The Cuban Dominican Baseball Association

[jksander]

MAY 17, 1963 . . . Unbelievable! We were all ready agains to start the game this evening, and another round of heavy rain rolled through and they decided to postpone the game, and we’re tentatively scheduled to play two games tomorrow if the weather will permit.

MAY 18, 1963 . . . The weather appears to be cooperating for the first game of the afternoon, temps in the low 80s with a mix of sun and clouds and a decent breeze. Ludovic Peltier (5-5, 3.76 ERA, 91.0 IP, 49 K’s, 1.43 WHIP) had an extra day’s rest, so he’s ready to go against their ace Edwin Rodriguez (5-3, 1 SV, 4.34 ERA, 26 K’s, 1.66 WHIP) as Cienfuegos’ Cubanos come to town for three. And the hits in this one did not come easily. Logan Holmes picked up a double to start the bottom of the fifth, but we left him stranded and stayed scoreless, but Peltier did the same to them in the top of the sixth. Bottom of the inning, Flores was walked and Victor Diaz hit a double to put both in scoring position, With two outs and Flores and Diaz still in scoring position, Jose Colon walked the bases loaded, but yet again we couldn’t get a run to score and went into the seventh still knotted 0-0, and it stayed that way into the stretch. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Jose Castro hit a double, but was tagged out trying to steal third. Peltier struck out the first two batters he faced in the top of the eighth, put a runner on first, and then got the out we needed as this game entered high blood pressure territory! We popped out three in a row in the bottom of the eighth, sending the game into the ninth still without a run scoring. They got their third-baseman on base with a double, but a groundout to first held him there, and their next batter struck out swinging. But with two outs, their second-baseman Rico Zarate got a shot into left and drove in a run to put them on the board. A shallow hit into right made it 2-0, giving us work to do in the bottom of the inning. With two outs, Jose Colon got a hit into center left, getting himself another double, and Logan Holmes thought he had a hit, but their left fielder made a spectacular diving catch to end this as a 2-0 loss.

Peltier gave us all he had, allowing eight hits, four walks and two earned runs with seven strikeouts in the complete game loss, dropping his record to 5-6 but improving his ERA to 3.60. They outhit us 8-6, getting them to drop when it counted. Colon had a hit and two walks, and leadoff man Jose Castro hit twice.

Not much time to lick wounds, we had to come back out for game two! Juan Ortiz (2-2, 1 SV, 6.81 ERA, 22 K’s, 2.03 WHIP) pitched against Jose Herrera (8-4, 4.79 ERA, 112.2 IP, 45 K’s, 1.57 WHIP). Amd for us, this game started out eerily like the last one as our scoreless innings streak continued to lengthen. With two outs in the bottom of the fifth Jonathan Gonzalez hit a double that gave us our first runner in scoring position all game, but Cantimori batted out to the centerfielder to complete our 14th scoreless inning in a row as the game remained a 0-0 tie heading into the sixth. Cienfuegos hit a home run off Ortiz for just their second hit of the damned game, giving them a 1-0 lead in the top of the seventh. We got two on base by walks in the bottom of the inning, but Gonzalez hit into a double play to keep us scoreless, and they added two runs in the top of the eighth to go up 3-0 on us. Can we even dream of a rally at this point? No. Bottom of the eighth, two runners in scoring position, and we ground out to first to end the inning. At just 119 pitches, Ortiz stayed in to take the hit, getting us out of the inning unblemished, so at least we didn’t get shellacked. Then we saw hints of light ... Colon picked up a single, and with one out Brisset pinch-hit for Ortiz, getting a hit into deep center, driving them both into scoring position! Gonzalez popped out to left, but Cantimori finally got one to slip past second base and into the outfield, scoring a pair off a single after 17 scoreless frames! But Victor Diaz was called out on first after a controversial call and an infield hit, ending this one as another disappointing 3-2 loss.

Ortiz fell to 2-3 with a 6.07 ERA, but he only allowed six hits, four walks and three earned runs, striking out eight batters through 142 pitches. We outhit the Cubanos 7-6 but continued to struggle to get hits in bunches, a disappointing result considering how that’s been our bread and butter all year, not having great pitching performances with few hits. Cantimori led the team with two hits and an RBI, while Colon got a hit, a walk and scored a run.

