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.
World Series GAME 1: “Boston Rockets to 1-0 lead”
KOD24 World Series – GAME 1
Game MVP: Clemens
Fenway Park
57 degrees, threatening skies
Clemens vs Perry
Boston 8 San Francisco 2
The first game of the KOD24 Fall Classic had the season long staff aces, Clemens for Boston and Perry for San Francisco facing off on a 57 degree night with a threat of rain.
Boston wasted no time getting on the board in the bottom of the 1st as Benzinger and Boggs single ahead of a Mike Greenwell deep fly ball to center rove in Benzinger. An error by Jim Ray Hart and a single by Jim Rice gave Boston a 3-0 lead.
In the top of the 2nd Clemens issued two walks with a single in between to load up the bases for the Jints with none out. A passed ball and a ground out yielded two runs and after two the Giants were back in the game. Ellis Burks lead off triple in the bottom of the third resulted in a run after a Dwight Evans double. With this the pitchers settled down until the bottom of the 7th when Boston exploded for 4 more runs as Evans drove in two with another double and Rice hit a 2 run home run. Leading 8-2 after 7 the game would end this way with Boston claiming the early series lead.
--all WS articles submitted by Mark Nixon--
Sunday, January 22, 2017
1988 Boston Red Sox move on to KOD 24 Championship by defeating 1958 Cleveland Indians
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| 1988 Boston Red Sox American League East Champions |
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| 1958 Cleveland Indians American League Wild Card |
VS
King of Diamonds #24
Fenway Park, Boston, MA
67 Degrees, 19 mph in from LCF
Cal McLish (6-2) vs Bruce Hurst (5-2)
Boston wins 4-1
WP: Bruce Hurst (6-2) - 9 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
LP: Cal McLish (6-3) - 6.2 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
SV: None
HR: None
GWRBI: Dwight Evans
MVP: Bruce Hurst (9 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, WIN)
The Red Sox, fresh off an emotional series with the New York Yankess, got just what they needed from starter Bruce Hurst. Hurst was dominant from the start and in the 4th inning got the backing he needed thanks to an RBI single by Dwight Evans and a 2 RBI knock by Todd Benzinger. The Sox added an insurance run in the 7th when Ellis Burks knocked in Marty Barrett. But that was more than Hurst would need as he held the Indians down and only allowed a single run in the 5th when Roger Maris, who doubled to lead off the inning, came around to score on a single off the bat of Mickey Vernon.
GM 2 - October 12
Fenway Park, Boston,MA
57 Degrees, Clear, Rain, 10 mph in from CF
Gary Bell (6-1) vs Mike Boddicker (3-1)
Cleveland wins 6-4
WP: Gary Bell (7-1) - 7.2 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 5 BB, 5 K
LP: Mike Boddicker (3-2) - 7 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
SV: Hoyt Wilhelm (SV 6) - 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, (SV 6)
HR: Minnie Minoso (9), Mike Greenwell (7)
GW RBI: Vic Power
MVP: Minnie Minoso (2-3, R, 4 RBI, BB, HR)
One bad inning for Mike Boddicker and the series is even at 1 game a piece. Boddicker gave up all 6 runs in the 3rd inning allowing 2 walks and then a big grand slam to Minnie Minoso. Cleveland starter Gary Bell was solid until he ran out of gas after struggling through the 6th and 7th innings. Hoyt Wilhelm shut the Sox bats down for the final 4 outs of the game to pick up the save and send the series to Cleveland even at a game a piece. Mike Greenwell (2-4, R, 3 RBI, HR) had a good game in a losing effort for Boston
Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, OH
59 Degrees, 14 mph Right to Left
Roger Clemens (10-1) vs Don Mossi (4-4)
Boston wins 8-1
WP: Roger Clemens (11-1) - 9 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
LP: Don Mossi (4-5) - 4.2 IP, 11 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
SV: None
HR: None
GW RBI : Jim Rice
MVP: Roger Clemens (9 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, WIN)
Boston ace, Roger Clemens, followed the game 1 lead of his fellow top of rotation mate, Bruce Hurst, and shut down the tough Indians lineup with a complete game 4 hit, 6 strikeout performance. The Indians actually jumped on Clemens with a run in the 2nd to take a brief lead. But, the Sox bats woke up in the top of the 3rd and never looked back. They scored 2 in the 3rd, 2 in the 4th and 3 more in the 5th to push out to a 7-1 lead. They would add another in the 7th and cruise to an 8-1 victory. Wade Boggs (4-5, R, 3 RBI, 2 2B) and Ellis Burks (3-4, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB) were the offensive catalysts at the top of the Boston lineup. Jim Rice picked up 2 big doubles while driving in 2 and scoring another.
