Round 1–’20 Brownies outlast ‘93 Dodgers in 5

--submitted by Bruce Thomas (A.J.’s ghost writer)--  
Click here to view series box scores

GAME ONE – George Sisler homered and drove in 3 as the Browns exploded for 15 hits and a 7-2 win in the opener. The Dodgers struck first in the 3rd when Mike Pizza singled in the two lone runs of the game for LA. St. Louis plated an unearned run in the 4th, then exploded for 5 in the 5th. Jack Tobin doubled to get things going and moved to 3rd on “Baby Doll” Jacobson’s (3 hits) bingo. Joe Gedeon grounded out to second, scoring Tobin and advancing Jacobson. Sisler then teed off on Orel Hershiser for a 3-run clout. Jimmy Austin banged an RBI single off reliever Pedro Martinez to wrap up the damage. Jacobson singled in the final run in the 8th for the victors. Urban Shocker went the distance for the W.

GAME TWO – Maybe pitchers didn’t throw knuckleballs in 1920 (why would you when you could throw a spitter). Whatever the reason, Tom Candiotti bottled up the Brownies all day and Los Angeles evened the series with 2-0 whitewashing. Candi scattered 7 hits through 8 1/3 innings when Roger McDowell entered to record the 27th out after Hank Severeid (my great, great, great uncle, if that matters) had doubled. Cory Snyder singled home JosE Offerman in the 2nd to give the Bums an early lead. The “Aflak” insurance run came in the 8th when Dave Hansen’s lineout to right plated Brett Butler.

GAME THREE – The Browns found their hittin’ shoes again as the scene moved to cozy Sportsman’s Park. “Baby Doll” Jacobson again led the way with 3 safeties. Tobin matched his output as St. Louis collected 13 hits in a 7-4 win. The Dodgers again drew first (Dodger Blue) blood with a 4-spot in the 3rd. Butler reached on an error and Hansen doubled him to third. Piazza was intentionally passed to load ‘em up. Snyder singled and everyone moved one base. Offerman walked and again they moved station to station. Jody Reed’s single also moved everyone ahead one spot. Eric Davis popped out, then Karros brought in the 4th run with a sac fly. St. Lou responded immediately with a crooked number in the B3, highlighted by Jacobson’s 2-run shot and Sisler’s RBI single. A Sisler RBI triple in the 5th tied the game. Ken Williams singled him in for a 5-4 Browns lead. The home club would add insurance runs in the 6th and 8th.

GAME FOUR – Raul Mondesi’s 3-run blast in the 8th broke a 2-2 tie and gave LA a series’ tying 5-2 win. The Browns went up 1-0 in the 3rd with an unearned run. Small ball led the Bums to tie it in the 5th when Butler singled with 1 out. He advanced all the way to 3rd on an Allen Sothoron wild pitch, then scored on an Offerman IF groundout. The Brownies gained the lead again in the B5 when Tobin and Jacobson swatted back-to-back doubles. St. Louis brought first-game starter Shocker out of the pen for the fateful 8th. Butler and Offerman greeted him with two-baggers. Piazza singled to put runners on 1st and 3rd for Mondesi. McDowell got the win in relief. Jim Gott recorded the save.

GAME FIVE – George Sisler’s 400-foot 2-run shot in the 1st set the tone and realistically was all the visitor’s needed as St. Louis wrapped up the finale with a 3-1 win. Williams would drive in Sisler in the 8th for an insurance run for Bill Bayne (8 IP) and Dixie Davis (1 IP). Hershiser would drive in LA’s lone run.

Round 1–’53 Senators sweep ‘84 Halos in 3

Game 1: Washington 6 California 0
Bob Porterfield  pitches 8.1 innings and blanks the Angels 6-0. Angels starter Mike Witt gave up all 6 runs and lasted on 5.2 innings.

 

Game 2: Washington 2 California 1
The Senators took the lead in the 1st off of a Jim Busby single followed by a double off the bat of Mickey Vernon scoring Busby. The Angels tied it in the top of the 8th as Rod Carew was driven in off a single by Fred Lynn. The Senators came right back in the bottom of the 8th as Busby led off with a triple and Vernon brought him home on a sac fly. The Angels loaded the bases in the 9th but a ground out by Carew ended it giving the Senators a 2-0 lead in the Series.

Game 3: Washington 7 California 3
Game 3 shifted to California with Connie Marrero of the Senators facing Ron Romanick of the Angels. The Senators, wanting to end the series, and the Angels trying to force a game 4, exchanged runs throughout the game. Rob Wilfong homered in the 5th to close the gap but the Senators added 3 more runs late in the game while the Angels could only hit reliever Jerry Lane for 1 additional run. Marrero pitched 6 innings giving up 2 runs before yielding to Lane who pitched the final 3 innings and got the save.

--submitted by Marvin Sik--  Click here to see the series box scores

Round 1–“33 Tigers outlast 2002 Chisox in 5 game series

Game 1: Detroit bats are active with 14 hits and 6 runs supporting a strong effort by Marberry who pitches a 4 hit 1 run complete game.  Detroit wins 6 - 1.

Game 2: The Sox never look back in this one with 5 runs scored over the course of the first 7 innings.Stone of the Tigers ends the shutout with a 3 run blast in the 8th. White Sox 5 - 3.

Game 3: The White Sox crushes Detroit in the 9th with 5 runs; Detroit's only real offensive effort occurred in the 8th with a pair of runs.  Wright gets game MVP honors on the basis of a strong performance.  White Sox 8 - 2.

Game 4: Tiger pitching again saves the day in a nail-biter low scoring effort.  Fischer goes the distance allowing only 1 unearned run.  The Tigers tie the series with a 2 -1 victory.

Game 5: The final game of the series was notable for multiple small offensive efforts by both clubs. Fate again favored Detroit with Fred “Firpo” Marberry again showing a strong effort. Herring provided late relief to blunt a late stage White Sox offensive that saw the Detroit club to victory.  Detroit 6 - 3.

