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Albies the Judge of That
A slight sophomore slump for Ozzie after his RoY-winning 1970 season, but he's looking good again this year and this is one of his best games yet.
https://i.imgur.com/AX2ojsg.png |
Transit League All-Stars, 1972
Some of the EL's stars of tomorrow:
https://i.imgur.com/oDiKXTK.png https://i.imgur.com/QWteilA.png https://i.imgur.com/if3w86m.png Akron's Clarence Isreal wins the HR Derby, while MVP Midre Cummings leads the Catto Conference to a 3-1 win in the main event. |
Delgado a No-No
The second no-hitter for 1972 as Randall Delgado writes his name in the record books.
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EL Featured Game #5, 1972
Friday 23rd June, 1972 – Homestead Grays (30-42) @ New York Lincoln Giants (36-36) 7.05pm ET, Olympic Field, New York NY We're back for the fifth of this season's ten featured games showcasing every team in the EL, with the Grays travelling to the Big Apple to take on division rivals, the Lincoln Giants. If the WC National is home to the perennially close race, then the WC American is the home to the revolving promise of a fairy tale. Last season saw the Liberty Stars go heartbreakingly close to a dream playoff run. This season, the LGs have stepped up for their turn to try on the proverbial glass slipper. You can't say this is completely out of the blue. Despite three last place finishes and a third - all losing campaigns, with 76 wins in 1970 the club's best - in their four EL seasons to date, the LGs have caught the eye with some solid roster management and drafted astutely, enabling them to assemble the squad that seems to have found its zen this time around. Rickey Henderson, Jorge Polanco, Roberto Clemente and Edgar Martinez have been their high 1st-rounders over the past four Drafts - a solid core of future superstars on which to build sustained success. And yet, already we have seen the shortcomings in this squad, almost all of which revolve around their fairly woeful staff. After a really strong 19-8 May, they have slipped back to just on a 500 record overall by dint of a poor June that has seen them lose 13 of 18. And, while their offence has been ticking along nicely, highly-placed in most metrics, their pitching has been the mirror-image, well down in almost every stat cat. Tonight's pitcher has been their best so far, and is an NeLer worth a closer look at. Webster McDonald had a long and fruitful career during the "Golden Era" of the Negro Leagues, posting an 87-56 record between 1922 and 1940, with the Philadelphia Stars - for whom he played his last eight seasons and managed as well - the team he is most closely linked with. He also recorded an unofficial 14-4 lifetime against MLB teams. A submarine pitcher renowned for his control and mound smarts, Webster's vast array of pitches earned him the moniker "56 Varieties", and Jim Riley notes how well-liked and respected he was around the league. The LGs drafted Mac 25th overall in the 1970 Draft, and his record entering this game sits at 24-24 lifetime with an ERA+ of 106. Only 22, Webster still has a fair bit of upside to his profile and one hopes the LGs will go out and get a few more like him. What can I say about the Grays? After two playoff appearances in their first three seasons, this club looked set to compete year-in, year-out. Their third-place finish last season wasn't as bad as it sounds, with them finishing 83-76 and not far off the lead. It certainly gave no inkling into the disaster that has befallen them in the early part of the '72 campaign. Neither does the composition of their squad, which is really well-rounded with a bunch of guys who impress mightily such as Ozzie Smith, Aledmys Diaz, Amos Otis, Sam Bennett and Esteban Montalvo among their position players, and an excellent rotation led by Louis Dula and recent addition Leon Day. So, what gives? Their 9th-rated ERA is as good a place as any to start, but their offence has sputtered as well. Another side with neither a 300 hitter nor a player with 10+ homers among them, their -4 run diff and -6 Pythagorean both suggest that this is simply a case of a group failing to gel and therefore underperforming on the field. That said, they are only 6 GB their opponents tonight with plenty of games left to turn things around. They are also one of the league's more liquid clubs, so I expect they'll be busy in the offseason FA market irrespective of how the rest of this season plays out. Mudcat Grant is up for the Grays tonight, and they'll want him to be better than he has been to this point, with a 5-8 / 5.01 record and some fairly nasty metrics including a 115 FIP-. The LGs hold a 4-2 