Former South Bend Stars in MLB Playoffs

Published on October 6, 2009 under Midwest League (MWL1)
South Bend Silver Hawks News Release


South Bend, IN - With the Major League Baseball playoffs beginning Wednesday afternoon, there are five former South Bend stars battling for baseball's ultimate prize. Four players and one manager who honed their skills at Coveleski Stadium will take to baseball's grand stage in the month-long hunt for a World Series ring.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona is no stranger to postseason success, having won titles with Boston in 2004 and 2007. Francona developed his managerial skills with the South Bend White Sox in 1992, leading the team to a 73-64 record and narrowly missing the playoffs in the second half.

Francona's Red Sox have claimed the American League Wild Card spot and will take on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the first round. A key factor in shutting down the tough Boston lineup will be Angels reliever Jason Bulger, who pitched with the Silver Hawks in 2002. Bulger has compiled a 6-1 record and 3.56 ERA in 64 relief appearances for the Angels this season after going 4-9 with a 4.94 ERA in 20 starts for South Bend in 2002.

If the Angels advance to the second round, there's a good chance that Bulger could be going up against a former teammate from the Hawks. New York Yankees reliever Brian Bruney was also a part of the 2002 South Bend roster, going 4-3 with a spectacular 1.68 ERA in 37 relief appearances. Bruney also pitched with the 2001 Silver Hawks, leading that team to the Midwest League Finals. He is 5-0 with the Yankees this season.

In the National League, Colorado Rockies left fielder Carlos Gonzalez once roamed the outfield of the Cove as a 19-year old future star. After putting together solid numbers in his first two minor league season, Gonzalez broke out in 2005 while playing for South Bend, hitting .307 with 18 homers and 92 RBIs. Gonzalez is one of eight players from the '05 roster to have made it to the majors, leaving little doubt as to why the Silver Hawks were able to claim the Midwest League Championship that season.

Gonzalez and his Rockies will go up against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first round, with former South Bend pitcher Scott Eyre working out of the Philadelphia bullpen. Eyre was 2-1 with the Phillies in relief this year, 15 years removed from an 8-4 record with the Silver Hawks in 1994.

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Midwest League Stories from October 6, 2009


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