JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis will have season-ending surgery on his right thumb Friday, the team reported yesterday (8/5/2010). For insight into how badly his injury hurts the Red Sox, listen to this video commentary by Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan, who argues that Youkilis is among the premier hitters…
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 3, 2010: A day after going 4/7 in a doubleheader, 2B Jason Kipnis of the “AA” Akron Aeros (Cleveland Indians) went 2/4 with a triple and HR in a 5-1 loss to the Altoona Curve. A 23-year-old out of Arizona State,…
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis has been placed on the 15-day disabled list and may be out for the season if he needs surgery, the Boston Globe reported. The 31-year-old slugger tore a muscle in his right thumb Monday night (8/2/2010) while swinging at a pitch tossed by Cleveland Indians…
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 3, 2010: A day after going 5-for 7 with 2 RBIs, LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers smacked three hits and walked once in a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Braun’s two-day barrage has lifted his season batting average…
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here is your player of the day for Monday, August 2, 2010: LF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers went 5-for-7 (all singles) with 2 RBIs in an 18-1 massacre of the Chicago Cubs, lifting his season batting average seven points to .281. Braun’s only other five-hit game came on 4/21/2009,…
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your players of the day for Sun., August 1, 2010: 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in a 4-0 win over the Seattle Mariners, the Twins’ 8th-straight victory. The 25-year-old rookie is batting .388 for the season (103 at-bats) and…
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS –The best performances of Sat., July 30, 2010: “AAA” Toledo Mud Hens OF Ben Guez went 1-for-2 with a home run, walk, two RBIs and two runs scored in a 9-6 loss to the Gwinnett Braves. Although he’s in a mild slump — batting .194 in his past 10 games — Guez…
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS –The best performance of Fri., July 30, 2010: Andrew Berger, an undrafted pitcher out of Lehigh University, earned his second victory for the Yakima Bears, a Class A-short season affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Berger gave up three hits and four earned runs over six innings in a 7-4 win over the…
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS –The best performances of Thurs., July 29, 2010: New York Mets 1B Ike Davis smashed a three-run home run in a 4-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals (see video). Davis, a rookie, is tied for the team lead in home runs (15) and ranked second in RBIs (52). “AAA” Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees…
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Minnesota Twins 3B Danny Valencia has been eating his Wheaties. The 25-year-old rookie went 4-for-5 with three RBIs in an 11-2 rout of the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday (7/27/2010), a day after going 4-for-4 with a grand slam. Valencia’s deluge boosted his batting average to a sublime .400. In his…
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — It’s been a while since we’ve seen anything like Minnesota Twins 3B Danny Valencia‘s day at the plate Monday (7/26/2010). The 25-year-old rookie hit his first MLB home run, and it was a doozy: a first-inning grand slam against the Kansas City Royals. Valencia then went on to post a rare…
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Former 3B Elliott Maddox, an African-American man who converted to Judaism midway through his MLB career, will become a Bar Mitzvah on August 9. Maddox, 52, will read from the Torah before roughly 300 campers and former teammate (and fellow Jew) Ron Blomberg at the NJY Camps in Milford, Penn., according…
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The best major- or minor-league performances of Sunday, July 25: Jake Lemmerman, “Rookie Pioneer League” Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers). The 21-year-old shortstop went 2-for-2 on Sunday with a home run and two walks. The top Jewish pick in the June 2010 amateur draft — 5th round, 172nd overall — Lemmerman ranks among…
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Los Angeles Dodgers C Brad Ausmus, who played just one game this season before succumbing to a back injury that required surgery, returned to the team’s roster Tuesday (7/20/2010) after a brief minor-league rehab stint. Ausmus, 41, went 6-for 12 with the “A+” Inland Empire 66ers and 1-for-8 with the “AAA” Albuquerque…
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The best major- or minor-league performances of Thurs., July 22: Ryan Lavarnway, “AA” Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox). The 22-year-old catcher continued his hot streak, going 3-for-5 on Thursday with three RBIs. Since his promotion from the “A+” Salem Red Sox, Lavarnway is 12-for-27 with a remarkable 14 RBIs and…
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The best major- or minor-league performances of Wed., July 21: Ryan Lavarnway, “AA” Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox). The 22-year-old catcher out of Yale University continues to tear up AA pitching, going 2-for-4 on Wednesday with two RBIs. In just six games since being promoted from the “A+” Salem Red…
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Los Angeles Dodgers C Brad Ausmus and Washington Nationals SP Jason Marquis have spent much of the 2010 season on the disabled list. But both made decent showings in minor-league rehab games the past week and may be nearing a return to the Show. Ausmus, 41, went 6-for-12 in four games…
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Midway through the 2010 season, Jewish minor leaguers are performing well. The 20 Jewish pitchers have a collective won-loss record of 59-52, a 3.85 ERA and a 2.17 strikeout-to-walk ratio through games played July 14. The 28 position players have a combined batting average of .274 and a walk-to-strikeout ratio of…
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Florida International University phenom Garrett Wittels did not win an ESPY award tonight (7/14/2010). Wittels, 20, was one of five sportsmen nominated as “Best Male College Athlete” by cable station ESPN for its annual awards show. But fans voting at ESPN.com in recent weeks ultimately awarded the honor to John Wall,…
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Many Jewish athletes are proud of their religion but don’t want it to define their career. For them, faith is a subject best kept private. But not Garrett Wittels. According to a fascinating article in the Jerusalem Post, the college baseball phenom — who hit safely in all 56 games this…
