In baseball, the only thing harder than winning a championship is winning it again. Just ask the Clippers.
After winning the GovernorΓÇÖs Cup in 1996, Columbus came within one game of repeating as the International League champions in ΓÇÖ97. Despite not winning what would have been their eighth championship, the season has to be considered a success.
Columbus won its 10th division pennant, posted a 79-63 record, and almost set a couple of team records. The Clippers played a five-hour, 38-minute, 18-inning game ­ the longest game in time and second longest in innings in Clippers history. On August 1, Hideki Irabu made his first start for Columbus after being sent down from the Yankees. A crowd of 16,952, the second largest baseball crowd at Cooper Stadium, was on hand to witness the event.
The Clippers also saw a number of their players enjoy stellar seasons and remarkable individual accomplishments. Ivan Cruz had another great year and moved into the ClippersΓÇÖ all-time top 10 in both home runs and runs batted in. He hit 24 HRs (increasing his two-year total up to 52, sixth all-time in Clippers history), and 95 RBI (moving him into ninth place in the ClippersΓÇÖ record books).
On August 6, in a game against Richmond, Mike Lowell became the first Clipper to hit for the cycle. Outfielder Ricky Ledee continued to show why he has a legitimate shot at playing in the majors, as he hit .306 with 10 HRs and 39 RBI in 43 games. Despite missing much of the season with injuries, Ledee was stellar in the outfield and made only two errors.
The pitching was no less impressive. Starters Mike Jerzembeck and Ray Ricken went 7-5 and 11-7, respectively. Jerzembeck threw 118 Ks in 130.1 IP, Ricken hurled 99 Ks in 152.2 IP. Willie Banks, who split his time between starting and relieving, went 14-5 (second-highest win total in the International League) with three saves and 130 Ks. Scott Rose saved 11 games, and Danny Rios and Mike Buddie provided strong middle relief.
Some of the players who starred for Columbus last season ­ such as Lowell, Homer Bush, Banks, Jerzembeck, and Ledee ­ could be spending this summer in the Bronx, but fear not, loyal Columbus fans. The Clippers should be returning a solid core of players and getting a few highly touted call-ups from Double-A Norwich.
Returning from the ΓÇÖ97 lineup are Shane Spencer and Mike Figga, an outfielder and catcher, respectively. Figga hit .244 with 12 HRs and 54 RBI, and only made 11 errors in 102 games behind the plate. Spencer led the team in HRs (30) and had the second most RBI (86).
Katsuhiro Maeda, a starting pitcher for the Norwich Navigators last season, should be one of the new faces hoping to help the Clippers stay on top of the Western Division. The right-handed Maeda started the season in the starting rotation but was moved to the bullpen mid-season, where he became a very effective reliever, and pitched 124.1 innings, the second most on the team. Also, Buddie will be returning and should help the ClippersΓÇÖ pitching staff remain strong.The ClippersΓÇÖ infield should also receive some help with the addition of first baseman Chris Ashby and middle infielder Gabby Martinez. Ashby played 117 games at first base for Norwich and made only 19 errors, while Martinez, who split his time between shortstop and second, made only 17 errors in 73 games.
With the amount of talent on ColumbusΓÇÖ roster, and Stump MerrillΓÇÖs expert guidance, the Clippers will again be a force to be reckoned with in the International LeagueΓÇÖs Western Division.
