Best of their era: Part 2

1980-1989

The 80's would see the Dodgers very competitive in the division almost every year. But it started off with a heartbreaking loss in game 163 to the Astros. There would be a work stoppage and some World Series heroics. New stars would join the team. It was a very exciting decade.

1. Fernando Valenzuela: No post about the 80's should start without mentioning Valenzuela. Called up at the end of the 80 season, he got into 10 games posting a 0.00 ERA and two wins. Opening day starter, Jerry Reuss, could not make his start against Houston due to an injury. Valenzuela started for him and shut the Astros out 2-0. Five days later he beat the Giants in SF 7-1. Four days after that, he shut out the Padres 2-0. He won his first 8 games, five of them by shutouts before he was finally beaten by the Phillies. He would go 13-7 for the year, lead the league in Ks, 180, complete games, 11, shutouts 8, games started 25 and win the Cy Young and the ROY, the third Dodger in a row to do that. Sutcliffe in 79, Howe in 80. He also ignited Fernandomania. Crowds packed the stadiums to watch the kid pitch. He went 3-1 during the Dodgers playoff run with 2 complete games. He would pitch for LA for 11 years with a 146-111 record. He threw a no-hitter against the Cardinals in 1990 at Dodger Stadium, with former teammate, Pedro Guererro hitting a double-play grounder for the last out. Earlier that day, June 29th, 1990, former Dodger, Dave Stewart threw a no-hitter. Fermamdo famously remarked, well, you saw one on TV, now you will see one live. Valenzuela joined the Spanish language broadcast team after he retired. He passed away in October of 2024, his #34 jersey was retired earlier that season.

1. Orel Hershiser: Drafted in the 17th round of the 76 draft out of Bowling Green University in Ohio, Orel joined the team in 1983 working mostly out of the bullpen at the end of the season. He pitched in 45 games in 84, 20 of them starts going 11-8. From then until 1990 when he suffered an arm injury, he was a mainstay in the Dodger rotation. He went 1-0 in the playoff loss to the Cardinals in 85. In 1988, Hershiser had what would be his best season ever. He was 23-8. He led the league in complete games and shutouts. He also won the NL Cy Young award. He threw 59 consecutive scoreless innings breaking Drysdale's MLB record of 58.2. He was 3-0 in the LCS and World Series with a save and was the MVP of both. Sadly, he would never come close to those numbers as a Dodger again. He left as a free agent after the 1994 season and pitched for the Indians, Giants and Mets before returning to LA for a short stint in 2000. He was a pitching coach for the Rangers for a while and then joined the Dodgers broadcast team. He is an on-air analyst for the TV side. His career record with LA was 135-107. He was 204-150 for his career.

   

2. Pedro Guererro: Signed out of the Dominican Republic, Guererro made the Dodgers to stay in 1980 when he hit .322 in 75 games. From 81-85, playing OF and 1st base, and occasionally at 3rd, he was the Dodgers main source of power. In 1981 he was a Co-MVP winner in the World Series along with Cey and Yeager. He had back-to-back 32 homer 100 plus RBI seasons in 82-83. In spring training in 1986, he ruptured a tendon sliding into third and missed most of the year. In 1987, he rebounded and hit .338 and earned comeback player of the year. It was the highest BA by a Dodger since Tommy Davis hit .346 in 1962. During the 1988 season, he was traded to the Cardinals for LHP, John Tudor. He was a .309 hitter for the Dodgers with 171 homers. He grounded into a double play to end Valenzuela's no hitter.

   

3. Kirk Gibson: Gibby signed with the Dodgers as a free agent after the 87 season. He would only play for LA for three seasons. He makes this lest simply because of what he accomplished in 1988. He changed the clubhouse culture during spring training when Jesse Orosco put eye black in his cap and he exploded. He stormed off the field and told everyone he was there to win, and not to fool around. He brought a football players mentality to the team. Gibson won the MVP award that year and had a crucial 12th inning homer to beat the Mets in the LCS in game 4. Hobbled with bad knees, He was not in the starting lineup for game one of the World Series and was doubtful to play at all. But he pinch hit in the 9th inning with LA down 4-3 and hit a walk-off 2-run homer. It would be his only at bat in the series and cement his legacy in Dodger history from then on. His next two seasons were shortened by injuries and overall he played just 310 games for the Dodgers.

