Aloha Ka Punahou 2006.09
MacNeill tosses 7 SHO innings, Tropics defeat Crusaders
Hawaii starting line up features zero players from '05
Berrios, Halime, Jowers combine for 7 rbis; Oh 2 for 3
Honolulu
August 5
Daffy MacNeill's home ERA vs California stayed at zero as he won his third game versus the
Crusaders, scattering 7 hits and leaving after 7 with a 7-0 lead as a Tropic line up that
featured no starters from last season moved the team to within one of Vancouver before
49,727 fans Saturday.
MacNeill (14-4, 2.40) ran his home scoreless streak to 25 innings vs the Crusaders, a team
he has thrown two complete game shut outs against this season.
"Yeah," said Hawaii—and former California manager—Al Chavez, "We're saving his arm."
Preserving it, team spokesperson Stitch Lilo said.
The win kept Hawaii a game back of Vancouver, which had the day off.
But this was no ordinary win for the Tropics.
"We don't ordinarily win games," Lilo said. But, in seriousness, we needed this game, and
hopefully several more, against California, who had defeated Hawaii 5 of 9 contests before
today.
It was also not ordinary in that the starting line up featured zero players from last season.
C Pedro Berrios
Pedro Berrios, off the boat from California, had 3 hits and drove in 3 runs in his first game
starting behind the plate for Hawaii; Sadaharu Oh, Jr, who came over with Berrios, was
2 for 3.
Niguel Halime and Bob Jowers, acquired from Des Moines and Baltimore, each drove in 2 runs.
Halime, who hit 24 home runs in 377 at bats for the Kernels, has yet to hit one for Hawaii.
"He hasn't played full time," Lilo said, "although that may change, with yesterday's injury to
Pat Clark. Berrios substituted for Clark in right field (grrrr) yesterday and made a sensational
catch to help preserve the Tropics 3-0 win over Valencia.
Yamaguchi (Sea), Stanley (Sea), Johnson (Car), and Felicetti (Bir) also started today's game.
None were with Hawaii in 2005.
Clark, himself new to the islands this year, has started 96 games in Rf for the Tropics, providing
stellar defense while hitting 20 home runs and driving in 56. He could be out for 4 weeks.
"I tell y'all what," Gm Hoot said, "We don't need folks dropping now. Can't blame it on Texas
heat, at least."
Sadaharu Oh, Jr
Redundancy, redundancy, redundancy, Chavez said, referring to the acquisition of 37-year-old
Oh. "I managed him in Cali, I know we needed another bat and, in this case, another solid
fielder should, and as it turned out, when [Clark] got injured.
OF Brian O'Toole, acquired a month ago in the Birmingham deal, fractured a rib after going
.277-3-9 in 21 games for the Tropics.
The Tropics and Crusaders square off tomorrow and Monday and face each other four times
in September.