1990 Oakland A's - KOD26 Super Series Champs

Super Series Game 7 - "Steinbach...Of Weiss and Men"

Game 7- Game 7, this is what it is all about.  The A’s would send Welch back to the mound while Philly would go with Carlton on short rest.  Philly would strike first this time with a sac fly and a Mcbride RBI single to go up 2-0 after two.  Oakland would get to Carlton in the 3^rd  when Rickey goes deep for a solo shot.  The score remain 2-1 until the 6^th inning when Dave Henderson hits a two-out triple and Mcgwire comes to the plate.  Mark lines a single into left and the game is tied!  The bullpens are amazing from there as we go 7 more innings with no scoring!!  The top of the 14^th and both teams are running out of bodies.  Coach Daly brings in Warren Brusstar to pitch the 14^th.  Terry Steinbach who hit .157 in 178 AB this season steps up and laces a double off the left field wall. There is no one left on the Oakland bench to run for the lead footed Steinbach as Walt Weiss steps to the plate.  Weiss hits a single right up the middle and around comes Steinbach.  The play at the plate and he is SAFE!  3-2 Oakland.  Philly gets out of the inning and has one more chance in the bottom of the 14^th.  Coach Sexton goes to his bullpen where there is very little left.  Little used Steve Chitren will get the call with Eckersley gone wy back in the 10^th.  Chitren starts it off by striking out Ted Sizemore.  Tom Hutton comes up and singles into left. Mcbride steps to the plate and he smashes a double into right center.  Hutton is flying around 3^rd as the throw comes to the plate, Steinbach lays down the tag….and he is………OUT!!!!   Mcbride moves to third on the play but the Phillies are down to their last out.  Garry Maddox just needs a base hit to keep this one going.  Chitren winds up and Maddox hits it sharply to Weiss at short.  He throws to Mcgwire and the A’s are Super Series Champions!!!!!!!  Oakland Wins 4-3

Great series and a lot of fun to play.  Excellent job by Peter Daly.

Super Series Game 6 - "Big Mac Attack"

Game 6-  Back to Philly for Game 6, Oakland with their backs against the wall.  Sanderson vs.

Christenson is the pitching matchup.  Oakland strikes first with a Mark Mcgwire solo HR in the 2^nd to lead 1-0.  They add another with a sacrifice fly in the top of the 4^th  but Philly matches it when Mike Schmidt goes deep in the bottom of the inning.  Bob Boone hits a pinch hit 2 run HR in the bottom of the 5^th to put Philly up 3-2 and things are looking grim for the A’s.  Oakland comes right back in the 6^th to tie the game on a Mike Gallego suicide squeeze.  It would remain tied into the 8^th when Mcgwire leads off the inning with his 2^nd HR of the game to give Oakland a 1 run lead. The great Oakland bullpen would take over from there in the form of Gene Nelson with a clean 8^th and Eckersley with a 1-2-3 9^th.  Series Tied 3-3

Super Series Game 5 - "Hard to Reed"

Game 5- The Phillies decide to go with lefty Jim Kaat in Game 5 while Oakland gets Stewart back on the mound.  Both pitchers are very good with Oakland only getting a solo HR from Dave Henderson in the 5^th to take a 1-0 lead.  In the 6th Philly gets a ledoff triple from Bake Mcbride.  Oakland brings the infield in and Stewart strikes out Gary Maddox for the first out.  Greg Luzinski steps up with the infield still in.  He hits a slow roller to shortstop.  Weiss looks back the runner and goes to first, but Mcbride breaks for home and gets in before the tag!  Ron Reed comes on to pitch for the Phillies and shuts down Oakland so the score is 1-1 into extra innings.  In the top of the 10^th Larry Bowa hits a one out triple off Dennis Eckersley.  Oakland brings the infield in again but Tim Mcarver lifts one deep to center for the go-ahead run.  Reed pitches his 4^th inning in the bottom of the 10^th and retires Oakland in order.  Philly leads 3-2

Super Series Game 4 - "Jay to Go"

Game 4- Carlton takes the mound for Philly once again and he is dominant.  The Phillies get to Mike

Moore early with a 2 run single in the first from Jay Johnstone.  They add 3 more including a Greg Luzinski solo HR and cruise to 5-0 victory.  Carlton ends with a Complete game 5 hit shutout.  Series Tied 2-2

Super Series Game 3 - "Sweet as Honey"

Game 3- Bob Welch took the mound for Oakland as the series moved to California.  The Phillies would throw the crafty veteran Jim Lonborg.  Oakland would strike first with a Canseco RBI single to take a 1-0 lead after 1.  The teams would exchange solo HRs in the 3^rd with Bake Mcbride for Philly and Walt Weiss for Oakland going deep.  Canseco adds another HR in the 4^th to put Oakland up 3-1.  Philly cuts the lead to 1 with a Sac Fly in the 7^th.  Oakland pitching would shut them down from there with Rick Honeycutt getting 5 outs and Dennis Eckersley coming on for the last one.  Oakland leads 2-1

Super Series Game 2 - "Can Say Go!"

