United States Baseball League: The Dynasty!

[Bobbuttons]

The United States Baseball league started as an alternate replay of baseball history. It now continues as a dynasty as in 2003 I have taken control of the worst team from 2002, the Minneapolis Millers. The Millers are a hapless franchise on the verge of collapse. Pulling in just 16,000 fans a game last year in a ballpark that seats over 50,000 it seemed as though the Millers would be moving to a new city. I don't want to see that happen. Minneapolis has had the franchise since the very first league expansion in 1941. Since then, though, times have been tough. The Millers have won 5 division titles (last one in 1985) but have never won a pennant.

Minneapolis Millers 2002 record: 61-101

Only 2002 All-Star: 2B Brent Gates, who left via free agency this year

2003 Starting Lineup and 2002 stats

1. Edgar Renteria 2B .238/14 HR/62 RBI/21 SB
2. Aaron Ledesma SS .285/4/29
3. Aubrey Huff LF .240/33/94
4. Tony Clark 1B .230/38/90
5. Carlos Lee RF .249/9/28
6. Jim Leyritz C .248/27/68
7. John Jaha DH .250/13/37
8. Luis Matos CF .238/5/29
9. Dean Palmer 3B .212/38/99

Notes: Our only free agent pickup was 39 year old catcher Leyritz, coming off a decent year with Denver. He returns to Minneapolis who drafted him 9th overall in 1990. Lacking a true leadoff hitter, I have put Renteria there (7/10 rating in hitting, some speed). Middle of the lineup is strong. Matos spent 1/3 of last year in AAA, where he only batted .229 in 166 at bats, but has solid enough ratings in my opinion to be a bottom of the lineup hitter (6C/6P/7G). Despite Palmer's high HR and RBI totals I have him batting last because (a) I am comfortable with my 1 through 8 hitters and (2) I don't like that .212 average higher in the lineup. I would grade my lineup as a B-.

Starting Rotation
Andy Pettitte (3-4 49G/3GS/4.00ERA)
Byun-Hyun Kim (3-1 24G/0GS/2.37)
Tim Hudson (2-6 15GS/5.32)
Paul Wilson (4-9 17GS/5.38)
Casey Fossum (6-15 2.58 in A)

Notes: Only Hudson and Wilson have a lot of experience starting. Fossum had good ratings (6S/7C/7M) so I decided to give him a shot at the 5th starter spot. I would grade the rotation at a C.

Bullpen
Julio Valera RH (0-6 18G/11GS/11.12)
Grant Roberts RH (13-11 3.29 in AAA)
Scott Sullivan RH (3-4 74G/4.54)
Ricardo Rincon LH (1-3 94G/4.02 Lefties batted .219)
Gabe White LH (5-8 55G/4.14 Lefties batted .207)
Closer
John Rocker LH (3-6 57G/24S/2.58 Opponenst batted .137)

Notes: The bullpen was bad. I was able to unload salary and trade for Scott Sullivan and brought in Rincon to be my goto lefty. Rocker, despite being a complete jackass, is nearly unhittable in the closer role. Bullpen grade: B

Team payroll: around $37,000,000, 22nd/24 teams

We had the first draft pick this year and we selected a good looking OF, 22 year old Asbel "The Dream" Silvas. Has a 10/10 contact talent which is already at 6, a 6 in power (only 2 now), very good speed. He will start the year in AAA.

I believe we should be competitive this year, hopefully hovering around the .500 mark, which should hopefully set us up for resurgence for this franchise over the next few years.

Next up: The Season Begins

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Season Opening Series: Dallas Eagles at Minneapolis Millers

The season got underway the day before with 3 games, but for us it began on Tuesday, April 8th, 2003. Dallas finished 2nd in the AL Central last year, 15 games behind Cleveland. They are led by 42 year old ace and 314 game winner Steve Ontiveros. Ontiveros was only 13-14 last year, but had an ERA of 3.28. Ontiveros was on the mound here and faced my number one, lefty Andy Pettite. After retiring the first two Eagles, Pettite gave up a long ball to Junior Griffey and we were down 1-0. In the third, he would give up 2 more runs. All we could muster off of Ontiveros was a 2 out rbi double by Aubrey huff, to make it 3-1. After they scored a run in the 5th, we would answer with one in the 6th. Heading into the seventh, we were still in it, 4-2, now facing Dallas' bullpen. Saldy, our bullpen gave up a run in the 7th, 8th and a 2 run homer in the 9th, and fell 8-3. Ontiveros got the win, number 315 of his career. More than 25,000 fans came out for a season opening hat day promotion.

In game two, in front of only 11,097 fans, Byun-Hyun Kim started against Andy Benes. It was a classic pitcher's duel for 6 innings. Kim pitched 6 brilliant innings, giving up 1 run off of 3 hits, with 8 k's. Benes matched him inning for inning and in the 7th it was a 1-1 game. Until, that is, Gabe White came on and gave up a two run double by Chuck Carr and a two run homer to Griffey. Solo shots by Ledesma and Tony Clark made it a 5-3 game after 7, but we would go on to lose 6-3.

