FOOL-X 1988 Regular Season Thread

[Alan T]

We are soon to start the 28th season of FOOL-X baseball! I'll get the exports as soon as I'm done with the other league's file. Probably about 20-25 minutes.

In the meantime, today's stat of the day is the top seasons for pitchers striking out more batters than the number of hits they gave up.

More Strikeouts Than Hits Allowed
(Top 25 Players)

Player	Team	Year	K	H	Diff
José Ríos	ANN	1969	336	194	142
Iván Ordóñez	NY	1969	332	198	134
Iván Ordóñez	NY	1971	365	232	133
Henock Thuku	LON	1961	257	159	98
José Ríos	ANN	1972	330	238	92
Matt Hicks	LON	1969	284	192	92
Mauro Morales	SPG	1969	318	229	89
Iván Ordóñez	NY	1970	278	190	88
Henock Thuku	LON	1963	282	200	82
José Ríos	ANN	1973	325	250	75
Yann Bujold	LON	1971	291	217	74
Yann Bujold	LON	1973	284	212	72
Matt Hicks	LON	1965	259	187	72
José Ríos	ANN	1975	311	239	72
Yann Bujold	LON	1972	287	216	71
Matt Hicks	BOS	1971	235	164	71
Steve Watson	MEX	1970	169	99	70
José Ríos	ANN	1968	303	233	70
José Ríos	ANN	1974	325	256	69
Damien Desjardins	ANN	1969	163	95	68
Iván Ordóñez	NY	1977	262	196	66
John O'Quinn	IND	1966	142	78	64
Michel Pelletier	CLE	1984	148	85	63
Pedro Gómez	BAL	1966	151	88	63
José Ríos	ANN	1976	292	229	63

[Alan T]

Ok, sim time. getting exports now.

[Alan T]

Two salary cap violations, so going to be a few minutes to clean this up before we continue.

[CleBrownsfan]

Alan - I'll make the change now. Sorry!

[CleBrownsfan]

done -

[CleBrownsfan]

Nevermind - I didn't update league file

[Alan T]

Monday, April 4th, 1988

Washington Freedom: Signed free agent MR M. Salas to a 1-year contract worth a total of $872,000.

Washington Freedom: Signed free agent MR T. Cantrell to a 1-year contract worth a total of $347,000.

Washington Freedom: Signed free agent SS J. Simpson to a 1-year contract worth a total of $644,000.

Balzac Ticklers: Signed free agent MR L. Hernández to a 1-year contract worth a total of $1,237,000.

Maricopa Rattlers: Signed free agent 1B L. León to a 1-year contract worth a total of $607,000.

London Bishops: Signed free agent C W. Armstrong to a 5-year contract worth a total of $26,480,000.

Stafford Terriers: Signed free agent MR J. Sánchez to a 1-year contract worth a total of $1,709,000.

Cleveland Naps: Signed free agent RF T. Oliveira to a 3-year contract worth a total of $23,919,000.

Balzac Ticklers: Signed free agent 3B C. Carmichael to a 1-year contract worth a total of $622,000.

Havana Banana Sluggers: Signed free agent LF G. Catanzara to a 5-year contract worth a total of $25,470,640.

Balzac Ticklers: Signed free agent MR A. Romero to a minor league contract.

[Montreal_GM]

Good luck everyone. Hopefully my 3 man rotation works as well as it did last season.

[Alan T]

Ok, all set with all of the moves. Time to start up the season

[Alan T]

Minor League Systems
#	Team	Points	Top 5 Prospects
1st	Portland Axemen	172	C Á. Guerrero (3rd) , P G. Chon (5th) , CF J. Hernández (31st) , LF G. Speck (33rd) , C W. Pratt (46th)
2nd	Cumberland Defenders	153	P G. Wilson (1st) , RF S. Herrera (17th) , P B. Brown (21st) , P D. Vaughn (26th) , SS C. González (41st)
3rd	Spring Lions	150	C J. Júlio (2nd) , LF S. Flores (8th) , P W. Ramírez (36th) , P C. Sánchez (61st) , P J. Gómez (65th)
4th	Stafford Terriers	127	1B S. Hodge (6th) , P P. Hooper (18th) , C G. Miller (23rd) , 2B R. Toro (39th) , SS W. Shelton (59th)
5th	London Bishops	124	2B J. Carmona (4th) , P J. Ortíz (24th) , 1B B. Kamerman (29th) , P P. Hunt (32nd) , SS J. Fuller (57th)
6th	Havana Banana Sluggers	123	P A. Núñez (9th) , P J. Phillips (10th) , P J. Vega (16th) , P S. Hill (53rd) , RF J. Torres (76th)
7th	Washington Freedom	118	P S. García (19th) , 2B A. Tessier (28th) , 1B J. Lara (34th) , RF G. Bélanger (35th) , P J. Gil (37th)
8th	Maricopa Rattlers	110	LF J. Padilla (14th) , LF T. García (30th) , 2B B. Walker (47th) , P A. Griffin (48th) , C C. Robinson (51st)
9th	Ann Arbor Wolverines	87	LF M. Robinson (15th) , RF C. Linkletter (45th) , RF C. Wulms (50th) , P S. Chon (68th) , 3B E. Chigi (73rd)
10th	New York Legends	75	1B L. LaRouche (11th) , LF D. St.john (13th) , 3B K. Yamasaki (71st)
11th	Cleveland Naps	68	3B R. Peña (20th) , 2B B. Kenworthy (43rd) , C P. Salas (44th) , SS H. Watanabe (70th) , 2B J. Wallace (90th)
12th	Mexico City Aztecs	66	1B K. Cosman (7th) , RF J. Romero (49th) , P A. Alexander (60th) , 3B D. Valdéz (85th)
13th	Indianapolis Clowns	61	RF J. Torres (38th) , P Á. Ibarra (42nd) , SS M. Pinentel (54th) , P R. Polk (74th) , 3B F. Luna (75th)
14th	Virginia Beach Surf	59	3B A. Tovar (27th) , P F. Méndez (58th) , LF M. Castronovo (64th) , P A. Leger (77th) , 2B M. Imai (80th)
15th	Boston Resettlers	58	CF S. Barrios (22nd) , P B. Agámez (25th) , C E. Alcock (52nd)
16th	Balzac Ticklers	54	P P. Sánchez (12th) , 1B M. Gillingham (40th) , P J. Duncan (92nd)

