World Series: Did You Know?

The first Subway Series involving New York teams was in 1921.

The arrival of Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1920 truly had ushered in a new era of prosperity for the only American League team based in the Big Apple.

So the Bronx Bombers were there with Babe Ruth and 98 wins. Opposing them were the New York Giants with 94 wins. Would it be an even match-up? For a time, yes! The World Series was still a best-of-9 affair, and this one certainly had the potential to go the distance. That would give everyone a good long look at the Babe in his prime.

Carl Mays was the pitcher for the Yankees in game 1. He was also acquired by New York from Boston, coming over in a July 1919 deal. Here, he made the deal, a steal!

Mays finished with a fine complete game 5-hitter. Babe Ruth got into the action and got an RBI to put a stamp on the Boston Red Sox's bad deal. Here were two fine Red Sox, who shared the spotlight in an opening act.

The Yankees were stealing some of the Giants' thunder for good measure. Although both teams used the same ballpark (The old Polo Grounds), the Giants were the home team here. The next game would see the Yankees bat in the bottom of every frame.

In game 2, Ruth was pitched to very carefully. Actually, he ended up with just 1 AB. The Giants walked Ruth 4 times and the rest of the Yankees 3 times. But what a pitcher's duel this game was!

Art Nehf of the Giants gave up just 3 hits and 3 runs scored. Of those, only 1 was earned. The 7 walks he issued were his only glaring problem. But Waite Hoyt outshone him by tossing a 2-hitter, and getting the shutout. More importantly, the American League pennant winners were up 2-0.

But the Giants would come back to win the two games.

The Yankees led 3-0 after 2 1/2 innings of game 3. But then the wheels came off the chariot. The Giants outscored the Yankees 13-1 the rest of the way!

Ross Youngs, the Giants' rightfielder, led the way with 4 RBIs. But he had plenty of company there as leftfielder Irish Meusel had 3, as did second basemen Johnny Rawlings.

Ruth, for his part, did have 2 RBIs, but he and his teammates might have tried a little too hard with the wheels in this game. Ruth and Bob Meusel (Irish's brother) were both caught stealing in this game.

In game 4, Ruth had his signature moment. It came in the bottom of the 9th, as he hit a solo home run off Phil Douglas. The problem was, the Yankees trailed 4-1 when Ruth went yard. An even bigger problem was that was the last run the Bronx Bombers were to score. The first Fall Classic Battle Of New York was now tied 2 games apiece.

The Yankees were back "on the road" in game 5. But they were also back in the winner's circle. Indeed, the Yankees came out on top 3-1 to take a 3-2 lead in the Series.

Ruth, continuing his clutch play, proved his versatility in this game. When he faced Neft again in the top of the 4th, the game was tied at 1. But The Sultan Of Swat surprised everyone with a bunt, and made it to first! When Bob Meusel followed with a double. Another run by the Yankees that inning made a winner out of Hoyt again. Hoyt gave up 10 hits in 9 innings, however.

Just when things had started to look up for the Yankees, however, disaster struck. Ruth was out for this game and perhaps more. Indeed, he had a bad knee and now a scraped elbow was making it hard to continue.

The Yankees started the game looking like they didn't need him. As the "home team", they scored 3 times in the bottom of the 1st and 2 more times in the bottom of the second. But the Giants had tied the game in the top of the 2nd, and the Yankees offence was out of gas after the two-run second inning. The Giants were just getting started. Irish Meusel, High Pockets Kelly and Dave Bancroft all had 2 RBIs in this game for the Giants. The World Series of 1921 was now deadlocked again, 3-3.

Game 7 was one of the best game 7's that you will see from a pitcher's perspective. Alas, this was a winner-take-all game 7. And Babe Ruth did not play.

The Giants, playing at their home and batting in the bottom of every frame, took this one 2-1. Douglas, who used a spitball among his arsenal, won over Mays despite giving up 8 hits to Carl's 6. Irish Meusel again did some damage with an RBI in the 4th that tied the game.

Leading 4-3 in the Series, and needing just one more win to end it, the Giants turned to Nehf again. Nehf had pitched well in the Fall Classic, but was 0-2. His performance in game 8 would change that!

Nehf went out and fired a 4-hit shutout of the Bronx Bombers. It was a heart-breaking loss for the Yankees, as Hoyt pitched his third straight complete game. He gave up just 6 hits and 1 run. But he took the loss.

Babe Ruth did make a dramatic appearance in this game. He pinch-hit in the bottom of the 9th, but could only ground out. The Yankees would not go quietly as Aaron Ward drew a walk. Then, Frank Baker hit a hard smash that looked like a sure hit to centre. Rawlings, at second, got a piece of it to keep it in the infield. He threw to first then got Baker. Ward tried to make it to third on the play. A fine throw by Kelly got him at third. A spectacular play to end a memorable first World Series, New York exclusive!

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. 15 Jan. 2014.  <www.retrosheet.org>

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.

World Series: Did You Know?

