Author Archives: Scott Frizzell

About Scott Frizzell

I have lived in New Hampshire my entire life. Huge Boston sports fan with an emphasis on baseball and football. Love the history of baseball and I should be given a Hall of Fame vote to help them get it right. This is my first time writing for an audience, I appreciate any support from you guys.

Red Sox Players to Hit for Cycle

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Mookie Betts hit for the cycle on Thursday night, becoming the 21st player in Red Sox history to complete the feat. Needing a home run in the ninth, Betts fouled off a very hittable pitch and seemed to realize he had missed one. He made up for it, cracking a no doubter over the left field wall to collect his cycle. So who were the 20 players before him to get the cycle?

The Early Days

Buck Freeman was the first player to hit for the cycle in franchise history. Known as the Boston Americans when Freeman completed the cycle, Freeman accomplished the feat on June 21, 1903. He did so in a 12-7 Boston victory over the Cleveland Blues, or Cleveland Naps, depending upon where you look. The Cleveland franchise had acquired superstar Nap Lajoie the previous season and were beginning to be called the “Naps” after him.

Patsy Dougherty accomplished the feat not much more than a month after Freeman. Dougherty’s cycle came on July 29, 1903 against the New York Highlanders. Dougherty was in his second Major League season, one in which he led the American League with 195 base hits.

Tris Speaker hit for the cycle on June 9, 1912, becoming the first player to do so after the franchise became known as the Red Sox. One of the greatest center fielders of all-time, Speaker drove in three runs in a 9-2 victory over the St. Louis Browns that day. His batting average at the conclusion of the game was .405, and he went on to win the MVP Award that season.

Roy Carlyle hit for the cycle on July 21, 1925 in a 6-3 win over the White Sox. Carlyle hit his double and triple off future Hall of Famer Red Faber, and his home run off another Hall of Famer in Chief Bender. Carlyle only played two seasons despite batting .312 due to his horrible defense.

Moose Solters hit for the cycle in an 8-6 loss to the Tigers on August 19, 1934. Solters had a good rookie season that year but was sent to St. Louis the following season. Moose’s cycle came against General Crowder; got to love the old baseball names.

The 1940’s

Joe Cronin was the Red Sox player/manager when he hit for the cycle on August 2, 1940. Cronin was one of two Red Sox to drive in four runs and one of three to homer in a 12-9 victory over the Tigers. Cronin’s number four is retired by the Boston Red Sox.

Leon Culberson was a rookie for the Red Sox when he hit for the cycle on July 3, 1943. Batting leadoff, Culberson had the four hits plus a walk. His home run was an inside-the-park home run in the eighth inning of a 12-4 win over the Cleveland Indians.

Bobby Doerr’s cycle came in the second game of a doubleheader with the Browns on May 17, 1944. The Red Sox had won game one 5-1 but would actually lose the second game despite Doerr’s cycle by a score of 12-8. Doerr drove in two runs and scored three. He is a Red Sox Hall of Famer, a Major League Baseball Hall of Famer, has his number retired by the team and is the greatest second baseman in franchise history.

Bob Johnson hit for the cycle on July 6, 1944, less than two months after Bobby Doerr’s cycle. In fact, Doerr also had four hits in this game, hitting a double and a triple, but settling for two singles. Bob Johnson completed the cycle and scored four runs in the Red Sox 13-3 win over the Tigers.

Ted Williams hit for the only cycle of his career on July 21, 1946. Williams picked up three hits in a 5-0 win over the Browns during the day. In the nightcap, Williams hit his way around the bases, hitting for the cycle in a 7-4 win. Williams contributed seven hits during the doubleheader sweep.

Bobby Doerr is still the only player in franchise history to hit for the cycle twice. He accomplished it a second time nearly three year after the first, on May 13, 1947. The Red Sox pulverized the White Sox that day 19-6. Doerr hit for the cycle and Ted Williams homered twice in the destruction.

The Cycles Slow Down

Lu Clinton achieved the feat in a 15 inning game on July 13, 1962. Don’t worry; Clinton had already accomplished the feat before extra innings. He tacked on another single in the 15th inning, his fifth hit of the game which scored Carl Yastrzemski for the winning run. Clinton drove in four runs and scored four runs in the 11-10 Red Sox win.

Carl Yastrzemski hit for the cycle on May 14, 1965 in a 12-8 loss in 10 innings to the Tigers. Yaz homered in each of the first two innings, starting the night off with a bang. He finished the game 5-5 with five runs batted in, but didn’t have much help.

Bob Watson became the first player to hit for the cycle in both the National League and American League on September 15, 1979. Watson completed the feat in the ninth inning with a two-run homer as the Red Sox beat the Orioles 10-2 at Memorial Stadium. Watson batted .337 with 13 home runs in a partial season with the Red Sox that season before joining the Yankees as a free agent in the offseason. As Vice President of Major League Baseball, he would draw some attention of having a negative bias towards the Red Sox.

The 1980’s

Fred Lynn hit for the cycle against the Twins on May 13, 1980, becoming the second Red Sox player to hit for the cycle on May 13th. Lynn tripled home Rick Burleson in the bottom of the eighth to complete the cycle. It was one of four runs driven in by Lynn during the Red Sox 10-5 victory.

Dwight Evans sealed his cycle with a dramatic flourish on June 28, 1984. Tied at six with the Mariners, Dwight Evans came up with two men on base and two outs in the bottom of the 11th. He hit a walk-off three-run homer off Ed Nunez to win the game 9-6. One of the more underrated players in the game, Dewey is currently the greatest right fielder in franchise history.

Rich Gedman performed the feat on September 18, 1985. It’s not every day a catcher completes the cycle, let alone gets a triple. Gedman did just that however in a 13-1 defeat of the Blue Jays. Gedman’s triple came with the bases loaded in the fourth inning to put the Sox ahead 8-0. He drove in seven runs total in the game. Wade Boggs also had four hits as the Sox socked 18 of them on the day.

