A Shot of Redemption: The Story of Will Kane

[RedsoxRockies]

Boston in 6

[Coach Owens]

Boo! The Red Sox suck! Pitt in 7.

Also, I enjoy the coincidence that Barry Bonds is in both of the current World Series' in your dynasties, POC.

[PotatoOfCouch13]

Coach: I didn't notice that until you mentioned it! I guess that Bonds guy was pretty good, huh?

***

1990 WORLD SERIES: BOSTON RED SOX v. PITTSBURGH PIRATES

GAME 1 – In a matchup between the NL Wins leader (Doug Drabek) and the AL Wins leader (Roger Clemens), the Red Sox ace was the only one to show up. The Rocket threw 8.2 innings of four hit ball, allowing only one 1 run while striking out 4 Pirates hitters. Meanwhile, Wade Boggs became the bane of Drabek’s existence, hitting a solo home run in the first inning, and going 4-5 on the day with 3 RBI. Red Sox 11-1

GAME 2 – After allowing solo home runs to Ellis Burks and Mike Greenwell, John Smiley settled down, and allowed no more runs through 8 innings. The Pirates, meanwhile, had staked out a 4-2 lead thanks to Andy Van Slyke’s solo home run. Former Red Sox closer Lee Smith came into the game to record the final 3 outs, but the Red Sox would not die. Boston loaded the bases with nobody out, putting the winning run on first in the person of Jody Reed. A sacrifice fly pulled the Sox within a run, when a suicide squeeze play turned into a base hit for R.J. Reynolds, tying the game at four. Boggs followed with another base hit, reloading the bases with 1 out, and the winning run 90 feet away. It wouldn’t stay there for long, as Burks hit a deep fly to centerfield, and Reed scampered home with the winning run. Red Sox 5-4

GAME 3 – On the trip back to the Steel City, someone must’ve laid into the Pirates. Led by 26-year-old superstar Barry Bonds, the Pirates rode Walt Terrell for 8 innings of one-run ball. Bonds exploded, hitting his first 2 postseason home runs, and helping the Pirates get in the win column. Pirates 7-1

GAME 4 – Even though Roger Clemens was on the hill, it was Bob Walk who was dominant today. The Pirates starter didn’t allow a run in 8 innings of three-hit ball, and the Pirates offense scored 3 times in the 8th inning to pull away and even the World Series. Pirates 6-0

GAME 5 – Eager to go up 3 games to 2, the Red Sox jumped out to 3 first inning runs. However, the Pirates answered with 4 in the 2nd, lead by Bonds’ 3rd home run of the series. The Sox would rally to tie the game at 4 in the 6th inning, when Reynolds singled, stole second, and scored on Reed’s RBI single. The Pirates, playing their last home game of the season, had an answer, as Bonds scored on Don Slaught’s RBI single in the bottom half of the 6th, and Van Slyke hit a solo home run in the 7th to provide the winning margin. Pirates 6-4

GAME 6 – So much for drama. The Pirates put this one away early, with 2 in the first, 1 in the second, and 4 in the third. Andy Van Slyke, en route to Series MVP honors, went 3-5 with 4 runs scored and 2 RBI. It was very much a foregone conclusion when Jeff King squeezed the foul pop to end the game. Pirates 17-4

THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES ARE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS!
MVP: CF Andy Van Slyke - .417, 2 HR, 9 RBI

***

[PotatoOfCouch13]

29. So Much To Do, So Little Time

First, some business with the Mariners record book: SS Omar Vizquel set a new club single-season record with 661 AB. Also, RF Jay Buhner tied a club standard with 32 HR. Imagine if he stayed healthy all year!

Also of note: Omar Vizquel started all 162 games at shortstop this season. He also played every single inning there. That’s right: Omar Vizquel was always the shortstop for the Seattle Mariners!

One last thing: Assistant GM J.R. Thompson was interviewed for the vacant Twins GM position. He didn’t get the job, but it was definitely a positive experience for the kid. J.R.’s got a really great baseball mind, and it won’t be long before I have to deal with him on the other side of the phone.

