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November 13, 2010
Yeah, it's been forever since I've posted an update. First it was hopeful thinking, but somewhere along the way
it shifted into outright denial. Why? On July 31, the Phillies unexpectedly released Chris Duffy from his minor
league contract. No explanation was given. I was hoping he'd be picked up somewhere else for the last month of
the minor league season, but I haven't seen nor heard anything since.
All of Duffy's final stats can be found through this link with Baseball Reference, but a quick summary is he ended with a .243 avg. 34 RBI's, 18 doubles, 4 triples, 5 home runs and 12 stolen
bases, he also had 99 strike outs.
If anyone out there has any news, please email through the link above -- it would be greatly appreciated. I will
put up any news I can find and I hope that if he still wants to play, he finds a team that will take a chance with him.
If however, he has no plans to return to the game, I would like to take this chance to wish him and his family well...and
thank him for all the hard work he put in and the spectacular plays he made. I still think he's one of the best defensive
outfielders I have ever seen.
July 23, 2010
The week after the All-Star break had the Iron Pigs of Lehigh Valley on the road to Louisville, KY and Indianapolis for
eight games. Duffy started 6 of the 8, pinch hit in a 7th and got a day off on July 21st. He hit .250 over those
seven games, including two doubles, a triple and a homer-run, with seven runs scored and four driven in.
Indianapolis found Duffy returning to Victory Field as a visitor against an Indian's team he played for two years ago
as part of the Pirates organization. Most of the players on that team are gone, but it had to have been an odd
feeling, though I imagine last year's visit into PNC Park as a member of the Brewers...against the team he made his major
league debut with...was as strange.
The Iron Pigs swept the Indians, and Duffy's 5th homerun on July 20th, was a 2-run shot that gave the Pigs the early
2-run lead. Ozzie Chavez followed Duffy with a solo shot in the 3rd inning making it a 3-0 Iron Pigs lead.
They would add an insurance run in the 7th, and win 4-2.
Duffy and the rest of the Iron Pigs return home tonight to play the Norfolk Tides. On a rain-lengthened night,
Norfolk's offense was too much for the Pigs' pitching, and the final score was 8-3. Duffy lead-off the 9th with
a double and eventually scored as the Pigs attempted to rally, but in the end came up short.
Duffy's current stats:
For the month of July: .296 avg including 1 HR and 7 RBI's, with a .787 OPS
For the season: .256 avg, including 5 HR's, 34 RBI's and a .704 OPS.
July 13, 2010
Here we sit at the traditional mid-point for the season, and I have fallen woefully behind on updates here. I apologize...Life
sort of side-tracked me a little.
I thought this would be a good time to get caught up with Duffy and his season to date. And I have to admit, I
thought with the way he started the season, we would be seeing him play as an All-Star representative for Lehigh Valley, but
after a small ankle injury, he seemed to struggle to get back on that pace. He has leveled of a little and will hopefully
come back strong in the second half of the season.
One thing, before I put up the numbers for the season to date, the Phillies have since promoted Domonic Brown from AA-Reading
to AAA Lehigh Valley, released Willie Tavares, who was taking at-bats from Duffy, and acquired Chris Aguila.
According to the Hog Blog, "Domonic Brown and John Mayberry Jr. will be in the lineup every night, and the Phillies
want Chris Duffy and Chris Aguila to get more at-bats."
Okay, so the numbers up to the last out on July 11, 2010:
.250 avg. in 75 games and 288 At-Bats
72 hits, including 15 doubles, 3 triples and 4 home-runs.
37 runs-scored and 30 RBI's
11 stolen bases in 15 attempts.
105 Total bases
33 walks and 75 strike-outs
Catch you back here after the break.
June 8, 2010
A day after going 2 for 5, with a home run that sparked the Iron Pigs' 11-5 wn over the Charlotte Knoghts, Chris
went 2 for 3 and manufactured the only run of the game last night against Charlotte. Awesome!
