A Shot of Redemption: The Story of Will Kane

[PotatoOfCouch13]

jshaw: It just was frustrating - I didn't want them to be traded, but the AI kept insisting. Finally, I just said to hell with it. I had to reverse trades for Trammell about 10 times. When I saw that they would be together in California, I kinda just let it be.

***

Not to toot my own horn here, but I think the next few chapters are some of the best I've written in quite a while. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them!

[PotatoOfCouch13]

5. Seriously Considering Shooting the Messenger…

I stand firm on this statement: there is nothing worse than a 7am flight from Seattle to Kansas City. Turbulence is always terrible, and there are never enough peanuts for 25 ballplayers, 6 coaches, and the occasional executive. This was all compounded by Greg Pirkl’s snoring: the dude is 6’ 5”, I’m definitely not waking him up. Either way, I was very happy when we arrived at our hotel, especially given that we had a scheduled day off today.

My glee was to be short-lived, however, as I had a message waiting to greet me at the front desk when we arrived. It was from Jeff.

I got up to my room and sat down at the desk. I knew what he was calling about, so I just decided to get it over with.

***

I finally got patched through to Jeff. “Will! I was in a meeting, sorry about that. How was your flight?” It was terrible, as I already told you, but this is my boss I’m talking too. “Good! Made it to Kansas City safely, so I’m just going to enjoy the day off!”

“Fantastic! But before you go, I wanted to talk to you about the team.”

And here…we…go!

“Sure thing, boss. What’s on your mind?”

“I’m not happy with their performance so far.” Shocking. “We had 83 wins last season, and now we only have 6. We’re not hitting, and we’re not pitching. What’s our ace’s name, Dick Johnson?”

“Randy Johnson, the Big Unit.”

“Whatever, he’s been pitching like he doesn’t want a contract extension. Our closer, Mike Sucker…”

“Schooler, sir.”

“Whatever, he’s got an ERA over 10. And our rightfielder, Jay Boner…”

“Buhner, sir.”

“WHATEVER! Listen, Will, you and Jim (LeFebvre) had better straighten this out. I’ve got a lot of money invested in this team, and after the miracle you two pulled last season, I should’ve expected you to regress a little bit. But at this rate, we’re on pace to win only 75 games! According to your plan, this is the year we compete for the division crown: 75 wins isn’t going to do that for us.”

“Jeff, with all due respect: Randy has pitched like an ace. He’s leading the AL in strikeouts, but he just hasn’t gotten run support. Schooler’s ERA is inflated by 2 bad outings, but he’s been lights out every other time he’s been on the hill. And Buhner has struggled, but he’s starting to turn it around.”

“Will, I’m giving you an ultimatum: you need to turn this team into a contender by September 1, or you’re out of town. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal. May I ask why you chose September 1?”

“Well, I figured it’d only be humane to drop you off in your home town of Cleveland. That’s the only trip we make there this season.”

“Thank you sir.”

***

My day was ruined. I needed someone to talk to, someone in baseball that I could trust. I needed to call John Schuerholz.

***

[DIM]

Ultimatums! Got to love 'em.

[PotatoOfCouch13]

DIM: Yeah, they're pretty great for storyline purposes, but not great for real-life...

***

6. The First Time in a Long Time

I couldn’t remember the last time I had spoken to John. As I was patched through the Braves’ telephone system, I kept racking my brain for something, but I couldn’t think of anything.

“John Schuerholz.”

“John! It’s Will! Will Kane with the Mariners!”

“Will! How are you? It’s been, what, three-four years? How have you been?” Thank goodness he sounded glad to talk to me.

“I’m good!” A blatant lie, but I was making conversation. “I love Seattle, and I love what I’m trying to build here. How are you? I see that your Braves are having quite a bit of success.”

“Yeah, we’re doing alright. So what’s up? Can I interest you in a trade offer?”

“Actually, I was calling for another reason: a personal reason.”

“Oh?”

“John, I’ve always considered you to be my mentor, so I need your advice on something. I just got a call from my owner, Jeff Smulyan. He threatened to fire me if I didn’t make this team a contender by September 1. I know this team is a contender, but Jeff’s kinda got it in for me. You’ve been around longer than I have: what do I do?”

John laughed a little: “Will, if I had a nickel for every time an owner threatened to fire me, I’d be a very rich man. If you believe that the Mariners are a contender, and everyone I’ve spoken too says that they are, then you shouldn’t do anything. There’s no need to break up that collection of talent.

“You remember the day that you interviewed for that position with the Royals? There was greatness in you from that day; I could see it. You might not have been the most qualified candidate for the job, but you had that intangible factor that only the good ones have. You haven’t realized it yet, but when you reach that point, you’ll know. That’s why when Jeff came calling, I recommended you.”

