tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75285128591047813002024-01-05T18:03:05.132-05:00Scott's Two Cents On SportsA blog for all your sports needs.The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.comBlogger1109125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-47528494090383697892023-12-25T23:48:00.004-05:002023-12-25T23:48:51.811-05:00What Is Wrong With the Sabres?The Buffalo Sabres are itching to make the postseason for the first time since 2010/11, and last season gave their fans plenty of hope.<br /><br />It had been a long stretch of below .500 play by Buffalo. The team was still good enough to be at that mark or higher in the two seasons following their last playoff appearance, but certainly had slipped. The team then went into a funk that lasted through the Jack Eichel era, and seemed lost after the 2020/21 season, in which the Sabres were 15-34-7.<br /><br />Things improved a bit in 2021/22, and seemed to take a big step forward the next season. Buffalo finished 42-33-7 in 2022/23, and there was plenty of reason for optimism. Didn't Tage Thompson not score 47 goals? Didn't defenceman Rasmus Dahlin average nearly a point a game (73 points)?<br /><br />Collectively, as a team, the Sabres scored a lot of goals last season. They were third in the National Hockey League in goals for with 296 goals for in 2022/23. There was, however, a weakness. Their defence and goaltending were quite suspect. Only Craig Anderson (.908) and Devon Levi (.905) had save percentages over .900. <br /><br />A year later, Anderson is retired, and Levi has a save percentage of only .892 in fifteen appearances. Devon is only 21 years old, and is looking at another trip around the globe in a few days (December 27). Last season, that good save percentage was posted in only seven appearances with Buffalo.<br /><br />So did that mean there isn't any good goaltending left in Buffalo? One thing I noticed about the Sabres from the season before last, was the team seemed to play better in front of Craig Anderson than anyone else. In a season in which Buffalo finished below .500 (32-39-11), it was the veteran netminder that proved he still had it. At 40 years old, Craig went 17-12-2 for a team that was seven games below .500. The rest of the goaltenders were not very good. Aaron Dell was 1-8-1. Malcolm Subban was 0-2-1. Really, the only goalie on the team other than Michael Houser and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen who had much success with Buffalo was Dustin Torkarski, who went 10-12-5. Anderson and Torkarski were two veterans on the team, and dealt with poor defence well. Houser and Luukkonen combined for just eleven appearances that season.<div><br /></div><div>Tokarski, after a fling with Pittsburgh, is back with Buffalo, but stuck with the AHL's Rochester Americans as this is being written. Dell, after recently trying out with the Carolina Hurricanes, is about to play for Team Canada in the Spengler Cup, possibly as a test run to see if he can make it back to the NHL. Personally speaking, I am rooting for him.<br /><br />The overall lack of leadership in goal is showing. No Anderson, no Tokarski, and no Dell (Plus Houser is in the ECHL) means the team has to rely on Ukko-Luukonen and Levi. That was a bit of pressure to put on two youngsters to step it up. Devon Levi has a winning record (7-4-2), but neither he nor Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen have a good save percentage. Each sits at .892, well below the league average (.903).<br /><br />The Sabres aren't trending enough in their own zone. Goals allowed in the last three seasons and so far in 2023/24:<br /><br />199 (in 56 games)</div><div>290</div><div>300</div><div>121 (in 35 games)<br /><br />The Sabres, as you can see, are on pace to allow 283 goals against, which would put them among the worst of the worst in that category. Without veterans like Tokarski and Anderson to step in, that's bad enough. And with their offence (which produced 296 goals for last season) lagging, it's not enough this year to offset the glaring weakness in their own end. Sure, defenceman Rasmus Dahlin has picked up (29 points in 34 games) where he left off last season (73 points), but others have to step up. The person who really needs to get it going is Tage Thompson. The last two seasons have been a big step forward for Tage. He scored 38 goals in 78 games in 2021/22, then upped it to nearly fifty red lights in as many games last season. Thompson, who stands 6'6, and seems to be blossiming into a star, is off to a rough start with but nine goals in twenty-six games. Tage has missed some games, but you have to figure that the defence of the opposition has found a counter to his awesome moves. Like the rest of the team, there is still time to right the ship.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, that might be the who problem with the Sabres. Is it they are playing bad, or is it the opposition is that much better? In 2022/23 Buffalo competed with Boston, Toronto, Tampa Bay, and Florida in the Atlanta Division. The Bruins nailed down first place (overall) with 65 wins. The Leafs won 50, and the Lightning 46. So the Sabres were only four wins fewer than a great Lightning team. They also won just one game less than the Florida Panthers, who ended up not only making the playoffs, but going all the way to the finals.<br /><br />But one thing that is obvious in the Atlantic Division last season compared to this, is that Detroit and Montreal were both below .500. The Red Wings and Canadiens won 35 and 31 games respectively. They've upped the ante in 2023/24, as both teams are above .500. Granted, I'm sure most experts expect them to fall back (and Ottawa, with a 39-35-8 record, currently sit dead last in the Atlantic with a 12-17-0 record). I expect both the Sabres and Senators to climb back (if not over) .500, but one has to wonder if its the other teams improving in the offseason, more than Buffalo lacking goaltending and depth in scoring.</div><div><br /></div><div>Their 9-3 win over Toronto on December 21st seemed to get the Buffalo Sabres back on track. They followed that up by playing their hearts out against the top team in the Eastern Conference, the New York Rangers. The Sabres erased 2-0 and 3-2 deficits on the road, before finally conceding the contest in overtime. In a road game, no less.</div><div><br /></div><div>That was more like it. Plenty of fight, plenty of spirit. There is still 47 games left in the 2023/24 season. So the Buffalo Sabres have 47 more contests to prove whether or not 22/23 was a fluke. Personally, I'm tired of the team's long drought, and wish them all the best. It's a tremendous incline for the young team to hike up, though. It's gonna be one of those 'now we see what you're <i>really</i> made of' moments for this team.<br /><br /><br /><b>References</b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>“Carolina Hurricanes Bring In Ex - San Jose Sharks G Aaron Dell on Free - Agent Tryout.” <i>TSN</i>, The Sports Network, 18 Dec. 2023, <a href="http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/carolina-hurricanes-bring-in-ex-san-jose-sharks-g-aaron-dell-on-free-agent-tryout-1.2050435">www.tsn.ca/nhl/carolina-hurricanes-bring-in-ex-san-jose-sharks-g-aaron-dell-on-free-agent-tryout-1.2050435</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Hoppe, Bill. “After Stint With Sabres, Goalie Dustin Tokarski Happy Back With Amerks.” Buffalo Hockey Beat - WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage, Olean Times Herald, 15 Dec. 2023, <a href="http://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/after-stint-with-sabres-goalie-dustin-tokarski-happy-back-with-amerks/">www.buffalohockeybeat.com/after-stint-with-sabres-goalie-dustin-tokarski-happy-back-with-amerks/</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>“Michael Houser.” <i>ECHL</i>, The ECHL – Premier “AA” Hockey League, <a href="http://echl.com/players/4585/michael-houser">echl.com/players/4585/michael-houser</a>. Accessed 25 Dec. 2023. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Miller, Max. “Aaron Dell Will Play for Team Canada at Spengler Cup.” <i>The Hockey News</i>, The Hockey News / Roustan Media Ltd. , 23 Dec. 2023, <a href="http://thehockeynews.com/nhl/san-jose-sharks/news/aaron-dell-will-play-for-team-canada-at-spengler-cup">thehockeynews.com/nhl/san-jose-sharks/news/aaron-dell-will-play-for-team-canada-at-spengler-cup</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Official Site of the National Hockey League, <i>National Hockey League</i>, <a href="http://www.nhl.com/">www.nhl.com/</a>. Accessed 25 Dec. 2023. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sports Reference LLC. Hockey-Reference.com - Hockey Statistics and History. <a href="http://www.hockey-reference.com/">http://www.hockey-reference.com/</a>. 25 Dec. 2023.</div>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-51113884045169731842023-12-22T21:47:00.003-05:002023-12-22T21:47:18.625-05:00World Series Did You Know?<p>Will Smith (not <i>The Fresh Prince</i> actor, obviously) is the first player to win a Fall Classic with three different teams. The relief pitcher wasn't just a case of "right place, right time", as the hurler certainly contributed each season.</p><p>Smith had pitched in the 2016 with San Francisco, but the team did not advance to the October Finale. Instead, the Giants fell to the Chicago Cubs in the National League Division Series. It was the Cubbies than went on to win it all.<br /><br />Five years later, there was a Will on the Atlanta Braves, and he provided a way to a championship. Still, it took Smith two years of reaching the postseason with Atlanta for the Braves to get over the hump. In 2020, the Los Angeles Dodgers dashed the hopes of Atlanta in the National League Championship Series, taking it in seven games. Smith, for his part, won two games for the Braves in the postseason, but had to look at that ugly 16.20 earned run average against the Dodgers.<br /><br />So Atlanta's hopes were dashed again, but they were undaunted. All that loss to LA did was give Atlanta more determination to come back strong in 2021. Alright, maybe they only won 88 games, but their pitching was strong. And in evaluation the hurlers, let's not overlook the closer. Will Smith slammed the door on the opposition, running up a save total of 37 that season. Maybe that earned run average was a little high, 3.44, but the postseason was beconing. <br /><br />And in it, Smith excelled. He went 2-0 in the National League Championship Series against Los Angeles, as Atlanta prevailed. The Houston Astros were next up on the radar for the Braves, and Will looked to continue the ball rolling. He'd posted a 0.00 earned run average against the Dodgers.<br /><br />The Astros managed to score a run in the last of the eighth in the opening tilt at Minute Maid Park. Their fans, however, were not pleased. Smith got the ball in the ninth inning for the visitors, and here's why the paid attendence were dissapointed. The run they'd scored only made it a little closer, 6-2, but Houston still trailed. It wasn't a save situation for Will.</p><p>But after allowing the first batter he faced to get on via a walk, Smith settled down. Aledmys Díaz, who had drawn the bases on balls, was forced at second by <span style="white-space: normal;">Jason Castro. </span>José Altuve also hit into a force, and Houston was one out away from losing. Michael Brantley grounded out, and the Braves had drawn first blood.</p><p>The Atros weren't discouraged. They snapped back with a resounding 7-2 win in the second contest, but now looked at three straight games in Atlanta. The Braves got pitching, pitching, and more pitching in the third contest. For a while, the fans at Truist Park must have thought about a no-hitter, as Houston didn't get a hit until the top of the eighth. Aledmys Díaz, pinch-hitting as he had in game one, broke up the no-no with a leadoff single. However, the Astros did not score. The game was close, as Atlanta was clinging to a 2-0 lead after eight innings. The ball was turned over to Will Smith, to give the Braves the Series' lead again.<br /><br />Alex Bregman<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>greeted Smith with a single, and while this was only the second base hit by the 'stros, they now had the tying run at the plate. It turned out that Will did pretty much what he'd done in game one. Yordan Alvarez popped to third. Carlos Correa got ahead in the count 2-1, but then hit a liner to right, which Adam Duvall caught. Kyle Tucker gave it a ride to centre, but was just a long, loud out. Smith had the save, and Atlanta was up 2-1 in the 2021 Fall Classic.<br /><br />The pivitol game four was even closer, as Houston had two runs after eight. But Atlanta had three, and it was Smith again with the ball in the ninth. He'd protected a two-run lead the previous contest. Now, could Will work with just a one-run lead?</p><p>Turns out that Smith had an most impressive outing. The first batter to face Will, Michael Brantley, battled him to a full count. However, on the eigth pitch of the at-bat, Smith got the better of Brantey, striking him out. The next two batters were retired on a pop-up and grounder, and the Braves were one win away from their first World Champinship in sixteen years.<br /><br />The Astros had battled hard all year, and weren't about to quit down. Did it matter that they were down 3-1 in the World Series? Or down 4-0 early in game five. Not quite. They turned on the offence on this night. The Braves didn't grab any champange. For the Astros, it was sort of a bit like game two at home, as their bats were awesome. That four-run deficit was not only erased, it was put in the rear-view mirror. Houston took the slugfest, 9-5. It was back to Minute Maid Park for game six, and possibly, seven.<br /><br />Max Fried, the Atlanta starter, was the perfect man for the start. He stifled Houston through six innings. No runs, four hits allowed. Atlanta was a most rude visitor. They scored three times in the top of the third, and three more in the fifth. The game and Series was over. For good measure, the Braves tacked on another run in the top of the seventh.<br /><br />Tyler Matzek got through the seventh and eighth inning for Atlanta, keeping the shutout going. But fittingly, he turned the ball over to Will Smith in the top of the ninth.<br /><br />Michael Brantley singled off Smith, who was in a bad habit of allowing the first batter to face him to get on base. Just as he'd previously done, Will settled down quickly. Houston hit the ball well, but their shots weren't far enough out of the range of the men behind Smith. First, Correa lined to right. Then, Yordan Álvarez got a hold of one and pounded it to left, only to have Eddie Rosario get to it. When Yuli Gurriel grounded out to shortstop Dansby Swanson, Atlanta had the 2021 World Series, 4-2.<br /><br />Smith came back to Atlanta for 2022. But in August, he was traded to the very team he helped defeat in the previous year's Fall Classic, Houston. With the Astros, Will was 0-2 with a 3.27 ERA. For the second straight season, Smith had totaled seven losses. Back-to-back losing seasons (3-7 and 2-7) as far as Will's win-loss record went. The save total went from 37 in '21, to just five in this '22 season.<br /><br />But Houston couldn't have cared too much. You see, they were on the way to the World Series. They'd been there in 2005, 2017 and 2019, but with this appearance, it was becoming a habit. There was one pitcher who didn't quite get a chance to contribute, alas.</p><p>The Astros made few mistakes in the Fall Classic against the Philadelphia Phillies, but Smith was not part of the equation. Sure, he was on the World Series roster, but Houston made due without Will, beating Philadelphia in six games.<br /><br />Smith simply wasn't needed. In game four, Cristian Javier, Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero and Ryan Pressly combined for a no-hitter, one the second time a team has failed to get a hit in one World Series contest. That's how deep a bullpen the Astros had. Houston carried thirteen pitchers, and Hunter Brown was like Smith, on the Fall Classic roster, yet failing to make an appearance. Pressly had two saves, as manager Dusty Baker turned the ball over to him when he needed to slam the door on Philly.<br /><br />The World Series of 2022 ended on November the 5th. Will Smith didn't have to wait very long for his world to turn upside down. Houston did not resign him, Smith didn't catch on with another team until March of 2023. Texas, who had not won a World Series in their 62 seasons of existence. What would make season number 63 anything different? Their days as the second version of the Washington Senators were long gone, but now even the Nation's Capital had a winner. In 2019, the Washington Nationals (formally the Montreal Expos), won it all over Houston. Texas entered the '23 season as one of the few teams (think San Diego and Colorado) who had never won a Fall Classic. They'd been oh-so-close in 2011, but that was now ancient history.<br /><br />Will Smith, for his part, saved twenty-two games for the Rangers in '23, but the bullpen ace was José Leclerc, who went 0-2, but posted a 2.68 earned run average. When I tell you that Smith's ERA was 4.40, I guess it's not surprising that his win-loss record was merely 2-7. So for 2022-23, Will had a record of only five wins and fourteen losses.<br /><br />Not that Smith wasn't valuable. His ERA was 2.70 on August 3rd, but then Will slumped. After recording his ninteenth save on that very day, there didn't appear to be any concern. Indeed, despite some questionable outings that followed, Will reached twenty-two saves just over a week later. He settled into more a setup role after that, getting holds in back-to-back appearances August 27th and 29th. <br /><br />But had Texas quit on him? Smith retired the only batter to face him in the American League Division Series, but then seemed to lose it. His old team, Houston, hit him hard a round later. Still, despite the 10.80 ERA in the American League Championship Series, it was the Rangers that overcame the Astros in seven games, winning the decising contest 11-4.<br /><br />So it was on the Fall Classic, and there the upstart Arizona Diamondbacks awaited Texas. Will didn't have to wait very long to contribute. Though he got neither a win nor a save, Smith really helped.<br /><br />Taking over from Jon Gay in the top of the ninth, Will had to hold the D-backs in check if the Rangers hoped to pull this one out. Smith did just that, as Geraldo Perdomo grounded out and Corbin Carroll was retired on a liner to right.<br /><br />Texas was inspired. They tied the game in the ninth, and ended up walking it off in the last of the eleventh. It was José Leclerc who got the win, continuing on his reputation as one (if not <i>the</i>) best bullpen man on the Rangers in 2023. </p><p>Arizona bounced right back in a big way. Game one is the least important game of any series, let alone the Fall Classic. By winning the second contest 9-1, the D-backs headed home all tied. If Arizona thought it was easy pickings at home, they were sadly mistaken. Texas got their pitching in order, as starter Max Sherzer was superb, and so was the bullpen. The 3-1 win by the visiting Rangers insured that at the very least, the Fall Classic was heading back to Globe Life Field for Texas. That is, unless the Rangers won games four and five.<br /><br />Well, the fourth contest, the big one, was won by Texas in a slugfest, 11-7. But Will Smith sort of let Arizona back in this game. He was given the ball in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Rangers led 11-5, but the Diamondbacks didn't exactly go quietly into the night. No, sir. Pinch hitter Jordan Lawlar was the first batter of that Smith faced, and Will walked him. That's not the ideal thing to do to start an inning, even with a six-run lead. Geraldo Perdomo followed with a single. This looked bad.<br /><br />So with runners on the corners, Will fanned Ketel Marte , for a big out. A double play would end the threat, and the game. However, Perdomo wasn't content to stay on first. With Corbin Carroll up, there went Geraldo to second. So there was no more force play.<br /><br />Will Smith, to his credit, ended up fanning Carroll, for the second out. However, it proved to be the last batter Smith faced. José Leclerc came in, faced Gabriel Moreno, and surrendered a two-run single. Both runs, of course, were charged to Smith, even though he got two batters out. That pushed Will's earned run average to 13.50 in the World Series. Truth is, since Leclerc got Christian Walker to pop out to end it. The Rangers, winners of this game four, needed only one more win, and would have three cracks at it.<br /><br />They wasted no time in getting it. Well, actually, game five was close. The scoreless tie was broken in the top of the seventh, when Texas scored a single run. It remained 1-0 until the top of the ninth, when the visitors tacked on four more runs to salt this thing away. Smith never got into the game, and the D-backs never did get on the board. The Rangers had a 5-0 win, and with it, their long-awaited Fall Classic win.<br /><br />Despite that rough time, Will Smith had retired four of the six batters to face him, and had his third ring in three seasons. Sure, he'd have liked to contribute more to an historic first, but then again, Will was himself part of an unprecedented event in the Fall Classic.<br /><br />Okay, Smith didnt automatically make his teams world beaters. It would, however, be wrong to say he didn't contribute. Even in the year that he didn't get to pitch in the World Series for Houston, his performance down the stretch in the regular season was certainly helpful. Would you believe it, Will Smith joined the Kansas City Royals for 2024, his signing taking place less than six weeks after the World Series came to a close. Will the Royals win it all in '24, giving Smith a fourth consecutive ring with a different organization? Stay tuned!<br /><br /><br /><br /><b>References</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Reference LLC. <i>Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information</i>. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/">http://www.baseball-reference.com/</a>. 22 Dec, 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">https://en.wikipedia.org/</a>. 22 Dec, 2023.</p>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-53438970689946459192023-05-12T12:12:00.007-04:002023-05-12T12:12:39.385-04:00World Series: Did You Know?<p>Adam Duvall's grand slam in game five of 2021 was unique. It was the first by a player in the first inning since 1960. Unlike Bobby Richardson's 61 years earlier, the big blow did not hold up.<br /><br />Duvall's Atlanta Braves were looking to close it out at home against Houston. They'd won games three and four at Truist Park and were looking for the knockout blow in the fifth contest.<br /><br />The game got off on the right foot for the home team. The home of the Braves, would appear to be the land of the free ride to the World Championship. In the top of the first, Atlanta starter Tucker Davidson needed just fifteen pitches to get the side in order in the top of the first. The Braves then grabbed some very big lumber when they hit for the first time.<br /><br />It all got started when Jorge Soler stepped in as the very first batter Astros' starter Framber Valdez faced. He singled. Freddie Freeman flied out. Ozzie Albies forced Soler at second. So Valdez appeared to have things under control. However, Austin Riley singled to keep the inning alive. Eddie Rosario walked to load them up. Adam Duvall hit Valdez's very first pitch to right for a home run. The grand slammer put the home team up by four.<br /><br />Now, Houston could have been demoralized. But, the team had won the World Series in 2017, and nearly in 2019. So they were no stranger to the World Series, especially on odd-numbered years. They got two runs back in the second, and another two in the third. The effects of the grand slam had worn off quickly. The 4-4 tie was broken when Atlanta hit in their half of the third, however. Freddie Freeman hit a four-bagger of his own. There were two problems with it, from the Braves' point of view. First of all, no one was on base, so it was only 5-4. Secondly, that proved to be the last time Atlanta touched home in the contest.<br /><br />Martín Maldonado's bases-loaded walk tied the game in the top of the fifth. And the Astros grabbed their first lead when Marwin Gonzalez stroked a clutch, pinch hit, two-run single. The Houston bullpen picked up the slack from there, and Atlanta managed just four hits in the last six and two-thirds innings of the ballgame. <br /><br />Maldonado (Not related to outfielder Candy from the 1980s and 90s) added a run-scoring single in the seventh, and it was 8-5. Houston was working 9-5 in the ballgame when Carlos Correa knocked in still another run in the top of the eighth. The Astros had clearly used the Duvall grand slam as a wake-up call.<br /><br />Houston went on to win the game, 9-5, but it was there last gasp. Max Fried, Tyler Matzek, and Will Smith combined on a 7-0 shutout in game six, which was at Minute Maid Park.<br /><br />Still, for the Astros, it was their third World Series appearance in the last five years (They won in 2017, and came within a game of winning two seasons later). The team continued on getting to the summit, and eventually won again in 2022 (After winning 106 regular seasons contests), overcoming the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. And the experience of the '21 Fall Classic was big for reliever Phil Maton, who'd struggled throughout the regular season. Phil came back in 2022, dropping his earned run average nearly 1.00. Through fifteen appearances in 2023, Maton's ERA is 1.00.<br /><br />Getting back to the grand slam in the first inning, the previous player to do that was Bobby Richardson, way back in 1960. Bobby smoked a Clem Labine offering in the bottom of the first in a game in which his New York Yankees were playing at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates. New York went on to win the game three encounter, 10-0. Richardson's six runs driven in that afternoon are a still-standing single-game World Series record.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>References</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Enders, Eric. <i>100 Years Of The World Series</i>. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Reference LLC. <i>Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information</i>. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/">http://www.baseball-reference.com/</a>. 12 May, 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>2021 World Series</i>. Fox Broadcasting Company, 2021, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. Accessed 12 May, 2023. </p><p><br /></p><p><i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">https://en.wikipedia.org/</a>. 12 May, 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>YouTube, Google, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. 12 May, 2023.</p>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-29273917943380145342023-05-08T11:28:00.005-04:002023-05-08T16:21:27.011-04:00World Series: Did You Know?<p>Zack Greinke's pinch hit single in game five of 2021 was the first in a long time. No American League pitcher had gotten a pinch hit since 2023. Zackie did something that hadn't been done in nearly a century.<br /><br />It must be odd for me to be saying that a pitcher went in and batted for one. Let alone came through. Greinke, though, was having himself a pretty good World Series that year. Pitching for Houston (Who, ironically, had once been part of the National League up to 2013), Zack was trying to square the Fall Classic 2-2 against a tough Atlanta Braves' team.<br /><br />Well, the Astos' starter had a short day. But still, he went four shutout innings, leaving for a pinch hitter in the top of the fifth. I think this was an odd move. Houston was up 2-0, and Greinke could do no wrong. In four innings, Zack had allowed just four hits and fanned three.<br /><br />And then, there was his bat. Zack Greinke came up in the top of the second, and punched a one-out single. The 'stros got two men on, but were unable to score that inning. Eventually, they lost the game 3-2.<br /><br />So game five was a must for Houston, as they trailed 3-1 in the Fall Classic. It started out poorly. Adam Duvall blasted a grand slam for Atlanta in the bottom of the first off starter Framber Valdez, and it was 4-0 for the home team. Would the rest of the game be merely a formality?<br /><br />Not quite. The Astros bounced back with two runs in the top of the second. Then two more the next inning. Houston was not going away quietly. Freddie Freeman, though, gave Atlanta the lead again in the Braves' half of the third. He hit a home run of his own. Only this one was a solo shot.<br /><br />So when the Astros grabbed the lumber again, they needed a run or two. Martín Maldonado, the light-hitting catcher, grounded out. The next scheduled batter was pitcher Yimi Garcia, who'd relieved the battered starter, Valdez. But, there was Zack Greinke, 1-1 at the plate in the 2021 Fall Classic, grabbing the bat.<br /><br />The pitcher pinch hits for the pitcher. Greinke took a strike, then stroked a single on the 0-1! Jose Altuve, the leadoff hitter, was next. But all he could do was fly out. Still, Atlanta would go to the bullpen, even with two away. New pitcher A.J. Minter came in and got Michael Brantley to strikeout, ending that.<br /><br />Remarkably enough, it seemed like, despite the "0" on the scoreboard, that Houston truly woke up. They scored three times in the top of the fifth. The Astros added single runs in the seventh and eighth, and had themselves a nice, 9-5 win. Their bullpen had held the Braves scoreless in the last six innings.<br /><br />But what about Zack Greinke's historical feat? Atlanta, by the way, routed Houston 7-0 in game six to end the Fall Classic for 2021. Beginning in 2022, the designated hitter would be everywhere. American <i>and</i> National League. Well, I guess with the exception of when Shohei Ohtani pitched.<br /><br />Up until 1973, pitchers batted in both leagues, my how times have changed. Back in the day, as in 1923, it wasn't uncommon for pitchers to be good hitters. Greinke wasn't a bad hitter, .225 lifetime. If you want to get a little bit more of how Zack evolved, take from 2013 to 2019, when he hit .240. <br /><br />But take Jack Bentley. Bentley was a pitcher for the New York Giants in the early 1920s. Oddly, enough, Jack was more a hitter than a hurler. He even ended up playing 59 games at first base, and another three in the outfield.<br /><br />In 1923, the Giants' pitcher was 13-8, but his earned run average was quite high (4.48). But he was quite a hitter that year, hitting .427 in 52 games. John McGraw, his manager, used him 22 times as a pinch-hitter. So he was trusted to come up big, at least with the bat.<br /><br />It was New York vs. New York in the World Series that year. Bentley's Giants were up against Babe Ruth's Yankees for the third straight year. The Giants were looking for their third straight Fall Classic win.<br /><br />But Ruth and company had other ideas. The Babe, you see, brought winning with him after coming over from the Boston Red Sox. Ruth had rings from 1915, 1916 and 1918. When he came to the Bronx in 1920, the team hadn't done so much as reach the Fall Classic. They were in a tight pennant race with Cleveland and Chicago, but couldn't keep pace in the end.<br /><br />Game one was at a very new ballpark. Yankee Stadium had opened in '23, and what better was to christen the place with something new for everyone: A World Series title!<br /><br />So it was Waite Hoyt for the Yankees up against Mule Watson of the Giants.<br /><br />The moment came early. Watson was tagged for a run in the last of the first (Some chap named Ruth was the Yankee that scored it) and two more in the second. The visiting Giants needed some help.<br /><br />George Kelly, the very first batter of the third frame, singled on the first offering from Hoyt. Hank Gowdy walked. Watson was next, but it would be Jack Bentley that batted. Bentley's single loaded the bases. It was a short cameo for Jack. Dinty Gearin came in to run for Bentley. He was erased when Dave Bancroft hit into a force. A run did score, however.<br /><br />Three more runs crossed the plate before Babe Ruth and company could grab lumber in the third. The Yankees would tie the game in the last of the seventh, before Casey Stengel played hero for the Giants in the ninth. Casey hit an inside-the-park home run off Bullet Joe Bush, making it 5-4 for the visitors. The Yankees went down 1-2-3 in their half of the inning.<br /><br />Jack Bentley ended up getting into five of the six games played in the 1923 Fall Classic. He didn't do much in his two appearances as a pitcher, posting a 9.45 earned run average. At bat, though, it was a different story. He hit .600 (3-5) as his Giants fell in a tough, six-game World Series.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>References</b></p><p><span style="text-indent: -1cm;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="text-indent: -1cm;">Anderson, R.J. "World Series: Astros’ Zack Greinke Records Historic Pinch-Hit Single in Game 5." <i>CBSSports.Com</i>, CBS Interactive, 1 Nov. 2021. <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/world-series-astros-zack-greinke-records-historic-pinch-hit-single-in-game-5/">https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/world-series-astros-zack-greinke-records-historic-pinch-hit-single-in-game-5/</a>. 08 May, 2023.</span></p><p><span style="text-indent: -1cm;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="text-indent: -1cm;">Enders, Eric. </span><i style="text-indent: -1cm;">100 Years Of The World Series</i><span style="text-indent: -1cm;">. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>Morissey, Scott C. <i>114 World Series in 1 Book</i>. Updated ed., Pandamonium Publishing House, 2020.<br /><br /><br /><br /><i>Society For American Baseball Research</i>, SABR. <a href="https://sabr.org/">https://sabr.org/</a>. 08 May, 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Reference LLC. <i>Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information</i>. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/">http://www.baseball-reference.com/</a>. 08 May, 2023.<br /><br /><br /><i>2021 World Series</i>. Fox Broadcasting Company, 2021, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. Accessed 08 May, 2023. </p><p><br /></p><p><i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">https://en.wikipedia.org/</a>. 08 May, 2023.</p><div><br /><br /><i>YouTube</i>, Google, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. 08 May, 2023.</div>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-70687956131467935992023-05-07T15:22:00.002-04:002023-05-07T15:22:48.069-04:00World Series: Did You Know?<p>The two biggest surprises from Atlanta / Houston were a pair of relievers. The Braves got some excellent relief work from Kyle Wright. The Astros got some work out of Phil Maton III.<br /><br />Should either of these guys been there? At the Summit of the baseball season? Wright had made only two appearances all year. Maton was 6-0, which by itself usually guarantees appearances. However, Phil had an ugly earned run average.<br /><br />Kyle made two appearances for the Atlanta Braves in 2021, but it proved to be a little out of his league. It was a Brave New World for the young pitcher, and that 9.95 earned run average in two starts probably should have been the end of any thoughts of him making it to the postseason roster.<br /><br />"But Wright was eligible for postseason play," wrote Mark Inabinett, "as a member of Atlanta’s 40-man roster. He had not been on the Braves’ 26-man eligibility roster during the National League playoffs. But Atlanta replaced pitcher Jacob Webb with Wright for its World Series 26."<br /><br />And it wasn't as if Kyle hadn't had postseason experience at the Major League level prior to '21. In 2020, a year shortened due to Covid, he made an appearance in game three of the Division Series vs. Miami. Actually, it was a fine outing. He started, went six shutout innings, allowed just three hits. Atlanta won, 7-0 for a sweep. Wright's next outing brought him back to earth with, as they say in the novel, A Separate Peace, "A sickening thud".<br /><br />The Los Angeles Dodgers hammered him for seven runs in just two-thirds of an inning. Wright had been 2-4 in 2020, but with a high ERA (5.21). Still, the earned run average was better in '20 than it was in '21!<br /><br />Phil Maton III started his 2021 season in Cleveland. The reliever was 2-0 with the Indians (Now Guardians), before being traded to Houston. The Astros used him 27 times. But the earned run average was not good in either stop. It was 4.57 with the Indians and 4.97 with the Astros. 4.73 overall.<br /><br />But then came the postseason. Houston added him, and it payed off. In three appearances against the Chicago White Sox in the American League Division Series, that ERA was 0.00. Against Boston for the pennant, it was 2.45 in four appearances. The Astros overcame the Red Sox in six games. World Series, here comes Houston, again (They'd made it as recently as 2019).<br /><br />Unlike Maton, Kyle Wright hadn't appeared in the postseason in 2021, prior to the World Series. Phil even appeared before Kyle did in the Fall Classic. Maton watched as Joc Pederson, no stranger to postseason heroics, flied out against Jake Odorizzi to start the top of the sixth. The Braves, on the road, were looking to add to a 5-1 lead. Dansby Swanson, though, gave Houston reliever Jake Odorizzi (Who actually was a starter for the Astros during the regular season, before being relegated to bullpen duty in October) all the could handle.<br /><br />When Swanson singled, that was it for Odorizzi. The call went out for Phil Maton. Jorge Soler went down on strikes. But, Freddie Freema singled, and Maton faced a challenge. Two on, two out. Sure, Atlanta had a four-run lead, but things could get interesting here, real quick. Ozzie Albies got ahead in the count 2-0, but it was Maton that came up with the right pitch, and the batter grounded out.<br /><br />Phil came back for the seventh, but it the previous inning had been tough, then this one was something else. After getting Austin Riley to fan, Houston went to work on the reliever. First, Eddie Rosario hit a double. Then, Adam Duvall walked. Maton was outta there. Ryne Stanek got the Braves out of that mess. Atlanta went on to a 6-2 win, but Maton had a tough time. Though he'd retired three men, Phil allowed two hits and a walk. No runs scored against him, however.<br /><br />Both Maton and Kyle Wright got into game two. Maton improved. Again no runs scored against him, this time in two-thirds of an inning pitched in the seventh. However, he took a backseat to Wright. Kyle showed him how it's done. 1-2-3 went the Astros on twelve pitches in the ninth. All on strikeouts.<br /><br />So Houston won, 7-2. Each team had a rout to their name so far in this 2021 World Series. Houston didn't need Maton. Atlanta didn't need Wright. It was a superb game from a pitching point of view. Atlanta, at home, won it 2-0. Yet, oddly, neither starter made it past the fifth inning. Both bullpens got used a lot more than you'd think in such a low scoring game. The Astros managed only two hits.<br /><br />Dylan Lee started game four for the Braves, but didn't last. He got one batter out in the top of the first, but the other three he faced reached base (Two walks and a single). The bases were loaded and help was needed.<br /><br />It might have seemed like a bold move at the time by skipper Brian Snitker, as he went to the bullpen for Kyle Wright. However, the move would soon look like it was made by a genius.<br /><br />One pitch away from walking in a run, Wright got Carlos Correa to ground out. One run scored, and there were two more men in scoring position, with two out. Kyle Tucker fanned. A huge strikeout!<br /><br />The Astros got two men on in the second, and even loaded the bases in the third. But Kyle was the "Wright" guy for these situations. He escaped without allowing a run. His luck ran out, however, in the fourth. Houston didn't get a man on. Well, sort of. The second batter of the inning, Jose Altuve, blasted a home run. It was a solo shot, and the Astros led, 2-0.<br /><br />The fifth inning started out easy, but Houston turned it one big adventure. <br /><br />Kyle fell behind in the count, 2-0 on Yordan Alvarez. Then Wright got it going. Sinker, 93 miles-per hour. Taken. Strike! 2-1. Knuckle curve, fouled off. 2-2. A fastball (That was high) also was fouled off by Alvarez, and the count held at 2-2. Finally, to finish off the batter, Wright came back with his knuckle curve. It was low and in the dirt. Alvarez swung, and missed. One out.<br /><br />Carlos Correa lasted just two pitches. He grounded out to Dansby Swanson at short. Two outs. From here, it looked like it would be a simple inning for Kyle. But then Kyle Tucker singled. He stole second, and in the process, a throwing error by catcher Travis d'Arnaud and suddenly, there was a man on third. With the count 2-0, Yuli Gurriel was then purposely passed. It was time for some bullpen action for Atlanta. Chris Martin (All 6 '8 of him) started to throw.<br /><br />Marwin Gonzalez (Who hit only .199 in the regular season) batted for pitcher Zack Greinke. It was time for a mound visit. Pitching coach Rick Kranitz came out to talk things over with Kyle Wright.<br /><br />Wright missed with his first two pitches, and was behind in the count, just like against Alvarez to start this fifth frame. Both pitches were knuckle curves, and the second one didn't miss by much. Was Kyle going to walk someone who couldn't even hit his weight? Perhaps Martin would make an early appearance? Well, Wright stuck with his guns. "Kyle Wright," said Joe Buck, "trying to get through this fifth." The next two pitches were knuckle curves as well.<br /><br />The first was 82 miles-per-hour, and it was called a strike on the outside corner. The 2-1 offering was also 82 MPH, but Gonzalez just fouled it off. The count was even, 2-2. Wright abandoned the pitch that had gotten him to this stage of the at-bat. He went with the four-seam fastball on the fifth pitch, as the crowd was on their feet. The pitch was in the strike zone, but low. Gonzalez swung, and flew out to Eddie Rosario in left. <br /><br />Martin, who was 2-4 in the regular season, took over for Atlanta when Houston batted in the top of the sixth. Phil Maton didn't enter the game for the Astros until the bottom of that inning. The Braves trailed 2-0, but put two on with only one out. Maton came in and fanned Ozzie Albies, but then Austin Riley brought home Eddie Rosario with a single. Joc Pederson batted next, and he certainly was no stranger to postseason heroics. So Maton walked him intentionally. d'Arnaud batted and ended the inning by striking out. It was still, 2-1 Astros.<br /><br />Cristian Javier took over on the hill for Houston in the seventh, but Atlanta took the lead when they scored twice. From there, each teams' bullpen held the fort, and the Braves squeaked by, 3-2. The win put Atlanta one game away from winning it all.</p><p>After game four, the Houston had some praise on the Braves' relief pitcher. “We didn't know a whole bunch about him,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “We know he's been up and down. We know he has outstanding stuff, which we were told and which we saw in the video. We were also told that sometimes he can get wild with his pitches. Tonight, he threw the ball well. When he came in and got out of that bases-loaded [jam] with that sinker he threw in on Carlos, we could tell right there that he had good stuff.”</p><p>So Houston would have to dig deep. I don't think falling behind 4-0 in the first (Via Adam Duvall's grand slam) was what the visiting team had in mind. Meanwhile, Atlanta starter Tucker Davidson faced three batters in the first, getting Carlos Correa to hit into an inning-ending double play (Top the inning, that is).</p><p>Come the top of the third, it was Correa knocking in a run off Jesse Chavez to get the Astros to within a run. They'd knocked out starter Davidson earlier. So we had a ballgame after all. When Yuli Gurriel grounded out, <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Michael Brantley scored. 4-4.<br /><br />Houston finally took the lead in the top of the fifth, but this one was a long way from over. Being as it was in Atlanta, the pitchers would have to hit, so you had teams going to the bullpen left, right and centre. Pitcher Zack Greinke was even used to bat for pitcher Yimi García in the fourth, and he singled. As Jose Altuve batted an inning later, Houston had Marwin Gonzalez on first and Martín Maldonado on second. The Astros were up 7-5. Dusty Baker no doubt wanted more offence, as no lead was safe at this point. Gonzalez had batted for the pitcher (And come up with a big two-run single), so the 'stros would have to send out a new pitcher when the Braves grabbed some lumber this frame.<br /><br />The count was 2-0 on Altuve, who then took a fastball from new pitcher Chris Martin, who was trying to stop the bleeding. It was in for a strike. Viewers got a look at the man loosing up in the Houston bullpen.<br /><br />Phil Maton.<br /><br />So, Houston was turned the ball over to a pitcher who had an earned run average of nearly five in the regular season. To stop the Braves from winning this game and the World Series. Atlanta's bats had cooled a bit as the game moved on. The Braves had gotten three hits in the last of the first, but now were stuck at five after four and a half innings. You'd think that maybe they'd have some luck with Maton.<br /><br />Ozzie Albies, who hit from the left side, came up with one away in the bottom of the fifth. The Braves' fans, eager for some offence, when into their battle cry. "Ahhh...Ohhhhhhhahooo!" However, the right-handed pitcher was not the least bit phased. Phil got ahead of Ozzie 1-2, then blew a 92 mile-per hour fastball by him. Maybe even lefties couldn't hit Phil. "This guy's really impressed when he's been in," said John Smoltz of Maton in the Fox broadcast booth, "when he's' been in and he's utilized the weakness of guys like Albies, who I think if he faced him [Maton] ten times, would have a hard time getting one or two hits, based on the style that Albies hits and the style that Maton pitches."<br /><br />But it wasn't just Ozzie Albies that struggled against Phil. Austin Riley doubled, but then Eddie Rosario, a left-hander, hit one that Maton had no trouble fielding. The 1-3 putout ended the inning.<br /><br />Travis d'Arnaud managed to get a hit off the sizzling reliever, but Maton escaped the sixth without giving up a run. He'd fanned two more hitters. Maton's night came to an end as Chas McCormick hit for him in the top of the seventh. Houston seemed inspired by Phil's pitching exploits. They tallied two more runs the rest of the game. Atlanta? They were shutout the next three innings. What started out as a rout for the Braves ended up as a bit of a laugher for the Astros, who were 9-5 winners.<br /><br />"The Houston bullpen dominated," wrote R.J. Anderson & Dayn Perry as a subheading. And they compared the bullpens. "All five of the Braves' runs were charged to Astros starter Framber Valdez, who lasted just 2 2/3 innings. After Valdez was lifted, five Astros relievers combined for 6 1/3 shutout innings. Along the way, they gave up just four hits and struck out six with no walks. Particularly key were Phil Maton and Kendall Graveman, who each worked two innings. For the series, the Houston bullpen now boasts an ERA of 1.75, which is more than a full run lower than Atlanta's mark of 2.76."<br /><br />Sadly, game six would be a bit anticlimactic. The Braves, on the road, decided it with three runs in the top of the third. Jorge Soler's three-run home run would put Atlanta ahead for good.<br /><br />By the fifth inning, it was 6-0 for the Braves. Phil Maton came in, but seemed like the move was too late. There was a runner on second, two away, and Austin Riley up. Riley hit Maton's 2-2 pitch to centre, just a little to the right. Jose Siri, the Astros' centre fielder, caught it just where the warning track begins.<br /><br />"Maton has been sensational," Joe Buck said, "Came on last inning and finished off the top of the fifth...His stuff is sneaky good," the Fox play-by-play man added. Well, maybe the Braves thought otherwise. Adam Duvall greeted him with a single in the top of the sixth. With one away, Albies came through with one of his own. Dusty Baker could have pulled Phil, but the kid had pitched out of so many jams in the World Series. Why would this be any different? Baker left him in. Travis d'Arnaud fanned. Two down. Dansby Swanson was next. Maton fell behind in the count 2-0, but then came up with a slow slider. It was not by itself a good pitch, as it was up and caught a lot of the dish. However, Swanson merely hit a hard grounder to Carlos Correa, who went to first basemen Yuli Gurriel at first. "More big outs by Maton," said Buck.</p><p>This ended up being it for Phil. And Kyle Wright seemed almost like the forgotten man at this point. The game ended up going all for Atlanta, 7-0. Though starter Max Fried lasted just six innings, the Braves used Tyler Matzek and Will Smith to slam the door on Houston.<br /><br />Both Maton and Wright ended up with 5 2/3 innings pitched, although Phil pitched in five games to Kyle's two. Each has since build of their success in the coming years. Maton appeared in a career-high 67 games for Houston in 2022, and this time the Astros won it all. A freak injury sidelined him for all of the postseason, however, but Phil returned to Houston this season, and has looked strong.<br /><br />Kyle Wright went on to win 21 games for the Braves in 2022. Early in the 2023 season he's gone on the injury list after just five games pitched. Atlanta, fresh off a 101-win season, look to return to the postseason for the sixth consecutive season. Houston reached that number last season, and is looking to make it eight postseason appearances in the last nine seasons.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>References</b></p><p><br /><br /></p><p>Anderson, R.J. “World Series Score: Astros Rally vs. Braves in Game 5, Stay Alive After Allowing First-Inning Grand Slam.” <i>CBSSports.com</i>, CBS Broadcasting Inc, 1 Nov. 2021, <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/world-series-score-astros-rally-vs-braves-in-game-5-stay-alive-after-allowing-first-inning-grand-slam/live/">https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/world-series-score-astros-rally-vs-braves-in-game-5-stay-alive-after-allowing-first-inning-grand-slam/live/</a>. 07 May, 2023.<br /><br /><br /><br />Inabinett, Mark. “Former State Prep Star Strikes out Side in World Series.” <i>Advance Local</i>, Advance Local Media LLC, 28 Oct. 2021, <a href="https://www.al.com/sports/2021/10/former-alabama-prep-star-strikes-out-side-in-world-series-for-atlanta.html">https://www.al.com/sports/2021/10/former-alabama-prep-star-strikes-out-side-in-world-series-for-atlanta.html</a>. 07 May, 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>Monnin, Kaitlyn. “Braves News: Kyle Wright Diagnosed With Shoulder Strain, Raisel Iglesias Activated, More.” <i>Battery Power</i>, Vox Media, 6 May 2023, h<a href="ttps://www.batterypower.com/2023/5/6/23713468/atlanta-braves-news-kyle-wright-raisel-iglesias-braden-shewmake-travis-darnaud-more">ttps://www.batterypower.com/2023/5/6/23713468/atlanta-braves-news-kyle-wright-raisel-iglesias-braden-shewmake-travis-darnaud-more</a>. 07 May 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The Official Site of Major League Baseball.” <i>MLB.com</i> MLB Advanced Media, <a href="https://www.mlb.com/">https://www.mlb.com/</a>. 07 May 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Reference LLC. <i>Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information</i>. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/">http://www.baseball-reference.com/</a>. 07 May, 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>2021 World Series</i>. Fox Broadcasting Company, 2021, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. Accessed 07 May, 2023. </p><p><br /></p><p><i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">https://en.wikipedia.org/</a>. 07 May, 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>YouTube</i>, Google, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. 07 May, 2023.</p>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-89586999442319833222023-05-04T22:06:00.031-04:002023-05-04T23:07:45.280-04:00World Series: Did You Know?Joc Pederson was back at it in the 2020 Fall Classic. This time his Dodgers would prevail.<br /><br />It was an unsual set of circumstances for the year's World Series. Due to Covid, the Fall Classic was played at one ballpark, and Pederson himself would not be there port to stern for some of the six games between his Los Angeles Dodgers and the Tampa Bay Rays.<br /><br />The Rays, making just their second October Finale appearance, were trying to do better than they had against Carlos Ruiz and the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008. But in order to do that, they not only had to find a way to contain Joc Pederson, but also try to hit against Clayton Kershaw. The first task did not appear to be too difficult, as "Joctober" hit just .190 in the 2020 season, despite seven home runs in 43 games played. Kershaw was another story. But even the great pitchers need some offence to win.<br /><br />Pederson batted eighth for this game, LA the "home" team. But, this was the first World Series since 1985 to use the designated hitter all Fall Classic long. Advantage Los Angeles? Well, Pederson fanned both times up, but it was Clayton Kershaw who was masterful. The Dodgers, as they had in 2017, rode their ace to an opening game win.<br /><br />In the second game, it was Chris Taylor in left, and Cody Bellinger in centre for the Dodgers. The game itself did not go well for Los Angeles. After six and a half innings, Tampa led 6-3, and Pete Fairbanks took over for Nick Anderson (Who'd relieved starter Blake Snell) on the hill. The scheduled first hitter was second basemen Enrique "Kiké" Hernández.<br /><br />Enter Joc Pederson. Fairbanks, a right-hander, was a pitcher who threw very hard. Pederson drew a straight line behind the plate before digging in. The first pitch was a 99-mile per hour fastball. Pederson swung and sent a fly ball. But it was hit to shallow to be dangerous. Kevin Kiermaier, the centre fielder, had no trouble putting the squeeze on it.<br /><br />The Dodgers did not score, but a double switch resulted in Taylor going to second base for the top of the eighth, and Pederson back in left field. Alex Wood returned for his second inning of work for Los Angeles. After getting two quick outs on a total of five pitches, Willy Adames came up. Behind 1-2, he lined one to right, that Pederson couldn't get to. And by the time Joc came up with it, Willy was on second. Kevin Kiermaier grounded out to end the Rays' half of the eighth.<br /><br />Los Angeles got one run back in their half of the inning, so it was a 6-4 ballgame. But the play on Adames' two-bagger would be the last thing Pederson would do on this night. He did not bat in the eighth. In the ninth, Tampa put one man on with a walk. Then, with two outs, Randy Arozarena hit a ball down the third base line. But it did not make it to left field. Justin Turner got to it. But his throw to first was too late. Los Angeles managed to get out of that situation without allowing a run. With one away in the LA portion of the inning, Austin Barnes batted for Pederson. Barnes was retired on a long fly to left. Taylor fanned, and the 2020 Fall Classic was all tied up at one game each.<br /><br />So while neither team travelled, the third game was on the "road" for Los Angeles. They went back to work. In the top of the first, Justin Turner put them up, 1-0, with a home run.<br /><br />It was 3-0 for the Dodgers in the fourth inning, when Pederson, who batted eighth, had a crucial at-bat. Cody Bellinger singled, but Chris Taylor fanned on three pitches. So Joc was back up. He'd grounded out in the third. A grounder here and the Dodger half of the inning would come to a sudden end. Charlie Morton threw to first to keep Bellinger close. But when he threw to home, Morton could do nothing to stop Cody from getting to third. The first pith to Pederson was a 79 miles per hour slider. Joc hit it to right. Ji-Man Choi, at first past, leaped for it, but it was just over his outstretched glove. Manuel Margot, the right fielder, got to it in the corner. It was a fine play that held Pederson, who slipped, to just a single. However, the Dodgers now had runners on the corners.