The Lake Erie Professional Baseball League

[DandricSturm]

Oh no!

[DandricSturm]

I've been simming one day at a time, making a few notes, then posting a week's worth but I am posting this one game separately.:

Friday, June 3rd - Blue Sox take advantage of shaky inning by Jackson to beat us 4-2 as Thomas sits one out.

A remarkably bad inning:

TOP OF THE 6TH
Detroit Blue Sox batting - Pitching for Akron Aeros : LHP Sam Jackson
Batting: RHB Willie Alvarez
0-0: Called Strike
0-1: Hit by Pitch
Batting: LHB Kennet Mechelin
0-0: Called Strike
0-1: Ball
1-1: Ball
2-1: SINGLE (Line Drive, 8RS, EV 97.5 MPH)
Willie Alvarez to second
Batting: RHB Jim Davenport
0-0: Ball
1-0: Hit by Pitch
Willie Alvarez to third
Kennet Mechelin to second
Batting: RHB Mike Winn
0-0: Called Strike
0-1: Ball
Wild Pitch!
Willie Alvarez scores
Kennet Mechelin to third
Jim Davenport to second
1-1: Ball
2-1: Swinging Strike
2-2: Ball
3-2: Base on Balls
Batting: RHB Eric Truitt
0-0: Ball
1-0: Called Strike
1-1: Swinging Strike
1-2: Fly out, F9 (Flyball, 9S, EV 91.3 MPH)
Batting: LHB Clay Dalrymple
0-0: Ball
1-0: Ball
2-0: SINGLE (Groundball, 4M, EV 99.4 MPH)
Kennet Mechelin scores
Jim Davenport to third
Mike Winn to second
Batting: LHB Ed Booth
0-0: Called Strike
0-1: Ball
1-1: Grounds into fielders choice 5-2 (Groundball, 5S, EV 66.3 MPH)
Mike Winn to third
Clay Dalrymple to second
Batting: RHB Travis Miner
0-0: Reached on error, E6 (Groundball, 6S, EV 87.5 MPH)
Mike Winn scores
Clay Dalrymple to third
Ed Booth to second
Batting: RHB Seth Harrington
0-0: Ball
1-0: Called Strike
1-1: Ball
2-1: Fly out, F9 (Flyball, 9LS, EV 82.5 MPH)
Top of the 6th over - 3 runs, 2 hits, 1 error, 3 left on base; Detroit 4 - Akron 2

[DandricSturm]

Saturday, June 4 - We bounced back from Friday's loss with a 6-2 win over the Blue Sox behind Nate Wheeler's 7 inning, 2 run performance for his 7th win. Hicks again got the save, his 8th. Lee Thomas was back in the lineup with his 14th HR, Jordan Sandoval hit his 3rd, and Nehemiah Inabinett hit his first.

Sunday, June 5th - An off day for the players but not for me as we were busy with the first year player draft. I'm happy with all our picks and I think every one of them has a realistic chance to make the bigs within a few years. Our top pick was 2B Chris Lopatka, who sports a .311 batting average and 21 HR for his 154 game high school career. Second choice was Adrian Shaw, a right handed pitcher. He missed several games his senior season but we believe he is sound. All of our picks have been assigned to our Dayton farm club.

Monday - Boog Powell homers and Poratta gets win #6 as we beat the Beefeaters 3-2.

Tuesday - Almanza gets his 9th win, shutting us out on 4 hits. Osteen gives up three in the first, then settles down but it was too late. Almanza is a real thorn in our side.

Wednesday - Wheeler pitches 7 2/3 inning of 3-hit shutout baseball for his 8th win. Hicks gets save #10. Willis gets his 6th HR.

Thursday - The Buffalo Bisons come to town, Jackson throws a 4-hit shutout as we turn 'em back 5-0. Willis goes deep the second game in a row for his 7th HR and Powell also collects his 7th. Seven was the number of the day as Jackson raised his record to 7-4.

[DandricSturm]

Once again I'm only posting a single day's write-up.

Friday, June 10th - The Aeros hammer the Bisons 10-2 in game two of the series. Antonio Porrata allowed 2 runs through 7 innings to pick up his 7th win against only 1 loss. 10 different Aeros hit safely.

Erie at Toledo

Elsewhere in the LEBL, records were broken in Toledo as it took 20 innings and 6 hours and 30 minutes to settle the contest between the Seawolves and the Walleye. Erie used 23 players to Toledo's 20, proving the old WWII adage, "It takes a helluva lot to win a war, but to lose one takes everything you've got."

The Seawolves scored first in the top of the 3rd, taking a 1 run lead, but the Walleye tied it up in the 4th. Erie again took a 1 run lead in the top of the 7th and Pat Wagner held Toledo scoreless in the bottom half. Steve Green came on in the eighth with a save opportunity but surrendered a run scoring double to Dan Baar and it was tied up again.