head-to-head lead this season, and here's how the two squads will front up. A fairly stiff breeze blowing straight out to dead CF, so I'm expecting this to be a high-scoring affair. Let's see if I'm right. After two scoreless, the Grays get a rally going and a Cleon Jones single opens the scoring. A second run comes in on a Diaz sac fly and Montalvo adds a third with a two-out hit. The LGs bats begin quietly, but they do get a run in the 5th when Enrique Cruz doubles with two out and scores on a single by Jose Reyes. With it still 3-1 halfway through the 6th, the home side gets a break when Montalvo spills one in RF, then take full advantage as Rickey Henderson puts one into the seats to tie the game at 3. They almost go ahead, when Pokey Reese singles with Roberto Clemente on second, but Montalvo redeems himself somewhat with a fine throw home that nails the runner and prolongs the tie. The hosts waste an excellent scoring opportunity in the next when they leave two men stranded in scoring position, and pay for it in the top 8th when Montalvo further atones for his fielding gaffe with a two-out RBI single to give the Grays back the lead. Singles to Henderson and Clemente give the LGs men at the points with none out in the bottom half of the same frame, and another hit by catcher Rod Barajas gets them back on level terms. McDonald is lifted for pinch-hitter Buddy Bradford, who duly singles in the go-ahead run and ends Grant's night, with William Linder coming on in relief. He gets the second out of the inning but then gives up a single to Reyes, which scores another run to make it 6-4 New York. The LGs hand the ball to Ramon Ramirez to close it out, which he does with a clean inning. The New York bats took their time, but their 15-hit onslaught was just too much for a Grays side that tried hard but came up short here tonight. |
From the Transit Lounge
Like his namesake, John Glenn of the Habaneros soars into the stratosphere with this fine effort against the Black Sox.
https://i.imgur.com/KxMTt4I.png |
As Easy as ABC
Masahiro Tanaka (against his former club) and Alex Cora with a club-record 7 RBI) get the job done at both ends in this cakewalk win over Homestead for Indy, who are currently on a bit of a tear and looking the best they have so far in their EL history.
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June 1972 Recap
Still nice and tight across the EL as we approach the All-Star Break, with Cleveland holding the widest margin in leading the WC National by 4 1/2 games.
https://i.imgur.com/1UUblg5.png?1 ECLIPSE LEAGUE
TRANSIT LEAGUE (AAA)
Top 20s https://i.imgur.com/C91cWWF.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/SEhzcYa.png?1 News & Leaders https://i.imgur.com/lrfVlyo.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/yakAbYS.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/PYV2lkS.png?1https://i.imgur.com/hHR9dz8.png?1 |
News from the Transit Lounge
Records tumbling all over the joint as the Eagles demolish the Red Caps in the biggest win I've ever experienced in any of my saves.
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Mid-Year Prospects
Here are the EL's Top 20-ranked prospects at the halfway point of the 1972 season.
And here's how the various farm systems look. |
EL Featured Game #6, 1972
Tuesday 4th July, 1972 – Philadelphia Liberty Stars (36-44) @ Baltimore Elite Giants (38-43) 7.05pm ET, Bugle Field, Baltimore MD A happy 4th of July to one and all, and what a fascinating game from the Eclipse League we have for you tonight here at Bugle Field in Baltimore. Quite a bizarre season in the WC American so far, with no team having a winning record and just five games separating the first-placed Lincoln Giants from the last-placed Grays. I have no doubt whatsoever that this is going to be an epic battle to the very end, one in which our two featured sides tonight will be hoping to be in the thick of. The hometown Elite Giants have had a bit of a rough start to their EL existence, with their 81-81 1970 campaign the best so far. But I am upbeat about their longer-term trajectory as their excellent stock of prospects - players such as Jurickson Profar, Romey Fields and Irvin Brooks - continues to develop and embellish what is already a fairly decent playing group led by guys such as Willie Greene and last year's Fowler Medallist (RoY) Eric Davis. One player who seems to have been around forever (in fact, he joined the EL as a 1st-Round pick in the 1968 Draft as a raw 17-year-old), but still seems to have plenty of upside potential is on the hill for them tonight: Don Newcombe. The EGs have taken the long view with Newk, keeping him in the BP for a good portion of his career to this