Mike Greenwell cycled on September 14, 1988. The Red Sox needed it, squeaking past the Orioles 4-3. The MVP candidate went 4-4 and scored three of the Red Sox runs. He homered in the second, then scored after his ground-rule double in the fourth. Leading off the sixth, Greenwell tripled on a misplayed fly ball and scored to put the Red Sox ahead.

The Last Twenty-Five Years

Scott Cooper hit for his at Kaufmann Stadium as part of a 22-11 rout of the Royals. In just the eighth game of the 1994 season, on April 12, Cooper went 5-6 with 5 RBI, doubling twice in the cycle. Read about the game and watch the video of his cycle here.

John Valentin homered in the first, tripled in the third, singled in the fourth and doubled in the sixth, all off Joe Magrane. The Red Sox beat the White Sox 7-4 on June 6, 1996. Valentin was 4-4 as he didn’t receive any other at-bats. Take a look.

Brock Holt became the first Red Sox to hit for the cycle in nearly two decades on June 16, 2015. Holt batted leadoff that day, getting three of his hits off Atlanta starter Julio Teheran. He tripled in the eighth off Sugar Ray Marimon to complete the achievement. The Red Sox beat the Braves 9-4.

Mookie Betts accomplished the feat just the other night, and it was seemingly just a matter of time. The Red Sox lost the game, but it is always fun to see someone on the hometown team attain this. Mookie’s homer in the ninth gave us joy during a loss.

Brian Johnson Is Better Suited For Rotation

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Despite Drew Pomeranz struggles this season, Alex Cora said he would remain in the starting rotation. Following the acquisition of right-hander Nathan Eovaldi from Tampa Bay, this presumably leaves Brian Johnson without a spot in the rotation. If the Red Sox follow through with those plans, they will be making a serious mistake.

Minor League Career

Brian Johnson came through the system as a starting pitcher following a two-way career in college. He made 103 appearances during his minor league career, all starts. Not once, ever, did he pitch out of the bullpen during his professional career until this season. He made one start for the Red Sox in 2015 and five starts in 2017 in addition to his 103 minor league starts.

During Johnson’s time in the minor leagues, he won 32 games against 26 losses. More importantly, he pitched to a stellar 2.69 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. Opponents batted just .216 against Johnson. This wasn’t just beating up on the low minors, as Johnson was 10-2 with a 1.75 ERA in AA Portland. In AAA, Johnson still posted a very good 3.18 ERA. Minor league success does not mean success in the big leagues, but it shows his success as a starting pitcher.

Brian Johnson enjoyed great success as a starting pitcher in the minor leagues.

Headed to the Bullpen

After six seasons of exclusively pitching as a starter, the Red Sox put Johnson in their bullpen to begin the season. This was the right move to make as they didn’t have room in their starting rotation. Johnson was out of minor league options so he had to be on the club or would be open to waivers. The bullpen did not agree with Johnson, however, which really isn’t a surprise. Johnson is not the type of pitcher who typically succeeds in relief; he doesn’t throw hard, he isn’t deceptive, and doesn’t have a funky delivery from the left side. His stuff isn’t going to play up out of the pen.

Johnson made 21 appearances out of the bullpen, totaling 30 innings pitched. His ERA was much too high for a starter, let alone a reliever at 5.10. He was relegated to mop-up roles, and deservedly so. He put lots of men on base, posting a 1.47 WHIP. The only thing he did better as a reliever was striking out a few more batters.

A Spot Opens Up

Brian Johnson got his chance to start again due to injuries in the Red Sox rotation, and he took advantage. Over six starts, Johnson has thrown 30 innings – the exact same amount of innings he has thrown in relief. While working up his arm strength, Johnson has pitched to a 1.80 ERA over his 30 innings starting. His WHIP, although not great, is much lower at 1.33. He sports a 5.10 ERA relieving, but a 1.80 ERA starting, both in 30 innings. The guy is just built to start. I’m not saying he will post a 1.80 ERA for the rest of the season if starting, but he will pitch better there than in relief.

Johnson’s best outing yet was his last one, pitching 5.2 shutout innings against the Twins. The start before he allowed two runs, but neither was earned over five innings. He’s getting stronger the more they stretch his arm out.

Drew Pomeranz

Drew Pomeranz, on the other hand, has an ERA of 6.91 this season as a starter. Why is he pitching again? Yes, he was very good last year, but he has not been the same pitcher. Throwing a fastball in the upper-80’s, it practically screams “hit me” when he misses his spot. Pomeranz only has one outing all year in which he allowed less than three runs. Over his last five starts, Pomeranz is 0-3 with an unsightly 8.57 ERA. Opponents have a slash line of .330/.425/.560/.985 during that time against him. Basically, the average hitter against him is turned into an MVP candidate lately.

Unlike Johnson, Pomeranz has success as a reliever, especially at the Major League level. He didn’t pan out as a starter at first and was moved to the bullpen in 2014. He didn’t have to worry about pitching longer and his stuff played up. In 10 relief appearances that season, Pomeranz had a 1.62 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. The next season, Pomeranz pitched to a 2.61 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 44 relief appearances. Compare this to his 4.63 ERA and 1.30 WHIP as a starting pitcher that season and it is clear Pomeranz has had much more success in the bullpen, by and large.

Maybe something isn’t right with Pomeranz and he won’t be effective anywhere, but that certainly doesn’t mean the Red Sox should be trotting him back out to the mound every five days to get lit up. Try him in the bullpen, where he has been effective before and see how he does.

It makes no sense to throw a guy pitching well like Johnson back in the bullpen, especially when he has had zero professional success in that role and when Pomeranz is stinking up the mound.

