Vays Crushes Dreams
Toppers Sweep to Final Defeat
The Atlanta Hilltoppers were the cream of the crop in this year's reinstituted Founder's Cup. That is, until they met the defending World Series champions and reigning Team of the Decade: Peter Vays' Evil Empire.
Andy Chaney's crew swept the group stage, topping Group 2 with a 5-0 record and 24-5 scoring. Pedro Martinez set the tone early, authoring a one-hit, 14-K shutout of Montreal in the group opener. Fernie Valenzuela starred in a 7-1 win the next day and John Smoltz kept the party going with a 6-2 win over Brooklyn, and Darryl Kile won his start against Boston in Game 4. With qualification for the knockout stage already secured, the Toppers beat Washington 6-1 in the group stage finale, making them the only 5-0 team.
In the quarterfinals, it took 11 innings to get past Havana, with Greg Vaughn delivering a bases-loaded sac fly off Gene Nelson. In the semis, Atlanta beat Boston again, this time 8-0 as Fernie matched Pedro's 1-hit shutout with 13 Ks and Gary DiSarcina drove in four.
Seven games, seven wins. But the victory train came to screeching halt in the Founder's Cup Final, where the Hilltoppers ran into the Los Angeles Outlaws, who dished out a 6-3 loss behind the arm of Greg Swindell and Andy Van Slyke's 2-4, 2-RBI game. John Smoltz was touched for six runs in five innings, the first bad outing of the tournament for Atlanta pitchers.
Still, it was a memorable run for the Hilltoppers, who lost 94 games last year and are in the midst of their fifth straight losing season.
Another highlight for the Red Blobs: #13 pick SS Jose Valentin made his debut in the tournament, and homered three times in eight games, posting a 1.054 OPS in 31 plate appearances. His Founder's Cup breakout harkens back to Reggie Jackson's debut in 1968 with the Detroit Griffins.
Outlaws Add Another Shelf to Trophy Case
The return of the Founder's Cup was lauded as a great opportunity for non-playoff clubs to steal the limelight from the big boys, and perhaps get hot over a nine-day span and steal some hardware. Indeed, three of the four semifinalists were teams that failed to make the playoffs last year, including 93- and 94-game losers. But alas, the fourth semifinalist was the Los Angeles Outlaws, who rolled to a 4-1 record in group play to win Group 3, then routed Brooklyn 8-1 in the quarterfinals and Seattle 6-1 in the semifinals before dashing Atlanta's hopes in the final.
For a team that has won the World Series and the President's Trophy three times each since 1981, the Founder's Cup represents a new achievement for the Redblacks; they had never won the Founder's Cup and appeared in the final just once during its 10-year first run.
The Outlaws' top performers included Frank Thomas, who batted .500 (13-26) with three homers and a 1.542 OPS; Jay Bell, who drove in 10 runs in 8 games despite a .231 batting average; and Swindell, who contributed a pair of quality starts for a 2.77 ERA and 1.15 WHIP.
Other stars of the tournament included Toronto's Chris Sabo, who led all players with 12 RBI, Cleveland's Tony Fernandez, who gathered 17 hits, Denver's Vince Coleman, who stole five bases, and Chicago's Todd Burns, who had three shutdowns and two saves.
Of note, Atlanta's starting tandem of Pedro Martinez and Fernie Valenzuela were 1-2 in strikeouts with 24 and 22, respectively, in two starts.
ALL-STAR GAME
West Crushes East 15-2
Eric Davis Stars in "Epic Beating," Schourek Fined
LOS ANGELES (July 11) - The West All-Stars turned in a record-breaking offensive performance in the 29th United League All-Star Game in Los Angeles tonight. The Occidentals plated 15 runs, including nine charged to Detroit sophomore southpaw Pete Schourek, who had the worst All-Star showing in the history of the contest.
Davis, enjoying his first season as a Chicago Colt, hit 3-for-5 with 4 RBI, including a three-run homer off Andy Benes to put the West ahead 4-1. St. Louis' Tony Phillips also drove in four, including three on a bases-clearing double off Schourek in the eighth.
Now, about Schourek's eighth... technically the 23-year-old pitched only 0.1 innings. But that statistic is a bit misleading, because he faced 10 batters and threw 41 pitches, while allowing three hits and walking five, including four walks in a row after Davis' leadoff single. He also threw a wild pitch that scored a run, and was victimized by the game's only error when Ryne Sandberg booted a ball with the bases loaded, apparently rushing the play to force the runner at the plate. After Schourek was mercifully replaced by Montreal's Curt Schilling, he grab a bat and smashed up the entire visiting dugout, including multiple water coolers, and had to be escorted into the clubhouse by stadium security. He was later fined for $10,000 plus damages for his outburst.