***

Next, the end-of-year awards were announced this past week.

AL MVP: Red Sox CF Ellis Burks – .307, 36 HR, 139 RBI
AL CY: Red Sox SP Roger Clemens (3) – 22-6, 2.56 ERA, 264 K
AL ROY: Indians 1B Jim Thome – .320, 43 HR, 140 RBI
AL GG: Blue Jays P Dave Stieb, Brewers C B.J. Surhoff, Indians 1B Jim Thome, Tigers/A’s 2B Tony Phillips, Indians 3B Brook Jacoby, Blue Jays SS Tony Fernandez (5), Orioles OF Brady Anderson, Brewers OF Greg Vaughn, Orioles OF Phil Bradley

NL MVP: Pirates OF Barry Bonds - .326, 53 HR, 126 RBI, 170 BB (ties ML record)
NL CY: Cubs SP Greg Maddux – 20-13, 2.98 ERA, 238 K
NL ROY: Braves RF David Justice – .310, 27 HR, 91 RBI
NL GG: Pirates P Walt Terrell, Astros C Craig Biggio, Pirates 1B Jeff King, Pirates 2B Jose Lind, Cardinals 3B Terry Pendleton (3), Pirates SS Jay Bell, Phillies OF Von Hayes, Reds OF Paul O’Neill, Giants OF Brett Butler

***

Contract renewals left and right, let’s get down to it!

C Dave Valle: asked for a $50K raise and 3 more years, and with Varitek and Widger (the future backstops) still a long way away, My hands are tied. I counter with 2 years and a small decrease, and he agrees. Dave Valle resigns for 2 years at $500,000 per.

LF Henry Cotto: asking for 3 years/$390K, but at age 29, I’m not sure I want to sign him for that long. I counter with 1 year/$350K, and he accepts. Henry Cotto resigns for 1 year at $350,000.

RF Jay Buhner: wanted $1.63mil via arbitration, and probably deserves it, but I’ll take my chances with a $1.25mil lowball offer. Judge rules in our favor, surprisingly. Jay Buhner resigns for 1 year at $1,250,000.

C Scott Bradley: same argument as Valle, as they combined for a very productive platoon (when healthy) last season. He’s also much cheaper than Dave, so he only asks for 2yrs/$320K. Due to my OCD, I have to nudge that down to a nice round number. Scott Bradley resigns for 2 years at $300,000 per.

2B Brian Giles: Hahaha…no. Brian Giles is released.

C Matt Sinatro: A great 3rd option, but he should be cheaper after sitting around all offseason. Matt Sinatro is released, but will try and resign him before Spring Training.

SP Scott Bankhead: started this season as our ace, but his numbers at the end of the season proved him more suited as a #4/#5 guy. I have a few of those waiting in the wings at AAA. Scott Bankhead is released.

SP Matt Young: after a season of suckitute, time to cut our ties with our long reliever/spot starter. Matt Young is released.

RP Steve Ontiveros: a throw-in in the Jeffrey Leonard trade, he wasn’t effective enough to keep around. Steve Ontiveros is released.

SP Brian Holman: wanted $840K after a solid season. While not great at anything, he’s solid at everything. I’ll counter with a lower offer, and the judge rules in our favor. Brian Holman resigns for 1 year at $750,000.

SP Bill Swift: solidified himself as our #2 starter with a strong season. He’s asking for over $1 million, and I’ll counter with a much smaller offer. Fortunately the judge keeps my perfect streak alive. Bill Swift resigns for 1 year at $800,000.

RP Mike Schooler: the Mariners all-time saves leader wasn’t that effective last season, converting only 24 of 36 save opportunities. Thankfully, he’s only asking for $400K, so I’ll try and lower that a little, and the judge agrees. Mike Schooler resigns for 1 year at $350,000.

RP Jerry Reed: arguably the most effective Mariner reliever last season, Reed just turned 35, and is asking for a pay decrease! What an employee! Jerry Reed resigns for 2 years at $500,000 per.

