World Series: Did You Know?

Jim Palmer's shutout in the second contest of 1966 was his first at the major league level. Palmer had many "firsts" crossed off his major league career by the end of the regular season in '66, but a shutout was not one of them. He'd even hit his first major league home run in May of 1965, his rookie season.

Palmer was just 5-4 in '65, as the Baltimore Orioles were loaded with pitching depth. He'd pitch here and there, but not regularly. How ironic, considering the very man on the wrong end of his shutout in the second game of the World Series a year later could relate to that!

But in 1966 things were different for Baltimore. They had a strong starting staff. They had a great bullpen. Jim Palmer took his game to the next level, whereas the Orioles experiment with John Miller didn't go as planned. Miller had been great in the bullpen for Baltimore in 1965, but a year later, wasn't much as a starter.

So, that opened the door for Palmer. He'd been only 5-4 the year before. Here, in 1966, he went 15-10 in 30 appearances. All of them were starts. Jim's earned run average was 3.46, down from 3.72 from 1965. There was progress. But there was also competition if Palmer wanted to be the ace of the Orioles' staff. You have Dave McNally. You had Wally Bunker. You had Steve Barber. None of those guys won more than thirteen games, however. So many Palmer was better than all of them?

Well, Dave McNally sure didn't look like the ace of the staff when the Fall Classic got going. The Orioles must have been underdogs to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers had Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and a rookie named Don Sutton. There was also the underrated Claude Osteen, who went 17-14. Drysdale, who'd start the opening tilt, was just 13-16.

It seemed like a contest of which pitcher was worse. The big Dodger righty just didn't have it. But neither did McNally. The Baltimore Orioles led 3-0 and 4-1, but the Los Angeles Dodgers seemed to wake up in the bottom of the second and third with comeback attempts. The bottom of the third spelled the end for Dave McNally. Fortunately, reliever Moe Drabowski put a stop to a bases loaded LA rally, holding them scoreless for the last 6 2/3 innings.

So Dave McNally hadn't looked too sharp in the first game. While he'd only given up two hits, Dave walked five batters in just 2 1/3 innings pitched. Drabowski, by comparison, allowed just two bases on balls. The good news was that Los Angeles only managed three hits the entire game. Their bats were in a slump that would last the entire 1966 World Series. But if Baltimore's pitchers were wild, LA could take advantage. They had some speedsters on the basepaths named Maury Wills and Willie Davis.

So this was no doubt on Baltimore's checklist for the second contest. Keep those two batters off the bases. But there was also the trouble with Sandy Koufax. While Jim Palmer won an impressive 15 games, Koufax was from another planet: 27 wins and a fifth straight ERA title!

So that's what confronted Palmer in the second contest. The Dodgers, playing at home, could easily ride the brilliant pitching of Koufax to many-a-win. And in many-a-win for LA, Sandy would only need about one or two runs.

Well, Jim Palmer was up to the task. He took Maury Wills' hard grounder, and knocked it down. The ball bounced to the pitcher's right. But not too far. The result was a quick 1-3 putout to get the leadoff batter out in the bottom of the first. Part of a fine 1-2-3 inning.

The second inning wasn't so good. Ron Fairly, who'd been with the Dodgers since 1958 (And was a part of the three Los Angeles World Series triumphs since then), drew a walk to start the inning. Palmer fanned Jim Lefebvre for the first out. But the next batter was Lou Johnson. Lou always seemed to come up big when Sandy Koufax needed him to. He'd scored the only run in Sandy's perfect game on September 9th, 1965 vs. Chicago. Then he'd hit a home run to put LA up for good in game seven of the World Series that year. Now, here in the second contest in '66, Johnson doubled to right. Just like that, the Los Angeles Dodgers had two runners in scoring position with only one out.

John Roseboro was retired on a pop up. A crucial out. Palmer then walked Wes Parker, his second free pass of the inning. This one was intentional, though. That brought up the light-hitting Sandy Koufax to the plate. Koufax's hitting was nowhere near his pitching prowess. He popped out.

That had been a rough inning. But things were suddenly looking up for Jim Palmer. He kept not only Maury Wills and Willie Davis off the bases in the bottom of the third, he had another 1-2-3 inning.

If you were wondering how Koufax was faring with all this going on, it was just another typical Sandy outing - until the fifth, that is. The Dodgers pitcher had allowed one hit and one walk through four. Koufax had even shown Baltimore what happens when you get on: Following Luis Aparicio, single off him in the first, the LA pitcher picked him off! So Koufax had faced thirteen batters in four innings. Essentially, the great Dodger was picking up where he'd left off a year earlier. Koufax had thrown shutouts in games five and seven on the 1965 World Series. He was up to 22 consecutive scoreless frames in the Fall Classic.

Palmer, though, had another 1-2-3 inning of his own in the bottom of the fourth. He was giving the Orioles momentum. It carried over to the fifth frame. Baltimore surprised the Los Angeles fans' by scoring three times on two hits and three errors (All by Dodger centre fielder Willie Davis). Jim, as it turns out, had all the run support he needed. The O's didn't stop there. They scored a four run off Sandy Koufax in the sixth, but it was the only earned run the Dodgers' lefty would allow. Sandy averted further trouble by getting Andy Etchebarren to ground into an inning-ending double play with the sacks full. No one knew it at the time, but Sandy Koufax had faced his last major league batter.

The rest of the game wasn't much of a sweat for the Orioles' pitcher. Jim Palmer finished the game with a four-hitter. Baltimore got him two more runs, and Los Angeles lost 6-0. The Dodgers finished the game with a total of six errors.

Jim didn't make another appearance in the 1966 World Series. Wally Bunker edged Claude Osteen 1-0 in game three. Dave McNally made his second start a lot better than the first, and out-dueled Don Drysdale in a rematch from the opening tilt, 1-0. Sandy Koufax had been slated to go in the fifth contest, but now his team had been swept!

True, Moe Drabowski had started the Dodgers down the hole of bad hitting, but Jim Palmer got the starting pitching of Baltimore on a roll in this short series. Palmer might have had to share the spotlight with a terrific reliever and fellow starter Wally Bunker in throwing "0's" for the O's, but this was his first blanking at the big league level.

Palmer didn't really get much of a chance to savior the shutout, though. The Orioles came down to earth in 1967, and so did Jim. He nearly shutout the Minnesota Twins on April 13th, Palmer's first start of '67, then seemed to reach new heights as April turned into May. Jim's first start of the new month saw him go six strong innings and hold Detroit to just one run. Then, the big moment. May 12th. Jim Palmer of the Orioles against Whitey Ford of the New York Yankees.

The game stayed close, for a while. But a four-run uprising in the top of the fifth turned a 1-0 lead into a five-run cushion. Baltimore strafed the New York bullpen for nine more tallies in a 14-0 laugher. Whitey Ford, by the way, would last three innings, giving up just one run. He was beginning to experience shoulder pain, and had precisely one last major league game in him. But nonetheless, Whitey's earned run average in 1967 was just 1.47 after this loss. So Palmer beat an old pro who could still bring it.

Same scenario as had last Fall. This shutout, though, was one-hitter by the Baltimore star.

Ford wasn't the only pitcher who was hurt, though. Palmer himself would not do much in 1967, going just 3-1. Stiffness in his shoulder led to a demotion to the minor leagues. It took stints at Miami and Rochester to get back to the bigs in September.

The Orioles slump continued on into 1968. Palmer didn't make it back, despite time in Rochester, Elmira and Miami. However, Baltimore made a move that seemed to help Jim Palmer in the long run. Manager Hank Bauer was fired, and was replaced with Earl Weaver. Jim was back with Baltimore in 1969, he went 16-4, and remained an Oriole until his 1984 retirement.

References

Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.

Fonseca, Lew, director. The World Series of 1966. Major League Baseball Productions, 1966.

Grabowski, John F. Sandy Koufax. Chelsea House, 1992.

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. St. Martin's Press, 1992.

Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Publications International, 1993. 

Reichler, Joseph. Baseball's Great Moments. Bonanza A Rutledge Book, 1987.


Society for American Baseball Research, SABR, https://sabr.org/. 20 Feb, 2023.

Seaver, Tom, and Martin Appel. Great Moments in Baseball. Carol Pub. Group, 1992. 

Snyder, John S. World Series!: Great Moments and Dubious Achievements. Chronicle Books, 1995.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. 20 Feb, 2023.

Thorn, John, and Pete Palmer. Total Baseball. Vers. 1994. Creative Multimedia Corp., 1994. 