One of our up-and-coming young pitchers, a 16-year-old international discovery named Chris Shay from Bermuda, recently was named the #36 prospect in the Cuban Dominican Baseball Association. He’s incredibly young and inexperienced, but our scouts say he’s adaptable and hard working, so it will be interesting to see if he matures as he develops. Right now he’s working with our trainers in the up-and-coming international complex.
 
MAY 19, 1963 . . . We’ve handed Cienfuegos a 2.5 game lead in the division, though we remain tied with Santa Clara at 22-19 and could really use this head-to-head win as we reach the season’s midpoint. Juan Guzman (7-4, 4.27 ERA, 111.2 IP, 47 K’s, 1.58 WHIP) got the start, facing Izzy Ochoa (5-5, 5.75 ERA, 87.2 IP, 52 K’s, 1.76 WHIP). Cienfuegos wasted no time, hitting an RBI double to put them on the board, though Guzman pitched well and kept them from starting a rout. They added another in the top of the third, but we loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning with two outs, and Flores got a hit into right that scored two and tied it up! They hit a two-run homer in the top of the fourth to get the lead back, however, and we knew it was going to take coordinated hitting power to get through this one without a sweep. They hit Gonzalez with a pitch to load the bases for us, one out, in the bottom of the fourth. Cantimori hit a sac-fly to center right that scored a run, and Victor Santos hit a deep shot into the left corner, driving in three with a triple to send us into the top of the fifth with a 6-4 lead! The Cubanos picked up a run in the top of the sixth, but Victor Diaz knocked one in for us with a double in the bottom of the frame, and Santos did the same to make it a three run lead. Colon doubled to add another, and we went into the top of the seventh leading 9-5. Edward Aguirre came in to pitch with two men on and two outs in the top of the seventh, getting a quick out at first to end the inning still leading by four, a really good high leverage moment that kept the game from suddenly tightening up. We added a run in the bottom of the seventh, off a sac-fly by Santos, but they got two runs back in the top of the eighth on a triple, and an RBI single cut the lead to two with Juan Diaz warming up in the bullpen. Aguirre got us out of the inning at long last, but his night was over. Diaz came out and got us three quick outs in the top of the ninth, however, and that was all she wrote! We won this one in the end 10-8.

Guzman improved to 8-4 with an 11-hit, five walk, two strikeout, three run game, lasting 6.2 innings and dinging his ERA up slightly to 4.41. Aguirre came in and gave us 1.1 innings with five hits and three earned runs, getting our first hold of the season and blowing up his ERA again to 4.76. But Diaz came through in a clutch situation, pitching brilliantly in the ninth -- no hits and a strikeout -- to earn his first save, improving his ERA to 5.68 for the year, a game we really needed to win. They outhit us 16-11, so it was great to turn that around on them -- Victor Santos being our team’s sparkplug this evening with two hits, a walk and five RBIs. Logan Holmes is starting to come back down to earth, getting a hit, a walk and a run on the ground but his average has dropped to .436 through 30 games.

We’re now alone in second place with a 23-19 record at the season’s midpoint, trailing the 25-17 Cubanos by two games. We face Pinar del Rio’s Roosters on the road for the first time (see their field below) starting Tuesday, followed by a three-game set at Santa Clara (22-21).

[jksander]

CBDA Quarterly League Update: May 21, 1963

CL West
1. Cienfuegos Cubanos (25-17)
2, Havana Hunters (23-19, 2 GB)
3. Santa Clara Saints (22-21, 3.5 GB)
4. Pinar del Rio Roosters (18-23, 6.5 GB)

CL East
1. Nuevitas Naturals (23-20)
2. Bayamo Bombadiers (20-22, 2.5 GB)
3. Guantanamo Gators (20-23, 3 GB)
4. Manzanillo Cattlemen (18-24, 4.5 GB)

The Nuevitas Naturals have won seven of their last ten games and jumped into first place in the East division, led by the continued strong play of their ace, Kevin Chauvet, who has a 9-5 record with a 3.75 ERA and 72 K’s through 117.2 innings of work. At this point there are no teams in the league without at least a chance at the playoffs, though at the moment our team, the Cubanos and the Naturals are the three with the strongest overall teams and the best chance to stay that way.

