2003 PLAYER / PITCHER OF THE WEEK #28
| NAME | TEAM | AVG | SLG | G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | R | RBI | K | W | IW | SB | CS | HBP |
| BELTRAN,Carlos | SSS AL | .440 | .640 | 6 | 25 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| NAME | CLUB | G | W | L | S | ERA | IP | R | ER | H | K | BB | IBB | WP | BK | HB | HR |
| MUSSINA,Mike | YUC AL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| NAME | TEAM | AVG | SLG | G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | R | RBI | K | W | IW | SB | CS | HBP |
| MILLAR,Kevin | HLW NL | .563 | 1.188 | 4 | 16 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NAME | CLUB | G | W | L | S | ERA | IP | R | ER | H | K | BB | IBB | WP | BK | HB | HR |
| OHKA,Tomokazu | VAL NL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Monroeville Maulers @ Chicago Demolition |
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| Series Preview: | The Chicago Demolition (98-58) head into this American League Central clash as heavy favorites, looking to sharpen their form for the postseason. Led by a dominant rotation featuring veterans Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez, Chicago’s pitching is a formidable hurdle for any opponent. Meanwhile, the fourth-place Monroeville Maulers (65-91) aim to play spoiler. To pull off an upset, the Maulers will rely on the explosive bat of Vladimir Guerrero and speed from Alfonso Soriano. |
| Game #1: | The Chicago Demolition dominated the Monroeville Maulers in a 10–0 blowout, powered by a relentless offense and a masterful pitching performance from Amaury Telemaco. Chicago set the tone early with a four-run first inning, highlighted by Hideki Matsui’s two-run double. The Demolition added insurance via solo home runs from Tony Batista and Phil Nevin, while Matsui later launched a two-run shot of his own in the sixth. Telemaco remained in control throughout, tossing a complete-game shutout and allowing only a handful of hits. Monroeville struggled to find any rhythm, failing to capitalize on Chicago’s early defensive miscues in the lopsided defeat.
Final Score: Chicago 10 – Monroeville 0 Win: Amaury Telemaco 2-0 (1.29) |
| Game #2: | In a masterful performance, Jason Schmidt carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning to lead the Chicago Demolition to a 3–0 shutout victory over the Monroeville Maulers. Schmidt was nearly perfect, racking up strikeouts and inducing weak contact until Frank Catalanotto finally broke up the no-hit bid with a two-out triple in the final frame.
Chicago’s offense provided all the support Schmidt needed via the long ball, as Roberto Alomar launched a solo shot in the second inning and Carlos Delgado added another in the third. Shannon Stewart tacked on an RBI single in the seventh to extend the lead. Salomon Torres took the loss despite a valiant 9-strikeout effort, as the Maulers’ bats remained silent until the very end. Final Score: Chicago 3 – Monroeville 0 Win: Jason Schmidt 16-8 (2.72) |
| Game #3: | The Chicago Demolition staged a dramatic late-inning comeback to defeat the Monroeville Maulers 4–3. Early on, Roger Clemens was electric, striking out 10 across 7.1 innings, but he left trailing after Vladimir Guerrero launched a massive three-run home run in the fourth.
The Demolition offense finally broke through in the eighth, trailing 3–1, Roberto Alomar tied the game with a clutch RBI triple off the wall. In the bottom of the ninth, after Edgar Renteria doubled to put the winning run in scoring position, Tony Batista delivered the heroics with a walk-off RBI single through the hole at short. Brendan Donnelly earned the win in relief, while Julian Tavarez took the loss after failing to hold the late lead. Final Score: Chicago 4 – Monroeville 3 Win: Brendan Donnelly 7-5 (2.18) |
| Game #4: | Pedro Martinez put on a pitching clinic, flirting with a no-hitter for six innings to lead the Chicago Demolition to a 5–0 shutout over the Monroeville Maulers. Martinez’s dominance (8.0 IP, 1 H, 6 K) was supported by a balanced offensive attack, starting with a run-scoring passed ball in the third.
The Demolition broke the game open in the sixth as Charles Johnson and Phil Nevin launched back-to-back solo home runs, followed by a Hideki Matsui RBI double. Monroeville finally recorded their first hit when Frank Catalanotto singled to open the seventh, but they couldn’t capitalize. Jose Jimenez took the loss after laboring through eight innings, while Terry Adams closed out the ninth to secure the win. Final Score: Chicago 5 – Monroeville 0 Win: Pedro Martinez 22-7 (1.34) |
| Game #5: | The Chicago Demolition narrowly escaped a late-inning rally by the Monroeville Maulers to secure a 5–4 victory. Chicago took an early 2–0 lead in the second behind RBI singles from Roberto Alomar and Joe Girardi. After the Maulers pulled within one, Tony Clark delivered a massive pinch-hit, two-run single in the eighth to provide much-needed insurance.