<br /><br />Austin Barnes then did a play that is not commonly used anymore in baseball. He bunted, even though there was one out. It cashed in Cody Bellinger, and also moved Joe Pederson to second. But now, there were two outs. The squeeze play made it 4-0 for the "visiting" team. However, Los Angeles was not finished with Charlie Morton. Mookie Betts hit a grounder on his payoff pitch to centre, which scored Pederson.<br /><br />Joc was only 1-2, but clearly, his hit in that fourth inning was big. It got the man to third and made what Barnes did possible. His batting average in the 2020 Fall Classic was just .200 (1-5), and he only batted one more time on the night, popping out in the top of the sixth. The Dodgers tacked on a sixth run. Although the Rays had gotten on the board by then, and add one in the ninth, it was pretty much smooth sailing for the Dodgers after the fourth. Kiké Hernández pinch hit for Pederson in the eighth, and finished the game at second base. Taylor filled in the void in left.<br /><br />So, LA was up two games to one after three games. But, Joc was not contributing like he was in 2017. Game four was huge, as a Dodger win would surely wrap it up. No, Kershaw would not pitch. Julio Urías did. No, Pederson did not start in left, Chris Taylor did.<br /><br />Well, Urías pitched well (Nine strikeouts), but his start was short. He was pulled after 4 2/3 innings, but Los Angeles was ahead 3-2. Although the Dodgers scored another run in the sixth, the Rays grabbed control of the game in their half of the inning. Brandon Lowe's huge three-run home run suddenly gave Tampa the lead, 5-4.<br /><br />Los Angeles was quick to respond, though. In the top of the seventh, with two out, and runners on second and third, Cody Bellinger was up. But Tampa Bay walked him intentionally.<br /><br />Enter Joc Pederson.<br /><br />Although only 1-6, Joc could make up for all that in a big way here. The first pitch was a strike. The second, though, was in the dirt before it even reached the plate, and catcher Mike Zunino made a fine play to keep it fair, although it roller a little bit towards first in foul territory. Two more balls followed, and Pederson had the count in his favour. And ball four would give him his first RBI of this World Series. Tampa had shifted their infield over, so there was not much to go for in right. The 3-1 was 96 miles per hour fastball, but Joc lined it to right. Second basemen Brandon Lowe was playing almost in shallow right, got his glove on it. But not all of the ball. Two runs scored, and the lead was LA's again.<br /><br />This was not the end of the night for Joc. He stayed in the game at left. Taylor moved to centre. Kevin Kiermaier tied the game with a solo home run in the Rays' half of the inning. Back came LA in the top of the eighth. The game was certainly a see-saw affair.<br /><br />Tampa tried to tie it when they batted in the inning. With one on and two out, Willy Adames smacked a short fly to left that neither shortstop Corey Seager or Pederson could get to. Brusdar Graterol then retired Hunter Renfroe on a fly to right.<div><br /></div><div>In their half of the ninth, Los Angeles hit the ball well. Will Smith gave it a bit of a ride to left for the first out. Cody Bellinger was retired when he sent one to centre. Pederson came back up, and singled to right on the first pitch. He was 2-2. That batting average was up to .375 now (3-8). Taylor hit it well, but it was merely a long, loud out to right. So LA failed to score, and were only up 7-6.<br /><br />Even so, the Dodgers were merely three outs away from an insurmountable lead of 3-1 in this Fall Classic. They turned the ball over to closer Kenley Jansen. The bottom of the ninth started out well for the Dodgers, as pinch hitter Yoshi Tsutsugo fanned.<br /><br />But Kevin Kiermaier singled. Left-handed hitting Joey Wendle was up, and LA played him to pull, putting three infielders on the right side. But on a 2-1 pitch from Jansen, Wendle sent one to the gap in left, where Pederson had to go bit to his left to make the catch. One more out.<br /><br />Kenley got ahead of Randy Arozarena 1-2 when the batter fouled off a pitch. But Arozarena held on a drew a walk. It didn't seem to matter. The next batter, lefty Brett Phillips, took one on a corner for strike two. Replays showed the pitch might have just missed. The 1-2 delivery was sent to centre for a single. But it should have merely tied the game. Taylor bobbled it, and Arozarena headed home, where he should have been a dead duck. However, the throw got away from catcher Will Smith, and Tampa Bay had an unreal win, walk-off style.<br /><br />Well, that was certainly heartbreak for the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, look how close they'd come to winning it when Joc Pederson only bats twice! Why not start him in game five? That's what manager Dave Roberts did.<br /><br />Granted, Clayton Kershaw took the hill for LA. But he wasn't going to win unless he got some offence. That came before Tampa could bat. The Dodgers scored two runs in the top of the first (LA being the "road" team in this contest), and Kershaw took came of 'em in the first with no one scoring. Our boy led off the second inning for the Dodgers. Fox had played the song, "Stand By Me" by Ben. E. King. Well, Los Angeles was standing by their ace on the mound for this big one. But their manager would be standing by his decision on his starting left fielder.<br /><br />Come the second frame, the decision to play Pederson would be tested. And, as if to justify that faith, Joc Pederson crushed a high,1-2 offering from pitcher Tyler Glasnow into the Tampa Bay bullpen, some 430 feet in length. Joctober was living up to his nickname. Joc crossed the plate, and screamed “They don’t want that smoke!” Granted, it was only a solo homer, but still it was 3-0 for the Dodgers. Some nice run support for their big ace to work with. <br /><br />As Pederson said later, it's not as if he had Glasnow's number. "He [Glasnow] throws the ball very hard. [I] [w]as just just looking for, honestly, to put the ball in play. He got me in game one, so it was nice to return the favour."<br /><br />Kershaw would not be denied. The Rays got two runs off him, but that was it.<br /><br />Still, it was a close game, 3-2, when Pederson came back up in the fourth. On the first pitch, he looked to bunt, but the slider caught the inside corner for a strike. Joc fouled off the next pitch, and was behind 0-2. But Tyler Glasnow was on borrowed time on the hill, as his next pitch would be number seventy. In any event, Pederson flied out on it.<br /><br />The Dodgers were doubling up on the Rays, 4-2, by the time our boy hit again. There were two outs and nobody one in the top of the sixth. Pederson batted in a lefty-lefty situation. Joc coaxed a walk from Aaron Loup, who'd relived Glasnow. Ball four was Loup's last pitch, as Diego Castillo relieved him. Los Angels, too, was looking to make a pitching move at any time. Kershaw was at exactly 100 pitches through five innings. Dustin May had begun to loosen up in the Dodgers' bullpen as Pederson was digging in. It was still anyone's game, and the manager's would play a role in it's outcome from here on in.<br /><br />Auston Barnes, who'd drawn a walk himself earlier, tried to give Kershaw some more insurance. He got a hold of it, and gave it quite a ride to the gap in left. But Kevin Kiermaier was there, to retire the side. Both team's bullpen's took over from there (Kershaw was removed with two away in the bottom of the sixth).<br /><br />But there was also the Pederson glove factor. Joey Wendle batted in the bottom of the seventh, with one down. He had quit an at-bat against Dustin May, who'd relived Clayton Kershaw with two down in the sixth. On the ninth of his encounter with May, Wendle rocketed one to left, heading towards the gap. It looked like it might drop in for extra bases. But there was Joe Pederson to make a terrific, running catch. Dustin May had himself a 1-2-3 inning, and didn't allow a hit until one out in the next frame, but credit must go to his left fielder. <br /><br />The Dodgers themselves got not one hit in the last four frames. Pederson was himself replace in the bottom of the eighth. Still, LA won, 4-2, despite only collecting six hits. Joc was 1-2 with a walk, and saw his batting average go to .400 (4-10).<br /><br />The big news was Los Angeles was one win away from it's first World Championship in 32 years. Despite his game five heroics, Joctober would be sitting on the bench on the first pitch on this "home" game. No, Pederson was not going to be the designated hitter. AJ Pollock would start in left for the Dodgers, with Will Smith DH'ing.<br /><br />But with LA clinging to a 2-1 lead in front of a modest, Covid-limited crowd of 11,437, they looked for some more offence in the seventh inning. Will Smith had been 0-2, but he doubled. Cody Bellinger popped out. Chris Taylor fanned. Maybe someone else was needed to get the job done?<br /><br />Well, Pollock had lined out and popped out in his two plate appearances. Joc Pederson grabbed a bat and hit for him. Reliever Pete Fairbanks was trying to keep Tampa Bay within a run of Los Angeles. Pitching coach Kyle Snyder came out to the mound to talk it over with Fairbanks. Would the Rays' put Joctober on?<br /><br />A breaking ball looked liked a strike all the way, until it dipped at the last moment. 1-0. The next pitch was a fastball, 99 miles an hour. But it, too, missed the strike zone. So with the count 2-0, the Rays decided to walk Pederson. Austin Barnes battled Fairbanks to 2-2, but then got under one and sent it to right, when second basemen Brandon Lowe got to it to retire the side.<br /><br />Pederson was replaced, and the Dodgers went on to a 3-1 win. The bad news was, Joc did not qualify for the lead in either batting average or on-base percentage. He needed only three more plate appearances, which he surely would have gotten had Joctober not been pulled early from some contests. Did it matter at the end of the day? The long drought in LA was over, Kershaw was dominant, Corey Seager won the Willie Mays World Series MVP Award and unlikely hero emerged.<br /><br />For his part, Joctober batted .400, which was what Seager had hit, so Pederson was right there with <i>the</i> player in the 2020 Fall Classic. In the offseason, Pederson would sign with the Chicago Cubs, so after three World Series appearances (They also reached the summit in 2018), he'd be with a new team in 2021. It would never quite be the same in Los Angeles without him and his World Series heroics.<br /><br />That, however, wasn't about to take away from that special feeling Joc had when he received his World Series ring before a June 2021 game at Dodger Stadium. Although Pederson had moved on to the Chicago Cubs, he was back to get his ring before a game in Los Angeles. But this was a special moment for the former Dodger. He got an extra ring for his ultimate fan, his older brother (Amply named) Champ.<br /><br />Joc moved on to Chicago, and then Atlanta before the season ended. And, "Joctober" added a second World Series ring to his name. But there is no better feeling than the first time you win it!<br /><br /><br /><b>References</b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div>"Dodgers vs Rays World Series Game 5 Highlights & Postgame Interviews | October 25, 2020", <i>YouTube</i>, uploaded by Dodger Highlights (Courtesy of Fox, Major League Baseball), 26 Oct. 2020, <a href="https://youtu.be/nh8TvKeclXM?t=777">https://youtu.be/nh8TvKeclXM?t=777</a>, Accessed 04 May 2020. (Q and A appears @ 12:57 of video)<br /><br /><br /><br />Harris, Blake. “Joc Pederson Receives World Championship Ring.” <i>True Blue LA</i>, Vox Media, 25 June 2021, <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2021/6/25/22550013/joc-pederson-receives-world-championship-ring-los-angeles-dodgers-chicago-cubs">https://www.truebluela.com/2021/6/25/22550013/joc-pederson-receives-world-championship-ring-los-angeles-dodgers-chicago-cubs</a>. 04 May 2023.<br /><br /><br /><br />“The Official Site of Major League Baseball.” <i>MLB.com</i>, MLB Advanced Media, <a href="https://www.mlb.com/">https://www.mlb.com/</a>. 04 May 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sports Reference LLC. <i>Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information</i>. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/">http://www.baseball-reference.com/</a>. 04 May 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><i>2020 World Series</i>. Fox Broadcasting Company, Oct. 2020, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. Accessed 4 May 2023. <br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">https://en.wikipedia.org/</a>. 04 May 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><i>YouTube</i>, Google, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. 04 May 2023.<br /></div>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-12204625503026169162023-05-02T23:35:00.004-04:002023-05-02T23:35:31.268-04:00World Series: Did You Know?<p>Joc Pederson hit three home runs and batted .333 in 2017, after hitting just .212 with eleven long balls in regular season. The left-handed hitting centre fielder was a little slow getting to the big show that year.<br /><br />The Los Angeles Dodgers advanced to their first World Series in 29 years when they overcame the Chicago Cubs in five games in the National League Championship Series. Chicago had been gunning for their second straight Fall Classic appearance. Pederson himself was on the postseason roster following an injury to Los Angeles' shortstop, Corey Seager. Joc found himself looking on the outside. <br /><br />So, the opposition for LA was the Houston Astros, who'd once been a part of the National League. Seager was back, so would Pederson be shuffled down? Los Angeles decided to keep Joc and move left fielder Curtis Granderson off the World Series roster. The move was a bit interesting as Pederson was more a centre fielder (92 appearances) than a left fielder (Just 4). In fact, in the regular season, it was Chris Taylor played 38 games in left. The good news was Taylor could also play centre, having made 49 appearances there, third and second base, and shorstop.<br /><br />The World Series got underway at Dodger Stadium, and Pederson did not play in the opening tilt. He watched as Clayton Kershaw got things off on the right foot, beating the Astros 3-1 (With centre fielder Chris Taylor scoring two of those runs). Kiké Hernández played left field for LA and went 1-3 at the plate. Would he be back for game two?<br /><br />But obviously, the second contest was huge. Joc Pederson was a part of it in left field. Justin Verlander fanned him in the bottom of the second. But Joc would show both LA and Houston he'd earned the right to play.<br /><br />With the Dodgers trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the fifth, Pederson was back at the plate. Verlander had retired the first two men to face him that inning, but his attempt at retiring LA in order would be stopped cold by Pederson. Joc's nickname would one day be "Joctober" and this at-bat would be the start to that.<br /><br />Justin threw Joc a curveball, which missed for ball one. Another curveball, which like the first was 80 miles per hour and also missed, and the count was 2-0. Pederson then fouled of a fastball, which was on the outside of the plate. Although Los Angeles trailed by just one run, Tony Watson began to throw in the Dodgers' bullpen. It'd be a long night for pitchers on both sides.<br /><br />Verlander hung a slider, and Pederson jumped on it. He sent the ball into the right, that just cleared the fence, tying the game at one. Joc sprinted around the bases, as the crowd was delirious. Pederson did nothing to hide his excitement, as he was ever-enthused as he headed towards the Dodgers' dugout.<br /><br />Joc's next time up, in the bottom of the seventh, was not so good. He had a man on third in Cody Bellinger. There was only one out, so if he could get the ball to the outfield again, the Dodgers (Who led 3-1) would be in business to take a 2-0 lead in this Fall Classic. But Pederson fanned against Will Harris. So did Austin Barnes.<br /><br />A double switch after that inning saw Enrique Hernández now playing left. Eventually, the Astros prevailed in extra innings. So as the teams headed to Houston for games three, four and five, there was still a question of whether Pederson would play in the third contest. But maybe not. Remember, since the next three games were on American League soil, maybe Joc could be the designated hitter?<br /><br />That, he was. However, the bad news was Pederson would hit in the eighth slot, even though he was DH'ing. Joc had hit sixth in game two. There'd be less RBI chances for sure!<br /><br />Still, he contributed. In the top of the third, Joc led off, and had to do something. It was 4-0 for Houston. He managed to coax a walk off starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. Lance then suddenly came undone. He issued a bases on balls to the next two batters, making it three in a row. Corey Seager then hit into a double play. That was huge. Pederson scored on the twin-killing, but a potential big inning went down the tubes, with the Dodgers having to be content with just that one run.<br /><br />So when Pederson came back to the dish in the fifth, Joc needed to contribute again, as the score was still 4-1, 'stros. This time, he knocked a 2-1 offering into centre for a one-out double. Enrique Hernández grounded out, moving Pederson to third. Chris Taylor launched one to the gap in left on the first pitch from McCullers Jr., and it looked like a sure double. But an onrushing George Springer dove for it, snaring it backhanded.<br /><br />Houston added a run in their fifth, but then LA came back with two in the top of the sixth. Joc Pederson fanned in the seventh against Brad Peacock. The Astros went on to win, 5-3.<br /><br />So game four was a must for the Dodgers. It was quite an affair for a while. Pederson struggled. He fanned in the top of the third. He couldn't come through with Austin Barnes on first in the sixth. When he batted in the top of the eighth, he fanned again.<br /><br />It was bad for Los Angeles for a while. They trailed after six. Entering the ninth, it was tied at one. That's where Cody Bellinger put the Dodgers ahead with a double. Los Angeles was not done. Austin Barnes hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to make it 3-1. By staying out of the double play, this gave Joc Pederson a chance to widen the margin. Runners on the corners, two away. If Houston pitcher Joe Musgrove could get it done, the home team would bat in the ninth still very much in it. He could, conceivably, give up a walk here. But Joe's 0-1 to Joc was high, actually out of the strike zone. No matter. Pederson smoked it to right, and it found the stands for a huge, three-run home run. The game was, essentially over. Twitter user James H. Williams at Coachella posted,<br /><br /></p><p>"Dodgers' Joc Pederson hits a 3-run home run.</p><p><br /></p><p>Pederson reaches bases and yells 'YOU LIKE THAT!'</p><p><br /></p><p>#ThisTeam"</p><p><br /><br />The Astros scored a meaningless run in the ninth, but the 2017 Fall Classic was tied 2-2 after this contest. There would be a game six in Los Angeles.<br /><br />But Houston bounced back in the fifth contest, which they had to win. The game was a slugfest, even though Clayton Kershaw started it for LA. It would later be revealed that the Astros were illegally stealing signs (Through the use of live feeds in the Astros' tunnel towards the dugout, and then banging on a trash can) and this game would certainly be a good example of how it worked.<br /><br />Pederson did not start this game, and for a while, it appeared that he would not be noted. The first inning of the fifth contest was not too unlike the ninth inning of the previous game. Los Angeles scored three times.<br /><br />Well, the lead didn't hold. And by the the time Joc Pederson made an appearance, it was tied 7-7. It was a slugfest. In the top of the sixth inning, Austin Barnes led off against reliever Collin McHugh. He took a called strike three.<br /><br /><br />Enter Joc Pederson<br /><br /><br />Pederson, hitting .333 (3-9) grabbed a bat to hit for second basemen Charlie Culberson. McHugh hard retired the last three men to face him. Houston put a shift on, to try and stop the red-hot hitter. Jose Altuve was basically playing short right, while Josh Reddick (The right fielder) was playing at the power alley. Left fielder Marwin Gonzalez was in the other power alley. Centre fielder George Springer was playing straight away. It was third basemen Alex Bregman essentially playing at the shortstop position. Meanwhile, Carlos Correa, the Astros' shortstop, was playing on the right side of second. There was little room to go for should Joc pull the ball.<br /><br />The first pitch was a 91 mile per hour fastball, which Joc took for a strike. A slow curve followed. It got the ball it was so low. Another curve, but this time McHugh fooled Pederson, who swung and missed. Joc was in a 1-2 hole. The fourth pitch to Joc was again low. 2-2. Collin decided to stop throwing the 12-6 to Joc. The rest of the plate appearance would be decided with four-seamers. The 2-2 was high and away. Then, the payoff pitch. Well, before that, Pederson needed some time to think. The timeout was requested just as the pitcher was about to go into the windup. In any event, home plate umpire Bill Miller granted it. No pitch ended up being thrown. And the crowd was unhappy. So, finally, the payoff pitch missed to the outside. What a way to hang in there!<br /><br />All seven men who had drawn bases on balls had scored on this night, and now Joc was aboard as the go-ahead run. However, Collin McHugh settled down, getting the next two batters out via a fly and a K.<br /><br />Pederson stayed in the game, playing left field. In the eighth, Joc hit a one-out double off Brad Peacock. Chris Taylor was hit by a pitch. Will Harris hopped in from the Houston bullpen. But Corey Seager hit his very first pitch to left for a double of his own, scoring Pederson. The run was huge, as Los Angeles was now within two runs of Houston. The Astros, though, pried loose a run off Tony Cingra in the bottom of the inning, as Brian McCann hit a solo home run.<br /><br />The score was 12-9 for the Astros until the Dodgers tied it in the top of the ninth. Yasiel Puig hit a one out, two-run home run. Barnes doubled. Pederson was back up, and with a chance to tie it. He grounded out, but that moved Barnes to third. Taylor singled home Barnes. It was 12-12, but LA would have to stop Houston from scoring in the Astros' half of the inning. Joc Pederson had moved to centre an inning earlier as Andre Ethier went to play left field.<br /><br />How would Joc like being the "centre" of attention in the outfield? Jose Altuve sent one his way to start the Houston half of the frame. Pederson backed up, and caught the ball a few feet shy of the warning track. With two away, Yuli Gurriel smacked a towering double well over Ethier's head in left, and the winning run was a hit away. Fortunately, the next batter Josh Reddick, flied out to left.<br /><br />The Astros walked it off in the tenth, as Alex Bregman drove in the winning run. The Dodgers had their backs to the wall again. Pederson would play every inning of every game from here on in. And why shouldn't he? His batting average was up to an amazing .364. The Dodgers were heading back home for the conclusion of the 2017 Fall Classic, one way or another.<br /><br />Things were a little spooky for the Los Angeles gang. It was Halloween Night, and the Dodgers would need to pull of some trick or be prepared to (re)treat for the year. Pederson was back in the sixth slot. It was an odd game for him. And for both teams. This game was a pitcher's duel.<br /><br />After 5 1/2 innings, things were looking grim for the home team. LA trailed 1-0, and running out of time. But they tallied twice in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead. Could the Dodgers make it hold? Well, our boy came back up the next inning. Joe Musgrove had gotten the first batter, Yasiel Puig to pop out. He quickly got ahead of Pederson, 1-2. Pederson hit the next pitch the other way to left. Into the stands! "I didn't think I got [enough of] it," he said after the game. It was Joc's third home run of the World Series. Like he had in game two, Pederson flew around the bases in his excitement. The Dodger dugout was alive and kicking! "I'd say he's fired up!" Joe Buck said of Pederson. So was Los Angeles. <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Kenley Jansen, closer, took over from there. He faced just six batters, total, over the next two innings, needing just nineteen pitches to get 'em all out. The 2017 Fall Classic would go down to a seventh and deciding game.<br /><br />But Houston would decide it very early. The Astros scored twice in the top of the first. The Dodgers tried to rally. Chris Taylor started it all off with a double. A strikeout followed. Then a hit by pitch. Another strikeout. Another hit by pitch. The bases were loaded with two outs. Joc Pederson was next.<br /><br />Obviously, this was a big moment. Lance McCullers Jr. came in with a knuckle curve for strike one. Another knuckle curve that Pederson swung on and missed. Behind 0-2, Joc swung at the third offering, which was another knuckle curve. He grounded out to second basemen Jose Altuve. The Astros would come at the Dodgers again when they went back to the lumber duty.<br /><br />Yu Darvish gave up a walk and double, then got two outs. But George Springer hit a three-run home run. It was 5-0 for the 'stros and the end was near for Joe and company.<br /><br />Corey Seager started the last of the third with a single. Justin Turner was hit by a pitch. Another potential big inning. The Dodgers needed runs. Cody Bellinger fanned. Brad Peacock hopped in from the Houston bullpen. Yasiel Puig gave it a ride to centre. But it was playable for George Springer. Seager tagged and made it to third. Joc Pederson was back up. Two on. Two out.<br /><br />Pederson fouled off the first pitch, a fastball. Then he took a ball. He foul tipped the third offering, a 94-mile and hour heater. Houston catcher Brian McCann went to talk to Peacock. Another four-seamer was taken for a ball, evening the count at 2-2. A sweeper was swung on and missed. McCann, who didn't come up with the ball clearnly. threw to first, to complete the strikeout. After three innings, LA and Houston each had only three hits, but it was the Astros with the big lead.<br /><br />The Dodgers seemed a little demoralized, and went down in order the next inning. In the fifth, they got two more men on, but again failed to cash them in. Clayton Kershaw pitched innings three to six for the Dodgers, and held the Astros scoreless. But the LA bats weren't getting the hits when they needed to.<br /><br />The bottom of the sixth started with Joc Pederson back at the plate. The first pitch from new pitcher Charlie Morton was a tough, inside four-seam fastball. Pederson not only got his bat on it, but punched it into centre for a leadoff single. This boasted his batting average to .353 (6-17). Logan Forsythe coaxed a bases on balls from Morton. Could LA finally cash a man or two in? Austin Barnes popped out to Carlos Correa at short. <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Andre Ethier batted for Kershaw. Ethier came through with a single that scored Pederson. But that was it. Chris Taylor fanned and Corey Seager grounded out on the first pitch.<br /><br />The Dodger bullpen picked up where Kershaw had left off. But the Los Angeles' bats were silenced the rest of the way, with Pederson fanning in his final plate appearance of 2017 in the eighth. Morton retired the last eleven Dodgers to face him.<br /><br />It was a tough loss for Joc and the Dodgers. The sign-stealing scandal would be exposed in the coming years, but Houston was, and still is, the 2017 World Series winners. Pederson and Los Angeles, though, had gotten experience from this lengthy postseason. They'd be back the next year, and again in 2020.</p><p><br /><br /><b>References</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Brandt, David. “What Is a Sweeper? A Look at the Pitch Taking over MLB.” <i>AP NEWS</i>, Associated Press, 25 Apr. 2023, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sweeper-pitch-baseball-4a18c6f077c7cc3c062dc9e13519174f">https://apnews.com/article/sweeper-pitch-baseball-4a18c6f077c7cc3c062dc9e13519174f</a>. Accessed 02 May 2023.<br /><br /><br /><br />"Joc Pederson and Chris Taylor Postgame Interview | Dodgers vs Astros Game 6 World Series", YouTube, uploaded by Dodger Highlights (Courtesy of Fox, Major League Baseball), 1 Nov. 2017, <a href="https://youtu.be/1w7slMj-cpk?t=185">https://youtu.be/1w7slMj-cpk?t=185</a> , Accessed 02 May 2017. (Q & A appears @ 3:05 of video)<br /><br /><br /></p><p>Morissey, Scott C. <i>114 World Series in 1 Book</i>. Updated ed., Pandamonium Publishing House, 2020.</p><p><br /></p><p><br />“The Official Site of Major League Baseball.” <i>MLB.com</i>, MLB Advanced Media, <a href="https://www.mlb.com/">https://www.mlb.com/</a>. 02 May 2023.<br /><br /><br /></p><p>Sports Reference LLC. <i>Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information</i>. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/">http://www.baseball-reference.com/</a>. 02 May 2023.<br /><br /><br /><br /><i>2017 World Series</i>, Fox Broadcasting, 2017, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/">http://www.youtube.com/</a>. Accessed 2 May 2023. </p><p><br /></p><p><i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">https://en.wikipedia.org/</a>. 02 May 2023.</p><p><br /><br />Williams, James H. “Watch: Joc Pederson Hits a 3-Run Home Run as the Dodgers Win Game 4 of the World Series.” <i>Press Telegram</i>, MediaNews Group, 29 Oct. 2017, <a href="https://www.presstelegram.com/2017/10/28/watch-joc-pederson-hit-a-3-run-home-run-to-extend-the-dodgers-lead-in-game-4-of-the-world-series/">https://www.presstelegram.com/2017/10/28/watch-joc-pederson-hit-a-3-run-home-run-to-extend-the-dodgers-lead-in-game-4-of-the-world-series/</a>. Accessed 02 May 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>YouTube</i>, Google, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. 02 May 2023.</p>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-24253734507318431852023-05-02T12:35:00.008-04:002023-05-07T15:23:45.119-04:00World Series: Did You Know?Carlos Ruiz followed up his excellent 2008 Fall Classic with another splendid performance against the Yankees the next season.<br /><br />It was, however, not enough to overcome New York, or top Hideki Matsui in batting average. It's not as if Chooch didn't have a big World Series. He and his Philadelphia Phillies were up against a great New York Yankees' team.<div><br /></div><div>It all started at Yankee Stadium (The second such ballpark The Bronx Bombers played in, which opened in . CC Sabathia started for the home team, and looked very good early. Ruiz was retired, part of a 1-2-3 second. Sabathia also had a 1-2-3 fifth, which again included retiring the Philadelphia catcher. Philadelphia had tacked on runs in the third and sixth. In both innings, it was second basemen Chase Utley hitting a solo home run. Would the Phillies' catcher, hitting in the ninth slot, do anything?<br /><br />The Phillies had stretched their lead to 4-0, and Carlos Ruiz wanted a piece of the action. With one out, he doubled off Brian Bruney. Singles by Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino plated Chooch. It was now 5-0 and the game was in the bag. Philly didn't let up. <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Ryan Howard doubled home a run, although the visiting teams' half of the frame ended as Shane Victorino (Who got the run batted in when Ruiz scored) was out at home. So, Ruiz's team was stuck at six runs. But it was more than enough.</div><div><br />The visiting team walked off the field, 6-1 winners. Game two had A.J. Burnett going for the Yankees. And while the Phillies scored a run off him in the second, it would be a long night for Philadelphia. Carlos Ruiz was the first batter in the third. He swung at the first pitch, but grounded out. Philly put two men on, but did not score.<br /><br />In the top of the fifth, Chooch came up in a 1-1 game. He was eager to break the deadlock, so he hit a one-out double. But Burnett fanned Rollins and then got Victorino to pop out.<br /><br />Hideki Matsui's sixth inning home run gave New York a 2-1 lead. The Yankees added an insurance run the next inning. By the time Carlos Ruiz came up, the Phillies needed him to do something. But, in the eighth, he faced New York's closer Mariano Rivera. He grounded out.<br /><br />So it was the Yankees with a big 3-1, squaring this thing, 1-1. The Phillies' catcher was hitting .286, but his performance was off from a year ago. Hideki Matsui was on his way for The Bronx Bombers, lifting his average to .500. Ruiz and Matsui would both get better as the 2009 World Series moved on.<br /><br />Game three was at Citizens Bank Park. Philadelphia got off to a great start. The scored three times in the bottom of the second. Jayson Werth got it all started with a home run. Then, with Pedro Feliz on second and only one out, Chooch drew a free pass off Andy Pettitte. Philly pitcher Cole Hamels then showed Pettitte how to bat as a pitcher. He singled on the first pitch. The bases were loaded. A bases on balls and a flyball scored two more runs.<br /><br />But the good times didn't last. It was, after all, against the New York Yankees. The Bronx Bombers went to work. They scored twice in the top of the fourth. Three times in the fifth. Still another touch of home in the sixth. The Phillies suddenly had their work cut out for them.<br /><br />Jayson Werth got one back with a home run to start the Philly half of the sixth. But Pettitte, who had not allowed a run from innings three to five, fanned the next two batters. Carlos Ruiz kept the inning alive with a walk. And now, Philadelphia had the tying run at the dish. Eric Bruntlett batted for the pitcher, but Pettitte got him to fly out to Nick Swisher (Whose home run had made it 6-3 for The Bronx Bombers) in right.<br /><br />By the ninth, Philadelphia trailed by four runs, 8-4. Pedro Feliz grounded out to start the Phillies last hurrah. That was a big, first out, as Chooch was next. Despite the two walks earlier, Ruiz was officially 0-1. And now just 2-8 overall. So he needed to do something big, for his team and his batting average. Phil Hughes, the Yankees' pitcher, was carrying on where Pettitte had left off. Philadelphia had not one hit since Werth's home run.<br /><br />The first pitch was a 78-mile per hour curveball. Inside for ball one. But then Hughes blew the next pitch by Chooch. A 94-mph four-seamer. Swung on and missed. 1-1. The next pitch was one mile slower, but that wasn't the issue for Phil. The pitch was too high and caught too much of the plate. Carlos Ruiz smacked it to left, and it found the stands right around the "374 foot" sign in the gap.<br /><br />Was there a pattern to Ruiz's three hits so far?<br /><br />"Two doubles and a home run, in this World Series [For Ruiz]," said Tim McCarver, "all on high fastballs."<br /><br />Well, it was now a bit closer, 8-5. But the Yankees never were ones to leave anything to chance. Mariano Rivera came in, as it was now a save situation. He retired the next two batters.<br /><br />So game four was big, with Philly needing it more than New York. Chooch had brought his batting average up to .333 (3-9). Add to that two bases on balls, and that on-base percentage was .455.<br /><br />But New York wanted to go back to Yankee Stadium ahead, and a win in the fourth game would guarantee that. So, The Bronx Bombers took an early 2-0 lead in it. Philadelphia fought back, and scored single runs in the first and fourth to draw even. Chooch batted with a man on second and two outs in the fourth. CC Sabathia, pitching for the Yankees, could not find the strike zone. The four-pitch walk extended the inning. However, Joe Blanton fanned.<br /><br />New York was undaunted, and scored twice to regain the two run lead. Solo home runs by Chase Utley in the seventh and Pedro Feliz in the eight tied it for the home team. But once again, the tie ballgame was short lived. In the top of the ninth, an Alex Rodriguez double and Jorge Posada single made it 7-4 for the Yankees. Rivera got the side 1-2-3 when Philly came up. New York was one win away from their 27th World Series win.<br /><br />Ruiz had just the walk to show for his four trips to the dish. So that batting average was down to just .250. The bigger picture for him and Philadelphia, was now they had to win three straight.<br /><br />A.J. Burnett was back for another appearance. In the second inning, with Philadelphia up 3-1, Carlos Ruiz led off for the home team. Burnett fanned him. But a huge third inning saw the home team send the Yankees' starting pitcher off to the showers. Raúl Ibañez provided the knockout blow with a run-scoring single.<br /><br />The rally continued off David Robertson. Though he retired Pedro Feliz, it was only the first out. Robertson got ahead of Chooch 0-2, but Ruiz managed to get a hold of one. The play at second was close, but New York managed to get the force. Jayson Werth, who'd driven in a run earlier this frame, scored. What had been a close game was now a runaway, 6-1.<br /><br />Ruiz was retired in the sixth, but singled to lead off the bottom of the eighth. The game was another slugfest, as New York didn't quit. Matt Stairs batted for reliever Phil Hughes and hit into a 4-6-3 double play. The Yankees, who'd trailed by as many as six runs, scored three times in the top of the eighth and once in the ninth, before the last out was made. Although they'd scored six runs, New York lost, 8-6. And although a pedestrian 1-4, the Philadelphia catcher, Carlos Ruiz, had and RBI. And no Yankee had stolen a base off him in game five. The Bronx Bombers were stuck at three swipes through five games, as Chooch's arm was clearly something to be reckoned with.<br /><br />Obviously, game six was another "must-win" situation for Philadelphia. Ruiz moved down, in a way, to the ninth slot. Before that, he'd hit in front of the pitcher in the eighth slot. But the "move" to ninth seemed to help Ruiz's hitting.<br /><br />But by the time he could come to bat in the top of the third, Carlos' Philadelphia Phillies were behind 2-0. Ruiz, though, worked the count into his favour (3-1). On the fifth pitch of the at-bat, he jumped on Andy Pettitte's offering. It hit off one of the screen dividers, and by the time centre fielder Brett Gardner was able to pick it up, the Philadelphia catcher was gunning. Carlos rounded second and beat the throw from second basemen Robinson Canó. The triple was big. "When there is a chance to get to third with one out, that's what you do," said Tim McCarver in the broadcast booth. "so you can score on something other than a base hit." Jimmy Rollins proved that point. He flew out to Nick Swisher in right, cashing in Carlos.<br /><br />It was a nice moment for the Phillies' catcher. But really, it would pretty much be the last time his team was in the game. The Yankees scored two more runs in the bottom of the inning. It was 4-1, and with Pettitte pitching so well, the countdown seemed on.<br /><br />Chooch didn't quit. He coaxed a walk from Pettitte in the fifth, only to be erased via a double play. New York scored three more runs in their half of the inning, and you knew there was no chance for Philadelphia to mount a comeback.<br /><br />Ryan Howard did hit a two-run home run, and the Phillies were a little closer in the sixth. Yankees' manager decided to talk things over with his starting pitcher. Joba Chamberlain was throwing in the New York bullpen. Raúl Ibañez hit a two-out double. And just like that, Andy Pettitte was gone. Chamberlain got the Yankees out of that mess to keep the score somewhat respectable, 7-3.<br /><br />J.A. Happ and Chan Ho Park held New York at bay in the sixth, so Carlos Ruiz and his teammates had three innings left to try and score four runs. Chamberlain fanned Ben Francisco to start the Philly half of the seventh. There was still Carlos Ruiz to deal with. He was 1-1, plus the walk. The batting average was up to .294. But was there any magic left in his hat?<br /><br />Damaso Marte, a left-hander, began to loosen up in the Yankees' bullpen. Ruiz took inside for ball one. A 92-mile per hour heater got the count to 1-1. The third pitch to Carlos was fouled off by the catcher. Joba Chamberlain then threw a slider that just missed. Carlos did not go for it, so the count was even, 2-2. The Yankee Stadium crowd urged Chamerlain on, but Ruiz lined the next pitch into centre for a single. "What a terrific postseason Carlos Ruiz has had," said McCarver to the television audience. The former St. Louis Cardinals' catcher would add, "Philadelphia, desperately trying to get something going against Chamberlain." Tim's broadcast partner, play-by-play man Joe Buck, reminded everyone that this was nothing new for the Philadelphia backstopper. "...Ruiz is doing this in 2009 after a very good postseason in 2008." But Ruiz had actually improved on that. Overall in the 2008 postseason, Carlos' batting average was .261. Here, a year later, his average in October was up to .341. Buck continued, "He has come alive in October again..." <br /><br />Jimmy Rollins hit into a force. And while he stole second and Shane Victorino drew a walk, Philadelphia had to be content with just two runs that inning. The Yankees appeared to have a rally going in their half of the frame. A-Rod hit a one-out single. Scott Eyre came in to replace Park and cool off the big bat of Hideki Matsui. Matsui swung and missed a 1-2 pitch, but Rodriguez stole second. After an intentional walk, Robinson Canó became Eyre's second whiff of the inning.<br /><br />Philadelphia posted a "0" on the scoreboard in the eighth themselves, as New York brought out their big bullpen ace. The Yankees also were held scoreless in their half of the frame.</div><div><br />Mariano Rivera had given up a double in the eighth, but managed to escape. In the ninth, he got Matt Stairs to line to short for the first out. But the inning, like the eighth, would not be easy. Rivera had needed six pitches to get ride of Stairs. Chooch was back at the plate. His bat was red-hot this night. And he was keeping this thing going, even as it neared the eleventh hour. Carlos was 2-2 with a walk. His batting average was now .333 in this World Series. Rivera's first pitch was so low it appeared to hit the plate. Well, if Rivera was going to be beat, he would test Ruiz with his cutter as the plate appearance went on. The next pitch was taken for a strike. Rivera was being careful with the hitter. And perhaps a little too careful. He missed with the next pitch. McCarver spoke about how the pitcher and batter were connected. "Two of only seven Panamanians. In the major leagues. Rivera and Carlos Ruiz."<br /><br />On the 2-1, Rivera threw one with the intentions of getting it to break. It did but not enough, so the pitch stayed inside as it crossed the plate. 3-1. This was one tough batter for even the best of closers. Rivera got it together and threw a great pitch next, and the cut fastball found the outside of the plate. The count was full. Rivera went back to business with still another cutter, but it did not break across the dish. Ruiz took it all the way. That was one, excellent time up for the Philly catcher.<br /><br />Jimmy Rollins, who batted left-handed, then got a 0-1 pitch to his liking. He got a little to much under it. Nick Swisher made the catch on the warning track. That close to a 7-5 ballgame. And there would have been only one out. Instead, there were two away, and Chooch was stuck on first. Yankee fans were already up and cheering.<br /><br />On a 1-1 pitch to Shane Victorino, on which the batter swung and missed, Ruiz took second. Defensive Indifference. Victorino, who was battling a bruise to the index finger on his right hand, battled Rivera to a full count, just like Chooch had. On the tenth pitch of the at-bat, Victorino hit it to second basemen Canó, who threw to first basemen Mark Teixeira to get the final out.<br /><br />Rivera and his teammates had prevailed. Though it was a 7-3 win, the Yankees' closer had almost matched his jersey number with 41 pitches thrown. Plus he'd needed to throw 39 in his game two save. The Philadelphia batters had made the New York pitches throw, getting on bases 26 times in only six games in a valiant effort to stay with a great team. Carlos Ruiz was one of three Phillies to get five walks himself. Overall, he'd hit for a .333 batting average, which was tops on Philadelphia. But even more impressive was his team-leading .478 on-base percentage. This Fall Classic made Chooch a better player, as Carlos lifted his batting average from just .255 in 2009, to .302 the next season. And one final thing about Ruiz World Series performance. "After this postseason," wrote Chuck Booth at Fansided, "the name “Señor Octubre” stuck for Ruiz."<br /><br /><br /><br /><b>References</b></div><div><br /><br /><br />Booth, Chuck. “Philadelphia Phillies: The Legacy of Carlos Ruiz.” <i>FanSided</i>, Minute Media, 18 May 2016, https://section215.com/2016/05/18/philadelphia-phillies-fanthe-legacy-of-carlos-ruiz/. <br /><div><br /></div><div><br /><br />Morissey, Scott C. <i>114 World Series in 1 Book</i>. Updated ed., Pandamonium Publishing House, 2020.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sports Reference LLC. <i>Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information</i>. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/">http://www.baseball-reference.com/</a>. 01 May 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">https://en.wikipedia.org/</a>. 01 May 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>World Series 2009</i>. Fox Broadcasting Company, 2009, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. Accessed May 01 2023. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>YouTube</i>, Google, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. 01 May 2023.</div></div>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-46985292265578197972023-04-29T21:05:00.000-04:002023-04-29T21:05:05.509-04:00World Series: Did You Know?Carlos Ruiz was second on Philadelphia in batting average in 2008. The Phillies captured their first World Championship since 1980, and their catcher was great.<br /><br />Ruiz had hit just .219 that year, but his performance in the World Series in '08 seemed to be the springboard for success from there. In fact, Carlos hit .270 from 2009 until his career ended following the 2017 season.<br /><br />Ruiz's Philadelphia Phillies were up against a team that didn't even exist in 1980, the last time Philly won. Or even 1993, the last time the Phillies reached the World Series.<br /><br />Carlos had gotten it all together in the National League Championship Series vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers. LA had some kid named Clayton Kershaw, who recently joined the ranks of 200-win pitchers. But here, Kershaw made two relief appearances. Carlos Ruiz hit .313 in the five game tournament, and his team was on their way to the World Series.<br /><br />There, Philadelphia met the Tampa Bay Rays, who'd dropped the "Devil" from their title. From Devil Rays to Ray of Sunshine. However, the team, which began play in 1998, would quickly find out that the Philly catcher was one to be reckoned with.<br /><br />The Phillies were playing at home, and it all started out innocently enough, as Ruiz walked his first time up, in the second. Only then, to be erased on an inning-ending double play. Actually, what happened was, Carlos Ruiz tried to score on a fly to centre. B.J. Upton gunned it to Dioner Navarro, and despite having the bases loaded, Philly did not score.<br /><br />But the next time up, the Philadelphia catcher came up with runners on second and third and nobody out. It's worth noting that Ruiz (Whose nickname was "Chooch") had been slotted in the ninth slot in the order, as the game was played under American League rules (Designated hitter). So, there was no way Tampa was putting Carlos on to pitch to leadoff hitter Jimmy Rollins. So, even though he just grounded out, Ruiz had himself an RBI. 0-1 with a walk and an RBI. Not a bad start.<br /><br />Scott Kazmir retired Chooch again in the sixth, so his performance was sort of flying under the radar. All Carlos could do in the eighth was line out. The good news was the Phillies eked out a 3-2 win, right there in Tropicana Field. Ruiz hadn't done too bad behind the dish, as the Rays were 1-2 in stolen bases / attempts.<br /><br />So, the home team needed game two. Tampa did, indeed, square it with a 4-2 win. The 2008 World Series was starting off very tight. The problem was, by the time Carlos grabbed a bat, it seemed like too late. It was 3-0 for the Rays, early, and he was merely leading off the third. He doubled and didn't score. Ruiz again led off in the fifth. This time, Ruiz drew a walk off James Shields. Jimmy Rollins forced him at second. Although Jayson Werth, the only batter to hit higher batting average on Philadelphia than Ruiz, followed with a single, it was to no avail. Chase Utley hurt a promising situation (Two on, one out) by hitting into an inning-ending double play.<br /><br />It was just a bad inning overall. Granted, Tampa didn't score, but even the man behind the dish of the visitors had some problems. Carlos Pena drew a one-out walk off Brett Myers. Obviously, they wanted to keep him from going anywhere, seeing as it was 4-0 for the Rays at this point. And, not wanting this game to get too far away, manager Charlie Manuel made sure there was some bullpen action. Scott Eyre began to loosen up. The first pitch to the next batter, Evan Longoria, was a strike. Myers, who'd walked three batters, threw over to first as Longoria was behind 0-1, and having a quick chat with the home plate umpire. A throw to first. Pena got back. The next pitch didn't miss by much, but it was a ball. And then the ball was on it's way to first. However, the throw by Carlos Ruiz was bad, and it went down the first base line. Pena made it to second. Nothing came of it, as Longoria fanned and Carl Crawford grounded out.<br /><br />Chooch added a walk in the seventh, but nothing came of it, either. The bases on balls, which again led off the inning, was remarkable in itself, however. The 1-1 pitch was a fast, fastball, which Carlos took for strike two. But talk about hanging on, you should have seen the rest of the plate appearance.<br /><br />The next pitch nearly was over everyone's head, so the count was even, 2-2. However, the next four pitches were ones that that Ruiz swung at. Perhaps this would help the Philadelphia cause if he reliever Dan Wheeler out of the game. The first 2-2 pitch was fouled off towards the Tampa bullpen. Carlos jumped on the next offering, which was a curveball that was up a little, but could only foul it off to left. The third 2-2 pitch was a grounder foul, which was a good thing, as third basemen Longoria reached out for it and picked it up, meaning had it been fair, it would have been a 5-3 putout. Being so tenacious, Ruiz fouled off another pitch. For pitches, fouled off to stay alive. The next pitch was a ball, running the count full. "3-2 pitch," said announcer Joe Buck, as it was taken for ball four, "and what a good at-bay by Ruiz, who out of the number nine spot, is on for the third time tonight." The plate appearance was ten pitches. Tampa Bay now had David Price throwing in the bullpen. The next two batters fanned, but Carlos stole second when Jimmy Rollins fanned. And a pitching change was made, as Price came in. Chase Utley walked. Ryan Howard became the third Philly to strikeout in the inning.<br /><br />Price gave up a home run to Eric Bruntlett in the eighth, though. The shutout was gone. In the ninth, Ruiz tried to get Philly closer still. He led off with a double. Jimmy Rollins then was hit by a pitch. Home play umpire Kerwin Danley missed the call. Rollins was retired on a popup to Jason Bartlett, the shorstop. Ruiz was still on second. He scored when Jayson Werth sent a hard grounder to third, where Evan Longoria got his glove on it, but the ball deflected off it into left field. Ruiz motored around third, and scored. Despite the bad call, the Phillies were finding ways to hang around. David Price, though, settled down, and retired the next two batters, preserving the win for the Rays.<br /><br />Well, that had been a tough loss, but Philadelphia got the split, and were heading home for games three, four and five.<br /><br />Carlos Ruiz, for his part, had two hits, three walks, a run scored and an RBI. Perhaps most impressive, was his batting average, .400. But, what about more modern stats? The three walks contributed to an amazing on-base percentage of .625.<br /><br />Yet, the catcher found himself batting in front of his batterymate in game three. Jamie Moyer, who'd win 269 big-league games, started for Philadelphia in the third contest. Taylor Swift sang the National Anthem, and perhaps gave her hometown state a blessing. The contest itself, though, was anything but swift.<br /><br />Moyer found himself in a 1-1 ballgame, until his catcher came up in the last of the second. Ruiz hit a home run.<br /><br />Yet, it was Tampa that was finding ways to score on this night. Carl Crawford had doubled in the Rays' half of the second. He made Ruiz night a long one with a huge steal of third. It was big, as Gabe Gross plated him via a sacrifice fly. B.J. Upton also stole a base in the sixth. It was his first of three in the ballgame. <br /><br />The Phillies led the Rays 4-1 after six, only to see the visiting team score twice in the seventh. B.J. Upton started the top of the eighth with a single. He stole second on the very first offering to the next batter, Longoria. And on the play Ruiz didn't bother to try and get Upton. B.J. stole third on the second pitch to Evan. Carlos Ruiz's throw to third was bad, as it actually ended up hitting the thief, and then bounced away to the left of third. This allowed Upton to score. Game tied, 4-4.<br /><br />But the nice thing about baseball, is there always seems to be a way to redeem yourself, provided you still get to bat or field again. Chooch's next plate appearance would decide the game.<br /><br />It all started in the bottom of the ninth. Eric Bruntlett was hit by a pitch. Then, a wild pitch moved him into scoring position. Tampa tried to get Bruntlett at second. But all Dioner Navarro managed to do was throw the ball into centre field. When all the smoke had cleared, the winning run was at third. There were no outs. Shane Victorino was walked intentionally. So was pinch hitter Greg Dobbs. This loaded the bases. But now, Tampa could go to home and to first for a double play.<br /><br />Well, enter Carlos Ruiz into the spotlight.<br /><br />He'd hit a home run earlier, but here, in a tie ballgame, he needed to find a way to get the ball out of the infield. He could also walk, or get hit by pitch. There were plenty of ways he could be the hero. And there was a way he could take Philly out of the inning. Matt Stairs was in the on-deck circle. He'd bat for the pitcher should it come to that.<br /><br />The infield was all in. Actually, there were suddenly five Tampa Bay infielders. Ben Zobrist had come in from right field to join in the efforts to get the man at home. B.J. Upton was bit to the right of centre.<br /><br />The first pitch was high and inside from reliever Grant Balfour. Then, a Carlos chased a fastball that was high. But he only hit it foul. Ruiz swung at the third pitch, which was 96 miles per hour. He missed. Balfour came up stairs for the putaway. But, Ruiz, fighting Balfour as hard as Kirk Gibson had battled Dennis Eckersley in game one of the 1988 World Series, caught up to it. He only managed to foul it off. But Ruiz was still alive. Grant missed the plate on the next 1-2 pitch.<br /><br />Carlos Ruiz swung at the 2-2, and hit a chopper to third, and Eric Bruntlett gunned it towards home. The throw home was high. No one touched it. But Bruntlett touched home, setting off a wild celebration. An amazing night. Carlos Ruiz was locked in. Six years later, he remembered his walk-off, with some humour!<br /><br />"I knew I had to put the ball in play and I was lucky that I hit the ball. <br /><br />"I did not hit the ball real hard," he said with a laugh, "but it was a big moment in my career."<br /><br />It had been quite a Fall Classic so far, as every game was close. So, having said that, the fourth game was a let-down. Not if you were a Philly fan, though. This was the contest where the home team wanted it 3-1, rather than the series tied.