GM 4 - October 15
Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, OH
62 Degrees, Clear, 14 mph Right to Left
Wes Gardenr (2-2) vs Mudcat Grant (6-4)
Boston wins 6-4
WP: Wes Gardner (3-2) - 7 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
LP: Mudcat Grant (6-5) - 4 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 9 BB, 0 K
SV: Lee Smith (SV 11) - 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
HR: Ellis Burks (5), Mickey Vernon (11), Larry Doby 2(11)
GW RBI: Ellis Burks
MVP: Ellis Burks (2-3, 2 R< 3 RBI, 2 BB, HR)
Mudcat Grant struggled from the start with his control and ended up walking 9 Boston batters and recording just 12 outs. Grant also commited a big error and the Red Sox took advantage of all the help and jumped out to a 5-0 lead thru the top of the 3rd. The Indians would battle throughout this game led by slugger Larry Doby (2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 HR). But in the end, the Sox would hold on thanks to a Lee Smith shut down 9th inning. Smith did give up a lead off HR to Doby but then struck out Minnie Minoso, Russ Nixon and Vic Wertz to push the Indians to the brink of elimination.
Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, OH
62 Degress, 15 mph in from RCF
Oil Can Boyd (2-3) vs Cal McLish (6-3)
Boston wins 7-6 in 11 innings
WP: Lee Smith (2-2) - 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 57 PITCHES
LP: Hoyt Wilhelm (1-1) - 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
SV: NONE
HR: Mike Greenwell (8), Rocky Colavito (14), Mickey Vernon (12)
GWRBI: None (winning run scored on Wild Pitch)
MVP: Mike Greenwell (2-5, R, 4 RBI, BB, HR)
It took five games but we finally got the signature classic game from this series. Both teams had chances to win but both seemed to find ways to extend the game instead of seal it away. Ultimately the game was decided on a wild pitch by Hoyt Wilhelm that scored Wade Boggs with the go ahead run in the top of the 11th inning. The fact that the game went that long was a surprise as the Sox jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the 5th when the Red Sox turned 2 McLish walks and an error into 4 runs when Mike Greenwell cranked a grand slam down the RF line. The Sox extended the lead to 5-1 in the 6th when Wade Boggs (2-5, 2 R, BB, RBI) drove home Marty Barret (3-5, R, 2B). Cleveland, with their backs up against the wall, fought back off of surprise starter Oil Can Boyd (5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K), who had not pitched since a few weeks before the end of the regular season. With Boyd out after 5 plus innings, the Sox had to call upon Bob Stanley earlier than usual and that forced Boston to turn to seldom used Tom Bolton and Dennis Lamp. Both struggled to keep the powerful Indians lineup from chipping away at the lead and the Indians tied the game up at 5 thanks to a Vic Power double that scored Bobby Avila in the 7th. Boston answered quickly with a run in the top of the 8th thanks to a single by Marty Barrett to score Rich Gedman. With 6 outs left and no bullpen options left, Lee Smith was brought in to close out the game and the series for Boston. But Mickey Vernon was not going down without a fight and he drove a Smith fastball down the RF line and the game was tied again. Both teams had scoring opportunities in the 10th, but Boston grounded into a double play and Cleveland ran into an out with a Minnie Minoso caught stealing. The Red Sox took advantage of more walks and in the 11th inning as Wade Boggs singled to lead off, Greenwell walked and after a sac bunt by Ellis Burks, Dwight Evans was given a free pass to load the bases with 1 out. Wilhelm settled down to strike out Jim Rice for the 2nd out bringing up the light hitting SPike Owen with the bases still loaded but now 2 outs. Unfortunately, Wilhelm let a knuckleball get away from him and a wild pitch would allow Boggs to score the go ahead run. With only shaky options, Mike Smithson and Jeff Sellers, Lee Smith was sent out for his 4th inning of work for the opportunity to close out the 2nd straight series with long inning outings. Smith was up to the challenge and dug deep to set the Indians down with just Bobby Avila reaching by a hit by pitch.
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| MOST VALUABLE BATTER Wade Boggs 9-20, 2 2B, 4 R, 4 RBI, 6 BB .450 BA, .577 OBP, .550 SLP |
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| MOST VALUABLE PITCHER Lee Smith 2 G, 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K 1 WIN, 1 SAVE, 3.60 ERA, .176 Opp BA |
Senior Circuit Rivals Junior for Series Magic - Marichal Leads Giants to NLCS
Sportsman Park
Roberts vs Marichal
Philadelphia ace Robin Roberts took the mound in the opening game of the NLDS against Juan Marichal of the Giants. Roberts got off to a rocky start walking San Fran leadoff hitter Bobby Bonds and then committing a throwing error to first on a pickoff throw allowing Bonds to advance to 2nd. A deep fly to center moved Bonds to third where Willie Mays drove him home with a single to stake the Giants to a 1-0 lead. The Giants struck again in the 4th on a Ken Henderson single, two ground outs and an RBI single by Giant SS Hal Lanier. the Phils touched Marichal for 2 runs in the bottom of the fourth on a two RBI single by Hamner. In the bottom of the 5th Del Ennis drove in another Phillie run with an RBI double and also scored later in the inning on a Marichal wild pitch, giving the Phils a 4-2 lead after 5.
the Giants got one run back on three consecutive singles, the last being an RBI single by noted Giant slugger Hal Lanier. this is the way the score would stay unitl the top of the ninth inning.