RP Rob Murphy: Rob wasn’t great after being traded from Boston, but he’s a solid lefty-matchup guy. Rob Murphy resigns for 2 years at $700,000 per.

RP Dennis Powell: Who? Dennis Powell is released.

RP Bryan Clark announced his retirement.

***

[200tang]

lol, Dave Valle.

[Coach Owens]

lol, Dave Valle.

Lol, he should get Dave Henderson.

[PotatoOfCouch13]

200tang: Yes, Dave Valle is one-half of my catching platoon. Now you see why I drafted Varitek?

Coach: 'Hendu' is a free agent, but I don't think I need another outfielder, what with Griffey, Buhner, and others.

30. Window Shopping

COMMISSIONER’S NEWS: manually resigned Robin Yount to Milwaukee for 3 yrs/$2M per.

On the eve of free agency, I sat in my office, going over the list of players available. There were, as always, a few names that stood out. Unfortunately, they were all at positions I felt we were strong at. Leading the way is 22-year-old 2B Roberto Alomar, coming off a career season with plenty of years to go. A close second is 28-year-old OF Eric Davis, who just finished his 2nd career 30-30 season.

Man, imagine an outfield with Griffey, Buhner, and Davis? Some big-market team is probably going to scoop him up immediately, but if the price is right, I’ll definitely make an offer.

“Will! You in your office?” Jeff hollered down the hallway. We had phones now, and getting up to knock on someone’s door was generally considered to be more polite, but Jeff had his own way of doing things.

“Yes, you want me to stop in?” I hollered back. When in Rome…

“When you get a minute.”

***

I poked my head into his office. “Will! Have a seat!” I pulled up one of his leather chairs, and sat on the opposite side of his desk. Jeff was wearing his glasses on the tip of his nose, staring at some sort of spreadsheet with a lot of numbers on them.

“I’ve been going over the budget for this season. We made just under $2 million…”

“That’s great! I’ve been wondering about that, and I have some ideas about what can improve our ballclub…”

“…please, Will. It’s rude to interrupt. Now, you’re not a ‘businessman’, so I’ll make this simple: you are not to spend any money this offseason.”

My jaw hit the floor. “What!?”

“If our team has any holes that need filling, we need to plug them from the inside. We made less than $2 million this year, Will. Baltimore made 6 times that much, and they finished with a worse record than us!”

“Jeff, you can’t honestly compare those two: Baltimore is in the much more densely populated east coast region around Washington. And furthermore, we finished only 9 games out of first place last year! We need to make a big move to show our fanbase that we’re committed to winning with this team now and for the future!”

“NOW LISTEN TO ME, DAMMIT!!!” Jeff stood and propped his hands on his desk, as if ready to lunge over the structure and choke the life out of me. “I am the primary investor of this corporation, and I expect a return on my investment. I spent 77 million dollars on this team, and the best that you can get me is a 3% reimbursement!?”

“Mr. Smulyan, sir: I thought I was brought in as general manager to construct a World Series winner, not operate under some phony baloney budget. I need to be able to have a small amount of cash on hand in order to make trades and sign players that I feel and our coaches feel can make our ballclub better.”

Jeff furrowed his brow, then frowned. “Fine. $1 million to play around with, but let me warn you: you’re on thin ice…”

***

1 million dollars wasn’t nearly enough for Eric Davis, so my pipe dreams remain just that. However, it should be more than enough to fill any holes that I see on the team. And to be honest, there aren’t a lot of gaps.

The biggest issue I have right now is a logjam at the corner infield spots. Tino Martinez and Alvin Davis are both MLB-caliber 1B, and Edgar Martinez and Charlie Hayes both hit over .300 last season. So in an effort to please everyone, Edgar has started to practice playing left field. He doesn’t have a lot of speed, but management feels that it’s ok to sacrifice a little defense in order to keep his bat in the lineup, and it’s better to hide him in left than leave him exposed at third.

***

[mets57]

Just read all 9 pages and I really like it. Jeff sounds like George Steinbrenner with a much shorter temper.

[PotatoOfCouch13]

mets57: Thanks a lot! I was kinda going for that with Jeff: a business man more focused on the money than the players. Hope you keep reading!

