You Can Love Yankee Stadium & Still Hate the Yankees

Growing up in Baltimore, I didn’t make my initial baseball pilgrimage to Yankee Stadium until the age of 27, but I’ve been fortunate enough to spend a little time there over the last decade.  Working long, strange hours for “labor of love” level wages and having a diaper age daughter prevent me getting to the ballpark as much as when I lived in Maryland.  Nevertheless, in meditating on my trips to The House That Ruth Built early in its final season, I realize that every single one was memorable.  Here’s what I mean:

July 4, 1998 - Yankees 4, Orioles 3:  On a sunny Saturday afternoon after riding a bus up from Baltimore, my mother and I saw Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez hurl eight innings to earn his third American League victory.  The Orioles took a two-run lead in the top of the first on Brady Anderson’s two-out single, and led 3-2 in the fifth after Derek Jeter (2-3 r rbi bb sb) helped the home team draw even, but Chad Curtis’ bases loaded single off reliever Alan Mills in the bottom of the sixth proved to be the game-winner.  Baltimore got a pair of singles off Mariano Rivera to start the ninth, but Chris Hoiles failed to execute a sacrifice and Rich Becker grounded into a game-ending double play.

July 5, 1998 - Yankees 1, Orioles 0:  Scott Erickson and David Cone cruised through nine innings in a brisk 2:30 in the game pictured above (That’s Roberto Alomar stepping in to hit).  The only score came with two outs in the bottom of the third when -with the bases loaded- Chad Curtis got hit by a pitch.  Cone went the first eight to improve to 12-2, and Cal Ripken grounded out to end a 1-2-3 ninth as Mariano Rivera earned another save and made our trip back to Baltimore feel a little bit longer.

September 14, 2000 - Blue Jays 3, Yankees 2 (11 innings):  I’d moved to New York and been there all of two weeks when I got an upperdeck seat down the third base line to take in this classic Thursday evening affair.  Toronto’s David Wells and Andy Pettitte of the Yankees matched zeroes through seven innings.  Pettitte looked a little sharper, but buckled first after Craig Grebeck doubled leading off the eighth inning.  The next three Blue Jays bunted, with Pettitte committing errors on the first two plays to break the deadlock.  Joe Torre got ejected, and Pettitte left trailing 1-0.  In the bottom of the inning though, Derek Jeter (4-5) hit a two-out homer to even things again.  It stayed tied until Jose Cruz, Jr. blasted a two-run homer off Randy Choate with two outs in the eleventh.  I can still hear the boos!  Kelvim Escobar surrendered a solo shot to Ryan Thompson in the Yankees half, but it wasn’t enough, and the game was complete in just under four hours.

April 29, 2001 - Yankees 3, Athletics 1:  When I saw in the paper that Roger Clemens would be matched up against impressive, 22-year-old southpaw Barry Zito, I just had to hop on the 4 train that Sunday afternoon.  The highlight for me was the ovation rookie Alfonso Soriano received after drawing his first walk of the season (in the Yankees 25th game).  It came leading off the bottom of the third, and Soriano quickly swiped second and scored the first run of the afternoon on a base hit by Derek Jeter.  Oakland centerfielder Johnny Damon’s two-base error led to a pair of unearned runs an inning later, and Clemens pitched into the eighth inning to earn the win.  One more memorable moment was seeing Paul O’Neill get the thumb from umpire C.B. Bucknor.

April 17, 2003 - Yankees 4, Blue Jays 0:  Don’t ever let anybody tell you Jeff Weaver never pitched a good game in a Yankees uniform.  It was a cold Thursday afternoon with a 22-mph wind blowing in from centerfield.  Derek Jeter was on the disabled list, and his replacement -Erick Almonte- made an error on the first ball hit to him.  The other two Dominicans in New York’s starting lineup more than compensated though:  Raul Mondesi went deep off Pete Walker to start the bottom of the fifth, and Alfonso Soriano did likewise an inning later.  Soriano also walked, stole a base, and got hit by Toronto reliever Aquilino Lopez, who signed an autograph for me before the game along with Kelvim Escobar.

April 25, 2004 - Red Sox 2, Yankees 0:  I paid $50 to sit in the upper deck along the first base line, and I’m so glad I did.  Pedro Martinez earned his last victory at Yankee Stadium as a member of the Red Sox, out-pitching Javier Vazquez in front of 55,348 on a Sunday afternoon to complete Boston’s series sweep.  For a fan of Dominican players, this one was sweet considering Martinez’ strong effort and the fact that Manny Ramirez (2-3 2-run homer) and David Ortiz (2-4 double) collected all four of the Red Sox hits.  Derek Jeter (0-4 with an error) got booed by the Yankees fans as his average dipped to .175. 

September 5, 2004 - Yankees 4, Orioles 3:  I really thought I was going to get a belated birthday present when Rafael Palmeiro ripped his 544th career homer off Javier Vazquez with two aboard in the top of the first.  Unfortunately, New York chipped away against Bruce Chen and the game was even heading into the final inning.  When Baltimore wasted a first & third with nobody out chance against Mariano Rivera in the top of the ninth, you had to think they’d regret it.  Still, it was no fun at all to watch the game conclude on Jorge Julio’s four-pitch walk to Derek Jeter, a wild pitch, sac bunt, two intentional passes and a very unintentional walk to Jorge Posada.  Boo!!!!

April 10, 2005 - Orioles 7, Yankees 2:  Especially memorable because my wife, who doesn’t particularly like baseball, accompanied me.  Baltimore reliever Steve Kline even signed an autograph for her.  Oh, and the Orioles actually won!  Rodrigo Lopez (8ip 8k’s) was the biggest hero, and the Mitchell Report connection got the offense going when Jay Gibbons drove home Rafael Palmeiro (3-4) in the second inning.  Jason Giambi dropped a foul pop leading to two unearned runs an inning later, and everybody was a little concerned when Miguel Tejada lined a RBI single off the skull of Yankees pitcher Carl Pavano.

September 20, 2005 - Yankees 12, Orioles 9:  My buddy Junya was in town from Japan, and he wanted to see Shea Stadium, but I talked him into seeing this one instead.  Before the game, I got signatures from Daniel Cabera and Mariano Rivera, and in a lot of ways that was more fun than the game.  Jorge Posada’s long ball produced three of the Yankees four runs in the bottom of the first, but Baltimore’s Brian Roberts got half of them back with a two-run triple in the top of the second before suffering a grisly elbow injury covering first base in the bottom of the frame.  Orioles skipper Sam Perlozzo got ejected, rookie John Maine got blasted off the mound, and Gary Sheffield (6 RBI) blasted a grand slam off reliever James Baldwin before the inning was over.  Somehow, Baltimore drew within 10-7 on a Jay Gibbons homer in the seventh, but Alex Rodriguez unloaded a jaw-dropping, opposite field, upper deck shot off Jorge Julio for his 45th home run of the year.  Baltimore out-hit the Yankees 18-16, but Aaron Small ran his record to 9-0 with the win.

