[Westheim]

Short update. I just threw a level 3 tantrum over - well, see yourself.

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Raccoons (50-25) vs. Aces (37-39)

The good news were that we were to miss the Aces’ Jou Hara in this series, who was currently second in pitcher WAR in the CL.

For bad news, a ringing double off the base of the wall in left by Manny Espinosa got the Aces a 1-0 lead in the first. Kisho Saito was not locating his stuff very well in the game and was punished with a 2-run homer by powerwise weak-hitting 2B Scott Spivey in the fourth. Spivey punished Saito once more in the sixth with a 2-out RBI single for a 4-0 score. The Raccoons? They did nothing. Zero. They left two men on in both the fifth and the sixth (both times Spivey made plays on grounders up the middle). They didn’t manage to stitch hits and walks together properly until the eighth, with Saito long out of the game. Vinson walked to start the inning, and Higgins’ grounder was not pulled out by the defense and both were safe. Jose Murillo balked with a full count on Johnston, enabling Johnston to hit an RBI groundout instead of a double play. Matt Brown came up and doubled over Espinosa in right, and now came the tying run to the plate, O-Mo pinch-hitting for Miller, but he lined out to left. Reece barely got away from a wild pitch that moved Brown to third, then showed some more electricity with an RBI double to right. One more knock to get Saito off the hook, which was Salazar’s responsibility. He grounded out… Burnett gave up a run in the ninth, 5-3 Aces. Reece 3-5, 2B, RBI; Johnston 2-4, RBI;

Five losses in a row constituted a crisis, no matter how far ahead of second place your team is. Their non-hitting was agonizing, to say the least. RF Manny Espinosa made two errors and two misplays in this game, and it still didn’t help the Inepticoons a single bit.

Neil Reece’s 24-game hitting streak constitutes a new Raccoons franchise record, breaking a mark set by Tetsu Osanai in 1986.

The Aces sent Sixto Calderon and his 5.17 ERA into game 2. He faced the minimum through three innings. Reece extended his hitting streak with a leadoff single in the bottom 4th with the Coons and Jason Turner trailing 1-0. Salazar’s grounder up right was intercepted by Michael McFarland, but Reece was safe at second and scored when Bobby Quinn singled to left. Game tied. After the top 6th, both teams were held to three hits and a run apiece, but then Turner singled to left to start the bottom 6th. Maybe now something could transpire. Nope, Turner was left on third base by Osanai to end the inning. The Aces tried to crack Turner with throwing every left-handed batter they had at him in the seventh, but couldn’t do it. It also messed up their defense, removing Spivey and Bob Goyer from the game and putting Mario Rodriguez at first and McFarland at short, neither of whom belonging there. Maybe – no. Turner pitched in the eighth, putting runners on the corners with one out. He struck out Espinosa, a lefty, bringing up McFarland, a .319 hitting right-hander. He could do him, right? Yeah, he could – it was close and maybe only Reece’s quick feet kept the game tied when McFarland hurled the ball into deep center. Bottom 8th. Salazar on first, two out, Quinn grounded to second base. Bob Edwards’ throw was dropped by Rodriguez at first, Quinn was on. Osanai coming up against Rick Evans, the big guy would not figure into the decision by walking and leaving it to Vinson with the bases loaded. And Vinson struck out.

The agony.

Contrary to popular belief, Grant West was still with the team, alive and well, and entered in the top 9th of the tied game, his second non-save situation appearance of the year. With two men on, reliever Rick Evans actually had to bat and made the final out – the Aces’ bench was empty. Bottom 9th, O-Mo, Johnston, Higgins scheduled. O-Mo got on, Johnston bunted him over, and then things derailed and we went to extra innings. Bottom 10th, Salazar’s 1-out single created another chance. Quinn singled into shallow right and Salazar ran to third and was safe. Osanai had been removed in a double switch and West was pinch hit for by Matt Brown, the only left-hander we had against righty Vicente Rubio. Here, Matty, make yourself popular in Coon City. He struck out, and Vinson grounded out. Bottom 11th: O-Mo and Johnston singled their way on with nobody out. Higgins bunted the winning run to third base. Bob Arnold to the plate. Winning run at third. One out. He was walked intentionally to create forces at every base, but that brought up Reece. Here, Neil, make yourself popular in Coon City. He went to a full count against Hidekazu Oyama, then laid off the next pitch. Silence for a second. Ball four, BALLGAME!! 2-1 Coons. Reece 1-5, BB, RBI; Salazar 3-5; Quinn 2-5, RBI; Johnston 3-4; Turner 8.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K and 1-2; West 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K;

Daniel Miller got his first career win in the big leagues.

I tell you, Tetsu Osanai is toying with his consecutive games started streak, which would hit 1,000 games some time in August, I think.

Rubber game. Reece extended his streak with an infield single in the first inning, leading off again, before he was properly erased by a double play off Higgins’ bat. Vazquez fell behind 2-0 in the second inning on a Rodriguez home run and the Raccoons – let’s make this short, they bloked themselves out of every chance they got against ill-controlling Francisco Vidrio. That was until the bottom 8th, when Osanai walked. Antonio Gonzalez came up with one out and tatered the ball outta the park to tie the game. Vazquez was still in the game until *after* a leadoff triple by Claudio Garcia in the ninth. Lagarde replaced him in the hope to get two K’s and a grounder to Higgins (in that order), but he threw a wild pitch before he ever got close to finishing that list. Down 3-2, Johnston’s pinch-walk to start the bottom 9th provided a grasp of hope. The next three balls into play were all hard hit to the edge of the warning track, and all intercepted. 3-2 Aces.

In other news

June 25 – NO-HITTER: San Francisco’s Chris O’Keefe (9-5, 2.47 ERA) no-hits the visiting Titans in a 1-0 win, allowing only three walks to Boston batters. Zahid Mashwanis scored the Bayhawks’ only run in the first inning with a double collecting Diego Rodriguez. This is the 14th no-hitter in ABL history, and the second for San Francisco after Rafael Espinoza’s gem almost exactly two years ago on June 20, 1989. Espinoza’s no-hitter was also the last one not pitched against the Thunder (three since then). The Titans found themselves on the receiving end in a no-hitter for the first time. It is the sixth no-hitter pitched in June, leading all months (Salah Brunet, IND, 1977; Roger Weaver, RIC, 1984; Eric Edmonstone, NYC, 1984; Carlos Guillen, NYC, 1985; and Espinoza’s).
June 25 – Atlanta’s Mike Dye (2-3, 3.52 ERA, 9 SV) holds the Canadiens at bay in a 4-2 win, collecting his 300th career save.

Complaints and stuff

I’m gonna go, read a book. Sounds like more fun.

It is not a baseball book.