The 1906 World Series was also the first ever Subway Series. Amazing to think it wasn't the Yankees, Dodgers or Giants. Baseball fans associate the term "Subway Series" with thee Big Three from New York. But it was first the Big Two from Chicago.

So the all-Chicago affair of '06 was and upset, a pitcher's series, a classic, and a first! Sadly, it was also the only time both Chicago teams (which are still around more than 100 years later) would meet in October.

The Dodgers didn't reach the World Series until 1920, so it lessoned the odds a little. The New York Yankees had to wait a little longer. The Giants, meanwhile, did enjoy some early success.

And it should be noted that in 1889, the Giants did face a team from Brooklyn in a 9-game series. Seems sort of fitting that the Giants won it. Brooklyn was known as the Bridgerooms at this point. Soon they'd be the Superbas. The name "Dodgers" wasn't used until the next century.

Then the New York Giants won the World Series in 1905, but seemed stuck in the mode of runner-ups for a time. They lost the 1911, 1912, and 1913 World Series. A loss to the Chicago White Sox in 1917 seemed to seal their fate!

After Brooklyn lost to the Boston Red Sox World Series, it was only the Yankees who hadn't made it. Brooklyn even made another appearance in the 1920 World Series. They lost it, again. Would there ever be a Brooklyn / New York World Series? A new arrival in the Bronx that very game year would make that and a Yankees / Giants Fall Classic a strong possibility. Guess who showed up in pinstripes in 1920, poised and ready to help the Yankees win?

That would be Babe Ruth!

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. 14 Jan. 2014.  <www.retrosheet.org>

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.

World Series: Did You Know?

Babe Ruth's "called shot" (What he meant, whether he did or didn't, will never be fully known) ended up being his last ever World Series home run!

It was in game 3 of the 1932 World Series.

The Yankees had tried everything they could to push the Cubs' away in this game. But the Cubs came back again and again. Ruth took Chicago's Charlie Root out of the park in the top of the 1st. It was a 3-run blast.

The Cubs came back with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame. But The Iron Horse had an answer for that!

Gehrig then hit a home run of his own in the top of the 3rd. Back to a lead of three runs. Comfortable. The old New York Yankee firepower was sizzling today!

But Kiki Cuyler, who drove in the Cubs' first run of the game, hit a home run of his own in the bottom of the 3rd. Chicago tacked on another run in that inning for good measure. That 3-run lead was down to 1! The very next inning, the Cubbies tied it. Something had to be done. Something had to be done by someone named Ruth.

The Bambino came up with 1 out in the top of the 5h. As to what he did? Do I want to spoil the legend? If the legend is entertaining, print it. Okay.

In any event, Ruth hit a dramatic shot following the gesture. As to what gesture, well...

And Gehrig, not to be overlooked, followed with a home run. The two big boys went back-to-back for the last time, as well!

It was also Charlie Root's last pitch. But when he retired in 1941, Root had racked up 201 wins. This was no pushover pitcher, you know! The Yankees added another run in the top of the 9th. Another 3-run lead!

It didn't quite last as the Cubs got a leadoff home run by Gabby Harnett in the bottom of the frame. Billy Jurges got his third hit of the day for the Cubs. Tying run at the plate!

New York's George Pipgras (enough run support?) was done for the day on the mound. Herb Pennock was in. Jurges eventually stole second, but Pennock did not let him or any other Cub score.

The Yankees, with this win, were up 3-0 in the Series. And New York wrapped it up in game 4, 13-6.

And the Yankees did hit 2 home runs in that game. But none of them were hit by Babe Ruth or Lou Gehrig. I mean, what are the odds? But Ruth's homerun in game 3 (his 15th in World Series play) proved to be his last. But what a last blast it was!

References

Baseball's Greatest Moments. Prod. Major League Baseball Productions. Perf. Warner Fusselle. Major League Baseball, 1991. Videocassette. Narrated by Warner Fusselle.

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. 14 Jan. 2014.  <www.retrosheet.org>

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.

World Series: Did You Know?

Lou Gehrig (who I haven't written much if anything about) averaged a home run a game in the 1928 World Series!

Always in the shadow of Babe Ruth, as you will recall what I wrote earlier, Gehrig nonetheless put his name on the Fall Classic map that year. Gehrg had not hit a World Series home run in the 1926 and 1927 Fall Classic, so Gehrig was due for a breakthrough. And did he ever!

The Yankees took the opener 4-1, but Gehrig could not get a hold of one. Ruth didn't either, but got 3 hits to Gehrig's 2. But the Yankees did get a long ball by Bob Meusel. And the Cardinals even got one from Jim Bottomley.

So Gehrig's moment would have to wait. But in game 2, it came. And the moment came early! And it was off Grover Cleveland Alexander, no less! In the bottom of the first with Cedric Durst on first, Ruth walked. Gehrig slammed Grover's pitch to deep right for a long ball. 3-0, Yankees.