My thanks to my opponent for a great series.  The teams were well-matched with Detroit's pitching providing a needed defensive bulwark with good support from the offense.

--submitted by Stephen Lee--  Click here to view Series Box Scores

Round 1–“06 Brownies defeat ‘72 KC in 4

submitted by Robert “the Chiz” Chisholm – Click here to view Series Box Scores

Game 1 Kansas City 5 St. Louis 7
Things didn't look good for the Brownies after a walk and single to lead off the game. To quick flyouts thing looked better but a hit by pitch Lou Piniella loaded the bases, A single by scores 2. 2-0 for the Royals after 1/2 an inning. The Browns battled back with a Stone double, Hemphill single and game MVP Branch Rickey home run. The Royals would get back 1 to tie the game after 1 1/2, but an error  by KC starter lead to another 3 run inning. The Browns added another in the 3rd. The Royals added singles in the 4th and 5th. Howell went 9 innings for the win and Drago last 2 1/3 for the loss.

Game 2 Kansas City 2 St. Louis 3
A pitching duel. St. Louis struck first when Niles singled to left center and stole 2nd with 2 out. Hartzell knocked him home. Kansas City responded in the forth. Rojas singled, Scheinblum was hit by a pitch, Mayberry singled loading the bases. Piniella singled scoring 2. Royals up 2-1. It stayed this way until the 8th when Pelty singled and was brought home on a Hemphill 338 blast down the right field line off of losing pitching Nelson. Game MVP Barney Pelty was the winner and went the distance for the victory.

Game 3 St. Louis 1 Kansas City 3
St.Louis was off to the races with a Stone single, Hemphill double and a Wallace walk. Things didn't look good for Royals starter Splitorff. He fanned the next two before walking in the Browns only run of the game. Splittorf lasted just one more inning throwing a total of 51 pitches before being pulled in the 3rd for a pinch hitter. The Royals tied it with a 2 on and 2 out single in the sixth when Rojas singled scoring Scheinblum. They added to their lead after the 7th inning stretch when pinch hitter singled then scored on a Scheinblum single who also scored when Mayberry doubled. The Royals would win 3-1. Dal Canton got the victory and Game MVP Ted Abernathy got the save. Powell was credited with the loss

Game 4 St. Louis 4 Kansas City 1
Nordyke would single to lead off the second for the Browns, he would advance to 2nd on a Niles bunt and then score when Ringer Pete O'Brien singled him home. I say Ringer as the 1906 St. Louis Browns had a 2nd baseman with the same name, but when he arrived a 2nd base a picture of Pete OBrien all decked out in a Texas Ranger ballcap showed up on the field. In the 6th Branch Rickey and Wallace lead off with singles and both would advance on a Nordyke single and then score on a Niles single. In the bottom of the 6th the Royals would start to claw back Otis singled and would score on a Mayberry double. In the 8th St Louis got back the 3 run lead when Rickey singled and advanced to 2nd on a passed ball. In a turn of events Rickey was gunned down at 3rd when Wallace bunted but Kirkpatrick threw instead to third and the tag was made. Wallace ended up on 1st and stole 2nd, Niles singled scoring Wallace. Game MVP Fred Glade went the distance for the win. Montgomery took the loss. The 1906 St. Louis Browns win the series and defeat the 1972 Kansas City Royals 3 games to 1.

Round 1–“75 Mets beat “52 Red Sox in five games

Game 1: Boston 7 New York 5
Red Sox come back from a 5-2 deficit with Hoot Evers hitting a walk-off homer with one out in the 9th. Ellis Kinder (1-0) gets the win over Skip Lockwood(0-1). Wayne Garrett had 3 hits for the Mets.

Game 2: New York 13 Boston 3
The Mets offense pounded out 17 hits to support Jerry Koosman's complete game victory. Dave Kingman hit 3 homeruns and drove in 6.

Game 3: New York 8 Boston 7
New York's turn to come from behind as Felix Milan drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 9th. Boston overcame a 5-0 Mets lead but Al Benton couldn't get the 9 out save.

Game 4: Boston 6 New York 3
The Red Sox force a game 5 behind Dizzy Trout's victory. Dick Gernert hit two solo homeruns to pace Boston's offense. Dave Kingman hit two doubles and drove in three for the Mets.

Game 5: New York 9 Boston 4
The Mets are powered by Dave Kingman once again as he hit two homeruns and drove in 5 runs. For the series, Kingman was 10-22 (.455) with 5 homeruns and 16 runs batted in.Boston's Dick Gernert also hit 5 homers in the series but they were all solo shots.
Thanks Chris for a fun series. Good luck in the next round.

--submitted by Kevin Burke--  Click here to view series box scores

Round 1–‘85 Red Sox Sweep ‘51 Braves in Green Line Series

Game #1
Game #1 featured a great pitching matchup - Rookie Roger Clemens vs. Future Hall of Famer Warren Spahn.  The host Braves opened the scoring in the bottom of the 3rd by netting three off of Clemens, assisted by two Jim Rice errors on the same play, and RBI singles by Walker Cooper and Earl Torgeson.  The Red Sox came back in the next half scoring two on singles by Rich Gedman and Tony Armas.   The Red Sox tied the score in the 7th on a Marty Barrett ground out that brought Glenn Hoffman in from 3rd.  Red Sox Manager John McNamara was caught napping in the next inning - he had pinch hit for Clemens but did not get anyone up in the pen.  A cold Steve Crawford came in and promptly gave the Braves the lead back by allowing three straight hits, including Torgeson's double.  Mark Clear came in to slow things down, but another run scored on a ground out, making the score 5-3 Braves heading into the 8th.  But in the 8th, a Dwight Evans 2 run shot to left tied the score at 5.  Bob Stanley kept the Braves off the board in the bottom of the 8th.  In the 9th, Jackie Gutierrez led off with a single, stole 2nd and scored on a Wade Boggs double.  Stanley shut the door in the bottom of the 8th and the Red Sox came from behind to take Game #1 - 6-5.  WP - Stanley  LP – Paine