<br /><br />Carlos was back in the eighth slot. Now, this is a curious move after such a huge game three. The way the night played out at Citizens Bank Park, Chooch was in the background, unnoitced.<br /><br />The best the Philly catcher did was keep the third inning alive, singling to load the bases. Ruiz's team had scored once in the inning, and were up 2-0 in the ballgame. Joe Blanton popped out to end the third.<br /><br />It was a night of home runs. Carl Crawford got Tampa on board with one. Ryan Howard hit a three-run blast for the home side. Eric Hinske made it a little closer, 5-2, with a solo shot for the Rays in the fifth. But the inning didn't conclude without another Phillies' four-bagger. Joe Blanton followed Carlos Ruiz ground out in the fifth with a solo blast, making it 6-2 for Philadelphia.<br /><br />Jayson Werth and Ryan Howard each went deep for the Phillies in the eighth to make this one a real laugher. But what about Carlos Ruiz? He managed to go just 1-4, and saw his batting average sink to .417 in the 2008 World Series. His team won game four, 10-2. This would be the only one-sided contest of the Fall Classic.<br /><br />Philly still needed one more win, but wasted little time in getting it going in the fifth game. They cashed in two in the first, and looked for more as Carlos Ruiz batted with the bases loaded. Two away. This was a big moment, a chance to blow the game wide open. So game five could have been a rout. Alas, Carlos Ruiz grounded out. Scott Kazmir had walked two and hit a batter in the first, but limited the damage.<br /><br />Tampa Bay got on the board in the fourth, but in the Philadelphia half of the frame, they looked for the knockout punch on Kazmir. Ruiz singled with one away, and the Phillies had the makings of a big inning not long after. Pitcher Cole Hamels, though, forced Ruiz at second. But rather than make life difficult for Philly, Scott Kazmir seemed to loose control. Two more walks loaded the bases. Chase Utley grounded out.<br /><br />Two more walks in the fifth finished Scott Kazmir. Grant Balfour hopped in from the Rays' bullpen. And was lights out. He got the next three batters, including Ruiz, out. It was still only 2-1 for the Phillies.<br /><br />The teams traded runs in the sixth and seventh, so it was 4-3 Philly. Pedro Feliz's single gave Philadelphia a lead they would not relinquish. Carlos Ruiz was next, but Chad Bradford got ahead of him 0-2. On the next pitch (With Price warming up for Tampa), Ruiz lined one back through the box, and seemingly into centre field o. Chad Bradford got out of the way of it, and it looked as though Carlos had a hit. But second basemen Akinori Iwamura dove to his right to stop the bouncer, and snagged it. Had Felix not been on first, Iwamura would have had a tough play to first, and the momentum was carrying him the wrong way. Jason Bartlett covered second and Akinori got him the ball for one amazing force.<br /><br />The Phillies would have to settle for a one-run lead.<br /><br />J.C. Romero had gotten the home team out of the seventh inning, then retired the Rays in the eighth, facing only three batters (He got a double play). The ninth inning was not easy, as you knew Tampa wasn't going to go down without a fight.<br /><br />Brad Lidge was on to nail it down. But after retiring the first batter, Lidge gave up a single to Dioner Navarro. Fernando Perez came on to run for Navarro. Pinch hitter Ben Zobrist batted next. Would Fernando test Carlos? You bet. Perez swiped second on the third pitch to Zobrist. It was the seventh stolen base of the Fall Classic for the Rays. So the tying run was at second. But Zobrist flied out and another pinch hitter, Eric Hinske fanned on three pitches. <br /><br />So Ruiz had to be contest with having nabbed just one base runner. He was also just 1-4. Meanwhile, teammate Jayson Werth had a huge game, going 2-3 with two bases on balls. Werth had been hitting .364 after three games, whereas Carlos Ruiz had been at an even .500. It was a close finish, as Werth finished the 2088 Fall Classic leading all players in batting average, .444. The catcher on Philadelphia finished .375.<br /><br />Did it matter to Chooch, when all was said and done? The regular season had ended with a poor batting average. The Fall Classic ended with him right near the top in batting. And when asked by Ian Riccaboni in 2014, "What was your favorite moment as a Phillie?" the catcher gave an affirmative answer, "The final out of the World Series. Definitely when we won the World Series. It was one of those things you’ll never forget, it was real special." Ruiz had made that special moment in the City of Brotherly Love possible.<br /><br /><br /><b>References</b><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div>Morissey, Scott C. <i>114 World Series in 1 Book</i>. Updated ed., Pandamonium Publishing House, 2020.<br /><br /><br /><br />Riccaboni, Ian. “PN Interview: Carlos Ruiz.” <i>Phillies Nation</i>, Phillies Nation, 8 Oct. 2014, <a href="https://www.philliesnation.com/2014/10/pn-interview-carlos-ruiz/">https://www.philliesnation.com/2014/10/pn-interview-carlos-ruiz/</a>. 29 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sports Reference LLC. <i>Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information</i>. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/">http://www.baseball-reference.com/</a>. 29 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">https://en.wikipedia.org/</a>. 29 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>World Series 2008</i>. Fox Broadcasting Company, Oct. 2008, https://www.youtube.com/. Accessed 29 Apr. 2023. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>YouTube</i>, Google, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. 29 Apr. 2023.</div></div>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-50181973141793757972023-04-28T19:43:00.002-04:002023-05-03T13:05:40.351-04:00World Series: Did You Know?<p> The top two batters in 1984 were a superstar and a ridiculed player. Well, opposite ends of the spectrum.<br /><br />Al Trammell, the shortstop on Detroit, was the big gun for the Tigers. San Diego countered with Kurt Bevacqua. The Padres were a bit of an underdog, but if you think about it, they had the edge. The 1984 World Series would (as it is now) use a designated hitter all Fall Classic, even in San Diego. So, a team that normally just had the pitcher in the ninth slow could add a hitter.<br /><br />Kurt played two positions in the infield (3B and 1B) plus two outfield (LF and RF) positions. His stats suggest he was a below-average fielder. In the National League Championship Series, Kurt played in two games, coming to bat twice. 0-2, and hit into a double play. Trammell was great in the American League Championship Series, hitting .364 against Kansas City. He'd win his fourth Gold Glove in 1984. So Alan could field. Could he hit? .314, 14 home runs, 69 runs driven in.<br /><br />See, Bevacqua got into only 59 regular seasons game in 1984, hitting just .200 with one home runs and nine runs driven in. So he couldn't hit or field in '84. What was his manager thinking? Putting him in the designated hitter role for game one. Detroit wasn't fooling anyone in that they wanted this thing. They started out 35-5 that year, ending up with 104 wins. San Diego had to be content with just 92 wins themselves.<br /><br />So game one was close. Trammell, who graduated from Kearny High School, right there in San Diego, put the Bengals on top with an RBI in the top of the first via a single. The shortstop then caught trying to go to second with Kirk Gibson up. Was this crucial? Well, The Tigers got two more hits in that inning, both of them singles, but no runs.<br /><br />Surprisingly, the Padres came back with two of their own to answer that, right in their first at-bats. But Bevacqua was behind Trammell in hits and RBIs. In fact, Alan added a single next time up, in the top of the third, and this time stole second! However, no runs were scored, period, by Detroit that inning.<br /><br />Trammell was retired in the fifth inning, but so was Bevacqua. And, more importantly, Detroit reclaimed the lead on a two-run home run by Larry Herndon. From there, the pitching of the Tigers' Jack Morris and the Padres' Andy Hawkins / Dave Dravecky did the job. San Diego starter Mark Thurmond hadn't pitched too bad, allowing three runs in five innings. So he took the loss, but the bullpen gave San Diego a chance to win. Perhaps some of the defeat could be placed on Kurt Bevacqua, as he out attempting to stretch a double into a triple in the seventh. Kurt was batting in the ninth slot, and there were no outs when got the hit. I guess both he and Allan needed to stop being so aggressive on the bases. Still, bottom line, Trammell was 2-5 and Bevacqua was 1-3. It's not like these two men took their time becoming heroes in the 1984 October Finale.<br /><br />Speaking of heroes, it was pretty much Kurt that was in game two. Oh, it started out pretty bad for the home team. The Padres watched as Allan Trammell followed Lou Whitaker's leadoff single in the first with one of his own. Both ended up scoring. Whitaker on Kirk Gibson's single. There were still no outs, and the first three men had gotten hits. Lance Parrish cashed in Trammell with a sacrifice fly. Gibson, too, ended up scoring.<br /><br />So down 3-0, San Diego came up in the bottom of the first, and got one run back. But when would Kurt Bevacqua do something? I told you he was the big gun in the second contest.<br /><br />Okay, here's what he did. He singled in the fourth. Garry Templeton got a one-out single himself. Bevacqua motored to third. As he got up, Kurt talked to third base coach, Ozzie Virgil (Sr.)<br /><br />"I pulled a muscle," he told Virgil. "You did?" Where, in the leg?" the coach asked of his player. "It's alright," Bevacqua assured him. Ozzie was firm in his reaction that his player was truly okay. "You make sure now [That you can still play]." Bobby Brown hit into a force, and the man from third scored. Trammell fanned his next two times up, but Kurt Bevacqua wasn't retired after grounding out in the bottom of the second. In the fifth, he came up with two on and one out. His team trailed by a run. "Get it done, Kurt. Right man in the right spot!" That was his manager Dick Williams with some great encouragement. But even Williams could not have expected what happened on an 0-1 pitch.<br /><br />Bevacqua sent Detroit starter Dan Petry to the showers with a huge three-run home run. That turned his teams' fortunes around. Down 3-2, now up, 5-3. Talk about charging up your team! Kurt was so charged up, he did a jump and spin around as he neared first. Let him explain.<br /><br />“It certainly gets your adrenaline going," Kurt would say in a Zoom session years later, "especially the first one [The home run] in game two that I hit, because you know, I wasn't, known to be a home run hitter. I don't recall, at least at the professional, level ever going the plate trying to hit a home run and getting it done.”</p><div>Alan Trammell singled in the eight but was stranded. Bevacqua had added a single an inning earlier, part of his 3-4 day. Alas, Carmelo Martínez came up in the bottom of the seventh. Kurt was still on first. One out, one on. Doug Bair fanned him on a payoff pitch, which Bevacqua took off on. Lance Parrish fired to Lou Whitaker, and Kurt was DOA. </div><p>Well, some good and some bad from the San Diego designated hitter. But, the important thing was, Kurt had redeemed himself. A 5-3 win by the Padres sent this extravaganza to Detroit, tied 1-1. We can say that So blunders on the base paths were still a bit of a problem for both players. More Bevacqua at this point. However, the win in game two was huge. It's quite likely that the Padres would have been swept had they lost it.<br /><br />It seemed like the Tigers were ready, willing and able to settle this nonsense. Their big guns chased starter Tim Lollar in the second. Well, there was Marty Castillo, the number nine hitter, swatting a big, two-run dinger. Lou Whitaker kept the rally going with a walk, and then Alan Trammell continued his hot-hitting. His doubled plated his pal Whitaker. Detroit loaded the bases, with Trammell scoring on a bases on balls to Larry Herndon.<br /><br />Well, 4-0. San Diego got one back in the top third, but that only temporarily made it closer. Trammell had a walk and a hit to his name. He was one of three Tigers' who walked in the bottom of the third. Darrell Evans crossed the plate when Kirk Gibson was hit by a pitch. So, twice the Tigers' had gotten men home as the Padres loaded the bases and forced in the man. Walks, hit by pitches, had to stop. Gotta make the opposition hit the ball!<br /><br />Kurt Bevacqua tried to help. He started the top of the fourth with a single. With one away, Garry Templeton singled. But the next two batters hit into force plays, so San Diego got nothing. They finally pried a run loose in the seventh, but that was it. Trammell ended the game with two hits and two walks. Bevacqua was only 1-4 (Even though his team out-hit Detroit, 10-7).<br /><br />Well, Kurt and the boys would have to be better in game four, which was a big one. But you know what, Alan Trammell had no intentions of letting San Diego get ahead. He belted a two-run home run in the bottom of the first.<br /><br />Here, though, San Diego didn't waste much more time. Terry Kennedy hit a solo shot in the top of the second. Bevacqua was next, and he doubled. They were getting to Jack Morris early. Morris got out of the inning without further damaged, and that proved to be vital.<br /><br />You know, though? Alan Trammell came back up in the third. As was the case in the first, his fellow double-play partner Lou Whitaker was on first. And, again Alan came up big. A two-run home run put Detroit up 4-1. Trammell added a single in the fifth, but did not score. Kurt Bevacqua had to settle for his double first time up. Still, he finished 1-3. He was now hitting .375 in the postseason despite that tough League Championship Series. Trammell, though, finished 3-4. There just had to be "MVP" whispers. Two hits in game one. Two more in the second contest. Still again, two, in the third. And now three here in the fourth. Alan was up to a .563 batting average in the 1984 World Series. His team, which won the pivotal fourth contest, 4-2, was but one triumph away from a season for the ages.<br /><br />So it was do-or-die for Kurt and company in game five. Detroit didn't want to go back to San Diego.<br /><br />Again, the Tigers were deadly early in the game. Trammell himself forced Whitaker at second in the first inning. But then Kirk Gibson hit a two-run home run. 2-0. It as 3-0 by the time the Padres got that third out.<br /><br />Still, come the top of the fourth, San Diego battled. They'd gotten one run back in the third. Kurt Bevacqua walked. A good start. Garry Templeton<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>hit a one-out double, on which left fielder Larry Herndon, slipped after cutting it off. Tying run at second. Bobby Wiggins hit a sacrifice fly to centre. It was fitting that Bevacqua scored here. All throughout the 1984 World Series, he'd helped his team stay right with the Tigers. Before Detroit could pick up lumber in their half of the inning, it was tied.<br /><br />The home team regained the lead an inning later. Lance Parrish added a solo home run to make it 5-3, Detroit, in the seventh. Time was running out. San Diego had one last gasp. Guess who came up in the top of the eighth? Why Bevacqua. But he was up against Detroit's bullpen ace, Willie Hernández. Two down, no one on. The first pitch to Kurt was a fastball. But it caught too much of the plate, and was at the letters. Bevacqua smashed it deep to left. It landed in the second deck, high above Larry Herndon. The Padres were not going away quietly. "...we got a game again," observed Vince Scully. Two home runs in the 1984 October Finale for Kurt Bevacqua, who'd hit a grand total of one in the regular season.<br /><br />Unfortunately for Kurt and company, the Tigers regrouped in their half of the eighth. Alan Trammell, who finished the game without a hit, came up with two on and nobody out. He bunted both men into scoring position, setting up Kirk Gibson's three-run home run. It was game over, and everybody knew it.<br /><br />Neither Trammell nor Bevacqua would bat again in this Fall Classic. Each had gone yard twice in only five games. Trammell led all hitters with a .450 batting average. But right behind him was Kurt Bevacqua. Tommy Lasorda probably got around to thanking Trammell at some point, for outhitting him, .412.<br /><br /><br /><br /></p><p><b>References</b></p><p><br /><br />“An Interview with Major League Baseball Player Kurt Bevacqua From Dirty Kurt’s Dugout.” <i>YouTube</i>, Keeping The Nostalgia Alive Show, Google, 19 Nov. 2022, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AipqYQRImjs&amp;t=2547s">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AipqYQRImjs&amp;t=2547s</a>. Accessed 28 Apr. 2023. <br /><br /><br />Enders, Eric. <i>100 Years Of The World Series</i>. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.<br /><br /><br />James H. Williams at Coachella, "Dodgers' Joc Pederson hits a 3-run home run. Pederson reaches bases and yells 'YOU LIKE THAT!' #ThisTeam" <i>Twitter</i>, 28 Oct. 2017, <a href="https://twitter.com/JHWreporter/status/924475161197264896">https://twitter.com/JHWreporter/status/924475161197264896</a></p><p><br /><br />Major League Baseball Productions. <i>1984 World Series Highlights</i>. Youtube.</p><p><br /></p><p>Morissey, Scott C. 114 <i>World Series in 1 Book</i>. Updated ed., Pandamonium Publishing House, 2020.</p><p><br /></p><p>Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. <i>The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992</i>. 12th ed. St. Martin's Press, 1992. </p><p><br /></p><p>--------------. <i>The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903-1989</i>, St. Martin's Press, 1990.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nemec, David et all. <i>20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball</i>. Collector's Edition. Publications International, 1993. <br /><br /><br /><i>1984 World Series</i>. National Broadcasting Company, Oct. 1984, Accessed 28 Apr. 2023. Television broadcast (YouTube). <br /><br /><br />“1984 World Series Highlights.” <i>YouTube</i>, Major League Baseball Productions, 1984, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LlPFj32aNM">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LlPFj32aNM</a>. Accessed 28 Apr. 2023. <br /><br /><br /></p><p><i>Society For American Baseball Research</i>, SABR. <a href="https://sabr.org/">https://sabr.org/</a>. 28 Apr. 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Reference LLC. <i>Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information</i>. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/">http://www.baseball-reference.com/</a>. 28 Apr. 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">https://en.wikipedia.org/</a>. 28 Apr. 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>YouTube</i>, Google, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. 28 Apr. 2023.</p>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-62830817826337737322023-04-25T14:31:00.005-04:002023-04-25T14:39:34.105-04:00World Series: Did You Know?The MVP of 1992 had a lot of trouble with the Atlanta Braves' running game.<br /><br />It's ironic. There was Tim McCarver in the broadcast booth of CBS Sports. Tim was a speedster back in the day, so when he saw Atlanta running all over the place on Toronto catcher Pat Borders, it must have made him sad.<br /><br />Pat had a fairly good 1992 season for the Blue Jays. He'd hit thirteen home runs, despite batting in the eight slot. Even Manuel Lee, who hit behind him, wasn't exactly a slough. Lee, though, hit .263 that year compared to Borders' .242. <br /><br />Described by Kevin Glew as, "...a blue collar, team-first player on a roster full of stars," Pat had made up for a lackluster 1991 season. Borders' American League Championship performance in '91 against the Minnesota Twins (Which Toronto lost in five games), showed he was clutch, to go along with a hit in his lone time up at that stage against Oakland in 1989 (Also a five-game loss), seemed to show that he could rise to the occasion when the Blue Jays needed him most. A bit of inconsistency season-to-season might have raised some eyebrows in the early 1990s. In 1990, he'd hit 15 home runs and batted .286, raising hopes that he'd make the fans forget about his predecessor, Ernie Whitt. And the other player who Pat competed with until 1992, for the catcher's job, Greg Myers. Great in 1990, way off in '91, back to a slugger the next year, but still only hitting .242. Was Pat Borders up to the challenge when it mattered most in '92?<br /><br />Pat, though, added a home run in the 1992 American League Championship Series against Oakland. Better still, Toronto was finally over the hump. They got through in six games. The Toronto Blue Jays were heading to the World Series for the first time ever. So, how did Borders do overall? Well, he hit .318, to go along with his long ball and three runs driven in. Now, for the bad news: Willie Wilson of the Athletics stole seven bases, and Oakland finished with sixteen swipes in just six games! Toronto had overcome that to get to the final showdown.<br /><br />Atlanta, though, had been to the World Series in 1991, and now were back a year later. Borders was going to have to rely on his bat and throwing arm to make himself miserable to the Braves. Could the lumber overcome the Braves' thunder around the bases? Pat was sure to be challenged by speedsters Otis Nixon (Who batted leadoff) and two-sports star, Deion "Prime Time" Sanders! <br /><br />All it took was one inning for Pat to find out about a Brave New World he was in. Fulton County Stadium, the Braves wanted another shot at Jack Morris, who'd beaten them in game seven of the Fall Classic prior to this.<br /><br />There was Otis Nixon. Although generally a slap hitter, he poised a problem for Morris. And Borders. In the bottom of the first, Nixon singled and stole second. Credit Morris for getting out of what could have been a tough inning without a run.<br /><br />Borders came up the next inning. Dave Winfield had started it off on the right foot, as Toronto got their first hit of Atlanta's Tom Glavine. Glavine bore down, and got the next two batters out. But, Borders singled to keep the rally alive. Manuel Lee forced Borders at second to end it.<br /><br />The game settled down into a fine pitching duel. But Morris was having control problems, so Borders was helping him keep it all together as far as calling the game. Atlanta got two men on in the fourth, and two more the next inning. All via bases on balls. Jack also threw a wild pitch in the fourth, which put runners on second and third. Atlanta did not score either inning. Toronto actually had a 1-0 lead, as Joe Carter hit a solo home run in the top of the fourth. However, from there, pretty much every batter (sans Borders) seemed to be stymied.<br /><br />The sixth inning is where it all came apart. Morris got the first batter out. But then, Dave Justice walked. Sid Bream singled. Ron Gant hit a grounder to Manuel Lee. Lee got it to Roberto Alomar at second, but the ball had been hit too slow to turn two.<br /><br />This was crucial. Gant stole second. The inning continued, where it could have ended had Gant hit the ball harder. And a steal of second eliminated the force. The next batter, Damon Berryhill (Himself, a catcher), hit a big, three-run home run. Pat Borders started the eighth inning off with a single, only to be erased via a double play.<br /><br />So Atlanta won, 3-1. They'd trot out another ace in John Smoltz in the second game. Pat Borders and the Blue Jays were in for a long night.<br /><br />It all seemed to come apart in the second. Dave Justice walked, and then stole second with one out (On the second pitch to Jeff Blauser) when Borders seemed to hesitate on the throw to second. The throw ended up in centre field, although the runner remained on second. Justice's steals in the 1992 regular season? Two. Now, everyone on the Braves was running!<br /><br />Well, that led to a run. Smoltz held the lead through four innings, and even got some insurance along the way. The first two men were retired in the top of the fifth, and things looked grim. Atlanta was up 2-0, and their starter was having one awesome game, for the second day in a row.<br /><br />Well, Blue Jay manager Cito Gaston wasn't happy with a wrapping that John Smoltz had added on a play at the plate in the fourth. He asked home plate umpire Mike Reilly about this, and Smoltz removed it. Would it make a difference?<br /><br />Well, Pat Borders came up. His bat was hot. 2-3 in game one. Smoltz had gotten him up first time up, and now seemed poised for a 1-2-3 fifth. But removing the wrapping seemed to undo him here. Borders got ahead in the count, 2-1. After Smoltz threw a strike to even the count, he lost control of the situation. And of his pitches. His next pitch was low. Full count. The payoff pitch was taken by Borders, a fastball low. It paid off to take it, since it was ball four.<br /><br />You know, from there, Toronto really woke up. Manuel Lee singled. So did pitcher David Cone. That scored Borders. Devon White came through with a single of his own. 2-2.<br /><br />The good times didn't last for Pat and Toronto. Atlanta went right back, terrorizing him on the basepaths. Deion Sanders singled with one out in the Braves' half of the fifth. And...stole second. This led to a run. Atlanta knocked Cone out of the game. And they added a fourth run later in the frame.<div><br /></div><div>Well, it was time for Pat to connect. He was 0-1 with a walk, but then got a two-bagger in the eighth. But no one was on. With two down and Candy Maldonado up (Pinch-hitting), Smoltz threw a wild pitch (a ball, of course) with the count 0-2. But Maldonado fanned on the very next offering from Smoltz.<br /><br />Well, that inning didn't do the trick. The eighth was better. The Blue Jays clawed back to score, and knock out Smoltz. Still, it was 4-3 Braves in the top of the ninth. Jeff Reardon came in to close it out, and put Atlanta up 2-0 in the 1992 World Series. Borders smacked the first pitch he saw to right. It was well hit, but right at Dave Justice.<br /><br />Well, Pat couldn't be the hero. But two pinch-hitters saved the day for the Jays. Derek Bell batted for Lee and walked. Then, another catcher for Toronto pinch hit. Ed Sprague took Reardon out of the park! 5-4, Blue Jays.<br /><br />So, three more outs. Toronto sent out Tom Henke, their closer, to get it done. It wasn't easy. A hit-by-pitch. A stolen base by Ron Gant. A walk. Terry Pendleton popped out to end the game.<br /><br />Back home at the SkyDome, Borders got a hit his first time up. Atlanta starter Steve Avery was every bit as good at Glavine and Smoltz. The Blue Jays led 1-0 early. A key out by Avery was in the bottom of the fifth.<br /><br />Kelly Gruber, struggling with no hits since game two of the ALCS, walked with one away. Pat Borders was back up. While taking a strike, Sean McDonough, up in the CBS broadcast booth next to Tim McCarver, noted that Borders was (Albeit quietly) having one awesome postseason. "Borders with his base hit his first time up, now 11 for 29 in the postseason. That's a .379 average, the highest for any player on either team." Pat would foul off the next pitch, the 1-2. But he couldn't get his bat on the next pitch, which he swung on for strike three. Gruber stole second, so the out was big. But now, there were two away. Lee was retired to end the inning.<br /><br />So, Atlanta seemed to wake up from there. Three hits off Juan Guzman scored a run to tie it in the third. In the eighth, an error by Gruber put Otis Nixon at first. On cue, he stole second on an 0-1 pitch to Deion Sanders. Guzman got both Sanders and Terry Pendleton out, but the inning continued as the Blue Jays took the bat out of Justice's hands. Dave was not going to steal second. But with runners on the corners, and without the benefit of a hit, Guzman faced Lonnie Smith. Smith came through with a big hit, Justice out trying to get to third. But Nixon had scored. Again, the stolen base had made a huge difference.<br /><br />Still Guzman had pitched well, and Borders had caught a fair game. He was slated to bat second as the Jays took their lumber out in their half of the inning. Well, could Gruber get on again.<br /><br />He did, but Borders would have no RBI chance. You see, Gruber smacked a home run! What a time. 2-2. And now, Borders looked to keep the rally going. He rocketed one to centre on Avery's 0-1. Surely, extra bases. Otis Nixon, however, was every bit the fielder that he was the batter, base stealer. On the warning track, no less, he leaped, and caught it! Toronto, discouraged, saw the next two batters go down.<br /><br />And Atlanta, boasted by Nixon's great catch, looked to take the lead for the second time tonight in the top of the ninth. Duane Ward, the game two winner for the Blue Jays, took over for Juan Guzman. Alas, Sid Bream greeted him with a single. Brian Hunter came in to run. Was this for speed?<br /><br />Well, the Braves went to the well one too many times. Hunter took off on a 2-2 to Jeff Blauser. Borders, to shortstop Lee...In time! And Lee had seen Blauser try to hold up his swing on the pitch. Had he gone around. He looked straight at Pat Borders, pointing to first. Pat asked first-base umpire, Dan Morrison, "Did he [Blauser] go [around]?" Yes! A huge double play!<br /><br />"First they [Toronto Blue Jays] got the out at second, and what a <i>big</i> time for Pat borders to find the range in throwing somebody out, then they appealed down to first, and Dan Morrison got out the cash register to ring up Jeff Blauser!"<br /><br />Well, that turn of events was great for the Toronto battery. Ward ended up the winning pitcher (For the second straight game) and Borders had himself a fine game. The Blue Jays would pull it out, walk-off style, in the bottom of the ninth, on Maldonado's single.<br /><br />Okay, but can't Borders get an RBI? Well, game four was a lefy-lefty situation. For the Blue Jays, Jimmy Key. For the Braves, Tom Glavine. Atlanta seemed to have the edge, as Key had but one appearance, in relief, the American League Championship Series. Pat Borders worked out prior to the first pitch. Both ex-catcher (And now bench coach) Gene Tenace and bullpen coach John Sullivan worked on that arm. Normally, you work with the arm of the pitcher. But here, some help was needed in getting Pat to practice gunning that ball to second (Or perhaps third).<br /><br />But Key helped the situation, including the catcher. Otis Nixon greeted Key with a single. You know the drill, eh? However, Nixon ended up picked off. Jeff Blauser, seeking redemption from last night, singled. Unlike Nixon, he was not picked off. He stole second. Key settled down, and got the next two men out. But, having allowed two hits, and a stolen base, would it be a short outing?<br /><br />And could the Blue Jays get to Glavine? He'd allowed just four hits in game one, even though that's the same amount of hits Atlanta managed that night. Tom looked awesome. Sure, Roberto Alomar singled off him in the bottom of the first (And stole second, himself), but Toronto did not score. Down went the Blue Jays 1-2-3 in the second.<br /><br />But up stepped the Toronto catcher to lead off the bottom of the third. On a 1-1 pitch, Glavine threw a changeup to Pat Borders. He launched it to left. It had the legs. But would it stay fair. Well, let's just say Borders got a Carlton Fisk like result: It hit the foul pole! 1-0, Blue Jays. Do you know how many home runs Pat got off lefties in the regular season? Zero.<br /><br />"I didn't think it was gonna stay fair, or even get out of the park, so I was just heading towards second, trying to squeeze a double out it, maybe." This was such a big hit. Key seemed to be energized, along with the rest of the Blue Jays. And now, no one could ignore Borders on either team. He was 5-10 at the plate in the Fall Classic.</div><div><br />It wasn't as if Glavine didn't stick right with Key. In the fourth, the first two Toronto batters got on. Maldonado was next, but he only flied out. Borders would follow Gruber. But Kelly hit into an inning-ending double play.<br /><br />Borders himself had another crack at Glavine the next inning, of course, but he grounded out. Part of a 1-2-3 fifth. Nixon singled with two away in the sixth. Would he try Borders again? Tim McCarver, never one to not know about situations exactly like this, said, "He'll be tested right here." But maybe that pickoff back in the first might make him think twice. Key nearly picked him off. What a difference having a left-handed pitcher work a game for Toronto did to the Atlanta running game. Nixon did not try to steal, because on the first pitch to Jeff Blauser, the Braves' shortstop hit it to third. Kelly Gruber just got the force at second.<br /><br />Gruber drew a walk to lead off the last of the seventh. Toronto would need to start coming up with hits. They needed insurance, having failed to cash in two men the previous inning. Borders battled Glavine to 2-2, after trying to bunt Gruber to second. He smacked it to right. But Nixon easily got to it. Toronto ended up scoring a run anyways. Lee grounded out, moving Gruber into scoring position. Devon White singled Gruber home.<br /><br />The run was big. Atlanta came back, and got a run on two hits, and a grounder. There were two away, and Key departed. Duane Ward came in, and fanned Nixon. That should have been the third out, but no.<br /><br />Pat Borders couldn't stop the pitch in the dirt. It was scored a wild pitch. But the bottom like was, Brian Hunter was on first, and Otis Nixon on first. First pitch to Jeff Blauser, Otis took off. Pat didn't even bother throwing. To be fair, the pitch was inside and tough to handle. Blauser hit the ball well to first, but John Olerud was there to make a fine play, unassisted.<br /><br />Borders did not bat again, as Toronto was retired 1-2-3 in their half of the eighth. But Tom Henke also got Atlanta in order in the ninth. The Blue Jays needed just one more win to wrap it all up. They'd managed just six hits off Glavine, so Borders going 1-3 was impressive.<br /><br />And they were at home for game five. But Nixon and company were bound and determined to make 'em hold the champagne. Nixon singled on the very first pitch of the ballgame from Jack Morris. Touched by a fan, it was a double. With one out, and on a 1-1 to Terry Pendleton, Nixon turned on the jets. The pitch was low, in the dirt. There was no chance at Nixon. Pendleton doubled himself. 1-0, Atlanta.<br /><br />It seemed cruel, as it wasn't all Pat's fault. He'd have to wait a bit to contribute. He was still stuck on one RBI, you know. John Smoltz was back on the hill himself, having faced Morris in game seven of 1991. He had a nice 1-2-3 first, so Borders would not bat. In the second, he got Dave Winfield to fly out to start. So it seemed unlikely that Pat would bat until the third inning.<br /><br />But John Olerud, who was 2-3 the previous contest, singled. Candy Maldonado, who'd had only one hit all series long, followed with a walk. Kelly Gruber, also stuck at one hit was up. If you're Borders, you need him to stay out of the double play. Well, Kelly gave it a big swing, but struck out. The good news was, you had two men on. But not for long.<br /><br />Borders stepped up, and crushed an inside pitch from Smoltz. First pitch swinging. At first, it looked like a three-run home run. Pat settled for a booming double. The game was tied, and Borders was 6-13. A hit in his next at-bat would boast his average back to .500!<br /><br />Actually, the Braves had been a little lucky. First, the ball stayed in the park. Second, Deion Sanders played it perfectly, so Maldonado only made it to third. It could have been 2-1, or even 3-1. Instead it was 1-1. And it stayed that way as Manuel Lee lined out.<br /><br />Atlanta took the lead again in the fourth. Dave Justice hit one way right. It found the seats. Up 2-1, and with two away, Jeff Blauser singled. He tried to steal on the first pitch to Damon Berryhill. Borders got him!<br /><br />And Pat wasn't through on this night. Once again, he watched as Olerud singled. Maldonado walked. The batters in front of him were getting hot. Well, except Gruber, who tried to bunt them over for Borders. On a 2-2 pitch, Gruber flied out. But that allowed Borders to come up.<br /><br />And Pat came through again. Smoltz had been falling behind the batters. Here, Borders looked at ball one. Ball two. Ball three. After fouling off the fourth offering, Pat was presented with a slider from John Smoltz, and he hit it back through the box. Olerud scored from second. The game was tied, again. But like the second inning, that was all Toronto got.<br /><br />The fifth inning seemed uneventful. Morris, unlike game one, had excellent control, with no walks. It took seven pitches, but Borders set up high, and Damon Berryhill swung and missed. Borders was calling it right, as the man on the mound had five strikeouts through four and two-thirds inning. It seemed like the inning would be quick for sure when Mark Lemke grounded out on the very next pitch.<br /><br />The roof caved in, though. Otis Nixon was back up, and he singled. On the first pitch to Deion Sanders, Borders and Morris tried a pitchout. The ball sailed into the backstop. Nixon went before that happened. Needless to say, he made it into second easily.<br /><br />Was it a crucial play? Sanders singled to centre. 3-2, Atlanta. They eventually loaded the bases, and when Lonnie Smith hit a grand slam, game six loomed.<br /><br />Down 7-2, Borders did not bat again until the last of the sixth. He swung at the first pitch from Smoltz, and grounded out. Part of a 1-2-3 inning. Borders tried to help in other ways. He had an amusing putout in the seventh. Pendleton swung, and the ball hit the plate and didn't go very far. Terry stayed there, perhaps trying to fool the umpire to think it hit his leg or went foul, making the play dead. Borders had no trouble making the putout unassisted. The Blue Jays pitching, after the fifth was excellent. So Pat did call a good game, as David Wells, Mike Timlin and Mark Eichhorn allowed just one hit and no runs in 3 1/3 innings. In the ninth, Atlanta tried to get something going, and Borders was involved in a bang-bang play at the plate which got the Blue Jays out of trouble.<br /><br />Again, the inning started out perfectly. Berryhill fanned. But then, Mark Lemke singled off Todd Stottlemyre. He did not attempt to steal. Nixon, who'd been robbed of a hit by John Olerud in the sixth, singled. Well, at least Nixon couldn't steal second. But when Sanders singled to centre, the bases were loaded.<br /><br />Pendleton was back up, and this time he was trying to fool anyone. He sent a ball to left. Medium depth. It would be 50-50 whether Lemke could make it. Maldonado made the catch, Lemke tagged. Maldonado gunned it. It was a little high, but Borders reached up for it, got it, and quickly slapped the tag on Lemke before he touched home! What a double play. "...sometimes catchers have to make that slap tag with the ball in the glove, the catcher's mitt not designed to make that play. That was his [Borders'] only choice," said Tim McCarver.<br /><br />Gruber came up in the last of the ninth, with Borders on deck. Atlanta had brought Mike Stanton on in the seventh to replace John Smoltz. He fell behind 3-0 to Gruber, but fought back to a full count. Kelly hung on before lifting the eighth pitch of the at-bat to centre. Nixon got to it without any problems. Pat Borders took a strike, then watched three balls go by. Even though Stanton's control had been excellent (no walks), he seemed to be tiring. Mark Wohlers had started throwing in the Braves' bullpen with Gruber up.<br /><br />Stanton threw a pitch that was knee high. Called a strike. Then he fouled off a high one to stay alive. Borders hit the seventh pitch Stanton threw to him down the third base line. However, Pendleton was right there, behind third. His throw, a one-hopper, beat Borders to first. Lee popped out in foul territory along first. It was on to Atlanta. Borders, like his team, had started off strong in game five, then faded. Pat collected two RBIs, but had been retired the last two times up.<br /><br />The Blue Jays started game six even better. For a while, they were getting the key hits. But with Borders, there were some mistakes. Toronto was up 1-0 when Pat batted in the top of the second. He singled against Steve Avery, who would not be as good as he'd been in the third contest. However, Manuel Lee flied out. David Cone, the Jays' starter, hit into a double play. And while Cone was not the hitter he'd been in the second contest (2-2 with an RBI), his pitching was a notch or two up.<br /><br />Atlanta tied it in the bottom of the third. Did a stolen base contribute to it? Yes. Deion Sanders doubled with one away, then took off on the 1-1 to Pendleton. Deion was safe at third, scoring when Terry flied out. The Braves were still running on Pat Borders.<br /><br />But then, Candy Maldonado blasted Avery's second pitch of the fourth inning way above Sanders' head in left. It found the bleachers. Kelly Gruber grounded out, but Borders doubled. They were really hitting Avery now. The Atlanta pitcher wouldn't be around much longer. And the Toronto catcher? He was batting an even .500 (9-18).<br /><br />With two down, Cone came back up. This time, he walked. Devon White lashed a single to left on Avery's second pitch to him. Borders rounded third and gunned it for home. Deion Sanders throw was accurate, and Pat Borders was a goner, 7-2.<br /><br />In the bottom of the fifth, Cone was protecting his one-run lead. Mark Lemke walked. With two away, Sanders singled him to third. Here goes Prime Time again! He beat the throw from Borders for his second stolen base of the night. But Pendleton was retired.<br /><br />Pete Smith, who took over for the battered Avery, retired Borders for the first time in the sixth. It was still 2-1 for the visitors. <br /><br />Cone, pitching terrifically, left after six innings. Todd Stottlemyre, who'd been lucky to pitch that scoreless ninth in the fifth contest, started out the seventh all right. Lemke fanned. However, Borders had some trouble with it, and got it to Joe Carter at first to complete the K. It would not be Pat's last assist of the frame. Jeff Treadway batted for Smith and grounded out. Nixon, though, singled. Then came a big moment.<br /><br />David Wells hopped in from the bullpen. He kept Nixon at first occupied. At least until Otis took off on a 1-2 pitch to Ron Gant. Ball two. Nixon was blazing a trail towards second. However, Borders threw a perfect strike to Roberto Alomar. Out!<br /><br />"...You gotta give credit to David [Wells]," Border would say later, "He gave me plenty of time to throw him [Nixon] out..."<br /><br />So Mike Stanton came back to pitch, fresh off his excellent work the day before. Here, though, he encountered problems. First, Maldonado greeted him with a single. Gruber got the bunt down on the first pitch. So Pate Borders was looking for his fourth RBI in his last three games. But Stanton was taking no chances. He'd nearly walked Borders the last time he faced him. Here, down 2-1, Mike gave Pat an intentional walk. So Borders was 2-3 with a walk. Manuel Lee batted, but it was like the last time the two had met. Lee popped out to first. Darek Bell was sent up to hit for Wells, and grounded out.<br /><br />The Braves rallied in the ninth to tie it. So the Blue Jays went back to work in extras. The suddenly red-hot Candy Maldonado was first up against Charlie Leibrandt, who'd beaten the Blue Jays in game seven of the ALCS back in 1985. Maldonado grounded out. But Kelly Gruber followed with a single. Would Pat Borders be the hero?<br /><br />The average was "down" to .474, having been as high as .500 earlier in the contest. He got a little under Leibrandt's first offering, flying out to Deion Sanders in left. When pinch-hitter Pat Tabler lined back to the pitcher, the Jays were done for the tenth.<br /><br />But Tom Henke and Jimmy Key got the Braves out 1-2-3 in the bottom of the frame, which gave Toronto another chance. They pounced, scoring twice. While Atlanta got one back, when Otis Nixon was retired at first base, the World Series belonged to Pat Borders' team.<br /><br />He wasn't quite there in the eleventh inning, to do anything. However, there was no doubt who was going to be MVP of the 1992 Fall Classic. Pat had collected a hit in all six World Series games. Remarkably enough, Pat had fanned just once all series. It had been a great Fall Classic, with the Blue Jays winning their four games by one run, each.<br /><br />"...Nothing came easy this whole series," Jack Morris would tell CTV's Rod Black after game six, "but what is so great about it is we were in it together...there wasn't one guy who stood out other than Pat Borders who had a great series offensively."<br /><br />TSN's Geno Reda, hosting <i>Sportsdesk</i> (Now called, <i>Sportscentre</i>), would say, "...the most important person in this series, by far, the MVP Pat Borders."<br /><br />The problem Pat had, was keeping the Braves in check once they got to first or second. Atlanta stole fifteen bases, Nixon and Sanders with five each. Put in perspective, the entire Toronto team stole just six basses all series. All told on the Braves, there was fifteen pilfers. Borders would have to be content with nabbing Nixon, Blauser and Hunter one time each. But did that take away from his performance a the dish? I don't think so. Atlanta was a daring team on the bases, and even the singles hitters could get to second (and perhaps third), in a blink of an eye. Atlanta would return to the Fall Classic three more times in the decade, winning it all in 1995. Pat himself would return to catch in 1993 (When a kid named Carlos Delgado, who was originally a catcher, showed up late that season, Pat's days as a Blue Jay were numbered) and win another World Championship. In 1997, Borders was added to the Cleveland Indians postseason roster, but did not appear in a seven-game loss in the October Finale to the Florida Marlins. But whether Pat knew it or not, in the here and the now, Borders was a hero across Canada. The Toronto catcher, though, wished he could share the Most Valuable Player Award with <br /><br />"...it's a shame they can only give it [The MVP] to only one person," he told Buck Martinez after game six.<br /><br /><br /><br /><b>References</b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><i>Baseball Tonight: The World Series</i>. The Sports Network, 25 Oct. 1992, <a href="https://youtu.be/CIFqzuAopqA?t=1153">https://youtu.be/CIFqzuAopqA?t=1153</a>. Accessed 25 Apr. 2023. <br /><br /><br /><i>CTV News</i>. CTV Television Network, 25 Oct. 1992, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLQTJDQwWTU&amp;t=1917s">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLQTJDQwWTU&amp;t=1917s</a>. Accessed 25 Apr. 2023. <br /><br /><br />Enders, Eric. <i>100 Years Of The World Series</i>. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.</div><div><br /><br />Gamester, George, and Gerald Hall. <i>On Top of the World: The Toronto Star’s Tribute to the ‘92 Blue Jays</i>. Doubleday Canada, 1992. <br /><br /><br />Glew, Kevin. “10 Things You Might Not Know About Pat Borders.” <i>Cooperstowners in Canada</i>, WordPress.com, 22 Mar. 2023, <a href="https://cooperstownersincanada.com/2023/03/22/10-things-you-might-not-know-about-pat-borders/">https://cooperstownersincanada.com/2023/03/22/10-things-you-might-not-know-about-pat-borders/</a>. 25 Apr. 2023.<br /><br /><br />Major League Baseball Productions. <i>1992 World Series Highlights</i>. DVD.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. <i>The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992</i>. 12th ed. St. Martin's Press, 1992.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>1992 World Series</i>, CBS Broadcasting Inc, Oct. 1992, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. Accessed 25 Apr. 2023. <br /><br /><br /><div><i>Society For American Baseball Research</i>, SABR. <a href="https://sabr.org/">https://sabr.org/</a>. 25 Apr. 2023.<br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sports Reference LLC. <i>Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information</i>. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/">http://www.baseball-reference.com/</a>. 25 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>SportsDesk</i>. The Sports Network, 25 Oct. 1992, <a href="https://youtu.be/GLQTJDQwWTU?t=5558">https://youtu.be/GLQTJDQwWTU?t=5558</a>. Accessed 25 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">https://en.wikipedia.org/</a>. 25 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>YouTube</i>, Google, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. 25 Apr. 2023.</div></div>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-85961453865119149332023-04-23T23:35:00.002-04:002023-04-24T17:09:37.702-04:00World Series: Did You Know?Johnny Edwards hit .364 in 1961, after hitting .186 in the regular season. The rookie catcher appeared in just 52 games with the Cincinnati Reds in '61, but was added by manager Fred Hutchinson to the postseason roster. It proved to be a wise move.<br /><br />The Reds' regular backstop was Jerry Zimmerman, who hit just .206 himself. You know, Cincinnati was clearly overmatched behind the plate. Let me put this in perspective. The New York Yankees, winners of 109 games that year, were the opposition. They had three men who could play catcher. Yogi Berra had moved to left field, but still caught fifteen games. All he did was hit 22 home runs. As a bonus, the 36-year old hit .271. There was his apparent behind the dish, Elston Howard, who hit 21 home runs in just 129 games. And led the team with a .348 batting average. Finally, there was Johnny Blanchard. Blanchard did more pinch-hitting (39 games) than catching that year (48 games). Although he appeared in 93 contests in 1961, Blanchard (Who also appeared in 15 games in the outfield), made 32 appearances that were exclusively as a substitute batter. Well, all he did was hit 21 home runs (Amazing, considering Johnny was to only accumulate 243 at-bats) and batted .305.<br /><br />So the Reds were overmatched, no matter who was catching for them. And, no matter who was catching for the Bronx Bombers. There was Darrell Johnson, who ironically had once played for the New York Yankees. Johnson showed potential in '61. He stated the year with Philadelphia, hitting .230 in 21 games. But, in August, Cincinnati purchased his contract. In 20 games with Cincy, Johnson hit .315. But just one home run.<br /><br />Bob Schmidt, who would play for the Yankees in 1965, was not added to the postseason. Neither was Ed Bailey gonna help. He might have actually been the best catcher on the Reds as 1961 began. But management decided to trade him to San Francisco in April. Bailey would finish '61 with 13 home runs and hit .245. But that was all in just 119 games played. Don't feel too bad for Bailey, he'd appear in six of the seven World Series contests the next season against...The New York Yankees.<br /><br />The one good thing about the 1961 World Series, if you were a Reds' fan, was they'd need help from everyone. Indeed, of the men added to the Cincinnati World Series roster, only Jay Hooks, a pitcher, failed to appear in a single postseason contest.<br /><br />Well, all that added up to an opening game, 2-0 loss. Jim O'Toole had pitched well for the Reds, but seemed a little out of his league against Whitey Ford, who went all the way for the Yankees. Darrell Johnson started the game for Cincinnati, failed to get a hit in two at-bats, and was removed for a pinch hitter. Jerry Zimmerman finished it up catching O'Toole for the bottom of the eighth, but did not bat.<br /><br />So, obviously, there would be lineup changes for the second contest. First, you had Joey Jay pitching for Cincinnati. And his batterymate, Johnny Edwards, who would hit in front of him in the eighth slot, was behind the dish.<br /><br />Ralph Terry, the New York pitcher, retired them both in a scoreless third. In the fifth, with the game tied, 2-2, Edwards would try to strike a match under Cincinnati. He only lined out to start the inning, but the Reds woke up and scored. They had the lead for good. But how about some contribution from Edwards?<br /><br />Well, he'd better have gotten at it soon. I mentioned in an earlier post that Bobby Richardson was on fire in this Fall Classic. Well, so was Clete Boyer, who was robbing the Reds of hits at third. In the bottom of the fifth, Boyer found other ways to contribute.<br /><br />He led off with a walk. Then, with one away, Richardson grounded to the shortstop. But Boyer, who was every bit the speedster his older brother Ken was, beat the toss to second, and Richardson had no trouble in being safe at first. Second basemen Elio Chacon's missile to first was to the outfield side of the bag, pulling Gordy Coleman off the bag. Jay fanned the next two batters to get out that mess. But he needed some insurance.<br /><br />Joey, fortunately, didn't have to wait too long. It was still 3-2, Cincy. Terry was matching Jay in a great pitcher's duel, at least until there were two away in the top of the sixth. Clete Boyer made an amazing play at third to retire Frank Robinson for the first out, if you are wondering. And then Terry fanned Coleman on a fine changeup (Ralph's seventh strikeout). So the Yankees' pitcher appeared to have things well under control.<br /><br />But then Wally Post launched a double to left. The Yankees appealed, claiming that Post missed first. Was the inning over, after all? The first base umpire, Frank Umont, didn't see it that way, so the inning continued. Gene Freese, having belted a two-run home run earlier, was intentionally walked. Two on, two outs. For Johnny Edwards. While it was a lefty-batter, righty-pitcher, you kind of figured the Yankees had the edge. Think again.<br /><br />Wait Hoyt, doing the game for NBC (Radio), explained to the audience that Edwards "... didn't make the starting lineup until just about an hour or so before game time is now stepping up."<br /><br />Wit the first pitch, Edwards got an offering from Terry to his liking. He sent a grounder to right, cashing in Post. What a big-time clutch hit. It was only a single, but now Edward's team was doubling up the Yankees, 4-2.<br /><br />Freese made it to third, but Ralph Terry retired his mound adversary to end that. Terry had a nice 1-2-3 seventh, but left when the Yankees batted and pinch hit for him in their half of the frame.<br /><br />A comical top of the eighth followed.<br /><br />The home team looked like the New York Mets of the following season. Luis Arroyo (15-5, 29 saves), pitched for New York. First, Robinson walked, with the fourth miss of the dish not even close. Coleman, a left-hander, didn't get all of it, and sent a grounder to Arroyo's right. In his haste to get Gordon at first, the Yankees' pitcher threw wild to Moose Skowron at first. The ball ended up going into the outfield. There, right fielder Johnny Blanchard (Playing there, as Roger Maris was in centre, subbing for Mickey Mantle), gunned it to third, trying to nail the Coleman at third. The throw got Gord. But Frank Robinson, fleet-footed, was going second to home all the way on the play. The Yankees knew they had no chance at him. Now, with the score 5-2, Reds, the game was getting away from the home team. Wally Post hit it to left. But instead of it being the second out, it seemed to pass through a transparent Berra (Perhaps losing it in the sun?). The error put runners on the corners for Gene Freese. Same as before, New York put him on. But again, Johnny Edwards came through.<br /><br />It might of been a lefty-lefty matchup, but the Reds' catcher didn't care. The 1-0 pitch was blooped to left behind Boyer at third, with a huge portion of the bat breaking off. Clete did not catch it. The ball fell in for a double which scored Post. Cincinnati didn't score again, but took the contest, 6-2.<br /><br />It must have felt good for Edwards, as his team was heading home to Crosley Field. And Johnny Edwards was back behind the plate.<br /><br />The game see-sawed back and forth. The Reds would get the lead, but the Yankees would come right back and tie it. Bob Purkey held the Yankees scoreless through six innings, working on an impressive one-hitter. Edwards, back behind the dish, was making sure the pitcher threw his knuckleballs to keep the mighty Bronx Bombers off-balance.