August 15, 2007 - Orioles 6, Yankees 3 (10 innings):  Two days before this game, I interviewed Daniel Cabera in the visitors clubhouse, but had to watch the game on TV in the bowels of the stadium because I didn’t have a ticket access to the press box.  On this sunny, 85-degree Wednesday afternoon, I had probably the best seat of my life in this ballpark…and what a game!  I cheered when Orioles pitcher Erik Bedard paid the Yankees back for a series of brushbacks by hitting Derek Jeter in the bottom of the first, and cheered some more when he notched his 200th strikeout of the season.  Nick Markakis and Tike Redman stroked scoring singles off New York rookie Phil Hughes, and the masterful Bedard turned over a 3-0 lead to the Orioles awful bullpen.  Baltimore came within a strike of saving the shutout win, but reliever Jamie Walker served up a game-tying three-run homer to rookie Shelley Duncan.  Before the noise quieted down, my mother called my cellphone to tell me the Baltimore TV feed was zoomed in on my crestfallen face.  Not to worry, Markakis and Miguel Tejada hit consecutive doubles off Mariano Rivera to start the tenth, and Aubrey Huff sealed the deal with a two-run tater.  Alex Rodriguez went 4-4 in vain.

September 17, 2007 - Yankees 8, Orioles 5:  So many things went right on this night.  Not only did I get to conduct pre and post-game interviews in the Orioles clubhouse, I also watched the game from the press box with childhood heroes Ken Singleton and Jim Palmer (through the glass) just to my left.  My favorite pitcher, Daniel Cabrera, was on the mound, and Nick Markakis’ two-run double gave him a first inning lead.  Other than Markakis picking up two outfield assists, that’s pretty much where the good news ends.  Cabrera hit consecutive batters with pitches in the second, and the Yankees took the lead for good when Hideki Matsui took him deep in the third.  Jay Payton got ejected, and this nine-inning affair lasted almost four hours.

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Well, that’s it so far.  Got to get back there in 2008.  Before it’s too late!

Reds Pitcher Johnny Cueto - 3rd Best Major League Debut by a Dominican Starter

Before 22-year-old right-hander Johnny Cueto took the mound for his major league debut on a rainy Thursday afternoon, Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker told him ‘Con calma y confidencia’.  “It means confidence and be calm,” Baker explained.  “And he was”. 

Indeed, for the first five innings Cueto was perfect, and he struck out ten without a walk while allowing just one hit in a seven-inning stint.  Cueto’s fellow Dominican Francisco Cordero, who saved the 3-1 win, said “Seeing his face, you can tell he’s not worried about nothing.”

Diamondbacks outfielder Eric Byrnes, who went 0-4 with three strikeouts, said “Obviously, he’s got great stuff.  Fastball he spotted on both sides of the plate, good breaking ball, threw his changeup.  He’s got everything.”

Justin Upton, whose home run was the only hit off Cueto, observed ”He’s got great stuff and he pounds the zone with it, and that’s what makes him effective.  He’s just a great pitcher.”

“Like (Ken) Griffey told me,” added Arizona second baseman Orlando Hudson.  “He reminded him of a young Pedro (Martinez).”

(The quotes in this story are from mlb.com articles by Mark Sheldon & Steve Gilbert.   The photo is from ESPN)

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Bill James’ Game Score statistic gives some idea just how special Cueto’s day was.  Prior to today, sixty pitchers from the Dominican Republic made their major league debuts as starting pitchers.  The median Game Score for those games was 46, and here is the complete breakdown:

03.3% scored 80 or above

06.7% scored 70-79

15.0% scored 60-69

13.3% scored 50-59

21.7% scored 40-49

23.3% scored 30-39

10.0% scored 20-29

06.7% scored 19 or below

Put another way, nearly 97% of Dominican starting pitchers had Game Scores below 80 in their big league debut.  Johnny Cueto, with an 81, joins the elite group with just two of his countrymen.  Let’s work our way up through the ten-best major league debuts by Dominican hurlers to see who they are:

9th & 10th) tied at 68 - DANIEL CABRERA & RAMON MARTINEZ:  At 6′9″, Cabrera is the tallest Latino major leaguer in history.  On 5/13/2004, he was an emergency spot starter just up from double-A to pitch the first game of a doubleheader for the Orioles against the White Sox in Chicago.  He hurled six shutout innings, scattering two singles and three walks to get the win, and remained in the majors to stay (other than a brief demotion in 2006 when he control problems got unbearable).  A maddening enigma to Baltimore fans, Cabrera endured a miserable 2007 while leading the AL in walks for the second straight year, but he has an electric arm capable of big games like his one-hitter in 2006 against the Yankees.

Ramon Martinez, Pedro’s older brother, was a 20-year-old top prospect when he hurled 7 2/3 innings of four-hit ball at Dodger Stadium against the Giants on 8/13/88.  He left with a 1-0 lead, but got no-decision when the bullpen failed to hold the save.  The former Olympian threw a no-hitter, pitched in an All-Star Game and had a 20-win season in a 14-year career in which he went 135-88.  Arm problems prevented him from being even better.

8th) 69 - JUAN PENA:  He was just 21 when he whiffed eight Angels in a six-inning, three-hit performance to win his major league debut at Fenway Park on 5/8/99.  Six days later, he hurled seven shutout innings to beat the Blue Jays.  Then he never pitched in the big leagues again.  Pena missed all of 2000 after Tommy John surgery, and went just 4-15 in the minors in his comeback attempt before calling it a career.

7th) 71 - JOSE DELEON:  The 22-year-old Pirates phenom beat the Giants at Three Rivers Stadium on 7/23/83 with eight innings of four-hit work, striking out nine.  He flirted with several no-hitters early in his career, but he’s probably better known as the arguably the most talented pitcher ever to twice lead the NL with 19 losses.  DeLeon was 29-22 in a two-year stretch with the Cardinals, but just 86-119 overall in thirteen big league seasons.

5th & 6th) tied at 72 - GERALDO GUZMAN & RAMON ORTIZ:  Guzman was a 27-year-old that spent over half-a-decade working as a carpenter before returning to professional baseball in the Chinese league in 1999.  It was a great story when the Diamondbacks gave him a chance, and he pitched eight innings of four-hit ball to beat Houston at the Astrodome on 7/6/2000.  He got a second start eleven days later, and struck out nine Mariners over eight shutout innings to earn his second win.  He wasn’t as good the rest of the year, though, and was back out of the majors to stay after a cup of coffee the following year.

Now we know that Ortiz was 26 when he won his debut for the Angels on 8/19/99 in Chicago against the White Sox.  He had a okay career, going 44-33 from 2001-2003 and winning Game 3 of the 2002 World Series.  In 2006, he hit his first major league homer and came within three outs of hurling the first no-hitter for the Washington Nationals, but wound up leading the NL in losses.  Through 2007, his career record was 84-80.