My mouth dropped, although he couldn’t see that through the receiver. “You…you recommended me? After what happened here?”

“Absolutely: Will, everyone deserves a shot at redemption, even you. Knowing what you did then, would you still have pulled the trigger?”

“No, I would’ve kept Cone.”

“See? You’re not there yet. As a general manager, you need to shrug off your mistakes and not let them beat you. You’re clouding your recollection of that time period with your knowledge of today. When you can isolate everything, and not allow anything else to spill over, then you’ll become the GM that I always knew you were going to become.”

“Thanks, John. I feel a lot better. Hey, do you want to get together sometime? I’ll be in LA at the end of the month, in Chicago at the end of May, and back in LA at the end of June.”

“I’ll be in LA at the end of June, and I would love to catch up with you.”

***

Schuerholz hung up the receiver and smiled. He marked his calendar in red pen, then picked the receiver and dialed again. After a few rings, the other end was picked up, but there was no voice.

Schuerholz started the conversation: “I got him. June 28 in Los Angeles.”

The voice on the other end replied: “Well done, Tiger.”

***

[PotatoOfCouch13]

No comments on the big reveal? Oh well, moving on!

***

7. Another Reason I Don’t Like Kansas City

Seattle Mariners (6-7) at Kansas City Royals (6-6)

Bret Saberhagen has reverted back to the form that won him Cy Young Awards in 1985 and 1989: 3-0, 0.73 ERA, 15 K. Even George Brett has found the fountain of youth, hitting over .370 and leading the team with 5 home runs.

16 – Don’t blame Erik Hanson: he struck out 10 over the course of 9 innings, as the teams were still scoreless as we turned for extras. However, LeFebvre trotted Hanson out to start the 10th, where back-to-back doubles by Oddibe McDowell and George Brett ended things in a hurry. Royals 1-0 (10)

17 – With the day off on Monday, we’re able to keep Randy Johnson on his regular schedule: the Royals had the same idea with Saberhagen, so we had a rematch of Opening Day. Much like Opening Day, Sabes asserts his dominance, allowing only one run in 8 innings of work, as the Royals bullpen slams the door in the 9th. Royals 6-2

18 – We had this game. Swift kept the Royals off balance all day, and Jay Buhner hit his first home run of the year. Mike Schooler entered the game, allowed a run, but got a double-play grounder to seemingly end the threat. Then Schooler did something I’ll never understand. He intentionally walked the tying run, then unintentionally walked the potential winning run to load the bases! Consecutive hits by Nelson Liriano and McDowell finish the sweep in heartbreaking fashion. Royals 6-5

***

[PotatoOfCouch13]

8. My Own Ultimatum

“You wanted to see me, Will?”

Jim LeFebvre sat down in the seat next to me on the charter plane. Jim was a former ballplayer, and one of my favorites growing up in the late 60’s-early 70’s. Not just because he was the National League Rookie of the year in 1965 for the Dodgers, but because he appeared on “Gilligan’s Island” and “Batman”. Growing up, before I realized I had a better mind for the game than skillset, I wanted to be an actor/second baseman, just like Jim LeFebvre.

“Jim, have a seat.” I gestured to the empty seat facing me.

As he got comfortable, I started my questioning. “Jim, why did you intentionally walk Washington with 2 outs?”

“I thought School would have a better chance against Kunkel. Washington was 2-5 lifetime and Kunkel was 1-4: I was playing the percentages.”

“With 2 outs? Jim, that goes against every fundamental of baseball! You’re never supposed to walk the game-tying run on purpose! And then Schooler walks Perry unintentionally to load the bases!”

“Again, playing the percentages: I’d rather have Liriano try and beat us than Perry.”

“Jim, I think you’re missing the point. If you had just pitched to Washington, we wouldn’t have had to play defense with the bases loaded to begin with!”

“Will, I don’t think you understand me! I’ve been involved in this game for over 30 years: that’s longer than you’ve been alive. I do things my own way: I’m not a ‘by-the-book’ manager, and look what my ‘unorthodox’ approach has gotten me. I’ve won a World Series and a Japan Series. I know what it takes to be a winner. Today was a test: I was seeing how they would perform under added/unnecessary pressure. Mike showed me that he wasn’t up to that today, so now I know that in a similar situation down the line to call on someone else.”

“Jim: I got a call from Jeff when we landed on Monday. He wants a competitive team, one that can take the division title.”

“So what? I’ve got enough offers to work for other teams. If that nutjob wants to fire me, then let him!” He got up to go back to his seat.