DL West
1. Barahona Tropics (27-15)
2. Monte Christi Sea Merchants (25-18, 2.5 GB)
3. Santa Domingo Dominicans (18-25, 9.5 GB)
4. San Juan Stingrays (16-26, 11 GB)

DL East
1. Boca de Yuma Tigres (28-15)
2. Isla Saona Islanders (22-20, 5.5 GB)
3. La Romana Rays (21-21, 6.5 GB)
4. Santiago Explorers (13-30, 15 GB)

Right now the Barahona Tropics and the Boca de Yuma Tigres are the hottest teams in either the Cuban or Domininican Leagues, but Monte Christi, while down, are certainly not out of the discussion. That’s more than can be said about any of the others, with Isla Saona fading quickly in the Tigres’ shadows. The race in the West looks more likely to stay strong down the stretch, but if Isla Saona wants to get back in the race in the East, they need to get their bats going.

Statistical Leaders
Batting -- Combined Leagues

Batting Avg Leader: CF Willie Serrano (MZ) .438
Home Run Leader: RF Gil Campoverde (IS) 4
RBI Leader: CF Willie Serrano (MZ) 42*
Batting WAR Leader: SS Omar Garcia (ROM) 4.6
Slugging Leader: CF Willie Serrano (MZ) .608
OPS Leader: CF Willie Serrano (MZ) 1.125
Hits Leader: CF Willie Serrano (MZ) 77
Runs Leader: SS Omar Garcia (ROM) 49
2B Leader: LF Carlos Marrero (MZ) 25
3B Leader: CF Ricardo Ponce (POR) 5
SB Leader: SS Omar Garcia (ROM) 23
ISO Leader: CF Nelson Montes (IS) .190

* Antonio Fernandez is currently in second place with 38 RBIs.
 
Statistical Leaders
Pitching -- Combined Leagues

ERA Leader: Mario Sanabria (MC) 2.91
Wins Leader: Mario Sanabria (MC) 11
Saves Leader: Javy Saiz (NUE) 8
Pitching WAR Leader: Angel Palomarez (BOC) 3.4
IP Leader: Angel Palomarez (BOC) 129.2
CG Leader: Angel Palomarez (BOC) 14
Shutouts Leader: Mario Sanabria (MC) 3*
Strikeout Leader: Kevin Chauvet (NUE) 72
K/BB Leader: Angel Palomarez (BOC) 1.7
K/9 Leader: Juan Ortiz (HAV) 5.9
BB/9 Leader: Angel Palomarez (BOC) 2.4
WHIP Leader: Mario Sanabria (MC) 1.30**
ERA+ Leader: Mario Sanabria (MC) 162***
BAPIP Leader: Alex Martinez (ROM) .254****
Opponents AVG: Ludovic Peltier (HAV) .240
Quality Starts: Chris Hernandez (BAR) 11

* Manny Hernandez is tied for second with two shutouts, one for Isla Saona and one for us.
** Ludovic Peltier is currently tied for third place with a 1.42 WHIP
*** Ludovic Peltier is currently in fifth place with a 141 ERA+
**** Ludovic Peltier is currently in fourth place with a .277 BAPIP.

[jksander]

MAY 21, 1963 . . . This is the last of our rivals we’ll face for the first time on the road, and we have Manny Hernandez (6-2, 3.88 ERA, 60.1 IP, 32 K’s, 1.49 WHIP) ready to go against Mahjoub Andongwisye (4-6, 7.94 ERA, 79.1 IP, 21 K’s, 2.07 WHIP). This place has an interesting layout ... a short fence at left and right, but a giant green wall and raised building with shrubbery at center field. Should be fun to see how balls play off that bad boy! Logan Holmes hit a line-drive RBI single in the top of the fourth to put us on the board, leading the Roosters 1-0. Cantimori hit an RBI double to add a run in the top of the fifth, but the Roosters got going in the bottom of the inning, an RBI triple getting them on the board and a wild pitch allowing the runner at third to get in to home and tie it. Moments later they took the lead on an RBI single, giving us work to do in the back half of the game. Castro hit a triple in the top of the seventh, and with the bases loaded Logan Holmes hit an RBI single to tie it at 3-3, and Fernandez got us the lead with a sac-fly that drove in our fourth run. Then, in the top of the eighth, Victor Santos made Havana Hunters history, hitting our club’s first ever grand slam home run into the left field seats, turning this into an 8-3 blowout! It was his second homer of the season. We pulled an exhausted Hernandez from the mound heading into the ninth, sending in Aguirre to protect the five-run lead, and he got us through it perfectly as we held tough to win this one 8-3.

