Walker, Prior reflect on CWS
By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com
Todd Walker was asked about his favorite baseball moment, either professionally or in Little League.
“My favorite,” the Chicago Cubs second baseman said, “was when we won the College World Series back in 1993 and we beat Wichita State. Darren Dreifort was on that team and a few other guys who played pro ball. I was a member of the LSU Tigers in ’93 and that was probably my favorite.”
Walker had good reason to remember the 1993 season. Not only did Louisiana State win the CWS, Walker was named the most outstanding player of the series that year.
The College World Series is underway this week at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb., and Walker has been following his LSU Tigers.
This is LSU’s 13th appearance in the last 19 seasons in the CWS, and the Tigers won the national title in 1991, ’93, ’96, ’97 and 2000. Walker remembers every moment of the ’93 experience.
“It’s neat for me because it was the first time I felt like I was playing big time baseball,” he said. “You go from crowds of 4,000 to 5,000 a game, which is very good for college, to crowds of 20,000, and 25,000. You’re playing for something special.
“I remember thinking my life is about to change the minute we won the regional to get to Omaha, and it certainly did,” he said. “It was an awesome, awesome experience.
“Growing up,” he said, “I think kids watch the College World Series more than they do the World Series. Maybe they can relate better. That was me. I remember watching Omaha every year growing up and to get an opportunity to play there was really special.”
Walker capped his LSU career as the SEC’s all-time leader in hits, runs, RBIs and total bases. In ’93, he had an SEC record 33-game hitting streak and led the conference in home runs and RBIs. Walker also was named to the all-time CWS team.
What he learned from the experience was the importance of playing a team game.
“It’s all about winning the World Series; it’s not an individual deal,” he said. “Even with the (First-Year Player Draft) in the middle of the whole thing, you don’t think about all that stuff.”
The next year, 1994, was special for Walker, who was drafted in the first round by the Minnesota Twins.
“Russ Johnson and I were both drafted and I remember sitting in the same room and waiting for the phone call,” Walker said.
Johnson, an infielder, was selected by the Houston Astros in the first round in ’94, and was the 30th player taken overall. Walker was eighth.
The College World Series and Major League Baseball’s World Series both place the same emphasis on a team game. Last year, Walker was in a similar situation as the Cubs, five outs away from getting to the World Series with the Boston Red Sox.
“I remember thinking my life is about to change the minute we won the regional to get to Omaha, and it certainly did. It was an awesome, awesome experience.”
“We played the Division Series and the Championship Series, and it’s not an individual thing,” he said. “It becomes all about the team and what it takes to win. You’re not as concerned about your stats and not so much concerned about other things that you might be concerned about during the regular season. I think that’s what makes the whole playoff deal special.
“We had a great team (in ’93 at LSU),” he said. “We didn’t have all great players but we had a great team.”
He can recall matchups, pitchers and probably remembers pep talks from LSU coach Skip Bertman.
“I guess that’s what an impact (the CWS) made on me,” he said. “If I want to think back, I can remember every pitch of every inning of every game. It was awesome. And that was 11 years ago.”
Cubs pitcher Mark Prior also has some CWS memories, including a game against LSU. Prior and his USC team faced the Tigers in 2000, and Prior had a no-hitter going into the sixth inning but Ryan Theriot broke it up with a one-out single and sparked LSU to a 10-7 victory over USC. The Tigers went on to win the national championship.
Prior helped lead USC to the College World Series in 2001 with a 15-1 record and 1.69 ERA.
“I was there two years and I remember pitching against LSU and pitching against Georgia,” Prior said. “I had a no-hitter going into the sixth against LSU and lost it, and that was huge. It might as well be a home game for them (in Omaha). They travel with 20,000 fans.
“It’s a pretty awesome experience for a college player,” Prior said. “There’s nothing that can top it.”