Ward, Geoffrey C., et al. Baseball: An Illustrated History. Updated edition. Knopf, 2010.

World Series: Did You Know?

Whitey Ford drove in the only run he'd need in game six of 1960. His team, the New York Yankees, needed a win. All Ford did was go out and pitch a shutout.

It was Ford's second of the 1960 Fall Classic against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He'd beaten them 10-0 in game three at Yankee Stadium. But game six was at Forbes Field.

The Pirates looked like they might get to Ford early. The Yankees went down 1-2-3 in the top of the first. Pittsburgh, up 3-2 in the World Series and looking for the finishing touches, got a single by Bill Virdon in the bottom of the frame to start their turn. Dick Groat hit into a 4-6-3 double play, however. Roberto Clemente singled to keep the inning alive, only to be stranded at first as Dick Stuart fanned.

The Yankees got into the swinging habit in the top of the second. With one out, Yogi Berra, playing left field as Elston Howard actually caught this one, walked. Moose Skowron singled. Howard was hit by a pitch. Bob Friend was in a jam. He managed to get Bobby Richardson to fly out. Short enough that no one scored. Berra though, came home with the game's first run as Ford hit one back to Friend. Berra beat the throw home. 1-0.

The Pirates got their third hit in the bottom of the second, but again nobody scored. The Yankees sure did in the top of the third. Tony Kubek was hit by a pitch. Roger Maris doubled him to third. Mickey Mantle singled 'em both home to make it 3-0. And the rout was just beginning!

Berra singled Mantle to third. Skowron flied out, and that brought The Commerce Comet home. 4-0. Johnny Blanchard singled to keep this thing going! When Bobby Richardson singled, it was 6-0. Ford and Clete Boyer were retired to end the inning, but the lefty had a nice six-run cushion to work with after 2 1/2 innings of play.

Whitey really settled down to make sure Pittsburgh have any comebacks in mind. He set 'em down 1-2-3 in the third and fourth inning. Hal Smith singled to start the fifth, and Don Hoak got the Bucs their fourth hit of the game. Bill Mazeroski hit into a double play, alas. Pinch hitter Rocky Nelson fanned.

New York added two more in the top of the sixth to make it an 8-0 laugher. Roberto Clemente got his second hit of the afternoon in the bottom of the frame, but Whitey Ford kept the shutout going. Richardson and Ford then picked up another RBI each in the top of the seventh to get it to double digits. 10-0, New York.

In the top of the eighth, Roger Maris singled for his third hit of the game, Mickey Mantle forced him at second, but there was no stopping another Yankees' uprising. Clem Labine, pitching for Pittsburgh, had once shutout the Yankees in a World Series game years earlier for the (then) Brooklyn Dodgers. Here, he was having all sorts of troubles. His wild pitch moved the great Mantle to third. Berra singled to centre, and Mantle scored. Berra took second on Bill Virdon's fielding error. Skowron grounded out, but now the catcher-turned-left fielder was 90 feet away from making it a dozen runs.

Johnny Blanchard, the actual catcher (Having replaced Elston Howard earlier) doubled to right. Berra scored for the third time. Maris, Berra, had company. Blanchard was with them with 3 hits in this must-win game.

Dick Groat singled with two out in the bottom of the frame. Nothing came of it. It was also only the sixth hit off Whitey Ford all day long. Red Witt, the fifth reliever of the game for the Bucs, got New York out 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth to keep the score at 12-0. Ford eyed the shutout, needing just to retire three more men.

Dick Stuart grounded out to short. Gino Cimoli singled. Hit number seven by Pittsburgh. But only Hal Smith and Roberto Clemente managed more than one. Smith came up, and didn't get a hit, He grounded to Clete Boyer at third. Boyer to Richardson covering second, one. Richardson to Skowron at first, double play! A nice 6-4-3. Ford was a 12-0 winner.

Whitey Ford ended the 1960 World Series with a 2-0 record, a 0.00 ERA and only 11 hits allowed over the course of 18 innings. Alas, all this was not enough. The Pittsburgh Pirates won game seven (Ford did not appear) 10-9 to take it. Remarkably enough, Ford came back the next year to win both his starts again. And again he did not allow a run. Ford was simply pitching "Lights out!" in the World Series at this time!


References


Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The World Series: Complete Play-by-play of Every Game, 1903-1989. 4th ed. New York: St. Martin's, 1990. Print. pp. 281-286.


Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 03 Dec. 2016..

World Series: Did You Know?

David Ferriss handed the St. Louis Cardinals their only shutout on the road in the 1940s. The Cards had a dynasty going with appearances in the 1942-1944 World Series. After the Tigers beat the Cubs in 1945, it was the Boston Red Sox's turn in 1946 to face the St. Louis Cardinals.

The teams split the first two games, and Ferriss pitched game three at Fenway. Murry Dickson started for the road guys.

It all seemed to come apart early for Dickson and company. In the bottom of the first, Joe Pesky singled with one out. Dom DiMaggio grounded out, moving Pesky to second. With first base open, Ted Williams was walked intentionally. Rudy York hit a home run to left. 3-0, Boston.

Ferriss seemed to get stronger as the game moved on. In the top of the sixth, it was Dickson himself with a double. But DiMaggio in centre caught up to Red Schoendienst's short fly. Not only did Dom made the catch, he fired to Pesky the shortstop covering second. Two down. Terry Moore ending the inning by striking out.

Another double play got the Red Sox out of any trouble in the next inning. Harry Walker singled in the top of the eighth, but nothing came of it. The Red Sox scored an unearned run off Murry Dickson in the bottom of the frame, effectively sealing the win.

Schoendienst and Moore were retired by Ferriss to start the ninth. Stan Musial tripled to keep St. Louis alive. But when Enos Slaughter fanned, the game was over and Ferriss had the shutout. Boston also had a 2-1 lead in the 1946 World Series.

The St. Louis Cardinals went on to win three of the next four games, even though Ferriss started game seven. Neither team was to return to this point until the 1960s (Boston and St. Louis met in the 1967 World Series, and twice so far in the 21st century).

Ferriss had lead the American League in W% in '46, .806. Although his career came to an end in 1950 before he was 30, Dave posted an excellent W-L record of 65-30 for a career W% of .684. He'd won 21 games in 1945 and added 21 in the pennant-winning season. So there was no doubt he belonged on the hill in games three and seven of the Fall Classic in 1946, although Boston came up a tad short in the last contest.


References


Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 25 Nov. 2016.

World Series: Did You Know?

The entire Giants' pitching staff, while surrendering three runs in 1905, posted an ERA of 0.00. This is one World Series record that will be virtually impossible to break. And the Fall Classic of '05 was not a sweep. The Philadelphia Athletics weren't exactly a bad team, either. They had what New York had, pitching. Just not quite as good.

Well, the great Christy Mathewson was going to set the tone, anyways. He beat Eddie Plank, 3-0 in game one right there in Philly. That would be the score in game two as well. But instead of the Giants being 2-0, it was all tied, 1-1. The A's were the ones with the shutout in game two. Chief Bender was in his usual postseason mood in this very important game. As Mathewson had the previous game, he surrendered just four hits. But his own team managed only six themselves. The series had shifted to the Polo Grounds. Philly was having problems hitting at home and on the road. There must have been the thought that they needed to start getting the bat on the ball more.

Joe McGinnity took the loss for New York, but did not allow an earned run. Although he did not finish the game (Red Ames pitched the ninth), his performance was good. In his eight innings of work, he gave up just five hits.

The only run the A's would need was scored in the top of the third. Starting things off, Osse Schrecongost reached first when Dan McGann dropped the throw from Bill Gilbert, who'd fielded the grounder. A bunt and a groundout had the man on third with two down. A clutch single by Bris Lord gave Chief Bender a run. He'd make it stand up, of course.

But Philadelphia scored twice more in the top of the eighth. Schrecongost struck the match again. But this time, there was one out as McGinnity hung tough. Osse singled. Bender batted for himself and could only pop out. Two down. If McGinnity could get one more out here, and the Giants could hold the fort in the ninth, they might have had a chance.

But they didn't. And the fault did not belong just to McGinnity.

Topsy Hartsel doubled to left, but it that didn't score a run. Osse Schrecongost scored, however, when catcher Roger Bresnahan dropped the throw home that must have had the runner beat. When Lord followed with a single to left, scoring Hartsel. 3-0, visitors. The A's themselves made an error in each of the next two innings, but the Giants were unable to score. However, the winning side would not score again in the 1905 Fall Classic.