Game #2
In Game #2 Vern Bickford started for the home team vs. Oil Can Boyd for the Red Sox.  Boyd was masterful, as he pitched a complete game for the win.  The Red Sox scored 2 in the first, 3 in the 4th and 5 in the 6th as they cruised to a 12-1 win.  Bill Buckner and Psycho Lyons mashed HR's for the Sox, while Wade Boggs and Hoffman also drove in 2 runs each in the win.  WP - Boyd  LP – Bickford

Game #3
The teams hopped a trolley for the trip from Braves Field to Fenway for Game #3.  Bruce Hurst was the starter for the Sox versus Chet Nichols for the Braves.  Hurst walked a tight rope early on, putting runners on base in each of the first three innings while throwing 60 pitches.  Nichols cruised through the first 4 innings, but hit a bump in the 5th.  Evans and Armas led off the inning with singles, and Glenn Hoffman drove home Dewey with a wall ball double to left center.  Meanwhile Hurst settled down and was able to complete 7 innings, holding on to the 1-0 lead.  In the bottom of the 7th, Evans again singled, Lyons sacrificed him to 2nd, and slugger Glenn Hoffman doubled to right to score Dewey.   Rob Woodward pitched a scoreless 8th and Bob Stanley did the same in the 9th for the save and the series.  Red Sox 2  Braves 0.  WP - Hurst Sv -Stanley  LP - Nichols
Glenn Hoffman was the hitting star for the Red Sox, going 5 for 10 with 3 2B's and 4 RBI's in the series.

--submitted by Tom Landers--  Click here to see series box scores

Round 1–’57 Tigers sweep ‘63 counterparts

Game 1    57 Detroit  6   63 Detroit 1
63’s Lefty Hank Aguirre had a no hitter going through 4 but gave up the big fly to Charlie Maxwell (LF) who led off the top of the 5th for 57.  57’s Jim Bunning, the eventual winning pitcher, struggled at times loading the bases in the 2nd and 5th but managed to get away unscathed.  In the top of the 7th, 57’s Al Kaline led off with a Triple and was Sacrificed home by Charlie Maxwell.   63’s Dick McAuliffe responded with a solo HR of his own in the bottom of the 7th.  In the top of the 9th, Boone and Kaline led of with singles followed by another RBI fly ball by Maxwell.   3 more runs were added in the top of the 9th.  Charlie Maxwell was the game MVP.

Game 2   57 Detroit  1   63 Detroit  0
In a pitcher’s duel, 57’s Lefty Billy Hoeft overcame 63’s Lefty Don Mossi.  The game’s only run was scored by the 57’s in the top of the 6th when Reno Bertoia led off with a Double and after 1 out was recorded, Ray Boone singled him home.  Hoeft gave up 1 hit and had only 3 baserunners in 8 1/3 innings.  Jim Stump got the final 2 outs for the Save.  Billy Hoeft was the game MVP.

Game 3  63 Detroit  2   57 Detroit  3
In a thrilling game, 63’s Jim Bunning faced 57’s Duke Maas.  57 led off the scoring in the bottom of the 6th when Jim Finigan singled and Charlie Maxwell hit his second HR of the series.  63 evened up the score in the top of the 8th when Bill Freehan led off with a double and pinch hitter Gates Brown hit a 388 ft shot off Maas.  Maas gave way to Joe Presko with 2 out in the top of the 8th and Presko was the eventual winning pitcher.  Bunning gave way to Tom Studivant in the bottom of the 8th.  Red Wilson led off the bottom of the 9th with a game winning walk off HR.  Charlie Maxwell who was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI was the game MVP.

Charlie Maxwell of the 57 Tigers was the Series MVP going 3 for 10 with 2 HRs and 5 RBI.

--submitted by Jim Williams--
Click here to view series box scores

Round 1–“05 Rangers defeat Twins in 4

Game 1 – Texas 6, Minnesota 4

Texas took a 3-0 lead off Jim Kaat in the 1st.  Doubles by Mark DeRosa and Michael Young plated one, then Kevin Mench’s 2-run HR added two more.  Alfonso Soriano singled home another run in the 3rd to make it 4-0.  Minnesota broke through in the 4th.  Bob Allison singled, stole 2nd, scored on Harmon Killebrew’s double, 4-1.  Bernie Allen singled Killebrew to third, then Earl Battey’s sac fly scored Killebrew to make it 4-2.  Bottom of the 5th, Star-of-the-Game Kevin Mench led off with a triple.  He scored on Sandy Alomar’s fly ball, 5-2 Texas.  This run was big because in the 6th, the Twins cut the lead to 5-4.  Killebrew singled, Battey doubled, and Jimmie Hall blasted a 2-run triple!  Rangers’ starter Kenny Rogers retired Kaat to maintain the 1-run lead, but his day was done.  The Twins got their leadoff man on base in the 7th, moved him to 2nd, but Joaquin Benoit struck out Allison and Killebrew to keep the lead at 5-4.  In the bottom of the 7th, Rod Barajas gave the Rangers some breathing room with a solo HR to make it 6-4.  Benoit got into trouble in the top of the 8th.  Allen singled, Battey walked, putting two on with no one out.  Rich Rollins followed with a grounder to 2nd.  Kinsler tagged Battey then threw to first to complete the double play.  Hall struck out to keep it a 6-4 game.  Top of the 9th and Francisco Cordero came on to close it out.  He walked PH Don Mincher, then struck out Oliva, Versalles, and Allison to give Texas a 6-4 win.