In the top of the ninth Al Gallagher lead off with a single between third and short against Roberts. Bobby Bonds advance Gallagher to 2nd on a groundout before a Jim Ray hart single put runners on 1st and 3rd with one out with Willie Mays coming to the plate. A tiring Roberts was able to strike out the Say Hey Kid on three consecutive pitches before giving way to Phillie reliever Heintzelman who was brought on to pitch to slugger Willie McCovey. Heintzelman coaxed a groundball to first baseman Waitkus, but he booted the grounder for the error allowing the tying run to score.
At this point Phille brought in Hanson to pitch to Ken Henderson who singled to center scoring Jim Ray Hart with what would be the winning run. Don McMahon came in for San Fran and closed out the win with a 1-2-3 inning.
Game 2:
Sportsman Park
Meyer vs Robertson
promptly give up a 4 spot to the Phitin' Phils who sent 8 men to the plate and grabbing a lead they would not relinquish. A Ken Henderson HR with Dick Deitz on base closed the gap to 4-2 in the top of the 2nd. In the top of the 4th Dietz and Hendson stroked back to back doubles giving Henderson his third RBI for the game and closing the score to 4-3 Phils. After 4, the Giants pulled starter Robertson after a 92 pitch effort, replacing him with Jerry Johnson who would go the rest of the way yielding 1 more run in the bottom of the eighth inning. In the top of the ninth Russ Meyer closed out his 6 hit complete game victory sending the series to the city by the bay tied at one game apiece.
Game 3:
Candlestick Park
Perry vs Drews
Giant ace Gaylord Perry took the mound in game three against Philly's Karl Drews. Both pitchers got off to good starts holding the opposition scoreless through 3 innings. In the top of the 4th the Phils got it in gear with a vengeance against Perry. With two outs, Del Ennis drove a single through the infield and Walt Jones was walked. Then the wheels really fell off for Perry as Lopata and Hamner drive in a run each with back to back singles followed by a two RBI double by Bill Ryan giving the Phils another 4-0 advantage over the Giants. In the bottom of the 7th Drews began to tire and the Giants touched him up for two runs closing the gap to 4-2 Phils before he was pulled from the game.
In the 8th Del Ennis drove a John Cumberland, on relief of Perry, pitch 346 feet over the wall down the left field line putting the Phils up 5-2. The Giants had a comeback of their own planned for their half of the 8th. Wih one out, Willie McCovey was walked ahead of a Dick Dietz single. A Jim Ray hart line out to first brought Ken Henderson to the plate where he promptly drove in a run with a single of his own. Bob Heise next stepped to the plate, he had come in at SS for the Giants after starter Hal Lanier had been hit for in the 7th. Never known as a great hitter, Heise hit a ground ball to Phillie SS Hamner who fumbled it to the ground loading the bases with two out. Pinch Hitter Frank Johnson stepped up to the plate for the pitcher Cumberland and lined a 3 RBI triple down the left field line giving the Giants an improbable 6-5 lead heading into the top of the ninth inning.
With Giant closer Don McMahon looking for the 6 out save, Phillie catcher Lopata wasted no time driving a solo home run down the left field line and tying the score at 6-6 after 8. this is where it would stay until the bottom of the 10th when Phillie reliever Konstanty walked both Dick Deitz and Jim Ray Hart to start the inning. After Ken Henderson bounced into an easy double play, Bob Heise stepped up to the plate....two out, winning run on third...before stroking the game winning single and giving the Giants a 2 games to 1 lead in the series.
Game 4:
Candlestick Park
Bryant vs Simmons
Game 5:
Sportsman Park
Roberts vs Marichal
It was a rematch of game 1, with Phillie ace Robin Roberts facing high kicking Juan Marichal of the Giants. The Giants struck first in the top of the first as Tito Fuentes, who had lined a triple down the first base line scored on a Willie Mays fielders choice ground out. In the third a Willie Mays walk, McCovey single and a Ken Henderson single increased the Giant lead to 2-0 against Roberts. Roberts and Marichal battled through the 6th with the score remaining 2-0 Giants. In the 7th, the "Say Hey Kid" would line a 1-2 pitch from Roberts 1-2 over the wall down the left field line to increase the Giants lead to 5-0 as through 7 Marichal would yield only two Phillie singles, and no runs. In the 8th the Giants continued to score, adding two more runs against Roberts. In the bottom of the 8th Marichal would begin to show signs of tiring, two walks, two Phillie doubles and a single would yield 3 runs and close the score to 7-3 Giants heading into the 9th. Although Giant closer Don McMahon would have a bit of a rough outing, he would yield only 1 run in the ninth and send the Giants on to the NL LCS against the Red Birds of St. Louis.
This was a fantastic series, filled with timely pitching and hitting and some untimely errors.
