Sunday, February 5, 2017
KOD24 Champions–1970 SF Giants (Reeves/Nixon)
Congratulations to Mark Nixon for an epic 14-7 post season run that led to the 1970 Giants capturing the KOD24 title. The Jints were left for dead as they stumbled down the stretch and barely qualified for a 3 team play in series. The Jints lost the draw, along with Pittsburgh, and had to play a play in to the play in game. After defeating the Bucs they had to defeat the ‘48 Dodgers. That earned them the #5 wild card slot and a trip to Riverfront stadium vs the Reds. The Jints dispatched of the “little red wind up toy” and headed to face the #1 seeded Phightin’s. After shocking the Phiting’s in a hard fought 5 game LDS they then outlasted the Redbirds in a classic 7 game LCS, which punched their ticket to the World Series only to face the #1 overall Boston Red Sox. After dropping the first 2 games of the series it looked like Cinderella’s foot was too swollen to wear the glass slipper. Defying the odds manager Nixon righted the ship and found a proverbial “shoe-horn” to make it fit and sweep the final 4 games from the Sahx, incluing a 9-8 nail biting game 6 clincher.
In all the KOD’s that I’ve had the pleasure to be a part of I would have to say that this one by far had the most unlikely post season in our storied history. During the run Mark said to me that “this post season run is really emblimatic of the theme we are playing” (teams that switched managers during the season). Mark took over the team from Larry Reeves, who had managed them during most of the season. Larry had huge work committments and other responsibilites to tend to and couldn’t pilot the team during the hectic first week of the post season. After Mark got on that incredible roll, Larry sat back and let him have the reigns. Rest assured Larry was in a tough place. He wanted to manage his beloved Jints, but he also didn’t want to slow down the momentum that Mark had going. It takes an awful to of pride and patience to step aside and let another man bring it home. This is why we will proudly list the 1970 Giants as KOD24 Champions and list Reeves/Nixon as the winning manager. It always takes team work, to make a dream work ! Congratulations, my friends on a job well done !
mw
GAME 6: “High Reward Bonds”
Game MVP: Bonds
(A visionary who saw the early potential of the belt buckle ad)
Fenway Park
65 degrees, clear
Hurst vs Robertson
San Francisco 9 Boston 8
Game MVP: Bonds
Five games, five home team victories. Game 6 would reverse the trend but not without all the drama due the Fall Classic.
In the top of the first the trend of first inning scoring continued as the Giants got off to the fast 2 run start sending 8 to the plate getting two doubles a single and two walks. Todd Benzinger greeted Rich Robertson with a bases empty home run in the bottom of the inning to close the score to 2-1 Giants.
In the bottom of the 4th Boston unleashed the full strength of their awesome attack against Robertson scoring 5 times and opening up a 6-2 lead. Notable contributors to this outburst were a Greenwell RBI single and a Spike Owen bases loaded 3 RBI double. San Francisco let Robertson continue in what looked like it could be a Boston blowout, attempting to keep as many arms as possible fresh for an increasingly likely game 7.
In the 5th Ken Henderson closed the score to 6-3 with a solo home run, but Boston came back to add two more runs in the bottom of the inning on a Dwight Evans two RBI double off of Robertson. At this point the score was Boston 8 San Francisco 3.
In the top of the 7th Ron Hunt powered his first home run of the season for two RBIs driving Hurst to the showers as Gardner came in to close out the inning with Boston leading 8-5.
In the 8th Frank Johnson drove Gardner from the game with a lead off single and Boston brought in bob Stanley to put out the Giant spark. Bobby Bonds greeted Stanley with an RBI double closing the score to 8-6 Boston. At this point Jim Ray Hart came in to pinch hit for Al Gallagher and crushed his fourth home run of the series to left-center to tie the game at 8-8.
Don McMahon came in to start the 8th inning and retired the side 1-23. In the top of the 9th Willie Mays drew a leadoff walk before McCovey flied out to right. Lee Smith came in to strike out Frank Johnson before walking Frank Johnson and moving Mays to second. At this point Dennis Lamp came in to relieve Smith and face Bobby Bonds who drove a 2-2 pitch through the left side of the infield to score Mays from second and put the Giants ahead 9-8. McMahon would give up a lead off single to Barrett in the bottom of the ninth. He would move to second on a Benzinger sac bunt where he would be stranded by McMahon who would entice Boggs to hit a flyout to left before Greenwell would lineout to Mays in center ending the series and making the long shot Giants KOD24 champs!
GAME 5: “Gay-LORD of the Flys”
Game MVP: Perry
Candlestick Park
70 degrees, clear (a San Francisco heat wave?) 
Perry vs Clemens
San Francisco 2 Boston 1
After the scoring circus the evening before, the two staff aces squared off for a second time for a day getaway game.
Through 7 innings the aces go toe to toe, each giving up only 2 hits and no runs to their opponent. Highlights include Clemens three strikeouts to start the game (one of two three strikeout innings he would have in the game). Perry had the wet one working as he benefitted from three double plays to consistently get out of jams.
