Warren Guerriero, a right-hander from Monroe, Louisiana was one of the top big game pitchers in the history of Hinds Junior/Community College baseball. He played a crucial role in the classic Mississippi Delta-Hinds state championship series played in Raymond during the 1987 season. I believe it is still the best MACJC state championship series ever played.
Warren pitched 10 innings over two days and led the Eagles to a hard fought sweep of the Trojans. You won’t find anyone in today’s game who would even consider attempting that, much less have the mental and physical toughness to pull it off.
Guerriero, who was scheduled as the game 2 starting pitcher, came out of the bullpen to relieve starter and future 10-year MLB right-hander, Pat Rapp in the top of the seventh inning. Rapp had been locked in a great pitching duel with another future big-leaguer, lefty Kevin Rogers. But even with those two studs on the mound, both teams got plenty of big hits and put a lot of runs on the board.
The Eagles led 9-5 when Delta put together a rally and scored a run off Rapp in the top of the seventh. Guerriero entered the game with runners on first and second and one out. On a 2-2 pitch, pinch hitter Bobby Picou hit a monster 3-run homer over the trees in left field to tie the game at 9. Number 15 bounced back and struck out the next hitter on three pitches before the game was called because of darkness.
Note: It was getting dark when the inning started. It was dark when Guerriero entered the game. It was darker when Picou hit that bomb into the darkness. And it was real dark when WG struck out that guy on three pitches. It would be 14 years later (2001) before we would be able to turn on the lights in Raymond.
The darkness had no effect on the umpires eyesight… if you know what I mean.
But darkness became light for Delta and the game was suspended and the classic battle would resume the following day.
There was even some controversy on whether or not the score should revert back to the sixth inning score of 9-5 and a win for Hinds because by rule, the game would be official if called after 4 1/2 innings with the home team leading. After a long debate, the officials overruled the protest and a new rule was written which required that all playoff games must be at least 6 1/2 or 7 innings, depending on who was leading at that time.
It was a good try.
Warren came back on Saturday and pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings and the Eagles won game one of the series 10-9 in 10 innings on a game winning RBI double by Chris Wilson. And if you are one of those pitch counters, he only threw 8 in Friday’s game.
30 minutes later, Guerriero was the starting pitcher in game two and was still on the mound in the top of the seventh inning. Delta was batting in a driving rain storm with the game tied 3-3 with a runner on first base and one out, when the game was suspended… again. Game 1 by darkness. Game 2 by rain.
On Sunday, the Eagles won the game and Hinds’ first state championship in 37 years by the score of 4-3 when lefty Danny Jones, (7-0), got two ground balls and retired the two hitters he faced in the top of the seventh and Tim Brunswick scored the winning run, all the way from first base on a double by Kenny Riche’. The actual playing time was about 5 minutes.
No, Guerriero didn’t pitch on that day. But it did cross my mind. 🙂
I’m not sure what we would have done if the series went to game 3. Danny Jones? Pat Rapp? Warren Guerriero? Johnny Wholestaff?
During the 1988 state playoffs, in a rematch with Delta, Warren pitched a complete game and gave up only one hit, a two-out, fisted, ground-ball single up the middle, and one unearned run in a 1-0 loss in yet another one of his classic battles with MDCC in his two year stay in Raymond. Lefty Kevin Rogers got his revenge the second time around.
Warren won 15 games and posted an earned run average of 1.63 in two seasons and he was one of those guys who never got the easy starts.
He almost pitched a no-hitter at Jones during the ’88 season. 🙂 That’s a private joke between me and Warren. He said I punched him in the chest in the post-game huddle for suddenly losing the strike zone in the 7th inning. I can’t remember. I’m sure it was a playful punch if it really happened.
Lessons learned: Every true competitor must have four essential attitudes to be successful: Discipline, confidence, motivation, and determination… all equaling toughness. They are the cornerstones for success.
We described them as the big four; It all begins with discipline which means “doing things they way they are supposed to be done; always”. Then, “what’s up here” (pointing to the head; the way you choose to think), symbolizing confidence; “what’s in here” (pointing to the chest; the heart), symbolizing motivation, which propels you into action which must come from within, and “what’s down there” (pointing to the cajones; the balls), symbolizing a dogged determination (willpower), which means you just keep competing until you get what you want or what you need, without even a single thought of failure.
These essentials, all combined, represent toughness, the ability to perform at your highest level on-demand, regardless of the situation or circumstance you find yourself in.
Warren Guerriero had all four. He was the poster boy for what now has become known as “intestical fortitude.“
The great story about curve-ball specialist Glen Higdon who in the 1983 season won 13 games, saved 5, with an ERA of 0.95 in 110 innings pitched.
Rick Clarke's Diary of a Mad Baseball Coach 