Featured picture from FanRag Sports

Ted Williams Documentary Is a Smashing Hit

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American Masters aired a documentary on PBS Monday night to chronicle the life of Ted Williams. The film didn’t introduce any revelations, but they did have new color footage of Ted Williams homering in his final at-bat. Even without bringing anything new to light, the documentary was definitely worth a watch. Scanning film on one of the best hitters of all time and hearing people talk about him will never grow boring.

Playing Days

Ted Williams famously hit .406 in 1941, his third season in the big leagues. The film discussed the famous story of his refusal to sit out the final day of the season. Going into that final day, his average would have finished at .400 if rounded up. Given the option to sit and take the .400, Williams opted to play and proceeded to go 6-8 on the doubleheader, raising his average to .406.

Another famous story, which will never grow old, was when Williams returned from Korea. After not having held a bat in 456 days, Williams took batting practice at Fenway Park upon his return. After a couple line drives, Williams started launching home run after home run. At one point, he homered on 13 consecutive swings. When he returned to the playing field, Williams batted .407 and hit 13 home runs in only 91 at-bats. His OPS was an astounding 1.410. All of this was accomplished after just coming back from fighting a war.

The Final At Bat – In Color

Williams played injured in 1959 and had the only poor season of his career. Not wanting to end his career like that, Williams was determined to come back. When Tom Yawkey offered him the same pay, Williams rejected it and said he hadn’t earned it with his play, insisting on a pay cut. Can you imagine any modern player arguing for a pay cut? Williams proceeded to have an excellent season in 1960, on way to his best HR/AB ratio of his career. In his final major league game, the weather was cold and dreary and the balls weren’t traveling well. Williams had two deep fly outs in the game that likely would have cleared the fence on a warmer, dryer day. In his final at-bat, he rocked a homer. This documentary aired never before seen color footage of that home run.

Lasting Legacy

Williams was a proponent of hitting fly balls and being selective at the plate. The modern “fly ball revolution,” as it’s been termed, can be traced back to Ted Williams. Wade Boggs was interviewed in the film and gave an interesting ode to Teddy Ballgame. Boggs was struggling his senior season. He then read Ted Williams book, “The Science of Hitting.” After reading that book, Boggs batted .485 the rest of the season and was drafted by the Red Sox.

When Williams was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1966, he included in his speech notes about great Negro League players and why he hoped to see them join him in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The people at the Hall of Fame saw these notes ahead of time and asked him not to read them when he spoke. However, Williams didn’t listen. He championed the great Negro League players during his induction speech and within a few years, some of them were elected.

Ted Williams giving his Hall of Fame speech in 1966.

Personal Life

The documentary covered what a difficult person Williams was to live with. He didn’t treat his wives very well, he wasn’t a tenderly parent, and he mostly did his own thing. However, it also showed what a good person he could be. The most touching part of the film was the stories of visiting sick kids at the hospital. Teddy Ballgame refused to allow the press acknowledge his presence at these visits, which speaks to his true character. Williams always donated generously to the Jimmy Fund and visited the sick children. There was one story in particular that stood out; one day when visiting a sick child, the child gripped Ted’s finger and wouldn’t let go. Instead of forcing himself away, Williams had a nurse pull up a cot for him and he stayed by the child’s side, letting the child hold his finger until he fell asleep.

Working off of that, Williams would often go to fellow retired ballplayers, asking for donations to the Jimmy Fund. If one happened to be down on their luck, Williams would ask that they just write a ten dollar check. Once he had the check, Williams would take the account numbers from the check and have $1000 deposited into their account.

An Odd Interview

There was a peculiar moment caught on camera with Ted Williams’ daughter, Cindy. An interview with her on many topics was included in several instances of the film. She always looked into the camera, answering questions and telling stories. However, when asked about and then discussing Ted Williams “wanting” to be frozen, she never looked at the camera. The whole time she spoke, she gazed downward at the table and at her hands. It certainly gave one pause. Could there be an untold story here?

Overall Grade

The documentary was as enlightening as it was entertaining. While much of the famed folklore was recounted, some interesting glances into Williams’ personal psychic were also allowed. For any Red Sox fan, it’s a must-see. For any baseball fans, it’s a must see. Once again, the story of the greatest hitter who ever lived has been brought back to life.

Final Grade: 4.5/5 stars

On This Day In Red Sox History: Nomar’s Birthday Bash

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Tuesday, July 23, 2002, the Devil Rays and Red Sox were set to play two at Fenway Park. The day happened to be fan favorite Nomar Garciaparra’s 29th birthday. Nomar and Manny Ramirez were both coming off two home run games in a loss the previous day. The Red Sox still stood at 57-39 on the season, 27 games ahead of the Devil Rays.

Red Sox Slip Out of the Gate

Tim Wakefield was on the mound for the Red Sox, making his first start in three weeks. Wakefield had mostly pitched out of the pen so far on the season to good success, coming in at 3-3 with a 2.99 ERA. He was opposed on the mound by Worcester, Massachusetts native Tanyon Sturtze. Sturtze was an unenviable 1-9 on the year despite an okay 4.39 ERA. Wakefield started out the game right, striking out Randy Winn swinging. However, he hit the second batter of the game, quickly demonstrating the fickle nature of his knuckleball. The next batter was Steve Cox, who was putting together a solid season. Cox took a 1-0 pitch out to right field for his 12th home run of the season, and just like that the Sox were behind 2-0.

Wakefield encountered some more troubles in the second; a single and a walk were followed by a passed ball and the Devil Rays had men on the corners with no one out. A fly ball brought home the runner from third and Tampa Bay’s lead grew to 3-0. Two batters later Randy Winn doubled home another run and it just didn’t seem to be Wakefield’s day. He got the next batter to lineout but trailed 4-0 after two.

