End Of The Line is an occasional offseason series that will take a closer look at the career of DMBL players leaving the league after the 2016 season.
Showing posts with label dan haren. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dan haren. Show all posts
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Dunn finishes career on walk-off HR
Adam Dunn finished a productive if not storied DMBL career in stunning fashion, hitting a walk-off home run off Tom Koehler in the bottom of the ninth to give Hopatcong a 5-4 win over Philly in the 2015 regular season finale. It's one of the more memorable finishes to a career since Mike Mussina tossed a complete game in his final start to push Marietta past Newark in Game 7 of the 2009 DMBL World Series.
Dunn, who last year announced this would be his final season, was signed twice by the Floating Fish this season, both times to fill in at first base for an injured Joey Votto. In 40 games, he batted just .140/.225/.322, but smacked 6 home runs.
It wasn't a great final season but it was enough to get Dunn past Todd Helton on the all-time home run list. He finished just one home run short of becoming the 27th player to reach 300 for his career. Dunn also finishes with 1,615 career strikeouts, 11th-most in DMBL history, trailing Bobby Abreu (1,642) and just ahead of Barry Bonds (1,607).
It's as good a time as any for a career retrospective of The Big Donkey, who was dealt five times and played for nine teams during his 13 seasons.
The giant, left-handed slugger was drafted by the now-defunct Phoenix Dragons as an ineligible prospect in the 4th round of the 2002 draft. After a middling 2003 season for Phoenix, Dunn was let go but picked up by Hillsborough in the 2nd round of the 2004 draft.
It wasn't until 2005 when he really made his mark, knocking 55 home runs and 150 RBIs and following up with 46 dingers and 127 RBIs in 2006 -- the two highest marks of his career. He also played in 162 and 163 games, respectively, those two seasons. Surprisingly, Dunn would never reach 100 RBIs again but he did keep on slugging.
Hillsborough sent him to Arkansas in a blockbuster deal during the 2008 offseason. The Hit Men sent Dunn with Alex Rodriguez, Jeremy Bonderman, Ian Snell and Jonathan Broxton to Arkansas for Dan Haren, Nick Markakis, and four draft picks: a 7th in 2008, 4th and 7th in 2009, and a 5th in 2010.
Dunn never completed the 2008 season in Arkansas, slugging .529 in 92 games but batting just .220. The Golden Falcons shipped him to Philly at the deadline for Jonathan Sanchez and a 2010 3rd rounder. He didn't end up spending much time in Philly either. That offseason, the End Zone Animals traded Dunn to Hoboken, along with a 9th rounder in 2009 and a 6th in 2011, in exchange for Scott Kazmir.
Dunn enjoyed two consistent seasons in Hoboken, with 37 and 35 homers and 79 and 80 RBIs, respectively, but again ended up going elsewhere. The Cutters sent him and Hillsborough's 5th round pick in 2011 to Amityville for Matt Cain and a 2012 6th rounder.
Only months later, there would be one more trade in the cards for Dunn before spending his final seasons bouncing around as free agent/draftee. Blue Ridge acquired him from Amityville with a 12th rounder in 2012 for Cole Hamels and a 2012 4th rounder.
In all, Dunn was traded five times in deals that totaled 10 players and 11 draft picks (6 coming back, 5 going with him).
Dunn, who last year announced this would be his final season, was signed twice by the Floating Fish this season, both times to fill in at first base for an injured Joey Votto. In 40 games, he batted just .140/.225/.322, but smacked 6 home runs.
It's as good a time as any for a career retrospective of The Big Donkey, who was dealt five times and played for nine teams during his 13 seasons.
The giant, left-handed slugger was drafted by the now-defunct Phoenix Dragons as an ineligible prospect in the 4th round of the 2002 draft. After a middling 2003 season for Phoenix, Dunn was let go but picked up by Hillsborough in the 2nd round of the 2004 draft.
