IL News & Notes

August 14, 2003 - International League (IL1) News Release

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL NIGHT FOR A WEDDING: Following this Saturday's Bisons-Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons game, the Buffalo Bisons will host the annual Wedding Night at Dunn Tire Park. Couples will enter the field and be married by a justice of the peace. Couples who are already married have the opportunity to renew their vows that evening as part of the ceremony. The Bisons video board will feature clips from famous wedding movies all evening long and wedding music will echo through the ballpark as well.

FRONTIER CHEVROLET BALLPARK BRAWL HEATS UP: On Sunday, August 24th, professional wrestling will come to Dunn Tire Park as part of Buffalo Bisons-Rochester Red Wings 2:05 PM game that day. The wrestling card will take place in an assembled wrestling ring on the field as a post-game event. The event will feature five matches. The main event will feature the current NWA Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett against Raven. The undercard will include a legends match with Jimmy "SuperFly" Snuka and King Kong Bundy.

DIAMOND DIG SET FOR AUGUST 23RD: The Buffalo Bisons will host their first ever Diamond Dig at Dunn Tire Park following the Bisons-Rochester Red Wings game that evening. A diamond ring valued at $1,000 will be buried in the infield prior to that evening's game. The first 2,000 women through the gates that evening will get the opportunity to dig for the diamond before that evening's fireworks show. The Diamond Dig is sponsored by Andrew's Jewelers.

CHARLOTTE KNIGHTS

KNIGHTS HAVE BUMPY ROAD TRIP: Charlotte finished up its recent road trip to Norfolk, Indianapolis, and Toledo with a 2-5 record, and currently sit 3.5 games behind Durham in the IL South. The Knights, who lead the league with a .279 team batting average, hit only .241 on the trip, and managed only 2.8 runs per game. Charlotte also leads the IL in home runs with 120, but managed to connect for only three long balls in the seven games. The Knights faced five left-handed starters on the trip, and dropped their season record against southpaws to 13-20. Charlotte fell to 21-40 on the road in 2003, and needs to go 3-7 to surpass last season's dismal record of 23-47 away from Knights Stadium.

BURKE ENJOYS BRIEF CALLUP: Knights' catcher Jamie Burke enjoyed a brief call-up to Chicago this past weekend, going 2-for-3 with 2 RBI in two games with the White Sox. He will return to the Knights Thursday night. Burke made his Chicago debut because regular catcher Miguel Olivo had strained his shoulder and was day-to-day. Burke, who hails from Roseburg, Oregon, is hitting .328 with 5 HR and 42 RBI in 77 games with the Knights, and is hitting .408 since May 1st. In his last six games with the Knights, Burke has collected multiple hits, and has hit safely in 19 of 21 games.

PACKER BOBBLEHEAD DOLL TO HIGHLIGHT SIX GAME HOMESTAND: Local radio personality Mark Packer will have his likeness presented in the form of a bobblehead doll that will be given out to the first 2,000 fans attending Friday night's game against the Indianapolis Indians. The promotion is sponsored by sports radio 610-AM WFNZ and New Balance of Charlotte. Packer, the son of television analyst Billy Packer, hosts a weekday radio show Prime Time with the Packman, which is the number one rated talk-show in all of Charlotte.

COLUMBUS CLIPPERS

KEEPS ON TICKING: In two outings this past week, Jorge DePaula had an ERA of 1.29, giving up just two runs in 14 innings. DePaula took a no-hitter into the ninth inning and finished with a one-hitter, defeating the first place Louisville Bats 3-0 on Tuesday, August 12. In the crowd to watch Jorge's gem were Yankees' Principal Owner George Steinbrenner, Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations Gordon Blakeley and International League President Randy Mobley.