Game three was a nightmare. The one run scored off of Tim Hudson in the top of the first was just the tip of the iceberg. 6 Runs in the 2nd, capped by Griffey's three-run homer, his third of the series, chased Hudson. Julio Valera would give us much needed innings, 4 2/3, but give up 7 runs of his own. By the time our offense figured out Ken Hill it was 13-0. We would outscore Dallas 9-1 after that, but would drop a tough one 14-9. Renteria, Huff and Jaha would each have 3 hits in the losing effort. Hudson would get flogged with a wet noodle.

Record: 0-3

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Detroit Racers at Minneapolis Millers

Yeah, another slugfest for my overworked pitching staff. Luckily, Paul Wilson was able to 7 and 2/3, though he gave up 7 runs. The offense was on and we led 12-7 when he left. That would be the final. Tony Clark would hammer two homers and drive in 4, while Jimmy Leyritz would hit a homer and drive in 4 of his own.

In game two of the series, rookie Casey Fossum would face Francisco Cordova and the rookie would lose big. Despite looking good for 4 innings, Detroit would figure out Fossum and score 8 runs off of him in the next 3 (don't ask me why I stuck with him that long... frankly I don't even remember). Shawn Green's pair of homers led to a 10-2 loss. We managed only 4 hits. To top it off, we lost John Jaha for a month when he broke his jaw swinging at a fastball with his jaw. After the game he was placed on the 15-day DL and top draft pick Absel Silvas was called up.

Game three pitted Andy Pettite against Mike Hampton. Both were brilliant and we found ourselves down 2-1 in the bottom of the 8th. Carlos Lee doubled for his 4th hit of the game and was singled in by Matos. Then with Matos at second, the rookie number one pick Silvas was called on for his first major league at bat. He would promptly single home the go ahead run. Rocker would nail down his first save in the 9th.

Record: 2-4

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Minneapolis Millers at Seattle Storm

We play our first road games in the Emerald City. After his heroic GW rbi in the last game, Silvas got his first start in CF. In his first at bat, on an 0-1 fastball, Boo-yah! Silvas goes deep and it's 1-0. Kim's rocking until the bottom of the 3rd. A couple of singles and a walk and Carl Everett comes up and launches a granny... now it's 4-1. After a Dean Palmer homer in the 7th we trailed by two in the 9th. We got one in the 9th, but Silvas popped out with a chance to be a hero again... a 4-3 loss.

Tim Hudson redeems himself! Facing Clint Sodowski, Hudson had his good stuff, giving up just 2 runs in 7 innings. Figuring out Sodowski, who had a few dozen innings spread out over several years as a journeyman, took a while. It finally happened in the 6th, capped by Matos hitting a grand slam to make it 5-2. Back to back homers by Clark and Lee gave us some insurance as we cruise to a 7-2 win.

The series ends as Wilson faces Johann Santana. Trailing 2-0 in the 4th, Matos does it again, capping a 5 run inning with a three run bomb. We would hang on to a 6-3 win with Rocker picking up save number 2, and Paul Wilson, despite having an ERA near 7 is 2-0.

Record: 4-5

[Elendil]

Here's a tidbit apropos of nothing. I learned this when I was at a job interview in Minneapolis. Do you know why all the Twin Cities teams have always been called the "Minnesota [X]" rather than "Minneapolis [X]" or "St. Paul [X]"? (Well, except for the Minneapolis Lakers and we saw what happened to them.) Because people from Minneapolis and St. Paul hate each other's cities so much that they would root against a team with the name of the neighboring city.

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Cleveland Buckeyes at Minneapolis Millers

We return home to face defending division champ Cleveland. Bucks ace Cal Eldred, signed at the beginning of last year (14-10 3.92) was facing our number 1, Andy Pettite. This game turned into a true classic. For five innings each pitcher kept the other team off the scoreboard. Then in the 6th, a one out double by Ledesma followed by an rbi double by Tony Clark put us up 1-0. That inning gave us two of our only 4 hits for the game as Eldred would get a complete game. After 7 shutout innings, Pettite was pulled. Scott Sullivan would hold the lead in the 8th and John Rocker would strike out the side in the 9th to pick up his 3rd save. Pettite would get his first win of the year.

In game two, Casey Fossum took the mound against Ismael Valdez. Cleveland would jump out in the 2nd to a 2-0 lead, and would make it 4-0 after an Enrique Wilson 2-run homer in the 5th. Fossum would give up a 6th inning solo shot to Bernie Williams before being pulled with us down 5-0. We would finally get on the board in the bottom of the 6th thanks to a two run double by Aaron Ledesma. For Cleveland, Pat Burrell would hit a crucial two-run homer in the 7th as we would score a pair in the 8th and the 9th, but Ledesma would come up empty with the tying run at 2nd and 2 out... we lost 7-6.