“Now wait just a godd*mn minute!” I stood to confront him. “You may have something to fall back on, but if I blow this, I’m going back to flipping burgers in Cuyahoga County. Now you can either wait for Jeff to fire you when you’re auto-piloting this team into the side of a mountain, or I can do it right now and save you the trouble!”

Jim took a step back, and then smiled: “Boy, you’ve really got it in your head that we’ve got something here, huh? Alright, I’ll play ball with you. But I’m going to need some things in order to make this team a contender.”

“Name your terms.” I sat back down.

“First, I’ll need a closer. Mike is a good guy, but he’s just too d*mn inconsistent to be relied upon. If we can go out and get someone better, that would improve the bullpen greatly.”

“Can you deal with Kaz [Sasaki] for now? No one is selling this early in the season, so you may have to wait a month or two.”

“How long did Jeff say we had?”

“He told me that I had until September 1. He didn’t mention anything about you.”

“Well, I have faith in the kid. Kaz is our new closer. Second, we need a veteran outfielder.”

“What about Henry [Cotto]? He’s practically a grandfather compared to our other guys.”

“Well, Hen’s nice, but I need someone who’s going to mentor our youngsters more. I mean, you got Al Newman, a guy who’s won a championship, to backup our infielders, and he’s been a huge influence on Omar. We need someone with a championship pedigree to show our kids what it’s like to be a professional.”

“Alright, I’ll see what’s available when we land.”

“Finally, Edgar isn’t that bad at 3rd base. I’d like to see him get some more reps there, especially since Charlie isn’t hitting.”

“That can be done, especially when Alvin and Scott get off the DL this weekend. But that should be your call: you have final say over the lineups every day.”

“But you wanted to try him in left to start the year. And I want you to see if you can trade Charlie.”

“Okay, maybe I can swing him and Cotto for our veteran outfielder.”

“Sounds good.” He got up to leave. “Oh, Will?”

“Yeah, Jim?”

“I think you’ve made a fine general manager, for what it’s worth. You deserved better than what you got in Kansas City, and I’m honored to be working with you, if only for a short time longer.”

“Thanks, Jim.”

***

[Overbay17]

Just read this dynasty. Great characters, and an engrossing storyline. Good job! Oh, and belatedly....*gasp* John Schuerholz!!??

[PotatoOfCouch13]

Overbay: Thanks for the kind words! I know I haven't been able to keep this updated as much as possible, and I almost stopped writing altogether a few months back, but I'm planning on seeing this through until the bitter end!

***

9. Righting the Ship with Some Left Turns

Chicago White Sox (8-7) at Seattle Mariners (6-10)
Sammy Sosa is back after his injury, and he and Frank Thomas form quite the 1-2 punch on the South Side. We also get another look at the young phenom Alex Fernandez (2-0, 0.50 ERA).

19 – Well, it wasn’t pretty, but it was a step in the right direction. We trailed much of the game, as Melido Perez was looking sharp, but rallied late to tie the game at 3 entering the 9th inning. Tino Martinez reached on an error, Charlie Hayes followed with a double, and Jay Buhner’s sacrifice fly plated the winning run in the bottom of the 9th. Mariners 4-3

20 – After a close 5 innings, things got out of control in the 6th, when Junior led off with a home run, sparking a 4-run inning. He lead off the 7th as well, and blasted another home run. In the 8th, he was due up third, and hit his 3rd home run of the game, and leading the Mariners in a laugher. Mariners 9-1

21 – The South Side Hitmen are out in force, and they do a job on Dave Burba: 5 HR in 3 IP. Meanwhile, Alex Fernandez allows only 2 runs in 8 innings, and the ChiSox avoid a sweep. White Sox 9-2

Detroit Tigers (9-9, 5 ½ GB) at Seattle Mariners (8-11, 3 ½ GB)
Our first series against the ‘new-look’ Tigers, who’ve replaced the immortal DP combo of Trammell and Whitaker with Garry Templeton and Ed Romero: I know, I’m surprised they’re only 5 ½ back too. They’ve been riding big 1Bman Cecil Fielder: 8 HR and a .403 AVG make him an early contender for the Triple Crown.

22 – Is that…a Randy Johnson victory!? His first of the season is a dominant one, as the Big Unit set down 15 Tigers by way of the K! Kazuhiro Sasaki entered with a 6-0 lead (to the docile tones of the The Vapors’ lone hit, “Turning Japanese”) and easily closed the game out. Mariners 6-0

The good news: Alvin Davis and Scott Bradley are both back, and ready to go. Charlie Hayes takes a seat on the bench as Edgar moves to 3rd, as Greg Pirkl and Chris Howard make the return trip to AAA Calgary.