THE CRADLE: Ohio is the birthplace of professional baseball and football. Clippers' fans get to enjoy the best of both worlds. On Thursday, August 21, fans wearing either Cleveland Browns or Cincinnati Bengals gear get a reserved seat for half price. Browns fans will sit on the first base side. The Bengals fans will be seated together on the third base side. Fans can enter to win tickets to the Browns vs. Bengals game in Cincinnati on December 28.

"A BUCK FOR A BUCK": Fans that wear their Scarlet and Gray to the game on August 27, get a General Admission ticket for just $1.00! Buckeye fans can also enter to win two tickets to the Ohio State vs. Bowling Green football game and a two night stay at the Holiday Inn on Lane Avenue, September 19 and 20.

SIZZLING AUGUST: The Clippers are now 10-2 in the month of August, the best record of any I.L. team. The Clippers are also leading the league in August with a .300 team batting average and 13 home runs.

DURHAM BULLS

YES OR NO?: The Durham Bulls first "Love is in the Air" night is Thursday, August 14th during their game against the Richmond Braves. At some point during the evening's game, there will be a unique marriage proposal made on the field, the catch being that the person being proposed to has no idea it's coming. Also, any couple wishing to announce their anniversary or engagement can have their information flashed on the message board in left field during the game free of charge. GET OUT THE ERASER: With 20 games remaining in the Bulls' season, it is time to see where this year's standouts may fall in the all-time history of the Bulls. Closer Lee Gardner has already assumed the team's all-time save record at 57 and is closing in on the single-season record. Gardner has matched his total from last year of 25, two behind the record of 27 set by Matt Byrd with the 1995 Carolina League Bulls and one behind Eddie Gaillard and Billy Taylor of the 1999 and 2000 Triple-A Bulls respectively. Ryan Jackson has his work cut out for him if he wants to reach either the Bulls' Triple-A record of 49 doubles set by Steve Cox in 1999 or the all-time club record of 51 set by Woody Fair in 1946. Jackson has a league-leading 40 doubles, the second most of any Bulls player in their Triple-A history. Carlos Reyes leads the league with a 2.34 ERA looking to give the Bulls consecutive ERA titles following Luis De los Santos 2.42 ERA last season. Among qualifying pitchers, De los Santos holds the Triple-A team record for ERA.

HOME SWEET HOME: The Bulls have played 60 games at home and 60 games on the road so far in 2003. But that is as close as the similarities get, especially on offense. The Bulls have scored 84 more runs at home and have a .288 average at the DBAP compared to just .255 on the road. The team is slugging a stellar .465 at home with a .350 on-base percentage at home, but on the road they slip to a .396 slugging clip and a .307 on-base percentage. The Bulls' pitching is formidable everywhere, but they do hold a 3.71 ERA at home against a 3.96 ERA on the road. The end result is a 38-22 home record and a 25-35 road record. The Bulls still have 12 home games remaining, but just eight road games remaining due to rainouts

INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS

MARTINEZ BACK ON THE HILL TONIGHT: Indianapolis will send lefthander Luis Martinez back to the mound Thursday night at Charlotte as he bids to extend his scoreless innings streak. The 23-year-old Dominican has made four starts for the Tribe since his promotion from Double-A Huntsville on July 24 and is 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA after tossing 26.1 scoreless innings. All four of his starts have come against teams in the IL South.

BATS ARE COLD AGAIN: The Tribe offense, which has enjoyed only a few hot streaks this season, is off to a cool start in the month of August. Through the first 13 games of the month, the Indians are hitting just .239 and have plated a mere 32 runs (2.5 rpg). The Indians have scored two or fewer runs in eight of the 13 games, but have managed to win five times thanks to the pitching staff's 3.38 ERA.

SHOWING OFF THEIR ARMS: Center-fielder Jason Conti and catcher Alex Delgado have shown off their strong throwing arms this season. Conti leads all IL outfielders with 16 assists which is the most since Chad Mottola and Anthony Sanders had 17 in 1999. Delgado has moved into second place among IL catchers having thrown out 57.7% of would-be basestealers. Delgado has gunned down 15 of 26.

