The All Star Baseball Academy Blog: MIKE MCGUIRE EARNS ANOTHER SAVE FOR PHILLIES' MINOR LEAGUE TEAM!

Mike McGuire

Mike McGuire, popular ASBA instructor during the off-season, signed a minor league contract with the Phillies' Lakewood (NJ) farm team in mid-July. Over the past month, he has fit into the bullpen committee and helped the Lakewood squad keep a stranglehold on first place in their division.

A 6-7 righthanded pitcher who pitched for Ridley High and then the University of Delaware, McGuire is being utilized as a bullpen specialist by the BlueClaws team.

So far, Mike has done very well for the BlueClaws in relief, with a 1-1 record and 2 saves. On Sunday night, he saved his second game for Lakewood with a scoreless ninth inning. He notched a strikeout and saved the 5-2 win without a lot of suspense or drama.

Overall, he has a 2.79 ERA with 25 K's and just 6 walks in 19.1 innings pitched.

"It was great to get the call from the Phillies and it was a total surprise," said McGuire by phone. "I got the phone call from the Phillies' scout when I was with Sussex (NJ) in the Can-Am League, so I wasn't far away. It was only a 1 1/2 hour drive to go from Montclair to Lakewood, NJ so that was no problem at all.

"Now in the South Atlantic League, there are lots of 9 and 10 hour bus rides but that's OK," chuckled McGuire. "I was thrilled to get the call from the Phillies and I am happy to be helping out their bullpen in Lakewood. We won the first half league title and we have already clinched a spot in the playoffs. I've gotten a lot of calls from friends and family after joining the Phillies' organization and I really appreciate the support from the home front. Things are going great!"

The BlueClaws are on top in their division of the South Atlantic League with an excellent 72-46 record. Lakewood, NJ, in case you are wondering, is north of Toms River and east of Trenton. If you'd like to follow Mike McGuire and the BlueClaws the rest of this season, go to: www.blueclaws.com

Tom Cochran

EXTRA BASES-- Other ASBA instructors are also doing well in the Minors and in Independent Leagues around the country. Tom Cochran has a 2.93 ERA and a 7-5 mark as a starting pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds' AA team, the Carolina Mudcats. Tom is a lefthanded pitcher and has racked up 93 K's in 126 innings so far this year..... Meanwhile, Mike McCardell has earned his first W of the year for the Minnesota Twins' AA team, the New Britain (CT) Rock Cats. Mike threw 5 strong innings on 7/31 and gave up just one earned run vs. Bowie in the Eastern League win. He is 1-12 on the year for the Rock Cats, who have struggled this season with an overall mark of 34-87. McCardell has recorded 68 K's in 131 innings of work this season, tops on the team in both categories. Last year, Mike was 14-8 for the Rock Cats..... Over in the independent Atlantic League, Scott Grimes is still tearing it up for the York Revolution team. Grimes is hitting .292 with a .409 on base percentage. He has 13 HR's and 21 doubles, and also has piled up a total of 22 stolen bases, showing he has both power and speed. Grimes has scored 102 runs this season, tops on his squad by far. York has struggled a bit in the second half of the season with a 17-19 mark, but Grimes has continued to be a force for the Revolution at the top of their line-up.....

ALL STAR TRIVIA-- Earlier this season, new acquisition Roy (Doc) Halladay pitched a no-hit perfect game for the Phillies. Trivia Question of the Week: Who was the last Phillies' pitcher before Halladay to toss a perfect game and what was the year and the opponent? E mail your replies to ken@allstarbaseballacademy.com. Answers and another trivia test coming next week....