Embedded Files
Circuit Clouts
May 1, 1995 • Opening Day Edition
May 1, 1995 • Opening Day Edition
East W L GB L10 R RA
Brooklyn 17 11 - 5-5 2 8
Boston 16 12 1 10-0 3 12
Toronto 15 13 2 4-6 9 9
Washington 14 14 3 5-5 13 5
Manhattan 14 14 3 6-4 5 16
Keystone 12 16 5 4-6 1 18
Havana 11 17 6 3-7 7 15
Florida 10 18 7 2-8 17 14
Montreal 10 18 7 5-5 11 16
West W L GB L10 R RA
Cleveland 19 9 - 7-3 15 2
Los Angeles 18 10 1 7-3 14 1
Chicago 18 10 1 8-2 6 3
Minneapolis 16 12 3 6-4 9 11
Detroit 16 12 3 4-6 3 7
Atlanta 13 15 6 3-7 7 10
Denver 13 15 6 3-7 12 5
St. Louis 11 17 8 4-6 16 4
Seattle 9 19 10 4-6 18 13
TOP STORIES
TOP STORIES
Cleveland shot out of the gate, winning 9 of its first 11 and going 19-9 for the month to jump into 1st place in their new division.
Denver's Hideo Nomo captured both Pitcher and Rookie of the Month with a 4-0 record and 2.33 ERA in his first 6 UL starts.
Brooklyn's Matt Williams batted .622-8-22 with a 2.025 OPS in his first 10 games and went on to win Batter of the Month with a league-leading 34 RBI, .781 SLG, and 1.231 OPS.
Atlanta lost shortstop Jose Valentin for the season Apr. 6 and struggled to a 13-15 month as Fernie Valenzuela put up a 7.02 ERA.
INJURIES
(Min 4 wk; bold=this sim)
INJURIES
(Min 4 wk; bold=this sim)
ATL SS Jose Valentin (9 mo)
ATL SP Charlie Lea (7 wk)
DET RP Mark Wohlers (7 wk)
DET 2B Fernando Vina (7 wk)
FLO 2B Roberto Alomar (4 wk)
LA Jose Lima (8 wk)
STL SP Joe Magrane (8 wk)
WAS SP Frank Viola (4 mo)
MILESTONES
MILESTONES
Apr 8 - SEA Glenn Hubbard
2,000 hits (#55 all-time)
Apr 11 - STL Barry Bonds
1,000 RBIs (#51 all-time)
Apr 16 - BRO Terry Puhl
1,000 runs (#63 all-time)
Barons Seize First
Revamped and Red-Hot
The Cleveland Barons are taking their new division by storm. The B's were 19-9 in April and sat one game ahead of the Los Angeles Outlaws in first place. After plying their trade in the East for several decades, Cleveland and Detroit joined the West, swapping places with the two tropical teams, Florida and Havana.
The Barons boast the second-best pitching team in the league, led by staff ace Ismael Valdez (3-1, 2.39) and surprising fifth starter Salomon Torres (2-0, 2.62). The bullpen has been particularly strong, led by converted starter Sergio Valdez, who co-leads the league with nine Shutdowns to go with a sparkly 1.40 ERA in 14 appearances.
New cleanup hitter Carlos Delgado is adapting quickly to his new club and ballpark, batting .380 with a .997 OPS.
Cleveland had win streaks of seven, five, and four games in the month, which is usually a season's worth. They are 11-5 in their new ballpark, Johnny Podres
Opening Day 1995
Lieberthal, Drabek, Delgado First-Day Heroes
BOS 7, WAS 4 - The Feds spoiled Opening Day festivities in the nation's capital. President Bob Dole threw out the first pitch, with his good arm, and Jon Lieber and Tom Glavine locked horns for a pitchers duel, until Boston plated four runs off Joe "Nice" Boever in the eighth to snag the win. Washington's rookie catcher Mike Lieberthal went 3-for-4 with a homer in his UL debut.
HAV 6, MAN 1 - Doug Drabek spoiled Andy Pettitte's UL debut at Hudson Yards, going the distance for a seven-hit CG. Joe Oliver doubled and homered, driving in a pair.
BRO 5, KEY 2 - Kevin Brown allowed just one run in eight innings and veteran catcher Mike Scioscia drove in two as the visiting Superbas edged the Starlings at New Shibe. Kirby Puckett took well to his new environs, going 3-for-4 in his Keystone debut.
CLE 4, MON 3, 10 inn - New cleanup man Carlos Delgado made an immediate impact in the Barons lineup, with an RBI double in the eighth and game-winning RBI single in the 10th. In between, Ivan Rodriguez hit a solo shot to tie the game in the 9th. Montreal CF Carl Everett hit a two-run homer and A-Rod homered for the visitors.