LOUISVILLE BATS

GROUNDSKEEPER RECEIVES HONOR: Louisville Slugger Field Head Groundskeeper Tom Nielsen was named the 2003 International League Sports Turf Manager of the Year. The award was established to recognize outstanding effort and excellence in the care and maintenance of a baseball playing surface. LSF also was named the 2002 Baseball Field of the Year by the Sports Turf Managers Association in November. Past winners of the STMA award include The Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas and Jetform Park in Ontario, Canada. The award was presented at the STMA Annual Awards Banquet on Friday, January 17, 2003 in San Antonio, Texas.

WHO'S ON FIRST?: Louisville has used 65 total players this season...34 pitchers and 31 position players. Of the current Cincinnati Reds 25-man roster, 13 were with the Bats at some point this year.

GAP CLOSING: At the All-Star Break, Louisville enjoyed an 11.5 game lead over Toledo and were 21 games over .500. Currently, the Bats have a 5.5 game lead over Columbus and are 14 games over .500. The last time this season a team was within six games of Louisville was on June 18.

NORFOLK TIDES

PIAZZA HELPS SALVAGE RAIN STRICKEN SEASON: Mets' All-Star catcher Mike Piazza began a 5-day rehabilitation last Thursday. Piazza was rehabbing a torn groin muscle that kept him off the field for nearly 3 months and fans in Norfolk were eager to get a peek at the 15-year pro. The Tides set their season-high Saturday evening with a crowd of 13,312. When the gates opened, the Tides had already sold over 10,600 tickets for the game. July 3, 2002 had been the most recent game (and the only one since 1998) to make the franchise's Top 10 List of highest attendances. They drew 13,119 that evening during their Independence Day celebration. Saturday night's crowd was the 4th largest in Harbor Park history. Now six of the Top 10 crowds have been against the Richmond Braves. Piazza helped draw 11,092 on Friday and 10,298 on Sunday. The last time that the Tides had back to back 10,000+ nights was July 26th and 27th in 2001. The 26th was a Businessperson's Special (10,010) and the 27th was Youth Bat Night 10,466). The Tides also had 10,000+ the next night that they opened, August 4th, making it 3 consecutive openings. That was the Kiwanis Fundraiser Night which drew 10,766.

GETTING STARTED: Tides' starters have allowed just 11 earned runs since August 5th. That is 11 earned runs in 46 2/3 innings for an ERA of 2.12. The Tides have scored 24 runs in those 8 games, 8 of which were scored in an 8-0 shutout of the Charlotte Knights on August 6th. Norfolk is 3-5 during this time.

HOME FREE: Esix Snead will just add to his totals now. Snead stole his record breaking 51st base last Thursday evening after hitting a single in the first inning. The 23-year old record, held by Mookie Wilson, may stay for another 23 years unless Snead finds his way back here next season.

DOWNHILL: The Tides dropped out of first place on June 26th after spending the majority of the first half of the season at the top of the South Division. Until yesterday's win, the Tides were tied with Richmond for last place in the South and were just 12 percentage points ahead of Indianapolis for the worst record in the entire league. Right before Norfolk dropped out of first, they had the 4th best winning percentage in the League.

OTTAWA LYNX

STREAKING LYNX: The Lynx have two players that recorded hits in each game this week to extend hitting streaks. Napolean Calzado went 1-for-2 last night, snapping a streak of seven straight multi-hit games, but extending his hit streak to 10 games. Calzado has hit .475 (19-for-40) during the hitting streak, and now has 18 multi-hit games in only 36 games with Ottawa this season. Geronimo Gil has also been red-hot of late. The Lynx catcher had four hits last night to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. Gil has hit in 18 of the 21 games he has played since being optioned to Ottawa from Baltimore on July 22.