Neither team could score in the 9th and the game entered the 10th inning with Gil Brisono now in as the 4th pitcher for Erie while Jay Herring, making just his second appearance and his first start of the year after being recalled from AA, continued on for Toledo.

Phil Robledo, who had entered the game in the top of the 9th as a defensive replacement for pinch-hitter John Barn, came to the plate for the first time in the game in the bottom of the 10th and singled. He was just getting started. After that single, Robledo, who raised his batting average 22 points on the night, doubled in the 12th, flew out in the 14th, singled again in the 17th and the 19th, then hit a 2-run single in the bottom of the 20th to tie it again after Erie had scored 2 in the top of the inning. That last hit came off of outfielder Chris Burchell, forced into emergency mound duty, coming in to relieve Marvin Beza with 2 outs and the bases loaded when Seawolves' manager Jake Chavez ran out of arms.

Burchell, who stated he last pitched in Little League, faced three batters, giving up the run scoring single to Robledo, then loading the bases with a single by Jeff Barnett before hitting Justin Furgeson with a pitch to drive in the winning run, "And now you know why I last pitched in grade school."

Robledo went 5 for 6 for the game, every one of his plate appearances coming in extra innings. The win was credited to Tyler Jeter despite giving up 2 runs on three hits in an inning and a third and he is now 1-0. Beza got the loss to bring his record to 6-8. Erie's Juan Gomez had the games only HR with one out in the 13th. Both Green and Burchell were charged with blown saves.

[DandricSturm]

Saturday, June 11 - Aeros win three straight over Buffalo and four in a row overall. Claude Osteen homered and pitched into the 9th to pick up his 7th win. Hicks gets save #11.

Erie recovers from the 20 inning loss to take the last of their series vs Toledo and stop a four game slide. The Aeros now lead Toledo by 11 games while the Beefeaters open up a 2 1/2 game lead over Detroit.

Sunday - Hosting Toledo. We score 4 runs in the 8th, the last on a bases loaded walk from Al Downing. Wheeler records win #9 and Hicks grabs save #12.

Monday - Toledo breaks our win streak at 5 in 11 innings. Sam Jackson (7-5) gets the loss. Thomas hits #15. The Blue Sox beat the Seawolves to close to within one game of London.

Tuesday - Aeros 2, Walleye 1. Bookend homeruns as Thomas hits #16 in the first and Earl Battey wins it with a walk-off leading off the bottom of the ninth against reliever Jason Kestner. Jay Herring, who gave up only 2 runs in 10 innings in the 20 inning win over Erie last Friday, is impressive again, allowing us only 1 run through 8 innings. Hicks (4-0) gets the win in relief of Porrata.

Wednesday - We open a three games series at Sand Bar Park in Erie with a 4-2 loss. Osteen is tagged for 4 runs on 11 hits in eight innings to drop to 7-5 on the year.

Thursday - For the first time in 4 weeks we lose two in a row as the Seawolves win it 4-3. Wheeler pitches well, but gets little support. Hicks is tagged with his second blown save and his first loss of the season. Worse, he leaves the game in the eighth with elbow soreness. It doesn't appear serious but we'll have to watch him closely. Speaking of injuries, Jim Maloney is almost ready to start throwing again but still has eighteen days on the DL.

[DandricSturm]

I've run into a couple of problems and am presently at a standstill.

One problem is of my own making and I can deal with that one. I did not have a real recent backup and I have lost about two weeks of the season. My fault and I would be able to handle that okay.

The other problem is much more worrisome to me. Jim Maloney, who was on the DL, came off of it and I sent him on a rehab assignment. Now that I am trying to promote him back I get an error message saying that the team already has the limit of foreign players. Every player on the roster is listed as American.

The only hint I can see in his profile is that a scouting report calls him a "Native American." I see the same thing on at least a few other players too but nothing in his profile seems to designate him as foreign.

I'm anxious to get into expansion so?

[DandricSturm]

I see this same type of problem elsewhere in the forums, so it's a known issue.

[DandricSturm]

I was able to get Maloney back on the active roster by going into the editor, changing his nationality from American to Unknown, promoting him and then editing it back. However I am unable to do anything about the couple of weeks that were lost so I'm just going to forge ahead.

***

Wednesday, Aug 3 1966 - Jim Maloney returns with a win.

Jim Maloney, who went on the disabled list back on May 4th, returned from a rehab assignment in Dayton with a win over the Erie Seawolves in his first start. "It's just like a new season for me," he said. "I've got to make the most of it."

The Aeros hope he can make a new season for the rest of the team as well and help stop a long slide that has seen them drop into second place behind the Walleye.

Maloney went 7 strong innings, striking out 3 and allowing 8 hits, but permitting only 2 runs as he evened his record at 3-3. Tim Hicks came on in the 8th and earned his 15th save.

[DandricSturm]

I feel more comfortable writing as a reporter rather than a GM so that's what I intend from here on.