While the Cardinals did tie it up in the top of the second, Gehrig's home run served notice that it was the Yankees' day. They came out on top, 9-3. Now you have to met Lou in St. Louis, Louis! Or St. Lou, Lou! On to game 3!

With the Cards up 2-0 in the top of the 2nd, Gehrig went solo on a blast. And The Iron Horse was not done. Well, at least this time he didn't leave the yard.

But in the top of the 4th, Lou hit a liner to center that dropped in. The Bambino made it around to score! So did Gehrig. Now the Yankees were on top! A nice inside (the park) job by Lou.

The Yankees would score 6 more times to St. Louis' 1. Ruth got the last RBI. Okay, so the Yankees got this one wrapped up

Babe Ruth tied the score in the top of the 4th with one of his signature blasts. Then, in the 7th, the Yankees were behind again, 2-1. But up stepped Ruth. Goodbye! 2-2. Gehrig then connected solidly! Goodbye! 3-2, Yankees. Back to back shots!

The Yankees scored twice more in that inning and two more times in the next inning. Two more home runs. Yes, one by Ruth. Gehrig could only ground out.

It was 7-2, Yankees in the last of the 9th. St. Louis got one run back and then put runners on the corner. A fine catch by Ruth ended it.

3 home runs by Babe Ruth in this game. 4 home runs in 4 games by Gehrig in this Series. It doesn't seem right, but The Bambino is going to stick out a little more than Lou here, right?

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. 13 Jan. 2014.  <www.retrosheet.org>

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.

World Series Did You Know?

The 1906 World Series was an all Chicago affair.

Yep, the White Sox and Cubs took care of their respected leagues to make for the first World Series to be held in one city. The White Sox's 93 wins paled in comparison to Cubbies' 116, however.

A terrific pitcher's duel was game 1. That saw the White Sox's Nick Altrock and Three Finger Brown end up with a 4-hitter each. But Altrock and the Sox ended up winning, 2-1.

The Cubs almost got a no-no in game 2. Athough their starter, Ed Reulbach walked 6 batters, he gave up only a Jiggs Donahue single in the bottom of the 7th to finish with a 1-hitter. 50 years later it was Don Larsen who became the only pitcher to toss a no-hitter in the World Series. This game was also a bit of a laugher, however. The Cubs won, 7-1.

If you can believe it, Ed Walsh of the White Sox, went out in game 3 and did some no-hitting of his own. He allowed a pair of hits in the bottom of the 1st. But the Cubs did not get another hit the rest of the way. The Cubs' Jack Pfiester finished with a fine 4-hitter of his own, but it was not enough. The White Sox won 3-0. They were also ahead ahead 2-1 in the Fall Classic.

For the 4th straight game of this Series, the losing team scored one or no runs in game 4. And for the 2nd time in 3 games, a Cub pitcher tossed a 2-hitter. Brown, back from game 1, tossed a 2-hit gem. Altrock pitched another gem, but the Cubs won 1-0. This all Chicago World Series had been a great pitcher's Series so far! The Series was also now deadlocked at 2. It was down to a best-of-three affair.

The White Sox's Walsh beat Pfiester in game 5. But this time, neither starting pitcher fared too well. The White Sox took it, 8-6, and were now only 1 win away for the World Series Championship. The White Sox had to survive the six errors they made in the game. But the Cubs' six runs meant that Doc White was summoned in from the bullpen to finish the game for the White Sox. In doing so, Doc became the first pitcher to record a save in the World Series!

And Doc was not done. Neither were the Sox.

White took the hill in game 6, looking to put the Cubs away for good in 1906. Three Finger Brown tried to stop the White Sox. But this time, it was a hill too steep to climb. And Although the Cubs scored a run in the top of the 1st, the White Sox answered with 3 in the bottom of the inning. The White Sox then knocked Brown out of the game in the bottom of the second. They scored three more runs off him before Orval Overall got the Cubs out of there. The final score would be 8-3, Chicago White Sox.

Half of the city of Chicago must have been ecstatic. The other half must have been disappointed.

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. 13 Jan. 2014. <www.retrosheet.org>

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.

World Series: Did You Know?

The 1971 World Series was a lot like the 1971 Stanley Cup Finals!

In both Series, the home team won the first  six games, and then game 7 changed that.

In both Series, game 7 was decided by a single run / goal.

The Chicago Blackhawks roared into the finals, looking for their first Stanley Cup in 10 years. The surprising Montreal Canadians stood in their way, however.

And Chicago came out smoking. Firing 18 shots at Ken Dryden, the Hawks tested the Cornell grad. But the playoff sensation was equal to the task.

And in the second period, the Habs opened the scoring. Jacques Lemaire popped one in and it was 1-0. But Chicago was not about to be denied.

Bobby Hull tied the game in the third less than 8 minutes in. And it stayed that way for the rest of the period and the first overtime.

Finally, in the second OT, Chicago's Jimmy Pappin made a brillant move around the Habs D. There was still the Canadians' other D (as in Dryden) standing tall (6 '4) in net. But Jimmy beat him low on the left side. What an opening act!