Walker ties career high with four hits, including a homer
By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com
ST. LOUIS — So Taguchi scored on a passed ball with two out in the eighth inning Wednesday night to lift the St. Louis Cardinals to a 10-9 seesaw victory over the Chicago Cubs and regain a two-game lead in the Central Division.
With the game tied at 9 in the eighth, Mike Remlinger (0-1) walked Taguchi and he advanced on John Mabry’s sacrifice and a groundout by Tony Womack. Remlinger then exited and Kyle Farnsworth’s first pitch to Edgar Renteria was high and off the mitt of catcher Paul Bako. Bako had come on defensively in the eighth for Michael Barrett, who was ejected after the St. Louis seventh for arguing balls and strikes.
Todd Walker tied a career-high with four hits, including a solo homer, and Aramis Ramirez, Corey Patterson and Ramon Martinez each drove in two runs for the Cubs, who were trying to get back into first for the first time since May 23, when they were tied with Cincinnati.
Chicago is 7-6 against St. Louis this season.
Walker’s home run was his 11th. He hit 13 home runs in 587 at-bats last year with Boston; he has 11 in 220 at-bats this year with Chicago. He’s totaled four hits in a game twice this season and 14 times in his career.
Barrett and pitcher Kent Mercker didn’t see the end of the game. They were both ejected after the St. Louis seventh for arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Sam Holbrook.
Cubs starter Glendon Rusch served up five runs on five hits over five innings, and has a 3.67 ERA (20 earned runs in 49 innings) in eight starts subbing for Kerry Wood. But he did not get a decision because of a late rally by the Cardinals.
Albert Pujols hit his 20th home run, a three-run shot off a 2-2 pitch from Rusch, to give St. Louis the lead in the third. The Cubs tied the game at 3 in the fifth on a two-run double by Ramirez and an RBI single by Patterson.
In the Cardinals’ fifth, Taguchi singled and scored on Ray Lankford’s pinch-hit triple. Womack then lofted a ball to left and Alou muffed the catch for an error, allowing Lankford to score for a 5-3 lead.
The Cubs sent 11 batters to the plate in the sixth. Walker homered with one out off Kiko Calero, who then plunked Barrett with a pitch. Alou smacked an RBI double to tie the game at 5 and he scored on Sosa’s single. Julian Tavarez got Ramirez to fly out, but Lee singled and Patterson hit an RBI double to make it 7-5. Martinez followed with a two-run double.
Hector Luna hit an RBI double and Taguchi and Womack each added an RBI single in the St. Louis sixth to close to 9-8.
Mercker walked Pujols in the seventh and one out later, he reached third on Reggie Sanders’ double. Pujols scored on Luna’s sacrifice fly to tie the game.
Byrd has no ill effects; Feeling fine, looking forward to next start Saturday
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
ATLANTA — The latest development in Paul Byrd’s recovery process was just as positive as his successful season debut in Saturday night’s 4-0 win over the Indians at Turner Field.
Byrd, who scattered four hits while tossing seven scoreless innings against the Indians, reported on Sunday morning that his right arm responded well and that he’s looking forward to making his next start, which will likely come on Friday night in Baltimore.
“I’m still running high with how the team played last night,” Byrd said. “I hope I can carry it over to my next start. My arm feels good. There’s just normal soreness.”
Byrd, who had Tommy John surgery on July 1, threw 88 pitches in last week’s Hall of Fame Game and another 91 while making his first Major League start since Sept. 25, 2002, on Saturday. He hasn’t had any type of setback since May 18 and seems ready to begin making regular contributions to the Braves.
“He pitched great last night,” Braves catcher Eddie Perez said. “Nobody knows if he can do that every time out. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
With Byrd’s surprisingly impressive performance, Braves manager Bobby Cox is going to have to decide what to do with his rotation when Horacio Ramirez comes off the disabled list.
