King of Diamonds 7

KOD 7 Champs: 1932 Philadelphia Athletics

2009-09-02T14:51:00.000-07:00

Game 5 - Brooklyn hits the Wal - A's win Series in 5

2009-08-23T18:19:00.000-07:00

Game 5 - Philadelphia 8 Brooklyn 3 - Ebbets Field
Game 1 starters Rube Walberg and Don Newcombe were on the mound for this game. And unfortunately for the Dodgers the results were the same. Mickey Cochrane started by slamming a long home run and driving in 3 in the first inning. The A's never looked back from that point. Jimmie Foxx added a solo shot in the 5th. The Dodgers did not help themselves in this game as they committed 3 costly errors. Rube Walberg (10-2, 1.91) got the win while Don Newcombe (5-5, 4.67) took the loss. The series had many MVP candidates but the Co-MVP would have to go to Mickey Cochrane and Rube Walberg.
--submitted by Lee Crouch--

Game 4 - Slipped 'em a Mickey

2009-08-23T18:14:00.000-07:00

Game 4 - Philadelphia 9 Brooklyn 0 - Ebbets Field
Brilliant pitching by Tony Freitas was the story of this game as he gave up only 4 hits. Again the A's bats were blazing as Mickey Cochrane had 2 homeruns (5 RBI's) followed by single shots from Max Bishop, Jimmie Foxx (4-5) and Al Simmons. Tony Frietas (7-1, 1.88) got the win and Carl Erskine (2-6, 7.30) was saddled with the loss.
--submitted by Lee Crouch--

Game 3 - Campy to the Rescue

2009-08-23T18:11:00.000-07:00

Game 3 - Brooklyn 10 Philadelphia 8 - Ebbets Field
The A's came into this game brimming with confidence after having taken the first 2 games of the series and sending their ace Lefty Grove to the mound in this game. Things started well for Philadelphia as they scored 3 in the 1st on the strength of Al Simmons 13th homerun of the year. They added 2 more in the 4th. But the Dodgers kept hanging around and it was 5-4 A's after 5 innings. But lightening finally struck for Brookly in the 6th as they scored 6 behind the homerun hitting of Roy Campanella. The Dodgers held on from that point for the win. Ralph Branca (6-4, 3.22) got the win while Lefty Grove (10-4, 2.40) took the loss. MVP honors went to Roy Campanella.
--submitted by Lee Crouch--

Game 2: Max-ed out !- Philly takes game 2

2009-08-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

Game 2 - Philadelphia 7 Brooklyn 5 - Shibe Park
This was a very interesting game as both pitchers settled into a groove during the fist few innings. After 5 it was Brooklyn 3 Philadelphia 1. But the 6th inning proved to be Brooklyn's downfall in this game as the A's scored 6 times in the 6th with the help of a home run from Mickey Cochrane. Max Bishop (3-4, 2 runs scored, 1 RBI & 1 HR) took game MVP honors, George Earnshaw (5-4, 3.81) got the victory while Preacher Roe (7-4, 3.48) took the loss.
--submitted by Lee Crouch--

KOD7 World Series Game 1: A's draw first blood

2009-08-23T17:55:00.000-07:00

Game 1 - Philadelphia 6, Brooklyn 2 - Shibe Park
Home runs by Jimmie Dykes, Jimmie Foxx, and Mickey Cochrane highlighted this game. What started out as a slug fest with the teams scoring 3 runs in the first inning settled down into a pitcher's duel during the middle innings. Rube Walberg (9-2, 1.79) got the win while Don Newcombe (5-4, 4.50) took the loss.
--submitted by Lee Crouch-

KOD7 NLCS: Brooklyn tops Atlanta in 5

2009-08-08T21:19:00.001-07:00

Coming off a series victory over the 1977 Pittsburgh Pirates, the 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers head to Atlanta to square off against the 1998 Braves, who were coming off a series victory of their own over the 1979 Montreal Expos.

Game 1
Game 1 would feature Clyde King on the mound for the Brooklyn Dodgers, who went with this unlikely selection once again due to fatigue, as the Dodgers continue their quest for the KOD7 Title. The mighty Atlanta Braves begin this series with lefty Tom Glavine. The Braves drew first blood in the very 1st inning, when Javy Lopez Singled Home Walt Weiss, who led off the inning with a Double. The Dodgers struck back in the 2nd inning, as King helped his own cause when he Singled Home both Gil Hodges and Cal Abrams to give the Dodgers a quick 2-1 lead. The Dodgers struck again in the 5th inning, when the lead off batter, Duke Snider, blasted a solo shot to Right Field. Behind 3-1, the Braves managed another run in the bottom half of the 5th inning, when Andres Galarraga Singled Home Glavine to cut the lead 3-2. But, that is all the Braves could manage, as King pitched 6 solid innings and Carl Erskine came in to shut the Braves out for the final 3 innings. Despite getting 7 K’s, Glavine was shaky over the course of 8 innings, by giving up 9 hits, 4 Walks and suffering a loss to open this series.

MVP honors went to Carl Erskine for closing out the Dodger victory, but Clyde King won the popular vote.

Game 2In Game 2, the Braves were looking to rebound and sent Kevin Millwood to the mound to square off against Dodger ace Don Newcombe. But, the Dodgers came out firing on all cylinders in the 1st inning and tapped Millwood for 2 quick runs, as Pee Wee Reese led off the game with a Single and scored when Duke Snider Tripled. Snider eventually scored off a Cal Abrams Single. In the 3rd inning, the Dodgers jumped on Millwood again, as Jackie Robinson and Gil Hodges both had solo shots – giving the Dodgers a 4-0 lead. In the 4th inning, the Dodgers scored 5 more runs that was capped off by a Duke Snider Grand Slam. Millwood would give up another run in the 5th inning – for an even 10 earned runs in 5 innings of work, while giving up 13 hits. Meanwhile, Newcombe pitched 4 solid innings of no-hit ball, but the Braves eventually tapped him for 4 runs of their own in the bottom half of the 5th inning with 5 Singles and a Walk. Leading 10-4, the Dodgers were cooled off in the 6th inning by Denny Neagle – but the Braves went back to work on Newcombe, who surrendered another 4 runs, in consecutive innings, on 3 Singles, a Walk, and an Error – and the Braves cut the lead down to 10-8. The Dodgers finally reached Neagle in the top half of the 7th inning, when Jackie Robinson Doubled Home Pee Wee Reese and Duke Snider – to extend their lead to 12-8. The Dodger manager could be seen pacing in the dugout biting his nails, but he kept his faith in Newcombe, who did not surrender another run and pitched a complete game. The Braves’ pitching staff gave up 12 earned runs and 18 hits – and giving up a 2-0 series lead at Home. They now head to Brooklyn.

Duke Snider won MVP honors with 5 RBI’s and 4 hits, including a Triple and a Grand Slam.

Game 3
The Braves had a glimmer of hope to salvage this series and stop the bleeding when they sent their ace, Greg Maddux, to the hill for Game 3. The Dodgers countered with Irv Palica – but the Braves got a boost in the very 1st inning when Chipper Jones crushed a solo shot to Center. That appeared to be all Maddux needed, as he scattered 7 hits in 7 innings, without giving up a run to this mighty Dodger team. Mike Cather came in for Maddux in the 8th inning, and Kerry Ligtenberg came in after that – and the Braves’ pitching staff shut the Dodgers out. Palica was no slouch, despite being seldom used during the season, as he surrendered only 2 runs on 5 hits. That would usually solidify a Dodger victory, had they faced anyone else other than Maddux. Clyde King, the Dodger starter for Game 1, then came in for Palica in the 8th inning to close out the game.

The Braves were now only down 2 games to 1 – and Greg Maddux earned MVP honors, rightfully so.

Game 4Trying to even the series on the road, the Braves went to John Smoltz – while the Dodgers looked to their lefty, Preacher Roe, who pitched solid all season. In the bottom half of the 2nd inning, Roy Campanella Singled and scored on a Carl Furillo SAC Fly. Then, Pee Wee Reese led off the 3rd inning with a solo shot, and the Dodgers jumped to a quick 2-0 lead. In the 4th inning, the Braves finally tapped Roe for a run, when Andruw Jones hit a shot of his own – but that would be the only run Roe would surrender all day, despite giving up 8 hits. The Dodgers padded their lead by dropping another 2 runs on Smoltz in the 6th inning for insurance, when Andy Pafko jacked a 2-run blast. Preacher Roe pitched a complete game, and the Dodgers cruised to a 4-1 victory – and a 3 games to 1 series lead.

Preacher Roe earned MVP honors.

Game 5
Wanting to push the series back to Atlanta, the Braves needed to win this game in Brooklyn – or face elimination. Braves manager, Terry Priest, called on Tom Glavine once again to save the season. Ralph Branca went to work for the Dodgers, but surrendered 2 runs to the Braves in the top half of the 2nd inning on 2 Singles, a HBP, and a Walk. Trying to stay close, the Dodgers scored a run themselves in the 2nd inning off the bat of Carl Furillo, who sent a shot over the wall. The Dodgers tied the game in the bottom half of the 3rd inning, when Jackie Robinson Doubled Home Duke Snider. With the game tied 2-2 after 3 innings of play, both pitchers settled down to cool off the bats. Over the next 3 innings, Branca did not give up a hit. Not to be outdone, Glavine gave up just 2 hits. But, in the bottom half of the 7th inning, Glavine was touched for a 2-run shot from Duke Snider – giving the Dodgers a 4-2 lead. Branca would go on to surrender just 1 more hit, in the 9th inning, as the Braves fell well short of their goal to force Game 6 in Atlanta. Branca surrendered just 4 hits all game and pitched a complete game victory to earn MVP honors – and to hand Tom Glavine his 2nd loss of the series and to send the Braves packing.

Outside of Game 2, the Braves’ bats were ice cold all series. It was not an issue of stranding runners on base, since the Dodgers had left more runners on base than the Braves. No, it was a simple issue of not getting on base in the first place. And, when runners were on base, the Braves’ heavy hitters disappeared – while the Dodgers pounded on the Braves’ pitchers. Fortunately for the Dodgers, Greg Maddux appeared in only 1game for the Braves.

The series MVP would eventually fall to Duke Snider, who seemed to be in the right place at several key points for the Dodgers in this series. And so, the 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers are now heading to the KOD7 World Series to face the 1932 Philadelphia A’s.
--submitted by Georges Bseraini--

Pure Dominance as A's capture AL Flag in 5

2009-08-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

GAME 5 - Fenway Park - Boston, MA - A's 10, Red Sox 2

Philadelphia wins series 4-1

Lefty Grove (10-3, 1.73) was a mere mortal, for 1 inning anyway, but it didn't matter as the Mack Men's bats blasted Boston right out of the ALCS. Ted Williams finally came to life (for the moment at least) as he doubled home 2 in the first to give Boston starter Joe Dobson a 2-1 lead. Dobson would need the Patriots offense if he hoped to win this game as he yielded 8 runs in 8 innings of work. After the first inning Grove settled down and shutout the Bosox the rest of the way. Philly manager Howard Fortel was quoted as saying, "If you want to beat Grove, you have to get to him early and often. Once he gets in his groove it's all over". That pretty much summed up this game and this series. Jimmie Foxx again was strong with the lumber, going 3 for 4 with an RBI. The A's offense was completely balanced as they scored 10 runs on 10 hits. Every starter, except Doc Cramer (who did have 2 hits), had an RBI. Lew Krausse was called on to finish out the 9th since the outcome ws no longer in doubt and there was no need for Grove to expend any more energy vs the lack luster Bosox. By the time the A's were presented with the
AL Championship trophy most of the Fenway faithful were gone. That suited the A's just fine as they have become used to playing in front of sparse crowds, even in their home ballpark. That phenomenon has more to do with the terrible economic conditions than the A's play, which has been downright stellar. Including the final 8 games of the regular season Philly has won 15 of their last 16 games en route to a spot in the KOD7 World Series. Lost in the shuffle here was the fact that again Ted Williams was a major disappointment in the post season. Williams went 3-16 in the series, with all 3 hits coming in game 5. In comparison of HOF'ers, Jimmie Foxx was an incredible 15-19, with 6 RBI and 3 HR's.

Bean-a long time...

2009-08-01T09:04:00.000-07:00

GAME 4 - Fenway Park - Boston, MA - Red Sox 7, A's 3

Philadelphia leads series 3-1

Finally the Bosox get to see a righty, and not so mysteriously their offense came to life. George Earnshaw (4-4, 3.66) started for the A's and looked solid for 6 innings until the Bosox exploded for 5 runs to put the game away and help salvage a minimal amount of dignity in this series that has been dominated by the boys from the city of Brotherly love. Bobby Doerr's 2 run homer in the 4th tied the game at 2. Philly actually took a lead in the 6th, when Mule Haas squeezed home Dib Williams. That would be the final run that Boston starter Mel Parnell would yield
on the day. Thankfully for him Boston's dormant offense was able to support him with 7 runs. Boston's 3 run 8th started when Vern Stephens led off with a walk and was tripled home by Al Zarilla. Birdie Tebbetts doubled Zarilla home and with 2 outs Billy Goodman single Tebbetts home. The 8th saw Boston get two insurance runs thanks to a triple by Doerr and a RBI ground out by Stephens. Boston would need more of this type of offense if they hoped to get back in this series or at least salvage some sort of respectability.

Philadelphia Freit-dom

2009-08-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

GAME 3 - Fenway Park - Boston, MA - A's 4, Red Sox 1

Philadelphia leads series 3-0

Philly manager Howard Fortel went with Tony Freitas (6-1, 2.15), his third straight starter in this series...Freitas was spectacular carrying a no-hitter for 8 and 1/3 innings, until Bobby Doerr broke it up with a double off the green monster. The (not so) Splendid Splinter, Ted Williams scored on Doerr's double (he walked to lead off the 9th). Williams' run broke Boston's 26 inning scoreless streak and added some
window dressing to their horrible offensive performance in the ALCS. Philly's offense came off the bat of one Jimmie Foxx, who hit a colossal 3 run shot off of Boston starter Ellis Kinder in the 5th. At the time the score was 1-0 and Boston had a remote chance. After Foxx hit his 3rd homer of the series the door was shut, the dye was cast...fill in your own cliche here. Freitas recovered after Doerr's two bagger and got Zarilla and Tebbetts to ground out weakly to end the game and give the White Elephant a commanding 3 games to none lead in the ALCS.

(Not) Hitting the Wal...

2009-08-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

GAME 2 - Shibe Park - Philadelphia, PA - A's 3, Red Sox 0

Philadelphia leads series 2-0

Different day...same score. This time Rube Walberg spins the complete game shutout over the Bosox instead of Grove. Mel Parnell gutted out 8 innings, but once he gave up a run in the first he was virtually doomed to defeat. Jimmie Foxx was the offense in this contest as he clouted two mamouth shots off southpaw Parnell. Dib Williams added a solo shot of his own, which accounted for the second run of the game. Walberg's (8-2, 1.74) 3 hit shutout extended Boston's scoreless streak to 18 consecutive innings. Johnny Pesky had 2 of Boston's 3 hits.

Get your Grove on...

2009-08-01T08:31:00.000-07:00

GAME 1 - Shibe Park - Philadelphia, PA - A's 3, Red Sox 0

Philadelphia leads series 1-0

Both teams arrived at this ALCS in different fashion. The mighty Mackmen came off a 3 game sweep of the Tigers, while the Bosox had to rely on an 8th inning comeback to scratch themselves past the upstart Angels. Philly tapped Cy Young award winner Lefty Grove (9-3, 1.69) to toe the rubber, while Boston was forced into using Chuck Stobbs. Boston's staff was stretched to the limit by Anaheim in the LDS, so co-aces Mel Parnell and Ellis Kinder were not available. Long story short: Grove was dominant against a Red Sox lineup that has found lefthanded pitching to be its kryptonite all season. Grove went the distance for a complete game shutout of the Red Sox. Stobbs was game, and only gave up 1 earned run in more than 6 innings of work, but he would have had to have been perfect to beat the great

Grove. Philly scored in the first when Jimmy Dykes' liner to center was dropped by the normally sure handed Dom DiMaggio. In essence that would be the only run that Grove would actually need. Mule Haas added a second run with a lead off solo shot in the home half of the 5th. and the struggling Mickey Cochrane singled home Jimmie Foxx for a tack on run in the 8th. Even a 1 hour rain delay in the 4th was not enough to sap the strength of Grove, who threw an economical 83 pitches in his complete game effort.

NLDS: Brooklyn comes back to slip past Bucs in 5

2009-07-30T21:04:00.000-07:00

The 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers come into this series exhausted and dragging from the emotional 4-game sweep against the Giants that was needed to get here – and coming from behind in the standings to leap frog 2 teams in the process to make these playoffs. The 1977 Pittsburgh Pirates come in as the favorite at Home and well-rested.

Game 1:
Pittsburgh began this series with its ace, John Candelaria – and the Dodgers, on the road, had to go with Ralph Branca, their #3 in the rotation, due to fatigue. However, the Dodgers drew first blood in the top half of the 3rd inning by scoring 2 runs off a SAC fly from Duke Snider and a Double from Roy Campanella. They scored again in the 4th inning off the bat of Andy Pafko, who hit a solo shot off the Candyman. In the 5th inning, the Dodgers struck the Candyman again with a Double from Jackie Robinson that was followed by a Single from Campanella. Behind 4-0 heading into the bottom half of the 5th inning, Pittsburgh began to fight back with a 2-run Triple from Al Oliver – who eventually scored on an Error. The Dodger lead was now cut to 4-3. But, Campanella Doubled and later scored on an Error too. In the bottom half of the 7 inning, Pittsburgh loaded the bases with no outs – and the Dodgers sacrificed a run to turn the Doubleplay and got out of the inning, still having a modest 5-4 lead. Pittsburgh then brought in Rich “Goose” Gossage to cool Brooklyn off – and it worked. Heading into the bottom of the 9th inning and cruisin’ to a victory, the Dodgers sat Branca down and brought in their closer, Clem Labine. However, Pittsburgh quickly had runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Then, Labine threw a Wild Pitch to move the runners over. The stage was set for a Pittsburgh comeback-victory at Home. Labine calmed down to get Frank Tavares and then K’d Omar Moreno. With 2 outs, Oliver came thru with a Single to tie the game at 5-5. With runners on 1st and 3rd, Labine got out of the jam with a Phil Garner pop up. We are now heading into extra innings. During this extra session, Pittsburgh used Kent Tekulve, Grant Jackson, and Bruce Kison –while the Dodgers continued to ride Labine. Both teams pitched well and Offense was held scoreless thru the 10th, 11th, 12th, and the 13th innings. In the 14th inning, the Dodgers “broke the silence” when Kison Walked-in the winning run. The Dodgers brought in Bud Podbielan to shut the door, with a 1-2-3 inning.
Dodgers take Game 1 in another emotional game. Roy Campanella received game honors, by going 3-for-7 and getting 2 RBI’s.

Game 2:
For Game 2, Pittsburgh came flying out of the gate and shelled Dodger ace Don Newcombe by scoring 2 runs in the bottom half of the 1st inning on a 2-run blast from Bill Robinson – and another 4 runs in the bottom half of the 3rd inning on 5 straight hits that was capped by a Willie Stargell Double. The Dodgers put up a small fight against Pittsburgh’s Jerry Reuss by scoring 4 runs of their own in the top half of the 4th inning on 4 Singles. But, leading 6-4, Pittsburgh poured it on by scoring 2 more runs in the bottom half of the 5th inning on a Double from Dave Parker and a Single from Rennie Stennett.