Despite the loss, Dryden had been nothing short of sensational. Making 56 out of a possible 58 saves, he had single-handily kept the Habs in the game. Kenny was poised to give Chicago real fits.

But the Hawks seemed to have the answer to that problem. Montreal had 37 shots of their own. However, only Lemaire's got behind Tony Esposito, who had enjoyed some playoffs success this year in the pipes.

In game 2, Montreal took and early lead. And again the Hawks came back.

The Blackhawks trailed 2-1 after one and then tied it when Chico Maki scored. Leave it to Pappin to put the Hawks ahead for good. The surprise in this game came from Lou Angotti. Coming into this game, Lou had 1 goal. On this night he had 2 and picked up 2 helpers. Chicago won 5-3.

The Habs were not about to go away quietly. Back at home for game 3, the momentum shifted to the underdog Canadians' way.

The Habs, trailing 2-0, ended up with 40 shots to Chicago's 18. The early Chicago lead was erased in the second period as both the Mahovlich brothers scored. In the third, it was goals by Yvon Cournoyer and Frank Mahovlich that made it a 4-2 final.

Montreal wasted no time in taking a 3-1 lead after 1 in game 4. Then, the Roadrunner scored two goals to more than offset Dennis Hull's second period marker. Dryden finally got the better of Esposito in this game. Each team fired 32 shots on net. But Dryden had 32 saves and Esposito only 27.

The series shifted to Chicago for game 5, and the Habs peppered Esposito some more in this game. Firing 31 shots on him, the Hawks could only answer with 22 of their own. But Tony-0 could not be beaten on this night.

Worse for the Habs, Dennis Hull and Cliff Koroll scored to make it seem like a decisive win. Worse still for the Habs, there was friction.

Rookie coach Al MacNeil had benched the vertran Henri Richard. Richard fired back angrily after the game, calling MacNeil the "Most incompetent coach I've ever played for."

A failed penalty shot by Frank Mahovlich in game 6 had the Habs in a lot of trouble. Things looked even worse as the Habs trailed 3-2 after 2 periods. But in the third, Montreal woke up. Once again, the Mahovlich brothers did the trick (Peter notching his second of the game) and the Habs skated off still alive, 4-3.

Dryden was really great here, making 27 of 30 saves. Esposito wasn't as sharp as he had been, as he allowed 4 goals on 16 shots. So it was on to a winner-take-all game 7.

The Hawks looked like they were going to take it all on this day. Dennis Hull again seized the moment and scored with a shot that went in off Dryden's shoulder. That was the only goal of the 1st period. In the second period, it was the Hawk's Danny O'Shea who found his way to the front of the net. Then he put the puck behind Dryden.

Everything seemed to be going the Hawks' way in this game. A Bobby Hull slapper then beat Dryden. But it hit the crossbar. It was still 2-0, Chicago.

Then, Jacques Lemaire skated across center an launched a long shot at Tony Esposito. Somehow, Tony missed it. The lead was cut in half.

With less than 2 minutes to go in the second period, Eric Nesterenko shot the puck behind his own net, but Lemaire grabbed it and fired it over to Henri Richard. Henri beat Tony-0 with a shot from in close.

The great Henri had scored the winning goal in game 6 of the 1966 Stanley Cup finals. It was his first Cup winning goal. Here, he scored another. Taking a pass in off the left wing, Richard danced in an beat Tony-O as Esposito when down to take away the bottom of the cage.

There was still about 17 1/2 minutes to go, and it honestly looked like Chicago was going to tie it. Montreal took 2 penalties, but Chicago couldn't get it home.

Then, after a shot from the point, Jimmy Pappin looked poised for the equalizer as he had Dryden right where he wanted him. But Kenny got the pad over to stop him. Pappin had raised his stick to celebrate. Not so fast kiddo. That basically ended it. Later on, Pit Martin broke clear and looked like he might have an oppurtunity for a scoring chance. But he bobbled the puck. The underdog Canadians had stolen this one, 3-2. They had won a very unexpected Stanley Cup! And it was 7 pretty exciting games.

And they had done it on the road!

Over in baseball that fall, the Orioles were looking to make it two straight World Series wins. It was also Baltimore's third straight World Series appearance. Pittsburgh hadn't been there since 1960.

Baltimore took game 1 as Dave McNally tossed a fine 3-hitter. But the Orioles had to overcome an early 3-0 lead by the Pirates. Baltimore also took game 2, but Jim Palmer looked a little shaky. Yes, the final score was 11-3. But Jim walked 8 batters!

When the Series went over to Pittsburgh, it was the Pirates' Steve Blass time to shine. Tossing a 3-hitter of his own, Steve was nursing a tight 2-1 lead into the bottom of the 7th. That's where Pittsburgh broke it open.