MARINERS OFFSEASON MOVES

11/14: Signed FA 2B Al Newman to a 2-year, $700K contract
11/17: Resigned RF Jay Buhner to a 6-year, $7.5M extension

***

FREE AGENTS: OLD FACES IN NEW PLACES

2B Roberto Alomar - .301, 19 HR, 90 RBI, 135 R, 30 SB
San Diego Padres > Baltimore Orioles

CF Eric Davis - .300, 31 HR, 74 RBI, 37 SB
Cincinnati Reds > New York Mets

RF Danny Tartabull - .289, 28 HR, 107 RBI
Kansas City Royals > Chicago White Sox

2B Julio Franco - .301, 13 HR, 50 RBI, 10 SB
Texas Rangers > New York Yankees

3B Terry Pendleton - .294, 15 HR, 69 RBI
St. Louis Cardinals > New York Yankees

RP Bob Kipper – 1-1, 4.76 ERA, 46 K, .264 BAA
Pittsburgh Pirates > Houston Astros

3B Ken Caminiti - .328, 19 HR, 62 RBI
Houston Astros > Los Angeles Dodgers

RF Cory Snyder - .278, 27 HR, 81 RBI
Cleveland Indians > San Francisco Giants

2B Jose Oquendo - .261, 0 HR, 45 RBI
St. Louis Cardinals > Boston Red Sox

2B Bill Doran - .262, 7 HR, 63 RBI, 21 SB
Houston Astros > Texas Rangers

RP Jeff Russell – 4-2, 3.18 ERA, 27 K, .258 BAA, 3/6 SV
Texas Rangers > Los Angeles Dodgers

1B Glenn Davis - .247, 18 HR, 86 RBI
Houston Astros > New York Mets

SP Scott Bankhead - 7-13, 4.54 ERA, 150 K, .262 BAA
Seattle Mariners > New York Yankees

SP Dennis Rasmussen – 14-11, 4.49 ERA, 130 K, .265 BAA
San Diego Padres > Detroit Tigers

RP Ricky Horton – 0-0, 4.55 ERA, 19 K, .252 BAA, 0/2 SV
St. Louis Cardinals > St. Louis Cardinals

CF Jim Eisenreich - .284, 10 HR, 60 RBI, 13 SB
Kansas City Royals > Chicago Cubs

LF Bip Roberts - .319, 1 HR, 34 RBI, 40 SB
San Diego Padres > Houston Astros

3B Jeff Blauser - .284, 4 HR, 19 RBI
Atlanta Braves > St. Louis Cardinals

LF Glenn Braggs - .316, 8 HR, 44 RBI (AAA)
Milwaukee Brewers > Houston Astros

RP Randy Myers – 4-6, 4.02 ERA, 40 K, .259 BAA, 26/34 SV
Cincinnati Reds > San Diego Padres

SP Walt Terrell – 15-12, 4.24 ERA, 100 K, .269 BAA
Pittsburgh Pirates > Atlanta Braves

RP Chuck Crim – 11-6, 2.97 ERA, 41 K, .215 BAA, 1/2 SV
Milwaukee Brewers > California Angels

SP Kelly Downs – 1-0, 5.21 ERA, 11 K, .221 BAA
San Francisco Giants > St. Louis Cardinals

OFF-SEASON TRADES: ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT

12/31 - Pittsburgh Pirates receive RP Gary Wayne from Minnesota Twins in return for 2 prospects (SP Steve Parris and SP Rich Robertson)
1/20 – Detroit Tigers trade SS Alan Trammell to California Angels for 2 prospects (C Bret Hemphill and CF Chad Curtis)
1/23 – Detroit Tigers trade 2B Lou Whitaker to California Angels for 2 prospects (C Todd Greene and 1B Chris Pritchett)

COMMISH: I had gotten tired of overturning trades for Trammell and Whitaker. If the CPU wants to deal them, then they have every right to not get even value for them.