4th) 77 - AMAURY TELEMACO-  The 22-year-old right-hander threw seven one-hit innings for the Cubs against the Astros at Wrigley Field on 5/16/96 to earn the victory.  He had good control, but troubles with the gopher ball inhibited his ability to hold down a regular rotation spot in a 9-year career with three teams.  Pitching mostly out of the bullpen, his career record was just 23-35

3rd)  81 - JOHNNY CUETO - No way to know what his future has in store, but you’ve got to like his chances if he can stay healthy.

2nd) 87 - PEDRO ASTACIO- As a 22-year-old Dodgers rookie, Astacio hurled four shutouts in his first ten starts, including one against the Phillies in his major league debut on 7/3/92.  He struck out ten that evening, throwing 144 pitches and limiting Philadelphia to just three singles.  He was never great, but he was good enough to go 17-10 for a bad Colorado team in 1999, and finished 129-124 for eight teams in a 15-year career.

1st) 96 - JUAN MARICHAL- Nobody who saw the 22-year-old make his major league debut on 7/19/60 would be surprised that he ended up with a plaque in Cooperstown.  For the Giants at Candlestick Park, the “Dominican Dandy” retired the first nineteen Phillies before somebody finally reached on an error.  He walked his only man before the inning was over, but didn’t surrender a hit until Clay Dalrymple’s single with two outs in the eighth.  Overall, he struck out 12 in a one-hit shutout in apperance number one.  Ten All-Star selections, six seasons with at least 20 victories and a 243-142 career record followed.

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The ten worst debuts by Game Score (from least worst to most awful) belong to:  Jose Roman, Joaquin Benoit, Octavio Dotel, Julian Tavarez, Lesli Brea, Ervin Santana, Juan Morillo, Rafael Quirico, Luis de los Santos & Arnie Munoz.

Those forgettable performances deserve to be forgotten, but I can’t help spotlighting Munoz’ horrow show since it’s the only debut Game Score to finish in the red (Arnie scored negative 7!). 

The little lefty had put up awe inspiring strikeout figures one winter in the Dominican League, and as a result, I was really anticipating his arrival on 6/19/2004.  Pitching for the White Sox in an interleague match-up in Montreal, Munoz was touched for a run in the first –and nine more in the second when the Expos Juan Rivera blasted a pair of home runs off him!  To make matters worse, Chicago skipper Ozzie Guillen left him in to pitch the third, and he gave up an eleventh earned run.  Ouch!  Ten hits and three walks in three innings, and only one strikeout. 

The White Sox moved him to the pen when he came back to the big leagues that September, then he didn’t resurface again until last year with the Nationals as a quintessential LOOGY (5 2/3 innings pitched in 13 appearances). 

by Malcolm Allen

malallen@live.com

The Top 10 Post-Season Pitching Performances in Baltimore Orioles History

I think I can safely speak for the vast majority of my fellow Baltimore Orioles fans when I say that we aren’t entertaining any realistic hopes of making the playoffs this season.  So, with the dreaded off-day following the season opener, we have to look backwards in search of October glory…at least until the future crystalizes a little more.  Since the O’s have a rich, 78-game post-season history, I set out to identify the ten best October performances by Baltimore starting pitchers.

Game scores have recaptured my interest in recent days, so once again that’s how we’ll determine the rankings:

Game Score is a metric devised by Bill James to determine the strength of a pitcher in any particular baseball game. To determine a starting pitcher’s game score:

1. Start with 50 points.
2. Add 1 point for each out recorded, so 3 points for every complete inning pitched.
3. Add 2 points for each inning completed after the 4th.
4. Add 1 point for each strikeout.
5. Subtract 2 points for each hit allowed.
6. Subtract 4 points for each earned run allowed.
7. Subtract 2 points for each unearned run allowed.
8. Subtract 1 point for each walk.

9th & 10th Place - tied with 81

Scott McGregor - 1983 World Series Game 5 & Dave McNally - 1966 World Series Game 4

These two performances nailed down two of the Orioles three World Series championships.  McNally hurled a four-hit shutout at Memorial Stadium on 10/9/66 to beat the Dodgers Don Drysdale 1-0 and complete a sweep.  Frank Robinson’s fourth-inning homer provided the only score, the Birds turned three double plays, and Los Angeles didn’t even get a runner to second base until the final frame. 

McGregor finished off the Orioles most recent title on 10/16/83 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia with a shutout of his own.  He scattered five hits and two walks, and got fourteen flyouts versus six ground balls.  Eddie Murray homered twice, and Rick Dempsey wrapped up World Series MVP honors with a long ball of his own, but McGregor held Philadelphia down by refusing to allow anybody past first base until the 5-0 final margin had already been tallied.

7th & 8th Place - tied with 82

Jim Palmer - 1966 World Series Game 2 & Dave McNally - 1971 World Series Game 1

For four innings at Dodger Stadium on 10/6/66, 20-year-old Palmer was engaged in a scoreless duel with fellow Hall-of-Famer Sandy Koufax, who was pitching the last game of his career.  Three errors by L.A. centerfielder Willie Davis led to a trio of unearned runs in the fifth though, and Palmer never let the Dodgers off the mat.  He escaped a second-and-third with one out jam in the second inning, and finished with a four-hit shutout to send the series back to Baltimore with the Birds on top two games to zero.

McNally got off to a rough start as a pair of second-inning errors by his teammates helped the Pirates plate three unearned runs at Memorial Stadium.  The first two Pittsburgh hitters got aboard an inning later, but McNally retired every hitter the rest of the way save for one man that reached on an error in the ninth.  Merv Rettenmund’s three-run homer off Dock Ellis gave the Orioles a lead in the third, and McNally earned a 5-3 victory.

5th & 6th place - tied with 84

 Jim Palmer  - 1973 ALCS Game 1 & Mike Cuellar - 1973 ALCS Game 3

Two brilliant efforts with four days of each other, and the Orioles lost the series three games to two!  Palmer struck out 12 Oakland A’s in a five-hit shutout to beat Vida Blue 6-0.  Blue failed to survive the bottom of the first at Memorial Stadium.  This one was pretty much over before it got started.

Cuellar got the ball with the series tied a game apiece at the Oakland Coliseum.  Through seven innings, he out-dueled Oakland’s 21-game winner Ken Holtzman, and the Orioles led the contest 1-0.  A two-out single by Joe Rudi tied the game for the A’s though in the bottom of the eighth, forcing extra innings.  Holtzman held the O’s to just three hits (including Earl Williams’ second-inning homer) through eleven innings, and got the victory when A’s shortstop Bert Campaneris took Cuellar deep leading off the bottom of the eleventh. 

4th place - 85

Mike Boddicker - 1983 World Series Game 2

The Orioles desperately needed a win after dropping game 1 to the Phillies at home, but Boddicker -despite a valiant effort- was in trouble midway through the game.  Baltimore was behind 1-0 on an unearned run, but John Lowenstein’s leadoff homer sparked a three-run fifth, including a RBI-sacrifice fly by Boddicker himself.  After that, he allowed just two singles the rest of the way, and retired three Hall-of-Famers plus Pete Rose for the final four outs of a 4-1 triumph.