<br /><br />You kind of figured, though, New York would find a way. Cincinnati looked to score first as Gordy Coleman singled off Bill Stafford to start the last of the second. Post flied out, but Freese walked. Edwards was up, and looked to keep his stick sizzling bat. Alas, he grounded out. Both runners advanced, but Purkey took strike three from Stafford.<br /><br />The Reds took the lead in any event, and held it until the seventh. The Yankees got on the board that inning, but the home team was undaunted. Their catcher was 0-2 in the contest, but was 2-6 overall (.333).<br /><br />With one away in the home half of the inning, Edwards launched one to the corner in right. Johnny Blanchard got to it, but the Cincinnati catcher was gunning for second, testing the arm of another backstopper (Still playing right). He beat the throw, and that was huge.<br /><br />Purkey fanned, so there were two down. The next batter was pinch hitter Jerry Lynch, who Stafford purposely passed. The strategy backfired, as Eddie Kasko singled, scoring Edwards. Just like that, Cincinnati was back up 2-1.<br /><br />And just like that, New York tied it, as Johnny Blanchard hit a home run in the top of the eighth. The next inning, another home run, this time off the bat of Roger Maris, put the Yankees ahead, 3-2. Could the Reds retaliate?<br /><br />Luis Arroyo had taken over for Bud Daley, who'd relieved Bill Stafford in the bottom of the seventh. So the ninth inning began with Gene Freese fanning. Because that set the stage for a lefty-lefty matchup, Fred Hutchinson sent up Leo Cardenas to hit for Edwards. The move appeared to work, as Cardenas just missed a home run, doubling off the scoreboard in left. Arroyo managed to get through the inning without allowing a run.<br /><br />The next game saw New York break open a close game, pulling away to a 7-0 win. Edwards did not play, and watched quite a hitting exhibition by the Yankees. Bobby Richardson had three hits, and was robbed of a fourth in the top of the eighth. Elio Chacon went to his right, and made an excellent, leaping catch. But such plays like that were not enough to stagger the red-hot bats of New York.<br /><br />Well, the Cincinnati was 0-2 against Ford, and down 3-1 in this series. Game five was a must-win, and the Reds offence was going the wrong way. From six runs, to two runs, to zero runs. They'd scored a total of eight runs overall in four games.<br /><br />So, Hutchinson played a hutch and put Johnny Edwards back in the lineup. He was hitting .429, with two RBIs. By comparison, the leading hitter for the Yankees was Bobby Richardson, who was up to .471 (8-17). Had Chacon not made the catch, it'd be a runaway, as Richardson would be at .529. So there was still a chance for Edwards to catch up. And while were are at it, let's take a look at the runs scored and RBI comparison through four contests, with Edwards playing just two games.<br /><br />Johnny Edwards: One run scored, two runs driven in<br /><br />Bobby Richardson: One run scored, <i>zero</i> runs driven in<br /><br />Okay, maybe Cincinnati could do some damage with the bats in the fifth contest. Alas, the visiting New York Yankees rushed out early.<br /><br />Richardson started the game with a single. I keep bringing him up! Hard not too, since his average was now .500 (9-18). The next two men were retired, but then a failed pickoff play resulted in Bobby reaching second. Johnny Blanchard hit a two-run home run, and the Reds could tell this wasn't going to be their day.<br /><br />Joey Jay, who'd been so good in game two, struggled here. Jim Maloney took over, but it seemed like it didn't matter who was pitching for Cincinnati. By the time Edwards grabbed a bat, it was 6-0 for New York. Johnny Edwards boasted his average to .500 (4-8) with a single in the second, moving Wally Post to third. But both runners were stranded.<br /><br />The next time Edwards grabbed a stick, it was closer. The Reds actually got rid of the Yankees' starter, Ralph Terry in the bottom of the third. Frank Robinson hit a three-run home run with one away. In order for the Cincinnati catcher to hit in this inning, two more men would have to get on, and either Wally Post or Gene Freese would have to stay out of the double play.<br /><br />Well, Gordy Coleman greeted new pitcher Bud Daley with a single. But Post flied out to Hector Lopez in left. Freese doubled. The crowd at Crosley Field was ecstatic! Cincinnati was up to eight hits in only two and two-thirds innings off Terry / Daley. So Johnny Edwards would bat after, all.<br /><br />Daley missed wide with his first pitch. Wait Hoyt announced that "The Yankees' bullpen is busy". Then, he noted that, "Both bullpen's busy, as the Reds have come alive in the bottom half of inning number three." Cincinnati had used up three pitchers. And Bill Henry, the fourth Reds' pitcher of the afternoon, would not be hitting for himself should Edwards get on. Bud Daley missed two more times to fall behind 3-0. He was one pitch away from loading the bases. <br /><br />The next pitch could have been ball four, but Johnny Edwards looked at strike one. Sadly, the inning ended as he popped up to Clete Boyer in foul territory. <br /><br />It seemed, like with that, the Yankees pounced on the Reds. They put up another five runs in the top of the fourth, driving out Bill Henry. Daley raced through the bottom half of the inning, and the Yankees went down 1-2-3 in the fifth. The Reds got a little bit going in the fifth, as Wally Post hit a two-run home run off Daley, making it 11-5. Johnny Edwards was in the on-deck circle as Gene Freese batted. The inning ended with Freese looking at strike three.<br /><br />New York added two more in the top of the sixth, and there seemed to be no end in sight for their offence. No Mickey Mantle. No Yogi Berra. No problem. Even Richardson ended the day 1-6 didn't stop them.<br /><br />Edwards led off the last of the sixth, but grounded out on the second pitch. Jim Brosnan and Ken Hunt would hold the Yankees at bay for the last three innings, but Bud Daley was every bit as good as they were. He did hit Wally Post to start the bottom of the eighth. Gene Freese flied out to Roger Maris in left-centre. Johnny Edwards came up, knowing it was probably his last plate appearance of 1961. He swung at Daley's first pitch, as curveball. He could only force Post at second. Jerry Lynch grabbed a bat to hit for the pitcher. He grounded out to Richardson.<br /><br />The New York Yankees, one of the greatest teams to ever take the field, won the game, 13-5. Johnny Edwards and the Cincinnati Reds had taken another beating, even though the home team had five runs and eleven hits themselves. A strong performance by Bud Daley had stopped their offence cold. Edwards had nonetheless collected a hit in all three games he appeared.<br /><br />"Edwards...was one of the few bright spots for the Reds in the recent World's (sic) Series," wrote Fred Lieb, "A .186 National League hitter, he cuffed Yankee pitching for .364 [batting average] in three [World Series] games."<br /><br />Edwards came back for 1962, and saw his batting improve. He hung on in the bigs until 1974. Then he moved on to his other field of expertise, engineering. Eventually, Edwards found his way to C.T.C. International, which was located in Houston (Where he eventually moved, following his trade to the Astros, where Edwards spent the last six years of his playing career). Rebranded Baker-Hughes, Johnny made it up to plant manager in the mid-90s. Retiring in 2002, he lives in the Greater Houston area, as of 2017. <br /><br /><br /><b><br />References</b><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><div>Enders, Eric. <i>100 Years Of The World Series</i>. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Ford, Whitey, and Phil Pepe. <i>Slick</i>. W. Morrow, 1987.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Gallagher, Mark. <i>Explosion!: Mickey Mantle's Legendary Home Run</i>s. Arbor House, 1987.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>“Game 3.” <i>1961 World Series</i>, episode 3, NBC, 7 Oct. 1961, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaB0coqadHE">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaB0coqadHE</a>. Accessed 23 Apr. 2023. (Television)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Golenbock, Peter.<i> Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964</i>. Contemporary Books, 2000. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Houk, Ralph, and Robert W. Creamer. <i>Season of Glory</i>. G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1988. <br /><br /><br />Lieb, Fred. “Maloney, Edwards Form Top Battery.” <i>The Sporting News</i>, 25 Oct. 1961, p. 23, <a href="https://paperofrecord.hypernet.ca/paper_view.asp?PaperId=834&amp;iDateSearchId=&amp;iZyNetId={37CE3B3A-6545-480B-A0F5-A5D4251C26F4}&amp;RecordId=6&amp;Show=GetResult&amp;iOrder=2&amp;iOrderDir=0&amp;iCurrentBlock=1">https://paperofrecord.hypernet.ca/paper_view.asp?PaperId=834&amp;iDateSearchId=&amp;iZyNetId={37CE3B3A-6545-480B-A0F5-A5D4251C26F4}&amp;RecordId=6&amp;Show=GetResult&amp;iOrder=2&amp;iOrderDir=0&amp;iCurrentBlock=1</a>. Accessed 23 Apr. 2023. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Major League Baseball Productions. <i>1961 World Series Highlights</i>. DVD.<br /><br /><br /><br />Mantle, Mickey, and Herb Gluck. <i>The Mick</i>. Easton Press, 1996.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>------------------and Mickey Herskowitz. <i>All My Octobers: My Memories of Twelve World Series When the Yankees Ruled Baseball</i>. HarperCollins, 1994.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Miller, Lawrence, director. <i>New York Yankees (The Movie)</i>. <i>Youtube</i>, Philo / Magig Video, 1987, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMWAt3v1I0w">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMWAt3v1I0w</a>. Accessed 23 Apr. 2023. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. <i>The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992</i>. 12th ed. St. Martin's Press, 1992. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>--------------. <i>The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903-1989</i>, St. Martin's Press, 1990.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Nemec, David et all. <i>20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball</i>. Collector's Edition. Publications International, 1993. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>1961 World Series</i>. National Broadcasting Company, Oct. 1961, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. Accessed 23 Apr. 2023. Radio Broadcast.<br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><i>1961 World Series</i>. National Broadcasting Company, Oct. 1964, https://www.youtube.com/. Accessed 23 Apr. 2023. Television Broadcast.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Society For American Baseball Research</i>, SABR. <a href="https://sabr.org/">https://sabr.org/</a>. 23 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sports Reference LLC. <i>Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information</i>. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/">http://www.baseball-reference.com/</a>. 23 Apr. 2023.<br /><br /><br /><div><i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">https://en.wikipedia.org/</a>. 23 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>YouTube</i>, Google, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. 23 Apr. 2023.</div></div></div>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-76830088682762607272023-04-20T22:21:00.006-04:002023-04-21T13:00:28.276-04:00World Series: Did You Know?<p>The "D's" of the Yankees helped New York prevail over Los Angeles in 1978. When it was over, Lowell Reidenbaugh of the Sporting News, summed up two men on the Yankees' whose last name began with the letter, "D" in this manner, "Brian Doyle and Bucky Dent will never be remembered by history as the modern counterparts of Paul and Lloyd Waner, the diminutive destroyers of the Pirates in the 1920s and 30s, but they will be recalled as the unlikely Yankee heroes of the sixth World Series game." Not that the two didn't pick up their play a game earlier.<br /><br />One, Bucky Dent was riding a high from his three-run home run off Mike Torrez in game number 163. The other was kind of a question mark. Brian Doyle had been a September call-up due to an injury to Willie Randolph. The Yankees had to get the big "Okay" from their opposition in the American League Championship Series to use Doyle come September.<br /><br />Well, Kansas City was okay with Doyle being a potential foyle. Doyle got into three games, collected an RBI, and hit .286. Bucky Dent picked up where he'd left off at Fenway Park, ending up with four RBIs in as many games.<br /><br />So the Yankees beat the Royals 3-1, and advanced to the Final Round, setting up a rematch from the World Series last year. The Los Angeles Dodgers were starting this Fall Classic round at home. And they came out flying.<br /><br />Two home runs in the last of the second put them up 3-0. They stretched it to 7-0 through six frames, and things looked bad. But Mr. October started the top of the seventh off on the right foot. Reggie Jackson took Tommy John out of the park. At least there would be no shutout. Soon, they'd get two on, but with two out. That's when Bucky Dent made it nine RBIs in his last six games with a two-run single. And while it proved to be his only his of the ballgame, it showed the Yankees had plenty of fight in them. It was the Dodgers that won it, 11-5. Brian Doyle came in to play in the bottom of the eighth, but did not get a chance to bat.<br /><br />The second game went much better. Did the two Yankees' players have anything to do with it? Well, Doyle started game two at second base, in the eighth slot (The designated hitter was used in this World Series, as it was an even year). Batting right behind him was the shortstop, Dent.<br /><br />"D" is for down, which is where New York went in the second contest, but only 4-3. Doyle kept the top of the fourth alive with a single, but was stranded. Dent didn't seem to be doing much, but finally got a hit in the ninth.<br /><br />But the hit itself could have meant something. It was a leadoff single. The Yankees trailed by just one run when Bucky came through. Roy White grounded out, but Dent moved to second. Paul Blair walked. So an extra-base hit would put the mighty Bronx Bombers ahead. However, Bob Welch came in to face two dangerous hitters. First, Thurmond Munson flied out. Reggie Jackson battled Welch to a grate at-bat, but ended up striking out.<br /><br />So, it was 2-0 LA. But things would be different back at the Stadium. Not that it wouldn't be a daunting task. The Dodgers sent Don Sutton to the hill. The Yankees countered with their big winner from 1978, Ron Guidry. Guidry didn't have his best stuff, but did he ever have himself a ballgame, with exception of seven bases on balls permitted.<br /><br />Roy White staked him to a lead in the bottom of the first with a long ball. The first two batters got on in the second for New York, giving Brian Doyle a chance. He hit into a force. So did Dent. However, out of those two outs, Graig Nettles moved to third, and scored. Mickey Rivers didn't hit into a force. He singled Bucky Dent to second. But then Roy White grounded out.<br /><br />The Dodgers got on the board in the top of the third, as Bill Russell got a single. The ball itself was one that Buck Dent got to, but he was too far to the right, and nearly into the outfield, to get Russell at first. Still, it was a mighty close play at first. The good news for the pinstripers: That was the Dodgers only run!<br /><br />As for the "D And D Boys", it was a strange game. Doyle got the ball to the outfield his last three times up, but ended the contest 0-4. Dent, though, singled in the bottom of the seventh. This hit, in which Bucky led off the inning, lead to a huge rally. The score was still only 2-1 for New York. But not for long.<br /><br />Mickey Rivers got to first on a bunt single. Roy White forced him at second. But now, some important insurance was at third, in the form of Dent. It was time for Thurmond Munson to put a Dent into LA's chances. He singled, plating Dent.<br /><br />The Yankees took off from there. Reggie Jackson followed suit with a single. 4-1. Lou Pinella grounded out, but another run scored. Graig Nettles tried to get another run or two home, but ended up with a long, loud out. The Yankees didn't need any more runs, though. Ron Guidry won, 5-1.<br /><br />Game four was memorable, as it went into extras. Our two boys, though, didn't do much. For starters, or should I say, "Lack of starters", Doyle didn't even get into the game until the top of the tenth. Dent had a so-so game at best. Both Tommy John and Bob Welch held him to just a 1-4 day. <br /> <br />Still, Bucky got his hit in the bottom of the third. It was here that the ballgame was delayed for forty minutes due to rain. The Yankees at one point trailed 3-0, but battled back. The game was won by the home team in the last of the tenth, when Lou Pinella singled home Roy White, making the final score 4-3. Furthermore, though, Doyle didn't even get a chance to make a fielding play when Los Angeles batted in the Dodgers' half of that inning. Dent managed four putouts and two assists. One of his putouts was in the top of the ninth, and it had to have raised some eyebrows. Davey Lopes popped it up with a man on and two down. The ball drifted into centre field, where Paul Blair was. Blair was one awesome fielder, and you'd think, "It's his!" But Bucky would have none of it. Er, actually, he'd have all of the ball.<br /><br />It was time, though, for Dent and Doyle to really wake up. And let me tell you, they put on a show in game five, worthy of Broadway!<br /><br />Dent walked and scored his first time up. In the fourth, Doyle (Who was 0-1) singled with one away. Dent followed with one of his own. Mickey Rivers scored Doyle with a single. The next batter, Roy White, scored Dent by grounding out. The Yankees added another run. They were ahead 7-2 at this point. And they didn't stop touching home.<br /><br />Bucky Dent added a single in the fifth. But, for the first time all game, did not score. Doyle would follow Jim Spencer's one out single in the last of the seventh with one of his own. A passed ball moved 'em both up into scoring position. What a chance for Bucky Dent. And...He fanned. So did Mickey Rivers. But rather than the third out, it was shades of 1941 with Mickey Owen all over again. Only this time, it was pitcher Charlie Hough<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>fault, rather than catcher Johnny Oates'. In any event, instead of the inning being over, the wild pitch got Spencer home. Doyle advanced to third. Would he score? Yes, on Roy White's single. Another run was added via a Thurmon Munson two-bagger. It was a 7-11 scenario. The Yankees had played seven full innings, and scored eleven runs. Want some more? Some more Dent's in the Dodger armour!<br /><br />The first two Yankees went down against Hough in the eighth, both via strikeouts. However, Jim Spencer knew if he could keep the inning alive, two hot batters were behind him. So, Spencer walked. You can guess what happened at this point. The Yankees were about to make it a dozen runs.<br /><br />First, though, you needed to get the man into scoring position. So, Doyle singled. Then you needed to get the man home, and get the man on first into scoring position. So, Dent doubled. Paul Blair fanned on three pitches, leaving Brian Doyle at third. The Yankees won, 12-2.<br /><br />Okay, how about the numbers for each. The quiet boys were LOL'ing. As in laughing out loud. Each had three hits. Each scored two runs. It seemed like now we could have a toss up for MVP. Dent was hitting .350 and Doyle, .333. This could be close.<br /><br />But first, New York was more concerned with winning it all. Up 3-2, they headed back to Los Angeles. The home team had held serve every time, so the Yankees would need to win at least one game at Dodger Stadium. And while we are at it, couldn't Brian Doyle pick up an RBI? He still was looking for his first.<br /><br />But not for long. His second-inning double (Remarkably enough, Brian hadn't had an extra bases hit at the big league level, prior to this) tied the game. Then, on cue, Bucky Dent singled home two more runners. The Yankees were ahead 3-1. That was all the offence they needed. The "D And D" Boys were beating the Dodgers, all by themselves.<br /><br />Los Angeles, though, got a run back in the third. In the top of the fourth, our two delightful Dodger-destroyers were at it again. With two away, Doyle singled off Don Sutton. So did Dent. Mickey Rivers lined out, alas.<br /><br />There would be no denying Doyle, Dent, destiny in the top of the sixth. The Dodgers could try any and all things. It wasn't going to work. Did somebody say, "Where are Doyle's RBIs?" Well, he got another one in that inning. So did Bucky Dent. It was back-to-back singles again. You think Reggie Jackson wasn't amazed by all this? Well, maybe not, knowing Reggie. However, the big guy blasted a two-run home run in the seventh to end any doubt of this game (and series) outcome. <br /><br />It seemed though, that Doyle was about to tie a record held by Thurmond Munson and Goose Goslin. After all, didn't the hits keep right on coming for Brian? Munson held the record by getting six consecutive hits in the World Series with six (Later broken by Bill Hatcher in 1990), which he'd set in the last two games of the 1976 Fall Classic. Well, Doyle came up in the dish one last time in the top of the eighth.<br /><br />He just missed. The first pitch was a ball, the second fouled into the crowd. The next one was also foul, but not by much. Right along the foul line in right. "Whoa! Came within inches of joining the two pretty good ballplayers," explained Joe Garagiola up in the broadcast booth. Alas, Doyle got a hold of the next one, but it was merely a comebacker to Doug Rau. Rau then completed a 1-2-3 inning by getting Dent to ground out to third.<br /><br />The Yankees went on to win, 7-2. An article in the <i>The Globe and Mail</i> emphasized how Dent and Doyle were a long way from Jackson and Munson. And the rest of the Yankees, it seemed. "Brian Doyle and Bucky Dent, a pair of "nickel and dime" hitters in a million-dollar batting order, brought New York Yankees their second successive World Series championship last night with six hits and five RBIs between them to spark a 7-2 triumph over Los Angeles Dodgers." <br /><br />It had been one awesome Fall Classic by Doyle and Dent. When push came to shove, it was Bucky that walked away with the World Series' MVP, and the Babe Ruth Award for outstanding Fall Classic performance. Doyle was left with nothing, and sadly would fade to the obscurity from whence he came. Still, the 1978 Fall Classic was won by two infielders who loved to choke up on the bat, and weren't afraid to step up when the Yankees needed them the most.<br /><br /><br /><br /><b>References</b></p><p><br /></p><p>“Comeback Yanks Capture Series.” <i>The Globe and Mail</i>, 18 Oct. 1978, p. 15, <a href="https://www.proquest.com/hnpglobeandmail/docview/1238275218/pageviewPDF/49FD596BA7DC4E88PQ/1?accountid=47516">https://www.proquest.com/hnpglobeandmail/docview/1238275218/pageviewPDF/49FD596BA7DC4E88PQ/1?accountid=47516</a>. Accessed 20 Apr. 2023. Via ProQuest.<br /><br /><br />Enders, Eric. <i>100 Years Of The World Series</i>. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.<br /><br /><br />Fornoff, Susan. “World Series Official Souvenir Scorebook.” Ontario, Toronto, Oct. 1992. (Article, <i>Surprise, Surprise</i>, pg. 7)</p><p><br /></p><p>Major League Baseball Productions. <i>1978 World Series Highlights</i>. DVD.</p><p><br /></p><p>Miller, Lawrence, director. <i>New York Yankees (The Movie)</i>. Youtube, Philo / Magig Video, 1987, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMWAt3v1I0w">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMWAt3v1I0w</a>. Accessed 20 Apr. 2023. </p><p><br /></p><p>Morissey, Scott C. <i>114 World Series in 1 Book</i>. Updated ed., Pandamonium Publishing House, 2020.</p><p><br /></p><p>Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. <i>The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992</i>. 12th ed. St. Martin's Press, 1992. </p><p><br /></p><p>--------------. <i>The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903-1989</i>, St. Martin's Press, 1990.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nemec, David et all. <i>20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball</i>. Collector's Edition. Publications International, 1993. </p><p><br /></p><p><i>1978 World Series</i>. Episodes 1-6, National Broadcasting Company, Oct. 1978, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/">http://www.youtube.com/</a>. Accessed 20 Apr. 2023. <br /><br /><br />Reidenbaugh, Lowell. “Yanks Do It With Deadly Duo: Dent, Doyle.” <i>The Sporting News</i>, 4 Nov. 1978, p. 41, <a href="https://paperofrecord.hypernet.ca/paper_view.asp?PaperId=834&amp;RecordId=13&amp;PageId=7621648&amp;iZyNetId={E6849BAE-6FA3-457E-9B16-263D53EF3CAA}&amp;iOrder=2&amp;iOrderDir=0&amp;iCurrentBlock=1">https://paperofrecord.hypernet.ca/paper_view.asp?PaperId=834&amp;RecordId=13&amp;PageId=7621648&amp;iZyNetId={E6849BAE-6FA3-457E-9B16-263D53EF3CAA}&amp;iOrder=2&amp;iOrderDir=0&amp;iCurrentBlock=1</a>. Accessed 20 Apr. 2023. </p><p><br /></p><p><i>Society For American Baseball Research</i>, SABR. <a href="https://sabr.org/">https://sabr.org/</a>. 20 Apr. 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Reference LLC. <i>Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information</i>. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/">http://www.baseball-reference.com/</a>. 20 Apr. 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">https://en.wikipedia.org/</a>. 20 Apr. 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>YouTube</i>, Google, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. 20 Apr. 2023.</p>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-61231193643090633332023-04-19T21:56:00.003-04:002023-04-24T17:10:36.595-04:00World Series: Did You Know?Tim McCarver sure did a good job in sending pitchers to the showers. No, not the very men he caught, but rather the Yankees' hurlers in the 1964 World Series.<br /><br />It all started in the opening tilt at the original Busch Stadium, at one time called Sportsman's Park. The St. Louis Cardinals hosted the first game of the '64 Fall Classic there. But it was not as if the visiting New York Yankees didn't have some ancient advantage, too, you see.<br /><br />They had Whitey Ford, who first pitched in the 1950 World Series, beating Philadelphia in the fourth contest. Here, Whitey, despite some discomfort in his elbow, was sailing along through five innings. The Cardinals had gotten nothing off him in the third, fourth and fifth (An inning in which St. Louis went down 1-2-3).<br /><br />But to the Cardinals' catcher, it seemed that Ford wasn't exactly at his best. To anyone watching the game, the old pro still had it. Catchers see more than you and I do, as David Halbertam would say in <i>October 1964</i>,<br /><br />"As the game developed, though, it was clear to McCarver that Ford did not have much that day, that was he probably pitching in considerable pain."<br /><br />But the sixth inning would change that thought. It all started when Ken Boyer singled. Elston Howard, McCarver's counterpart on the Yankees, then allowed a passed ball. Bill White fanned, and now Ford had four strikeouts in just five and a third innings.<br /><br />But that's when Ford's luck ran out, as Peter Golenbock put it in Dynasty. "...an inning later [sixth], Ford stopped retiring batters." Well, he got White out, but Bill was the last batter Whitey retired. It was then that Mike Shannon hit a towering blast to right, maybe 500 feet, sailing above the scoreboard. The game was tied. Tim McCarver found the gap in right, and Ford had thrown his last pitch in the World Series.<br /><br />Al Downing came in, and got Charlie James to pop out to Bobby Richardson, the Yankees' second basemen. Pinch hitter Carl Warwick kept the inning alive, though, by just pushing one past shortstop Phil Linz (Playing for injured regular Tony Kubek), to cash in McCarver. Curt Flood then hit one to left, that Tom Tresh appeared to lose in the sky. Warwick scored a big run. From 4-2 down to 6-4 up!<br /><br />Well, the Yankees got one run back, so that sixth run was big. Rollie Sheldon took over from Downing in the eighth, and the Cardinals were back at it. Shannon reached on an error and then made it to second on a passed ball. McCarver's patience at the dish was rewarded as he drew a bases on balls.<br /><br />Barney Schultz, the St. Louis reliever, lined into a double play, McCarver being the one erased. This seemed like a big play. But then pinch hitter Bob Skinner batted, and was put on first. Manager Yogi Berra removed Sheldon, despite the face that he hadn't so much as given up a hit in two-thirds of an inning.<br /><br />Pete Mikkelsen came in, but he seemed to struggle. He gave up a single, a triple and a walk, before finally getting that last out. But St. Louis had the game in their pocked.<br /><br />It seemed like New York righted the ship after that. First, Mel Stottlemyre beat Bob Gibson 8-3 in the second game. The first game at Yankee Stadium was close all the way, but Mickey Mantle's dramatic walk-off blast gave the home team a 2-1 win.<br /><br />So, game four was big. St. Louis didn't exactly get off to a promising start. They didn't so much as get the ball out of the infield in the top of the first, but the home team did. The Yankees scored three runs on five hits. Cardinals starter Ray Sadecki, who'd won game one, lasted one-third of an inning.<br /><br />Roger Craig took over, and held New York scoreless for four and two-thirds innings. St. Louis got four runs on a grand slam by Ken Boyer in the top of the sixth, a big clutch hit. Tim McCarver would be in position for the knock-out blow on Yankees' pitcher Al Downing. There was one out when Boyer connected. Bill White batted next, but popped out. With McCarver in the one-deck circle, Mike Shannon flied out to Roger Maris in centre.<br /><br />So Tim would have to wait until the top of the eighth to hit. Leading off, he patiently waited out four straight balls from Downing. When Dal Maxvill got ahead 2-0, Berra brought in Pete Mikkelsen. Mikkelsen got Maxvill to ground out, as now the Cardinals had another man in scoring position. Mikkelsen pitched great. Pitcher Ron Taylor batted for himself, and struck out. Curt Flood grounded out.<br /><br />McCarver picked up a single later in the contest, but new pitcher Ralph Terry finished the game. St. Louis won, 4-3.<br /><br />The next game was another biggie. The Cardinals took an early 2-0 lead, and were looking for more against reliever Hal Reniff in the eighth. Hal got Ken Boyer to ground out to start the inning. That was the only batter he retired.<br /><br />Dick Groat singled. Tim McCarver followed suit. Again, the call went out to Pete Mikkelsen. And again Pete did the job. Mike Shannon fanned. Dal Maxvill grounded out.<br /><br />Down went St. Louis 1-2-3 in the ninth, and that was huge as Tom Tresh's dramatic two-run home run tied it. McCarver would be the man to trump that. In the tenth, he nailed Mikkelsen's 3-2 pitch into the gap in right for a game-winning three-run home run.<br /><br />Well, the Yankees brought out their big sticks in the sixth game, back at Busch. It was, "One of those days" for the Cardinals. Curt Simmons pitched well for St. Louis, but gave up back-to-back home runs to Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle in the sixth inning on consecutive pitches. Jim Bouton pitched awesome for the Yankees. Joe Pepitone's grand slam in the top of the eighth made it 8-1 for the visitors.<br /><br />The Cardinals managed to get one run back in their half of that frame. And in the ninth, Tim McCarver tried to get more. Leading off, he popped out. The next two men singled, though, and that prompted a pitching change, even though McCarver played no part in it. Despite scoring another run, St. Louis ended up 8-3 losers.<br /><br />Tim did everything to help out his team in game seven, though. He got an RBI in the fourth, and later swiped home as part of a daring, double-steal. St. Louis touched home three times that frame. On McCarver's grounder, which ended up scoring a run, New York attempted a tough double play. Mel Stottelmyre jammed his shoulder as he tried to beat McCarver to the bag. This resulted in him leaving game seven early. <br /><br />Well, the New York bullpen didn't help. Al Downing saw his first pitch to Lou Brock go a mile for a home run. The Cards were heading towards a big fifth inning. A single and a double and Downing hit the showers. Rollie Sheldon came in, and Tim McCarver would get a chance to help the home side cause. Dick Groat grounded out, but it plated a man. McCarver flied out to Mickey Mantle in right, but Ken Boyer tagged up from third and beat the throw. St. Louis seemed to have this game.<br /><br />Well, New York had other ideas. They batted right after the Cards had put another "3" on the board. The Bronx Bombers then made a "3" of their own in the top of the sixth. Mickey Mantle crushed a 1-0 pitch from Bob Gibson over Lou Brock's head in left. Lou would see two more go over him as the game continued.<br /><br />Sheldon had a nice 1-2-3 sixth inning, so New York had the momentum on their side now. Ken Boyer hit a solo home run off Steve Hamilton in the seventh, and it was big, giving St. Louis some breathing room, 7-3.<br /><br />And Tim McCarver started a rally that would end Hamilton's day in the eighth. He led off with single. Mike Shannon reached on an error. Dal Maxvill bunted both men over. There was a grand chance for the Cardinals to go back up by six runs.<br /><br />Bob Gibson was still in the game for St. Louis, but pitching with two days' rest. He'd shaken off Mantle's blast earlier, but probably wanted more runs to work with. Well, he was in position here to help out his own cause. Pete Mikkelsen hopped in from the bullpen. It was his fourth appearance in the 1964 World Series.<br /><br />Gibson grounded to Clete Boyer, Ken's younger brother (Both played third base). McCarver made a mistake. He headed to the dish, only to be caught in a run down. Phil Linz, the Yankees' shortstop, ended up applying the tag. When Curt Flood lined out to Boyer at third, a promising inning came to a screeching halt.<br /><br />At the time, it didn't seem to matter. St. Louis had a four-run lead. McCarver actually helped his pitcher by making an amazing play behind the dish, trying to redeem himself. Tom Tresh foul-tipped a ball with two strikes, with McCarver losing his glove as he went for the projectile, but the ball found his bare hands! But then Clete Boyer him a home run with one out (During the at-bat, it was announced that both Roger Craig and Ray Sadecki were warming up), and Linz added one with two away. Bobby Richardson popped out, and St. Louis had the game and series.<br /><br />For Tim McCarver, it was a great Fall Classic. He'd topped all hitters with a .478 batting average. A .552 on-base percentage also was the head of the pack. Yet, it was not so much that Tim hit so well, but rather the timing of his actions. That three-run bomb in the fifth contest was huge. But what about all those pitchers he'd sent packing? Well, that kinda of put a dent into some of their egos, so be sure. McCarver went from catching to the booth, giving tremendous insights to the game for years to come. As a Toronto Blue Jay fan in the early 90s, it was always a treat to hear him in the World Series. McCarver, who passed away earlier this year, will be missed.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><b>References</b><br /><br /><br /><br />Enders, Eric. <i>100 Years Of The World Series</i>. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Ford, Whitey, and Phil Pepe. <i>Slick</i>. W. Morrow, 1987.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Gallagher, Mark. <i>Explosion!: Mickey Mantle's Legendary Home Runs</i>. Arbor House, 1987.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Golenbock, Peter. <i>Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964</i>. Contemporary Books, 2000. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Halberstam, David. <i>October 1964</i>. Ballantine Books, 1995. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Major League Baseball Productions. <i>1964 World Series Highlights</i>. DVD.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Mantle, Mickey and Mickey Herskowitz. <i>All My Octobers: My Memories of Twelve World Series When the Yankees Ruled Baseball</i>. HarperCollins, 1994.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Miller, Lawrence, director. <i>New York Yankees (The Movie)</i>. Youtube, Philo / Magig Video, 1987, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMWAt3v1I0w">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMWAt3v1I0w</a>. Accessed 19 Apr. 2023. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Morissey, Scott C. <i>114 World Series in 1 Book</i>. Updated ed., Pandamonium Publishing House, 2020.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. <i>The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992</i>. 12th ed. St. Martin's Press, 1992. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>--------------. <i>The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903-1989</i>, St. Martin's Press, 1990.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Nemec, David et all. <i>20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball</i>. Collector's Edition. Publications International, 1993. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>1964 World Series</i>. Episodes 1-7, National Broadcasting Company, Oct. 1964, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/">http://www.youtube.com/</a>. Accessed 19 Apr. 2023. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Society For American Baseball Research</i>, SABR. <a href="https://sabr.org/">https://sabr.org/</a>. 19 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sports Reference LLC. <i>Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Informatio</i>n. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/">http://www.baseball-reference.com/</a>. 19 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Tele Sports <i>1964 MLB News Film Reels</i>, Tele Sports, 1964, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feWiMcq82eM">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feWiMcq82eM</a>. Accessed 17 Apr. 2023. Via YouTube.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">https://en.wikipedia.org/</a>. 19 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>YouTube</i>, Google, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. 19 Apr. 2023.</div>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-76482230347442701262023-04-18T18:29:00.005-04:002023-04-18T20:30:50.909-04:00World Series: Did You Know?<p>Mickey Lolich did it all in 1968.<br /><br />You know, Mickey may not have been the best pitcher on the Detroit Tigers that year, but he was second to Denny McLain. Detroit didn't have another lefty to compare to him. Or any other pitcher (McLain excepted) to compare to him. I don't see how going 17-9 with 3.19 earned run average makes you a pitcher you don't talk about. And, in the World Series that year, the St. Louis Cardinals would find out how good of a pitcher he was. Not a bad hitter, either.<br /><br />The big story was Bob Gibson vs. Denny McLain in the opener at new Busch Stadium, so Lolich was already taking a back seat to two pitchers. The reasoning is simple, Gibson's ERA was 1.12, McLain's 1.96.<br /><br />Gibson took the opener, 4-0 (Although McLain did not pitch badly, two earned runs, three hits allowed over five innings) and appeared to set the tone. The Cardinals didn't know it yet, but the second contest, would change the way anyone watching thought about the Fall Classic.<br /><br />Lolich started out slow, allowing a hit and a walk in the bottom of the first, but seemed to get it together. Willie Horton's second inning home run put Detroit ahead for good. Lolich, though, wouldn't be content with just pitching on this afternoon. There was a bit of wind, from the dish to the bag at second, which would help the batters. Not that it helped St. Louis.<br /><br />Lolich came up himself next inning, and hit a home run of his own! He'd never done that in the bigs before (And this was the only one he'd ever hit!). A new experience for the star pitcher. How was it like getting a free ride around the bases?<br /><br />"Between the shock of everything, first base came up right in the middle of my stride, and I stepped right over the top of the base and I had to go back and, you know, touch the base, and then [First base coach] Wally Mosses said 'Second base is that [To the left] way', so I had to start running in that direction.<br /><br />I've never hit a home run in the ten years I've been in professional baseball. The best I've ever done is a triple that Tony Conigliaro tried to shoestring, and I have hit two legal doubles [Not ground-rule] that I've hit at the gap, that's the only extra base hit I've ever had between the home run in professional baseball."<br /><br />It was 2-0, Detroit. Lolich had things well in order. His hitting, which was a big surprise, was actually starting to overshadow his pitching. St. Louis, you see, would collect one RBI, total, in this game. The whole team.<br /><br />So Mickey was really doing it all. Four times, he got the Cardinals in order. The game stayed close, however, until the top of the sixth, as Norm Cash to start it. Two more runs scored that frame, giving the left-handed pitcher a nice five-run cushion to work with. He was working on a shutout.<br /><br />Well, that went by the wayside in the home have of that frame, but the Tigers came roaring back with more offence, in the seventh. Just one run, but that was big for Detroit, who'd been shutout by Bob Gibson the previous game.<br /><br />Lolich added a single in the top of the eighth, but that didn't lead to anything. You'd think he was done as a hitter this afternoon? Think again.<br /><br />Come the top of the ninth, Lolich had a 6-1 lead on St. Louis. Al Kaline got a rally going with a leadoff single. From there, the Tigers scored runs in unconventional ways. There was an error. So two on for Ray Oyler, who was a terrible hitter. But rather than hurt the rally, Ray bunted the two men over into scoring positon. The next batter was intentionally walked. Don Wert walked. So did Lolich. Wert and Lolich got RBIs.<br /><br />Now would be a good time to mention that Mickey Lolich, the pitcher, was just a great pitcher on this afternoon. He did have some scary moments. Baseball may not be a contact sport, but Lolich had some issues this game. In the sixth, Curt Flood hit a chopper to the pitcher's right. Mickey got to it, but fell before he could make a play. <br /><br />Lou Brock had added to Lolich's misery. He scored the lone run for St. Louis, stole two bases, and nearly took Mickey's head off with a shot to centre in the eighth. Despite all that, St. Louis was held to just six hits.<br /><br />The series headed towards Tiger Stadium, but it was St. Louis that seized the momentum. Game three was a home-run filled contest, that went the Cardinals way, 7-3. The Tigers collected just four hits. Game four had many-a-rain delay. It didn't help Denny McLain and company. The second McLain / Gibson matchup was a washout, literally. St. Louis won, 10-1.<br /><br />So, it was up to Mickey Lolich to keep his team alive. But St. Louis looked like they wanted to uncork some champagne right there, at Tiger Stadium. That was made clear right off the bat. The Cardinals scored three time in the first, capped off by Orlando Cepeda's towering home run.<br /><br />Lolich went back to work. He had a 1-2-3 second, and got through the third, as Lou Brock was caught stealing. The Tigers offence needed to get going. Would Mickey help out his team with the lumber again?<br /><br />The other Mickey, Stanley, got the ball rolling on the comeback in the bottom of the fourth with a triple. The Tigers would end up with two runs. Could Mickey the pitcher do more? He'd settled down nicely since the first.<br /><br />In the bottom of the seventh, it was still 3-2 for the visitors. The Detroit half of the inning started off poorly. Don Wert fanned. The batter had hit .114 in 1968. The pitcher, Mickey Lolich. Somehow, he singled. Dick McAuliffe followed suit. Mickey Stanley walked to load the bases. Al Kaline hit a clutch two-run single, putting the Tigers ahead for good. Norm Cash then got Lolich some insurance with a run-scoring single. The whole situation would have been different had the inning started off differently. As Detroit manager Mayo Smith explained to Tony Kubek prior to the next game.<br /><br />"...Don Wert was the leadoff hitter, of course if Don Wert had gotten on, I'd have pinch hit for Mickey, but with one man out the eighth and ninth-place hitters are going to come up again, because after the seventh inning we got two more shots at 'em, and Mickey was pitching so well, I figured we can catch up with them within the next two times at bat. So, fortunately, as you say, Mickey got a humped back single to right field that started a rally and of course we went on to win it"<br /><br />St. Louis put two on in the top of the ninth, but again, Lolich came through. With one away, Roger Maris fanned. Lou Brock grounded back to the pitcher. With his toss to first, Lolich had his second win of the 1968 World Series. And so did Detroit.<br /><br />Back to Busch Stadium for game six. Obviously, it was a must-win situation. But the Tigers gave the ball to Denny McLain, who'd won a lot of games in '68. 31 to be exact. The only trouble was, Denny was 0-2 in the Fall Classic. Well, the visiting team made themselves at home, even if they had to wait ten minutes due to rain. By the end of the third, it was 12-0, Tigers. They added a run in the top of the fifth. Another rain delay in the eighth merely prolonged the inevitable. There would be a game seven.<br /><br />Obviously, it was Bob Gibson for St. Louis. He'd won his last seven World Series starts, going the distance in all. Gibby was also 2-0 in game sevens. McLain had looked very good in game six, allowing just a meaningless run in the ninth. Prior to that last inning, Denny was working on a six-hit shutout. But with him going nine, there was no way McLain could do as much as relieve in this all-important game.<br /><br />It was, indeed, Mickey Lolich going for the Tigers. The Cardinals looked to get to him early. In the last of the first, Curt Flood got a base hit with two away. Only a single. But St. Louis' game was to run. And run Flood did to second with a stolen base. Orlando Cepeda followed with a walk, before the inning came to an end.<br /><br />It seemed like Mickey settled down after that. But in the sixth inning, Lou Brock got it all going with a single. You knew what was next. What Brock and the Cardinals didn't know was that Lolich then picked him off first. But then Flood followed the second out by singling. And Curt wasn't slow. However, Lolich picked him off, too.<br /><br />Bob Gibson had stayed right with Lolich all the way, but then fate intervened. In the top of the seventh, Gibby got the first two batters out, and appeared save. Two singles followed. Jim Northrup hit a ball to centre. Flood misjudged it, and the end result was a 2-0 Tiger lead. And Northrup on third. Bill Freehan followed with a double. 3-0. The Cards were in a bad hitting slump since the first inning of game five. Now, could Lolich hang on?<br /><br />Mike Shannon reached second base on an error in the last of the seventh. But Lolich, who'd fanned Orlando Cepeda to start the Cards' half of the inning, induced Tim McCarver to fly out to Al Kaline. Then, Roger Maris, batting for the last time in his big-league career, popped up to Mickey Stanley at short. <br /><br />Come the the eighth, it was Lou Brock who batted, after Gibson had been retired for the second out. "I wanted him [Gibson] to finish," St. Louis manager Red Schoendienst about his Hall-of-Fame pitching star. Alas, the Tigers took advantage of that decision. Brock walked, but Julian Javier was retired trying to bunt his way on.<br /><br />So come the top of the ninth, three singles made it a 4-0 lead for Detroit. The last batter of the Tigers' half of that inning was Mickey Lolich. The Busch Stadium crowd gave him quite an applause. On the first pitch, Bob Gibson got him to pop out to Dick Schofield at short.<br /><br />Three more outs by Lolich, who was working on a fine four-hitter, and:<br /><br />1) A World Championship<br /><br />2) A complete game<br /><br />3) A shutout<br /><br />Well, his curveballs were really clicking. Flood looked an one wicked on for strike two. He fouled the next offering. Another curve was low. A liner to Stanley followed. One out. Cepeda swung at the first pitch, only to pop out to Bill Freehan behind the plate.<br /><br />Look at how far Lolich had come! Since giving up three runs with only one out in the first inning two games ago, Mickey had gone 17 1/3 innings without allowing another run. There was no one throwing in the Tigers' bullpen. It was all up to Lolich. Now, only Mike Shannon stood between the pitcher and immortality.<br /><br />Shannon took a heater just a little low. A curveball was high, 2-0. A fastball caught the outer edge. 2-1. The next pitch, Mike was ready for it. He launched a home run to left. So much for the shutout.<br /><br />Tim McCarver was next. There was still no activity in the bullpen of Detroit. Tim popped up foul on the first base side (first pitch swinging), Freehan got under it. Detroit Tigers, 1968 World Champions!<br /><br />When the Detroit catcher turned around, there was Mickey, jumping into his arms. It was a great moment for the two. But what a Fall Classic by the portsider: 3-0, 1.67 earned run average (Tied with Bob Gibson for series lead). Plus a .250 batting average, one home run, two runs driven home and two runs scored himself. What hadn't Mickey done?<br /><br />"I never got tired in the [Seventh] game, I was weak, almost from about the third inning on," Lolich told Ernie Harwell afterwards, "I didn't have the real, good, hard fastball that I do know how to throw, did you notice most of the balls hit today were hit on the ground? I was throwing a sinking fastball all day."<br /><br />He'd been throwing the Cardinals off their game, all day. And all series.<br /><br /><br /><br /><b>References</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Enders, Eric. <i>100 Years Of The World Series</i>. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.</p><p><br /><br />Major League Baseball Productions. <i>1968 World Series Highlights</i>. DVD.<br /><br /><br /><br />Morissey, Scott C. <i>114 World Series in 1 Book</i>. Updated ed., Pandamonium Publishing House, 2020. </p><p><br /></p><p>Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. <i>The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992</i>. 12th ed. St. Martin's Press, 1992. </p><p><br /></p><p>--------------. <i>The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903-1989</i>, St. Martin's Press, 1990.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nemec, David et all. <i>20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball</i>. Collector's Edition. Publications International, 1993. <br /><br /><br /><i>1968 World Series</i>. National Broadcasting Company, Oct. 1968, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/">http://www.youtube.com/</a>. Accessed 18 Apr. 2023. </p><p><br /></p><p><i>Society For American Baseball Research</i>, SABR. <a href="https://sabr.org/">https://sabr.org/</a>. 18 Apr. 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Reference LLC. <i>Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information</i>. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/">http://www.baseball-reference.com/</a>. 18 Apr. 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">https://en.wikipedia.org/</a>. 18 Apr. 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>YouTube</i>, Google, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. 18 Apr. 2023.</p>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-26531586045950168632023-04-17T23:53:00.007-04:002023-05-03T12:12:31.525-04:00World Series: Did You Know?It was the man who caught Bob Gibson, Ray Sadecki, Curt Simmons, etc. that led 'em all in batting average in 1964. But, Tim McCarver, who passed away this February, had one magnificent World Series that year for the St. Louis Cardinals. It seemed, though, that he was sort of upstaged by two New York Yankees, each of whom had a very good Fall Classic in their own right. There was Bobby Richardson, which was expected (Think 1960-61), and Phil Linz (Most unexpected, since he was only there due to an injury to Tony Kubek).<br /><br />But McCarver was certainly a big star by this point. .288. 9 home runs, 55 runs driven. Still, while that certainly is very good, even among St. Louis Cardinals, you'd have thought, "What about Ken Boyer?" 119 RBIs to his name. Tops in the majors in '64. There was Bob Gibson, 'nuff said. There was Lou Brock, who hit .348 for St. Louis. There was Curt Flood, in centre, who batted over .300. There was shortstop Dick Groat, there was first basemen Bill White. Were they all better that McCarver? Well, some of their stats were, sure. White had 105 RBIs himself.<br /><br />Gibby won 19. Second, surprisingly, on the staff, to Ray Sadecki. Curt Simmons had played on the 1950 pennant-winning Philadelphia Phillies. Here, fourteen years later, he help St. Louis overcome both Philly and Cincinnati to get his team back into the World Series.<br /><br />It all started as Busch Stadium, the original one. And originally called Sportsman's Parks. Well, there were many fine sportsmen on both teams for this Fall Classic, so the old name was appropriate.<br /><br />Well, when Whitey Ford starts for the New York Yankees, you know you are facing an uphill battle. Ray Sadecki had managed to survive the first, but Ford had some trouble. The Cards got on the board first via a Ken Boyer's sacrifice fly, and then things seemed to fall apart.<br /><br />A two-run home run by Tom Tresh gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead in the second. It's like Tresh's blast turned on the floodgates. With one out, Boyer's younger brother Clete singled. And then stole second. Whitey Ford singled. 3-1, New York. The game was rapidly slipping out of the Cardinals' hands. Clearly, the were not prepared for the Yankees' onslaught. They had no doubt scouted Ford the pitcher. But had they scouted Ford the hitter?<br /><br />Ford the base runner needed some work. Phil Linz, 0-1, walked. Bobby Richardson, also 0-1, singled. Before Tim McCarver could grab a bat, he was seeing and believing what the Yankees were doing. One thing Whitey Ford should not have done was try to score. Lou Brock gunned it to McCarver at the plate. Ford was out. Roger Maris fanned, and the Cards were lucky to get out of the inning down just two runs.<br /><br />St. Louis got one run back in their half of the second, but McCarver was retired. Tim hit a triple the next time up, but was stranded. Three straight hits by the visiting team in the top of the fifth got the two-run lead back.<br /><br />A lifting bottom of the sixth got the Cardinals back on track, and drove Whitey Ford from the game. Mike Shannon absolutely crushed one of Whitey's pitches, deep to left for a home run that soared over the scoreboard in left. Nearly 500 feet.<br /><br />Ford was still in the game, and the score was tied. But not for long. Tim McCarver got his second extra-base hit, driving a shot between Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle for two-bases. Ford was lifted for Al Downing. St. Louis scored twice more.<br /><br />So it was 6-4 St. Louis in the top of the eighth, but back came the Yankees. Johnny Blanchard batted for Downing, who had settled down and gotten St. Louis 1-2-3 in the seventh. The momentum of the game appeared to be heading the Bronx Bombers' way, especially when Blanchard doubled with one out. Phil Linz grounded out, and maybe reliever Barney Schultz had settled down, too? He'd given up a hit and a walk in the seventh, having taken over from Sadecki.<br /><br />Bobby Richardson was up. Two outs, man on second. Clutch single. Pinch runner Mike Hegan scored. One run ballgame. Schultz survived another hit before getting out of the jam.<br /><br />But in the home half of the eighth, the Yankees seemed to collapse. First, Clete Boyer made a rare error. Rollie Sheldon, the new pitcher, threw a passed ball to our boy, Tim McCarver. McCarver ended up drawing a bases on balls.<br /><br />For some reason, Barney Schultz batted for himself. Sure, he was the closer, but this was a one-run game and some valuable insurance was on the table. All Schultz did was line it to Sheldon. McCarver was too far off first. The Yankees got what looked like a huge double play.