Iwakuma hurls perfecto; Yakima boasts best A to Z League record after week 3

Iwakuma

Hisashi Iwakuma pitched a perfect game at Tumwater April 19 and Quincy topped the T's 4-0. Iwakuma struck out five and induced 16 ground ball outs in the gem. He followed up his perfecto with a four-hitter against Cashmere in a 5-1 win April 25. Iwakuma was named player of the week in the A to Z League for his two stellar performances.

Yakima boasts the league's best record at 12-5 after three weeks of play. Four clubs are at 11-6: Puget Division leader Bainbridge Island and East Division foes Cashmere, Moses Lake, and Wenatchee. Yakima's standing may be challenged in the coming weeks, as they now have three pitchers on the injured list.

Highlights for week three:

April 19: Frank Frisch went 4-for-5 and Willie Foster pitched a six-hitter as Forks thumped Hoquiam 9-1. Charlie Keller's three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh propelled Kelso to a 5-4 win over Goldendale. Renton scored four in the first and led all the way in a 7-4 victory over North Bend.

April 20: Tommy Bridges pitched a three-hitter and drove in a run as Bainbridge Island topped Tumwater 7-2. Wes Ferrell and Rollie Fingers combined on a five-hitter and Forks defeated Ocean Shores 3-1. Carl Yastrzemski hit a three-run homer in the first and Yakima made it stand up, besting Goldendale 3-2. Ted Simmons hit a three-run homer and Snoqualmie beat Renton 7-2. Frank Viola spun a six-hitter and Robin Ventura and Bobby Veach homered as Vancouver beat Wenatchee and Smokey Joe Williams 2-0.

April 21: Willard Brown hit two home runs and drove in three as Bainbridge Island beat Tumwater 4-3. Bert Blyleven picked up the victory and improved his record to 4-0. Roger Clemens scattered eight hits and fanned 10 as Cashmere defeated Quincy 5-1. Hal Newhouser pitched a five-hitter and Mike Napoli supported him with a grand slam in North Bend's 7-0 shutout of Davenport. Tom Seaver pitched a five-hitter and Snoqualmie topped Renton 4-1.

April 22: Mark Langston pitched a five-hitter and Long Beach blanked Aberdeen 1-0. Tumwater scored five in the top of the first off Jim Bunning, whose record dropped to 0-4, and the T's held on for a 5-3 win at Bainbridge Island. George Uhle went the distance as Quincy topped Cashmere 8-3. Joe DiMaggio hit a three-run homer in the first and Davenport led all the way in an 8-2 victory over North Bend. Pedro Martinez pitched a two-hitter and struck out nine as Moses Lake won at Ephrata 8-0. Dave Henderson went 4-for-4 with a homer, two doubles, and six RBI as Hoquiam edged Jefferson County 8-7. Clayton Kershaw, Ellis Kinder, and Craig Kimbrel combined on a one-hitter and Kelso beat Pasco 4-1. George Sisler went 4-for-5, including his fourth home run of the season, but Renton beat Snoqualmie 5-3.

April 23: Roberto Clemente went 4-for-4 and scored a couple of runs as Cashmere beat Quincy 7-5. Chili Davis homered off Rob Nen in the bottom of the tenth to give Davenport a 2-1 win over North Bend. Christy Matthewson pitched a five-hitter and Johnny Mize homered against Dennis Eckersley in the top of the ninth as Moses Lake won at Ephrata 1-0. Tony Fernandez's single plated Jimmie Foxx with two out in the ninth as Forks bested Ocean Shores 8-7. Ryan Zimmerman slugged a three-run homer in the sixth and Yakima held on to beat Goldendale 4-2. Torii Hunter smacked a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth and Hoquiam topped Jefferson County 6-5.

April 24: Dick Allen had three hits, including a homer and a double, and knocked in four runs in Aberdeen's 5-3 win over Long Beach. Larry Doby hit a tie-breaking, three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth and Davenport defeated North Bend 4-1. Juan Marichal pitched a complete game while allowing 13 hits, and Moses Lake routed Ephrata 12-4. Terry Pendleton hit a two-run homer in the top of the sixth to give Pasco the lead, and the P's bullpen made it stand up for a 7-6 win at Kelso.

April 25: Willie Mays drove in four runs and Mickey Mantle hit his ninth home run, a three-run shot, as Moses Lake routed Davenport 15-2. Bob Veale pitched an eight-hitter and Vancouver bested Kelso 4-1. Frank Robinson drove in four runs to back Steve Rogers's six-hitter as Renton clubbed Tumwater 10-2. Paul Waner hit a two-run homer in the first and Wenatchee led all the way in a 10-6 win at Yakima.

Injuries
Bob Lemon returned from the injured list April 23 and Ted Lyons was sent back to the reserve squad for Long Beach.

Yakima has three starting pitchers on the injured list as Cy Young and Geoff Zahn went down in consecutive starts April 21 and 22.

Kelso's Corey Kluber injured his shoulder April 25 and will miss a couple of starts.