Hernandez is now 3-0 as a Hunter, allowing 12 hits, two walks and three runs with four strikeouts over eight innings to keep his post-trade ERA at 1.50. Aguirre, meanwhile, had a solid inning, with a strikeout and no runs scoring to improve his ERA to 4.50. They outhit us 12-11, but the grand slam sealed it. Cantimori hit three times, walked once and scored three runs with an RBI, while Santos drove in four runs with the one amazing hit.

After the game, Hernandez finalized his new contract, which will pay him more than $5,500 over the next nine seasons if he decides not to test free agency after the 1968 season with a player opt out. If he stays, he’s here until 1972, when he’ll get a ninth season if he meets a 150-inning vesting option. Great pitching is hard to find, and we’re glad to have him here for the long term.
 
MAY 22, 1963 . . . Ludovic Peltier (5-6, 3.60 ERA, 100.0 IP, 56 K’s, 1.42 WHIP) started game two in Pinar del Rio, facing Luis Moncada (5-10, 1 SV, 5.14 ERA, 110.1 IP, 54 K’s, 1.74 WHIP). Peltier belted in a run with a single in the top of the second, and Gonzalez added an RBI single to get us out to an early 2-0 lead. We loaded the bases in the top of the seventh but we were unable to add to the lead, doing it again in the top of the eighth as well but coming up empty then too. In the bottom of the ninth they got runners on the corners, and loaded the bases with a walk on just one out. But Peltier struck out their center fielder, and a groundout to first preserved the shutout as we held them back 2-0!

Peltier improved to 6-6 with a 3.30 ERA, allowing just four hits and five walks while striking out six. We outhit them 7-4, led by Gonzalez, who hit three times and batted in a run as our leadoff batter. Peltier batted in the other run, with Colon and Holmes scoring on the ground.

MAY 23, 1963 . . . Juan Ortiz (2-3, 1 SV, 6.07 ERA, 46.0 IP, 30 K’s, 1.85 WHIP) started for us today, facing Juan Fernandez (6-5, 5.96 ERA, 74.0 IP, 22 K’s, 1.80 WHIP) in our final game at Pinar del Rio. We got on the board in the top of the second thanks to a bobbled catch for an error at center field, and we blew them up from there, heading into the bottom of the inning leading 4-0! Ortiz locked in from there, and wouldn’t give an inch, and we still had a four run shutout going heading into the seventh inning stretch. We were unable to add any runs down the stretch, but the Roosters couldn’t get anything going at all and we stifled them to win 4-0 and complete the road sweep!

Ortiz improved to 3-3 with a 5.07 ERA, allowing four hits, five walks and six strikeouts as we shut the Roosters out. We outhit them 7-4, led by Jonathan Gonzalez who hit twice with a run and an RBI, while Victor Diaz put up a hit, two walks and an RBI. We turned four double plays as a team this evening, stopping every rally attempt in its tracks!

Next up we play three nights in Santa Clara against the 23-22 Saints, as we hope to maintain our momentum -- the Cubanos lost two in a row to close out their three-game road series against the Nuevitas Naturals, and they now sit at 25-19, half a game behind us!

Meanwhile, our scouts have found a really good find in Juancarlos Colas, a 16-year-old catcher prospect from Cuernavaca, Mexico. This kid’s going to need time to learn the complete game, but he’s got raw talent that is unbelievable, and a ton of potential. Our scouts say his power hitting is already well above average for the league, and he has the skills to eventually become a good contact hitter. He also has a great infield arm and could potentially develop enough as a pitcher to be a legitimate two-way prospect, though our focus right now is on building him up as an infielder and working on his defense.

