Tag: Sports radio

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Baseball Hispanic Month – The Largest Minority

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Since 2018 the HHBM’s large mural at the Club Level entrance of the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum, home of the 2020 Western Division Champion Oakland Athletics, has been seen by thousands (photo by Mauricio Segura Escalante)

Baseball Hispanic Month – The Largest Minority

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Hispanics/Latinos in the United States are not a monolithic group, they come from all the countries where Spanish is the official language, Latin American countries as well as Spain. Baseball is very similar to the total population of the US who speaks Spanish, which (before the current Census being taken) were around 45 million people or 18.5 percent of the total population.

However, that was ten years ago. It would be very interesting to see the Census numbers after its completion this year. Hispanics will continue to be the largest minority in the US for years to come and in baseball (even with no minor leagues this year, where the numbers are higher) will continue to have an abundance of talent.

Of all the five professional sports leagues in the country, MLB,NFL, NBA,NHL,MLS, Major League Baseball with around 30 percent of all players Spanish-speaking is “Número Uno”. MLS (Major League Soccer) at the start of each season, their teams are permitted eight international spots on a 30-player roster.

There is no such rule in baseball; all you have to do is look at the Chicago White Sox team this season. The White Sox roster included 13 players and Rick Rentería the Manager. The Chicago White Sox were the first team in history to have a Cuban-born player in each of the top four slots in the starting lineup plus Gio González as the starting pitcher on that game.

The White Sox clinched a playoff berth and occupy first place in American League Central. They are a young team and one of the most exciting teams, like the San Diego Padres.

This past September 5th, MLB commemorated “Roberto Clemente Day” an annual celebration, honoring the great Puerto Rican player’s life and legacy and also named the month of September as Hispanic Heritage Month. Clubs celebrated the great Hall of Famer and humanitarian.

This September 18, The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame held an induction in the New York area, the event was held outside, because of the Coronavirus restrictions in the New York area. See below.

http://bronx.news12.com/hispanic-baseball-hall-of-fame-welcomes-new-inductees

The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame was founded in 1998 in San Francisco, California as a non-profit organization. Since 2018 the HHBM’s large mural at the Club Level entrance of the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum, home of the 2020 Western Division Champion Oakland Athletics, has been seen by thousands.

Stay well and stay tuned.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president for the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Museum and Hall of Fame in San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Dodgers blast four home runs down A’s 7-2 at Chavez Ravine; LA wins West NL’s top seed

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The Los Angeles Dodgers Mookie Betts scores behind Oakland A’s catcher Sean Murphy on a Corey Seager single in the first inning at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles on Tue Sep 22, 2020 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s, newly crowned as American League Western Division championships, faced the Los Angeles Dodgers in LA Tuesday night. The Dodgers, owners of the best record in baseball, needed one more win to win the National League Western Division. They took the A’s down 7-2 to accomplish the goal.

The A’s got off to a good start when Robbie Grossman homered off the left-field foul pole to make it 1-0. The Dodgers answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the first to tie it 1-1.

The A’s scored a run in the third without the benefit of a hit. A’s catcher Sean Murphy walked to start the inning. Murphy advanced to second and third on two ground outs. He scored on a wild pitch. the A’s led 2-1. They would not score again. The Dodgers put two on the board in the bottom of the third. With two out, Corey Seager singled. Former Athletic, Max Muncy, blasted his twelfth of the year to give the Dodgers the lead 3-2.

Montas gave up two more solo home runs in the fourth. Dodger second baseman Chris Taylor hit his eighth, and A.J.Pollock his thirteenth. LA leads 5-2.

The Dodgers added one in the fifth when Corey Seager hit his fourteenth off T.J.McFarland. The Dodgers’ final run came in the seventh. Mookie Betts reached on a rare error by Matt Olson. A’s pitcher walked Seager and Muncy to load the bases with no out. Cody Bellinger’s infield single drove in Betts with the Dodgers’ seventh run. LA wins 7-2.

Game Notes- Frankie Montas had another rough outing Tuesday night. His line was four innings, seven hits, five runs, and he was rocked for three big flies.
With the win, the Dodgers improved to 39-16. They will be the number one seed throughout the playoffs. The A’s are now 33-21.