From the Allentown Morning Call:
Matt Zaleski...retired the first nine IronPigs, used a double play to get out of a jam in the fourth after
walking the first two hitters, and didn't give up a hit until Duffy's one-out single the opposite way to left.
After Duffy got to third with two outs by stealing second and moving up when Flower's throw skipped into
center field, Paul Hoover -- who was 1-for-19 since his return as Brian Schneider's fill-in for the Phillies -- worked the count full before chasing in Duffy with a single dumped into shallow
right field.
Charlotte (26-34) got out of a jam in the sixth after Taveras lined a leadoff doubel and advanced to third
on a sacrifice when Neil Sellers hit the ball hard but right at shortstop Rob Hudson, playing in, and Tracy skied out to center.
The IronPigs also put their first two runners on board in the seventh on singles by Duffy and Melvin Dorta but after Hoover
struck out, Duffy was thrown out trying to steal third, and Luis Maza looked at a third strike to end the inning.
Iron Pigs' starter Nelson Figueroa pitched a good game, but gave credit where it was due also:
First baseman Andy Tracy ended the third with a diving stop of Luis Rodriquez's one-hopper up the line, recovering
to sprint to the bag for the final out. Then, in the sixth, center fielder Willy Taveras took extra bases away from leadoff
Jordan Danks with a full-extension back-hand diving catch in the left-center field gap, and right fielder Chris Duffy ended
the inning with a running grab of Josh Kroeger's slicing liner down the right field line.
"The team played great defense
behind me," said Figueroa, who was originally obtained by the Phillies in July, 2000, from Arizona as part of the Curt Schilling trade. "I was able to throw strikes and they were aggressive at the plate; to be able to go six innings and to
throw close to 100 pitches is a bonus on a night like this."
Also yesterday, from the Hog Blog:
Monday was the annual pre-game Miracle League exhibition, one of the promotional highlights for the players during
the season.
"This is really pretty special," said outfielder Chris Duffy. "It puts things in perspective."
Charlotte's Buck Coats and Rob Hudson wee among the Knights who joined the IronPigs players and staff on field
during the game helping assist the kids during the 45-minute game.
The IronPigs are wearing one-of-a-kind uniforms to mark the occassion which will be available to fans in an on-line
auction that begins June 8. All proceeds will go to the Miracle League of the Lehigh Valley. For more details go
June 7, 2010
After sitting out a couple of games Chris Duffy returned to the Iron Pigs' starting lineup yesterday, patroling right
field. In a game that included a 69-minute rain delay, Duffy put Lehigh Valley on the board with a solo home run in
the fourth inning. He would end the day going 2 for 5, and scored 2 runs...the second on a bunt single.
Yesterday's game brings his average up to .241, with 4 HR's and 24 RBI's.
From the Allentow Morning Call:
Duffy gave the IronPigs their first run with a fourth-inning solo homer off Jeff Marquez, who had scattered
four hits over seven shutout innings in a win over Lehigh Valley on May 11 in Charlotte. But his day ended, as did IronPigs
starter Drew Carpenter's, when the tarp came on the field after that fourth inning.
While the Knights managed just
one run on two hits over the last four innigns against Alex Concepcion (2-1), Mike Zagurski and Brian Gordon, Lehigh Valley
ripped into Kyle McCulloch in the bottom of the fifth, beginning with singles by Sardinha and Luis Maza. Rich Thompson followed
a groundout with a two-run single that cut the deficit to 5-3, and after a Neil Sellers single Tracy lined a ball past Viciedo
into the right field corner, scoring both runners and giving him 1,001 RBIs (including 43 in the majors) for his 15-year pro
career.
"It just means I'm old," Tracy quipped afterward. "But it was a good time for me to get them."
After
Cody Ransom grounded out to a drawn-in infield for the second out, Duffy laid down a first-pitch bunt, and Tracy trotted home
after the ball squirted away.
June 5, 2010
Yes, hideously late in updating the site, but there hasn't been much to update. Since returning back to the field
after that little run in with the wall, Duffy's bat has cooled off a lot...something like 4 for 27 since my last post.