4. Mike Sciocia: Scioscia gets the nod here over Steve Sax simply because catcher is such a vital position in baseball. He also played his entire career in LA and Sax, originally a SS, had to move to second and left after the 88 season as a free agent. Mike shared the catching duties with Steve Yeager when he first came up. In 1984 he took over as the #1 backstop. He was known for his blocking ability and called an excellent game. He threw out 34.4% of the runners trying to steal on him during his career. He hit a clutch game tying homer in the 9th inning of game four in the 88 LCS against the Mets and Dwight Gooden. Gibson would win the game with a homer in the 12th. Mike managed the Angels to the 2002 World Series win.

   1990-1999

   The 90's would see a lot of changes with the Dodgers. Players like Eddie Murray, Kal Daniels, and Hubie Brooks would spend time with the team. They would have a run from 92-96 with consecutive rookies of the year. In 1992, they lost 99 games, the most in LA Dodgers history. There would be a player strike that shut down the 94 season and caused the 95 season to start late. Tommy Lasorda would have a heart attack and be replaced as manger by Bill Russell in 1996. O'Malley sold the team to FOX in 1998, and they immediately alienated fans by trading star catcher, Mike Piazza to the Marlins along with Todd Zeile for 5 players. The whole culture of the team changed as it was no longer a family type atmosphere.

   

   1. Mike Piazza: Piazza was drafted in the 62nd round as a favor to Lasorda in 1988. Lasorda was friends with Mike's dad. Piazza worked hard and moved up through the system making it to AAA in 1992 where he hit .331`. He got a cup of coffee in 92 with LA then made the team out of spring training in 93. He went on to hit .318/35/112 and was voted the rookie of the year. Through 1997, Mike would hit 30 plus homers and average 100 RBIs and hit over .300. In 97, he hit .362. It was his free agent season. There are many conflicting stories as to how the negotiations with the Dodgers went. What is known is the after FOX bought the team, the FOX execs negotiated a trade with the Marlins without GM Fred Claires knowledge. The trade stunned Dodger fans. Two weeks after the trade, the Marlins traded him to the Mets. Mike finished his time in LA with a .331/177/563 line. He was elected to the Hall in 2016

      

   2. Eric Karros: Karros was drafted in the 6th round of the 88 draft out of UCLA. He was the ROY in 1992. He replaced Eddie Murray as the Dodgers first baseman. Karros would have five seasons where he hit 30 or more homers and drove in 100 plus runs. He hit 270 homers as an LA Dodger and holds the LA record for career homers. He finished his career with the Cubs and then the A's with 284 career dingers. He is now an analyst for Dodger broadcasts. His son Kyle plays 3B for the Rockies.

      

   3. Ramon Martinez: Martinez was one of three brothers signed out of the Dominican Republic. He and his brother Pedro would make it to the majors with the Dodgers. Jesus would not. Martinez had a 123-77 record with LA. He won 20 games in 1990 and was second in the Cy Young vote. He struck out 18 Braves on June 4th tying Koufax's team record. In 1997 on July 14th at Dodger Stadium, he threw a no-hitter against the Marlins, the only blemish an 8th inning walk with 2 outs. During the 98 season, he suffered a torn rotator cuff which was repaired in July, but the Dodgers did not resign him, and he joined his brother Pedro in Boston as a free agent. He retired after the 2001 season.