Game 2 – Texas 6 Minnesota 3

Michael Young was the hero as he homered twice and knocked in three runs to lead Texas to a 6-3 win.  Texas took a 2-0 lead in the 1st when David Dellucci walked, and with two outs, Alfonso Soriano and Hank Blalock hit back-to-back doubles.  Young’s solo HR in the 3rd made it 3-0, while his namesake, Chris Young, retired the first ten Twins hitters before allowing a double to Zoilo Versalles in the 4th.  Bob Allison singled him in to put Minnesota on the board at 3-1.  Things settled down as Camilo Pascual and Chris Young held the score to 3-1 through 6.  Bottom of the 7th, the Rangers broke it open.  Gary Matthews singled and went to 2nd on a bunt.  With two out, Dellucci doubled him in, 4-1 Rangers.  Michael Young followed with a 2-run HR to make it 6-1.  The Twins would get two more runs on solo HR by Bill Kostro and Harmon Killebrew, and that’s how it ended, 6-3 Texas.

Game 3 – Minnesota 5 Texas 1

This one belonged to Mudcat Grant, who after giving up a 1st inning run and surviving a 4-hit second inning with no runs, held the Rangers to just two hits through the next five innings.  Meanwhile the Twins scored single runs in each of the first five innings.  Tony Oliva led off the Twins first with a solo HR, another scored in the 2nd on an error and DP grounder.  A bases-loaded walk to Earl Battey accounted for the 3rd inning run, and Oliva’s 2nd HR of the day merited the 4th inning run.  Bob Allison started the 5th by getting hit by a pitch, then stole 2nd, took 3rd on a passed ball, and scored on Battey’s single to make it 5-1 Twins.  That’s how it ended as Roland and Klippstein closed out the final two innings.  Twins win, 5-1.

Game 4 – Texas 4 Minnesota 3 in 11 innings

The Rangers appeared poised to cruise to an easy victory but that fell apart late in the game.  John Wasdin threw 6.1 innings of 1-hit ball, leaving with a 3-1 lead.  Texas scored two in the 1st on Mark DeRosa’s double and Kevin Mench’s 2-run HR.  DeRosa homered in the 5th to make it 3-0 Texas.  In the 7th, Jimmie Hall walked, Bob Allison singled, and Earl Battey double in a run to cut the lead to 3-1.  In the 8th a walk and singled by Oliva and Versalles made it 3-2 against Kameron Loe.  Harmon Killebrew led off the 9th with a triple, and Battey walked.  Loe’s day was done and in came Shouse to face Rollins.  He got the DP grouder, but the Twins tied the game 3-3.  In the 10th, both teams got a single but nothing else.  Top of the 11th, Roland gave up a leadoff double to Teixeira.  Worthington entered and struck out Mench.  Gary Matthews was next and hit a double to score Teixeira and make it 4-3 Rangers.  Worthington got the next two hitters to end the inning.  Bottom of the 11th, Juan Dominguez pitching for Texas.  Allison drew a lead off walk.  Killebrew sent a deep fly to the wall, but Matthews caught it for the 1st out.  Allison stole 2nd, then Battey grounded out putting the tie run on 3rd.  A walk to Rollins brought Bernie Allen to the plate.  Dominguez got him to fly out to right to end the game and allow Texas to advance to the next round.  The final was 4-3.

Rangers win series in 4 games

--submitted by Jesse Elicker--
Click here to view series box scores

Round 1–“12 Dbacks drop ‘86 Redbirds in 4

Submitted by Ron Burnette - Wednesday, December 25, 2013, 8:55 AM

Game 1  86 Cards 5 – 12 Dbacks 1

St. Louis led from start to finish in game 1 as they scored 3 times in the 1st three innings. Bob Forsch was on target as he allowed only 1 earned run and 3 hits in 7 innings while earning MVP honors. Jack Clark led the batsmen going 4 for 4 with 3 RBIs. Unfortunately for the Cards, that would be the last hit for Clark. Ozzie Smith, more on him later in the series, chipped in 3 hits and 3 runs scored.

 

 

Game 2  12 Dbacks 2 – 86 Cards 0

Trevor Cahill and 2 relievers shut out the Cards on 6 hits. Cahill went 7 innings allowing only 4 hits, all of them singles. Justin Upton and Paul Goldschmidt drove in runs in the 1st and 4th innings making Danny Cox the tough luck loser. What was the most amazing aspect of this game was that the ‘Wizard of Oz’ committed 2 errors but none of them led to runs. He would commit another one before the series was over. Series tied at 1.

Game 3  12 Dbacks 2 – 86 Cards 1 (17 Innings)

An instant classic. I can use that phrase since I’m no longer an ESPN Insider. Thank you very much. John Tudor – Cards and Ian Kennedy – Dbacks started this contest but were long gone by the time it finished. St. Louis used 8 pitchers while Arizona used 7. The Dbacks scored in the 6th on a Justin Upton home run to take a 1-0 lead. The Cards tied it in the 8th on a Mike LaValliere base knock. It would stay that way until the bottom of the 17th as pinch hitter Wheeler (don’t know his first name) plated pinch runner Elmore (don’t know his first name either). The official scorer had a plane to catch and did not name an MVP for the game, but Josh Collmenter went 5 innings of one hit ball in relieve to earn that award, at least in my estimation. Both teams left the field totally spent but the Dbacks now lead 2-1.

Game 4  12 Dbacks 10 – 86 Cards 0

The Cards looked like they hadn’t recovered from yesterday’s taught contest and it showed early as the Dbacks scored 4 times in the 1st off of T. J. Mathews. They would knock him out in the 2nd inning. Joe Saunders was on top of his game as he went 7 shut out innings giving up only 3 hits earning MVP honors. Paul Goldschmidt added 5 RBIs. Dbacks pitching held the Cards to a .179 team batting average while posting 1.26 team ERA. Dbacks win 3-1.