Hillsborough sent him to Arkansas in a blockbuster deal during the 2008 offseason. The Hit Men sent Dunn with Alex Rodriguez, Jeremy Bonderman, Ian Snell and Jonathan Broxton to Arkansas for Dan Haren, Nick Markakis, and four draft picks: a 7th in 2008, 4th and 7th in 2009, and a 5th in 2010.
Dunn never completed the 2008 season in Arkansas, slugging .529 in 92 games but batting just .220. The Golden Falcons shipped him to Philly at the deadline for Jonathan Sanchez and a 2010 3rd rounder. He didn't end up spending much time in Philly either. That offseason, the End Zone Animals traded Dunn to Hoboken, along with a 9th rounder in 2009 and a 6th in 2011, in exchange for Scott Kazmir.
Dunn enjoyed two consistent seasons in Hoboken, with 37 and 35 homers and 79 and 80 RBIs, respectively, but again ended up going elsewhere. The Cutters sent him and Hillsborough's 5th round pick in 2011 to Amityville for Matt Cain and a 2012 6th rounder.
In all, Dunn was traded five times in deals that totaled 10 players and 11 draft picks (6 coming back, 5 going with him).
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Showdown for the Kruk Division
Don't look now but there's another race to watch in the remaining days of the 2012 season.
After four straight wins -- including Tuesday night's no-hitter -- Hopatcong has tied Amityville for the third playoff seed. The Ant Slayers clinched the Drabek Division the other night. Coupled with Newark's loss on Wednesday, the Floating Fish go into tonight's season-ending series versus the Sugar Bears with a two-game lead in the Kruk Division.
After Wednesday's results, if the playoffs started today:
#1 Marietta*, 106-53
#2 Vancouver*, 92-68
#3 Amityville*, 88-71
#4 Hopatcong, 88-71
#5 Newark, 86-73
#6 Rowdy, 86-74
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Hoboken, 85-74 -- 1/2 game back of No. 6 seed
Bridgewater, 85-75 -- 1 1/2 back
Hillsborough, 83-76 -- 2 1/2 back
In an amazing coincidence, every team in the Kruk and Van Slyke divisions won Tuesday night as every team in the Drabek and Fisk divisions lost, leaving the playoff race essentially intact, other than the official elimination of Sardine City.
Should Hopatcong and Amityville remain tied for the No. 3 seed at the end of 162 games, the tiebreaker is head-to-heard record, which would go to -- no one! The two teams split 10 games this season! Both teams also are 21-18 within their respective divisions as they face off against division foes this weekend. If the tiebreaker gets that far, Hopatcong currently has a run differential of +114 while Amityville has a margin of +96.
Of course, those tiebreakers all get thrown out the window if Newark sneaks away with the Kruk Division, the only division still undecided. (FYI, Sugar Bears are 4-6 versus Amityville). With a two-game lead, Hopatcong needs just one win in their head-to-head matchup versus the Sugar Bears this weekend to clinch it. Head-to-head this season, Hopatcong holds a 7-4 advantage against Newark. Scheduled starters for both clubs look like this:
Whether Newark wins the Kruk or not, the Sugar Bears still have work to do. They hold just a 1/2-game lead on Rowdy for the 5th seed and other squads are hot on their heels. The Roddy Pippers, who are off today, are just 1/2 game up on Hoboken and 1 game ahead of Bridgewater for that final playoff seed.
Rowdy will finish the season with two games at St. Louis and Bridgewater is also off today before a two-game set at Philly tomorrow. Starting tonight, Hoboken hosts three games against Marietta, which already has clinched the No. 1 seed.
Still hanging on to a sliver of hope is Hillsborough, which sent ace Justin Verlander to the mound yesterday for his final start of the season, and sits 2 1/2 games back of Rowdy for the final seed. The Hit Men will be rooting for Philly, Marietta, St. Louis and Hopatcong to win this weekend while they aim for a sweep in Amityville, who they're 7-4 against this season. The probable starter matchups:
After four straight wins -- including Tuesday night's no-hitter -- Hopatcong has tied Amityville for the third playoff seed. The Ant Slayers clinched the Drabek Division the other night. Coupled with Newark's loss on Wednesday, the Floating Fish go into tonight's season-ending series versus the Sugar Bears with a two-game lead in the Kruk Division.