The ninth inning turned chaotic as Coco Crisp tripled off the wall, driving in two and making it 5–4. On the play, center fielder Shannon Stewart was injured after crashing into the wall. However, Brendan Donnelly recovered to induce a game-ending groundout, securing his 8th save. Kevin Millwood earned the win, while Julian Tavarez took a tough loss after a long relief outing. Final Score: Chicago 5 – Monroeville 4 Win: Kevin Millwood 12-9 (3.69) |
| Game #6: | In a pitcher’s duel at the series finale, the Monroeville Maulers eked out a 1–0 victory over the Chicago Demolition. Chicago manager Stray Corrado opted to rest all of his regular starters following Shannon Stewart‘s injury the previous day, fielding a lineup of reserves that struggled to find momentum against Jorge Sosa. Sosa pitched a complete-game shutout, scattering four hits and overcoming five walks to earn the win.
The game’s only run came in the fifth inning when Rey Sanchez executed a perfect bases-loaded squeeze bunt, scoring Vladimir Guerrero. Jamey Wright took a tough loss despite a solid outing, as Chicago’s makeshift offense failed to capitalize on a bases-loaded opportunity in the seventh. Final Score: Monroeville 1 – Chicago 0 Win: Jorge Sosa 9-9 (6.34) |
| Series Summary: | The Chicago Demolition asserted its dominance by taking five out of six games against the Monroeville Maulers, fueled by a masterclass in starting pitching. Amaury Telemaco set the tone with a shutout in the opener, followed by Jason Schmidt and Pedro Martinez both flirting with no-hitters deep into their respective starts. Offensively, Hideki Matsui and Phil Nevin provided consistent power, while Tony Batista delivered a dramatic walk-off single in the third contest.
The series took a somber turn in game five when center fielder Shannon Stewart suffered an injury crashing into the wall, prompting a full rest of the Demolition starters for the finale. Monroeville’s Jorge Sosa capitalized on the reserve lineup, tossing a complete-game shutout to salvage a 1–0 win and snap Chicago’s streak. Despite the final loss, Chicago enters the postseason in elite form, having outscored the Maulers 27–8 over the set. |
Dondero Oaks @ Fort Worth Panthers |
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| Series Summary: | Fort Worth loses the first game, then takes the last 5 to secure home-field advantage in the playoffs. Carl Crawford sets a new single-season record for steals for the Panthers with his 53 SB of the year. |
Hollywood Vampires @ Winnipeg Goldeyes |
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| Series Preview: | Hollywood is first in Winnipeg and last. |
| Series Summary: | A Hollywood sweep, Thank god this awful year is over for Winnipeg. |
Flora-Bama Mullets @ Hampton Huskies |
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| Series Preview: | A pretty meaningless series, save for getting Scott Strickland enough innings to appear in the postseason. |
| Game #1: | Shawn Chacon gave up just three hits over eight innings while the Huskies dumped five runs on nine hits on Horacio Ramirez in under four innings in a 5-3 Hampton win. Aubrey Huff drove in a pair for the Mullets with a triple and Strickland got in the inning that he needed. Rafael Soriano nailed down his 17th save with a perfect 9th. |
| Game #2: | Jack Cust hammered an opposite field two-run homer off Chris Hammond in the 7th inning to give the Huskies a 3-2 come-from-behind win. Scott Hatteberg also homered for Hampton while Rafael Palmeiro smacked his 46th for Flora-bama. There were only nine hits total in this game with strong starts by both AJ Burnett (FNA) and Brandon Webb (HAM). Soriano got his 18th save. |
| Game #3: | Xavier Nady drove in four runs with a three-run home run and a sac fly to lift the Huskies to a 7-3 win over Flora-bama. Lance Berkman and John Canderwal went deep for Flora-bama in the loss, but the bigger loss may have been a blown out shoulder injury suffered by Mullets’ reliever Kiko Calero (19 days). |
| Game #4: | Derrek Lee‘s second home run of the game in the bottom of the 6th broke a 3-3 tie and Marcus Giles provided an insurance run in the 8th as Hampton won its fourth straight 5-3. Joe Crede homered and doubled for Flora-bama in another game of sparse hitting where the teams combined for only 10 hits. |