2nd & 3rd place - tied with 88

Mike Boddicker - 1983 ALCS Game 2 & Mike Mussina  - 1997 ALCS Game 6

Six days before his World Series victory, the rookie Boddicker evened the ALCS at a game apiece with a 14-strikeout, five-hit shutout.  Orioles left-fielder Gary Roenicke walked twice, doubled, homered and scored three of Baltimore’s four runs.

Mussina hurled one of the most frustrating games in franchise history on 10/15/97 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.  Baltimore trailed the ALCS to the Indians three games to two, and Mussina gave them eight brilliant innings of one-hit pitching with ten strikeouts.  Unfortunately, his Orioles teammates left 14 base runners stranded before the overcast Wednesday affair was complete, and it ended up 1-0 in Cleveland’s favor on an 11th-inning homer by Tony Fernandez off Armando Benitez that sent the Indians to the World Series.

1st place - 97

Dave McNally - 1969 ALCS Game 2

We conclude with another 1-0, 11-inning affair, but this time the good guys won.  McNally and Baltimore-native Dave Boswell of the Twins locked up in a scoreless duel through ten at Memorial Stadium.  Each team had opportunities, but none better than the bases loaded with nobody out shot the Orioles wasted in the second.  McNally pitched around a pair of eleventh inning walks to hold Minnesota scoreless.  He’d struck out eleven and surrendered just three singles.  He got a well-deserved victory when Boswell got pulled with two on and two out in the bottom of the inning, and pinch-hitter Curt Motton greeted Twins reliever Ron Perranoski with a game-winning single.

by MALCOLM ALLEN

malallen@live.com

NOTES - Here are the Orioles five worst post-season game scores:

35 - Dave McNally - 1971 World Series Game 5

lasts 4 innings plus 2 batters as Pirates take 3-2 lead in series

34 - Jim Palmer - 1973 ALCS Game 4

knocked out in 2nd inning, though O’s rallied to force decisive game 5

26 - Dennis Martinez - 1979 World Series Game 4

knocked out in 2nd inning, though O’s win to take 3-1 series lead

20 - Mike Cuellar - 1970 ALCS Game 1

4 1/3 IP , 10 H, 6 R…but O’s won 10-6

18 - Scott Erickson - 1997 ALCS Game 4

coughed up a 5-2 lead & allowed 2 HR among 11 hits, 7 runs in 4 2/3

Opening Day Starting Pitchers from the Dominican Republic

A leaky bullpen cost Domincan southpaw Odalis Perez of Washington a victory in the innaugural game at Nationals Park last night, but he did become the 16th pitcher from his homeland to get an opening day (or, in this case, night) assignment.

Not surprisingly, Hall-of-Fame right-hander Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants was the first to do it.  In fact, he made the first 10 opening game starts in a 12-season stretch from 1962-1973.  The “Dominican Dandy” went 6-2 overall -including a pair of shutouts- with two no-decisions.

Pedro Martinez started only one opener with his current team -the Mets- but he established a record for Domincan hurlers by starting the first game of the season for eight consecutive years (the first seven from 1998-2004 with the Red Sox).  Like Marichal, Martinez fared well, winning three of four decisions and having two possible wins flushed away by relievers. 

 Martinez’ brother Ramon started five openers for the Dodgers between 1992-1998, winning two and losing the other three when his teammates supplied him a grand total of one run.  The only other Dominican brothers to pitch on opening day are Melido (1990 White Sox) and Carlos Perez (1998 Expos).  The Perez’ older brother Pascual was an All-Star with the Braves, but off-field troubles played a part in preventing him from completing the trifecta.

Only the Reds match the Giants in giving the ball to a Dominican ten times on opening day, though it took them two pitchers to do it.  Mario Soto worked six openers from 1982-1988, while Jose Rijo started four straight from 1992-1995.  The two Missouri teams are the only others with two different Dominican opening day starters.   The Cardinals going to Joaquin Andujar in 1985  and Jose DeLeon in 1992, while the Royals pitched Runelvys Hernandez in 2003 and Jose Lima two years later.

Other than Pedro Martinez, the only Dominican to pitch season openers for two different teams is Bartolo Colon.  Colon started three in a row for both the Indians (2000-2002) and the Angels (2004-2006).

Other Dominicans who opened the season for their clubs are:  Pedro Astacio (2000 Rockies).  Juan Guzman (1994 Blue Jays) and Rafael Roque (1999 Brewers).

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Following Odalis Perez’ effort on 3/31/08, Dominicans have started 49 opening day games.  By game score, here are the five best and worst efforts:

FIVE BEST OPENING DAY GAME SCORES

87 - Juan Marichal (1966) - complete game 3-hitter vs. the Cubs, 8 K’s, no walks and just one unearned run

85 - Juan Marichal (1962) - Whiffs 10 in 3-hit shutout to beat Warren Spahn & the Braves

84 - Juan Marichal (1971) - Shut out Padres on 5-hits with 8 K’s & one walk

82 - Pedro Martinez (2000) - Struck out 11 in 7 innings of 2-hit work to beat Jamie Moyer & Seattle 2-0

81 - Juan Marichal (1965) - Scoreless duel with Pirates Bob Veale lost when Bob Bailey homers leading off 10th

next 5 = Pedro Martinez (1998), Bartolo Colon (2002), Jose Rijo (1993), Mario Soto (1984), Juan Marichal (1972)

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FIVE WORST OPENING DAY GAME SCORES

33 - Joaquin Andujar (1985) - left trailing Doc Gooden 5-2 after 8 hits & 5 runs in 5 innings.  Got no-decision

31 - Ramon Martinez (1992) - Hammered by Giants for 7 hits in less than 3 innings.  Lost 8-1.

29 - Jose Lima (2005) - Clubbed for 3 homers in 3 innings by the Tigers in 11-2 loss.

26 - Juan Marichal (1967) - Lost 6-0 to Bob Gibson (13 K’s) by allowing 6 runs & 14 hits in 7 innings

13 - Pedro Martinez (2002) - 9 hits & 8 runs in 3 innings vs. Blue Jays in first Fenway opener.  No-decision

by MALCOLM ALLEN

malallen@live.com

NOTES:  The most teams to choose a Dominican to pitch on opening day in a season in three.  It happened in 1992, 1998, 2000 & 2005.

2007 marked the first time in 16 years that no Dominicans started their club’s season opener.  Hopefully, Odalis Perez has started a new streak!

From Larsen to Guthrie - BALTIMORE ORIOLES Opening Day Starting Pitchers

Jeremy Guthrie becomes the 32^nd different opening day pitcher for the modern Baltimore Orioles on Monday afternoon at Camden Yards.  At 28 (until April 8), Guthrie is nowhere near the youngest Baltimore hurler to start the first game (21-year-olds Jerry Walker (1960) & Milt Pappas (1961) are), but with a 7-5 career record in the majors, he is the least experienced man to get the assignment.  Only Don Larsen, who carried a 7-12 lifetime mark in to the Orioles first-ever game in 1954, even comes close.  Lou Kretlow, the 1955 starter who won a career-best 6 games in 1951, is the only pitcher with fewer victories in his “best” season than Guthrie.