23 – Alvin certainly was pining to get back into the lineup: he goes 4-4 in his return, and the Mariners roll thanks to 8 outstanding innings from Bill Swift. Mariners 8-2

24 – Despite Ken Griffey, Jr.’s 6th home run of the season, the Mariners’ 9th-inning rally falls one run short, and they leave the tying run in scoring position, allowing the Tigers to escape Seattle with a victory. 2.1 more shutout innings for the bullpen, as they remain strong despite the recent closer change. Tigers 4-3

DAY OFF
25 – Now that’s more like it! A 4-2 homestand leaves us 2 games under .500, and 2 games out of first in the AL West. Junior’s starting to find his power stroke, and the rest of the team is starting to pick up their averages. If we can finish April at .500, I will consider that a small victory.

***

[OldYankFan]

Turning Japanese. ROFL

[PotatoOfCouch13]

OldYankFan: Glad to get a chuckle! Also, his real entrance music was LAME!

***

10. Stealing the Old Block

As per my usual custom, I always check my messages before I leave the Kingdome for the night. One in particular caught my ear:

“Will, this is Bob Quinn of the Cincinnati Reds. Gimme a call when you get this, I have a trade offer for you.”

I immediately grabbed the receiver, not caring that it was past 1am in his time zone. The Reds had a veteran outfielder that I had a lot of interest in: championship pedigree, years of experience, and a positive mentor for almost any clubhouse. The Reds weren’t even using him at the Major League level; he had accepted a demotion out of loyalty to the club, but I think that with the right offer, he could be had.

I read Quinn’s sleep patterns correctly: he picked up his office phone on the first ring.

“Honey! Sorry I’m late, I just got a trade offer from the Braves and I…”

“Bob, it’s Will Kane with the Mariners.”

“What? Oh, sorry, I thought my wife was calling, and…well, what can I do for you?” Don’t worry, Bob. Your secret is safe with me…for now.

“I have a counteroffer for you.”

“But I didn’t even give you a first offer…”

“I think you’ll like this one better. You need a centerfielder, and I need a veteran outfielder to replace him.”

“I was actually calling about Randy Johnson, but this deal sounds interesting: go on…”

I smiled: I had nabbed a big one – hook, line, and sinker!

***

[PotatoOfCouch13]

11. Front Page News

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

GRIFFEY TRADED!
Senior and Junior to start tonight at Kansas City, bat 2nd and 3rd

(Had you going for a second, didn’t I?)

***

I had made history: Senior and Junior Griffey had become the first father-son duo to play on the same team at the same time, and they would be starting tonight at Kansas City.

***

Seattle Mariners (10-12, 2 ½ GB) at Kansas City Royals (10-11, 2 GB)
Another trip to Kansas City, another unavoidable matchup with Bret Saberhagen. Hopefully this trip turns out better than our last debacle here, where we got swept and Jeff threatened to fire both me and Jim LeFebvre.

26 – Scoreless entering the top of the 6th inning, Senior singled to leftfield, his first hit as a Mariner. Junior, however, decided to show his ‘Pops’ how it was done, as he ripped a Storm Davis fastball into the bleachers for a home run, his 7th of the season. Tino hit a 3-run bomb later in the inning, which was more than enough for Erik Hanson, who tossed 8 shutout innings. Mariners 5-0

27 – Okay, so maybe we can’t beat Saberhagen, but at least we put up 4 runs against him this time. Junior hits 2 more home runs, giving him 3 straight games with at least one, and 7 total in his last 7 games. Royals 11-5

28 – The Big Unit dominates again, striking out 11 Royals and allowing only 2 runs over 8 innings. Kaz Sasaki comes in and pitches a scoreless 9th inning, and we leave Kansas City for the remainder of the year with a win. Mariners 7-2

RP Jose Melendez injured his in yesterday’s game, and will miss up to 2 weeks. Gene Harris will be recalled from AAA Calgary to take his roster place.

DAY OFF
29 – Taking 2 of 3 from the Royals helps, and it leaves us at 12-13 entering the final day of the month. If we can beat old friend Mark Langston tomorrow, we’ll be at .500 for April. Ken Sr. has made an immediate impact, helping not only Junior but Jay Buhner as well: Bone’s average continues to climb upward, and Junior is leading the American League in home runs.

Seattle Mariners (12-13, 2 ½ GB) at California Angels (14-11, ½ GB)
Our first trip to Southern California starts with us on a little bit of a roll, winning 6 of our last 9. Former Tigers Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker make their new home out here, and they’ve acclimated themselves quite well (.328, 9 HR combined from 1-2 in the lineup).