Game three gave us a Byun-Hyun Kim matchup versus Matt Morris, coming off a 13-8 season in 2002. Morris would be just too much for us as our bats continued to sleep. For the Bucks, however... they had no problem, scoring 5 off of Kim before he left after 5 innings. Bobby Abreu would hit a homer and drive in 3 and Bernie Williams would drive in 2. We would go on to lose 7-2. The only bright spot was Tony Clark's 6th homer of the year. Aaron Ledesma would extend his hitting streak to 13 games, which would be the last in his streak.

Record: 5-7

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Minneapolis Millers at Detroit Racers

We pack up and head to the Motor City. Game one featured a great duel between Detroit's Robert Ellis and our Tim Hudson. Hudson would have his second strong outing, just giving up single runs in the first two innings. Thanks to Aubrey Huff's first home run of the year, a two-run shot in the 2nd, the game was tied at two until the 6th. Luis Matos singled home the go ahead run and the bullpen was able to hold. Hudson picked up his 2nd win and Rocker nailed down his 4th save. Rocker would put the tying run at third with 1 out, but would get the next two batters swinging (John Olerud and Shawn Green). Final score 3-2.

Game two featured yet another pitcher's duel, which is about the only thing my offense can afford these days. Andy Pettite was brilliant for 8 and a third shutout innings but since I was thrown out in the 7th arguing a call, the computer decided to bring in lefty specialist Gabe White to pitch in the 9th... he would give up a homer but would somehow hold on for the 2-1 win... that was also thanks to a top of the ninth home run (number 7) by Tony Clark to give us the extra insurance run that was pivotal. Pettite went to 2-1 on the year.

Paul Wilson would go out trying for the sweep against Mike Thurman. Things were looking up in the first when Aubrey Huff capped a four run inning with a three run jack, his 2nd of the year. Sadly, that was our only positive.. we would not get another hit the rest of the game. For Detroit, John Olerud and Shawn Green would homer and drive in 3 as we lose 8-4. Wilson got shelled, giving up 6 of the runs.

Post Series Notes: I am really starting to get concerned about our hitting. Not quite sure yet whether our lineup is that bad or if we just have too many people in bad slumps. Still, though.. I am scouring the waiver wire in hopes of finding someone that can add some punch to the order, especially the top as Renteria has been awful and after a hot start, rookie Silvas has cooled off and in now batting under .300.

Record: 7-8

[goroyals]

Good read so far. But seriously how old is Jaha?

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by Elendil

Here's a tidbit apropos of nothing. I learned this when I was at a job interview in Minneapolis. Do you know why all the Twin Cities teams have always been called the "Minnesota [X]" rather than "Minneapolis [X]" or "St. Paul [X]"? (Well, except for the Minneapolis Lakers and we saw what happened to them.) Because people from Minneapolis and St. Paul hate each other's cities so much that they would root against a team with the name of the neighboring city.

Talk about nasty neighbours

[Elendil]

Originally Posted by canadiancreed

Talk about nasty neighbours

No kidding. But it's kind of neat too, in a way.

[Bobbuttons]

Originally Posted by goroyals

Good read so far. But seriously how old is Jaha?

Jaha is currently 36. He was claimed off waivers from New Orleans last year and hit .250 with 13 homers and 37 rbi in 76 games with the Millers.

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Cincinnati Pioneers at Minneapolis Millers

Cincinnati comes to town as Bill Pulsipher faces Byun-Hyun Kim. Jimmy Leyritz would start off a fine pitcher's duel with an rbi in the second and 1-0 it would stay until the Pioneers tied it in the 6th, thanks to a Gary Sheffield rbi. In the 7th, it would fall apart for us. Three runs capped by Sean Casey's two run double would put us behind 4-1. That was how it would end. Kim had a wasted effort, going 6 and a third giving up two runs on two hits. Ricardo Rincon just couldn't keep it close as he gave up 2 of the 3 7th inning runs.

Game two of the series featured Jason Bere against Casey Fossum. Fossum would again get hammered. This time for 7 runs in 4 innings. The Pioneers would run away with a 7-2 victory with our only bright spot being Grant Roberts brilliant relief effort, pitching 4 and 2/3 shutout innings giving up just 2 hits, striking out 6 and walking none. Fossum was sent back down to double A after this with a record of 0-3 and a 12.06 ERA.

The series closed out with our Tim Hudson, who has pitched well of late and 2W-1L tons of fun, David Wells. Husdon picked up where he left off pitching very well through 4 innings with Jason Lane and Tony Clark homers giving us a 2-0 lead. Then it all fell apart for Hudson. It all started with a Richard Hidalgo solo shot in the 5th, followed by 2 more runs. Then 3 in the 6th. A two run Aubrey Huff homer put us back in it 6-4 in the bottom of the 6th and we cut it to 6-5 in the 7th. But then Ricardo Rincon does it again, giving up 3 of the 4 runs scored in the 8th and we lose 10-5. Swept at home and I am not happy.