Game three was all New York, 9-0 behind Matty again. He even got a hit. His adversaries got just four again. The home team in Philly was over-matched by the great Mathewson, again. And when the teams traveled back to New York for game four at the Polo Grounds, the Giants confidence oozed! McGinnity again gave up just five hits (As did Plank), and it was New York with a narrow 1-0 win to get a stranglehold on this Fall Classic. In a bit of irony, the Giants only run was unearned. I'm sure Joe didn't care. His team was one win away from the World Series champagne! Better still, guess who was pitching game five?

Christy won a close 2-0 decision over Chief, who pitched valently in defeat. The Giants were up to their old tricks, though. They made the only two errors of the game. Matty scored the final run of the ballgame himself.

When it was all over, Mathewson had 27 IP and an ERA of 0.00. So, too, did McGinnity. As mentioned earlier, Bender and company were some stiff opposition. Their numbers were very good. Enough to have brought the mighty A's a World Series. But all they could muster was three (unearned) runs. Matty and co. just slammed the door shut in their faces in the second Fall Classic!

References

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.

Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The World Series: Complete Play-by-play of Every Game, 1903-1989. 4th ed. New York: St. Martin's, 1990. Print.

Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications International, 1993. Print.

Sports Reference LLC.  Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 13 Jul. 2016.

Retrosheet. Web.13 Jul. 2016 .  <www.retrosheet.org>

World Series: Did you Know?

Rube Benton was the first lefty starter to throw nine zeros. And his New York Giants needed it, believe me.

It was the 1917 Fall Classic. The New Yorkers of the Senior Circuit were getting beaten by the Chicago White Sox. They couldn't score. 2-1 Chicago in game 1. 7-2 Chicago in game two. Something needed to be done as this thing headed to the Polo Grounds.

Rube went out with a mission: Get the Giants back in it!

The White Sox didn't have a chance!

Eddie Collins singled with two down in the top of the first, bringing up Shoeless Joe Jackson. But Benton won the lefty-lefty matchup, taking his grounded and throwing him out at first.

Benton was awarded for his fine effort in the bottom of the fourth. Dave Robertson got it all going with a triple to right. A double plated him. Benton came up a man on third, and fanned against Eddie Cicotte. George Burns got only a piece of it, sending it to the third base side. Cicotte, who made the play, ended up only making matters worse. A run scored anyways, and Eddie made a bad throw to first. Burns made it to second. 2-0, New York. Cicotte got out of the inning without another run from scoring, but the damage was done.

In the fifth, six, and seventh, the White Sox were retired by the lefty 1-2-3. In the eighth, they got off to a good start as Buck Weaver led off with a double. Ray Schalk hit a ball that Benton grabbed himself and tagged Weaver out before he could get to third. And then, Cicotte grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Chicago had one more chance. In the top of the ninth, with the score still 2-0, Giants, the defiant Sox came up for the last time. The scratched out a hit, Eddie Collins second. But when Jackson popped to short, the game was over. So much for any thoughts of a Chicago sweep.

Benton finished with a fine five-hitter, and walked no one. He fanned only five, compared to Cicotte's eight. But I'm sure Rube didn't mind. His win got his Giants back on track.

New York's Ferdie Schupp went out and blanked the White Sox and Red Faber 5-0 in the fourth contest. The home team had their second consecutive shutout. However, it proved to be their last win. Chicago routed Slim Sallee in the fifth game at home, then came back to the Polo Grounds. They did some scoring in the sixth and final game. They beat Benton 4-2, and had their second World Championship.

Benton, who'd once been a 20-game loser for Cincinnati in 1912, had pitched his last Fall Classic game in the finale. Although he was with the Giants again in 1921 when they made it back to this stage, he'd been released during the season. His old team, the Reds, picked him up, and Rube finished his career in 1925. Although 150-144 (Win one, lose one), Rube Benton will always have a special place in World Series history. For every Whitey Ford, Sandy Koufax and Randy Johnson shutout, they joined Benton as shutouts by southpaws in the Fall Classic. Will the great Clayton Kershaw join the list? We will have to wait and see!


References


Frommer, Harvey. Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball. Dallas, TX: Taylor Pub., 1992. Print.

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.

Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The World Series: Complete Play-by-play of Every Game, 1903-1989. 4th ed. New York: St. Martin's, 1990. Print.

Sports Reference LLC.  Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 01 June. 2016.

Common Denominator: Gave Up Ted Lindsay's Last NHL Tally, Shutout The Leafs In 3/10/68

That would be Jack Norris. Jack had a very short life at the top of the hockey world. But he was part of those two moments in my title.

Promoted to the Boston Bruins after Eddie Johnson suffered a hand injury in January of 1965, Norris was in the NHL at the tender young age of 23. He made his NHL debut against the very team that Johnson suffered the injury against, the Toronto Maple Leafs. And it was the day after.

So Norris lost the January 31st game, 4-2. However, he kept it close until Dave Keon broke a 2-2 tie with less than two minutes remaining. Bob Pulford scored with just thirteen seconds left to conclude the scoring. Welcome to the NHL, kid.

But from there, Jack did well. Although he posted a high GAA of 3.70, his record was 10-10-2 (Compared to Johnson's 11-32-4, 3.47). The Bruins, without Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito or even Gerry Cheevers at this point, weren't a good team. But on March 18th of that season, it was in a game against Detroit that Ted Lindsay scored his 379th and last goal.

The game was really nothing to write about. Gordie Howe and co. won by the lopsided score of 10-3, as Norris was bombarded with 57 shots on goal. Howe scored a goal and added three assists. Too bad he didn't get into a fight to complete the Gordie Howe Hattrick. Ted Lindsay applied the coup-de-grace at 13:38 of the third when he scored the Red Wings' ninth goal of the game. Norm Ullman got the only assist, his third of the game too, by the way.

The next season, Cheevers and another promising goaltender by the name of Bernie Parent joined Boston. Norris, as you can imagine, spent the whole year in the minors. The same was true in 1966/67. The big trade of Phil Esposito from Chicago to Boston was made that offseason, however, and Norris was one of the players obtained in the deal. This opened the door for Norris, as Glenn Hall was picked up by the St. Louis Blues in the expansion draft.

The Black Hawks (Now, Blackhawks) would used Dennis Dejordy and Dave Dryden throughout most of 1967/68. It was a tall order, of course, to replace Hall. Tony Esposito would not arrive until 1969/70. Dejordy and Dryden were about adequate, although Dennis looked good at times. Again, this opened the door for Norris. Jack came back to the NHL.

On March 10th of 1968, the Toronto Maple Leafs were in Chicago to take on the Blackhawks on a Sunday afternoon game televised by CBS. CBS had been signed the previous year to do games in preparation for the expansion. This game is one of a very few by CBS that copies still exist. It was often back then that the master tapes would eventually get taped over.

Anyways, Chicago, in a battle with Toronto for the fourth (And final) playoff spot in the Eastern Division, also had a shot of catching up to Norris' old team, Boston, for third. However, Chicago had just dropped three straight games.

Norris played well. Toronto came at him with 13 shots on goal in the first period, but Jack stopped them all. Kenny Wharram's 23rd goal at 5:29 that period was all he needed. But for good measure, Ken put another one past Johnny Bower to make it a two goal cushion. Pit Martin added an empty-netter with less than two minutes to play. Bower came back in and Chicago got a fourth tally with just nine seconds left. Earlier, Norris had stopped Mike Walton on a penalty shot.

The 4-0 win by Chicago sent the Black Hawks into a three-game winning streak. The season ended ugly, however, as Chicago went back to their losing ways. They finished the season 0-5-1. When the Hawks faced the Leafs again on March 30th, it was Bower turning the tables on them, stopping all 34 shots, and recording a 3-0 shutout. He was 43 years old and still going strong.

Chicago still ended up making the playoffs, and even upset the New York Rangers in the first round. Norris got to play in just seven games that year, and three more the next. Jack bounced around after this season and saw his major league career end in the WHA in 1976.


The information used herein was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by The Hockey Summary Project. For more information about the Hockey Summary Project please visit:

http://hsp.flyershistory.com

or

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/hockey_summary_project/"

References

Berger, Howard. “Sad Ending To A Great Hockey Life.” Between The Posts, Between The Posts, 21 Oct. 2013, <betweentheposts.ca/2013/10/sad-ending-to-a-great-hockey-life/>. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.

