Baltimore’s Adam Jones lofted a sacrifice fly to score Detroit’s Curtis Granderson from third base in the eighth inning to give the American League a 4-3 win over the National League at the 80th Major League All-Star Game last Tuesday in St. Louis. With the victory, the American League has now won or tied the past 13 Midsummer Classics.
The Americans handed starter Roy Halladay of Toronto a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, and Halladay responded by retiring the first five National League batters he faced. The Nationals eventually took a 3-2 lead on a pinch-hit double from Milwaukee’s Prince Fielder in the third. Minnesota’s Joe Mauer tied the game in the fifth with an RBI double of his own, setting up Granderson’s one-out triple in the eighth prior to Jones’ sac fly.
Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon got the win with a scoreless seventh inning. San Diego’s Heath Bell, who gave up Granderson’s triple and Jones’ sac fly, was pinned with the loss for the National League.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
PHILS SIGN PEDRO TO ONE-YEAR CONTRACT
Three-time Cy Young Award winner Pedro Martinez has finally signed a contract with a big league team after months in limbo. The 37-year-old Martinez agreed a one-year deal with the defending world champion Philadelphia Phillies last week for $1 million, plus another $1.5 million in incentives. Martinez had been seeking a $5 million contract after a good showing in March’s World Baseball Classic, but four months passed before the right-hander bit the bullet and signed with the Phils.
Martinez pitched twice at the Phillies’ Dominican academy before the team sat down to talk business with him. He was immediately placed on the disabled list, and will begin his season pitching a rehab assignment for a Phillies farm team. Martinez won the Cy Young Award three times between 1997 and 2000, and has a career record of 214-99 with a 2.91 ERA and 3,117 strikeouts over 17 big league seasons. Last year, he went 5-6 with a 5.61 ERA for the New York Mets before becoming a free agent in the offseason.
Martinez pitched twice at the Phillies’ Dominican academy before the team sat down to talk business with him. He was immediately placed on the disabled list, and will begin his season pitching a rehab assignment for a Phillies farm team. Martinez won the Cy Young Award three times between 1997 and 2000, and has a career record of 214-99 with a 2.91 ERA and 3,117 strikeouts over 17 big league seasons. Last year, he went 5-6 with a 5.61 ERA for the New York Mets before becoming a free agent in the offseason.
MEXICAN HALL TO INDUCT FOUR NEW MEMBERS
Mexico’s counterpart to Cooperstown, the Salon de la Fama in Monterrey, was scheduled to induct four new members this weekend. A Saturday night ceremony prior to the Reynosa-Monterrey Mexican League game at Monterrey Baseball Stadium introduced inductees Arturo Gonzalez, Juan Jose Pacho, Salvador Colorado and Jose Domingo Setien.
Gonzalez was 232-169 over 27 years pitching in the Mexican League (all for Monterrey), Pacho was a shortstop who batted .278 over 1,891 Liga games in his career before becoming a successful manager, Colorado was 181-125 in 18 Mexican summers between the Seventies and Nineties, and Setien has been a baseball writer and TV commentator in Mexico since 1972.
Gonzalez was elected in his first year on the ballot.
Gonzalez was 232-169 over 27 years pitching in the Mexican League (all for Monterrey), Pacho was a shortstop who batted .278 over 1,891 Liga games in his career before becoming a successful manager, Colorado was 181-125 in 18 Mexican summers between the Seventies and Nineties, and Setien has been a baseball writer and TV commentator in Mexico since 1972.
Gonzalez was elected in his first year on the ballot.
FIGHTERS BEAT HAWKS TWICE IN BATTLE OF PACIFIC LEADERS
After losing the first contest of their three-game series, the Nippon Ham Fighters took two straight wins over the Softbank Hawks to come to within a half-game of the league-leading Hawks in Japan’s Pacific League standings.
Jose Ortiz whacked a two-run homer to give the Hawks a 2-1 win in Tuesday night’s opener to snap the Fighters’ three-game win streak. Nippon Ham came back to win the final two games of the set, however. Fighters ace Yu Darvish tossed his fifth complete game of 2009 in Wednesday’s 9-1 win over Softbank as Darvish’s record was lifted to 11-3. One night later, the Fighters won the rubber match, 3-2, thanks to Eiichi Koyano’s two-run triple in the sixth inning.
The Hawks are clinging to the PL lead with a 45-31-2 record, while the Fighters are right on their heels at 45-32-1. Seibu is third at 40-38-3. In the Central League, the Yomiuri Giants have all kinds of breathing room with a 47-25-7 record, 5.5 games ahead of 45-34-1 Chunichi and six games up on 42-32 Yakult.