[CleBrownsfan]

Originally Posted by Montreal_GM

Good luck everyone. Hopefully my 3 man rotation works as well as it did last season.

Thanks - you too! Looking for back to back championships

[Alan T]

Jackson on a Rampage, Hits for Cycle
Monday, April 11th, 1988: "It's too bad I can't do that every day," Larry Jackson said with a smile to reporters after today's game. "It would do wonders for my batting average." Jackson had every right to be in a good mood after hitting for the cycle today against Boston at Resettlers Ballpark. The Banana Sluggers won the ballgame 15-3, he hit for the cycle, had a 4-for-5 game and boosted his batting average up a few points. The 32-year-old Havana first baseman chalked up 2 RBI and 3 runs scored for the game, too.

Who says you can't have it all?

He told the press that a triple is the tough hit to get in a cycle. "As soon as it left the bat, guys jumped off the bench and were rooting hard for me to have enough gas to get there," Jackson said. "It was hard to enjoy it... I was breathing too hard... you got to really be in shape to run out a triple."

L. Jackson tripled in the 1st, singled in the 3rd, doubled in the 5th, struck out in the 7th and hit a two-run home run off L. Casillas in the 8th.

Looking at his stats this year, Jackson has compiled a .355 batting average, while hitting 2 home runs and driving in 7 runs. He has played in 8 games and scored 8 runs.

[Alan T]

Jordan Pitches Ann Arbor to Shutout Win
Thursday, April 14th, 1988: Floyd Jordan of the Ann Arbor Wolverines was masterful today, pitching a 2-hit 6-0 shutout against the Maricopa Rattlers and giving his bullpen a rest by going the distance.

According to his manager, "He had command of every ball and every pitch... great location, too." Jordan had 8 strikeouts and issued 5 walks in an impressive outing.

[Alan T]

Balzac Sutkamp Gets the Cycle
Saturday, April 23rd, 1988: The Balzac fans had a lot to cheer about today as Jamy Sutkamp hit for the cycle en route to a 11-5 victory over the Boston Resettlers. The 28-year-old left fielder led the way with 2 RBI and 4 hits.

J. Sutkamp flied out in the 1st, hit a two-run home run off J. Codne in the 3rd, doubled in the 5th, tripled in the 7th and singled in the 8th.

Posting a .308 batting average to date, Sutkamp has 6 home runs and 13 RBIs.

[Alan T]

Two cycles in the first month of the season!

[Alan T]

Lions Hurler Named April's #1 Starter
Sunday, May 1st, 1988: Despite the number of years he's been in the league, Charles MacIlleriach still gets excited when he puts together a quality stretch like he had in April. The 32-year-old starter for Spring was named Republic League Pitcher of the Month earlier today.

He collected 6 wins and no losses with 34 strikeouts in his 6 starts, putting up a fine 2.59 ERA in 48.2 innings of work.


Salas Premier Pitcher in April
Sunday, May 1st, 1988: Manny Salas's been around the league long enough to appreciate the honor he received today. After going 5-3 in April, the 35-year-old Mexico City hurler has been named Continental League Pitcher of the Month.

He fanned 20 in 50.1 innings, logged an ERA of 2.68 and allowed opponents to hit .211 against him.

[Alan T]

Gamblin Takes Best Bat Trophy in April
Sunday, May 1st, 1988: When guys like Spring's Duncan Gamblin win Batter of the Month awards, it just makes you feel good. In a productive April, the longtime Republic League veteran toyed with opposing pitchers all month long, collecting 36 hits in 100 at-bats.