[jksander]

MAY 24, 1963 . . . We’re just over a week away from the first ever rookie draft for the league, which should be a really good chance to find high quality young players coming up in Central and South America! But right now we’re focused on Santa Clara. Jose Guzman (8-4, 4.41 ERA, 118.1 IP, 49 K’s, 1.62 WHIP) got the start against Luis Ibarra (9-7, 3.69 ERA, 127.0 IP, 48 K’s, 1.50 WHIP). Guzman struggled in the bottom of the first, loading the bases, but he got out of the jam without anyone scoring. And the game became a real duel from there, nobody’s hits leading to scoring. Logan Holmes got a great double into the corner in right field to start the top of the fifth, and finally we got something going ... Jonathan Gonzalez hit a single that drove Holmes over to third with one out, and he came around to score on a groundout by Cantimori, giving us a 1-0 lead heading into the bottom of the frame. But in the bottom of the sixth, Guzman’s luck ran out -- he loaded the bases for the second time, and then gave up an RBI single to tie it up, a line drive up the middle driving in the go-ahead runs and giving them a two-run lead. We went into the top of the seventh trailing 4-1. With two outs, Cantimori got us a run back with an RBI single, sending us into the stretch trailing by two. Roberto Diaz came in to pitch in the bottom of the seventh, and he did well enough to send us into the top of the ninth with the same deficit. Logan Holmes got a hit into left for a single to start the inning, and Samuel Brisset came in to hit for Roberto Diaz, getting a hit that nearly brained the second-baseman, slipping into center field for a single. Gonzalez grounded out to first but advanced both runners into scoring position, and Cantimori hit a slow roller into right field, driving in a run! But Juan Flores grounded into a double play and this became a crushing 4-3 defeat.

Guzman did very well for five innings, and then had a bad outing in the sixth, taking a loss and falling to 8-5 with a 4.49 ERA. He allowed eight hits, three walks, three strikeouts and four earned runs in six innings. Diaz gave us two innings with just one hit, but our rally came up just short despite outhitting the Saints 13-9. Cantimori hit three times and drove in all three of our runs, and Holmes hit three times and scored all three of our runs on the ground.
 
MAY 25, 1963 . . . Manny Hernandez (7-2, 3.82 ERA, 68.1 IP, 36 K’s, 1.52 WHIP) started tonight against the Saints’ Patrick Godin (8-8, 6.26 ERA, 109.1 IP, 53 K’s, 2.03 WHIP). We scored a run on a wild pitch in the top of the second, though we left the bases loaded and could have done more danage. The Saints loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth with one out, and we got the second out while allowing the tying run to score, but did not surrender a go-ahead, bringing us up in the top of the fifth tied 1-1, and it stayed that way as both teams locked in and continued to play lights-out defense. Santos and Fernandez got us back-to-back singles with one out in the top of the eighth, but a popout to their pitcher and a groundout by Holmes kept us from scoring, and in the bottom of the eighth the Saints went up 2-1 on an RBI triple, and they added further runs with an RBI single and an error at first, and when the wheels fell off they fell off HARD. We went into the top of the ninth trailing by four runs and needing a miracle, and instead we ended the game with three quick outs to lose this one 5-1.

Hernandez lost his first game as a Hunter, allowing nine hits with three walks, four strikeouts and five runs (three earned) to give him a 3-1 record and 1.97 ERA since the trade. Santa Clara outhit us 9-6, almost all of it coming in that horrible eighth inning. Victor Santos led with two hits and a run scored.

MAY 26, 1963 . . . These last two losses have severely tightened up the CL West race, with Cienfuegos (26-20) half a game up on us, and the Santa Clara Saints now only trailing us by a game at 25-22. Ludovic Peltier (6-6, 3.30 ERA, 109.0 IP, 62 K’s, 1.39 WHIP) is up in the rotation, ready to pitch against Francisco Reyes (5-3, 4.32 ERA, 81.1 IP, 29 K’s, 1.68 WHIP). The Saints took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first with an RBI double, and with two outs another RBI single drove in two more runs, putting us at an early three-run disadvantage. We loaded the bases in the top of the second, a run scoring on a deep-to-right sac-fly by Peltier, and Jonathan Gonzalez got a hit through the gap into center that got us a second run. Colon hit safely into center moments later and we tied it up, but Victor Diaz popped out to the second baseman to end the inning knotted up 3-3. They got a run back in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead, and then clamped down on us hard as we tried to make anything happen offensively. They loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth and picked up two more runs with a double, but Holmes got us one back in the top of the eighth with an RBI single, and Gonzalez drove in another with an RBI single of his own! But Victor Diaz struck out swinging and we went into the bottom of the eighth trailing still 6-5. The Saints hit an run-scoring triple in the bottom of the frame, then added another with a double, sending us into the top of the ninth needing at least three runs to stay alive. We had a fifteen minute rain delay, and then Santos came out and hit a double to start us off. Juan Flores then drove a run in with a double to deep left, and with two outs Logan Holmes hit one into center and put runners on the corners. Jose Castro came in to pinch-hit for Peltier, taking the count full and then popping out to right field for an easy out. We lost this one 8-6 and completed the loser’s sweep.

