1997 PLAYER / PITCHER OF THE WEEK #5

NAME	TEAM	AVG	SLG	G	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	R	RBI	K	W	IW	SB	CS	HBP
MCGRIFF,Fred	FWP AL	.400	.680	6	25	10	1	0	2	7	11	4	2	0	0	0	0

NAME	CLUB	G	W	L	S	ERA	IP	R	ER	H	K	BB	IBB	WP	BK	HB	HR
FASSERO,Jeff	CAL AL	2	2	0	0	0.00	14	1	0	9	7	3	0	1	0	1	0

NAME	TEAM	AVG	SLG	G	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	R	RBI	K	W	IW	SB	CS	HBP
GRIFFEY,Ken Jr.	SLS NL	.565	1.174	5	23	13	2	0	4	8	11	0	1	0	1	0	0

NAME	CLUB	G	W	L	S	ERA	IP	R	ER	H	K	BB	IBB	WP	BK	HB	HR
HERNANDEZ,Livan	MIC NL	2	2	0	0	1.10	16.1	2	2	9	11	3	0	0	0	0	1

Cincinnati Outlaws @ Long Beach Titans
Game #1:	Cincinnati jumped out to a 4-0 lead behind HRs from Chipper & Piazza. Long Beach got 2 run HRs from King and Mack and had a 5-4 lead going into the 9th where Batista hit a solo HR to tie the game and send it to extra innings. In the bottom of the 11th Long Beach loaded the bases with no outs. After Baerga hit a short flyball to RF, Blauser bounced a ball through the drawn-in infield and the Titans won 6-5.
Game #2:	The Outlaws took the early lead again when Hill doubled in 2 runs in the 2nd. Long Beach responded with a Smith 2 run HR to tie the game in the bottom of the inning. They took the lead in the 5th on a Strange 2 run HR and went on to win 5-2. It got interesting in the 7th when Cincinnati loaded the bases but Karchner came in and got Canseco to ground out ending the threat.
Game #3:	Cincinnati opened the scoring when Sorrento doubled in 2 runs in the 1st. Long Beach came back again and took the lead on a Mack PH 2 run single in the 6th. 5 relievers held on and the Titans won 4-3. Hill had 3 hits to key the Long Beach offense.
Game #4:	This time Long Beach scored first taking a 4-0 lead in the 1st. They added HRs from Oliver & Justice and rolled to a 10-4 lead. Boggs had 4 RBI for the Titans.
Game #5:	Cincinnati took an early lead and went on to a 5-1 win. Leiter opened the scoring with a SF in the 5th and Chipper hit a 2-run bomb to close out the scoring. Leiter worked around 5 hits and 6 walks to get the win.
Game #6:	This was the best game of the series. Cincinnati took a lead in the first when Piazza singled in Ledesma. Long Beach took a 3-1 lead on a Nunnally 2 run single and a Justice solo HR. The Outlaws tied the game when Piazza hit a 2-run shot in the 5th. Both teams had chances, but no one scored until the bottom of the 9th when Nunnally hit a 2-run walk-off HR to give Long Beach a 5-3 win.
Series Summary:	n a series of close games, Long Beach takes 5 of 6 from Cincinnati