Game 2-   The pitching matchup for Game 2 was a little less star-studded as Larry Christenson

matched up with Scott Sanderson but you wouldn’t have known it in the first 3 innings as the score was 0-0.  Christenson faltered in the 4^th however giving up 2 walks and then a 3 run HR to Jose Canseco.  Richie Hebner gets one back for Philly in the bottom of the inning with a solo shot.  Philly cuts the lead to one in the bottom of the 7^th on a Larry Bowa RBI single but Dave Henderson gets it right back in the top of 8 with a solo HR and Lansford adds an RBI single in the 9^th to put Oakland up 4.  Gene Nelson shuts Philly down in order in the 9^th and Oakland steals home field advantage. Series tied 1-1

Super Series Game 1 - "Ritz Carlton"

Game 1-  The ’77 Phillies start LH Ace Steve Carlton at home against Dave Stewart for the ’90 A’s.  Oakland gets to Carlton early as Rickey Henderson doubles down the 3^rd base line and scores on a Carney Lansford RBI single in the top of the 1^st.  Oakland gets another run on a Lansford Sac Fly in the 3^rd to lead 2-0.  Philly cuts the lead in half with a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the inning.  It remained 2-1 Oakland until the bottom of the 5^th when Philly explodes for 3 runs.  Philly adds one more in the 6^th and Carlton cruises the rest of the way.  Philly leads 1-0

-submitted by Andy Sexton--

The Super Series - 1990 Oakland A's vs 1977 Philadelphia Phillies

Clash of the Titans (Pete vs Andy).
We started out with 40 teams and now we are down to the final 2.
An amazing Silver Anniversary Season !

vs

Miracle 90 A's upset '98 Braves in 5

Game 1-  Greg Maddux takes the mound for Atlanta against Oakland’s Dave Stewart.  Oakland jumps on Maddux early as Rickey Henderson and Walt Weiss pull off a double steal and score on a fielder’s choice and a sacrifice fly.  Atlanta ties it up 2-2 in the bottom of the 2^nd with a solo HR from Ryan Klesko and a Maddux RBI single.  Atlanta would take their first lead in the bottom of the 4^th with an RBI single from Keith Lockhart and a 2 run double from Chipper Jones.  The Braves would add to the lead with a solo HR in the 5^th from Andruw Jones to go up 6-2.  The Braves would add one more in the 8^th and win 7-2 as Maddux allows only 1 hit after the 1^st inning in a complete game win.  Andruw Jones finishes the game 4-4 with 3 runs scored. Atlanta leads series 1-0

Game 2-  Atlanta sends out Ace #2 in Tom Glavine and Scott Sanderson gets the start for Oakland.  Javy Lopez opens the scoring with a solo shot in the bottom of the 2^nd.  A 2 out error in the 5^th allowed Oakland to finally get to Glavine on a 2- run double by Mark Mcgwire to give Oakland a 1 run lead.  Oakland would carry the 2-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth with Eckersley pitching.  Shockingly, Eck gives up an RBI double to Ozzie Guillen and we head to extra innings.  Oakland gets 2 baserunners in the 10^th but a double play ends the threat.  Eckersley settles down and gets Atlanta out in order in the bottom of the inning.  Harold Baines pinch hits for Eck in the 11^th and leads off with a double.  Rickey singles him home and Oakland gets an insurance run on a Carney Lansford single. Steve Chitren does his best Eckersley impression by shutting down the Braves in the bottom of the inning and Oakland gains home field advantage in the series. Series Tied 1-1

Game 3-  The series shifts back to Oakland and the A’s have 27 game winner Bob Welch on the mound against John Smoltz for the Braves.  Both pitchers are on their game with the notable exception of back to back jacks from the Bash Brothers, Jose Canseco and Mcgwire, in the bottom of the 2^nd.  Oakland would hold the 2-0 lead into the 8^th inning when welch tires and the Braves get an RBI single from Chipper Jones off relief pitcher Joe Klink.  Eckersley is able to do his normal thing this time though and Oakland hangs on for the 2-1 victory.  Oakland leads 2-1

