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2007 Archive
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2007 Season Comes to a Close
With the Brooklin Dodgers defeating the Mississauga North Bengals three games to one in the league championship best of 5 series, the 2007 season officially came to an end yesterday.
The Whitby Chiefs Baseball Club would like to congratulate the Bengals on a fine season and for representing their conference in fine form. They were underdogs throughout their play-off drive and upset several good teams a long the way. In the finals they played scrappy baseball and were in all but one of the four games. The Bengals should be very happy with their season and use their experience in the finals to motivate a similar performance again next year.
The Chiefs would also like to congratulate the Brooklin Dodgers on their remarkable run, only losing one game in the play-offs, and for successfully defending their 2006 championship. With the win, the Dodgers remain the only Eastern Conference team to win an OSBA championship, and now join the Mississauga Stars as the only two franchises to win multiple titles (2 each) - and both in back-to-back fashion.
With the season now over, the Whitby Chiefs will begin making preparations for the 2008 season. Overall, the ball club had a decent year, but finished with many areas open for improvements.
The Chiefs would like to take this time to thank the Whitby Minor Baseball Association (WMBA) for their support in the team's inaugural season - supplying diamond time, umpires and the opportunity to use the "Chiefs" name. Special thanks to WMBA President Tony Morra, Scheduler Jody Meadwell, Town Liaison Scott Meadwell, Umpire Scheduler Brent Johnson and former Fund-raising Head Keith McGregor for their assistance throughout the entire building process of this team and their efforts during the year to ensure the club had a home at Iroquois Park.
The Chiefs may not have looked great in the score book at times this year, but on the field their attire was top-notch. A huge thank you to Aaron of Durham Wholesale and Bruce at Sports Section for their assistance in helping get the team some great uniforms in time to start the season.
To all our other sponsors...thank you. Your support this year made playing a reality, and without your assistance each player would have had to pay upwards of $500 to enjoy the season of ball they had - for considerably less. The ball club looks forward to working with each of you again next summer - in hopes of building a long-lasting synergy.
The Chiefs would also like to thank all the executives and members of OSBA who continue to put together a wonderful program year after year. The Chiefs are grateful to be part of the association and hope things continue to get even better.
The ball team would also like to recognize the efforts of Jim Taylor and Graig Andrew. First, Graig played a very important part in making this team a reality. He was able to find (and convince) several players to come tryout for the team. Graig will be equally as active in this off-season as the ball club looks to attract others to the team and build on what was started just under a year ago.
Jim Taylor enjoyed his first-ever year as a coach. The long serving local umpire loved being on the "opposite side of things", but unselfishly left the team on several occasions to help other OSBA clubs in need of an umpire. Jim was so instrumental in helping secure everything from the home park to uniforms to corporate donations to equipment upgrades. Jim also spent a lot of time helping prepare the diamond before home games and meeting team sponsors throughout the season.
And finally...our fans, spouses, extended families, and significant others. Thank you for all your support. Without your collective encouragement being able to play ball every Sunday for most of the summer could not happen. Thank you.
As a team, the Chiefs will now turn their attention to the Free Agent market and begin a plan for the new year. Anyone interested in playing/trying out for the Chiefs, becoming a sponsor or wanting the management to review equipment/uniform proposals are encouraged to contact the team (just click on contacts tab at left of screen).
Thank you,
Whitby Chiefs Senior Baseball Club
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Back to School for Chiefs
This past weekend the Whitby Chiefs played in their first-ever OSBA play-off action. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, the best of three series ended quite quickly. The defending OSBA champion, Brooklin Dodgers, made the series short and sweet - sweeping the Chiefs in two straight games.
Neither game was a blowout and if not for several defensive miscues the games may have been closer and/or seen different results. With a few key players out of the line-up on Saturday, the Chiefs booted themselves out of game #1 allowing three unearned runs to open the contest. Despite yet another strong pitching performance by Stephen Harrington, the Chiefs could not generate enough offense to make up for the runs they basically gave Brooklin. The final score of game # 1 was 7-3 -giving Brooklin a huge advantage heading into Sunday.