<br /><br />But after an intentional walk, St. Louis came alive. The new pitcher was Pete Mikkelsen. Curt Flood greeted him with a single. That scored Mike Shannon. Lou Brock followed with a shot to left, good enough for two bases. The score was 9-5. When the Yankees went down in order in the ninth, the Cards had themselves a win.<br /><br />There'd been times in the game where St. Louis hadn't been afraid to turn on the jets. The ran, ran, ran, and were rewarded. The team had speedsters in Brock and Flood. And their catcher would show off his wheels before this Fall Classic was over. <br /><br />So, McCarver had contributed somewhat. What about Phil Linz and Bobby Richardson. While McCarver was hitting .667 (2-3), the two Yankees weren't quite there. They were a combined 2-9 with just one RBI.<br /><br />So in game two, it was Bob Gibson. And Bob was great. After walking Phil Linz, he went into beast mode. Richardson, strike three. Roger Maris, got one blown by him for strike three. So did Mantle. Elston Howard batted to lead off the second. Same result.<br /><br />St. Louis, however, were retired 1-2-3 in the first and second, before getting a run off Mel Stottlemyre in the third. New York appeared to wake up in their half of the inning. Linz and Richardson got back-to-back hits (Single and a double) to keep the inning alive. But Gibson got Maris out.<br /><br />The Cards scored a run on Curt Flood's grounder. The Yankees got it back in the top of the fourth. In the sixth, Bob Gibson came undone.<br /><br />It all started when Mickey Mantle walked. Elston Howard was retired, but then Joe Pepitone was hit by a pitch. Or was he? Tim McCarver and Gibson were not pleased, and both gave the umpire their opinion that Pepitone had not been hit. So did manager Johnny Keane.<br /><br />Was Gibby affected? Tom Tresh sent a bouncer into left. The old Yankee magic was working wonders this game. Fate seemed to be on their side.<br /><br />In the seventh, they needed no such luck. Phil Linz had no problems with Gibson on this day. Already 1-2 with a bases on balls, he singled to start the inning. Gibson threw a wild pitch. Linz made it all the way to third. Bobby Richardson singled, with the bat exploding on impact. Roger Maris singled. Mickey Mantle grounded out. Richardson scored on the play. The Yankees had a big lead, 4-1.<br /><br />St. Louis tried to get at least one back in their half of the inning. They appeared to have a rally going. With one out, Tim McCarver was up. He sent one to the gap in right centre. Mantle's knees had been bothering him all year, so he was in right. Not that Maris didn't have the wheels to play centre. He sure did. And he made an excellent catch to deny McCarver two bases.<br /><br />The Cards managed to score in the bottom of the eighth, but in doing so, they removed pitcher Bob Gibson for a pinch hitter. Within a half-inning, the decision backfired.<br /><br />Barney Schultz looked to stop the Yankees, but had all sorts of problems last time out. Here, it didn't take New York long to make it obvious the reliever was in over his head. Linz greeted him with a home run. Richardson lineup out, but the rally continued. Maris, single. Mantle, double. It was 6-2 for New York. They didn't ease up. They scored twice more in that round.<br /><br />So, three outs away from defeat, McCarver would bat one last time. Dick Groat sent one to right that got past Héctor López (subbing for Mantle) for three bases. Though it was 8-2 for the Yankees, at least the Cardinals' catcher could get an RBI. With a single to centre of Stottlemyre, McCarver did just that. This only briefly gave St. Louis life. Mike Shannon hit into a double play. Pinch hitter Charlie James fanned. New York had won, going away.<br /><br />"In victory, the tall youngster [Mel Stottlemyre] had important help from several sources," wrote Bob Burns, "particularly fill-in shortstop Phil Linz, the reformed harmonica virtuoso. He wore out the Cardinals with three hits and a walk, including a homer."<br /><br />And now St. Louis would be going away to Yankee Stadium for games three, four and five.<br /><br />The Cardinals started Curt Simmons, who pitched one awesome game. The Yankees tagged him for a run in the bottom of the second, but that's all they got against the Cards' lefty. The home team got two hits of him scoring on him that frame. For the other seven innings Simmons threw, the Yankees had two hits of him.<br /><br />McCarver tried to help his battery mate. He'd walked and advanced to third in the top of the second himself, only to be stranded. In the fifth, though, Tim singled past Joe Pepitone. The ball continued to right field, where Mantle misplaced it. McCarver, follwing the lead that Flood and Brock had set, motored into second. Shannon lined out. Dal Maxvill sent a grounder the Richardson got to, and tossed it to Pepitone. Two away, McCarver to third. It was time for Simmons to do the helping. He sent a ball to left. Clete Boyer got a piece of it, but not enough. The hit scored McCarver and the game was tied.<br /><br />Jim Bouton, the Yankees' starting pitcher, had a rough fifth, but it wasn't all his fault. The next inning, the Cardinals got something going against him again. In fact, McCarver had a chance at an RBI of his own. After Brock grounded out, St. Louis started to connect. Bill White singled. Ken Boyer gave it quite a ride to Tom Tresh in left. With two away, Dick Groat kept the rally going with a double. McCarver was next, but now the Yankees knew he was a dangerous hitter. So, they put him on first, and then Shannon forced him at second.<br /><br />After Linz was retired to lead off the home half of the sixth, Richardson singled. Maris flied out, but Mantle doubled. Just like in the top of the frame, it was the Yankees' catcher that came up with two runners on scoring position, two down. And the Cards did what the Yankees did to them: They walked Elston Howard intentionally! Tresh popped out.<br /><br />McCarver appeared to be a cinch first out in the top of the ninth, but Linz made an error. Mike Shannon bunted the Cardinals' catcher into scoring position. Pinch hitter Carl Warwick walked. Another substitute, Bob Skinner, was sent up to hit for Curt Simmons. Skinner, a member of the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates team that overcome Richardson and company four years earlier, hit a shot to centre. It took Roger Maris all the way back to the warning track before he caught it. Flood lined out to Mantle in right.<br /><br />And The Mick played hero in the Yankee half of the inning. His walk-off home run made the Yankees' 2-1 winners. They were also ahead by that in the series.<br /><br />So game four matched lefties Al Downing against Ray Sadecki. The Cardinals didn't get the ball out of the infield against Downing in the top of the first. Flood, leading off for St. Louis, sent a liner that hit off the pitcher's glove. But Phil Linz made a fine play to get the swift St. Louis runner at first. The next two batters grounded out to him. Sadecki needed a Linz in his half of the first.<br /><br />Phil Linz got it all going. First, he'd helped with his glove. Now, he got a two-bagger that went to right. Bobby Richardson was next up, and St. Louis appeared to have Linz hung up on a pickoff play by Sadecki. But Ken Boyer's throwing error meant Linz was now on third for Richardson. Bobby wasn't like his 1961 self here. Another RBI as he doubled to left, right past Linz and Boyer.<br /><br />Well, the Yankees didn't let up. Maris single. Mantle single. Mickey got a little too aggressive, trying to stretch his single to a double. He was nailed at second. Manager Johnny Keane had seen enough for Sadecki. The call went for pitcher Roger Craig. Elston Howard greeted him with a run-scoring single. Three runs, five hits, one error. Not a good start for St. Louis. What a start for Linz and the Yankees. He'd gotten a double, scored, and had three assists.<br /><br />Craig, though, was one of those pitchers who was better than his win-loss record would indicate. And, he was the most experienced of the Cardinals' pitching staff when it came to the World Series. He'd pitched there in 1955, '56 and '59 for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers.<br /><br />So, in the second inning, he went to town on the Bronx Bombers. Craig struck out the side, adding to his whiffing of Tresh in the first to give him four K's. Linz himself looked at one that just caught the outside corner, ending the second inning.<br /><br />So, if the pitching was better for the St. Louis Cardinals, what about the hitting. Tim McCarver tried to get it going in the third. His average was now .444 (4-9). He sent Downing's first pitch to centre, where Maris got to it. It was the first putout by a Yankee outfield. The Cardinals put two men on, but Maris ended up with his third putout of the inning before any runner could get to third.<br /><br />So Richardson led off the second, trying to get the Yankees going against Craig. But all he could do was ground out on a 2-2 pitch. Craig ended up walking two batters, but like Downing got out of the inning before anyone made it to third.<br /><br />In the fourth, Craig fanned Tommy Tresh, but then the Yankees appeared to wake up. Joe Pepitone drew a walk (Roger's third in just three innings at this point). Clete Boyer singled. Linz could very well bat, assuming Downing didn't hit into a double play. Well, the pitcher fanned on three pitches, the last of which was a fine curve. Linz (1-2) was staring at two more RBIs possibly, though. And if he just got on, Richardson could add to his total, as well.<br /><br />So Linz took a ball. Linz looked like he was about to get hit by the next pitch, and leaned back. The pitch, however, broke in for a strike. 1-1. "Craig has had real good breaking stuff here," noted Curt Gowdy. Linz then swung and missed, and was behind in the count. The next pitch was a terrific curveball, low and away. Linz swung, and missed. That would prove to be a grand missed opportunity for the Bronx Bombers.<br /><br />Shannon himself fanned against Downing to get the fifth frame going. McCarver seemed to have a disadvantage against the Yankee lefty. The home team played him to pull. Strike one, taken. The 0-1 pitch was bounced to first. Pepitone made the play unassisted. The Cards ended up being retired 1-2-3 (Four the fourth time in this contest). They just seemed to be unable to catch up to the Yankee pitcher's heaters and curves.<br /><br />So Richardson (1-2, 6-16 overall) would bat, but only to lead off the home half of the fifth. The first pitch from Craig was knee-level, strike. Foul. 0-2. Craig tried to finish him off with a curve, having whiffed many-a-Yankee out with it all afternoon with it. But it missed to the outside. The 1-2 pitch was where Bobby wanted it. He sent a rocked to left. Ken Boyer, redeeming himself from his throwing error in the first inning, jumped up and snagged it, taking away a sure hit! A big play, as it helped Roger Craig to a 1-2-3 inning of his own.<br /><br />So it was on the top of the sixth, and St. Louis had to get it going. Carl Warwick batted for Craig, and singled. Flood followed suit. Brock flied out to Maris. Dick Groat the did what you don't do with a man on first, he sent a roller to second. Groat was slow, and Linz was covering the bag at second, awaiting the toss. For some odd reason, the ball got wedged in the webbing of Richardson's glove, his toss went wide to Linz, who was dumped for good measure by Flood. The inning should have been over, or at the very least the infield should have gotten at least the force at second. Instead, the bases were loaded.<br /><br />"The fault of the play, Richardson thought, was his," wrote David Halberstam, "but in addition it was a reflection in his inexperience in working with Linz." Tony Kubek, the regular Yankees' shortstop, had suffered a sprained wrist when he angrily punch the a door late in the season. "He [Richardson] and Kubek knew each other," Halberstam continued, "and if if Kubek had been there he might have made the adjustment at they would have at least gotten the man at second."<br /><br />So the slumping Ken Boyer was up. A two-seam fastball missed low and away for a ball. Howard, just as observant as his Cardinal counterpart, postulated the situation, and "...feeling the shirts in the background were making it difficult for the [Cardinals] batters to see Downing's lightning pitches, called for another fastball," wrote Peter Golenbock, "But Downing shook him off, insisting on a changeup."<br /><br />Linz, at short, didn't like the call for a changeup. Halberstam said that Linz thought a fastball or curve was a better idea. "Downing, he thought, was a power pitcher and had the advantage with poor visibility and a right-handed batter facing Death Valley [It was 461 feet to dead centre] in Yankee Stadium. A change, he thought, subtracted from that edge." Linz went as far to consider calling a time-out, presumably to discuss how Boyer should be pitched to. But Phil resisted.<br /><br />The 1-0 to Boyer was not a good one. It didn't have the movement, so it was more like a slow fastball. Boyer hit it into the stands in left, fair by no more than 6-8 feet. Suddenly, it was 4-3, St. Louis. Downing averted further trouble, getting the next two batters out. The Cardinals catcher would have to wait until the seventh to bat, being in the on-deck circle when the last out was made.<br /><br />So, New York had some work to do. They were still, of course, very much in the ballgame. The Cards, meanwhile, wanted to build on the lead. The momentum was all theirs, and would stay that way as new pitcher Ron Taylor retired the Yankees in order in their half of the sixth. Tim McCarver would make sure Taylor kept a level head.<br /><br />So, there Tim was leading off the top of the seventh. Ball one from Downing. Ball two. All threw a fastball, but it was ball three. Ball four inside. Not a bad way to start the inning by McCarver. Dal Maxvill was next, and Downing was replaced after throwing him two more balls. The new pitcher was Pete Mikkelsen, who St. Louis had roughed up in the opening tilt. Maxvill would swing at what should have made the count 3-1. Mikkelsen missed the next pitch anyways, so the count was full. Maxvill grounded out to Richardson, who had no trouble with this play. But once again, New York could not get the man at second. McCarver had the intuition to take off on the 3-2 offering. Bobby's only play was first.<br /><br />So, McCarver was a base hit away from giving his team some important insurance. Alas, the next batter was Taylor, who Mikkelsen fanned. When Curt Flood grounded out, a promising inning was over for St. Louis.<br /><br />Taylor the pitcher was every bit as good as Roger Craig. 1-2-3 went New York in their half, with Linz trying to bunt his way on. Richardson tried his luck the next inning, but could only ground out. Ralph Terry had come in for Pete Mikkelsen, who was lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the bottom of the seventh. McCarver would finally get his first hit of the afternoon, but nothing came of it. Mikkelsen and Terry had picked up Al Downing almost as well as Craig had picked up Ray Sadecki.<br /><br />But Ron Taylor ended up with four shutout innings, as St. Louis held on to win, 4-3. McCarver would have a big day ahead of him. He was catching someone named Bob Gibson again.<br /><br />Now, the one thing St. Louis didn't want to do was fall behind again early. The bullpen wasn't going to be able to help out Gibby on this day. So, could the Cardinals get to Mel Stottlemyre early? They had one dandy of a chance in the top of the first. Curt Flood drew a walk. Lou Brock looked at a third strike. Although Bill White also fanned, again Ken Boyer helped out a bad situation. But oddly enough, all he did was reach on catcher's interference. Dick Groat coaxed another bases on balls of Stottlemyre. So now, in an inning where the Yankee catcher had made a big mistake, it was up to his couterpart on the Cardinals to make 'em pay. Alas, it just wasn't in the cards for Tim McCarver. Stottlemyre, appearing to be better than he was in game two, fanned him. He'd stolen a page from Roger Craig and Bob Gibson's book. The who side struck out.<br /><br />Now, speaking of Gibson, he was back for another try. On this day, Phil Linz was not the problem. However, only on this day did Linz struggle against Gibby. Furthermore, there was still Bobby Richardson to deal with. After fanning Linz, Bob Gibson gave up a single to Richardson in the first. Roger Maris hit into a double play.<br /><br />The concern, for McCarver, had to be his pitcher's wildness bout. The Yankees did not score in the second, but Gibson was wild. He walked a man. He hit a man. He walked another man (albeit intentionally), before finally getting that third out. But to load the bases against a team like the Yankees, while not giving up a hit, is the equivalent of beating yourselves.<br /><br />The Cardinals' pitcher appeared to settle down, as it appeared as though Gibson / Stottlemyre II was shaping up to be a pitcher's duel. Gibson got Richardson out the next time he faced him. But Stottlemyre was equal to the task, and had McCarver like Gibson had Linz, 0-2.<br /><br />The fifth inning started out oh-so-innocently. Dal Maxvill took a called strike three. Bob Gibson, though, was not your average pitcher. He hit, he fielded, he ran. Here, he singled to left, nearly making it to second as he stumbled at first. Richardson got a roller from Flood. Once again, he couldn't come up with it, as it took a bad hop. Brock singled, 1-0 St. Louis. Runners on first and third, one away. Richardson appeared to make up for that, as he took Bill White's roller and got it to Linz. For one. To first for two, it seemed. Linz threw the ball in the dirt, where first basemen Joe Pepitone made an amazing recovery of the low ball with his glove, and it was a close play at first that could have gone either way. The call was safe, however, and the Cards had that insurance for Gibson.<br /><br />Gibson was in the zone. In the Yankees' half of the fifth, he fanned got Tom Tresh to fly out. He fanned Clete Boyer. Then, Stottlemyre kept the inning alive with a surprising single. But Bob then fanned Phil Linz.<br /><br />McCarver singled off Stottlemyre in the top of the sixth wit one away. The rally died as Mike Shannon hit the ball to Linz at short. Linz-Richardson-Pepitone. On to the bottom of the sixth. Bobby Richardson started the home half of the inning with a single. Were the Yankees finally in business? No. Bob Gibson got the next three batters out.<br /><br />Stottlemyre, who'd pitched well, was lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the seventh, but the vaulted Bronx Bombers couldn't get anything going against the Cardinals. When new pitcher Hal Reniff took over in the top of the eighth, it was St. Louis that appeared to have something going. With one away, Dick Groat singled. Tim McCarver sent Reniff to the showers when he followed suit. Pete Mikkelsen hopped in from the bullpen. And as he had in the previous contest, he shut down the Cardinals. The next two batters went down on a strikeout and a groundout.<div><br /></div><div>Gibson got Linz, Richardson and Roger Maris in the bottom of the eighth, but Mikkelsen matched that with a fine 1-2-3 inning of his own in the top of the ninth. It was up to the Yankee bats to get it done.<br /><br />Well, they did. And error and a two-run home run by Tresh tied it. But if the home team thought they'd pull it out, they were sadly mistaken. Mikkelsen walked Bill White to start the tenth. Ken Boyer put down a perfect bunt. The Cardinals didn't want to waste this golden opportunity. Dick Groat was up there to get the men over. But Groat had no luck with Pete Mikkelsen's prize pitch, a sinker, he was not able to get the bunt down, and missed it. Bill White was going on the pitch, and now was caught. He appeared to be going back to second as Elston Howard gunned it to Linz, only to have White turn 180 and gun towards third. White beat the throw. Groat, in any event, forced Boyer at second, so there were runners on the corners with one out.<br /><br />Tim McCarver was back up. He'd upped his World Series performance to .438 (7-16). The situation here seemed logical for manager Yogi Berra to bring in Steve Hamilton, a tall left-handed pitcher, to face the Cardinal catcher. Hamilton, who was so athletic he played two seasons in the National Basketball League, was throwing in the Yankee bullpen, waiting for the call. Mikkelsen, futhermore, often threw the ball low, which was where McCarver liked it. Tim himself figured New York would go to the bullpen for their ex-NBA player. The stats show, however, that lefties hit .275 off Hamilton in 1964, whereas Mikkelsen held them to just a .253<br /><br />Berra stuck with Mikkelsen. But McCarver worked the count in his favour, 3-1. The next pitch was what he was looking for, a fastball. Tim fouled it off. Was the opportunity gone? The batter certainly thought so. The odds of him getting another good pitch to hit hard seemed remote. But, Mikkelsen made the fatal mistake of throwing McCarver a sinker, in which Tim smashed to right. The ball sailed. <br /><br />Tim's first reaction was, the ball was deep enough to score White from third. Then, he saw Mantle stop running hard for it. By the time he got to first, the Cardinals' catcher realized, he'd hit a home run! A big one, as St. Louis now led 5-2. It was a delightful moment.<br /><br />"For two years," Halberstam wrote, "he had been struggling to meet his own standards, to be a real professional, and it had not been easy, a kid catcher with a veteran pitching staff. He badly wanted that acceptance of his teammates, and it had been a hard learning process. Now, as he crossed the plate, Groat, the old pro, was bantering with him, and Bill White, the judge, had a huge smile on his face, as if to say, 'Well, son, you really did it for us today, you're all right." Gibson, who rarely said much in victory, was looking at him with a very warm smile, and McCarver remembered thinking that this was an unusually happy Gibson. It was his own coming of age, McCarver later decided."<br /><br />Of course, there was still the matter of the bottom of the tenth. Gibson cruised through pinch hitter Mike Hegan and Phil Linz, but leave it to Bobby Richardson to keep the game going. The Yankees were up to six hits and Richardson had half of them. And Bobby had nine hits in just five games. On the next pitch, Roger Maris popped up in foul territory, with Ken Boyer making a fine catch by reaching into the stands.<br /><br />The Yankees were sure disheartened, but headed on the road in any event. They knew they were a long way from a beaten team. It seemed like St. Louis kept coming up with big hits in key moments, and now it was time for them to get some big lumber on the ball<br /><br />Curt Simmons took the ball in a rematch of game three against Jim Bouton. However, Curt had liked the conditions, cold, in the third contest better than this. His team scored a run in the bottom of the first. Simmons, though, had given up the tenth his in this Fall Classic to Bobby Richardson in the top of the first. Phil Linz was looking to get back to contributing. Curt got him on a liner to start the game. Simmons fanned Maris and Mantle back-to-back to end it.<br /><br />The Cardinals certainly got off on the right foot. Tim McCarver added a single in the bottom of the second, so as not to be overshadowed by Richardson. But Bobby again singled in the fourth, only to again be stranded. Linz was 0-2 at this point, and so too, were Maris and Mantle. However, that would soon change.<br /><br />McCarver, meanwhile was 2-2 by the end of the fourth. And the St. Louis catcher was up to ten hits. But he didn't score or knock in a man with either of his hits. In the top of the fifth, he watched, helplessly, as Jim Bouton himself tied the game with a single. Phil Linz connected solidly, flying out to Lou Brock in deep left. He was the last out in the Yankees' half of the inning.<br /><br />With the Cardinals' offence sputtering, it was time for the visitors to take advantage. Bobby Richardson was finally retired in the top of the sixth, and it took Simmons just one pitch to do it. But then the wheels came off the chariot for St. Louis. Maris hit a 2-2 pitch out of the park. The Yankees were ahead for good. Next pitch, Mantle did the same.<br /><br />Simmons would hold the fort from there, and he left in the seventh. The bullpen imploded. McCarver didn't help as he went 0-2 the rest of the way. In the eighth, Linz finally came through. He only singled, but this stared a huge rally. Richardson got him to second with a bunt. Eventually, he scored on Elston Howard's single. Tresh followed with a walk. Mantle, Howard and Tresh were on when Joe Pepitone cleared the bases with a four bagger. The grand slam made it 8-1 for the visitors.<br /><br />St. Louis managed to get a run in the eighth. Linz and Richardson were retired as part of a 1-2-3 ninth. McCarver was the first out as the Cardinals batted in their half of the last inning. Eventually, St. Louis tacked on another run, but it was too little, too late.<br /><br />So, the 1964 World Series came down to the seventh game. Bob Gibson against Mel Stottlemyre.<br /><br />Gibson had little problem with Linz and Richardson in the first. In the second, he escaped a bases-loaded jam. Gibson's pal Tim McCarver drew a walk in the second, but nothing came of it.<br /><br />Linz singled in the third, but Richardson hit into a double play. New York was struggling to get that big hit off Gibson. And Gibby's battery mate took over the contest in the bottom of the fourth!<br /><br />St. Louis had runners on first and second, nobody out. McCarver hit a grounder towards the gap in right. Pepitone made a great stop of it, and got it to Linz at second for the force. But when Linz tried to double up McCarver, his throw missed the mark. The end result was a run, and now a runner on first. Mike Shannon singled McCarver to third. This set up an amazing moment. The Cards pulled of a double steal. In doing so, their catcher became the first at his position to steal home in the World Series. But nearly thirty years later, Tim didn't think so much about it.<br /><br />"Yeah," McCarver would say in game five of the 1992 World Series, "but it was tainted. It was the back end of a double steal." <br /><br />Still, it gave St. Louis a 2-0 lead over New York. Bob Gibson was pitching with two-days' rest, so he might need every help that presented itself. Stottlemyre, too, was on two-days' rest. Now that, coupled with the fact he'd jammed his shoulder covering first on the failed double play this inning, was showing. By the time the home half of this frame ended, it was 3-0, St. Louis.<br /><br />New York tried to get it back Linz seemed like just the man to get some runs across against Gibson. With only one away, and two men out, he sent a sinking shot to right. But Mike Shannon made a great catch, then doubled Tom Tresh off the bag!<br /><br />The Cardinals were firing on all cylinders, and there was nothing the Yankees could do to stop them. Al Downing took over in the fifth for New York, but he couldn't stem the tied. Lou Brock greeted him with a home run on the first pitch. Billy White singled. Ken Boyer doubled. Rollie Sheldon tried his luck with St. Louis. Even when you got them out, it didn't help. Dick Groat grounded out, making it 5-0, and moving Boyer to third. Back up was their amazing catcher, McCarver. He flied to Mickey Mantle in right, but Boyer beat the throw, and the game was a real rout! And their catcher had a run scored and a run driven in. Gibson and McCarver, not a bad pair! Better still for them both, the game was now a laugher! They could ease of the pedal from here.<br /><br />At least, that's how it looked, until Richardson came up in the top of the sixth. Suddenly, Bob Gibson looked like a tiring pitcher. Three straight balls to the Yankees' second basemen. Then, the pitcher brought the count to 3-2. But Bobby (the batter) would win this round. He sent a slow roller to third. There was no play for Boyer. Roger Maris was up. Gibson nearly fanned him, but Maris singled to right on a 2-2 offering. Mickey Mantle found Gibson's second pitch to his liking. He absolutely crushed the 0-1 to deep left for a three-run home run. But, hadn't Richardson started the Yankees back with his single? Regardless, it was now a close game, 6-3.<br /><br />So just like that, the momentum was back on the Bronx Bombers' side. St. Louis went down 1-2-3 in their half of the sixth. Gibson got the first two men out in the seventh, but then Richardson was back for more. He singled. The hit was a record-setting thirteen by Bobby. Maris rocketed one of Gibson's pitches to right field, but right at Shannon.<br /><br />The home team got one run back in the seventh, and New York needed to get another rally going soon. In the eighth, Tim McCarver got another chance. We finally got that McCarver / Hamilton matchup that should have taken place in the top of the tenth inning in the fifth contest. No matte, here it was. Tim won it, singling to centre. His batting average in the 1964 World Series was now an amazing .478! And Tim didn't stay at first too long. An error by Clete Boyer saw resulted in Shannon on first, McCarver on second. A bunt got runners to second and third.<br /><br />Bob Gibson was the batter, and it would seem fitting that St. Louis would score one last run, with McCarver driven home by his pal. Alas, Pete Mikkelsen came in. Gibson hit the ball to third. Clete Boyer got to it. McCarver made the mistake of trying to score on it. Boyer tossed to Elston Howard at home. Do you remember what I wrote <a href="https://scottsportsworld.blogspot.com/2021/11/world-series-did-you-know.html">here</a> about this sequence of events? <br /><br />"Howard ran towards the trapped runner, and then fired the ball back to Boyer as McCarver headed back to third. Shannon was also heading there, from second. The toss from Elston Howard actually ended up hitting McCarver. Boyer quickly picked up the ball as McCarver started back towards home. Mikkelsen had gone to the plate to make sure home was covered. Shannon, himself briefly trapped between second and third, had headed back to second. Shortstop Phil Linz had moved to third. Boyer was after McCarver, and fired to Mikkelsen at home. Pete got the ball and chased Tim McCarver back towards third base. Mikkelsen, to Linz. The shorstop slapped the tag on Tim McCarver. Two away." <br /><br />Flood lined out, ending a promising eighth.<br /><br />Still, Gibson and company needed just three more outs. Due up for the Bronx Bombers: Tresh, Clete Boyer and Mikkelsen (Who of course would not bat for himself), all that stood in the way!<br /><br />Tresh fanned. But Clete Boyer, who's brother Ken had hit a home run earlier, joined his sibling in the home run trot. The solo shot made it 7-4, St. Louis. The hit also meant Linz would bat one more time. Meanwhile, Gibson fanned Johnny Blanchard, who was batting for the pitcher. Gibson faced Linz for the final out, as Richardson was in the on-deck circle. Would he get a chance?<br /><br />The first pitch was fouled. The next pitch was what Linz had been waiting for. He hit it to deep left. Brock leaped up to try and catch it. But to no avail. Phil had himself a home run. The Yankees had three home runs this game off Bob Gibson, including two this inning. Phil Linz had two home runs himself in this series. More importantly, the Yankees were suddenly in striking range of the Cardinals, who had led 6-0 after five. "[The] Yankees, battling back," said Joe Garagiola over the radio, "like they've been battling all year. The Cardinals, battling to win this game, like they've been battling all year."<br /><br />The man who started the Bronx Bombers on their comeback was back up. Richardson was back up. Thirteen hits in thirty one at-bats. Against Gibson alone, the Yankees' second basemen was 7-13 (.538). But manager Johnny Keane stuck with Gibson. Fans began to climb on top of the outfield walls. A quick announcement came over the public address system, that the game would be halted until the fans cut it out. Ball one to Richardson. Strike one. Gibson delivered again. Richardson popped it up. Dal Maxvill made the catch! The Cardinals had won this exciting World Championship.<br /><br />It had been a very exciting World Series, one in which you wouldn't have bet the farm as to who would come out on top. There'd been the big guys expected to deliver, like Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Ken Boyer, Mickey Mantle and Jim Bouton. <br /><br />But what about Tim McCarver, Bobby Richardson, and Phil Linz? Well, they certainly gave fans thrills all the way in this very entertaining Fall Classic. McCarver topped 'em all in batting average and on-base percentage. Richardson set a still-standing record. And Linz, well, let's just say he did a lot more than play the harmonica in 1964. The three men hitting the baseball in the World Series? That had been music to everyone's ears!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>References</b><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Burnes, Bob. “Game 2: Stottlemyre Stifles Cards, Gives Bombers a Big Lift.” <i>The Sporting New</i>s, 24 Oct. 1964, p. 24, <a href="https://paperofrecord.hypernet.ca/paper_view.asp?PaperId=834&amp;iDateSearchId=&amp;iZyNetId={89F02174-2DA7-4F87-A00E-432DCA03A57D}&amp;PageId=8499347&amp;Show=GetPage&amp;iOrder=2&amp;iOrderDir=0&amp;iCurrentBlock=1">https://paperofrecord.hypernet.ca/paper_view.asp?PaperId=834&amp;iDateSearchId=&amp;iZyNetId={89F02174-2DA7-4F87-A00E-432DCA03A57D}&amp;PageId=8499347&amp;Show=GetPage&amp;iOrder=2&amp;iOrderDir=0&amp;iCurrentBlock=1</a>. Accessed 23 Apr. 2023. </div><div><div><br /><br />Enders, Eric. <i>100 Years Of The World Series</i>. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Ford, Whitey, and Phil Pepe. <i>Slick</i>. W. Morrow, 1987.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Gallagher, Mark. <i>Explosion!: Mickey Mantle's Legendary Home Runs</i>. Arbor House, 1987.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Golenbock, Peter. <i>Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964</i>. Contemporary Books, 2000. <br /><br /><br />Halberstam, David. <i>October 1964</i>. Ballantine Books, 1995. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Major League Baseball Productions. <i>1964 World Series Highlights</i>. DVD.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>------------------and Mickey Herskowitz. <i>All My Octobers: My Memories of Twelve World Series When the Yankees Ruled Baseball</i>. HarperCollins, 1994.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Miller, Lawrence, director. <i>New York Yankees (The Movie)</i>. Youtube, Philo / Magig Video, 1987, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMWAt3v1I0w">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMWAt3v1I0w</a>. Accessed 17 Apr. 2023. <br /><br /><br />Morissey, Scott C. <i>114 World Series in 1 Book</i>. Updated ed., Pandamonium Publishing House, 2020.<br /><br /><br />------------------------- “World Series: Did You Know?” <i>Scott's 0.02 On Sports</i>, Blogger, 18 Nov. 2021, <a href="https://scottsportsworld.blogspot.com/2021/11/world-series-did-you-know.html">https://scottsportsworld.blogspot.com/2021/11/world-series-did-you-know.html</a>. Accessed 18 Apr. 2023. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. <i>The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992</i>. 12th ed. St. Martin's Press, 1992. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>--------------. <i>The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903-1989</i>, St. Martin's Press, 1990.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Netherton, Bob. “Allen Craig, Meet Carl Warwick.” <i>On the Outside Corner</i>, Bob Netherton / Wordpress, 20 Oct. 2011, <a href="https://ontheoutsidecorner.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/allen-craig-meet-carl-warwick/">https://ontheoutsidecorner.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/allen-craig-meet-carl-warwick/</a>. Accessed 17 Apr. 2023. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Nemec, David et all. <i>20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball</i>. Collector's Edition. Publications International, 1993. <br /><br /><br /><i>1964 World Series</i>. Episodes 1-7, National Broadcasting Company, Oct. 1964, <a href="http://www.youtube.com">http://www.youtube.com</a>. Accessed 17 Apr. 2023. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Society For American Baseball Research</i>, SABR. <a href="https://sabr.org/">https://sabr.org/</a>. 17 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sports Reference LLC. <i>Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information</i>. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/">http://www.baseball-reference.com/</a>. 17 Apr. 2023.<br /><br /><br /><i>Tele Sports 1964 MLB News Film Reels</i>, Tele Sports, 1964, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feWiMcq82eM">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feWiMcq82eM</a>. Accessed 17 Apr. 2023. Via YouTube.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">https://en.wikipedia.org/</a>. 17 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>YouTube</i>, Google, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. 17 Apr. 2023.</div></div></div>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-34459479377816629372023-04-17T00:02:00.005-04:002023-04-24T17:03:46.083-04:00World Series: Did You Know?Héctor López' one bad year with the New York Yankees ended with a splendid Fall Classic. But he really was only able to contribute in the later stages of game four and all of the fifth contest. The 1961 World Series seemed "almost anti-climatic" according to Mickey Mantle.<br /><br />That's because he and Roger Maris hit a lot of four-baggers that year. The Mick was hurt going into the series against Cincinnati, but you kinda figured their'd be some fireworks going off. New York had plenty of lumber. Would Héctor provide any big blows in a year in which he'd hit just .222 with 3 home runs?<br /><br />Well, another big gun for the Yankees was Whitey Ford. He went out in the opening tilt at Yankee Stadium to set the tone. Ford did just that, but apart from Moose Skowron and Elston Howard, the New York offence wasn't there.<br /><br />I think it had more to do with the Cincinnati pitching. They may have been the underdogs, but they had hurlers. López faced Jim O'Toole in the second inning, and could only line out to Wally Post in right.<br /><br />Howard hit a home run in the fourth, and things were easier for the home team. The Yankees put a man on for Héctor that inning, for good measure. But O'Toole seemed to shake off that four-bagger by Elston Howard just fine. He fanned López'. The only other run the Reds' superb pitcher allowed came in the sixth, as Skowron hit a home run. The inning was bit promising as Héctor drew a bases on balls with two away. Clete Boyer slammed O'Toole's second pitch to the gap in left, but Vada Pinson caught up to it, and a made a very good catch. Héctor López would have crossed home but for Pinson's efforts.<br /><br />López did not bat again that game, being lifted for a pinch hitter in the eighth. The good news was, the Yankees won 2-0. With Ford pitching, you didn't need to score many runs.<br /><br />But it was New York that spotted Cincinnati an early 2-0 lead in the second contest. Although Yogi Berra tied the game with a two-run home run the bottom of the fourth, New York's offence came to a screeching halt right there. Cincinnati waited one inning before breaking the tie. They scored a run in the fifth, and another in the sixth.<br /><br />In the bottom of the seventh, Joey Jay fanned Skowron on three pitches. Héctor López had not batted once all game, as New York went with Yogi Berra, Roger Maris and Johnny Blanchard in the outfield for game two. Clete Boyer gave the next one quite a ride, but it was just a long out to centre.<br /><br />Finally, López would get his chance when he drew a free pass when he batted for pitcher Ralph Terry. This walk was Héctor's only plate appearance of the second contest. Bobby Richardson hit into a force to end that. When the smoke had cleared at the end of nine frames, it was Reds, six, Yankees, two. The 1961 World Series headed to Crosley Field.<br /><br />Well, The Mick was back in the lineup, despite a series injury to his hip. It was another close one for the Yankees, who overcame 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to narrowly pull it out. The contest was still in doubt, until the out, the Reds were so close to pulling it out. Leo Cardenas hit a booming double with one away off the scoreboard in left centre, but Luis Arroyo got the next two men out. Had Cardenas been hit about ten feet to the right of it, would have tied the game.<br /><br />But López did not play. Now, to look at the scores. New York had won 2-0 and 3-2. Plus they'd lost, 6-2. López had not done much, and for some reason the Yankees weren't looking so tough. Indeed, Mantle was held hitless in the third contest, and Maris finally came through with his first hit of the Fall Classic. It was a big one, a home run in the ninth. The big boys were not on their game.<br /><br />So in game four, it was time for "The M and M Boys" to do something. The Bronx Bombers were struggling again against Jim O'Toole, just like they had in the first contest. But, the good news was Whitey Ford was keeping the Reds off the scoreboard.<br /><br />Through three innings, all the mighty New York Yankees had was one hit, no runs. Yep. Bobby Richardson's double, and zilch. So, it was time in the fourth for the two big guns to do something about that.<br /><br />Roger Maris led off with a walk. His good pal Mickey Mantle was next. Did he ever step into a 2-1 offering from O'Toole. Let's just say it was to The Mick's liking. A hard shot to the gap in left. Wally Post, in left, got to it, then couldn't come up with it. Maris to third.<br /><br />Mantle normally would have gotten to second, and since it would have been without hesitation, it would have been an easy two-bagger, rather than a hit and an error. A big inning, for sure. Even when the big boys weren't hitting round-trippers, they were changing the outcomes of ballgames.<br /><br />Sadly, at this point in the series, Mickey's hip was done. He could only get to first. It was obvious he could not continue. Mantle, was replaced at first by Héctor López. "...after he [Mantle] hit that ball, he limped into first, standing on the bag on one leg like a flamingo," wrote Peter Golenbock, "sweat running down his face, his teeth tightly clenched." Mickey had certainly put forth a tremendous effort just to be out there playing. <br /><br />It was a sad sight to see Mantle leave. Indeed, #7 was in tears as López took his sport at first base. However, Elston Howard promply hit into a double play. Thus limiting the potential big inning to but one run. Nethertheless, that was all the Yankees' lefty needed. The gritty pitcher, dubbed, "The Chairman of the Board," of the Yankees, had pitched his thirtieth consecutive scoreless inning in the Fall Classic. That broke the great Babe Ruth's record for consecutive shutout innings in the Fall Classic. This achievement would overshadowing everything else that happened this afternoon. <br /><br />And there was a lot more to come! The one run broke a scoreless ballgame, and led to better times for New York, who added a run in the fifth, and looked for more the next inning. The only problem was, the top of the sixth started with Héctor López facing pitcher / authour, Jim Brosnan, who got him on a 2-2 pitch. But rather than go down quietly that inning, the visitors added two runs, both scoring on a double by Clete Boyer.<br /><br />It was 4-0, New York. The game was in the bag. But in each of the fourth, fifth and now sixth, the Yankees' had hurt a big inning by hitting into a double play. It was a good thing Whitey Ford (And with later help from Jim Coates) kept the Cincinnati Reds offence at bay.<br /><br />The Reds put two men on the sixth, in a bid to get back into the game. But Coates got out of the jam. And Héctor López wasted no time in the next frame to ending any hope of Cincinnati winning this one.<br /><br />With two men in scoring position, López was lookin' for some redemption against Brosnan. He found his 2-1 pitch to his liking, resulting in a single, which brought home Richardson and Maris. Now it was 6-0 for New York. Bill Skowron added to that total when he singled home López. And it looked like the Yankees were heading for more, but Berra was erased trying for third. Still, a seven-run lead for Jim Coates to protect.<br /><br />Brosnan, to his credit, recovered from that shell-shock. The Yankees went down 1-2-3 in the eighth. A new pitcher, Bill Henry, came on to pitch the ninth. Tony Kubek fanned. So did Maris. López did a little better when he gave it quite a ride on the second pitch from Henry. The ball was deep, but tracked down by Vada Pinson in deep centre. While the Yankees had scored seven runs, this was fourth inning they'd been retired in order this afternoon.<br /><br />Nevertheless, Cincinnati did not go quietly in the ninth against Coates, who was looking for the save. The Reds put two on, before Gene Freese fanned and Gordy Coleman sent one to right field. So, López who put the squeeze on it. His team was up 3-1 in the 1961 Fall Classic. López had become the right fielder, when Maris had moved to centre when Mantle came out. <br /><br />And the fifth game saw the visiting team be a most unwelcome guest to Crosley Field, with López carrying the onslaught.<br /><br />In the top of the first, he tripled home Moose Skowron. That made it 5-0. When Clete Boyer followed with a double, New York had a six-run lead. The game seemed to settle down after that, as López fanned his next time up. A three-run blast by Frank Robinson in the last of the third, made things a little interesting...Until the Yankees batted in the top of the fourth.<br /><br />Skowron singled home two men, and moved Howard into scoring position, putting López back up for another round against Bill Henry. Henry had to get him out. With the count 0-2, it seemed like he would. Nope. López had other ideas, now in beast-mode this game, launched a three-run home run, which cleared the wall to the left of the 383 foot sign. 11-3, New York. Pitching change. Henry departed with an earned run average of 19.29. López was born in 1929. Coincidence?<br /><br />In the fifth Wally Post blasted a two-run home run for Cincinnati, who were stubbornly refusing to go away, even with the score so one-sided. But again, López had an answer for that. With runners on the corners in the top of the sixth, and only one out, back he was at the dish. He bunted, and the throw home was a bad one. 12-5. López made it to second, with his fifth RBI of the afternoon. Clete Boyer was put on to setup a force play. Then pitcher Bud Daley flied out to centre, scoring Elston Howard. 13-5.<br /><br />"I was happy that Hector had that World Series after the year he had," Ralph Houk would say in <i>Season of Glory</i>, "He played very good before 1961 and he played good after it, but that year he just didn't have the season he usually had."<br /><br />New York didn't act like, "Let's take it easy," the rest of the contest. They put two men on in the sixth, but did not score. In the seventh, López batted again, got ahead 2-0, but could only ground out. A Boyer single and a sacrifice bunt got another man into scoring position for Richardson, who was starving for an RBI this Fall Classic after having a record twelve in 1960. There would be no runs driven in, as all Bobby could do was ground out.<br /><br />The Bronx Bombers were retired in the ninth with no runs and no hits, as Brosnan and Kenny Hunt (In his last major league appearance) managed to hold the fort for Cincinnati in the last three innings. However, Daley finished the game, allowing just the two unearned runs way back in the fifth. And the last out? Well, Berra did not play (Along with Mantle), so when Vada Pinson half-swung at the first offering from Bud Daley, it was a fly to short left which our boy, López, made the final putout, as he had in game four. New York had the game and the World Series. The team that had won 109 games in the regular season had needed just five games to brush aside a very good Cincinnati Reds ballclub.<br /><br />"It is doubtful that any team in baseball history," noted Golenbock, "with perhaps the 1927 Yankees the exception, could have beaten them in this World Series [Capitals added to both words], the quality of play from both regulars and substitutes so good."<br /><br />The 1961 New York Yankees had been a devastating team. You had sluggers, sluggers and more sluggers. In fact, Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle, Elston Howard, Yogi Berra, Moose Skowron and even bench player Johnny Blanchard, hit more than 20 home runs each. Pitching-wise, Whitey Ford won 25 regular season games, plus two more in the World Series. Ralph Terry won 16, Billy Stafford, 14, Rollie Sheldon and Jim Coates 11 each. Even Luis Arroyo, the closer, won 15 games in addition to his 29 saves (A then-record).<br /><br />It seemed, guys like Héctor López weren't needed. But while their stating eight batters were great, and pitching was superb, there was the need, especially when injuries occurred, for their second-stringers to contribute. Blanchard added two home runs himself in the Fall Classic.<br /><br />"That [13-5 win] was the way the World Series ended," he would say in the early 90s, "with me playing just two games and [Roger] Maris hitting a puny .105. But was it [The way it played out in the World Series] an anticlimax? No, it was really the proper ending. Two guys [Himself and Maris] had hogged the headlines all year, and now some of the others had a chance to shine."<br /><br />Mantle saw the second-stringers contributing to the season-ending devastation of Cincinnati as the appropriate ending to an unforgettable season. Héctor López had much to do with the Yankees' success from 1960-1964. But, although his regular season was so-so at best, he looked back fondly on his 1961 World Series performance.<br /><br />“I drove in seven runs,” López would proudly tell <i>Sportsnet</i> nearly sixty years later. “I won’t forget that. I’ll never forget something like that.”<br /><br /><br /><b>References</b><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div>Enders, Eric. <i>100 Years Of The World Series</i>. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Ford, Whitey, and Phil Pepe. <i>Slick</i>. W. Morrow, 1987.</div><div><br /><br /></div><div><div>Gallagher, Mark. <i>Explosion!: Mickey Mantle's Legendary Home Runs</i>. Arbor House, 1987.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Golenbock, Peter. <i>Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964</i>. Contemporary Books, 2000. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Houk, Ralph, and Robert W. Creamer. <i>Season of Glory</i>. G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1988. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Kreuz, Julia. “The First Black Manager in Triple-a Still Hasn’t Gotten His Due.” <i>Sportsnet</i>, Rogers Digital Media, <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/hector-lopez-colour-barrier-buffalo-bisons-big-read/">https://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/hector-lopez-colour-barrier-buffalo-bisons-big-read/</a>. 16 Apr. 2023.<br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Major League Baseball Productions. <i>1961 World Series Highlights</i>. DVD. 16 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Mantle, Mickey, and Herb Gluck. <i>The Mick</i>. Easton Press, 1996.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>------------------and Mickey Herskowitz. <i>All My Octobers: My Memories of Twelve World Series When the Yankees Ruled Baseball</i>. HarperCollins, 1994.</div></div><br /><br />Miller, Lawrence, director. <i>New York Yankees (The Movie)</i>. <i>Youtube</i>, Philo / Magig Video, 1987, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMWAt3v1I0w">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMWAt3v1I0w</a>. Accessed 16 Apr. 2023. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. <i>The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992</i>. 12th ed. St. Martin's Press, 1992. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>--------------. <i>The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903-1989</i>, St. Martin's Press, 1990.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Nemec, David et all. <i>20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball</i>. Collector's Edition. Publications International, 1993. <br /><br /><br /><i>1961 World Series</i>. National Broadcasting Company, Oct. 1964, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. Accessed 16 Apr. 2023. Radio Broadcast.<br /><br /><br /><i>1961 World Series</i>. National Broadcasting Company, Oct. 1964, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. Accessed 16 Apr. 2023. Television Broadcast.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Society For American Baseball Research</i>, SABR. <a href="https://sabr.org/">https://sabr.org/</a>. 16 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sports Reference LLC. <i>Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information</i>. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/">http://www.baseball-reference.com/</a>. 16 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Turkin, Hy, and S. C. Thompson. <i>The Vest-Pocket Encyclopedia of Baseball</i>. 1956 ed., A.S. Barnes, 1956. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">https://en.wikipedia.org/</a>. 16 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>YouTube</i>, Google, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. 16 Apr. 2023.</div></div>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-26045065490556673742023-04-15T21:27:00.004-04:002023-04-15T21:27:47.852-04:00World Series: Did You Know?Bobby Richardson set not one, but two records in 1960. "Most RBIs in a seven-game series, 12". "Most RBIs (6) in one contest". He seemed a worthy successor on the New York Yankees to Billy Martin. <br /><br />But unlike Martin, Richardson was a bonnie-fide star. Five straight Gold Gloves for the second basemen. By 1959, he was a .300 hitter, something the previous Yankee second basemen never came close to doing. The new second basemen had essentially picked up where Martin left off, but not when it matters. He made appearances in the 1957 and '58 World Series, but did not factor into key plays. Richardson had to take that next step, if he was to be remembered as an all-time Yankee great.<br /><br />1960 was a bit of an off year for the Yankees, and Bobby Richardson. It was Casey Stengel's last year. Mickey Mantle hit .275, Whitey Ford won 12 games. Huh? Was the team in decline? Their second basemen had a rare off-season. Bobby Richardson had just one home run and twenty-six runs driven in.<br /><br />Compare that to what he did two years later: He hit .300 again! Richardson was not a power hitter. At least not that year. He was the New York Yankees' leadoff hitter in 1960 for only 28 games. Tony Kubek, the shortstop, would bat first in '60, at least for 78 games.The next season was better, as it went Kubek leading off, Richarsdon to follow. And then the meat of the order. The result was Richardson was batting with some men on. But in 1960, Bobby often batted eighth in the lineup. 108 times to be exact.<br /><br />"This was by second season I was playing regularly. My best position in the line-up was second," Richardson would say in 1992, "but Casey Stengel, who was our manager at the time, never knew that. 'He doesn't get enough walks', he'd say. So I batted seventh or eighth most of the time."<br /><br />Times were better ahead for Richardson. The Yankees continued their winning ways as the 1960s continued. The second basemen would prove to be a whiz with the glove. And he'd start to knock 'em in and hit the occasional home run. So, what the 1960 Fall Classic a preview of what was to come the next six years from their second basemen?<br /><br />Well, game one was a big let-down. What was Bobby doing? No hits. The Yankees needed 'em. They dropped a 6-4 decision to the Pittsburgh Pirates, who were the underdogs. Mickey Mantle, who was the only other Yankee to struggle this game, was in a foul mood about this, even thirty years later.