NLDS 61 Cardinals sweep 61 Braves
The 1961 Milwaukee Braves finished the regular season by winning their final 10 games to win the NL West. Their cousins, the 1961 St. Louis Cardinals lost their season finale to the 1952 Philadelphia Phillies, and thereby lost the NL East title by a single game.
These two same-season clubs squared off in a best-of-five division round series, starting in Milwaukee. A couple of marquee names took the mound in game one, Warren Spahn and Bob Gibson. In 1961 Spahn was nearing the end of his illustrious career, while Gibson was just starting to find his rhythm as a young pitcher learning to harness his control. Both clubs notched a tally in the first, and each added another one later but the pitchers controlled things for the most part. The game went into the eighth tied at 2. The Cardinals then roughed up Spahnie a little, although Roy McMillan’s error on Curt Flood’s leadoff grounder was a bad omen for the veteran left hander. He may have been a bit rattled by the miscue, as he then walked Bill White. Ken Boyer then got out in front of an off speed pitch, but squared it up and the ball barely stayed fair down the left field line, rattling around in the corner as Flood and White scored. Boyer kept running around second and barely got in under Ed Mathews’ tag for a triple. After another walk and a strikeout, Spahn then uncharacteristically uncorked a wild pitch, that allowed Boyer to scamper home.
Gibson helped himself in the ninth with a double and a run, scoring on Julian Javier’s single to complete the scoring in the 6-2 win. Both Gibson and Spahn went the
distance.
Game two matched lefthanders Curt Simmons and Bob Hendley. Simmons was the Cardinals best pitcher in KOD24, despite a so-so 4-3 W-L record. He was not quite as sharp as usual in this one, but scattered 10 hits and a walk allowing only 2 runs. Meanwhile his mates tallied 4 times, with Simmons himself driving in 2 on a single against a drawn in infield after fouling off an attempted pitch on a squeeze play.
Game three moved to St. Louis, and was all Cardinals. A 16 hit attack off of Lew Burdette and Don McMahon was lead by Bill White, who had 4 hits and 5 RBI. Joe Cunningham and Ken Boyer each had three hits, 
while Javier and Stan Musial had 2 apiece, with The Man driving in a pair. Larry Jackson was the beneficiary of all this offense, but did just fine himself going 8 innings and giving up 3 runs, 2 earned, while striking out 6 and walking two. Then 10-5 finale sent the fans home happy and excited to be part of the upcoming NLCS.
The Cardinals move on to face the winner of the Phillies/Giants match-up, in an effort to grab their first KOD pennant.
Bike Mike
Cleveland Sweeps the Angels to Advance
Extra batting practice by the Indians before this series pays off, as Cleveland's bats were humming in a three game sweep of California. It's on to Boston next for a very tough AL championship matchup.
Game One: Cleveland pounds out 16 runs on 17 hits and annihilates California ace Nolan Ryan en route to a 16-6 win. Vic Power, who had a great series, went 5 for 6 to pace the Indians, while Cleveland ace Cal McLish went nine.
Game Two: The Indians offense doesn't let up against California's Frank Tanana, scoring six runs off him in the 9-1 win. Gary Bell pitches masterfully for the Indians, shutting down the Angels on three hits. Mickey Vernon, another red-hot batter, drives in three and hits a towering home run.
Game Three: The only close game of the series. California's Dave Frost and Cleveland's Mudcat Grant duel, with Grant constantly
avoiding serious trouble while yielding five walks. Frost starts off strong but exits after five innings as the Indians score three in the frame to take the lead, 5-3. Grant continues to gut through eight innings, while Indians closer Hoyt Wilhelm has a 1-2-3 ninth to save the 5-3 win.
Cleveland will need to keep the hits coming if it expects to match Boston's powerful lineup in the next round.
Joe P.
Friday, January 20, 2017
KOD 24 ALCS : 88 Boston Red Sox win classic series over 75 New York Yankees
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| 1988 Boston Red Sox (25-15) |
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| 1975 New York Yankees (22-18) |
GM 1 - October 462 Degrees, Clear, Light Rain
Doc Medich (1-6) vs Roger Clemens (9-0)
New York wins 5-1
WP: Doc Medich (2-6) - 7.1 IP, 9 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
LP: Roger Clemens (9-1) - 9 IP, 13 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 9 K
SV: Dave Pagan (SV 2) - 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
HR: None
GWRBI: Fred Stanley
MVP: Dave Pagan (1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, SAVE)
The pitching matchup in game 1 favored the home team Red Sox in a big way. The Yankees were coming off a wild card win that saw them throw ace Catfish Hunter while the Sox were rested and had potential KOD24 Cy Young Award winning Roger Clemens waiting for the Yankees. Howevr, it was the Yankees bats that decided this game as they battered the Rocket for 13 hits and handed Roger his first loss of the season. Leading the way for New York were Elliot Maddox (3-4, 2 R, 2 2B) and Thurman Munson (2-5, 3 RBI). Chris Chambliss and Sandy Alomar also had good at bats vs Clemens with 2 hits each on the day. Mike Greenwell had 3 hits and a walk in his 4 plate appearances for the Red Sox who struggled all day to figure out Doc Medich and reliever Dave Pagan.