With Schilling on the mound, it looked like the Montreal ace might get out of the inning after inducing a Cory Snyder 5-2 groundout. However, in the next at-bat Phillips launched the ball into the right-center gap for three more runs, running the score up to 15-2. Another highlight of the festivities was a record 24 combined strikeouts. East pitchers fanned 10 batters, while West hurlers struck out 14, and Denver's Jesse Barfield took the collar three times.
Only three pitchers managed 1-2-3 innings: Washington's Bret Saberhagen in the 2nd, Atlanta's Pedro Martinez in the 3rd, and Cleveland's Joe Magrane in the 5th. Cory Snyder and Phillips hit back-to-back homers off Manhattan's Heathcliff Slocumb in the 6th, which made Heathcliff the goat of the game—until Schourek arrive on the scene. No East batter had more than one hit and Ken Griffey Jr. had the East's only homer.
The West is now 18-11 all-time in the game, including winning three in a row and 8 of the last 11. Next year's Midsummer Classic returns to Washington's Griffith Stadium next year for the first time since 1976, while Denver's Ralph Carr Field will host the 1994 game.
West W L GB Last R RA
St. Louis 57 27 - 20-7 2 2
Chicago 51 33 6 15-12 6 1
Havana 44 40 13 17-10 8 6
Denver 43 41 14 12-15 14 7
Los Angeles 41 43 16 15-13 15 5
Seattle 40 44 17 13-14 12 15
San Francisco 39 45 18 10-17 11 14
Florida 27 57 30 6-21 17 8
Atlanta 26 58 31 8-19 18 12
East W L GB Last R RA
Detroit 54 30 - 17-10 7 3
Toronto 51 33 3 17-10 1 13
Washington 47 37 7 14-13 4 4
Manhattan 45 39 9 13-14 4 10
Brooklyn 41 43 13 12-15 9 9
Montreal 40 44 11 14-13 10 16
Boston 40 44 11 20-7 3 18
Cleveland 35 49 16 10-17 16 11
Keystone 35 49 16 10-17 13 17
Batting Average
Ozzie Guillen DET .339
+Alan Trammell CHI .337
Mark Grace SF .336
Phil Bradley MAN .335
+Fred McGriff DET .332
+Tony Gwynn ATL .332
+Kal Daniels HAV .332
+Lenny Dykstra STL .331
Kirby Puckett WAS .331
Eric Davis CHI .331
Earned Run Average
Pedro Martinez ATL 1.86
Erik Hanson CHI 2.27
Bret Saberhagen WAS 2.30
Andy Benes DET 2.32
Greg Swindell LA 2.34
Teddy Higuera WAS 2.67
Pete Schourek DET 2.67
+Anthony Young CHI 2.81
Floyd Youmans LA 2.84
+Mark Langston HAV 2.98
Infield Zone Rating
Ryne Sandberg WAS 6.5
Rey Sanchez LA 6.4
Ozzie Guillen DET 5.9
Alan Trammell CHI 5.7
+Jay Bell LA 5.1
Home Runs
Ellis Burks TOR 29
Rafael Palmeiro TOR 28
Howard Johnson TOR 26
Mick Tettleton TOR 26
+Ken Griffey Jr BRO 25
Cory Snyder LA 23
+Jose Canseco MAN 22
Barry Bonds BOS 21
Eric Davis CHI 21
Fred McGriff DET 21
+Tim Salmon KEY 21
Wins
Andy Benes DET 12
Jeff M Robinson CHI 12
Scott Garrelts STL 10
Greg Swindell LA 10
Ron Darling DEN 9
+Teddy Higuera WAS 9
Brian Holman TOR 9
+Charlie Lea TOR 9
8 tied with 8
Outfield Zone Rating
Stan Javier WAS 9.0
Ken Griffey Jr BRO 6.9
Tim Salmon KEY 6.4
Chili Davis WAS 5.6
+Rob Deer SF 4.2
RBIs
+Mike Piazza BOS 70
Rafael Palmeiro TOR 68
Barry Bonds BOS 66
Fred McGriff DET 65
Howard Johnson TOR 62
Ellis Burks TOR 59
Mark McGwire WAS 58
+Sammy Sosa BOS 58
+Mick Tettleton TOR 58
Albert Belle CHI 57
+Willie Upshaw BRO 57
Strikeouts
Floyd Youmans LA 155
Mike Mussina FLO 139
Teddy Higuera WAS 131
Pat Hentgen BOS 128
Mark Langston HAV 128
Fern Valenzuela ATL 128
Roger Clemens BOS 119
+Curt Schilling MON 112
+Mike Scott MON 110
bWAR
Ryne Sandberg WAS 5.1
+Ken Griffey Jr BRO 4.5
Lenny Dykstra STL 4.4
Alan Trammell CHI 4.3
Ellis Burks TOR 4.1
Eric Davis CHI 4.0
+Junior Felix MON 3.9
+Shane Mack HAV 3.9
Howard Johnson TOR 3.9
+Mick Tettleton TOR 3.6
pWAR
Bret Saberhagen WAS 3.8