FLO 3, CHI 1 - Mike Mussina picked up where he left off last fall, tossing eight shutout innings for a 3-1 Pink Birds win at Comiskey. Rookie CF Michael Tucker hurt his arm in the bottom of the first on his very first UL throw, but flashed a glimpse of his defensive chops by gunning Eric Davis at the plate. His replacement Mike Devereaux was the offensive star, batting 2-for-3 with an RBI.
TOR 4, DET 3 - The defending champs blew a 3-1 lead, then rallied for the game-winner in the eighth. Juan Gonzalez doubled twice and Cory Snyder went 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs. But it was Benito Santiago who delivered the winning hit: a one-out solo shot off Hector Carrasco in the penultimate frame. Rene Arocha, who won 14 out of the pen last year, notched the win.
DEN 2, ATL 0, 12 inn - 14ers ace David West matched Cy Young winner Pedro Martinez through five shutout innings before five Denver relievers combined to complete a 12-inning shutout at Aaron-Antonelli Field. Mark Grace's leadoff homer in the 12th broke the scoreless deadlock, and Tom Brunansky added an RBI single. The Toppers left 13 men on base in the shutout loss.
MPS 7, SEA 5 - A mostly-completed Pronto Pup Stadium opened its doors for the first time, and an hour-long rain delay and long lines at the understaff hot dog stands could not spoil a perfect day. Travis Fryman's two-run homer in the first got all 45,381 Foxes fans on their feet and the home side held on for a 7-5 win. Bernie Williams was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate, scoring twice, and Seattle's Marquis Grissom was 3-for-5 with a homer and a stolen base.
LA 6, STL 2 - With a 2-2 tie at home, Rob Dibble got three straight outs in the ninth, then allowed three straight hits in the 10th, as the Outlaws scored four to roll to a 6-2 win. Greg Swindell combined with two relievers for a 4-hitter, while Andy Van Slyke and Rey Sanchez each had three hits.
League Leaders
League Leaders
Batting Average
Jerry Browne MAN .411
Ivan Rodriguez MON .398
Will Clark MPS .392
Matt Williams BRO .381
Carlos Delgado CLE .380
Tony Gwynn ATL .375
Kirby Puckett KEY .364
Wil Cordero KEY .360
leo Gomez TOR .356
Mark Grace DEN .353
RBIs
Matt Williams BRO 34
Garrett Anderson MPS 30
Gary Sheffield CHI 30
Wil Cordero KEY 29
Mark Grace DEN 25
Ken Griffey Jr BRO 25
Barry Larkin MAN 24
Joe Carter BOS 23
Charles Johnson ATL 23
Infield Zone Rating
Rey Sanchez LA 5.7
Alan Trammell CHI 5.4
Eric Young CLE 4.3
Jay Bell LA 3.7
Tony Phillips STL 3.2
Home Runs
Eric Karros TOR 13
Matt Williams BRO 11
Jeff Bagwell KEY 10
Wil Cordero KEY 9
Gary Sheffield CHI 9
Barry Bonds STL 8
Juan Gonzalez TOR 8
Raul Mondesi TOR 8
Tim Salmon KEY 8
3 tied with 7
bWAR
Matt Williams BRO 2.1
Ken Griffey Jr BRO 1.9
Barry Bonds STL 1.6
Carlos Baerga KEY 1.4
Jim Edmonds CLE 1.4
Geronimo Pena BRO 1.4
John Valentin BOS 1.4
Albert Belle CHI 1.4
Kevin Mitchell KEY 1.4
Ryne Sandberg WAS 1.4
Outfield Zone Rating
Mike Devereaux FLO 4.6
Stan Javier LA 4.4
Ken Griffey Jr BRO 4.0
Jim Edmonds CLE 3.6
Michael Tucker ATL 3.4
Earned Run Average
Angel Miranda STL 1.67
Pedro Martinez ATL 1.74
Rene Arocha TOR 1.74
Julian Tavarez BOS 1.80
David West DEN 2.02
J.M. Robinson CHI 2.25
Hideo Nomo DEN 2.33
Ismael Valdez CLE 2.39
Rheal Cormier LA 2.45
Steve Cooke CHI 2.52
Strikeouts
W VanLandingham KEY 39
Pedro Martinez ATL 38
Pat Hentgen MAN 37
Erik Hanson CHI 36
Aaron Sele KEY 36
Floyd Youmans LA 35
Steve Cooke CHI 34
Mike Mussina FLO 34
Bruce Ruffin SEA 33
Kevin Tapani WAS 33
Wins
Rene Arocha TOR 4
Frank Castillo MPS 4
Darren Hall BRO 4
Jon Lieber BOS 4
Hideo Nomo DEN 4
Donovan Osborne CHI 4
Julian Tavarez BOS 4
pWAR
Pedro Martinez ATL 1.8
Greg Swindell LA 1.2
David Wells WAS 1.2
Bret Saberhagen BOS 1.2
Rene Arocha TOR 1.2
W VanLandingham KEY 1.1
Ismael Valdez CLE 1.1
Erik Hanson CHI 1.1
Shane Reynolds FLO 1.0
Charles Nagy DEN 1.0
Awards
Awards
Batter of the Month
APR Matt Williams BRO
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
Pitcher of the Month
APR Hideo Nomo DEN
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
Rookie of the Month
APR Hideo Nomo DEN
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
Player of the Week
4/10 Matt Williams BRO
4/17 Ryan Klesko DET
4/24 Wil Cordero KEY
5/1 Jerry Browne MAN
West Division
West Division
East Division
East Division
SP Ismael Valdez is 7th in WAR (1.1) and 8th in ERA (2.39), and had a pair of wins during the seven-game win streak Apr. 21-28. The Barons' 11-5 home record includes series sweeps of Montreal and Toronto and 2-1 series wins over Florida and Minneapolis.