<br /><br />New York took an early lead on a Roger Maris home run in the top of the first at Forbes Field. But Bill Virdon led off for Pittsburgh that same frame. He walked. A crucial play developed. Bobby Richardson and Tony Kubek had to be prepared for a steal. Who would cover second. When Virdon took on on a pitch, neither the shortstop or second basemen covered the bag. That enabled the Pirates to get a man to third. They ended up crossing the plate three times that inning. Worse still, Bob Skinner added a stolen base (In which the ball almost ended up in centre, again) that inning for Pittsburgh, which also led to a run. Skinner and later Roberto Clemente had both hit ground balls that the hard infield of Forbes Field helped guide into the outfield. <br /><br />Bobby made up for a tough opening act in the second contest. In the top of the third, with the game scoreless, Richardson (Batting in the eighth slot) walked. A bunt moved him to second. Tony Kubek, the leadoff hitter, singled Richardson home. The Yankees were ahead to stay. They added another run before the inning ended.<br /><br />And the next inning, Richardson didn't let up. A single. A passed ball moved him into second. Bob Turley, the pitcher, had bunted last time up. Here, he singled home the man. 3-0.<br /><br />The Pirates got a run back, but Mickey Mantle knew he had to help prove to his teammates this was their game. His two-run home run in the fifth made it 5-1 for the Bronx Bombers. The Yankees, as per usual were inspired by number seven. You should have seen their sixth inning.<br /><br />Bobby Richardson came up, and doubled home Elston Howard. You know what? He batted again that inning, and singled home Moose Skowron. How many runs did New York score that inning? Try seven! It was game over.<br /><br />Richardson didn't much the rest of the game. Still, he was 3-4, 3 runs scored, 2 more driven home. But if you wanted RBIs, you wanted Mickey Mantle in game two. A record five! That must have lasted a long time, you'd think.<br /><br />But in game three, the Yankees' second basemen took a backseat to nobody. Okay, maybe Whitey Ford. But the pitcher needed some offence, right? Back home at Yankee Stadium, Ford was always money. I think Bobby Richardson was money in the third contest.<br /><br />You'd think that great game two performance would move Richardson up in the batting order. Oh, Casey Stengel sure did. Instead of batting just before the pitcher, now Bobby would bat before Tony Kubek. But Kubek was batting in the eighth slot.<br /><br />No matter. Bobby Richardson was going to bat in the bottom of the first. It was 2-0 by the time he grabbed some lumber. With a mighty wallop, it was 6-0. The grand slam meant New York would have a great time with Pittsburgh. In two different interviews, Bobby talked about the great moment and what led up to it.<br /><br />"We'd scored two runs already," he'd tell Susan Fornoff, "and the bases were loaded with one out. I went up there listening to Stengel to holler, 'Hold that gun,' meaning: 'Come back and let a more powerful guy hit.' But I didn't hear it, and I soon realized why: He had me bunting!"<br /><br />It would have been interesting had Bobby done that. There'd have been no big wallop!<br /><br />"I fouled off two pitches, and I heard out third-base coach [Frank Crosseti] telling me to hit the ball to the right field to stay out of the double play." Well, Richardson tried to do that.<br /><br />"I was really trying to hit a ground ball to the right side. Clem Labine threw the fastball up and in," Bobby said in the mid-1980s, "and I hit the ball, and I guess I was more surprised than anybody when it went out of the park. And it was indeed a grand slam, and that record still stands for RBIs." Richardson could have been referring to both a single game (6) and entire Fall Classic, (12).<br /><br />In the bottom of the fourth, Mickey Mantle hit his third home run of the 1960 World Series to make it 8-0, as Whitey Ford scored ahead of him. Richardson added a two-run single. Six RBIs. That record of Mantle's from game two sure lasted, eh?<br /><br />Bobby was retired the next time up, finishing the game 2-5. But with six RBIs contributing to a 10-0 Yankees' win, Richardson was the man of the moment. It seemed now, like "Who was going to win the MVP?", more than, "Who is going to win the World Series?"<br /><br />Alas, the stubborn Pirates regrouped in the next two games. Vernon Law went out for the Bucs, and looked strong, despite Bobby Richardson hitting a double off him in the last of the second. In the fifth, he got New York out on the right foot by singling. Ralph Terry tried to bunt him over, but ended up just striking out. So did Bob Cerv. And Tony Kubek.<br /><br />It was 3-1 for Pittsburgh in the bottom of the seventh. Moose Skowron had accounted for the only Yankees' scoring with a long ball in the fourth. Here, Skowron opened with a double. Gil McDougald singled him to third. The tying run was aboard. Bobby Richardson was up, looking for his ninth RBI in the last three games. He got it, but only by sending a ball to his counterpart on Pittsburgh, Bill Mazeroski. The was the first out. Johnny Blanchard batted for the pitcher, and singled.<br /><br />This brought about a pitching change, as El Roy Face came in to face Bob Cerv. Cerv crushed one, just a little bit to the right of the "407" sign in right. Billy Virdon, who had been originally singed by the Yankees and later managed them, raced over and made a tremendous catch, jumping to his left and snaring the ball. New York would have been ahead 4-3 but for Virdon's heroics. Richardson alertly tagged after the catch and made it to third. Ninety feet away from a tie ballgame. But Tony Kubek grounded out.<br /><br />Bobby had the bat taken out of his hands by the manager in the ninth, despite his hitting .438 at the time. Dale Long batted instead, and was the last out of a 3-2 Pirate win. Just as things had started to look easy for the Bronx Bombers, they had their gold stolen by the Bucs.<br /><br />The Pirates got ahead 3-0 before the Yankees got on the board. Elston Howard led off the second with a huge double. Bobby Richardson had RBI number ten in his sights, but grounded out. Still, it advanced Howard to third, laying the foundation for Tony Kubek's run-scoring grounder to first. The teams traded runs in the third, so it appeared the home team was getting to Pittsburgh starter Harvey Haddix.<br /><br />Howard reached again in the fourth, and suddenly our boy was the tying run. Alas, Richardson lined it to Mazeroski at second, who doubled Elston Howard off first. Bobby Richardson finished the game 0-4. When the last out was recorded, it was the Pirates heading home up three games to two.<br /><br />Once again, the second basemen and his team had to redeem themselves. They sure did in the sixth contest. Whitey Ford pitched for them, and he lifted their spirits. Ford knocked home a run of his own in the top of the second. The Bronx Bombers were off and running.<br /><br />The next inning, Ford's buddy Mickey Mantle drove home two more runs with a single. Moose Skowron drove home another with a sacrifice fly. And Bobby Richardson lashed a two-run triple! 6-0, for the New York Yankees. The slaughter had begun, again!<br /><br />Richardson tried to add to the onslaught in the fifth, but just lined out. However, he wasn't about to be denied. Top of the seventh. Another triple. Another RBI. Whitey Ford was amused. He cashed in Bobby by hitting into a fielder's choice. The New York pitcher had driven home two runs, while the entire Pittsburgh team was being shutout.<br /><br />Yogi Berra plated Mickey Mantle in the eighth, and then Johnny Blanchard got Berra home with a double. Bobby Richardson was back up. Runner at second, two away. The score was 12-0 for the Yankees. Bobby flied out.<br /><br />The game was the third rout by the Bronx Bombers. And their second basemen was up to twelve RBIs in just six games. Despite this, the 12-0 win only brought them to game seven. The Pirates could still pull this one out.<br /><br />Bob Turley, the game two winner, started for New York. Vern Law started for Pittsburgh. Bobby Richardson started at second, leading off.<br /><br />Bobby choked up on the bat, and took the first pitch for ball one. The next pitch was to Richardson's liking. The second basemen of the Yankees made one awesome bid for a hit. Bobby sent it to left, but shortstop Dick Groat went down to his knees to make a superb catch. <br /><br />It just wasn't Turley's day. The Pirates scored twice in the first, and another against him and Bill Stafford in the second. Were the Yankees done before this one really got going?<br /><br />Moose Skowron got New York back on track with a home run in the fifth. The next inning, Bobby Richardson struck the match.<br /><br />His leadoff single made it a 1-3 day. Tony Kubek followed with a walk. It is dictated by the Pirates that The Law was done for the day. El Roy Face came in to pitch to Roger Maris. Maris popped out.<br /><br />But then, Mickey Mantle got a hold of the first pitch. For just a single, though it cashed in Richardson. Now it was 4-2. The Yankees had plenty of life left.<br /><br />Yogi Berra was up. Face made a bat pitch, and Yogi Berra did what Yogi Berra always seemed to do. A clutch three-run home run! 5-4, Bronx Bombers! What a comeback. Bobby Richardson was retired in the seventh, but Bobby Shantz was pitching lights out for the Yankees. The countdown was on to champagne.<br /><br />The "M and M" boys were retired to start the eighth, but they were never quit. Yogi Berra drew a bases on balls. Single, single, double. 7-4, New York. Eight more outs to go!<br /><br />But fate intervened.<br /><br />It seemed all-so-innocent. Gino Cimoli led off the bottom of the eighth with a single. Bill Virdon hit an 0-1 pitch to short. Right at Tony Kubek. It would be an easy double play to get New York to within four outs of a win. However, an earlier runner's spikes had accidentally dug out a small pebble. The ball hit it, bounced up and hit Kubek in the Adam's Apple. What a bad break for New York. Bobby Richardson, seeing his friend gasping for air, quickly called time out as he got to the ball. Bobby looked over his fallen pal.<br /><br />A very sad sight. So sad that even Gino Cimoli came over to have a look at Kubek. He was replaced, and a big inning ensued. The Pittsburgh Pirates scored five times in the inning, three of them coming on Hal Smith's three-run home run (It appeared as though Smith may have gone around on a 1-2 pitch, but the Yankees did not appeal to first, for some reason).<br /><br />Now, Bobby Richardson and his teammates had to play The Comeback, Part II in this game. Only this time, while the margin was only two runs (9-7), they had only three outs left. Richardson, clutch again, led off the ninth with a single. Dale Long followed with one. The Bronx Bombers were back in business. Roger Maris popped out to the catcher. Mickey Mantle came through again, singling home Richardson! 9-8. Yogi Berra grounded out to first and the Yankees had somehow comeback again. Never would have happened had Richardson not got the ball rolling. New York had trailed 4-0 and 9-7 and somehow were still alive.<br /><br />But no for long. Ralph Terry pitched to Bill Mazeroski in the bottom of the ninth. A 1-0 pitch was launched over Yogi Berra's head in left for a dramatic walk-off. Everyone on the Yankees were in shock.<br /><br />The worst part of it was the effort that New York had wasted from Bobby Richardson. How do you explain how 26 runs driven in during the regular season becomes a dozen in the World Series? Bobby would go home without a championship, but not empty-handed. He was given the World Series MVP (Now known as the Willie Mays' Trophy) for his outstanding performance. However, even the prize was not exactly to Richardson's use. As Bobby put it, the losing was not going to subside because of his prize. "After the game, the editor of Sport magazine told me I was the Most Valuable Player, but any air of excitement was gone both because we'd lost and because of the way we had lost."<br /><br />One final irony, the prize itself didn't exactly end up helping Richardson or his family.<br /><br />"I took the Corvette home and traded it in for a Jeep. I had two kids, and the Corvette just wasn't big enough." Bobby would have gladly traded in the Jeep, too, for a World Series ring in 1960.<br /><br /><br /><br /><b>References</b><div><br /></div><div><br /><br />Enders, Eric. <i>100 Years Of The World Series</i>. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Ford, Whitey, and Phil Pepe. <i>Slick</i>. W. Morrow, 1987.<br /><br /><br /><br />Fornoff, Susan. “World Series Official Souvenir Scorebook.” Ontario, Toronto, Oct. 1992. (Article, <i>Surprise, Surprise</i>, pg. 12)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Gallagher, Mark. <i>Explosion!: Mickey Mantle's Legendary Home Runs</i>. Arbor House, 1987.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Golenbock, Peter. <i>Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964</i>. Contemporary Books, 2000. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Major League Baseball Productions. World Series Highlights, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962. DVD / Youtube. 14 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Mantle, Mickey, and Herb Gluck. <i>The Mick</i>. Easton Press, 1996.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>------------------and Mickey Herskowitz. <i>All My Octobers: My Memories of Twelve World Series When the Yankees Ruled Baseball</i>. HarperCollins, 1994.<br /><br /><br />Miller, Lawrence, director. <i>New York Yankees (The Movie)</i>. <i>Youtube</i>, Philo / Magig Video, 1987, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMWAt3v1I0w">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMWAt3v1I0w</a>. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. <i>The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992</i>. 12th ed. St. Martin's Press, 1992. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>--------------. <i>The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903-1989</i>, St. Martin's Press, 1990.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Nemec, David et all. 20th <i>Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball</i>. Collector's Edition. Publications International, 1993. <br /><br /><br /><i><br />Society For American Baseball Research</i>, SABR. <a href="https://sabr.org/">https://sabr.org/</a>. 14 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sports Reference LLC. <i>Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information</i>. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/">http://www.baseball-reference.com/</a>. 14 Apr. 2023.<br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">https://en.wikipedia.org/</a>. 14 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>YouTube</i>, Google, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. 14 Apr. 2023.</div></div>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-41522575282745615092023-04-13T15:14:00.007-04:002023-04-14T21:25:16.343-04:00World Series: Did You Know?Bill Martin was back at it in 1956, but didn't stand atop the leaderboard. The batting average leader in '56 was Yogi Berra. Not that Martin didn't contribute some big hits.<br /><br />Well, 1956 was the same old story. Yankees. Dodgers. World Series. Game seven. It was becoming all-too common. Brooklyn had their ring from the year before, and now it was time for New York to get even. By winning it all in '55, the Brooklyn Dodgers could not longer be "Bums". And the team they came back with the next year was just as talented if not more. After, all, another Hall-of-Famer was added, but he'd have just a short cameo in the fourth contest of the Fall Classic.<br /><br />The Yankees didn't lose too many World Series back then. With Casey Stengel at the helm, they'd won five in a row from 1949-1953. Their loss to the Dodgers in 1955 had been a bad taste for many. A first taste, too. But New York had the characters to bounce back. It was time to get the show on the road. Speaking of which, that's where the Bronx Bombers found themselves at the start of the 1956 Grand Finale.<br /><br />And the Fall Classic started in a ballpark Billy Martin liked, Ebbets Field. And Sal Maglie started for Brooklyn. Maglie had been a key pickup by the Dodgers that season, going 13-5.<br /><br />Martin's buddy Mickey Mantle tried to help. Enos Slaughter hit a ball, with one away, to first. Gil Hodges, the Dodgers' first basemen, got a piece of it, but not enough. It was scored a hit. Big trouble now for the Dodgers. Mickey Mantle was up. 52 home runs to his name in 1956. He deposited a Maglie offering to deep right, over the tall wall. 2-0, Yankees. Could Martin contribute, too?<br /><br />But that was essentially it for New York, with the exception of Martin. Sal Maglie got him out the first time up, and Brooklyn surged ahead of New York, routing Whitey Ford from the mound. 5-2 for the Dodgers in the fourth. Up came Billy Martin. He'd seen his old pal Jackie Robinson go yard earlier in the contest, so why couldn't he do that? The Kid wasted no time, belting the first thing he saw from the Brooklyn pitcher to the seats in left. The Yankees were still in the contest.<br /><br />Martin wasn't able to do much after that, alas. All he could do is draw a bases on balls off Maglie in the top of the eighth. Sal Maglie just went about his business that frame. He fanned two New York batters, cruising on from there. He got Mantle to end the game by hitting into a double play.<br /><br />Game two was a wild one. It seemed New York had it. They scored a run in the top of the first, and five more in the second. Martin had started the second with a single, and of course eventually scored. Brooklyn somehow put a "6" on the board in their half of the inning, so it was back to the drawing board for New York. Neither starting pitcher, Don Newcombe nor Don Larsen, had been good.<br /><br />Martin hit into a double play in the third, and couldn't get untracked in this game, and neither could his team. Reliever Don Bessent fanned Martin twice, ending up the winner in a 13-8 Dodger win.<br /><br />Well, maybe Ebbets Field wasn't such a nice ballpark after all, eh Billy?<br /><br />But Yankee Stadium was nice to play in. Sure, Brooklyn got ahead 1-0 early. But then our boy came up in the last of the second, blasting a Roger Craig offering to deep left. Into the stands! 1-1.<br /><br />Although Martin wasn't quite able to contribute more this contest, that home run by him got New York back on track. Sure, the game stayed close, but now you sort of figured the momentum was the Yankees.<br /><br />Enos Slaughter blasted a three-run home run in the last of the sixth, erasing a 2-1 Brooklyn lead. Now, it was the home team ahead for good. The Yankees' second basemen had to be content with a 1-4 day. But that "1" was one big hit!<br /><br />Game four was a big one. The Yankees offence had been excellent so far this 1956 Fall Classic. They'd scored at least three runs each game, but so had the Dodgers. The Yankees struck first. Martin, who'd been retired first time up, looked to help. The score was now tied by the time he grabbed a bat again. But the Yankees would be ahead by the time Martin was done his plate appearance.<br /><br />Mickey Mantle had opened the fourth with a walk. Then turned on the jets. Yogi Berra fanned as Mantle swiped second. Enos Slaughter was walked intentionally, the partisan Stadium fans unhappy. Martin picked their spirits up with a base hit to left. 2-1, New York. Before the inning would end, Gil McDougald added a sacrifice fly.<br /><br />Hank Bauer hit a two-run home run off a rookie named Don Drysdale in the seventh, to effectively seal the deal. Martin, who was 1-3, would face the big right-handed hurler in the eighth. The youngster of Brooklyn showed plenty of poise. Yogi Berra, Enos Slaughter and Billy Martin were retired on grounders, part of a 1-2-3 inning for Drysdale.<br /><br />The game was a decisive win for New York, 6-2. A great number of people believed that Martin had the big blow in the contest, back in the fourth.<br /><br />The winning pitcher was Tommy Sturdivant, who believe Billy Martin was one of the big reason the Yankees always seemed to have the edge in Fall Classics.<br /><br />"I felt that Billy Martin was an average major league ballplayer." Tom though, was quick to point out that when the chips were down, Martin willed himself to be great. "But I believe that in ballgames you had to win, like in the series, that Billy could build hisself (sic) up to where Billy was a super-star during games that you had to have." In his mind, the pitcher was unequivocal about the play of the second basemen behind him.<br /><br />"For a given number of games, Billy could even carry a ballclub."<br /><br />So game five would determine who was heading back to Ebbets Field with the lead. As it turns out, all eyes were on Yankee pitcher Don Larsen in this contest. You will see why.<br /><br />The Yankees, though, didn't seem to be any problem for Sal Maglie. 1-2-3 they went in the first. 1-2-3 they went in the second, with Maglie fanning Billy Martin. 1-2-3 in the third. Mickey Mantle stopped the bleeding with a solo home run in the fourth. But this was gonna be a struggle all the way. Don Larsen was a career 81-91 pitcher. He seemed unlikely to be able to protect a 1-0 lead.<br /><br />Enos Slaughter opened the fifth with a walk. Billy Martin and the Yankees were playing for one run, so he bunted. Alas, the fielding of Brooklyn had been excellent this day, and this play was no exception. They got the force at second. Gil McDougald made a bid for a hit with a shot to short. Pee Wee Reese made the nice catch, and Martin had started to second. Too far off the bag. Brooklyn had a double play to escape.<br /><br />The Yankees added a run in the bottom of the sixth, but that was it. So this was their worst game in terms of offence. They tried in the seventh for more. With two away, our boy was back up. 0-2, but Billy was every bit the competitor that Sal Maglie was. He got just the fifth hit off Sal on his 1-1 offering, to keep the inning alive. The ball just found the hole between Jackie Robinson at third and Pee Wee Reese at short.<br /><br />It seemed to inspire the home team again. Gil McDougald was up, and Maglie seemed to loose all control. Ball one. Ball two. Ball three. Ball four. Roy Campanella, the Dodger catcher, went out to the mound to talk things over with his suddenly wild pitcher.<br /><br />The talk worked. Although Don Bessent started to get loose in the Dodgers' bullpen, Maglie got ahead 1-2 on Andy Carey. On the fourth pitch of the at bat, Carey then hit into a force. Billy Martin would not bat again this game, as his team was retired in order in the eighth (All strikeouts).<br /><br />But, no Dodger could do anything with Don Larsen. So the game moved to the top of the ninth, as tension mounted. Larsen's second basemen behind him had three putouts and three assists through eight. When Campanella grounded out to Martin, there were two away. One more out, and it would result in a World Series first: A perfect game!<br /><br />Larsen fanned pinch hitter Dale Mitchell to nail down the historic achievement. 27 men up. 27 men down. It was back to Ebbets Field and New York would have two chances to close out a stubborn Brooklyn team.<br /><br />New York didn't get it done in game six, but on this day, Martin did some talking to his manager after the affair that was key. The Yankees sent out Bob Turley. The Dodgers, Clem Labine. It was a classic pitching contest that Billy Martin took a huge backsead to.<br /><br />Martin went 1-4, but the problem was left fielder Enos Slaughter. In the bottom of the third, Jim Gillam had singled to left, when the Yankees' left fielder lost track of the projectile in the sun. Plus, he'd stranded two men in the top of the eighth. The game went intro extras, where Jackie Robinson won it with a walk-off single to left, in which Slaughter misjudged. "It's a tough one for Turley to lose, and a grand one for Labine to win." A tough loss for the Yankees, too.<br /><br />Martin was no exception. He was one unhappy camper. He was probably pretty ticked about leaving two on in the top of the sixth. But he hadn't liked what he saw from Slaughter. After the game, Billy sought out his manager on the team bus. The second basemen was fuming. "Most of the Yankees were deeply annoyed by Slaughter's fielding in left," wrote Peter Golenbock years later, "but no one had the audacity to complain to Stengel. Except Martin." The Yankee second basemen knew lineup changes were needed. A sudden youth movement, for game seven of a World Series. Only Billy Martin and Casey Stengel could talk of such subjects during trying times!<br /><br />"Billy told Casey to get the forty-three year old Slaughter out of the lineup," added Bill Pennington in <i>Billy Martin: Baseball's Flawed Genuis</i>, "Billy wanted him to play twenty-seven year old Elston Howard in left. And he wanted twenty-five Bill "Moose" Skowron to replace thirty-three year old Joe Collins at first base." Their little talk didn't escape one scribe, who pressed the Bronx Bombers star for <i>his</i> version of the lineup for the deciding game. Martin didn't waiver. Skowron at first, Howard in left.<br /><br />So, game seven got underway, with Martin's version of the Yankees in place! The decision might have raised some eyebrows. Howard hadn't played at all in the World Series, suffering from a strep throat. Joe Collins had been hitting .238, but that was better than Moose Skowron.Skowron had played games one and two, going a combined 0-5. Enos Slaughter had looked like a hero, hitting .350, one home run, four RBI and six runs scored. This was a Martin / Stengel decision that could blow up in their face. Also, Stengel chose not to start Whitey Ford, instead going with unheralded Johnny Kucks.<br /><br />Kucks didn't have much reason to feel good about his chances. However, the Yankees made things a little easier for him, right of the bat, literally.<br /><br />Hank Bauer got it all going with a leadoff single off Don Newcombe. Stengel had penned Martin in to bat second. The move looked bad. On a 1-1 pitch, Bauer stole second. But on a 2-2 delivery, Newk fanned Martin. Down went Mickey Mantle on strikes. But then Yogi Berra belted a two-run home run. <br /><br />When Kucks came out to pitch the first, he saw the Yankees' bullpen busy. Would his day be short?<br /><br />Brooklyn got two men on, and then Jackie Robinson was up. One out. Brooklyn had a chance to get right back in it. But Robinson's comebacker was fielded by Kucks. He turned and saw Martin. Martin took it, erasing Duke Snider at second. Over to first...Double play! Martin must have liked that. He'd relaxed his worried pitcher, too.<br /><br />But the Yankees went quickly in the second inning, with Elston Howard failing to deliver. Skowron had fanned in the first. The momentum stayed with the Yankees, though. Gil Hodges batted Kucks to 3-2, then grounded out to Andy Carey. The next two men had Martin saying, "I've got your back, Johnny!" Indeed. First pitch to Sandy Amoros, Billy Martin got the grounder, threw to Skowron at first. Two away. Next pitch, Carl Furillo also hit a grounder. Martin to Skowron, inning over. <br /><br />Hank Bauer grounded out trying to bunt, and Billy Martin got his second crack at Don Newcombe. He fouled off the first pitch. The second was a ball. The third was to his liking, and Billy slapped it to centre. And it was just beyond the grasp of shortstop Pee Wee Reese. Mickey Mantle fanned. Good thing Berra was back up. Bad for Newcombe. Same result as the first frame: Two-run home run!<br /><br />So a little bit more breathing room for young Johnny Kucks. His second basemen behind him took Roy Campanella's grounder, whipping it to first. One out. Part of a 1-2-3 inning.<br /><br />The big moment for Elston Howard was next. He hit Newcombe's second pitch in the fourth inning outta here. Shower time for the Brooklyn hurler. The game was becoming a rout!<br /><br />But Martin could only ground out in the fifth. But he was certainly involved on the field. When the dust settled on this winner-take all affair, Billy had two putouts and six assists, as Johnny Kucks kept the Dodgers at bay with his sinker ball. The visiting team looked for more run support for the pitcher, putting two on after Martin was retired in that fifth. Alas, Howard stranded both of them.<br /><br />The seventh inning put things to bed on the 1956 baseball season. Martin got a single off the third Dodger pitcher, Roger Craig. Mickey Mantle drew a bases on balls. A wild pitch moved two buddies into scoring position for Yogi Berra. But Craig walked him. Moose Skowron was up.<br /><br />First pitch swinging, Skowron took Craig out of the park! The grand slam made this one a 9-0 laugher for the Yankees. Howard again sent a pitcher to the shower, following up this big blast with a double.<br /><br />The Yankees' second basemen finished the game 2-5. Skowron was only 1-5, but came up with the game's biggest blow. Howard matched Martin, 2-5. And Kucks, his toothy grin would be seen after completing a three-hit shutout. But their manager went to talk to Martin after the game. He really knew how to pick 'em, eh?<br /><br />Despite the let-down in game seven, it had been another great Fall Classic between these two titans. Somewhere in the middle of the fight, had been the fiery second basemen of the Yankees. Billy Martin finished the 1956 Fall Classic with a .296 batting average and two home runs. <br /><br />It had been a nice comeback for the Bronx Bombers. The year before, they'd been up 2-0, then lost four of the next five games, including the finale at home. This year, it was the Yankees down 2-0, and then won four of the next five, including the seventh contest on the road. The team would sort of trump that two years later, as they rallied from 3-1 down to beat Milwaukee. <br /><br />Sadly for Martin, this was his last World Series as a player. The Yankees had given a young kid named Bobby Richardson a look-see that year, and clearly was the successor to Billy Martin. It was too bad he was traded to Kansas City in 1957. Mantle, Ford, and many others missed him. Billy wasn't the most talented Yankee, but when they needed a key hit in a big game, he was <i>the man</i>! And Martin didn't shy away from being <i>him</i>.<br /><br />"Whenever the series started, they always wanted to take pictures of the Mantles, the Berras, whoever the top hitters on the Yankees are. I told the guys, 'Take a picture of me now, [or] you're gonna make a mistake if you don't."<div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>References</b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br />Enders, Eric. <i>100 Years Of The World Series</i>. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.<br /><br /><br />Effrat, Louis. “Bombers Call Martin’s Run-Producing Single in 4th Turning Point of Game.” <i>New York Times</i>, 8 Oct. 1956, p. 32, <a href="https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1956/10/08/121453379.html?pageNumber=32">https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1956/10/08/121453379.html?pageNumber=32</a>. Accessed 13 Apr. 2023. <br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div>Ford, Whitey, and Phil Pepe. <i>Slick</i>. W. Morrow, 1987.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Gallagher, Mark. <i>Explosion!: Mickey Mantle's Legendary Home Runs</i>. Arbor House, 1987.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Golenbock, Peter. <i>Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964</i>. Contemporary Books, 2000. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Major League Baseball Productions. World Series Films, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958. DVD / Youtube.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Mantle, Mickey, and Herb Gluck. <i>The Mick</i>. Easton Press, 1996.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>------------------and Mickey Herskowitz. <i>All My Octobers: My Memories of Twelve World Series When the Yankees Ruled Baseball</i>. HarperCollins, 1994.<br /><br /><br />Miller, Lawrence, director. <i>New York Yankees (The Movie)</i>. <i>Youtube</i>, Philo / Magig Video, 1987, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMWAt3v1I0w">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMWAt3v1I0w</a>. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. <i>The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992</i>. 12th ed. St. Martin's Press, 1992. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>--------------. <i>The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903-1989</i>, St. Martin's Press, 1990.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Nemec, David et all. 20th <i>Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball</i>. Collector's Edition. Publications International, 1993. <br /><br /><br /><i>1956 World Series: Game 5</i>. National Broadcasting Company, 8 Oct. 1956. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Society For American Baseball Research</i>, SABR. <a href="https://sabr.org/">https://sabr.org/</a>. 13 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sports Reference LLC. <i>Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information</i>. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/">http://www.baseball-reference.com/</a>. 13 Apr. 2023.<br /><br /><br />Turkin, Hy, and S. C. Thompson. <i>The Vest-Pocket Encyclopedia of Baseball</i>. A.S. Barnes, 1956. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Whiteford, Mike, and Taylor Jones. <i>How To Talk Baseball</i>. Revised ed. Dembner, 1987.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">https://en.wikipedia.org/</a>. 13 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>YouTube</i>, Google, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. 13 Apr. 2023.</div></div></div>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-1868689275773977412023-04-12T12:04:00.004-04:002023-04-18T20:31:50.464-04:00World Series: Did You Know<p>Billy Martin was the man of the moment in 1953. Not only did he have twelve hits in only six games, but he also had two home runs and eight RBIs. Oh, and he batted .500.<br /><br />Martin actually had as many home runs as Mickey Mantle, and one more run driven home.<br /><br />It was another classic World Series between the Yankees and the Dodgers. Well, the Bronx Bombers had a lot of great players, but was Billy Martin one of them? The Brooklyn Dodgers still hadn't won a World Championship, and would they finally pull it off? It seems like Jackie Robinson, the Dodger great, would be a man a fire, and he was. It was a bit of an interesting situation, as Martin and Robinson were both second basemen.<br /><br />Not in 1953, was Jackie. Brooklyn moved him to the outfield. Red-hot rookie Jim Gilliam was at second. Did it hurt the Dodgers?<br /><br />Players who scored 100 runs by Brooklyn in 1953:<br /><br />Duke Snider, 132<br /><br />Jim Gilliam, 125<br /><br />Jackie Robinson, 109<br /><br />Pee Wee Reese, 108<br /><br />Roy Campanella, 103<br /><br />Gil Hodges, 101<br /><br /><br />Oh, boy. The Bronx Bombers have their work cut out for them. Gilliam added a league-leading seventeen triples.<br /><br />But, the Yankees had a big edge. They had Billy Martin in 1953. It was not just his physical exploits that made him dangerous. Martin had a lot going for him in terms of smarts. Was it not his catch in game seven of the Fall Classic the previous year that helped save the day for the New York Yankees? Billy had good reason to come up big when the two titans met up in this Fall Classic, played fifty years after the very first one. He's been on the postseason roster in 1950, but not played. The next World Series, he got into one game. That's it. In '52, Martin played in all seven games, but hit just .217. Billy still didn't have that one, great standout performance in the clutch yet. For that matter, Billy Martin hadn't had that one great regular season yet!<br /><br />But, baseball fans, how about a tad of a secret? Billy Martin was a great player in 1953. Yep. Home runs? 15. RBIs? 75. Runs scored? 72. It was just that bad batting average, .257.<br /><br />"Because of his reputation as a troublemaker and his mediocre final few years," wrote Peter Golenbock in Dynasty, "Billy Martin will always be remembered as an average ballplayer. Nothing could be further from the truth. He looked awkward and in the field, but in critical situations, Billy Martin could carry a team on his shoulders. In his prime, Martin was every bit the star that his buddies Mantle and Ford were."<br /><br />Would the 1953 World Series prove that? The Dodgers had the advantage of a small ballpark, while the Yankees had to make do with the Stadium. Yankee Stadium. Would the ballpark, described as, "shaped like a horse shoe," help Brooklyn or New York.</p><p><br />Well, Hank Bauer hit a triple in the bottom of the first inning, in the first contest, to put the Yankees on top. But later on in the inning, Billy Martin's pal Mickey Mantle drew a walk. So did Gene Woodling. Bauer was still on third while all this was going on.<br /><br />Bases loaded, two away. The score was still 1-0, Yankees. Billy Martin up. Clutch situation, early.<br /><br />Boom! A big shot to the gap in left, which nearly ended up to the left of the 457 sign in left. Bauer, scores. Mantle right behind him. Woodling made it home, too. Martin had himself a triple. Bauer had one RBI this inning. Martin, three. A fitting beginning.<br /><br />The Yankees' second basemen added a single in the fourth. And another in the eighth. After stealing second, it was time for more offence. The Yankees despite building up an early 4-0 lead, were now clinging to a 6-5 edge. That is, of course, until our boy got the old ball rolling. The Bronx Bombers were at it again.<br /><br />Phil Rizzuto walked. Johnny Sain, the pitcher, got Martin home with a double. A Joe Collins single capped a three-run rally. The game had started out as a rout, become a nail-biter, then reverted to a laugher. 9-5 was the final score, and Martin had been the man to make it happen.<br /><br />Maybe not everything had gone his way. Billy was caught trying to steal a base, so he was 1-2 in that department. But 3-4 in the batting one! It seemed like, "Anything Mantle can do, I can do [Better sometimes]". The Mick had swiped a base, too. <br /><br />Game two went the home team's way, as the Yankees doubled up the Dodgers, 4-2. Martin was retired first time up, then went into beast mode after. Next time up, single. And then there was Billy The Kid at the dish in the bottom of the seventh. He didn't say, "Draw" to Brooklyn pitcher Preacher Row. He probably said, "Tie game, buddy". The Yankees trailed the Dodgers 2-1. Martin swung at a 2-2 offering, with the intentions of making the score that. If Martin had said, "Draw", both Preacher and Jackie Robinson (In left field) lost. Robinson made a valiant try, reaching over the railing, only to see the ball go into the stands. 2-2. The Bronx Bombers were inspired. Mickey Mantle, not to be overshadowed, blasted one over Robinson's head himself the next inning, winning the ballgame. Don't fell too bad for Martin. His time would come.<br /><br />But when the Yankees came to Ebbets Field, there was a change. Smaller ballpark, and it seemed for a while, advantage Dodgers.<br /><br />The very first batter of the game for Brooklyn was second basemen Jim Gilliam. He sent one towards second basemen Billy Martin. The ball hit him in the chest. Was Martin living rent-free in the Dodgers' head?<br /><br />After walking in the top of the second, Billy and the gang were back at it three innings later. Sparkplug Martin got it all going with a single to lead off. The next three batters went single, bunt, single. 1-0, New York.<br /><br />The Dodgers weren't about to be swept. The picked up a run in their half of the inning, and then Jackie Robinson put them ahead in the sixth with a single. Gene Woodling tied it in the eighth, and Billy Martin was up with runners on the corners and two down. He could only ground out.<br /><br />The home team went in front for good in the bottom of the frame via a Roy Campanella solo shot. Brooklyn was alive and kicking. And it carried over to game four.<br /><br />Whitey Ford started for New York. Jim Gilliam opened the last of the first with a double into the seats. Brooklyn scored three times off Ford in the bottom of the first.<br /><br />Martin did little until the fifth. He jumped on a pitch from Billy Loes that head to the right of the 376 foot sign. Carl Furillo went for it, Duke Snider came over. Furillo tried to get it, but no. The ball banged around in that little v-shaped area that protruded in right-centre. This was crucial. Martin had a triple. Gil McDougald followed by hitting a ball that no one had a chance on. The two-run dinger made it a ballgame, 4-2. The Dodgers were not discouraged.<br /><br />They scored twice more in the bottom of the sixth, and another in the seventh, effectively putting the game out of reach.<br /><br />Still, the defiant Yankees refused to roll over. Gene Woodling led off the ninth with a single. And Billy Martin, 1-3, made it 2-4 with a single of his own! Did New York have a rally going?<br /><br />A walk by Gil McDougald, and suddenly the tying run was on deck, Johnny Mize, The Big Cat. But first, Phil Rizzuto fanned. The Big Cat flew out to The Duke in centre.<br /><br />But, the song goes, "Willie, Mickey and The Duke". What about the Yankees' centre fielder? Why, Mickey Mantle was next, and he came through! Single. Woodling scores. Around third, Martin. Alas, the throw was in time, with catcher Roy Campanella and the Yankees' second basemen having a bit of a violent collision at home. Series tied, 2-2.<br /><br />Alright, so the 1953 World Series had been no trip to the 7-11. But what if I told you the Bronx Bombers won game five by the score of 11-7? That's better. So was Martin.<br /><br />Johnny Podres started for the Dodgers. Wasn't it a few postings ago I was ranting and raving about how good he was? He was 9-4 in 1953. 11-7 the next season. And Johhny pitched well for a good portion of 1955, too. He was so consistent and so clutch. But here, the visiting New York Yankees said, "Go Johnny, Go To The Showers!"<br /><br />And that's what New York did in the third. Gene Woodling had greeted him rudely in the first. Leadoff home run. It was just the beginning. <br /><br />The home team managed to tie it in the bottom of the second. Phil Rizzuto got a grounder with two on and nobody out. It should have been an easy double play. But The Scooter's toss was off the mark of The Kid. The fielding improved that inning, as the Yankees did eventually get an outfielder to catcher double play. Brooklyn was held to just that one run.<br /><br />In the third, New York somehow got rid of Podres without a hit. They got a walk. The next two batters were retired and the left-handed pitcher seemed safe. Podres himself had made a fine play on Gene Woodling hot shot towards him. That, was the last batter the Dodger lefty retired. On what should have been the third out, Joe Collins shot to first saw Gil Hodges only get a piece of it. The error resulted in Phil Rizzuto scoring. The Yankees didn't stop there.<br /><br />Hank Bauer was hit by a pitch. Yogi Berra walked. Time for Podres to test the showers. But that move didn't help Brooklyn. Russ Meyer faced Mickey Mantle with the bases loaded and two outs. And boy, did Mickey ever go the other way. The grand slam turned a 2-1 lead into 6-1.<br /><br />Billy Martin followed with a single, to try and keep the rally going. But, in a moment of stupidity, Billy tried to steal second and Roy Campanella nailed him.<br /><br />Now, was this crucial? Would Martin get a chance at redemption? He'd have to wait. The Yankee second basemen left a man on in the fifth, but then came up in the seventh, looking to do something to make up for the earlier blunder.<br /><br />He found a four-base solution.<br /><br />Yogi Berra had singled, but then Mickey Mantle had grounded out. With Berra making it to second, there was always the option to put Billy Martin on and pitch to Gil McDougald, who was having his troubles at the dish. The decision was made to pitch to Billy. But a two-run home run proved that it was a bad choice. Again, the Yankees were inspired. Pitcher Jim McDonald drove home another run that inning, making it 9-2 for New York.<br /><br />They kept coming at 'em.<br /><br />Berra drove in Joe Collins with a sacrifice fly the next inning, and the Bronx Bombers were in double digits. They sort of let up a bit in the Brooklyn half of the eighth, as the Dodgers were fighting to the end. They put up a "4" on the scoreboard, turning this game into a slugfest.<br /><br />After Martin fanned in the ninth, Gil McDougald, drawing inspiration from the hot bat in front of him, got into the home run trot, blasting a solo shot. Brooklyn wasn't dead yet, and Jim Gilliam hit one of his own. Duke Snider singled with one out. But the game ending, fittingly, with Jackie Robinson hitting it to the New York second basemen, who started a 4-6-3 game-ending double play. It should be noted at this point, Brooklyn was waiting for it's first twin-killing in the 1953 Fall Classic. Five games in the books and Billy Martin was doing everything the Dodgers could only dream of. Just a note, beating Johnny Podres was no small accomplishment. This was his only World Series loss. Podres would be 4-0 from here.<br /><br />And it got worse in game six, back at Yankee Stadium.<br /><br />Yogi Berra doubled home a man to break the ice in the last of the first. After Mickey Mantle was walked intentionally, Billy Martin foiled that strategy, in an odd way.<br /><br />All Martin did was ground to Jim Gilliam, but the ball hit his shoe. Berra scored, and an RBI was still awarded. Mantle was on third and the home team could have iced it early. The Dodgers picked a fine time to turn a double play, getting out of the inning down only two runs.<br /><br />Gene Woodling, though, made it 3-0 New York with a sacrifice fly in the next inning. However, the inning could have been truly dreadful for the visitors. The Yankees eventually loaded the bases, with Yogi Berra up. Berra flied to Duke Snider in centre. It seemed like a cinch sacrifice fly. 4-0!<br /><br />Nope. Whitey Ford took off before the catch. Quickly realizing this, he went back to third, touched it, and headed home. Snider's toss to Jim Gilliam was fired right to Roy Campanella, who greeted Ford at the plate with the ball. A clutch double play. So it was only 3-0, New York.<br /><br />Brooklyn again fought back. Martin was retired the next time to the dish, but added a double in the fifth. It seemed like the World Series might end on the Martin-Mantle and Ford show.<br /><br />Brooklyn broke the shutout in the top of the sixth, and pressed on against Whitey Ford. They also seemed to figure out Martin and how to get the job done with men on. Billy hit into a double play in the seventh, and the Dodgers were starting to get all the breaks.<br /><br />Come the top of the ninth, Allie Reynolds was on to nail it down. Ford had pitched well, and now Reynolds would no doubt get the save. But with one out, Duke Snider made it via a bases on balls. Then Carl Furillo gave Billy Martin and the Yankees a dose of their own medicine. His clutch two-run home run to left tied it!<br /><br />So it all came down to the last of the ninth. Would Martin bat? Due up: Hank Bauer, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle! Seems like he would. What were the odds of none of them making it.<br /><br />Bauer got it all off on the right foot, unlike Gilliam earlier. Bases on balls. The way Clem Labine should not have started the inning. Yogi Berra lined out. It was big, but the odds of Brooklyn getting Mantle to hit into a double play were slim.<br /><br />The Mick proved that. He hit a chopper to third, but the ball wasn't hit that hard. Billy Cox came in, but there was no play on either runner. Mantle had laid the foundation for his friend to be hero. His friend was all-too-willing.<br /><br />Martin whipped a single up the middle. Hit number twelve of the 1953 Fall Classic for him. His hits had been worth more than a dime a dozen. Bauer scored, Yankees win. For the fifth straight time. Not that their second basemen would dare take all the credit.<br /><br />"We had a helluva ballclub in 1953," Billy Martin would tell Peter Golenbock in the early 70s. "Just a great ballclub. Everyone was contributing. And the Dodgers had the greatest ball team they ever had." It seemed though, that Martin had been the reason Brooklyn had been turned away. He'd outperformed so many of them.<br /><br />Gilliam had hit .296, Billy Cox, .304, Duke Snider and Jackie Robinson, .320. Carl Furillo had batted .333. Topping Brooklyn had been Gil Hodges' .364. But the most hits by any Dodger had been eight, four fewer than Martin. And only one Brooklyn player, Roy Campanella, who hit .273, scored more runs (six) than Martin (five). Martin couldn't help but boast his ego when remembering the great Fall Classic of '53. It seemed like The Kid believed that he could be as good as any Dodger had he been playing in Ebbets Field.<br /><br />"Our ballpark would just kill the Dodgers. In '53 I hit fifteen home runs and drove in seventy-five runs with the Yankees. If I had been playing in Brooklyn, I think I could have hit thirty-five or forty because that ballpark was such a band box [Short distance to the outfield walls]."<br /><br />Was there a reason for Billy Martin performing so well against Brooklyn? Martin explained this, and talked about what a connection he felt to a Brooklyn star.<br /><br />"I always enjoyed those series because of Jackie Robinson. See, there was a black lawyer by the name of Walter Gordon out in California that helped my mother when I was a kid, and he also helped Jackie, so when we played against Jackie in the series, I always wanted to show him I was a better second basemen. That was my real challenge. And I always outhit him, and always outplayed him. Every series we played in."<br /><br /></p><p><br /><b>References</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Enders, Eric. <i>100 Years Of The World Series</i>. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.<br /><br /><br /><br />Ford, Whitey, and Phil Pepe. <i>Slick</i>. New York: W. Morrow, 1987. Print.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gallagher, Mark. <i>Explosion!: Mickey Mantle's Legendary Home Runs</i>. New York: Arbor House, 1987. Print.</p><p><br /></p><p>Golenbock, Peter. <i>Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964</i>. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary Books, 2000. <br /><br /><br />Major League Baseball Productions. <i>World Series Films</i>, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1955, 1956. DVD / Youtube.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mantle, Mickey, and Herb Gluck. <i>The Mick</i>. Easton Press, 1996.<br /><br /><br />------------------and Mickey Herskowitz. <i>All My Octobers: My Memories of Twelve World Series When the Yankees Ruled Baseball</i>. New York: HarperCollins, 1994.<br /><br /><br />Morissey, Scott C. <i>114 World Series in 1 Book</i>. Updated ed., Pandamonium Publishing House, 2020.</p><p><br /></p><p>Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. <i>The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992</i>. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. </p><p><br />--------------. <i>The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903-1989</i>, St. Martin's Press, 1990.<br /><br /></p><p>Nemec, David et all. <i>20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball</i>. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications International, 1993. </p><p><br /></p><p><i>Society For American Baseball Research</i>, SABR. <a href="https://sabr.org/">https://sabr.org/</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Reference LLC. <i>Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information</i>. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/">http://www.baseball-reference.com/</a>. 11 Apr. 2023.<br /><br /><br /></p><p>Whiteford, Mike, and Taylor Jones. <i>How To Talk Baseball</i>. Revised ed. New York: Dembner, 1987.<br /><br /><br /><br /><i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">https://en.wikipedia.org/</a>. 11 Apr. 2023.<br /><br /><br /></p><p><i>YouTube</i>, Google, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. 11 Apr. 2023.</p>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-49786153241538021012023-04-10T14:40:00.005-04:002023-04-27T13:42:13.364-04:00World Series: Did You Know?Jimmie Wilson needed four cracks at the Fall Classic before he could become a hero. He got in three World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in the late 20s and early 30s, but didn't have a breakthrough. It was a while later when an unusual set of circumstances pressed the 40-year old catcher into services in the Fall Classic. And Jimmie took full advantage of it.<br /><br />"In his day," his biography on <i>Society for American Baseball Research</i> reads, "Jimmie Wilson was that baseball rarity: a dependable, hard-nosed catcher who could hit." Hit over .300, Wilson did!.284 for his career<br /><br />Wilson missed out on St. Louis beating New York in 1926. That was the famous Fall Classic where Grover Cleveland Alexander fanned Tony Lazzeri with the bases loaded in game seven. Jimmie caught 79 games for the Philadelphia Phillies and appeared in 11 more as a pinch hitter. But did he ever hit! In marked the second straight season topping .300 (.305).<br /><br />Alas, by the time he made it to St. Louis, their adversaries from '26 were waiting for them in the World Series. The New York Yankees more than recovered from their setback in the October Finale that year. They faced Pittsburgh in 1927, and swept them for the World Championship.<br /><br />Back again in 1928, poor Jimmie Wilson and company had no chance. Waite Hoyt beat them 4-1 in the first game, and that was as close as it got for St. Louis. A 9-3 win in the second contest sent the Cardinals heading home in a hopeless situation.<br /><br />Though game three was tied after five frames, it was New York that scored the games' last four runs, winning 7-3. That was the score in the next contest, too. The Yankees had a second straight sweep.<br /><br />Jimmie Wilson didn't get to do much, hitting just .091 in three Fall Classic games. St. Louis made it back to the World Series in 1930, only to be turned back by the Philadelphia Athletics in six games. Our boy got into four games, while the Cardinals' out backstopper Gus Mancuso played in two. Wilson hit .267 and had two RBIs. Not bat.<br /><br />St. Louis won the rematch next season, but their catcher hit just .217 the World Series that year. It appeared, as the years went by, that this was Jimmie Wilson's last chance for glory at baseball ultimate stage.<br /><br />But then, a change of scenery made things better. Wilson became a coach for the Cincinnati Reds in 1939, and even caught two innings of a game. During his time in Philadelphia, where the old catcher became a player-manager, Jimmie made a crucial suggestion to one of his infielders. Bucky Walters, originally a third basemen, converted to a pitcher after sustaining a torn cartilage and thumb injury.<br /><br />And what a move that was! Wilson the catcher new a good arm when he saw one. Walters started pitching full time at age 26, and still managed to win 198 games and two ERA crowns! And better still, guess where Bucky was in 1939? Cincinnati.<br /><br />The team won the pennant that season, but Jimmie Wilson had seen what happened to his team in the World Series before. Opponent, Yankees. Result? Sweep. Wilson was just a coach, remember. Even if he could still play, he'd have had tough competition for the catching job. The was Ernie Lombardi and Willard Hershberger on Cincinnati. Lombardi hit .287 with 20 home runs. Hershberger was just plain awesome as the backup backstopper for Cincinnati. In only 63 games in 1939, Willard hit .345 with 32 runs batted in.<br /><br />Herhsberger, though, was haunted by memories of his father, who'd committed suicide twelve years earlier. Writing for <i>Cincinnati Magazine</i> in 2022,<i> </i>Chad Dotson says this about Willard:<br /><br />"One day in November [in 1928], he went hunting and, when he returned, left his shotgun in the hallway of his family’s Orange County home. In the middle of the night, he heard a blast and Willard discovered his father’s lifeless body.<div><br /></div><div>"Hershberger’s father was deeply in debt and having troubles at work, but the young man blamed himself for leaving his shotgun in the hallway."</div><br />There'd been some games that season that Willard had caught, in which the Reds lost, that he blamed himself for. The emotional stress proved more than he could cope with. So in August, with Cincinnati on their way to another World Series appearance, Hershberger committed suicide.<br /><br />The Reds players were saddened, and vowed to win the World Series for him. But, in September, Lombardi injured his ankle. What would Cincinnati do?<br /><br />Rather than go with a pair of available rookies, manager Bill McKechnie decided to activate Jimmie Wilson. The decision had been made about a week and a half after Hershberger's death (August 12th).<br /><br />Wilson got into three August games, but really went to town in September, appearing in thirteen more. Jimmie started out hot with the bat, getting the batting average up to as high as .316 in-between games of a double-header (In which Lombardi suffered his injury). Alas, a season-ending slump knocked it down to just .243. Could he raise it come October?<br /><br />The Detroit Tigers were sure to be some stiff opposition. Game one proved it. Wilson was behind the dish, but the Tigers won easily, 7-2. First time up, Jimmie flied out. It was 5-1 at the time of the old catcher's second plate appearance in the bottom of the fourth. But all he did was hit into an inning-ending double play. Lew Riggs would pinch hit for Wilson in the seventh.<br /><br />It wasn't all for not. Two Detroit baserunners were erased attempting to steal second, with Wilson catching one, and Bill Baker nabbing the other. If the Tigers thought they could run on the Reds with Ernie Lombardi not behind the dish, they were wrong.<br />
