That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: Maddon excited to face his old team Cubs; Will Matz meet the Mets; plus more

photo Angels manager Joe Maddon

On That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:

#1 What’s it like for former Chicago Cub manager Joe Maddon to play against his former team the Cubs as Angels manager.

#2 What does it say for the Angels organization formerly working in Anaheim picking up a manager like Joe Maddon.

#3 The New York Mets are inquiring about Steven Matz of the New York Yankees. Matz has a 4.05 ERA over the last four seasons and could turn free agent what are the Mets chances of getting Matz?

#4 The Oakland A’s Jesus Luzardo threw for three innings on Sunday in his second start this spring. Luzardo pitched for the Las Vegas Aviators last season in seven starts and had an ERA of 3.19.

#5 A’s manager Bob Melvin says that Tony Kemp may not end up being the A’s lead off hitter but he’s been getting some good at bats, Kemp hit a double and went 8-18 and Melvin says that Kemp is seeing left handed pitching pretty good too.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for A’s baseball on KIQI 1010 San Francisco hear all A’s home games on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Amaury does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Giants no longer after former Dodger Yaseil Puig; At Giants Fan Fest Pence says he loves being back

San Francisco Giants outfielder Hunter Pence is welcomed back by his teammates Alex Dickerson and Buster Posey at Giants Fan Fest on Saturday at Oracle Park in San Francisco (sfchronicle.com photo)

On That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary:

#1 The San Francisco Giants were one of the teams that were expressing interest in acquiring former Los Angeles Dodger Yaseil Puig but no more. Puig commands a seven year worth $42 million deal. The Giants have said they are no longer interested in obtaining Puig. Was it his unpopularity with his teammates with past teams the issue or the cost of his contract demands?

#2 It was a big deal at Giants fan fest when Hunter Pence sat on stage with an untucked Giants jersey on and was happy to be back in San Francisco again

#3 Pence signed for a one year deal worth $3 million is Hunter’s value mostly in the clubhouse or what he can bring to the plate he did get some big flies when he did play in Texas last season

#4 In a San Francisco Chronicle poll of 500 voters in Oakland 62% of them said the current site should be at the Coliseum for the A’s, 29% of those polled wanted to see the A’s move to Jack London Square. Most of those polled said the Coliseum site is more practical because of it’s land space, parking, freeway access and BART.

#5 MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has made it clear that if the Oakland A’s do not get a new stadium built at Howard Terminal in downtown Oakland MLB will seek to move the A’s out of Oakland and move them to Las Vegas.

Join Amaury Pi Gonzalez each Tuesday for News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

2020 Caribbean Series: Puerto Rico takes advantage of home field with win over Colombia 3-2

February 5, 2020

By Lewis Rubman

Colombia (0-4)            2    5    3

Puerto Rico (2-2)            3    10    0

HATO REY, PUERTO RICO–Last night’s contest between Colombia’s champions, the Montería Vaqueros (which is the Spanish word from which our “buckeroos” is derived) and the host Santurce Cangrejeros, or Crabbers, had loads of the ingredients that make baseball fun: speedy base running, outfield assists, close plays, a close score, an enthusiastic crowd, and, of course, a local angle for the fan. Just the thing to cap off the fourth straight day filled with three games and four straight nights filled with little sleep.

Wasted opportunities are frustrating. In baseball, they’re also fun. Every chance to achieve something – a shut down inning, a run, a double play, a stolen base- carries with it the excitement of being on the verge of a desired attainment. And last night’s game had its share. I can’t begin to list all of them, but I can point out a few examples.

Take Puerto Rico’s half of third inning. The Crabbers held a one run advantage over the Buckaroos. Jack López led off with a single and advanced to second when Colombia’s center fielder, Andy Vásquez, lost control of the ball. A sequence like that is an invitation to score. But pitcher Julio Vivas promptly withdrew the invitation by picking López off second. Notice that two mistakes were involved in this scenario, bad fielding and bad base running. Interesting or exciting baseball is not necessarily good baseball

In the top of the seventh, with the score knotted at two all, Vásquez laced a single to center. Arvicent Pérez followed this up with a single to right. Vásquez never stopped on his way to third, where he was cut down by a laser throw from right fielder Jan Hernández that would have put Ramón Liriano to shame. Of course, Colombia challenged the call, but it was upheld.