Record: 7-11

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Minneapolis Millers at Los Angeles Kings

We head to the City of Angels to face the hitless wonders with a good pitching staff. Game one was a matchup of Scott Erickson and my ace Andy Pettite, who has really been good this year. Tony Clark would get us on the board in the first with a two-run homer, his 9th of the year. Aubrey Huff would double our lead with a two-run shot of his own in the 3rd. Pettite was the real story, though, pitching another strong 7 innings giving up 6 hits and 1 run. Grant and Rincon would both face one batter and each put the batter on base.. then after Scott Sullivan got an out, I brought in Rocker needing 5 outs for the save facing Barry Bonds first. He would mow down 4 of the 5 with k's and easily pick up save number 5. Pettite goes to 3-1 and lowers his ERA to 1.77.

Game two of the series had Kim facing Jeremy Gonzalez (I think his name was Jeremy... ). It did not look good early as Kim gave up 5 runs and wasn't able to survive the first, getting just two outs. It would be up to Julio Valera to stop the bleeding. He would pitch fine for 5+ innings, but that's not the big story. The big story was that after we fell behind 6-0 in the bottom of the third, my short fuse ran out. I got myself tossed because I just couldn't watch another poor hitting and poor pitching performance.... bad call on my part. In the top of the very next inning, the Millers would rally with a 12 spot thanks in part to by a homer by Tony Clark and grand slams by the rookie Silvas and Jim Leyritz. Tony Clark would hit his second of the game and 11th of the year in the 6th and we would somehow come back to roll to a 15-7 win.

We would begin the month of May with a chance at a sweep on the road, where we have actually played pretty well. Paul Wilson would face Octavio Dotel and both pitchers would have the strikeout pitch going, combining for 20. Dotel was the class of the game though, holding us to just 5 hits and 2 runs, one of which was Leyritz's 3rd longball of the year. For L.A., it was the longball that killed us (as it has so far all year). Barry Bonds hit a pair of homers, driving in 3 and the (for some reason) pesky Emil Brown went deep and drove in 3 as well. Wilson would be chased in the 7th, after giving up 6 runs and we would lose 8-2. Wilson drops to 2-2 with a 7.82 ERA.

***Note***
Tony Clark won the Continental League Batter of the Month Award, batting .373 with 11 homers and 20 rbi.

Record: 9-12

[Bobbuttons]

U.S.B.L. Monthly Update
May 2nd, 2003

Continental League Standings

Central

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Dallas 15 7 .682 - 14-8 1 6-4 9-3 3-2 4-5 138 W6 6-4
Chicago 12 10 .545 3.0 11-11 1 5-8 7-2 2-1 2-1 - L1 4-6
Cleveland 11 10 .524 3.5 10-11 1 6-6 5-4 0-0 4-2 - L2 7-3
Detroit 11 10 .524 3.5 13-8 -2 5-4 6-6 0-1 2-7 - W1 5-5
Minneapolis 9 12 .429 5.5 8-13 1 3-9 6-3 0-0 4-2 - L1 4-6
Milwaukee 7 14 .333 7.5 6-15 1 4-8 3-6 1-0 3-1 - W1 1-9

Western

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Kansas City 11 10 .524 - 10-11 1 6-6 5-4 0-0 6-1 141 L1 6-4
Cincinnati 12 11 .522 - 11-12 1 7-6 5-5 2-1 3-3 140 W2 7-3
Denver 11 11 .500 .5 12-10 -1 1-5 10-6 0-2 2-4 - L5 3-7
St. Louis 11 11 .500 .5 12-10 -1 4-5 7-6 0-2 1-2 - W2 7-3
Los Angeles 10 11 .476 1.0 9-12 1 6-6 4-5 1-0 3-4 - W1 5-5
Seattle 9 12 .429 2.0 11-10 -2 5-4 4-8 1-1 2-4 - L2 5-5

Atlantic League Standings

Northern

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Toronto 14 9 .609 - 13-10 1 8-5 6-4 2-0 6-3 139 W3 8-2
Pittsburgh 11 10 .524 2.0 13-8 -2 7-2 4-8 0-1 4-5 - L3 4-6
Boston 12 11 .522 2.0 8-15 4 6-7 6-4 0-0 5-1 - W1 6-4
Brooklyn 10 11 .476 3.0 10-11 0 6-6 4-5 2-3 4-5 - W2 4-6
Philadelphia 10 13 .435 4.0 11-12 -1 5-7 5-6 0-1 6-7 - L2 5-5
New York 7 15 .318 6.5 8-14 -1 2-10 5-5 0-0 0-4 - W1 2-8

Southern

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Jacksonville 16 6 .727 - 14-8 2 7-3 9-3 1-1 4-4 141 W2 8-2
Miami 16 6 .727 - 17-5 -1 5-2 11-4 0-1 5-1 141 W1 6-4
Baltimore 13 10 .565 3.5 13-10 0 7-7 6-3 1-0 4-2 - L1 7-3
Norfolk 9 13 .409 7.0 9-13 0 2-5 7-8 1-0 4-3 - W1 3-7
D.C. 8 14 .364 8.0 11-11 -3 6-6 2-8 0-0 2-6 - L2 4-6
New Orleans 7 15 .318 9.0 7-15 0 4-8 3-7 0-0 2-5 - L1 2-8

[Bobbuttons]