Congrats to Mike Hill on a well played series. Both of us agreed that whoever won that game 3 classic would most likely win the series. The Dbacks were lucky enough to do it.    Click here to view series box scores.

Round 01–“87 A’s Bash ‘01 Friars in 3 stright

Game 1:

San Diego held Oakland scoreless through 5 when Mark McGwire (the skinny version) blasted a 2-run shot for the first of 8 Athletic's homers in the series. Pinch hitting for Dave Stewart in the 7th, Dwayne Murphy added another 2-run homer and the A's cruised to an opening game 5-1 win.

Game 2:

On the first pitch of the game Carney Lansford homered to start the A's power offense moving. Mike Davis added two solo shots and the A's again cruised to a 7-2 victory.

Game 3:

After 5 batters the Padres were already down 3-0 as both Jose Canseco and Mike Davis hit homeruns in the first inning. Mark McGwire showed power in the 2nd inning hitting a two-run double and the A's banged their way to a 12-5 win in game three and a sweep of the series.

Stats from the series: 

The Athletics hit 8 homeruns. The Padres hit 2. 

The A's had four players with 3 or more RBI's (McGwire had 7). Only two Padres even reached 2-RBIs (Nevin and Gonzalez).

Oakland outscored San Diego 24-8.

--submitted by Keith MacDonald--  Click here to view series box scores

Round 1–“73 Halos outlast ‘83 Royals in 5

Submitted by Douglas Zaner - Wednesday, December 25, 2013, 8:55 AM

Game 1 – Royals Stadium - Splittorff vs. Ryan
Both starters brought their A-game to the ballpark. However neither one figured in the decision. Facing Dan Quisenberry, Vada Pinson broke a 2-2 tie with an RBI double off the right field wall in the top of the 9th that scored Rich Scheiblum from 1st base. The Royals put the tying run on 2nd base with no outs in the bottom of the 9th.  But Dave Sells came on to get 3 straight outs to preserve the 3-2 win and earn the save.

Game 2 – Royals Stadium - Black vs. Singer
Game 2 was almost a copy of Game 1, with both pitchers going deep into the game with a strong showing, and again not figuring in the final decision. Down by 2 runs in the top of the 9th, California rallied for 2 runs off Dan Quisenberry to tie the game at 4. Vada Pinson and John Stephenson each contributed with an RBI single. But with 2-outs and the bases empty in the bottom of the 9th, Willie Mays Aikens sent a Dick Lange pitch over the right field fence for a walk-off solo home run to knot the Series at 1 game each. .

Game 3 – Angels Stadium - Wright vs. Perry.
Yet again both starters pitched well, each going 8 innings and allowing 3 runs. The game remained tied after 9 innings.  In the bottom of the 9th again the Royals turned to their relief ace Dan Quisenberry, and again the Halos responded.  Team captain Frank Robinson’s sacrifice fly with one out in the bottom of the 10th scored Rudy Meoli from 3rd base for the walk-off win.  Aurelio Monteagudo earned the win with 2 innings of flawless relief.

Game 4 – Angels Stadium - May vs. Gura.
California starter Rudy May pitched very well, allowing only 2 earned runs over 7 innings.  But it wasn’t enough to overcome the performance of Kansas City Larry Gura, who yielded only 4 hits and 1 run over 7 innings. This time Dan Quisenberry looked like his usual reliable self, silencing the Angels over the last 4 outs to hold the lead and earn the save. The Series was again tied.

Game 5 – Royals Stadium - Splittorff vs. Ryan.
The rubber game of the Series saw a return of the Game 1 starters. This time, however, neither starter delivered with their A-game.  The California bats came alive right from the start, with the Angels scoring 5 runs in the top of the 1st inning. As Splittorff struggled, Nolan Ryan cruised.  Thanks in part to a Frank Robinson home run California built a 8-1 lead by the end of the 6th.   But Kansas City rallied for 4 runs in the bottom of the 7th, the big blow being a Jerry Martin pinch hit 2-run home run.  With the score 8-5 the Royals managed to bring the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the 8th inning. Facing his last batter, Ryan managed to strike out Don Slaught to end the threat.  The Angels then scored 3 runs in the top of the 9th to put the game out of reach, and to earn the Series victory.
Angels win series 3-2
Click here to view series box scores

Round 1–‘82 Bombers down ‘74 Phightins in 4 games

Submitted by Gary Maurer - Wednesday, December 25, 2013, 2:00 PM

Game 1

The crowd in Yankee Stadium expected to see a low scoring pitching battle between Ron Guidry and Steve Carlton, instead they saw 4 early runs, 2 by each club and a total of 19 hits in the game. Mike Schmidt opened the scoring with a 367 foot 2 run dinger off Guidry. The Yanks answered in the bottom of the 1st with 2 of their own on a 2 run single by Rick Cerrone after Carlton walked 2. Carlton had control problems throughout the game, giving up 7 walks in 7 innings. Philly added another run in the 2nd on a Willie Montanez double that scored Larry Bowa. The score remained 3-2 until the 4th when Willie Randolph doubled off the wall in left scoring Guidry, then Ken Griffey singled to score Randolph giving the Yanks a 4-3 lead. Philly tied the game at 4 in the 7th when Mike Schmidt hit his second homer of the game, a 375' solo shot out of left field. New York took the lead in the bottom of the 7th when a Jerry Mumphrey triple scored Randolph and then Dave Winfield had a SAC fly RBI to score Mumphrey, 6-4 Yanks. Philly came close in the 9th, with runners at 1st & 3rd no one out but could only manage 1 run with Gossage striking out Luzinski, Cash, and Boone to save the game.

