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Yesterday in the IPA
THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, October 15, 2051
BRANHAM VOTED THE PRO CUP MVP
It was not a unamimous choice for the baseball scribes. In the vote, the pollsters selected Arlon's fabulous rookie Erik Branham over the veteran Lanny Gray in the IPA Pro Cup Most Valuable Player balloting. Branham was named on 56 ballots and Gray on 42. The other two votes went to position players Ivan Cisneros and Carlo Campanella.
It was not an easy decision to make... Branham, a 23-year-old right-hander, went unbeaten in seven starts in the Pro Cup playoffs, charting a 5-0 record with two shutouts and a sterling 1.76 ERA... Gray, a 35-year-old southpaw, was equally as brilliant with three shutouts and a 0.72 ERA in six starts... however, Gray was only 4-2 record-wise, a crucial element in the balloting... he lost two close games, 1-0 and 3-0... Cisneros and Campanella were the best run providers for the new IPA champion... first baseman Cisneros hit .268 with 3 homers, 12 RBIs and 11 runs scored, while second baseman Campanella hit .308 with 2 roundtrippers, 13 runs and 7 RBIs.
During the regular season Erik Branham was 22-13 in 39 starts with a 2.09 ERA... Lonnie Gray chalked up a 21-14 mark and a 2.89 ERA... Ivan Cisneros had a fairly good year with a .271 BA, 20 homers, 87 RBIs and 99 runs, while Campanella batted only a modest .258 with 6 home runs, 40 RBIs and scored 75 runs.
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