Red Sox Offense Explodes

The Red Sox trailed 4-0 entering the home half of the third inning, but were sending the top of the order to the plate. With the count full, Johnny Damon homered off Sturtze to right to put the Sox on the board. Lou Merloni followed with a single to put a man aboard. Sturtze fell behind Nomar Garciaparra 3-0. Nomar may have surprised him when he jumped on a 3-0 pitch and homered to left. Two pitches later Manny Ramirez homered to the opposite field and the game was tied. The Red Sox had homered three times in four at-bats to kick off the third inning and it was 4-4.

A walk and an error put two more men aboard with one out for Trot Nixon. Nixon doubled to left to score one and the Red Sox suddenly had the lead. Wakefield’s catcher Doug Mirabelli followed with a double of his own to plate two more runs. The Red Sox had batted around and were still threatening. Johnny Damon, batting for the second time in the inning, lined a base hit to right-center to score Mirabelli and chase Sturtze from the ballgame.

Long man Brandon Backe replaced Sturtze, but he wouldn’t have any more success. After getting a pop out, he faced Nomar with a man aboard. Nomar jumped on the first pitch, as he so often did, and homered to left for his second two-run homer of the inning. The birthday boy had put the Sox ahead 10-4 in the third.

Nomar Hits a Birthday Slam

Wakefield settled in after the 10 run uprising, enjoying a 1-2-3 fourth inning with two strike outs. But the Sox weren’t so content with their six run lead. After back to back popups, the flood gates reopened. Trot Nixon followed a Jose Offerman single with a run scoring double. Doug Mirabelli then drove in Trot for the second straight inning with a base hit. A Johnny Damon double was followed by a walk to Lou Merloni. The bases were loaded and up strode the birthday boy. Nomar, with two home runs the previous inning, was up with the bases loaded, they had to pitch to him. On a 2-2 count Nomar deposited yet another baseball over the Green Monster for his third home run in two innings, a Major League record. The Red Sox now led 16-4 following the grand slam.

Sox Cruise to Victory

Tim Wakefield pitched three shutout following the rough start to go the necessary five for the win. Willie Banks replaced him and cruised through the Tampa Bay lineup. Banks allowed just two baserunners and needed only 39 pitches to finish off the game. He earned the save with his four shutout innings of relief, lowering his ERA to 2.84.

The Sox offense wasn’t quite done. The Red Sox scored two in the sixth, one on a double from Manny Ramirez. In the seventh, Trot Nixon homered off Travis Phelps to make it a 19-4 game. Close to 20, the Red Sox still had work to do. In the eighth, Johnny Damon singled followed by a walk to Lou Merloni to bring up Nomar with two men on. With a chance at a four home run game, Garciaparra flew out. However, Manny Ramirez wanted in on some more action. Manny homered to left for his second of the game, giving the Red Sox a 22-4 lead. When Banks cruised through the ninth, that was the final score.

Wrapping It Up

The Red Sox had several members with huge performances, but Nomar took center stage. With three home runs and eight runs batted in, Nomar had possibly the finest birthday performance ever. He also tied a record by hitting five home runs over a two game span. This, coupled with Manny Ramirez’ four home runs over the same two games made the teammates the first pair of teammates to combine for nine home runs over two games. Nomar had also hit three home runs and driven in 10 runs on May 10, 1999, making him the fourth Red Sox ever to have multiple three homer games. He joined Ted Williams, Jim Rice and Mo Vaughn in accomplishing this. Nomar and Mo were the only two to have done them both at Fenway Park.

On top of Nomar Garciaparra and Manny Ramirez’ big nights, Johnny Damon and Trot Nixon both collected four hits and homered. Damon scored four runs while Trot drove in three runs and scored three. The Red Sox had 19 hits and seven walks on their way to the 22-4 victory. Watch video of Nomar’s monster performance here.

Featured picture from the Boston Globe.

Find me on Twitter: @thefrizz87.

On This Day In Red Sox History: July 15, 2005 (@TheFrizz87)

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On Friday, July 15, 2005, the Red Sox and Yankees met for the second of a four game series at Fenway Park. This was the first series after the All-Star break and the Yankees had taken the first game to move within 1.5 games of the Sox for first place in the East. Through nine games, the Red Sox had gone 5-4 in their season series. Among the wins was a 17-1 victory at Yankee Stadium in late May.

Taking the Field

The Red Sox sent former Yankee David Wells to the mound. Wells was in his first season with Boston and just a year removed from his second stint with the Yankees. He had pitched twice versus New York already on the season, going 1-1. For New York, newcomer Tim Redding would take the hill. The Yankees had just acquired Redding along with Darrell May from the Padres for Paul Quantrill. Redding was 0-5 with an unsightly 9.10 ERA while pitching in the National League West.

Wells cruised through the top half of the first, striking out Derek Jeter and Robinson Canon before getting Gary Sheffield to fly out. Johnny Damon was the Red Sox leadoff hitter and singled to right to open up the home half of the first. Edgar Renteria walked before Tim Redding surprisingly struck out David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez back-to-back. With two outs, Trot Nixon doubled home both Damon and Renteria to put the Red Sox on the board first. After a Kevin Millar walk, Jason Varitek doubled and the Red Sox were ahead 3-0.

Sox Chase Redding

After another 1-2-3 inning for Wells, the Red Sox offense went back to work. Mark Bellhorn and Johnny Damon walked followed by a single by Edgar Renteria to load the bases. Just like that, Redding’s night was over, as was his Yankees career. Redding never threw another pitch for the Yankees, getting just three outs. In came Darrell May, their other recent acquisition from the Padres. The left-hander fared a little better, if only marginally so. A run came home on a fielder’s choice. Manny Ramirez followed with a double to left to score the Red Sox fifth run of the night. Trot Nixon, in the play of the night, hit a fly ball to center that seemed to tail some. Melky Cabrera, coming in for the play missed the ball as it glanced off his glove. Trot kept running as the ball rolled well past Cabrera and came around to score with a three-run inside-the-park home run! The Red Sox were up 8-0 and it was only the second inning. Tim Redding allowed six runs while only recording three outs in his only appearance for the Yankees.