After some rain over night, the grounds crew at Kinsmen Stadium did a fantastic job getting the field ready to start the game. The weather actually improved and turned out to be quite decent. Like the weather, the second game of the series was also very good. Brooklin jumped out to an early lead, but Whitby starter Steve Butterworth did everything he could to keep the game close. Whitby actually fought back to take the lead mid-way through the game, but then the defending champs clawed back to tie and move ahead once again. Then in the bottom of the 6th, Derek grieve muscled out a 3 run shot over the right field wall to give his club a commanding lead. Whitby didn't go down without a fight and was able to put some pressure Brooklin's Mitch Dunn in the 7th. Unfortunately, the comeback did not happen and the Chiefs bowed out to the defending champs - this time by a final score of 6-3.
For an expansion club that went through several injuries, there is plenty of optimism surrounding the team's future. Team management will begin off-season preparations relatively soon where they fully expect to continue building their franchise.
For now, they will sit back and enjoy the rest of the OSBA play-offs. The Whitby Chiefs Baseball Club would like to wish the Brooklin Dodgers all the best on defending their championship and extend similar well wishes to the other 7 remaining OSBA teams gunning for their own championship title.
More team news as it happens will follow in the weeks and months ahead.
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Play-off Bound
The Whitby Chiefs will face the defending champion Brooklin Dodgers in the first round of play-offs. After a sub-par regular season, the Chiefs received a lot of help from the Mississauga Stars and Barrie Brewers this past week. Both clubs were able to defeat the Scarborough Indians who had three games in hand on Whitby and sat only two points out - with the tie breaker already in hand.
Luckily for the Chiefs, Scarborough was unable to win one of their last three games - giving the Chiefs a berth into the play-offs in their inaugural season.
Opening against the defending champs will not be an easy series. Whitby will need to play sound defensively and hope their pitching staff can keep the games close. Whitby ranked near the bottom in both team offense and defense this year (runs for/against) so a total team effort will be needed if the club hopes to advance beyond the first round.
Game # 1 - Saturday, September 8 @ 1 pm - Iroquois Park in Whitby
Game #2 - Sunday, September 9 @ 1 pm - Kinsmen Stadium in Oshawa
Game # 3 (if necessary) - Sunday, September 9 @ 3:30 pm - Kinsmen Stadium in Oshawa
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Chiefs Play Wait & See
The Whitby Chiefs only managed to grab two points in their final two games this past Wednesday. Whitby headed into action tied for the final play-off spot in the Walker Conference. Their opponents, the Pickering Pirates were also playing for the play-offs - but for a different reason. The make-up games which were postponed a few weeks back due to rain were important to both teams. Pickering was trying to secure third overall in the conference and home field advantage in the first round. Whitby on the other hand needed to grab two wins to put some sizable pressure on the Scarborough Indians - who have three games in hand.
Unfortunately for Whitby, the Pirates gave them all they could handle in game #1 behind a very strong pitching performance by rookie Dave McElroy. Needing to salvage a split, Whitby got a huge boost from starter Steve Harrington. Hollywood as he is know by his team mates has been sidelined since going down with an elbow injury in the season opener double header vs. Barrie.
Harrington started off a little wild but settled in nicely going the complete distance. Pickering wouldn't quit and tied the game up mid way through the contest. But a huge bottom of the 6th for Whitby shifted the momentum back in their favour when the Chiefs got out of a bases loaded none out situation without surrendering a run.
Whitby now waits to see if the Mississauga Stars can sweep the Indians this coming Monday. If they do, the Indians will have to make the long drive to Barrie to tangle with the Brewers. Barrie can put an exclamation point on a difficult season by way of being the spoilers. As is stands now, should the Indians win at least one of their final three games they will advance to the play-offs leaving Whitby on the outside looking in.
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Whitby Grabs 2 Valuable Points
Currently holding onto the 6th and final play-off spot in the Walker Conference, Whitby needed to play better baseball in an effort to distance themselves from the Scarborough Indians. The Indians, despite being 6 points out of the last play-off spot holds 5 games in hand and will face the Chiefs in the middle of August.