RAINES TIES FRANCHISE RECORD: Last night the Lynx scored 14 runs on 19 hits, as they beat Syracuse 14-5. During the game, Tim Raines Jr. tied a Lynx franchise record by scoring 5 runs. Raines Jr. also stole two bases, and leads the Lynx with 18 steals in only 45 games. In last night's game Sean Douglass picked up his 9th win of the year, bringing him within two of the Lynx franchise record of 11 established by LHP Matt Blank last year.

THEY'RE BAAACK: The Lynx received some good news this week, as a couple of players who had been outstanding with Ottawa earlier in the season returned to the Nation's Capital. 1B Carlos Mendez, who had hit .384 with 4 homers and 33 RBI in 42 games with the Lynx earlier this season, was optioned to Ottawa on Tuesday. Joining Mendez will be reliever Mike Garcia, who had 13 saves in 24 games with the Lynx before leaving to play with Yucatan of the Mexican League. Garcia rejoined the Lynx on Monday.

NUMBER THREE ON THE OUTFIELD WALL, NUMBER ONE IN YOUR HEART: Tonight, before the Lynx take on the division-leading Paw Sox, the team will retire jersey number 3 in honor of former Lynx and current Montreal Expo, Jamey Carroll. Lynx GM Kyle Bostwick leads the list of people who will talk about the great contributions Carroll made both on and off the field over his three seasons in Ottawa. The team will also present Carroll with his #3 jersey, and unveil a sign on the outfield wall commemorating the Expos infielder. Carroll joins F.P. Santangelo (#24) as the only Ottawa Lynx to have their numbers retired.

LYNX STADIUM IS HAUNTED: Saturday, Lynx Stadium will be overrun with ghosts, goblins, witches and wizards as the Lynx celebrate Halloween at the Ballpark. The first 1,000 people to come in costume will receive a glow in the dark baseball. Lynx staff will even join fans in dressing up. Plus, fans will be able to trick-or-treat from 6:00-6:45 before the Lynx scheduled game with the Syracuse SkyChiefs, as select Lynx players will pass out candy in a boo-tiful setting.

PAWTUCKET RED SOX

A LOOK BACK AT PERFECTION: Pawtucket Red Sox RHP Bronson Arroyo pitched just the fourth nine-inning perfect game in the 120-year history of the International League on Sunday, August 10th as the PawSox beat the Buffalo Bisons, 7-0 at McCoy Stadium.

"It was one of those days", said Arroyo. "After you get through three or four innings of easy work and you haven't thrown many pitches, you kind of keep rolling and rolling. And as the game goes on and the crowd the way they were, it's hard not to have some energy out there."

Arroyo retired all 27 Buffalo hitters he faced in throwing the second perfect game by a PawSox hurler at McCoy in the last three seasons. Tomo Ohka pitched a nine-inning perfect game for the PawSox vs. Charlotte on June 1, 2000. Before that you have to go back to the 1952 season for the last 9-inning perfect game in the IL (Dick Marlowe of Buffalo).

The 26-year-old from Brooksville, Florida needed 101 pitches to throw his masterpiece, and 73 of those pitches were strikes (including 22 first-pitch strikes to 27 batters). Arroyo struck out nine, got 10 fly outs from the Buffalo batters, and 8 ground ball outs. Bronson went to a three-ball count to just three hitters all afternoon. The final out was recorded when Buffalo's Scott Pratt (the #9 batter) grounded to 1B Andy Abad who tossed to Arroyo covering first base to end the perfecto and send McCoy Stadium into delirium.

"Honestly, I think that's the first time I've ever been on the mound and been nervous in the ninth inning," said Arroyo. "There were definitely some nerves out there at the end of the eighth and going into the ninth. Fortunately, I went out and threw strikes. I don't think I've ever thrown a no-hitter, and to throw a perfect game is unbelievable."