Game 4-  Atlanta goes with Denny Neagle in Game 4, a significant drop off from their Big 3,  and Oakland takes advantage with 2 runs in the 1^st and a 3 run homer from Rickey Henderson in the 2^nd.  Atlanta is able to get a couple on the board against starter Mike Moore but Oakland leads 6-2 going into the 8^th inning.  Rick Honeycutt comes into pitch for Oakland and he is not sharp walking 2 and giving up a 2 run double to Chipper Jones.  Honeycutt settles it down and gets it to Eckersley in the 9^th who is dominant with 2 strikeouts and a groundout.  Oakland leads 3-1

Game 5-  Maddux and Stewart are matched up again in Game 5.  Mark Mcgwire opens the scoring with a 2 run homer in the bottom of the 2^nd.  It would remain 2-0 Oakland until the top of the 7^th when Andruw Jones doubled in 2 runs to tie it up at 2.  Dave Henderson and Felix Jose would lead off the bottom of the 7^th with back to back singles.  Willie Randolph hits a third single and Hendu rumbles around 3^rd looking to score the go-ahead run but he is gunned down at the plate.  Terry Steinbach however hits Oakland’s 4^th straight single and Jose and Randolph both score to put Oakland up 4-2 and they are starting to smell championship.  Joe Klink comes in to pitch the 8^th for Oakland and gives up 2 singles and a walk to load the bases with only 1 out and slugger Andres Galaragga at the plate.  Tony Larussa decides to go to Eck needing 5 outs for the title.  Eckersley gets the big strikeout of Galaragga and a flyout from Ryan Klesko to end the threat.  In the 9^th Atlanta gets a couple more 2 out hits off Eckersley but Walt Weiss grounds out to end the inning and the celebration is on in Oakland!-Oakland wins series 4-1

 

'98 Braves defeat '16 Cubbies 4 games to 2

The 98 Braves overcame a weak bullpen and a slugging 2016 Chicago Cubs team to win the Modern LCS 4 games to 2.

First of all, let me thank Cubs manager Kurt Schaden for his patience in getting these games in. Some of the folks I am in other leagues with are aware that my internet capabilities have been in a shambles for the last couple of weeks. This has led to a lot of missed deadlines and cancellations on my part in several outfits. I never knew when or if I was gonna be able to connect. The issue has been resolved and those problems are behind us. But Kurt had to suffer through the end of them with me and I want to thank him publicly for his flexibility and good nature.

Here are some short recaps of the series:

Game 1...Greg Maddux pitched 7 innings and was charged with 3 earned runs  when relievers John Rocker and Odalis Perez had trouble getting anyone out. Finally, with the bases loaded and one out, score 5-4 Braves, Atlanta closer Kerry Lightenberg came on to get Wilson Contreras to ground into an inning ending double play. Lightenberg then shut the Cubs down in the 9th to put Atlanta up 1 game to 0.

Game 2...Jon Lester overcame a pair of solo homers in the Brave 4th and a strong performance by lefty Tom Glavine to tie the series at 1-1. Anthony Rizzo had the big hit for Chicago with a two run single in the bottom of the first. Lester and the stellar Cubs bullpen shut the visitors down after the fourth to win 3-2. On to Turner Field.

Game 3...Jake Arrieta was outstanding for the cubs and John Smoltz got shelled for the home team.  That sums up the Chicago 14-8 win. Arrieta went 6.1 innings and gave up one earned run before his bullpen got a bit sloppy but by that time the Cubs were safe and sound. Smoltzie was not sharp. He gave up 8 hits, 3 walks and allowed 7 earned runs before his relief corps did their best to make his outing look good with their own slovenly performance. Chicago up 2 games to 1.

Game 4...Denny Neagle came on to stop the bleeding for the home team and he really didn't. But he did get enough run support to  make his 8.1 innings of work and 5 earned runs look nice. Cubs starter John Lackey didn't have it today and ran a line of 4 innings pitched and 9 earned runs as the Braves tie the series 2-2 with a 16-5 victory.

Game 5...Maddux goes all the way for the home team and the Braves score 4 in the bottom of the second to make the final Braves 4 Cubs 2. Atlanta takes the series lead 3 games to 2. Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks was injured for the game in the bottom of the second inning and left the game after giving up 5 hits and with runners at first and third  He was charged with three earned runs after reliever Mike Montgomery threw a wild pitch to the first batter he faced allowing one run to score. The Cubs reliever then allowed  a single and a double and two more runs before putting out the fire. Maddux made it hold up.