A lousy throw can afford as much excitement as a great one. Earlier in the game, after Colombia had tied the score at one all on a fifth inning solo homer by Vásquez,  the men from Montería jumped to a brief, one run lead in the sixth. Andrés Angulo led off with a walk and stole second. Jordan Díaz singled him home and went to second on the throw. Francisco Acuña sacrificed Díaz to second, but he kept on running. Seeing this, catcher Roberto Peña threw the ball towards third. Towards, not to. Left fielder David Vidal retrieved the errant missile and fired it to Peña, who put the tag on the overly ambitious Díaz. At this point, Devin Raftery relieved starter Héctor Hernández and struck out Rey Fuentes to get the final out of the inning.

There was drama when Puerto Rico went ahead in the eighth, using bunts and bunt attempts (including a couple by the fifth spot hitter) before Andury Acevedo plunked Jonathan Morales on a 3-0 count with the bases loaded to force in the winning run.

As for the local angle. That was provided by the Vaqueros’ first baseman, Alberto Callaspo.

2020 Caribbean Series Puerto Rico: Quiala gets quality start in seven innings for Mexico in 6-1 win

February 3, 2020

By Lewis Rubman

Panama (1-2) 1 4 2

Mexico (2-1) 6 11 1

HATO REY, PUERTO RICO–After losing its Caribbean Series opener to Venezuela to the Dominican Republic on Saturday afternoon, Mexico, represented by the Tomateros (Tomato Growers) of Culiacán, bounced back by defeating Puerto Rico yesterday afternoon and trouncing Panama’s entry, Chiquirí Astronautas, 6-1, in this morning’s contest.

Mexico’s right handed starter, Yoanys Quiala was sharp through all seven innings he pitched, shutting out the Astros over four and two-third innings. When he left the game, Quiala had faced 81 batters and surrendered just three hits and struck out four without a walk.

The one run he allowed was earned, coming on a ground out by Edgardo Thomas that followed singles by Edgar Muñoz and Rodrigo Orozco. Zach Dotson and Aldo Montes, each of whom pitched a scoreless inning. Dotson gave up a hit; Montes didn’t. Thanks to the Tomateros’ potent offense, there was no save.

That offense struck early. Joey Meneses led off the second with a double to left. Dariel Alvarez promptly drove him home with a single to center. After a pausing while Alan Sánchez flew out to center, the Mexican offensive resumed its work of destruction and José Guadalupe Chávez drove in both runners, in spite of the intervening strike out of Ricardo Valenzuela.

Culiacán tacked on a couple of runs in the fifth, thanks to a double by Ramiro Peña, who advanced to third when Panama’s second baseman, Geral Chin, bobbled Antony Giansanti’s grounder. Peña scored on Meneses’s single to right center, which allowed Giansanti to get all the way around to third. He crossed the plate on a sacrifice liner to center by Alvarez.

Panama got its face saving run in the top of the sixth on singles by Muñoz and Orozco, followed by Eduardo Thomas’s slow grounder to second, which allowed Muñoz to dash across the plate.

An error by Astrós third sacker, Isaías Velásquez, put Ramiro Ríos on first. Ricardo Valenzuela’s single sent him to third. Chávez´s sac fly drove him home with the final tally.

The loss went to José Mesa, who faced 23 batters over 4-2/3 innings in which he allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits. Luis Ramos allowed a run on two hits in his inning of work, and Wilfredo Pereira held Mexico to a single hit in his two and third frames.

From the sound of things, the game between the Dominican Republic and Colombia is starting now.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: 2020 Caribbean Series Cuba Out,Colombia In

photo from septimaentrada.com: Logo for 2020 Caribbean Series in Puerto Rico

2020 Caribbean Series: Cuba Out,Colombia In

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

Amaury Pi-González

Because of visa problems the Cuban National Baseball Champions will not be able to travel to Puerto Rico next month to participate in the 2020 Caribbean Series.As confirmed by the CPBC (Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation) on Sunday.and officially announced by Dominican, Juan Francisco Puello,Commissioner of the CPBC.

The 62nd edition of this tournament is scheduled to begin on February 1,with the representative of champions from the following countries:Colombia, México, Panamá, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Venezuela. Panamá is the defending champion.