Peltier fell to 6-7 with a 3.69 ERA, allowing 12 hits with five walks, four strikeouts and eight earned runs, his worst effort since getting pulled after two innings in a 14-2 loss to Santa Clara back in late April. It’s frustrating that we outhit them 16-12 and repeatedly left runners on second and third. Nearly everyone on our team had two or more hits, and we still couldn’t deliver. Holmes hit three times and drove in a run to lead us, while Fernandez and Colon each had two hits and two runs scored. Leadoff man Jonathan Gonzalez hit twice and drove in two runs as well. We get to lick our wounds and take our rest day tomorrow, and then return to our home field for three against Guantanamo (23-25) and three against Nuevitas (26-22), which will be followed by a three game set at Manzanillo (21-28) and then two more home sets against Cienfuegos (26-21) and Bayamo (24-24).

[jksander]

MAY 28, 1963 . . . Juan Ortiz (3-3, 1 SV, 5.07 ERA, 55.0 IP, 36 K’s, 1.71 WHIP) got the start today against Alex Rojas (10-9, 1 SV, 5.05 ERA, 133.2 IP, 65 K’s, 1.84 WHIP). With two outs in the bottom of the first, Holmes and Victor Diaz hit back-to-back doubles to put us up 1-0, Holmes batted in a run in the bottom of the third, and Diaz hit a sac-fly to left field that drove in a third. They picked up a pair of runs in the top of the fourth to keep the game close, but in the bottom of the inning Holmes batted in another run, a single giving us a 4-2 lead. Flores hit an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth, and then Ortiz drove in another with a double of his own, and this one was starting to open up! Samuel Brisset hit a double that drove in two more, and Victor Diaz hit a single to drive in yet another, sending us into the top of the sixth inning with a 9-2 lead. Samuel Brisset drove in our 10th run of the game in the bottom of the sixth, and in the bottom of the seventh Juan Flores hit a single that drove in another pair, giving us a ten run lead on the visiting Gators. Ortiz completed his game, and we came out of this with a 12-2 victory, finally snapping us out of our scoring slump!

Ortiz improved to 4-3 with a 4.64 ERA, allowing nine hits, two walks and two earned runs while striking out eight batters, tying his season high! We outhit the Gators 22-9, including NINE doubles as a team! Samuel Brisset had three hits (all doubles) to score two runs and bat in three, while Logan Holmes hit four times for a run and two RBIs. Juan Flores, batting seventh, hit three times for two runs and three RBIs as well, becoming the fourth player on our team with 30 or more runs batted in this season.
 
MAY 29, 1963 . . . Jose Guzman (8-5, 4.49 ERA, 124.1 IP, 52 K’s, 1.63 WHIP) started tonight against Juan Ruiz (8-5, 1 SV, 3.15 ERA, 122.2 IP, 55 K’s, 1.42 WHIP). Guantanamo got on the board with a run in the top of the first, but we tied it up on a groundout by Holmes to first that scored Castro from third. An RBI double put them back on top 2-1 in the top of the third, but Victor Diaz tied it up with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the fifth, Victor Santos hit a shot that rolled to the center field wall, deep enough for him to reach third and drive in two runs, giving us a 4-2 lead heading into the top of the sixth. Victor Diaz hit a triple that scored a run in the bottom of the seventh, and Santos brought him home with a single, though he was picked off trying to extend it into a double. We added another in the bottom of the eighth, Castro hitting a single to drive Botello in to make it 7-2, and Guzman got us through the remainder with ease, finishing this one as a five-run win.

Guzman improved to 9-5 with a 4.32 ERA despite allowing 11 hits tonight -- he walked, five, struck out five and only allowed two earned runs. We outhit them 13-11, led by Jose Castro with four hits two runs and an RBI. Holmes hit three times with two runs and an RBI, while Diaz, Santos and Flores each hit twice. Holmes is currently hitting .458 through 37 games and 131 at-bats, but still does not show up as a “Qualified” player for the batting crown race -- but regardless, with his dozen doubles and 31 RBIs this year, he’s been a huge reason why we’ve stayed in the race for the CL West crown. We currently hold a 28-22 record and lead the division by half a game over Santa Clara, with Cienfuegos on a real skid at 26-23, a game and a half out of first.