That is how the score remained, and Pittsburgh took Game 2: 8-4 – with Newcombe giving up all 8 runs. It was a quick and painless victory for Pittsburgh, who “operated” on the Dodgers with steel precision. Bill Robinson took game honors – but a serious nod must go to Jerry Reuss, who pitched well, to hold down this Dodger team.

Game 3:
Heading into Brooklyn, Pittsburgh drew first blood in Game 3 by scoring a run on a SAC fly from Dave Parker in the top half of the 1st inning off Dodger Preacher Roe. Things got real quiet after that, as Roe matched Jim Rooker, who is a Cy Young candidate and went 7-0 during the regular season, pitch for pitch. In the bottom half of the 7th inning, the Dodgers got back into the game with a run to even things up when Roy Campanella hit a solo shot. With Rooker leading off the 8 inning, Pittsburgh risked taking out their most consistent pitcher by going with a DH – unfortunately Pittsburgh failed to score. Goose Gossage then came in for Pittsburgh to hold the Dodgers at bay, while Roe continued to hold off Pittsburgh – as another game went into extra innings. Roe held strong for 11 innings. In the 12th inning, Bud Podbielan came in for the Dodgers, but he surrendered 2 runs when Willie Stargell Doubled Home Rennie Stennett – and then Ken Macha Singled Home Stargell. Down 2 runs in the bottom half of the 12th inning, the Dodgers did manage a run when Jackie Robinson Tripled and Gil Hodges Doubled with 2 outs. But with Hodges standing on 2nd Base, the game ended when Grant Jackson got Andy Pafko to whiff.
Pittsburgh took Game 3: 4-3 – and now lead the series 2 games to 1. Jim Rooker took game honors, and it appears that fatigue is setting in for the Dodgers.

Game 4:
Desperate to ignite the team, the Dodger Manager pulled a bold move by exposing his bullpen and putting Clem Labine on the mound to square off against Bruce Kison. The move appeared to pay off, as Labine held even with Kison – and both pitchers were on fire. Kison held the Dodgers scoreless and surrendered just 3 hits in 6 innings, and Labine surrendered just 2 hits in those same 6 innings. In the top half of the 7th inning, Pittsburgh made their move – and scored 3 runs that was capped by a 2-run shot by Ed Ott. Things looked bleak for the Dodgers, as Pittsburgh was looking to close out the series with this 3-0 lead. But, they may have made a mistake by prematurely taking out Kison, who was pitching a masterpiece, for a DH. So, in comes Grant Jackson to start the 8th inning for Pittsburgh. Being at Home, and with the series on the line, the Dodgers jumped all over Jackson, who Walked the bases loaded, with 1 out. Jackson got the 2nd out when Billy Cox hit a SAC fly to score Gil Hodges, and it cut the lead to 3-1. With 2 outs and Labine set to bat, the Dodgers went to their bench for Cal Abrams, who was quiet all season. This is the time when heroes rise to the occasion and legends are made……Abrams stepped to the plate and smacked a 3-run jack off Jackson to take a 4-3 lead. The crowd went wild. Goose Gossage then came in for Jackson to close out the inning for Pittsburgh, but the damage was done. Bud Podbielan came in for the Dodgers, as he sought to redeem himself for the prior loss, and he shut Pittsburgh down in the 8th and 9th innings.
The Dodgers take Game 4: 4-3 – in another emotional victory to force a Game 5. Bud Podbielan took game honors for shutting Pittsburgh down, but he should split game honors with Cal Abrams.

Game 5:
With Game 5 on the line and back at Home, Pittsburgh went back to their ace, John Candelaria – while the Dodgers countered with Ralph Branca again, setting the stage for a rematch of Game 1. But, the Dodgers did not take long to make a statement, as they jumped to a quick 4-0 lead in the very 1st inning off the Candyman with 5 Singles and a Walk. Branca did his part for the Dodgers, as he scattered 6 hits and held Pittsburgh scoreless thru 7 innings. In the bottom half of the 8th inning, Pittsburgh fought back by loading the bases in time to have Dave Parker clear the pads with a 3-run Double. The Dodgers held firm and left Branca in the game, and he got out of the jam to retain a 4-3 lead. The Candyman, Kent Tekulve, and Goose Gossage held the Dodgers scoreless for the last 8 innings, but that 1st inning was all the Dodgers needed – and Branca pitched a complete game victory for the Dodgers, as he retired Pittsburgh 1-2-3 in the 9th inning.
Dodgers win the series on the road !!!
Ralph Branca took game honors, rightfully so, as he helped the Dodgers win Game 5 and win the series 3 games to 2. In doing so, Branca earned series MVP for winning Game 1 and Game 5. There was no clear hero on Offense for the Dodgers, as everyone played a small role in the team effort. The turning point in this series would have been the 3-run jack from Cal Abrams in that 7th inning of Game 4, as the Dodgers faced elimination, to take the lead and force Game 5.
--submitted by Georges Bseraini--

ALDS: Game 5 theatrics in Anaheim

2009-07-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

GAME 5 - Angel Stadium - Boston 5, LA-Anaheim 3 - Boston wins series 3 games to 2

Due to network scheduling issues this game was put on hold for 3 days. The Sawx flew out to the coast feeling like they let one get away, but not closing it out in 4 games at home in Fenway. The Halos had captured all the momentum and looked to pull off the upset on their home turf. Boston went to their act, Mel Parnell who entered the game 6-3. The Halos tapped Paul Byrd who was their starter for game 1. The Angles struck first when Chone Figgins led off the bottom of the 1st with a big triple. DaVanon walked and a big inning looked to be in the making until Vlad hit into a run scoring DP. Certainly Parnell was happy to yield on the 1 run. That run was looming large until Boston tied it up in the 5th when Bobby Doerr hit a 422 foot solo shot to dead center.

The game remained tied until the bottom of the 6th when Bengie Molina blasted a solo shot of his own to make it 2-1. The bottom of the 7th saw Orlando Cabrera lead off with a double and Jeff DaVanon single him home two batters later. Anaheim had themselves a nice 3-1 lead with only 6 outs left to be recorded. Byrd was flat out keeping the Bosox batters off balance, sans the Doerr homer.

Then in the top of the 8th it all came crashing down. Scott Shields was called on to relieve Paul Byrd, who to that point had only thrown 78 pitches. The Angels formula all year had been to get to the 8th and bring in Shields, then go to K-rod in the 9th. This time the formula didn't work. Shields walked Doerr, then Al Zarilla doubled to put runners on 2nd and 3rd. Birdie Tebbetts singled home Doerr to make it 3-2. Pitcher Mel Parnell, batting instead of the DH (because he hits better than the Boston bench guys), singled to help his own cause to tie up the game and put runners on 1st and 2nd with nobody out. Pesky walked to load the bases and that was it for Shields. Escobar was hurried in and he walked Bill Goodman to put Boston up 4-3. Still there was nobody out and the Bosox truly looked to break it open. Escobar came up big by fanning DiMaggio and the great T.S. Williams before inducing Stephens to ground out weakly to Figgins at 3rd. Escobar kept his team in it and gave them a chance.

In the bottom of the inning Molina doubled with one out. Izturis came in to pinch run as Finley walked to make it 1st and 2nd. Parnell threw a sinker and Robb Quinlan blasted a one hopper to the slick fielding Billy Goodman at first, who turned a nifty 3-6-3 DP to crush the Angels chances in the 8th. The top of the 9th saw Al Zarilla hit a monster shot into the waterfall in center to make it 5-3. Reliever Esteban Yan yielded that clout with one out. Cabrera, Kennedy and Figgins went down easily in the bottom of the 9th as Mel Parnell went the distance to close out the series. The cruel fates of the baseball gods, which usually turn on the boys from Beantown did the exact opposite. Boston's manager was quoted after the contest as saying, "We really lucked out...we've been a resilient bunch all year, but this was a lot to ask of a team, yet somehow they were able to come through.

Angels manager D.Zaner was stunned. He said he would rather lose 8-0 than this way. The Orange County media immediately began second guessing him after the game for removing Byrd in favor of Shields. How fickle the press and the fans are. That same formula worked all season and this reporter is 100% sure that if he left Byrd in and he got bombed those same geniuses would be second guessing that move. All in all the Angels had a great comeback season, where they caught the Brewers on the final day of the season and one a nail biting play in game to even make the post season. A weary Boston team be taking the train to Philadelphia for the ALCS, which opens Saturday night.

ALDS: '32 A's Sweep '61 Tigers in 3

2009-07-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

[GAME 1 - Shibe Park - PHA 4, DET 3 - 10 inn] - A's up 1 game to 0
Lefty Grove and Jim Bunning were tasked with controlling two star studded lineups. Giving up 3 runs in regulation to either of these lineups is nothing to be ashamed of. Bunning tired and was replaced by Fox who yielded a walkoff homer to Al Simmons in the 10 with one out to put the A's up 1 game to 0 in this ALDS.

[GAME 2 - Shibe Park - PHA 5, DET 4] - A's up 2 games to 0
The second game was a bit more high scoring than the first, but again the results were the same. Philly was able to best Detroit by 1 run and go up 2 games to none in this best of 5 series. Both starters (Don Mossi - Det and Al Freitas - PHA) were barely pedestrian. Detroit tied the game at 4 apiece when Norm Cash singled home Jake Wood in the top of the 7th. Sadly for Motown, future HOF'er Al Kaline hit into a DP prior to Cash's at bat and took his squad out of the big inning. The Mackmen answered back with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning when their HOF'er, Jimmie Foxx, blasted one deep into the night. Detroit threatened in the 9th and ace Lefty Grove was called on to get 1 out and save the game. The loss put the Tigers on the brink of elimination.

GAME 3 - Tiger Stadium - PHA 2, DET 1] - A's win series 3 games to 0
For 5 innings Walberg (PHA) and Foytack (DET) dueled in the sun and did not allow a run. The 6th inning saw all the scoring on the day, when Rube Walberg led off the inning with a single. After McNair flew out to Bruton in center, Mule Haas walked to put runners on 1st and 2nd with oue out. Jimmie Foxx lined out to Boros at third and the Tigers looked to be out of it until Al Simmons struck again. Instead of a homer, Simmons doubled into the gap in left center to score both Walberg and Haas. Walberg was able to make both of those runs stand up as he led the A's to a victory and series sweep. Detroit scored their lone run in the bottom of the 6th, when Jake Wood led off the home half of the inning with a solo home run. Bill Bruton followed Wood's homer with a single, but never came around to score. Detroit threatened again in the 8th when pinch hitter Morton led off with a double, but the next two batters (Wood and Bruton) failed to advance him. Kaline walked in an obvious attempt to pitch around him, but Norm Cash...who had been oh, so clutch all season, fanned to end the inning. Walberg had little trouble with the Tigers in the 9th as he went the distance.

'Fraid-Knott...Halos tie up series, force Game 5

2009-07-28T08:12:00.000-07:00

[GAME 4 - Fenway Park - LAA 6, BOS 4] - Series tied 2 apiece.
Up 2 games to 1 and looking to close out the series on their home turf the Red Sox went to game 1 winner Ellis Kinder. The Halos countered with Bart Colon, who would be making his first appearance in the series. From the outset Kinder did not look sharp on short rest. The Angels struck first with 2 in the vistors half of the second. Darin Erstad doubled home Anderson and Izturis singled Erstad home with 2 outs. Juan Rivera's solo shot off of Kinder put the Angels up 3-0 in the 4th, but Boston posted 2 of their own that inning to make it 3-2. Doerr doubled home Williams, who again walked and advanced on a passed ball charged to Molina. Al Zarilla singled home Doerr, but could not score on Birdie Tebbetts 2 out blooper. Chone Figgins hit a solo shot with one out in the 5th to put the Halos back up by 2. Heading into the bottom of the 9th LA-Anaheim was up 6-2. A Dom DiMaggio solo shot and back to back doubles by Stephens and Doerr made it interesting, but K-Rod came on in the 9th to close it out and send the series back to the West Coast all knotted at 2 apiece with a decisive game 5 looming.

Will they ever Vern ? Boston goes up 2 games to 1

2009-07-28T08:10:00.000-07:00

[GAME 3 - Fenway Park - BOS 5, LAA 4] - Red Sox lead series 2-1
The Angels drew first blood in the opening stanza when Cabrera doubled and Garrett Anderson singled him home with a clutch two out knock off of Joe Dobson. Boston struck back with 2 in the second when Billy Goodman and Dom DiMaggio had clutch 2 out RBI singles as well. The Halos went up 3-2 by posting 2 in the 4th when Bengie Molina and Adam Kennedy had RBI singles. Not to be outdone the Bosox touched Angel starter John "hard luck" Lackey for 3 runs to take a 5-3 lead. Vern Stephens, who time and time again has had to hit after Williams has walked, had a 2 out single to plate Goodman and DiMaggio. Doerr followed it up with an RBI single to score Williams who was again intentionally passed. The Angels made it interesting by scoring a run in the 7th. Mel Parnell was brought on to get the final 2 outs in the 9th and he did just that by fanning Figgins and pinch hitter Jerry DaVanon.

O-Yeah ! - Angels tie series at 1 each

2009-07-28T08:08:00.001-07:00

[GAME 2 - Angel Stadium - LAA 7, BOS 3] - Series Tied 1-1
Red Sox starter Mel Parnell had nothing as the Angel offense came to life. Down 1-0 in the 4th the Angels posted all 7 of their runs in a 4 inning span. Starter Jarred Washburn kept his record unblemished as he went the distance and scattered 3 runs. Orlando Cabrera's 1 out triple knocked in 2 in the 5th to put the Angels on top and get the offense rolling. Cabrera was the catalyst in the 7th innning as well when he singled, stole second and scored on Chone Figgins triple.

Kinder-locked...Boston wins opener

2009-07-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

[GAME 1 - Angel Stadium - BOS 5, LAA 1] - Boston up 1-0
Ellis Kinder was tossing goose eggs until the Angels scored a solo run in the 7th. Paul Byrd was not as lucky as he yielded 4 of Boston's 5 runs. The Sawx scored 3 big runs in the 3rd and never looked back. Ted Williams was given and intentional pass with 2 outs to load the bases. Vern Stephens followed him with a line shot single to left to score Johnny Pesky and Billy Goodman. For good measure Bobby Doerr singled home Williams. Kinder went the distance to notch the win. Angels reliever Ervin Santana left the game with tightness in the shoulder after throwing only 5 pitches in the 7th.

Atlanta - Montreal Division Playoff Series

2009-07-27T21:02:00.001-07:00

Braves Ride Maddux Gem to 1-0 Series Lead over Expos

Greg Maddux went the distance scattering 7 hits over 9 innings earning a 2-1 win. Steve Rogers pitched a strong game as well, allowing only 2 runs, but was tagged with the loss. Larry Parrish opened the scoring with a solo homerun in the 2nd to give the visitors from the north an early lead. Atlanta tied the game in the bottom of the 3rd when Chipper Jones brought home Curtis Pride with a 2-out single. From there Maddux and Rogers locked horns keeping both teams off the scoreboard until the bottom of the 8th. Keith Lockhart lead of the inning with a double and Chipper was intentionally walked to set up a double play. Rogers did get a groundball to third base from Andres Galarraga but it was only hard enough to get the force at 2nd. With runners on the corners Javy Lopez stroked a singled scoring Lockhart and putting the Braves ahead 2-1. However, Montreal didn't go quietly in the 9th. With 1 out in the 9th Parrish came up again and singled, giving him 3 hits on the day. Maddux then finished off his performance getting Ellis Valentine to ground to shortstop. The home team turned the 6-4-3

DP to end the game and take a 1 game lead in the series.

Atlanta Wins 6-5 in 11 Innings, Takes 2-0 Series Lead

Tom Glavine and Bill "Spaceman" Lee squared off in Game 2 in Atlanta. Montreal tallied singled runs in the 1st and 2nd innings to take a 2-0 lead. The Braves answered with a run in the 3rd and 3 more in the 4th to take a 4-2 lead. Another run in the 6th pushed the home team to 5-2 lead. But with Glavine tiring in the 7th the Expos put runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out. Alan Embree then uncorked back-to-back wild pitches, the first one scoring Dave Cash from 3rd and moving Duffy Dyer from 2nd to 3rd, and the second bringing home Dyer to cut the Braves lead to 5-4. Larry Parrish led off the 8th with his 2nd HR in as many days and tying the game at

5-all. The game stayed tied until the 11th inning when Andruw Jones led off with a single but was quickly erased when he was caught stealing. The other Jones boy, Chipper, then sent the home team up 2 games to none with a solo homerun off of Elias Sosa. Kerry Ligtenberg got the

win in relief. Gerald Williams and Javy Lopez joined Jones and Parrish in the homerun column.

Expos Take Game 3 in 12 Innings, 4-3, Series Now at 2-1

The series moved north of the border and Montreal fought to 4-3 win, scoring with 2 out in the bottom of the 12th. Denny Neagle and Rudy May hooked up for 8 innings with both pitchers bringing good games to the ballpark. Each team scored once in the 2nd inning but just as with the first two games in the series both teams settled in and the score was tied 1-all going to the bottom of the 7th. The homestanding Expos got the crowd on it's feet when Andre Dawson singled to lead off the inning and then stole 2nd. With one out, Ellis Valentine laced a single into LF. Dawson rounded third but Gerald Williams threw a strike to Perez and nailed Hawk at the plate. With 2 out, Neagle looked like he might wriggle off the hook but Gary Carter turned on a pitch and deposited it in the LF seats to give the Expos a 3-1 lead. Woodie Fryman took over for May in the 9th and struck out Michael Tucker to lead off the inning but then walked Tony Graffanino. Javy Lopez was brought in to pinch hit for Neagle and drove a Fryman pitch into the seats to tie the game at 3-all. The 10 and 11th innings were scoreless with each team trading a couple of hits. In the bottom of the 12th the Braves defense let them down. Ozzie Guillen booted a Dawson groundball and Parrish then bunted him to 2nd. Valentine was intentionally passed to

set up the doubleplay. Gary Carter then struck out and with the Atlanta bullpen getting thin starter Kevin Millwood was brought in to face Tony Perez with 2 outs. Millwood was ineffective in the relief role, walking Perez to load the bases. Warren Cromartie then slapped a single through the infield to score Dawson and give the Expos the win. David Palmer got the win pitching 2 good innings in relief and Russ Springer was saddled with the loss.

Montreal Wins Game 4 Easily 9-1, Forces Game 5 in Atlanta

The hometown Expos got to Braves starter John Smoltz early and then posted a 5-spot in the 6th inning to cruise to a 9-1 victory. Jerry White led off the bottom of the 1st with a walk and two batters later Larry Parrish hit his 3rd homerun of the series to give Montreal an early 2-0 lead. Eddie Perez hit a solo homerun in the 2nd but that would be all the offense the

visiting Braves could muster. Most of the Expos lineup contributed in the 6th inning sending all nine men to the plate. The big blow was a bases loaded, 2 out triple from the bat of Ellis Valentine. After scoring 5 runs in the 6th the Expos added 2 more in the 7th. With a 9-1 lead after 7 innings everyone started preparing for the journey back to Atlanta for game 5. Dan Schatzeder got the win for Montreal pitching 6 innings, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts, 1 hit and 1 run. Smoltz was ineffective and took the loss giving up 7 earned runs in 6 innings.