Anson, Peter. Hockey Summary Project. Hockey Summary Project. <hsp.flyershistory.com/>.

CBS Sports Presents NHL On CBS. "1968 COLOR LEAFS VS HAWKS chicago TV broadcast Johnny Bower." Youtube, uploaded by Newton Minnow, Web, 15 Jan. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yORbvADnNsg. (Game is originally broadcast on CBS 10 Mar. 1968).

"Hockey Fights, Stats, Reviews And Trading." Hockey Fights, Stats, Reviews And Trading. N.p., n.d. <http://www.dropyourgloves.com/Top.aspx>. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.

Hollander, Zander. The Hockey News Hockey Almanac 2000: The Complete Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visable Ink Press, Print. 2000.

Podnieks, Andrew. The Essential Blue And White Book. Vancouver, British Columbia: Greystone Books, Print. 2000.

Sports Reference LLC. Hockey-Reference.com - Hockey Statistics and History. http://www.hockey-reference.com/. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.

“THE GOALTENDER HOME PAGE.” The Goaltender Home Page, The Goaltender Home Page, <hockeygoalies.org/>. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.

World Series: Did You Know?

The 2006 St. Louis Cardinals had the fewest wins of any Fall Classic winner. They outscored the opposition just 83 times in 162 regular season games. Oh, and they had a tremendous uphill battle from there in the postseason.

The San Diego Padres were the first team to face the wrath of the Cards. The Padres had five more wins in the regular season. But in the National League Division Series, it was St. Louis' arms that carried them through a four game triumph (One loss). The Cardinals held the Padres to 0, 1, and 2 runs in the three games they won. Amazingly enough, in their one loss, it was the Cards with just one run themselves. Pitching made the difference each game.

Next came the New York Mets, who must have been the favourites. They won 97 games themselves. And speaking of pitching, right there at home in game one, was a 2-0 Met win. This was not going to be easy for the Cardinals.

St. Louis won a wild second game, 9-6, then took two of three at home. They needed just a win in game six or seven to advance to the World Series. Another good pitching performance helped St. Louis win game six, 3-1. It was on to the Fall Classic.

There, they met Detroit. Just like in 1934 and 1968. But this one was not going seven. The Tigers had won 95 games, the Cardinals were a team of destiny. They'd lost the Fall Classic to Boston in four games in 2004, and weren't about to waste their opportunity to win it here.

The Cards won the first game in Tigerland, 7-2. Maybe this would be easy...



Well, scratch that thought. Detroit got a great pitching performance from Kenny Rogers in game two, as the veteran had St. Louis in his pocket all night. The 3-1 Detroit win sent it to St. Louis for games three, four and five. But the Tigers didn't realize there would be no return trip to Detroit for the World Series of 2006.



St. Louis greeted them rudely with a resounding 5-0 blanking in game three. Chris Carpernter and Braden Looper combined on a three-hitter for the Cardinals. If the Detroit Tigers did not get the message at this point...




Well, they sure did in the crucial game four. The Bengals got off to a 3-0 lead early. It was up to the Cards to come back, which they did. St. Louis had no intentions of going back to Detroit for games six and seven. It would have been tough to pull off under those circumstances. The Cardinals scratched out a run in the bottom of the third, another in the next inning. Two in the seventh put them ahead. After Detroit tied it in the top of the eighth, St. Louis scored the game's final run in the bottom of the frame.



Justin Verlander pitched well for the visitors in game five, but it was the home team pulling out a 4-2 win behind Jeff Weaver. The Fall Classic was St. Louis' even with just those 83 triumphs in the regular season. They'd won all the big games in the regular season. And continued on that path in the postseason!







References

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.

Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications International, 1993. Print.

Retrosheet. Web. 18 Sept., 2015.  <www.retrosheet.org>.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information.  http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 18 Sept. 2015.

Youtube. Web. 18 Sept., 2015.  <https://www.youtube.com>.

Common Denominator: Sandy Koufax's Perfect Game And Game Seven Win

Koufax simply did it all in 1965. He dominated on the mound with a 26-8 record. Another ERA title, his fourth straight, 2.04. 8 shutouts and 382 K's. He was unhittable. And on September 9th of that year, the Chicago Cubs could not get a man to first safely against him. But for a while, neither could Sandy's own team. Sandly looked to Lou Johnson to get some offence in two important games that year.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, were giving Koufax the usual support. As in one or two runs. Actually, in this game at home, the Dodgers were going down fast at the dish. While Sandy was humming along, his mound opponent, Bob Hendley, was getting 'em out. The Dodgers were going down so quick Sandy wasn't getting the proper rest between innings.

Hendley needed just ten pitches to get 'em 1-2-3 in the bottom of the first, matching Koufax's own ten-pitch inning. In the second, Koufax needed thirteen, but Hendley needed just seven. Bottom of the third, Hendley needs just six. Bottom of the fourth, seven again. Someone should have told the Dodgers to be patient.

In the bottom of the fifth, Bob got ahead of Lou Johnson 1-2, but could not find the plate on the next three pitches. A baserunner! Ron Fairly bunted him to second, first pitch. Johnson then stole third on the first pitch to Jim Lefebvre. The throw to nail him at third was for not, and it also ended up a miss fire. Johnson scored. There had not been an at-bat on that entire sequence. When Lefebvre fanned and Wes Parker grounded back to Hendley, the inning was over. Hendley had the no-hitter intact. Koufax, though, had the perfect game.

The next inning was the easiest of the night for Hendley as it took him just five pitches to retire the side in order. Now he was through six, had a no-hitter, and was losing 1-0. Koufax looked like he was about to walk Billy Williams in the top of the seventh with two down. He was behind in the count 3-0. Koufax threw a strike. Williams fouled one off. The count was full. Billy flied to left.

Hendley got the first two batters out in the bottom of the frame to keep pace. But back at the dish was Johnson, who then doubled on an 1-0 pitch. The inning ended, however, as Ron Fairly grounded out. It was too bad for the Dodgers, as Fairly himself had gotten ahead in the count 3-1. A walk here might have knocked the red-hot Hendley out of the game.

But Koufax did not care. He had his one run lead. Top of the eight, K, K, K. Three pinch hitters came to the dish in the top of the ninth to try and stop him from perfection. No chance. They all went down, including pinch hitter Harvey Kuenn, who was batting for Hendley as the games' last batter. 1-0 Dodgers on a 113 pitches. 79 for strikes. Perfect game! Thank you Lou!



It seemed more of the same for Sandy as the Dodgers took on the Minnesota Twins in the World Series that year. The home team won the first six games, but guess where game seven was? In Minny. Koufax was up against Jim Kaat, who'd been good enough to beat Sandy 5-1 in game two.

Kaat and Koufax looked shaky early. Koufax walked a pair in the bottom of the first. In the top of the third, it was Johnny Roseboro with a double and Koufax himself with a walk to start things. But Los Angeles could not score.

Koufax himself gave up a single in the bottom of the frame, but in the top of the fourth, he was primed for some support. Up came Lou Johnson. On a 1-1 from Kaat, he took him deep to left for a solo home run. It was just fair. As it turns out, that's all Sandy needed.

Unlike the perfect game, the Dodgers added a run as Ron Fairly followed the home run with a double and Wes Parker hit a single. Each of that on the first pitch. The Dodgers were up 2-0 in the sequence of three pitches.

And Sandy held it up, of course. He gave up a one-out single to Harmon Killebrew in the bottom of the ninth, but then fanned Earl Battey and Bob Allison to complete the shutout (His second, as he'd gotten one in game five, too), give him ten K's and be the hero.



Koufax didn't get much offence from the Dodgers, even when he really needed it. But Lou sure helped Sandy win two (games) in '65, eh?


References

Retrosheet (Retrosheet) http://www.retrosheet.org/

Baseball Reference (Baseball-Reference.com) http://www.baseball-reference.com/

(YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/

(ESPN)
http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/108965/stats-to-remember-sandy-koufaxs-perfect-game

World Series: Did You Know?

Before Babe Ruth, there was another player with that nickname that allowed exactly six hits in three complete-game victories over Detroit in 1909. Babe Adams was up against Ty Cobb and Sam Crawford, but he would not let the Pittsburgh Pirates down in the '09 Fall Classic.

Adams got Pittsburgh off on the right foot as he won game one, 4-1. The downside was, the Pirates got only five hits themselves. Crawford and Cobb were held to just 1-7 in the game, although Ty walked and scored in the top of the first inning. Adams held to just four hits beyond the first.

