August 2011
This date in Kernels alumni history – August 31, 1995
On August 31, 1995, Paul O’Neill (Cedar Rapids Reds – 1982) went 4-5 at the plate with three HR and eight RBI as the Yankees defeated the Angels 11-6.
Paul O’Neill hit .288 with 281 HR and 1269 RBI during his 17 year MLB career playing for the Reds and Yankees. He won the American League batting title in 1994 with a .359 batting average. O’Neill was selected to five All-Star teams and was a member of six World Series teams earning five championship rings.
Paul O’Neill hit .272 with 8 HR and 71 RBI in 116 games as the 1982 Cedar Rapids Reds finished 61-79 under manager Randy Davidson.
Mike Trout (2009-10) among seven Kernels alumni selected to Arizona Fall League
Mike Trout (2009-10) headlines the list of seven former Kernels selected to play for the Scottsdale Scorpions in this years Arizona Fall League. David Carpenter (2010), Hank Conger (2007), Chris Scholl (2009) Jean Segura (2010), Andrew Taylor (2009), and Daniel Tillman (2011) join Trout and the Nationals top prospect Bryce Harper on the Scorpions roster.
Brandon Emanuel, former Kernels pitching coach, will serve as the Scorpions pitching coach.
This date in Kernels alumni history – August 30, 1988
On August 30, 1988, Rob Deer (Cedar Rapids Giants – 1979) went 3-4 at the plate with two HR, a double, five RBI and scored a pair of runs as the Brewers defeated the Blue Jays 6-2 at County Stadium.
Rob Deer hit .220 with 230 HR and 600 RBI during his 11 season career playing for the Giants, Brewers, Tigers, Red Sox and Padres.
Rob Deer hit .209 with 1 HR and 16 RBI in 29 games as the 1979 Cedar Rapids Giants finished 58-78 under manager Wayne Cato.
This date in Kernels alumni history – August 29, 2003
On August 29, 2006, Bengie Molina (Cedar Rapids Kernels – 1994-95) went 3-4 at the plate with a HR, five RBI and scored a run as the Angels defeated the Royals 10-3.
Bengie Molina hit .274 with 144 HR and 711 RBI during his 14 year career playing for the Angels, Blue Jays, Giants and Rangers.
Bengie Molina was a member of the 1994 and 1995 Cedar Rapids Kernels teams. In 1994, Molina hit .281 with 3 HR and 16 RBI in 48 games as the Kernels finished 77-62 under manager Tom Lawless. Molina and the Kernels defeated Springfield in two straight games in the opening round tand then topped Rockford taking three of four games to win the 1994 Midwest League Championship.
In 1995, Molina hit .293 with 4 HR and 17 RBI in 39 games before earning a promotion as the team finished in 3rd place with a mark of 76-62 under manager Tom Lawless and lost in the opening round of the playoffs to Quad Cities (2-1).
This date in Kernels alumni history – August 28, 1926
On August 28, 1926, Dutch Levsen (Cedar Rapids Bunnies – 1923) became the last player in MLB history to pitch complete game victories in both ends of a doubleheader leading the Cleveland Indians to a 6-1 win with a four hitter in game one. He followed that with a 5-1 win in game two over the Boston Red Sox once again scattering four hits throughout the game. Levsen had a career year in 1926 posting a 16-13 record with a 3.41 ERA.
Dutch Levsen finished his career with a 21-26 record and a 4.17 ERA during his six year career playing for the Cleveland Indians. Levsen
Dutch Levsen, a Wyoming, IA native, attended Iowa State University prior to becoming a member of the 1923 Cedar Rapids Bunnies team. Levsen went 19-4 in 25 games as the Bunnies finished 69-56 under manager Bill Speas to finish 3rd in the Mississippi Valley League.
This date in Kernels alumni history – August 27, 1966
On August 27, 1966, Dick Kelley (Cedar Rapids Braves – 1959, 1961) pitched a complete game shutout to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 3-0 win over the New York Mets. Kelley struck out six batters while allowing two hits and two walks.