Atlanta Squeaks by Expos 3-2 in Game 5 and Take Series

With 3 of the 4 games being 1-run affairs and the series finale featuring a rematch of game 1 starters, game 5 had the earmarks of a classic. It didn't disappoint. Greg Maddux took the hill for the Braves and Steve Rogers started for the Expos. Warren Cromartie lead off the game with a single and with one out the red hot Larry Parrish stepped to the plate. He quieted the hometown fans with a long drive into the leftfield seats for his 4th homer of the series, giving the Expos a 2-0 lead. The Atlanta bats were silent until the 3rd inning when Walt Weiss led off with a walk and light-hitting 2B Keith Lockhart tied the game with a 2-run homer. Maddux wasn't partularly sharp the first 4 innings, allowing 6 of his 7 hits, and loading the bases in the 4th before striking out his counterpart Rogers to escape any damage. In the bottom of the 4th Javy Lopez singled and Ryan Klesko, who has struggled all season, doubled to put runners on 2nd and 3rd. Andruw Jones grounded out to shortstop scoring Lopez on the fielders choice and giving the Braves a 3-2 lead. Rogers give up another single but struck out Maddux and retired Weiss on a comebacker to end the inning. Now with the lead Maddux was determined to make it stick. He set down 12 straight batters before none other than Parrish singled with 2 out in the 8th to break the streak. Mad Dog then struck out Carter to end the inning. The Braves however were having no better luck with Rogers. Mr. Rogers walked Klesko

to start the 8th and struck out Andruw Jones before giving way to Woodie Fryman. The Braves countered with pinch hitter Eddie Perez to face the left-hander but his grounder to SS and a 6-4-3 DP sent the game to the 9th with Atlanta holding a slim 3-2 lead. With relievers warming in the bullpen Maddux finished what he started, retiring Dawson, Perez, and Valentine, allowing the hometown fans to celebrate and the Atlanta manager a huge sigh of relief.

Greg Maddux earns MVP honors with 2 wins, 18 IP, 15 K and a 1.50 ERA. Larry Parrish recieves honorable mention batting .400 with 4 HR and 6 RBI. --submitted by Terry Priest--

KOD7 Regular Season MVP's

2009-07-27T15:14:00.000-07:00

KOD7 Post Season Award Winners

AL MVP - Ted Williams 1949 Boston Red Sox
AL Cy Young - Lefty Grove 1932 Philadelphia A's
NL Cy Young - Bill Lee 1979 Montreal Expos
NL MVP - Roy Campanella 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers

Play In Game: LAA 3, MIL 2

2009-07-24T20:27:00.000-07:00

Bill Travers and Bartolo Colon did not disappoint !

Innings 1-6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvZ4-jk7TcA

Innings 6-9: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKVM8m-KGGU

Video of Game 4: Brooklyn 2, San Fran 1

2009-07-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

Here is game for of Brooklyn vs San Fran

Brew Crew forces 1 game playoff with Halos.

2009-07-20T12:01:00.000-07:00

[GAME 1 - Comiskey Park - MIL 10, CHW 5]
The Brew crew needed to take a minimum of 3 games in this series to have any hopes at a post season birth. A 6 run 7th inning gave the Brew Crew a 10-0 lead that they would not relinquish, even though Chicago did manage to come back and score 5 runs over the last 3 innings to make it interesting. Milwaukee starter Lary Sorensen (6-3, 4.40) did his best Jack Morris impersonation by pitching to the level of his competition. Ben Oglivie hit his 10th homer of the season and Cecil Cooper went 4 for 5. White Sox starter Lamar Hoyt had his worst outing of the year giving up 6 runs in 4 innings of work.

[GAME 2 - Comiskey Park - CHW 10, MIL 9]
The "shootout in the south side" could have easily been the eptiath for Milwaukee's season. The Brew crew had a 3 run lead heading into the bottom of the 9th when reliever Bob Galasso decided to be philanthropic. After getting the first out in the inning starter Mike Caldwell gave way to Galasso in order to get the more promising right/lefty matchups. Galasso was only able to get 1 out before lead off hitter Rudy Law single home 2 runs to win it in walk off fashion. With this loss the Brew crew had no margin for error left and now had win the final 2 games of the series.

[GAME 3 - County Stadium - MIL 5, CHW 4]
The visitors from the south side of the windy city jumped out to a 3-0 lead off of Brewer starter Jim Slaton. Rudy Law picked right up where he left off the previous day by singling and stealing second to help manufacture the Chisox first run. Then in the second inning Law singled home Carlton Fisk and Harold Baines with 2 out to make it 3-0. Floyd Bannister was in a groove and Milwaukee's famed "wallbanger" lineup could not solve him until the 5th when they were able to scratch out a run when Paul Molitor singled home Don Money. Cecil Coopers room service 6-4-3 DP ended the inning and limited the damage to 1 run. Money knocked in Oglivie the following inning to make it 3-2, but Chicago boosted the margin back up to 2 when Law again struck. This time he worked out a walk, stole second and scored on a Todd Cruz single up the middle. With 6 outs to go the Brew Crew found themselves down by 2 facing a lefty who had their number. The bottom of the 8th would change all that. Oglive led off with a walk and was followed by a Sal Bando single. Both runners were bunted over to second by Sixto Lezcano who did it with 2 strikes against him. When Dick Davis fanned on 4 pitches the black could hanging over the Brewers head got even darker. Backup catcher Buck Martinez worked the count full and with the runners moving promptly singled to right to score them both and tie the game. Paul Molitor tripled off a rattled Bannister to put Milwaukee up 5-4. Slaton (6-2, 2.62) would complete the game and notch the victory in the 9th.

[GAME 4 - County Stadium - MIL 3, CHW 2]
Win and you're in. That's the task hanging over the Brewers head. Win this final game of season to force a 1 game playoff with the Angels. Milwaukee went with Moose Haas, who was 0-3, at the time, with the season hanging in the balance. Definitely a curious choice to say the least. Chicago started Jerry Koosman, who has the pedigree for these big games. For those who remember, Koosman was the winning pitcher back in 1969 in the World Series Clincher for the Miracle Mets. Simply put Kooz is a money pitcher. Could Haas be one too ??? There was no score until the bottom of the 4th when Cooper hit an opposite field single. Stormin' Gorman Thomas exchanged places with Cooper at first when he hit into a 4-6 force play. Up stepped Sixto Lezcano, who is arguably the Brewers and possibly the AL's MVP. Lezcano kills lefthanded pitching and Koosman would have been wise not to challenge him. Unfortunately for the Pale Hose Lezcano laced into Koosman's 2-0 offering and hit it deep into the left field bleachers to give the Brew Crew a 2-0 lead. Both teams exchanged runs in the 7th and with 1 out in the top of the 9th future HOF'er Carlton Fisk took Haas deep to make it 3-2. With Bill Castro warming up in the pen Haas summoned up his remaining strength and got Bernazard to ground back to the box. Pinch Hitter Jerry Hairston singled with 2 out, but Castro was not brought into the game. Moose Moose Haas was tasked with getting the tough Rudy Law out, and that is exactly what he did. Law attempted to go to the opposite field, but wound up grounding weakly to Bando at third to end the game. Milwaukee finished the season up a 21-17 and tied with the Angels for 1st. A 1 game playoff will be held to determine the divisional champ and who gets to go to the post season.

1941 St. Louis vs. 1977 Pittsburgh

2009-07-20T06:02:00.000-07:00

Sept 26 - Pittsburgh 6 St.Louis 2

The Pirates scored 3 times in the 7th and twice in the 9th to take the opener 6-2. RBI doubles by Frank Taveras and Al Oliver keyed the 7th inning scoring while Dave Parker's 2-run double in the 9th iced the win. John Candelaria improved to 6-2 while Lon Warneke fell to 2-5.

Sept 27 - St. Louis 5 Pittsburgh 2

Ernie White threw a complete game, holding the Pirates to 4 hits, as the Cardinals evened the series with a 5-2 win. Johnny Mize had 2 hits and 2 RBI for the Redbirds. White evened his record at 2-2 while Grant Jackson, making a spot start, earned his first decision at 0-1.

Sept 28 - Pittsburgh 8 St. Louis 1

Dave Parker went 4 for 5 with 3 RBI as the Pirates rolled to an 8-1 win. Jim Rooker threw 6 strong innings and went 2 for 2 with 2 runs scored. He maintained a blemish-free record of 7-0. Howie Pollet had a rough outing, allowing 14 hits and 8 runs over 5 innings. His mark dropped to 2-3.

Sept 29 - Pittsburgh 11 St. Louis 7

The Pirates scored 3 in the 4th and 4 in the 6th to take the finale 11-7. Phil Garner had 3 hits while Ed Ott drove in 3. Both starters, Johnny Beazley (5 IP, 5 R) and Terry Forster (4.1 IP, 5 R) struggled. But an error in the 6th opened the door for the Pirates' 3 runs and that was the difference. Kent Tekulve go the win to improve to 2-0 while Max Lanier took the loss to go 3-3.

Woodie or won't he ???

2009-07-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

[GAME 4 - Shea Stadium - Flushing, NY - MON 1, NYM 0]

After wild and wacky histrionics of game 3, the series finale treated us to a pitchers duel for the ages. The Mets went to their ace, Al Leiter (1-4, 3.33) and the Expos were forced into starting their #4 starter, Dan Schatzeder (5-0, 3.67). Leiter has pitched well all season, but has not received much in the way of run support from the Metropolitans. Schatzeder has pitched well beyond the expectations for a 4th starter and he's helped his cause each and every time out their with his .263 batting average. With the wind blowing in and the blinding sun of a perfect Sunday afternoon for baseball the fans were treated to a

duel in the sun. The first 4 innings were scoreless. Leiter looked dominant, and Schatzeder matched him frame for fram. The top of the 5th saw Ellis Valentine lead off with a bloop parachute single just over the outstretched arms of Edgardo Alfonzo at second. Carter followed with a slicing opposite field hit to put runners on 1st and 2nd with nobody out. Perez flew out to center and Dave Cash delivered an RBI single, which would turn out to be the only run scored on the day. Schatzeder followed that with a single of his own and the Expos looked to break this one open. Leiter would have nothing of it and fanned Scott on 3 pitches and got Cromartie to ground weekly back to the box. All in all Leiter went 8 stellar innings and gave up that lonely run in the 5th.

While Leiter was out there competing his offense looked to have already cashed in their chips and packed in the season. That was until the 8th when Dan Schatzeder, who gave up 1 hit on the day began to tire. After fanning Daryl Hamilton to lead off the inning he walked an aging Bobby Bo. That was it for him. What a fantastic day at the office. Now it was time for the Expo bullpen to finish it out. Stan Bahnsen came in and inspired little confidence by walking the light hitting Rey Ordonez to put runners on 1st

and 2nd without the benefit of a ht. Pinch hitter Benny Agbayani popped out to Scott at second for the second out. All Bahnsen needed to do was get Henderson, whom he walked to load the bases for the clutch hitting John Olerud. That was it for Bahnsen as lefty specialist Woodie Fryman came on to get Olerud to ground out to Scott at short to end the Mets threat in the 8th. Montreal went quietly in the 9th and Fryman went out to the mound to close the game out and ensure the sweep. Lefty RObin Ventura fought off a 3-2 slider for a clean single to right

to open the Mets half of the 9th. With the shaky Elias Sosa already warmed in the bulpen the Expos decieded to bypass on that drama and let Fryman have a go at it. Piazza popped out to Parrish at third for the first out. Alfonzo walked to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 1 out. McRae, who as pinch hitting for the lefty Hamilton flew out to Valentine on the warning track in right. Every fan was up off his or her seat thinking that one was "outta here", as Gary Cohen (met announcer) likes to say. With two out Bobby Bonilla grounded weakly back to the box and just like that it was over. Montreal completed the improbable sweep and virtually assured themselves a spot in the post season. They will now have to scoreboard watch to see what the division leading Pirates do in their series vs the Cardinals.

Parrish the thought !

2009-07-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

[GAME 3 - Shea Stadium - Flushing, NY - MON 7, NYM 4 - 12 inn]

After taking the first two games of the series at home in Montreal the Expos traveled 6 hours down I-87 to play 2 vs the lowly Mets in the blue toilet in Flushing. The Mets might have been eliminated from post season contention, but they were not about to hand over two easy wins to their guests from the Great White North. Mets manager Andy Weirib said, "I play these games to win. I could be asleep right now if I didn't care". True to his word Andy's Mets carried a 2-0 lead into the 6th. Met starter Orel Hershiser was flat out fooling the Expo batters who looked very tight, in the opinion of this "humble" reporter. Montreal starter Scott Sanderson wasn't doing too poorly either. He and catcher Gary Carter mixed up their signals in the bottom of the second and it cost them when Brian McRae stole home on the front half of a double steal. Carter inexcusably threw to second when he could have easily tagged McRae out at the plate.

Sanderson signaled to Carter to throw through, which he errantly did. Another sign that Andy's Mets came to play and the Expos were tighter than a drum in the Grambling marching band. In the bottom of the 5th the Mets struck again when Rickey Henderson doubled with one out and John Olerud singled him home with a clutch two out two strike hit. The Expos would finally getting into the scoring column in the top of the 6th. Sanderson led off with a single and wound up on second with two out when "the hawk", Andre Dawson, doubled off the 410 sign in straight away center to score him. Kid Carter flew out to end the inning, but the Expos were now on the board and down by only 1. The top of the 9th saw the Mets bring on their close Armando Benitez. His task was simple: close out the game and close out the Expos season. The Mets were relishing their role as spoiler.

Ellis Valentine led off the inning with a week foul pop up that Piazza caught right behind home plate. Armando Benitez was ringing up the juggs gun at around 98mph. Up stepped the slumping Larry Parrish, who had recently been demoted from the 3 spot to the 6th spot in the order.

Parrish, who had been hitting .246, hadn't had many hits this season. His next hit would be his biggest. Benitez blew two fastballs by him and immediately Parrish was in an 0-2 hole. With Met fans standing up and clapping with a two strike count (a local custom started by Yankee fans in 1978 with Ron Guidry), Benitez came with the gas. This time Parrish was waiting and as fast as it came in, that as fast as it left the ball park. When Benitez' 0-2 offering finally came to rest it was sitting in the back of the visitors bullpen in left field. Montreal had life. Benitez was removed from the game for failure to get the job done. The Mets went 3 up and 3 down in the bottom of the 9th and the game went into extra innings. After an uneventful 10th inning Montreal jumped all over the Mets 7th pitcher of the day, Greg McMichael. A combination of walks, wild pitches and missed fielding opportunities gave the Expos a 4-2 lead and the Mets were now down to their last 3 outs. To get those 3 outs Montreal went with their enigmatic closer, Elias Sosa. Olerud singled sharply to center to lead off the inning. Up stepped future HOF'er Mike Piazza. Two pitches later Mike crushed a Sosa breaking ball that still hasn't broken into the picnic area in left center field to tie the game. The Shea faithful called Mike out for a curtain call as "the apple" came up in celebration of the game tying clout. The top of the 12th saw the Expos rise back up again from

the dead and resurrect their dying season. Rodney Scott led off with a clean single off of Rigo Beltran, the 8th Met pitcher of the day. Curiously Andre Dawson was tasked with bunting. His effort was lackluster to say the least as the ball went right back to Beltran who easily pegged the speedy Scott out at second. Dawson must have felt like horsebleep for his lack of execution, but he made up for it by stealing second and advancing to third when Piazza's throw was airmailed into center. At this point the Expos had Valentine on third with one out and Carter up. Carter and then Valentine were both given intentional passes to create a force at every base. With the runners in motion the now hot Larry Parrish singled to the opposite field to plate all three runners and give the Expos a commanding 3 run lead. Sosa got 3 quiet outs in the bottom of the frame and the Expos stole themselves a win vs the Mets who battled them as if "their" pennant was on the line.

1932 Philly Athletics win 9 in a row clinch best record in baseball

2009-07-17T23:00:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how things can turn around in KOD. 9 games ago the Mack-men were 14-13 and fighting for their post season lives. 9 straight wins and they finish the season 25-13 and locked up the best record in KOD7 and HFA for the post season. Manager Howard Fortel was ecstatic at his post series press conference. He rode his ace Lefty Grove who fanned 14 Indians en route to victory. Fortel's A's swept both the Yankees and the Indians in consecutive series. The other side of the coin features the saga of the 1951 Cleveland Indians who only a few weeks ago had the best record in baseball. Cleveland's collapsed can be attributed to going 3-12 in their last 15 games. The Tribe finished the season at 19-19.

Boston clinches a post season birth

2009-07-17T17:44:00.000-07:00

[GAME 1 - Camden Yards - Baltimore, MD - BAL 2, BOS 1]

A combination of 4 Oriole pitchers stymied the vaunted Red Sox offense and take the first game of this all important AL East battle. Red Sox hurler Ellis Kinder went the distance, but needed to sue for non-support. The Orioles scored an unearned run in the first when Robby Alomar Singled to left and Teddy F-in Ballgame booted the ball. With 2 outs Palmeiro singled Alomar in. Boston tied it in the top of the 3rd when Bill Goodman doubled home Birdie Tebbetts. That would be all the scoring for the Bosox. The O's took the lead for good in the 5th when Chris Hoiles led off with a solo shot. Shawn Boskie pitched 2 scoreless innings for his 1st save of the season.

[GAME 2 - BOS 7, BAL 2 - 14 innings]

Don't let the score of this contest fool you. This game was an edge of your seat nail biter that went 14 full innings. Adding to the equation was an hour rain delay in the first and you have yourself a 5 hour contest. Both teams exchanged runs in the 4th. For Boston Bobby Doerr doubled home Ted Williams. For the O's Lenny Webster singled home Eric Davis, but Mel Parnell was able to get Mike Bordick out and leave the bases loaded. The hometown O's took a 2-1 lead in the 7th when the Iron Man, Cal Ripken, Jr. singled home Brady "sideburns" Anderson. Parnell again was able to wiggle out of a jame when he got Berroa to hit into a tailor made 6-4-3 DP. Baltimore squandered a chance to burry the Bosox, something they would live to regret. The resilient Red Sox fought back to tie it in the 8th when Dom DiMaggio singled with 1 out and stole second. Williams flew out to center and the O's looked to be out of the inning, but reliever "Messy" Jesse Orosco walked Vern Stephens and Bobby Doerr seized the moment by singling up the middle to score Dommie. And so the saga of endless goose eggs began. For 5 consecutive innings neither team could score. Frank Quinn was spot on clutch throwing 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief after Parnell exited with 2 outs in the

9th. Mills, Boskie and Williams matched Quinn's efforts for the O's. Quinn was adept at getting out of jam after jam until Tex Hughson replaced him in the 13th. The bottom of the 14th would be Baltimore's undoing as Esteban Yan fooled no one, except for the GM who inked his contract.