Jose Ortiz whacked a two-run homer to give the Hawks a 2-1 win in Tuesday night’s opener to snap the Fighters’ three-game win streak. Nippon Ham came back to win the final two games of the set, however. Fighters ace Yu Darvish tossed his fifth complete game of 2009 in Wednesday’s 9-1 win over Softbank as Darvish’s record was lifted to 11-3. One night later, the Fighters won the rubber match, 3-2, thanks to Eiichi Koyano’s two-run triple in the sixth inning.
The Hawks are clinging to the PL lead with a 45-31-2 record, while the Fighters are right on their heels at 45-32-1. Seibu is third at 40-38-3. In the Central League, the Yomiuri Giants have all kinds of breathing room with a 47-25-7 record, 5.5 games ahead of 45-34-1 Chunichi and six games up on 42-32 Yakult.
YANG HITS 350TH HOMER IN LIONS LOSS TO DOOSAN
Samsung veteran Joon-hyuk Yang swatted the 350th homer of his 17-year career last Tuesday night in Daegu, but the Lions still lost a 14-9 slugfest to the Doosan Bears in a Korea Baseball Organization game.
The 40-year-old Yang walloped his three-run shot off Bears start Jae-woo Lee in the first inning. Yang, who has eleven homers this year, has never won a single-season home run title and has never hit more than 23 dingers in a year. Even so, Yang is the only KBO player ever to top 300 career homers, although SK Wyverns catcher Kyung-oan Park is knocking on the door at 299. Not just a swing-for-the-fences slugger, Yang is a career .318 hitter over 2,059 games since his 1993 debut (including a .326 average this year). He played the first six years of his KBO career for the Lions, then spent a season with the KIA Tigers and two more with the SK Wyverns before returning to Samsung in 2002.
Despite the win, second-place Doosan was not able to close the gap between the Bears and the league-leading Wyverns. SK is 48-33-5 this year, good enough for a 2.5-game lead over the 45-35-2 Bears. KIA is in third at 43-35-4, one game behind the Bears.
The 40-year-old Yang walloped his three-run shot off Bears start Jae-woo Lee in the first inning. Yang, who has eleven homers this year, has never won a single-season home run title and has never hit more than 23 dingers in a year. Even so, Yang is the only KBO player ever to top 300 career homers, although SK Wyverns catcher Kyung-oan Park is knocking on the door at 299. Not just a swing-for-the-fences slugger, Yang is a career .318 hitter over 2,059 games since his 1993 debut (including a .326 average this year). He played the first six years of his KBO career for the Lions, then spent a season with the KIA Tigers and two more with the SK Wyverns before returning to Samsung in 2002.
Despite the win, second-place Doosan was not able to close the gap between the Bears and the league-leading Wyverns. SK is 48-33-5 this year, good enough for a 2.5-game lead over the 45-35-2 Bears. KIA is in third at 43-35-4, one game behind the Bears.
JAPANESE COLLEGIANS BEAT USA IN FIVE-GAME SERIES
It took a shortstop’s error in the eleventh inning of the deciding game, but Japan was able to pull out a 3-games-to-2 win in their collegiate baseball All-Star series with the United States last week in Japan. The series was tied at two games apiece going into the fifth and final contest at Tokyo’s Jingu Stadium.
Game Five was knotted up at 4-4 going into the ninth inning when the Americans scored three runs to take a 7-4 lead, but when Japan notched three counters of their own in the bottom of the frame, the game went into overtime. With two out in the bottom of the eleventh, Masayoshi Kato’s grounder was bobbled by USA shortstop Christian Colon, bringing in the winning run from third base to end the game with an 8-7 Japan victory. The series itself was a see-saw affair, as the USA and Japan swapped wins back and forth over the first four games.
Asia University outfielder Keiji Nakahara was named the series MVP after recording at least one hit in all five games, including a homer in Game Three, as Japan extended their winning streak at home to 13 straight series.
Game Five was knotted up at 4-4 going into the ninth inning when the Americans scored three runs to take a 7-4 lead, but when Japan notched three counters of their own in the bottom of the frame, the game went into overtime. With two out in the bottom of the eleventh, Masayoshi Kato’s grounder was bobbled by USA shortstop Christian Colon, bringing in the winning run from third base to end the game with an 8-7 Japan victory. The series itself was a see-saw affair, as the USA and Japan swapped wins back and forth over the first four games.
Asia University outfielder Keiji Nakahara was named the series MVP after recording at least one hit in all five games, including a homer in Game Three, as Japan extended their winning streak at home to 13 straight series.
CUBA BEATS DUTCHMEN TO WIN ROTTERDAM TOURNAMENT
Giorvis Duvergel’s RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning broke a 3-3 tie as Cuba went on to pound The Netherlands, 9-3, last Sunday in the title game of the World Port Tournament in Rotterdam. Cuba dominated the tournament by winning or tying nine of the ten games they played. Conversely, the host Dutch reached the final despite a 4-5 record in the preliminary round in which the four national teams played one another three times each. Taiwan finished third with a 3-5-1 record, while Japan brought up the rear at 3-6.