***

[PotatoOfCouch13]

After a little hiatus, I'm back with a brand new chapter -

VOLUME II - 1991: FAST TRACK TO A DYNASTY

***

1. A 2nd First Impression

To paraphrase Alfred, Lord Tennyson: In Spring Training, a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of championships. And did we ever look like a championship team! Omar Vizquel and Harold Reynolds were turning acrobatic double plays almost daily. Jay Buhner and Ken Griffey, Jr. made sure that right-centerfield was virtually impenetrable. Even Edgar Martinez was adjusting well to left field. The only thing that I could see keeping us from a run at the division title is our pitching staff. We have a bona fide #1 in Randy Johnson, but it’s a steep drop-off to Bill Swift, Brian Holman, and Erik Hanson. The bullpen is nothing to write home about either, with Mike Jackson leading a so-so crew.

My personal life is also championship-caliber, so to speak. I was still seeing Courtney almost once a week, which was about all that we could see each other with our busy schedules. She’s still beautiful as ever, maybe even more so. I still can’t believe I’m dating her.

As for my ‘discussion’ with Jeff, he’s a businessman, so he cares more about the bottom line than what happens on the field. That’s where I come in, according to him. I’m supposed to maximize the minimum that I get. Hopefully he opens his checkbook to keep our young nucleus in Mariner blue for years to come.

***

[RedsoxRockies]

Hey, this is set in Seattle during the Grunge era... Would Courtney happen to be Courtney Love?

[PotatoOfCouch13]

RSR: The thought of that just made me throw up. So no, sorry.

***

2. 1991 Seattle Mariners Opening Day Lineup
Scouting is +/- 9

Scott Bradley [71] – C - #9
Age: 31 – 8th season
Acquired: Trade with White Sox – 6/26/1986
Contract: $300K through 1992
***
1990: .281, 2 HR, 42 RBI
Career: .273, 19 HR, 186 RBI

Greg Briley [74] – LF - #8
Age: 25 – 4th season
Acquired: Spec. Draft #1 – 6/2/1986
Contract: $95K until Arbitration (1991)
***
1990: .275, 7 HR, 37 RBI, 14 SB
Career: .270, 21 HR, 93 RBI, 25 SB

Jay Buhner [95] – RF - #19
Age: 26 – 5th season
Acquired: Trade with Yankees – 7/21/1988
Contract: $1.25M through 1996
***
1990: .290, 32 HR, 89 RBI
Career: .263, 54 HR, 161 RBI

Dave Burba [74] – SP - #34
Age: 24 – Rookie
Acquired: Draft #2 – 6/2/1987
Contract: $95K until Arbitration (1993)
***
1990: 1-2, 7.36 ERA, 24 K
Career: 1-2, 7.36 ERA, 24 K

Dave Cochrane [67] – SS - #43
Age: 28 – 4th season
Acquired: Trade with Royals – 2/3/1988
Contract: $95K until Arbitration (1991)
***
1990: .158, 0 HR, 1 RBI
Career: .213, 1 HR, 10 RBI

Henry Cotto [74] – LF - #28
Age: 30 – 8th season
Acquired: Trade with Yankees – 12/22/1987
Contract: $350K through 1991
***
1990: .271, 2 HR, 24 RBI
Career: .260, 26 HR, 130 RBI

Alvin Davis [88] – 1B - #21
Age: 30 – 8th season
Acquired: Draft #6 – 6/7/1982
Contract: $2.2M through 1994
***
1990: .301, 28 HR, 111 RBI
Career: .291, 159 HR, 641 RBI

Ken Griffey, Jr. [89] – CF - #24
Age: 21 – 3rd season
Acquired: Draft #1 – 6/2/1987
Contract: $95K until Arbitration (1991)
***
1990: .277, 29 HR, 100 RBI
Career: .271, 45 HR, 161 RBI

Erik Hanson [84] – SP - #39
Age: 25 – 4th season
Acquired: Draft #2 – 6/22/1986
Contract: $97K until Arbitration (1991)
***
1990: 11-12, 5.11 ERA, 159 K
Career: 22-20, 4.26 ERA, 270 K