Game 6...Tom Glavine gets the nod for the Braves and Jon Lester returns to the hill for the home town bunch as the series return to Wrigley Field. Bot pitchers were sharp. Andruw Jones hits a solo homer to put the Braves on top 1-0 but the Cubs come back to tie off Glavine in the bottom of the fourth. That's where it stays as the opposing teams keep slapping up zeros for one another until the top of the 11th inning. After a walk to Andres Galarraga, Andruw Jones strikes again with a run scoring double and Eddie Perez singled him in to make the count 3-1 Braves. Out of bench, Chicago goes to pitcher Jake Arrieta to pinch hit with two out in the bottom of the stanza and closer Kerry Lightenberg on the mound for the visitors. Jake promptly hits a home run 383 feet to left center. Talk about pulling the right strings! Lightenberg struck out Dexter Fowler, the next hitter to make it a moot point however. Atlanta takes the series and the Modern League NL championship 4 games to 2.

Once again, I thank Kurt for hanging in there and for a good series. Frankly, I think the Cubs were the best team in the Modern League and I reckon they would whip the Braves two out of every three series they might play. I never expected to win this one and I'm glad I don't have to see Chicago again.

regards

eab
98 Braves

Bravos (98) sweep '82 Redbirds

The Braves sweep the Cards with....

1) a 2-0 shutout behind Greg Maddux
2) Tommy Glavine pitches the Braves to a 12-3 win
3) The Cards jump out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first with a George Hendrick 3 run dinger but the Atlanta bunch gets 6 in the top of the 2nd and hang on behind a shaky Denny Neagle to win 10-6.

Thanks are issued to friend Robert Chisholm for subbing for the Cardinals. He did a solid job with an unfamiliar team and was the victim of a bad day by St Louis.

eab
'98 Braves

Tribe wins battle of '54's in 6

Game 1
W Ford gives up 7 walks in 4.2 innings and 8 hits allowing 5 runs ..Tom Morgan holds the Indians for the rest of the game...The Yanks make a charge in the bottom of 9 but fall short final 5-3 Cleveland 54.......Wynn goes 8.2 and gets the win

Game 2
Much of the same Cleveland gets 5 runs on 6 hits and Lemon Goes 8.2 and takes this one 5-3 Cleveland up 2 going home...

Game 3
Yankees take a 5-4 lead going to the bottom of 7 and again the pitching cant get it done ..Cleveland get 3 in the bottom half of 7 this one ends 7-5 and its Cleveland up 3-0 in the series

game 4
The Yankees with there back to the wall explode for 9 and take it 9-1 ..Series is 3-1

Game 5
Whitey is back on the mound and he gives up 7 walks in 7.1 IP but only gives up 2 runs Gorman and Konstanty get the job done and the Yankees pick up another one series is 3-2 going back to New York...

Game 6
the Yankees jump out to a 3-0 lead and then defensively collapse put up 3 errors and Cleveland takes it 7-3 and series 3-2 ..Lemon goes the distance for Cleveland ..
--submitted by C.Pester--

54-NYY defeats 61-NYY to reach all '54 final

In a series that looked to be a promising start for the 1961 Yankees against their 1954 counterparts, the ’54 squad stunned the ‘61s with a 4 run ninth inning in game one to overcome a 5-2 deficit, then went on to win the final two games in all but shutout fashion.

The ’61 club had things in command in game one, as Roger Maris got them started quickly pounding a 3-run homer in the top of the first inning. Both teams tallied two runs after that through 8. Manager Bike Mike elected to lift a tiring Whitey Ford after 8, and brought in usually reliable reliever Luis Arroyo to close things down with a three run lead.

But in what seems to be a recurring theme of bizarre events in post season games for Bike Mike’s teams, Arroyo and his bullpen mates turned in to what would later be known as “Rick Ankiel syndrome”, sometimes called “Steve Blass disease”. The usually solid Arroyo gave up two walks, and two singles, getting out none of the four batters he faced.

On came Roland Sheldon, another strong hurler during the regular season. But this time Sheldon walked both hitters he faced.  Bike Mike tried Jim Coates, to see if he could stem the tide of the bases-loaded-no-out situation, with the score now 5-4. No go; Hank Bauer lined a game winning two-run single to complete the comeback.  The ’61 Yankee bullpen line for the inning showed  seven batters faced, no outs recorded, 3 hits, 4 walks, 4 runs. A legendary meltdown for the record books.

