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Kazmir Records First Loss To Mariners

Published

11 years ago

May 6, 2014

Last month he was undefeated for the first time in his career. But tonight his career-tying six-game winning streak dating back to September 21, 2013 was snapped when the Seattle Mariners won the 4-2 decision over the A’s.

Scott Kazmir got off to a rocky start, allowing three hits and two runs in the first frame. The Mariners took a 2-0 lead when Michael Saunders hit a single off the glove of Josh Donaldson, followed with an infield single off Kazmir’s glove from Stefen Romero.

After striking out Robinson Cano, Cory Hart’s RBI single scored in the first run and a ground out single by Kyle Seager brought in Romero for Seattle’s second run. Kazmir recorded his first loss with Oakland and it didn’t come easy.

“After that first inning, I just tried to get as deep as I could,” said Kazmir. “The first inning was a couple of pitches that I left over the plate and they ended up getting a base hit when I was ahead of the count.”

“They just got him a little out of his rhythm early on,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “He recovered some and battled. It probably wasn’t his best stuff we’ve seen this year.”

Oakland got their first hit off Chris Young in the fourth when Jed Lowrie knocked a single to right field. Brandon Moss then tied the game 2-2 when he blasted a two-run homer to right field. But the Mariners responded in the fifth with a solo home run from Romero (his first of the season) to give them back the lead 3-2.

“He’s tough,” said Moss. “It’s just different than a lot of guys you face. It looks like he throwing soft but the way he pitches up and down, makes it tough. It’s so rare you see something like that.”

Seattle added on another run in the sixth, Brad Miller knocked a single to left field. Moss lost the ball in lights, dropping for a RBI single which could’ve been the second out. Miller stole two bases and was tagged out at home plate and Mike Zunino was safe at first.

Saunders single to left field gave Moss a chance to make up for the dropped ball earlier, he threw to third baseman Donaldson for the out to end the inning. Kazmir who was up to 99 pitches, finished the night tossing six frames, allowing eight hits and four runs which is was season high.

“We had better at-bats,” Seattle’s manager Lloyd McClendon said. “He’s a real good pitcher and he had his way with us the two outings in a row.”

Young retired nine of the first ten batters before he faced before Lowrie. After’s Moss’ home run, he retired the next seven hitters until Donaldson’s leadoff walk in the seventh. Moss followed with a walk putting two on with no outs for Oakland. But Alberto Callaspo hit into a double play and the A’s failed to score.

“That was a big double play,” said Melvin. “Sometimes you can square it but hit it right to somebody. That was a little bit of a momentum shifter.”

Note – The A’s went 18-2 last month and tied the franchise record for most wins in the month of April (1981,1989). The pitching staff finished the month with 220 strikeouts, setting the franchise record for strikeouts in a month (previous, 210 in 2013). And two players finished with four wins, Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir. Gray was named American League pitcher of the month for April.

Gray complied a 4-1 record with a 1.76 ERA, one shutout and 37 strikeouts in 41.0 innings pitched over six appearances (including a March 31st start) claimed his first pitcher of the month award, and the first for the A’s since Bartolo Colon in June 2013. He will receive a specially designed trophy, suitably engraved, for his accomplishment.

“Its definitely exciting when I got the call this morning,” said Gray. “It’s not something you really don’t think about but looking back at the first month of the year, we were in a good spot as far as the team and I’m happy to have been apart of that.”

“Well deserved,” Melvin said. “He’s come such a long way in a short period of time. Last year he comes out to pitch 40 games, the playoffs, pitches opening day here and recently shutout the Rangers at their ball park, which is very difficult to do. He keeps getting better and better.”

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Oakland Post: Week of November 20 – 26, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 20 – 26, 2024

Published

4 hours ago

November 22, 2024

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PRESS ROOM: Clyburn, Pressley, Scanlon, Colleagues Urge Biden to Use Clemency Power to Address Mass Incarceration Before Leaving Office

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Mass incarceration remains a persistent, systemic injustice that erodes the soul of America. Our nation has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with nearly two million people locked in jails and prisons throughout the country.

Published

1 day ago

November 21, 2024

Oakland Post

Read the letter here.

Watch the press conference here.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman James E. Clyburn (SC-06), Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), and Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) led 60 of their colleagues in sending a letter to President Biden urging him to use his executive clemency power in the final months of his presidency to reunite families, address longstanding injustices in our legal system, and set our nation on the path toward ending mass incarceration.

The lawmakers hosted a press conference earlier today to discuss the letter. A full video of their press conference is available here and photos are available here.

“Now is the time to use your clemency authority to rectify unjust and unnecessary criminal laws passed by Congress and draconian sentences given by judges,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter. “The grant of pardons and commutations and the restoration of rights will undoubtedly send a powerful message across the country in support of fundamental fairness and furthering meaningful criminal justice reform.”

Mass incarceration remains a persistent, systemic injustice that erodes the soul of America. Our nation has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with nearly two million people locked in jails and prisons throughout the country. The extreme use of incarceration has resulted in one in two adults having had an incarcerated family member. People of color are disproportionately put behind bars, along with individuals from low-income communities, LGBTQIA+ folks, and those with disabilities. The bloated prison system reflects and emboldens biases that undermine the ideals of our nation and diminish trust in the rule of law. Mass incarceration attacks the most vulnerable Americans, thereby destabilizing families and inflicting intergenerational trauma.