| Game #5: | The Mullets decided enough was enough and Joe Crede continued his hot hitting with three RBIs on a single and a homer in a 7-2 Flora-Bama victory. Curt Schilling was great and allowed just one run on five hits in 6-1 innings to improve to 14-6. He struck out seven with three walks. Berroa had three hits and scored twice for the Mullets. Alex Gonzalez led the sloppy defence for Hampton in the game by making two of the team’s three errors which led to three unearned runs. He did hit a meaningless solo homer in the bottom of the 9th so I suppose that is something. Rod Barajas had three hits for the losers. |
| Game #6: | Shawn Chacon‘s arm blew out in the 3rd inning, but the Huskies really didn’t give a crap and they cranked out 10 hits including timely hitting from the bottom of the lineup that turned into a 6-2 Hampton win.Scott Hatteberg (#8) and Ryan Ludwick (#9) each had two hits and drove in two runs. Horacio Ramirez took the loss for Flora-bama after being ineffective for the second time in the series (5 runs on 10 hits in 4.2 innings). |
| Series Summary: | A meaningless 5-1 series win for Hampton that did not much except cost us a draft position or two. Flora-Bama (110-52) had long since clinched 1st place while Hampton (82-80) was nestled snuggly in their accustomed last-place position albeit with one of its best records in recent history. |
California Quakes @ Castle Rock Hounds |
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| Series Preview: | Castle Rock and California playing out the last series. The Hounds will need a miracle to force a playoff for the 2nd wildcard spot, but will most likely be on the outside looking in. California is finishing off a rebuilding year. |
| Game #1: | Andy Pettitte picks up his 18th win of the season and the Hounds win 6-4 thanks to spreading out 12 hits and 5 walks (no homers).
WP: Pettitte (18-7) |
| Game #2: | The Hounds see their playoff hopes disappear thanks to a 11th inning grand slam from Morgan Ensberg as the Quakes take Game 2 by a 9-5 score. Ensberg supplied most of the offense, going 4-6 with 2 homers and 7 RBI.
WP: Cerros (1-0) |
| Game #3: | Castle Rock scores 8 runs in the 2nd inning, but those are the only runs they get and California wins 10-8. The Hounds go homerun-less again and Teixeira falls a HR short of the cycle for California.
WP: Carrara (1-0) |
| Game #4: | Castle Rock scores 5 runs in the 9th to complete a comeback in a 9-8 victory. Sweeney collects an infield hit to walk it off after Placido Polanco hit a grand slam. Quakes are getting angry and have two ejections. Both teams hit 3 homers.
WP: Veres (3-0) |
| Game #5: | Another extra inning victory for the Quakes as they take the penultimate game of the series 4-2 in 12 innings. Castle Rock can’t score any runs after the 3rd inning in this one, as the bats just go quiet.
WP: Reith (3-3) |
| Game #6: | California wins another tight one, 6-5, as Robertson spaces out 10 hits and 4 walks, but only allows one earned run (Hounds leave 11 on base). Bonds does get a HR for Castle Rock but Freel hits two for the Quakes.
WP: Robertson (6-22) |
| Series Summary: | A real disappointing end for the Hounds as they limp into the offseason losing 4 of 6 to long-time rivals, California. Cliff Politte figures into 5 of the 6 decisions in the series, with 4 saves and a loss. |
Valdosta Bombers @ Danbury Mad Hatters |
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| Series Preview: | Two teams going no where play out a meaningless series. |
| Series Summary: | Valdosta takes 5 of 6. |
Yucaipa Badgers @ Southlake Stealers |
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| Series Preview: | YUC is holding on for dear life. |
| Game #1: | SSS 6-3 |
| Game #2: | SSS 6-3 |
| Game #3: | YUC 11-0 Mussina one hit shutout. |
| Game #4: | SSS 12-6 |
| Game #5: | SSS 6-4 |
| Game #6: | SSS 9-4 |
| Series Summary: | SSS wins the series and finishes with an amazing 113 wins. Congratulations to Southlake. |
Manhattan Gas Hornets @ Baltimore Blue Crabs
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| Series Preview: | Manhattan (87–69) visits Baltimore (86–70) for the final series of the 2003 MWWL season, holding a one‑game lead for the N.L.’s last playoff spot. The Gas Hornets have the league’s second‑best home record but are just 27–48 on the road. Baltimore enters the series banged up, with Geoff Jenkins out for the first three games and Adam Dunn sidelined for the first five, though Barry Zito returns after missing last week with a minor injury. |
| Game #1: | Matt Morris and Barry Zito trade zeros through four before Manhattan scores an unearned run in the fifth. Dave Roberts’ sac fly ties it in the bottom half, and Chipper Jones’ seventh‑inning grand slam puts Baltimore ahead for good in a 5–1 win. Zito goes eight innings, allowing only six hits and the unearned run.