The game one collapse obviously did a number on the ’61 team’s confidence, as they never scored another run in the series. Well, technically they did manage to put one across in the bottom of the ninth inning of game 3 with two outs, but by then they were down 10-0 and the ’54 team’s players not on the field were already popping the champagne.

Bob Grim threw a 4-hit complete game shutout in game two, and Yogi Berra had 3 of the 9 ’54 hits

including a home run as the ’54 club took a commanding two game lead with a 3-0 victory.

Game three was all ’54, as they piled up 13 hits and 10 runs in a blowout. Andy Carey, Irv Noren, Bill Skowron, and Gil McDougald each had 2 hits, and Allie Reynolds went 8 1/3 innings striking out 7 without a walk to lead the onslaught.

Going back to game one for one final bit of the bizarre, the ’61 team had the early 3-0 lead on the Maris homer, as Mickey Mantle walked to open the top of the third. Elston Howard then singled, putting two on and no out. But wait, the game suddenly locked up!! It was a run time error, and thus we had to shut down and resume the game. Upon resuming, Howard had lost his hit, and was back at bat. This time he grounded out, with Mantle running on the play so Mick went to second. So now there is one on and one out, rather than two on and no out. Maris then walked, and Skowron singled. Mick tried to score from second on the hit with about a 2/3 chance to score, but was gunned down at the plate. Hector Lopez then struck out. Had the Elston Howard phantom hit stood, and Maris then walked to load the bases with no out, and Skowron then singled, could the ’61 team have put the game out of reach early? We will never know, but it just adds to the lore of the bizarre in that first game.

Such is life. Good luck to the ’54 Yankees, and hopefully we will see some exciting LCS games.

Bike Mike

'53 Boys of Summer Drop '74 LAD in 4

A series guaranteed to tickle the fancy of any Dodgers fan, regardless of locale, whether Brooklyn or Los Angeles.  The top seeded Classic NL 1953 Brooklyn Bums hosted the Number 4 seed
1974 Los Angeles Dodgers, hot off a 1 game Wild Card win versus the '75 Reds, at Ebbets Field.

This series featured the top hitting team, '53 Brooklyn, versus the number 2 pitching team in the league, '74 Los Angeles.

-------------------------------------

Game 1 - Ebbets Field

The first game featured one of the anchors of the Los Angeles team's pitching, Don Sutton, against the league's Wins (7 regular season wins), and K leader (74 K's), Carl Erskine.  Erskine,
is a bit of a surprise for Brooklyn, as he won (or tied for 1st) 2 of the 3 pitching Triple Crown categories, falling a bit shy in ERA.

The '53 Boys of Summer, despite having the obviously weaker pitching staff, had a glaring advantage, as they had 3 days of rest, so everyone on staff was well rested.  The L.A. Boys weren't
as fortunate, coming off a 1-game Wild Card game versus '75 Cincinnati, so staff ace Messersmith would have to wait until game 3.

'53 Brooklyn jumped out to a 3 run lead in the top of the 1st, led by Jackie Robinson's 2-run HR (5th of the season).  Bill Buckner left the game after lining out to 2nd, being replaced by
Von Johnson in left field.

Goose eggs by both pitchers until the top of the 5th, when The Duke of Flatbush doubled home Carl Erskine.  Campy adds a 2-run HR (12th of the season) to put Brooklyn up, 6-0.

3rd baseman Billy Cox, having a career year for the Brooklyn Boys (.323/6/29), scores Gil Hodges on a groundout to 2nd.  '53 Dodegers up 6-0.

Los Angeles avoids the shutout in the top of the 8th when Billy Buck's replacement in left field, Von Joshua, continues to show he can hit (.467/0/3 in limited duty during the regular
season) with a solo HR off Oisk. 

This would be it for both teams, as the Elder Bums take Game 1 of the 5 game series, 7-1.

Both pitchers go the distance, but what a difference in statlines:

'74 Sutton L(3-5)   (8.0 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 1 W, 3 K)
'53 Erskine W (8-2) (9.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 W, 9 K) while facing just 6 over the minimum

GWRBI: Jackie Robinson (5)

MVP: Erskine (3)

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Game 2 - Ebbets Field

Second game of the series sees Southpaw Tommy John (3.66 ERA/2W/5L/27BB/27K/1CG on the

season) taking the mound for the '74 Dodgers, while '53 Brooklyn sends surprise phenom Clem Labine
(2.61 ERA/6W/0L/1Sv/15BB/17K) to the rubber.