GM 2 - October 5Fenway Park, Boston,MA
59 Degrees, Wind 14 mph out to LCF
Rudy May (3-3) vs Bruce Hurst (4-2)
Boston wins 5-2
WP: Bruce Hurst (5-2) - 8 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
LP: Rudy May (3-4) - 4 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
SV: Bob Stanley (SV 2) - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
HR: NONE
GW RBI: Mike Greenwell
MVP: Bruce Hurst (8 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, WIN)
It was the Red Sox bats that dominated this game jumping all over starter Rudy May starting in the 3rd inning and continuing the rest of the night. Bruce Hurst was the beneficiary of the offensive outpouring but the Boston lefty did not need much as he kept the Yankee offense in check all night long before departing after 8 innings with a 5-1 lead. Boston had 14 hits on the night led by Dwight Evans (5-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B) and the DP combo of Jody Reed (2-4) and Marty Barrett (3-4). Given the amount of hits, the Yanks were fortunate to be in the game until the end. New York had a chance trailing 5-1 heading into the 9th. Hurst was still feeling it so he was left in to try and close out the game. He gave up 2 hits to lead off the inning and gave way to Bob Stanley. The Steamer retired the 3 batters he faced allowing just a SF to Chris Chambliss to drive home Elliott Maddox. Graig Nettles was the final out recorded by Stanley to end the game with the tying run in the on deck circle.
Shea Stadium, Queens, NY
66 Degrees, Threatening, 5 mph in from LCF
Mike Boddicker (3-1) vs Catfish Hunter (8-1)
New York wins 2-1 in 11 innings
WP: Catfish Hunter (9-1) - 11 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
LP: Lee Smith (0-2) - 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
SV: NONE
HR: Walt Williams (2)
GW RBI : Walt Williams (Walk off HR in 11th)
MVP: Catfish Hunter (11 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, WIN, PERFECT GAME THRU 9 IP)
After the two teams swapped pretty one sided victories in Boston, the trip to the Yankees temporary home at Shea Stadium led to much more drama and possibly the best back to back games in the history of KOD baseball. Yankees ace Catfish Hunter had been very good all season with a very good 8-1 record including a wild card victory over the Milwaukee 5 days earlier. Hunter had picked up a CG win over Boston when the 2 teams met a week earlier at the end of the regular season. But the Catfish that took the mound for this playoff contest was at the very top of the game. Hunter was PERFECT through 9 innings. The only problem was Mike Boddicker (7 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, ND) and Bob Stanley matched the NY righties zeroes on the scoreboard and we headed to extras scoreless. NY did have some chances along the way including loading the bases off of Stanley in the bottom of the 9th but Boston closer came in and got Elliott Maddox to pop to Wade Boggs to end the threat. With Hunter only around 85 pitches it was a no-brainer to send him back out for the 10th with his perfect game still intact. Marty Barrett greeted the righty rudely in the top of the 10th with a double off the wall in right center. After a Jody Reed sac bunt moved Barrett to third, Wade Boggs
grounded a single up the middle to give Boston a 1-0 lead. Ellis Burks would then reach on a error gving Boston runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out and 1 run already in. Mike Greenwell came to the plate with a chance to completely ruin what had been a career game for Hunter, but the Red Sox lefty grounded to Nettles at 3rd who went around the horn for the inning ending double play. The Yankees, now facing potential defeat despite the gem by Hunter, had the middle of the order coming to the plate in the 10th against closer Lee Smith who had wiggled out of danger in the 9th inning. Smith retired Munson and Bobby Bonds which brought Chris Chambliss up needing to reach base to keep the game alive. Chambliss was able to extend the inning with a double and then Nettles (2-5) followed with a single between Boggs and Jody Reed that tied the game at 1. Smith settled down and retired Alomar to end the 10th and send the game to the 11th. Hunter was able to continue on the mound for NY with his pitch count still only around 100. He retired the Sox 1-2-3 bringing the Yanks back to the plates with a chance to send the fans home happy. And Walt Williams (3-4, R, RBI, HR) did just that on the 3rd pitch of the inning from Lee Smith by pulling a fastball 393 feet into the left center field bleachers that made a winner out of Catfish Hunter and put the Red Sox on the brink of elimination.