In just 1 inning of work Yan yielded 5 runs on 3 hits and made this classic look like a laugher. Johnny Pesky led off with a single. Billy Hitchcock walked and Dom DiMaggio doubled home Pesky. Yan pitched around Williams and walked him on 4 pitches to load the bases for Vern Stephens who hit a ball that is still in orbit somewhere deep inside the asteroid belt. Just like that Hughson had a 5 run lead to defend in the bottom of the 14th. Palmeiro and Tarasco led off the home half of the inning with singles, but Hughson was able to get Bordick to hit into a DP. Alomar lined out to Hitchcock at first to end this marathon.

[GAME 3 - Fenway Park - Boston, MA - BOS 6, BAL 0]

Chuck Stobbs scattered 9 hits in this complete game shutout that was never easy. Stobbs was in and out of trouble all afternoon, but managed to make the big pitch when he needed to. Baltimore's ace, Mike Mussina started and gave 7 solid innings, but left on the short side of a 2-0 score. Allan Millis came on in relief and gave up 4 runs in less than an inning's worth of work. Ted Williams looked to be in MVP form as he crushed his 13th and 14th homers of the season and increased his average to .344. Aaron Ledesma went 3 for 4 for in a losing effort. The top 4 hitters in Boston's lineup (Pesky, Goodman, DiMaggio and Williams) are all hitting over .330.

[GAME 4 - BOS 7, BAL 5]

After finding out that the Tigers swept their series vs the Bombers, Boston knew they had to win this game to keep their divisional title hopes alive. Mickey McDermott was tapped to take the hill for the Bosox and Baltimore, who was now officially eliminated, elected to go with Scott Kamieniecki. The O's came right out of the shoot and posted 2 runs in the top of the 1st off of McDermott, who walked 3 of the first 4 batters he faced. To say the young lad was nervous, would be an understatement. In fact McDermott walked 9 batters on the day and even had an error in the field. Thankfully Mike Bordick hit into a DP to end the first or the damage could have been much worse. To say that Red Sox Nation was a bit beside themselves would be an understatement. Their nerves would be soothed once the home half of the opening stanza ended. Pesky led off with a bunt single and was bunted over to second by Goodman. DiMaggio singled to make it 1st and third with one out. Up stepped Ted Williams, who shockingly fanned on a Kamieniecki change up. That left it up to Vern Stephens who has been a clutch performer all year. Stephens, who's average has hovered in the .230's delivered a 2 run double off the green monstah. For good measure Bobby Doerr followed Stephens with an RBI single to put Boston up 3-2. The score would stay that way until the top of

the 4th when Baltimore struck for 2 runs to go up 4-3. It all started with a throwing error my McDermott that allowed Bordick to reach base. Hoiles walked to make it 1st and 2nd and Kamieniecki bunted both of them up to 2nd and 3rd. Ladesma grounded out to score Bordick and tie the game at 3. Another McDermott walk put Eric Davis on base and that allowed Cal to single Hoiles home. Jeffrey Hammonds hit a line shot that Doerr had to lay out for to save the inning and strand 2 runners. The bottom of the 5th was a huge frame for the Bosox as the lit the scoreboard up with a 3 spot. Goodman led off with a single and Dom DiMaggio hit a 2 run shot over the Green Monstah. Tebbetts later singled home Bobby Doerr to make it 6-4. Both teams

exchanged runs in the 6th and that's how the scoring would end. The action, however, did not end there. T wild and crazy McDermott kept flirting with danger, especially in the 8th when a Jerome Walton double play ball was able to erase another Baltimore threat. Ellis Kinder came on in the 9th to notch his third save of the season and ensure that Boston will at least qualify for the post season. Pending the outcome of the Cleveland / Philadelphia series, Red Sox nation will sit back and wait to see if they win the AL East.

One small step for Lee, on giant leap for Montreal

2009-07-15T08:30:00.001-07:00

[9/27 Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada]

[GAME 2 - MON 3, NYM 0]

After a huge emotional comeback win in game 1 the Expos rested their hopes on their ace Bill "the Spaceman" Lee in Game 2. They would not be disappointed. Lee (7-1, 1.19) would throw almost 7 innings of shutout ball before giving way to lefty closer Woodie Fryman, who would notch a 2+ inning save. Montreal didn't wait for late inning heroics this time by striking quickly for 2 runs in the home half of the first off of Met starter Rick Reed (2-2, 3.27). Warren Cromartie led off with a slicing opposite field double that Rickey Henderson kind of loafed after. Once Henderson retrieved the ball he chose to make no throw into second. Reed fanned Tony Bernazard, who was making his first start of the year after being called up on September 1st. Larry Parrish, who has really been slumping of late stepped up and crushed Reed's second pitch over the fence for a 2 run shot. Neither Reed or Henderson, the left fielder, bothered to turn around or move. Parrish's shot was of the tape measure variety

and just like that the Expos had a 2-0 lead.

Montreal would again score in the 4th when the aforementioned

Bernazard was able to redeem himself with a bases loaded single to score Ellis Valentine who walked to lead off the inning. To his credit Reed was able to buckle up his chinstrap and get two dangerous hitters (Parrish and Carter) to make out and end Montreal's threat to break the game wide open. Reed went the distance and only yielded 3 runs, but on a day like this where his offensive support was no existent that type of performance would not be enough. New York managed just 5 hits off of Lee who has a knack for flirting with danger and just barely escaping. By all estimations Lee did not have his best stuff, but he found a way to keep his team's hopes alive in what looks like a Cy Young season for him (shameless plug for the voters, LOL !).

"Doggie", Dog World !

2009-07-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

[9/26 - Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada]

[GAME 1 - MON 3, NYM 2 - 10 inn]

The Expos are knee deep in a dogfight for their post season lives and the Mets are virtually playing out the string. You would never have know that from watching this contest, which had a playoff type atmosphere. New York tapped Masato Yoshii to start. Yoshii is coming off a great winning performance in his last outing vs the Cubs and looked to be up to the task. Montreal went with their enigmatic ace, Steve Rogers, who only has 1 win on the season. New York struck first by scoring a run in the third when Edgardo Alfonzo belted his 8th homer of the season. Both Rogers and Yoshii would continue to post goose eggs on the board until the Mets again scored in the top of the 7th off of Rogers. Mike Piazza led off with an opposite field single. Robin Ventura followed with a hit of his own to put two slow runners on 1st and 2nd with nobody out. Judging by his past performances, this looked to be the time where Rogers would melt down again. Brian McRae came up to the plate with one thought in mind: bunt those two immobile guys up. McRae was able to get Piazza to third, but the slow footed Ventura was forced at second. The speedy Roger Cedeno stepped up with runners at the corner

s and 1 out. Rogers got him in the hole at 0-2 and Cedeno did a great job just putting the next pitch in play by hitting a slow roller to Rodney Scott at second. Scott hesitated for a mili-second before he decided to go for the DP and not for Piazza at the plate. That bit of hesitation cost him as Speier's throw to first was a step too late to get Cedeno.

New York was now up 2-0 and a dark cloud was hanging over Montreal's season. Expo catcher Gary Carter called a pitch out and Cedeno was nailed trying to steal second. Rogers didn't melt down and the Expos still had a chance. That chance would manifest itself in

the bottom of the inning when Scott attoned for his fielding faux pas by dragging a bunt past Masato Yoshii and hustling to beat it out. Larry Parrish followed by giving Yoshii's 1-0 offering a ride that Cedeno barely tracked down along the fence. Yoshii turned his attention to getting the dangerous Gary Carter and Rodney Scott saw that opening to swipe second and get into scoring position. On the next pitch Carter hit a shot that McRae barely kept in the ballpark. Scott easily tagged and went to third. All Yoshii needed to do was get Andre Dawson...and he did. Masato Yoshii was able to breathe a sigh of relief after tossing 7 innings of shutout ball. For all intents and purposes he believed his day was done. That was not to be the case as Yoshii was called on to bat and bunt in the top of the 8th after Rey Ordonez single. Some nifty fielding by Carter prevented Ordonez from reaching third on a bunt attempt and a nice peg to second nailed Rickey Henderson who had larceny in his heart. With time running out and down to their last 6 outs the Expos looked to Ellis Valentine to lead off the home half of the 8th. Yoshii jammed Valentine and Rey Ordonez easily caught the pop up for the first out of the inning. Up stepped the veteran leader on this club, Tony Perez. "Doggie", as he was affectionately known during his hey day with the Big Red Machine jumped on Yoshii's second pithc and hit it 356 feet and into the left field pavillion to cut the Met lead to 2-1. That swing also ended Yoshii's day as Turk Wendell was summoned to replace him. Wendell jammed Chris Speier, who hit a slow roller to Alfonzo at second. "Fonzie" couldn't transfer the ball cleanly from glove to hand and Speier was aboard with one out. Up stepped Le Grande Orange, Rusty Staub, who is tied so emotionally to the history of both these franchises. Staub is the only man to have recorded 500 hits for 4 different franchises...two of which were the Mets and Expos. Staub's appearance meant the end of Wendell's day. Turk face one batter and did a great job by jamming him, but this crazy game of baseball sometimes punishes those who do the right thing. Speier also departed for pich runner Jim Mason who is a bit more fleet of foot. Brooklyn native and lifetime Met fan John Franco came aboard to match lefty vs lefty against Staub, who worked the count from 1-2 back to 3-2 and eventually walked. Immediately upon touching 1st Staub was pinch run for by late season call up Tim Raines. With runners on 1st and 2nd Franco faced his second lefty in a row, Warren Cromartie. Quicker than you can bat an eyelash Cromartie was deep in a 1-2 hole. Franco's next offering was a bit inside, but Cromartie pulled in his hands and lined it just past the outstretched arms of Alfonzo. Mason scored and just like that the game was now tied at 2.

The top of the 9th saw the appearance of Expo closer Elias Sosa, who has not been having a banner season. After getting the first out he walked Alfonzo on 4 pitches. Robin Ventura followed with a line drive single to right that put runners at the corners with 1 out. Montreal was now in deep trouble as they pulled the infield in to pitch to McRae who lined Sosa's 1-2 offering to Mason at short. Mason thought quick and fired home to Carter, who tagged Alfonzo and then fired back to first to nip McRae who really didn't hustle down the line. Dennis Cook easily dispatched of the Expos in the bottom of the 9th to force extra frames. Roger Cedeno led off the top of the 10th with a single and promptly stole second for his 11th theft of the season. Ordonez bunted Cedeno over to third. Again the Expos were forced to draw their infield in and again a Met (this time it was Benny Agbayani) hit one to Mason at short, who looked Cedeno back at third and threw on to first for the second out of the inning. Henderson came up with 2 outs and weakly grounded to Parrish at third. Sosa escaped his second consecutive jam. Josias Manznillo started the bottom of the 10th for the Mets. He would not record an out. Tony Perez came to the rescue again and sent Manzanillo's 2nd pitch deep into the night for a walk off homer as the Expos rallied to keep their post season aspirations alive.

KOD7 - Week 10 - Angels/Brewers

2009-07-14T08:26:00.001-07:00

Lucky 7s - Angels take 3 of 4 from Brew Crew to take 1 game AL West lead

[Game 1 - September 21 - Angels 7, Brewers 0]

Spot starter Kelvim Escobar tossed a complete game, 3-hit shutout. Juan Rivera went 3-4 with 2HRs and 4 RBIs, and Dallas McPherson also HRed, as the Angels scored 5 times in the bottom of the 3rd and never looked back. The 3 HRs were made the more remarkable because the the Angels had only HRed 11 times as a team through the first 30 games. Lary Sorensen went the distance for the Brewers despite yielding 17 hits and 7 earned runs.

[Game 2 - September 22 - Angels 7, Brewers 3]

Angels rallied from a 3-1 deficit to take Game 2. Vlad Guerrero put Anaheim up 1-0 with an RBI single in the bottom of the 1st. Brewers tied it on a Cecil Cooper sac fly in the 3rd, and then took the lead on a Sal Bando 2-run HR. But the Halos retook the lead in the bottom of the 3rd on an error, a walk, a single, and 3 straight fielder's choices, plating 3 runs. Three more runs on a walk and 4 singles in the 7th put the game away, as Jerrod Washburn settled down to prevent Milwaukee from scoring after the 3rd. Scot Shields and Brendon Donnelly provided 3 innings of scoreless relief. With the win, Washburn improved to 5-0. Mike Caldwell (5-3) took the loss for the Brewers.

[Game 3 - September 23 - Brewers 7, Angels 1]

Jim Slaton (5-2) needed only 80 pitches to achieve a 6 hit, 1 walk complete game. His only mistake was a Vlad Guerrero solo HR in the top of the 1st inning. Afterwards, only 2 other Angel base runners even reached scoring position. Meanwhile, the Brew Crew scored in 4 of the first 5 innings behind HRs by Ben Oglivie and Gorman Thomas, and were in control the whole game. Losing pitcher John Lackey (1-5) was touched for 6 earned runs and lasted only 5 innings.

[Game 4 - September 24 - Angels 7, Brewers 3]

With both teams tied for the AL West division lead with identical 18-15 records, this game took on extra importance. Starters Paul Bird and Bill Travers did their jobs keeping the game close for 8 innings. Adam Kennedy's RBI single gave Anaheim a 1-0 lead in the top of the 4th. But Milwaukee answered with 2 in the bottom of the 5th on a Robin Yount single and a Ben Oglivie double. The score remained 2-1 Brewers going to the top of the 9th with the game handed over to the bullpens. With one out, Orlando Cabrera tied the game with a single, as Steve Finley barely managed to slide under catcher Ray Fosse's glove. But the next two Angels walked to load the bases for Vlad Guerrero. Vladdy then broke the back and spirit of the home crowd faithful with a grand slam off Bob McClure to give Anaheim a 4-run cushion. It was only his 3rd of the season. But it couldn't have come at a better time for the Angels, who wnet on to a 7-3 victory. The win went to Scot Shield (5-0), while Jerry Augustine (0-1) took the loss.

With the series win, Anaheim took a 1-game division lead heading into the last series of the regular season.

Week #10 TWIB Notes

2009-07-13T17:11:00.000-07:00

Here's what is going on around the league this past week:

51 Cleveland Beats 49 Boston 11-3, 2 HRs For Al Rosen

Boston took 3 of 4 from the Indians

Rudy May Whitewashes 77 Pittsburgh 3-0
Pittsburgh took 3 of 4 from Montreal
Jamie Moyer Blanks 83 Chicago (A) 4-0
Mariners sweep Chisox
97 Baltimore Beats 61 Detroit 6-3, 2 HRs For B.J. Surhoff
62 Cincinnati Pounds 91 San Diego 13-2, 2 HRs For Gordy Coleman
08 Chicago (N) Beats 99 New York(N) 6-4 in 15 on Aramis Ramirez HR
Mets take 3 of 4 from Cubs all games were w/in 2 runs
Sean Bergman Blanks 51 Brooklyn 5-0
77 Philadelphia Beats 41 St. Louis 5-3, Steve Carlton Ks 10
Philly took 3 of 4 from STL
Kelvim Escobar,K Blanks 79 Milwaukee 7-0, 2 HRs For Juan Rivera
Angels took 3 of 4 from Brew Crew to take 1 game lead in div
32 Philadelphia Edges 97 New York(A) 6-5, 2 HRs For Al Simmons
32 Philadelphia Over 97 New York(A) 5-3, 2 HRs For Jimmie Foxx
The "Mack Men" swept the Evil Empire to move into 1st by 1 game.

Mets outlast Cubs in tight series

2009-07-11T12:59:00.000-07:00

Series: 9/21 - 9/22 at Shea Stadium in Flushing, NY & 9/23 - 9/24 at Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL

[GAME 1 - Cubs 6, Mets 4 - 15 inn]

Masto Yoshii pitched 10 innings, but wasn't around to figure into the decision when this war of attrition ended in the 15th. Chicago was up 2-0 when the Mets scored 3 in the 6th to take a short lived lead as the Cubs notched 2 off of Yoshii in the 7th. All looked good for the Cubbies until Sean Marshall yielded a blast that sailed into the left center picnic area by Benny Agbayani. As "the apple went up Met fans felt confident they were going to get more. Unfortunately for the hometow faithful the Cub's relievers would shut them out for the next 7 innings. The Cubs scored 2 in the top of the 15th when Derek Lee singled with 2 out off of Dennis Cook and Aramis Ramirez hit a 2 run shot that wound up in nearly the same place as Agbayani's. Kerry Wood came on to pitch a scoreless bottom of the 15th to notch his 5th save of the year. Cub starter Jason Marquis, who is from Staten Island, returned home to pitch

in front of family and friends, but wound up being a spectator himself for the extra frames.

[GAME 2 - Mets 4, Cubs 1]

Matt Franco with a rare start in center hit a 2 run shot off of Cub starter Rich Harden in the second to give the Metsies a 2-0 lead. The Cubs would halve that with a solo run in the 4th as Alfonso Soriano took Met starter Reed (2-1, 3.24) deep to left. Reed would go 7 before yielding to Johnny "Tightrope" Franco and Armando Benitez. Both of whom threw scoreless innings to thwart the Cub effort. New York scored a much needed insurance run in the 7th when pinch hitter Todd Pratt singled home Matt Franco. Benitez notched his 5th save of the campaign.

[GAME 3 - Mets 6, Cubs 5]

Cub fans will call this game, "the one that got away". Down 5-0 to the Mets after 5 innings the Cubbies rallied to tie it and force extra innings. New York's Orel Hershiser gave his team a professional outing and left with a 5-1 lead after 6 innings of work. Allen Watson, Turk Wendell and Johnny Franco conspired to undo Orel's work. Chicago's ace, Ryan Dempster, was more like Ryan Dumpster as he yielded 5 in 5 innings of ineffective work. The Cub pen did a fantastic job holding down the fort until Howry gave up the winning run in the 10th when Edgardo Alfonzo doubled home John Olerud all the way from first. Benitez

came on in the bottom of the inning to notch his 6th save.

[GAME 4 - Mets 6, Cubs 5]

Al Leiter vs Carlos Zambrano and a 15 mph headwind shaped up to promise us a pitcher's duel. We would see nothing of the sort with 10 runs being scored in the contest. The Mets struck first with 1 in the second and 2 in the 3rd to jump out to a 3-0 lead. Alfonzo had a solo shot in the 2nd and Mike Piazza (3 RBI's) singled home 2 in the 3rd. The Cubs tied it up with 1 in the third and 2 in the fourth as Leiter was extremely wild (4 walks and a wild pitch). The top of the 7th would be Zambrano's (1-8, 4.97) final inning of work and also find him entering the short side of the ledger thanks to 2 of his own errors and a Mike Piazza RBI double. Robin Ventura led off the 8th with a solo shot to make it 6-4. By this point Leiter (1-3, 3.72) settled down and mastered his control en route to a complete game victory.

Phil-a'ed !!!

2009-07-11T12:10:00.000-07:00

New Phillies manager Mike Hopcroft did a fine job in piloting the Phillies to three wins in four games against the Cardinals, effectively ending the midwesterners post season dreams.

Ironically the only game St. Louis managed to win was one in which they gave up 8 runs in one inning, yet never scored more than 3 in any one inning of their own. That was game two, a wild affair that featured 26 runs, 33 hits, and 14 walks. The Cardinals shot out to a 6-1 lead, but then suffered through that 8 run inning and found themselves down 9-6. They then immediately put together one of their 3 run innings (they did this three times in the game, to tie it 9-9 in the sixth.

