Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
toaster 'at" humbug.com
Our fifth mystery photo comes courtesy of Jon Weisman. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to help figure out the who/when/where of the photo.
Click on the image for a larger view.
Note: I'm running low on photos. If you have any old MLB photos that might suit this game, please send 'em in to mystery At humbug .com.
Please excuse the way that sentence is written. In short -- it's gotta be a pitcher. Maybe Danny Patterson.
Jerry Ujdur wore #28 for the Tigers in the early 80s.
I agree, it has to be a pitcher.
http://tinyurl.com/hc9tx
The Blue Jays changed their uniform in 1997.
So this is between 1989-1996.
For reference, here's a photo of SkyDome.
mehmattski - that pic appears to be of SkyDome...
Since it has to be SkyDome, this is either 1989, 1990, or 1996.
Blue Jays coaches in 1989:
John McLaren, Mike Squires, John Sullivan, Al Widmar
Blue Jays coaches in 1990:
Galen Cisco, John McLaren, Mike Squires, John Sullivan, Gene Tenace, Hector Torres
Blue Jays coaches in 1996:
Alfredo Griffin, Garth Iorg, Nick Leyva, Mel Queen, Gene Tenace, Willie Upshaw
Did any of these guys wear 25 as players?
In '89/'90, the Tigers road uniform spelled out Detroit in block letters, so I think 36 is right - that's an Orioles pitcher.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B07060TOR1989.htm
It's one of two possible plays:
BLUE JAYS 6TH: Brenly forced Lee (first to shortstop);
BLUE JAYS 8TH: Lee grounded into a double play (second to shortstop to first)
[Borders out at second];
So, is he safe, or is he out? Is it Bob Brenly or Manny Lee?
http://tinyurl.com/q73xv
1989-1992 is our range.
July 4, 7th Inning:
George Bell grounded into a double play (shortstop to second to first) [Gruber out at
second]; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Orioles 3, Blue Jays 0.
July 6, 8th Inning:
Manuel Lee grounded into a double play (second to shortstop to first)
[Borders out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Orioles 1, Blue
Jays 4.
So, if it is a double play, its George Bell or Manny Lee. Bell was a righty hitter, Lee was a switch hitter - so the helmet and the batting glove don't help distinguish . . .
http://tinyurl.com/k5daj
Anyway, I'm pretty sure now that it's Manny Lee.
This is Skydome. These shots of Exhibition Stadium just don't quite fit with what we can see of the left field wall:
http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/past/exhibition89.gif
http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/al/torjays/exhibitionstadium.jpg
According to this, the Jays started wearing an all-blue cap in 1994, so this seems to limit it to 1989-93:
http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/exhibits/online_exhibits/dressed_to_the_nines/uniforms.asp?league=AL&city=Toronto&lowYear=1989&highYear=1996&sort=year&increment=18
If the comment above about Jays #25 is right, then this has to be either 1989 or 1990. Plus, I think we're on the right track with the O's, not Tigers:
http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/exhibits/online_exhibits/dressed_to_the_nines/uniforms.asp?league=AL&city=Baltimore&lowYear=1989&highYear=1993&sort=year&increment=18
This Tigers site shows no player wearing #25 in either of those years:
http://www.tigerscentral.com/dthindex.php
So, if it's Orioles-Jays, the only lefty firstbasemen to play at Skydome during those seasons were Jim Traber and David Segui. Although Segui wore more than one uniform number with Baltimore, I can't find one of him with #28:
http://images.google.com/images?q=david%20segui
That leaves us with Traber, and the games mentioned above.
Here's Lee: http://tinyurl.com/psj4n
I don't see any other potential force plays on July 4 or July 6. That would mean that Traber tried to turn a 3-6-3, but that the speedy (?!?) Brenly beat the throw, and the O's pitcher (Jeff Ballard) didn't get over.
Whoa. Wasn't Greg Kosc in the Mystery Photo #3 as well???
Baltimore Orioles visiting the Toronto Blue Jays at the SkyDome.
Sixth Inning, One out, Manny Lee on first base. Bob Brenly at the plate. Jeff Ballard pitching. Brenly hits a ground ball to the right side. Lee forced out at second, return throw is not in time.
Picture shows:
Toronto DH Bob Brenly
Toronto 1B Coach Mike Squires
Baltimore 1B Jim Traber
2B Umpire Greg Kosc
A fraction of the 46,629 fans in attendance.
BLUE JAYS 6TH: Brenly forced Lee (first to shortstop);
The runner looks Caucasian, safe, right handed.
The 1st baseman (Traber) looks a bit off balance as if he couldn't get back to form after launching a throw to second then hustling to the bag. He was stretching forward but the throw was to his left. This play has 3-6-3 written all over it. Brenly safe at 1st.
Baltimore 1
Toronto 4
Hey, Jon, can you confirm or deny our answer?
"Okay, please relay this to the Humbug Mystery Photo people.
Shortly after graduating from college in 1989, I embarked upon a mini-ballpark tour with my family. The first stop was in Yankee Stadium for a July 4 day game, the only game I've ever seen there. We sat high behind home plate, and did not stay for the Beach Boys concert afterward.
We then went up to Toronto, and sat low down along the right-field line, where I took the picture you see above. I have another shot at home that has part of the scoreboard, but I think I confirm the accuracy of your guess. I'm just amazed by the confidence about whether the batter/runner had a mustache.
Our trip then brought us to Fenway Park to see the Sox (against the Yankees, I believe) and finally to Wrigley to see the Dodgers play the Cubs. It was my second trip to Fenway and first and only trip to Wrigley."
"Oh, and also tell them - good job! (Despite Timmermann's initial misdirection ...)"
It was an everyday Minolta something or other. I'm not any kind of real photographer. I think it was just the weird angle of where I was sitting. I think the mound and third base are just out of frame on the left.
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