After Wednesday's results, if the playoffs started today:
#1 Marietta*, 106-53
#2 Vancouver*, 92-68
#3 Amityville*, 88-71
#4 Hopatcong, 88-71
#5 Newark, 86-73
#6 Rowdy, 86-74
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Hoboken, 85-74 -- 1/2 game back of No. 6 seed
Bridgewater, 85-75 -- 1 1/2 back
Hillsborough, 83-76 -- 2 1/2 back
In an amazing coincidence, every team in the Kruk and Van Slyke divisions won Tuesday night as every team in the Drabek and Fisk divisions lost, leaving the playoff race essentially intact, other than the official elimination of Sardine City.
Should Hopatcong and Amityville remain tied for the No. 3 seed at the end of 162 games, the tiebreaker is head-to-heard record, which would go to -- no one! The two teams split 10 games this season! Both teams also are 21-18 within their respective divisions as they face off against division foes this weekend. If the tiebreaker gets that far, Hopatcong currently has a run differential of +114 while Amityville has a margin of +96.
Of course, those tiebreakers all get thrown out the window if Newark sneaks away with the Kruk Division, the only division still undecided. (FYI, Sugar Bears are 4-6 versus Amityville). With a two-game lead, Hopatcong needs just one win in their head-to-head matchup versus the Sugar Bears this weekend to clinch it. Head-to-head this season, Hopatcong holds a 7-4 advantage against Newark. Scheduled starters for both clubs look like this:
NWK @ HPGIn a surprise move, Hopatcong opted to give Jake Peavy his first start of the season in Game No. 160 over Tim Stauffer, who's struggled much of the year, going 5-17 with a 6.41 ERA and 1.59 WHIP.
Harrison (6-8, 3.91) v. Peavy (0-0, 0.00)
Baker (12-11, 3.47) v. Cain (13-8, 3.44)
Lohse (14-8, 3.37) v. Luebke (13-8, 3.70)
Whether Newark wins the Kruk or not, the Sugar Bears still have work to do. They hold just a 1/2-game lead on Rowdy for the 5th seed and other squads are hot on their heels. The Roddy Pippers, who are off today, are just 1/2 game up on Hoboken and 1 game ahead of Bridgewater for that final playoff seed.
Rowdy will finish the season with two games at St. Louis and Bridgewater is also off today before a two-game set at Philly tomorrow. Starting tonight, Hoboken hosts three games against Marietta, which already has clinched the No. 1 seed.
Still hanging on to a sliver of hope is Hillsborough, which sent ace Justin Verlander to the mound yesterday for his final start of the season, and sits 2 1/2 games back of Rowdy for the final seed. The Hit Men will be rooting for Philly, Marietta, St. Louis and Hopatcong to win this weekend while they aim for a sweep in Amityville, who they're 7-4 against this season. The probable starter matchups:
HIL @ AMI
Hernandez (15-9, 3.81) v. Lester (16-6, 4.66)
Haren (12-9, 3.49) v. Weaver (14-11, 4.65)
Scherzer (6-16, 6.36) v. Hamels (14-10, 4.16)
Monday, May 3, 2010
Hillsborough sweeps Weekly Awards
This week it was a close call for the JR Cigars Smokin' Batter of the Week Award. In the end, we gave it, by a nose, to Hillsborough's Casey McGehee. McGehee batted .500 this week (15-30) with 2 homers and 8 RBIs and 10 runs scored. He also had a 1.298 OPS. His biggest rival this week was Las Vegas' Matt Holliday, who batted .440, but had a 1.356 OPS with 4 doubles, 2 homers, 10 runs, and 7 RBIs. Both players' teams finished the week riding a 3-game winning streak, and both are either in second or tied for second place in their respective divisions. Also, Hillsborough had a secretary named Lincoln and Vegas had a secretary named Kennedy.