Matty Williams isn't the only masher in Red Hook. CF Ken Griffey Jr is batting .336-5-25 with a .994 OPS.
L.A. ranks #1 in pitching. Closer Todd Frohwirth already has 9 saves and 8 shutdowns, and Greg Swindell (2-1, 2.89) is 2nd in WAR. The Outlaws are 10-6 in road games. Floyd Youmans has 3 CGs already, two more than any other pitcher.
Boston has won 10 straight after a 6-12 start, with sweeps of Florida, Manhattan, and St. Louis. Fifth starter Julian Tavarez, a 21-year-old Dominican righthander, is 4-0, 1.80 in 5 starts
The Ponies have four pitchers on the Top 10 leaderboards: Erik Hanson (4th in Ks, 8th in WAR), JM Robinson (6th in ERA), Steve Cooke (7th in Ks, 10th in ERA), and Donovan Osborne (1st-T in wins). LF Albert Belle is off to a fast start, batting .340-4-22 with a 1.065 OPS.
The P-Bears lost six straight Apr 21-27 before righting the ship with three wins to close the month. The offense has been tepid (Ellis Burks is batting .189) and ace Doc Gooden has struggled (1-3, 6.27).
Garrett Anderson had the game of his young career Apr. 20, going 5-for-5 with two homers and 6 RBIs in a 12-11 win in Philly. The Foxes have been scoring in bunches, but also conceding in bunches. Anderson is tied for 2nd with 30 RBIs and Will Clark is 3rd in batting at .392. They are 9-4 in Pronto Pup Stadium.
David Wells, coming off a 2.78 ERA last year, leads the staff with a 2.97 mark. The Mons are 0-3 on Thursdays and 4-0 in their last four Saturday games. They scored 10 runs and 14 runs two days apart, but rank just 13th in runs scored.
RF Ryan Klesko had a 5-for-5, two-homer game on Apr. 14 and took Player of the Week honors. Bob Horner had 4 HRs in April, bringing his career tally to 640. He has started just three times, but is batting .455-2-7, 1.538 in those three games. Put me in, coach!
The Sox swept Florida at Ponce de Leon Stadium Apr 27-29, including a 4-3 win in 15 innings in the finale. Batting leader Jerry Browne was 4-for-7 in the contest, which 2B Mickey Morandini won with an RBI double.
1994 Win champion Fernie Valenzuela is 0-3, 7.02 in his first six starts. He has been touched for 6+ runs in three of his last four starts. The Toppers bullpen ranks 11th and they are 0-4 in extra-inning games.
William Van Landingham, the #6 overall pick last year, leads all pitchers with 37 strikeouts. The Starlings are dead last in runs against, with SPs Aaron Sele (8.62) and Butch Henry (8.40) struggling mightily.
Rookie Japanese ace Hideo Nomo was 4-0, 2.33 in his first five starts. 34-year-old righthander Ron Darling had a 0.74 ERA in three starts Apr 14-24. Closer Mike Trombley has 7 saves and has year to allow an earned run in 10 appearances.
Havana ranks 7th in offense and would be higher were cleanup man Shane Mack's OPS not .676. Rookie swing man Darren Dreifort is 3-1, 2.19 split between 3 starts and 3 relief appearances.
The Dark Reds had one of their worst months in recent history, despite the 4th-ranked pitching staff. St. Louis ranks 16th in runs and has just two regulars batting over .280. 3B Kevin "Robo" Seitzer is in a deep funk, with a .204 average and .532 OPS, which is 200 points below his career average.
Chipper Jones had a good first month as a regular third baseman, batting .295 with a .340 OBP. Another rookie, SP Shawn Estes, did not have a good debut month, going 0-2, 8.47 in three starts.
Seattle's rookies are hitting well. LF Danny Bautista leds the club with 5 HR and RF Derek Bell paces all hitters with a .302 average. 2B Glenn Hubbard got his 2,000th career hit Apr. 8.
C Pudge Rodriguez' .398 is good for 2nd in the league and rookie CF Carl Everett leads the club with 5 HR.
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