Melky Cabrera misses Trot Nixon’s fly ball, leading to an inside-the-park home run.

Red Sox Chase Another Yankee Acquisition

The Red Sox got another run in the third when Edgar Renteria drove home Johnny Damon. In the top of the 4th, the Yankees got their first hit off their old buddy on a ground ball into center by Robinson Cano. After a wild pitch moved him to second, Gary Sheffield drove him home with another hit. Wells would get Alex Rodriguez to hit into a double play and Hideki Matsui to ground out to end the inning. The Yankees had scored a run, good for them.

In the bottom of the inning, the Sox got two men on via walk with two outs. Bill Mueller doubled to left to drive home Kevin Millar with the Sox’ 10th run. After another walk, Johnny Damon doubled home two more runs to chase Darrell May from the game. May had equaled Tim Redding’s six runs allowed, although at least he had gotten eight batters out to Redding’s three. This was May’s second outing as a Yankee, having allowed seven runs six days prior against the Indians. Just like Redding, this would be his final outing with the Yankees. The Yankees two recent trade acquisitions pitched a combined three games for the Yankees, allowing 19 runs over eight innings. May never pitched in the big leagues again.

A Grand Slam

The Yankees found some semblance of competency with Jason Anderson, who enjoyed a 1-2-3 fifth inning after recording the final out of the fourth. Meanwhile, David Wells kept cruising along, allowing just one hit between the fifth and sixth.

Anderson did not seem up for another inning of work however. Kevin Millar led off with a double before Anderson walked Varitek. Alex Cora then pinch-hit for Bill Mueller and singled to load the bases. Anderson actually got two outs after that without allowing a run to come in. Close to getting out of the jam, Anderson walked Edgar Renteria to bring home the Red Sox’ 13th run of the game. That was the end of Anderson’s night. With David Ortiz due up, the Yankees brought in long-time lefty specialist Buddy Groom. With two outs and the bases loaded, Ortiz took an 0-1 offering from Groom deep to right and over the fence for a grand slam. So much for the lefty specialist, the Red Sox now led 17-1.

David Ortiz follows through on his grand slam off pitcher Buddy Groom in the sixth inning at Fenway Park on July 15, 2005. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Yankees Get Embarrassed

The rest of the game was uneventful. Buddy Groom wound up pitching a shutout seventh after allowing the grand slam. For the Red Sox, David Wells went seven innings allowing just one run to improve to 7-5 on the season. John Halama had a perfect eighth followed by Geremi Gonzalez bringing home the huge victory with a perfect ninth. For the second time on the season, the Red Sox had beaten the Yankees by a score of 17-1. Trot Nixon and David Ortiz both drove in five runs on the day, with Nixon hitting the inside-the-park home run and Ortiz the grand slam.

Revisiting Potential Risers in Red Sox Farm System (@TheFrizz87)

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In January, I wrote an article highlighting some Red Sox minor leaguers who might be able to make a leap in prospect rankings with a good season. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like any of them will crack Baseball America’s top 100 next season. In fact, with what has happened with Jay Groome and Michael Chavis this year, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see no Red Sox farm hands make the rankings for 2019. That doesn’t mean all is lost though, some of these guys are still performing well.

The Pitchers

Bryan Mata

Mata is the Red Sox lone representative in the Futures Game. However, there have still been concerns with his season. Mata was known for being a well-polished pitcher for his age, having excellent command of his pitches despite being just 18 years old. Instead, Mata has walked 57 batters in 71 innings pitched this season, leading to a WHIP of 1.59. Despite the uncharacteristic amount of walks, Mata has been able to keep his ERA down, posting a 3.42 ERA in high-A to this point. Although it’s discouraging to see his control regress, it is encouraging to see him keep teams off the scoreboard still. At just 19 years old, he has a lot of development left and could easily get his control back to where it needs to be.

Tanner Houck

Houck has not made the strides he needed to make this year. The Red Sox first round pick last year is 4-11 with a 5.14 ERA for the season. His control needs to improve and he still could use the help of developing a better third pitch. Houck can reach the upper-90’s and has a good slider, but not much beyond that. He showed some potential when he threw six no-hit innings on June 14th. His good games have been too few and far between though. Houck might ultimately wind up being tried in the bullpen in the future if he doesn’t turn things around. His fastball and slider combination might play up better in the pen and get him to the Major Leagues.

Mike Shawaryn

Shawaryn has mostly put up the same numbers in AA this year as he has always put up. The main difference is a little bit of a decrease in strike outs at the higher level, but not an alarming drop-off. He has pitched to a 3.65 ERA this season with an excellent 1.10 WHIP. He still does strike out batters too, just not over a strike out per inning anymore. Shawaryn has struck out 85 batters over 93.2 innings pitched. It looks like he will continue to increase his amount of innings pitched while still being effective, a good progress in his development.

The Hitters

Josh Ockimey at the plate for the Sea Dogs.

Josh Ockimey

In January, I wrote that Ockimey was a three “true outcome” hitter, and that hasn’t changed in Portland this season. It is encouraging to see his power continue to develop while also maintaining his patience at the plate. In a game I went to in May, Ockimey hit a blast to right that was just to the right of a light tower. After striking out in his second at-bat, I correctly predicted a walk in his third at-bat. On the season, Ockimey has batted .265 with 12 home runs in AA. He has struck out 86 times in 249 at-bats, but has also drawn 50 walks, leading to an excellent .385 on-base percentage. So far he is putting up the best season of his minor league career.