Continental League Leaders

Batting Leaders

# TOP 10 AVG AVG
1 T. Clark (MIN) .371
2 J. Estrada (SEA) .367
2 S. Green (DET) .367
4 J. Olerud (DET) .353
5 J. Bates (SEA) .339
6 C. Guzman (SEA) .338
7 E. Wilson (CLE) .330
8 M. Mora (DEN) .329
9 C. Guillen (STL) .326
10 B. Higginson (CHI) .321

# TOP 10 HR HR
1 K. Griffey jr. (DAL) 11
1 J. Thome (DEN) 11
1 T. Clark (MIN) 11
4 J. Gonzalez (DAL) 9
4 C. Jones (DET) 9
6 R. Mondesi (CHI) 7
6 C. Everett (SEA) 7
6 M. Piazza (STL) 7
9 C. Richard (MIL) 6
9 S. Green (DET) 6

# TOP 10 RBI RBI
1 S. Green (DET) 26
2 K. Griffey jr. (DAL) 23
2 C. Everett (SEA) 23
2 B. Rose (KC) 23
5 R. Mondesi (CHI) 22
6 C. Jones (DET) 21
7 B. Williams (CLE) 20
7 T. Clark (MIN) 20
9 J. Jones (DEN) 19
10 M. Piazza (STL) 18

TOP 10 Wins W
1 E. Gagne (STL) 5
2 A. Pettitte (MIN) 3
2 J. Washburn (DAL) 3
2 T. Wilson (SEA) 3
2 M. Hampton (DET) 3
2 J. Burkett (KC) 3
2 D. Marte (CLE) 3
2 C. Nabholz (DEN) 3
2 E. King (CHI) 3
2 J. Juden (STL) 3

# TOP 10 ERA ERA
1 A. Pettitte (MIN) 1.77
2 E. Gagne (STL) 2.35
3 F. Cordova (DET) 2.41
4 J. Roa (DET) 2.49
5 S. Woodard (LA) 2.82
6 S. Karsay (DEN) 2.89
7 D. Turnbow (DEN) 2.93
8 O. Dotel (LA) 3.14
9 A. Benes (DAL) 3.23
10 T. Davis (CIN) 3.54

# TOP 10 Strikeouts K's
1 O. Dotel (LA) 36
2 E. Gagne (STL) 35
3 T. Davis (CIN) 33
3 F. Cordova (DET) 33
5 S. Erickson (LA) 31
6 A. Pettitte (MIN) 29
6 A. Benes (DAL) 29
8 D. Turnbow (DEN) 28
8 T. Adams (CIN) 28
10 I. Valdes (CLE) 27

# TOP 10 Saved SV
1 S. Belinda (DEN) 7
2 T. Percival (DAL) 6
3 M. Acre (DET) 5
3 J. Rocker (MIN) 5
5 J. Durocher (KC) 4
5 M. Rojas (CLE) 4
7 T. Jones (LA) 3
7 A. Osuna (STL) 3
7 T. Crabtree (CIN) 3
10 A. Benitez (SEA) 2

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Atlantic League Leaders

# TOP 10 AVG AVG
1 I. Suzuki (MIA) .419
2 T. Helton (MIA) .415
3 A. Pujols (BAL) .362
4 B. Mcrae (BAL) .355
5 J. Giambi (DC) .351
6 R. Myers (BOS) .346
7 C. Gwynn (NOR) .338
8 B. Mcmillon (NYE) .333
9 C. Singleton (NO) .329
10 C. Floyd (BRO) .325

# TOP 10 HR HR
1 A. Pujols (BAL) 10
1 V. Guerrero (JAX) 10
3 T. Helton (MIA) 9
3 S. Berry (DC) 9
5 C. Johnson (BOS) 7
5 J. Giambi (DC) 7
5 L. Berkman (MIA) 7
8 G. Anderson (NYE) 6
8 J. Edmonds (DC) 6
8 N. Garciaparra (JAX) 6

# TOP 10 RBI RBI
1 N. Garciaparra (JAX) 31
2 A. Pujols (BAL) 29
3 V. Guerrero (JAX) 28
4 C. Baerga (BAL) 23
5 C. Carr (NOR) 22
5 C. Johnson (BOS) 22
5 J. Giambi (DC) 22
8 S. Berry (DC) 21
9 T. Helton (MIA) 20
10 L. Berkman (MIA) 19

# TOP 10 Wins W
1 P. Martinez (MIA) 4
1 P. Astacio (JAX) 4
1 K. Campbell (MIA) 4
4 P. Combs (BOS) 3
4 B. Woodall (PBG) 3
4 D. Gooden (TOR) 3
4 M. Clark (NOR) 3
4 R. Nichols (BOS) 3
4 C. Hammond (BOS) 3
4 J. Zimmerman (PHI) 3

# TOP 10 ERA ERA
1 P. Martinez (MIA) 0.88
2 D. Lowe (MIA) 1.47
3 J. Guzman (BAL) 1.97
4 J. Wright (PHI) 2.12
5 C. Park (BAL) 2.22
6 J. Zimmerman (PHI) 2.23
7 K. Foster (NO) 2.48
8 P. Combs (BOS) 2.55
9 K. Benson (NYE) 2.61
10 K. Wood (JAX) 2.70