Shea Stadium, Queens, NY
60 Degrees, Clear, Rain, 13 mph Left to Right
Wes Gardenr (2-2) vs Pat Dobson (4-2)
Boston wins 5-3 in 10 innings
WP: Lee Smith (1-2) - 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 57 pitches
LP: Sandy Lyle (0-2) - 1.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
SV: NONE
HR: Graig Nettles (5)
GW RBI: Todd Benzinger
MVP: Todd Benzinger (2-4, 3 RBI, 2B, GW RBI)
The Yankees fans packed Shea still high from the thrilling game 3 victory looking to see their team send the favored Red Sox back home with the same feeling a lot of these same Sox had felt leaving Shea after the '86 World Series. The pitchers once again were very good on both sides with Gardner and Dobson matching shutdown innings until the Red Sox broke through in the 4th with walk to Jody Reed, a single to Boggs (2-5) and an RBI single by Dwight Evans. The Yankees rallied for single runs in the 5th and 6th thanks to a single by Walt Williams and a double by Roy White in the 5th and then after 2 singles in the 6th it was a familiar Shea scene. Bob Stanley uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Graig Nettles to score the go ahead run giving the Yanks a 2-1 lead and leaving the Red Sox fans shaking their heads and looking over their shoulders for with Mookie Wilson or Bill Buckner. The Red Sox players, however, continued to battle pushing across a tying run in the top of the 7th thanks to a walk to Jim Rice and a double by Todd Benzinger that scored pinch runner Kevin Romine from first base. With Bob Stanley running out of gas and bullpen options shaky at best, Lee Smith was brought in to the game after Stanley let 2 of the first 3 runners reach base in the 7th. Smith was able to induce an inning ending dounle play from Chris Chambliss to escape the 7th with the game still ties at 2. Boston threatened in the 8th with 2 outs as Ellis Burks and Mike Greenwell reached base. But Yankee SP Pat Dobson (8 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, ND) was able to retire Dwight Evans to keep the game deadlocked. It would not stay that way for long as Graig Nettles led off the 8th with a HR down the RF line that whipped the NY crowd into a frenzy. Smith was able to settle down after the HR and keep it a 3-2 game heading into the top of the 9th. NY brought in their closer Sandy Lyle who faced PH Larry Parrish to lead off the 9th needing just 3 outs to seal the series victory. Parrish had other ideas as he singled thru the left side and was quickly replaced at first by pinch runner Brady Anderson. Benzinger followed with a sac bunt to move Anderson unto scoring position. Rich Gedman was unable to come through with Anderson at second as he grounded out to short leaving the runner at 2nd but now with 2 outs and Marty Barrett coming to the plate looking to extend the game. Lyle was able to get Barrett to reach for a fastball on the outside corner and the Red Sox 2nd baseman could do nothing but weakly tap the lefties pitch right back to the mound. Lyle fielded the ball cleanly and ran towards 1st looking to flip to Chambliss for the series ending out. But that is where all HELL broke loose as Lyle's underhanded toss went clear over the 6'1" first baseman's head and far enough from Chambliss to allow speedy Anderson to score from 2nd base with the game tying run. With the Shea fans in complete shock and Barrett standing on 2nd base, Lyle somehow put his huge gaffe behind him and retired Jody Reed to keep the Sox from pushing ahead. Despite having Dennis Lamp and Tom Bolton up in the down in the bullpen several times, Lee Smith was sent out for the bottom of the 9th and the Boston closer was up to the task retiring the top of the Yanks lineup in order. 9th inning goat, Lyle, was sent back out for the 10th but it was clearly weighing on his mind as he was not sharp. Boggs led off with a single followed by 2 outs but then back to back walks to Dwight Evans (a 12 pitch AB that saw Dewey foul off pitch after pitch) and Anderson loaded the bases for Todd Benzinger. Benzinger, again, came up big with a ground ball single that plated Greenwell and Evans and ended the night for Lyle. Tippy Martinez retired Rick Cerone to end the inning but the damage was done and the Sox held the 5-3 lead heading to the bottom of the 10th. Smith was once again sent back out for the 10th heading into his 4th inning of relief after entering in the 7th. Bobby Bonds gave the NY faithful hope with a leadoff triple that brought the tying run to the plate. But Smith was able to get Chambliss to pop to the catcher, Nettles to line out to Greenwell in left and the Sandy Alomar grounded back to Smith and unlike his counterpart, Lyle, the Boston closer was able to compete the out by hitting his 1B in the glove with a throw that sent this epic series back to Boston for a deciding game 5.