Detroit Stars @ Castle Rock Hounds
Series Preview:	A matchup of two second-place teams in this early season series.
Game #1:	Daryl Kile, a definite ace this year, facing off against Dustin Hermanson, who is decent this year. It turns into a real pitcher’s duel, as nobody scores until the bottom of the 5th, when Castle Rock manages to cobble together two runs. Hermanson is on cruise control and goes the distance for the shutout. The final is 2-0, Colorado. WP: Hermanson (3-2) LP: Kile (2-1)
Game #2:	After being shut out in Game 1, Detroit starts off the game with back-to-back solo homers from Nilsson and Hundley. But, Castle Rock comes back to tie it with a solo HR from Snow in the 4th and a Luis Gonzalez sac fly in the 7th. Dale Sveum puts the Hounds ahead with a solo homer in the 8th. Benitez comes on to try to close it out, but Jose Vizcaino hits a 2-out solo HR in the 9th to tie it at 3-3. In the bottom of the 9th, the hero becomes the goat, as Vizcaino commits an error that allows the winning run to score. The final is 4-3, Colorado. WP: Benitez (1-0) LP: Ayala (1-1)
Game #3:	The Hounds jump all over Chad Ogea in this one, batting around in the first inning, and chasing him before he can finish the inning. It is 7-0 after one. Despite that, Detroit would hang in this one to make it interesting. Castle Rock never relinquish the lead, but the Stars would not give in. The final ended up being 12-10, Castle Rock with the teams combining for 25 hits and 18(!) walks. Each team had four guys with 2 walks in the game. WP: Dickson (3-2) LP: Ogea (1-2)
Game #4:	Castle Rock has now won 10 in a row, and we are feeling pretty good about ourselves. This is usually where we lose…..let’s see. The Hounds jump out to a 3-0 thanks to a Sveum double, but the Stars come roaring back with a 2-run shot from Hundley and Cordova ties it up 3-3 with an RBI double. Sveum is the hero again with a 2-run homer to make it 5-3 in the 4th. Stephenson gest pulled after only 3.1 IP and the Hounds are into the bullpen now, and they begin to pile on. It ends up being a rout, 9-3, Castle Rock wins its 11th straight. WP: Pettitte (4-1) LP: Stephenson (1-2)
Game #5:	Kenny Rogers implodes in this one, walking 7 guys and hitting two before he is tossed in the 4th inning, down 4-0. The Stars tack on two more with a Kent homer and are up 7-0 after 3 1/2 innings. The Hounds are threatening to come back, putting up back-to-back homers in the 5th. They then put up 5 runs in the 6th to tie it at 7-7. Bonds adds a solo HR in the bottom of the 8th to take a one-run lead. Benitez comes on to save the game and finish the Castle Rock comeback. 12 IN A ROW! WP: Simas (1-0) LP: Blair (2-2) S: Benitez (6)
Game #6:	It’s a rematch of Game 1, as Hermanson faces Kile again. Again, it is a pitcher’s duel. It is 0-0 until the top of the 7th when Vizcaino hits a sac fly to score Derek Bell who had stolen second and reached 3rd on a throwing error on the attempt. then the Detroit offense just unloads in the 8th, scoring 6 runs to take a 7-0 lead. Kile cruises through for a complete game shutout, 7-0, Detroit. The winning streak is over for Castle Rock. WP: Kile (3-1) LP: Hermanson (3-3)
Series Summary:	Castle Rock continues its tear, taking 5 out of 6 vs. Detroit.

Sugar Land Skeeters @ Santa Rosa Beach Bums
Series Preview:	The Bums host the Sluggers in a 6 game set.
Series Summary:	Sluggers take 5 of 6 powered by 4 Griffey and 2 Thome dingers and a miscellaneous few others.

Chicago Demolition @ Flossmoor Flying Squirrels
Series Summary:	Flossmoor takes four of six from Chicago falling to Pedro and Clemens in the two losses. For the Squirrels, Ashby and Cone had shutout performances.