The veteran right fielder hit for a .360 batting average and collected 8 home runs, 31 RBIs and 22 runs scored.


Jackson Snags CL Batting Honor in April
Sunday, May 1st, 1988: Larry Jackson battered Continental League pitchers all April and wound up taking home the Batter of the Month Award.

"I've been around FOOL-X long enough to know you really have to work hard day in and day out to be able to put up this kind of consistency," the 33-year-old Jackson told reporters. "I put in a lot of work, even on the days I may not take the field and it's always nice when everything comes together for me like it did this last month."

In 24 games, Jackson hit .380 with 11 home runs, 29 RBIs and scored 27 runs.

[spot]

Originally Posted by Alan T

Two cycles in the first month of the season!

Both against the Settlers!

[Alan T]

RL Selects Rookie Star of the Month
Sunday, May 1st, 1988: Youngster Hideki Watanabe emerged as the latest Republic League Rookie of the Month today. The young man from Cleveland deserved the honor, batting .351 with 1 home run and 9 runs batted in. Is the month of April a harbinger of things to come or just a fluke? We'll find out someday, but for now, we'll just let Watanabe enjoy the limelight.

Continental League Names Rookie of Month
Sunday, May 1st, 1988: Kyle Cosman is still a bit shy, but then, who could blame the newest Continental League Rookie of the Month honoree? He hasn't been around the league long enough to fully know the ropes yet, despite the fact that he's putting up veteran-like numbers.

In April the Mexico City hitter tagged opposing pitching for a .226 average with 19 hits, 1 home run and 14 RBIs.

[Alan T]

May 1st, 1988:

Continental League Standings

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 Balzac Ticklers 16 9 .640 - 18-7 -2 12-4 4-5 0-2 2-3 138 W5 9-1 London Bishops 16 9 .640 - 16-9 0 7-5 9-4 2-0 4-3 138 W1 7-3 Washington Freedom 14 10 .583 1.5 13-11 1 7-2 7-8 1-1 7-3 W1 5-5 Havana Banana Sluggers 13 11 .542 2.5 15-9 -2 6-2 7-9 0-0 2-3 L2 6-4 Mexico City Aztecs 12 12 .500 3.5 14-10 -2 6-5 6-7 0-1 2-8 L5 1-9 Indianapolis Clowns 11 13 .458 4.5 10-14 1 8-7 3-6 0-0 3-2 L1 3-7 Boston Resettlers 9 17 .346 7.5 8-18 1 9-11 0-6 1-0 3-4 L1 6-4 Stafford Terriers 7 17 .292 8.5 6-18 1 3-4 4-13 0-0 5-2 W2 4-6

Republic League Standings

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 Spring Lions 15 9 .625 - 15-9 0 3-4 12-5 1-0 2-4 138 W1 7-3 Ann Arbor Wolverines 15 10 .600 .5 14-11 1 11-5 4-5 1-0 4-2 W2 8-2 Maricopa Rattlers 14 11 .560 1.5 14-11 0 8-4 6-7 2-1 5-4 W1 6-4 Cleveland Naps 13 13 .500 3.0 13-13 0 12-8 1-5 1-1 3-3 L1 5-5 Portland Axemen 12 12 .500 3.0 12-12 0 7-8 5-4 1-2 6-2 W2 5-5 Cumberland Defenders 11 13 .458 4.0 11-13 0 4-7 7-6 0-0 3-2 L1 5-5 New York Legends 10 14 .417 5.0 10-14 0 3-5 7-9 1-1 2-4 L6 3-7 Virginia Beach Surf 8 16 .333 7.0 9-15 -1 5-4 3-12 0-2 0-4 L7 1-9

[Alan T]

League Leaders AVG J. Tobor - LON .486 2 D. Norman MEX .419 3 B. Didkowsky IND .404 4 S. Dunbar ANN .391 5 J. Rodgers IND .385	League Leaders HR 2 tied with 11 1 L. Arroyo BAL 11 1 L. Jackson HBS 11 3 J. Rodgers IND 10 4 P. Maganda IND 9	League Leaders RBI 2 tied with 34 1 P. Moreno LON 34 1 J. Rodgers IND 34 3 D. Gamblin SPG 31 4 2 tied with 30
League Leaders W C. MacIlleriach - SPG 6 2 M. Salas MEX 5 3 C. Bardino ANN 4 3 J. Codne BOS 4 3 4 more tied with 4	League Leaders ERA J. Morán - POR 1.35 2 J. González BAL 1.78 3 M. Hartman HBS 2.16 4 A. Tarungo WAS 2.30 5 J. López MAR 2.52	League Leaders K 2 tied with 45 1 C. Bardino ANN 45 1 B. Kuhn MEX 45 3 J. Codne BOS 44 4 A. Saldaña CLE 43

[Alan T]

Legends Clark Gets No-Hitter
Thursday, May 5th, 1988: Stephen Clark was unhittable today as he beat the Axemen 11-0. The New York pitcher breezed through the Portland lineup and got himself a no-hitter. Clark had them talking to themselves as he struck out 5 and issued 3 walks in an outstanding performance at Legends Ballpark.

