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Starting pitcher rates second on wish list during winter months
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Sunday, Aug 24, 2008
ARLINGTON, TEXAS: General Manager Mark Shapiro has repeatedly said that his first priority over the winter will be to acquire a closer, and manager Eric Wedge concurs.
But what if Jensen Lewis finishes the season strong in that role? Will Shapiro still undertake a worldwide search for a pitcher to save games?
''Let's just see how it plays out first,'' Wedge said Saturday. ''In my opinion, nothing is more important than getting a closer (from inside or outside the organization). That would be my priority.
''But there are other things we need. We will be looking for a starting pitcher and potentially another corner player. But the closer thing is out front.''
Historic matchup
Jhonny Peralta has faced Kansas City Royals reliever Joel Peralta 11 times, hitting safely once, walking once and striking out twice. Jhonny's only hit came Wednesday, when he homered off Joel at Progressive Field.
''I never talked to him,'' Jhonny said. ''But I knew (about him) when I played in the minors. Usually I get good swings off him but no hits until the other day.''
Jhonny said the players are not related, but both are natives of the Dominican Republic, Jhonny from Santiago, Joel from Bonao.
Apparently, the Peralta-Peralta matchup never happened before Jhonny and Joel opposed one another. According to both SI.com and Baseball Almanac, they are the only two Peraltas ever to play in the big leagues.
However, just this decade,
21 Peraltas (excluding Jhonny and Joel) have played in the minor leagues.
A happy man
Shin-Soo Choo couldn't have been more pleased when his native South Korea beat Japan to win the Olympic gold medal.
''They went 9-0,'' Choo said. ''I didn't know if they would win, but I thought they would finish in the top three. It's pretty impressive.''
Choo attended high school with two players on the South Korean roster.
Instant replay coming
Now that Major League Baseball has affirmed the concept of instant replay for judging whether batted balls are home runs, Progressive Field is being fitted with the equipment to deliver the video.
''If it's something that's going to happen, let's see how it works,'' Wedge said. ''I'm more of a purist, so I'm not totally on board. But we'll see if it helps.''
The start date for instant replay has not been announced.
Turning on the jets
Nobody would ever mistake Sal Fasano for a world-class sprinter, but he scored from first on Andy Marte's triple Friday night.
''It was surprising,'' Wedge said, smiling. ''But I figured that if he could score from first, Marte better be on third.''
Farm facts
Jordan Brown tripled and singled, driving in two runs, as Triple-A Buffalo beat Syracuse 6-3. . . . Hector Rondon gave up two runs and five hits in six innings, but Kinston lost 3-2 to Wilmington in Class A.
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS: General Manager Mark Shapiro has repeatedly said that his first priority over the winter will be to acquire a closer, and manager Eric Wedge concurs.
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