point, but he has been handed a full-time starting role this year and done pretty well. He enters tonight at 9-9 / 3.75, with 12 QS from the 20 games he has started and some nice metrics across the board. He remains under team control thru 1973 and you'd hope the EGs lock him down for a nice long contract before he gets away. Don's opponent tonight is Rogelio Armenteros, whom we saw in action for the visiting Liberty Stars in their heartbreaking loss to Hilldale at the end of last season that quashed their fairytale run. He is following up his superb 26-win 1971 with another fine season, currently at 11-6 / 2.85, trailing only Charles Hudson's 13 wins in the WC. Here's how the two pitchers look head-to-head: And tonight's lineups: The LibStars would be disappointed in how they have followed up that memorable '71 campaign, and yet still find themselves well in the hunt. This series offers them an excellent springboard into the second half of the season. Let's see if they take it. The home side gets out of the blocks quickly when Willie Greene crushes a 484-footer in the bottom 1st to open the scoring - the 12th longball for the year for the gun sophomore. Apart from Greene's big fly, the pitchers dominate the early innings, although the EGs nearly double their lead in the 4th when they have a man thrown out at home. Newcombe in particular looks strong, mixing up his pitches nicely and allowing just a pair of hits thru 4. But in the 5th, he kind of loses his shape a bit and the visitors pounce, scoring a run on three hits to draw level. One pitch in the top of the 6th changes the course of this game, when a Newcombe hanger is deposited in the left-field seats with a man on by Bull Watson to give the EGs a 3-1 lead. But the hosts get a break when a two-out error by Baltimore keystone Elio Chacon in the bottom half gifts them an unearned run to bring the difference back to one, and then a single by Albert Almora gets it all knotted up again. https://i.imgur.com/ekny8HR.png?1 But Newcombe's troubles continues, as the EGs go ahead once again in the next on a single by Kelvin Moore. Kelvin Herrera comes on in relief of Armenteros to begin the 8th and issues a leadoff walk to pinch-hitter Eddie Rosario. Galvis bunts him around and he ends up at third with two outs after an Almora groundout. Ron Washington then delivers in the clutch, singling him home to tie it at 4. Newcombe comes out, replaced by southpaw Wil Ledezma, who gets through the top 9th no problems. With Alonzo Bailey on the mound for Philly, this one seems destined for spare frames. He sends them down in order and we are indeed into extras. In the end, an error in the bottom 10th is the key play of the game, with Bobby Bonilla's misplay putting the speedy Eric Davis aboard. He duly swipes second and the home fans come alive when Freddy Galvis singles him in with two out for a brave walkoff win. This was a fantastic game - two young sides going at it hammer-and-tongs until the very end and I really like the look of both of them. A bit more depth and game experience and I think you'll see both of them at the pointy end of the season before too long. Maybe sooner of things continue to fall into place. |
1972 EL All-Star / Prospects Squads and Games
Today's heroes...
https://i.imgur.com/12WLX56.png https://i.imgur.com/b4Iz4qD.png https://i.imgur.com/B611p90.png And, if things go according to plan, tomorrow's... https://i.imgur.com/cdXCa81.png https://i.imgur.com/DRWtCMk.png The WC Future Stars win 6-1 with Bip Roberts of the Homestead organization named MVP. Richard Hidalgo of the ABCs wins the HR Derby. https://i.imgur.com/i4OuFxR.png?1 While the Fleet Conference narrows the running score to 3-2 with a thrilling 6-5 walkoff win in 10. Atlantic City rookie sensation Frank Thomas wins the MVP. https://i.imgur.com/54FwnBQ.png |
Trade Winds a-Blowin'
A huge trade during the ASB sees Birmingham trade Ernie Banks and Darryl Motley to Memphis for Ozzie Virgil jr.
https://i.imgur.com/7j5rbmS.png?1 It's a bit of an odd one for the BBs, who have obviously decided to fully go for it this season. They do have Jhonny Peralta at Jacksonville as the presumptive long-term second-sacker now and have picked up a great backstop, are position they are weak at. But Banks looks a true superstar of the future, so it has come at a hefty price and is another piece of the puzzle fallen into place for the MeSox, who know their 1972 campaign is all but done. |
1972 Eclipse League Halfway Horoscope
I think the featured games are providing enough colour and background info on the various clubs, so for something different I am going to highlight 12 players whose first-half performances have caught the eye.