His catcher said to reporters after the game, "He started off slow. He didn't have command of anything in the first three innings, but lucked his way through them. The Axemen really helped him out by not being patient... they hit a lot of first pitches. Then it all came together in the fourth. From there on, the Axemen never had a chance. He dominated them."

Clark has made 6 starts, tossed 37.2 innings, struck out 18 batters and walked 11. His record is 2-3 with a 4.30 ERA and he has limited other teams to a .194 batting average.

[Alan T]

Only the second no-hitter this decade.

[Alan T]

Sutkamp Has Hot Hand, Bangs 6 hits
Monday, May 9th, 1988: It was a magical day at the plate for the Ticklers Jamy Sutkamp. The 28-year-old left fielder helped lift Balzac to a 16-4 win over the Boston Resettlers today at Resettlers Ballpark. Sutkamp smacked 6 hits in 6 at-bats to spark his club to victory.

J. Sutkamp singled in the 2nd, hit an RBI single in the 3rd, doubled in the 5th, hit an RBI single in the 6th, walked in the 7th, hit a two-run single in the 8th and hit a two-run single in the 9th.

Thus far this season in 33 games Sutkamp is batting .370 with 9 home runs, 33 RBIs and 28 runs scored. He has 44 hits in 119 at-bats.

[Alan T]

Sutkamp loves himself some Boston pitching it seems.

[Alan T]

Axemen Cho Chosen May's Best in RL
Wednesday, June 1st, 1988: It was a very good month for Kan-goo Cho in May. The 37-year-old veteran starter for the Portland Axemen outpitched everybody -- young and old -- to claim the Republic League Pitcher of the Month award earlier today.

Cho ran up a 6-1 record in his 8 starts during the month. In 55.2 innings he fanned 37 and recorded a 2.91 ERA.

Over the season Cho has thrown 94.1 innings and dished out 74 strikeouts with a 8-2 mark and a 3.82 ERA.


De Jesús Collects CL Pitching Award
Wednesday, June 1st, 1988: António De Jesús took home the Continental League Pitcher of the Month honors in May. After all these years playing ball, the 36-year-old veteran still enjoys the game as though he'd just broken camp for the first time a month ago. He's a bit older now with a few more aches and pains, but the old man has reason to celebrate, having gone 5-1 for Mexico City last month and claiming the Pitcher of the Month award.

He tacked up a 1.78 ERA in his 9 starts, tossing 50.2 innings and striking out 37.

This year De Jesús has a 7-5 record and a 3.03 ERA.

[Alan T]

RL Announces Outstanding Batter Award
Wednesday, June 1st, 1988: Today Virginia Beach's Bartolo Liriano was named the Republic League Batter of the Month for May. He punished RL hurlers hard all month long, collecting 39 hits in 112 at-bats.

With a .348 batting average, 9 home runs, 24 RBIs and 26 runs scored, he was an easy choice.

This season Liriano has hit at a .332 clip with 39 RBIs, 14 home runs and 48 runs scored. He has played in 53 games.


Jerry Helms Selected May's Best Batter
Wednesday, June 1st, 1988: Seasoned by several years of professional experience, 30-year-old Jerry Helms put together a solid offensive month for Boston and was crowned May's top batter in the Continental League.

He batted .339 with 12 home runs, 39 RBIs and 26 runs scored.



So far this season Helms is batting .335 with 14 home runs.

[Alan T]

Rookie Reaps Reward This Month
Wednesday, June 1st, 1988: Rubén Peña was toddling around on his tricycle when some of the guys he's playing against were in their prime, but the 25-year-old third baseman definitely knows how to get to first, second or beyond. Today he was chosen May's Republic League Rookie of the Month for his remarkable month of hitting.

In 28 games Peña batted .277 for Cleveland, slapping 28 hits in 101 at-bats with 5 home runs, drove in 22 runs and scored 14 times.

Currently Peña has 11 home runs and a .262 batting average.


Cosman Wins May's Rookie Award
Wednesday, June 1st, 1988: Kyle Cosman's eyes seem to light up whenever he sees the baseball. The young Mexico City first baseman has been hitting everything in sight for the better part of a month.

In May he was voted the Rookie of the Month Award.

During the month he hit .404 with 12 doubles, 1 triple and 4 home runs. Cosman also scored 22 times and drove in 27 runs.

So far in 1988 Cosman is batting .326 with 5 home runs, 41 RBIs and 36 runs scored. He has 63 hits in 193 at-bats and a .439 OBP.