Yankees 6 Phillies 5

Game 2

Jim Lonborg vs Tommy John.  Philly puts 3 on the board in the 4th when Larry Bowa doubled in Dave Cash, Bob Boone scored on a Del Unser SAC fly and Tony Taylor drove in Bowa on a single. Philly made it 4-0 in the 6th on a Taylor SAC fly, scoring Bowa. New York put up 2 in the 6th to cut the lead in half. A Butch Wynegar single scored Jerry Mumphrey and a Greg Nettles SAC fly scored Mumphrey. Philly added an insurance run in the 8th on a Jay Johnstone SAC fly scoring Bowa. 5-3 Phils. Gene Garber came on in the 8th to close out the Philly win.

Phillies 5 Yankees 3

Game 3

The Yankees roughed up Philly starter Dick Ruthven by scoring 5 runs in 4.1 innings, sending the Philly starter to an early shower. Yankee starter Dave Righetti scattered 5 hits and 2 earned runs in 6.2 innings. Righetti struck out 8 and walked 5. New York posted 2 in the 1st when with 2 outs a Dave Winfield triple scored Mumphrey, then Ken Griffey singled, scoring Winfield. Philly scored 1 in their half of the 1st on a Mike Schmidt solo HR. New York scored 1 in the 2nd to make it 3-1 and opened it up to 5-1 in the 4th when Roy Smalley smacked a 2 run homer to right center. Philly put up 1 in the 5th but the Yanks added runs in the 6th & 7th to pull away.

Yankees 7 Phillies 2

Game 4

Dave Winfield hits for the cycle and downs the Phillies with 4 RBI's. New York was coasting along with a 5-1 lead into the 6th but Philly put up 3 in the bottom of the 6th to pull within 1 capped by a Jay Johnstone 2 run HR, 5-4 Yanks. Philly tied the game at 5 in the 7th and hoped to pull one out for the home faithful. The Yankees ended all hopes of a Philly comeback in the 8th by putting up 3 runs highlighted by a 2 run double by Dave Winfield. Rich Gossage closed out the 9th, after walking the first 2 batters, he struck out the side to move the Yankees into the next round.

Yankees 8 Phillies 5 – New York Wins Series 3-1  Click here to view series box scores

Round 1–‘64 Dodgers strong arm ‘72 Twins in 3 game sweep

1964 Los Angeles Dodgers sweep 1972 Minnesota Twins behind strong arms

The series came down to pitching and timely hitting.  Until a huge 7^th inning in Game 3, neither team had more than a 2 run lead in this tightly contested series.  But ultimately the Dodgers starting pitching  and  the wheels of series MVP Maury Wills (.455 AVG, 3 SB, 3 RUNS), proved too much for the underdog Twins.

GAME 1 – 1964 Los Angeles Dodgers win 3-1

Sandy Koufax did in Game 1 what Sandy Koufax was supposed to do.  He DOMINATED the Twins hitters.   Koufax had a no-hitter until a single by Danny Thompson in the top of the 6^th inning.  The Twins could muster little else against the LA ace (8 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 11 K) before Ron Perranoski closed the win out with a scoreless 9^th.  The top of the Dodger lineup (Wills along with Tommy and Willie Davis) went a combined 5 for 10 while scoring all 3 of the Dodger runs.

 

 

GAME 2 – 1964 Los Angeles Dodgers win 2-1

Not too be outdone by counterpart Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale (8 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 5 K) kept the Twin bats quiet again in Game 2.  This time it was Ron Fairly providing the offense with 3 hits that drove in both Dodger runs.  The Twins did briefly hold a 1-0 lead in this game by getting on the board first after a 2^nd inning HR by catcher Glenn Borgmann.  The lead did not last long though as the Dodgers tied it in the 3^rd and went ahead for good in the 5^th.   Perranoski again closed it out for the Dodgers despite walking 2 in the 9^th and throwing more balls than strikes in his inning of work.

GAME 3 – 1964 Los Angeles Dodgers win 8-0

A scoreless game into the 7^th became a blowout when the Dodgers showed some killer instinct and stomped on the Minnesota Twins with a 7 run 7^th inning highlighted by a 3 run homer by Tommy Davis.  Starters Dick Woodson (MIN) and John Purdin (LAD) had matched scoreless innings up to that point.  But it was only Purdin (6 IP, 4 H, 0 R) that was able to stay clean for the game.  The Dodgers pen kept the shutout in tact over the final 3 innings despite giving up 5 hits to a Twins offense that just couldn’t come up with a timely hit all series.  Click here to see series box scores.

--submitted by Peter Daly--

Round 1–‘88 Expos sweep ‘81 Chisox, but did not dominate

1988 Montreal Expos (Marc Weiss) vs 1981 Chicago White Sox (Bruce Thomas)

GAME 1 - Comiskey Park
D.Martinez vs Burns
Expos 3, White Sox 2 (12 inn)

The Pale Hose drew first blood when "the Bull", Greg Luzinski hit a towering 2 run shot off of El President (Dennis Martinez) with one out in the bottom of the fourth.  Montreal cut the lead in half the following inning when Luis Rivera scored on a Rex Hudler DP, which prevented the big inning from happening.  A two out clout by Andres "El Ghatto" Galarraga in the 6th tied the game at 2-2.  Chicago threatened to put it away in the bottom of the 9th with runners on 1st and second ad 1 out.  Reliever Jeff Parrett came on to strike out Harold Baines for the second out.  Mike Squires grounded out to end the threat and off we went to extra innings.  Chicago again threatened with two runners on in the 10th, but Parrett once again had magic in his right arm to fan Rusty Kuntz to end the rally.  Galarraga led of the top of the 12th with a triple off of reliever Dennis Lamp.  Hubie Brooks grounded a single deep in the hole, just out of the reach of Bill Almon, to score "El Ghatto" easily.  Lamp was able to get out of the inning without allowing additional runs.  To close out the game Joe Hesketh took the hill for the 'Spos and retired pinch hitter Wayne Nordhagen with an easy fly to center.  Ron LeFlore grounded weakly to second for out number two and Tony Bernazard did the same to short for the final out.
Expos lead series 1-0

