JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Here are your Players of the Day for Saturday (9/25/2010):
- 2B Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers reached base 3 times and stole his 14th base of the season in a 4-3, playoff-clinching win over the Oakland A’s. The 28-year-old singled, doubled and walked.
- 3B Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins hit a grand-slam HR and a solo HR in an 11-10, 13-inning loss to the Detroit Tigers. It was the second grand-slam of his remarkable rookie season. But Valencia had a tough 13th inning. Normally very reliable in the field, he made a critical error and then struck out with the bases loaded to end the game. The 25-year-old remains a top contender for Rookie of the Year. He leads all A.L. rookies in batting average (.327) and slugging percentage (.476) and ranks 3rd in RBIs (40).
- CF Sam Fuld of the Chicago Cubs went 2/4 with 2 RBIs in a 7-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. When the Cards intentionally walked Alfonso Soriano to get to Fuld, the 29-year-old fielding specialist made them pay, smacking a two-run single. As Jewish Baseball News reader Jessica R. points out, Fuld has been eyewitness to — and the awkward beneficiary of — several player injuries recently. A week ago, he moved up a notch in the depth chart temporarily when Cubs RF Tyler Colvin suffered a bizarre, broken-bat injury. Fuld started yesterday’s game because Marlon Byrd had been hit in the eye with a foul tip. And in the 5th inning, Fuld hit a line drive into the face of Cardinals P Blake Hawksworth. “You could tell Fuld felt awful,” Jessica says.
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