Roberto Clemente got things started, reaching base on an error by Boog Powell at first. Then Willie Stargell walked. Bob Robertson blasted a 3-run home run. The Pirates could breath a little easier. But even with this win, they still trailed 2-1 in the Series.

Game 4 was the first World Series game to be played under the lights. And Paul Blair was first batter in the game. His single started a 3-run uprising that knocked Pirate starter Luke Walker out of the game. He had managed to retire only two batters. But the O's bats were about to go cold for a long time.

Bruce Kison came in and shutout Baltimore on just 1 hit in the next 6 1/3 innings. Then, Dave Giusti tossed 2 hitless innings. The Pirates score twice in the bottom of the frame, and single tallies in the 3rd and 7th gave Pittsburgh a 4-3 win and a tie in the Series.

In game 5, which was still in Pittsburgh (2-3-2), a forgotten member of the 1967 and '68 St. Louis Cardinals shined. Nelson Briles shutout Baltimore on a 2-hitter. The Pirates scored 4 off Dave McNally. Now it was 3-2 Pittsburgh in the Series.

The way things started in game 6, it was Baltimore who looked down and out. Pittsburgh lead 2-0 early and the Orioles looked like they'd need all the luck in the world to force a game 7. But the O's, at home, came alive.

In the bottom of the 6th, Don Buford greeted Pirates' starter Bob Moose with a long ball. The Orioles hadn't scored a run in the last 22 innings. And they needed more.

The next inning, light-hitting Mark Belanger singled to right with 1 out. Bob Johnson, now pitching for the Bucs, got Jim Palmer to fan. But Belanger stole second. With Dave Giusti of Pittsburgh back for another appearance, Buford walked. Davey Johnson's single tied the game.

Palmer finished the game with a flourish. 1-2-3 went the Pirates in the 7th,  8th, and 9th. But in the bottom of the 9th, Jimmy was gone for a pinch hitter. A Buford double put runners on 2nd and 3rd, but Baltimore couldn't cash 'em in!

Pat Dobson and Dave McNally made Baltimore a little nervous when they loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the 10th. But future Blue Jay Al Oliver flied out to end that!

With Bob Miller pitching the bottom of the 10th and one out, Frank Robinson drew a walk. Merv Rettenmund hit a single that moved Robinson to third. Winning run 90 feet away. But this can all be for not if it's a groundball.

The batter was Brooks Robinson. He sent a flyball to short center. Al Oliver made the catch. Robinson tagged...

...and beat the throw! Wow, what a win for Baltimore. Maybe the Orioles were lucky after all!

Game 7 was an excellent pitcher's duel between Baltimore's Mike Cuellar and Pittsburgh's Steve Blass. Could the O's pull this one out at home?

Cuellar, with that devastating screwball, looked unhittable in this game. The first 11 Pirate batters went down. But then with two outs in the top of the 4th, the heroic Roberto Clemente blasted a homerun to center. 1-0, Bucs!

Cuellar continued to mow 'em down. But in the 8th, Willie Stargell led off with a single. A double by Jose Pagan scored him. Cuellar got the next three Pirate batters out, but now Baltimore needed some offence.

Steve Blass, you see, was just too good on this day! That "1" on the scoreboard was looking like "100" the way Steve was pitching!

The first two men reached base in the bottom of the 8th. A sac bunt and a ground ball got the O's on the board. But Blass bore down and got Davey Johnson to ground out.

Cuellar had been removed for a pinch hitter, and the Pirates got two runners on base in the top of the 9th. Dave McNally then replaced Pat Dobson and got the dangerous Stargell to ground out and end the inning.

Blass got Boog Powell to ground out to start the last of the 9th. Frank Robinson popped out. When Rettenmund grounded out, the Pirates were World Series champions for the first time in 11 years.

And Pittsburgh had picked up their road win!

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.

Retrosheet. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.  <www.retrosheet.org>

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.

World Series: Did You Know?

The Philadelphia A's twice won two straight World Series. And they almost became the first team to win three straight.

Funny, we don't think of this team as one of the all time greats. That is, of course, is because of how bad Philly was from the mid 30s until the 1970s.

I guess is was a sort of irony that they did win 3 in a row from 1972-1974. It was now the Oakland Athletics, though!

But in the early years of the World Series, it appeared as if they would win many. New York won over 100 games (102) and took the World Series over a Chicago Cubs team that won 104.

The Athletics were back the next year!

The dipped to 101 wins. But in the World Series, they stormed past the New York Giants, 4 games to 1.

So what happened to the Philadelphia Athletics in 1912? Going for the three-peat! No team had ever done that before! They won a very good 90 games. But the Red Sox, with 105 wins, trumped that. So to, did the Washington Senators, with 91 wins.

The A's sort of faded for the rest of that decade. The Red Sox sort of surged. Indeed, Boston was to win a World Series in 1915, 1916 and 1918. Having a guy like Babe Ruth around does wonders!