The game ended in a football-type score of 14-12. Mike Schmidt hit a grand slam for Philadelphia, while Johnny Hopp ( a boyhood friend of my dad's by the way) had 5 hits for St. Louis. That is the wildest game I've ever been involved in in KOD history. --submitted by Bike Mike - 41 Cardinals--

79 Montreal vs 77 Pittsburgh

2009-07-08T06:55:00.001-07:00

Sept 21 - Pirates 5, Expos 1

John Candelaria held the Expos scoreless until the 8th and finished with a 5-hit, complete game win, 5-1. Bill Robinson hit 2 doubles and a home run, and drove in 3 runs for Pittsburgh. Steve Rogers took the loss and fell to 1-6. Candelaria improved to 5-2.

Sept 22 - Pirates 10, Expos 4

Pittsburgh took a 2-0 lead in the first as Bill Lee and Jim Rooker locked up through 4 1/2 innings. The Pirates added

another run in the 5th when Rooker led off with a single, moved to 2nd on a bunt, to 3rd on a Garner single, then home on a ground out. Then Montreal imploded in the 6th. Four errors, a pair of singles, and a bases loaded walk resulted in 3 more Pirate runs and it was 6-0. It just got worse in the 7th when Pittsburgh added four more off Stan Bahnsen to go up 10-0. The Expos finally scored in the 8th, 4 runs, to make the final 10-4. Rooker (6-0) pitched 7 innings of 1-hit ball before leaving with the 10 run lead. Dave Parker had 1 hit but drove in four runs (one each on a sac fly and a walk). Bill Lee took his first loss of the season (6-1).

Sept 23 - Pirates 5, Expos 4

The Bucs make it 3 in a row with single runs in the 7th and 8th innings to go up 3 games to none and take a 3-game lead in the East. Pittsburgh took a 3-1 lead on solo HR by Al Oliver, Jim Fregosi, and Phil Garner. Then Dan Schatzeder settled down and pitched through the 6th inning. Meanwhile, bottom of the 4th, Warren Cromartie's 2-run double tied the game at 3, and then in the 5th Larry Parrish' solo HR made it 4-3 Expos. It stayed that way until the 7th when Frank Taveras singled, stole 2nd, then scored on Dave Parker's single to tie the game at 4. In the 8th, Ed Ott doubled, and with 2 out, Ken Macha singled in Ott to put the Pirates up 5-4. Bottom of the 9th, Gossage gave up a lead off single to Warren Cromartie. A bunt attempt failed as the Pirates got

Cromartie at 2nd. Rodney Scott tried to steal 2nd but was thrown out. Then Gossage fanned Parrish to end the game, 5-4. Kent Tekulve got the win (1-0) wihile Gossage got the save (7). David Palmer took the loss (1-1).

Sept 24 - Expos 3, Pirates 0

The Expos salvaged their hopes behind Rudy May's complete game shutout, winning 3-0. May scattered 7 hits but walked just 1. Gary Carter homered for the Expos. Rodney Scott and Andre Dawson also drove in runs. May improved to 3-0 while Jerry Reuss fell to 3-5.

--submitted by Jesse Elicker--

Who's the BOS ? Red Sox take 3 of 4 from Tribe

2009-07-06T18:54:00.000-07:00

[GAME 1 - Fenway Park - BOS 11, CLE 5]

Boston fired the opening salvo in this best of 4 game set to move into a tie for first with the Indians. Cleveland jumped out to an early lead by tagging Boston starter Ellis Kinder (4-4, 4.84) for 3 runs in the first. Larry Doby hit a 2 run shot and Dale Mitchell followe it up 2 batters later with a solo blast of his own. Cleveland starter Early Wynn (5-2, 3.24) was uncharacteristically wild and the Red Sox chipped away to tie it at 3 after 2. In the top of the 5th the Tribe took a 2 run lead off a Luke Easter 2 run homer. Boston brought it back to within 1 when Vern Stephens doubled home Ted Williams. The bottom of the 6th saw Wynn's exit as the floodgates opened and the Bosox posted 6 runs to take a 5 run lead. Boston added another insurance run in the 8th as Kinder shutout the Tribe for

the final 4 to notch the win.

[GAME 2 - Fenway Park - CLE 11, BOS 3]

Cleveland struck back by posting 11 runs of their own as Chuck Stobbs (3-1, 4.34) was chased

from the hill after 5 innings of poor work. Steve Gromek was masterful until he yielded 2 harmless runs in the 8th. Luke Easter went 4 for 4 and scored 4 runs. Al Rosen had 2 homers and 3 RBI's. Gromek went the distance, while Boston had to rely of 3 relievers to limp to the games conclusion. The Indians were now back in 1st by a

game.

[GAME 3 - Municipal Stadium - BOS 7, CLE 2]

Both starters in this game were in and out of trouble. The difference was Mel Parnell (6-2, 2.63) found ways to "weasel" out of it and Bob Lemon just couldn't escape. The Indians jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second, when Jim Hegan hit a two run shot right after Kenney singled. Boston

followed it up by scoring 4 in the 4th and 3 in the 6th to put it out of reach. The big hit in the 4th was a bases clearing double by Bobby Doerr. In the 6th Al Zarilla hit a monster 3 run shot just inside of the Pesky poll to make it 7 to 2. The Bosox never looked back and both teams were now tied for 1st.

[GAME 4 - Municipal Stadium - BOS 7, CLE 2]

Indians manager Rousel Glaciano commented before game 3, "Its a good thing these teams hit a lot of homers...it sure makes the games go fast". Rousel sure got that right. These teams live and die by the long ball. The series finale would be no exception as the long ball bats of Ted Williams (12 HR) and Al Zarilla (7) carried the day once again. Boston struck first with 2 in the first. Johnny Pesky led off with a triple and scored when Ray Boone booted Billy Goodman's grounder to short. Dom DiMaggio and Ted Williams both reach base to load them up for Vern Stephens who hit into a run scoring double play. Cleveland starter Mike Garcia looked to dodge a huge bullet by only giving up 2 runs in this situation. The Tribe halved Boston's lead to 2-1 when Bobby Avila singled home Ray Boone. The run was not charged to Boston starter Joe Dobson, because 2 batters earlier Johnny Pesky booted a routine grounder. Boston score in the 4th and the 5th via solo homers. Dobson was

cruising until the 8th when Cleveland caught fire. Catcher Birdie Tebbetts led off with a single. Two batters later Ray Boone had a single of his own to put runners on first and second. Minnie Minoso came up to pinch hit and slugged a 2 run double. With the tying run on second and only 1 out Dobson received a visit from his manager who informed him that this would be his last inning of work either way, so he might as well let it all hang out there. Dobson intentionally walked Avila

to create a force play at any base. With a slow runner at the plate, in the body of one Al Rosen, the Red Sox were looking for the double play. Instead the got a nice 6-4 force play, which put runners on the corners with 2 outs. Knowing that this was it Dobson reared back and fanned Larry Doby to end the Indian rally and his day. In the top of the 9th Boston added a much needed insurance run when DiMaggio singled home Dobson, who for some strange reason was actually allowed to hit for himself. Dom DiMaggio again came through with a 2 out clutch hit. True to his word, the Red Sox manager pulled Dobson in favor of Ellis Kinder, who was charged with closing the game out. Kinder fanned Easter, got Mitchell to pop to Doerr at second and fanned Tebbetts for the final out of the game. By taking 3 of 4 Boston took a 1 game lead over Cleveland in this hotly contested AL East Pennant chase.

No Hitters and Cycle Page...

2009-07-06T14:19:00.000-07:00

http://www.distantreplay.org/MLB/KODHistory/SpecRecords/SpecialRecords.htm

I'll eventually link it to the website, but I figured I'd post it for you all to see. I'll also post it to the Action Forum.

KOD No Hitters

Season	Pitcher	Team	Manager	Opponent	Box
KOD1	Mickey Lolich	68-DET	Bill Keller	62-LAD	3-0
KOD1	Sid Fernandez	86-NYM	Andy Weinrib	77-NYY	1-0
KOD2	Mike Norris	80-OAK	Marc Weiss	88-MIN	1-0*
KOD3	Gerry Staley	49-STL	Mike Roberts	07-SD	7-0
KOD3	Vic Aldridge	27-PIT	Scott Dyer	93-PHI	10-0
KOD6	Jason Isringhausen	95-NYM	Andy Weinrib	79-LAD	8-0
KOD7	Ryan Dempster	08-CUB	Mark Angle	79-MON	5-0
	*-perfect	game


Lolich	Fernandez	Norris	Staley

Aldridge	Isringhausen	Dempster

KOD Cycles

Season	Batter	Team	Manager	Opponent	Box
KOD4	Ken Keltner	48-CLE	Steve Tate	85-KC	21-3
KOD4	Greg Luzinski	78-PHI	Gary Bringhurst	74-PIT	37-1
KOD4	Tony Oliva	67-MIN	Marvin Sik	85-KC	6-5
KOD6	Richie Zisk	73-PIT	Jesse Elicker	96-CUB	11-9


Keltner	Luzinski	Oliva	Zisk

KOD Special Single Game Records

19 Strikeouts in a game - Roger Clemens (KOD6) - 85-BOS vs 98-SEA (Paul Johnson -mgr)

7 hits in a game - Paul O'Neill (KOD2) - 93-NYY vs 88-MIN (Eddie Mikhli - mgr)

4 errors in a game - Robin Yount (KOD7)- 79-MIL vs 75-OAK (Greg Marcucci - mgr)

4 home runs in a game - Jason Giambi (KOD5) - 02-NYY vs 03-BOS (Eddie Mikhli - mgr)


Clemens	O'Neill	Yount	Giambi

KOD7: Week #9 TWIB Notes

2009-07-05T16:55:00.000-07:00

- The AL East is tighter than a drum ! All 6 teams are separated by only 2 games. With 8 games left to go it's anybody's division ! The final 8 games are intra-divisional, so anything can happen !

- The '05 Angels will square off against the '79 Brewers in a battle for 1st place. Milwaukee has a tenuous 1 game lead in the AL West at press time.

- Pittsburgh and Montreal are tied atop the NL East. The Elicker/Weiss rivalry is back on. Whomever takes 3 of 4 will have the inside track to the division.

- 98 Atlanta Edges 99 New York(N) 4-3 in 17, Galarraga With 2

- Denny Neagle Blanks 99 New York(N) 2-0

- 32 Philadelphia Upends 01 Seattle 8-3, George Earnshaw Whiffs 10

- 97 Baltimore (Mussina / Myers) Blanks 05 LA-Anaheim 3-0

- 93 San Fran (Swift / Beck) Blanks 77 Pittsburgh 3-0

- 77 Pittsburgh Beats 93 San Fran 7-3, 2 HRs For Phil Garner

- 51 Cleveland Nips 75 Oakland 6-5, Mike Garcia Whiffs 11

- 79 Montreal Edges 62 Cincinnati 6-5, Tony "Doggie" Perez With 2 HRs

- 62 Cincinnati Pounds 79 Montreal 13-2, Frank Robinson Belts 2 HR's

Boston strangles Pale Hose

2009-06-30T11:54:00.000-07:00

GAME 1 (Comiskey Park) CHW 2, BOS 1:

Ellis Kinder finally pitched like an ace for Boston, but Richard Dotson outsuited him in this rare classic pitcher's duel. Kinder went the distance (8 IP) and gave up 2 run, but Dotson was 1 run better. Salome Barojas came on to get the final out and notch his 5th save of the season. Both of Chicago's runs came off the bat of Greg Luzinski who hit a 2 run shot in the bottom of the 4th for his 9th of the year. Boston threatened with 1 out in the 9th when Birdie Tebbetts single. That threat was ended when he got caught stealing 1 batter later as Carlton Fisk made a perfect throw to second to nail his opposing number.

GAME 2 (Comiskey Park) BOS 17, CHW 2:

The Bosox scored early and often in this contest that more resembled a

professional football game than Major League Baseball. Lost in the shuffle was the

fact that Joe Dobson (5-2) gave up just 1 run in 8 innings of work. Once Dobson lost his shutout Denny Galehouse was brought on to finish it out. Every Red Sox stater had a hit. O'Brien, Pesky and Stevens each had 3. Billy Goodman knocked in 4 runs as did Birdie Tebbetts. Chisox starter, Floyd Bannister, gave up 7 runs on 10 hits in less than 3 innings of work. Chicago's bullpen did not fare any better.

GAME 3 (Fenway Park) BOS 12, CHW 3:

The rubber match of this 3 game set easily bounced Boston's way. Mel Parnell starred for the Bosox by going 8 innings and allowing only 1 run plus he went 2 for 4 and knocked in a run. For the second consecutive game the Red Sox bats really came alive and their opponents could not get out of the way of the steamroller. Agan all the starters had at least 1 hit. Britt Burns (1-4) gave up 5 runs (4 earned) in 6 innings of work. The 7 run 8th inning put the game away completely. Interestingly Boston did not have a homer in this contest. Chicago manager, Dan Holm, was quoted as saying, "Boston scored over 1,000 runs that year...there is no way my staff can stop them and my lineup can't outscore them." Bobby Doerr had 3 RBI's and Billy Hitchcock went 3 for 4 batting in the 2 hole as the righty half of the 1st base platoon.

Philly vs Brooklyn

2009-06-30T07:31:00.001-07:00

The 1951 Dodgers look to take advantage of the hapless 1977 Phillies, as they try to regroup after the loss of their manager. However, things are never as they seem.

Game 1:
The Dodgers wasted little time in trying to intimidate the Phillies. They sent Preacher Roe to the mound to square off against Jim Kaat, but the game was slow going. The Dodgers carried a 3-0 lead into the top half of the 8th inning, as they managed those 3 runs off some timely hits that included a Triple by Jackie Robinson. In the 8th inning, the Dodgers scored another 7 runs that began with a homer by Gil Hodges and was capped off by a Duke Snider Grand Slam. With a 10-0 lead heading into the bottom half of the 8th inning, the Dodgers eased up a bit and the Phillies scored 2 quick runs to end the game. Dodgers pounded the Phillies 10-2.

Game 2:
For Game 2, the Dodgers once again called on Ralph Branca to face Randy Lerch. This game also began slowly, as both teams were held scoreless thru 4 innings. The Dodgers managed a run in the 5th inning, but the Phillies scored 3 runs of their own in the bottom half of the 6th inning that was highlighted by a monster bomb from Mike Schmidt - his 7th on the year. That would be all the Phillies could score, but it appeared to be enough. The Dodgers did not have any answers for Lerch, as he pitched a great game, even though they made it interesting by scoring another run in the 9th inning on a pinch-hit Double by Rocky Bridges to make the score 3-2. The game ended with Bridges stranded on 2nd base. Lerch had earned a complete game and the 3-2 Philly victory. A good game.

Game 3:
The Phillies were happy to steal that last game and had Steve Carlton ready to go for Game 3. The Dodgers still felt pretty good after losing a close one and sent Carl Erskine to the mound. The Dodgers were getting prepared for a tough battle against Carlton, but no one could have predicted this game. The Phillies made short work out of the Dodgers, as Carlton pitched a 4-hit shutout. On the other hand, Erskine was lit up like a X-mas tree. The Phillies scored in the 2nd inning off a Richie Hebner homer, and they scored again in the 4th inning. With the score just 2-0, the Phillies broke it open in the 5th inning by scoring another 4 runs by way of a Jay Johnstone Grand Slam. Johnstone would go on to hit another homer in the 7th inning to bring the score to 7-0. The Phillies scored another run in the 8th inning and another 5 runs in the 9th inning by way of a 3-run blast from Mike Schmidt - now his 8th of the year. The game ended 13-0, as Carlton blanked the Dodgers with a complete game. Even with new management, the Phillies are looking pretty good.

--submitted by Georges Bseraini--

Mont vs Brooklyn

2009-06-30T07:30:00.001-07:00

The 1979 Montreal Expos square off against the 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers, in what seems to be a match up between two of the NL power teams.

Game 1 :
The Expos put Ross Grimsley on the mound to face Carl Erskine. Both pitchers started strong, with Grimsley pitching a no-hitter thru 3 innings and Erskine giving up just 2 hits. In the 4th inning, both teams scored, with Montreal scoring on a Single by Jim Mason and the Dodgers scoring on a Double by Gil Hodges. The score held there at 1-1, until the 6th inning, where Montreal scored again on a Single by Tony Perez. But, the Dodgers scored 4 runs in a 6th inning that was capped by a 3-run blast from Andy Pafko. Grimsley lasted until the 8th inning - but surrendered another homer to Hodges - giving the Dodgers a 6-2 lead heading into the 9th inning. Erskine gave up a 2-run shot to Warren Cromartie in the 9th inning, but the Dodgers felt confident and left him in for the complete game - and a 6-4 win.

Game 2:
The Dodgers began right where they left off in Game 1, as they jumped all over Steve Rogers by scoring 2 runs in the 1st inning, 3 runs in the 3rd inning, and another run in both the 5th and 6th inning. This was accomplished by way of the long-ball and some timely hits, as Roy Campanella jacked 2 homers and Jackie Robinson jacked one, in those 5 innings. The Expos did put up a fight in the bottom of the 5th inning, as they scored 4 runs off Preacher Roe on a couple of jacks themselves from Ellis Valentine and Warren Cromartie. The score was 7-4 after 5 innings of play, but the Dodgers did not slow down. They scored 3 more runs off Rogers in the 7th inning, when Campanella hit his 3rd homer of the game, making the score 10-4 Dodgers. Even though the Expos managed another 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th inning, it was not enough to overcome the barrage. The Dodgers won 11-6, as Rogers gave up all 11 earned runs and dropped his record to 1-3 while improving Roe's record to 3-1. Roy Campanella got MVP honors by smacking 3 homers in the game.

Game 3:
Looking for the sweep, the Dodgers sent Ralph Branca to the mound to face David Palmer. Montreal managed to score first in the bottom half of the 1st inning on an error, but the Dodgers came back to get 3 runs in the top half of the 2nd inning with another homer by Roy Campanella - his 6th of the year - and one by Andy Pafko, as the Dodgers jumped to a 3-1 lead. Things cooled off for both teams - until the bottom half of the 6th inning, as the Expos scraped another run off Branca by way of a Gary Carter blast - closing the Dodger lead to 3-2. The Expos went on to tie the game in the bottom half of the 7th inning, when they scored again off Branca that started with a pinch-hit Double from Tony Solaita. It appeared that the Expos took back some momentum in this game, but the Dodgers quickly ended any hopes of a victory by shutting down the Expos in the 8th and 9th inning, while scoring another run of their own in the top half of the 8th inning by way of some solid hits - and another 3 runs in the 9th inning by way of a 3-run monster from Jackie Robinson. Branca pitched well for 8 innings to earn his 2nd victory on the season and drop his ERA to 2.90 - and the Dodgers accomplished their sweep of the Expos.
--submitted by Georges Bseraini--

Better dead than Red...

2009-06-29T15:21:00.001-07:00

GAME 1 (Crosley Field) CIN 13, MON 2:

The downtrodden Reds scored early and often. At first manager Keller was content to play small ball and scratch for runs, but then the floodgates opened and there were no worries. Montreal's so called ace, Steve Rogers, gave up 10 runs (6 earned) in 2 2/3 innings of work. Ross Grimsley did a nice job of allowing only 2 earned runs over the next 5+, but by then the outcome was totally locked. Joey Jay went 5 for the Redlegs to notch the win. Jay has 3 of the Reds' 9 victories. Frank Robinson hit two homers and knocked in 5. Jay himself hit a solo shot. Injury note: Johnny Klippstein left with shoulder tightness after 1 batter.