Here is an Orioles opening day starter primer:

MOST STARTS

6 - Jim PALMER (5-1, 1.40)

6 - Mike MUSSINA (3-2, 3.10)

5 - Dave McNALLY (3-0, 2.3

3 - Steve BARBER (1-1, 3.63)

3 - Rodrigo LOPEZ (2-0, 3.31)

2 - Milt PAPPAS (0-1, 10.80)

2 - Mike FLANAGAN (0-2, 17.36)

2 - Mike BODDICKER (0-1, 3.46)

2 - Rick SUTCLIFFE (1-1, 3.60)

One start = Jeff Ballard, Erik Bedard, Hal Brown, Storm Davis, Pat Dobson, Scott Erickson, Jack Harshman, Pat Hentgen, Billy Hoeft, Connie Johnson, Jimmy Key, Lou Kretlow, Don Larsen, Scott McGregor, Bob Milacki, Tom Phoebus, Sidney Ponson, Dave Schmidt, Steve Stone, Jerry Walker, Bill Wight

Larsen and Kretlow are just two of five pitchers who made their Baltimore debut with a start on opening day.  Rick Sutcliffe, Jimmy Key and Pat Hentgen are the others.

Sutcliffe, at 36, was the oldest opening day hurler in 1993.

Billy Hoeft, the 1962 starter, holds a record of sorts because he started just three more games the rest of the year.

Connie Johnson (195 is the only African-American Baltimore opening day pitcher.  Manager Paul Richards yanked him with a 4-1 lead -one out shy of qualifying for a win-  with the potential tying run at the plate.

Steve Barber not only became the Orioles first 20-game winner in 1963.  That was also the year he became the first opening day starter for Baltimore to record a win in the season’s first game. 

Two Orioles starters were denied possible victories when the bullpen blew saves for them:  Storm Davis (1985) & Bob Milacki (1990).

Guthrie is the third ex-Stanford Cardinal to pitch the opener for the Orioles.  Mussina and Jeff Ballard are the other.

Starting pitchers are 21-17 with 16 no-decisions.

The starter completed:

1^st inning - 53 times

2^nd inning - 52 times

3^rd inning - 49 times

4^th inning - 47 times

5^th inning - 42 times

6^th inning - 30 times

7^th inning - 22 times

8^th inning - 15 times

9^th inning - 8 times

10^th inning - once

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Game Score is a value created by Bill James that evaluates the quality of a pitcher’s start by awarding him points for things he does well, and subtracting points for negative outcomes.  Roughly speaking, scores higher than 50 are above average performances, and vice versa.  (Exactly half of the Orioles 54 opening starts scored 51 or better, the other half 51 or worse).

The 10 WORST opening day outings (by Game Score) are:

10) Four-way tie @ 34 between Scott McGregor (1984), Mike Boddicker (1988), Jeff Ballard (1991) & Rick Sutcliffe (1993).  McGregor, who walked fewer than 2.2 batters per nine innings in his career, walked 6 in 5 2/3 frames en route to a 7-4 loss.  Sutcliffe tied an Orioles opening day record by serving up three home runs (Larsen in ‘54 also did it), while Boddicker and Ballard gave up the early damage in a pair of losses by a 21-1 combined score.

7, 8 & 9) Three-way tie at 33 between Hal “Skinny” Brown (1957), Billy Hoeft (1962) & Dennis Martinez (1982), all of whom couldn’t win despite getting early leads.   A five-run fourth inning at Washington in a game the O’s won in extra innings finished Brown.    Hoeft was victimized by a three-run homer off the bat of Roger Maris that gave New York a 5-3 lead at Yankee Stadium.  Martinez got support by rookie Cal Ripken, Jr’s long ball, plus a grand slam from Eddie Murray, but lasted only four innings against the Royals in a contest Baltimore won 13-5.

6)  Mike Flanagan’s 2 2/3 inning effort in 1978 scored a measly 30.  Baltimore lost 11-3 at Milwaukee with reliever Tim Stoddard serving up a grand slam to Sixto Lezcano.

(***EDIT - Well, Jeremy Guthrie’s effort in the 2008 opener fits in here, unfortunately.  Tampa Bay hammered him for nine hits and six runs before he departed with one out in the sixth)

5)  Jack Harshman’s 28 in 1959.  He surrendered two-run homers to Reno Bertoia and Harmon Killebrew in the fourth inning, and the Orioles got shut out 9-0 until Gus Triandos homered with a man aboard with two outs in the ninth. 

4)  Given another chance in 1986, Flanagan was even worse, scoring a 25.  Cleveland dented the scoreboard in each of the first three innings to chase Flanny en route to a 6-4 triumph.

3) Bill Wight’s effort in 1956 might not have scored the worst at 24, but it was the shortest.  He walked Ted Williams and allowed five of the other six Red Sox he faced at Fenway Park to hit safely in an appearance that lasted one-third of an inning.  Baltimore lost 8-1.

2) Young Milt Pappas allowed back-to-back homers to the Angels Bob Cerv and Ted Kluszewski in the opening inning at Memorial Stadium in 1961.  When he got knocked out an inning later, Kluszewski greeted reliever John Papa with a three-run shot that brought home two of Pappas’ base runners, wrapping up his afternoon with a miserable game score of 22.

1)  In 2007, Erik Bedard allowed fewer hits per nine innings than any American League pitcher and broke Baltimore’s single-season strikeout mark.  On opening day though, he got clubbed for a record (for an opener) 10 hits in just 4 2/3 innings by the Twins, along with six runs for a 21 game score.  “I threw some good pitches and some bad pitches,” said Bedard.  “They hit both.”

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In contrast, here are the ten BEST game scores recorded by Orioles opening day starters

10)  Jim Palmer’s 67 in 1977.  “Cakes” deserved better.  He dueled the Rangers Bert Blyleven to a 1-1 tie through nine innings, then went out and pitched the 10^th.  Unfortunately, Texas’ Juan Beniquez stroked a one-out double, and scored one out later when rookie Bump Wills singled sharply to center for his first major league hit. 

8 & 9)  Jim Palmer (1979) & Mike Mussina (1998) tied at 69.  Palmer spotted the White Sox a 2-0 second-inning lead, then didn’t allow any more hits until the ninth as Baltimore seized control.  Mussina struck out eleven without a walk in his fourth opening day assignment against Kansas City, but the first in which the Royals didn’t pitch Kevin Appier.  Maybe it would have been better if they did, Tim Belcher shut the Orioles out through seven, and “The Moose” was charged with a 4- 1 defeat.

7)  Jim Palmer’s score of 71 in 1976.  Great game!  Palmer beats fellow Hall-of-Famer Ferguson Jenkins of the Red Sox 1-0 on a fourth-inning unearned run.  

