Saturday, May 11, 2019

MLB Ejection 053 - Chad Whitson (1; Miguel Cabrera)

HP Umpire Chad Whitson ejected Tigers DH Miguel Cabrera (ball one call; QOCY) in the bottom of the 1st inning of the Tigers-Twins game. With one out and none on, Twins batter Marwin Gonzalez took a 0-0 fastball from Tigers pitcher Gregory Soto for a called first ball. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the inner half of home plate and below the hollow of the batter's knee (px -0.33, pz 1.59 [sz_bot 1.64]), the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 0-0. The Twins ultimately won the contest, 8-3.

This is Chad Whitson (62)'s first ejection of 2019.
Chad Whitson now has 3 points in the UEFL Standings (-1 Prev + 2 AAA + 2 Correct Call = 3).
Crew Chief Paul Nauert now has 1 point in Crew Division (0 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 1).
*This pitch was located 1.872 vertical inches from being deemed an incorrect call.

This is the 53rd ejection report of the 2019 MLB regular season.
This is the 24th player ejection of 2019. Prior to ejection, Cabrera was 0-1 in the contest.
This is Detroit's 3rd ejection of 2019, T-2nd in the AL Central (CWS 4; DET, KC 3; MIN 1; CLE 0).
This is Miguel Cabrera's first ejection since March 18, 2019 (Brennan Miller; QOC = U [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Chad Whitson's first ejection since August 31, 2018 (Matt Wieters; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Detroit Tigers vs. Minnesota Twins (DH Game 2), 5/11/19 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 052 - Hunter Wendelstedt (1; Ron Gardenhire)

HP Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt ejected Tigers Manager Ron Gardenhire (ball four call; QOCY) in the bottom of the 3rd inning of the Tigers-Twins game. With two out and two on (R1, R3), Twins batter Jake Cave took a 3-2 fastball from Tigers pitcher Spencer Turnbull for a called fourth ball. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer half of home plate and above the midpoint (px -0.42, pz 3.46 [sz_top 3.34]) and that all other pitches during the at-bat were properly officiated, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the Tigers were leading, 2-1. The Tigers ultimately won the contest, 5-3.

This is Hunter Wendelstedt (21)'s first ejection of 2019.
Hunter Wendelstedt now has 4 points in the UEFL Standings (0 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 4).
Crew Chief Paul Nauert now has 0 points in Crew Division (-1 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 0).
*This pitch was located 1.03 vertical inches from being deemed an incorrect call.

This is the 52nd ejection report of the 2019 MLB regular season.
This is the 24th Manager ejection of 2019.
This is Detroit's 2nd ejection of 2019, 3rd in the AL Central (CWS 4; KC 3; DET 2; MIN 1; CLE 0).
This is Ron Gardenhire's 2nd ejection of 2019, 1st since April 19 (Todd Tichenor; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Hunter Wendelstedt's first ejection since July 21, 2018 (Asdrubal Cabrera; QOC = Y [Check Swing]).

Wrap: Detroit Tigers vs. Minnesota Twins, 5/11/19 | Video as follows:

Major League Debut of Umpire Alex Tosi (66)

Umpire Alex Tosi made his MLB debut during Saturday's Tigers-Twins doubleheader in Minnesota, serving as 1B Umpire alongside HP Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt, 2B Umpire Jordan Baker, and 3B Umpire Nauert for Game 1, and as 3B Umpire alongside HP Umpire Chad Whitson, 1B Umpire Baker, and 2B Umpire Nauert for Game 2.

Tosi is a crew chief on the 2019 International League umpire roster, which is his fourth year in Triple-A. Tosi has officiated the New-York Penn (2011), Midwest (2012), Florida State (2013), Arizona Instructional (2014), and Eastern (2014-15) Leagues in addition to the International League (2016-present).

He officiated the 2018 Triple-A National Championship Game, 2017 International League Postseason, and his multiple MLB Spring Trainings.

Tosi wears the sleeve number 66, which was last worn at the Major League level by Jim Joyce, who retired following the 2016 MLB season and was our featured guest on Episode 12 of The Plate Meeting podcast.