MAY 30, 1963 . . . Manny Hernandez (7-3, 3.77 ERA, 76.1 IP, 40 K’s, 1.52 WHIP) got to start today against Jose Ramirez (5-8, 5.84 ERA, 126.1 IP, 45 K’s, 1.81 WHIP) as we hope for a sweep againt the Guantanamo Gators. Guantanamo got out to a quick-hitting start, placing runners in scoring position thanks to a single and a double, and with one out they hit an RBI double that drove in two runs, and they scored two more on another two-bagger. By the time Hernandez finally got the third out we trailed 5-0, and it was just the middle of the first. Logan Holmes drove in a run in the bottom of the inning with a groundout to first, but we couldn’t add to it and the Gators added a run in the top of the fifth to get their lead back to five runs. Jose Guzman came in to pitch with one out in the top of the seventh, striking out two batters in a row to get us out of the inning safely. In the bottom of the inning Cantimori got himself a hit up the middle, driving in a run with a single, and Guzman did the same, cutting the lead to three runs with an RBI single himself, though Gonzalez then hit into a double play to stifle the rally. Guzman got us through the top of the eighth with the score unchanged, and we got three hits in a row to start the bottom of the eighth, including an RBI single by Victor Diaz to cut their lead to two! Victor Santos got to first safely, and their throw to home was off, allowing another run to score, and a Juan Flores double with one out drove in both the tying and go-ahead runs! Cantimori got another hit through the gap into center field, and a Guzman sac-fly scored antother run to give us a two-run lead heading into the top of the ninth, with Aguirre coming in for the save attempt. He struck out their first batter with a curveball, got the next man to bat out to first, and the third hit one straight to Diaz in center field, ending this one as a come-from-behind 8-6 victory!

Hernandez gave us 6.1 innings with seven hits, two walks, three strikeouts and six earned runs, blowing his ERA up to 3.05 as a Hunter. But Guzman came in and got us the win, improving to 10-5 with a 4.27 ERA, striking out a pair and allowing just one hit! Aguirre picked up his fifth save with a one strikeout effort, keeping his ERA a solid 4.26. We outhit Guantanamo 12-8, led by Flores with three hits, two runs and two RBIs, while Cantimori picked up three hits and batted in a run.

Next up: a three game home set againt the Nuevitas Naturals (28-23). We now lead the CL West with a 29-22 record, a game up on Santa Clara (28-23) and 2.5 games up on Cienfuegos (26-24).

[jksander]

MAY 31, 1963 . . . Ludovic Peltier (6-7, 3.69 ERA, 117.0 IP, 66 K’s, 1.44 WHIP) started game one against the Naturals, facing Ivan Garcia (7-8, 4.44 ERA, 140.0 IP, 60 K’s, 1.61 WHIP). We loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the first, and Santos hit a bases-clearing double that put us ahead 3-0! Flores got a hit into the right field corner with two outs, driving in a run with a double, and we went into the second inning leading by four runs. Their third-baseman, Lorenzo Bonilla, hit a solo-homer over the wall in right field, getting them on the board, but Holmes hit an RBI double that drove in a pair of runs in the bottom of the second, giving us a 6-1 lead heading into the third inning. We added another run in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a wild pitch, then loaded the bases, Jose Colon batting in another run with a single to increase our lead to seven! Brisset hit into a double play in the bottom of the fifth but drove in a run with the bases loaded, and Santos drove in another run in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI double. Cantimori drove in another with a single, and we led 11-1 heading into the top of the seventh. Santos drove in a run with a single on two outs in the bottom of the seventh, and Peltier stayed in to close out the complete game 11-1 win, our 30th of the season!

Peltier is now 7-7 with a 3.50 ERA, thanks to a six-hitter, striking out seven, walking just two and allowing one earned run. We hammered them with 20 hits of our own, led by Victor Santos with three hits four runs and five RBIs. Holmes, Diaz and Flores each hit three times as well. Santos now has 41 RBIs this season, while Diaz has 40.
 