Bronson improved to 12-6 on the season (tied for the IL lead in victories) and lowered his ERA to 3.57 (in 23 GS). He also added to his league-leading total of 149 strikeouts. The game took just 2:09 to play, and a big crowd of 9,940 stayed to watch the entire ballgame, giving Arroyo several standing ovations late in the game and after he finished off the perfect game.

Bronson basically spent that night and the next day (which fortunately was an off-day) on his phone fielding congratulations from family and friends along with several media requests including ESPN Radio and other prominent outlets. "I've had a lot of phone calls," he said on Tuesday. "I've just been sitting on the phone all day."

Arroyo's batterymate on Sunday, catcher Bill Haselman caught one of Roger Clemens' 20-strikeout games while with Boston. However, the veteran was on the receiving end of his first perfect game thanks to Arroyo. "I've never caught a perfect game before," said Haselman. "That was very special for me. It's a great feeling. In the ninth inning, the way the fans were, your adrenaline was going and it was really a great feeling. Bronson's stuff was so good and he located so well that I fell fortunate to have been back there with him throwing it."

The same can be said for the 10,000 or so fortunate enough to have seen the history-making performance in person.

RICHMOND BRAVES

ELEVENTH HEAVEN: With his first inning double in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to Durham, Adam LaRoche extended his hitting streak to 11 games. LaRoche's streak--the longest by an R-Braves player in 2003--began on July 31 and has seen LaRoche go 17-for-40 with 5 2B, HR, and 5 RBI. LaRoche, who is batting .306-6-26 in 54 games with Richmond, had a 12 game hitting streak with Greenville earlier this season, April 3-17. He had a 16-game streak for Myrtle Beach last season. That streak, is the longest of his four-year professional career.

WRONG KIND OF STREAK: John Ennis enters tonight's game with Durham carrying a personal nine-game losing skid dating back to May 13. Ennis' streak matches Conrad Noessel (July 9-September 3, 1968) for the longest losing streak in Richmond Braves franchise history. Ennis, who is 2-11 with a 5.56 ERA in 28 games with the R-Braves, has appeared in nine games since the all-star break, going 0-1 with a 1.84 ERA.

MOVIN' ON UP: With his save in Tuesday's 3-2 victory over Durham, Joe Dawley moved into a tie with Tom House (1972) and Rod Nichols (1996) for 6th place on the Richmond Braves' single-season save list with 20.

ROCHESTER RED WINGS

NANTZ VISITS FRONTIER FIELD: CBS announcer Jim Nantz is in Rochester this week for the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club. Nantz threw out the ceremonial first pitch Tuesday night to Wings manager Phil Roof, whom Nantz idolized as a youth. Nantz grew up in the Bay Area when Roof was playing for the Oakland A's and also worked in Salt Lake City when Roof was managing there in the minors during the 1980's. When asked about Roof, Nantz replied "I'm not big on autographs but I wanted to get his."

RIPKEN HALL OF FAME NIGHT NEARING SELL OUT: Cal Ripken Jr. Hall of Fame night on Friday, August 29th is nearing a sellout with fewer then 2,000 tickets remaining. Gates for Hall of Fame night will open at 5:30 p.m with the ceremonies beginning at 6:45 p.m. Ripken will stay in Rochester over night and hold a free baseball clinic for 60 kids from 11 am to 2 pm Saturday, August 30th. A drawing was held earlier this week and the lucky winners will be notified today.

SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE RED BARONS

UTLEY AND TELEMACO PROMOTED: If the Red Barons are going to make the playoffs for a 5th straight season they will have to do it without their best hitter and best starting pitcher. After last night's 9-0 win vs. Buffalo, the Phillies announced they are promoting 2nd baseman Chase Utley and pitcher Amaury Telemaco to the big leagues. Utley is a leading candidate for the IL MVP award ranking 3rd in batting (.323), 4th in HR (18), 3rd in RBI (77), 1st in hits (139), 4th in OBP (.390), 3rd in slugging (.517) and 1st in runs scored (80). Telemaco was 2nd on the staff in wins (10) and led all starters with a 3.24 ERA. He is currently 5th in the IL in ERA, 4th in strikeouts (116), tied for 1st in complete games (3) and shutouts (2) and 2nd in innings pitched (155.1).