<span style="white-space: pre;">
The next game saw Wilson and the Reds rebound. Cincinnati trailed 2-0 in the bottom of the second </span>and then they grabbed some serious lumber! Frank McCormick opened the Cincinnati half of the second with a single. With one out, our boy was at the dish. Potentially, he could end the inning by hitting into another double play. But no, Jimmie singled! So did the next two batters! The score was tied by the time the frame ended, momentum all on the home team's side.<br /><br />Jimmy Ripple batted in front of Wilson the next inning, belting a two-run home run, first pitch swinging. Though Jimmy was retired, his team was out in front for good. And Wilson added a single in the eighth, the ball hitting third basemen Pinky Higgins glove. The Reds won, 5-3. The batter of Cincinnati had done the trick. Who was the pitcher? Why Bucky Walters!<br /><br />A surprising return from Lombardi was the big story going into game three in Detroit. The Cincinnati bats were sizzling (Ernie went 1-3, replaced by Bill Baker, who scored the last run of the ballgame), but their pitching was not. The Reds wasted four runs and ten hits. The Tigers used seven runs on thirteen hits to win, 7-4, and take a 2-1 lead in the 1940 Fall Classic.<br /><br />So, it was back to Wilson back behind the dish in a crucial game four. Did he help?<br /><br />Well, Jimmie only got one hit. But must have called a great game. Paul Derringer tossed a fine five-hitter, limited Detroit to just two runs. I think Derringer's batterymate would have wanted to contribute more.<br /><br />Cincinnati grabbed a quick 2-0 lead in the first, but Jimmie Wilson was the last out. In the third, Jimmie Ripple doubled home Ival Goodman, and advanced Frank McCormick to third. Wilson was next, but could only ground out to Pinky Higgins at third. Eventually, Cincinnati got another man on, but did not touch home again that frame.<br /><br />Goodman's sacrifice fly cashed in a fourth Red run in the fourth, making it 4-1. But again, Wilson could have added more, but didn't. He came up with runners on the corners and two away. He fanned.<br /><br />Eventually, Wilson added a single, but it was meaningless. The good news was that the Reds won, 5-2. Wilson had to settle for a 1-5 day.<br /><br />And the Bengals came right back to win the fifth contest. It was no contest, more accurately. Riding the wave of pitcher Bobo Newsom's masterful three-hit shutout, Detroit won the game 8-0. Jimmie Wilson only batted once, replaced by Bill Baker (Who pinch hit and stayed in the game) in the fifth.<br /><br />So it was back to Crosley Field, where the 1940 World Series would conclude one way or another.<br /><br />It was the home team that returned the shutout favour. Jimmie Wilson took position behind the plate for the Reds. On the mound, his converted buddy Bucky Walters. <br /><br />In the bottom of the first, Billy Werber doubled to start it. A bunt and three consecutive singles scored two runs, and Cincinnati had the makings of a big inning. Was Wilson holding them back? He fanned for the second out, with men on the corners. Eddie Joost ended the inning by grounding out.<br /><br />Still, it was 2-0, Cincinnati. It was also time for their catcher to contribute in the sixth. The score was had not changed. After Jimmy Ripple opened the Reds' half with a single, Wilson followed suit. Eddie Joost walked.<br /><br />It was the makings of another big inning, one that could have put this game away. The home team settled for just that one run. And it was Jimmie Wilson that was plated on a force play. <br /><br />The Reds looked for more insurance the next inning. Mike McCormick singled. Ival Goodman bunted him into scoring position. Frank McCormick grounded out, with McCormick holding at second. The Tigers put Jimmy Ripple, who was hitting .333 in the World Series, on. That brought Wilson back to the plate. Jimmie Wilson came up, and this time, he drew a bases on balls. Bases loaded, two out. Alas, Eddie Joost grounded out to end that.<br /><br />Detroit was still in the game, but Bucky Walters' eighth inning home run spelled the end. Walters made Wilson proud, finishing with a five-hit shutout. What an amazing pair they were! The Tigers had gotten just eight hits, total, of Walters in eighteen innings of work. But I guess the pitcher had to show the catcher that he hadn't forgotten how to hit. As for Wilson's hitting, it was up to .267, tying what he'd done ten years earlier against Philadelphia.<br /><br />All this, but game seven still had to be played. So Wilson was back behind the dish. Not that beating Detroit would be an easy thing. <i>The Sporting News</i> reported on the situation. <br /><br />"The veteran Jimmie Wilson was bothered with a Charlie horse and there were rumors (sic) he would not be able to stay in the game. Lombardi said he could go in if [Cincinnati Reds manager] McKechnie wished it, though he still limped slightly. However, the Reds, superstitious like most ball players, had come to look on Wilson as an omen of good luck..."<br /><br />For the most part, though, their was little luck involved in the Reds' catcher's game seven performance. And Jimmie would do something in this contest that the Tigers could not do to him.<br /><br />In the bottom of the second, with the game scoreless, up came the Cincinnati catcher. With two outs, he singled. Then, he stole second base. This was the only base that <i>either</i> team pilfered the whole 1940 World Series. Detroit had learned not to run on Wilson, who nabbed the only two Tigers to attempt so on him. Alas, here in the second, the Reds catcher was on second, where the inning ended as Eddie Joost grounded out to second basemen Charlie Gehringer. Still, Jimmie Wilson put the catcher's mask back on, with his batting average up to .313 (5-16)<br /><br />Gehringer, though, was on his way to the Hall of Fame. And he broke the ice in this contest with a third inning single off Paul Derringer. There were runners on the corners for the dangerous Hank Greenberg, himself a Hall of Famer. Both Wilson and Derringer worked out a plan...And Greenberg struck out! So Detroit was held to that one run. For that inning. And for the entire game.<br /><br />Jimmie Wilson led off the fifth inning with a single. Nothing came of it, and his team was still losing. But it was not the Cincinnati catcher's fault. The hit made him 2-2 in this big game, boasting his batting average up to an amazing .353!<br /><br />But if the catcher couldn't beat Detroit with his glove or his hits, then there were other ways to win games. <br /><br />The Reds, though, were running out of time in this game. Then in the seventh, they made their move. And it was fitting that both Ernie Lombardi and Jimmie Wilson helped.<br /><br />Frank McCormick hit the ball off the wall in left for two bases. A good start! Jimmy Ripple then went to right, the ball hitting the screen, and the game was tied. Go-ahead run in scoring position, too.<br /><br />Jimmie Wilson knew the Reds were having problems getting hits off Bobo Newsom. Newsome had picked up where he left off in the fourth game. Newsom had allowed just eleven hits in his first two starts in the 1940 World Series, winning both. Here, Bobo had been working on a four-hitter through six innings, so maybe Cincinnati had better focus on getting at least one run.<br /><br />So Wilson bunted, and now Ripple was ninety feet away from scoring, with less than two out. Ernie Lombardi batted for Eddie Joost. The Reds' regular catcher was put on first, to set up a double play. Lonny Frey was sent in to run for Lombardi, who was one of the slowest runners in baseball history.<br /><br />Billy Myers then sent a Newsom offering to deep centre. Barney McCosky made the catch for the second out, and tagging at third was Jimmy Ripple! The Ripple Affect gave the Reds a 2-1 lead. Frey held at first. Unlike in today's day and age, pitcher Paul Derringer batted for himself this late in the contest. He forced hit into a force, and the inning ended.<br /><br />Bobo Newsom and Derringer continued to pitch well after that, each giving up just one more hit. But no one scored. Earl Averill hit for Newsom in the ninth, and manager Bill McKechnie had both Joe Beggs and Whitey Moore loosing up in the Reds bullpen, but wasn't about to replace the man catching Paul Derringer.<br /><br />Wilson called for a curveball from Derringer. It was taken knee-high for strike one. Averill, still another Hall of Famer, connected on the next pitch, but only grounded it to Lonny Frey, who'd stayed in the game at second. Frey flipped it to Frank McCormick at first, and the Reds had the 1940 World Series!<br /><br />It was a great Fall Classic, with both teams battling back an forth. Yet, it had been Cincinnati overcoming so much. They overcame a 3-2 deficit, needing to win the last two contests. They overcame a great Detroit Tigers' team that had four Hall of Famers. But the real thing they overcame was the loss of two catchers, one under very tragic circumstances. Jimmie Wilson had big shoes to fill. His .353 batting average and steady catching provided Cincinnati with the lift they needed in a classic World Series. Wrote Gary Livacari, " 'Old man' Jimmie Wilson had answered the call of his manager brilliantly and was hailed as the hero of the Series."<br /><br /><br /><b>References</b><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Dotson, Chad. “The Sad Story of Willard Hershberger.” <i>Cincinnati Magazine</i>, Cincinnati Magazine, 6 Sept. 2022, <a href="https://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/article/the-sad-story-of-willard-hershberger/">https://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/article/the-sad-story-of-willard-hershberger/</a>. 10 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Enders, Eric. <i>100 Years Of The World Series</i>. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.<br /><br /><br />Lieb, Fred. “Plucky Reds Give National First World's Title Since '34.” <i>The Sporting News</i>, 10 Oct. 1940, p. 9, <a href="https://paperofrecord.hypernet.ca/paper_view.asp?PaperId=834&amp;iDateSearchId=&amp;iZyNetId={0B1062C1-461B-4E32-9FB7-53CEDA41D382}&amp;PageId=7758173&amp;Show=GetPage&amp;iOrder=2&amp;iOrderDir=0&amp;iCurrentBlock=1">https://paperofrecord.hypernet.ca/paper_view.asp?PaperId=834&amp;iDateSearchId=&amp;iZyNetId={0B1062C1-461B-4E32-9FB7-53CEDA41D382}&amp;PageId=7758173&amp;Show=GetPage&amp;iOrder=2&amp;iOrderDir=0&amp;iCurrentBlock=1</a>. Accessed 10 Apr. 2023. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Livacari, Gary. “Jimmie Wilson .” <i>Society for American Baseball Research</i>, SABR, 11 Feb. 2013, <a href="https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/jimmie-wilson/">https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/jimmie-wilson/</a>. 10 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div>Morissey, Scott C. <i>114 World Series in 1 Book</i>. Updated ed., Pandamonium Publishing House, 2020.<br /><br /><br />Nack, William. “The Razor's Edge.” <i>Sports Illustrated Vault</i>, 6 May 1991, <a href="https://vault.si.com/vault/1991/05/06/the-razors-edge-as-the-cincinnati-reds-chased-a-pennant-in-1940-a-dark-family-legacy-tortured-the-mind-of-catcher-willard-hershberger">https://vault.si.com/vault/1991/05/06/the-razors-edge-as-the-cincinnati-reds-chased-a-pennant-in-1940-a-dark-family-legacy-tortured-the-mind-of-catcher-willard-hershberger</a>. Accessed 10 Apr. 2023. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. <i>The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992</i>. 12th ed. St. Martin's Press, 1992.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>--------------. <i>The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903-1989</i>, St. Martin's Press, 1990.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Nemec, David et all. <i>20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball</i>. Collector's Edition. Publications International, 1993.<br /><br /><br /><i>1940 World Series: Game 7</i>. Mutual Broadcasting System, 8 Oct. 1940, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jBznLOLNNw">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jBznLOLNNw</a>. Accessed 10 Apr. 2023. Via YouTube.</div><br /><br />Snyder, John S. <i>World Series!: Great Moments and Dubious Achievements</i>. Chronicle Books, 1995.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sports Reference LLC. <i>Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information</i>. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/">http://www.baseball-reference.com/</a>. 10 Apr. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Thorn, John, and Pete Palmer. <i>Total Baseball</i>, Creative Multimedia Corp, 1994. CD-Rom edition.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">https://en.wikipedia.org/</a>. 10 Apr. 2023.<br /><br /><br /><i>YouTube</i>, Google, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. 10 Apr. 2023.</div>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-43600138057866677672023-04-09T21:36:00.005-04:002023-04-18T20:33:30.045-04:00World Series: Did You Know?It seems like Johnny Podres would often be intertwined with Sandy Koufax in the Fall Classic.<br /><br />In Koufax's rookie year, 1955, Podres was putting together a very good second season. After going 9-4 in 1953, Johnny Podres was making steady progress. The Brooklyn Dodgers lost a close World Series to the New York Yankkes in '53, and seemed poised to return. A second-place finish the next season could not be blamed on their ace lefty. Podres had no sophomore jinx, going 11-7 on the Dodgers.<br /><br />So 1955 would be Brooklyn's big breakthrough year. Podres himself was having a great year. He shutout Cincinnati on June 7th. A week later, the same team, same result. Another shutout. Podres record was 7-3 at this point. His 3.11 earned run average swelled the obvious: He would be the Dodgers' star pitcher for years to come!<br /><br />However, Brooklyn had signed a bonus baby named Sandy Koufax, who was just 19. The Dodgers were determined to give him at least a chance to prove himself. Two scoreless appearances in June saw plenty of promise. His first start saw him allow eight walks in just four and two-thirds inning of work. Still, Koufax allowed just one run.<br /><br />There should have been little notice of Koufax at this point. But it seemed, from that season, this lefty had something. It did not take anything away from Podres, but that first big league was awesome. It was a shutout of his own. And he fanned fourteen Reds. Was Sandy better than Johnny Podres already? His performance on August 27th was a fitting first MLB win.<br /><br />Johnny Podres had gotten through a so-so July. A win, two losses and two holds. But when he beat St. Louis on the 30th, things were looking up. The Cardinals scored not one run off Podres in 6 2/3 innings.<br /><br />But that 3.14 ERA climbed to 3.79 at the end of August. It was just a 1-3 month for the third year lefty. Two bad starts in September were followed by a very good relief outing. But for 1955, Podres had faded badly down the stretch. From August 5th to September 11th (First game of a doubleheader), the numbers were ugly: 1-4, 6.11 earned run average! Only a two scoreless inning appearance on September 25th brought the ERA below four (3.95). So it ended up looking like a so-so year despite a great first four months.<br /><br />Koufax could sort of relate to Podres. His first September start was another shutout, over Pittsburgh. This time, he fanned only six. But now, through nine games, Sandy was 2-0, had two shutouts, and had a microscopic earned run average, 2.05.<br /><br />But the rookie was brought down to earth in his last three outings. A so-so start against Cincinnati resulted in his first MLB loss on the 11th of September. This was the second game of a twin-bill, in which Johnny Podres lost the opener, 9-0. The two big lefties were fading at the wrong time!<br /><br />The new kid was then rocked for four earned runs in only four and a third innings his last two appearances of 1955. But the good news was both Koufax and Podres would be on the Brooklyn Dodgers postseason roster.<br /><br />Didn't seemed to matter, alas. Their hated opposition, the New York Yankees, won the first two games at home. The ball was in Johnny Podres' court for the third contest, played at Ebbets Field. It was, needless to say, a "must win" situation for Brooklyn.<br /><br />The game, played on September 30th, looked like a tough one for the Dodgers. Mickey Mantle, who'd gotten hurt late in the season, returned to the Yankees' lineup. Podres got a first-hand look at him.<br /><br />Podres' battery mate, Roy Campanella, gave his pitcher a two-run lead with a big home run in the first. But Mantle led off the second inning with a home run of his own. The inning ended, but only after the Yankees tied it via Phil Rizzuto single.<br /><br />But in the Brooklyn half of the second, a couple of key events turned the 1955 Fall Classic in the Dodgers' favour!<br /><br />Mickey Mantle still wasn't feeling 100%, so manager Casey Stengel moved him from centre field to right. The Yankee outfield was now Elston Howard in left, Bob Cerv in centre, and The Mick in right.<br /><br />So with one away, Jackie Robinson singled to centre. Could a healthy Mantle have gotten it? Gil Hodges had started the inning by flying out to Cerv. But Brooklyn would be testing the outfield and infield from here on in.<br /><br />Two singles, two walks and a hit by pitch got the home team the lead back. Brooklyn was doubling up the Yankees when the second ended. Podres contributed a hit and a run scored. In the third, he had a chance with two on, but Johnny fanned.<br /><br />The Dodgers tacked on two more, and now were tripling the Yankees by the end of the fourth. Podres settled down, and his defence behind him was great. The ageless Jackie Robinson, who'd had a tough 1955, robbed Billy Martin of a hit in the fifth. Mickey Mantle, his thighs giving him some trouble, hit into a rare double play in the sixth.<br /><br />Elston Howard gave the ball quite a ride, but was retired on a deep fly in the seventh. The Yankees managed to score their third and last run that frame, but it was the Dodgers that ended up on top, 8-3.<br /><br />It all came down to a game seven. The home team had won the previous six contests. But for Brooklyn, they'd have to win it at Yankee Stadium if they wanted to sip champagne for the first time.<br /><br />So, Johnny Podres was given the ball. It would be a tough afternoon for him. For Sandy Koufax, it was the seventh straight game of being a spectator. A bit cruel for a kid with a 3.08 earned run average in the reglular season.<br /><br />But this was for all the marbles, and while Koufax had two shutouts in the regular season, he was not the man to get one here, in enemy territory. As it turns out, Johnny Podres was the man for that job.<br /><br />He caught some breaks, of course. Mickey Mantle wasn't healthy enough to play for the Yankees. But oddly enough, Jackie Robinson didn't start the contest for the Dodgers. Two big sparkplugs.<br /><br />After a pretty good first two innings, Podres seemed to come apart. New York put two men on with two away in the third. Gil McDougald then singled, which could have been huge had the ball not hit Phil Rizzuto, resulting in an automatic out.<br /><br />The offence for the visiting Brooklyn Dodgers was provided by Gil Hodges in the fourth and six. First, Gil singled home a man. Then, he hit a sacrifice fly. It was 2-0 for the Dodgers.<br /><br />And of course, the big moment came in the bottom of the sixth. Johnny Podres walked Billy Martin to start it. Gil McDougald laid a bunt down that no could make a putout on. Two on, nobody out. Yogi Berra sent one to left. A double?<br /><br />Another Sandy on Brooklyn saved it.<br /><br />Samdy Amorós, a Cuban who spoke little to no English, took off after it. Nearly at the foul line, the Dodgers' left fielder somehow got to it. Better still, McDougald was doubled off first. Martin was still at second, but Podres took over from there. Hank Bauer grounded out.<br /><br />But the Yankees had another try. With one on, one out in the last of the eighth, Gil McDougald singled again. Yogi Berra was back up, and could Podres deal with him again. Phil Rizzuto, playing in his last World Series game, was at third. So even a fly ball would break the shutout, and give the home team a huge boost.<br /><br />Berra connected again, and this time it was sent to right. But not deep enough to get Rizzuto home. Carl Furillo caught it. Hank Bauer would be dealt with again. But this time, it was more Podres doing. He fanned Bauer.<br /><br />And, in the last moments of the game, the Dodgers' lefty was magnificent. 1-2-3 went three Yankee(s) in the ninth. Brooklyn had their championship!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/JNQQJ_tWVCM" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JNQQJ_tWVCM/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"></iframe></div><br /><br />So, one career had been launched into orbit. Another, sort of swept under the rug. But both would be back four years later for the Dodgers. In the meantime, someone on Brooklyn was everywhere.<br /><br />World Series MVP. Check!<br /><br />Babe Ruth Award (Outstanding performance in Fall Classic): Check!<br /><br />Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year Award: Check!<br /><br />Only now, they were in Los Angeles. The Dodgers abandoned Brooklyn after 1957, and headed out west. Podres had served in the army in 1956, so he missed out on the last New York / Brooklyn Fall Classic, which the Yankees won in seven. Koufax was again named to the postseason roster, and again did not appear.<br /><br />But that was not the case three years later.<br /><br />Podres, for his part, was only 13-15 in 1958. But he rebounded to go 14-9 the following season. Koufax was a not-so-bad 11-11 in his first full season, and Sandy's first season in LA. 1959 saw him improved, too. That 4.47 earned run average from '58 dropped to 4.06, but Koufax seemed a bit better than that.<br /><br />A sixteen strikeout game was one of Sandy's gems that year. On August 31st, he fanned eighteen Giants in a 5-2 win by the Dodgers. Soon, his record was 8-4. But that's where he started to look like Johnny Podres a few years earlier. He couldn't get that next win, and actually dropped his last two decisions of 1959. So all Koufax had for '59 was an 8-6 record.<br /><br />And all LA had was a 11-0 shellacking in the first game of the Fall Classic that year against Chicago. By the time Koufax got into the game, it was too late.<br /><br />Nonetheless, it was a great first-ever postseason appearance by young Sandy. Still only 23 years old, the kid went in and delivered. In the bottom of the fifth inning at Comiskey Park, the lefty tried to salvage a little pride for Los Angeles. Chicago had routed both starter Roger Craig and reliever Chuck Churn (Clem Labine had held the White Sox scoreless in the bottom of the fourth, but was lifted for a pinch hitter the next inning).<br /><br />So there was Sandy Koufax. Jim Rivera was retired to start the White Sox half of the fifth. Early Wynn fanned. Luis Aparicio lined to left. Two straight Hall of Famers retired. The kid made it three in a row Cooperstown members set down when he retired Nellie Fox in the sixth. All told, Koufax faced six batters. And retired all six. Still, Sandy didn't seem to give his great performance much thought. Or did he?<br /><br />"The only trouble was they [two perfect innings] didn't mean a thing. The White Sox were beating us 11-0." But still, Koufax noted the importance of his performance. "I was important from my point of view only because it did give me a good workout, just the kind of tightener I needed if I did get to start one of the game [in the World Series]."<br /><br />Johnny Podres showed the Los Angeles Dodgers the way in the second contest. It was time to sent this thing to Memorial Coliseum all tied. All Podres did was hurl one awesome game. Not quite up to par with his last postseason start, mind you, but good enough.<br /><br />Podres went six strong innings, allowed five hits and two (earned) runs. But all throughout the 1959 Fall Classic, if the starter faltered, in came ace reliever Norm Sherry. Sherry took over in this contest, throwing the last three innings. Chicago scored one run off him, but it was Los Angeles that took game two, 4-3.<br /><br />Truth be told, the veteran lefty had just one bad inning, and it came early. The White Sox scored twice in the first frame. Ted Kluszewski, who'd have one awesome series, grounded out, cashing in Luis Aparicio. The next batter was Sherman Lollar, who singled home Jim Landis.<br /><br />Podres was lifted for pinch hitter Chuck Essegian in the top of the seventh. Essegian hit the first of two pinch-hit home runs, which tied the game. Before the top of the seventh inning ended, Charlie Neal his second four-bagger of the game (Which resulted in a fan accidentally dousing White Sox outfielder Al Smith with beer when he spilled his cup). The home run was a two-run shot, putting the Dodgers ahead for good.<br /><br />So, it seemed like the Larry Sherry show from there. With a win and another save in games three and four, the LA reliever really shut the door (On the White Sox). Game five would bring good news for Sandy Koufax and Los Angeles.<br /><br />"I got the call in the fifth game," Koufax would say a few years later, "after we had come back from the opening-day trouncing to win three straight."<br /><br />Sandy seemed to pitch better than Johnny Podres had in the second contest. The problem was, Koufax waited in vain for run support. After getting Chicago 1-2-3 in the first, and not missing the strike zone, it seemed like the kid was locked in. Down when the Pale Hose in order in the second.<br /><br />Koufax got into some trouble in the third, as Chicago got two hits. Still, the pitcher put up a "0" on the scoreboard, needing just eleven pitches to do so. <br /><br />The White Sox finally pried a run loose in the fourth, but it came on a double play. "We went for a double play in the fourth inning and gave them the run," the lefty legend remembered, "thinking we would be able to score in the game."<br /><br />Koufax resumed his domination over the next three innings. Four strikeouts. One hit allowed. One bases on balls given out. No runs.<br /><br />Duke Snider batted for the pitcher in the bottom of the seventh. It seemed like LA would score. Snider hit into a force play, which resulted in an interesting appearance by Johnny Podres. Who else, eh?<br /><br />But only as a pinch runner. However, as you can see, one left-hander hurler for the Dodgers was joined at the hip to another in so many memorable moments. This could result in LA clinching!<br /><br />Anyways, Jim Gilliam stroked a two-out single, moving Podres into scoring position. Norm Sherry had preserved a win for Johnny Podres in the second contest. Would Podres here, score a run to take Koufax off the hook?<br /><br />But it was Charlie Neal that had hit two home runs to really help Johnny Podres, right? Guess who the batter was here? Neal. Bob Shaw, the Chicago pitcher, was pitching one awesome game. But a wild pitch on ball two advanced both runners.<br /><br />Neal would need but a single to make it 2-1 for the home team. Just think: Charlie Neal could win both games two and five for LA! And he could give Sandy Koufax his very first World Series win!<br /><br />Well, Charlie gave it a ride to right on the payoff pitch. It was Jim Rivera that made a fine play, denying Neal and the Dodgers of two runs.<br /><br />"We had a chance in the seventh, but [Chicago manager Al] Lopez put [Jim] Rivera in right field and he made an amazing over-the-shoulder catch with runners on," recalled Sandy Koufax in 2005.<br /><br />Los Angeles had another chance an inning later. The Dodgers loaded the bases with just one out. A fly ball would tie it. However, new pitcher Dick Donovan (The losing pitcher in the third contest) Carl Furillo to pop out to Bubba Phillips at third. Don Zimmer followed by flying out to Al Smith in left.<br /><br />So Chicago stayed alive with a 1-0 win. A tough break for Koufax. It was back to Comiskey Park. But history had a chance to repeat. Johnny Podres was given the ball.<br /><br />It seemed as if LA decided it early. The old pro, Duke Snider, belted a two-run home run in the top of the third. Podres helped out his own cause with a double the next inning. By the time Duke Snider grabbed some lumber and came up to the dish that inning, his team was up, 8-0.<br /><br />Nellie Fox was retired to start the bottom of the fourth. Then the wheels came off the chariot for Johnny Podres. He hit Jim Landis. He walked Sherman Lollar. Ted Kluszewski was back up. He hit a three-run home run.<br /><br />It was still a five-run lead for Los Angeles, but manager Walter Alston had faith in reliever Larry Sherry. When Podres walked the next batter, Al Smith, Alston made his move. Sherry came in.<br /><br />The Pale Hose actually loaded the bases, so they had a chance to make it a ballgame. But Larry Sherry got Luis Aparicio to pop out to shortstop Maury Wills.<br /><br />And while Chicago got some hits off Sherry (Four in five and two-thirds innings), they were stopped cold by the Los Angeles reliever. The Dodgers won 9-3, and had their first championship since leaving Brooklyn. "It was," Koufax said, "a very, very nice party." It was also a memorable World Series. While Larry Sherry had two wins to go along with two saves, Podres and Koufax had certainly helped.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/2U7v4YeyZcY" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2U7v4YeyZcY/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"></iframe></div><br /><br />Flash-forward two years later, and both the lefties helped LA. Each won 18 games. For Johnny Podres and Sandy Koufax, it was their first time getting that high a win total. But Koufax had yet to do what Podres had done in the Dodgers last year in Brooklyn: Win an earned run average crown!<br /><br />That came the next year, but Los Angeles fell just short of the pennant. Sandy then repeated his ERA title in 1963, but what numbers! 25 wins, just 5 losses and a 1.88 earned run average. Wow! And don't overlook the other lefty that year on the Dodgers. Johnny Podres was 14-12 with a 3.54 ERA of his own.<br /><br />And the poor Yankees don't need to be reminded of how the World Series went that Fall. First, Koufax beat New York, 5-2 in the opener at Yankee Stadium. He beat Whitey Ford, who'd won two games himself at this stage eight years earlier. It was up to Johnny Podres to keep the ball rolling in the second contest.<br /><br />The turning point in that contest came early. Maury Willis had singled off Al Downing to start the game. But then, Wills got himself picked off base by Downing. Joe Pepitone's throw to second pulled Bobby Richardson to the left of second (Towards the pitcher). So Wills was safe. Jim Gilliam singled, and took second on the throw home. Willie Davis was next. He sent one to right. Roger Maris fell trying to get to it. "Willie had a double and we had two runs. That was all Johnny Podres needed," noted Koufax, who had fanned fifteen batters in game one.<br /><br />Mickey Mantle hit the ball hard against Podres, but the ghosts of 1955 were back. The Dodgers were hauling them in. In the bottom of the second, the Bronx Bombers put two on with just one away, but then Podres reached into his bag of Koufax tricks. Clete Boyer fanned. So did Al Downing.<br /><br />The LA pitcher fanned two more in the bottom of the fifth. Harry Bright, who'd been the fifteenth K of game one by Koufax, batted for the pitcher here, too. And Podres fanned him. Four strikeouts in five innings by Podres. That meant a total of nineteen in just fourteen frames so far in the 1963 World Series. The lefties of Los Angeles were doing a number on the New York Yankees!<br /><br />Well, let's give some credit to the fielders, too. Tom Tresh had hit a two-run home run off Sandy Koufax in game one, and like what he saw from Johhny Podres in the second bout. His single in the bottom of the sixth was Tresh's second hit of the ballgame. Mickey Mantle was back up. Before delivering a pitch to The Mick, Johnny Podres picked Tom off. However a bad throw from the pitcher resulted in Tresh to second base.<br /><br />Mantle got a hold of one. He got the count in his favour. The 2-1 pitch was blasted to the gap in left-centre. Was this 3-0 lead going to dwindle to just one run? But Willie Davis got to it, retiring the side.<br /><br />The Dodgers tacked on a fourth run in the eighth, and it looked like Podres would have another shutout at Yankee Stadium to his name.<br /><br />But, as had been in the sixth, the timeless number seven got ahead in the count on the pitcher in the ninth. 2-0. Unlike last time, Mantle didn't wait. The next pitch was to his liking. He drilled it to left. But Mickey knew Yankee Stadium well. He tossed his bat aside, knowing he'd gotten to much underneath it. Tommy Davis, whose triple had made it 4-0 the previous inning, got to it, and there was one out.<br /><br />That was the last batter Johnny Podres retired. Hector Lopez hit his second double of the contest, and New York was back in business. Ron Perranoski, the closer on Los Angeles, hopped in the from the bullpen. Sixteen wins, three losses, thirty-seven saves. And like Koufax and Podres, he was a portsider.<br /><br />Elston Howard greeted him with a single on a 2-2 pitch. Bye-bye shutout. But then Joe Pepitone forced Howard at second and Clete Boyer fanned. Los Angeles was heading home up 2-0 thanks to Koufax and Podres.<br /><br />Well, Koufax's win in the fourth contest completed the sweep. However, Johnny Podres now had a 4-1 record in the World Series compared to Sandy Koufax's 2-1 showing. Don't forget, the Dodgers had still won the sixth contest in 1959 which Podres started. So the team was 5-1 overall in games Johnny started in October. His only loss had been a decade ago (1953).<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/HFjFv00JagA" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HFjFv00JagA/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"></iframe></div><br /><br />Things didn't quite go the Dodger was in 1964. Koufax and Podres got hurt. Koufax still won nineteen games and the earned run average title again, but look at the stats of the one-time star of LA: 0-2, 16.88 ERA! Podres needed to bounce back the next season.<br /><br />Certainly it appeared as though Podres was back in 1965. Good thing, too. Koufax won 26 games, Don Drysdale 23. Claude Osteen, still another great left-hander on LA, went only 15-15 despite a 2.79 earned run average of his own. Koufax led the league in ERA again, for the fourth straight season.<br /><br />So Podres made a bid to give Sandy Koufax a run for his money that season. By the end of May, he was 3-0, with a 1.55 earned run average. But he lost all four decisions in June. Podres was bound and determined to bounce back from an arm injury. He'd been through this before, back in 1955. Here, his hard work paid off.<br /><br />After a tough August, in which Podres posted a 7.02 earned run average, Johnny picked up where he'd left in July. He'd only pitched three times that month. And only three more times in September. The veteran lefty took over from Jim Brewer in a game against Houston on the fourth. Four shutout innings later, the Dodger lefty had himself a fine performance. He picked up the win as LA easily triumphed, 5-0. Two more good starts saw Johnny finish September 2-0 with a 1.29 earned run average (Albeit in just three appearances). All this led to the veteran portsider finishing '65 with a 7-6 record and a 3.43 earned run average. The timing could not have been better. And don't think those three big performances down the stretch didn't catch any attention.<br /><br />"The game [On September 27th] the Dodgers figured to lose because their three-man starting pitching staff was exhausted," wrote Hank Hollingworth in <i>Independent</i>, "was the one the won by more ease [6-1] than the man on the flying trapeze.<br /><br />"That would be Monday night's encounter with Cincinnati when manager Walter Alston tossed in his forgotten man, Johnny Podres, and prayed the that the 32-year old "ancient" would last five innings. The guy who has come through so many times for the Dodgers when the chips were down responded magnificently for the hoped-for five frames, then left the rest of the driving to the league's hottest fireman, Ron Perranoski."<br /><br />Later as the scribe closed his column, Hollingworth noted, "...[I]f the Dodgers bag this '65 pennant, they must give a measure of gratitude to their oldest, and almost forgotten pitcher, Johnny Podres. The old man plugged the gap in a game the Dodgers never figured to win."<br /><br />It was on to another World Series for Los Angeles. But there was something missing from the seven-game Fall Classic win over the Minnesota Twins. Sure, Koufax was his usual awesome self. Shutouts in games five and seven. Don Drysdale, like Koufax, lost his first start, but beat Minny 7-2 in game four. Another big win was provided via a Claude Osteen shutout in the third contest.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/vNWwWm7i4bo" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vNWwWm7i4bo/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"></iframe></div><br /><br />But Johnny Podres did not appear, despite Walter Alston adding him to the postseason roster. The Dodgers were off and running to another pennant in 1966, but Podres was not a part of the equation. Los Angeles traded him to Detroit, marking an end of a fabulous Dodger career of their clutch lefty. Sandy Koufax was also not a LA Dodger for much longer, calling it a career following the 1966 season, due to arthritis. It seemed only fitting that they would both leave Los Angeles together, having done so much for the the Dodgers, even back in Brooklyn.<br /><br /><br /><br /><b>References</b><div><br /><div><br /><br />Enders, Eric. <i>100 Years Of The World Series</i>. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.<br /><br /><br /><div>Ford, Whitey, and Phil Pepe. <i>Slick</i>. New York: W. Morrow, 1987.<br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Golenbock, Peter. <i>Dynasty: The New York Yankees, 1949-1964</i>. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary Books, 2000.<br /><br /><br />Hollingworth, Hank. “Sports Merry-Go-Round.” <i>Independent</i>, 29 Sept. 1965, p. 24, <a href="https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/719678290/">https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/719678290/</a>. Accessed 9 Apr. 2023. </div><br /><br />Koufax, Sanford, and Edward Linn. <i>Koufax</i>. Viking Press, 1966. <br /><br /><br />Mantle, Mickey, and Mickey Herskowitz. <i>All My Octobers: My Memories of Twelve World Series When the Yankees Ruled Baseball</i>. New York: HarperCollins, 1994.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Morissey, Scott C. <i>114 World Series in 1 Book</i>. Updated ed., Pandamonium Publishing House, 2020. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. <i>The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992</i>. 12th ed. St. Martin's Press, 1992.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>--------------. <i>The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903-1989</i>, St. Martin's Press, 1990.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Nemec, David et all. <i>20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball</i>. Collector's Edition. Publications International, 1993.</div><br /></div><div><br />“Koufax Has Facts on 1959.” <i>Chicago Tribune</i>, 14 June 2005, <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2005-06-14-0506140207-story.html">https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2005-06-14-0506140207-story.html</a>. Accessed 9 Apr. 2023. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Major League Baseball Productions. World Series Films, 1955, 1959, 1963, 1965. DVD / Youtube.<br /><br /><br />Morissey, Scott C. <i>114 World Series in 1 Book</i>. Updated ed., Pandamonium Publishing House, 2020.<br /><br /><br /><i>1963 World Series Game 2.</i> National Broadcasting Company, 3 Oct. 1963, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADe4QCgw4h0">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADe4QCgw4h0</a>. Accessed 9 Apr. 2023.<br /><br /><br /><i>1959 World Series: Game 5</i>. The National Broadcasting Company, 6 Oct. 1959, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQeeYXr5iYg">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQeeYXr5iYg</a>. Accessed 9 Apr. 2023. <br /><br /><br /><div><i>Society for American Baseball Research</i>, SABR, <a href="https://sabr.org/">https://sabr.org/</a>. 09 Apr. Mar. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Seaver, Tom, and Martin Appel. <i>Great Moments in Baseball</i>. Carol Pub. Group, 1992.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Snyder, John S. <i>World Series!: Great Moments and Dubious Achievements</i>. Chronicle Books, 1995.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sports Reference LLC. <i>Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information</i>. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/">http://www.baseball-reference.com/</a>. 09 Apr. 2023.<br /><br /><br /><div>Thorn, John, and Pete Palmer. <i>Total Baseball</i>, Creative Multimedia Corp, 1994. CD-Rom edition.</div><br /><br />Whiteford, Mike, and Taylor Jones. <i>How To Talk Baseball</i>. Revised ed. New York: Dembner, 1987.<br /><br /><br /><i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">https://en.wikipedia.org/</a>. 09 Apr. 2023.</div><br /><br /><i>YouTube</i>, Google, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/">https://www.youtube.com/</a>. 09 Apr. 2023.<br /></div>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-29404799142195201372023-04-07T19:38:00.004-04:002023-04-07T22:06:10.296-04:00World Series: Did You Know?<p>Tommy Thevenow led all players in batting average and assists in 1926. There was little he couldn't do.<br /><br />It was a World Series where guys named Ruth, Gehrig, Alexander and Hornsby grabbed the highlights, there were other guys who picked up the slack for both teams, too. It was a classic October Finale, one that went down to the wire.<br /><br />If anyone had any doubt this World Series was a classic, then game one proved all the doubters wrong. Herb Pennock started the contest for the New York Yankees, Bill Sherdel for the St. Louis Cardinals. Now, Pennock seemed to be the better pitcher, but let's not forget that the Cards' had a pitcher with 165 wins to his name.<br /><br />It was a nice, tight ballgame. The first game, played at Yankee Stadium, saw the visitors waste no time in taking the lead. But, this being the Bronx Bombers, one run meant nothing. Sherdel got one out, but loaded the bases in the bottom of the first on three walks. Lou Gehrig was up, and he sent a grounder to the shortstop, Tommy Thevenow. Thevenow got the ball, tossed to Rogers Hornsby for the force, and his first of seven assists in the contest. However, Gehrig beat the throw to first, Earle Combs scored, and it was 1-1.<br /><br />Pennock, the Yankees' great, was in no mood to give St. Louis anything. He retired Thevenow all four times up, including a grounder in the top of the second, keeping the game 1-1.<br /><br />In the third, though, Thevenow got his lone putout of the contest. But it was something worth talking about. The Yankees had a man on first, no one out, for Babe Ruth. Ruth, playing it smart, and for just one run, bunted. Bob O'Farrell, the catcher, got to it and forced Mark Koenig at second, with our boy making the putout. Ruth would advance to second as Bob Meusel grounded out. Lou Gehrig was then retired to end that.<br /><br />O'Farrell himself gave it a ride to the left, at the start the top of the fifth, but it was just a long, loud out. Thevenow batted next, and tried his luck. Trying, that is, to bunt his way on. Better luck next time, kid. Herb Pennock was giving St. Louis one hard time. Bill Sherdel himself was out on a fly to Bob Meusel in left.<br /><br />You didn't really need to blink to see the sequence that led to the winning run in the bottom of the sixth. Ruth, single. Bob Meusel, bunt. Ruth was on second. But not for long. The Iron Horse singled, and Ruth scored. That was all Herb Pennock needed.<br /><br />The Yankees seemed destined for more. They got runners on the corners, before the inning ended on a "Thevenow to Hornsby" force at second.<br /><br />The Cardinals tried to tie it in the eighth. Bob O'Farrell walked. Tommy Thevenow sacrificed him to second. Alas, Jake Flowers hit a comebacker. Herb Pennock spied the situation. O'Farrell was too far off second. A rundown ensued, and Bob was erased. St. Louis got another man on, as Taylor Douthit looked at ball one, two, three, and four. No strikes were thrown. Wattie Holm, with two on and two out, hit a sinking shot to centre, where Earl Combs made an excellent, charging catch from centre.<br /><br />So, New York went on to a 2-1 win. But St. Louis had made them earn it. In game two, the Cards did most of the great things.<br /><br />For one, Grover Cleveland Alexander started, and for two, Tommy Thevenow was awesome. <br /><br />With two away in the top of the second, Bob O'Farrell singled off Urban Shocker. Tommy Thevenow followed with the first of three hits this afternoon, a single. The ball actually went off Shocker's glove. But Urban settled down, getting his mound adversary to pop out.<br /><br />Thevenow had been a part of a double play in the first. But in the bottom of the second, the Yankees scored twice. Tommy tried his best to stop anything from the Bronx Bombers. The Yankees tried to pull off a double steal, and the Cardinals had the man (Tony Lazzeri) trapped in a rundown after Thevenow fired home to Bob O'Farrell. Brooklyn Robins' manager Wilbert Robinson, covering the World Series, thought Tommy's throw was great. It should have led to Lazzeri being a dead duck. "[Catcher Bob] O'Farrell got the throw down in fine shape to Thevenow, who did exactly right in forcing Lazzeri back to third by throwing the ball to O'Farrell."<br /><br />That should have been the beginning of the end for Tony Lazzeri (Who'd singled home a run earlier in the frame) and the Yankees that inning. But leave it to Old Pete to throw wildly to third, and a run scored. It was the home team's second run of the inning. Alexander got it together after this, however.<br /><br />It wasn't until the seventh inning that St. Louis got to the pitcher that had once pitched for their cross-town rivals, the Browns. Urban Shocker was one of the better pitchers of his era, and pitching one fine ballgame against a legend. Shocker, who would sadly pass away a few years later, got into trouble. Thevenow was big trouble for Shocker, though. Urban only retired him <i>once</i> all game. And Sad Sam Jones, on in relief of Shocker, really failed to stop Tommy Thevenow in the ninth inning.<br /><br />Bob O'Farrell got it all going with a double. Our boy followed with a single. Shocker got the next two batters out. He needed to get Billy Southworth to extricate New York from a serious situation. But Southworth hit a big three-run home run to right, and St. Louis was ahead for good.<br /><br />In the ninth, it was Tommy's turn. He hit a ball past Babe Ruth in right. It stayed in the park, but Thevenow didn't stay on second, he went past it. He didn't stop at third, he went past it. Tommy beat the throw home! An inside-the-park home run!<br /><br />Maybe it was a bit of a fluke, like to Robinson, but a home run is a home run. "Thevenow's home run in the ninth was just one of those lucky things." Wilbert wrote, "He hit a fly right down the foul line. In fact, I thought it was foul."<br /><br />Quite a surprise. A player with two career home runs to this point (And for all time), had just gotten one himself. And it went past a man known for hitting them.<br /><br />It had been quite an afternoon for the St. Louis shortstop. He'd picked up a ball in the first that had deflected off Alexander, and combined with Rogers Hornsby and Jim Bottomley on a double play. He should have been rewarded for catching the Yankees in the double steal act, but it was not to be. Still, Tommy's big home run seemed to take the starch out of New York.<br /><br />It carried over to the next game. Meet me and Tom in St. Louie, Louie.<br /><br />The Cardinals won, 4-0, but Tommy had to have wanted to contribute more. He collected no hits, and only one putout to go along with two assists. Still, it was the St. Louis' day.<br /><br />Tommy Thevenow came up in the bottom of the second. Chick Hafey had hit a one-out double. But Dutch Ruether got Bob O'Farrell to ground out. The go-ahead run in this scoreless ballgame was now ninety feet away. But Ruether, who'd you all know from 1919, got Thevenow to hit it hard, and to centre. And to Earl Combs for the third out.<br /><br />The Sportsman's Park faithful would have to wait about half an hour in the fourth. After Babe Ruth led off with a single, the skies overhead threatened. Rain. When play resumed, Cardinals' pitcher Jesse Haines got the next three batters out. Haines was on his way to the Hall of Fame, and on this day, he needed just a run to win.<br /><br />St. Louis got Haines his run in the fourth, with Thevenow playing a small part. Les Bell singled. Chick Hafey bunted Bell to second. Bob O'Farrell walked. When Tommy Thevenow grounded to second, it should have been an inning-ending double play. However, Mark Koenig's throw to first resulted in New York only getting the force at second. More importantly, Bell scored the game's first run. Thevenow then scored as Jesse Haines got into the home run act. The St. Louis pitcher was putting on quite a show.<br /><br />But, Jesse needed some insurance, as Ruth and Gehrig were just looking for a mistake from Haines. The Cardinals tacked on their fourth and final run in the fifth, and Haines took over from there.<br /><br />Thevenow, despite his quite day both at bat and on the field, was part of the only two double plays St. Louis turned, including the one that ended the game. Jesse Haines had himself a fine, five-hit shutout.<br /><br />Bases on the score in game four, you'd think Babe Ruth was ready to settle this nonsense. The Bambino had a game that is the stuff of legend: 3-3, four runs scored, four runs batted in. Three home runs. Two walks his other two times up. He was the story of the Yankees' 10-5 win, which squared the 1926 Fall Classic, 2-2.<br /><br />Thevenow, for his part, doubled home a man in the fourth. But by the time he came back up, in the sixth, the game was over. It was 9-4 for the visitors. Both Bob O'Farrell and Thevenold singled. It actually looked like it'd be a big inning, as there was two on, no outs. But Waite Hoyt retired the next three men without anyone touching home. St. Louis did pick up a run in the ninth, but was meaningless.<br /><br />So game five was huge. However, Thevenow only picked up one hit, and New York won it in the tenth inning. The game ended with Tom on first after picking up the Cardinals' last hit.<br /><br />Have no fear, the Cards won the sixth game for Pete's sake. And Old Pete was awesome. Alexander allowed just two runs all game. The man batting before him, Tommy Thevenow, wasn't about to let the Yankees carry off the World Championship in game six.<br /><br />Not that the Cardinals' shorstop didn't have any frustrating moments. First time up, Tommy sent one towards right centre. But there was Earl Combs again.<br /><br />But there was no denying Thevenow in the fifth. With his team up 3-1, it was time for some quality visiting insurance. Tommy led off with a single. Pete Alexander bunted him to second. Thevenow and company had Grover's back. Wattie Holm hit the ball to centre, and this time Combs could not get to it. It was 4-1, Cards.<br /><br />So, the Bronx Bombers were getting a dose of their own medicine in this game. They'd scored ten times in game four, but now it was in the Cards for St. Louis to get that score.<br /><br />And come the top of the seventh, it was St. Louis' shortstop that got it all going again. His leadoff single started the Cardinals to a five-run uprising, effectively guaranteeing a seventh game. Tommy didn't escape the game unscathed, as he was hit by a pitch next time up. Old Pete tried to get St. Louis more offence. He'd gotten Thevenow to second on a bunt last time, in which Alexander reached on an error. Here though, the Yankees' gloves quickly turned a promising inning into a harmless one. Alexander forced Thevenow at second, and then Wattie Holm hit into a double play.<br /><br />Still, Rogers Hornsby drove home the tenth St. Louis run in the ninth, and it was a laugher for the Cardinals. But you knew game seven was going to be close.<br /><br />It was almost like game one all over again. St. Louis would need their shortstop's glove and bat. Tommy was hitting .400 and had 23 assists.<br /><br />The home team struck first, as Babe Ruth hit another home run. Tommy Thevenow helped get St. Louis back on track.<br /><br />The writers were noting his heroics all game seven. <br /><br />In the top of the fourth, the visitors got a run, and had the bases loaded. There was no one out, and guess who was up? To quote one scribe, “Tommy Thevenow, the Cardinals silent thunder, was at the plate. This 23-year-old kid likes the going when it is toughest.” And St. Louis would be going in front thanks to Thevenow. His single off Waite Hoyt plated Les Bell and Chick Hafey.<br /><br />That was all the scoring from the visiting team, but the pitching and defence of St. Louis made the lead hold. In fact, New York looked poised to get at least one run back in their half of the inning. The Iron Horse was at third. The batter was Hank Severeid, and he sent a liner to left. The buck, and the ball, stopped at short. To hear it be told at the time:<br /><br />“The former Brownie receiver [Severeid] hit a hard liner towards left centre and it appeared as though the score would be 3-2, in another instant, but silent boy, Tommy Thevenow, again jumped into the limelight. Jumped is a very appropriate word. Tommy jumped three feet and speared the drive with his glove hand.”<br /><br />This was Hank's last major league game, and a fine play by Thevenow had denied him the chance to change the outcome of the ballgame. Still, when Severeid came back up in the bottom of the sixth, he cashed in Joe Dugan in with a two-bagger. Tommy Thevenow had come up in the Cardinals' half of the inning, only to see the third out as Chick Hafey was caught trying to pilfer second. The score was 3-2 after sixth, and there would be a photo-finish involving Babe Ruth.<br /><br />Herb Pennock relieved Hoyt, and kept St. Louis at bay. He got Thevenold on a grounder to start the seventh, while Pete Alexander came on to strike out Tony Lazzeri in the Yankees' half of the frame. It's the most memorable moment of the 1926 World Series. But Thevenold would bat again.<br /><br />The Cardinals' shortstop had started the game 2-2, pushing his batting average up to an astonishing .455. However, Pennock was conceding to nothing at this stage of the game. He survived a hit in the seventh, two more in the eighth, and now stared down the tough Tommy Thevenow in the ninth. Thevenow went out on a fly to Babe Ruth in right. It seemed fitting as the two were the big guns of this Fall Classic. Ruth had more to say in the Yankees' half of the ninth. Meanwhile, Pennock got the next two batters out to complete a 1-2-3 frame.