Fenway Park, Boston, MA
64 Degress, 10 mph out to LCF
Doc Medich (2-6) vs Roger Clemens (9-1)
Boston wins 9-3
WP: Roger Clemens (10-1) - 9 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
LP: Doc Medich (2-7) - 5.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
SV: NONE
HR: Mike Greenwell (6)
GWRBI: Jim Rice
MVP: Mike Greenwell (3-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR)
At a quick glance after the game, one might think this was a let down series finale with the home team winning 9-3 but despite lacking the end of game drama of the 2 Shea games, this game saw plenty of fireworks. The Yankees jumped on Clemens early with single runs in the 1st and the 3rd as the NY bats continued to have no problems timing the hard throwing righty ace. However, it was that 3rd inning that may have been the turning point of the game and what will be talked about for years to come. With 2 outs and the bases empty, Clemens allowed a single to Thurman Munson on a broken bat blooper to left center. As the Yankee captain ran down the line to first, Clemens, clearly upset with his playoff performance, picked up the splintered Munson bat and fired the lumber angrily towards the Yankee bench. Unlike his ugly incident with Mike Piazza, Clemens did not aim the bat towards Munson heading down the line, the bat however did come dangerously close to on deck batter Bobby Bonds. Bonds, never one to back down from confrontation, voiced his displeasure as he headed to the batters box for his at bat. Clemens just glared in at Bonds clearly still seeing red but focusing on his catcher signs instead of engaging Bonds. After a ball and a strike to Bonds, Clemens unleashed a 96 MPH fastball that caught the Yankee OF in the shoulder and caused Fenway to go absolutely silent. Bonds took one step back upon impact and then took off in a sprint towards the Boston mound. What happened next will be be remembered as the 1st and only SAVE of Boston shortstop Jody Reed's MLB career. Reed, seeing trouble from his position at short, was able to intercept Bonds on his way to Clemens with an open field tackle that would have made Dick Butkus proud. Both benches emptied and some light pushing and shoving ensued but when the dust settled the umpires decided that just Reed and Bonds would be tossed with Clemens being allowed to continue on the mound. With Clemens struggling and trailing 2-0 this seemed like something that was only going delay an early shower for Rocket, but with a depleted bullpen after 2 extra innings games, having Clemens avoid the ejection was huge for Boston. And the Red Sox offense seemed to woken up by the near brawl as an inning later they broke through with 3 big runs off of starter Medich. One of the key contributors was Reed replacement, Spike Owen (2-4, R, 2B) who was seeing his first action of the series. The Red Sox would really deliver the knockout punch to the visitors in the 6th when they struck for 4 more runs thanks to a single by Greenwell, a triple by Evans, a single by Larry Parrish, a double by Gedman and a single by Marty Barrett. Now pitching with a lead and confidence, Clemens was able to settle in and would go on to throw his 7th complete game in his 12 KOD starts for the series clinching victory.
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| MIKE GREENWELL SERIES MVP BATTER 6-18, 2B, HR, 3 R, 5 RBI .333 BA, .556 SLP GW RBI |
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| JIM "CATFISH" HUNTER SERIES MVP PITCHER 1 GS, 11 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 7K 0.82 ERA, .059 Opp BA PERFECT GAME THRU 9 |
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
ALWC: "Bronx Zoo"
County Stadium
C.Hunter vs Sorensen
NYY 5, MIL 3
Both starters got to the 6th. Neither factored in the decision. Up 1-0 after 5 veteran ace Catfish Hunter lost his mojo with 2 outs already in the books. Back to back to back to back singels by Gantner/Yount/Cooper/Thomas and a wild pitch accounted for 3 runs to put the Brewcrew up 3-1. New York answered right back with a 4 spot thanks to errors by Gantner adn Oglivie and a parade of hits. With 2 outs the ever so clutch Chris Chambliss (remember him, Mark Littell?) delivered a 2 run single to put the Bombers up 4-3. The Brewers were dead yet. For the next 3 innings they got runners in scoring position, but the celebrated Yankee pen of Tidrow and Martinez
kept them in line before handing the ball of to closer Sparky Lyle to shut the door. Sparky walked the tightrope in the bottom of the 9th buy issuing back to back leadoff singles to Oglivie and PH Don Money. DH Ed Romero hit into a 6-4-3 DP to move Oglive to 3rd, but there were now 2 outs. Rightfielder Dick Davis was the final out and Lyle hit him with one of his patented sliders that he rolled over to Sandy Alomar at short for the easy 6-3 end of game play. New York moves on and travels to Beantown to face their arch rivals the Red Sox in what is sure to be a firery 5 game set.NLWC: "Jints stop Red October"
Riverfront Stdm
R.Bryant vs Browning
SFG 5, CIN 1
On paper the hometown Reds had everything going for them. They were facing a Giants team that had to play 2 straight play in games to get to this point, while Cincy had their ace (Tom Browning) ready to throw darts. Riding the hot hand of interim manager Mark Nixon the Jints juped out to a 1-0 lead when catcher Dick Dietz singled home Ken Henderson in the top of the first. Stretch McCovey's 2 run shot in the 4th made it 3-0 and Al Gallagher smashed the mellon over the green fence for a 2 run shot of his own in the 6th to make it 5-0. Cincy scratched across a pity run in the 9th to avoid being shutout, but that type of window dressing isn't eye candy for anyone. The
