Month: March 2025

Memphis Monday- A Look Back at Games This Past Week

Tom Knuppel Memphis Monday, Other
Memphis Monday- A Look Back at Games This Past Week

The Memphis Redbirds opened their 2025 season on March 28th. They have played three game and are 1-2 on the young season.

 

 

MARCH 28- Opening up on the road against the Louisville Bats, a minor league team of the Cincinnati Reds. The Redbirds lost 9-4 with starting pitcher Michael McGreevey getting the loss. He allowed a pair of homers in the contest and 6 hits in the contest and walked one.

Catcher Jimmy Crooks was 2-for-4 with a home run in his AAA debut. Left Fielder Matt Koperniak drove in a run and right fielder Ryan Vlade had two hits in four at-bats.

MARCH 29- The Redbirds lost 4-1 and the hitting was light. Catcher Yahel Pozo drove in the only run for Memphis as the team dropped to 0-2.

Starting pitcher Quinn Mathews took the loss.

MARCH 30- The first win of the season came with a 13-9 affair that saw starter Gordon Graceffo fanning five in 2.1 innings pitched

The offense banged out 16 hits with home runs by Cesar Prieto, Jose Barrero, Brycen Torres and Thomas Saggese.

 

NEXT GAME is the home opener on Tuesday, April 1  against the Buffalo Bisons, an affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. The Redbirds haven’t announced a starter yet.

 

There will be no Springfield Wednesday or Thursday in Peoria, along with no Friday on the Beach (Palm Beach0 this week as all three open up on April 4th (Friday).

Baseball History- Earl Sheely – Born in Bushnell

Tom Knuppel Baseball History , , , , , , ,
Baseball History- Earl Sheely – Born in Bushnell

Earl Homer Sheely was born on February 12, 1893 in Bushnell, Illinois. He was a first baseman for the Chicago White Sox  from 1921-1927. In 1925, he was sixth in voting for the American League MVP. In that season, he batted .315 in 153 games and accrued 111 RBI’s with 43 double, 3 triples and 9 home runs in 600 at-bats. He also added 3 stolen bases and 68 walks and 26 sacrifice hits.

He kind of faded for a bit with the Sox and moved on to play baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1929 and the Boston Braves in 19131,

After his playing days, he became a scout for the Boston Red Sox and a general manager of the Seattle Rainiers. (The Rainiers were owned by Daniel Dugdale, who grew up in Peoria, Illinois which is 49 miles to Sheely’s birth place of Bushnell, and likely had crossed paths with him  in the past.)

Bushnell, Illinois (population in 2023 was 2,673) is in McDonough County and Macomb is the county seat. He is an inductee of the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame. He died in Seattle, Washington, at the age of 59.