Charlie Hayes [78] – 3B - #26
Age: 25 – 4th season
Acquired: Trade with Phillies – 7/15/1990
Contract: $95K until Arbitration (1991)
***
1990: .301, 13 HR, 78 RBI
Career: .283, 21 HR, 121 RBI

Brian Holman [81] – SP - #36
Age: 26 – 4th season
Acquired: Trade with Expos – 5/25/1989
Contract: $750K through 1991 (Arb.)
***
1990: 11-12, 4.77 ERA, 112 K
Career: 24-32, 4.03 ERA, 275 K

Mike Jackson [83] – SU - #38
Age: 26 – 6th season
Acquired: Trade with Phillies – 12/9/1987
Contract: $750K through 1993
***
1990: 6-5, 5.28 ERA, 48 K, 9/14 SV
Career: 19-26, 3.66 ERA, 314 K, 21 SV

Randy Johnson [95] – SP - #51
Age: 27 – 4th season
Acquired: Trade with Expos – 5/25/1989
Contract: $171K until Arbitration (1991)
***
1990: 13-7, 3.41 ERA, 254 K
Career: 23-20, 3.92 ERA, 409 K

Edgar Martinez [85] – LF/3B - #11
Age: 28 – 5th season
Acquired: Amateur Free Agent – 12/19/1982
Contract: $95K until Arbitration (1991)
***
1990: .332, 14 HR, 72 RBI
Career: .308, 16 HR, 102 RBI

Tino Martinez [86] – 1B - #14
Age: 23 – 2nd season
Acquired: Draft #1 – 6/1/1988
Contract: $95K until Arbitration (1993)
***
1990: .253, 6 HR, 28 RBI
Career: .253, 6 HR, 28 RBI

Jose Melendez [82] – LR - #54
Age: 25 - Rookie
Acquired: Rule V Draft – 12/6/1988
Contract: $95K until Arbitration (1993)
***
1990: AAA - 4-6, 4.23 ERA, 59 K
Career: 0-1, 11.00 ERA, 6 K

Rob Murphy [76] – MR - #46
Age: 30 – 7th season
Acquired: Trade with Red Sox – 4/2/1990
Contract: $700K through 1992
***
1990: 5-4, 5.67 ERA, 54 K
Career: 24-22, 3.10 ERA, 371 K

Al Newman [71] – 2B - #16
Age: 30 – 7th season
Acquired: Free Agent – 11/14/1990
Contract: $350K through 1992
***
1990: .249, 0 HR, 27 RBI, 13 SB
Career: .234, 1 HR, 122 RBI, 78 SB

Jerry Reed [72] – SR - #31
Age: 35 – 10th season
Acquired: Free Agent – 4/11/1986
Contract: $500K through 1992
***
1990: 6-1, 3.58 ERA, 38 K
Career: 24-18, 3.80 ERA, 267 K

Harold Reynolds [82] – 2B - #4
Age: 30 – 9th season
Acquired: Spec. Draft #2 – 6/3/1980
Contract: $1.0M through 1992
***
1990: .279, 1 HR, 45 RBI, 25 SB
Career: .269, 7 HR, 195 RBI, 179 SB

Kazuhiro Sasaki [78] – SR - #22
Age: 23 - Rookie
Acquired: Amateur Free Agent – 1/1/1987
Contract: $95K until Arbitration (1993)
***
1990: AAA – 0-4, 3.22 ERA, 76 K, 19 SV
Career: N/A

Mike Schooler [73] – CL - #40
Age: 28 – 4th season
Acquired: Draft #2 – 6/3/1985
Contract: $350K until Arbitration (1991)
***
1990: 8-10, 4.66 ERA, 48 K, 24 SV
Career: 14-25, 3.58 ERA, 171 K, 72 SV

Bill Swift [81] – SP - #18
Age: 29 – 6th season
Acquired: Draft #1 – 6/4/1984
Contract: $800K until Arbitration (1991)
***
1990: 13-11, 4.45 ERA, 107 K
Career: 36-45, 4.68 ERA, 309 K