HORNETS 1 / 7 / 0 |
| Game #2: | Tim Wakefield and Tim Hudson keep the game scoreless through seven, but in the eighth Preston Wilson delivers Baltimore’s second grand slam in as many days, sealing a 4–0 win. Hudson finishes with a four‑hit shutout for the victory.
HORNETS 0 / 4 / 0 |
| Game #3: | After scoring just one run on 11 hits in the first two games, Manhattan’s offense erupts. Baltimore jumps ahead 5–2 in the second, but the Gas Hornets answer with an eight‑run inning and roll to a 16–7 win. Matt Stairs belts two homers and drives in five, while Wil Cordero adds a homer, two doubles, and four RBIs. Miguel Tejada and Joe Randa go deep for Baltimore, though Randa is injured later in the game and lost for the rest of the series. The teams, once again, sport identical records and it becomes a best of 3 to see who will earn the final playoff spot.
HORNETS 16 / 16 / 0 |
| Game #4: | Back and forth affair finds the teams knotted at 4 heading to the bottom of the 7th when Matt Kata and Dimitry Young hit homeruns, part of a 4-run inning, and the Crabs prevail 8-4.
HORNETS 4 / 8 / 0 |
| Game #5: | Needing one win to clinch their first MWWL playoff berth, Baltimore takes a 4–0 lead into the seventh before Manhattan erupts for five runs to go ahead 5–4. The Crabs answer with three in the seventh and five more in the eighth to build a 12–5 lead. Manhattan scores five in the ninth, but Tim Worrell gets the final two outs as Baltimore hangs on 12–10 to reach the 2003 postseason. All nine Gas Hornets record hits, led by Ray Durham’s three hits and four RBIs, while Preston Wilson goes 4‑for‑4 with five RBIs for the Crabs.
HORNETS 10 / 15 / 1 |
| Game #6: | In the series and season finale, the Gas Hornets rally for 2 runs in the 9th for a 3-2 victory. Brian Anderson goes the distance, allowing only 2 unearned runs on 5 hits to earn the win.
HORNETS 3 / 6 / 3 |
| Series Summary: | Baltimore wins the series 4-2 to claim an N.L. Wildcard slot. |
Long Beach Titans @ Blarney Drive Bandits |
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| Series Summary: | Long Beach takes the high-scoring series 4-2. |
Michigan Marauders @ Gladstone Gladiators |
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| Series Preview: | Michigan comes to Gladstone needing only one win in the final 6 games of the season to clinch the division title and dash the Gladiators’ hopes once and for all. |
| Game #1: | The Marauders started strong with a 2-run first inning. They added another in the third, but the Gladiators clawed back a couple in the bottom half. Then Michigan added some insurance with a run in the 4th and a pair in the 5th to take a 6-3 lead. Gladstone wasn’t done yet, though, tying it in the bottom of the 6th. The game continued without any further scoring until the 9th, when Michael Tucker walked it off with a 3-run shot. FINAL SCORE: GLA 9 – MIC 6 |
| Game #2: | Michigan jumped out to the lead again, with a run in the first, two in the 3rd, and another 2 in the 4th before Gladstone got a pair back in the bottom of the 4th. But that would be it until the 9th inning, when the Marauders put the game out of reach with a 7-run outburst and clinched the division title. FINAL SCORE: MIC 12 – GLA 2 |
| Game #3: | With nothing left to fight for, the Gladiators’ offense phoned it in, though the pitching held Michigan to their lowest total so far. FINAL SCORE: MIC 4 – GLA 3 |
| Game #4: | Gladstone looked like they were on their way to salvaging some dignity, ahead 3-2 going into the 9th inning. But the Marauders put up 3 runs in the top of the inning and held off the Gladiators’ bats in the bottom. FINAL SCORE: MIC 5 – GLA 3 |
| Game #5: | Gladstone erupted for 6 runs in the bottom of the 3rd to take a 6-2 lead, but once again Michigan pulled off a 9th inning rally. FINAL SCORE: MIC 7 – GLA 6 |
| Game #6: | Gladstone’s bats were tired and only managed 1 run, while Michigan scored a bunch. FINAL SCORE: MIC 9 – GLA 1 |
| Series Summary: | Michigan takes the series 5-1 and goes to the playoffs, while the Gladiators start looking at tee times. |
Iowa Giants @ DeWitt Tigers
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| Series Summary: | Iowa closes out the season by winning a road series at DeWitt |
Corktown Bootleggers @ Houghton Penguins |
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| Series Preview: | Corktown, 1st Place in AL East, versus Houghton, Last Place in AL East. |
| Series Summary: | Corktown takes 5 of 6 games. |