Tosi is the third rookie fill-in umpire to make his MLB debut during the 2019 regular season.
Related PostMajor League Debut of Umpire John Bacon (70) (5/2/19).
Related Post: Major League Debut of Umpire Brennan Miller (55) (4/20/19).

Tosi's most recent MiLB assignment was the May 9 Buffalo-Gwinnett game at Gwinnett, where Tosi took third base responsibilities alongside HP Umpire Ryan Wills, 1B Umpire Skyler Shown, and 2B Umpire Sean Barber.

Friday, May 10, 2019

Pants on Fire - Paul Lo Duca's Joe West Accusation

Speaking on his podcast, former MLB catcher Paul Lo Duca accused umpire Joe West of accepting a gift in exchange for ball/strike calls—the only problem is that West never officiated on any date Lo Duca's accusation pertained to. We fact checked Lo Duca, who also destroyed his credibility in the first 10 seconds of his fable, claiming that Joe West ejected him "eight or nine" times out of 15 career ejections, which is an untrue statement (see fact check, below).

In what, at this point, can only be described as a tall tale, Lo Duca said "Joe hates me," and went on to describe a Phillies-Mets game from 2006 or 2007 when New York pitcher Billy Wagner entered in relief, claiming that Wagner admitted to bribing the umpire with a car: "I lend him my '57 Chevy so he can drive it around so then he opens up the strike zone for me."

Fact Check - Wagner Appearances: We researched all Billy Wagner appearances against Philadelphia from 2006 through 2009 (when Wagner was on the Mets) and it turns out that Joe West was never his plate umpire. The one game Joe appeared in with Wagner on the mound was an August 30, 2007 game in Philadelphia, and West was the second base umpire; Ed Hickox had the plate.

Fact Check - Lo Duca Ejections: Lo Duca was ejected eight times during his 11-year MLB career. West ejected him once in 2003—and that's it. West never ejected Lo Duca before a game started, which is another event Lo Duca claimed during his podcast.

Ulterior Motive: Lo Duca's accusation occurred in his capacity as an analyst on a sports betting podcast, much like fellow ex-Met Lenny Dykstra's 2015 comments about blackmailing umpires came during an interview to promote his book.
Related PostLenny Dykstra Claims He Blackmailed Umpires (10/27/15).

Lo Duca isn't the first ex-player to tell tales.
Slanderous Danger: Lo Duca's casual accusation not only affects West, but Wagner as well, as Major League Rule 21 states that any player who "gives, or offers to give any gift or reward to an umpire for services rendered or to be rendered, in attempting to defeat a competing Club will be permanently ineligible"; umpires accepting such gifts will also be declared permanently ineligible.

Obviously, MLB hasn't declared either person ineligible.

Why Run the Story at All? This editorial decision falls somewhere between not giving credence to what appears to be an especially boldfaced lie (why we didn't address it several weeks ago) and reconciling with the reality that several mainstream media outlets have recently picked up on the story and are portraying it as the real McCoy, or at least something to consider to be true, without having researched any of it (why we are addressing it now).

Gil's Call: In this case, it is important to fact check such a severe story and provide a public service of clearly indicating the accuracy of several key aspects of the story. Namely, we were clearly able to conclude that Lo Duca's claim that West ejected him in at least eight out of 15 career chances was inaccurate (it was once, out of eight total ejections), and we were able to conclude that West never called a Billy Wagner game against Philadelphia when Wagner was on the Mets (and thus, when Lo Duca caught Wagner on the Mets). Hence our title, "Pants on Fire."

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

MLB Ejections 050-51 - Brian Knight (1-2; KC)

HP Umpire Brian Knight ejected Royals catcher Martin Maldonado and Manager Ned Yost (strike two/three calls; QOCY) in the top of the 7th inning of the Royals-Astros game. With none out and none on, Maldonado took 1-1 and 1-2 fastballs from Astros pitcher Brad Peacock for called second and third strikes. Replays indicate the 1-1 pitch was located over the outer edge of home plate and thigh-high (px 0.90, pz 1.93 [sz_bot 1.56])  and the 1-2 pitch was located over the outer half of home plate and waist-high (px 0.69, pz 2.57), the calls were correct.* At the time of the ejections, the Astros were leading, 9-0. The Astros ultimately won the contest, 9-0.

