Innings 1-6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvZ4-jk7TcA
Friday, July 24, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Brew Crew forces 1 game playoff with Halos.
[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.
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
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.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Woodie or won't he ???
[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 !
[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.
Friday, July 17, 2009
1932 Philly Athletics win 9 in a row clinch best record in baseball
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.
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