Floyd Youmans LA 3.4
Teddy Higuera WAS 3.3
Ed Whitson MAN 3.1
Andy Benes DET 3.0
Mike Mussina FLO 2.8
Pedro Martinez ATL 2.8
Ron Darling DEN 2.8
+Kevin Ritz HAV 2.5
+Dave Schmidt STL 2.4
Andy Benes isn't perfect. The 23-year old righthander had a horrible outing on June 27, resulting in a dreaded... no decision. Benes is 12-0, 2.32 in 17 starts, and has allowed three or fewer runs in all five of his NDs. But wait! Detroit is also home to the leader in the batting race! SS Ozzie Guillen—following in the footsteps of none other than UL Player of the Decade Alan Trammell—is doing his best Trammell impression by batting .339 and posting a 5.9 ZR, good for 3rd best among infielders.
Toronto's 172 home runs has then on pace for 328. The UL team record for home runs is 288 by the 1977 Manhattan Gray Sox. Four players in the league have 26 or more home runs, and they all wear Polar Bear purple. Raffy Palmeiro won Batter of the Month for June (.360-10-20).
Bret Saberhagen (7-3, 2.30) leads the league with 3 SHO and is tied for 3rd with 6 CGs. The 28-year-old 1987 Cy Young winner pitched back-to-back 3-hit and 2-hit shutouts June 3rd and 9th.
Manhattan is 7-5 since the mid-June shakeup that brought in Scott Fletcher, Phil Bradley, and Wally Joyner. How are the newcomers fairing so far? Fletcher has taken over shortsop vs. righties and had a 0.3 ZR in his first 8 games, while struggling at the plate (.524 OPS in 33 PA). Bradley, who started his career in Manhattan in 1984, is starting in right and batting 2nd or 3rd. He hit .360 with a .958 OPS in his first 13 games. Joyner is 0-8 with 2 Ks in a purely pinch-hitting role.
Mike Greenwell (.323) was just outside the top 10 in batting on June 18, when he pulled his latissimus dorsi (dorsal fin), which will hamper his ability to jump through hoops to catch fish.
David Cone and Ramon Martinez have been letdowns. Cone's ERA is 4.91 (up from 3.71) and Ramon's is 5.32 (up from 3.60)
In a lineup with Pudge Rodriguez and Larry Walker, it is RF Junior Felix who leads the club in homers and RBIs. Felix (.321-11-52) was 8-12 with 11 RBI in a three-game stretch June 10-13.
Curt Schilling and Mike Scott both nudged into the top 10 in strikeouts.
Boston's 16-4 run since June 8 has lifted them two positions to 7th, but also within seven games of the playoff zone at the midseason break. Boston averaged 6.4 runs in their last 20 games and 7.4 in their last seven. The Feds' 3-4-5 hitters (Bonds, Piazza, Sosa) combined for 18 HR, 74 RBI and 1.048 OPS in June.
The Barons are in teardown mode and have tossed in the towel for 1992, but SS Tony Fernandez just can't stop hitting. Tony turned 30 on the June 30th and is hitting exactly .300.
Center fielder and sentimental bozo Brett Butler was beaned by Denver's Ron Darling in the last game of the first half, breaking his collarbone. A team spokesman said the injury would not prevent him from playing in the All-Star Game—his .174 batting average and "general suckiness" would.
RF Tim Salmon is the early favorite for Rookie of the Year. He is hitting .257-21-49, .890 and leads all freshman (including Pedro Martinez) with a 3.0 WAR. Only three regular catchers have a better batting average than leadoff man Brent Mayne (.311).
Nobody had heard of Reggie Jefferson until STL GM Glen Reed traded for him on June 16. The 20th overall pick in 1990, "Reggie Jeff" has developed quickly and rates as the #20 prospect in the league. In his first 11 PA with the Maroons, Reggie Jeff hit 7-for-11 with a 1.364 OPS.