With key injuries to the team's pitching staff, others have stepped up as of late and done a fine job. Ryan Hickman, who has been nursing an ankle injury since the beginning of the season has just started to take to the mound. In each of his past two appearances, Hickman has looked very good. Unfortunately for the Chiefs and Hickman poor defensive play hurt another solid outing for the tall righty. The Chiefs committed 6 errors on route to being mercied by the Talons by a final score of 11-0 in just four innings.
After a brief team meeting at the end of the first game, the Chiefs came out looking like a completely different team. In fact, it hasn't been since opening weekend that the club had an offensive outburst. Three players went yard for the Chiefs including a 2-run shot by Derek Wu and grand slams by Denny Howell and Adam Bickford. Howell also provided solid pitching despite the team allowing six runs against. The Chiefs returned the mercy favour in the second game of the double dip - beating the Talons 16-6.
Next up for the Chiefs will be another divisional match-up when the Richmond Hill Phoenix come to town Sunday, July 29th @ Iroquois park. Game times are 12 and 2:30 pm.
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Whitby Needs Wins
After getting pounded by Richmond Hill in game #1 of their double header last Sunday, the Chiefs looked much better in the second game of the double-dip - despite coming away with a win. A winless streak that spans 6 games (and possibly counting) will need to be snapped if the club hopes to secure a play-off spot in their inaugural season.
Next up for the Chiefs are the Oshawa Talons, a divisional opponent who flew out of the gate earlier in the year. Facing tougher opposition of late, Oshawa slipped to second place in the division behind the surging Richmond Hill Phoenix ball club.
No question Oshawa will be looking at these games as must wins and so should Whitby for that matter. With both Scarborough and Barrie holding games on hand, Whitby needs to start playing better baseball down the stretch.
The Chiefs will be without a few key members due to schedule conflicts, but hope to get back in the win column this weekend.
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Whitby Chiefs Well Represented at OSBA Tournament
This past weekend, seven players and two coaches from the Whitby Chiefs participated in the annual OSBA tournament. The Whitby Chiefs who were unable to field their own team - mostly due to injuries on their pitching staff, joined the Brooklin Dodgers combining to make one team. Collectively they also added two members of the Scarborough Indians and another player from the East York Bulldogs of the GTBL.
With a roster of 19 players (18 of which played Saturday and Sunday) the club appeared to be larger than some would have liked. However, as the weekend went along the coaching staff did a very good job ensuring players have adequate playing time - ensuring none of the pitchers were over-used.
Adam Bickford was one of three catchers on the squad and caught the majority of the games during the tournament. Jason Andrews, Graig Andrew and Adam Stokes were part of a very deep outfield. David Gemmell was the lone pitcher to represent Whitby, and Darryl Lewis and Sean Tremaine helped anchor a solid group of infielders. Jim Taylor and Steve Smith participated as members of the coaching staff.
After 5 games the team found itself in the finals to take on the defending champs - the Burlington Bulls. With the score 1-1 heading into the 7th, the team scored two runs off the Bulls to go a head 3-1. In the bottom of the 7th the Bulls scored one to cut the lead to 3-2 and had runners on second and third with two out. Manager Jim Taylor called for an intentional walk to the Bulls' (pitcher) Cam McKnight. With the bases loaded and the winning run 180 feet away, Chris Theodoru got Dave Willitts to fly out to right field to end the game and foil Burlington's bid to become the first team to win back to back OSBA tournament championships.
The final was played out the way most would expect a tournament championship to unfold - great pitching, some spectacular defensive plays, key hits and minimal errors. Neither team lost a game to get to the finals, and with a final score of 3-2 , the result could have gone either way.
Chris Theodoru of the Scarborough Indians was named tournament/championship MVP with Jamie Kozak being named the Bulls' MVP.
For the Bulls, it was their third consecutive summer advancing to the tournament championship. And for many players on the combined squad it was their first kick at the can. For Tremaine it was his second consecutive finals, while Bickford, Andrew and Smith participated in their third consecutive finals - becoming the only participants to have won 2 championships since the annual tournament began back in 2004.
