9/15/1980
Week #23 Recap
Record: 97-50
Position: 1st (9 games ahead of San Diego)
Runs Scored: 733 (1st in Hickory League)
Runs Allowed: 505 (1st in Hickory League)
Defense: .721 (1st in Hickory League)
Power Ranking: 124.8,o (1st in TBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 78/100
The Mallards go 4-2 this week:
9/8 - beat Los Angeles 1-0 (W-Patterson, 5-4, L-Schaumburg, 1-15) - This was a pitching gem for both clubs. Neither team scored in regulation, and we won it in the bottom of the 10th thanks to a Grier walk-off home run (30). 3 hits for Grier. Jimmy Riggs pitched 9 innings of shutout ball, but didn’t get the win.
9/9 - beat Chicago 14-4 (W-Leyva, 16-7, L-Wofford, 5-4) - HRs by Baldridge (4), Carroll (21). 3 hits by Swan, Schwartz, and Leyva. 6 RBI by Baldridge, 3 for Leyva.
9/10 - loss to Chicago 1-0 (W-Gutierrez, 13-8, L-Figiel, 13-10) - 3 hits only for Mallards.
9/11 - loss to Chicago 3-2 (W-Wyble, 2-0, L-Pattesron, 5-5) - HR by Barnett (1).
9/12 - beat Brooklyn 7-1 (W-Amador, 11-5, L-Mendez, 6-14) - HRs by Swan (18) and Carroll (22). 4 RBI by Swan. 2 hits each for Swan, Carroll, Rainey, Baldridge.
9/13 - beat Brooklyn 4-3 (10) (W-Patterson, 6-5, L-Waller, 2-5) - HRs by Grier (31) and Swan (19). 2 hits for Grier, Carroll, Musgrave.
Hitting Notes- Ian Auld’s average fell a bit, to .348 on the season.
- Auld reached 100 runs scored this week, joining Swan in the Century Club for runs scored. Grier needs 2 more to reach 100.
- No RBI this week for Schwartz, so he remains at 94 on the season.
- Swan’s WAR is up to 8.2 on the season. Schwartz is at 7.5, and Grier is at 6.5.
Pitching Notes
- Ruben Solis has been deemed healthy. He will get a start or two down at AAA Porterville as he works his way back.
- With his 16th win this week, Juan Leyva took over the team lead in Wins.
- Bob Figiel reached double digits in losses for the season, with his 10th loss coming this week.
- Bob Carithers started 2 games for Porterville, pitching complete games in both of them and tallying a 3.00 ERA. We will send Pedro Medina down to AAA to make room for Bob on the Big Club roster. Jimmy Riggs moves back to the bullpen.
Other Team News- We clinched the HL West on September 14th!
- Our fan interest jumped from 73 to 78 with the clinching of the division.
Next Week- 1 more vs. Brooklyn
- 3 games vs. Milwaukee
- 3 games @ Pittsburgh
Standings Notes- Philadelphia is holding on to its 2 game lead over Baltimore, with 7 games remaining. Their Magic # is 6.
- Cleveland has regained 1st Place in the AL East, leading Washington and Detroit by 2 games. Their Magic # is 6.
- Kansas City leads the AL West by 2 games over St. Louis, with a Magic # of 6 also.
- Top 10 in Power Rankings:
- Milburn
- Philadelphia
- Baltimore
- Kansas City
- San Diego
- Pittsburgh
- St. Louis
- Chicago Stars
- LA Seraphs
- Cleveland
Around the League- San Francisco Seals SP Tom Dewitt learned he will be out another 3 months due to bone chips in his elbow. He is undergoing surgery tomorrow in San Francisco.
- Cincinnati has fired its GM, Buck Ormsbee. The 59-year-old has been in the role for the past 8 seasons.
- Brooklyn CF Larry Norlander was named HL Player of the Week this week. In the past 7 days, he has batted .500 with 2 home runs and 6 RBI. On the season he is hitting .268 with 16 home runs and 67 RBI.
- LA Seraphs 2B Lavell Ford was named AL Player of the Week after batting .476 with 2 home runs and 11 RBI this week. On the season he has a .264 average with 19 home runs and 87 RBI.
- Looks like there will be no Triple Crown winner this year as Jim Steadman of the Baybirds appears to have the batting title wrapped up. He is hitting .371, while Jim Corbin is at .357.
- The Ash League Home Run race is wrapped up, as KC’s Roger Dumont has a 43 home run total to teammate Lew Wafer’s 27. The Hickory League is up in the air still though, as Philly’s Mike Seawright has 41, while Pitt’s Jim Corbin has 39.
- Steadman currently has a 20 game hitting streak going as well.