Fleet Conference 1. Ken Singleton, Royal Giants
https://i.imgur.com/UpGDQyN.png?1 2. Martin Dihigo, Crawfords
https://i.imgur.com/am4s8qo.png?1 3. Pat Scantlebury, Black Yankees
https://i.imgur.com/DlTSHEL.png?1 4. Juan Marichal, Monarchs
https://i.imgur.com/19yGp0g.png?1 5. Hank Thompson, Black Yankees
https://i.imgur.com/qTQGHfX.png?1 6. Wei-Yin Chen, Dodgers
https://i.imgur.com/IrprgXa.png?1 Weldy Conference 1. Rod Carew, ABCs
https://i.imgur.com/jXNvFro.png?1 2. Lefty Holmes, American Giants
https://i.imgur.com/RIwoGg3.png?1 3. Shohei Ohtani, Buckeyes
https://i.imgur.com/30A1fgi.png?1 4. Roberto Clemente, Lincoln Giants
https://i.imgur.com/gRWeggQ.png?1 5. Charles Hudson, Motown Stars
https://i.imgur.com/oKG3H1L.png?1 6. Chino Smith, Athletics
https://i.imgur.com/bsAYNtu.png?1 |
Notes From the Transit Lounge
Milwaukee Bears outfielder Ike Blessit is probably one of those guys destined for a career on the fringes of the EL, while excelling in the TL. That's how it has played out to this point, at any rate, although he has been afforded more of a chance here than his 5 hitless MLB at-bats IRL.
He certainly excelled in this fine effort against the Black Sox, racking up 5 hits while hitting for the cycle. https://i.imgur.com/4rKjUOq.png |
EL Featured Game #7, 1972
Sunday 16th July, 1972 – Hilldale Athletic Club (43-45) @ Detroit Motown Stars (38-50) 7.05pm ET, Mack Park, Detroit MI Not a huge amount of competitive pertinence in tonight's game, with the two participants in different divisions and at the opposite end of them, but still we do get to see a couple of the league's premier hurlers in action and you just never know what these games can throw up. The hometown MoStars are certainly an enigmatic bunch. On paper, they look a much better squad than their current record would indicate - even more so after picking up Mookie Betts in the most recent Draft. Andre Thornton has been one of the EL's most consistent players from inception, Tim Anderson as well, and young OF Fred Long looks a true superstar of the future. They still have Sandy Alomar in the wings, and as far as their position players are concerned have very few obvious flaws. Even their pitching, while by no means the league's best, is serviceable. And yet, the way things are looking, this club looks set for its third cellar finish in four seasons. It is an odd situation for which I have no ready explanation. Their starter tonight has been one of the EL's best in the first half of 1972, his second season in the league. Charles Hudson enters this game with 14 wins, more than he ever managed in any of his 7 IRL seasons and just one less than his three rotation mates combined, along with a very tasty 152 ERA+. We've already crossed paths with Hilldale starter Dave Brown (check it out HERE), who hasn't quite hit his straps this year after his superlative 28-win 1971. Still, 8-9 / 3.38 isn't to be scoffed at, and he'll no doubt prove a handful for the Detroit bats tonight. Here's a comparison of the two moundsmen tonight. https://i.imgur.com/aSObe3X.png?1 It seems almost a tradition of late for the A's to struggle in the early going, one they have adhered to again this year. But with no team in the WC American currently above 500, it hasn't hurt them so far and they have finally got their noses in front of a tightly-bunched field. However, with just a game separating the top four sides, their margin for error from this point on is negligible, which means the tendency this group has to try and coast could well prove costly should they let that attitude continue to plague them. Especially with Pop Lloyd on the sideline indefinitely and now gun OF Charles Earle hurt as well. Here are the two starting lineups for tonight's game. https://i.imgur.com/VqkYac8.png?1 Time for the first pitch - let's get to it! The visitors get to Hudson in the 2nd, as catcher Hector Sanchez belts one out with one on, and threaten again in the next without managing to add to their lead. Brown, on the other hand, has a relatively comfortable start to the game, scattering three hits over the first five innings. But Hudson has also settled into a groove after that early hiccup and, entering the bottom 6th with it still 2-0, his offence finally gets a rally going and scores a run on a Thornton groundout. An