The A’s hitters struck out thirteen times. The line for the team was two runs, five hits, and one error. The Dodgers’ line was seven runs, eleven hits, and one error.
Sean Manaea will go for Oakland Tuesday Night. Julio Arias will pitch for LA.

Pinch hit home run by Dickerson gives Giants huge win 5-2

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Alex Dickerson’s pinch hit home run in the bottom of the seventh inning got the Giants the eventual win as Colorado Rockies pitcher Jario Diaz just can’t look on Tue Sep 22, 2020 game at Oracle Park in San Francisco (photo from sfchronicle.com)

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-Alex Dickerson came up with the biggest hit of the night at the most opportune time.

Dickerson came off the bench to hit a pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the seventh inning and the San Francisco Giants defeated the Colorado Rockies 5-2 at Oracle Park.

The Dickerson home run was his 10th of the season, and he is now 14-for-29 against the Rockies this season with four doubles, six home runs and 10 runs batted in.

With the victory, the Giants are now in a three-way tie in the wild card with the Cincinnati Reds, who lost to the Milwaukee Brewers and the Philadelphia Phillies, who were swept in a doubleheader against the defending World Champion Washington Nationals.

Austin Slater got the Giants on the board in a hurry, as he took a Kyle Freeland pitch into the left field bleachers in the bottom of the first inning to give the Giants a quick 1-0 lead.

It was the first career leadoff home run for Slater and his fifth home run of the season, as the Giants try and clinch one of the two wild card playoff spots in the 2020 MLB Postseason.

With the victory over the Rockies, coupled with the Philadelphia Phillies being swept in a doubleheader by the defending World Champion Washington Nationals and the Cincinnati Reds losing to the Milwaukee Brewers, all three teams are at the .500 mark.

Joey Bart gave the Giants that all important second run of the game, as he doubled over the head of former Giants centerfielder Kevin Pillar to score Daniel Robertson in the bottom of the fifth inning.

That Bart RBI double was huge, as just one-half inning in the top of the sixth inning, Charlie Blackmon pulled the Rockies within one run, as he grounded into a force play that scored Pillar from third base.

Drew Smyly went 5.1 innings, allowing just one run, while scattering four hits, walking two and striking out five

Freeland pitched an admirable game for the Rockies, as he went six strong innings, allowing two runs on five hits, walking three and striking out just one.

Robertson, who is usually an infielder came up with the defensive play of the night from left field, as he threw Garrett Hampson out at second base, as he tried to stretch a single into a double.

That play by Robertson was huge, as Raimel Tapia singled two batters later and then Pillar tied up the game, when he doubled off the left field wall to score Tapia.

Robertson, who started the game at shortstop was forced to move to left field after Luis Alexander Basabe was forced to leave the game in the top of the fourth inning due to an apparent leg injury.

Bart came up with his second double of the night in the bottom of the seventh inning, as he was one of two Giants players to have multiple hits against Rockies pitching. Slater, who led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run, hit an infield single that sent Bart to third base.

The Dickerson home run made a winner out of Tyler Rogers, who gave up the game-tying double to former teammate Pillar just one-half inning earlier.

Brandon Belt broke the game open, as he came off the bench to pinch hit for Wilmer Flores and hit a two-run double that scored Bart and Slater.

Sam Coonrod pitched a perfect ninth inning to pick up his third save of the season, as he struck out two, including the last pitch to Tapia that was clocked at 100 miles per hour.

NOTES: Prior to tonight’s game, Chadwick Tromp was placed on the 10-Day IL with a right shoulder strain and Tyler Heineman was recalled from the Alternate Training Site.

On this date in 1969, Willie Mays hit his 600th career home run off of Mike Corkins of the San Diego Padres and it ended up being the game-winner, as the Giants defeated the Padres 4-2 at San Diego Stadium.

UP NEXT: Ryan Castellani will take the mound for the Rockies on Wednesday night, while the Giants have yet to name a starter.

Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Barbara Mason: Raiders winning their first home game is what’s staying in Vegas

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The Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller (83) is grabbed around the right ankle by New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore (23) in the first half on Monday Night Football at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas (AP News photo)

On the LV Raiders podcast with Barbara:

#1 The Las Vegas Raiders is a name that’s going to take a little getting used to saying, but also winning their first two games of the season is something Raiders head coach Jon Gruden can get used to real quick as the Raiders win in their inaugural game at Allegiant Stadium on Monday Night Football 34-24.

#2 The Raiders converted five out of seven third downs in the first half and forced a half time tie with the Saints at 17-17 and gained some confidence coming out of the locker room at the half.

#3 The second half the Raiders held the Saints to no scores in the third quarter. Quarterback Drew Brees looked like he was running for day light to find a receiver and just came up empty.

#4 Talk about the Raiders hosting this first game at their new digs particularly with no fans did this give them more time to focus on the Saints, did the new building help influence the game for the Raiders?

#5 The Raiders at 2-0 head to New England for their next game against the Patriots who are coming off a tough 35-30 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. How do you see this match up in New England.

Barbara Mason hosts Headline Sports each Tuesday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: A’s glad wild card series best possible 3 games instead of one and done

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Oakland A’s pitcher Frankie Montas will get the start for Oakland tonight at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles as the A’s open a three game series in the Southland in the battle of two first place teams (file photo from the San Francisco Chronicle)

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

#1 Amaury one thing you can say about this year’s post season for the A’s they don’t have to play a one game wild card game unlike last season they went to New York and were one and done. This year’s wild card is the best two out of three.

#2 How badly will the A’s miss Matt Chapman for the post season as he’s out with a hip injury and Jack Lamb has been playing at third in his place?

#3 Lamb has provided some offense since taking over for Chapman Sunday he got a two run RBI single in the sixth and he’s hitting .200 and has been instrumental on defense during the series against the Giants at the Oakland Coliseum over the weekend.

#4 The A’s got two shutouts during the series with the Giants on Friday Chris Bassitt pitched over six inning giving up just three hits and on Saturday Jesus Luzardo pitched six innings of shutout ball and gave up five hits. The A’s pitching staff should be ready by next week when post season starts.

#5 Starting pitching to open the series with the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight at Dodger Stadium for the A’s Frankie Montas (3-4 ERA 5.86) for the Dodgers Dustin May 1-1 (ERA 2.86) first pitch is at 6:40pm.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Oakland A’s Spanish radio lead play by play announcer on 1010 KIQI San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants’ playoff push starts off with a nudge in 7-2 loss to the Rockies

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–The Giants couldn’t afford to take a night off. But they took one anyway.

The final week of the regular season placed the Giants right where they need to be: at home in Oracle Park where they’ve won 13 of 16. But with starter Johnny Cueto clearly off his game, the Giants fell quietly to the Rockies, 7-2.

The silver lining, if one exists? The Cardinals, Marlins, Phillies and Brewers–the majority of the quintet of clubs the Giants are competing against for the last two National League playoff spots–all lost as well giving all parties a 24-hour reprieve in what figures to be a furious finish that may not be completely decided by Sunday.

Tonight’s lone winner? The Reds, who beat the Brewers, 6-3, winning for the eight time in nine games. The Reds are over .500 for the first time since winning their first game of the season, and currently occupy the seventh seed.

Had the Giants won Monday, they could have moved into the sixth slot. Instead, their back below .500 and a half-game behind a pair of teams that currently hold tiebreakers against them.

Cueto hadn’t pitched since September 13 due to a sore hip, and he didn’t appear healed after allowing a pair of runs in the first, a home run to Kevin Pillar in the third, and balking in a run in the fourth. Cueto’s outing marked the third time in five starts that the veteran has allowed at least six runs. On Monday, he allowed seven runs on eight hits and couldn’t finish the sixth inning.

 

Preview of the three-game series between the Oakland A’s and the Los Angeles Dodgers

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The Oakland A’s Mark Canha (20) gets congratulated after scoring by on deck hitter Stephen Piscotty (25) against the San Francisco Giants in the fourth inning of Sat Sep 19, 2020’s game at the Oakland Coliseum. The A’s face the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday night at Dodgers Stadium (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s, who will win the American League Western Division crown with either one more victory or one more Houston Astro defeat, travel to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers for three games. The Series starts Tuesday night and could be a preview of possible future meeting in the 2020 World Series.