They will play three games daily at the Hiram Bithorn stadium in San Juan,Puerto Rico. For the first time in history,forcing three games per day during the first round, because for the second time there are only 6 participants.The first four days will consist of three matches daily. On opening day,Colombia will play Venezuela,México vs Dominican Republic and Panamá vs Puerto Rico.

2019 Caribbean Series took place in Panamá,although originally scheduled for Venezuela,for the second consecutive year had to be moved to an alternative location because of the political crisis that continues to this day in that country.

The reigning champions Toros de Herrera (Panamá) became the first team from Panamá to win since the Carta Vieja Yankees in 1950 and it was the first appearance by Panamá in a Caribbean Series since 1960.

There will be coverage of this popular tournament on this site. Also you are welcome to visit the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Hall of Fame Museum,new site at: https://www.hhbmhof.com/ with information in English and Spanish.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Museum join Amaury at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: A’s 30 years World Series reunion at Fremont

bostonglobe.com file photo: Former Oakland A’s pitcher, native of Fremont, and Boston Red Sox broadcaster Dennis Eckersley appeared at the 1989 World Series reunion in Fremont

A’s 30 Years World Series Reunion at Fremont

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

FREMONT CA–At an upscale restaurant in Fremont, Athletics front office workers,executives,some ex-players and broadcasters were mingling and reminiscing the last time the Oakland A’s won a World Series.

The historic 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake World Series where the A’s swept the Giants. The “time capsule”reunion took place in Fremont,where in this decade,was planned to be the new home for the Oakland A’s and today the fourth largest city (by population) in the Bay Area,closing-in 240,000 residents.just a few months before the next US Census takes place.

The gentrification of Fremont has been taken place for a while now. Some are calling Fremont, “Silicon Valley East” because of its proximity to the hub of technology in the US. Fremont is only 12-15 miles away from Silicon Valley and would have been a well-located place for their new home,specially now because today’s Fremont is much more affluent that the Fremont where the General Motors Plant employed most of the population.

But,it was not-to-be. There was a rally of people supporting the team moving to Fremont.in a popular local eatery but the opposition came right away and the proponents got cold feet. The idea of Fremont as the new home for the A’s never got to first base,even thought it was officially listed on the team’s Media Guide one year.

It is always great to see people that you work in the past,in this case 30 years ago. Part of the history of this franchise that originated in Philadelphia and has won a total of 9 World Series, five in Philadelphia and four in Oakland. Even Crazy George,the ultimate A’s Booster was in attendance,with a drum to cheer everybody.

Although the focus was the 1989 World Series, the reunion was not necessarily about baseball,but about friendships and relationships that are developed in this unique business. Just like any reunion you will see people you have not seen and many that you didn’t even knew where alive. These are the people behind the scenes that make a Major League franchise operate in the good as well as during the lean years.

Fremont was an appropriate place for this reunion,because the city was part of the history of the Athletics and it is well located,just 15 miles from San José, 45 miles from San Francisco and just south of Oakland on highway 880,and accessible via BART. In July, Fremont was named the ‘least stressed city in the United States” by a WalletHub study, according to the San José Mercury News.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Museum and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Oakland A’s after 2019

photo from bleacherreport.com: Oakland A’s manager Bob Melvin says a game could go right down to a home run or a strikeout.

By Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

There are basically four ways of building a championship team:
1. Farms system
2. Free Agent signings
3. MLB Draft
4. Trade of players

Of course not one is always the easiest, but instead, a combination of all four.

“The focus next year will be winning more games and trying to win our division,” said manager Bob Melvin after the A’s lost the Wild Card game to the Tampa Bay Rays 5-1 at the Oakland Coliseum.

For the second year in a row, the A’s ended 97-65 in second place behind the Houston Astros. The last game of the season this year at the Coliseum had a record 54,005 attendance, a record for a Wild Card game in all of baseball. Unfortunately, the same results for the Green and Gold dating back to 2000. The A’s have lost nine consecutive winner-take all games. We have to go back to the team of the 1973 World Series’ Game 7 against the New York Mets. That was the last time the A’s won a do or die game.

In today’s baseball, things are much different. We are now in a game where is down to “home-run” or “strikeout” — both keep going up each season. For the record, winning the division is important, like Melvin mentioned, but let’s not forget that in 2005 the Atlanta Braves won the Division championship for the 14th consecutive year (1991-2005). That is the current MLB record for winning consecutive division titles. However, during that record-setting streak the Braves, under manager Bobby Cox, only won one World Series in 1995 over the Cleveland Indians. In 2014, Cox was elected to the Hall of Fame as a manager by the veterans committee.