In game five, with the series tied at two games apiece, it was Adams with another win. This time, he really got some support. The Tigers scored four runs themselves, but Pittsburgh got double that! Cobb got a hit and scored a run. Crawford had a huge game for the Bengals. He collected half hit teams' total hits with three, scored twice and knocked in pair (Including his pal Cobb in the top of the sixth). Adams did not get off to a good start. Detroit's first batter, Davy Jones, got things going with a home run to centre. But Adams settled down and had a 1-2-3 second, third and fourth. Even so, the game was actually tied going into the bottom of the seventh. The Pirates scored four times that inning. Crawford got one of them back in the next inning with a home run of his own. One of the runs that Adams surrendered was unearned.

Detroit, however, captured game six to send it to a winner-take-all game seven. Adams was the man on the hill again. And did he ever deliver. The whole Pirates team did!

Adams beat Bill Donovan and Detroit, 8-0. But even so, the Pirates collected just seven hits. The best stat line for Adams was Cobb and Crawford: 0-8 in the game!

Pittsburgh scored twice in the top of the second, another two in the top fourth. The game was really put away when they scored three more times in the top of the sixth. Another run for the Pirates in the top of the eighth was unnecessary. But you could say that about all the runs scored after the first.

Adams gave up three doubles in the game, and escaped a jam in the second and the fourth. The Pirates had won it all on the road. Detroit would not return to the World Series until 1935, meaning Cobb and Crawford would never again play in the World Series. The Pirates themselves would not be back until 1925, but by then they'd have three World Series appearances.


References


Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.

Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications International, 1993. Print.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 27 Jul. 2015.

World Series: Did You Know?

In the 1922 Fall Classic, at least one team scored exactly three runs in all five games. But the New York Yankees could not find a way to beat their cross-town rivals in this World Series. The Babe and his teammates had to accept being a bridesmaid. It was a tight one all the way, though.

In game one, the Giants, the home team at the Polo Grounds, edged the Yankees 3-2. But the Giants could have scored more as they banged out eleven hits to the Yankees seven. It was the Bronx Bombers with a 2-0 lead until the Giants scored all three of their runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.

In game two, the Giants wasted no time, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. The game was also played at the Polo Grounds, but it must have felt like the Giants were the home team. Yankee Stadium did not come along until the next season. But the Yankees did not go away quietly. The got a run back in the bottom of the first to make it 3-1. Another tally in the bottom of the fourth on an Aaron Ward solo home run got the Yankees to within a run. And then, Mr. Home Run himself tied it. No, not with a home run, but Babe Ruth doubled and scored on Iris Meusel's two-bagger. From there, it was the Bob Shawkey and Jesse Barnes show. No more runs scored and the game was called due to darkness after ten innings. But some felt there enough time to play at least another inning.

Certainly the Yankees wish they could have. From their, they came up short every game. Their effort in game two was as close as they would come to not losing. It was also the last tie ever in the Fall Classic. The Giants took game three, 3-0 behind a splendid pitching performance from Jack Scott, who finished with a four-hit shutout. The National Leaguers had a 2-0 lead in October's Classic of '22 and were getting stronger.

But the Yankees scored twice in the bottom of the first inning of game four, and looked to get back in it. The Giants scored all four of their runs in the top of the fifth. The Yankees got a run back in the bottom of the bottom of the seventh on another home run by Ward. But that would prove to be the final score. With a 4-3 win in this game, the Giants were looking for the sweep in game five.

And they got it, but it was another nail-biter. The game see-sawed back and forth. First it was 1-0, Yankees, then 2-1, Giants. Two more runs by New York on single tallies in the top of the fifth and seventh game the Yankees one last lead, but the Giants were not about to be denied the sweep. The scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to put this game away. Art Neft retired the Yankees 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth to clinch it.

So, for the second year, the Giants and Yankees had met, and the Giants had won both. The Yankees needed a change, obviously. And it seemed to come with the new ballpark. Remarkably enough, the Yankees and Giants would meet again in the 1923 Fall Classic (The Dodgers and Yankees never met in the World Series three years in a row). But this time, Babe Ruth and company would prevail. And with the coming of Lou Gehrig as a regular in 1925, the Yankees turned the tide in this historic rivalry. There wasn't Mickey and Willie there yet, but as 1922 proved, it was still exciting when the Giants and Yankees met in the final showdown in baseball!


References

Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.

Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications International, 1993. Print.

Retrosheet. Web. 20 Jun. 2015.  <www.retrosheet.org>.

Sports Reference LLC.  Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 20 Jun. 2015

World Series: Did You Know?

Even though the 2012 Fall Classic was a sweep, both teams nearly tied an earlier record. The San Francisco Giants needed just four games to take care of Detroit, but both teams combined to have ten pitchers with ERAs of 0.00. Two more, and they would have tied a record set only six years earlier. The Tigers were also on the losing end of that, too! But they sure had pitching both years.

Barry Zito of the Giants was not one of them, but he pitched well in game one. Right at home, he got the Giants off on the right foot with a 7-2 win. He gave up six hits in 5 2/3 innings pitched, but allowed just one earned run. Tim Lincecum, who did finish the 2012 World Series with an ERA of 0.00, went 2 1/3 innings of shutout ball. Jose Mijares, making his only appearance, retired the only batter he would face this Fall Classic. Detroit did score another run off George Kontos, before Jeremy Affeldt closed the door on the Bengals.

And if was not as if Detroit did not get any pitching in this game, the rout aside. Joaquin Benoit and Rick Porcello combined for 1 2/3 innings pitched of shutout ball for Detroit. Too little, to late.



In game two, it was closer. Detroit, however, failed to score. The Giants only touched home twice themselves. Madison Bumgarner fired a two-hitter over seven innings, and left with the shutout intact. Santiago Casilla and Sergio Romo finished up the shutout for San Fran. Detroit, in addition to a fine (albeit) losing effort from Doug Fister, got a scoreless performance from Octavio Dotel and Phil Coke, who each retired a batter. Coke, however, would eventually be scored on. It was off to Detroit for game three, but the final score was the same as in this game.



Detroit again got a fine pitching performance. But again it was not to be. Ryan Vogelsong went 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball and the bullpen did the job. Lincecum again went 2 1/3 inning of shutout ball. Romo came in to pitch the ninth and got the save again, not allowing a run. Detroit got a scoreless eighth from Benoit. Coke again pitched, and again was not scored on. However, it was all too late as Detroit wasted another fine effort from the starter, this time, Anibal Sanchez.



In game four, San Francisco completed the sweep with a 4-3 win. The game went back and fourth and was tied 3-3 after six. There, it stayed until the Giants scored the series-winning run off Coke. Affeldt was superb in relief. He 1 2/3 innings, didn't allow a run and fanned four. Casilla got the last out of the ninth inning for the Giants and picked up the win, again, without allowing a run. Romo came in and got 'em 1-2-3 on strikeouts for his third save of the 2012 World Series. Detroit got a scoreless 1 1/3 inning stint from Dotel. Drew Smyly, not part of the 0.00 group, also did not allow a run. But it was all for not. San Francisco had the sweep!



References

http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2012_WS.shtml

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2012/YPS_2012.htm

World Series: Did You Know?

Randy Johnson, in winning games six and seven of the 2001 Fall Classic, became the first pitcher to do that since Ray Kremer in 1925. Kremer had won game seven vs. another Johnson. That by the name of Walter. But it 2001, it was Randy Johnson that brought it to game, same as The Big Train.

Johnson's Arizona Diamondbacks, who had just come into the league in 1998, were making progress fast! But, still, they were up against the New York Yankees. And while Johnson won game two with a three-hit shutout at home, the Yankees were about to wake up.



Arizona was up 2-0 heading to New York, but somehow the mighty Bronx Bombers found a way to win all three. Now, for game six back in Arizona, Randy Johnson was needed again just to send this to the limit. Johnson went ahead and did it all.

If you can believe it, Arizona went out and scored fifteen runs after four innings. In the bottom fo the third, Johnson came through with his bat. He singled for and RBI to make it 7-0. Later, Johnson came around to score and make it 10-0. Watching the game at home, I remember thinking how they should yank The Big Unit. Yep, don't even let him take the hill in the top of the fifth. Yeah, it costs Randy a win, but that way, he can come back and pitch in relief of game seven, fresh. The Diamondbacks elected to keep Randy in for three more innings. Probably a mistake as New York eventually scored twice off in the top of the sixth, as Johnson finished the game with 104 pitches. What would happen in game seven? Amazing things!