Aero Notes

By Ed Daly, BNN Akron Bureau

It may be difficult to believe after yesterday's 5-0 shut-out loss at the hands of the Detroit Blue Sox and Elijah Hammond, but the Aeros once appeared to be firmly in command in the LEPBL South. Yep, "You could look it up," as the Old Perfessor would say, but back on June 1st our flyboys were flying along, leading the Toledo Walleye by 8 eight full games. Those same Walleye that now enjoy an all but insurmountable 13 game lead with 21 games left to play.

Hammond (10-11, 2.96) struck out 10 and walked nobody while spreading 8 hits over the 8 innings he worked, with Jesse Osborn completing the applying of the whitewash in the 9th.

Claude Osteen (15-11, 2.53) took the loss with a lack-luster, 9 hit, 3 strikeout, 3 walk, 7 inning stint. Tonight the London Beefeaters come to town, looking to feast on some Ohio Beef.

Now for some good news. It was confirmed this morning that the league will expand by two teams for next season, the good news in that being that some of our current underperformers will be underperforming elsewhere next season. Details on the expansion have not yet been disclosed but it is known that the league owners' expansion committee have met with representatives from several cities including Columbus, Fort Wayne, Grand Rapids, Hamilton, Toronto, and Rochester New York.

[DandricSturm]

Aero Notes

By Ed Daly, BNN Akron Bureau

Sep 4, 1966

The Toledo Walleye celebrated last night after clinching first place in the Southern Division of the Lake Erie League at their home ballpark after downing the Aeros and Claude Osteen, 4-zip.

Mark Phillips (11-9) got the win, shutting out the Aeros on 6 hits through 7 2/3 innings. Ken Patterson picked up his second save.

It was pretty quiet on the bus ride back to Akron.

***

Canadian and American flags were flying side-by-side as a small press conference was held this morning in the shade of the 352 foot high Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial, just down the street from league headquarters in 'Downtown' Put-in-Bay, Ohio.

It was announced that expansion franchises have been awarded to Toronto, Ontario and Rochester, New York. The decision was largely influenced by the league's desire to remain concentrated along the the shores of the Eastern Great Lakes, thus eliminating many of the other candidates.

The Northern Division will add The Toronto Peacocks while another bird mascot will be added to the Southern Division as the Rochester Roosters.

[DandricSturm]

Aero Notes

A Look Back at Sixty-Six
By Ed Daly, BNN Akron Bureau

Now that the 1966 season is in the books and before things get busy preparing for 1967 let's take a look back at the reccently unsuccessfully concluded campaign.

After a season long, tight race in the Northern Division a one game playoff between the Detroit Blue Sox and the London Beefeaters was needed for the right to face the Toledo Walleye in the Lake Erie Series. The Beefeaters prevailed, possibly costing Blue Sox manager Gary Savage his job as despite winning three championships in seven years and making the playoffs five times, he was let go soon after the season. The Beefeaters proceeded to overcome the Walleye 4 games to 3 to win the Lake Trophy.

The season ended on a positive note for the Aeros, winning their final four games and nine of fifteen in September. In his final game of the year, Jim Maloney, who had been bothered by some soreness in his wrist, threw a 4 hit shutout over the Buffalo Bisons to improve his record tp 7-6.

The final game of the season saw Jordan Sandoval hit a walk-off single to drive home Bill Alejandre for a 3-2 win. Tim Hicks picked up a relief win to raise his record to 5-4 with 19 saves.

Looking at individual leaders on offense, Lee Thomas was the only Aero to lead a statistical category with 21 homeruns. Josh Carroll of Erie and Chris Fry from Toledo tied for second with 20. Josh Willis of the Aeros was fourth with 18.

In batting average, Corey Clarke of London led the league with .330. The best mark by an Aero was Matt Knowles' .278, good for 8th best. Jim Wynn of London led in RBIs with 80 and Detroit's Seth Harrington led in runs scored with 86.

On the mound, the leagues best ERA belonged to Chris Baughan with 1.93. Nate Wheeler's 2.51, 6th best overall, was the best by an Aero. London's Randy Almanza led in wins with 21 while Wheeler tied for third with 17.

Lewis Nolte of London was the saves leader with 25 while the Aero's Tim Hicks was third with 19. The Strikeout crown went to Bob Gomez of Toledo with a whopping 351, 58 more than next best Evan Thomas of Detroit. Nate Wheeler led the Aeros with 197.

In addition to Detroit's Savage, Jake Chavez will not be returning to the dugout with the Erie Seawolves. Savage's seven year career saw him manage in 1,010 games, winning 607 for a .601 percentage. He collected 5 division titles and 3 Lake Erie Championship trophies and was named Manager of the Year 5 times. Chavez, who managed 1008 games in his 7 seasons with the Seawolves, won 472 while losing 536, a .468 percentage. He won 2 division titles and no championships.