[Alan T]

Continental League Standings

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 London Bishops 33 18 .647 - 34-17 -1 18-10 15-8 3-0 8-5 110 L2 7-3 Balzac Ticklers 33 20 .623 1.0 36-17 -3 18-5 15-15 1-5 5-7 W2 5-5 Mexico City Aztecs 31 21 .596 2.5 34-18 -3 14-10 17-11 2-2 5-9 W2 7-3 Washington Freedom 30 23 .566 4.0 28-25 2 17-10 13-13 1-2 9-8 W4 6-4 Havana Banana Sluggers 29 24 .547 5.0 29-24 0 17-8 12-16 4-1 9-3 L2 6-4 Indianapolis Clowns 22 31 .415 12.0 21-32 1 14-13 8-18 1-0 5-6 L2 3-7 Boston Resettlers 18 36 .333 16.5 17-37 1 12-18 6-18 1-1 5-8 L5 2-8 Stafford Terriers 15 38 .283 19.0 15-38 0 7-20 8-18 1-3 8-8 W2 4-6

Republic League Standings

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 Maricopa Rattlers 32 19 .627 - 31-20 1 18-10 14-9 4-2 11-6 107 L2 6-4 Portland Axemen 29 24 .547 4.0 27-26 2 16-11 13-13 1-5 9-5 W1 6-4 Cleveland Naps 29 25 .537 4.5 29-25 0 19-11 10-14 2-2 5-5 W2 5-5 Ann Arbor Wolverines 28 25 .528 5.0 27-26 1 14-9 14-16 2-0 9-7 L1 4-6 New York Legends 26 27 .491 7.0 29-24 -3 13-12 13-15 1-4 4-9 L2 6-4 Spring Lions 26 27 .491 7.0 29-24 -3 11-16 15-11 2-0 5-7 L2 7-3 Cumberland Defenders 22 30 .423 10.5 19-33 3 10-14 12-16 3-0 6-5 W2 3-7 Virginia Beach Surf 19 34 .358 14.0 21-32 -2 11-16 8-18 1-3 3-8 W2 3-7

[Alan T]

League Leaders AVG J. Tobor - LON .405 2 D. Norman MEX .395 3 G. Catanzara HBS .372 4 B. Moore BOS .369 5 J. Sutkamp BAL .368	League Leaders HR I. Adjo - HBS 20 2 V. Pérez ANN 19 3 L. Jackson HBS 17 4 L. Arroyo BAL 16 4 J. Rodgers IND 16	League Leaders RBI A. Méndez - LON 63 2 J. Helms BOS 60 3 L. Jackson HBS 59 4 I. Adjo HBS 58 5 P. Moreno LON 57
League Leaders W C. MacIlleriach - SPG 9 2 K. Cho POR 8 2 J. Codne BOS 8 2 J. López MAR 8 2 M. Salas MEX 8	League Leaders ERA A. Tarungo - WAS 2.11 2 M. Salas MEX 2.15 3 J. López MAR 2.36 4 J. Morán POR 2.47 5 A. De Jesús MEX 3.03	League Leaders K B. Kuhn - MEX 98 2 C. Bardino ANN 86 3 J. Codne BOS 82 4 I. Rivera IND 81 5 2 tied with 80

[Alan T]

7-Hit Barrage by Stewart
Wednesday, June 8th, 1988: Roy Stewart had an answer for everything the Boston Resettlers threw him today in the Balzac 30-4 triumph at The Tickle Trunk. He made good contact 7 times and 7 times he drilled the ball for a base hit.

The Balzac catcher went 7 for 7 in the game to put his name in the record book.

Summing up his batting philosophy to BNN writers after the game, Stewart said, "I just see the ball and I hit it."

R. Stewart singled in the 1st, singled in the 2nd, singled in the 3rd, hit a three-run home run off D. Bausi in the 4th, hit a two-run single in the 5th, hit a three-run home run off A. Miranda in the 6th, walked in the 7th and hit a two-run home run off J. Pérez in the 8th.

Looking at his present stats, Stewart has compiled a .361 batting average in 60 games with a .428 on-base percentage, while hitting 11 home runs and driving in 50 runs.

[Alan T]

Gómez Touches All the Bases, Hits for Cycle
Wednesday, June 8th, 1988: 4 hits is a great day for any player, but when they come in four different denominations, that's a cycle -- a rarity by baseball's standards. José Gómez had a single, double, triple and home run for the London Bishops and led them to a 15-2 decision over Havana at Banana Sluggers Ballpark with 3 runs scored and 4 RBI.

J. Gómez hit a solo-shot off J. Márquez in the 2nd, tripled in the 3rd, walked in the 5th, hit a three-run double in the 6th, grounded out in the 7th and singled in the 9th.

Thus far this year Gómez is batting .348 with 3 home runs, 42 RBIs and 33 runs scored.

[Alan T]

Tanguay Beats Ticklers for 200th Win
Monday, June 20th, 1988: His goal at twenty was to win twenty games one year, pitch until he was thirty, win the league pennant and to make some money. Well, Jérôme Tanguay did something even better -- the 36-year-old Stafford Terriers star has now won 200 games in his career. That put him in a very select group of pitchers.

He joined that exclusive club today at Constitution Plaza by whipping the Balzac Ticklers 4-3, holding them to 9 hits in 6 innings while chalking up 4 strikeouts and no walks.