The Whitby Chiefs would like to congratulate the Burlington Bulls on another fine run and making the championship such a great game.
Whitby would like to thank all the other members who participated and helped create the team for the tournament. A very competitive group - that combined having fun and worked hard at accomplishing the team's goal.
Whitby would also like to thank the grounds crews in Barrie, the umpires and convenors for their roles in helping run the tournament. Special thanks go out to Sue Charters, Gerry Ray, Gary Charters, and Jim Taylor for their tireless efforts helping coordinate all the behind the scenes stuff needed to run such a successful event.
And finally, a huge thank you to Rod Holinaty for all his effort in putting together the tournament. With a very difficult role, Rod did a great job once again this summer.
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Whitby Swept by Barrie
This past Sunday, Whitby had a golden opportunity to put a tremendous amount of pressure on the Barrie Brewers' play-off hopes. Had Whitby swept Barrie the Chiefs would have pulled ahead by 16 points. There was a sweep this weekend, but it was the Brewers who gained a huge four points on the Chiefs.
Game # 1 was very similar to the first game these two team played back in May. A low scoring affair with only a scattering of hits and very few miscues. Each team took turns taking the lead before Whitby went ahead in the bottom of the 3rd up by a score of 3-2. The game stayed that way until the bottom of the 7th when the Brewers scored two quick runs and gained the lead for the second time in the game. Whitby had a golden opportunity to tie and possibly win the game in the bottom of the 7th with runners on first and second with none out and a 3-1 count on Roberto Porretta. A double steal attempt was thwarted on a close play at third base. From there, Whitby was unable to score the even the tying run and Barrie held on to win the game by a final score of 4-3. With the victory, the Brewers won their first game of the year and the Chiefs sank one game below the .500 record.
Game # 2 was all Barrie from the start of the game. Lead off hitter Chris Fitzpatrick set the tone belting a solo shot to left field. From there, Barrie went onto touch up Whitby starter Denny Howell for an additional 6 runs and by the end of the 2nd inning had a commanding 7-1 lead. Both teams exchanged runs in the third and Whitby was able to score another in the fourth, but the game was running short on time. In the 5th Barrie scored another run to take a 9-3 lead into what would be the final at bat for Whitby. The Chiefs showed some life but it was too little too late. Barrie hung on to win by a final score of 9-5. With the sweep Barrie inches closer to Whitby for third in the division and the Chiefs drop two games below .500 for the first time.
Next up the Canada Day long weekend. With no regular season games this coming weekend the rest should help several guys on the team who are banged up nursing injuries. Others will combine with members from the Brooklin Dodgers and Scarborough Indians to compete in the OSBA tournament - held annually in Barrie.
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Rogers Centre Bound
The Whitby Chiefs will be well represented tonight at the Rogers Centre. The OSBA will be playing back to back games starting at 5:30 pm as the association plays their first ever Divisional All-Star games. Whitby along with the Richmond Hill Phoenix, Oshawa Talons and Barrie Brewers will combine to make one squad. They will face members of the Jenkins Conference that they will not play individually during the regular season.
The second game will be the exact same format for the other two divisions within the league. These games are meant to reward several players within the association - many of whom have not had an opportunity to play at the Rogers Centre. Anyone wishing to watch either or both games can do so free of charge. Please go to gate #8 where the seats will be directly behind home plate.
Here are the 2007 Divisional All-Stars representing the Whitby Chiefs:
#25 Graig Andrew, OF: Graig has been selected to several OSBA all-star games over the past three seasons. He is excited to be part of this new format created by the league.
#22 Jason Andrews, OF: Jason is currently leading the team in average and RBI. His strong arm in the field makes him a logical choice to play right field for the all-star squad. He will be making his OSBA all-star debut tonight
#31 Adam Bickford, 2B: Adam who is one of Whitby's top utility players will play for the all-star team at second base. Adam has been a steady performer for Whitby this season and his appointment to this team is well deserved.
#19 Ryan Fraser, 2B: Ryan would have most likely made this team as a pitcher had he not suffered an injury in the opening weekend. Nonetheless, Fraser has been a solid performer at second base as well as at the plate. Ryan will appearing in his first OSBA all-star game tonight.