Ouch! And I don't get much information in the way of his defense...though I do know he hasn't committed an error since
the first week of the season. I expect nothing less with his glove though.
On a non-baseball related note, I'd like to wish Baby Duffy a Happy 1st Birthday. I don't know the exact date,
but I do know it was this time last year when Chris went home to welcome his baby girl into the world. So, Happy Birthday!
I hope she is happy and healthy.
May 25, 2010
Okay, I WAS ahead of the curve, and then fell way behind...sorry about that.
There hasn't been much in the way of news for Chris...he's in a little bit of a lull offensively, and I guess he tried
to get something started with a bunt on Sunday, and struck out, which drew a bit of criticism to him:
Chris Duffy drew some criticism by striking out on a bunt attempt Sunday with the go-ahead run on first with nobody
out in the ninth inning. Duffy swung through the first pitch, tried unsuccessfully to bunt on the second, then fouled off
another bunt attempt to cap an 0-for-4 night.
Some, looking at Duffy's reaction afterward, thought that the outfielder wasn't aware he had two strikes on him, but
Duffy said Monday he knew what the count was.
He also said the bunt was on for only the second pitch.
After Sunday's game Huppert, asked whether Duffy was bunting on his own, answered "He said he hasn't been swinging
the bat real well and he felt that was the best option for him to help the team.":
Duffy confirmed that explanation before Monday's game.
"I thought it was the best way for me to get the runner over, considering how I've been hitting lately," said Duffy,
who was hitting only .213 (10-for-47) over his last 11 games before Monday's game despite hitting safely in nine of those
11 games.
May 20, 2010
I'm ahead of the game today -- Woohoo! The Iron Pigs had a 1030am start today, so they're done for the day, and
beat the Louisville Bats 8-4. And Chris Duffy had a major hand in that win! He went 1 for 4 today, but that "1"
was a 2-run, 2-RBI, tie-breaking double...Sweet!
Recap from the Allentown Morning Call on today's game:
Duffy lined a tie-breaking two-run double after Dorta kept the inning alive with a pinch-hit single to give
the IronPigs an 8-4 win over Louisville before an Education Day crowd of 10,000, the season's fifth capacity turnout at Coca-Cola Park.
*
Dorta and Duffy produced after Sellers, who had walked and moved up on a sacrifice, ran into the inning's
second out at third base on Brian Bocock's routine grounder to short. But Dorta followed with a base hit through the right
side, sending Bocock to second, and Duffy chased them both home with his ninth double to the wall in right center.
Suomi
followed a two-out error that enabled Cody Ransom to reach base -- and a single by Sellers -- with a first-pitch missile over
the Bud Light Trough in right for his first homer since joining the team a week ago.
Duffy's hit enabled Drew Carpenter
to even his record at 4-4. Carpenter allowed eight hits and three runs while throwing 95 pitches.
And this from the Morning Call, Hog Blog (I do not make things up, seriously) I found these quotes from Duffy about marathon
games from the previous two nights:
Chris Duffy said the ninth-inning rally, which ended when Thompson flied to center with the tying runs at first
and second, was another indication of the IronPigs' never-quit attitude.
"I can speak for every guy in here -- we're playing to the final out," the veteran outfielder said. "Every
guy in this room, we want to win. Guys are really pulling for each other. When you look at something like tonight, after what
we've been through, we could have given up. But we didn't. And I think that says a lot about the character we have on this
team.
"This is a good group of guys, and to be honest I can't remember being on a team where I wanted to win so bad
for these guys. I see it from every guy. I don't see anybody playing for themselves, and that makes you want to play
that much harder."
---
Asked whether he had ever been through a stretch like the last four days, Duffy pondered for a few
seconds, then remembered a stretch in 2003 when he was with Altoona.
