Weekly Report: July 13, 1931

The streaking Bears challenged the Guardians for the UA West lead this week. The White Sox looked to widen their lead as baseball’s top team while the Stars and Stags fought to catch them in the UA East.

The 4th UA All-Star Game is just over a week away, on Tuesday, July 21 in Deerborn. Rosters for the East and West All-Stars will be announced this Sunday. There’s still time to vote for your favorite UA players at all UA and NPL ballparks and at participating picture houses around the country. All-Star voting closes after this Friday.

The NPL made waves in their first year player draft this year. Several top young prospects surprised the UA by foregoing the elder league and registering only for the NPL’s draft. It seems that NPL commissioner Shannon Mukai’s dream of competing directly with the UA could be closer to a reality than most gave him credit for when he started the new league last summer. The Trimble Toppers took infielder Leland Mason out of Delle University as the first overall pick.

(Jump to UA Standings & League Leaders)

(Jump to NPL Standings & League Leaders)

UA News:

7/6:

• Redwood’s 25-year old SP Jimmie Abbott learns that his elbow ligament is badly damaged and that his career is over. Abbott and the Owls were shocked by the news. “I looked at every avenue to return and the doctors tell me I won’t ever be able to throw the same. My heart is broken. There’s nothing I can do,” said the pitcher when he made the announcement to the press.
• Taawa beats the Stags, 5-4, to take 2 of 3 in the series. The Chargers have now won 3 of their last 4. Roland 1B Francisco Kosgei did not start after leaving yesterday’s game with back spasms, but he did pinch hit in the 6th inning and showed no signs of discomfort.
• Northsouth beats Prissley, 4-2, for the series sweep. The Guardians remain the top team in the West.
• Platte CF Stan Davis goes 2 for 4 with his 7th home run and 4 RBI as the Bears avoid being swept at home with an 8-1 romp over the White Sox.
• Salvation RF Mike Wilson’s sac fly give the Brothers a 3-2 walk-off win over the Miners.

7/7:

• Northsouth LHP Jordan Morris allows just 2 hits and strikes out 7 in 5 IP; RF Brad Bailey’s sprained elbow can’t keep him from a 2 HR day; 1B Cal Oluoch hits 2 HR of his own as Northsouth stomps the Rivals in Railey, 7-2. Oluoch now has 14 on the year.
• White Sox RHP Mathew Huertata’s season of dominance continues. He strikes out 9 in 8 innings as Deerborn tops Taawa, 3-2.
• Salvation LF Andy Thompson’s sprained knee doesn’t seem to hinder his abilities at the plate. He drives in 5 runs with a single, a triple, and a home run, but the Trail Blazers edge the Brothers, 11-10. Prissley LF Juan Tumaini drives in 4 runs and takes the UA lead with his 15th HR of the year in the win.
• Platte RHP Adam Evans strikes out 8 in 7 innings in the Bears’ 6-2 win over Redwood.
• Lia Kompos pounds Delle , 8-1. Miners 3B Hichem Colle twists his ankle throwing the ball and is questionable over the next few days.

7/8:

• It’s only July 8, and Stars 3B Mario Olivo has doubled his previous career HR total, smashing his 12th today in the Stars’ 6-4 win at Lia Kompos.
• The Chargers beat the the first-place White Sox in 11 innings, 3-2. Taawa is 4-4 so far in July. They also have the best defensive efficiency of any team so far this year. Could they be turning things around?
• Stags LHP Victor Silva seems to be the breakout star of Roland’s rotation in 1931. He strikes out 8 and allows just 4 hits in 7 scoreless innings as Roland shuts out the Herders, 2-0. Jose Lia Tinta’s 2-run walk-off shot is the only scoring in the pitcher’s duel.
• The Brothers put up an incredible 21 runs on 26 hits against the lowly Prissley Trail Blazers. The Salvation outfield tees off on Prissley pitching: LF Andy Thompson is 3 for 5 with 5 RBI, CF Howard Tenney is 4 for 7 with 6 RBI, and RF Curt Lawson is 4 for 7 with a double and a home run for 4 RBI in the 21-2 beating.
• Bears RH SP Will Shufflebottom strikes out 8 in 8 scoreless innings against his former team; CF Stan Davis stays hot with 2 HR for 4 RBI in Platte’s 9-0 win over the Owls.