6)  Pat Hentgen in 2001 scored 74.  Not only did Hentgen match reigning Cy Young winner Pedro Martinez pitch-for-pitch in his Orioles debut, he outlasted him, allowing Baltimore to prevail 2-1 in the bottom of the 11^th on Brady Anderson’s game-winning single.

5)  Mike Mussina threw eight innings of two-hit ball to notch a 77 game score and win his first career opening day assignment in 1994.  Mike Devereaux and Rafael Palmeiro homered for Baltimore, and when the game got close in the ninth, Lee Smith came on to earn a save in his Orioles debut.

4)  Dave McNally scored 81 in 1970.  Cleveland’s “Sudden” Sam McDowell struck out 11 Orioles in 6 1/3 innings and carried a 2-1 lead into the seventh before tiring.  Baltimore tied and went ahead on bases loaded walks, then used two-run doubles by Paul Blair and Davey Johnson to get some breathing room an inning later.  McNally struck out an opening day record 13 in going the distance on a four-hitter.

2 & 3)  McNally’s 1973 performance and 1992’s Rick Sutcliffe tied at 82.  McNally became the first Oriole to hurl a shutout in the season opener with a 10-0 romp over the Tiger.  He allowed just three hits.  Brooks Robinson hit two homers and Don Baylor went 4-4, just missing a cycle because he hit two doubles without a single.  Sutcliffe made the first-ever game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards one to remember, out-dueling Cleveland’s Charles Nagy in a 2-0 affair that took just two hours and two minutes to complete.  Chris Hoiles’ ground-rule double and Billy Ripken’s RBI bunt groundout drove in the only runs.

#1)  Jim Palmer’s three-hit shutout in 1975 scored 85 to rank as Baltimore’s best opening day performance ever.  Lee May blasted a three-run homer in the top of the first at Tiger Stadium off Joe Coleman (whose dad Joe, Sr. was a 1954 Oriole), and Baylor went 4-5.  Palmer retired the first twelve Detroit hitters and didn’t walk a man, looking every bit like a guy out to reclaim the Cy Young award after a dismal 1974.

By Malcolm Allen

malallen@live.com

Spring Training With the 1988 Baltimore Orioles

Ninety-five losses in 1987 represented the Baltimore Orioles worst total in 32 years.  They’d gone a miserable 81-137 since August 6, 1986, but figured they had nowhere to go but up when spring training 1988 got underway.  Little did they know.

Sure, the team featured Hall of Famers Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken, Jr, but the myriad of problems included an offense that finished next-to-last in the AL in runs despite hitting more home runs than all but ten teams in history.   Baltimore pitchers surrendered a record number of long balls, as starters failed to complete three innings 35 times en route to an embarrassing 5.01 club ERA.  The team was old and slow, as 69 steals compared to an average of 128 for the rest of the American League demonstrated.

General Manager Hank Peters got fired after a dozen years on the job, and Roland Hemond was charged with supplying second-year skipper Cal Ripken, Sr. with players who could turn the Orioles around.

Speedy Joe Orsulak was acquired from the Pirates, and Rip, Sr. wanted him to back up slugger Ken Gerhart (14 homers in 284 at bats in ’87) in centerfield, with fragile Fred Lynn preserving his health by moving to right.  Switch-hitter Pete Stanicek was penciled in to leadoff and start in left, though owner Edward Bennett Williams thought he should remain at his natural position, second base.  For now second belonged to Billy Ripken, the manager’s son, who shocked nearly everyone by batting .308 after his call up last summer.  Perhaps it was an omen when Gerhart reported to camp hobbled by an off-season basketball injury to his ankle, then Stanicek fractured his index finger in Grapefruit League play.

The Orioles wanted 1985 first-round pick Craig Worthington to step up and claim the third base job, and even dealt away veteran Ray Knight to make room for him.  Knight thought it was a joke when he learned about the trade after arriving at camp after a long drive, but he was now a Detroit Tiger in exchange for lefty pitcher Mark Thurmond.

Thurmond was just the latest new face on a staff under the tutelage of new pitching coach Herm Starrette.  While the Orioles employed two pitching coaches their first 31 years in Baltimore, Starrette was the third different man in as many years to hold the job.  Mike Morgan, loser of more games in 1986-87 than anyone in the majors, and Jay Tibbs were the pair of high potential/low performance right-handers acquired in trades to solidify the pitching corps.  Insisting they were “on the verge”, Ripken, Sr. was counting on each man to hurl 200 innings. 

Rule 5 draft pick Jose Bautista had a good shot to stick as a reliever with holes left by two former All-Stars.  (Don Aase was recovering from elbow surgery & Tippy Martinez was in Twins camp because the Orioles wouldn’t promise him any action in “A” games).  Bautista was one of “Three Amigos” expected to make the opening day roster, along with Jose Mesa and Oswald Peraza, the pair of pitchers acquired from Toronto at last year’s trade deadline for Mike Flanagan.  Tibbs got mostly hammered all spring, as did a pair of once-touted youngsters who pitched their way off the roster (Eric Bell & John Habyan).  Veteran Scott McGregor, considered washed up after a dismal 1987, won a rotation spot in an upset based on a strong spring.

Two weeks before opening day, the Orioles cut ties with former first-round pick “Mighty” Mike Young (28 homers in 1985), trading him to Philadelphia with a player-to-be-named in exchange for three players.  In return, Baltimore landed two opening day starters in left-fielder/leadoff hitter Jeff Stone and third-baseman Rick Schu. After being blocked behind Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, Schu was particularly happy about the deal, calling his move to Baltimore “a breath of fresh air”. 

Veteran outfielder Lee Lacy got released to clear a spot for utility man Wade Rowdon, who rewarded the Orioles good faith by going 3-30 before calling it a career.   The last surprise came after the Orioles traveled north for an exhibition game in Washington, DC.  The left-field fence at RFK Stadium was a paltry 245-feet away at the time, and young Jose Mesa got bounced from the starting rotation to Triple-A Rochester after getting pounded for seven runs in less than three innings by the New York Mets. 

The 1988 Orioles were ready…or were they?

Spring Training with the 1983 Baltimore Orioles

Spring training was relativley tranquil for the Baltimore Orioles in 1983.  The core of a club that won 94 games the previous year was intact, save for Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver, who’d retired.  Perhaps the biggest shock of  camp came when The Earl of Baltimore dropped in for a visit sporting a brand new perm, which he insisted was a great hairdo for golf.

While the Orioles had suffered through sub-.500 Aprils in four of the last five seasons, Weaver’s replacement Joe Altobelli knew better than to initiate any major shakeups to get off to a good start with his new team.  “I know the coaches, I know the players and I know the organization,”Altobelli explained.  “Our goal is to keep things running as smoothly as they have in the past.”