      

   4. Hideo Nomo: In February of 1995, the Dodgers signed Nomo, the first Japanese born player in the majors since Masanori Murakami of the Giants in the 60s and the first Japanese player ever signed by the Dodgers. He would earn ROY honors in 95, the 4th consecutive Dodger to do so and he beat out future Hall of Famer Chippe Jones to do so. He pitched for LA for 7 seasons with an 81-66 record. He no-hit the Rockies in Denver on September 17th, 1996, and it is still the only no-no ever pitched at Coors. He signed with the Red Sox in 2001 and in his debut, he no-hit the Orioles. He returned to the Dodgers for 3 seasons starting in 2002.

      

   5. Raul Mondesi: Mondesi was signed as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican in 1988. He was the starting right fielder beginning in 1994 and won the ROY with a .306/16/56 line. He would remain there until he was traded to the Blue Jays after the 99 season for Shawn Green. He was known for his cannon arm and had 112 career assists. He led the league in assists 3 times as a Dodger. His Dodger line was .288/153/518. He got into politics after he retired to the Dominican and was elected mayor of San Cristobal in 2010. In 2017 he was sentenced to 7 years in prison on corruption charges from when he was mayor.

      2000-2009 The first decade of the new millennium would see more changes coming to the Dodgers. The team would be sold again in 2004 to parking lot mogul, Frank McCourt. His tenure as owner would see some exciting moments, a return to the playoffs, and late financial problems that would eventually force MLB to take over everyday operations of the team and force McCourt to sell. Through all of that, the farm system would begin to develop some players who would impact the team in the years to come. Homegrown talent that would excite the fan base. In 2000, the team finished in second 11 games back. In 01 with exactly the same record, they finished 3rd, 5 games back. In 03, the last season of Fox ownership, they finished 2nd, 15.5 back. The first thing McCourt did was hire a new GM, Paul DePodesta. DePodesta began remaking the roster trading away players like Paul LoDuca, Kevin Brown, Guillermo Mota and Juan Encarnacion and later Shawn Green. Meanwhile farm director, Logan White was drafting some real talent. In 2006, he drafted a LHP in the first round who would help change the course of the franchise. DePodesta was fired in November of 2005, and Ned Colletti took over. As I look at the 2000 roster, not one of those players would be with LA more than a few years.

      

      1. Eric Gagne: Gagne was originally drafted by the White Sox in 1994, but he did not sign, so LA grabbed him as a free agent in 1995. When he was first called up by the Dodgers in 1999, he was mainly a starter. In 2002 he was converted to the closer and for the next 3 years he was the best in the major leagues. He recorded 152 saves over those three seasons with a high of 55 in 2003 when he won the Cy Young award. He also recorded 84 straight between August 26, 2002, to July 5, 2004. When he came into a game at Dodger Stadium the PA system would blare "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns n Roses. Just prior to the 2005 season, he signed a 2-year-19-million-dollar deal with the Dodgers. Injuries limited him to just 15 games, he was 8-8 in save opps, but in June it was announced he needed TJ surgery. He would pitch in just 2 games in 06 and was allowed to leave as a free agent.

         

      2. Andre Ethier: Acquired in a trade with the A's in December of 2005, Ethier became a starter in the outfield in his rookie year and batted .308/11/55 and finished 5th in the ROY vote. He would remain with LA for his entire 12-year career. Mostly he played right, but he also saw time in center. He beat out Juan Pierre for the starting LF job in 2008, but when LA traded for Manny Ramirez, he moved back to his natural RF position. In 2009, he earned the nick name Captain Clutch as he had six walk-off hits, four of which were homers. In June of 09, he hit 3 homers in a game driving in a career high 6 runs against the Mariners. He would play for the team until 2017, when injuries curtailed his career.

         

      3. Russell Martin: Martin was drafted by the Dodgers in 2002 in the 17th round. A native of Ontario Canada, he became the Dodgers starting catcher in 2006 and was 9th in the voting for ROY that year. He was a solid defender who threw out about 30% of the runners who tried to steal on him. He hit .268 over his time with LA. His best season was 2007 when he hit .293/19/87. He would later play for the Yankees, Pirates, and Blue Jays before returning to LA in 2019 as a backup for Will Smith.