30 – Bill Swift keeps the good times rolling, as he shuts out the Angels for 8 innings. Rob Murphy finishes the shutout, tossing a perfect 9th. Alvin Davis hits his first home run of the season to lead the offensive attack, and the Mariners reach .500! Mariners 4-0

***

[PotatoOfCouch13]

APRIL RECAP

MARINERS STATS
(Well, with Junior and Senior sharing a name, these are their combined stats. Has been fixed – hopefully – by adding a Jr. and Sr. designation, but looks like I’ll be stuck with this for the rest of the season.)

Batting Stats               AVG/OBP/SLG    GP    GS    AB     R     H    2B    3B    HR   RBI    BB     K    SB    CS  wOBA  GIDP RC/27   HBP

K. Griffey               .275/.341/.533    30    30   120    16    33     4     0     9    22    12    22     0     0  .405     4  0.81     0
H. Reynolds              .321/.398/.413    26    26   109    15    35     8     1     0     5    14     9     4     0  .403     1  0.70     0
O. Vizquel               .279/.342/.317    26    26   104     9    29     4     0     0     8    10    12     4     2  .338     4  0.42     1
E. Martinez              .278/.352/.423    26    26    97    12    27     5     0     3    10    11    20     0     0  .387     1  0.52     3
T. Martinez              .242/.367/.385    26    26    91    19    22     4     0     3    15    18    13     0     0  .377     7  0.47     1
J. Buhner                .169/.282/.326    26    26    89    12    15     2     0     4    11    14    32     0     1  .296     4  0.29     0
C. Hayes                 .250/.287/.355    20    20    76     7    19     5     0     1     7     4    12     0     0  .316     4  0.28     1
G. Briley                .268/.328/.429    16    16    56     7    15     6     0     1    10     5     6     0     0  .369     4  0.29     1
D. Valle                 .216/.333/.275    16    16    51     4    11     0     0     1     7     9     8     0     0  .314     2  0.17     0
A. Davis                 .372/.460/.512    12    12    43     7    16     3     0     1     5     7     2     0     0  .484     0  0.37     1
S. Bradley               .212/.316/.242    10    10    33     1     7     1     0     0     4     5     3     0     0  .291     3  0.09     0
H. Cotto                 .000/.000/.000     2     0     0     0     0     0     0     0     0     0     0     0     0  .000     0  0.00     0
Batting Totals:          .264/.351/.394    26    26   869   109   229    42     1    23   104   109   139     8     3  .365    34           8

Pitching Stats                 GP      GS     REC      SV     ERA      IP       H       R      ER      HR      BB       K    DICE    WHIP     PIT  RUNSUP    QUAL

B. Swift                        6       6     3-1       0    3.92    41.1      44      18      18       2      14      21    3.63    1.40     636     5.3       4
R. Johnson                      6       6     2-3       0    4.12    39.1      40      19      18       3      12      57    2.01    1.32     770     3.5       4
E. Hanson                       5       5     2-3       0    3.50    36.0      38      14      14       3       9      25    3.44    1.31     628     3.0       3
B. Holman                       5       5     1-1       0    5.29    32.1      39      19      19       4      18      22    4.92    1.76     589     5.0       2
D. Burba                        4       4     2-2       0    9.17    17.2      22      18      18       7      11      10    8.89    1.87     393     4.0       1
R. Murphy                       9       0     1-0       0    1.32    13.2      10       2       2       1       2      14    2.34    0.88     232                  
J. Melendez                     7       0     0-0       0    4.05    13.1      16       6       6       0       6      11    2.70    1.65     231                  
M. Schooler                    10       0     0-3       4    8.44    10.2      16      10      10       0       7      14    2.34    2.16     224                  
K. Sasaki                       9       0     0-0       0    0.00     8.2       9       0       0       0       1       7    1.73    1.15     179                  
M. Jackson                      8       0     0-0       0    1.04     8.2       5       1       1       1       3       8    3.69    0.92     155                  
J. Reed                         3       0     2-0       0    0.00     6.1       4       0       0       0       1       2    2.84    0.79      85                  
Pitching Totals:               26      26   13-13       4    4.18   228.0     243     107     106      21      84     191    3.63    1.43    4122     4.2      14

STANDINGS

AL WEST				AL EAST
Chicago		14-11	-	Boston		21-5	-
California	14-12	.5	Baltimore	18-9	3.5
Oakland		14-12	.5	Detroit		13-12	7.5
Texas		13-12	1	New York	12-14	9
Seattle		13-13	1.5	Milwaukee	10-16	11
Kansas City	11-14	3	Toronto		10-16	11
Minnesota	8-17	6	Cleveland	10-18	12

NL WEST				NL EAST
Houston		17-8	-	New York	19-8	-
San Diego	16-11	2	Pittsburgh	16-10	2.5
Los Angeles	13-14	5	St. Louis	13-14	6
Cincinnati	13-15	5.5	Montreal	12-16	7.5
San Francisco	13-15	5.5	Chicago		9-18	10
Atlanta		12-14	5.5	Philadelphia	8-18	10.5

