FRIDAY:
The problem with completing a league circuit is, sometimes, you must face the best pitcher and most stacked lineup in the entire :lnp:.
That's what the #IngenierosRIN :ingenieros: get to deal with when they go against the #TaínosGUR :tainos:.
first pitch 7:00 PM EDT
https://www.twitch.tv/lnpgaceta
Less than an hour until our first stream of the 1885 #IngenierosRIN :ingenieros:, and they're getting rather restless in their electronic dugout, waiting for their chance to compete for . . .
Well, I suppose a .400 finish isn't glory, but it's something, right?
And yet, the lineup is somehow the *good* news, insofar as the players are young and have a chance to develop.
:lnp: fans with some #IngenierosRIN :ingenieros: lore know their pitching situation has never been ideal, but this is . . . well, "dire" barely covers it.
The way the #IngenierosRIN have built their roster is perplexing in the extreme.
For one, they are currently carrying three backup catchers and two backup third basemen.
The entire outfield and first base have zero reserves.
Estamos de vuelta.
¿Quieres prueba? Los partidos en vivo empiezan de nuevo el viernes.
Esta vez, seguiremos la temporada del 1885 de los #IngenierosRIN :ingenieros:, quienes tratarán de lograr una que cualquier otro equipo llamaría modesta:
Terminar por encima de .400.
We're back.
You want proof? Live games start this Friday, and this time, we're not hopping around the league.
No, this time around, you'll follow the 1885 season of the #IngenierosRIN, as they try to accomplish what any other team would call a modest goal:
Finish over .400.
One week from today, we'll publish the first article—the detailed introduction the 1871 #IngenierosRIN :ingenieros: deserved the last time around.
That's just the first step, though. This Gaceta is going to be so much more than a few thousand words on each season.
So who were these four teams bucking the trend? Let's look at the three shortstops:
- 1/9: the #PetrolerosPEÑ :petroleros: take 26-year-old shortstop Jorge Peña, impressed by his plate discipline. More on him later.
- 1/47: the #PicudosCEI :picudos: take 25-year-old shortstop Josué Salgado, a good hitter and excellent fielder.
- 1/71: the #IngenierosRIN :ingenieros: (you knew they'd be here) take 33-year-old shortstop Omar Contreras. He loses the starting job by 1875 and retires by 1879.
Instead, the Petroleros used their first-round pick—ninth overall—to take Peña, the #4 prospect in the entire league, and stick him at shortstop.
(The other three teams if you're wondering: the #PicudosCEI :picudos: at #47, the #IngenierosRIN :ingenieros: at #71, and the #MarinerosBAR :marineros:, who didn't pick a shortstop, at #77.)
With their next pick, the Petroleros did, in fact, take a pitcher, but in the third round, they went for LF Guillermo Gómez, then the #75 prospect in the league.
Instead, the Petroleros used their first-round pick—ninth overall—to take Peña, the #4 prospect in the entire league, and stick him at shortstop.
(The other three teams if you're wondering: the #PicudosCEI :picudos: at #47, the #IngenierosRIN :ingenieros: at #71, and the #MarinerosBAR :marineros:, who didn't pick a shortstop, at #77.)
With their next pick, the Petroleros did, in fact, take a pitcher, but in the third round, they went for LF Guillermo Gómez, then the #75 prospect in the league.
Yes, yes, the #PoetasTOA are favored in this game, but there's a reason it's less than 70%, and it's that the beloved #IngenierosRIN have been quietly accumulating some thunderbats in their lineup. If Toa Alta isn't careful, they'll get blown up before they know what hit them.
IN ONE HOUR:
Yup, more games.
1. HUMANITIES VS. STEM
Everyone's favorite #IngenierosRIN vs. the #PoetasTOA.
2. ROAD WARRIORS
The #SamaritanosSLO vs. the #PeregrinosHOR.
3. FIGHT OF FLIGHT
A sky duel between the #MurciélagosCAM and the #CotorrasRGE.
In 1883, Saenz managed a feat almost no other pitcher, not even the unlucky bastards the #IngenierosRIN shoved onto the mound, had achieved:
- led the league in losses (34);
- posted an ERA above 6.00;
- had a WHIP above 2.00;
- did 155 BB to 56 Ks;
- had a WAR of -4.6.
In the Golden Era of Pitching, that losses/ERA/K/BB ratio would come to be known as a "Reverse Triple Crown."
#SantosADJ vs. #TaínosGUR: P L. López (GUR): 12 H, 5 R/5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. C C. Rayo (GUR): 4-4, 2B, 3B, BB, 5 R, 4 RBI. 2B C. Aparicio (GUR) hits 378-ft., 2-run HR (bot 7th). PH/RF I. Guerrero (GUR) scores ITP 1-run HR (bot 8th). ADJ wins, 17-5.
#IngenierosRIN vs. #VaquerosBAY: P R. Moreno (RIN): 5 H, 2 R/1 ER, 4 BB, 5 K. 3B F. Valle (RIN): 2-4, BB, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBI. SS J. Muñoz (RIN) scores ITP solo HR (top 4th). RIN wins, 8-2.
I know you all love hearing about the Ingenieros, so here's a fact for you:
From 1873 to 1883, they won a total of 5 games against their perennial division winner, the Capitanes de Mayagüez.
They lost 42.
Between 1876 and 1880, they went 0-18.
Anyway, coincidentally, your :lnp: Game of the Day for 4/23:
#CapitanesMAY vs. #IngenierosRIN:
P V. Zamora (RIN): 5 H, 1 R/0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K.
3B F. Valle (RIN) scores ITP solo HR (bot 6th).
RIN wins, 3-1.