         

      4. Chad Billingsley: If you notice a trend here it is because not many players played more than four years for LA in the 2000-09 era. Billingsley, who made the team in 2006 at age 21, was almost immediately inserted into the starting rotation. Drafted by LA in 2003 in the first round, he made it to the majors rather fast. From his debut in 2006 to 09 he won 47 games and lost 30. He made the 2009 All-star team. He was diagnosed with a tear in his UCL in 2012. He was shut down, but the injury flared up again in 2013. He finally had to have TJ surgery, but never really regained his form and retired after the 2015 season which he had started with the Phillies.

         

      5. Jonathan Broxton: Broxton came to LA in the 2002 draft. By 2005 he was in the majors. In 2006, he was one of the main pieces coming out of the pen. He appeared in 68 games that year getting 3 saves. He appeared in 83 games in 07, 70 in 08 and 73 in 09 when he became the closer and had 36 saves. He did not fare well in the 08 LCS against the Phillies allowing a game winning 2-run homer to Matt Stairs in game five. He pitched 7 years for the Dodgers going 25-20 with 84 saves.

         2010-2019

         Frank McCourt's ownership of the Dodgers would end in May of 2012 when the team was sold to the Guggenheim Group, whose owners included Laker's great, Magic Johnson. The direction of the group and their commitment to putting a winning team on the field is still felt today. And they did not waste much time putting their stamp of ownership on the team. With the financial wherewithal now available, GM Ned Colletti would be able to make trades and sign free agents without having to worry. Colletti would be the GM for 3 years under the new owners, the trades they okayed transformed the face of the franchise and the teams farm system began producing some very good major league players. The first one joined the team in 2008, but in 2010, he started to reach his potential.

         

         1. Clayton Kershaw: Picked in the 2006 draft as the Dodgers first choice and # 7 overall, Kershaw made it to the team in 2008. He did not burst on the scene like Valenzuela had done in 81. He was a .500 pitcher his first two seasons winning 5 and then 8 games. In 2010, he went 13-10 with a 2.91 ERA and stuck out 212 hitters. Over the next 4 years, he would win 4 consecutive ERA titles, 3 Cy Young awards, 11, 13 and 14 and an MVP award in 2014 when he went 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA. It was his second 21-win season and would be his last. He was a model of consistency and won in double figures every season but 2018 when he was 9-5. He threw a no-hitter against the Rockies at Dodger Stadium in June of 2014. The only blemish an error by Hanley Ramirez. He would pitch for the Dodgers until 2025 winning 223 games and losing just 96. He recorded his 3000th K against the Chicago White Sox. Kersh is a certain first ballot Hall of Famer.

         

         2.Zack Greinke: Some will say what is he doing on this list. Well for his 3 seasons as a Dodger he and Kershaw along with Ryu formed a lethal 1-2-3 combo. Greinke was 51-15 in his 3 seasons in LA. Not many have come close to being that good. He won the ERA title in 2015 with a 1.66 mark, led the league in WAR with 8.9, had a 19-3 record and finished 2nd in the Cy Young voting to Jake Arrieta. He left the team after the 2015 season as a free agent and signed with Arizona

         

         3.Yasiel Puig: Love him or hate him, the Wild Horse as Vinny nicknamed him had a ton of talent and a 10-cent head. He had a cannon for an arm and made some amazing throws from right field. He also made some spectacular catches. He was a solid hitter but was not very good at listening to his coaches. But he could play the game. He hit 108 homers as a Dodger, but with a little more plate discipline, he could have been better. The one coach who could get through to him was Turner Ward. Puig played in 712 games for LA with a .277 BA. He hit .280 in post season play with 5 homers and 23 driven in.

         

         4. Adrian Gonzalez: Gonzalez came to the Dodgers in the blockbuster trade in August of 2012. Along with Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett and Nick Punto, they came from the Red Sox for 5 players. Gonzalez became as Vin Scully called him, the Dodgers butter and egg man. His first two years he drove in 100 and then 116 runs. He would be the starting first baseman until injuries sidelined him in 2017. He was part of a salary dump trade in 2018 that brought Matt Kemp back to LA. He is now part of the Dodgers broadcast team.