Six of the Colts' eight regulars are batting .300 or better, led by Alan Trammell's .337 and Eric Davis' .331. Wait—Chicago has Alan Trammell AND Eric Davis?! AND Albert Belle? AND Gary Sheffield? The club ranks 6th in runs scored, but it seems like they should climb the scoring ranks soon.
Havana was 17-10 in June and erased a four-game margin to overtake Denver for 3rd place. In their last eight games, the Leones blanked Cleveland 10-0, swept San Francisco, and took two of three at Toronto. Kal Daniels, who starred in a 12-3 win at the Wrench June 29, is having his best year since his 1987 MVP campaign (.332-15-53, .950)
In classic Denver fashion, the 14ers sat in the top 3 for 79 consecutive days (from April 11 to June 28), only to drop to 4th on the 80th day, which happened to be the last day of the first half.
The Teeners are 1st in stolen bases, with 1-2-3 hitters Tim Raines, Vince Coleman, and Mark McLemore combining for 56 swipes.
Apparently bored of dominating the West from post to post, the Outlaws are trying a new trick in '92: give everybody a 16-game head start. The Evil Empire is already making waves, going 15-12 in June to climb within three games of third. Look for them in the playoff zone by mid-August.
1B Ricky Jordan's batting average is down. His OBP is down. His slugging is down. Yet his RBIs are through the roof! The 26-year-old is on pace for 100 RBIs after driving in a career-high 86 last year.
The Arachnids lost nine straight and 14 of 18 to close the first half. The lineup produced four of fewer runs in 18 of 27 games, has lost four straight extra-inning games. The starting rotation, traditionally a club strength, ranks 17th with Walt Terrell (6.70) and Chris Welsh (5.75) particularly ineffective.
On the bright side, Mark Grace (.336) is in the hunt for the batting title and Bernie Williams is a talented guitar player and has an inventive sense for creating sophisticated arrangements.
Don't let the 27-57 record fool ya, the Pink Birds have a top-half pitching staff, led by Mike Mussina (3.21, 1.08 WHIP, 139 K), RP Cecilio Guante (2.75), and closer Stan Belinda (10 SV, 3.44). And rookie righthander Pete Harnish had a 3.12 ERA in his first five starts.
Pedro Martinez' ERA is doubling every month. His microscopic 0.92 ERA in April became 1.73 in May and 3.26 in June. Look for his September ERA to be somewhere around 26.08.
Aaron-Antonelli Field is nothing like a launching pad; the Toppers have hit just 68 home runs all year, which ties them for 12th in the league.
Batter of the Month
APR Eric Davis MAN
MAY Howard Johnson TOR
JUN Rafael Palmeiro TOR
JUL
AUG
SEP
Pitcher of the Month
APR Ron Darling DEN
MAY Curt Schilling MON
JUN Pat Hentgen BOS
JUL
AUG
SEP
Rookie of the Month
APR Tim Salmon KEY
MAY Pedro Martinez ATL
JUN Mike Piazza BOS
JUL
AUG
SEP
Player of the Week
4/6 Phil Bradley CLE
4/13 Wade Boggs WAS
4/20 Mike Devereaux FLO
4/27 Mike Piazza BOS
5/4 Alan Trammell CHI
5/11 Junior Felix MON
5/18 Howard Johnson TOR
5/25 Fred McGriff DET
6/1 Kal Daniels HAV
6/8 Will Clark DEN
6/15 Benito Santiago CHI
6/22 Rafael Palmeiro TOR
6/29 Mike Stanley HAV
7/6 Glenallen Hill WAS
7/13 Frank Thomas LA
May 5 - STL Robin Yount 300th home run (#38-t all-time)
May 19 - SEA Don Robinson 2,000th strikeout (#36 all-time)
May 21 - CLE Tony Fernandez 300th stolen base (#44-t all-time)
May 23 - CLE Bob Horner 2,500th hit (#15 all-time)
May 27 - ATL Darrell Porter 400th home run (#19 all-time)
May 31 - LA Andy Van Slyke 600th stolen base (#8 all-time)
June 6 - WAS Mariano Duncan 300th stolen base (#45 al-time)
June 15 - CHI Alan Trammell 2,500th hit (#16 all-time)
BOS 2B Randy Velarde (5 wk)
BRO 3B Scott Leius (3 mo)
CHI RF John Kruk (5 wk)
CLE Brett Butler (5 wk)
FLO SP Dave Fleming (12 mo)
TOR SP Dwight Gooden (4 mo)
TOR SP Scott Sanderson (3 mo)
TOR RP Jose Mesa (5 wk)