Jints win their 3rd consectutive elimination game and win the rights to face the #1 overall 1952 Phightin's. Ron Bryant threw 6 shutout innings for
the win and the much maligned Giant pen gave up just one run over the
final 3. Rightfielder Bobby Bonds (3-4) was on base all day."Cashing In..." The KOD saga of the punchless Dave Cash
NL Play In Game #2: "Perry spins 2 hit gem"
10/1 - Candlestick
Erskine vs G.Perry
SFG 5, BRO0
send 'Dem Bums a packin'. Perry used his whole arsenal, both leagal and less than legal, to toss a nifty 2 hit shutout. Once again the Say Hey kid forgot to check his 40 year old birth certificate to realize he's not supposed to play a gold glove CF and hit another 2 run shot, which turned out to be the GWRBI. San Fran added 3 more in the 5th to chase rookie Carl Erskine (4ER/5IP) from the hill. Reese and Campy provided Brooklyn's only 2 hits. San Fran only had 5 hits, but they cashed in big time as the youthful "Oisk" walled 7 after getting shelled by Mays. Interim manager Mark Nixon and his charged up Jints move on to the Wild Card game in Riverfront vs Tom Browning and the Reds.NL Play In Game: "Say Hey...Say Goodbye, Bucs"
9/30 - Candlestick
Moose vs Robertson
SFG 6, PIT 2
The Bucs drew the short end of the stick and were forced to fly out to San Fran to play in "the Stick"...The Jints, who lost their last 7 straight had zero confidence coming into this contest. Mark Nixon was tapped as interim manager in what he called "a perfect way to uphold the theme of teams switching managers". Nixon was able to get the Say Hey kid (Willie Mays) to turn the clock back with a 2-3 day at the plate that included 3 RBI's and his 6th homer of the year. His running mate, Big Mac, chipped in with a 2 run dinger as well. Bob Moose was gone after giving up 4 runs in 2 innings. Rich Robertson, who had been less than stellar during the season went 6 and gave up 2. J.Johnson threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings in relief and the old war horse Don McMahon came on to get Manny Sanguillen to ground out weakly to second for the final out (with the bases loaded). The Jints stay home and await the arrival of their hated nemesis, 'Dem Bums.Becasue 40+ games aren't enough...
- Milwaukee went on a wild and crazy 10 game winning streak to close out the regular season and go from the cellar to 1st place.
- San Fran went into a tailspin and almost lost their final game to get eliminated.
- Cincy began dropping 2 of 3 over the course of the final 3 weeks.
The AL Playoff scenario had already been set:
- Boston
- California
- Cleveland
- Milwaukee
- New York Yankes
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Phightin's take NL East Flag
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Thursday, January 5, 2017
Seattle takes 3 of 4 from Minnesota in an exciting series
Game 1- Minnesota takes a 3-0 lead in the 1st on a 3 run Homer from Bob Allison and extends the lead to 6-0 with 3 runs in the 2nd. The 3rd inning is where things really get interesting. Raul Ibanez gets hit by a pitch from Jim Kaat to lead off the inning. After a couple fly balls and an Ichiro walk, Yuniesky Betancourt singles in Ibanez. Jose Vidro gets hit by a pitch and Jose Guillen walks scoring Ichiro. Adrian Beltre gets hit by a pitch and the benches clear. Jim Kaat is ejected. Ed Palmquist replaces him. Palmquist hits Kenji Johjima with the first pitch and the benches clear again. Palmquist is ejected and replaced by Gerry Arrigo. The Seattle lineup is back to Ibanez and he hits a base clearing double to put Seattle ahead 7-6 but he gets thrown out trying to stretch it to a triple. Seattle gets another in the 4th and 2 more in the 5th to make it a 10-6 lead. It stays that way until the top of the 8th inning when the Mariners bring in Ryan Rowland-Smith to pitch. A single by Jim Lemon flowd by 2 walks and an error cuts the lead to 10-7. Lenny Green steps up with the bases loaded and hits a 3-run double into the gap to tie the game 10-10. Sean Green replaces Rowland-Smith and gets the 2nd out but then Harmon Killebrew doubles in Green and puts Minnesota ahead 11-10. Seattle would go down in order in the bottom of the 8th and Minnesota the same in the top of the 9th. Ichiro walks to lead off the bottom of the 9th. Betancourt lines a single left and Vidro walks to load the bases. With the infield in Guillen knocks a base hit over their heads for the game winner. Seattle 12 Minnesota 11
Game 2- After the barnburner in game 1, there are no runs here
until the 5th when Seattle gets on the board with an Ichiro double and a Betancourt base hit. Minnesota would come back in the 6th with 2 runs after an error and a timely hit by Killebrew. Minnesota extends their lead to 4-1 in the 8th after an RBI double by Green and a sac fly from Killebrew. Beltre hits a 2 run homer in the bottom of the 8th to cut the lead to 4-3. Minnesota cant take advantage of a Lemon double in the top of the 9th and Seattle gets another 2 run bomb from Ibanez in bottom of the 9th to win the game. Seattle 6 Minnesota 4
Game 3- Jarrod Washburn, Brendan Morrow and JJ Putz combine to shut out Minnesota 3-0. Camilo Pascual pitches valiantly in defeat only giving up a solo shot to Ibanez in the 2nd and a manufactured run in the 5th. Seattle 3 Minnesota 0
Game 4- Minnesota pitching takes over in the final game with Jack Kralick dominating 8 innings and Ray Moore closing out the shout in the 9th. Bill Tuttle leads the offense for Minnesota going 3-3 with a run and an RBI. Minnesota 4 Seattle 0
Good Series Marvin
--submitted by Andy Sexton--