Boston finally broke through in the top of the 8th as Dwight Evans hit a 404 foot home run to centerfield on what looked like it could be the game winner given the pitching dominance in this one. But not to be so easily denied, Al Gallagher drew a lead off walk in the bottom of the inning and Perry moved him to second with a sac bunt. Bobby Bonds moved Gallaher to third on a ground out before Tito Fuentes RBI double tied the game once again.
Clemens would retire the San Francisco order 1-2-3 n the 9th and 10th, Perry was almost bitten by an Al Gallagher error that put lead off hitter Marty Barret on first in the 9th. A Todd Benzinger sac bunt moved Barrett to second. Perry then got Boggs to ground out before intentionally walking Mike Greenwell to face Ellis Burks with two out. Perry was up to the task getting another Perry trademark groundout to end the threat.
In the bottom of the 11th Lee Smith relieved a tiring Clemens by striking out Bonds and getting Fuentes to harmlessly pop out. Willie Mays would single through the right side before Smith would walk McCovey. Stepping up the plate Giant catcher Dick Dietz would drive a Smith fastball for a double off the wall in left-center ending this classic pitcher’s duel and putting the Giants up 3 games to 2 heading back to Beantown.
GAME 4: “Series Pitlock’ed at 2 apiece”
Game MVP: Pitlock
Candlestick Park
69 degrees, no rain (how can it be?) J
Pitlock vs Boyd
San Francisco 11 Boston 1
For the third time in four games Boston scores in the first inning on an RBI single by Dwight Evans. On that, Boston would be done scoring for the day as Skip Pitlock would allow only 4 singles through 7 innings.
It may not have been raining, but don’t tell that to Oil Can Boyd who yielded up 10 hits and 5 home runs to Giant hitters (pun intended) while falling behind 7-1 after 4 innings. Jim Hart’s contribution was a two-run home run in the 2nd and a grand slam in the 3rd to cap a 6 RBI day for him. Joining in during a three run 4th were Bobby Bonds, Willie Mays and Willie McCovey with solo shots. Mays home run travelled 439 feet to dead centerfield. After four the Giants held a 10-1 lead and Boyd would head to the showers. Pitlock would cruise through 7 before giving way to Cumberland who pitched a scoreless 8th and 9th innings to tie the series at two games apiece.
GAME 3: “Tito makes em go”
Game MVP: Fuentes
Candlestick Park
64 degrees, clear (I know, hard to believe) J
Marichal vs Boddicker
San Francisco 6 Boston 3
Down two game to none, San Francisco called on NLCS hero Juan Marichal to turn the series around. Once again Boston got off to an early lead as Marty Barrett singled to start the game and Wade Boggs drove him in with a sac fly. Boddicker would struggle a bit more in the bottom of the 1st. Two lead off singles and a walk to Willie Mays brought Willie McCovey up with the bases loaded and none out. He would walk to drive in a run and Boddicker would limit the damage by getting Ken Henderson to ground into a double play to drive in a second run. After one, San Francisco 2 Boston 1.
Giants add another run in the third on a Tito Fuentes triple and Willie Mays sac fly. In the 4th Boston would get one back on an Benzinger RBI double.
In the 5th Fuentes would line his second consecutive triple down the first base line and again Mays drives him in with a sac fly. After 5 the score was Giants 4, Sox 2. In the 6th Dewey Evans decided to get into the act with a right field triple of his own followed by a Gedman ground out to make the score 4-3.
In the bottom of the 6th Boddicker tired and Gardner came in to hold the orange and black. Unfortunately for him a Spike Owen error and a Jim Ray Hart home run would plate two and allow the Giants to open up the lead to 6-3. After 7 Don McMahon would come on to relief Marichal and throw two scoreless innings to lock up the win for the home team.
GAME 2: “All’s well that’s Greenwell”
Game MVP: Greenwell
Fenway Park
62 degrees, light rain
Hurst vs Robertson
Boston 6 San Francisco 4
Game two and the rains have come (nothing new for Boston in late October)! This time San Francisco opens the scoring with 1 run in the top of the second on a Bob Heise sacrifice fly. In the bottom of the third Boston ties it up against Robertson on a Rich Gedman 428 foot home run to right centerfield.
In the top of the 6th the Giants broke through for 3 runs as Willie McCovery led off with a solo home run followed by a walk and a single, then another run on a Bob Heise double. Later in the inning another run scored on an Al Gallagher sac fly. Todd Benzinger got 1 back on a lead-off home run in the bottom half of the inning and Boston was on the move with two on before Jerry Johnson came in with two outs to get Jim Rice to hit a harmless fly ball to right.
With a 4-2 lead the wheels came off the cart for San Francisco’s Johnson in the bottom of the 7th as he yielded 4 runs. Major contributors for Boston were an RBI Boggs single and a Greenwell two RBI, 423 foot home run to right center. The game would end right here as Bob Stanley and Lee Smith combined for three innings of shutout relief and a Boston two games to none lead heading back to the City By the Bay.