But then the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees. It was then New York (Yankees and Giants) that sort of became a dynasty in the 1920s. With Ruth around, it was the Yankees with back-to-back World Series wins in 1927 and 1928. Their National League counterparts, the Giants, had made it back-to-back in 1921 and 1922.

But still no team had a three-peat.

It looked liked like Philly would do just that, as back-to-back World Series wins in 1929 and 1930 gave the Athletics another instance of repeating as winners. Could they make it three straight?

Winning 107 games in 1931, they took on a great St. Louis Cardinals team. The Cards, it should be noted, won 101 games of their own.

It was a great World Series, but Philadelphia came up a little short. St. Louis took it in 7 games. It was also a well pitched World Series. The Cardinals posted a team ERA of 2.32 and the Athletics had a 2.66 mark of their own.

The Philadelphia Athletics would never play in another World Series. And it was the Yankees back the next year. In 1936, the Yankees started a stretch of not three, but four straight World Series triumphs.

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. 10 Jan. 2014.  <www.retrosheet.org>

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 10 Jan. 2014.

World Series: Did You Know?

Sandy Koufax was invovled in a shutout in his first World Series game, first start, and last game!

It all started in 1959, as Koufax came in to pitch in game 1.

The White Sox really gave it to Koufax's Dodgers in this game. Led by Ted Kluszewski's 5 RBI's, the Chicago White Sox decided this one early, racing out to a 11-0 lead by the bottom of the 4th!

Roger Craig and Chuck Churn were driven out by this eruption. Clem Labine came with nobody out in the bottom of the 4th after Chicago scored their 10th and 11th run of the game. Clem got the next 3 batters out.

Koufax then came in after Labine was removed for a pinch hitter. Sandy pitched 2 fine innings, giving up not a hit or a walk. He also fanned pitcher Early Wynn for his first World Series K!

Sandy left the game for a pinch hitter. But the Dodgers didn't score then, or at all in the game. It was a laugher, 11-0 Chicago.

LA won the next 3 games and turned to Koufax in game 5 for the knockout blow. It was Sandy's first World Series start. And it was a dandy! The Dodgers looked to have it all wrapped up at home. But LA couldn't get the bundle home. Or even get a base runner home!

All Sandy did was toss 7 fine innings, give up just 5 hits and 1 walk while fanning 6. Stan Williams came in for Koufax and gave up no hits and 2 walks in then next two innings.

But the Los Angeles Dodgers' failed to score. They even got 9 hits in the game. But Bob Shaw, with help from Dick Donovan, stopped the Dodgers on this day. 1-0 was the final score.

Sandy Koufax's last World Series game, last World Series start, and last game period was game 2 of the 1966 World Series. The Baltimore Orioles proved to be too strong for the Dodgers, alas.

After Luis Aparicio led of the game with a single for the O's, Koufax settled down and had a 1-2-3 2nd and 3rd. In the 4th, Koufax survived a walk and an error. The game was still scoreless.

In the top of the 5th, three errors by Willie Davis led to 3 runs by Baltimore. None of the runs were earned.

In the top of the 6th, a Boog Powell single scored Frank Robinson. This run was earned, but Koufax got out of the inning without any more damage. When Ron Perranoski took the hill in the top of the 7th for Los Angeles, Koufax was done for the Series, season and for all time!

The Dodgers had no luck with a young Jim Palmer. He shutout the Dodgers on a fine 4-hitter. It was his first World Series start, and he became the youngest pitcher to toss a World Series shutout!

But that paled in comparison to the fact that Sandy had left the hill for the last time!

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. 09 Jan. 2014.  <www.retrosheet.org>

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 09 Jan. 2014.

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

The Shootouts: Who It's REALLY Hurting!

I have to confess: The shootout has lost me years ago!

It is a neat gimmick, don't get me wrong. But is it any way to end a hard fought game? I think 5 minutes of 4 on 4 is an exciting enough way to end it.

Remember back in the day when a player would get a penalty shot. I felt nice and rare. Today, if it goes to a shootout, you see at least 4 penalty shots. But in any event, here's whose been suffering via the shootout.

Interesting to see Anaheim, atop the West, 17-0-2 at home. But one of the those losses was...well...you guessed it!

This was before last night's (Jan 7th) action, by the way. But the Canucks, who already had a problem with shootouts at that point, weren't about to turn it around against Sid and his mates.

Being in 7th place for Vancouver could turn into 9th place or lower at this rate.

Detroit, for all of their struggles, is still in 5th place. But it's gotta stagger the mind to think where they'd be with a better record in the shootout.

In Carolina, New Jersey, Ottawa and Nashville's case, this could be the reason that they all miss the playoffs this year.

By the way, C Standing means the place that team is in. The letter following indicates which conference they are in. "W" for Western and "E" for Eastern.

<![if supportMisalignedColumns]> <![endif]>

Team	C Standing	SO W	SO L	SO W %
Anaheim	1W	2	4	0.333
Vancouver	7W	2	5	0.286
Carolina	8E	1	3	0.250
Ottawa	11E	1	5	0.167
Detroit	5E	1	7	0.125
Nashville	12W	0	4	0.000
New Jersey	12E	0	6	0.000

-->

Jones: Why We Have Not Seen The Last End Of Him!

