Here recorded are the dudes who just couldn’t stand the pressure. Greg Maddux once said, “Hitters don’t hit home runs, pitchers throw them.” …and here we are.
THE 2058 SILVER GOAT AWARD
1. Mike Baker (CHI) - 5(tie) Wesley Turner (MAD) - 5
(tie) Renato Lacerdo (POR) - 5
(tie) Usama Awad (SA) - 5
2. Cade Miller (LOU) - 4
(tie) Huang Cheng (PHX) - 4
(tie) Perry Wallace (SFB) - 4
(tie) Tyson Morris (YS9) - 4^
3. Yoriyuki Ine (ATC) - 3^
(tie) Shea Valance (BIK) - 3
(tie) Knox Sked (BOI) - 3
(tie) José Hernández (BRK) - 3
(tie) Manuel Barrera (CCJ) - 3
(tie) Utkan Göçek (HAW) - 3
(tie) Richard Lawrence (MEX) - 3
(tie) Quirke Roddis (NSH) - 3^
(tie) Run-ming Zhu (PHX) - 3^
(tie) David Wade (ROC) - 3
(tie) Azhar Abu al Khayr (SA) - 3
(tie) Patrick Rosales (TC) - 3^
4. 24 with (2)
5. 102 with (1)
*whew* What a race to the finish. Chicago’s Mike Baker pretty much went pole to pole. It was just a matter of late surges from Madison’s Wesley Turner and Portland’s Renato Lacerdo. So, with a 4-way tie what do we do here at The Watch? It’s time for the eye test:
- Baker served up his beach balls in the form of a 2-run HR (Yellow Springs), a Grand Slam (Nashville), and 3 RBI singles
- Meanwhile, Turner bonked as 2 3-run HR (Nashville, Vancouver), sac fly (Twin Cities), and 2 RBI singles
- Looking at Portland’s Renato Lucerda gave up 2 solo HRs (Nashville, Long Beach) and 3 RBI singles (Long Beach, San Fernando, Twin Cities) (*yawn*) though one of his failures was in the 13th inning
- Like Baker, San Antonio’s Usama Awad gave up the long ball allowing 2 3-run HRs (Rockville, Atlantic City), a 2-run shot (Boise) and a solo jack (Las Vegas), and he actually had a derpoff walking in the winning (?) run in the 11th inning (Rockville)
Hmmm, let’s look at deficits surrendered:
- Baker: 2,2,0,0,0
- Turner: 2,1,0,0,2
- Lacerda: All tied
- Awad: 2,2,0,1,0
Well, Awad had the derp and gave up 3 HRs, but can we ignore Baker’s Grand Slam? Yes, we will…
Usama Awad
53 G, 3-5, 13 SV, 3.58 ERA, 60.1 IP, 1.44 WHIP, -0.1 WAR
Three home runs (so, almost Grand Slams) and walking in a deciding score secures the Silver Goat Trophy for Awad! He was the victim of:
- Rockville twice: 23 June, surrendering a 3-run HR with a 2-run lead to Silver Atlas winner Cam Whitten, then the inexcusable walk with the bases loaded earned by Rockville SS Richard ‘Dick’ Vernon
- He allowed another 3-run HR with a 2-run lead to former Atlantic City 2B Choon-mo Im
- On 27 July, he gave up a solo HR to Las Vegas C Claudio Morgan
- Finally, Boise RF Héctor Holloway bagged a game-winner with a 2-run down 1 run.
Congratulations, Usama Awad! You get the hardware to add to your case at home…if you have other hardware we don’t want to be judgmental here.
ATC Augusto Ayala (2)
James Robinson
Nick Clark (2)
Yoriyuki Ine (3)^
BIK Norberto García
Shea Valance (3)
BOI Anthony Annear (2)
Ed Noble
Knox Sked (3)
Mario Santos
Paul Cherry
Quintin Birss
Samir Qasim
BRK Benjamin Broadbent
Cipriano Enríquez
Hoaka Etana
José Hernández (3)
Ken Arroyo^
Leo Hill (2)
Muneer bin Khairy
Stephen Clulow, Jr
CLG Edward Harrison (2)^
Liam Johnston
Nalany Ahotaein
Will Mitchell (2)
CLT Alejandro Chávez (2)
Andrew McLean
Ben Ruffin
Buwono Mainaky^
Félix Camarco
Jim Thompson
Joe Jackson
Neil Davies
Pete Benoit
Tony Giles
CCJ John Dawson
Manuel Barrera (3)
CHI Bobby Sherman
Mike Baker (5)
DM Brick Pollitt (2)^
Garth Dobbs
Jeff Doane
Tommy Akers
Walt Stadler
EDM Dylan Malloch
Ishtaq Dar
Iván Martínez
José López
Max Birstall (2)
HAW Bill Phillips
Bill Williams
e-Elvin Hilliard (CF)
John Moore
Juan Martínez
Phil Thompson (2)
Troy Reynolds
Utkan Göçek (3)
JAX Bob Coutts
Clarence Moore
David Petit
Derek Dyce
LV Adam Bristcoe
Bret Harrell
Eric Buckson
Gilberto Cordero
Mahad Einan
Ray Keller
Todd Stone
Tom Miller^
LB Bill Young
Owen McKelvey (2)^
Scott Everard
Siu-chung Zhan
LOU Bryan Ellender
Cade Miller (4)
James Kidd (2)^^
Ryan Harmon
MAD Alonso Estrada
Chris Stout
Wesley Turner (5)
MEX Malik bin Adnan
Richard Lawrence (3)
MON Gilberto Cordero (2) - (LV,1)
Aelbehrt Schlöndorff (2)^
Nolan Miller
Sergej Gijsberts^
Stanley Kowalski^
Vonne Baloloy
NSH Iván Molina
Jackson Woodbury
Quirke Roddis (3)^
NO Frank Benítez
Jason Nelson
Toby Bundy
OMA Adamnan Maryadi
Dave Ferrell (2)^
PHX Brandon Nevins (2)
Huang Cheng (4)
Josh Dougherty
Michael Richardson
Rob Scott
Run-ming Zhu (3)^
POR Ernie Mark
Jacob Cruz (2)
Kent Grange (2)
Luis Equivel (2)
Renato Lacerdo (5)
Scott Bugbie
ROC Christian Walker
Claudio García
David Wade (3)
Earl Cox (2)
Malcolm Jolly^
Yoshimatsu Miyauchi^
RMO Doug Cooper
Joe Shaw (2)
Ken Steele
Michael Dixon
Nobuhito Kan
Ramón González
SAC Ludwig Werberg
Luis Ramos
SA Azhar Abu al Khayr (3)
Edmond Thomas
Francisco Salgado
Quinton Manning (2)^
Steve McFarland
Usama Awad (5)
SFB Arnold Cantrell
Luis Peña
Mitchell Radnall
Perry Wallace (4)
Richard Bullock
TC Erik Brooks
Luis González (2)^
Patrick Rosales (3)^
Peter Fuller
VAL Lindsay Barber (2)
Luke Seddon
Xavier Vargas^
VAN Rodney Keeley^
Xuan Ngo (3)
YS9 Xuan Ngo (3)
Dave Lee
Dave O'Reilly
Gerald Rogers
Gunawan Pakpahan (2)^^
Ryan Bolton
Tyson Morris (4)^