In their letter to President Biden, the lawmakers praised the President’s efforts to create a fair and just criminal legal system by pardoning people convicted of simple marijuana possession and LGBTQ+ former servicemembers and urged the President to use his clemency powers to help broad classes of people and cases, including the elderly and chronically ill, those on death row, people with unjustified sentencing disparities, and women who were punished for defending themselves against their abusers. The lawmakers also outlined the fiscal toll of the growing mass incarceration crisis.

“You have the support of millions of people across the country who have felt the harms of mass incarceration: young children longing to hug their grandparents, people who have taken responsibility for their mistakes, and those who simply were never given a fair chance,” the lawmakers wrote. “These are the people seeking help that only you can provide through the use of your presidential clemency power.”

Joining Representatives Clyburn, Pressley, and Scanlon in sending the letter are Representatives Joyce Beatty, Sanford Bishop, Shontel Brown, Cori Bush, André Carson, Troy Carter, Yvette Clarke, Jasmine Crockett, Valerie Foushee, Al Green, Jahana Hayes, Steven Horsford, Jonathan Jackson, Pramila Jayapal, Henry Johnson, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Robin Kelly, Summer Lee, Jennifer McClellan, Gregory Meeks, Delia Ramirez, Jan Schakowsky, Robert Scott, Terri Sewell, Marilyn Strickland, Bennie Thompson, Rashida Tlaib, and Bonnie Watson Coleman.

The lawmakers’ letter is supported by the American Civil Liberties Union; Center for Popular Democracy; Last Prisoner Project; Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Death Penalty Action; The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls; The Faith Leaders of Color Coalition; Second Chance Justice of MCAN; JustLeadershipUSA; FAMM; The Episcopal Church; The Bambi Fund; Free Billie Allen Campaign; People’s Coalition for Safety and Freedom; Prophetic Resistance Boston; and Families Against Mandatory Minimums.

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Tennessee State University Set to Debut the First Division I Hockey Team at An HBCU

THE AFRO — “I am incredibly excited to embark on building this program, supported by God, my family, TSU students, alumni, and all those eagerly awaiting this moment,” said Duanté Abercrombie, the head coach of the Tennessee State Tigers ice hockey team, in a press release courtesy of TSU Athletics. “I firmly believe that one day, TSU will be recognized not only as a powerhouse on the ice but also as a program whose student-athletes leave a profound legacy on the world, enriched by the lessons learned at TSU.”

Published

1 day ago

November 21, 2024

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By Mekhi Abbott
Special to the AFRO
mabbott@afro.com

Tennessee State University (TSU) continues to break ground on a historic journey to become the first historically Black college or university (HBCU) to field a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I ice hockey team. Alongside some assistance from the National Hockey League (NHL), the NHL Players’ Association and the Nashville Predators, the TSU Tigers have already named their official head coach, unveiled their jersey and received their first official commitment from a student-athlete.

TSU held an official press conference to announce the plan in June 2023. Their first official season as a sanctioned Division I program is planned to commence in 2025-26. On April 18, TSU named Duanté Abercrombie as the head coach of the Tennessee State Tigers ice hockey team.

“I am incredibly excited to embark on building this program, supported by God, my family, TSU students, alumni, and all those eagerly awaiting this moment,” said Abercrombie in a press release courtesy of TSU Athletics. “I firmly believe that one day, TSU will be recognized not only as a powerhouse on the ice but also as a program whose student-athletes leave a profound legacy on the world, enriched by the lessons learned at TSU.”

Abercrombie was raised in Washington, D.C., and was mentored by hockey legend Neal Henderson, the first Black man to be inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. Abercrombie attended Gonzaga College High School and graduated from Hampton University, where he was a track and field athlete prior to retiring due to an injury. After college, Abercrombie briefly played professional hockey in both the New Zealand Ice Hockey League as well as the Federal Hockey League.

After his career as a professional hockey player, Abercrombie moved onto coaching, including stints with his alma mater Gonzaga and Georgetown Preparatory School. In 2022-23, Abercrombie was a member of the coaching staff for NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs organization.

“We are no longer doing club play in 2024-25. We are going right into D1 play for 2025-26,” Nick Guerriero told the AFRO. Guerriero is the assistant athletic director of communications and creative content at Tennessee State.

On Jan. 19, TSU got their first official commitment from an ice hockey recruit, Xavier Abel. Abel played at Drury University and scored 12 goals in 34 games, including three game-winning goals. Abel was recruited by Guerriero.

In July, the Tigers got their second commitment from forward Trey Fechko. In October, Trey’s brother Marcus Fechko also committed to Tennessee State. Since, the Tigers have also signed forward Greye Rampton, goaltender Johnny Hicks, Grady Hoffman and four-star forward Bowden Singleton. Singleton flipped his commitment from North Dakota to Tennessee State. Guerriero said that TSU has a “few” other recruits that they are waiting to announce during their November signing period.

“I think it’s important to invest in these unorthodox sports for Black athletes because it allows Black children to have more opportunities to play sports in general,” said Zion Williams, a 2024 Gettysburg College graduate and former collegiate athlete. “The more opportunities that children have, the better. They won’t feel like they are boxed into one thing or sport.”