Under the current system, it is much difficult to make it all the way to the October Classic — especially for a wild card team — with the goal of winning 12 games in the postseason to bring home the hardware.Winning your division is definitely a better way of going into the postseason for obvious reasons. A one-game Wild Card playoff is basically a “coin flip” on who is going to win. In the case of the game against Tampa Bay, I did agree with starting Sean Manaea, who was pitching great after his return, but we also have to respect Rays pitcher Charlie Morton, an established mainstay in their rotation with experience, a guy that made the last out of the World Series giving the Astros the title two years ago.

The last handful of games during the regular season the A’s were not hitting, scoring one to three runs per game and unfortunately that carried into the October 2 Wild Card game against the Rays in a 5-1 loss. The future is bright for the young A’s who are getting younger in their rotation for 2020 with Luzardo. Montas. AJ Puk joining Sean Manaea and Mike Fiers. Minus a couple of relievers and possibly Jurickson Profar the A’s position players will be mostly the same as this year. They will not need the services of veteran pitcher rentals Homer Bailey and Roark. Piscotty and Ramon Laureano now could be joined in left field by Seth Brown a young player with talent who hits left-handed. Khris Davis could use this off season to clear his mind and work toward adjusting his batting so he can have a new approach to hitting and be the Khris Davis that we all know.

Do not expect the A’s to be actively trading this winter because they do not need to They still have the core of the young players under contract. In my opinion, Marcus Semien — the team’s MVP this season — should win in arbitration.

I picked the Houston Astros to win the World Series before the season began. After they picked up starter Zack Greinke on July 31, my opinion became much more easy to make.  But it is baseball, and it is not perfect science. I remember the 1988 World Series all too well, when the A’s lost to the Dodgers. I worked that series, and after that series, I learned that anything is possible in baseball so the main thing is to make it to the World Series and bring home the trophy. That should be every team’s goal. Postseasons are nice, the fans love it and get into it, but sometimes you have to deliver and go much deeper into October.

As for the A’s, they will have to wait another year for that chance and hopefully in 2020 they could be playing at the end of October.

Amaury Pi-González is the pioneer in establishing Spanish radio play-by-play broadcasts in the Bay Area since the middle of the 1970’s with the Oakland Athletics. He has been a longtime contributor to sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Diaz home run disaster strikes twice, Oakland lawsuit could force A’s to leave Oakland

tampabaytimes.com file photo: Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Tommy Pham (29), right, is congratulate by Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Willy Adames (1), center, and Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz (2), left, after Pham hit a solo homer in the fifth inning against the Oakland Athletics in the American League Wild Card game Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019 in Oakland.

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 The Tampa Bay Rays’ leadoff hitter Yandy Diaz got a jump on A’s pitcher Sean Manaea. Did that sort of shake up Manaea’s confidence to start the game?

#2 Then, in the top of the second, the Rays right fielder Avisail Garcia took one deep center just under the Holy Toledo sign for a two-run home run to put the Rays on top 3-0.

#3 In the top third, Diaz did it again with his second home run and the Rays go up 4-1 and Sean Manaea was lifted and charged for all four runs. The Rays’ Tommy Pham took A’s reliever Yusmeiro Petit deep and put the Rays up 5-1.

#4 The City of Oakland has filed a lawsuit against the Oakland A’s to stop the A’s partial purchase of Oakland Coliseum. The lawsuit was filed in Alameda Superior Court on Tuesday and it certainly broadsided A’s team president David Kaval, who just with the City’s lead negotiator Betsy Lake, discussed regarding building the new stadium Jack London Square.

#5 Going forward after the loss in the wild card to the Rays, now Kaval has to deal with not only trying to get an idea when the A’s can start building at Jack London Square, but also dealing with the lawsuit filed by the city of Oakland.