The pitching staff was set with six-foot-seven relief pitcher Tim Stoddard appearing fully recovered from knee surgery.  There was no room for right-hander Mike Boddicker, who’d won at least 10 games in Triple-A the last three years and would start at Rochester again.  While switch-hitting slugger Mike Young opened lots of eyes early in camp, he was considered a year away from the big leagues, with speedy John “T-Bone” Shelby figuring to crack the opening day roster.  Thirty-five-year-old designated hitter Ken Singleton was the biggest comeback candidate after enduring a career worst 1982 that left many pronouncing him done.  The switch-hitter batted just .177 against right-handed pitching without a homer in his final 185 at bats swinging left-handed, but after doctors discovered his right forearm was eighteen percent weaker, he was confident of a return to form after a winter spent hitting the weights. 

Gary Roenicke, who’d walloped 21 homers in part-time action in 1982, hoped this would be the year he finally got 500 at bats to put up some serious numbers.  However, Altobelli wasn’t breaking up his extremely productive, two-headed left-field platoon with John Lowenstein (24 homers), and insisted disappointing Disco Dan Ford -who batted .235 his first year in Baltimore- was still the right-fielder.

Third base was the only question mark, though Altobelli knew who he wanted to seize control of the job.  Twenty-three-year-old Venezuelan Leo Hernandez blasted 34 home runs and 119 RBI between Double-A & Triple-A in 1982, and word was he could play defense too.  “If he can make it,” said the Orioles new skipper.  “No team in baseball will have more power in the infield.”  With reigning Rookie-of-the-Year Cal Ripken, Jr at shortstop, and future 500-home run club member Eddie Murray at first, it was a sound plan.  Hernandez arrived late to camp due to visa problems though, and with concerns about how he’d respond to inevitable adversity at the big league level, the Orioles signed 35-year-old former Gold Glove winner Aurelio Rodriguez to stick around just in case.

A poll of baseball writers in The Sporting News found the Orioles picked to finish third in the American League East behind the Brewers (88 votes) and the Yankees (68).  Forty-four scribes picked Baltimore to win the division. 

The Orioles flew 26 players back to Baltimore for the opener against the Royals, putting off a decision for the final roster spot between veteran left-handed bats Terry Crowley and Jim Dwyer.  “DWYER SET TO GO” warned a newspaper headline, suggesting doom for the 33-year-old known as ”Pig Pen”.  In the end though, the 36-year-old Crowley got the axe despite an impressive .357 performance in Grapefruit League play.

“This is too bad,” Crowley said prophetically.  “Because this team is going to go all the way this year.”

by MALCOLM ALLEN

malallen@live.com

The Baltimore Colts next-to-last win at Memorial Stadium

Twenty-five years later, I’m glad they won.  When the Baltimore Colts hosted the Patriots on October 9, 1983 (pictured above) though, I was fervently rooting for the visitors from New England.

You see, the history of my NFL loyalties goes something like this:

• As a boy born in Baltimore 3 1/2 months before the Colts won Super Bowl V, I grew up rooting for the team symbolized by the blue horseshoe.
• That is, until the Oakland Raiders ultra-cool (to any 7-year-old boy) black & silver helmets with the one-eyed pirate holding a sword between his teeth won me over.  I mean, how could I go against a team with “The Snake” (Ken Stabler) at quarterback?
• When Stabler got traded to the Oilers after a lengthy holdout prior to the 1980 season, I became a Patriots fan.  The main reason was that New England receiver Stanley Morgan was the league’s most exciting player in my eyes.  My sister even got me a red & white #86 jersey in his honor.  (The day I soiled it diving into some backyard dog doo to make a dazzling grab will forever live in infamy)

Over the next four years, the Patriots annual visit to Memorial Stadium in Baltimore was my family’s excuse to go to a game.  Even in 1981, when both teams finished a miserable 2-14 (Both the Colts wins came against New England!), we were there in the cold for an otherwise meaningless week 16 affair.  Little did we know, 1983’s contest would mark the end of the line.

Two days before the Baltimore Orioles hosted game 1 of the 1983 World Series in the same stadium, we took our seats along the first base line to watch the Colts and the Patriots meet in week 6.  I was one of the few people inside the “world’s largest outdoor insane asylum” rooting against the hometown team. 

Steve Grogan, who entered the game as the AFC leader in quarterback rating, opened the scoring with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Cedric Jones 9:40 into the action; and New England rolled to over 400 yards of total offense.  It was one of their handful of most prolific games all season, and my man Stanley Morgan caught a career-high nine balls for 136 of those yards.

However, halftime came and went, and most of the third quarter ticked away with the score still 7-0.  A missed field goal, two lost fumbles, two interceptions and four Baltimore sacks all played a part in keeping the Patriots stuck on unlucky seven.  “We felt like the fighter who keeps swinging away and swinging away, and yet can’t knock the opponent down,” admitted Patriots coach Ron Meyer after the game.

New England ultimately paid a heavy price for letting the Colts hang around.  With less than three minutes remaining in the third, Baltimore quarterback Mike Pagel started scrambling on a busted play.  New England defensive back Fred Marion dropped off his man to pursue Pagel, leaving Colts running back Curtis Dickey all alone to snare a pass 12-yards downfield.  Dickey ran the ball all 68 yards to the end zone and, after the extra point, the game was tied.

The two lowest-scoring teams in the AFC in 1983 continued to give their respective All-Pro punters a workout as nobody could push ahead.  Finally, Colts rookie kicker Raul Allegre booted a 52-yard field goal through the uprights with 4:19 left to play, and the pressure was on the Patriots.  Grogan dropped back deep in his own territory to pass just before the two-minute warning, and got sacked in the end zone by Baltimore defensive end Donnell Thompson for a safety that provided the final margin of the Colts’ 12-7 victory.  “They went from being totally dominated to supermen,” remarked Grogan.

Colts coach Frank Kush, the alleged tyrant that number one draft pick John Elway wanted no part of (necessitating a trade for rookie Pro Bowl tackle Chris Hinton), was more critical of his troops.  “It was embarassing,” Kush said.  “I’ll tell you the joke of the century -we killed them.  We didn’t have anything to do with stopping them.  They stopped themselves.”

The win moved the Colts temporarily to the top of the AFC East standings, but seven losses in their next nine contests ensured it didn’t last long.  After beating the Patriots that Sunday afternoon, Baltimore won only one more football game at Memorial Stadium -the season finale vs. the Oilers- before fleeing to Indianpolis in Mayflower moving trucks less than six months later.

by MALCOLM ALLEN

malallen@live.com

NOTES:

Two Hall-of-Famers played in that game, both for the Patriots:  Left guard John Hannah and Left outside linebacker Andre Tippett (who collected half-a-sack).

1983 Pro Bowlers in action that day included New England’s Hannah, Tony Collins (RB), Raymond Clayborn (CB) & Rich Camarillo (P); plus Baltimore’s Chris Hinton (G).

Other 1983 All-Pros from the contest that didn’t go to the Pro Bowl include New England’s Roland James (S); and Raul Allegre (K) & Rohn Stark (P) of the Colts.