Dick Kelley posted a 18-30 mark with a 3.39 ERA during his seven year MLB career playing for the Milwaukee Braves, Atlanta Braves and the San Diego Padres.
Dick Kelley was a member of the 1959 and 1961 Cedar Rapids Braves teams. In 1959, Kelley went 0-0 with a 7.00 ERA in 4 games as the Braves finished 53-73 under manager Alex Monchak. In 1961, Kelley posted a record of 15-5 with a 2.42 ERA in 24 starts as the team finished in 2nd place with a mark of 73-57 under manager James Brown.
This date in Kernels alumni history – August 26, 2006
On August 26, 2006, Howard Kendrick (Cedar Rapids Kernels – 2004) went 4-4 at the plate with a double, a HR, a RBI and scored a pair of runs as the Angels defeated the Yankees 12-7.
Howard Kendrick has a .296 batting average, 46 HR and 288 RBI in 628 games over six seasons with the Angels. Kendrick was selected to his first American League All-Star game this season and has set career highs with 14 HR 69 runs thus far in 2011.
Howard Kendrick was a member of the 2004 Cedar Rapids Kernels team that finished with a record of 75-64 under manager Bobby Magallanes. The Kernels lost in the 1st round of the Midwest League playoffs to the Clinton Lumbkerkings. Kendrick finished the season with a franchise record .367 batting average and was awarded the Midwest League’s batting title (although 41 plate appearances shy of the minimum necessary to qualify, it was determined he would still have the leagues highest average if 41 at-bats were added to his totals, per Baseball Rule 10.23) In 75 games, he recorded 36 multi hit games and was named to the Midwest League Post-Season All-Star team and was a Midwest League All-Star Game selection.
This date in Kernels alumni history – August 25, 1995
On August 25, 1995, Reggie Sanders (Cedar Rapids Reds – 1990) went 3-4 at the plate with two HR, six RBI, a walk and scored four runs as the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 19-3.
Reggie Sanders hit .267 with 305 HR, 983 RBI and stole 304 bases during his 17 year MLB career playing for the Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals. Sanders played in three World Series (2001, 2002, and 2004). He was part of the Diamondbacks championship squad in 2001.
Reggie Sanders hit .285 with 17 HR and 63 RBI for the 1990 Cedar Rapids Reds. The 1990 Cedar Rapids Reds squad finished with a 88-46 record under manager Dave Miley. Quad Cities defeated them in the opening round of the MWL Playoffs.
This date in Kernels alumni history – August 24, 1959
On August 24, 1959, Bob Anderson (Cedar Rapids Raiders -1954) led the Chicago Cubs to a 3-0 win over the Milwaukee Braves pitching a complete game shutout. Anderson struck out five batters while allowing six hits and one walk.
Bob Anderson posted a 36-46 record with 13 saves and a 4.26 ERA during his 7 year career playing for the Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers.
Bob Anderson was a member of the 1954 Cedar Rapids Raiders team that finished in 6th place with a record of 63-72 under manager Bill Prince. Anderson was 3-1 with a 2.92 ERA in 40 innings of work for the Raiders.
This date in Kernels alumni history – August 23, 1967
On August 23, 1967, Dick Tracewski (Cedar Rapids Raiders – 1956) was 4-5 at the plate with three RBI and scored a run to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 10-0 win over the Minnesota Twins at Tiger Stadium.
Dick Tracewski hit .213 with 8 HR and 91 RBI during his 8 year MLB career playing for the Dodgers and the Tigers. Tracewski was a member of the World Series Champion teams in 1963 (Dodgers), 1965 (Dodgers) and 1968 (Tigers).
Dick Tracewski was a member of the 1956 Cedar Rapids Raiders team that finished with a mark of 44-76 under manager George Scherger. Tracewski hit .259 with 2 HR in 55 games for Cedar Rapids.
Seth Dohrn
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