Martin Jones, fear not, will end up like Indiana Jones. There will be a sequel.

Still, it's not like it is every day that you go 8-3-0, 1.41, .950 and get sent down, right?

But with Ben Scrivens doing so well and Quick being, well, Quick there just isn't any room for this guy. At least, no room in Los Angeles. But I'll say it again, we've have not seen the last of him.

It's the old adage of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Before Quick became so great, Jones would have been the starter or backup. Had Martin been before Jonathan Bernier and Scrivens, the Kings might have looked to him.

So where does he go from here? Or from Manchester?

Well, he's picked up his first award. Jones and Chicago's Antti Raanta were given Rookie Of The Month. Well, if you can't get Rookie Of The Year...

In any event, how do we see Martin again?

I think it is possible for him to end up somewhere else, perhaps at the trading deadline. A team in need of a fresh young backup, or a team a little desperate for a starter might make a trade for him. And if the Kings' feel like Jones is really just a flash-in-the-pan-in-disguise, they might deal him.

I actually feel that Jones is the real deal.

Granted, his stats weren't eye-popping in Manchester the last three years. But in limited playoff action, he showed his poise and talent. And his number were great as a junior with the Calgary Hitman.

The argument could be that Los Angeles is just soooo good defensively that any goalie (That's you and me included, btw) would look great in-between the pipes in La-La land. I don't know. Does great defence lead to a .950 S%? The defence isn't stopping those shots, you know.

I wasn't actually surprised when Jonathan Quick got healthy again that Jones got the heave. Quick is that good. That's not to say Jones isn't.

Should Quick get hurt again, or Scrivens struggle and/or get hurt, you can bet Jones will be right back, quickly. I don't know if I like that scenario to be honest with you. I happen to like both Scrivens and Quick.

In any event, rest assured, Martin will be in the NHL in 2014. But whether it's 2013/14 or 2014/15, we'll just have to wait and see!

World Series: Did You Know?

The Chicago White Sox 2 games won in 1959 were both shutouts.

It was Early Wynn as mentioned earlier who did the honours in game 1. Was that game all Chicago!

The White Sox scored twice in the bottom of the first. In the third, the Go-Go Sox started to Go-Go away with this game!

After Jim Landis singled home a run, Ted Kluszewski finished off the Dodgers' Roger Craig with a 2-run blast. 5-0. Chicago was not done yet. Sherman Lollar reached on an error off Chuck Churn. Then a single, double and a fielder's choice scored 3 more. Wynn himself then hit a double to make it 9-0!

Kluszewksi, playing in his first World Series game, hit another 2-run shot in the bottom of the 4th. That concluded the scoring. It should be noted that the Dodgers' Clem Labine, Sandy Koufax and Johnny Klippstein managed to hold Chicago scoreless the rest of the way.

But Early, with some help from Gerry Staley, combined on a 8-hit shutout.

LA woke up and won the next 3 games. And the way a young Sandy Koufax was pitching in game 5, it looked like it was gonna be all over in 5!

1-2-3 went Chicago in the first two innings. It was as if the White Sox were facing a prime Koufax!

Jim Gilliam singled to lead off the game for the Dodgers. But he was stranded at second by Bob Shaw.

In the top of the third, Bubba Phillips stroked the visiting Sox's first hit. Koufax then took care of the next two batters. Luis Aparicio singled Phillips to third, but Luis himself was gunned out trying for second.

The Dodgers also looked like they had something going in the bottom of the frame. A pair of 2-out singles put runners on the corners. Shaw managed to get Wally Moon out to escape that minefield.

The White Sox got the first two men on in the 4th inning. They even managed to plate one of them. But because it was on a double play, no RBI.

Gil Hodges hit a 1-out triple in the bottom of the inning. But the next two Dodgers went down.

Jim McAnany drew a 2-out walk off Koufax in the top of the 5th. But then Koufax K'd starter Bob Shaw.

Gilliam, on his way to 4 hits this afternoon, hit a single in the bottom of the 5th. It was with 2 out. A steal of second base meant a single would tie it. Shaw, again clutch, retired Charlie Neal on a pop-up.

The Sox got a leadoff single by Aparicio in the top of the 6th. Koufax retired the next three Chicago batters.

Los Angeles managed to get a single from Gil Hodges in the bottom of the frame. But nothing more was done by the Dodgers' that inning.

 The Sox went 1-2-3 in the top of the 7th.

The Dodgers got runners to second and third in the bottom of the 7th, but again Shaw escaped. Koufax was removed for a pinch-hitter. Somehow I don't think the Sox were going to miss him.

Jim Rivera led off the top of the 8th by drawing a walk of new pitcher Stan Williams. He made it all the way to third, plus Fox drew another walk. Williams retired Jim Landis on a long fly to center.

