dave Rajsich, Domingo Ramos, and cash (sadly, you don't seem to see big multi-player deals like that any more).  He got a September call-up with New York in 1979, was with them for about half of 1980, and made two appearances for them in 1981 before being traded to the Cubs as a player to be named later in a deal that also sent Doug Bird and $400,000 to the Cubs for Rick Reuschel.  He was with the Cubs that season, then was sent to Montreal as the player to be named later in exchange for Dan Briggs.  Before the year was up, he was once again a player to be named later, sent to San Diego for Jerry Manuel.  That was the last time he was traded, but he bounced around the minors for quite a while after that.  He made it back to the majors twice:  with Baltimore for half of the 1987 season and with Cincinnati for three appearances in 1989.  Through it all, he appears to have been a thoroughly mediocre major league pitcher--not the worst pitcher in the league, but not someone you'd consider good, either.  Over 203.2 major league innings, he was 7-15, 4.60, 1.51 WHIP.  He looks like pretty much a replacement level player, which is perhaps why he was a player to be named later so often--after all, a replacement level player is not without value, and sometimes having or not having one can make the difference between making the playoffs and not making them.  He has stayed in baseball as a minor league pitching coach, and has been the pitching coach of the Norfolk Tides since 2009.