         

         5.Kenley Jansen: Jansen, a former catcher, made the team in 2010. In 2012 he became the teams closer. He would stay in that role until 2021 after which he became a free agent. He is the Dodgers all-time saves leader with 350 saves; his high was 47 in 2016. He has a 3-2 post season record and 19 saves as a Dodger in the postseason. Now pitching for the Tigers, he is just 12 saves away from 500. That puts him 3rd all time behind Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman.

         Several of the kids who were brought up through the system made solid contributions through the decade. Matt Kemp had an MVP type year in 2011 and just missed being a 40-40 player. He had 39 homers and 40 bags. He hit .326 and led the league in homers and RBIs.

         Corey Seager came up for a cup of coffee in 2015 and in 2016, became the starting SS. He won the ROY that year. Injuries kept him out of the 2018 season but in 2020, he would be the NLCS and World Series MVP.

         Cody Bellinger followed Seager and in 2017 he was called up when Adrian Gonzalez went down to injury. Bellinger would earn the ROY and set a rookie record for home runs by a Dodger rookie with 39, beating Piazza's number. He hit 47 homers in 2019 when he was named MVP. Injuries hampered the next couple of years, and he left after being non-tendered after the 2022 season.

         2020-Present

         The Dodgers won pennants in 2017-18 and lost both of those series. They were simply outclassed by the Red Sox in 18 but cheated by the Astros in 17. In 2020, the season was shortened to 60 games because of the Covid Pandemic. The Dodgers won 43 of their 60 games and cruised through the first five games of the playoffs beating the Brewers and the Padres. They ran into a Braves team that took a commanding 3-1 lead in the LCS, LA's only win came in a 15-3 LA win in game 3. But some stellar pitching and timely hits allowed LA to win the next 3 games and advance to the World Series. They would beat the Rays in six games. Corey Seager was the MVP of the World Series and the LCS. It ended a 32-year championship drought.

         Since then, the Dodgers have won back-to-back titles in 24-25. This followed disappointing early playoff exits in 22-23. In 21, they lost the NL West for the first time since 2013. They beat the Giants in the LDS and then lost to the eventual champion Braves in six games. Chirs Taylor was basically the playoff hero with a walk-off homer to beat the Cardinals in the wild card game, and a 3-homer game to keep the Dodgers from being eliminated in game 5.

         Many great players have played for LA since 2020. Mookie Betts came in a trade and is under contract for six more years. They added Scherzer and Trea Turner in 21. Turner is now with the Phillies and Max in Toronto. They signed Freddie Freeman as a free agent after the 21 season, and Freddie rewarded them with solid play and a World Series to remember in 24. Shohei Ohtani, Roki Sasaki and Yoshi Yamamoto have come on board as free agents. Shohei and Yoshi in 24 and Sasaki last year. They signed Blake Snell and traded for Glasnow. They don't retool; they just reload. Ohtani has been the MVP the last two years and since last year he once again became a two-way player. This offseason they signed Kyle Tucker. He hasn't been a hit yet. His play has been uneven. He still has time to turn the season into a successful one. Teo, who was great his first season, and Okay last year, has had injuries issues and is not the player he was then. But they are way out in front in the NL West and the odds-on favorite to make it to the World Series again.

         The top players of the last five years would have to be Betts, Freeman, Shohei, Smith and Max Muncy, a castoff who now is second all-time on the LA Dodger career home run list. The best pitchers have been Kershaw, until he retired after last year, Yamamoto, World Series MVP and when he is healthy, Glasnow, who is lights out. The bullpen is solid and with Diaz coming back a little stronger. If LA has a problem that will soon need to be addressed, it is that the team is getting a little older.

OKC Comets 11 – Las Vegas Aviators (A’s) 2 

RHSP Landon Knack made himself relevant again, and RHRP Kyle Hurt continues to sabotage his chances for playoff pitching.  