LEAGUE LEADERS

BATTING AVERAGE			WINS
Gary Sheffield (MIL)	.406	Greg Harris (SDP)	6
Alan Trammell (CAL)	.396	John Tudor (BOS)	5
Shane Mack (MIN)	.386	Bret Saberhagen (KCR)	5
Tony Pena (BOS)		.386	Dave Stewart (OAK)	5
Eddie Murray (MIN)	.384	4 players tied with	4
				
HOME RUNS			EARNED RUN AVERAGE
Benito Santiago (SDP)	10	Alex Fernandez (CHW)	1.64
Sam Horn (BAL)		9	Greg Harris (SDP)	1.92
Jeff King (PIT)		9	David Cone (NYM)	1.95
Ken Griffey Jr. (SEA)	9	Tom Browning (CIN)	2.06
3 players tied with	8	Danny Darwin (HOU)	2.17
				
RUNS BATTED IN			STRIKEOUTS
Kevin McReynolds (NYM)	30	Randy Johnson (SEA)	57
Frank Thomas (CHW)	28	Dwight Gooden (NYM)	41
Gary Sheffield (MIL)	28	Greg Harris (SDP)	40
Benito Santiago (SDP)	28	Tom Glavine (ATL)	37
Barry Bonds (PIT)	27	Mike Boddicker (BOS)	36
				
STOLEN BASES			SAVES
Kenny Lofton (HOU)	12	Gregg Olson (BAL)	7
Rickey Henderson (OAK)	10	John Franco (NYM)	7
Roberto Alomar (BAL)	9	4 players tied with	6
Bip Roberts (HOU)	9	
Lenny Dykstra (PHI)	9

MILESTONES
4/14 – Athletics 3B Carney Lansford: 2000th hit
4/22 – Angels SP Jack Morris: 2000th strikeout

EXTENSIONS
4/1 – Cubs 1B Mark Grace (3), Orioles CF Brady Anderson (3)
4/2 – Tigers SP Dan Petry (3)
4/3 – Cardinals RF Tom Brunansky (5)
4/4 – Twins 1B Kent Hrbek (5)
4/5 – Mets SP Frank Viola (4)
4/6 – Braves SP John Smoltz (3)
4/7 – Mets 1B Kevin Millar (2)
4/9 – Dodgers SP Ramon Martinez (2), Mets SP Sid Fernandez (4)
4/19 – Blue Jays RP Duane Ward (3)
4/26 – Blue Jays SS Tony Fernandez (5)
4/30 – Blue Jays SP Al Leiter (3)

MAJOR INJURIES
4/3 – Dodgers RP Mike Maddux: out for season (torn rotator cuff)
4/15 – Rangers RF Harold Baines: out for regular season (broken vertebrae)

TRADES
4/26 – Seattle Mariners trade LF Henry Cotto to Cincinnati Reds for LF Ken Griffey, Sr.

RETIREMENTS
4/1 – 3B Wayne Tolleson (35), RF Pat Sheridan (33)
4/28 – RP Bob Patterson (31)

***

[PotatoOfCouch13]

12. Mother, May I?

Seattle Mariners (13-13, 1 ½ GB) at California Angels (14-12, ½ GB)

1 – The Puget Sound Pugilists (work in progress) were out in full force today, victimizing the Angels for 4 home runs: one apiece by Junior, Alvin Davis, and both Martinez boys. The Mariners blast the Angels to move above .500 for the first time since April 5. Mariners 9-5

2 – The Mariners scream out to a 6-0 lead against Jack Morris, and Erik Hanson and the bullpen just sit on the lead. Senior Griffey hit his first Mariners homer, and Junior went 3-5 with an RBI as the Mariners sweep the Angels for their 4th straight victory. Mariners 7-5

Minnesota Twins (10-17, 5 ½ GB) at Seattle Mariners (15-13, 1 GB)
The Twins can hit, thanks in large part to former Dodgers Eddie Murray (.374, 6 HR, 27 RBI) and Kirk Gibson (.314, 3 HR, 17 RBI). However, their Achilles heel is their starting pitching, with only 1 starter possessing an ERA under 5 (Kevin Tapani – 4.63). Their pitching is so bad, that 1990 1st-round pick Brad Radke (18 years old) is already in the rotation full-time.

3 – Dave Burba was fantastic (8 strikeouts in 7 innings), and Jay Buhner’s home run capped a 5-run 1st inning that the Twins could never quite recover from. The Mariners’ scorching bats stayed hot, as the offense pounded out 13 hits en route to the team’s 5th straight victory. Mariners 8-1

With our victory, we move into a tie for 1st place in the AL West with Oakland!