#24 David Gemmell, P: Dave has stepped up to help the team during the club's injury woes. Gemmell is another utility player on the team, but his pitching performances over the past two months have kept the team in the play-off race. Dave will be making his OSBA all-star game debut tonight.
#21 Denny Howell, P: Howell has emerged as one of Whitby's top pitchers over the last month. With his lower body injury behind him (literally), Howell has also begun to show life at the plate. He will be part of the all-star team's pitching staff while making his OSBA all-star team debut.
#57 Darryl Lewis, 3B: Darry will be playing in his first OSBA all-star game, and despite a slow start at the plate, Lewis has emerged as Whitby's lead-off hitter. Lewis is a scrappy player, smart on the base paths and gives his all each and every game.
#12 Sean Tremaine, SS: Sean is enjoying a fine season to date and plays the game as hard as anyone on the club. Tremaine who recorded the team's first-ever hit has been steady all season. Defensively, Tremaine is as solid as anyone on this club and his OSBA all-star game debut here tonight is well deserved.
The Whitby Chiefs Baseball Club would like to congratulate all of the players, coaches and umpires selected to participate tonight.
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Chiefs and Bengals Split Shutouts
Whitby headed into action this past Sunday with a 5-5 record which put them in third place in their division. With hopes of moving past .500 in nearly a month, the club simply came out flat in game #1. To their credit, the Bengals had some key defensive plays, but overall Whitby lacked emotion, focus and energy. With only 13 batters the entire game, the Bengals put this game away with relative ease scoring four runs in the first, 5 in the 3rd and one in the bottom of the fourth - which halted the game as the Bengals mercied the Chiefs 10-0.
After the game, the Chiefs coaching staff asked the team to show up for game #2. Needing a win to salvage a split and get the club's record back to .500, the team responded. The game started off scoreless through the first two innings before Whitby clawed out one run in the top of the third. The game stayed that way until the 6th when Whitby managed to put another run across the board. Whitby starter Denny Howell did a fantastic job keeping the Bengals bats off-balance. In the top of the 7th Whitby, thanks in large part to some poor defensive play by the Bengals, managed to put up another 5 runs on the board. David Gemmell who had hit the ball hard all day was finally rewarded when he smacked a 3-run shot to push Whitby's total to 7 runs. Howell ended up going the distance shutting out the Bengals. The final score was Whitby 7 Bengals 0.
Next up for the Chiefs a visit from the Barrie Brewers. This match-up will conclude the 4 game - home and home series between the clubs. Barrie should be looking to even the series after dropping the first two during the season opener back in May. Games will be played at 12 and 2:30 @ Iroquois Park.
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Can you see the Difference...???
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Darryl Lewis, Sean Tremaine and Adam Bickford do their best to pose as the Three Stooges before Bickford is pushed aside in favour of one of the Hooters girls.
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Player of the Week Nominees - June 9/10
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Offensive:
Sean Tremaine
6-6, 4 doubles, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 6 runs, 1 SB
Sean also turned an unassisted triple play in game # 1 vs. The Forest Glen Giants
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Pitching:
Denny Howell
Complete game (5 IP) win, 5 hits, 3 BB, 5 K 2 runs/1 earned
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Whitby Splits; Gains 2 points on Division Leader
The Whitby Chiefs went into action this past Sunday having either swept or been swept in each of their past four double header series. Game # 1 got off to a rough start for Whitby. First, the team's baseballs were stolen from the area where the equipment was unloaded prior to the start of the team's pre-game Batting practice session. Then, during warm-ups, starting pitcher Rich Walo suffered a strained back having stepped off the bull-pen rubber awkwardly receiving a throw back from C Roberto Porretta. With only game # 2 starter Denny Howell available, OF Graig Andrew took a half dozen warm-up throws and went into the game basically at the last minute. After a slow start, Andrew threw reasonably well keeping the team in the game. He also received some solid defence behind him including Sean Tremaine's unassisted triple play in the top of the 5th inning. With the lead changing sides back and forth, Whitby was up 7-4 before surrendering 6 runs in the 6th. The Chiefs managed to battle back in the bottom half of the inning to make the game both close and interesting. Down 10-9 and bases loaded with two out Derek Wu struck out to end the game. Final score was Forest Glen 10 Whitby 9.