Stockton Wings @ Hampton Huskies
Series Preview:	Two early-season cellar-dwellers, the Stockton Wings (5-17) and the Hampton Huskies (10-12) meet up for six games to try and reverse their early season misfortunes (i.e. shitty play).
Game #1:	The opener seemed well in hand for the home team as the Huskies jumped out to a 5-0 leadoff Stockton’s Ramiro Mendoza after the 4th innings, but then the fickle finger of fate jammed itself knuckle deep up Hampton’s nose with starting pitcher Tom Gordon being the casualty. Gordon was cruising along until the 5th having allowed all of no hits and no walks but then Freddy Garcia tagged one deep and over the left-field wall to make it 5-1. The homer was the first of the season for the Wings’ 3rd baseman. Frank Catalanotto followed up with a single, but Bubba Trammell was not so lucky (of course, having the name Bubba he’s no stranger to lousy luck) and struck out. Gordon’s arm went dead at that point and Rich Loiselle was brought in to take his place. Loiselle did a great job and pitched through to the end of the 7th without giving up a hit. He gave up two harmless singles and struck out three while getting 8 outs in the long relief role. In the meantime, the Huskies added a little padding on Brian McRae’s double that scored Al Martin (who was actually 4/5 with 4 runs in the game). Billy Brewer had been a key arm out of the pen early in the season for Hampton, but apparently, the pressure of pitching in front of a hometown crowd was too much for him and in the 8th he gave up a single to Quinten McCracken and walked Pokey Reese with Henry Blanco’s three-run blast way over the wall in left making the score suddenly 6-4. In the 9th, Eddie Perez managed a single off Arthur Rhodes but that was all Stockton could manage as Rhodes nailed down the save for the 6-4 final FINAL: Stockton 4, Hampton 6 W-Loiselle (1-1) Sv-Rhodes (1) L-Mendoza (0-1) HR: STO: Blanco (1), Garcia (1) HAM: none
Game #2:	The Wings moseyed out of the gates quickly in this game with Quinten McCracken and Freddy Garcia combining to give the visitors a 1-0 lead after the first inning off what seemed like a groggy version of starter Jeff Juden who gave up two hits and a walk in the opening frame. Juden must have woken up cuz by the end of the 8th inning he had racked up 9 strikeouts and allowed just one hit and one walk since the 1st inning. His teammates unfortunately went comatose anytime they had a player get into scoring position and the Wings led 1-0 heading into the 9th thanks to some great shucking and jiving being done by their starter Jon Lieber. Lieber pitched 7-1/3 shutout innings in which he allowed just five hits and a walk. He struck out seven and was in line for the win with Todd Jones on the mound in the bottom of the 9th. Jones got the first two outs no problem and was settling into the save when seldom-used Hampton left fielder Henry Rodriguez golfed one into the upper deck in right field to tie it up and send it into extra innings. The relief corps of both teams kicked into high gear then and gave up nothing much until the 13th inning until Arthur Rhodes gave up a single to Quinten McCracken. That was all Stockton could do though. Switching into the bottom of the 13th Julian Tavarez struck out late-inning hero Rodriguez but then saw Scott Hatteberg hit a carbon copy blast into the right-field stands for the walk-off homer to give Hampton the game. The game started a disturbing trend for the home team as they seemed to be paralyzed at the plate once they had runners in scoring position and by the end of the game had stranded a dozen baserunners. FINAL: Stockton 1, Hampton 2 (13) W-Rhodes (1-1) L-Tavarez (0-2) HR: STO: none HAM: H.Rodriguez (2), Hatteberg (2)