GAME 2
Perez vs Dotson
Expos 8, White Sox 6 (13 inn)

How do you top a 12 inning extravaganza in game 1?  You go 13 innings and have 5 lead changes in game 2.  After 6 1/2 innings of play the Expos were clinging narrowly to a 4-3 lead.  After nursing starter Pascual Perez through 6 innings the Expos manager tried to squeeze one more frame out of him.  Bad move.  Perez got just out in the 7th before handing the ball over to Andy McGaffigan who got the final 2 outs, but not before giving up 3 runs and the lead.  At one point the Southsiders had 3 consecutive hits and a walk.  Bill Almon and Carlton Fisk each had RBI knocks to give the Pale Hose a 6-4 lead.  Chicago's 3rd pitcher on the day, La Marr Hoyt served up a big fly to Galarraga in the 8th to make it a 1 run ball game.  Kevin Hickey (CHW's 4th pitcher) was a victim of small ball as the Expos tied the game in the top of the 9th.  After Rex Hudler led off with a pinch hit single and stole second, Rivera singled and moved him to third.  Nixon squeezed Hudler home and the game was now all squared and headed to overtime.  The next 3 innings provided little action and no additional score.  The top of the 13th started out as if it was going to be another one of those ho-hum innings until "the Rock, Tim Raines, single with 2 outs and immediately stole 2nd.  A rattled Francisco Barrios walked Hubie Brooks to put runners on 1st and 2nd.  Andres Galarraga came through again with an RBI single to put the visitors up 7-6.  For good measure Tim "Eli" Wallach followed suit to plate Brooks and put his team up 8-6.  Tim Burke, who already pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings set the Chisox down in order in the bottom of the 13 to seal his win in this instant classic game played in the rain.  Tim Wallach (4-7, 2 RBI) had an incredible day at the plate.  Dave Martinea, Wallach and Harold Baines each went yard.
Expos lead series 2-0

GAME 3 - Stadie Olympique'
Trout vs B.Smith
Expos 5, White Sox 0

After 2 "edge of your seat" games no one knew what to expect in game three.  The Expos returned home up 2-0, but could have easily been down 2-0, so there was no sense of false confidence spreading in their locker room.  For the first 3 1/2 innings the game remained scoreless.  The sense around these parts was that we were in for another cliff hanger mirroring the first 2 contests.  Then in the bottom of the 4th catcher Nelson Santovenia hit a 3 run shot off of Steve "Rainbow" Trout, to put the Expos up 3-0.  With Bryn Smith throwing up goose eggs on the scoreboard one sensed that those 3 runs would loom large.  In the bottom of the 5th Galarraga tripled home Hudler to make it 4-0.  Surprisingly after 6 shutout innings Smith was lifted from the game in favor of John Dopson.  After throwing just 96 pitches Montreal's bearded hurler was done.  Dopson was just as clean throwing 3 scoreless innings to share the shutout.  Hubie Brooks would hit a solo shot in the 7th to make the final score 5-0 Expos.  Galarraga (3-4, RBI) finished the series hitting .467 to nab MVP honors.
Expos win series 3-0
Click here to view series box scores

Round 1 - 59 Tigers win 3 of 5 from 67 Pirates

--submitted by Gene Couture--  Click here to view series box scores

Game 1 saw an unusual for that era Frank Lary beaned Manny Alou and was ejected in the 5th inning. Alou charged the mound and also was tossed. Detroit scores 2 in bottom of 8th to break a 4-4 tie and defeat the Bucs in game 1 6-4

Game 2 Pirates rebound to win 3-2 as Elroy Face  picks up the win in relief , Donn Clendenon had 4 hits for the victors

Game 3 shifted to Forbes Field but the Tigers win 3-1 as Don Mossi scattered 5 hits in the win

Game 4 Pirates tie score 2-2 in the eighth and win on a Tiger error in the ninth 3-2

Game 5 Tigers bats come alive in Tiger Stadium blasting the visitors 9-1

Round–01: 2010 Tigers drop 2009 Brewers in 4

Game 1:  For 7 innings, the Brewers could get only 4 hits and 1 run off Tiger starter Justin Verlander.  Meanwhile, the Tigers started the fifth with a single and a double.  Two outs later, Austin Jackson drove home the two runners.  With Verlander gone to start the 8th, the Brewers started kicking up their heels.  With a runner on and one out, Prince Fielder made it a one rune game with a two run shot to right.  The Tigers came right back and scored three times on a hit batsman, two walks and two singles.  The 7-3 lead looked safe.  Especially with the "Big Potato" Jose Valverde taking the mound.  Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Ryan Braun with two outs.  And Ryan showed why he would be a future MVP (steroids notwithstanding) by hammering the potato into the seats for a grand slam.  Fielder followed with a single but that was the end of the offense for the Brewers for the evening.  They would only manage one walk the rest of the way.  Two walks opened the 11th and after one out, Brennan Boesch singled home the winning run.  Jeremy Bonderman won the game in relief.
Tigers 8  Brewers 7
 
Game 2:  Max Scherzer scattered five hits and struck out 7 in 7 and 2/3 innings.  Joel Zumaya and Phil Coke each pitched two-thirds of an inning as the Tigers shut out the Brewers.  Miguel Cabrera and Jhonny Peralta homered for the Tigers.
Tigers 4   Brewers 0

Game 3:  Miguel Cabrera hit a two run homer to lead the Tigers to a 3-0 advantage as they looked to sweep the Brewers.  But Milwaukee wasn't done and in the bottom of the 6th, they put their first four batters on, scoring twice.  Then, with two out, pinchhitter Casey McGehee singled home to give the Brewers the lead.  Trevor Hoffman and Claudio Vargas closed out the victory for Jeff Suppan.
Brewers 4  Tigers 3