<br /><br />Alexander got the first two men, then walked Ruth. Amazingly enough, it was The Bambino himself who tried to steal second, and was thrown out. Combine that with Grover Cleveland Alexander's iconic K of Tony Lazzeri, and poor Tommy Thevenow is sort of the forgotten man of this World Series. It just wasn't in the Cards for him to overshadow the Yankee slugger or Cardinal hurler.<br /><br />But when the Cardinals needed a big hit or fielding play, Tommy had more than come through in the 1926 World Series. When Rogers Hornsby applied the tag on Babe Ruth to end it, Tommy Thevenow went into the history books as having led all batters with a .417 average. And, not to overlook Tommy's glove, he topped all fielders with 26 assists. <br /><br /><br /></p><p><b>References</b></p><p><br /></p><p>“As Thrilling Spectacle Was Unfolding to Fans.” <i>St. Louis Globe-Democrat</i>, 11 Oct. 1926, p. 11, <a href="https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/572728725/.">https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/572728725/.</a> Accessed 7 Apr. 2023. </p><p><br /></p><p>Enders, Eric. <i>100 Years Of The World Series</i>. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.</p><p><br /></p><p>Morissey, Scott C. <i>114 World Series in 1 Book</i>. Updated ed., Pandamonium Publishing House, 2020. </p><p><br /></p><p>Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. <i>The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992</i>. 12th ed. St. Martin's Press, 1992.</p><p><br /></p><p>--------------. <i>The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903-1989</i>, St. Martin's Press, 1990.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nemec, David et all. <i>20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball</i>. Collector's Edition. Publications International, 1993. </p><p><br />Ritter, Lawrence S. <i>The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It</i>. Harper Perennial, 2010. </p><p><br />Robinson, Wilbert. “Old Timers Get a Kick When Alec’s Fadeaway Buzzes Over the Slab.” <i>St. Louis Globe-Democrat</i>, 4 Oct. 1926, p. 10, <a href="https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/572722779/">https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/572722779/</a>. Accessed 7 Apr. 2023. <br /><br /><br /><i>Society for American Baseball Research</i>, SABR, <a href="https://sabr.org/">https://sabr.org/</a>. 06 Apr. Mar. 2023.<br /><br /></p><p>Seaver, Tom, and Martin Appel. <i>Great Moments in Baseball</i>. Carol Pub. Group, 1992.</p><p><br /></p><p>Snyder, John S. <i>World Series!: Great Moments and Dubious Achievements</i>. Chronicle Books, 1995.</p><p><br />Sports Reference LLC. <i>Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information</i>. <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/">http://www.baseball-reference.com/</a>. 07 Apr. 2023.<br /><br /><br /></p><p>Thorn, John, and Pete Palmer. <i>Total Baseball</i>, Creative Multimedia Corp, 1994. CD-Rom edition.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">https://en.wikipedia.org/</a>. 07 Apr. 2023.</p>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-74302713334851724382023-04-06T17:20:00.003-04:002023-04-07T22:05:18.493-04:00World Series: Did You Know?Dickie Kerr's 1.42 earned run average in 1919 was only good enough for third best among hurlers (Min. 9 IP). It seemed like even one of the honest White Sox in '19 only went so far, and even today might not get noticed. There were five solid starters on the Cincinnati Reds that year. And even the very man Kerr beat in game three was no slouch.<br /><br />Well, a precedent was set by the Cincy hurlers in the first two contests. Playing at home, it seemed the Reds' pitching held up. There fielding wasn't always sharp, alas. Dutch Ruether went out and sort of set the tone, beating Eddie Cicotte 9-1. The only run Ruether gave up was unearned, and the Cincinnati pitcher even went 3-3 at the dish. Let me put it to you in plain and simple terms: It wasn't the Pale Hose' day!<br /><br />The Reds, with one win in the bag, extended the series lead to 2-0 with a 4-2 win in the second contest. Slim Sallee won it, and like Ruether, did not allow an earned run.<br /><br />So, the 1919 Fall Classic moved to Comiskey Field in Chicago, and the White Sox had to get a move on. Dickie Kerr would pitch for the home team, while Ray Fisher went for Cincinnati.<br /><br />The game was close, and Fisher found his wait for run support in vain. Even the fielding continued to be an issue. Kerr maybe needed a little more breathing room, as the game stayed close all the way. However, Dickie sent a message to the Reds: This is my day! <br /><br />He got the side 1-2-3 in the first,, collecting a K of Heinie Groh. At first the defence was good behind Fisher. The very first batter of the game for the Sox, Nemo Leibold, sent a sinking shot to right. Greasy Neale snagged it at his shoestring!<br /><br />Cincinnati would get men on, but couldn't get that one key hit. In the second, Pat Duncan singled, only to be stranded. Kerr got all three outs via grounders.<br /><br />Chicago got two men on in the second, as Shoeless Joe Jackson opened with a single, Oscar "Happy" Felsch following with a bunt. The fielding behind Ray Fisher was bad here. But here's a little secret: It was the pitcher who tried to get the force on Jackson at second...Larry Kopf was there waiting for the ball...It seemed like an easy play as the bunt had been pretty much right to Fisher...But instead, a poor throw led to the ball going into centre field! Jackson actually went down in the process of passing the bag, but Edd Roush's throw from centre was too late. Felsch took advantage and motored into second. What should have been an easy force play was now second and third, nobody out!<br /><br />Chick Gandil drove both men home with a single against a drawn-in infield. That 2-0 lead would prove huge. Dickie Kerr had all the offence he needed.<br /><br />Fisher tried to help out his own cause in the top of the third. He sent a slow one towards third with one away. Kerr got over to it, and then smothered it with his whole body, the ball appearing to be headed over the foul line. Dickie taken a tumble! Alas, there was no rumble for Cincinnati. Kerr, getting himself back on top of things, got the next two batters out.<br /><br />Ray Fisher battled on. He allowed two more hits in the third, but got Joe Jackson to pop up while trying to bunt. Then, he got Happy Felsch to hit into a double play, around the horn (5-4-3).<br /><br />Kerr got a nice double play himself to get out of the fourth. The Reds had a man on for Pat Duncan. Duncan was having a great World Series so far, his batting average at exactly .500 (3-6). His bid for a second hit this afternoon ended when he lined to shortstop Swede Risberg (The last of the eight "Black Sox" to pass away). Heinie Groh had left second base, and was doubled off.<br /><br />Chicago scored their third and final run of the afternoon in the fourth via a Risberg tripled and Ray Schalk single. Ray Fisher settled down, and Schalk got caught stealing. Cincinnati got the leadoff man on in the fifth, but again Dickie Kerr was ever the battler. Greasy Neale hit into a force. So did Bill Rariden, on which Eddie Collins made a nice play to stop the grounder. Reds manager Pat Moran allowed Fisher to bat for himself, and the pitcher grounded out.<br /><br />Dickie Kerr's 3-0 began to look like 100-0 for the Reds. Down they went 1-2-3 in the sixth. Same thing in the seventh, as Kerr fanned Duncan. The eighth inning began with Greasy Neale whiffing. Bill Rariden followed by grounding out. Ray Fisher's day came to an end as Sherry Magee batted for him. Magee flied out to right.<br /><br />The White Sox were retired in order by reliever Dolph Luque in the eighth, and that set the stage for Dickie Kerr to finish the ballgame. With a shutout?<br /><br />Morrie Rath went out, Eddie Collins to first basemen Chick Gandil. Jake Daubert then became Kerr's fourth strikeout victim (And third in the last three frames). The game came to an end as Heinie Groh grounded out to third basemen Buck Weaver.<br /><br />Kerr had been great. He'd finished with a flourish, retiring the last fifteen men to face him. The Reds managed just three hits, total. Dickie Kerr had been a master of control, four strikeouts against just one bases on balls. Ray Fisher had not pitched poorly, but took the loss. One earned run over seven innings. <br /><br />It seemed as though Kerr's win might be the only one for Chicago in this Fall Classic. Jimmy Ring went out and tossed a complete game, three-hit shutout for Cincinnati in game four. He was masterful, despite allowing three walks. Still, the game was close, ending only 2-0. Then, Hod Eller won game five with a three-hit shutout of his own. The Reds broke it open with four runs in the top of the sixth.<br /><br />So Dutch Ruether's earned run average was 0.00, and so was Slim Sallee's, Jimmy Ring's, and now Hod Eller's. Dickie Kerr's was also 0.00, but now he'd be up against Ruether in game six of this best-of-nine affair. Something had to give. As it turns out, both pitcher's ERA's did. So did Ring's.<br /><br />Still, the focus (From the Chicago standpoint) was on Dickie Kerr. He didn't come away from this empty-handed. In fact, before the game, he got something.<br /><br />"Just before the game," wrote W.O. McGeehan, "a delegation of Texas oil men presented Kerr with a gold watch."<br /><br />It seemed, for a while, to be the best moment of the game for the Chicago starting pitcher. <br /><br />It was all Cincinnati early. Kerr was not as sharp as he'd been in the third game. Redland Field was ready to celebrate a World Championship. Why not? Given the way that things were going for Cincinnati, the championship seemed a formality.<br /><br />The big thing seemed to be that not only did the Reds have pitching, they had fielding. The White Sox had their fielding problems, which had undone their pitching. This game continued that trend. Swede Risberg and Happy Felsch had a bad game. Risberg had committed two errors in five games coming into action here in the potential clincher, and he added to it. Happy Felsch had made a two terrible plays in game five, though charged with only one error. He'd commit another error in this contest.<br /><br />Cincinnati had a whole lot of leather. Shano Collins sent one to short centre in the first. It appeared to be a hit, but second basemen Morrie Rath made the catch.<br /><br />So Dickie Kerr had a tough first, having seen his team go down 1-2-3 in their half. The Reds were hitting his pitches. With two away, Heinie Groh sent one to right. It was good for two bases. Not three, only because Shano Collins scrambled to the ball, stopping it. Edd Roush sent one to short. While Swede Risberg got to it, there appeared to be no play for him. However, Groh went past third. Too far. Risberg pegged to Buck Weaver. Buck slapped the tag on him.<br /><br />Kerr had managed to escape, and for a while, that was the story of his game. The Reds' gloves were scoring rave reviews from the sports writers of the day. Happy Felsch made a bid for a home run in the top of the second, only to have Greasy Neale, who caught it not to far from the wall.<br /><br />Then came the errors for Chicago. Swede Risberg couldn't come up with Pat Duncan's grounder in the second. A bases on balls to Larry Kopf put two on. A bunt attempt by Greasy Neale resulted in a force at third. It was a big play. Still, Cincinnati had two men and only one out.<br /><br />Dickie Kerr endued Bill Rariden to force Neale at second. Koft was now on third, however, and the Reds were getting closer and closer to scoring. Dutch Ruether was next, but Kerr got his mound adversary out on a comebacker. No easy task getting Ruether out. He was 3-3 off Eddie Cicotte in game one.<br /><br />And then there was Dutch Ruether the pitcher, who had seemingly settled down. Dutch held Chicago in check in the White Sox's half of the third, despite walking Ray Schalk. And there was still more great defence from Cincinnati. Eddie Collins was having his troubles hitting in the 1919 World Series. But with Schalk on second and two away, Collins sent one to left, "...and it looked like a double or better but Pat Duncan, the best late-season find of [Reds' Manager] at Moran, came scooting in and caught it before it fell and produced the ominous thud that seemed imminent," wrote McGeehan.<br /><br />So the Reds were catching everything. The same could not be said for Swede Risberg. Not that he was to blame for Cincinnati breaking the ice in the last of the third.<br /><br />Jake Daubert singled with one out. Dickie Kerr bore down and fanned Heinie Groh for his first K of the game. However, Cincinnati wasn't about to go away this inning. Edd Roush was up, and Daubert stole second. When Kerr hit Roush with a pitch, he had to face Pat Duncan. Duncan added to his early game six heroics by stroking a two-run double, plating Daubert and Roush.<br /><br />Buck Weaver tried to start a rally in the top of the fourth. Duncan made another fine catch! So all Chicago got was Happy Felsch's single. It seemed like there would be little to no run support for Dickie Kerr this afternoon.<br /><br />And how about these clowns in the field? They weren't helping either. Kerr couldn't be the only one at fault for the tragic events that unfolded for the Pale Hose in the bottom of the fourth. You couldn't blame Chicago manager Kid Gleason had he pulled his starter. <br /><br />Greasy Neale started it all with a triple, but the three-bagger had a bit to do with Shano Collins mistiming the shot. Bill Rariden grounded out, Neale holding at third. Dutch Ruether was back at the dish. He made it 4-5 at the dish in the 1919 World Series with a run-scoring ground-rule double. 3-0, Reds.<br /><br />Cincinnati was not done. Swede Risberg got a hold of a grounder, and tried to make the play at third. Well, all Risberg did was hit Ruether in the back, and the Cincinnati pitcher ended up scoring on the play. The Reds were really playing well.<br /><br />Morrie Rath, whose grounder should have resulted in the second out, then made Chicago pay even more by swiping third. Jake Daubert was up. Kerr started him off badly. Ball one. Ball two. On the next pitch, Daubert got a hold of one and sent it to left. Joe Jackson made the catch, but Rath tagged...Out at home!<br /><br />That was a lucky break by Chicago, but they still trailed 4-0. When would these guys wake up? They hadn't scored since the bottom of the fourth inning in Dickie Kerr's last start. A span of twenty-six innings.<br /><br /><div>But then, the first two men drew free passes of Ruether in the top of the five. Dickie Kerr was next up. He must have felt, "No one else is hitting in the clutch, so I'd better." Kerr got an infield single.<br /><br />The sacs were full of White Sox. Swede Risberg was on third. Ray Schalk, second. And now their surprising star pitcher was on first. Shano Collins flied out to Edd Roush. Then, Eddie Collins sent one to centre, on which Risberg tagged up and scored. Kerr, though, seemed to be like Risberg: Making mistakes! Accidentally, mind you. Kerr went to second, only to find catcher Ray Schalk there. Edd Roush tossed it in to Morrie Rath, and Kerr was tagged out. A potentially big inning and all Chicago had was one puny run. The scored was still 4-1 for Cincinnati. Were the Pale Hose good at screwing up or what?<br /><br />Esteemed writer Grantland Rice certainly thought so. "The Sox were not only floundering in the field," he said, "but when their chance arrived on attack, they were even more futile."</div><div><br /></div><div>Still, any scribe would have had nothing but praise for the White Sox one inning later. They got rid of Dutch Ruether. His mastery of the Pale Hose went south, all at once.<br /><br />It all started when Buck Weaver led off the sixth with a double, that fell between Larry Koft in short and Pat Duncan in left. Following this game, Heinie Groh pointed out the Weaver double was huge. Did the Reds' third basemen ever get that right! Joe Jackson only singled, but that cashed in Weaver, and the lead was slashed to 4-2. Happy Felsch doubled, and Jackson scored. Chicago was suddenly within a run of Cincinnati. Three big blows in a row off a pitcher that had once owned them.<br /><br />In a curious decision, Pat Moran brought in Jimmy Ring. Ring had been outstanding in his start vs. Chicago in the fourth contest. Why waste him here? If Ring pitched a long relief outing, and Cincinnati lost, then he might not be available until much later in the 1919 Fall Classic.<br /><br />Well, Ring came in and retired the first two men to face him. So it looked like a genius move by Moran. Ray Schalk, having a fine afternoon, disrupted any thoughts of champagne sipping, tying the game with a clutch single.<br /><br />It had been a great inning, and why not have their pitcher redeem himself for giving up four runs? Kerr took ball one, then fouled off the next pitch. With his battery mate running, Ring delivered the third pitch. A poor throw by Bill Rariden helped Ray Schalk beat the throw. The count went to 2-2, and Dickie Kerr hit one to right on the ground. That's where third basemen Heinie Groh made a fine play and whipped the ball to first for the last out.<br /><br />From there, it seemed like Chicago's bats when cold again. Kerr would have to battle this out with Jimmy Ring, who picked up where he left off in the fourth game. Greasy Neale led off with a bit of a fluke hit in the sixth for Cincinnati. But nothing came of it, and Neale ended up getting caught stealing to end the Reds' half of the frame. The next inning, the Reds put two men on with just one out, but then Edd Roush hit into a inning-ending double play. Roush had swung at Kerr's first offering.<br /><br />The White Sox appeared to carry the momentum as the game headed to the eighth. Ring's control eluded him as he walked Shoeless Joe (On five pitches) and Chick Gandil (On four offerings). But then, it was Edd Roush taking a hit away from Swede Risberg, and Jackson was doubled off second. The Cincinnati centre fielder was having one awesome day with the glove, starting two double plays!<br /><br />The bottom of the eighth seemed to be no problem for Dickie Kerr. First, Pat Duncan hit one foul to right, and Chick Gandil caught it near the seats. Larry Kopf was up, and got ahead 2-0. Kerr brought it 2-2, and then grabbed a liner. That seemed to be a bit of a turning point for the Reds, as Kerr called time.<br /><br />His hand was numbed a bit, as well as bruised. Bill James began to throw in the White Sox bullpen. So the Reds appeared to pounce. First, Greasy Neale singled. And then Bill Rariden singled off Kerr's glove. Two on, two out. Jimmy Ring batted for himself, and forced Rariden for the third out. Kerr had really battled to keep this a 4-4 ballgame.<br /><br />But could Chicago get a run off Jimmy Ring? He now had a dozen innings pitched and the Pale Hose had not scored a run off him. The game went to extras, and Ring had kept his earned run average in the 1919 World Series at 0.00 through thirteen frames.<br /><br />But, Buck Weaver opened the top of the tenth with a double. Joe Jackson bunted with the intention of getting Weaver to third. Well, it worked out better than that, as Jackson beat the throw to first. Happy Felsch swung and missed on a 2-2 pitch. One out. However, Chick Gandil sent a 0-1 pitch into centre field. Had the Cincinnati Reds' infielders been positioned further back, they just might have had a play on the ball. In any even, Dickie Kerr would go out to the last of the tenth only with a one-run lead. Swede Risberg lined into an inning-ending double play.<br /><br />But Ed Roush grounded out on an 0-1 pitch. Pat Duncan popped up to Ray Schalk. On the second pitch from Kerr, Larry Kopf grounded to second basemen Eddie Cicotte, who pegged it to Chick Gandil at first. Game over! Kerr had survived eleven hits, winning 5-4.<br /><br />"Like the boxer he once was," wrote Harvey Frommer, "Dickie Kerr was on the ropes throughout the game. He gave up eleven hits, but he stayed the distance."<br /><br />As for numbers, Kerr had allowed three earned runs. But combine that with his complete-game shutout in game three, and the White Sox pitcher's earned run average was 1.42. Dutch Ruether, on the other hand, had allowed four earned runs over five innings of work (Plus, he'd pitched to three batters in the sixth). So his ERA was up to 2.57. Jimmy Ring's fine relief outing made his earned run average 0.64.<br /><br />Slim Sallee took the hill in the seventh game for Cincinnati. He brought with him a 0.00 earned run average of his own. Yet, it was Eddie Cicotte (0-2, 4.26 ERA), beat him, 4-1. Sallee lasted just 4 1/3 innings, allowing nine hits and two earned runs. That spiked his earned run average up to 1.35. That was still a bit better than Dickie Kerr. Cicotte had dropped his own earned run average to a respectable 2.91, but it seemed like the Fall Classic was a struggle for him. Even in 1917, the lowly New York Giants had given him all he could handle. The win here only upped his lifetime record in the Fall Classic to 2-3.<br /><br />Hod Eller, who'd pitched a shutout in the fifth game, seemingly putting Cincinnati in the driver's seat, went into game eight with a 0.00 earned run average of his own. He got out of jams in the first and second inning unscathed. Eventually, Eller allowed a solo home run by Shoeless Joe Jackson, but was cruising. Up 10-1 after seven, Hod faltered. Chicago launched a serious barrage in the eighth, aided by some poor Cincinnati fielding. The Pale Hose scored four times that frame, and even got runners to second and third in the ninth, before the final out was recorded. For his efforts, Eller posted a 2.00 ERA in the 1919 World Series.<br /><br />Dickie Kerr had to take a backseat to Ring and Eller. If you want to throw in relievers / spot starters, than Dolph Luque and Ray Fisher had better earned run averages. Luque's was 0.00 in five innings, while Fisher's was 1.17 in 7 2/3 innings. But among pitchers with at least nine innings, Dickie Kerr, the "third best" pitcher available for the Fall Classic by the Pale Hose, was right up there with any of Cincy's aces.</div><br /><br /><br /><b>References</b><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><div>Enders, Eric. <i>100 Years Of The World Series</i>. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.<br /><br /><br /><div>Fountain, Charles. <i>Betrayal: The 1919 World Series and the Birth of Modern Baseball</i>. OXFORD University Press, 2017. <br /><br /><br />Frommer, Harvey. <i>Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball</i>. Dallas, TX: Taylor Pub., 1992. Print.<br /><br /><br />McGeehan, W O. “White Sox Rally For Ten-Inning Victory Over Reds - Ruether Is Battered Out.” <i>New York Tribute</i>, 8 Oct. 1919, p. 14, <a href="https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/79065594/">https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/79065594/</a>. Accessed 6 Apr. 2023. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Morissey, Scott C. <i>114 World Series in 1 Book</i>. Updated ed., Pandamonium Publishing House, 2020. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. <i>The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992</i>. 12th ed. St. Martin's Press, 1992.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>--------------. <i>The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903-1989</i>, St. Martin's Press, 1990.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Nemec, David et all. <i>20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball</i>. Collector's Edition. Publications International, 1993. <br /><br /><br />“Play-by-Play Story of Game.” <i>New-York Tribute</i>, 8 Oct. 1919, p. 14, <a href="https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/79065594/">https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/image/79065594/</a>. Accessed 6 Apr. 2023.<br /><br /><br />Rice, Grantland. “Ruether Batted Out of Box; Sox Win in the 10th.” <i>New-York Tribute</i>, 8 Oct. 1919, pp. 1,14, <a href="https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/">https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/</a>. Accessed 6 Apr. 2023. <br /><br /><br /><div>Ryder, Jack. “Chicago, Outclassed, Loses First Game 9-1.” <i>The Cincinnati Enquirer</i>, 2 Oct. 1919. (Reprinted in <i>1919 Cincinnati Reds</i>, Sewell, J. Scott)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>----------------“Cicotte Keeps Socks in Series, Trimming Cincinnati 4 to 1.” <i>The Cincinnati Enquirer</i>, 19 Oct. 1919. (Reprinted in <i>1919 Cincinnati Reds</i>, Sewell, J. Scott)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sanborn, I E. “Sox Humbled In Fourth Game, 2-0.” <i>Chicago Sunday Tribute</i>, 5 Oct. 1919. (Reprinted in <i>1919 Cincinnati Reds</i>, Sewell, J. Scott)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sewell, J. Scott. 1919 Cincinnati Reds. J. Scott Sewell, 2020.<br /><br /><br /><i>Shoeless Joe Jackson Virtual Hall of Fame</i>, <a href="http://www.blackbetsy.com/shoeless.html">www.blackbetsy.com/shoeless.html</a>. 06 Apr. Mar. 2023.</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Society for American Baseball Research</i>, SABR, <a href="https://sabr.org/">https://sabr.org/</a>. 06 Apr. Mar. 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sports Reference LLC. <i>Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information</i>. <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/">https://www.baseball-reference.com/</a>. 06 Apr. 2023. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Thorn, John, and Pete Palmer. <i>Total Baseball</i>, Creative Multimedia Corp, 1994. CD-Rom edition.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">https://en.wikipedia.org/</a>. 06 Apr. 2023.</div></div>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7528512859104781300.post-39880808063127968202023-04-03T23:02:00.000-04:002023-04-03T23:02:09.303-04:00World Series: Did You Know?<p> It's a bit of a tough call as to what catcher had a better Fall Classic in 1909.</p><p>I pointed out that George Gibson held the immortal Ty Cobb in check on the basepaths in that Fall Classic. Gibson was one awesome defensive catcher with his ability to stop 'em from running. During the '09 season, Mooney threw out a league-leading 148 baserunners. The Pittsburgh Pirates' hurlers could rely on their backstopper to stop 'em cold.<br /><br />George had a 51.7 percent success rate with would-be theives. The Pirates also had catchers Mike Simon and Paddy O'Connor, but neither of them appeared much. It was Gibson or bust.<br /><br />Ty Cobb's Detroit Tigers had Boss Schmidt and Oscar Stanage behind the dish. Schmidt caught about 50 percent of stolen base attempts. Stanage, 41. There were two other catchers, Henry Beckendorf and Joe Casey, but neither played much.<br /><br />So the thing is, Honus Wagner and company swiped eighteen bases, Ty Cobb and company, six. A clear-cut win by Pittsburgh. Not that the Tigers' catchers would give a poor account of themselves. They found other ways to contribute.<br /><br />And if Pittsburgh thought it'd be easy to stop Cobb, they had to think again. The Detroit Tigers' outfielder drew a walk in the top of the first inning in game one, and scored the first run of the 1909 World Series.<br /><br />Boss Schmidt was behind the plate for Detroit. And he could do things besides catch thieves. In the third inning, for instance, he caught Pittsburgh's Bill Abstein off first base, killing a rally.<br /><br />The Pirates tied the game via a Fred Clarke home run (in the last of the fourth). </p><p>Ty Cobb was having quite a game. He hit into a force in the top of the fifth. But he made up for it by stealing second. Sam Crawford, the all-time leader in career triples, left The Georgia Peach there by popping out.</p><p>Bill Abstein started the bottom of the fifth by sending a grounder that Jim Delahanty couldn't come up with. And an error by right fielder Ty Cobb resulted in Abstein getting ninety feet away from home.<br /><br />George Gibson got in on the ace with a double. Pitcher Babe Adams reached on an error. After Bobby Byrne was Tommy Leach was plunked, the sacs with full. Tommy Leach got it to the outfield, and the Pittsburgh catcher crossed home, making it 3-1, Pirates.<br /><br />Bill Abstein picked up another RBI in the sixth, to extend the lead to 4-1 for the Bucks. The inning promised more. The Flying Dutchman, Honus Wagner, started this uprising with a double...Then got picked off second base by Boss Schmidt. But the Detroit Tigers' catcher made a poor throw. So, Wagner went to third. Abstein's ground out cashed him in. You gotta get those speedsters when you have the chance!<br /><br />The Detroit catcher saw his counterpart up at the dish. Boss Schmidt allowed a passed ball. George Gibson was staring down a "Single, RBI" situation. But George Mullin got him to fly out.<br /><br />Neither team would touch home again, but the game continued. Boss Schmidt was retired to start the seventh, but Detroit mounted a comeback attempt. With two away, a hit and a walk extended the inning. For the Georgia Peach. Ty gave it quite ride to centre. But just a long, loud out.<br /><br />The Pirates weren't about to take the pedal off the metal. The game was in the bag, so when they batted in the last of the eighth, they tried to get one last run. Honus Wagner made the second out, and George Mullin seemed poised for a 1-2-3 inning. Mullin had pitched well: 4 hits, 2 earned runs!<br /><br />Alas, it was Miller Time.<br /><br />Dots Miller singled, and then made life tough for Boss Schmidt. He stole second. Mullin settled down, fanning Bill Abstein.<br /><br />So what do we find here? The spotlight was on two guys named Cobb and Wagner. Both pitchers were great. How about the men behind the dish? Schmidt had an interesting afternoon.<br /><br />He was 0-3, but drew a walk, plus third basemen Bobby Byrne made a fine play at third to take away a hit in the third. One stolen base against Schmidt. Two pickoffs happened. One by pitcher George Mullin, and the other by his catcher. However, as mentioned, one of the pickoff plays was merely an error for Schmidt, which eventually led to Honus Wagner scoring later in the inning.<br /><br />Gibson was clutch. One run scored, one run driven in. 1-3 at the plate. On the negative side, Ty Cobb stole a base of him.<br /><br />Ty's team bounced back in the second contest. <br /><br />Seemed like Detroit was not about to wait around. In the top of the first, Davy Jones made it to first on a bunt. He was the very first batter in the game. A bunt moved him to third. However, when Jones tried to steal third, it was George Gibson to Bobby Byrne for the DOA. Ty Cobb was up, so why steal third? Cobb grounded out.<br /><br />The Pirates went ahead 2-0 in the bottom of the first, but then The Boss got his team back in the bottom of the frame. He doubled home two men.<br /><br />His counterpart tried to get Pittsburgh back on top. In the second inning, George Gibson walked and stole second. But he was stranded.<br /><br />The immortal Ty Cobb really helped the cause next inning. His walked loaded 'em up. One out later, Jim Delahanty drove home two men with a single. And Cobb was at third. A new pitcher, Vic Willis, was brought in to put out the fire.<br /><br />George Moriarty was up. Elementary, my dear Gibson. Cobb, blink and you miss him. A steal of home! 5-2, Detroit. Moriarty was still up. Elementary, my dear Willis. Ball four.<br /><br />Tom Jones (Not the singer, obviously), hit into a force. But that was only for the second out. Two on for Boss Schmidt. Schmidt flew out.<br /><br />Gibson was retired in the bottom of the fourth, and the next inning, Schmidt showed him how it's done. Two on, two outs, bases loaded. Single by The Boss. 7-2, as Sam Crawford and Jim Delahantry scored. Alas, Tom Jones tried for third and was a dead duck.<br /><br />Maybe the Bengals were trying to embarrass the Bucs. But, really, don't deny Ty a chance at an RBI. Which is exactly what Donie Bush did. He was caught stealing by George Gibson in the top of the sixth. Cobb would have to wait.<br /><br />So Honus Wagner tried to steal second of Schmidt in the bottom of the frame. Boss got 'em!<br /><br />Cobb added a single in the seventh, only to be erased on a double play. But in the bottom of the play, a potential big inning went down the drain as Gibson hit into one himself.<br /><br />Schmidt was retired his last time up, but the drama was not over. The Flying Dutchman led of the bottom of the ninth for the defiant Pirates. He singled. Wagner then stole second. Dots Miller grounded out. The score was still 7-2 for the Tigers, but the Bucs had a chance to make it a bit closer. Bill Donovan sealed the deal with a strikeout of Bill Abstein and a fly to centre off the bat of Owen Wilson (Not the actor, obviously).<br /><br />Schmidt was 1-2 in stopping the great Wagner. But 0-1 in stopping his pal Gibson. Mooney, meanwhile, had to deal with Ty Cobb's electrifying steal of home, but caught the only two other would-be thieves. <br /><br />It was no contest with the bat. Gibson, who'd had one RBI in the opening tilt, had no runs scored, no hits. Just a walk. Schmidt? Four runs driven in.<br /><br />It was on to Detroit, but Pittsburgh was determined to end the third contest before it began. They pushed across five runs in the top of the first, and another in the second. Honus Wagner only reached on an error by Donie Bush, which two runs scored on. But once on the fireworks began. He stole second, and Boss Schmidt's bad throw got The Flying Dutchman to third. A wild pitch, and Wagner had scored.<br /><br />Mooney Gibson was not able to contribute in either inning. Honus Wagner was on first when Tommy Leach tried to steal home off Ed Willett. An error by the pitcher when they had the runner trapped allowed Leach to score, and Wagner to go all the way to third.<br /><br />Wagner added a second stolen base to his name this afternoon in the fifth. The game appeared to be over, 6-0 for Pittsburgh. In the seventh, though, he went to the well one too many times, and Boss Schmidt nailed him.<br /><br />Schmidt came up with two on in the bottom of the seventh. The Tigers were still trying to make a game of it, and had even broken up the shutout. The score stayed 6-1, as Schmidt popped to third. Singles by Donie Bush and Ty Cobb made it 6-4. They needed their catcher to have come through.<br /><br />In the eighth, the Bengals looked for more. They got two walks, but the first was erased as George Moriarty was nailed at second by George Gibson. Tom Jones kept the inning alive by drawing a free pass. But Boss Schmidt ended any hope of a run by flying out to Fred Clarke in left.<br /><br />Clarke drove home a run in the bottom of the frame, and Honus Wagner did, too. 8-4, and Wagner wanted more. He continued torment Schmidt, stealing his this base of the contest.<br /><br />It just wasn't George Gibson's day, though. The Tigers would make the game closer. But they might not have had the Pirates' catcher done more. A ground out in the first, in which Pittsburgh was on a roll. Another ground out in the second. A liner to centre next time up. Finally, in the top of the eighth, with a man on third, he left Bill Abstein at third as he sent it up in foul territory behind the dish to Boss Schmidt.<br /><br />Abstein's error at third opened to the door for a Detroit rally in the last of the ninth. Donie Bush followed with a single. That set the stage for Ty Cobb's clutch ground-rule double. 8-5. Followed by Sam Crawford grounder. 8-6. Nick Maddox then got Jim Delahanty to fly out to left. What had started out as a rout turned into a very tight affair. The Tigers had shown plenty of fight, Cobb especially.<br /><br />The Flying Dutchman had led the charge. The poor Tigers' catcher had a field day with Honus Wagner and company. A field day of frustration. But, actually, take away Wagner, Boss Schmidt acquitted himself just fine. Schmidt caught Tommy Leach once, and throw in Wagner's one time failing, and it was not all bad. The throwing error in first was a huge mistake. The biggest problem was Schmidt's 0-4 afternoon. As it was, the Tigers scored six times. But perhaps a better performance by Boss, and they might have not fallen behind 6-0. Still, this had to be one of the best games in terms of the spotlight being on the big guns in the World Series. Crawford, Cobb and Wagner all turned in a great defensive play.<br /><br />Gibson caught the only Tiger who tried to steal a base in George Moriarty. Mooney didn't commit an error. In fact, the only Pirates' errors this afternoon were committed by Bill Abstein, with two. (Both of which led to Tiger uprising). Gibson struggled at the plate, going 0-4. And he stranded two runners.<br /><br />The good news for Pittsburgh was they were up 2-1. The bad news was Detroit was just plain awesome in the fourth contest.<br /><br />Cobb was a little too daring on the base paths in the bottom of the first. Having been hit by a pitch from Lefty Leifield, it was time to get into scoring position for Sam Crawford. There were two outs, and suddenly George Gibson had him. Ty Cobb was between first and second, and Bill Abstein had the ball. The Georgia Peach was picked off. Well, he should have been. The feed from Honus Wagner to Bill Abstein was dropped. Ty was in scoring position. But Detroit did not score. Well, not then.<br /><br />So Gibson had a pickoff to his name. And he'd nail Davy Jones trying a theft later, too.<br /><br />However, all of Mooney's heroics went for not. He was struggling with the bat, leaving two on top of the second. Pittsburgh had their chances in this game, but couldn't get the man home.<br /><br />The Tigers scored two runs in their half of the second. It could of been worse. There were runners on the corners on for Tom Jones. Jones hit a comebacker to pitcher Lefty Leifield. Leifield went to Gibson at the plate for the force, and the Pirates' just did get Jim Delahanty at the plate. The problem was for the Bucs, the next batter (Oscar Stanage) singled. While the Pirates had gotten the man at the dish the previous play, both Jones and George Moriarty advanced two bases. So when Oscar Stanage got his hit, Moriarty and Jones scored.<br /><br />It was all pitched George Mullin needed. The Pirates still had fight in them come the third. Bobby Byrne and Tommy Leach executed a daring double steal. But on the play, Fred Clarke fanned. And when Honus Wagner followed suit, a promising scoring opportunity went out the window. <br /><br />Three more runs in the fourth gave Detroit a huge 5-0 lead. George Gibson, 0-2 in this game and oh for his last nine, singled in the seventh.<br /><br />In the bottom of the eighth, the Bengals looked for more. Oscar Stanage, taking over behind the dish from Boss Schmidt, had a mixed game. He had two RBIs, but had been retired twice. Stanage had hit into a double play. But another big hit here would make 'em all forget.<br /><br />With runners on first and second, Oscar bunted. The sacrifice moved 'em both up. Deacon Phillippe, on in relief of Lefty Leifield, settled down. And down went George Mullin on strikes. Davy Jones walked to keep the top of the ninth looking dangerous. Bases loaded, two away. Donie Bush grounded out. <br /><br />For the Pirates, it was Dots Miller got a one out single. George Gibson would bat after Owen Wilson. But before that, Bill Abstein would bat. Abstein grounded out to the pitcher. Miller was on second. But then Wilson ended the game, grounding out to first basemen Tom Jones.<br /><br />Oscar Stange had been shown how it's done by George Gibson. Stanage allowed both Tommy Leach and Bobby Byrne to steal a base, whereas no Tiger stole a base off Gibson. To have picked off Ty Cobb was amazing. And Davy Jones had tried to steal off the Canadian, but was out.<br /><br />Each catcher was 1-3, but obviously Gibson had not come through when it mattered. Stanage sure did with two RBIs back in the second.<br /><br />So, the 1909 World Series was tied, 2-2. Game five was big.<br /><br />Davy Jones greeted pitcher Babe Adams with a home run to start the game. Donie Bush followed with a walk. Now, Ty Cobb was up, and this could have very easily been "Game over" for Adams. But Cobb flied out to Tommy Leach in centre.<br /><br />Babe Adams wasn't out of the woods. Sam Crawford singled. Now there were runners on the corners. Crawford made life miserable for the Pirates' battery when he stole second. George Moriarty popped out to first basemen Bill Abstein.<br /><br />Abstein had made two errors in each of the last two contests. Here, he coaxed a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the first to tie it.<br /><br />And the next inning, the battery of Pittsburgh put them on top.<br /><br />George Gibson singled. Babe Adams got him to second with a bunt. A ground ball and a wild pitch saw Mooney cross the dish! 2-1, Pirates! The Pirates made it three innings, three runs in the third. As for Oscar Stanage's game performance? Two times up. Two strikeouts. Ouch. He would not finish this contest.<br /><br />The Pirates tied the game in the top of the sixth, and this World Series was too close to call. 2-2 in games, 3-3 in the fifth contest. Something had to give.<br /><br />One thing that changed was the Detroit Tigers. Since Oscar Stanage had fanned in both the second and fifth inning, he was removed for a pinch hitter in the seventh. And then Boss Schmidt took over behind the plate. Was it a good move?<br /><br />Schmidt took over behind the dish in the bottom of the seventh. It was a disastrously bad thing he saw. <br /><br />Fred Clarke hit a three-run home run. Honus Wagner was hit by a pitch...Then stole second and third. On the steal of third, Schmidt threw wildly. Wagner scored to make it 7-3.<br /><br />Sam Crawford got one run back, hitting a solo home run off Adams in the eighth. However, George Gibson got that right back. Owen Wilson had doubled to start the bottom of the frame. Gibson singled him home.<br /><br />Babe Adams tried to keep the rally going. But his bunt attempt went in the air and was caught at first by Tom Jones. So, as Bobby Byrne fanned, Gibson stole second. Mooney was up to two steals in just five games! However, when he tried to pilfer third, Boss Schmidt nailed him.<br /><br />Detroit gave it one last try. In the ninth, Tom Jones reached on an error with one away. George Gibson had held the Tigers to no stolen bases since the first. But with his counterpart at the dish, Jones stole second. Boss Schmidt grounded out, with Tom Jones holding at second. The Tigers sent up a pinch hitter for Ed Willett, and it ended up being a George Mullin who grab some lumber. Mullin, with 228 wins to his name, had hit just .214 in 1909, but .262 for his career. But Babe Adams got him to pop out to short.<br /><br />So George Gibson had one big game. He allowed two stolen bases, but picked up one himself. He drove home a run, while scoring one himself. On the other hand, he'd been a dead duck on his other stolen base attempt. His teammate, Honus Wagner, had two stolen bases off Boss Schmidt, while Fred Clarke pilfered a base off Oscar Stanage. Stanage was 0-1 at the plate, making Tigers' catchers 0-3 on the day.<br /><br />Still, Detroit had plenty of fight left in them. They watched as the home team, as they fell behind 3-0 before picking up their lumber. Sam Crawford got one run back with a double in the bottom of the first.<br /><br />In the top of the second, George Gibson fanned, but Boss Schmidt had to complete the strikeout. But the Pirates continued to look for more offence. They got two on in the third without a hit. An error, a bunt and a grounder put Tommy Leach on third. Dots Miller walked and stole second off Schmidt. Miller time again for The Boss. But then Bill Abstein fanned.<br /><br />George Mullin singled to start the bottom of the frame, and Ty Cobb could smell another RBI chance. Davy Jones hit a liner, which resulted in a double play. Ouch. Donie Bush took one for the team, and Cobb had to settle for a man on first when he batted. Bush stole second, so there was still a chance for Ty Cobb. But he popped out.<br /><br />But it was Sam Crawford who laid the foundation for a Detroit rally in the fourth. He walked. The next three men singled, and it was suddenly all tied up. Boss Schmidt came up with Tom Jones and second and walked. <br /><br />It was a chance for a really big inning. Two runs were already in, plus a good-hitting pitcher was next up in George Mullin. Mullin sent one to short left, but the ball was caught by Fred Clarke. Clarke then put the squeeze on Davy Jones fly his direction, and the inning was over. <br /><br />While Mullin couldn't come through at the dish, he kept the momentum going for the Tigers. Down went the Bucs 1-2-3 in the top of the five. It didn't take the Bengals very long to get another rally going.<br /><br />Donnie Bush singled. And while Vic Willis got the two big guns (Cobb and Crawford) to ground out, Bush was at third. Jim Delahanty, whose brothers Ed, Joe and Tom all played in the bigs, was up. And clutch Del was! His double to left cashed in Bush. The ice-breaker.<br /><br />Mullin got Honus Wagner to fly out in the top of the sixth, but then had to rely on his batterymate to get him out of trouble. Dots Miller sent one to centre that dropped in. Bill Abstein popped one back behind the dish, and Boss Schmidt raced back to get it, making one fine catch. Miller tried to make something out of this (second) out. He dashed for second. Schmidt had himself a 2-6 putout.<br /><br />Schmidt then tried to get his batterymate some needed insurance in the home half of the sixth. Facing new pitcher Howie Camnitz, Boss hit a long ball to right, which ended up in the crowd for a ground-rule double. But when George Mullin grounded back to the mound, it was Schmidt erased at third on a fielder's choice. Davy Jones also hit into a fielder's choice for the second out, but then swiped second.<br /><br />Donie Bush followed with a walk, and Ty Cobb was back to the dish. His clutch double, which also bounced into the crowd, plated Jones.<br /><br />The Pirates trailed 5-3, and their catcher tried to get something going, as time was running out in this sixth contest. With one away in the top of the seventh, the Pittsburgh backstopper singled. But that was all the Bucs got.<br /><br />One last chance to tie it emerged in the top of the ninth for Pittsburgh. Two straight singles and an error by first basemen Tom Jones, narrowed the margin to just 5-4. And there was two on with nobody out. Jones, the Bengals' first basemen, was hurt on a collision with Owen Wilson, who'd collided with him. He had to be taken off the field on a stretcher<br /><br />George Gibson was the batter. The Tigers made some switches, and Sam Crawford was now playing first base. With runners on the corners, Gibson sent one Crawford's way. Bill Abstein tried to score, and was out.<br /><br />Ed Abbaticchio batted for the pitcher. The tying run was still in scoring position (Wilson) and Gibson now represented the go-ahead run at first. A hit into the gap would mean Pittsburgh would lead, 6-5. But with one out, the Tigers' battery got it done.<br /><br />George Mullin threw strike three past Abbaticchio. Good thing his catcher held on to it. Wilson broke to third. Boss Schmidt gunned him out there! What a win by Detroit. They'd held on for a gutsy 5-4 decision. For the first time ever, a World Series would come down to a seventh and deciding contest.<br /><br />Had Schmidt helped? He'd gotten a hit and a walk, but that only raised his batting average to .200. He'd contributed to two double plays. He caught a man trying to steal to end the game. Dots Miller accounted for Pittsburgh's only steal of the ballgame. Detroit, meanwhile had two stolen bases of George Gibson, who was just 1-4 at the dish.<br /><br />The seventh game would be anti-climatic. After all the excitement leading up to it, the last game of the 1909 World Series was huge let-down.<br /><br />The Pirates started it out on the right foot, as they threatened in the first. They didn't score, and made two attempts to steal bases. Boss Schmidt was 1-2 in his success rate.<br /><br />Donie Bush was hit by Babe Adams in the bottom of the first. But Detroit did not score. Bush was caught stealing with Sam Crawford up.<br /><br />Bill Abstein, who was sort of wearing goat-horns in this Fall Classic, wanted to help. He'd made five errors for the Bucs. In the top of the second, he did a lot more than help. He led off with a single against Bill Donovan, whose nickname was "Wild". Donovan sure lived up to that here. Not that his bullpen helped.<br /><br />Abstein stole second. Boss Schmidt would really have to be on guard all game. The Pirates were playing for one run, so Owen Wilson put down a bunt. The Tigers didn't get the out. Schmidt's throw to first was too late.<br /><br />So one catcher's mistake opened the door for another. George Gibson batted. But all he could do was pop out to Donie Bush at short.<br /><br />A walk. A fly. Two more walks. Pittsburgh was up, 2-0. Jim Delahanty<br /><br />Detroit wasn't discouraged, and looked to equal it in their half. With one away, Jim Delahanty drew a bases on balls. George Moriarty hit a ground-rule double. The tying run was at second. However, Moriarty hurt himself on the basepaths, and was replaced by Charley O'Leary. It was a big loss, as Moriarty was hitting .273 in the World Series. O'Leary was 0-3 in this game.<br /><br />Tom Jones popped out. Boss Schmidt grounded back to Babe Adams. The Tigers best chance to tie the game had slipped away.<br /><br />So in the top of the third, a situation presented itself to George Gibson to make Detroit pay. The Pirates had runners on second and third, and Owen Wilson up. Wilson only had to get the ball to the outfield and it'd be 3-0, with just one out.<br /><br />But Wilson hit it to the shortstop, Donie Bush. Bush saw Dots Miller break to home, and gunned it to Boss Schmidt for the 6-2 putout. Then there was Bill Abstein, just a wee bit past second. Well, Schmidt took care of that. Schmidt to Jim Delahanty for the double play! Gibson finally got up, only to force Wilson at second.<br /><br />While the Pirates did not score, they did succeed in getting Bill Donovan out of the game. He'd walked six men. Donovan was lifted in favour of a pinch hitter in the bottom of the third. The pinch hitter ended up being George Mullin, who'd pitched well. In 26 innings pitched in the 1909 Fall Classic, Mullin had posted a 1.73 earned run average.<br /><br />But Dots Miller's two-run single off Mullins in the fourth made it a 4-0 ballgame. Miller swiped second before Mullin got Detroit out of the inning. The pitcher retired Bill Abstein, who was caught looking at strike three. But Pittsburgh was not done with the Detroit reliever.<br /><br />Babe Adams allowed two hits before getting out of the fourth. Boss Schmidt was the last out. Mullin appeared to settle down after a rough greeting, as he got the side 1-2-3 in the fifth. The next inning, however, it was Honus Wagner with a huge hit. Tommy Leach was on second, and player-manager Fred Clarke was on first, after drawing a walk. Wagner hit a triple, and the game was essentially over. To add insult to injury, The Flying Dutchman ended up scoring on the play when Davy Jones tried to nail him at third.<br /><br />Gibson, who'd been a bit silent with the stick all game (0-3), doubled in the seventh, only to be stranded. His counterpart on Detroit (0-2) also hit a double that inning, keeping the inning alive. But George Mullin wasn't getting it done with the stick, either. He flied out to left.<br /><br />Pittsburgh's Fred Clarke walked (his fourth of the contest) and stole second in the eight. Clarke ended up scoring when Sam Crawford dropped Dots Miller's fly to centre. There were two outs at the time. Clarke had somehow scored twice and driven in a run without getting a hit!<br /><br />George Gibson ended the game 1-5, but ended up reaching on an error in the ninth. A bunt moved him to second with two away. Ham Hyatt made the last Pittsburgh out of the game when he popped out to Boss Schmidt. Schmidt would not get a chance to walk up to the plate.<br /><br />He was the next scheduled batter in the bottom of the ninth as Tom Jones came up. The last hit of the 1909 World Series was a one-out two-bagger by Jim Delahanty. But then Charley O'Leary finished of his hitless day by popping out to Tommy Leach. Tom Jones flew out to Clarke in left.<br /><br />Clarke had stolen two bases in the clincher, Bill Abstein and Dots Miller one each. The only Buc to be stopped on the basepaths had been Bobby Byrne. The one and only Tiger (Donie Bush) who tried his luck at stealing had been a dead duck. It had been a rout, no matter how to slice the seventh contest. Babe Adams walked one batter. The two Tigers' hurlers combined for ten!<br /><br />So the 1909 World Championship belonged to Pittsburgh, who'd lost it to Boston six years earlier. There was much to celebrate. Obviously, the two big stars were Honus Wagner and Babe Adams. Wagner hat hit .333 record an on-base percentage of .467 (Bested only by Donie Bush), driven in six and scored four times. Adams was 3-0 on the hill, going all the way in game seven. He became the first pitcher to win a game seven (To decide the World Series) with a shutout.<br /><br />The big story was the Cobb / Wagner matchup. Ty Cobb had actually come up with a number of key hits, resulting in five RBI. Just one less than Honus Wagner. The Georgia Peach had also scored three runs. Again, just one less than the Flying Dutchman. So, contrary to what has been said, it wasn't all a one-sided win for Wagner. Cobb hit just .231, and stole just one base, getting caught once for a 67 percent success rate. Wagner had six stolen bases, getting caught just once. Wagner had also been picked off base. Cobb was also picked off in game three, but as I explained earlier, Ty made it to second anyways. It seems, though, that pickoff discouraged him. Cobb didn't steal another base the rest of the 1909 Fall Classic, or even attempt one. <br /><br />How about the catchers? What do we find?<br /><br />George Gibson hit .240, drove in two runs, and scored twice. For good measure, he matched Cobb in stolen bases, with two. Boss Schmidt and Oscar Stanage both hit worse than Gibson, but if you look at their RBI total, you might give pause. Schmidt hit only .222, but knocked in four runs in only six games. Stanage got into just two games, and had only five at-bats. Yet, despite hitting .200, Oscar drove in two runs himself. Meaning, the Detroit catchers overall had four more RBIs than George Gibson. But, neither Schmidt nor Stanage scored a run. <br /><br />Schmidt picked off one base runner, while his pitcher, George Mullin, got one himself. Overall, Boss nailed 6 runners out of 21 batters to steal. The Pirates also were 2-2 in steal attempts off Oscar Stanage. So overall, Pittsburgh stole 17 out of 23 bases. George Gibson nailed 5 of the eleven attempted base thefts against him. Plus, he'd picked off Ty Cobb in game four, even though the Georgia Peach made it out of that mess. But while Gibson had not committed an error, Boss Schmidt had three to his name in the 1909 Fall Classic. Plus Schmidt had allowed a pass ball.<br /><br />The 1909 World Series was the last for not only Ty Cobb, but also Honus Wagner (Who'd previously appeared in the original Fall Classic, back in 1903). This tends to make it memorable, as two great stars went mano-e-mano. But it wasn't as if their any less heroics from the men behind the dish. This World Series went to the limit, and there were a lot of supporting cast along for the ride.<br /><br /><br /></p><p><b>References</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Enders, Eric. <i>100 Years Of The World Series</i>. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>Society for American Baseball Research</i>, SABR, <a href="https://sabr.org/">https://sabr.org/</a>. 03 Apr. Mar. 2023.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sports Reference LLC. <i>Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information</i>. <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/">https://www.baseball-reference.com/</a>. 03 Apr. 2023. </p><p><br /></p><p>Thorn, John, and Pete Palmer. <i>Total Baseball</i>, Creative Multimedia Corp, 1994. CD-Rom edition.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>Wikipedia</i>, Wikimedia Foundation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/">https://en.wikipedia.org/</a>. 03 Apr. 2023.</p>The Sports Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17838800345466457548noreply@blogger.com0