These are Brian Knight (91)'s first and second ejections of 2019.
Brian Knight now has 7 points in the UEFL Standings (-1 Prev + 2*[2 MLB + 2 Correct Call] = 7).
Crew Chief Gerry Davis now has -1 points in Crew Division (-3 Previous + 2 Correct Call = -1)
*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.
*The 1-1 pitch was located 0.168 horizontal inches from being deemed an incorrect call.
*The 1-2 pitch was located 2.688 horizontal inches from being deemed an incorrect call.

These are the 50th and 51st ejection reports of the 2019 MLB regular season.
This is the 23rd player ejection of 2019. Prior to ejection, Maldonado was 0-3 (SO) in the contest.
This is the 23rd Manager ejection of 2019.
This is Kansas City's 3rd ejection of 2019, 2nd in the AL Central (CWS 4; KC 3; DET, MIN 1; CLE 0).
This is Martin Maldonado's first ejection since May 28, 2018 (Mark Ripperger; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Ned Yost's first ejection since July 9, 2018 (Will Little; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).
This is Brian Knight's first ejection since June 13, 2018 (Chris Sale; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Kansas City Royals vs. Houston Astros, 5/8/19 | Video as follows:

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

2019 No-Hitter 1, Mark Ripperger (1; Mike Fiers)

HP Umpire Mark Ripperger called Athletics pitcher Mike Fiers' no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds, the first of 2019, at a blistering 100% accuracy rate for Oakland's starter. Rip was joined for Tuesday's game at Oakland Coliseum by 1B Umpire Jeff Kellogg (crew chief), 2B Umpire James Hoye, and 3B Umpire Brian O'Nora.

This is Ripperger's first career no-hitter and the first of the 2019 season. Kellogg's crew also officiated the previously most recent no-hitter on May 8, 2018 (HP: Hoye, 1B: Quinn Wolcott, 2B: Kellogg -cc, 3B: Marvin Hudson); John Tumpane officiated Mike Fiers' first career no-hitter in August 2015.
Related Post: 2018 No-Hitter 3, James Hoye (1; James Paxton) (5/8/18).
Related Post2015 No-Hitter 5, John Tumpane (1; Mike Fiers) (8/21/15).

Ripperger received 73 callable pitches from Fiers, a total of 49 balls and 24 called strikes. The look:

Balls: 49 called balls outside of strike zone / 0 called balls within strike zone = 49/49 = 100% Accuracy.
Strikes: 24 called strikes inside strike zone / 0 called strikes outside strike zone = 24/24 = 100% Accuracy.
Total Raw Accuracy Score for Fiers = 73/73 = 100.0% Accuracy (+0 NU [Neutral]).
Overall Game Score: 93/93 Balls + 46/50 Strikes = 139/143 = 97.2%. +4 CIN. Plots via "Read More"

MLB Ejection 049 - CB Bucknor (2; Anthony Rendon)

HP Umpire CB Bucknor ejected Nationals 3B Anthony Rendon (strike three call; QOCY) in the top of the 7th inning of the Nationals-Brewers game. With two out and two on (R1, R2), Rendon took a 0-2 fastball from Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer edge of home plate and knee-high (px 0.89, pz 1.88 [sz_bot 1.46]) and all other pitches during the at-bat were properly officiated, the call was correct.* At the time of the ejection, the game was tied, 0-0. The Brewers ultimately won the contest, 6-0.

This is CB Bucknor (54)'s second ejection of 2019.
CB Bucknor now has 6 points in the UEFL Standings (2 Prev + 2 MLB + 2 Correct Call = 6).
Crew Chief Fieldin Culbreth now has 1 points in Crew Division (0 Previous + 1 Correct Call = 1).
*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| < STRIKE < |.748| < BORDERLINE < |.914| < BALL.
*This pitch was located 0.288 horizontal inches from being deemed an incorrect call.