7/9:

• A long wait usually means bad news, and that’s the case for Brothers SP Jon Robertson, who learns today that his season is over after test results show a stretched elbow ligament that will require surgery. In 6 starts this year, he’s struck out 39 batters with a 2-1 record and a 1.73 ERA. The Salvation Brothers are having the worst season of their existence, and this news certainly does not brighten the outlook.
• The Rivals beat the Guardians, 6-2, taking 2 of 3 in the series against the top team in the West.
• Herders LF Wassim Quille strokes 3 doubles for 4 RBI in Cherricaw’s 7-4 win over the Stags. Stags starter Salim Mujer leaves with a sore wrist, but is expected to make his next start. Roland has now dropped 2 series in a row to teams with losing records as they try to keep pace with the White Sox in the East.
• Prissley wins the rubber match over Salvation on a walk-off single by 2B Gerald Lewis, part of his 3-for-4 day.
• Deerborn brings the hammer down on Taawa, 7-1, to take the rubber match in the series. Bob Hove goes deep twice and Curt Sawyer hits his 15th HR of the year in the win. Taawa RHP Don Montgomery and Deerborn C Jerry Marquez are ejected in the 2nd inning after a Montgomery bean ball following a 2-run home run by Hove leads to a fight between the two players. Marquez is suspended for 5 games, Montgomery will miss 6.
• Bears starter Juan Kutakoto pitches 7.2 3-hit innings as the Bears beat the Owls, 5-1. Bears CF Stan Davis hits another homer, his 10th. Platte sweeps Redwood. The Bears have won 4 in a row, and trail the Guardians by just 2 games in the West.

7/11:

• Bears LHP Craig Ogg and Guardians RHP James Beach square off in a pitcher’s duel in Platte. Ogg strikes out 9 in 7.2 scoreless innings. The Bears go on to win in 13 innings on 2B Jonathan Kapkobi’s walk-off RBI double. This was Kapkobi’s first game back since missing almost a week with a “dead arm.” The Bears are now just a game behind the Guardians in the West.
• The White Sox are the first team to 30 wins, beating the Herders, 9-4. Deerborn RF Curt Sawyer hits 2 HR to bring his league-leading total to 17.
• Andy Thompson stays red-hot despite his sprained knee. Tonight, the oft-ailing Brothers leftfielder hits 2 more home runs to bring his total to 7 since returning from injury on June 24. Salvation beats Railey, 5-3.
• Taawa veteran SP Ricardo Molina continues to be plagued with injuries, leaving today’s game against the Owls with a mild hamstring strain. He is expected make his next start. The Chargers outlast the Owls in 15 innings, 6-5.
• Jose Lia Tinta and Ramon Zuniga each hit their 12th HR of the season in the Stags’ 11-5 win over the Stars. The win puts Roland a game in front of the Stars in the early Wild Card standings. Both teams trail Deerborn in the East. The Stars and Stags will play game 2 of the series tomorrow in Delle.

7/12:

• The White Sox put a damper on Speakowan Independence Day celebrations in Cherricaw, beating the Herders 10-1.
• Trail Blazers LF Juan Tumaini hits his 15th home run in Prissley’s 5-1 win over Lia Kompos.
• Owls CF Bruce Willard achieves a hat trick! He leaves the yard 3 times for 4 RBI against Chargers pitching in the Owls’ 11-5 win.
• The Bears win a thriller at home, beating Northsouth in 13 innings, 9-5. After Rogne Sem’s RBI double gives the Guardians the lead in the top of the 13th, the Bears tie it in the bottom of the inning on an error by 2B Francisco Aguilera. This leads to Juan Tokorres creaming a grand slam home run with 2 outs to walk it off for the Bears. Guardians 1B Cal Oluoch is 4 for 5 with 2 doubles and a home run in the loss. It is Platte’s 6th win in a row. Platte and Northsouth are now tied atop the UA West.
• Roland LF Jose Lia Tinta hits his 3rd HR in the last 4 games as the Stags take another game from the Stars, 4-1.