In the postgame interview, the modest Tanguay said, "It's special to win 200 games. You don't do it by yourself. You do it with good stuff and a good bullpen. You are only as good as the guys behind you. Years from now I might look back on it and give myself a little pat on the back."

In his career Tanguay has gone 200-189 with an ERA of 4.17, picking up 2331 strikeouts in 3418 innings pitched.

[Alan T]

Washington's Elliott Reaches 2000 Hits
Tuesday, June 28th, 1988: Rudy Elliott started out as a baby-faced rookie many seasons ago. Yesterday at Estadio Azteca the Washington veteran joined the league's 2000-hit club. Elliott achieved that milestone with a 2-for-4 day in the Freedom 5-2 win over the Mexico City Aztecs.

He spoke to reporters in the clubhouse after the game and said, "Looking at the list of all the great players who have done this is humbling. It is a great honor to be among them."

Elliott has a career .333 batting average with a .418 OBP. He has hit 159 homers, driven in 964 runs and scored 1099 runs since he came into the league.

[Alan T]

June's #1 Starter Named in RL
Friday, July 1st, 1988: Júlio Morán really put his best foot forward in June with 6 wins and 1 loss and walked off with the Pitcher of the Month honors in the Republic League. When he got the start for the Portland Axemen, it was good news for his club, but bad news for the opposition.

In 45.2 innings of work, Morán limited opposing batters to 42 base hits and a .241 batting average. He notched 34 strikeouts, issued 9 walks and had a 1.97 ERA.

This season Morán has fanned 108 in 133 innings and collected a 13-3 record with a 2.30 ERA.


Reliever Lépine June's Pitcher of the Month
Friday, July 1st, 1988: When Mexico City reliever Guillaume Lépine strolled in from the bullpen in June, it did not bode well for the opposing team. He usually put a quick end to any budding rally. For his excellent mound work he was named the Continental League Pitcher of the Month.

The Aztecs reliever had no saves for the month with a 4-0 record and 3.00 ERA. He made 18 relief appearances, hurled 18 innings, yielded 17 hits, fanned 19 and walked 8.

So far this season, in 52 relief appearances Lépine has compiled an ERA of 3.23. He has pitched 53 innings, struck out 61, walked 38 and registered 3 saves.

[Alan T]

RL Announces Best Batter Award
Friday, July 1st, 1988: Virginia Beach left fielder Bartolo Liriano certainly turned heads in June with some impressive numbers. He batted .385 for the month and was voted the Republic League Batter of the Month award.

He banged 10 home runs, collected 22 RBIs, scored 22 times and put up a .508 on-base percentage.

Presently Liriano is batting .348 and has collected 24 home runs, 61 RBIs, .471 OBP and scored 70 runs.

Balzac's Guevara Acclaimed Best CL Hitter
Friday, July 1st, 1988: Balzac right fielder Héctor Guevara was certainly bad news for pitchers in the month of June. He wore them out going 39 for 112 and was rewarded with the Continental League Batter of the Month award.

He hit .348 with 8 home runs, 36 RBIs and scored 31 runs.

A look at his current stats shows Guevara with a .326 average, 22 home runs, 89 RBIs and 73 runs scored. He has played in 80 games.

[Alan T]

Sensational Month for RL Rookie
Friday, July 1st, 1988: A veritable toddler to the Republic League, Javier Júlio just sewed up the Rookie of the Month trophy for June.

Over the past month the 25-year-old catcher for Spring hit .429 with 42 hits, 4 home runs and 25 RBI. He also logged 19 walks and compiled a .517 on-base percentage.

Hitting .273 to date, Júlio has 6 home runs and 56 RBIs. He has played in 78 games.


Cosman Named June's #1 Newcomer
Friday, July 1st, 1988: Kyle Cosman earned June's Rookie of the Month honors in the Continental League for last month's performance. The boyish Mexico City first baseman might be wet behind the ears, but he's proving that he has what it takes to play at this level.

Cosman hit .398 with 4 home runs, 31 RBIs and 27 runs scored this past month on his way to winning the award.

This season Cosman has 9 home runs and a .350 batting average.

[Montreal_GM]

That's 3 POM Awards from 3 different pitchers, one being a reliever.