Dave Valle [77] – C - #10
Age: 30 – 8th season
Acquired: Draft #2 - 6/6/1978
Contract: $500K through 1992
***
1990: .218, 5 HR, 31 RBI
Career: .238, 40 HR, 191 RBI

Omar Vizquel [85] – SS - #13
Age: 23 – 3rd season
Acquired: Amateur Free Agent - 4/1/1984
Contract: $95K until Arbitration (1991)
***
1990: .286, 4 HR, 63 RBI, 26 SB
Career: .261, 5 HR, 83 RBI

***

[PotatoOfCouch13]

3. Opening Day 1991

It’s another rainy Seattle day, but that’s unnoticeable inside the Kingdome, where the Royals are here to help kick off the Mariners’ 15th season. Randy Johnson is getting warm in the bullpen, set to oppose Royals ace Bret Saberhagen. The smell of Astroturf is in the air; another tell-tale sign that baseball is back!

Someone in the PR department had come up with a new campaign to spark some more interest in the team. In honor of our 15th season, we’re going to determine the 15 greatest players in team history. Not exactly a long list, but so long as it puts butts in the seats.

All the pomp and pageantry of Opening Day was completed, and the 6’10” Randy Johnson took his final warm-up pitches and the game was underway!

Johnson struck out the first two batters of the game, but back-to-back doubles by Kevin Seitzer and Bo Jackson put the Royals on the board. Royals 1-0

Johnson and Saberhagen really buckled down, allowing baserunners but no runs; at least, until the top of the 6th, when Bo led off with a single. He scored on a 2-out double by Claudell Washington. Royals 2-0

That would be plenty for Saberhagen, who had his shutout bid spoiled in the bottom of the 9th inning on an RBI groundout by Charlie Hayes. Royals 2-1

Tom ‘Flash’ Gordon strolled in from the bullpen not long after, and slammed the door on the Mariners.

ROYALS 2, MARINERS 1
W: Bret Saberhagen (1-0)
L: Randy Johnson (0-1)
SV: Tom Gordon (1)

***

[PotatoOfCouch13]

4. April: Where It All Begins Again

Kansas City Royals (0-0) at Seattle Mariners (0-0)
The 1991 season kicks off in odd fashion, with the only two teams I’ve ever known facing each other. Funny how that works, huh?

1 – See above. Bret Saberhagen is a stud, and outduels Randy Johnson in the home opener. Royals 2-1

2 – Bill Swift is the man today, throwing a 3-hit shutout for the team’s first victory of the season. Harold Reynolds goes 3-5 (a double and a triple included) with an RBI in the win. Mariners 4-0

3 – Both teams come out swinging, putting up crooked numbers in the first inning, and matching each other again in the 4th, tying the game at 5. That’s when LeFebvre turned over to his bullpen, and the Royals lineup was shut down. The Mariners put up 3 more runs, though, putting the game out of reach. Harold Reynolds went 8/15 with 4 doubles and a triple in the series. Mariners 8-5

Seattle Mariners (2-1) at Boston Red Sox (3-0)
We take a trip across the country to visit the reigning American League champions, who have already started to lay their claim to another pennant by sweeping Cleveland. I already know that we’re going to face off against Roger Clemens, so our best hope is to match him up with Randy and pray for the best.

4 – John Tudor shuts us out for 8 innings, and although we do score against the beleaguered Boston bullpen, the Red Sox have already put up 6 against Erik Hanson. The bullpen extends its season opening scoreless innings streak to 9.1 innings. Red Sox 6-1

5 – Rookie Dave Burba tosses 7 shutout innings (he probably should’ve gone more but he only has a 53 Endurance rating), allowing only 2 hits and striking 6 Boston hitters, as he and two relievers combine to 3-hit the Red Sox. Mariners 1-0

6 – National media outlets swarmed Fenway Park on Saturday, as reigning AL Cy Young winner Roger Clemens faced off against the Mariners ace Randy Johnson. Unfortunately, the Boston bats were waiting for the Big Unit, as he surrendered 7 runs in 2.2 innings. Clemens cruised through 6 shutout inning, and the Red Sox won going away. Our bullpen had a tough test today, but held strong, making it 16.2 consecutive innings without allowing a run to start the season. Also, Tino Martinez hit our first home run of the year. Red Sox 7-3

A double whammy: C Scott Bradley and 1B Alvin Davis both need to go on the 15-day DL after a collision chasing a foul pop late in the game. C Chris Howard and 1B Greg Pirkl make their way up from AAA Calgary as we reshuffle our lineup: Edgar Martinez moves to DH, while Greg Briley starts in leftfield and Dave Valle starts at catcher.

