Single A Edition
Week 21: Aug. 18-24
By Rick Mariotti
Minor Leagues Beat Writer
Chicago Sports Online
Grand Junction, Colo. - The Grand Junction Gold Sox clinched the PL West Central Division Championship for the third consecutive year and, simultaneously, broke the team’s all-time record for wins in a season.
This season’s edition of the Gold Sox already has won 91 games, which breaks the previous record of 89 set in 2040.
“This is a nice milestone, but it’s not our ultimate goal,” said manager Roberto Solis. “We haven’t even made it out of the first round of the playoffs the past two years, so that’s our first goal: advance to the second round.
“Our ultimate goal, of course, is the Charley Pegler League championship – and this team certainly has the talent to pull that off. But there’s a lot of work still to be done. We need to keep grinding.”
Week 21 Results
At Pahrump
08-18: Grand Junction 8, Pahrump 1
08-19: Grand Junction 4, Pahrump 2
At Grand Junction
08-20: Medford 5, Grand Junction 3
08-21: Grand Junction 10, Medford 5
08-22: Grand Junction 8, Medford 2
08-23: Grand Junction 3, Springdale 2
08-24: Springdale 11, Grand Junction 7
Record as of Aug. 24
W-L Record for Week 21: 5-2
Overall Record: 91-42, .684
Position in Standings: In 1st place in the PL West-Central Division, 16 games ahead of Aspen. Clinched Division Championship and playoff spot.
Position Players of Interest
| Player | Slash Line | OPS | HR | RBI | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooks Buck, C | .196/.350/.322 | .672 | 4 | 16 | 0.5 |
| Pete Sánchez, C | .305/.423/.506 | .929 | 11 | 51 | 2.4 |
| Luis Jiménez, CF | .281/.383/.410 | .793 | 7 | 68 | 3.9 |
| Dong-joon Kun, LF | .274/.417/.363 | .780 | 1 | 43 | 2.7 |
| Mario Vega, RF | .269/.390/.508 | .899 | 25 | 90 | 3.1 |
| Mashashi Fujihara, SS | .241/.388/.353 | .741 | 4 | 32 | 1.8 |
Pitchers of Interest
| Pitcher | ERA | W-L-SV | IP | K's | BB's | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juan Martínez, SP | 3.72 | 13-4-0 | 130.2 | 99 | 71 | 2.4 |
| John McClain, SP | 4.35 | 8-6-0 | 155.0 | 133 | 76 | 3.4 |
| Pat Pederson, SP | 2.56 | 9-4-0 | 137.0 | 171 | 116 | 2.7 |
| Wessel Croonenborgh**, SP | 3.29 | 11-1-0 | 142.1 | 128 | 58 | 3.1 |
| Ike Kocher, CL | 3.02 | 5-4-40 | 59.2 | 46 | 21 | 2.0 |
| Hidetada Yamamoto*, SP/RP | 9.00 | 0-1-0 | 20.0 | 8 | 18 | -0.2 |
** Sprained ankle on 8-18, out 3-4 weeks.
The Week Ahead
1 Game vs Springdale at Grand Junction
3 Games at Prince George
2 Games vs Council Bluff at Grand Junction