This is the 49th ejection report of the 2019 MLB regular season.
This is the 22nd player ejection of 2019. Prior to ejection, Rendon was 0-3 (2 SO) in the contest.
This is Washington's 2nd ejection of 2019, T-2nd in the NL East (ATL 3; NYM, WAS 2; MIA, PHI 1).
This is Anthony Rendon's first ejection since April 7, 2018 (Marty Foster; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).
This is CB Bucknor's first ejection since April 17, 2019 (Tim Cossins; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Washington Nationals vs. Milwaukee Brewers, 5/7/19 | Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 048 - Marty Foster (3; Rick Renteria)

3B Umpire Marty Foster ejected White Sox Manager Rick Renteria (check swing ball one call) in the bottom of the 8th inning of the White Sox-Indians game. With two out and the bases loaded, Indians batter Carlos Santana attempted to check his swing on a 0-1 cutter from White Sox pitcher Alex Colome, ruled a ball by HP Umpire Jerry Meals and affirmed on appeal by 3B Umpire Foster as a ball. Ruling was reviewed and adjudicated by the UEFL Appeals Board (1-6-2), the call was incorrect. At the time of the ejection, the White Sox were leading, 2-0. The White Sox ultimately won the contest, 2-0.

This is Marty Foster (60)'s third ejection of 2019.
Marty Foster now has 4 points in the UEFL Standings (6 Prev + 2 MLB - 4 Incorrect Call = 4).
Crew Chief Jerry Meals now has 2 points in Crew Division (2 Previous + 0 Incorrect Call = 2).

This is the 48th ejection report of the 2019 MLB regular season.
This is the 22nd Manager ejection of 2019.
This is Chicago's 4th ejection of 2019, 1st in the AL Central (CWS 4; KC 2; DET, MIN 1; CLE 0).
This is Rick Renteria's 3rd ejection of 2019, 1st since April 28 (Tony Randazzo; QOC = Y [RLI]).
This is Marty Foster's 3rd ejection of 2019, 1st since May 2 (David Bell; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland Indians, 5/7/19 | Video as follows:

Monday, May 6, 2019

MLB Ejection 047 - Adam Hamari (1; Charlie Montoyo)

HP Umpire Adam Hamari ejected Blue Jays Manager Charlie Montoyo (strike three call; QOCN) in the bottom of the 5th inning of the Twins-Blue Jays game. With none out and one on (R1), Blue Jays batter Brandon Drury took a 0-2 cutter from Twins pitcher Martin Perez for a called third strike. Replays indicate the pitch was located over the outer half of home plate and below the hollow of the knee (px -0.46, pz 1.14 [sz_bot 1.69 / RAD 1.567 / MOE 1.484]), the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection, the Twins were leading, 6-0.  The Twins ultimately won the contest, 8-0.

This is Adam Hamari (78)'s first ejection of 2019.
Adam Hamari now has -1 points in the UEFL Standings (1 Prev + 2 MLB - 4 Incorrect Call = -1).
Crew Chief Tom Hallion now has 2 points in Crew Division (2 Previous + 0 Incorrect Call = 2).
*This pitch was located 4.128 vertical inches from being deemed a correct call.

This is the 47th ejection report of the 2019 MLB regular season.
This is the 21st Manager ejection of 2019.
This is Toronto's 3rd ejection of 2019, T-1st in the AL East (BAL, TOR 3; NYY 2; BOS, TB 0).
This is Charlie Montoyo's first career MLB ejection.
This is Adam Hamari's first ejection since Sept 7, 2018 (Bruce Bochy; QOC = Y [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Minnesota Twins vs. Toronto Blue Jays, 5/6/19 | Video as follows:

No Fool - Bob Davidson Heading to Duluth Hall of Fame

Former MLB umpire Bob Davidson may not be heading back to the major leagues...but he will be inducted into the DECC Athletic Hall of Fame in Duluth, MN on May 16.

The 3,911-game veteran compiled 166 ejections during his 30-year MLB career, not including his August 24, 1989 ejection of Expos mascot Youppi!and a handful of heave-ho's in the years since in the Close Call Sports comments section.