7 – A far cry from his first start, Bill Swift gets shelled for 5 runs in as many innings. Meanwhile, Mike Boddicker has his game rolling, striking out 9 en route to another easy win for Boston. Red Sox 5-1

DAY OFF
8 – 3 wins isn’t bad after a tough first week, but the offense has been awful: the 4 right-handed hitters on my starting lineup (E. Martinez, C. Hayes, J. Buhner, D. Valle) have started the season hitting .161 (13/81) with zero homers and 4 RBI. As a matter of fact, my whole team has suffered a power outage of sorts, as Tino Martinez holds our lone home run, worst in the Majors. The bullpen has been lights out, going 20.2 innings without surrendering a run, but all that goes for naught if we don’t have a lead when we turn it over to them…

Seattle Mariners (3-4) at Chicago White Sox (2-4)
We hope a trip to the South Side will cure what ails our offense, as they have a much more mediocre pitching staff than their Red cousins back east. Their offense is suffering as well, as CF Sammy Sosa is out for another week with a finger injury.

9 – All good things must come to an end, and sometimes they end in heartbreaking fashion. Our bullpens scoreless innings streak was stopped at 22 innings, as Danny Tartabull hit a bases-loaded single into the left-centerfield gap, scoring the tying and winning runs in the bottom of the 9th inning. White Sox 4-3

10 – The bullpen returned to form, with 2.2 scoreless innings. However, Frank Thomas didn’t let starter Erik Hanson off easy, hitting a home run and a double off of the Mariners pitcher, and Alex Fernandez and Bill Long combined for a 6-hit shutout. White Sox 6-0

11 – Thanks to a 6-run 6th inning, we take a commanding lead, thanks to Dave Burba’s solid 5.2 innings. However, Jose Melendez almost coughs up the lead, even bringing the winning run to the plate, but Mike Schooler is there to put out the fire. Mariners 8-6

Milwaukee Brewers (3-6) at Seattle Mariners (4-6)
We head back to the Kingdome for 3 with the Brewers. Hopefully, we can put it all together: we have Johnson and Swift scheduled against some mediocre pitching. We have to worry about their bats though (Molitor, Yount, & Sheffield are all batting over .340).

12 – Randy is phenomenal, striking out 13 Brewers over 8 innings. However, a lack of run support dooms him to a no-decision. In the 10th inning, the bullpen implodes, as Schooler allows 4 runs and Jackson another, and the Brewers steal a game where they were clearly outclassed. Brewers 7-2 (10)

13 – Swifty isn’t himself today, surrendering 9 runs in 3.1 innings. However, the bullpen does the job, shutting out the Brewers for 5.2 innings, and giving the offense time to recover. Unfortunately, we enter the bottom of the 9th inning still trailing, 9-5. With 2 outs, we were able to bring the winning run to the plate, in the person of Ken Griffey, Jr. Junior already hit a home run in the game, and isn’t shy about double dipping: he blasted a Jim Austin fastball into the bleachers, winning the game for the Mariners! Mariners 10-9

14 – Brian Holman pitches well, and the offense pounces on Don August early, scoring 7 times. The bullpen continues its current run of good form, as Mike Schooler records his 4th save of the season. Mariners 7-5

DAY OFF
15 – Better, but we could still use more offense from Jay Buhner (.114) and Charlie Hayes (.204). A win for our rotation every now and again would be helpful, too.

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[jshaw]

Tiger stadium would have been burned to the ground if that combo would have been traded even for someone like Cal Rypken and Alomar.