It was Curt Schilling's turn to pitch. And did he ever pitch a masterpiece. Through seven innings, it was a 1-1 tie. But, in another case of going too long with the starter, Curt game up a tie-breaking home run to Alfonso Soriano in the top of the eighth. When Dave Justice singled with one out, Schilling headed towards the shower. Then, with two down, Randy Johnson came in to pitch. He retired four batters in a row, but the score was still 2-1, New York going into the bottom of the ninth. Last call for Arizona.

And Mariano Rivera was now pitching. Game over, right? Wrong!

Mark Grace greeted him with a leadoff single. David Delluci came in to run. On a bunt towards first, catcher Drew Miller, reached on an error. Winning run at first, no one out! Randy Johnson was due up next, so obviously a pinch hitter was needed. Jay Bell batted for Johnson and tried to sacrifice, but ended up forcing Delluci at third. The game was beginning to resemble the ninth inning of game six of the 1985 Fall Classic. But this was game seven. Do or die time for the D-Backs!

Midre Cummings ran for Miller. Tony Womack, the Arizona shortstop, doubled to right on a 2-2 pitch from Mariano to score Miller and send Bell to third. Winning run, ninety feet away with just one out and no double play situation!

On an 0-1 pitch, Rivera did something odd: He hit Craig Counsell to load the bases! It was probably by accident, but now at least the double play could get New York out of this. Rivera now faced Luis Gonzalez. Gonzalez fouled a pitch off, but then stroked the next offering to centre, scoring Bell with the World Series-winning run! The D-Backs had done it!


Lost in all this was Johnson's three wins. But when Randy and Curt Schilling were named MVP of the 2001 Fall Classic, their could be no denying Johnson's contributions. Schilling had been outstanding, too. But Johnson had gone 3-0 and pitched splendidly in relief of Schilling in game seven. The Big Unit's World Series had arrived in grand fashion!


References

http://www.baseball-reference.com/

World Series: Did You Know?

The Detroit Tigers batted just .159 in the 2012 Fall Classic. That is the lowest mark since the Los Angeles Dodgers batted just .142 in the 1966 World Series. Each of those, not surprisingly, resulted in sweeps. However, two games were close in 1966 and three were tight as well in 2012. Detroit came out just a run or two short. The San Francisco Giants had the answers on the mound.

Detroit got eight hits in game one in San Francisco. But the problem was, the offence didn't get going until the top of the sixth. Further damaging was the fact that the Giants were ahead 6-0 at the time. Detroit collected three hits that inning, and finally scored. They were retired 1-2-3 in the next two frames. In the top of the ninth, down  8-1, they scored two more on Jhonny Peralta's two-run home run. But it was too little, too late.



Detroit had even more problems in game two. They were blanked 2-0 on a fine two-hitter over seven innings by Madison Bumgarner. Omar Infante got a single. Delmon Young hit a double. Neither scored a run. However, this game was tied through 6 1/2. San Francisco tallied once each in the seventh and eighth, so the outcome was still in doubt. Santiago Casilla and Sergio Romo retired the Tigers in order in the top of the eighth and ninth. The loss was tough on Detroit's starting pitcher Doug Fister, who went six strong, giving up just a single run.



In Detroit for game three, the Tigers came up on the wrong side of another 2-0 blanking. San Francisco's only two runs came in the top of the second. Detroit got five hits this time, but could not score as Ryan Vogelsong went 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball. The bullpen of Tim Lincecum and Romo did the job the rest of the way. They combined to fan four and walk just one batter while pitching hitless ball over the last 2 1/3 innings. Anibal Sanchez took the loss, despite pitching well. Now, San Francisco could taste the champagne, as they were up three games to none.



Detroit fought hard in game four. Trying to extend things, they scored twice in the bottom of the third to erase a 1-0 San Fran lead. Buster Posey's two-run home run in the top of the sixth seemed to spell the end for the Tigers. Down 3-2, Detroit rallied again. Delmon Young took Matt Cain out of the park for a game-tying solo home run. This thing was destined for extras.

Marco Scutaro's single in the top of the tenth put the Giants up 4-3. Romo was needed again, and for the third straight game, he retired the side for the save. It was very impressive as he got 'em 1-2-3 on strikeouts. Detroit had been held to just five hits.



Detroit finished the 2012 Fall Classic with just twenty hits in the four games. So their .159 batting average reflects their five hits per game average. Of those twenty, just five were for extra bases. The San Francisco Giants had Bumgarner, Barry Zito as star power starters. Romo and Lincecum were amazing in relief. They shut down the Tigers. Baseaball's old adage of, "Good pitching beats good hitting", here again!


References


Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.

Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The World Series: Complete Play-by-play of Every Game, 1903-1989. 4th ed. New York: St. Martin's, 1990. Print.

“The Official Site Of Major League Baseball.” MLB.com, Major League Baseball. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. www.mlb.com/.

Snyder, John S. World Series!: Great Moments and Dubious Achievements. San Francisco: Chronicle, 1995. Print.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. <https://en.wikipedia.org>.

Youtube. Youtube. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/>.

World Series: Did You Know?

Both Waite Hoyt and Art Neft were superb in the 1921. The nearly became the first pair to each pitch 27 innings and post an ERA of 0.00

Carl Mays basically said, “Top this,” to Hoyt and Neft as he pitched a gem in the opener in the Polo Grounds. Actually, the Polo grounds would prove to be home for all eight games. In any event, it was Mays with a gem and the New York Yankees up a game. Oh, it was a shutout, by the way. The fireworks had started early as someone else had a shutout, too! A five-hitter! Hey, what about Neft and Hoyt? Waite, would ya?

And they went up two games to none after Hoyt outdueled Neft 3-0 in the next game. But both pitched well. In fact, had Neft allowed just one less hit, it would have been a pair of two-hitters. None of the three runs scored were earned. So both Neft and Hoyt had ERA’s @ zero. Neft though, was the visiting team’s pitcher, so now he was stuck on just eight innings while Hoyt had nine!

The Yankees not only lost game three, they lost Babe Ruth to injury. He also missed game four, and the Yanks were beaten again. The Babe was back in game five, and presto, the Yankees won to go up three games to two. Hoyt was also back with a gem. Again, Neft took a tough loss. Hoyt gave up ten hits and an unearned run. Neft gave up three runs and all were earned. But he’d pitched nine innings.

The Yankees ultimately lost the next three games, despite a fine performance by Mays in game seven. Hoyt also pitched well in game eight. He gave up just six hits and an unearned run. His effort would normally be enough to send this thing the distance. But Neft had no intentions of letting that happen. He came into game eight driven to end this thing. And did he ever put on a pitching performance to remember. It was Neft who won the game on a four-hitter and made the Giants, true Giants of baseball in 1921. They’d beaten their hated rivals, five games to three!

This was not the last World Series for either pitcher, but it was certainly the best effort by both. Neft would pitch in the 1922, 1923, 1924 and 1929 Fall Classic, posting an excellent ERA of 2.16. Hoyt also pitched in the 1922 and 1923 World Series. But he went on to appear in the 1926, 1927, 1928 and 1932 Fall Classic as well. His ERA was excellent, 1.83.

But the 1921 Fall Classic was supposed to be about Babe Ruth. But with his injury, it was up to people like Waite Hoyt to keep the mighty Yankees in this thing. Hoyt gave it his all! His final ERA in this thing was 0.00. Neft's was a little higher, but it proved to be enough. New York, New York, Hoyt and Neft. A lot of zeros on the scoreboard in this Fall Classic!

References

Enders, Eric. 100 years of the World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.

Frommer, Harvey. Five O'Clock Lighting. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2008. Print

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.

Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications International, 1993. Print.

Seaver, Tom, and Martin Appel. Great Moments in Baseball. New York, NY: Carol Pub. Group, 1992. Print.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.

World Series: Did You Know?

The Giants may have lost the 1913 Fall Classic. But a record was set by their timeless legend. He won his last World Series game. And it was a classic! Plus, it set a record that stands to this day. Matty mopped the floor!

It was game two, and Christy's New York Giants were visiting the Philadelphia Athletics. Ironically, it was the same team he'd shutout three times in 1905. Matty was in his '05 form in this one. But it sure wasn't easy.

The A's put two men on in the bottom of the first before Mathewson K'd Home Run Baker. Stuff McInnis flied out to left to end the threat for good!