Needing to salvage a split to keep their record at .500, Whitby turned to the stands for a little extra motivation. With a relatively large crowd out to support the home side, it was the ladies in white and orange that gave the Chiefs the boost they were looking for. Three lovely ladies from Hooters were at the second game to cheer on the Chiefs. Not wanting to disappoint, Whitby played a solid second game. Denny Howell went the distance in a curfew shortened game - erasing his disappointing outing against Durham. Howell, who was featured in an OSBA article in Sunday June 10th's edition of the Oshawa/Whitby This Week we 5 strong innings - scattering 5 hits and giving up 2 runs (one earned). Offensively, Sean Tremaine continued to swing a hot bat finishing the day 6-6 with 4 doubles and 6 runs scored. Adam Bickford also continued to hit the ball well and Roberto Porretta showed signs that his arm injury may be behind him as he chipped in with a couple key hits as well. The final score was Forest Glen 2 Whitby 9. With the win, Whitby goes to 2-0 with the Hooters girls in attendance.
With the split, Whitby managed to pick up two points on the division leading - Oshawa Talons. Oshawa was swept by the surging (winners of their last 4 games) Durham Chiefs. The schedule only gets harder here on out for Whitby. Up next for the Chiefs are the young and talented Mississauga North Bengals on June 17 in Mississauga. Game times are 1 and 3:30 at Q Park.
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Whitby hopes to SHOOT past .500 this Sunday
Come out and cheer on the Whitby Chiefs this coming Sunday, June 10th as they host the Forest Glen Giants. Game times are 12 and 2:30 at Iroquois Park in Whitby.
Game #2 (starting at 2:30 approx.) will have some special guests as the HOOTERS GIRLS will once again be in attendance. Come on down, bring your camera, and enjoy the atmosphere!!
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Offensive:
Jason Andrews
4-4 3 Doubles, 2 RBI, SB, Run, BB
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Pitching:
David Gemmell
7 IP 7 Hits 4 BB 3 K 3 ER - took the loss
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OSBA All-Stars Victorious at Rogers Centre
After losing 8-1 to the SABL All-Stars last year in the inaugural league vs. league all-star game, OSBA had one goal in mind - to win this year's contest. OSBA came out flying scoring 8 runs in the bottom of the first inning. Whitby's lone representative Graig Andrew did his best to help the team. Andrew was one of only a handful of OSBA all-stars who returned from last year's all-star team. Graig had a great night at the plate going 2-3, double, triple, walk, 2 Runs, 4 RBI's. He was also chosen as the game's MVP and picked up 4 field level Blue Jays tickets - courtesy of the Toronto Blue Jays who generously donated the MVP prize.
The final score was SABL 2 OSBA 19. Both squads had players unable to attend for various reasons and/or players unable to participate due to injuries. With the annual series now tied at one game apiece, both associations will look to next summer to win the rubber match.
The Whitby Chiefs would like to congratulate both groups on their efforts to obtain the game at Rogers Centre and ensure the event continues on an annual basis. In addition, Whitby would like to congratulate the members of OSBA who represented the league in fine fashion, and give kudos to Graig for representing the team with an MVP performance.
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Durham Dusts Whitby in Battle of Chiefs
Whitby went into action this past Saturday with a 4-2 record having won two games the previous weekend against their expansion cousins, the Mississauga Majors. Hoping to build on the two game winning streak, Whitby traveled to Clarington to face the Durham Chiefs - one of the best all around teams in OSBA over the past few seasons.The 2007 edition of the Durham Chiefs,however, was quite different than a year ago. This series had the potential to be a heated affair with OSBA President/former Durham Assistant Coach Steve Smith, OF Graig Andrew, C/Utility Adam Bickford and P/Utility Ryan Fraser all playing against their former team, but in all honesty, neither game had any sort of "rivalry" feel/emotion.