Jerry did the 2019 Oakland A’s podcasts on http://www.sportsradioservice.com

How it ended: A’s season ends with a thud fall to the Rays 5-1

sfgate.com photo: After surrendering three home runs Oakland A’s starter Sean Manaea heads for the A’s dugout as the Tampa Bay Rays win the AL Wild Card game at the Oakland Coliseum on Wednesday night 5-1

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND- The Tampa Bay Rays won the Wild Card game and advanced to the ALDS against the Houston Astros. The Rays, with the second-best road record in baseball, scored all of their runs on the strength of four home runs. They sent A’s starter Sean Manaea to an early exit as he gave up three bombs in two-plus innings of work. The A’s could do nothing against Charlie Morton and the Rays’ bullpen.

The A’s had opportunities, but they failed to cash in, and that cost them the game. The A’s have made the playoffs five times in the Bob Melvin era. They failed to advance in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, and now in 2019. Billy Beane and David Forst have to make some moves to improve the team over the winter.

Let’s see what happens. The Rays took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first. With the count 3-1, Yandy Diaz homered to right field. Sean Manaea settled down and struck out the next three hitters. The Rays lead 1-0 with the A’s coming to the plate. The A’s were able to load the bases as Marcus Semien led off with a single. The Rays’ starter Charlie Morton struggled with his command as he walked two hitters to load the bases.

He got Jurickson Profar to fly out to right to end the threat. The Rays put two more on the board in the second. Former San Francisco Giant Matt Duffy led off with an infield single. The next hitter, Avasail Garcia, hit a blast that went about 420 feet over the centerfield fence to give Tampa a 3-0 advantage.

In the top of the third, Yandy Diaz hammered his second homer of the night to make it 4-0. A’s manager Bob Melvin, decided to remove Manaea from the game. Yusmeiro petit came in and was able to stop the damage. Manaea’s line was two innings pitched, four hits, and four runs. The Rays tagged him for three big flys.

The A’s put their first run on the board in the bottom of the third. Marcus Semien reached third on a throwing error by Rays’ third baseman Mike Brosseau. Semien scored on a Ramon Laureano’s sacrifice fly to right. With two out in the fifth, the Rays continued to send the ball out of the park. Rays’ DH Tommy Pham hit the Rays’ fourth home run of the night over the center-field wall to put the Rays in the drivers’ seat 5-1.

The A’s bullpen shut down the Rays the rest of the way. The Rays’ bullpen stifled the A’s offense to secure the win. The Rays travel to Houston to play the Astros in the American League Division Series. Game notes- The winning pitcher was Charlie Morton, and Sean Manaea took the loss. There was some controversy about Bob Melvin’s choice of Manaea over Mike Fiers. Fiers led the team with a 15-4 record this season.

He was the A’s best pitcher, and many people were surprised by Melvin’s choice. Melvin said Manaea pitched very well when he returned from the IL and was 4-0 in five starts before the Wild Card game. Manaea gave up three home runs and four runs in two-plus innings of work. The bullpen gave up just one run in the last seven innings of the game. The A’s offense went to sleep Wednesday night.

The only run they scored was unearned in the third inning. The A’s managed eight hits, all singles. The Rays had seven hits, but four were home runs, and that was the difference in the game. There were 54,005 fans at the park Wednesday night and that set a record for a Wild Card game. The time of the game was three hours and eighteen minutes. The A’s season ended sadly, but they have an excellent young team, and they will be back next year.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: This one’s for all the marbles, Rays-A’s, expect a good pitching match

yahoo.sports.com file photo: Oakland left handed pitcher Sean Manaea will start for the A’s in Wednesday’s AL wildcard game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

On Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 The American League Wild Card game between Tampa Bay and Oakland is a one and done series. London tells us what’s on the line as the Rays’ Charlie Morton matches up against Oakland’s Sean Manaea.

#2 The A’s have had a key player throughout the regular season. Whether it’s Jurickson Profar, Sean Murphy, Ramon Laureano, Matt Olson or Matt Chapman, someone is always digging in at the plate.

#3 The Rays are a good road team they are 49-37, which is the second-best record in MLB. They can really make a game of it against the A’s tonight.

#4 It just seems like A’s manager Bob Melvin has been able to position and place hitters and pitchers in the right spots to get the best out of them and it’s paid off and it’s what’s in them the home field in these wild card games.

#5 It’s all on the line, it’s a one and done series. Does the one-game format of the wild card rob a team’s dream working 162 games to get here and then to be eliminated or is that the best part of the wild card format to keep teams on edge?

London Marq does Headline Sports each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com