GAME 2 (Crosley Field) MON 6, CIN 5:

Up by a score of 6-1 the Expos went into cruise control and almost paid dearly. Dan Schatzeder

was cruising until the Reds attacked him in the 6th for 3 runs. He did earn the win to go 4-0, and threw one of those "quality starts" that drive managers crazy.

Montreal jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first Rodney Scott dragged a bunt and wound up on second as Red catcher Johnny "Doc" Edwards threw it away. Gary "Camera" Carter doubled him home and Andre Dawson singled home Carter. Both teams exchanged runs in the 4th. Tony Perez hit the first of his 2 homers on the day to lead the inning off. Cincy scratched out a run via small ball to negate Perez' homer. Montreal looked to break it open in the 6th as they scored 3 off of Red starter Bob Purkery (0-7). Dawson, who had 3 hits on the day led off with a single. Perez then hit a 2 run shot. Valentine and Speier both singled off Purkey and moved up a base as Schatzeder successfully bunted them over. Cromartie singled them both home and when Scott and Parrish walked to load the bases it looked like the final dagger was going to be inserted. The Kid, Gary Carter couldn't deliver the knock out blow as Purkey managed to fan him on 4 pitches to end the inning. Cincy struck back in the bottom of the inning by scoring 2 of their own. Wally Post tripled with 1 out and Vada Pinson doubled him in. Coleman walked and pinch hitter Foiles singled home Pinson. Stan Bahnsen was called on to put out the fire and save Schatzeder's bacon by getting both Zimmer and Purkey to pop out. Cincy would then manage to chip away with 1 in the 7th via Frank Robinson's 8th homer of the year. Montreal entered the 9th with a tenuous 2 run lead. Woodie Fryman, who relieved Bahnsen gave up a lead off single to Blasingame and was promptly removed for closer Elias Sosa. Sosa, who has been shaky at best this season, got Eddie Kasco to pop out to Perez at first. Robinson followed with a single to put runners at 1st and 2nd with 1 out. Wally Post fanned for the second out and all looked good for the Expo righhander until Pinson single in a run and now the pressure was really on. Gordy Coleman crushed a 2-1 offering to deep center that Dawson barely tracked down to end the game as Montreal was happy to escape with 6-5 win.

GAME 3 (Olympic Stadium) MON 8, CIN 7:

This contest firmly illustrated how bad teams like the Red flat out find ways to lose and why managers go gray and/or get heart conditions. The Reds jumped out to a 3 run lead in the first as they chased Expo starter Scott Sanderson from the mound. Sanderson got 1 out, but gave up 5 runs and had 3 earned runs charged to his name. Rudy May came on board to limit the damage in the first, but couldn't not prevent the Reds from scoring 3 more runs over the next 5 2/3 innings. Morris "Moe" Drabowsky wasn't exactly lighting the world on fire with his pitching skills as he found a way to allow the Expost to stay close. Montreal scored 2 in the third to cut it to 3-2. Drabowsky was gone after 5 innings of 5 run ball and the knowledge that he was not able to capitalize on great run support. Still he was leading. Red manager BIll Keller put his faith on reliever John Tsitouris, who for the most part held the Expos big bats in check. After scoring a solo run in the 9th Cincy carried a 1 run lead into the bottom of the frame. Andrew Dawson led off with a bunt single only to be forced at second by Tony Perez. By this time Tsitouris gave way to ace reliever Jim Brosnan, who served up a walk off gopher ball to Ellis Valentine. Montreal stole games 2 and 3 from a down and defeated Red team that couldn't close the door. Sosa got the win, but his 1 run in 1 inning performance certainly didn't leave the hometown fans with any semblance of confidence that he can be trusted down the stretch. Frank Robinson hit a 3 run homer for his 4th of the series to up his yearly total to 9. Robinson (.328) has been the lone bright spot in this disappointing campaign for the Reds.

Motown races by Brew Crew !

2009-06-24T20:03:00.000-07:00

Game 1 The Tigers jumped all over starter Moose Haas (0-3) for three runs in the first and two more in the second. Ron Kline (2-2) went 6 innings and got relief help from several including Terry Fox who earned his 2nd save. Cash hit his 5th homer Detroit 7 Milwaukee 4

Game 2 The Brewers opened the scoring wit 3 runs off Paul Foytack in the third. The Tigers clawed back with one run n the fourth and two in the sixth. The game remained tied until the bottom of the ninth when Bill Castro (0-1) took the loss after Bob Galasso walked pinch hiter Dick McAuliffe wit the bases loaded. Phil Regan got the win

(1-0). Detroit 4 Milwaukee 3

Game 3 Jim Bunning (3-3) went the distance as the Tiger hitters battered a succession of Brewer pitchers. Charley Maxwell (1), Rocky Colavito (4) and Bill Bruton (3) all homered for the Tigers. Charley Moore (2) took Bunning deep. Larry Sorenson (5-2) took the loss. Detroit 13 Milwaukee.

--submitted by Tom "Crash" Davis--

More Than a Feeling...Boston takes 2 of 3 from Halos

2009-06-23T20:52:00.001-07:00

GAME 1 (Fenway Park) '49-BOS 2, '05-LAA 0:
Joe Dobson carried a no hitter into the 6th inning when Chone Figgins singled to center with one out. Figgins would not be able to score that inning, nor would any Angel score during this contest. Dobson exited the game with a 1 hit shutout going with 1 out in the 9th. A string of 3 Red Sox relievers managed to quell the Angel uprising in the 9th to preserve the shutout and clinch the victory. Frank Quinn fanned Juan Rivera for the final out. Boston took a quick 1-0 lead when the "Splendid Splinter" Ted Williams hit a solo shot off of Ervin Santana to open the 2nd. Dobson protected that 1 run lead until the Bosox added an insurance run in the bottom of the 8th when a string of Angel relievers decided to walk the world. Dobson moved his record to 4-2, while Santana fell to 0-1.

GAME 2 (Fenway Park) '04-LAA 4, '49-BOS 3:
Boston needed to tap spot starter Walt Masterson and hope for the best as the rest of the staff was pretty much worn out. Paul Byrd gave the Angels one of those dreaded "quality starts" (6 innings / 3 runs). Masterson posted a 7/4 performance, which turned out to be less quality than Byrd's. Boston started the scoring in the first with back to back lead off singles from Johnny Pesky and Billy Goodman. Dom DiMaggio's fielder's choice plated Pesky, but broke up the chance for the big inning. Al Zarilla's solo shot off of Byrd in the 2nd put Boston up two zip. Masterson was a victim of his control as the Angels scored their first run in the 3rd inning. Orlando Cabrera walked to lead off the frame and then proceeded to steal second and eventually scored on Figgins' sac fly to right. Bobby Doerr's lead off homer in the 4th moved Boston back up by 2, but that wasn't going to last. The Angels chipped away with a run in the 5th and took the lead for good with 2 in the 6th...all with 2 outs. Vlad Guerrero walked with 2 outs in a situation where Masterson was obviously pitching around him. BIG MISTAKE...Garrett Anderson doubled to put runners on 2nd and 3rd and Dallas McPherson singled them both home. Just like that Masterson's lead was gone and the momentum had turned. The Angel bullpen easily held the lead until the 9th when K-Rod came on board and treated the fans to his high wire act without a net. Rodriguez walked the dangerous Williams and Stephens. Boston had 2 on and nobody out and looked to be in a great position to at least tie the game. That was until Boston manager, Marc Weiss, made a very controversial decision. With future HOF'er Bobby Doerr up Weiss decided to play small ball and bunt the runner up. Angel manager Douglas Zaner had the correct answer as he pulled in the corners and when Darin Erstad pegged Williams at third he began to look like a genius. Boston still had 2 more shots to plate the tying run, but K-Rod was not going to give them additional opportunities. Pinch hitter Lou Stringer lined to Erstad at first and Birdie Tebbetts fanned to end it.

GAME 3 (Angel Stadium) '49-BOS 13, LAA 6:
Don't let the final score deceive you. This game was one of those see-saw battles that make managers go gray until Boston broke it open in the 8th. Neither team seemed to be able to put the other away. The biggest shock had to be all the runs being scored with each team's ace on the hill. Bartolo Colon was chased from the hill after yielding 7 runs in 5 shoddy innings of work. His Boston counterpart, Mel Parnell, gutted it out for a complete game, but his 6 runs allowed were sub par at best. Parnell was the beneficiary of an offense that has finally hit it's stride. Boston hit 4 homers in this contest. Angel manager Zaner commented, "Boston had 7 homers in this series, while the Angels might have 7 in 27 games". The Red Sox offense, which started off slow has now shifted into full gear. For most of the season the recipe for defeating the Sawx was to walk or pitch around Williams and dare Vern Stephens and Bobby Doerr to beat you. Up until 3 weeks ago that worked fine. In this game alone Stephens made the Angels pay for that very strategy with two huge round trippers. Doerr did as well. Boston moved to 15-12 and is now in the heart of the AL East race.

Beautiful-Lee Done !

2009-06-23T11:19:00.001-07:00

GAME 3 (Turner Field) '79-MON 8, '98-ATL 2:
In what looks to be the making of a Cy Young season Bill "the spaceman" Lee survived not having his best stuff to notch his 6th win of the season against zero defeats. By giving up 2 runs in 7 innings of work Lee saw his ERA "balloon" to 0.94 ! Stan Bahnsen came on to toss 2 scoreless innings in relief as the outcome really wasn't much in doubt. Brave starter Dennis "El Presidente" Martinez was tossing shutout ball and had a 1 run lead going into the 4th when he allowed 3 runs in successive innings before heading to the showers. By that point the Expos had a nice 6-1 lead. Cromartie had his second consecutive 3 hit game against the Braves, this time from the lead off spot. Every Expo starter except for 8th place hitter Chris Speier scored a run. Speier more than made up for it by knocking in 3 runs with 2 outs. Montreal clawed its way back into the pennant race and is now 1 game behind the first place Pirates with a huge 4 games set looming large for both teams on the horizon.

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Warren-t !

2009-06-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

GAME 2 (Olympic Stadium) - '79-MON 7, '98-ATL 2:
Warren Cromartie keyed the Expos offense explosion by going 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored and an RBI. In fact the Expos table setters were the key to this game. Leadoff man Rodney Scott chipped in with 2 hits of his own and 2 runs scored to pace Expo starter David Palmer to his first victory (1-0) of the season. Atlanta's Tommy Glavine must have thought it was game 162 in a pennant race as he was ineffective at best. Glavine yielded 6 runs (5 earned) in 7 innings of work. Chipper Jones' 2 run shot in the fourth cut Montreal's lead to 3-2, but that was the closest this contest would get. Scott also had 2 stolen bases in the game to create havoc.

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What really Maddux to us ?

2009-06-23T11:02:00.001-07:00

GAME 1 (Olympic Stadium) '98-ATL 2, '79-MON 0:

Simply put "the professor" Greg Maddux was brilliant. 135 pitches over 8 innings and only 2 hits yielded as the big boppers from North of the Border could never get on track. Scott Sanderson was the hard luck loser for the Expos as he went the distance and gave up only 1 earned run. John Rocker came on in the 9th to notch his 3rd save of the season. The game was scoreless until the top of the 4th when Andruw Jones doubled off the left center field wall. With two outs Expo shortstop Chris Speier booted a room service hop and compounded it by airmailing it into the front row to allow Jones to score. Atlanta added an insurance run in the 6th when, Maddux himself helped his own cause by singling Jones home with 2 outs. Warren Cromartie singled to open the 9th for the Expos, but Rocker struck out 2 of the next 3 hitters to put the game away.

Bosox sweep Athletics to rejoin AL East race

2009-06-22T12:35:00.001-07:00

GAME 1 (Oakland Coliseum): BOS 8, OAK 4

The A's were riding the momentum of spot starter John "Blue Moon" Odom's dominance to a 4-1 lead. Odom, who didn't pitch much that year wound up running out of gas after 5 brilliant innings and the A's pen went into self destruct mode. First Sonny Siebert threw 3 nondescript innings by giving up 2 runs and narrowing the A's lead to 1. Then the unthinkable happened...the normally reliable Rollie Fingers melted down. Fingers started the 9th needing 3 outs to get the save. On a 3-2 fastball Fingers got lead off hitter Johnny Pesky to pop out to Bando at third. Hitchcock followed with a flare to right that Reggie could not get to. Dom DiMaggio lined one to the opposite field to put runners at the corners with only 1 out. This put Fingers in a terrible spot with Teddy "F'in" Ballgame coming to the plate. Fingers fell behind in the count and eventually put a fastball over the plate that Williams launched to Pleasanton. Just like that a 4-3 lead became a 6-4 deficit. But it didn't end here...Vern Stephens and Al Zarilla each followed Ted Williams cue by clouting solo shots to put the game out of reach. Chuck Stobbs, who perceived Boston's weak defense held tight until 1 out in the 9th when he was lifted in favor of Tex Hughson who closed out the game to move Boston back to .500 for the first time all season.

GAME 2 (Oakland Coliseum): BOS 13, OAK 4

Similar scenario to game 1...Boston took a quick 2-0 lead in the first off of A's starer Glenn

Abbott as Williams hit a 2 run shot with 2 outs after Dom DiMaggio doubled. Oakland struck back to score 3 runs over the next 2 innings to nurse a 3-2 lead into the top of the 7th when Boston tied it up when Billy Goodman singled home Birdie Tebbetts. Then Boston posted an 8 run 8th to blow the game wide open as they batted around. No big blows were hit that inning, just a lot of timely hits to chase Abbott and eventually seal the deal. DiMaggio was 5 for 6 and Williams was 3 for 5 plus he hit his 8th homer of the year. Mel Parnell overcame two errors to allow 2 earned runs in 8 innings of work to increase his record to 3-2. Everyone in Boston's lineup, including Parnell had a hit.

GAME 3 (Fenway Park): BOS 6, OAK 0

All the hype surrounding this game swirled around why both aces (Vida Blue for OAK and Ellis Kinder for Boston) were so terrible this season. Both had sub .500 records. Kinder had an ERA well over 8 as he entered the contest. Blue continued his woes with a pitiful 7 inning 5 run performance. Kinder, on the other hand rose from the abyss to toss a 5 hitter and fan 12 Athletic hitters. Kinder fanned 6 of the first 8 batters he faced, which included Campy Campaneris and Billy North 3 times. Oddly, slugger, Reggie Jackson did not fan once. Boston broke the ice when shortstop Vern Stephens his a 2 runs shot in the 2nd after Blue pitched around Williams and issued a free pass. Mel Parnell, who pitched the night before made an appearance as Boston's DH in this contest and went 2 for 4, which included 2 RBI's in the 4th. Boston tacked on 2 insurance runs in the 8th when Matt Batts doubled home Bobby Doerr who walked and Pesky singled him home two batters later. The sweep virtually ended Oakland's season and catapulted Boston back into contention.

77 Phil vs. 77 Pit

2009-06-13T20:37:00.001-07:00

Sept 6 - Pirates 2, Phillies 1

John Candelaria went 8 innings and made two 2nd inning runs stand up as he bested Steve Carlton 2-1. With one out and two on, Ted Sizemore's error in the 2nd extended the inning and allowed Pittsburgh to plate two runs. The first on a bases loaded walk to Frank Taveras; the 2nd on a ground out. Carlton walked 5 on the day, two in the 2nd inning. Philadelphia's lone run came on Ted Sizemore's solo HR in the 1st.

Sept 7 - Phillies 11, Pirates 6

The Phils pounded everyone - Jerry Reuss, Odell Jones, Kent Tekulve, and even

Rich Gossage - for an 11-6 win. Bob Boone and Garry Maddox each homered and drove in 3 runs. Mike Schmidt also homered for the Phillies. For Pittsburgh, Phil Garner, Dave Parker, and Bill Robinson combined for 9 hits, but the rest of the club accounted for just 4. Larry Christenson went the distance for Philadelphia, with no

walks helping to stay in the game.

Sept 8 - Pirates 9, Phillies 3

A five-run 5th broke open a tight pitching duel between Jim Lonborg and Jim Rooker, and the Bucs coasted to a 9-3 win. Rooker threw a complete game and helped his own cause with a pair of hits and and RBI. Battery-mate Ed Ott had 3 hits and 3 RBI. Lonborg suffered through a 15-hit, 9-run outing (in 7 innings).

Sept 9 - Pirates 4, Phillies 3

Ed Ott's 2-out, 2-run single in the 8th inning off Warren Brusstar vaulted the Buccos to a 4-3 win to take the series 3 games to 1. The Phillies took a 3-0 lead in the 4th when Bake McBride smacked a 3-run HR off Bruce Kison. Pittsburgh got a run in the bottom of the 4th on Rennie Stennett's single, but couldn't get any closer until the 8th. Ron Reed got the first out, then surrendered a double to Dave Parker. Bill Robinson's single put runners on the corners and chased Reed. Tommy Underwood walked Al Oliver to load the bases, bringing Brusstar in to face Rennie Stennett. Stennett flied to right, scoring a run to make it 3-2 Phils. Willie Stargell pinch hit and drew a walk to load the bases again for Ed Ott. Ott delivered the game winning hit, a 2-run single to put the Bucs up 4-3. Rich Gossage, who had also pitched the 8th, worked a scoreless 9th to preserve the win.

--submitted by Jesse Elicker--

79 Expos 08 Cubs Split series

2009-06-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

Game 1 at Montreal: Expos 4 Cubs1
The Expos put Bill Lee 4-0 .54 ERA up against Carlos Zambrano 0-5 5.88 ERA in game one of the 4 game set. The game looked like it was going to be a pitchers duel but Zambrano developed a blister on his throwing hand in the 4th and had to be removed from the game after a Lance Parrish lead off homer. They put across 3 more in the 6th for a 4-0 lead. Chicago scored their only run on back to back doubles by Soto and Ramirez in the 7th.
Larry Parrish was 3-4 scored 2 runs with a HR. Bill Lee had a base hit and RBI's to help his cause.

Game 2 at Montreal: Cubs 5 Expos 0
Ryan Dempster No Hits Montreal in the second game of the series. Dempster walked 4 and struck out 8. He was perfect through 6 as the Cubs lead 3-0. They added 2 more in the 7th. Ryan worked his way out of a 7th inning jam. A lead off walk to Cromartie ended the perfect game. Dawson flied out to right. The next batter Scott reached on a fielders choice then stole 2nd and 3rd. Gary Carter and Lance Parrich walked to load the bases. Valentine flied out to left for the third out. The Expos went down in order in the 8th. Cromartie lead off the 9th and reached on an error by 1st baseman Derrick Lee, Scott walked to put runners at 1st and 2nd no outs. Dempster struck out Dawson for the second time on the day for the 1st out. Gary Carter followed with an easy Foul Out the the catcher. Dempster then got Lance Parrich to Ground Out 5-3 to end the game. Edmonds was 2-4 HR raised his avg to .318. Ramirez went 2-5 had 2 RBI's for Chicago.