Eddie Plank was the opposing pitcher. And he had it on this day, too! 1-2-3 went the Giants in the top of the first. Same deal in the top of the second. In the third, New York got a pair of singles. One of them was by Mathewson. But nothing touched home.

Matty seemed to settle down after this. A hit and walk, the Athletics got in the bottom of the fourth. But from there, Christy was on fire. He fanned two of the three batters in a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth. After a faily easy seventh, he set down the first two batters in the bottom of the eighth. Here's where things got a little difficult. Eddie Collins singled to centre. Home Run Baker came to the dish. Baker didn't go yard, but did single. Matty got McInnis out to end that.

It was the bottom of the ninth that Mathewson cemented his spot as baseball's best clutch pitcher of his time. Or maybe any time. The first two A's singled, and an error on the play moved runners to second and third. And then, Matty got into god mode! This game was tied, but the winning run was on third. No matter. Here comes Matty!

Ground ball by Jack Lapp to first. Runner out at home, trying to score. Ground ball by Plank to first. Runner out at home trying to score. Ground ball by Eddie Murphy (Not the actor), Matty gets it and throws him out at first. We got to extras!

Matty helped win it. His single scored pinch runner Eddie Grant. Matty then touched home himself as the Giants scored twice more. Matty was doing it all!

Matty then got 'em 1-2-3 in the bottom of the frame. The great pitcher had his fourth shutout all-time in the Fall Classic. No one has ever equaled that mark!

The Giants went on to lose this World Series, four games to one. Matty himself would lose the finale. And he never returned to the Fall Classic. But Matty had unquestionably left a World Series standard for pitchers like Koufax, Gibson, and maybe someday Kershaw to match. Can Clayton be the guy to top that?


References


Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.

Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications International, 1993. Print.

Retrosheet. Web. 20 Jan. 2015.  <www.retrosheet.org>.

Sports Reference LLC.  Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 20 Jan. 2015.

Snyder, John S. World Series!: Great Moments and Dubious Achievements. San Francisco: Chronicle, 1995. Print.

World Series: Did You Know?

Sandy Koufax actually had the highest ERA of any Dodger pitcher in the 1963 Fall Classic. But wait a minute, wasn't he their best pitcher that World Series? Of course he was. But Johnny Podres and Don Drysdale were good, too, you know. Also pretty good, was Los Angeles' relief ace!

Sandy was just dandy in the opening act. The Dodgers took on the New York Yankees right there in New York in the first game, but Koufax didn't let the bats, aura or anything else about The Bronx Bombers get to him. Ahead 5-0, early, he didn't allow a hit until the bottom of the fifth. Not until there were two down in the bottom of the eight did New York finally get two runs on a two-run home run by Tommy Tresh. But that was all the great Yankees could get. Sandy had his ERA at 2.00, but along with that, he also had a win and 15 strikeouts.

Johnny Podres took the hill in game two and the Dodgers staked him to a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first. The Dodgers were blanked themselves for the next two inning before former Yankee Moose Skowron went yard on a solo job to make it 3-0. Podres did his part to keep New York out of the equation with some crafty stuff. A fourth run in the top of the eighth made it 4-0 and the only question left was could Podres get the shutout. Seems so odd that Koufax was sooooo good in the opening tilt, and Podres was closing in on a shutout in the next game.

Mickey Mantle came to the dish. The Mick had been hitting it hard against Podres all game long, but with nothing to show for it. Here, again, he hit it well. But it was just a long, loud out to left. But Hector Lopez, who had lashed a double off Podres earlier, did it again here. It was time for Podres to hit the shower.

Enter Ron Perranoski. You see, with guys like Koufax, Drysdale and Podres, too, Ron isn't exactly a household name. But the lefty relief ace had gone 16-3 with 21 saves and low era of 1.67.

But Elston Howard greeted him by going the other way on a single to right. Lopez trotted home, and it was a 4-1 ballgame. Joe Pepitone was the next hitter, a left-hander and more to Perranoski's liking. Pepi would not have liked the results, as he hit into a force at second. When Clete Boyer fanned, this thing was in the books. Perranoski was credited with a save (not by today's standards) and Podres got the win and an ERA of 1.08. Hey! That's less than Sandy's!

Don Drysdale was the next pitcher for Los Angels as the teams headed west. The Dodgers looked for the sweep and Drysdale got them one step closer to that with a 1-0 win over young Jim Bouton. It was a well-pitched game, as the two teams combined for just seven hits. But Drysdale gave up just three. Two of them were to Tony Kubek and another to Mickey Mantle on a bunt that popped up and made it to centre. Bouton threw a wild pitch in the first, and the Dodgers took advantage of that and a bad hop on a grounder to Bobby Richardson at second to score the game's only run. In the bottom of the second, Bouton threw another wild pitch, and the Dodgers threatened to score, but didn't. Drysdale had gotten out of a bases loaded jam of his own in the top of the frame.

Bouton seemed to settle down after that. Drysdale did, too. But it was the Yankees who needed some nice defence to stop Los Angeles from there. The Dodgers had runners on second and third in bottom of the second. A grounder to first got the second out, and when Dick Tracewski tried to score on that, the Yankees got him at home. But that was it for Bouton. Removed for a pinch hitter, he was done, but had kept New York in this thing. Hal Reniff gave up a leadoff walk to Jim Gilliam in the bottom of the eighth. Gilliam made it to second on a grounder. But when he foolishly tried to steal third, catcher Elston Howard nailed him. Tommy Davis took a rip at Reniff's pitch with two strikes on him and misses.

New York almost took advantage of all this in the top of the ninth. Mickey Mantle and Tommy Tresh were retired, but Pepitone got a hold of one and sent one that looked like it was out of here. Ron Fairly made the catch on the warning track. Drysdale had the shutout and Los Angels was up three games to none in the 1963 Fall Classic.

Koufax was back to put the Yankees away in game four. But Whitey Ford was on the hill to oppose him. Frank Howard got a single off him in the bottom of the second. Then the Yankees got a double play to end the inning. Howard then hit a home run in his next plate appearance in the bottom of the fifth. Other then that, Ford had a no-hitter. Maury Wills had walked to start this game, but was also erased via the double play.

Koufax, though, seemed even better as he retired the first ten batters. Not quite getting the K's. But getting the men out. Bobby Richardson hit a double in the top of the fourth, but was stranded. So he had to make Howard's home run stand up. He did just that, but Mantle hit a four-bagger of his own to tie it in the top of the seventh.

The Dodgers got it back on an odd play in the bottom of the frame. Jim Gilliam hit a grounder to third that Clete Boyer made a nice stop on. But the white shirts in the background made Joe Pepitone lose vision of the ball in flight. The missed throw resulted in Gilliam ending up on third. Willie Davis hit a sac fly to Mickey in centre to score him. Ford retired Tommy Davis on a grounder. Howard hit one towards first, and Pepi made the play this time as Ford covered first. But it was Los Angeles 2, New York 1.

Phil Linz batted for Ford in the top of the eighth and delivered a single with one out. But Tony Kubek hit into an inning-ending double play. Hal Reniff came in again and got the Dodgers 1-2-3 in the bottom of the frame. Sandy needed three more outs, but New York wasn't about to go down without a fight.

Bobby Richardson, who had failed to get one hit in game one off Koufax, got his second hit of the game to leadd things off. Koufax got Tom Tresh and Mantle on K's, but then Elston Howard sent a roller towards Maury Wills at short. Marty for the short peg at second...Tracewski drops the ball! Ow! That's a killer, perhaps. Sandy had to get Hector Lopez to ground out to end that. The Dodgers had the sweep and Koufax had lowered his ERA to 1.50 from 2.00.

But alas, Drysdale's was 0.00, Perranoski's was 0.00 and Podres' was 1.08. See? Sandy was fourth on the team in earned run average in the 1963 Fall Classic. But that didn't exactly stop Sandy from helping Los Angeles sweep the Yankees and picking up the MVP!

Sandy Koufax, fourth on the Dodgers in ERA in the 1963 World Series. You can look it up!

World Series: Did You Know?

The White Sox of 1917 were not only no-hit in back-to-back games, they also got a no-hitter for! And Eddie Cicotte who threw it (and then helped throw the 1919 World Series), was also the losing pitcher in one of the games where Chicago was shutout in back-to-back games!

Cicotte was one of the best pitchers in baseball at the time. In 1917, two years prior to the fixed Fall Classic, he led the American League in wins with 28 and in ERA, 1.53!