Game one was a see-saw affair thanks in large part to some sloppy defensive miscues. A total of nine errors in the game (Whitby 5, Durham 4) kept things interesting to say the least. The first three innings went by relatively quickly and uneventful.
Durham starter, Chris Aarons got touched up for two runs in the fourth but it could have been far worse as Whitby had runners on 2nd and 3rd with only one out. To his credit, Aarons promptly struck out Ryan Hickman and got Dave Gemmell to ground out to first base to end the inning. Durham countered right away cashing three of their own in the bottom of the inning to take a 3-2 lead. SS Justin Bird lead off the inning with a single, Mike Ovsonka reached on an error and Colin Cockburn hit an opposite field shot to right field which was misplayed by Jason Andrews. Bird and Ovsonka scored on the error and Cockburn was driven in by Paul Graham. Whitby went up 6-3 after 5 and a half, but Durham chipped away and clawed within one run to trail 6-5 after 6 complete innings. Rob Robinson who replaced Aarons in the 6th did a great job shutting Whitby down in their half of the 7th. With a win in their sites, Durham got a clutch double from newcomer Jeff King with one out. The newest Durham Chief, Darryl Jennings, drew a walk putting the winning run at first base for Chris Aarons. Having gone 0-2 in his previous plate appearances, Aarons hit a solid shot to left-centre field. King and Jennings both came around to score giving Durham the victory.Whitby starter Dave Gemmell pitched the complete game but came away with a loss for his effort.
Game two was nowhere close to being an even contest. Mike Ovsonka took the hill for Durham and was his consistent self. Ovsonka who is unquestionably Durham's staff ace breezed through the first three innings surrendering only one to hit Jason Andrews (1st inning). Durham got to Whitby starter Denny Howell in the first inning scoring one unearned run. However, a lower body injury to the Whitby starter saw Howell out of the game after only completing 1 2/3 innings. With a depleted pitching staff (still recovering from various injuries) Derek Wu made his pitching debut. Wu got out of the jam he inherited but it was too little too late for Whitby. By the end of the second Durham was up 5-0 and they never looked back. Durham scored another 8 runs in the bottom of the third to blow the game wide open taking a commanding 13-0 lead into the top of the 4th. Whitby was able to scratch out a run but that was it. Durham won with ease and swept Whitby in their first-ever double header series.
With the new conferences and divisional alignment, Whitby and Durham will not face each other again during the regular season but could wind up playing one another in the play-offs. Whitby returns home this coming Sunday to host the Forest Glen Giants. Dropping back to .500 on the season, Whitby will try to once again to get back into the win column.
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Graig Andrew to Represent Whitby Chiefs at Rogers Centre, Sunday, June 3rd
Graig was named to the squad which will send 25 OSBA players to face an all-star team from the Scarborough Adult Baseball League (SABL). In what appears to have become an annual event (2008's game already secured), OSBA hopes to come away victorious having lost last summer by a final score of 8-1. Graig was a member of the 2006 OSBA-SABL all-star team as a member of the Durham Chiefs. Here are Graig's 2006 stats:
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.356
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20
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20
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59
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19
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21
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8
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2
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0
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25
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6
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7
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0
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0
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0
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0
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0
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1
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0
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1
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6
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33
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.415
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.559
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The all-star game will start at 8 pm. Family, friends and members of OSBA are encouraged to come out and cheer OSBA onto victory. Anyone wishing to join should go to gate # 8 - just east of the Rogers Store on the south side of the stadium.
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Pitching:
David Gemmell:
8 IP, CG, W, 3 runs ( 2 earned), 5 K
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Offensive:
Graig Andrew:
2-3, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, 2 SAC, K
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Fans “Hoot” it up as the Chiefs Sweep First Doubleheader at Home
Sunday afternoon was a day of firsts for the expansion Whitby Chiefs. In their inaugural season the Chiefs won their first two home games at Iroquois Park to up their record to a respectable 4-2. There was plenty of pomp and circumstance surrounding the day’s events with P.A. announcing, the first pitch being thrown out by President of Whitby Minor Baseball, Tony Morra, and the presence of immediate fan favorites, the “Hooter Girls” who sat field level.