Memorial Stadium Moment: ROCKY COLAVITO Hits Four Home Runs In One Game

On June 10, 1959, a new issue of The Sporting News hit the streets that proclaimed Cleveland Indians right-fielder Rocky Colavito the “American League player most likely to emulate -and possibly surpass- Babe Ruth’s record of 60 home runs in one season”.  Colavito, who’d launched just one longball in his last twelve games while battling through a 5-41 stretch, remarked “I hope my slump isn’t letting the paper down” shortly before going to work against the Baltimore Orioles.

Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium hardly seemed like the place for the 1958 runner-up for the AL home run crown to get back on track.  Not only was the cavernous ballpark widely regarded as the league’s toughest to go deep in, the powerful Colavito had managed only one blast there in some 108 career at bats.  Nevertheless, he was just a few hours away from making history.

Batting cleanup for Cleveland, Colavito drew a walk in the top of the first and scored on Minnie Minoso’s three-run homer.  Teammate Billy Martin added a solo blast an inning later, and Orioles starter Jerry Walker was off to an early shower after Colavito hammered a slow slider to deep left with a man aboard in the third to put Cleveland up 6-3. 

The scored stayed that way until the fifth when, with one out, Colavito cleared the left-field fence again.  This time, a slow curve from reliever Arnie Portacarrero got turned around for what The Sporting News described as a “mighty blow”.

One inning later, Colavito followed Tito Francona’s run-scoring double by teeing off on one of Portacarrero’s low and away fastballs, golfing a low liner over the wall in left-centerfield for an “eye popper” of a blast.

The Orioles fought back to draw within 10-7 by the time Colavito batted again in the ninth, and Baltimore pitcher Ernie Johnson’s initial offering brushed him back.  The second pitch was up and in, but Colavito turned on it and connected for a fourth consecutive home run that’s destination was never in doubt as it headed for the left-field seats.  That made Colavito just the eighth player in the history of major league baseball to hit four home runs in a single game, and just the third (Bobby Lowe in 1894 & Lou Gehrig in 1932 were the others) to do it in consecutive at bats.  Prior to the contest, no team had ever hit four homers in a game at Memorial Stadium!

“Gehrig was my favorite when I was a small boy,” said Colavito after the game.  “My brother Vito played first base, and Gehrig was his hero, so he became my hero too.”

Colavito switched his allegiance to Joe Dimaggio when he grew older, and now he’d accomplished something that even the great Dimaggio -and Ruth too for that matter- had never managed to do.

Colavito leaped into a swarm of waiting teammates as he crossed home plate after his fourth blast.  Plenty of handshakes, “yippies!” and “wahoos!” followed, though Indians manager Joe Gordon observed that his players “seemed stunned to believe they actually had witnessed the feat”.  That explains why nobody really noticed when second baseman Billy Martin -racing from the shower wearing only a towel after departing early for a pinch-hitter- wound up stark naked in the Indians dugout.

Cleveland pitcher Herb Score tracked down the fan who caught Colavito’s fourth home run ball among the 15,883 paying customers, but couldn’t persuade the patron to part with the souvenir.  The Indians traveling secretary got it back with an offer of $25 and two autographed balls, and General Manager Frank Lane had it gold-plated and shipped to the Hall of Fame.

by MALCOLM ALLEN

malallen@live.com

(I owe a great debt to the reporting in The Sporting News for the facts in this story)

NOTES:

The Indians 11-8 victory on 6/10/59 started a 7-game win-streak that moved them to the top of the AL standings, but they ended the season in second place behind the “Go Go” White Sox.

Colavito won the only home run crown of his career (with 42), and led the AL in total bases, but Cleveland traded him to the Tigers two days before opening day the following season.  He hit a career high 45 homers for Detroit in 1961, and 374 overall for six teams (plus a second stint with the Indians) in a 14-year career. 

Rocco Domenico Colavito is now 74 and lives in Pennsylvania.

JULIAN TAVAREZ - Dominican GIDP King

“What counts aren’t the number of double plays, but the ones you should have had and missed.” - WHITEY HERZOG

Growing up in Baltimore during the 1970’s, one of my earliest baseball memories was being taught to chant “6-4-3″ when the Orioles pitcher put a man on first base.  Of course, that was to exhort the opposition to hit the ball to the Orioles sure-handed shortstop Mark Belanger, so that ‘The Blade’ could turn it into a double play.  A twin killing.  The pitcher’s best friend.

Just yesterday, I noticed that Fausto Carmona of the Indians induced 32 double play grounders in as many starts in 2007 (plus 4 more in 3 post-season outings).  Not only did that tie Chien-Ming Wang for the MLB lead, when I looked it up, 32 tied the single-season record for pitchers from the Dominican Republic. The Cardinals Joaquin Andujar, in 1985, and Miguel Batista of the 2006 Diamondbacks did it previously.

Next, I checked the 20 Dominicans that started 100 or more MLB games to see who induced double plays most frequently.  Here are the top 5 by IP/GIDP (using only statistics as a starting pitcher):

 7.36  - Julian TAVAREZ (1993-active)

 9.21 - Miguel BATISTA (1992-active)

10.20 - Bartolo COLON (1997-active)

10.83 - Daniel CABRERA (2004-active)

10.95 - Pedro ASTACIO (1992-2006)

Carmona has only made 39 big league starts to date, but his 6.81 figure would top the list.  (Mario Soto, at 24.24 ip/gidp, generated twin killings least frequently)

Impressed by Carmona’s ability to get two outs with one pitch, I examined every Dominican pitcher that logged at least 100 innings in the majors; more than 100 in all.  Using statistics compiled both in starts and relief, here are the 10 best pitchers at getting double plays:

7.03 - Julian TAVAREZ (1993-active)

7.07 - Fausto CARMONA (2006-active)

7.59 - Bill CASTRO (1974-1983)

7.61 - Franklyn GERMAN (2002-2006)

7.61 - Francisco LIRIANO (2005-active)

7.76 - Antonio ALFONSECA (1997-active)

7.90 - Leo NUNEZ (2005-active)

8.19 - Hipolito PICHARDO (1992-2002)

8.19 - Duaner SANCHEZ (2002-active)

8.30 - Jose PANIAGUA (1996-2003)

(Cubs reliever Carlos Marmol’s rate of one GIDP per 36.59 IP is the worst, though he’s pitched fewer than 150 innings thus far in his career).

Considering Tavarez has made more than 500 more relief appearances than starts in his career, it’s fair to say Carmona may prove to be the best double play machine among Dominican starting pitchers thanks to his wicked sinker.  It bears watching whether he can shatter a little known record among his countrymen this year.

by MALCOLM ALLEN

malallen@live.com

JULIAN TAVAREZ FACTS:

His blister remedy = Pop it, repeatedly swab with rubbing alcohol.  Crush aspirins and mix them with Red Bull energy drink.  Rub them on blister.

Has been suspended 5 times in his MLB career.

Denies that he doctors the ball by rubbing pine tar from his cap

As young players with the Indians, Tavarez & Manny Ramirez asked beat writers to lend them $60,000 to buy motorcycles after Cleveland’s GM told them no.

If he wasn’t playing baseball, he’d be in the porno industry