REPLACEMENTS ON THE WAY: Replacing Utley and Telemaco on the roster will be Brandon Duckworth and Brian Hitchcox. Duckworth made 18 starts for the Phillies going 4-7 with a 5.04 ERA. Hitchcox spent the entire season at Double-A Reading batting .250 with 5 HR and 27 RBI. All 89 games he played defensively were at second base. When Telemaco is officially added to the Phillies roster on Sunday it is being speculated Nick Punto will be returned to the Red Barons.

SYRACUSE SKYCHIEFS

OUT OF CASH: C Kevin Cash was recalled by Toronto on Sunday and made his Blue Jays season debut on Monday. Cash played in 7 games for Toronto last season, collecting 2 hits in 14 at bats. In 93 games for the SkyChiefs this season, Cash batted .270 with 8 HR and 37 RBI. It was behind the plate where Cash truly shined this season, making only one error and throwing out 38 of 72 would-be base stealers.

OUCH: OF Mike Colangelo was hit by a pitch for the 11th time this season on Saturday, moving him into a tie with Rich Aude for the third highest single-season total since 1961. Tom Quinlan holds the modern franchise (since 1961) record for HBPs in a season with 19 in 1993, while Mack Jones is next on the list with 17 (1964).

HOT AND NOT: With a 1-for-4 effort last night against Ottawa, Gabe Gross now has a modest 5-game hitting streak. Gross also has at least one hit in 13 of his last 14 games. Jorge Sequea also extended his hitting streak to five games last night. Sequea's streak coincides with his move to the lead-off spot in the batting order on Saturday. At the opposite end of the spectrum is Gary Burnham. Burnham went 0-for-4 last night and is now 3-for-37 in his last 8 games.

TOLEDO MUD HENS

RODNEY SAVES THE DAY: Closer Fernando Rodney has six saves and has yet to allow an earned run in nine appearances since being optioned back to Toledo from Detroit on July 27. In fact, Rodney has not allowed an earned run for Toledo in his last 22 appearances, dating all the way back to May 15. In that stretch Rodney is 1-0 with 16 saves, pitching a total of 23.2 innings and allowing only eight hits while striking out 38 batters.

YO-YO...: Catcher Yohanny Valera has been struggling at the plate lately. Valera only recorded three hits in the month of July (in 35 at-bats) and had not recorded a hit in August going into Tuesday night's game versus Charlotte. In that Mud Hen victory, Valera slammed two doubles and a single, going 3-3 for the night. Hopefully, Yohanny's new streak will be a hit, not a miss.

ZOOPER-SPECIAL! Fifth Third Field welcomes the Zooperstars to the Hen House Friday night when Toledo takes on the Norfolk Tides. These crazy, inflatable characters will keep the fans laughing and clapping all night. Scheduled to appear are Harry Canary and Clammy Sosa, along with a few others. The Zooperstars recently made an appearance at the 2003 Triple-A All-Star Game in Memphis.

ROCKIN' ROBBY: Left-handed starter Nate Robertson has been on fire of late, going 4-1 with a 1.50 ERA in his last five starts. Nate has been the most consistent pitcher on the IL's top ranked pitching staff this season. He has pitched at least 5.0 innings in all 24 of his starts. In 22 of his 24 starts Nate has allowed four earned or less.

TEE TOWN: Hilary Lunke, the 2003 Women's U.S. Open champion, watched the Hens top the Charlotte Knights Tuesday at Fifth Third Field. She is in town competing at this year's Jamie Farr Kroger Classic LPGA golf tournament.

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International League Stories from August 14, 2003

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