[Alan T]

July 1st, 1988:

Continental League Standings

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 London Bishops 53 25 .679 - 50-28 3 29-13 24-12 5-1 13-7 80 W2 6-4 Balzac Ticklers 50 30 .625 4.0 56-24 -6 27-11 23-19 3-5 7-9 W3 6-4 Mexico City Aztecs 47 32 .595 6.5 53-26 -6 23-16 24-16 3-4 7-12 W2 6-4 Washington Freedom 40 39 .506 13.5 39-40 1 21-16 19-23 1-3 9-11 L1 4-6 Havana Banana Sluggers 40 41 .494 14.5 42-39 -2 23-15 17-26 6-3 12-7 L2 5-5 Indianapolis Clowns 34 46 .425 20.0 32-48 2 18-22 16-24 4-2 7-9 L3 2-8 Stafford Terriers 28 52 .350 26.0 30-50 -2 12-28 16-24 4-6 14-11 L1 6-4 Boston Resettlers 27 54 .333 27.5 25-56 2 16-29 11-25 1-3 7-10 L3 5-5

Republic League Standings

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 Maricopa Rattlers 49 29 .628 - 49-29 0 29-13 20-16 5-2 17-12 79 W1 4-6 Spring Lions 45 35 .563 5.0 47-33 -2 20-20 25-15 2-1 9-9 W1 6-4 Cleveland Naps 42 39 .519 8.5 41-40 1 25-20 17-19 3-4 9-6 W1 5-5 Ann Arbor Wolverines 41 39 .512 9.0 39-41 2 21-17 20-22 3-0 13-9 L1 7-3 Portland Axemen 40 40 .500 10.0 40-40 0 23-17 17-23 2-7 11-10 W1 5-5 New York Legends 39 42 .481 11.5 45-36 -6 19-19 20-23 1-6 7-14 L1 6-4 Cumberland Defenders 37 42 .468 12.5 34-45 3 20-19 17-23 6-0 9-9 L1 5-5 Virginia Beach Surf 26 53 .329 23.5 27-52 -1 16-21 10-32 1-3 5-11 L2 2-8

[Alan T]

League Leaders AVG P. Moreno - LON .388 2 G. Rivera LON .374 3 R. Álvarez LON .372 4 J. Tobor LON .366 5 G. Harris NY .362	League Leaders HR I. Adjo - HBS 33 2 V. Pérez ANN 26 3 J. Rodgers IND 25 4 B. Liriano VIR 24 4 C. Pagán BOS 24	League Leaders RBI A. Méndez - LON 96 2 I. Adjo HBS 94 3 J. Helms BOS 91 4 J. Sutkamp BAL 90 5 2 tied with 89
League Leaders W J. Morán - POR 13 2 J. Codne BOS 12 2 C. MacIlleriach SPG 12 4 J. López MAR 11 5 4 tied with 10	League Leaders ERA J. Morán - POR 2.30 2 J. López MAR 2.43 3 S. Clark NY 2.60 4 A. Tarungo WAS 3.13 5 J. Rojas MAR 3.24	League Leaders K B. Kuhn - MEX 146 2 C. Bardino ANN 121 3 J. Codne BOS 114 3 I. Rivera IND 114 5 C. MacIlleriach SPG 109

[Montreal_GM]

C'mon Mexico City. I want domination!

[Alan T]

250 Victories for Ann Arbor's Carlos Bardino
Sunday, July 3rd, 1988: Carlos Bardino of the Ann Arbor Wolverines pitched his way into the exclusive 250-win club today at Ann Arbor Grounds by stopping the New York Legends 4-1. In his historic outing, he surrendered 10 hits and 1 run in 9 innings with 2 strikeouts and no walks.

With a huge grin on his face, the 37-year-old Bardino told reporters after the game, "Now I got to get real busy -- and start working on my next 250 wins."

In all, Bardino has compiled a 250-146 mark during his career and a 3.50 ERA.

[Alan T]

FOOLX News: The All-Star Game Rosters Have Been Announced
Sunday, July 10th, 1988: The votes are tallied and the players have been chosen -- all that's left is to "Play Ball"! It's time once again for the midyear classic where the league's premier performers come together to show their skill and talent. The All-Stars from the Continental League and the Republic League are set to tangle to determine which league is the best.

The roster for the Continental League is:


SP M. Salas (MEX)
SP A. De Jesús (MEX)
SP B. Kuhn (MEX)
SP P. Sánchez (BAL)
SP A. Tarungo (WAS)
SP E. Miller (WAS)
MR J. Somers (BAL)
CL J. LaRochelle (HBS)
MR G. Lépine (MEX)
MR R. Salas (BAL)
MR J. López (STA)
MR J. López (BAL)
LF J. Sutkamp (BAL)
3B J. Rodgers (IND)
RF P. Maganda (IND)
CF L. Arroyo (BAL)
1B R. Álvarez (LON)
C R. Stewart (BAL)
C W. Armstrong (LON)
2B D. Martin (IND)
SS R. Graham (BAL)
LF A. Méndez (LON)
RF P. Moreno (LON)
LF B. Moore (BOS)
RF J. Helms (BOS)
1B K. Cosman (MEX)
3B G. Rivera (LON)
1B B. Didkowsky (IND)


The roster for the Republic League is:


SP J. Morán (POR)
SP C. MacIlleriach (SPG)
SP J. López (MAR)
SP C. Bardino (ANN)
SP S. Clark (NY)
SP K. Cho (POR)
CL G. Pajetta (CLE)
CL A. Gilbert (MAR)
MR K. Sun (MAR)
CL J. McKay (VIR)
MR I. Sosa (NY)
CL E. Vaughn (POR)
LF B. Liriano (VIR)
1B S. Dunbar (ANN)
3B X. Wu (MAR)
RF D. Gamblin (SPG)
SS A. Navarro (MAR)
CF T. Esparza (POR)
2B J. Bonuz (POR)
C E. Danton (ANN)
C J. Júlio (SPG)
LF G. Harris (NY)
1B R. Sebastian (SPG)
1B J. Martínez (VIR)
RF N. Jones (CMB)
1B L. Alexander (CLE)
LF H. Kani (CMB)
RF J. Uribe (SPG)

[Alan T]

Wu Hittin' on All Cylinders
Sunday, July 10th, 1988: At Rattlers Ballpark today Xian Wu led Maricopa to a 9-4 victory over the Lions by hitting for the cycle, one of baseball's most difficult feats.

The Rattlers third baseman told reporters after the game, "Most people think the triple is the hardest one to get, but today, it was the homer... because the ball wasn't carrying. When I took it deep, I expected the ball to die on the warning track. Seeing the umpire give me the signal to circle the bases was sweet."

In addition to going 4-5, Wu chalked up 5 runs batted in and scored 2 runs in an exceptional performance.

X. Wu singled in the 1st, tripled in the 3rd, hit a three-run home run off H. Han in the 4th, hit a two-run double in the 5th and grounded out in the 7th.

This season Wu is swinging the bat at a .342 rate with 120 hits in 351 at-bats. To date he has hit 19 home runs, scored 68 runs and driven in 73.

[CleBrownsfan]

ummmm London has a pretty good hitting for Avg. team

[Alan T]

300 Homers for Pérez
Sunday, July 17th, 1988: At Ann Arbor Grounds Vicente Pérez smashed his 300th career home run in a game against Cumberland today. The 31-year-old first baseman had a hand in the Ann Arbor Wolverines 17-3 victory with 1 home run and 5 runs batted in. For the day he went 4 hits-4 at-bats.

At the press conference after the game, Pérez downplayed his achievement.

"Obviously, I've hit 300 home runs so I belong in that 300 club. But when you talk about the other guys that have done it, I'm not as good as they were. Those guys were the greatest of all time. I've just been able to scrape together some good years and stayed healthy and gotten there."

Lifetime Pérez has played in 1183 games, batted .274 with 300 home runs and 1220 base hits.

[Alan T]

Maganda Reaches 2500 Milestone
Wednesday, July 20th, 1988: Pedro Maganda has gone through many bats during his playing career. None of them means as much to him as the one he used to crack career hit number 2500 at Constitution Plaza yesterday.

The 35-year-old Clowns right fielder told reporters after the game, "I plan to keep this bat at home in my own private Hall of Fame."

It was a happy day for Maganda from the standpoint of the 2500-hit milestone, but a little disappointing, too. Despite his achievement, Indianapolis dropped the contest to the Stafford Terriers 6-4.

For the day Maganda finished the day with 2 hits in 4 at-bats.

His numbers show Maganda is carrying a .303 lifetime batting average with 394 home runs and 1277 RBIs.

[Alan T]

López Shackles Cumberland
Friday, July 22nd, 1988: It was a long day at the plate for the Cumberland Defenders. They never did figure out José López and were shut out 10-0. The Maricopa hurler baffled them the entire game, yielding no runs and 2 hits in a very well-pitched outing. López also totaled 11 strikeouts and 1 walk in the game.

This year in 20 starts, López has recorded 12 wins and absorbed 3 losses. He has pitched 142 innings, allowed 126 hits, struck out 129 and has a 2.47 ERA.

[Alan T]

Red-Hot Sykes Scorches Resettlers
Saturday, July 30th, 1988: Havana defeated Boston today at Banana Sluggers Ballpark. The highlight of the game was right fielder Joe Sykes. His hitting heroics included a 7-7 day, paving the way for a Banana Sluggers 26-11 triumph over the Resettlers.

J. Sykes singled in the 1st, hit an RBI single in the 3rd, hit a two-run home run off A. Martínez in the 4th, hit an RBI single in the 5th, hit an RBI single in the 6th, hit a two-run single in the 7th and hit an RBI single in the 8th.

Sykes is hitting .322 this year with 9 home runs and 68 RBIs. He also has an OBP of .397, 50 walks and scored 81 times.

[Alan T]

Ann Arbor Hopeless Against Suárez
Saturday, July 30th, 1988: After his 4-0 shutout win against the Wolverines, Gabriel Suárez said, "I went out there to try and eat up innings and help out our bullpen. I felt I had my good stuff... and it turned out my command was solid and my breaking balls were good."

They were better than good as the Rattlers pitcher put up 7 strikeouts, surrendered 2 walks, allowed 2 hits and kept the bullpen phone quiet all day long.

On the season Suárez has compiled a 13-4 mark with a 4.11 ERA in 21 starts. In pitching 151 innings he has 118 strikeouts and 31 walks while limiting the opposition to a .271 batting average.