Game 4: Miguel Cabrera hit a two run homer in the first, his third of the series.  In the 4ht, with a runner on second and two out, he singled home a run.  In the 7th, with runners on second and third and two outs, he drove home another run.  Johnny Damon hit a solo homer and the Tigers carried a 6-2 lead into the bottom of the 9th.  Papa Grande again took the mound, with his first game nemesis 6 batters away.  Valverde was nothing, if not dramatic.  In a scene reminiscent of Ricky "Wildman" Vaughan intentionally walking a batter to get to Parkman, Valverde gave up a single and two walks to bring Rick Braun to the plate with two out and the chance to tie the game with a grand slam.  This time Valverde won the confrontation as Braun grounded to third and sent the Tigers to the second round.
Tigers 6  Brewers 2
Click here to view series box scores

--submitted by Tom "Crash" Davis--

Round 1–’81 Royals comeback down 2-0 to beat ‘73 Amazin’s

Game 1 saw Leonard vs Seaver, a game with not many hitting expectations. The Mets struck first in the bottom of the 2nd when Jones led off with a single between 3rd & SS, with one out Fregosi walked followed by a single by Harrison driving in Jones. NYM 1-0  KC got it back in the top of the 4th when McRae singled with one out and Aikens then drove one over the right center field wall. KCR 2-1  The game stayed 2-1 until the bottom of the 9th when Harrelson reached on an error by Washington. Quisenberry was summoned to shut the door. Grote hit a slow roller that Washington could only get the out at first. With two outs, Staub grounded a single into right scoring the tying run. 2-2 The Royals manage to get two aboard in the top of the 10th but failed to score. Quisenberry still pitching for KC in the bottom of the 10th. He walked Garrett, then Jones grounded a ball into left field to advance Garrett to 2nd. Runners on 1st and 2nd, no one out. Quisenberry pitched to Willie Mays. BANG a double off the wall and Quisenberry picks up the loss with Parker in relief picking up the win.  Mets lead series 1-0

Game 2 had a pair of lefties facing each other Gura of KC and Koosman from NY.  KC struck first in this game in the top of the 2nd when with two outs, Motley doubled, Washington singled him home and was followed by a two run shot from Frank White. KC 3-0 The Mets picked up a single tally in the bottom of the 3rd and in the bottom of the 4th.  KC 3-2  KC rebounded by scoring a single run in the top of the 6th and it stayed that way 4-2 until the bottom of the 9th.  After Wright gave up a lead off single in the inning, Quisenberry was brought in. Grote promptly doubled, Boswell singled followed by a single by Harrelson. Still no one out.  Quisenberry dealt to Millan, who bunted to first, safe bases loaded and score 4-4 Ken Brett was brought in to face Staub with the bases full and score tied. On a 1-0 Rusty Staub ripped a single past Aikens outstretched glove. NYM 5-4 Quisenberry took his second loss raising his ERA to 27.00 while Koosman went all the way picking up the win. NYM 2-0
Well we all know what a hat trick is, 3 goals in a game, hockey or soccer. So now you can kind of know what a MET TRICK is...

Game 3 moved to KC where the fans were hoping something good would happen.  The Mets threw George Stone against the Royals, Mike Jones.  Both pitchers again were lefties and both had pitched pretty well during the regular season.  Neither team could score through the first five. The Royals broke the ice in the bottom of the 6th after McRae doubled with one out, with two outs Motley homered to center field. KC 2-0 The Mets scored in the top of the 7th on singles by Jones, Hahn and Grote. KC 2-1  In the bottom of the 7th Stone weakened. Washington reached 2nd on an error, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a groundout. Otis walked, George Brett doubled him home, Aikens singled him home. KC scored 4.  KC 6-1 The Royals scored a single tally in the 8th on a solo shot by Frank White.  KC wins 7-1  The Met Trick was not today.

Another home game followed for the Royals and this time the lefties were the hapless Paul Splittorff against Jon Matlack.  The Mets scored early as Millan singled in the top of the 1st with 1 out. Garrett tripled with Millan walking home.  NYM 1-0 after 1.  The Mets reached Splittorff again in the 4th, this time for 2 runs. The Mets bunched 5 singles together and if not for a base running blunder by Harrelson could have potentially scored more. In the bottom of the 4th Brett led off with a seeing eye single. Wathan then doubled scoring Brett. Three more singles and a double to deep left by Grote put 4 on the board and KC took their first lead. 5-3  The Mets game right back in the top of the 5th on a double by Hahn and a 2 base throwing error by Brett. KC 5-4  In the top of the the 8th the Mets tied the game when with two outs Millan singled, Staub singled, Rich Gale came into the game in relief and promptly gave up the game tying single to Garrett. 5-5 in the bottom of the 9th KC scored nothing.. 2 Ks and a little pop out is all they could muster against Parker of the Mets. In the top of the 10th, Garrett led off with a single, Jones hit a fly out but Mays grounded a single into center.  Milner then grounded a single into right field scoring Garrett.....no WAIT he was out at the plate on a great throw by Cesar Geronimo! After 10 still 5-5. In the botom of the 12th with two outs Geronimo! received a walk, Grote then walked, Ray Sadecki was brought in to face UL Washington. The Royals countered with Lee May. 1-1 count, 2 outs, May singled up the middle and Geronimo! scores!!! KC 6-5 Series Tied
AND THE MET TRICK WAITS ONE MORE DAY

The Mets were home and they were glad, Tom Terrific would go to the mound for them, they were undefeated at home and although the series was tied, the odds were in their favor.  The Royals countered with the ace, Dennis Leonard.  Seaver didn't have it, the Royals opened the game in the 1st with 3 runs on a 3-run homer by Willie Mays Aikens.  Leonard was tough, he limited the Mets to 3 hits while only throwing  84 pitches in the 9 inning complete game.  The Royals scored 4 more times against the Met pitching. The Royals win the series in their own version of the reverse Met Trick.  Click here to view series box scores.
--submitted by Orion Bell--