Weekly Top Five: June 8-June 14

#5: Concepción Gets Five Hits

Francisco
Concepción

June 12: Texas 7, Jersey 4. Last season, Francisco Concepción quietly hit 40 doubles and 30 homers while driving in 100 runs. Today, the Gunner first baseman makes about as much noise as he can while leading his team to victory.

Concepción doubles in a run in the second, singles in the fourth, and doubles again in the sixth, scoring on a sac fly. In the eighth, with the game tied, 4-4, he hits a solo home run. In the ninth, he adds an exclamation point to the proceedings by homering again. All in all, he goes 5-for-5 with three runs scored and three runs driven in.

#4: World Series Rematch

Last year's pennant winners, Nottinghamshire and Las Vegas, met in Vegas for a three-game series this week, and the Outlaws once again proved victorious.

Brian Williams

June 9: Nottinghamshire 7, Las Vegas 1. Brian Williams (8-1) is emerging as one of the league's better pitchers. He allows one run over 6 2/3 innings, lowers his season ERA to 2.14, and wins his eighth game of the season. Juan Soto hits a home run and drives in three.

June 10: Nottinghamshire 3, Las Vegas 2. Newly acquired Roberto Martínez gives up two runs over eight innings but gets a no-decision. Derrick Scott (5-5) gives up two runs over nine innings, but he comes out to pitch the 10th and ends up getting the loss. Jim Crawford taps a ball in front of the plate, but catcher Phillip Smith throws it wide to first base: Crawford takes second. He then steals third and scores on a Byron Bryant single.

Jeff Olsen

June 11: Nottinghamshire 0, Las Vegas 3. The Jokers recipe for success has been Maurice Gould + offense, but they have never had much pitching depth. This season, Scott and Jeff Olsen (7-4) are stepping up. For the first time, the Jokers have a little depth at pitching: they rank fourth in the Munson League in runs allowed.

Tonight, Olsen pitches 7 2/3 shutout innings. He strikes out 11, walks one, and allows just four hits. Juan Ramírez and Troy Tracy both double in a run.

#3: Extra-Inning Walk-Off Grand Slam!

Carlos Martínez

June 11: San Diego 4, Cabo San Lucas 11. Carlos Martínez homers in the sixth, giving the Toreros an insurance run, 3-0, but the Hops come back. They score one in the seventh and three in the eighth and take the lead, 4-3.

In the eighth, Martínez walks, moves to second on a sac bunt, and scores on a Chad Peck single.

In the bottom of the ninth, Dan Smith and Hideyori Kiyomizu single and Ed Shannon walks. Martínez strides to the plate with the game tied and the bases juiced. He turns on a 2-1 fastball from Aurelio Mata and sends it deep into the left field bleachers—a walk-off grand slam!

#2: Near No-Hitter

Rich Bussell

June 12: Dallas 2, Mile High 0. Dallas ace Rich Bussell (8-4) takes a no-hitter into the eighth inning, striking out five. Eduardo Gómez breaks it up with a line-drive single to right. Bussell allows just the one hit over eight shutout innings of work.

The Mustang's Thomas White pitches 6 1/3 shutout innings, and the game goes into the ninth as a scoreless tie. Bodil Larsen singles with the bases loaded and drives in two.

#1: Another Extra-Inning Walk-Off Grand Slam!

June 9: Texas 2, South Carolina 6. Ray Lester and Tony Ross, two veteran pitchers who signed contracts with new teams this offseason, faced off today in South Carolina. Lester allows one run over 7 2/3 innings; Ross allows one run over eight innings. Neither gets a decision.

In the 11th inning, with the game tied, 1-1, Gunner Jun'ichi Ogura singles in the leading run. In the bottom half of the 11th, Orlando Bustamante hits a solo home run, retying the game at two.

Dan Mullen

In the 14th inning, Bustamante leads off the inning with a single. Fernando Guzmán doubles, but Bustamante can't make it home. An intentional walk and a fly out brings up Dan Mullen.

Mullen, a 27-year-old infielder, has shown power at Triple-A: the past three years in the Bronx, he's hit 26, 30, and 21 home runs. That power has not translated to the majors: in 152 major league at-bats, he has hit only one home run.

Tonight, Mullen takes Mark Thompson's fastball for a long ride. Hitting a home run to dead center field, and winning the game with a walk-off grand slam!