"I think I remember in Double-A in ''03, we had an extra-inning getaway day, then went to play a team
we had been rained out of almost the whole series earlier in the season. We went up to their place and we had a double
header the first night, a double header the second night and then a 10:30 morning game. And I played every inning of those
games. Of course I was only 22 years old. But I was dead then. Now ... I'm going to sleep pretty good after tomorrow.
It's going to be nap time."
May 17, 2010
It took me a little longer than I anticipated to get caught up from my trip, so I have to apologize for the lack of updates
this past week.
Since my last entry, Duffy has gone 9 for 33, with 3 RBI's giving him a .262 average for the week. He's at .269,
with 20 RBI's for the season overall, so while there's been a little bit of a drop-off, I'm confident he can get into another
groove like he was in to start the season.
Below is an article/interview I found from the Allentown Morning Call this morning. Thanks to Chris for being so
honest and I wish that the circumstances had been different for him in Pittsburgh...they could use him in left field this
season. Anyway, here's the piece...
Believe it or not, Chris Duffy didn't go to spring training with the intention of winning a major league job.
Instead, the 29-year-old, who has just over three years of major
league service time, was simply looking for a place to play a full season -- and have some fun playing the game.
''My
last full season where I haven't missed at least a month is 2003.'' the IronPigs outfielder said. ''It really is frustrating,
to be honest with you, and I would just love to play a full season.''
In 2004, in his fourth pro season and second
at Double-A Altoona, he missed the season's final 31 games with a sore right wrist.
In 2005, the year he made his mid-season
major league debut with Pittsburgh, Duffy missed the last two weeks with a hamstring pull.
He was Pittsburgh's Opening
Day centerfielder in 2006 but after a slow start went home for a month instead of accepting a demotion, reportedly to ponder
his desire to continue his career. Later reinstated, he hit .349 at Triple-A and returned to the Pirates in August.
A
year later Duffy was again Pittsburgh's Opening Day centerfielder but a troublesome left ankle and later shoulder surgery
limited him to 70 games. Recovering from the surgery cost him all but 30 minor league games the following season.
Last
year, after making Milwaukee's Opening Day roster as a non-roster invitee, Duffy played just 19 games before being sent to
the minors, then played just three games at Triple-A Nashville before leaving for the rest of the season in late May.
''My
wife [Kaitlin] was having some complications with the birth of our first child so I went to be with her for a while, and then
something told me I just had to stay with her,'' Duffy said, explaining his absence. ''I just thought it was the right thing
to do.''
That situation behind him -- Kaylin Duffy will celebrate her first birthday June 1 -- Duffy resumed his career
this spring, signing a minor league contract with the Phillies.
''I understood making the big league team wasn't going to happen, and that wasn't my intention. If it was, I
wouldn't have signed here,'' Duffy said ''My agents have had players here [Scott Mathieson, Jason Anderson, Drew Naylor],
so we were able to get some positive feedback on the organization, and they've known [assistant general manager] Chuck Lamar
for a long time.''
A sore quad muscle limited Duffy's playing time in the spring but so far has managed to stay on
the field for the IronPigs. As of now he's missed just four games due to injury, the recent Indianapolis series with concussion-like
symptoms suffered in a collision with the wall in Rochester while making a catch.
''The way I play the game, I would
have run through the wall to catch that ball,'' said Duffy, calling that injury a ''little setback.''
After keeping
his average above .300 for most of the first two weeks, Duffy takes a .272 average with three homers and 19 RBIs into today's
game at Gwinnett.
''I think any player when they miss so much time will doubt their abilities, wonder whether they
can still play,'' Duffy said, referring to his 2009 season. ''Then I didn't play a lot all spring. so I came here wondering
if i could still do it.
''But I just went out and played hard, and realized, 'Yeah, I still got it.' That builds the
confidence, and if I put up a full year with numbers, then I figure I could be a little more picky next year and market myself
better.''
The stability of the Phillies organization is a stark contrast to what he experienced with the Pirates, who
selected Duffy on the eighth round of the 2001 draft out of Arizona State.
''We played for three different [general
managers] when we were there. three different big league managers,'' Duffy said, referring to his minor league teammates.