Bobby Dalbec

Dalbec was someone who needed a bounceback season to restore his prospect status; boy has he done that of late. Dalbec has been on fire, posting multiple hits five times in the last ten games. Twice in that span he has banged out four base hits. Dalbec also has a multi-homer game and six home runs total in that 10 game span. With the red hot streak, Dalbec has raised his season average to a respectable .257. He has 21 home runs in A-ball, a number not many reach down in that level. He also draws a good amount of walks, giving him a nice .369 OBP to go along with his excellent .561 slugging percentage. The downside to Dalbec is the amount of swing and miss in his game, striking out 110 times in the first half of the season. It would be interesting to see how he fares if the Red Sox move him up to Portland in the second half.

On This Day In Red Sox History: The Unassisted Triple Play

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On July 8, 1994, the Seattle Mariners came to Fenway Park. Along with them came 18-year-old Alex Rodriguez for his Major League debut. The Mariners had talent but were 12 games under .500. The Red Sox had gotten off to a 20-7 start, but after a miserable June that saw them lose 11 straight at one point their record had fallen to 40-43.

A Slow Start

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The game had a late start time, getting underway a little past 8:00 pm on a Friday night. The Mariners lineup featured possibly the best player in the game in Ken Griffey Jr. Former batting champion Edgar Martinez was batting cleanup while the 18-year-old phenom batted 9th. In the leadoff spot was little known Brian Turang, the father of 2018 first round pick of the Brewers Brice Turang. The Sox were absent their biggest bat, as Mo Vaughn took a seat. Left-hander Chris Nabholz was taking the mound for just the second time as a member of the Red Sox.

Nabholz allowed three baserunners in the first but no runs came in to score. The Sox got off to a slow start against lefty Dave Fleming. The Mariners hurler had been good the previous two seasons but was off to a miserable start in 1994. The Mariners scored first when Ken Griffey tripled to center in the third. In the fifth, Bill Haselman reached first on an error and would come around to score on a base hit from Felix Fermin to give the Mariners a 2-0 lead. Meanwhile, Fleming was cruising, throwing five shutout innings to start the game.

The Triple Play

With the Sox already trailing 2-0, the Mariners put on the first two men in the sixth inning. Things were looking a little dicey for Chris Nabholz as Marc Newfield stepped in. Newfield hit a sinking liner towards short that John Valentin snared just above ground level. Mike Blowers had been running and was already by third base when Valentin caught the ball, so Valentin ran over to second and tagged it for out number two. Keith Mitchell, who had been running from first, seemed to be caught off guard with what was happening as he made no effort to retreat back to his bag. Valentin tagged him on his way by to complete the unassisted triple play.

Not even the announcers were sure of what was happening. In perhaps one of the most confusing and odd plays you will ever witness, only taking a listen for yourself can do it justice.

John Valentin immediately after completing the 10th unassisted triple play in Major League history. (YouTube)

Triple Play Awakens the Bats

After completing the unassisted triple play, Valentin was due to lead off in the bottom half of the sixth inning. After battling Fleming to a full count, Valentin homered over the Monster in left on the eighth pitch of the at-bat to put the Sox on the scoreboard. Andre Dawson then worked the count full as well before doubling to left, chasing Dave Fleming from the game. Bill Risley came aboard to face Tom Brunansky. After falling behind in the count 1-2, Brunansky homered to left to give the Red Sox their first lead of the game. This was Brunansky’s sixth homer in 19 games since rejoining the Red Sox via trade. After the next two men were retired, catcher Rich Rowland took a 3-1 pitch out of the yard for the team’s third home run of the inning. The Red Sox now led 4-2.

A Wild Ninth Inning

Chris Nabholz kept the Mariners off the board until the ninth. He had allowed just one run in the third and an unearned run in the fifth before Mike Blowers greeted him in the ninth with a home run to close the gap to one run. In came closer Ken Ryan to try and finish things off, and boy did he get some help.

First up against Ryan was Keith Mitchell, the cousin of former MVP winner Kevin Mitchell. Mitchell hit a bullet to the left side where Scott Cooper made a nice diving stop; the throw was in the dirt and scooped by Tim Naehring for the out. Naehring usually played elsewhere in the infield, but he was able to scoop the low throw, a nice play on both ends of the inning’s first out.

Next came Marc Newfield, who had lined into the triple play in the sixth. Newfield flew one towards the triangle in center; Lee Tinsley running to his left made a great diving grab just in front of the warning track. Tinsley appeared injured, lying on the ground following the play, but he ultimately got up and stayed in the game for the final out.

Reggie Jefferson, who would join the Red Sox the following season, pinch-hit for fellow future Red Sox Bill Haselman. It was a good decision as Jefferson crushed a Ken Ryan offering to deep right-center. The ball was between the two fielders as Lee Tinsley and Wes Chamberlain converged in front of the wall. Both player’s leapt for the ball and Chamberlain got the better position. Leaping as high as he could, Chamberlain snared the ball above the wall to rob Jefferson of a game-tying home run. The game was over; the Red Sox held on to a 4-3 win.

Summing Up

The Red Sox made four nice defensive plays to get three outs in the ninth on consecutive plays. It is not often you will see an inning with such a defensive show, let alone have it be for the final three outs, all capped off by a game-ending catch to rob a potential game-tying home run. It was a fantastic ending to a historic game that featured the 10th unassisted triple play in Major League history as well as the debut of Alex Rodriguez at the age of 18. If you have a few minutes, watch the ninth inning below, it is worth it.

Red Sox Catchers Coming Around

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The Red Sox catchers really struggled at the plate for the first couple months of the season. Vazquez and Leon were both hitting under .200 for much of May and there were calls to replace them. Though they might never light the world on fire at the dish, they have both proven capable of hitting enough in the past to go with their work behind the plate. Lately, the two of them have been coming around with the bat.