# TOP 10 Strikeouts K's
1 P. Martinez (MIA) 45
2 K. Wood (JAX) 41
3 A. Rhodes (NOR) 37
4 C. Park (BAL) 35
5 J. Guzman (BAL) 28
6 A. Telemaco (BRO) 27
7 B. Zito (BRO) 26
7 J. Zimmerman (PHI) 26
9 K. Benson (NYE) 24
10 O. Perez (TOR) 23

# TOP 10 Saved SV
1 S. Radinsky (MIA) 9
2 M. James (PBG) 7
3 M. Pisciotta (BOS) 6
3 D. Graves (NOR) 6
5 R. Bottalico (TOR) 5
5 M. Holtz (BRO) 5
7 R. Hernandez (PHI) 4
7 M. Cather (JAX) 4
9 B. Wickman (NO) 3
9 B. Clontz (BAL) 3

[Bobbuttons]

League News

Pedro Martinez is the first story, making history by pitching the first opening day no-hitter in league history. He pitched the 7th perfect game in league history in 1997.

Thursday 5/1/2003: Dallas' John Mabry clears fence three times
DENVER - Hitting a homerun is fine, but hitting three of them in one game is something special. Dallas' first baseman John Mabry accomplished that feat in a 10-9 win over Denver. In the 6th inning he unloaded a solo homerun off Albie Lopez. A 366 foot drive to right field marked his 2nd bomb, a two-run homerun off Stan Belinda in the 8th inning. His 3rd blast, a solo homerun off Luis Vizcaino in the 10th inning, landed an estimated 419 feet from home plate. Overall he finished 4 for 5, scoring three runs and driving in 5 runs. So far this season he is batting .292 with 4 homers and 12 RBI. Todd Helton was the last player to hit 3 homeruns in a game, doing it 4/24/2003.

Thursday 5/1/2003: St. Louis' Gagne earns Pitcher of the Month award
Eric Gagne pitched like a legend in April, and the Continental League named him Pitcher of the Month for his extraordinary performance. His record of 5-0 in 5 was among the leagues best this month. In 30.2 innings of work he allowed just 27 hits while striking out 35, compiling an ERA of just 2.35. Miami's pitcher Pedro Martinez is the Atlantic League winner of the Pitcher of the Month award in April. He started 5 games in April, going 4-0 and compiling an ERA of 0.88 in 41 innings. Pedro fanned 45 hitters. Pedro fired two shutouts!

Thursday 5/1/2003: Red hot Clark and Pujols win Batter of the Month award
The Batter of the Month award in the Continental League goes to Minneapolis' Tony Clark this time, as the first baseman displayed the best offensive perfomance in his league. He had an on base percentage of .512 and hit .373, while driving in 20 runs. It's the 2nd time that the Atlantic League Batter of the Month award goes to Baltimore's first baseman Albert Pujols. He had an on base percentage of .500 and hit .368, while driving in 27 runs.

Wednesday 4/30/2003: Dave Fleming quiets D.C. bats with shutout
D.C. - Dave Fleming had an unexpectedly great performance against D.C. on Wednesday, pitching a 2-hitter for his 1st shutout of the season. Fleming (1-1) struck out 4 and issued 2 BB, throwing 58 of 116 pitches for strikes. 'Today I just felt fine. I had a good feeling while warming up.' Aramis Ramirez provided New York with the offense Fleming needed as he finished 1 for 4, blasting a homerun, and driving in 4 runs. New York improved its record to 7-15, scoring 6 runs on 7 hits.

Tuesday 4/29/2003: Seattle's Jon Nunnally gets the cycle
CINCINNATI - Jon Nunnally led Seattle to a 22-4 win over Cincinnati by squeezing five hits out of his bat. That's not the best part, though. He hit for the cycle as well! A pitch from Terry Adams in the 1st inning left his bat for a RBI double. A RBI double off Carlos Pulido in the 5th inning accounted for his 2nd hit. A single in the 6th off Greg Maddux accounted for his 3rd hit. His 4th hit, off Tim Crabtree in the 7th inning, was a two-run homerun and cleared the fence in center field. His 5th hit was a RBI triple off Steve Cooke in the 9th inning. That drive completed the cycle, causing a smile on his face! Jon scored 5 runs, and he collected 6 RBI as well! He now has a total of 21 hits this season, accounting for a .276 batting average. 165 players in league history have so far hit for the cycle, including Jon. On 8/24/2002, Adam Everett was the last player to hit for the cycle.

Monday 4/28/2003: Baltimore's Pujols wins Player of the Week award
Bernie Williams wins his 10th Player of the Week award. Continental League pitchers couldn't figure out how to retire this guy all week long. Bernie went 9 for 22 (.409), while hitting 3 HR and collecting 6 RBI. Baltimore's first baseman Albert Pujols had some reason to celebrate as well, as the league named him the Atlantic League Player of the Week. He had an on base percentage of .481 and hit .417, while driving in 14 runs. His season features a batting average of .362 (25 hits in 69 AB), 7 doubles, no triples and 8 homeruns. Pujols collected 24 RBI and 15 runs as well. He's 5th in the Atlantic League in batting, 1st in homeruns and 1st in RBI!