4 – A back-and-forth contest: the Mariners grabbed an early lead, but the Twins responded to take control. Just when momentum shifted, the M’s rallied to tie the game. The Twins scored again, but the Mariners equalized to force extra innings. But the normally reliable Kazuhiro Sasaki was the goat, giving up the winning run in the top of the 11th inning to snap the Mariners winning streak. Twins 10-9 (11)

C Dave Valle will miss the next few games with a sore knee. Scott Bradley will be the lone catcher on the roster for the time being.

5 – Normally, one shouldn’t expect a chance to bat in the 1st inning if one’s batting seventh. For Jay Buhner, he’s gotten that opportunity twice this series, and responded by hitting a home run both times. Another 3-run shot, another big inning to start the game for Seattle, which is more than enough for Bill Swift to pick up his 4th victory of the season. Mariners 8-3

DAY OFF
6 – I know it’s awfully early, but the team has really done a complete 180 since we traded for the elder Griffey. The Mariners are 7-2 since April 26, and are the hottest team in the American League. Again, I know it’s early, but we fly down the coast to the Bay Area to take on the division-leading A’s with first place on the line!

Seattle Mariners (17-14, 1 GB) at Oakland Athletics (18-13, 1st)
No Jose Canseco (knee ligaments)? No problem, thanks to Terry Steinbach (8 HR, T-1st on team). Of course, the A’s have always been about pitching, and 1991 is no exception. Dave Stewart has been phenomenal (5-0, 2.40 ERA), and Steve Chitren has succeeded Dennis Eckersley (now a setup man) quite well – 2.84 ERA, and a perfect 8-for-8 in save opportunities.

7 – The irresistible force met the immovable object, and Dave Stewart was the object. Stewart allowed only 2 hits in 7.1 innings, and Steve Chitren closed the door on any hope of a Mariners rally. Damon Mashore’s bases-loaded double in the 8th inning blew the game wide open for the victorious A’s. A’s 5-0

8 – Ken Griffey, Sr.’s 1st-inning home run sets the stage for the whole game, as the Mariners get to old friend Mike Moore early and often. And while Mike Schooler continues to try and destroy my faith in humanity (1 ER in .2 IP – 8.10 ERA on the season), Kaz Sasaki was ready to slam the door and seal the win. Mariners 7-3

9 – Bob Welch and Dave Burba aren’t great, but Welch is just a little better, and Terry Steinbach’s 3-run homer didn’t hurt his cause. The Mariners try and stage a late rally, but Chitren is there to slam the door just in the nick of time, giving the A’s the rubber game. A’s 6-5

Seattle Mariners (18-16, 2 GB) at Toronto Blue Jays (15-19, 10 ½ GB)
The Blue Jays are not a bad team, but rather a victim of circumstance. If they were in the National League, they’d probably be among the contenders in the NL East. However, they’re stuck in the AL East with 2 powerhouse squads in Boston and Baltimore. And while the pitching has been subpar, the double-play tandem of SS Tony Fernandez (.346) and 2B Jeff Kent (.336, 6 HR) have kept them around .500

10 – Randy Johnson was sharp, but Jimmy Key was that much sharper. Toronto’s southpaw went 8 innings, allowing only 1 run on 6 hits, and the Blue Jays scored twice against the Big Unit to grab the victory. Blue Jays 2-1

C Dave Valle is back at full strength, and will start tonight against the lefty David Wells.

11 – How do you break out of a 0-23 slump? Ken Griffey, Jr. used a 2-run home run to snap out of his hitting funk, and Bill Swift kept the Blue Jays off balance for 8 innings before ceding to Kazuhiro Sasaki for the save and the victory. Mariners 4-1

3B Edgar Martinez needs a brief respite. Charlie Hayes will get the start in the rubber game.

12 – The Blue Jays used their bats to batter the Mariners black and blue, pounding out 10 runs on 18 hits in a rout. Al Leiter was the beneficiary, keeping the Mariners offense off balance for 7 solid innings, as the Jays take the series from the visiting Mariners. Blue Jays 10-2

Chicago White Sox (19-17, 2 ½ GB) at Seattle Mariners (19-18, 3 GB)
It’s good to be home! Unfortunately, there’s no rest for the weary, as we get the team directly ahead of us in the standings. This means we get to face the two-headed monster of Frank Thomas and Sammy Sosa (combined .350, 21 HR, 62 RBI). Also, we draw SP Alex Fernandez in Game 1, who’s been downright filthy (6-0, 1.86 ERA, 36 K) this season.