Christian Vazquez

Vazquez is the one we wanted to be the answer, with his cannon behind the plate making runners think about trying to steal. He had some setbacks along the way, but last year batted .290 and hit one of the season’s most memorable home runs. It looked like the Red Sox might have their long-term catcher. However, after Vazquez really struggled to begin this season, that was brought into question. There was talk of trading Vazquez to get a better hitting catcher in the lineup.

Don’t look now, but Vazquez has been hitting like last year since the middle of May. For the month of June, he batted .298 with all three of his season home runs and an .860 OPS. Stretching that out further, Vazquez was batting .174 at the end of the game on May 15th, the exact middle of the month. Vazquez proceeded to get a hit in six of his next seven games. This was the prelude to his hotter hitting, the sign that he was starting to zero in at the plate. He has been hitting the ball harder, evidenced by his three home runs in June. When Vazquez hits a home run, he really hits it. There are no cheap homers for this guy. He also doubled four times in June after only hitting five over the season’s first two months.

Sandy Leon

It isn’t only Vazquez who has been coming around since the middle of May. Leon played on May 14th, picking up one hit to raise his average to a lowly .170. Since that point a month and a half ago, Leon has batted .317 with three home runs and an .893 OPS. His BABIP is a bit unsustainable at .415, but impressive numbers nonetheless. He has started 18 games in that span and collected multiple hits in six of them. Narrowing it down further, Leon is batting .438 over the past two weeks. He has also hit a home run in back-to-back games.

This is a guy who has gotten hot for stretches, he batted well over .300 for much of the time he was in Boston two seasons ago. Should we expect him to hit .300? Of course not, but he can hit plenty for a backup catcher.

Stand Pat

Would a guy like J.T. Realmuto of the Marlins look good in the lineup? No doubt, but the Red Sox realistically likely don’t have the prospects necessary to acquire him. The Red Sox also don’t need an All-Star hitter at every position, their lineup has already scored the most runs in baseball this season as it is. They also lead the league in batting average, slugging percentage and OPS. They have done all that with the struggles at catcher in the first month and a half as well as Jackie Bradley Jr’s struggles.

In the season’s first month and a half, Vazquez and Leon had one home run and 10 runs batted in between them. Their combined slash line (avg, obp, slg) was .173/.223/.218. In the past month and a half, the same time-frame, they have hit six home runs and driven in 18 runs with a combined slash line of .295/.325/.483. That plays, especially in this lineup that already has plenty of firepower.

Featured picture from Masslive.com

A Series Preview with Angels Announcer Mark Gubicza

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I have had the privilege of conversing some with former big league pitcher and current color commentator for the Angels Mark Gubicza over the last few months. Ahead of the upcoming three game series between the Red Sox and Angels, Gubie was kind enough to give me some of his time and answer some of my questions leading into the series.

BSE: In April, the Red Sox swept the Angels, outscoring them 27-3 over three games. I think we can both agree a run differential like that isn’t happening again. What do you see as some keys to the series for the Angels to avoid that fate?

Mark Gubicza: For the Angels it’s really simple, keep the ball in the yard. Red Sox hit a lot of home runs last series.

BSE: Taking a look at the pitching matchups, anything stand out from that grouping? Any particular intriguing matchup?

Mark Gubicza: Heaney vs Porcello matchup looks real good. Heaney has thrown the ball very well and Porcello is back to his Cy Young form of two years ago.

BSE: I agree, I think that will be a good pitcher’s duel. With the way Heaney is pitching I think he will give the Red Sox troubles. A big weakness of the Sox right now is their struggle vs lefties. What are weaknesses of the Angels the Red Sox might be able to capitalize on?

Mark Gubicza: The Angels have also struggled to score runs vs lefties. Mike Trout and Justin Upton are keys to this series.

BSE: Yes, Mike Trout is the best player in the game. Part of what elevates him even more above everyone else is not only his hitting and defense, but his ability to steal lots of bases. As of June 2nd he was 13-13 stealing bags. Since then, Trout has gotten on first base a whopping 44 times in 20 games, yet has not stolen a single base. This is curious to me, such a weapon being shelved. Are the Angels telling him not to run much?

Mark Gubicza: Trout hurt his index finger, so that is why the stolen bases have slowed down.

BSE: Yes, he has not been playing in the field lately. Might we see him in the field at all this series?

Mark Gubicza: He may play as of tomorrow in the outfield.

Trout has played at DH the past six games after spraining his right index finger.

BSE: Are there any under the radar players for the Angels to keep an eye on this series?

Mark Gubicza: Andrelton Simmons is getting hot again. He could be a huge key for the Halos.

BSE: You and Victor Rojas seem to have a good time in the booth, which I appreciate having enjoyed Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy together for years. I caught your stormtroopers bit and more recently your Snow Miser and Heat Miser outfits. That was fantastic! Do you aim to keep things light and have a good time in the booth?

Mark Gubicza: Try to inform, educate and entertain every night! Love to have fun.

A Christmas in June celebration for the Angels broadcast booth on June 22. Mark Gubicza on the left as Snow Miser, Victor Rojas on the right as Heat Miser.

BSE: That’s the way to be! Do you think we might be seeing the last or close to last of Albert Pujols visit to Fenway? Or do you think he plays out his contract?

Mark Gubicza: Albert is still very productive. He has the best batting average with RISP on the team since May 22. Or at least close to the best. He’ll be back in Boston for a few more years. He has a great chance to pick up his 2000th career RBI this year.

BSE: Still great at bringing those men home. A true legend, to me he’s probably the best right-handed hitter in the last few decades. Rivaled some by Frank Thomas, Miguel Cabrera and maybe Manny Ramirez, though I think Manny is a bit behind.