''It felt almost as if you were being traded every year, like you had to prove yourself every year. We were young at the time
and all that change made it difficult for us. We were trying to establish ourselves, and that's hard enough in itself, but
to establish it for a new coaching staff every year made it rough at times.''
After hitting .341 in 39 games under
Lloyd McClendon and interim manager Pete Mackanin in 2005, Duffy clashed the following year with new manager Jim Tracy over
Tracy's attempts to change Duffy's swing and approach at the plate. The two later ironed out their differences -- Duffy reverted
to his own stance upon joining Indianapolis, then hit .282 with 23 steals in 53 games with the Pirates -- and Duffy said the
incident isn't an indication of his personality.
''Every manager I've had in the minors, all the players I've played
with, I've gotten along with everybody,'' he said. ''I feel like I'm a really good guy, a real easy guy to get along with.
It was just that one time. Not many things stay secret in baseball, but if organizations do their homework they'll see that.''
After
coming off the bench for the first time in his career last season with the Brewers -- he had just 32 at-bats before being designated for assignment on May 22 -- Duffy said he has a new outlook this year.
''I
was really fortunate, to be honest, to get another shot to play the game,'' he said. ''I have different outlook on the game
now; I don't know if has anything to do with being a new father or what.
''If I had a bad game and we win, I'm happy.
A lot of younger guys don't think that way, but then you see the older guys, the way they go about their business, especially
the ones who have been successful and have stuck around for a long time Â… they'll go hitless and you couldn't tell what
they did. I always thought, 'How do they do that?' It didn't affect them, at least it didn't seem that way. Maybe it just
takes time, and then you realize it's what you have to do to stay focused.''
Note from the site administrator: Not that it matters in the context of the article, but I believe Mrs. Duffy's name
is Kristin. I can be such a detail freak sometimes.
The Iron Pigs finish their series against the Gwinnett Braves this evening, with the first pitch set for 7:05pm, Eastern
Time. After that, they return to Lehigh Valley for an 8-game homestand.
May 7, 2010
Welcome back to the lineup, Chris Duffy! Making his first start since he crashed into the all in Rochester, Chris
went 2 for 5, but those 2? Both solo home runs! Sweet! His average now sits at .280, with 17
RBI's for the season.
A bit of the game recap from the Iron Pigs' Website:
Chris Duffy, playing in his first game since April 30 due to concussion-like symptoms, followed
with solo home runs in the third and fifth innings to keep the IronPigs close after Columbus plated two runs apiece in the
third and fourth.
Duffy had just three multi home run games in his entire nine-year career coming into play Thursday.
His last two-homer game came on September 9th of 2006 while playing with the Pirates.
And from the Allentown Morning Call:
The numbers haven't added up very well for the IronPigs so far this season. Why should Thursday night be any
different?
On a night when Lehigh Valley matched a franchise record with four home runs, the IronPigs watched Columbus
double them up on the scoreboard in a 10-5 loss before 7,995 at Coca-Cola Park.
In their first 25 games the IronPigs had outscored their opponents by 18 runs, hit .291 with runners in
scoring position, were fifth in hitting (.270), third in runs (125) and third in ERA (3.93). Yet they won only 11 of those
games.
''You would think doing the little things like we are would have paid off,'' said outfielder Chris Duffy, who
celebrated his return from missing 41/2 games with concussion-like symptoms with two solo homers, including a majestic shot
off the upper billboards in right.* * *
Duffy's first homer, high off the billboards just inside the right field line, tied the game at 2-2. His second,
a shot to right center, came after the Clippers scored two in the third to reclaim the lead. Columbus answered that second
homer by chasing Brian Mazone during a five-run sixth that put the game away.
''Every time we answered they came right
back,'' Duffy said. ''And it wasn't with just one, it was with a couple or more.''
Before the game Duffy took batting
practice for the first time since leaving the game in Rochester last Friday after colliding with the outfield wall while making
a catch.