JUNE 1, 1963 . . . The 16 teams of the CDBA got together today at noon to complete the first-ever CDBA Amateur draft, with five rounds taking place at league headquarters. We picked 14th overall thanks to our poor draw before the season began -- in the future draft order will be determined by league record. The Santa Domingo Dominicans had the #1 pick, and they selected 17-year-old second baseman Bill Martinez, who hails from Mexico City, in the first round, a solid defensive player with excellent upside as a contact hitter with gap power.

Here are the five players we picked:

Round 1, Pick 14: 1B Sal Gonzales (17, Soacha, Colombia) ... four star potential, projects to be a future home-run threat.
Round 2, Pick 14: CL Jose Guzman (17, San Jose de Ocoa, Dominican Republic) ... top stuff and movement, excellent fastball / splitter
Round 3, Pick 14: CF Ruben Velazquez (17, Topic, Mexico) ... excellent baserunner, projects to be a solid three-star defensive fielder
Round 4, Pick 14: SS Ricardo de la Cruz (17, Obregon, Mexico) ... above avg plate discipline, future power, should be solid defender
Round 5, Pick 14: C Jesus Rangel (16, San Cristobal, Venezuela) ... projects to be an average bat, above average defensive catcher

Considering our low position in the drafting order, I think we did a good job bringing in players we can develop into future starters.

Tonight against Nuevitas, Juan Ortiz (4-3, 1 SV, 4.64 ERA, 64.0 IP, 44 K’s, 1.64 WHIP) started against Juan Cerdo (9-6, 5.98 ERA, 123.1 IP, 53 K”s, 1.77 WHIP). The wind was blowing hard, at 18 to 20 miles per hour right to left, and it was exceptionally humid, with rain showers in the forecast and temps in the 80s. Logan Holmes hit an RBI double in the bottom of the first, and Jose Colon hit an RBI single with two outs, extending the lead to 2-0 heading into the top of the second. Cantimori hit an RBI double in the bottom of the fourth to increase the lead, and Ortiz got him in to score a run with a single to give us a four-run advantage heading into the fifth inning. The Naturals got on the board with a run in the top of the fifth, but Logan Holmes hit an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth to add two runs to our tally, giving us a 6-1 lead heading into the stretch. Ortiz batted in a run with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, and we went into the ninth with the lead at six runs.

Ortiz struggled in that frame, loading the bases without an out, allowing a sharp hit into left that drove in a pair and gave the Naturals some life. With Aguirre warming in the bullpen, he got two quick outs to keep their runners on second and third, but walked a batter to reload the bases, so we brought Aguirre in to keep this one from getting out of control. Two outs, bases loaded, they got a hit into left that cut the lead to three, and then they pinch-hit another shot into left that scored again. Our shortstop let one go right by him and it rolled deep into left and suddenly the game was tied 7-7. God-DAMN! Aguirre finally got the last out, but we’d dug ourselves a hole, trailing by a pair heading into the bottom of the inning.

Jose Colon picked up a one-out double, and Juan Flores got a line drive down the right field line to bat one in and put us within a run. Jose Castro pinch-hit for Aguirre with two outs and a man on second, taking his base on balls to bring up Jonathan Gonzalez, who hit a weak squib into the infield, but he stunned everyone by beating out the throw to first ... SAFE! Bases loaded, Samuel Brisset came up to the plate, and he hit one right up the middle between the shortstop and second baseman, deep enough for us to score two and escape this with a 10-9 win! What a wild inning ... they scored eight to get back in it, and we got three in the bottom of the inning to escape with some dignity.

Juan Ortiz gave us 8.2 innings with just six hits, striking out five and walking four to allow six earned runs. Aguirre blew the save, his second of the season, but got the win despite four hits and three earned runs before getting that final out. His record now stands at 1-0 with five saves and a 5.59 ERA through 19.1 innings. We outhit them 15-10, led by Brisset who hit three times for two runs and two batted in (the game winner!) while Ortiz hit three times for a run and two RBIs ... he’s hitting .281 as a pitcher, with six RBIs this year.

JUNE 2, 1961 . . . The rain held off last night long enough to get through the game, but today’s game was called due to torrential rainfall and heavy winds. As a result, we’re losing a home game for the season, as the game has been rescheduled as part of a doubleheader during our road series against the Naturals. We’ll be playing four games in three days between the 18th and the 20th of this month. We’ll be off tomorrow, and then head to Manzanillo for three games before returning home to play Cienfuegos over the weekend and Bayamo early next week.