A few other candidates that were close, but...ahem...no cigar: Bridgewater's Erick Aybar (.524/.583/.714), Amityville's Matt Kemp (.435/.500/.696), Carolina's Magglio Ordonez (.419/.441/.742, 2 HR, 8 RBI), and Marietta's Derek Jeter (.440/.481/.560, 7 R).
This week's Superuseless Superpowers Pitcher of the Week prize goes to Hillsborough's Dan Haren. Haren won both games he started this week and held his opponents to an 0.61 ERA and 0.82 WHIP, while compiling 17 strikeouts in 14.2 innings. Oh yeah, he also pitched a complete game shutout of Sardine City on Saturday.
Haren had to fight off not one, not two, but THREE Bridgewater pitchers to take this week's honor. Luckily for him, the Bridgewater vote got split up between the three candidates. Andrew Bailey is on pace to challenge John Smoltz's save record. This week he was a perfect 5-5 in save opportunities and didn't give up any runs in his 5 appearances. Teammate Chris Carpenter was 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP, including a complete game and 12 Ks in 17 IP. Finally Josh Beckett was 1-1 with a 1.69 ERA and 1.06 WHIP.
Newark's Brad Bergeson also deserves an honorable mention, going 2-0 with a 0.50 ERA and 2 complete games. His 1.11 WHIP and only 9 Ks fell below Haren's marks, but a stellar week for the Sugar Bear nonetheless.
A few other candidates that were close, but...ahem...no cigar: Bridgewater's Erick Aybar (.524/.583/.714), Amityville's Matt Kemp (.435/.500/.696), Carolina's Magglio Ordonez (.419/.441/.742, 2 HR, 8 RBI), and Marietta's Derek Jeter (.440/.481/.560, 7 R).
This week's Superuseless Superpowers Pitcher of the Week prize goes to Hillsborough's Dan Haren. Haren won both games he started this week and held his opponents to an 0.61 ERA and 0.82 WHIP, while compiling 17 strikeouts in 14.2 innings. Oh yeah, he also pitched a complete game shutout of Sardine City on Saturday.
Haren had to fight off not one, not two, but THREE Bridgewater pitchers to take this week's honor. Luckily for him, the Bridgewater vote got split up between the three candidates. Andrew Bailey is on pace to challenge John Smoltz's save record. This week he was a perfect 5-5 in save opportunities and didn't give up any runs in his 5 appearances. Teammate Chris Carpenter was 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP, including a complete game and 12 Ks in 17 IP. Finally Josh Beckett was 1-1 with a 1.69 ERA and 1.06 WHIP.
Newark's Brad Bergeson also deserves an honorable mention, going 2-0 with a 0.50 ERA and 2 complete games. His 1.11 WHIP and only 9 Ks fell below Haren's marks, but a stellar week for the Sugar Bear nonetheless.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Battle of the Road Warriors
For the fifth straight time in the Newark-Hillsborough series, the road team has won - that's bad news for Newark, who has the home field "advantage" in this series. The Hitmen were all over the Sugar Bears in yesterday's game, pounding Newark for an 8-3 final score. Billy Butler was the star on offense, hitting 2 home runs and driving in 4. Overall the Hitmen only had one more hit than Newark (11-10), but they had 7 extra base hits compared to Newark's 2. Dan Haren pitched a solid game for Hillsborough, giving them 7 innings of one-run ball, striking out 7 and walking 2. The two teams travel back to Hillsborough for game 6 on Friday. Will the road teams' luck hold out and keep Newark alive? Or will Hillsborough reverse the trend and play in their first ever World Series?
Marietta and Carolina resume their series today in Carolina where we'll see a rematch of Game 1. As you may recall, the Mudcats shellacked the Mighty Men 11-0 in that game behind Roy Halladay's 4-hit performance. The Mighty Men will be hoping for a different result, no doubt.
Marietta and Carolina resume their series today in Carolina where we'll see a rematch of Game 1. As you may recall, the Mudcats shellacked the Mighty Men 11-0 in that game behind Roy Halladay's 4-hit performance. The Mighty Men will be hoping for a different result, no doubt.
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