The Dodgers have won the NL West for the last eight seasons. They made it to the World Series in 2017 and 2018. They lost both.

The Dodgers last won a World Series in 1988 when they upset the heavily favored Oakland A’s. The Dodgers have the best record in baseball this season with a record of 38-16. The A’s have the third-best record in the American League.

They are 33-20 with seven games to play. The A’s last won the World Series in 1989. They played the Cincinnati Reds in the 1990 series and were swept in four games.

The Dodgers made a blockbuster trade with the Red Sox last spring. They acquired the 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts to be their right-fielder. Betts would have been a free agent after the 2020 season, and the Red Sox could not sign him to a contract extension.


The Dodgers are loaded with talent. Cody Bellinger, the reigning 2019 NL MVP, is not hitting for average, but he is a very dangerous hitter. He will be seen in either center-field or at first base. Their shortstop, Corey Seager, was the unanimous choice for NL Rookie of the Year in 2016.

He is hitting .316 with 13 homers and 37 RBIs. His OPS is .952. Other outstanding players are third baseman Justin Turner, Max Muncy at first and third, Kike Hernandez, AJ Pollock, Joc Pederson, and catchers Will Smith and Austin Barnes.

The Dodgers have a great starting rotation. Lefty Clayton Kershaw leads them. Kershaw has won three NL Cy Young awards. Righty Walker Buehler, who almost won the award last year, is expected to pitch Thursday night against the A’s.

Buehler has been on the 10-day IL with a finger blister. Dustin May will pitch Tuesday night for the Dodgers, and Frankie Montas will go for Oakland. Wednesday night will feature Dodger lefty, Julio Arias.

The A’s will counter with Sean Manaea. Manaea has allowed more than one run in just one of his last five starts. Mike Fiers, who no-hit the Dodgers in 2105 as a member of the Houston Astros, is 6-2 this year. Fiers, as a Milwaukee Brewer in 2012, allowed one run in seven innings of work in his only career game in Dodger Stadium.

The Dodger bullpen with feature Kenley Jansen as the closer. He is 3-1 and has notched 11 saves so far this season. Former A’s closer Blake Treinen bounced back from an off-year in 2019. He is 3-2 with an ERA of 3.57. He has one save recorded for LA. Other relievers that may see action in the series are Brusdar Graterol, Dylan Floro, Jake McGee, Adam Kolarek, Pedro Baez, Joe Kelly, and Alex Wood.

The A’s would like to get the win that will give the AL West crown as soon as possible. By doing so, A’s manager Bob Melvin would have the ability to provide some benchwarmers extra playing time before the start of the playoffs. A’s designated hitter, Khris Davis, needs more at-bats to get back into form. Davis has been scuffling with his game since being injured in Pittsburgh last season.

The games between the Dodgers and A’s are always a treat for the fans. The teams usually meet every three years in interleague play. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the schedule was altered this season.

After the three with LA, the A’s welcome the Seattle Mariners to Oakland for four games to finish the season, which ends on September 27th. The ‘s probably will face the Houston Astros in the best two out of three Wild Card format.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: 2020 Baseball – Surprised?

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Arizona Diamondback catcher Daulton Varsho puts the tag on Los Angeles Dodgers runner AJ Pollock who slides past in the 10th inning. The question has been does adding an automatic runner at second base in extra innings create more action to the game or a quick conclusion to the game. (file photo from yahoo.com)

2020 Baseball – Surprised?

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

How many are surprised that the 60-game “regular” season has one week left? I would bet, many, many of you. But this is reality; just a handful of teams had inconveniences on cancellations because they were hit with Covid. Over 40 games were cancelled because of a positive test. MLB did not use the now famous bubble, which was successfully implemented by the NBA who is now close to their final series for the title.

At the end the biggest decision and most successful for MLB was to “contain” the teams to their own geographical areas, East, Central and West. Obviously that restricted flying longer routes across country and therefore risking more contamination.