Knack allowed 1 run on one hit, no BB, and 5 K.  He was extremely efficient with just 56 pitches (41 strikes).  In the 3rd inning, he gave up a leadoff double and moved to 3rd on a groundout.  He scored on a SF for the only run against Knack. 

Meanwhile, OKC scored in each of the first 5 innings.  In the 1st with one out, LF Alek Thomas tripled (1) and scored on Ryan Ward’s groundout.  

In the 2nd, 3B Ryan Fitzgerald hit his 9th HR of the season.  

In the 3rd, CF Zach Ehrhard singled and scored when Ward slugged his 12th HR.  In the 4th, Fitzgerald hit his 2nd HR of the game (10). 

OKC scored again in the 5th.  2B Hyeseong Kim hit a leadoff double (8).  He moved to 3rd on DH Jack Suwinski’s infield single.  Kim scored when Fitzgerald GIDP. 

OKC LHRP Garrett McDaniels pitched a scoreless 6th allowing only 1 BB.  RHRP Jonathan Hernández pitched a scoreless 7th and 8th inning.  But he did so with stress as he allowed 2 hits and 3 BB in those 2.0 IP. 

OKC picked up a run in the 7th with 3 singles from Kim, Fitzgerald, and SS Noah Miller.  

The Comets continued with their HR barrage in the 8th.  One out back-to-back doubles from Thomas (10) and Ward (12) scored 1.  After Kim walked, Suwinski swatted a 3-run HR (21). 

RHRP Kyle Hurt gave up a leadoff HR and 2 walks in the 9th before retiring the side. 

·      Alek Thomas – 2-5, 2 runs, double (10), triple (1)

·      Ryan Ward – 2-4, 1 BB, 2 runs, 4 RBI, double (12), HR (12)

·      Hyeseong Kim – 3-4, 1 BB, 3 runs, double (8)

·      Jack Suwinski – 1 run, 3 RBI, HR (21)

·      Ryan Fitzgerald – 3-5, 2 runs, 2 RBI, 2 HR (10)

·      Noah Miller – 2-3, 1 BB, 1 RBI

·      Double – Griffin Lockwood-Powell (3)

Box Score 

Tulsa Drillers 6 – NW Arkansas Naturals (KC) 2 

RHSP Payton Martin gave a glimpse as to why he is still highly thought of as a pitcher.  He gave up a HR to the first batter he faced in the 1st inning.  He then pitched into the 9th without giving up another run.  But the 1st batter he faced in the 9th, he gave up another HR.  Thus, he gave a HR to the first batter he faced and the last batter he faced, and was spotless in between.  Otherwise, he allowed a double, 3 singles, and a BB to go with 7 K in 8.0 IP. 

3B Jake Gelof hit a solo HR (19) with 2 outs in the 1st to tie the game.  Tulsa took a 3-1 lead in the 2nd when SS Elijah Hainline led off with a single.  He was forced out at 2nd by 2B Taylor Young.  Young scored ahead of C Frank Rodriguez on his 7th HR. 

In the 5th, Gelof hit his 2nd HR (20) of the night for a 4-1 lead. 

In the 7th, Gelof was at it again.  He homered for the 3rd time (his 21st), but with CF Mike Sirota on base with a BB this time.  

After Martin gave up the 2nd HR of the game, he was relieved by RHRP Kelvin Ramirez who retired the side in order for the win. 

·      Jake Gelof – 3-4, 3 runs, 4 RBI, 3 HR (21) 

·      Zyhir Hope – 2-4

·      Elijah Hainline – 3-4

·      Frank Rodriguez – 2-4, 1 run, 2 RBI, HR (7) 

Box Score 

Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego) 5 - Great Lakes Loons 4 – 10 innings 

While the results were there, RHSP Tyler Gough was not very efficient.  He pitched 4.0 scoreless innings, allowing 1 hit, 3 BB, and registered 6 K.  But he threw 72 pitches.  