Ramirez, who began feeling stiffness in his shoulder caused by tendinitis after his May 25 start in Montreal, threw on flat ground from a distance of approximately 90 feet Sunday morning. If his left arm responds well, he’ll increase the distance and could begin throwing off a mound later this week.
“Right now, everything feels good,” Ramirez said. “But the real test will come when I start throwing off a mound. That’s the only time that it’s ever bothered me.”
Unless his arm never recovers to the point that he can throw the five or six innings necessary to be a starting pitcher, Ramirez, who has a 2.28 ERA after nine starts, will be back in the starting rotation when he returns.
Really the only two members of the Braves rotation who have failed to live up to expectations are Russ Ortiz and Mike Hampton, the two hurlers who entered the season projected to be the club’s top two pitchers.
Leskanic to provide relief
By Mike Petraglia / Special to MLB.com
BOSTON — The reshaping of the Red Sox bullpen has begun.
General Manager Theo Epstein signed veteran reliever Curtis Leskanic prior to Tuesday’s game with Minnesota, providing added depth to an area needing it, middle relief.
“I think I’m one of those guys who can get you out of trouble in the sixth inning and maybe help you with the seventh inning and just bridge the gap with (Keith) Foulke.”
Not that he needed it, but the 36-year-old right-hander received confirmation of his new role when he was brought into Terry Francona’s office by his new skipper prior to taking the field for the first time in a Red Sox uniform.
“The more good arms you have, the better,” said Francona. “He’ll be used in the sixth and seventh innings. He gives us another pitcher so we don’t have to burn out Williamson.”
Leskanic is in his 11th Major League season and joins Boston after starting the season with Kansas City, where he went 0-3 with an 8.04 ERA, allowing 14 earned runs over 15 2/3 innings in 19 relief appearances. To make room on the roster, the Red Sox optioned left-hander Mark Malaska to Triple-A Pawtucket.
“I got released on Tuesday of last week and I had a quite few phone calls,” said the right-hander. “I didn’t realize that many people were that interested. When Boston called, I couldn’t help but think, ‘What a great place to play.’ The total ambiance and everything about it just drew me here. I just feel I made the right decision to come here.”
Leskanic and the team will keep a close eye on the reliever who has had right shoulder injury issues in the past year.
“Last year,” said Leskanic, “I had a calcium deposit on my (right) clavicle and I just went to take an MRI to see if I should have it removed at the end of the season, and the doctor came in and said, ‘I have good news and bad news. The good news is we can monitor the cyst with anti-inflammatory (medication), but it shows here on the MRI that you have a tear in your rotator cuff.’ That caught me by surprise.
“I was still out there throwing in the mid-90s and good command of all my pitches. I went into the off-season, not knowing what was going to happen, if I was going to get offered contracts. I ended up signing with Kansas City,” said Leskanic.
“It flares up every now and again, but I’ve got to take some anti-inflammatory (medication) before it gets full-fledged, and at the beginning of the season it bothered me a lot but I got a cortisone shot and the last month, it’s been feeling great.”
Prior to Kansas City, Leskanic had stints in Milwaukee and Colorado.
“I think he’s pretty durable,” said Francona. “We’re going to use him but we’re not going to (overuse) him. We don’t have to.”
When he does appear in a Red Sox game at home, it will be his first game experience at Fenway Park.
“It was weird because I spent my whole career in the National League so I’ve only played here one time and it was three-game series where I wasn’t called upon to pitch.
So, I’ve never pitched here before,” said Leskanic.
“Stuff-wise, he is close to (Scott) Williamson,” said Francona. “When he’s been good, he’s been very good. I just think he’s a very good fit here.”
In addition to Leskanic, there might be more help for the bullpen around the corner.
Ramiro Mendoza (right shoulder) is expected to throw three innings in a rehab stint Thursday, while Byung-Hyun Kim is slated to throw one inning on Wednesday and two more on Saturday for Triple-A Pawtucket before a decision is made on whether to reinstate him to the Major League roster.