Days 61-70: Greg Maddux up, Cal Ripken down

Bill Marx's Monterrey Aztecs have the best run here, going 7-3 lately and are now locked atop the Central Division with the Henderson Rickeys.  Backwoods Bastards and Las Vegas both brought up the rear, with 3-7 records lately.  Just noticed the Bastards are 3-15 in one-run games, so I will refer to them as the 'hardluck' Bastards as often as I can!  Getting Jimmy With It is 0-6 in extra inning games so they too can get the 'hardluck' treatment.

For those following the HR chase (and I have been posting the Top 10 on the right side of this site after every ten-day set), you will need to be aware that seven games between the Fort Wayne Frosted Tips and the PED-Co Juicers were put on hold so that the two cousins can play them 'live' this weekend.  Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa are 7 games behind everyone else right now, so you can expect their totals to go up once those games are played and the teams catch up to the schedule.  By the way, Mr. Sosa, this is your wake-up call - your presence in the Great Home Run Chase of '98 is welcome, please join us soon!



Greg Maddux got no time for no haters!
 

Like always, there were great performances this set.  Shawn Green continued to bash the ball (.364, 4 HRs), Vinny Castilla heated up (.300 with 3 HRs and 11 RBIs), Tom Gordon starred in relief (2 saves, 1 win, and 6 shutout innings), Todd Walker is riding a 16 game hitting streak, but we will give Rocco's Greg Maddux the belt as Player Of This Block.  Maddux went 2-0, tossing 17 innings and only allowing 3 runs and 12 hits while striking out 15.  The control specialist also only walked 1 batter!

Vegas' Cal Ripken has had a bad stretch lately (4 for 35, .114)
 and appears to hit rock bottom here



 

Day 61  Goombies get a great debut from Greg Swindell and down the Rickeys, Mike Bordick gives Rocco a pair of doubles, The Big Hurt Frank Thomas slugs Verona to victory, and the Bastards clobber Jimmy 15-6.  Juan Gonzalez had a single, double, and home run, with 3 runs and 4 RBIs

Day 62  Bill Vanaman is a pitching genius as his other new starter, Tom Candiotti, shuts down the Rickeys, Greg Maddux holds the Fremonts to 1 run and 7 hits, Andy Ashby goes the distance for Monterrey, and the Bastards outlast Jimmy 3-2 in 13 innings.  Backwoods new acquisition Jose Canseco singled in the bottom of the 13th and stole third after a Brad Ausmus walk, finally coming home with the victory for his new mates after Fernando Vina ripped a single. 

Day 63  Vinny Castilla racked up 4 hits and 4 RBIs for the Dubliners, Bastards got homers from Juan Gone and Nom-ah to get past LV, and Jimmy Got With It to beat the Replicas 5-4

Day 64  Level-headed, sane John Rocker throw two shutout innings for Monterrey to earn his first win of the year, Greg Vaughn hits 2 dingers for Dublin, Vegas gets revenge on the Bastards 8-3, and John Smoltz threw a 5 hit shutout against Rocco to give Jimmy a 1-0 victory (a rare score indeed in this era!)

Day 65  David Justice impresses young Halle Berry with 2 mammoth home runs in a 12-10 slugfest that gave the cerebral John Rocker his second win, Mark McGwire goes deep for FW in their win over Dublin, Shawn Green has 4 RBIs as Brett Tomko and Jason Christianson blank the Bastards.  Always good to celebrate Lima Time as the colorful hurler struck out 13 as Getting Jimmy walloped Rocco 17-3.   21 hits for Jimmy, including 4 for 9-hole hitter Darren Lewis!

Day 66  J.D. Drew goes yard twice to give the Brooklyn Buttheads a much-needed win, Pete Harnisch tosses a three-htter for Henderson, Shannon Stewart knocks in four for Dublin,

Day 67  Goombies survive a Butthead comeback, Roger Clemens throws a three-hitter, Ken Griffey gets 4 hits for Vegas, and little used SS Craig Wilson from Monterrey goes wild, with 5 hits in 5 at bats, 3 runs, 2 HRs, and 5 RBIs!!!

Day 68  Brooklyn hurler Kevin Brown K's 13, Kelly Stinnett's 4 hits lead the Bastards to a win, Greg Maddux moves to 9-2, and Verona Ridge explodes for 4 runs in the 9th to defeat Monterrey 8-5!  The Roadrunners weren't the only club to stage an exciting comeback, the Backwoods Bastards were trailing Jimmy 7-6 with just one out left, when Jason Giambi homered, Cliff Floyd singled, stole second, and came home on a Kelly Stinnett hit!  

Day 69  Aztecs' Tom Glavine K'd 11 Roadrunners, Barry Bonds had three hits for Backwoods, and Midland tops Brooklyn 7-3.

Day 70  Monterrey's Andy Ashby went to 7-3 for the year, Albert Belle leads Rocco's offense in the 11-5 win over the Fremonts, and it was drama in the middle of Michigan as the Midland Goombies win in 10 innings, as Damon Buford lined a walk-off double scoring Dean Palmer!