Game 3 at Chicago: Cubs 6 Expos 5
It looked like Montreal would have an easy day as they scored 4 runs in the 1st. Jim Edmonds spoiled the Expos fast start with a walk off Grand Slam off of Sosa 0-2 9.82 ERA. Lilly settled down and Rogers held the Cubs in check through the 7th. Chicago scored 1 in the 8th and Montreal added 1 in the 9th to take a 5-1 lead heading into the bottom of the 9th. The 9th started with a pair of walks to Theriot and Soriano Lee flied out to center to leave runners on 1st and 2nd and one out. Ramirez followed with a single to load the bases, DeRosa flied out to medium center scoring Theriot from third. Next batter up Soto singled the load the bases again. With 2 outs Montreal decided to stay with Soto in hopes of him preserving the win. Jim Edmonds stepped to the plate and with his signature sweeping swing sent the ball over the right field wall for the walk off GS. Tony Perez and Cromartie went 2-4 2 RBI's each for Montreal

Game 4 at Chicago: Montreal 5 Chicago 2
In game 4 Rudy May 2-0 2.87 ERA went 7 solid innings with relief support from Bahnsen Fryman and Soto who picked up his 4th save. Jason Marquis went 8 and dropped to 0-1 with a 2.78 ERA. Montreal scored 2 in the 1st added 1 in the 6th and 2 more in the 9th. Chicago scored one in the 3rd and 4th. The Cubs could only manage 2 runs on 10 hits. Gary Carter hit his 5th HR a solo shot in the 6th and Parrish had 2 RBI's.
--submitted by Mark Angle--

Bosox take 3 of 4 from Tigers to claw back to mediocrity

2009-06-12T12:25:00.001-07:00

GAME 1: Boston 15, Detroit 2 (Tiger Stadium): The slumping Sox traveled to Detroit and finally came out of their hitting coma. Tiger starter Jim Bunning gave up 7 runs (6 earned) in just 3 innings of work. Boston continued hitting and posted 15 runs on 16 hits. Starter Chuck Stobbs tossed a complete game after losing his shutout bid in the 8th. The "Splendid Splinter", Ted Williams banged out 2 homers and had 6 RBI's on the day. Dom DiMaggio was 3 for 4 with 4 RBI's and a homer.

GAME 2: Detroit 12, Boston 13 (Tiger Stadium): Not to be ou

tdone the

Tigers returned the favor and blew out the Sawx and earned "rabbit ears" Don Mossi his first win of the season. Detroit was clinging to a 4-3 lead when the floodgates opened up in the 7th and 8th innings where they scored 5 and 3 runs respectively. Rocky Colavito broke out and hit hist first homer of the season to key the attack. Rocco had a 3 for 4 / 4 RBI day as Boston starter Ellis Kinder again self imploded and his era ballooned to 6.29. Norm Cash was 4-4 on the day. Interestingly every starter in Boston's lineup had at least one hit, but the Sox failed to control Detroit's potent offense.

GAME 3: Boston 3, Detroit 0 (Fenway Park): After 2 straight blowouts the

fans were treated to a good old fashioned pitcher's duel. Boston's Mel Parnell, fresh off his hard luck 15 inning loss, rebounded to shutout the Tigers and toss a 5 hitter in an economical 95 pitch outing. Detroit's Frank Larry scattered 11 hits and yielded only 3 runs, which on most days would be more than enough for victory. Backup catcher Matt Batts was Boston's hitting star as he went 2 for 3 with a 2 run homer over the Green Monstah in the bottom of the 8th to give the Sawx 2 valuable insurance runs.

GAME 4: Boston 7, Detroit 1 (Fenway Park): Boston capitalized on Detroit's poor fielding to win this one in blow out fashion. Foytack (DET starter) only yielded 3 earned runs. Chuck Dobson of Boston yielded only 1 and that was the difference. In the bottom of the 8th the Bosox plated 4 runs to remove all doubt. Johnny Pesky set the table well going 3 for 5 and scoring 2 runs. Al Kaline had 3 hits in a losing cause. The game did end in controversial fashion as Ike Brown led off the top of the 9th for Detroit with a double off the Monstah. The clouds then opened up and a rain delay ensued. After waiting 2 hours the umps called the game and awarded Boston with the win.

M's win epic Game 2, go 2-1 over Red Sox

2009-06-02T13:49:00.000-07:00

Game 1: Bsoton 1 at Seattle 6

Freddy Garcia gets his first win in a duel with Dobson of the Red Sox that rocked Safeco. Bret Boone's fourth home run of the year was the decisive blow.

Game 2: Seattle 6 at Boston 2 (15 innings)

The Mariners were down 2-0 by the second inning. but with a run in the seventh and another in the eighth they tied it up and forced extra innings. Then Seattle pitching held up, with five different relievers, while Mel Parnell held on strong for 13 innings. Finally, in the 15th inning, the M's break through with four runs off Masterson. Jeff Nelson blanks the Sox in the 15th to preserve the win. The boxscore says it all:


Sep 3, 1949                   1 2 3   4 5 6   7 8 9   10 11 12   13 14 15      R  H  E
2001 Seattle 7-9              0 0 0   0 0 0   1 1 0    0  0  0    0  0  4      6 16  0
1949 Boston 6-10              1 1 0   0 0 0   0 0 0    0  0  0    0  0  0      2 10  2

01 Seattle     AB  R  H BI  W  K   Ave    49 Boston      AB  R  H BI  W  K   Ave
Suzuki RF       6  1  1  0  2  0  .333    Pesky 3B        6  0  0  0  1  1  .338
McLemore LF     8  0  0  1  0  0  .119    Goodman 1B      3  1  1  0  1  0  .419
Olerud 1B       6  0  2  0  2  0  .344     Hitchcock PR-1 1  0  1  0  1  0  .100
Boone 2B        6  0  4  2  2  1  .343    DiMaggio CF     7  0  1  0  0  0  .299
Cameron CF      7  1  1  0  1  3  .235    Williams,T LF   4  0  2  1  2  0  .311
Bell 3B         6  0  3  0  1  0  .355    Stephens SS     6  0  0  0  0  1  .188
Wilson,D C      6  1  1  1  0  0  .262    Doerr 2B        6  0  1  0  0  1  .292
Guillen SS      7  2  3  1  0  0  .333    Zarilla RF      6  0  1  0  0  1  .298
Sele P          2  0  0  0  0  0  .000    Tebbetts C      6  1  2  0  0  1  .289
 Martinez PH    0  0  0  0  1  0  .355    Parnell P       4  0  1  0  0  0  .185
 Paniagua P     0  0  0  0  0  0  .000     Masterson P    0  0  0  0  0  0  .000
 Buhner PH      1  0  0  0  0  0  .000     Combs PH       1  0  0  0  0  0  .000
 Charlton P     0  0  0  0  0  0  .000                   50  2 10  1  5  5
 Javier PH      1  0  0  0  0  0  .158
 Franklin P     0  0  0  0  0  0  .000
 Martin PH      1  0  0  0  0  1  .000
 Fuentes P      0  0  0  0  0  0  .000
 Sprague PH     1  1  1  1  0  0  .333
 Nelson P       0  0  0  0  0  0  .000
               58  6 16  6  9  5

01 Seattle                     IP  H  R ER  W  K   Ct    ERA
Sele                          6.0  7  2  1  1  3  102   4.10
 Paniagua                     2.0  2  0  0  0  0   20   3.52
 Charlton                     2.0  0  0  0  0  0   17   5.87
 Franklin                     2.0  1  0  0  1  1   21   0.00
 Fuentes W(1-0)               2.0  0  0  0  2  1   35   0.00
 Nelson                       1.0  0  0  0  1  0   12   6.75
                             15.0 10  2  1  5  5  207

49 Boston                      IP  H  R ER  W  K   Ct    ERA
Parnell                      13.0 12  2  2  7  4  151   2.95
 Masterson L(0-1)             2.0  4  4  4  2  1   44  18.00
                             15.0 16  6  6  9  5  195


SEA: Martinez hit for Sele in the 7th
     Buhner hit for Paniagua in the 9th
     Javier hit for Charlton in the 11th
     Martin hit for Franklin in the 13th
     Sprague hit for Fuentes in the 15th
BOS: Hitchcock ran for Goodman in the 8th
     Combs hit for Masterson in the 15th

  E-Pesky 2(3)
 2B-Sprague(2)
 HR-Guillen(2)
 CS-McLemore DiMaggio Hitchcock
 SH-Wilson,D Hitchcock Parnell
 WP-Parnell
 PB-Wilson,D
LOB-01 Seattle 15 49 Boston 9
 DP-49 Boston 3
GWRBI-Sprague


Game MVP:Bret Boone

Fenway Park, Time 4:29,  72ø,  20mph Left to Right

Sep 3, 1949            1 2 3   4 5 6   7 8 9   10 11 12   13 14 15      R  H  E
2001 Seattle           0 0 0   0 0 0   1 1 0    0  0  0    0  0  4      6 16  0
1949 Boston            1 1 0   0 0 0   0 0 0    0  0  0    0  0  0      2 10  2

2001 01 Seattle        Ab1            Ab2            Ab3            Ab4            Ab5
1 Suzuki RF          1>G63            G13            G43            S,12           G63
2 McLemore LF          G53          4>G53          6>G63            G46/fo,23,B1   F9
3 Olerud 1B            G43            S              G63            G13          10>P3
4 Boone 2B           2>S              S,12           S            8>K              W
5 Cameron CF           K              K              E5,12,B1       S              W,12
6 Bell 3B              W,12           P4             WP,23,12 F8    S,13           G543/dp
7 Wilson,D C           G643/dp      5>F8           7>F7             B53,12,3H    11>G43
8 Guillen SS         3>G43            S              HR             G43            F7
9 Sele P               F7             B14/fo,B1
   Martinez PH                                       W
   Paniagua P
   Buhner PH                                                      9>G53
   Charlton P
   Javier PH                                                                       G43
   Franklin P
   Martin PH
   Fuentes P
   Sprague PH
   Nelson P
                       Ab6            Ab7            Ab8
1 Suzuki RF          12>L3            IBB            IBB
2 McLemore LF          E5,B1          G13            G53,23,12,3H
3 Olerud 1B            CS2(26)S     14>W             IBB
4 Boone 2B             W,12           G543/dp        S,3H,23,12,2
5 Cameron CF           L7             F8             K
6 Bell 3B            13>S           15>S
7 Wilson,D C           S,12           G64/fo,B1
8 Guillen SS           G63,23,12      S,13
9 Sele P
   Martinez PH
   Paniagua P
   Buhner PH
   Charlton P
   Javier PH
   Franklin P
   Martin PH           K
   Fuentes P
   Sprague PH                         D,3H,13/13
   Nelson P

1949 49 Boston         Ab1            Ab2            Ab3            Ab4            Ab5
1 Pesky 3B           1>K              PB,3H,12 G63   G43,23         G63            G43
2 Goodman 1B           W            3>G43            G63          8>S
   Hitchcock PR-1B                                                               11>S
3 DiMaggio CF          G63,12         G43          6>G43            CS2(24)S       F8
4 Williams,T LF        S,23,2H        F9             S              F9             W,12
5 Stephens SS          F8           4>F7             K              CS2(24) 9>G5   P5
6 Doerr 2B           2>L7             L6             S,13           F8             K
7 Zarilla RF           F9           S/84             K              L8           12>F9
8 Tebbetts C           S            5>S            7>G31          10>G53           P5
9 Parnell P            S,12,13        B54,12         P2             P4             L8
   Masterson P
   Combs PH
                       Ab6            Ab7
1 Pesky 3B           13>W             F7
2 Goodman 1B
   Hitchcock PR-1B     B34,12         W
3 DiMaggio CF          F7             G53
4 Williams,T LF        W
5 Stephens SS          F7
6 Doerr 2B           14>F8
7 Zarilla RF           F7
8 Tebbetts C           K
9 Parnell P
   Masterson P
   Combs PH          15>B53

01 Seattle       IN    OUT
Sele             AB1-1 AB3-7
Paniagua         AB3-8 AB4-4
Charlton         AB4-5 AB5-1
Franklin         AB5-2 AB5-9
Fuentes          AB6-1 AB6-8
Nelson           AB6-9 End

49 Boston        IN    OUT
Parnell          AB1-1 AB7-3
Masterson        AB7-4 End

GAME 3: Jamie Moyer lasts only two innings and gives up seven runs. Brett Tomko, his immediate replacement, faced only three men before getting hurt. After that the game was pretty much over, as the Mariners could not come back from sveen runs down and Ryan Franklin essentially took one for the team to save an exhausted Seattle bullpen.

Philly gets straight A's !

2009-06-02T06:42:00.000-07:00

75 Oakland (manager Lee Crouch) and the 32 Philadelphia (manager Howard Fortel)

Game 1 Philadelphia 3 Oakland 1

Game 1 was a pitcher's duel with Philly's Lefty Grove getting the best of Oakland's Stan Bahnsen 3 to 1. Lefty struck out nine while limiting the Oakland A's to just 5 hits. The game winning RBI went to Ed Coleman.

Game 2 Philadelphia 4 Oakland 0

Philadelphia's Rube Walberg dominated Oakland in Game 2 allowing only 4 hits while striking out 5 in a complete game gem. Jimmie Foxx and Jimmie Dykes supplied all the offense needed. Foxx had 2 homers while Dykes hit a solo shot in the 7th as Philadelphia won 4 to 0.

Game 3 Philadelphia 7 Oakland 3

Game 3 shifted to Philadelphia where Oakland was hoping for better fortunes as they were throwing their big gun Vida Blue at Philadelphia. Things looked good for Oakland as they scored twice in the first inning. But Philadelphia struck back behind pitcher George Earnshaw who had an 8 hit 10 strike out complete game victory. Earnshaw also helped his own cause by batting in 2 runs. Jimmie Foxx was once again the offensive hero belting 2 more homeruns in the 7 to 3 Philadelphia victory.

TURNING POINT: The turning point in the series was Philadelphia's strong pitching which held Oakland to just 4 runs in the 3 game set.

SERIES MVP: Jimmie Foxx gets the series MVP award for hitting 4 homeruns and driving in 5 during the 3 game series.

--submitted by Lee Crouch--

M's sweept Tigers

2009-06-02T06:34:00.000-07:00

61 Detroit (Tom Davis) vs. 2001 Seattle (Michael Hopcroft)

GM1: SEA 6 DET 5

The Mariners welcomed the Tigers to Safeco Field needing a rebound from getting swept last week. It was not promising when Jake Wood led off the game with a home run -- the first home run allowed in Safeco this season, and Dick McAuliffe hit an RBI double in the second off Paul Abbout. Bret Boone's RBI double in the fourth made it 2-1, but Jim Bunning looked strong. It was 3-1 Detroit in the seventh after an RBI groundout -- but then the bottom fell out on Bunning. Ichiro Suzuki drove home two with a double in the seventh, John Olerud his a two-run shot in the eighth, and Dan Wilson followed up with an RBI double. Kaz Sasaki went one-two-three in the ninth and recorded his first save as Seattle won a much-needed series opener.

GM2: SEA 6 DET 5

The Tigers again opened up the scoring, with Al Kaline scoring Bill Bruton on an RBI grounder. But the M's responded with three in the bottom of the first, capped by a two-run blast by Bret Boone. The Tigers regained the lead in the fifth on a Norm Cash three-run shot, The M's took the lead have with two in the seventh, only to have Dick Brown's leadoff home run in the ninth tie it. But Bret Boone came through again in the ninth with an RBI single to drive in mark McLemore and claim the 6-5 win.

GM3: SEA 19 DET 6

The series moved to Detroit for the final game and Detroit took an earl 4-0 lead thanks to an Al Kaline thee-run homerun int he second. But after that it was all Mariners, whose bats suddenly came alive and battered Tiger pitching. Before it was over Dan Wilson had two home runs, Bret Boone had a homer and three RBI, and even Carlos Guillen went deep. The M's had removed all doubt by the sixth inning, but sent twelve men to the plate in the ninth, plating seven. The final score was 19-6 Mariners, but the game was not even that close.

TURNING POINT: Bret Boone pulled out Game 2 with a walk-off single, emphasizing the clutch hitting of the M's in this series.

SERIES MVP: Bret Boone's seven RBI in the three games was an inspirational lead for the Mariners.

--submitted by Michael Hopcroft--

Halos sink Mariner in 4 game sweep

2009-05-18T15:56:00.000-07:00

05 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Doug Zaner) vs. '01 Seattle mariners (Michael Hopcroft)

Game 1: LAA 3, SEA 1

Anaheim opened the scoring on an RBI groundout by Adam Kennedy in the third. The M's struck back in the fifth as Mark McLemore drove in David Bell who had singled to lead off the inning – only to be left on base himself. Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon dueled it out until the seventh, when Darrin Erstad hit an RBI triple, Cabrera drove him home with a grounder to third, and Figgins tripled only to be left on base. After that, the Angels bullpen held true to preserve the win.

Game 2: LAA 7, SEA 1

John Lackey pitched well on short rest for the Angels, but John Halama matched him. Vladimir Guerrero sacrifice fly provided the only score in the first seven innings, as the game was handed over to both bullpens. The mariners tied it in the eighth on John Olerud's RBI single, but then the floodgates opened when Norm Charlton and Jose Paniagua pitched the ninth. In the final inning the Angels sent eleven men to the plate and scored six runs. The M's went meekly in the ninth and the Angels got the sweep of the games in Seattle.

Game 3: LAA 5, SEA 3

The series returned to Anaheim With Aaron Sele dueling Paul Bryd for the early part of the game. The Angels opened with and RBI Triple by Vlad Guerrero, followed by a Rivera sac fly. The M's came back to tie on consecutive RBI hits by Carlos Guillen and Ichiro Suzuki (who hit one of four triples in the game by both sides) and took the lead on a solo shot by David Bell in the seventh. But the Angels exploded for three in the seventh off of Jeff Nelson, climaxing with an RBI single by Guerrero, and the Angels bullpen held to secure the win and clinch the series.

Game 4: LAA 9, SEA 8

By the fourth inning, it looked like the Angels had the sweep wrapped up. Jamie Moyer had been torched for nine runs, including a three-run shot by Juan Rivera, by the fourth inning and it appeared he would have no choice but to take one for the team. But Ryan Franklin pitched two scoreless innings and the M's started to mount a comeback. First Bret Boone hit a two-out grand slam in the seventh, the Jose Guillen drove in two with a double in the eighth. Fernando Rodriguez came on in the ninth and promptly loaded the bases. Ed Sprague was walked to force in a run and place the tying run on third. Then Dan Wilson hit a deep fly ball to left that would have easily scored Edgar Martinez – were it not for a spectacular throw by Garret Anderson. Martinez was cut down at the plate, the game was over, and K-Rod had recorded what Doug described as “the ugliest save ever recorded”. The Mariners, favored at the beginning of the series, had been swept in dramatic, definitive fashion.

TURNING POINT: The M's rally in the final three innings of Game 4 showed great resiliency, but came just short. Up to that point, the Mariners had had great difficulty scoring runs, averaging fewer than three per game. That the Angels were able to blunt the rally against all odds showed their resolve as well.