LHRP Jacob Frost relieved Gough in the 5th.  He pitched a scoreless 5th, but he was touched up for a run in the 6th.  And again, it was those pesky BB that generated the run.  He walked the leadoff hitter, struck out the next 2 batters, walked the next one, and then finally a RBI single.  He struck out the next batter so he struck out 3 in the inning, after giving up 2 BB, and a run-scoring single. 

RHRP Robby Porco entered in the 7th.  Porco’s inning was somewhat similar to Frost’s 6th inning.  Except Porco allowed 3 singles to go with the 3 Ks rather than 2 BB and single with 3 K.  

GL went into the bottom of the 7th down 2-0.  With 1 out in the 7th, SS Eduardo Guerrero singled and C Victor Rodrigues drew a walk.  Both runners moved up on a WP, and Guerrero scored on the catchers throwing error. CF Charles Davalan hit a run scoring double (23) knotting the score 2-2. 

The game went into extra innings.  RHRP Davis Chastain was pitching his 2nd inning.  Chastain struck out the first batter, but the next batter singled to score the placed runner.  That was followed by a BB and another run scoring single.  RHRP Nicolas Cruz was summoned to pick up Chastain, but he gave up a run scoring single giving the TinCaps a 3-run lead. 

Davalan was the placed runner.  Davalan was unable to move up on an infield single by RF Eduardo Quintero.  Both runners moved up on a WP.  DH Nico Perez singled to score both runners. 2 fly outs, and a K to end the game. 

LF Jaron Elkins made his Great Lakes debut, and things did not go so well.  He went 0-5 with 4 K.  The one time he did not K, he hit into a GIDP.  Tomorrow is another game. 

·      Charles Davalan – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 run, 1 RBI, double (23)

·      Eduardo Quintero – 3-4, 1 BB, 1 run

·      Eduardo Guerrero – 2-4, 1 run

Box Score 

Ontario Tower Buzzers 12 – Fresno Grizzlies (Colorado) 3 

LHSP Blake Snell continued his rehab, but this one was close to home in Ontario.  He went 4.0 IP, allowing 1 hit, no BB and 9 K.  He threw 60 pitches (45 strikes).  

Ontario scored 4 in the 3rd and 5 in the 4th, to seemingly put this one away.  C Connor O’Neal led off with a single and moved to 3rd when SS Mairo Martinus singled.  2B Kellon Lindsey walked to load the bases.  LF Ching-Hsien Ko singled home a pair with Lindsey continuing to 3rd and Ko to 2nd.  Lindsey scored on a WP with Ko moving to 3rd.  Ko scored on a groundout and a 4-0 lead. 

In the 5th, CF Brendan Tunink drew a BB and DH Oswaldo Osorio singled Tunink to 2nd.  Tunink scored on an errant pickoff attempt.  O’Neal doubled (9) to score Osorio.  In his first game for Ontario, RF Abel Lorenzo singled moving Osorio to 3rd.  Martinus singled home Osorio and Lorenzo moved to 3rd, and Martinus to 2nd on the play.  Ko drew a BB to load the bases.  3B Joendry Vargas singled home 2 more. 

RHP Marlon Nieves took over for Snell in the 5th.  2 BB and 2 hits gave the Grizzlies a pair of runs in the 5th. 

Martinus hit an inside the park HR (15) in the 5th getting 1 of the runs back for Ontario.  

With RHRP Angel Cruz pitching in the 8th, he walked 2 batters, threw a WP and gave up a SF for a run. 

In the bottom of the 8th, Lindsey walked and scored on Ko’s triple (3).  Ko scored on Vargas’ RBI single. 

RHRP Accimias Morales got the final two outs for the win.  

·      Mairoshendrick Martinus – 3-5, 3 runs, 2 RBI, HR (15)

·      Ching-Hsien Ko – 2-3, 2 BB, 2 runs, 3 RBI, triple (3)

·      Joendry Vargas – 2-5, 3 RBI

·      Oswaldo Osorio – 2-5, 1 run

·      Connor O’Neal – 2-4, 2 runs, 1 RBI, double (9) 

Box Score