Thursday 4/24/2003: Todd Helton on fire, crushes three
NEW YORK - Todd Helton was in a groove, and the results spoke for themselves. He powered Miami to a 19-2 win over New York by homering three times. A pitch from Mark Dewey in the 6th inning left his bat for a two-run homerun, landing 339 feet from home plate in left field. His 2nd shot, off Robert Constance in the 7th inning, was a two-run homerun and cleared the fence in right field. His 3rd blast, a two-run homerun off Dave Veres in the 9th inning, landed an estimated 399 feet from home plate. Todd went 5 for 6, with FOUR runs scored with 6 RBI. His homerun total this year is 7, along with 17 RBI. On 4/22/2003, Sean Berry was the last player to hit 3 dingers in a single game.

Wednesday 4/23/2003: Cliff Brantley fires NO-NO against New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS - Cliff Brantley had his best stuff going, and New Orleans hitters were chanceless. Toronto's right-hander fired a NO-NO, his 1st shutout of the season. 'Well, the ball went where I wanted it. I was able to hit the corners with all of my pitches. I'm so happy that it was enough to pitch such a great game.' Brantley (1-1) struck out 1 and walked 3, throwing 55 of 100 pitches for strikes. Scott Rolen helped Brantley at the plate, he got 2 hits in 4 AB, doubling once. Toronto scored 5 runs on 11 hits.

Tuesday 4/22/2003: Sean Berry punishes Norfolk with three dingers
D.C. - Hitting a homerun is fine, but hitting three of them in one game is something special. D.C.'s third baseman Sean Berry accomplished that feat at age 37, in a 11-1 win over Norfolk. In the 1st inning he unloaded a two-run homerun off Dave Burba. His 2nd shot, off Mike Ignasiak in the 4th inning, was a GRAND SLAM and cleared the fence in right field. A 385 foot drive to right field marked his 3rd bomb, a two-run homerun off Mitch Williams in the 6th inning. Sean finished 4 for 4, scoring FOUR runs with 8 RBI.

Tuesday 4/22/2003: Milwaukee's Nen severely injured, out for season
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee's right-hander Robb Nen experienced probably the worst case scenario for a pitcher, a season ending injury. After pitching in the 9th inning of the game against Kansas City, Nen complained about serious pain in his throwing arm. He had to leave the game. After being examined by several specialists the diagnosis is clear: Torn Ligament Elbow. This season Nen compiled an ERA of 1.29, going 0-0 in 0 starts. He fanned 12 while giving up 4 hits in 7 innings.

Monday 4/21/2003: Baltimore's Pujols wins Player of the Week award
Jim Thome wins his 7th Player of the Week award. Continental League pitchers couldn't figure out how to retire this guy all week long. Jim went 14 for 27 (.519), while hitting 7 HR and collecting 10 RBI. He now has homered in 4 consecutive games as well! It's the 4th time that the Atlantic League Player of the Week award goes to Baltimore's first baseman Albert Pujols. Albert went 11 for 27 (.407), while hitting 3 HR and collecting 7 RBI. This year Pujols drove in 10 and scored 11 runs while batting .333 with 4 homeruns. He's 10th in the Atlantic League in RBIs and 4th in homeruns!

Sunday 4/20/2003: Detroit's Chipper Jones ropes five hits
DETROIT - Chipper Jones is among the best pure hitters in the game, but his 5 hit performance seemed to surprise even himself. His 1st hit, off Brian Fisher in the 2nd inning, was a solo homerun and cleared the fence in right field. A RBI double off Brian Fisher in the 4th inning accounted for his 2nd hit. The game was tied, 3-3, after the blast. A 451 foot drive to left field marked his 3rd hit, a solo homerun off Doug Bochtler in the 6th inning. A pitch from David Holdridge in the 6th inning left his bat for a RBI double. He collected a single in the 8th, driving in one run. Chipper did drive in 5 while scoring 3 runs on his own. He's having a very good season so far, batting .372. Detroit scored 22 runs on 23 hits.

Friday 4/18/2003: Dallas' Ontiveros out for 4-5 weeks
DALLAS - When it rains, it pours. Dallas' ace Steve Ontiveros will not pitch for at least 4-5 weeks, handing the team a huge setback. He suffered a serious injury in a game against Cincinnati where he left the field in the 6th inning. After x-rays were taken the diagnosis did not surprise many: Torn Bicep Muscle. Surgery will be performed next week.

Wednesday 4/16/2003: Season ending injury strikes Los Angeles' Mussina
LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles' right-hander Mike Mussina experienced probably the worst case scenario for a pitcher, a season ending injury. After pitching in the 6th inning of the game against Cincinnati, Mussina complained about serious pain in his throwing arm. He had to leave the game. After x-rays were taken the diagnosis did not surprise many: Torn Tricep Muscle. Surgery will be performed next week.