''I don't find it too hard to get back in the swing of things,'' Duffy said. ''Maybe if I had missed more
time, but I felt pretty comfortable and just tried to relax and see the ball.''
* * *
Columbus won for the seventh time in nine games despite a combined 0-for-9 night by the top two hitters in its lineup,
Trevor Crowe and former Phillies prospect Jason Donald. Donald, who came into the game hitting .323, struck out three times.
However, the bottom
three hitters in the Clipper lineup, Chris Gimenez, Brian Buscher and Anderson Hernandez, combined to reach base eight times
on four hits and four walks, score four times and knock in four runs.
''Obviously those guys could hit. there's really
no place to take a break in their lineup,' Duffy said. ''It's tough knowing you have to score runs and take advantage of your
opportunities.
''We just have to forget about tonight and come back tomorrow,'' he continued. ''I know Vogie [ Ryan Vogelsong, tonight's starter] was in here doing his homework during the game. It's tough when you're the first guy and you don't
have the scouting reports or any video to work with.''
And....I just checked the Iron Pigs website...No 4, is slotted in at LF tonight! Sweet!
May 5, 2010
The Iron Pigs are enjoying a rare off day today, and hopefully when they take the field tomorrow night against Columbus
at Coca-Cola Park, Chris will be good to go.
According to a couple of things I found, he was medically cleared during the game on Friday, but was still feeing the
after effects of his crash into the wall in Rochester that night.
May 3, 2010
Gentle reminder to Chris...he's Spiderman not Superman -- He climbs walls for outs, not crashes into them. As I
previously noted, he left Friday's game in the 4th inning. I finally got a little more information on what happened.
In the bottom of the 3rd inning against Rochester, he made a spectacular catch, robbing Dusty Martin of extra bases...and
crashed into the LF wall. He came out of the game between innings and is listed as day-to-day with concussion-like symptoms.
From the Red Wings' website:
The Wings almost tied the game at one each in the bottom of the second when Brock Peterson hit a
deep fly ball to left field, but was robbed of at least a double as Chris Duffy made a nice jumping grab
at the wall. Duffy burned the Wings yet again the following inning, robbing Martin of extra bases, this time
lunging into the left field wall. Duffy would be taken out of the game the next inning and replaced with Melvin Dorta.
I hope it's not too serious and he's feeling better soon!
May 1, 2010
Did I expect Chris to keep hitting like he did the first week of the season? Well, no...but one can hope, right?
After a scorching start to the season, and a small injury last weekend, he's cooled down a little.
During the April 28 game against Rochester, he went hitless, but drew 2 walks and did come around to a run. He
went 1 for 5 the next day, again scoring a run, but also striking out three times...I know, it happens.
One thing I didn't want to see and I don't have much information on is Chris coming out of yesterday's game in the 3rd
inning because of an injury. Right now, there's nothing specific on the type of injury. All I've got is the game
log from www.milb.com which indicated an injury delay after he made a catch, then him being replaced defensively by Melvin Dort. I hope it's
nothing serious and he's able to get back out there soon!
April 28, 2010
Duffy missed the games on April 23 and April 24...partially I think to give him a breather and partially, it turns out
because he had a slight ankle injury -- the latter of those is the reason why I get anxious when I don't see his name in the
lineup on two consecutive games. Anyway, he returned to the lineup on the 25th as the DH for the Iron Pigs and went
hitless. The next game was rained out and the Lehigh Valley team moved on to Rochester.
So, reinstalled in leftfield last night, Chris proceeded to only go 1 for 3, but that "1" was a 2-RBI double,
bringing his RBI total for the season to 15 -- that's good for 5th overall in the league. He also walked and scored
a run.
He is in the lineup today, in left, for the afternoon game against Rochester.