Despite the chilly game time temperature and threatening weather conditions the fans that made it out were treated to a thrilling first game that went into extra innings before Ryan Fraser’s game winning hit into the gap in left centre, in the bottom of the 8th inning scored David Gemmell from first on a close play at the plate. On the move from contact, Gemmell eluded the tag at the plate scoring the winning run in a cloud of dust. Said Gemmell “the throw was up the line a little and when I saw the catcher come off the plate I knew I’d have to lunge around him to beat the tag. It was a close play but the catcher definitely missed the tag and I am just glad we could get this one under our belt.”
In a contrast of styles, Gemmell and Josh Pileggi were masterful keeping their respective teams in the game. Pileggi threw 5 strong innings before turning the ball over to the bullpen. “He had good zip on his fastball and a curve ball that kept us honest at the plate. His ability to throw that curve ball for strikes at any time in the count really kept me off balance” said recently selected all-star centre fielder Graig Andrew. “A couple of us had some real strong at bats and we were able to battle and get a couple of runs across on him.”
However the afternoon belonged to Gemmell who went the distance on the mound. He worked quickly, didn’t walk a batter and stuck out 5 in picking up his first win of the season. Jay Andrews said after the game “that’s what Gemmell does. He goes out there, throws strikes and mixes his speeds. He doesn’t over power guys. It just shows you that the art of pitching isn’t blowing balls past hitters. It’s about location and keeping the hitters off balance with their timing. Gemmell was outstanding today!”
One other highlight for the Whitby Chiefs came after the game concluded. Assistant coach Jim Taylor, best known for being a long-serving umpire in the Whitby and surrounding areas was presented with the game ball by the entire team for recording his first-ever game/win as a coach.
Mother Nature is a Chiefs fan!
In the second game of the twin bill, Denny Howell picked up the win in a rain shortened 5 innings of work. Making his first appearance as a Chief, Howell struck out 4, walked 5 and gave up two home runs. JP Anderson (Majors) homered for his second round tripper of the day over the left field wall. The Majors actually took a 5-4 lead on their 5th homerun of the day before the rains came. Part of the way through the top of the 6th inning the umpires called the players off the field in the hope that the rain would pass. After an approximate 30 minute delay, the umpires called the game as they felt the field conditions made continuing impossible. As a result, the score went back to the previous inning giving the Chief’s the win on the technicality.
Sean Tremaine and Graig Andrew led the way offensively for the Chief’s with a double and triple respectively. Adam Sawoczcuk came on in the second inning for the Majors after Ryan McNeil was forced to leave the game after an apparent injury. Said coach Steve Smith on the wins, “these two wins were big for us to get at home. Heading to Clarington next weekend it was important for us to start building something.”
The Whitby Chiefs take on the Durham Chiefs this coming Saturday in what will be an extra special series for Graig Andrew, Adam Bickford and Steve Smith – all of whom were members of Durham in 2006. Game times are scheduled for 1 and 3:30 pm.
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The Whitby Chiefs Senior Baseball Club won its inaugural game against the Barrie Red Sox by a final score of 2-1. Here are a few other firsts for the franchise:
For Whitby:
First Hit: Sean Tremaine (double)
First Run Scored: Adam Bickford
First RBI: Jason Andrews
First HBP: Sean Tremaine
First BB: Darryl Lewis
First K (offensively): Roberto Porretta
First Start: Ryan Fraser
First Win: Ryan Fraser
First Save: David Gemmell
First to take the field defensively: (P) Ryan Fraser, (C) Roberto Porretta, (1B) Derek Wu, (2B) Adam Bickford, (3B) Darryl Lewis, (SS) Sean Tremaine, (LF) Steve Walo, (CF) Graig Andrew, RF (Jason Andrews)
Against:
First Hit: AJ Martin (off of Ryan Fraser)
First Run Scored: AJ Martin (against Ryan Fraser)
First RBI: Mike Walton (off of Ryan Fraser)
First Batter HBP: Bob Charters (against Rich Walo)
First BB: Bob Charters (against Ryan Fraser)
First K: Bob Charters (against Ryan Fraser)
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