League leader in steals, 2B Davey Lopes singles in the first, extending his hit-streak to 12 games.  Buckner singles, sending Lopes to 2nd.  The 1974 MVP, 1B Steve Garvey, grounds to 1st,
moving Lopes to 3rd, and Buckner to 2nd.  Labine strikes out CF Jimmy Wynn, and C Joe Ferguson flies out to right center, as L.A. fails to capitalize on having 2 men in scoring position.

Tommy John has a 1-2-3 inning, retiring the side.  RF Willie Crawford (.331/2HR/11RBI) starts off the bottom of the 2nd with a single to RF.  3B Ron Cey (.286/10/33) singles up the middle,
advancing Crawford to 3rd.  SS Bill Russell (  )grounds into a double play, scoring Crawford, to give L.A. their first lead of the series, 1-0.  Tommy John doubles to left center, with
Lopes flying out to the center field warning track, for the 3rd out of the inning.

Brooklyn 1B Gil Hodges singles in the bottom of the 2nd.  Carl Furillo flies out to deep leftfield, but Furillo holds at 1st.  Duke Snider flies down rightfield line, with Furillo once
again holding at 1st.  Junior Gilliam grounds to 2nd, reaching 1st on an error by Lopes, Hodges advances to 2nd.  "The Captain," PeeWee Reese grounds to John, who throws him out at 1st. 
L.A. 1, Brooklyn 0.

Bill Buckner leads off the top of the 3rd with a single to left center.  Garvey walks, Buckner to 2nd.  Jimmy Wynn flies deep to centerfield, advancing Buckner to 3rd.  Joe Ferguson hits a
sacrifice fly to center, scoring Buckner, for out number 2.  Crawford grounds to 3rd, forcing Garvey at 2nd.  L.A. 2, Brooklyn 0.

Bottom of the 3rd is uneventful, with no scoring.

Bottom of the 4th begins with Hodges flying out to shallow rightfield.  Furillo lines a single to right, Snider with groundout to to Lopes, Furillo advances to 2nd, 2 out.  Jim Gilliam
doubles off the rightfield wall, scoring Furillo.  Brooklyn now down by 1 run.  The Captain doubles off the wall in left-center, Gilliam scores.  Labine flies to deep left-center for the
3rd out of the inning.  Even up at 2 a [iece, after 4.

Bottom of 5, Campy walks with 2 outs.  Hodges singles to left, Campanella moves to 3rd.  On a passed ball by Ferguson, the opposing catcher, Campanella, scores.  Hodges moves to 2nd. 
Furillo ends the inning, grounding out to 2nd.  L.A. 2, Brooklyn 3.

This chases L.A. starter Tommy John, and reliever extraordinaire Mike Marshall takes the mound.  Snider grounds out to 2nd, Gilliam walks, but is thrown out attempting to steal 2nd, fir out
2.  Reese singles to center, and Marshall strikes out the opposing pitcher, Labine to wrap up the 6th.  Still 2-3.

Lopes leads off the 7th with an infield single.  Buckner walks, Lopes to 2nd.  Garvey flies out to center for the first out.  Jimmy Wynn grounds to 3rd, forcing Buckner at 2nd, while
Lopes advances to 3rd.  2 out.  Joe Ferguson grounds a single up the middle, scoring Lopes.  Wynn moves to 2nd.  Crawford grounds out to 1st for out 3.  L.A. 3, Brooklyn 3

Jackie grounds out to short for out 1.  Cox is safe at first on a rare error by sure handed Garvey.  Campanella doubles off the wall down the left field line, scoring Cox from 1st.  Hodges
adds a 2-run HR to left.  L.A. 3, Brooklyn 6.  Furillo singles to right, followed by K's on Snider and Gilliam.

Top of 8, Cey strikes out, followed by Russell grounding out to 1st.  Johnny Podres replaces Labine in the 8th, striking out pinch hitter Rick Auerbach.  Scores remains 3-6.

Knuckleballer Charlie Hough takes the mound in the bottom of the 8th.  Reese grounds out to 3rd, followed by a single to center by the pitcher Podres.  Robinson doubles to rightfirld,
moving Podres 90 feet to 3rd.  Billy Cox grounds to short, scoring Podres.  2 outs.  Roy Campanella  smacks a 413 foot homer to dead center, scoring 2.  Hodges strikes out to end the
inning.  L.A. 3, Brooklyn 9.

Speedster Lopes leads off the top of the 9th.  Billy Buck grounds into a 4-3 double play.  Steve Garvey grounds out to Podres to end the game.