The Japanese did capture a measure of glory on July 11 by handing the Cubans their only loss in a 2-1 win for pitcher Syogo Suenaga, who let in one unearned run on four hits in a complete game victory.
Cuba’s Yoelvis Fiss was voted the tourney’s MVP after going 15-for-35 at the plate with two homers and 12 RBIs. Teammate Maikel Folch earned Best Pitcher honors after tossing 18 scoreless innings, including four shutout frames in the title game with The Netherlands to earn the victory.
The Japanese did capture a measure of glory on July 11 by handing the Cubans their only loss in a 2-1 win for pitcher Syogo Suenaga, who let in one unearned run on four hits in a complete game victory.
Cuba’s Yoelvis Fiss was voted the tourney’s MVP after going 15-for-35 at the plate with two homers and 12 RBIs. Teammate Maikel Folch earned Best Pitcher honors after tossing 18 scoreless innings, including four shutout frames in the title game with The Netherlands to earn the victory.
MARLINS CLINCH SPANISH LEAGUE REGULAR SEASON TITLE
To the surprise of nobody, the Puerto Cruz Marlins have clinched the Spanish Division of Honor regular season championship following a two-game sweep of the Vigo Halcones last weekend at home in Tenerife. Vigo took a 3-0 first inning lead in the opening game via a three-run homer by Marco Marques. The Marlins came back with one run in the first before pounding out five more in the second, highlighted by two-run bombs from Juan Macias and Daniel Martinez. Leslie Nacar ran his record to 14-1 by settling down after Marques’ blast and letting in no more Halcones runs through the eighth frame. Ivan Granados saw his record lifted to 12-1 in the second game by tossing a 5-0 shutout.
With the sweep, Puerto Cruz is now 30-2, four games ahead of 26-6 Barcelona with four games left on the schedule. Remember that Barca road trip to Puerto Cruz that was cancelled because nobody bothered to book a team flight to Tenerife earlier this season? Even if the Marlins lose all four of their games and Barcelona wins their last four games, Puerto Cruz will get the nod for first because of those two 9-0 forfeit wins over Barca.
With the sweep, Puerto Cruz is now 30-2, four games ahead of 26-6 Barcelona with four games left on the schedule. Remember that Barca road trip to Puerto Cruz that was cancelled because nobody bothered to book a team flight to Tenerife earlier this season? Even if the Marlins lose all four of their games and Barcelona wins their last four games, Puerto Cruz will get the nod for first because of those two 9-0 forfeit wins over Barca.
GERMAN PLAYOFFS NARROWED TO FINAL FOUR TEAMS
The German Baseball League playoffs have winnowed down to four teams after all first round Bundesliga series wrapped up last weekend. The Solingen Alligators will meet the Heidenheim Heidekoepfe in one semifinal series, while the defending champion Regensburg Buchbinder Legionaere will take on the Manheim Tornados in the other. Solingen and Regensburg won their respective division titles during the regular season.
Solingen eliminated the Mainz Athletics in three straight games, including a 10-0 win last weekend as Enorbel Marquez-Ramirez combined with Jens Cornelsen and Andre Hughes to limit Mainz to two hits and a walk. Heidenheim allowed just one run in 23 innings of their three-game sweep of Dortmund, including a 13-0 Markus Winkler one-hitter last Saturday.
Regensburg won their third straight over the HSV Stealers, 9-7, last week as Matt Vance was 4-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs. Manheim needed four games to knock out Paderborn, scoring a 14-4 clincher win last Sunday. The Tornados’ Marvin Appiah homered for the third straight game, while pitcher Martin DeWald earned his third postseason win.
The best-of-5 semis will begin Saturday, August 1 because the German National Team will be in Canada for the World Baseball Challenge this weekend.
Solingen eliminated the Mainz Athletics in three straight games, including a 10-0 win last weekend as Enorbel Marquez-Ramirez combined with Jens Cornelsen and Andre Hughes to limit Mainz to two hits and a walk. Heidenheim allowed just one run in 23 innings of their three-game sweep of Dortmund, including a 13-0 Markus Winkler one-hitter last Saturday.
Regensburg won their third straight over the HSV Stealers, 9-7, last week as Matt Vance was 4-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs. Manheim needed four games to knock out Paderborn, scoring a 14-4 clincher win last Sunday. The Tornados’ Marvin Appiah homered for the third straight game, while pitcher Martin DeWald earned his third postseason win.
The best-of-5 semis will begin Saturday, August 1 because the German National Team will be in Canada for the World Baseball Challenge this weekend.
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