The Houston Astros had the Killer B's (Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Lance Berkman, Derek Bell). The Oakland A's had the Bash Brothers (Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, now more widely known for infamous reasons). The New York Mets have the Carloses (Beltran and Delgado).
The Hopkins Blue Jays have the Robs.
Senior catcher and co-captain Rob Sanzillo and junior center fielder Rob Pietroforte are the major forces behind the best offense in the Centennial Conference. The pair were instrumental this past week as the Jays brought their win streak to eight and maintained their undefeated conference record. Hopkins -- ranked No. 19 in the nation -- took all five of their games, outscoring their opponents 54-23 to beat Catholic and Centennial foes Gettysburg, Ursinus (twice) and Dickinson. Sanzillo and Pietroforte are on the same team, sure; but do they compete against one another?
"At the end of the day, I want him to do well and he wants me to do well," the diplomatic Pietroforte said. "All we care about is winning ball games."
"We bring different things to the team," Sanzillo said. "We compliment each other nicely." Not quite what this reporter was looking for. More prodding was in order.
The Robs are typically paired together in the middle of the lineup, which must be a scary sight for opposing pitching. Here's where they were as of April 16. Go ahead, Centennial Conference, pick your poison. Would you like to tangle with Sanzillo's league-leading .461 average or Pietroforte's .407? Pietroforte's 33 RBI (good for second in the conference) or Sanzillo's 31 (third)? Sanzillo's 33 runs scored and five round-trippers (both tops)? Pietroforte's .765 slugging percentage (second in the league)? Sanzillo's .571 on-base percentage (again tops in the Centennial)? This is getting exhausting. They've got to know they're jockeying for best in the conference, right?
"He hits for more power. I run better than he does," Sanzillo said.
"We joke about [our offense]," Pietroforte said. "For example, he'll be like, `You hit a home run yesterday, I'm going to hit two today.'" Getting warmer, but not there yet.
Pietroforte's mashing was on display on Tuesday against Dickinson. The junior smacked two triples en route to a five-RBI performance and a 10-2 demolition of the Red Devils. One Jay Pietroforte drove in was -- guess who? -- Sanzillo. The win was Hopkins' eighth in a row, making them 11-0 against the Centennial Conference, good for first place.
The Jays also put on a clinic on the other side of the ball. Junior right-handed pitcher Ryan Kuhlman continued his ace-like performance, throwing seven frames of five-hit ball while fanning six and allowing one earned run. He lowered his team-leading ERA to 2.76 and is now tied with Gettysburg's Chris Liegel for most wins in the conference with six.
"Our pitching has been the deciding factor on this run," Pietroforte said. "When our pitchers get the job done, it takes the pressure off our hitters."
Sanzillo accounted for "only" one run and one RBI against Dickinson, but he earned that breather after spending the week putting on a show for the major league scouts that have been watching him. He went 3-5 in the nightcap of the Jays' Saturday doubleheader against Ursinus, scoring twice and driving in three to lead Hopkins to a 13-8 victory. Plus he delivered a key RBI in the 4-3 day game victory over the Bears, the closest conference game thus far. He also swatted another three hits against Catholic in a 19-9 Hopkins win, again driving in three and scoring once. Quite a display. What do you think about it, Rob Pietroforte?
"I'm better, you know that. Come on," he said. "Rob [Sanzillo] and I both know I'm the better ballplayer."
Your response, Mr. Sanzillo?
"[Pietroforte] came in as a catcher and the only way he could make it in this program was to switch to the outfield," he said. "I don't know what that means, though."
Gentlemen, we have liftoff.
So Sanzillo the catcher and Pietroforte the center fielder most certainly compete. But they also agree on a few things, specifically about this weekend's key doubleheader against Franklin & Marshall, who are only a game short of first with an 11-2 record in the Centennial Conference.
"These are the two big games. If we win those we basically clinch the conference," Sanzillo said.
"Obviously this is our biggest series of the season," Pietroforte added.
Friendly needling aside, Sanzillo, Pietroforte and the Jays will be looking for blood against the Diplomats, the team that has taken the conference title from the Jays in upset fashion for the past two years. Hopkins closed out a series sweep against Gettysburg win an 8-1 victory last Friday, leaving F & M, Haverford and a weak Muhlenberg squad as the only conference opponents left to play. A sweep this Saturday in Lancaster, Pa., will all but lock up home field advantage throughout the Centennial Conference Tournament for the Jays.
Oh, and the Robs also agree on one more main point, which is instrumental to their success and completely relevant to baseball.
"[Sanzillo] will admit that I'm better looking," Pietroforte said.
"[Pietroforte] is definitely better looking, I'll give him that," Sanzillo said. But who has the better-looking swing? Maybe we're better off not asking.
The Jays come home for a twice-postponed doubleheader versus Muhlenberg on Sunday. The teams will take the field at 12:30 p.m.