April 23, 2010
They had a good game in Lehigh Valley last night, with a 12-3 win for the Iron Pigs. Duffy went 3 for 5, with 2
RBI's, a walk and scored 2 runs...and raised his average to .322! Nice!
| A single, double, and triple in the fourth inning by Chris Duffy, John Mayberry
and Maza respectively, accounted for two more runs and 6-0 lead. |
| After Pawtucket scratched out two runs in the top of the seventh to close the gap to four, the ‘Pigs
offense buried any hopes they may have garnered of a late-inning comeback with a six run bottom of the seventh. Duffy,
Dewayne Wise and Cody Ransom all produced run-scoring doubles in the frame. |
And this from the Phillies Minor League roundup:
3-3, tie 4th place, International League North Division ... CF Chris Duffy hit .280 with 7 hits, 4 RBI in 6 games ...
April 22, 2010
Okay, better late than never.
And he is in the lineup tonight for the final game of the homestand against Pawtucket.
Box score for game starting at 7:05pm, Eastern Time.
April 22, 2010
Duffy went 1 for 4 in last night's loss to the Pawtucket Red Sox, or PawSox. Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka started
for Pawtucket as part of a rehab assignment. That brings Duff's average down to .296 for the young season.
A few things from the Allentown Morning-Call's article on Rich Thompson, who found himself knocked down in the depth
chart this season...
But with Chris Duffy, Dewayne Wise and John Mayberry Jr. ahead of him, Thompson understands his
inactivity so far.
''Duff's probably been our MVP so far, or maybe Junior. And D-wise is an exciting
player at the plate and in the field,'' Thompson said. ''It's not like there's three bums out there. The guys out there are
pretty good. I'm confident what I can do, and it's a long year
April 21, 2010
Okay, so the birthday boy went hitless last night in Lehigh Valley's 2-1 win over Syracuse, but he made the highlight
reel...um...if they have a hightlight reel for AAA ball.
From the Allentown Morning Call:
The IronPigs (5-7) are still scuffling for runs -- just five over the last three games.
But they made the
most of the two they got in the first three innings and held on behind five pitchers and SportsCenter-worthy defense.
Most
spectacular were two Chiefs getting nailed at the plate in the third inning -- the first on a strong throw by leftfielder
Chris Duffy, who would later add a diving catch, and the second coming on a gun-down from center by Dewayne Wise.
''We
have two centerfielders out there, actually three,'' Wise said. ''Duffy made a great play on the line, and I was able to make
a good throw also.''
One word from me -- SWEET! When I get a chance, I'll look for any video that may be out there and add it in.
But really -- got to LOVE the defense as much as the offense!
April 20, 2010 -- Happy 30th Birthday, Chris!
Due to computer issues, I know I am extremely behind on updating this site...and after waiting so long, I have had things
to update!
Let's start with the good -- no Great! start Chris has had for AAA Lehigh Valley! Over the course of eleven games,
he is batting .318, with a home run, a triple, and four doubles, having scored scored eight runs and driven eleven.
With the exception of one game thus far this young season, he's been the leadoff guy for the Iron Pigs.
I will get back to regular updates...I promise! But I wanted to be sure to wish Chris a Happy Birthday! Keep
up the good work!
April 13, 2010
I'll add highlights and post-game stuff later, but thought I'd put in the MiLB gameday link now, for those that want to, or can, follow along at work.
April 12, 2010
I apologize for the tardiness of getting this site updated. As if April 5, Chris was officially made a member of
the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs roster, the AAA team for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Since then, lots has happened!
Lehigh Valley played their first game on April 8, opening against Syracuse. They lost the game
8-7, in the 9th, but more importantly -- to me anyway -- is that Chris finished the day going 2 for 5, with a double and a
run scored, starting the season with a .400 average.
April 9 was also a 9th inning loss to Syracuse, but Duffy had a fantastic day at the plate! He
went 3 for 4, falling a home run short of the cycle. He drove in 3 runs and finished the day with a .556 average.