13 – Alex Fernandez came in to the game with a perfect record and a low ERA; he left with a loss and a higher ERA. The Puget Sound Pugilists blasted 3 home runs against the former AL ERA leader and his bullpen mates, as the Mariners roll to victory and sole possession of 2nd place. Mariners 8-1

14 – Trailing by a run following the 7th-inning stretch, the Puget Sound Pugilists exploded for 5 runs in the bottom half of the frame, and Kazuhiro Sasaki got out of Mike Schooler’s bases-loaded jam in the top of the 9th inning to secure another victory. Mariners 10-5

The victory was bittersweet, however, as 2B Harold Reynolds will miss the next 10 weeks with a ruptured cervical disc. Reynolds was hitting .329 with 6 SB as the leadoff hitter in our potent lineup. Omar Vizquel will try and emulate Harold’s production from the leadoff spot, while Al Newman will get the bulk of the starts at 2B. Mike Brumley will get the call from AAA Calgary, at least for the time being...

15 – After getting staked to an early lead, the Mariners bullpen has been pretty lights out for the majority of the early part of the season. Today, however, the bullpen couldn’t quite get the job done, and the White Sox managed to salvage the final game of the series. White Sox 10-6

DAY OFF
16 – As we watch the A’s lose their 3rd straight game to the Twins inside the Metrodome, we sit just 1 game behind the Oakland squad in the AL West, but we’ve got plenty of company. We’re currently tied with a very game California team, and the recently-dispatched White Sox lurk just a half-game behind us. With one quarter of the season complete, I think it’s safe to say that the AL West is shaping up to be the most exciting race this season.

***

[PotatoOfCouch13]

Mother, May I? (Part 2)

Kansas City Royals (16-24, 6 GB) at Seattle Mariners (21-19, 1 GB)
The best part about this series? We may not have to face Bret Saberhagen (3-0, 1.96 ERA, 13 K in 3 starts against us this season). Also, we get to face the Royals 3 straight games, which can be nothing but a good thing, right?

17 – Bill Swift allows only 3 runs over 8 innings, but is the hard-luck loser as Richard Dotson shuts the Mariners out through 7 innings. Tom “Flash” Gordon slams the door, as the Mariners late rally falls just short. Royals 3-2

18 – Omar Vizquel and Ken Griffey, Sr. go a combined 5-6 in the first 2 spots of the lineup, including combining for back-to-back doubles in the 7th inning for the eventual winning run. Kaz Sasaki comes in for the five-out save, and gets the job done in perfect fashion. Mariners 4-3

RP Jose Melenedez is healthy again, and will return to the bullpen. RP Gene Harris is sent back to AAA Calgary.

19 – Well, Saberhagen gets his start moved up a day, but the Mariners bring their bats today, with Alvin Davis, Scott Bradley, and Ken Griffey, Jr. each blasting a solo home run. Erik Hanson strikes out 9 Royals over 8 innings, and Kaz Sasaki nailed down the victory Mariners 4-1

DAY OFF
20 - It’s become a very crowded picture at the top of the American League, even more so than three days ago. At the start of play today, there was a 3-way tie for first place between Oakland, California, and us, with Chicago sitting just one-half game back. While we had the luxury of a rest day, the other 3 teams had to play, with the A’s beating the Royals and the Angels holding off the White Sox. After all the games, we are now alone in 3rd place, but only ½ games behind the duo of Golden State teams.

Cleveland Indians (17-28, 15 ½ GB) at Seattle Mariners (23-20, ½ GB)
We meet the Indians in the first meeting between the two squads this season. Despite being so far out of the race, the Tribe boast a solid power-speed combination: CF Otis Nixon provides the speed (21 SB), while RF Albert Belle provides the power (13 HR).

21 – Dave Burba is rocked, surrendering 6 runs in 4 innings, and Bud Black keeps the Mariners offense at bay for 7 innings. A late Alvin Davis home run is not enough for Seattle to mount a comeback. Indians 6-4

22 – It’s good to see the old Randy Johnson again. The Big Unit struck out 9 batters over 7.1 innings, and the offense pounded 11 hits in support of their ace. Ken Griffey, Sr. keeps hitting, going 2-5 and raising his average to .370. Mariners 7-1

23 – This game was tied at 3 after nine innings, but the Mariners bullpen had an uncharacteristic meltdown twice: the first time, the offense was able to force more baseball, but the second couldn’t be rectified, as the Indians take the rubber game of the series. Indians 8-5 (14)

SP Dave Burba has been struggling all season (3-4, 7.68 ERA), and now it’s gotten worse: he’s broken his forearm, and will miss the next 2 months. RP Mike Gardiner has been called up from AAA Calgary, and will make his Major League debut when he starts on the 26th in Minneapolis.

***

[gosensgo101]

You have a bit of a love affair with the Griffey's don't you?

Remind me what year we're in.