Davidson, a Duluth East graduate, also served as our inaugural guest for The Plate Meeting podcast and his career hijinks have peppered subsequent podcast episodes from interviews with Dale Scott to Jim Joyce and beyond.
Related PostPlate Meeting Podcast Episode 1 - Bob Davidson (7/17/18).
Related PostPlate Meeting Podcast 6M - A Postseason with Bob D (10/18/18).

His final year in Major League Baseball also featured a UEFL Ejection of the Year Award, when an unruly fan in Philadelphia found himself escorted out of the stadium. Said Davidson, "People cheered me, which is unusual in this town for me."
Related PostUnofficial Ejection - Bob Davidson Requests Fan Removal (8/2/16).
Related Post2016 Ejections of the Year - Joe West & Bob Davidson (11/10/16).

Congratulations to Bob Davidson on his ejection from induction into the DECC Athletic Hall of Fame.

Case Play 2019-1 - Modified Catch & Carry [Solved]

After HP Umpire Will Little called "Time" when Nationals catcher Yan Gomes stepped into the dugout while keeping his mitt and the ball on the playing field, Joe West's crew awarded Padres baserunner R1 Eric Hosmer second base and R2 Manuel Margot home plate, prompting a nearly 10-minute Replay Review when Nationals Manager Dave Martinez challenged the crew's decision to score baserunner R2 Margot.

The Play (Saturday): With one out and the bases loaded Saturday night in DC, Padres batter Hunter Renfroe hit a 1-2 slider from Nationals pitcher Matt Grace on a fly ball to center fielder Victor Robles for a sacrifice fly, Padres baserunner R3 Manny Machado scoring. Robles' subsequent throw to catcher Yan Gomes bounced off Gomes' mitt and toward the Padres' third base dugout, enabling baserunner R2 Manuel Margot to advance to third base and baserunner R1 Eric Hosmer to advance toward second base. Gomes, in an effort to keep the ball on the playing field and out of the dugout, caught the ball in his mitt, and kept his mitt on the playing surface, while running into the dugout with both feet to keep his balance, before exiting the dugout with ball in hand.

Catcher Hedges also played a wild throw.
The Play (Sunday): With one out and none on Sunday, Nationals batter Howie Kendrick hit a ground ball to Padres first baseman Hosmer, who threw wildly beyond first base, backed up by catcher Austin Hedges, who similarly attempted to save the loose ball from rolling into the opposing dugout. Unlike Gomes, however, Hedges placed his gloved hand in order to tap the ball, keeping the ball rolling freely along the warning track while he stepped into the dugout. Hedges then exited the dugout and, after placing a foot onto the warning track, retrieved the ball.

Gomes disagrees with decision to score R2.
The Call (Saturday): HP Umpire Will Little called "Time" and ruled that because Gomes left the field of play, the ball was dead. As a result, the umpires awarded R2 Margot home plate and R1 Hosmer second base, ruling that Hosmer hadn't yet reached second base at the time Gomes stepped out of play, while Margot had already achieved third base.

Replay Review Decision: Following Nats skipper Martinez's dispute with the crew's runner placement in awarding R2 Margot home (and R1 Hosmer second base), the Replay Official affirmed Margot's placement, but overturned Hosmer's status, instead placing Hosmer at third base, resulting in the rare Manager's Challenge that actually hurt the team requesting the review.
West and crew discusses the play.

So while this statistically is a Manager's Challenge that Martinez won by virtue of the overturned call, the result is a Pyrrhic victory: TSP increases, but the baserunner advances an extra 90 feet.

Case Play Question (Saturday): Given that Replay Review placed Hosmer at third base, was this the proper ruling (not necessarily runner placement, but was the one-base award from time of the dead ball proper?)? Is this a catch-and-carry, given that the fielder did not physically carry the ball out of play?

The Call (Sunday): HP Umpire Joe West ruled the ball live and in play as Nationals batter-runner Kendrick took second base on Hosmer's throwing error.

Case Play Question (Sunday): Was the Hedges play properly ruled a live ball? After stepping out of play, was Hedges entitled to return to the playing field and legally play the ball?

Answer: The first thing to notice about the OBR library is that 5.06(b)(3) refers to a catch of a fly ball. According to the Definition of Terms, "A FLY BALL is a batted ball that goes high in the air in flight." This is reinforced by the following: "A CATCH is the act of a fielder in getting secure possession in his hand or glove of a ball in flight and firmly holding it."