Game #3:	Bingo. Nailed it on the head in my Game 2 writeup. Hampton wins game three 5-3 but constantly squandered scoring opportunities as they loaded the bases three times with one or fewer outs and scoring nothing and finished with 15 LOB by the end of it. And yeah … not much of a prediction in Game 2 since the series had been done when I did the writeup but still pretty savvy of me I would say. The Wings got on the board first thanks to Reggie Jefferson who lofted one into the bleachers off Hampton starter Orel Hershiser in the 4th inning. The Huskies tied it up in the 5th when Kevin Stocker raced home after Pokey Reese fumbled Bill Mueller’s grounder. Willie Greene gave the Wings back the lead with a sacrifice fly in the 6th with Hershiser calling it a day after the 6th having allowed two runs on five hits and three walks. He struck out two. The Huskies scored three in the bottom of the inning to put them in the lead 4-2 capped by a Jeromy Burnitz line drive high off the wall in center field that brought in two runs. The teams traded runs in the 7th and that was how it ended with Arthur Rhodes getting his 2nd save of the series to close it out. Al Martin continued to go berserk at the plate notching another four hits to give him 9 hits after three games. FINAL: Stockton 3, Hampton 5 W-Hershiser (2-1) Sv-Rhodes (2) L-Schmidt (1-4) HR: STO: Jefferson (4) HAM: none
Game #4:	Hampton won the game pretty easily 6-0 but it could have been double that as the stranded baserunners continued to pile up with 11 in this contest. Stockton starter John Burke was a loon on the mound walking seven Huskies (including Tony Clark 3 times) over the 6.1 innings he was allowed to stay on the mound. The Huskies loaded the bases twice in this game and only managed one run thanks to Clark’s ground out. BJ Surhoff homered twice and added a single to drive in three runs for Hampton. Darryl Hamilton had two of the three Stockton hits as they were completely dominated by Hampton’s Tim Belcher who went the distance with just two walks and seven strikeouts. FINAL: Stockton 0, Hampton 6 W-Belcher (3-3) L-Burke (0-1) HR: STO: none HAM: Surhoff 2 (4)
Game #5:	Squandered chances by the Huskies combined with good clutch and power-hitting by the Wings translated to Stockton’s first win of the series as they doubled Hampton 4-2 with Freddy Garcia and Pokey Reese hitting round-trippers. Jeff Suppan was solid on the mound for the Wings going six innings and allowing two runs on six hits and a walk. Todd Hollandsworth and Darryl Hamilton each had two hits for Stockton. FINAL: Stockton 4, Hampton 2 W-Suppan (1-0) Sv-T. Jones (2) L-Park (2-4) HR: STO: Garcia (2), Reese (1) HAM: Abbott (1)
Game #6:	The teams looked like they were headed into extra innings but Bill Mueller’s one-out double in the bottom of the 8th brought in two outs and the Huskies went on to win 6-3. Mueller had three hits in the game and also walked once for Hampton with Brian McRae also driving in two runs with a double in the 2nd inning. Jose Hernandez (single, double), Freddy Garcia (single, double), and Todd Hollandsworth (2 singles) each had a couple of hits for the Wings. The team put an order to have catcher Scott Hatteberg’s glove enlarged after the game as he had two passed balls in the contest. Reliever Arthur Rhodes had a nice series for Hampton with one win and 3 saves. FINAL: Stockton 3, Hampton 6 W-Assenmacher (2-1) Sv-Rhodes (3) HR: none
Series Summary:	Hampton grabs five of six from Stockton but struggled throughout much of the series to show much power or clutch hitting.