Monday 4/14/2003: Green (DET) and Suzuki (MIA) win P.O.W. award
Detroit's rightfielder Shawn Green had some reason to celebrate, as the league named him the Continental League Player of the Week. Shawn went 12 for 25 (.480), while hitting 4 HR and collecting 10 RBI. He hit in every game this week and extended his hitting streak to 13 games. The Player of the Week award in the Atlantic League goes to Miami's Ichiro Suzuki this time, as the rightfielder displayed the best offensive perfomance in his league. Ichiro was on fire, hitting .577 with 1 HR and 9 RBI.

Saturday 4/12/2003: David Wells blanks Milwaukee with a 1-hitter
CINCINNATI - All you need to win is a dominating pitching performance. And Cincinnati's David Wells did so today, in a 1-hit shutout against Milwaukee. Wells (1-0) fanned 2 and walked 2, throwing 103 pitches. 'Giving my team a chance to win is the most important thing for me. I was able to do it today.' The hitting star for Cincinnati was first baseman Sean Casey, he went 3 for 4, hitting a homerun, stroking a double, scoring twice. Cincinnati scored 4 runs on 7 hits.

Friday 4/11/2003: Jeffrey Hammonds out for 6-7 weeks
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee's players were scared when they had to watch Jeffrey Hammonds suffer a serious injury when he dove for a ball in the game against Cincinnati. He collapsed in pain and was helped off the field. Hammonds will probaby miss 6-7 weeks. Torn Rib Cage Muscle was the diagnosis after x-rays were taken in a nearby hospital. The message shocked teammates and team officials.

Monday 4/7/2003: Pedro Martinez NO-HITS Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA - Pedro Martinez had his best stuff going, and Philadelphia hitters were chanceless. Miami's right-hander fired a NO-NO, his 1st shutout of the season. 'I really like to play baseball, and I love the way I was able to play it today. I still cannot believe I did it.' Martinez (1-0) was overpowering, fanning 12 while walking none, throwing 110 pitches. The hitting star for Miami was rightfielder Ichiro Suzuki, he finished 2 for 4. Miami scored 1 run on 5 hits.

[Bobbuttons]

Power Rankings
May 2, 2003

RANK (Last Week) Team Points Tendency Record PCT AVG ERA Pyt.Rec Diff
1st (2nd) Jacksonville 138 + 16-6 .727 .250 4.31 14-8 2
2nd (1st) Miami 133 - 16-6 .727 .243 2.77 17-5 -1
3rd (3rd) Dallas 128 o 15-7 .682 .261 4.51 14-8 1
4th (10th) Toronto 117 ++ 14-9 .609 .238 4.12 13-10 1
5th (9th) Baltimore 106 ++ 13-10 .565 .276 4.54 13-10 0
6th (11th) Cincinnati 99 ++ 12-11 .522 .240 4.68 11-12 1
7th (5th) Cleveland 97 - 11-10 .524 .248 5.13 10-11 1
8th (7th) Kansas City 96 - 11-10 .524 .267 5.70 10-11 1
9th (14th) Chicago 96 ++ 12-10 .545 .260 4.56 11-11 1
10th (6th) Boston 96 -- 12-11 .522 .233 5.50 8-15 4
11th (13th) St. Louis 95 + 11-11 .500 .253 4.53 12-10 -1
12th (15th) Detroit 94 ++ 11-10 .524 .271 4.20 13-8 -2
13th (4th) Pittsburgh 91 -- 11-10 .524 .224 4.30 13-8 -2
14th (12th) Los Angeles 86 - 10-11 .476 .216 3.72 9-12 1
15th (18th) Brooklyn 85 ++ 10-11 .476 .226 3.73 10-11 0
16th (8th) Denver 84 -- 11-11 .500 .275 5.42 12-10 -1
17th (16th) Philadelphia 77 - 10-13 .435 .218 4.34 11-12 -1
18th (17th) Seattle 76 - 9-12 .429 .274 5.06 11-10 -2
19th (20th) Minneapolis 75 + 9-12 .429 .224 5.58 8-13 1
20th (21st) Norfolk 70 + 9-13 .409 .244 6.02 9-13 0
21st (19th) D.C. 62 - 8-14 .364 .232 4.53 11-11 -3
22nd (22nd) Milwaukee 52 o 7-14 .333 .242 6.04 6-15 1
23rd (24th) New York 51 + 7-15 .318 .234 5.09 8-14 -1
24th (23rd) New Orleans 51 - 7-15 .318 .204 5.50 7-15 0

[YankeeFanatic04]

Good read so far.

[goroyals]

Thursday 5/1/2003: St. Louis' Gagne earns Pitcher of the Month award
Eric Gagne pitched like a legend in April, and the Continental League named him Pitcher of the Month for his extraordinary performance. His record of 5-0 in 5 was among the leagues best this month. In 30.2 innings of work he allowed just 27 hits while striking out 35, compiling an ERA of just 2.35

That's cool. I always wondered how Gagne would have developed had he not been put in the pen? How's Eric pitched so far?