From the Iron Pigs website:
Chris Duffy had a huge day for the 'Pigs at the plate but it wasn't enough as errors and lack of timely hitting cost
Lehigh Valley a chance for their first win.
| Overshadowed by the poor defense was the outstanding day at the plate
by IronPigs left fielder Chris Duffy. Duffy finished a home run shy of the cycle and drove in three of the
four IronPigs runs. Down 3-0 in the fifth, Duffy delivered with a two-run double to pull the ‘Pigs within a run. |
| The 29-year-old Duffy re-tied the game at four in the seventh, lacing
a one-out triple to the right field corner scoring Brian Bocock from third. However, he would be left stranded
at third after Wilson Valdez and Tracy each grounded out. |
Duffy has reached base in six of his first 10 plate appearances and has three extra-base hits in
the first two games of the season…
April 10...um...yeah, another 1-run loss, this time 8-7, in extra innings but again, Duffy has
the hot bat...okay, not as hot as the previous day, but he did get that HR he missed, and it was with a man on to tie the
game in the 9th
April 11...The first win of the season!
Chris Duffy, one of the offensive stars for the IronPigs early this season, provided another important hit on Sunday,
a two-run, line drive single to left that chased home Luis Maza and Hoover, who both reached via base hits in the fifth. A
Mayberry sacrifice fly two batters later, put the ‘Pigs in front 4-3.
Duffy, who had a hit in each of the first four games, hit .368 with two doubles, a home run and seven RBI in the
series
April 12...that would be tonight's game, folks. They traveled from Syracuse to Pawtucket, to play
the PawSox. Another close game, losing to the Red Sox AAA team 6-5. But again, not because of Chris Duffy...
After PawSox closer Fernando Cabrera entered for Embree, Chris Duffy lofted a long sacrifice fly to center that brought
the ‘Pigs to within a run. But Luis Maza struck out swinging, ending the game and sending the ‘Pigs to their fourth,
one-run loss of the season.
Chris Duffy leads the team with a five-game hitting streak. During the streak Duffy has hit .348 with
three doubles, a triple, home run and team-leading nine RBI
Pretty sweet, if you ask me! As for his defense, he has been charged with 1 error, in the opener. He started
all four of the games against Syracuse in left field, and tonight's game against Pawtucket found him roamin CF for the first
time. Kind of makes me wonder what he wasn't doing right in Clearwater to cause him to be re-assigned to minor league
camp without so much as one start during Grapefruit League play. Yes, I'm still grumbling about that. ;-)
March 19, 2010
Well, I can't say I'm happy...Chris has already been sent to the minor league camp by the Phillies, and his only game
appearance was in the pre-Grapefruit League game against Florida State. I don't know how they can make any determinations
without him seeing any game action, but I don't make the big bucks for those decisions, so I guess I'll just have to be patient
and wait.
Hopefully, I'll have some update from the minor league games to post soon.
March 12, 2010
So...here we are, two full weeks into Spring Training. I had the chance to go down to Florida for a week and was
able to spend a day in Clearwater at the Phillies' training facility there. Not my idea of Florida weather, with the
cool-ish wind, but it was sunny and not a sign of snow or ice anywhere and that was good enough for me. Well, that and
getting a chance to catch some spring baseball.
First, thank you to Chris for stopping to talk to me for 5 minutes, after his day was done. It means a great deal
to me...so thanks.
Observations? He looked great, though having lived in Pittsburgh, it hurt seeing him in a Phillie uniform, of all
things, but at least he's out on the field, getting a chance.
He's played in one exhibition game, against Florida State, before Grapefruit League play started, where he came in to
pinch hit for the DH, Greg Dobbs. He made 2 plate appearances, walking once and hitting a Sac-fly the 2nd time, and
earned 2 RBI's in the process. The Phillies went on to win that game 13-6.
I'm hoping for some game action shortly and I'll keep you all posted when that happens.
I've added a few new photos, so enjoy!
February 15
Happy (baseball) New Year! With a pitchers and catchers due to report later this week, and position players reporting
next week, it's almost time for the 2010 baseball year to get underway.
I'll be heading down to Florida next week...a welcome warm weather break from the cold here in the Midwest...and I hope
to have a few updates from there.
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