SERIES MVP: Any number of Angels could have been considered Series MVP.But Vladimir Guerrero stood out, hitting .400 to date. And Garret Anderson's game-saving throw in the ninth of game 4 was an incredible play that cannot be overlooked. --submitted by Michael Hopcroft--

Northern Expos-ure

2009-05-13T06:27:00.000-07:00

1977 Phillies (Gary B) vs 1979 Expos (Marc W)

GAME 1 (The Vet): MON 9, PHI 1 - 49 minute rain delay in 5th

Normally when one team's #1 starter (Steve Carlton - PHI) faces a team's #5 guy (Scott Sanderson - MON) the fans expect some sort of giveaway...not the kind that you receive at the turnstile, but the kind on the scorecard. In this case the fans got exactly what they expected, but the giveaway came from the kind heart of a HOF ace and not a journeyman right hander. Carlton had nothing and after 2 innings he yielded 6 runs. Thanks to a rain delay both starters were gone before the 7th. Sanderson pitched the required 5 innings to get the win. The Expo bullpen (Bahnsen and Fryman) kept the Phils scoreless to close it out. Gary Carter went 3 for 5 and had 3 RBI's. Ellis Valentine hit a two run shot.

GAME 2 (The Vet): PHI 3, MON 1

Montreal got a 3 run complete game performance from Steve Rogers, but it would not be enough because Philly trotted out 4 pitchers, who combined to 4 hit the Expos who's lone run came via a Gary Carter Solo shot in the 6th, which at the time made the score 2-1. Larry Christenson started the game for the Phils, but tired after 6 innings of work and 113 pitches. Philly got on the board first with 2 runs in the home half of the 2nd. Gary Maddox doubled with 1 out and moved over to third when Ted Sizemore single. With 1 out Bob Boone grounded out, but advanced Sizemore to 2nd. Christenson helped his cause by lining a sharp single to right to plate both runners and stake himself to a 2 run lead with a clutch 2 out hit. Sizemore scored again in the 6th when Bowa hit into a force play. Philly's pen held Montreal in check the rest of the way for the win.

GAME 3 (Olympic Stadium) MON 4, PHI 0

For his second straight outing Bill "the spaceman" Lee was locked in. For 7 1/3 innings he tossed shutout ball, before yielding to close Elias Sosa who was tasked with recording the final 5 outs. Lee and Philly starter Jim Lonborg were tossing goose eggs until the Expos broke through with solo runs in the 5th and 6th innings to make it 2-0. After yielding a 1 out double to Warren Cromartie, Lonborg was victimized by a throwing error by his normally sure handed backstop, Bob Boone, who mishandled Chris Speier's dribbler in front of the plate, which forced him to hurry this throw. The errant throw wound up in right field and Cromartie wound up scoring. The run was unearned and it forced Lonborg to bare down and strike out 2 of the next 3 batters to get out of the inning with no further damage. Gary Carter led off the 6th by striking out, but Boone again had trouble holding on to the ball, was forced to throw to Davey Johnson at 1st to record the out. Lonborg had a little bit of frustration on his face, because the lay at first was very close and he must have had flashbacks to the run causing error by Boone in the previous frame. Up stepped "the Hawk", Andre Dawson, who blasted Lonborg's first offering deep over the right center field fence to make it 2-0. Cromartie then doubled with 2 out and Speier was intentionally passed to get to the pitcher Lee, who hit a bullet to Sizemore at second to end the inning and Lonborg's day without any further damage. The top of the 8th was Philly's best chance to get on the board. With Lee beginning to tire Montreal's 2 run lead seemed tenuous at best. Bowa led off by lining out to Rodney Scott at second. Sizemore smoked a single to left and that was it for Lee. Sosa came on board and served up a clean single to Schmitty and just like that Luzinski was at the plate representing the go-ahead run. Elias Sosa proceeded to fan the Bull and get Maddox to ground out to end the inning. The bottom of the 8th saw the Expos add on 2 insurance runs, which were essential as Sosa had a troublesome 9th as he barely dodged the bullet to close out the save. A bases loaded DP ball from Bowa was needed to save the day.

GAME 4 (Olympic Stadium) MON 6, PHI 5

After giving up 6 runs (5 earned) in a little over 3 innings worth of work Randy Lerch was yanked by Phillie Manager Gary Bringhurst, who had seen just about enough from his troublesome lefthander. Bringhurst's move was genius as it allowed his squad a chance to stay in the game. Once Lerch left the Expos bats went silent, while Philly's lumber began to spark. Dan Schatzeder ran out of gas after posting one of those so called "quality starts" (6 IP, 3 ER). David Palmer came on to relieve him and he was shaky at best yielding 2 runs in 2 IP. When Philly scored 2 in the 8th the game was now within one run. Montreal was in big trouble since their normal close, Elias Sosa, pitched 2 innings the day before and was not available. the 9th inning now belonged to two veterans, Bahnsen (the righty) and Fryman (the lefty). Bahnsen struck out Luzinski and got Maddox to fly out and Fryman came on to fan McBride for the final out. Philly came up just short thanks to the terrible outing Lerch posted. In a losing cause Schmidt hit his first homer of the KOD7 season, while the light hitting Bowa hit his 3rd. Montreal catcher Gary Carter had the day off since he caught 7 straight. His backup Duffy Dyer went 2 for 4 and had a RBI. "Doggie" Tony Perez hit his 2nd homer for the year and went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI's. Montreal moved to 6-2 on the season, while Philly dropped to .500.

Grove'in on a Sunny Afternoon

2009-05-12T21:54:00.000-07:00

Howie Fortel (PHA-32) vs Marc Weiss (BOS-49)

GAME 1 (Shibe Park): PHA 1, BOS 0

In a game series that featured 5 HOF batters the shinning star was a 300 game winning HOF pitcher named Robert Moses Grove. Known to us all as "Lefty", Grove was purely dominant as he threw a complete game 3 hit shutout. Overshadowed by Grove's brilliance was the work of Mel Parnell, who match Grove pitch for pitch and who's only blemish was a 3 walk 5th inning. Double X, Jimmy Foxx's sac fly that scored Williams was the difference maker. The fans got to sit back and watch this fantastic pitcher's duel that last just 2 hours. Two HOF lineups baffled by two fantastic southpaw hurlers.

GAME 2 (Shibe Park): PHA 13, BOS 3

Ellis Kinder started the game for the Sox and proceeded to stink up the joint. The White Elephant banged out 13 runs on 15 hits. The game was close until Philly's 8 run 8th inning put it completely out of reach. A's, Eric McNair went 5 for 5 with 6 RBI's to outshine his HOF teammates. Rube Walberg went the distance to get the win and increase his record to 2-0. Kinder was left out there to take one for the team and was responsible for all 13 runs (11 earned).

GAME 3 (Fenway Park): BOS 6, PHA 0

Boston's Joe Dobson tossed a 2 hitter as the "Little Professor" Dom DiMaggio went 4 for 5 and scored 2 runs. Good ole T.S. Williams came to life and went 2 for 3 with a long homer. Al Zarilla was the only Red Sox starter that did not reach base. The slow footed Sox also had 2 stolen bases (Doerr and Goodman).

GAME 4 (Fenway Park): PHA 13, BOS 2

Surprise starter Al Freitas went the distance by scattering 7 hits and just 2 runs. The real story was the offensive fireworks supplied by the Mack-men. Even the slumping Mickey Cochrane (1-28) managed to bang out 2 hits including a tape measure homer that just cleared the Pesky pole. Aloysius Simmons went 5 for 6 to increase his season average to .429. Mule Haas had 4 RBI's. Bobby Doerr homered in a losing effort for the 2-6 Sox. Philly moved back to .500 at 4-4.

Not in the Cards...

2009-05-10T18:48:00.000-07:00

GAME 1 (Olympic Stadium) MON 6, STL 3:

The game was scoreless until Montreal broke the ice in the bottom of the 4th when "the hawk" Andre Dawson scored on an Ellis Valentine Sac Fly. Both teams exchanged runs in the 5th and after the Cards tied it at 2 in the top of the 7th both teams expected this pitcher's duel between Warneke and Rogers to continue. Unfortunately for STL Warneke became human and the Expos torched him for 4 runs in the home half of the 7th to win the day. Light hitting Chris Speier launched a two run homer to break the tie. Stan Bahnsen and Elias Sosa closed it out as the Expos won their home opener.

GAME 2 (Olympic Stadium) MON 2, STL 0:

The Spaceman, Bill Lee spun a masterful 2 hit shutout as the Expos moved to 2-0. Montreal scored 2 runs off of Cardinal starter White in the first inning and Lee made it hold up. Larry Parrish's 2 run clout accounted for all of the scoring.

GAME 3 (Sportsman's Park): MON 9, STL 4

Mort Cooper was nursing a 3-2 lead until the top of the 6th when the Expos erupted for 5 runs as they batted around. The crushing blow was a 2 run homer by Expo starter Dan Schatzeder who also went 7 and gave up 3. David Palmer came on for the final 2. Every Expo starter had at least 1 hit. Gary Carter had 3 RBI's as well as 3 walks as his avg went to .444. Enos Slaughter knocked in 3 runs in a losing effort.

GAME 4 (Sportsman's Park): STL 5, MON 4
Max Lanier went the distance for the Cards and prevented the Expos from gaining a sweep. Ross Grimsley gave his Expo team a chance by hanging in there. With the Cards leading 3-2 Expo reliever Rudy May was uncharacteristically wild and that cost his team 2 runs and the game, because his team managed to score 2 of their own to lose by 1 run in the 9th. Mancuso and Brown both had RBI singles in the bottom of the 8th off May. The Kid, Gary Carter's 2 run shot off Lanier in the 9th brought it back to within 1, but both Tony Perez and Dave Cash were unable to reach base as Lanier shut the door for the Cards first win of the season. Terry Moore had 3 hit as did Lanier, who helped his own cause out.

Philadelphia Freedom

2009-05-10T16:30:00.000-07:00

77 Phils (Gary B) vs 99 Mets (Andy(games 1 and 2) + Marc(games 3 and 4))

GAME 1: Philadelphia 4 New York Mets (13 Inn)

Mets score 2 in the bottom of the 9th to ruin a gem pitched by Carlton but the Phils score a run in the top of the 13th to win 4-3. Bob Boone went 3-5.including a home run and 2 RBI to lead the Phils

GAME 2: New York Mets 5 Philadelphia 3

Benny Agbayani was the star of this match as he goes yard and went 3-4 with 3 RBI as the Mets win 5-3.

GAME 3: Philadelphia 4 New York Mets 3

Jim Lonborg gives up 1 run in 7 innings to lead the Phils to a 4-3 win over the Mets. Larry Bowa and Bake McBride each had 2 hits to lead the Phils offense.

GAME 4: Philadelphia 6 New York Mets 4

Mike Schmidt goes 3-4 with a run and 2 RBI as the Phils out slug the Mets 6-4.

TURNING POINT: The Phils starting pitching kept the pen frsh and rested throughout the series.
SERIES MVP: Larry Bowa goes 8-18

--submitted by Gary Bringhurst--

SD Friars first salvo vs Brooks

2009-05-10T07:51:00.000-07:00

1991 Padres-Joey Scigliano vs 1951 Dodgers-George Bseraini

GAME 1: Padres 4 Dodgers 3 (Ebbets Field)
In a close, hard fought contest, the Padres pulled out the first game over in Flatbush today. Ed Whitson and Don Newcombe squared off against one another. Newcombe was his usual strong self as he struck out 10 Padre hitters and allowed only one run through 8 innings. Usually that is enough for a victory especially with swatters with the names of Reese, Snyder, Robinson, Hodges, and Campenella. However, in this game the Padres hurler, Eddie Whitson was equal to the task. In fact both teams pitched so well that this game was not decided until the 15th inning. The Padres diminutive second baseman Bip Roberts touched mighty Newcombe in the third inning with a homerun to knot the game at one apiece. The score remained locked until the bottom of the 7th when the powerful first sacker from Brooklyn, Gil Hodges smashed a long homerun to center off the Tennessen Whitson to make the score 2-1 in favor of dem bums. It looked like that score would hold. Podbielan came on the mound for Brooklyn in the 9th and got the first batter to ground out but the Crime Dog Fred McGriff came up and touched him for a line drive homerun to right to tie the game at 2-2. The score remained tied until the 15th when San Diego struck for two more runs of Podbielan to retake the lead. Jackie Robinson smacked a homerun in the bottom half of the inning but it was not enough as the Friars took the first game of the series. Mike Maddux pitched 3 innings of relief for the victory and Podbielan threw 6 innings in relief as he was the goat for the day. First he coughed up the lead and then lost the game. Tough game for the Dodgers bullpen.

GAME 2: Dodgers 4 Padres 1 (Ebbets Field)
The second game of the series matched up a couple of hardy veterans. Bruce Hurst was on the hill for San Diego and Preacher Roe was toeing the rubber for Brooklyn. The Padres took an early 1-0 lead in the second but it would not hold up as the Dodgers erupted for 3 runs in the 4th inning off the veteran south paw. First Gil Hodges connected for this second homerun of the series. This time a runner was on base. The next batter was Andy Pafko and he gave the fans another souvenir as he clouted the ball over the left field fence. The Bums would add some GEICO in the seventh innings with a solo run. Preacher Roe went the distance for the victory. Hurst also pitched a complete game but was hung with the loss.

GAME 3: Padres 3 Dodgers 2 (Jack Murphy Stadium)
The series moved to the west coast for the next two games. The Dodgers were welcomed to American's finest city by leadoff hitter Darin Jackson as he hit a low line drive homerun over the inner 8 foot fence down the right field line. Ralph Branca served up the dinger but composed himself to pitch 5 shutout innings. However, in the 7th things turned from bad to worse as the host team stung Branca for two more tallies to increase the lead to 3-1. The Dodgers had a mini rally in the 9th as they pushed across one run against Padre reliever Craig Lefferts but the crafty lefty was able to minimize the damage and earn his first save. The victory went to hard throwing Andy Benes, who went 7 innings surrendering one run on only five hits while striking out 5 Dodgers.

GAME 4: Padres 8 Dodgers 3 (Jack Muphy Stadium)
Dennis Rasmussen and Carl Erskine matched each other in the finale of this series. It appeared that the Dodgers were going to even the series as they quickly struck for 2 runs in the 2nd inning on a Abrams sacrifice fly followed by a run scoring Pee Wee Reese triple. That lead was short lived as the Padres touched up Erskine for 5 big runs in the bottom half of the 3rd frame. Tony Gwynn got hold of a hanging change up and deposited it into the right field stands for a 2 run homerun. San Diego plated three more runs in the 3rd to push their lead to 5-2. The Friars added a single run in the 5th and two more in the 8th inning. Rich Rodriguez pitched 2.1 inning of relief for the Padres but got into trouble in the 9th. With one run already across for the Dodgers and the bases loaded, the Padre skipper decided to give the hook to the young left hander and bring in the veteran Larry Anderson to face tough hitting Jackie Robinson. Anderson got Robinson to ground to short to preserve the victory for the west coasters. Rasmussen earned the win and Anderson cot credit for the save. The loss went to Carl Erskine. --submitted by Joey Scigliano--
TURNING POINT: 1st game...Padres tied the game with a McGriff homerun in the 9th and then went on to win the game and take 3 of 4 for the series.
SERIES MVP: Tony Gwynn. He batted .316 with a homerun, 2 doubles and drove in 4 RBI's.

Motown shows no brotherly love to the White Elephant

2009-05-10T07:47:00.000-07:00

Detroit took the series 3 games to 1. Only the first game wasn't close as the Tigers jumped all over Lefty Grove and Jim Bunning won 7-0. Rube Walberg out dueled Frank Lary in the second game and, sparked by Jimmie Foxx's homer, won 3-1. Norm Cash's 8th inning homer won the third game for Terry Fox, 4-2. The last game went into extra innings, with the winning run coming home for the Tigers when Lew Krause walked Steve Boros with the bases full, having previously walked Al Kaline and Cash after Billy Bruton opened the inning safe on an error by Krause. Jim Donohue got the win, 3-2. These two powerhouses combined for only two homers in the series. --contributed by Tom "Crash" Davis--

'77 Bucos take 3 of 4 from '08 Cubbies

2009-05-03T14:44:00.000-07:00

77 Pirates - Jesse Elicker vs 08 Cubs - Mark Angle
GAME 1: 8-2 (77-Pit)
John Candelaria worked 7 strong innings and aided his own cause with a 2-run single to beat the Cubs 8-2. Willie Stargell homered for Pittsburgh, and Frank Taveras and Phil Garner added 2 RBI each. Carlos Zambrano struggled, leaving the game in the 5th.

GAME 2: 5-0 (08-Chi)
Ryan Dempster was masterful, blanking the Pirates for 8 innings on just 3 hits, and the Cubs tied the series with a 5-0 win. Derek Lee had 3 hits, including a HR, and drove in 3 run. Reed Johnson reached base 4 times with 2 hits and 2 walks.

GAME 3: 5-1 (77-Pit)
The series moved to Chicago, but the Cubs' bats apparently didn't, as Pittsburgh took game 3 by a 5-1 score. Jim Rooker 6 innings to get the win. Bill Robinson's 2-run HR in the 3rd put Pittsburgh up 3-1. He later added a sac fly for a 3 RBI day. The Buccos ran at will on Geovony Soto - 5 steals, 2 caught. Cubs' starter Rich Harden failed to make it out of the 5th inning.

GAME 4: 11-4 (77-Pit)
The Pirates unleashed 14 hits to take the series with a 11-4 win. Bill Robinson's 3-run HR keyed a 4-run 3rd to put the Bucs up 4-2. Bruce Kison's RBI double in the 4th made it 5-2, and a 3-run 6th blew the game open, 8-2. Nine different Pirates drove in runs. For the Cubs, the lone bright spot was Jim Edmonds, who went 3 for 4 and hit a 2-run HR.

SERIES MVP: Frank Taveras - 7 for 15, 3 R, 3 RBI, 5-0 in stolen bases.
--submitted by Jesse Elicker--

'75 A's and '01 Mariners split in KOD7 Opener

2009-05-03T14:37:00.000-07:00

Seattle (Hopcroft) vs. Oakland (Crouch)

GAME 1: OAK 2 SEA 1

GAME 2: SEA 5 OAK 4

GAME 3: SEA 9 OAK 2

GAME 4: OAK 5, SEA

The Mariners and A's opened their season evenly matched, and closed their series the same way as they split a 4-game set. Each took a game on their opponent's home field; the offenses were muted at Safeco but opened up in Oakland Coliseum.

TURNING POINT: When the games were played in Safeco, the pitching dominated. But in Oakland John Olerud exploded for two home runs in Game 3, to be countered in game 4 by Gene Tenace, a display of opportune power that preserved the split.

SERIES MVP: In the 7th inning of game 4, Oakland starter Stan Bahnsen was ejected for arguing a called Ball 4. Paul Lindblad, who had not been warming up, came in and prevented further damage, slowing a mariners rally and giving Rollie Fingers the chance to preserve the win.

--submitted by Michael Hopcroft--

First Pitch Scheduled for May 1st, 2009

2009-05-03T14:27:00.001-07:00

Not a lot of downtime between KOD6 and 7, but that was by popular request. This will be our second season in a row with 24 teams and 38 games. Here is how the schedule will play out.

Week 1: May 1st to May 10th (we have an extra weekend to play with)
Week 2: May 11 - May 17th (Sun @ 11:59pm)
Week 11: July 19th will be the final Sunday of KOD7, then the playoffs start.

Plan accordingly :) !