Anderson error with two out in the 8th sees Hudson's game end, with Si Simmons replacing him and escaping the inning unscathed, and then Detroit CF Gerry Davis ties the game at 2 with a solo shot to left. El Duque Hernandez takes the hill for the top 9th and gets two easy outs. But, after an infield hit by Sandy Thompson keeps the inning going, Dave Brown deposits one in the RF stadium to put the A's back in front 4-2. He stays in the game to try and close it out, but a one-out error by Abraham Almonte forces A's skipper ??'s hand and he summons Closer Armando Benitez from the BP. He walks Nichols to bring the winning run to the plate in the form of Billy Parker, but Benitez fans him and then Greg Halman to finish Detroit off. You cannot say this was an encouraging performance by the A's, managing just 5 hits, but they got the job done in the end and locked down the W, which is what matters most. For the MoStars, the mystery continues and a long season beckons. |
The Cyclone Spins a Gem
The EL's third no-hitter of 1972 comes courtesy of Bill Lindsay, providing me with a perfect opportunity to more closely acquaint you with the tragic story of "The Kansas Cyclone".
Born in Lexington, MO, Bill Lindsay acquired his fantastic nickname while playing in his early career for the Kansas City Giants. It was while with the Giants that Bill caught the discerning eye of Rube Foster, who quickly acquired him for the American Giants for the 1911 season. Over the next four years, Bill put together a fine 26-9 record for the AGs, with an ERA of 2.44 that equated to an adjusted 125. His 4-0 / 1.09 effort in 1914 was one of the main reasons his side won the Championship that year, lining them up for a playoff against the eastern champion Brooklyn Royal Giants. Sadly, Bill never got to play in that series, falling ill and dying aged just 23 on September 1 of that year. No doubt his death inspired his heartbroken teammates to go out and sweep the series in 4. Thankfully, the concerns of mere mortals are slightly more abstract in the EL, so here's hoping Bill has a long a fruitful career and life in this timeline. He's had his struggles on the field, as pitchers for the Monarchs in this save tend to, and this masterpiece sets his career record at 49-63 with an ERA+ of 106 and closing in on 20 pWAR. |
A Riderless Horse
While he's not having the impact he did in his stellar 1971 campaign, with the Black Yankees seemingly hitting peak form the loss of El Caballero is the last thing the Crawfords needed.
https://i.imgur.com/WJSjcGH.png |
As Good as a Holiday
It's never easy changing clubs, especially mid-season, but Michael Brantley seems to have settled in nicely at the AGs after being traded by the ABCs. He has a hot hand in this imperious 10-0 thumping of the Giants.
https://i.imgur.com/rrIy8qi.png |
News From the Transit Lounge
A huge (106 GSc) game by Chattanooga's Myron White sees him hit for the cycle with 2 HR and 5 RBI to power the Choo-Choos past Brooklyn.
https://i.imgur.com/MeSbprz.png |
No Room for Nostalgia
Franchise wins leader (with 75) Ruben Quevedo's time with the Bacharach Giants has come to an end. Given he is headed to the Buckeyes, who in turn look headed for the playoffs, I'm not sure he'd be all that bothered. He is an impending FA and no doubt seeking beaucoup denarii, so it will be interesting to see what Cleveland does with him come the offseason. In the meantime, he is a key add for their title push.
A nice deal for the BGs, too, as they offload all that salary and pick up a couple handy young IF prospects, with Harding probably just the pick of the two, although Bibbs' defensive flexibility is a real plus. The following day, the Bucks make another move of a similar ilk, this time with Baltimore. Meanwhile another franchise stalwart moves on, as the MeSox trade foundation player Billy Sample to the Crawfords. Same deal, really - high-priced soon-to-be FA shipped off to a team looking to contend. And this year's trading window closes with a multi-player trade between the Monarchs and Motown Stars. Once again, a non-competing team offloads a player they obviously weren't going to re-sign and picks up some young fodder - in this case, three Top 100ish prospects and a quality reliever. |
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