Final: '74 L.A. 3, '53 Brooklyn 9

'74 John                  (5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 W, 2 K)
'74 Marshall L(7-2)  (2.0 IP, 4 H, 2,ER, 1 W, 3 K)
'74 Hough                (1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 0 W, 1 K)

'53 Labine W(7-0)   (7.2 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 3 W, 5 K)
'53 Podres S(1)       (1.1 IP, 1  H, 0 ER, 0 W, 1 K)

GWRBI: Campanella (4)

MVP: Johnny Podres (1)  (1 for 1, 1 R, .429 on the year)

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Game 3 - Chavez Ravine

Down 2 games to none, the series shifts to Los Angeles, and much warmer climes (game time temp of 81 degrees), where the SoCal Dodgers are in a do-or-die situation, needing to win 3
straight to continue in the playoffs.

The staff ace for the local Boys of Summer is handed the ball for this most important game of the season (so far), Andy Messersmith, 1974 NL Wins leader.  He faces a lesser known journeyman
pitcher for the Brooklyn dodgers, Bob Miliken

While Messersmith was the workhorse for the local team (5.15 ERA, 5W, 4L, 85.2IP, 28BB, 62K)), Rowe was used in a multitude of roles (4.04 ERA, 2W, 2L, 2Sv, 49.0IP, 9G, 6GS, 1CG), and being
a spot starter versus as needed against any team.

After a scoreless 3 and a 1/2 innings, Popeye armed L.A. 1st baseman Steve Garvey planted his 5th HR of the seson 400 feet over the left-center wall to give Los Angeles a 1-0 lead after 4
innings, in what is turning out to be a pitcher's duel.

With 2 out in the bottom of the 5th SS Bill Russell walks, and after Messersmith lays down a successful sacrifice bunt to Campanella, he does his job, moving Russell into scoring position
at 2nd base.  Lopes lines out to The Captain at SS, for out 2 of the inning.  Bill Buckner singles to center, scoring Russell.  West Coast 2, East Coast 0.  Buckner ends the inning when
thrown out at 2nd by Campanella on a steal attempt.  Buckner's 3rd caught steal attempt on the season, against 9 SB.

In the top of the 7th, with 2 out, the visiting Boys load the bases on 3 walks by Messersmith (to Hodges, Miliken and Gilliam).  Up to the plate steps the batting leader, Jackie Robinson,
hitting .382 to date, and .500 on the season (2 for 4) with the bases loaded.  Andy Messersmith faces perhaps his toughest at bat of the season, and does something few pitchers have been
able to do, all season: strike out Robinson (only his 8th K in 173 AB on the season) to end the inning, and avoid any runs after getting himself into this jam.

After a 3 up, 3 down bottom of the 7th for Miliken, All-star backstop Roy Campanella hits a 401 foot solo homerun to center, his 14th of the season, to cut L.A.'s lead in half.  Brooklyn 1,
L.A.2.  Brooklyn can not continue the momentum, and Furillo grounds out to Messersmith, and Hodges lines out to The Penguin to end the 8th.

Mike Marshall pitches the 9th, and faces 4 batters to end the game.  He pickes up his 5th Save of the year.

Final: '53 Brooklyn 1, '74 L.A. 2

'53 Miliken W(2-3)            (7.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 W, 3 K)
'53 Wade                          (0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 W, 0 K)

'74 Messersmith W(6-4)   (8.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 5 W, 4 K)
'74 Marshall S(5)              (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 W, 0 K)

GWRBI: Garvey (1)

MVP: Andy Messersmith (3)

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Game 4 - Chavez Ravine


Game 4 comes down to another do or die game for the local Boys of Summer, the '74 Los Angeles

Dodgers, who held off a potent hitting team in last night's game, turning a hitting fest of a
series into a pitchers duel, that saw just 3 runs scored in the game, where the first 2 games tallied a total of 20 runs.

Tonight's game sees 2 southpaws with similar names facing each other.  Preacher Roe for the visiting '53 Bums gets the call, while the '74 Dodgers send Doug Rau to the mound for the home
Boys.

Both left-handers have been used in 9 games by their respective teams, but in different ways.  '74 L.A.'s Rau started 10 games, and made no relief appearances.  His stat line for the
season: 3.32 ERA, 62.1IP, 3W, 3L, 32BB, 45K.

He faces a lesser known journeyman pitcher for the '53 Ddodgers, Preacher Roe, one of only 2 southpaws on the entire east coast Boys' club.  In contrast, the west coast Dodgers sport a
staff of 5 left-handers with 9 active pitchers on their 25 man rosters.