Portland Mavericks @ DeWitt Tigers
Series Preview:	DeWitt returns home for their home-opening series.
Series Summary:	Portland comes into DeWitt takes the series against the road-weary Tigers 6-0. DeWitt’s skid hits 14 in a row.

Michigan Mauraders @ Blarney Drive Bandits
Series Summary:	Marauders take 4 of 6 with some nice pitching performances.

Winnipeg Goldeyes @ Manhattan Gas Hornets
Series Preview:	Young season, Winnipeg comes to Manhattan both with 13-9 records – both in 2nd place in their divisions, and the Gas Hornets are seeing the Golden Eyes upon them, but this is 1997!
Game #1:	Scoreless game through 5 but Winnipeg strikes for 1 in the top of the 6th. but then the Gas Hornets begin a 3 inning explosion with tallies of 3, 2, and 4 runs in the 6th, 7th, and 8th. The biggest bat belonged to Mike Cameron with a double, homer (3), and 5 RBIs. Carl Everett had a PH homer 3) for the Goldeyes in the 9th. Manny Aybar goes 7, 5 hits, 1 run. WGE 2-9-0 LP Justin Thompson (3-2) MGH 9-9-0 WP Aybar (1-1)
Game #2:	Gas Hornets strike for 2 in 1st and another in the 2nd but fall behind in the 4th when Winnipeg scores 4 including a 2 run Carl Everett homer (4). They add 2 more in the 5th but then the Gas Hornets come back with 1 in the 6th and 7th and a big 2 runs in the 8th. Tom Martin sets the Eyes down in order in the 9th to preserve the 7-6 win. WGE 6-11-0 LP Jeff Shaw (0-1) BS (2) MGH 7-12-3 WP Terry Mullholland (3-1) S Martin (4)
Game #3:	Goldeyes get RBIs from Jay Buhner and Javy Lopez in the 1st, but Gas Hornets tie it in the 2nd and go ahead in the 3rd. They add insurance in the 6th. After the 1st, the Gas Hornets were wondering why they spent so much on Rick Reed carrying him through arm surgery and a missed season, but he settled in for 6 scoreless innings after the 1st. Jay Powell and Ricardo Rincon closed it out. WGE 2-9-0 LP Tom Candiotti (2-3) MGH 4-5-1 WP Reed (3-2) S Rincon (1)
Game #4:	As we go to the 2nd half of the series, the Goldeyes finally wake up. 1 in the 3rd, 2 in the 6th, 1 in the 7th, and 2 more in the 9th for a big 6-2 win. Javy Lopez 3 hits, Mark McGwire 2 hits, 2 homers (12), and 2 RBIs. Rich Becker 2 hits, homer (1) and Omar Vizquel gets 2 hits, 2 RBIs. Tom Glavine goes 7, 6 hits, 1 run. WGE 6-10-1 WP Glavine (3-2) MGH 2- 8-1 LP Moehler (1-4) MGH loses Kendall for 4 days as he’s HBP for the 5th time this year (he did that a lot, but the game is really injury guys more).
Game #5:	Gas Hornets get up early and often with runs in the 1st, 2nd, and 2 in the 4th – Dave Martinez 2 run homer (2). Edgardo Alfonzo drives in 2 in the 6th, but the Gas Hornets match that in the bottom half and then pile on 3 more in the 8th for a 9-3 win. Luis Alicea was the BIG man in this one 4 for 4, double, triple (missed cycle by a homer) and drives in 6 big ones!! Matt Morris goes to 6-0. WGE 3-7-1 LP Bloody sock Curt Shilling (2-3) MGH 9-8-0 WP Morris (6-0)
Game #6:	The Series finale sees Gas Hornets get 1 in the 1st but in the 6th Winnipeg ties it up. But the Gas Hornets double up on it in the bottom half for a 3-1 lead. In the 9th, Tom Martin in (came in in the bottom of the 8th with 2 outs and the bases loaded – and got out of that jam) gets roughed up a bit, 2 hits including a 2 out PH rbi triple from Rob Ducey, but he gets Rich Becker for the final out. WGE 2-8-1 LP Justin Thompson (3-3) MGH 3-5-1 WP Matt Aybar (2-1) S Martin (5)
Series Summary:	Gas Hornets get a very surprising 5-1 series win and do it with pitching – that is very strange (but welcomed!!). Gas Hornets now head out of town for 2 weeks. Goldeyes go home for a week.

Fort Worth Panthers @ Corktown Bootleggers
Series Summary:	Corktown wins the first 2, but Fort Worth comes back ton win the final 4 games. After 5 weeks of the season, the AL East has already been clinched by Flossmoor once again.

Valdosta Bombers @ Steel City Sluggers
Series Summary:	In a clash of 1st place teams, Valdosta gets bragging rights as they win 4 of 6.

Hollywood Vampires @ New Hampshire Nighthawks
Series Summary:	Hollywood takes the first 2 in New Hampshire. Nighthawks wake up and win the next 4.

Harper Woods Expos @ California Quakes
Series Summary:	California takes 4 of 6 from visiting Harper Woods.