In other words, 5.06(b)(3) applies to batted balls, which these plays were not; the ball was thrown. By rule, this isn't a catch; it's a false catch, to play on the terminology.

Rule 5.06(b)(4)(G) states that runners, including the batter-runner, advance: "Two bases when, with no spectators on the playing field, a thrown ball goes into the stands, or into a bench..."

SIDEBAR: Another way you can tell 5.06(b)(3) applies only to a batted ball is that the batter is explicitly excluded from the base award. Why? Because the batter is out on the caught fly ball.

Because this wasn't a first play by an infielder, the runners are awarded two bases from the time of the throw (first play by an infielder would be two bases from time of pitch). On Saturday, that places R2 at home and R1 at third base. Thus, Replay Review in overturning the crew's placement of R1 at second base corrected far more than a judgment call—it fixed an incorrect application of the rules. Under no circumstances with a thrown ball going out of play would R1 be awarded one base.

As for the difference between Saturday & Sunday, the MLB Umpire Manual States, "A fielder is considered to be in the dugout—and therefore unable to make a valid catch—when the fielder has one or both feet on the surface inside the dugout."

It also states, "If a fielder, after making a legal catch on the playing surface, steps or falls into any out-of-play area at any point while in possession of the ball...the ball shall be dead."

This is where we take a surgeon's knife to the rule to piece together only what is applicable. On Saturday, catcher Gomes was considered in the dugout when he stepped into it. Because he retained possession of the ball while in the dugout, the ball was dead. On Sunday, catcher Hedges was no longer in possession of the ball when he left the playing field and stepped into the dugout. Similarly, he returned to the field by stepping out of the dugout and back onto the warning track before picking up the baseball, thus keeping play alive.

Official Baseball Rules Library
OBR 5.06(b)(3): "Each runner, other than the batter, may without liability to be put out, advance one base when—A fielder, after catching a fly ball, steps or falls into any out-of-play area."
OBR 5.06(b)(3)(C) Comment: "If a fielder, after having made a legal catch, should step or fall into any out-of-play area, the ball is dead and each runner shall advance one base, without liability to be put out, from his last legally touched base at the time the fielder entered such out-of-play area."
OBR 5.09(a)(1) Comment: "A fielder may reach into, but not step into, a dugout to make a catch, and if he holds the ball, the catch shall be allowed. A fielder, in order to make a catch on a foul ball nearing a dugout or other out-of-play area (such as the stands), must have one or both feet on or over the playing surface (including the lip of the dugout) and neither foot on the ground inside the dugout or in any other out-of-play area. Ball is in play, unless the fielder, after making a legal catch, steps or falls into a dugout or other out-of-play area, in which case the ball is dead. Status of runners shall be as described in Rule 5.06(b)(3)(C) Comment."

Videos (Saturday/Gomes & Sunday/Hedges) x2 as follows:

Sunday, May 5, 2019

2019 MLB Mexico Series Umpire Rosters

Major League Baseball visited Monterrey three times as part of MLB's Mexico Series in 2019: Diamondbacks vs. Rockies in Spring Training (March 9-10), Cardinals vs. Reds (April 13-14), and Astros vs. Angels (May 4-5). Umpires assigned to the international games include (for each two-game series, assignments are listed in parentheses):

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Colorado Rockies (3/9-10)
Ed Hickox (Gm 1 Plate, Gm 2 3B)
Larry Vanover (1B, 1B)
Alfonso Marquez (2B, 2B)
Gabe Morales (3B, HP)

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds (4/13-14)
Dan Iassogna (HP, 3B)
Sam Holbrook (1B, HP)
Chad Whitson (2B, 1B)
Jim Wolf (3B, R)
Chad Fairchild (R, 2B)

Houston Astros vs. Los Angeles Angels (5/4-5)
Lance Barksdale (HP, R)
Nic Lentz (1B, 3B)
Ted Barrett (2B, 1B)
Kerwin Danley (3B, 2B)
John Tumpane (R, HP)