Preacher Roe was used in a multitude of roles (4.33 ERA, 2W, 1L, 27.0IP, 9G, 4GS), and as a spot starter versus teams heavily laden with left-handed hitters.

Brooklyn leftfielder Jackie Robinson started the game off with a walk, followed by a 360 foot homerun down the leftfield lien by 3B Billy Cox, his 7th of the year.  Campanella struck out,
followed by a long fly ball to the centerfield warning track by 1B Gil Hodges.  2 outs.  RF Carl Furillo lines a triple down the thirdbase line, and is driven in by CF Duke Snider, who
reaches first on an infield single.  2B Junior Gilliam flies out to left-center for the third out.  Brooklyn 3, L.A. 0.

Bottom of the 2nd sees leadoff CF Jimmy Wynn walking, with RF Joe Ferguson advancing him to 2nd on a sacrifice fly to deep center.  3B Ron Cey walks, and we now have men on 1st and 2nd,
with 1 out.  C Steve Yeager singles to rightfield, scoring Wynn, and moving Cey to 3rd.  SS Bill Russell lines out to PeeWee, followed by P Doug Rau grounding out to his counterpart, to end
the inning.  '53 Brooklyn 3, '74 L.A. 1.

Brooklyn fails to score in the top of the 3rd on a hit, a walk and a rare error by Golden Glove 1B Steve Garvey, his 2nd in 3 games, and only his 4th all season.
Top of the 4th begins with The Captain lining out to 3B, and Roe striking out.  Jackie walks followed by the most unlikely of heroes, Billy Cox, who hits his 2nd homerun of the game, a 412
foot shot to left center.  Campanella caps the inning with a deep fly to right-center field.  Brooklyn 5, L.A. 1 after 4 in the books.

Hodges walks to lead off the 5th, followed by an infield single by The Reading Rifle, which moves Hodges to 2nd.  Duke walks, loading the bases with no one out.  Junior grounds to Russell,
forcing Snider at 2nd, allowing Hodges to score, and advances Furillo to 3rd.  PeeWee cracks a 353 shot down the leftfield line, his 3rd of the year,  scoring 3.  Brooklyn now up 9 to 1. 

Preacher walks, followed by Robinson grounding to short, Roe moves to 2nd.  Cox ends the inning with a flyout to deep center. 

Top of the 5th sees Yeager lining a single between third and short.  Yeager moves to 2nd on Russell's grounder to third, out number 1.  Pinch hit extraordinaire Manny Mota pinch hits for
Rau, singling up the middle, and moves Yeager to 3rd.  Lopes pops out to second for the 2nd out.  Buckner singles to right, scoring Yeager, and Mota takes third.   '53 Brooklyn 8, '74 L.A.

2.  With runers on 1st and 3rd, Garvey hits his 6th HR of the season, a 396 foot shot to the right-center alley.  Wynn can't keep the rally alive, and grounds out to Hodges at 1st. 
Brooklyn 9, L.A. 5.

Lefty Al Downing now pitching for L.A., gets Campy to line out to 2nd for the first out of the 6th.  Hodges singles a grounder between third and short.  Furillo grounds to 3rd, moves Hodges
to 2nd.  The Silver Fox beats out an infield hit, allowing Hodges to score from 2nd on a throwing error by Cey.  Snider moves to 2nd.  Gilliam ends the inning by grounding to second. 
Brooklyn 10, L.A. 5.

Mike Marshall enters to pitch the last 2.0 innings, but the home team is unable to produce anymore runs, and Roe goes the distance for a complete game victory, his 3rd of the season.  Rau
takes the loss, his 4th.

The early victory means the Boys of Summer, eastcoast version face either the '62 Giants or the '77 Phillies for a chance to advance to the KOD25 World Series. 

The '74 Dodgers should walk proud, as they came far, facing a potent '53 Brooklyn team that gets the hits when they need them, and has seen their pitching stand up to the best in the
league.  Congratulations to Marc Weiss for managing a great season!

Final: '53 Brooklyn 10, '74 L.A. 5, Brooklyn takes the series 3 games to 1, and advances to the NLCS.

'53 Roe W(3-1)          (7.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 W, 3 K)

'74 Rau L(3-4)           (5.0 IP, 7 H, 9 ER, 6 W, 3 K)
'74 Downing              (2.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 W, 1 K)
'74 Marshall, M         (2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 W, 3 K)

GWRBI: Billy Cox (3)

MVP: Billy Cox (4)

--Submitted by Geoff Kroll--