We have experienced the 7-inning doubleheaders, the “free” runner at second base when a game goes extra innings, the empty ballparks, the thousands of cut-outs at parks, some (San Diego) they even have some mannequins masquerading as fans. Subdued celebrations when somebody hits a home run or a walk-off hit, and soon to come no champagne or beer to celebrate inside the dressing rooms.

So what are we going to end with? With 16 teams advancing, we might have a World Series winner that was a 500 to 1 shot to win. History will show that the 2020 Pandemic baseball named a Cy Young Award winner with 10 wins and an MVP with 24 home runs and 65 RBI and statistics that would make historians question the whole validity of this season.

History will judge this season. And there will be commentaries and many questions ‘until kingdom come’ – Questions like, did they have to play? Did they just play for the money? Some future Hall of Fame careers will definitely be affected by the numbers, i.e., If Mike Trout would have played a regular 162 game season in 2020; he would have ended with at least 20 more home runs. And that logic can be applied to all players of that ilk that are currently playing and could conceivably had 20 year careers.

My grandfather Armando used to say “time heals everything”.

We will see.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Oakland A’s play by play on the A’s Spanish radio network and flaghship station 1010 KIQI San Francisco LeGrande de casa Oakland Athleticos and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris Phillips: Giants get the hitting they were missing against Oakland

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(file photo from San Francisco Chronicle) The San Francisco Giants Alex Dickerson swings for a single in San Diego against the Padres on Sep 13, 2020 contest at Petco Park in San Diego (AP News photo)

On the San Francisco Giants podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris the Giants avoided being swept by Oakland on Sunday after they were shutout Friday and Saturday it had to be just relieving to pick up a game in series where the hitting was struggling?

#2 Alex Dickerson had that Covid scare in San Diego during the Padres series as he had his mind on the pregnancy of his wife who is expecting a boy anytime now. Dickerson is on a three day paternity leave and may be out for a longer period.

#3 The Giants were short on outfielders, Mike Yastrzemski is out with a mild calf strain and Austin Slater has an elbow strain on Saturday. On Sunday Slater was back in the line up but went 0-3.

#4 With Yastrzemski out the Giants have used outfielders Darin Ruf, Mauricio Dubon, and Luis Alexerder Basabe who faced Oakland A’s pitcher Jesus Lazardo on Saturday in the Giants second straight shutout loss the Giants just couldn’t get any run production. Sunday was different as Dubon, Ruf and Basabe all scored at least on run in a laugher.

#5 The Giants optioned pitcher Andrew Suarez on Saturday and recalled pitcher Wandy Perralta and infielder Daniel Robertson but will they be enough to help move the Giants out of tenth place in the NL playoff seeding and into eighth? Both did sit for Sunday’s game.

Join Morris Phillips Mondays for the San Francisco Giants podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

MLB podcast with Larry Crino: Yankees Happ helps in win this week; Giants smoke A’s in series finale; plus more

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New York Yankees pitcher AJ Happ has led the way in the Yankees success this season as the team closes in on a playoff birth. The Boston Red Sox ended the Yankees ten game win streak on Sunday (photo from nj.com)

On the MLB podcast with Larry:

#1 The New York Yankees are close to clinching a playoff spot while they trail the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. The Yankees have been getting some good pitching from AJ Happ and some bombs from Clint Fraizer.

#2 The Giants bats have fallen silent at a critical time in the first two games of the series in Oakland the Giants have been shutout by scores of 6-0.

#3 The Minnesota Twins have been getting timely hitting just in time for the home stretch of the season. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said the Twins will celebrate every victory as they are in second behind first place Chicago in the AL Central.

#4 Detroit Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said upon his retirement he was doing this because of health reasons. Gardenhire had suffered a stomach virus and missed two games in Minnesota and later told Tigers general manager Al Avila that he was not feeling well and the time had come to hang it up.

#5 The Los Angeles Dodgers will run away with the National League West once again they have a healthy five game lead on San Diego in the NL West and were on a six game win streak until it was snapped on Sunday in a loss to the Colorado Rockies 6-3. The Dodgers are counting the days for post season.

Larry Crino does the MLB podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com