Current UA Standings:

Current UA League Leaders:

NPL Watch:

7/6:

• The Trimble Toppers select 22-year old 2B Leland Mason out of Delle University as the first pick in the 1931 NPL Draft. Other notable picks: Wight selects 18-year old 2B Mark Sanders from James Grell High School in Woodbury, Termina. Petchon selects 18-year SS Ben Smith from the Juniors in Thundaru, Speakowa. These were a few of several high-level prospects that chose to forego the UA Draft this year and instead signed up only for the NPL Draft. The NPL holds its draft the day after the UA as part of the coexistence agreement between the two leagues. The decision is supposed to ensure a deeper talent pool for the senior league, but players are free to registers for both or either of the league drafts. The decision by Mason, Sanders, Smith, and others to only register for the NPL is surprising when viewed in the light of financial considerations, but may be owed to the NPL’s more player-friendly policies such as the DH and an ostensibly deeper concern for player health and safety.
• Wight LHP Fabio Mora is one out from a complete game shutout, pitching 8.2 innings for just 3 hits as the Spiders beat the Metros, 2-0. Wight 3B Van Ogg breaks a thumb sliding into 2nd base and will miss 5-6 weeks.
• Canaries RF Aime Bellec is 3 for 4 with a double and solo home run; LHP Morgan Burnett throws 8.2 innings, as Carver beats the Kings, 5-2.
• Reapers LHP Arturo Kagai strikes out 8 in 6.1 IP as Plains City beats Elderwood, 3-1. Lakers CF Wallace Veka will miss 3-4 weeks with a hamstring strain.

7/7:

• Metros 1B Chuck Parker takes the NPL lead with his 5th HR of the year as C Jesus Katakowa’s walk-off single sinks the Spider in 10 innings, 3-2. Spiders SS Jeff Pekerez leaves the game clutching his shoulder after a collision at second base. We await word on his injury.
• Lakers LF Allen Hendrix goes deep twice and SP Donald Butler pitches 6 scoreless, 2-hit innings in Elderwood’s 6-0 win against the Reapers.
• Carp RH RP Javier Lia Undun will likely miss about a week with elbow inflammation. Trimble beats Petchon today, 3-1.

7/8:

• Infielder Randy Morris signs with the Toppers after spending 1930 on the reserve rosters of the Guardians and the Brothers.
• Wight thwarts a Carver comeback with a Mark Hammond walk-off single as the Spiders beat the Canaries, 4-3, in 11 innings. Spiders RHP Esteban Muiru pitches 8 innings for 1 ER for no-decision.
• Kings RHP Alfonso Lopetokaz racks up 7 Ks in 5 scoreless innings in Lia Puedris’ 2-0 shutout of Plains City.

7/9:

• Spiders SS Jeff Pekerez learns he’ll be day-to-day for 2-3 weeks with tendinitis in his shoulder.
• Kings star 1B Luis Rokodriguez learns that his sore elbow will likely be sore for another week or so, although the injury has not kept him from playing since it started bothering him on Opening Day.
• Jeff Pekerez hits a solo home run despite his ailing shoulder. The Spiders beat the Canaries again, 5-4. Wight is alone in 1st place in the NPL.
• Reapers 1B Chris Taylor hits a pair of home runs for 5 RBI in Plains City’s 13-4 pounding of the Kings. Lia Puedris overcomes his sore elbow for a home run in the loss.
• Elderwood 1B Juan Adili hits 2 HR for 4 RBI, the difference in the Lakers’ 8-4 win in Trimble.

7/10:

• 37-year old RH RP Paco Pineda will be the Toppers’ new closing pitcher. He signs a 2-year deal. He has not appeared since posting a 3.71 ERA in 43.2 innings with Salvation in the UA in 1930.
• Wight RHP Darby Ramirekaz pitches the Spiders to a 6-2 lead over 7 innings, but the Canaries erupt in the 8th for 6 runs and win by a final of 8-7 to avoid being swept. Carver SP Jose Elewa will likely miss a week with an oblique strain.
• Reapers LHP Tom Vickers logs 8 Ks in 6 IP as the Reapers beat the Kings, 4-3. Kings LF Carlos Kayra will likely miss about a week with hamstring tendinitis.
• Lakers RHP Manny Vazquiza pitches 9 innings, but leaves a tied game. The Lakers go on to beat the Toppers in 12 innings, 4-3.
• Carp RF Jose Gomez leaves today’s game with back spasms. He will likely miss several weeks, according to team doctors. The Carp lose today to the Metros, 5-1.
• The Spiders, Reapers, Lakers, and Metros are all tied for first at 6-4. The Toppers are slightly behind the pack, in last place, at 3-7.

7/11:

• Spiders SS Jeff Pekerez overcomes his shoulder pain once again to hit a solo shot in Wight’s 7-3 win over the Kings.

7/12:

• Spiders LHP Rayan Bouchet gives the team 7.1 scoreless innings with only 2 hits in Wight’s 3-1 win over the Kings. The win puts the Spiders alone in first place in the NPL, while four teams are just a game behind.

Current NPL Standings:

Current NPL League Leaders:

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