Mark Gubicza: Agreed.

Since the start of last season, Pujols is batting just .244 with a .286 OBP. However, he can still bring men home, driving in 143 runs during that same span.

BSE: On a side note towards your own career, who were some hitters you hated to face?

Mark Gubicza: Don Mattingly and Ken Griffey Jr.

BSE: Some you loved to face, whether because you had great success against them or whatever reason?

Mark Gubicza: I had success, and I don’t know why, but had success vs Kirby Puckett and Dave Winfield.

BSE: Couple tough outs right there. Were there any pitchers you got a little more amped up to face off against?

Mark Gubicza: Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens.

BSE: I appreciate you taking the time to answer some questions. Hope you enjoy some more of my tweets, I love the history of the game and always enjoy hearing back about particular games.

Mark Gubicza: Talk to you later my friend. Have a good night and hope to see you sometime soon.

BSE: Thank you, hope you enjoy your stay!

Featured Pic courtesy of foxsports.com

On This Day In Red Sox History: A Father’s Day Walk-off

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June 16, 1996 was Father’s Day. The Red Sox and Rangers squared off for the final game of a four game set at Fenway Park. The Red Sox had taken two of the first three, but had gotten spanked 13-3 the day before. The teams took the field that Sunday afternoon for a 1:08 start time.

Taking the Field

The Red Sox sent left-hander Vaughn Eshelman to the mound. Eshelman was coming off his best start of the season but still had an ERA of 7.33. He was opposed by Lynn, Massachusetts native Ken Hill. Hill was coming off his worst start of the season, having been battered by the Brewers for nine runs. However, he was still 7-5 with a 3.65 ERA for the season.

Eshelman took the mound first to begin the afternoon. Rene Gonzales hit a one out double. Rusty Greer then hit a shallow fly to left-center which Lee Tinsley made a nice play on and doubled Gonzalez off second base to end the inning. It was the first of two outfield assists on the day for Tinsley.

In the bottom half of the inning, Ken Hill got two quick outs before walking Mo Vaughn. Jose Canseco always seemed to take a walk in front of him as a personal insult, and he deposited an 0-2 offering over the Monster to give the Red Sox the 2-0 lead.

The Rangers loaded the bases with no one out in the top of the second inning. After a strikeout of Warren Newson, backup catcher Dave Valle singled to left to score two runs. A walk reloaded the bases but Eshelman was able to get out of it without any further damage.

The Red Sox would score a run in the third to take back the lead. After loading the bases, a groundout by Reggie Jefferson brought home Jeff Frye. They threatened again in the fourth. Lee Tinsley got an infield single after the leadoff walk to Troy O’leary. However, O’leary was picked off second. Lee Tinsley stole second to get a man back in scoring position but the Sox were unable to bring him home.

The Rangers Storm Ahead

Eshelman ran into all sorts of trouble in the fifth. The nine hitter, Kevin Elster, singled to left to start the inning. Damon Buford then homered to left, just his second of the season, and Texas had the lead. A single, a hit batter and another single brought home a run and chased Eshelman from the game. He was still responsible for two men on base however, and they didn’t stay there. Mickey Tettleton doubled off Rich Garces to score a run and Dean Palmer brought home the other run with a base hit. Vaughn Eshelman recorded no outs in the fifth and was charged with seven runs for the day.

The score stayed 7-3 until the seventh, when the Rangers widened the gap. Rich Garces pitched a third inning, which didn’t work out so well. Garces struck out two batters that inning, but also gave up a double to Dean Palmer and a two-run homer to Dave Valle. Valle’s home run was his first of the season. The Red Sox trailed 9-3 at the seventh inning stretch and no one in Boston was enjoying Father’s Day very much.

Dave Valle played for the Red Sox briefly in 1994 before being traded for Tom Brunansky.

Red Sox Claw Back

The Red Sox showed some fight in the bottom half of the seventh. Down 9-3, they weren’t ready to concede just yet. Mo Vaughn hit a ground-rule double to put two men in scoring position with two outs. A Jose Canseco double scored Frye and Vaughn to make it a 9-5 ballgame. A single by Reggie Jefferson and a walk to Mike Stanley loaded the bases and ended Ken Hill’s afternoon. He had been left in too long, throwing 124 pitches and allowing four straight baserunners.

The left-handed Ed Vosberg was brought in to face Troy O’leary. O’leary had his struggles against lefties, batting under .200 against them without a homer that season. He won the battle however, singling on the eighth pitch of the at-bat to score Canseco and Jefferson.

Hill, who had only allowed three runs through six innings, wound up allowing seven runs. The Red Sox had cut the lead to 9-7 after seven.

Father’s Day Heroics

Joe Hudson replaced Rich Garces on the mound and tossed two scoreless innings to keep the Sox within striking distance. The Rangers went to their closer Mike Henneman for the ninth. The Sox had come back against Henneman in the first game of the series, scoring two runs in the bottom of the tenth to win the game 8-7. The Red Sox would bookend the series by handing Henneman losses.

Mo Vaughn singled to right to begin the ninth, his fourth hit of the game and fifth time reaching base. Jose Canseco followed Vaughn with a single into left, his fourth hit of the day. The Red Sox 3-4 hitters were a combined 8-9 with a walk, home run, four runs batted in and six runs scored. After a first pitch strike to Reggie Jefferson, Henneman threw a wild pitch to move both runners up and put the tying run on second base. It didn’t matter where they were, as the next pitch to Jefferson he hit a line drive deep to left and up into the screen above the Green Monster. A walk-off home run for Reggie Jefferson on Father’s Day. The Sox had come from 9-3 down to stun the Rangers with a 10-9 victory.

When I interviewed Reggie Jefferson last September, he instantly brought up this game as one that stands out to him from his playing days.