But his grand moment on that honest 1917 season was his very first start on April 14. There, facing the St. Louis Browns on the road, Eddie had "it" on the mound! His teammates also were doing the job. Except for Buck Weaver and Chick Gandil (Weaver admitted he attended two such meetings where the fix of the 1919 World Series was planned, but took no money. Gandil was the ringleader in the arrangement) every White Sox got a hit. But Joe Jackson got just one hit!

But Cicotte could not have cared at what Jackson (or anyone else) was doing at this point. Backed by eleven runs on ten hits, Eddie was on cruise control. Better still, Chicago scored a run in the top of the first. It was all Eddie would need, but the Sox added seven more in the top of the second! So very early on the only question that remained was whether Eddie Cicotte would get the shutout and no-hitter.

Got it, he did, although he walked three batters and Chick Gandil made the only error for Chicago. But the Browns made five. Cicotte also hit a batter on the day where he faced just 31 batters.

Cicotte though, took a 1-0 loss to the very same Browns on May 5th. This time, it was St. Louis with the no-hitter. But Eddie, who allowed just five hits and one unearned run, faced just 30 batters in this game. Interesting to note, it was also a road game. Three members of the suspected or proven fixers contributed to the five Chicago walks on this day. Jackson and Cicotte had two and Swede Risberg had the other one. The Browns made two more errors in this game, and it was Swede Risberg (a proven fixer) with Chicago's only miscue. Cicotte's record was 2-2 at this point. But he went 26-10 the rest of the season.

Eddie Cicotte would add a two-hitter against New York on May 13th and then a one-hitter against Washington on July 17th. His no-hitter was no fluke, as you can see.

But how about the Fall Classic in 1917?

He got the start in the opening tilt against the New York Giants. And he got the win, too!

The White Sox got only seven hits, and none were by Shoeless Joe or Buck Weaver. Weaver also made the White Sox only error in the game. It did not figure into the scoring. Nor did the Giants only miscue of the opening act. But Cicotte limited New York to just one run. That, coupled with the Sox's two runs, was enough for Eddie's first postseason win!

In game three, with Chicago looking to go up 3-0 in the best-of-seven affair, it was up to Eddie to deliver. He fired a fine eighth-hitter, and New York only scored twice in the entire game. But Chicago made three errors in the game (one by Cicotte) and collected only five hits themselves. Joe Jackson was again held hitless!

Still another hitless game by Jackson and another shutout by New York in game four and the 1917 World Series was all square at two!

Cicotte was then needed in game five, as White Sox starter Reb Russell was knocked out in the top of the first, failing to retire a single batter. A run was already in by the time Eddie made it to the mound. Another would score before Cicotte got 'em out of there.

The Giants eventually stretched their lead to 4-1 before Chicago rallied. However, before the winning run was scored Eddie Cicotte was out of the game. He was relieved by Lefty Williams, who like Cicotte was another proven fixer in the debacle two years later. Williams gave up a run in his only inning of work. The winning run was scored in the bottom of the eighth. Red Faber would be the winning pitcher in this game. Shoeless Joe got three hits this time around. The Chicago White Sox would go on to win this series in six games.

The White Sox did not quite give it their all in the 1919 World Series. Even two years earlier, they seemed to be unable to play to their potential in select times in the regular season and post-season. But Cicotte, with his no-hitter in his first regular season start, and fine effort in his first World Series start, was able to lift Chicago when they needed it the most!

World Series: Did You Know?

The 2005 Fall Classic was the first to involved the White Sox that didn't have at least two shutouts!

Having been involved in two in their first World Series in 1906, then having two straight against them in 1917, things sure got interesting on this team. No one suspects Chicago of throwing the 1917 World Series, but to be no-hit in back-to-back days in the regular season and then blanked in back-to-back games in the Fall Classic is interesting. Obviously, the 1919 World Series was not on the level, but in addition to another back-to-back blanking, the Sox got a shutout in the game that proceeded that. In 1959, Chicago again lost, but both victories by them were shutouts.

So along came 2005 against the Houston Astros. Chicago hadn't been in a World Series since 1959. Hadn't won one since 1917. Their wait, at this point (88 years) was actually longer than the other Sox's 86 years!

So Chicago took the opener, 5-3 at home. But the shutout was broken early. Chicago scored in the bottom of the first on a Jermaine Dye solo home run, but Houston was back in the top of the second. Mike Lamb went yard on a solo flight of his own. Chicago came back with two more runs in the bottom of the inning against Roger Clemens to take a 3-1 lead. Houston tied it in the top of the third. Chicago tallied once in the bottom of the fourth and again in the bottom of the eighth. Houston was shutout the rest of the way.

Game two was even further away from a shutout. Chicago won this one, and it was even closer, 7-6. But Houston wasted no time in getting going. Morgan Ensberg hit a solo home run for Houston in the top of the second to break the ice. But when the White Sox scored twice on a single and fly ball in the bottom of the frame, the floodgates had only started to open. The game actually ended in dramatic fashion as Scott Podsednik hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth. It, too, was a solo blast.

Houston, now at home, scored first in game three, but ultimately lost the game. Lance Berkman singled home the game's first run in the bottom of the first. Houston actually led 4-0 after four, and looked poised to get back into the 2005 Fall Classic right there. But a home run (you guessed it, solo) by Joe Crede put Chicago on the board in the top of the fifth. The White Sox scored four more times to actually take the lead. Houston didn't go away quietly. A clutch double by Jason Lane in the bottom of the eighth inning put tied the game. Then, the Astros had several chances to win it as the game went into the late stages and eventually extras, but could not get it done. Instead, it was Chicago with two touches of home in the top of the 14th inning. Chicago had to hold Houston off in the bottom of the frame, and it wasn't easy as Houston got runners to the corners before the third out.

So Chicago was now up 3-0 in the Fall Classic, but all the games had been close. In game four, it was Freddy Garcia going for Chicago and Brandon Backe for Houston. And for a while, it looked liked they'd both pitch shutouts!

The game was scoreless through seven, but in the top of the eighth, Freddy Garcia was removed for a pinch-hitter. And that batter, Willie Harris, singled. A bunt got him into scoring position with one out. Carl Everette also pinch hit, but could only ground out. Harris was now on third, but there was two outs. Jermaine Dye was the hitter. On a 1-1 pitch, he singled to centre to score Harris. Finally, a "1" on the scoreboard. Could Chicago make it count?

Cliff Politte came on to pitch, but it was a rough ride in the bottom of the eighth. Craig Biggio grounded out, but the Politte hit a batter. Then, to complicate matters, Politte threw a wild pitch. The tying run was at second with less than two outs. Chicago decided to walk Lance Berkman intentionally. Morgan Ensberg flied out and neither runner advanced. That marked the end of the game for Politte. Neal Cotts jogged in from the 'pen. Jose Vizcaino pinch hit. But Cotts got him to ground out. Chicago was three outs away from a long-awaited World Series. They were also three outs away from a shutout.

Chicago tried to get some more offence in the top of the ninth. A leadoff double was sadly stranded. It was up to the courageous Chicago bullpen to nail this thing down!

Bobby Jenks, a rookie pitcher with only six saves in the regular season but four more here in the postseason, was on the hill.

Houston did not quit. Jason Lane hit a leadoff single. Brad Ausmus, the catcher, sacrificed him to second. A single would break the shutout and tie the game. Chris Burke was sent up to pinch hit. On a 2-2 pitch, Jenks got him to pop to third. Two down and a runner on second! One more out to go for Chicago!

Orlando Palmeiro was sent to bat for relief pitcher Brad Lidge, who had given up the long run of the game. Lidge was out of there with three K's in only two innings. When Palmerio was retired on a ground ball to short, Chicago had the 2005 World Series in a sweep!



Chicago didn't exactly race through Houston. The Astros had battled hard. But it seemed that Chicago got the pitching when they needed it the most. Down the stretch in late innings, into extras. Here, they needed a shutout and got one. It must have seemed like a nice way to end eighty-eight long years of frustration. Shutouts hadn't helped Chicago one was or another in that stretch, but one shutout here did just fine! It put the icing on the cake!

References

Enders, Eric. 100 years of the World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.

Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The World Series: Complete Play-by-play of Every Game, 1903-1989. 4th ed. New York: St. Martin's, 1990. Print.

Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications International, 1993. Print.

Retrosheet. Web. 19 Jul. 2014. <www.retrosheet.org>

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 19 Jul. 2014.