Wally Moon hit a leadoff single in the bottom of the frame. With 1 out,  Gil Hodges got the 9th hit off Shaw. On the throw home to stop Moon from scoring, Hodges took second base.

Billy Pierce came in to pitch to Ron Fairly. But the Dodgers' sent up Rip Repulski to hit for Fairly.

The White Sox then walked Repulski intentionally. Bases loaded!

And another switch: Dick Donovan for Pierce and a veteran in to hit for Johnny Roseboro!

The Dodgers' sent up an ancient hero of the past to hit. Indeed, Carl Furillo! Carl had many great moments from the Dodgers' days in Brooklyn. Here, Furillo was up there to win the game and Series for the Sox. Another great moment for the veteran?

Not quite. Donovan retired him on a harmless pop-up. Don Zimmer ended the inning with a flyball to left.

Stan Williams settled down from his own escape the previous inning and quickly retired the Sox in order in the top of the 9th.

But in the bottom of the frame, a 1-2-3 inning by Donovan earned him the save, and the Sox the shutout!

But the Dodgers won game 6 back in Chicago. I guess that's an okay trade-off for getting blanked twice in the same Fall Classic!

References

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

'Fonseca, Lew, director. 1959 World Series. Performance by Vince Scully, Major League Baseball Productions, 1959. DVD produced by A&E Home Video.

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. 06 Jan. 2014.  <www.retrosheet.org>

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 06 Jan. 2014.

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

A Quick Return To Form, And A Spot On Team USA

Jonathan Quick returned against Vancouver last night a looked not a bit out of place. And if I were in charge of Team USA, I would quickly start him!

Last night, the Canucks got just 1 of the 28 shots fired at him home. Just gotta love a goalie that lightning reactions are reminded to you in his last name.

Now, granted, Jonathan's numbers aren't eye popping (11-5-0, 2.27, .909) but here is why he's a logical fast pick for Sochi. Look at his last two playoff years!

Indeed, in 2012, he led LA to the promised land for the first time.

Wins: 16 (1st)

Shots Against: 538 (4th)

Saves: 509 (4th)

Save Percentage: .946 (1st)

Goals Against Average: 1.41 (1st)

Shutouts: 3 (T 1st)

Pretty good, eh? Now how about the next year. Always tough to comeback and prove that you didn't have, "One amazing playoff year."

The Kings made it to the Conference Final. And while they fell to the eventual champion Chicago Blackhawks in just 5 games, Quick and his teammates made 'em earn it. Every game, including Los Angeles' only win, was decided by 2 or less goals.

And don't forget, Quick got some valuable "crunch time" experience by edging the Blues in 6 and the Sharks in 7. The San Jose series was easily one of the best playoff series from last year. How did Jonathan perform this time around? In only 18 games...

Wins: 9 (3rd)

Shots Against: 518 (3rd)

Saves: 484 (3rd)

Save Percentage: .934 (2nd)

Goals Against Average: 1.86 (2nd)

Shutouts: 3 (T 1st)

So another impressive showing. And add to this, this year.

Going down with an injury, the Kings turned to both Ben Scrivens and Martin Jones. Scrivens, as mentioned before has played well. Jones, has played amazing...

Games Played: 11

Wins: 8

Losses: 3

Overtime or shootout losses: 0

Goals Against Average: 1.41

Save Percentage: .950

Shutouts: 3

Today, Martin is back in the minors. That just shows you how much LA is sold on Quick.

A great backup and a amazing call-up. Not enough to knock Jonathan Quick off the starter's job. And there is nothing I have seen that should knock Quick off the starter's job on team USA!

World Series: Did You Know?

Whitey Ford pitched 2 2-hitters in his career.

But never a no-hitter, however. He never even tossed one in the regular season, either.

Of all the Yankees I would have thought tossed one during the 50s and 60s, Don Larsen would seem the least likely and Whitey Ford the most likely.

But it was not to be.

In any event, Ford was there to start game 1 of the 1961 World Series. This, after coming off 2 shutouts the previous World Series. This Fall Classic would again have a "0" under the "R" statistic next to Ford. As in "runs scored."

The Cincinatti Reds would spend the afternoon frustrated.

Eddie Kasko, the Reds' second batter of the game, singled. But Ford got Vada Pinson to fly out and Frank Robinson to K.

With one out in the top of the second, Gene Freese slammed one down the third base line. But Clete Boyer knocked the ball down on a fine play, and threw him out. Ford ended up with a 1-2-3 inning!

Another 1-2-3 inning in the top of the third saw Ford get two more K's. Whitey was finding his rythem before the Reds were finding pitches to their liking!

But the Yankees themselves were having no such luck against Cincy's Jim O'Toole. After loading the bases with 2 outs and failing to score a run in the 1st, the Yankees were struggling. 1-2-3 in the second.

In the third, the Yankees' Bobby Richardson singled to lead off. Tony Kubek popped out and the man with 61 homeruns, Roger Maris, hit into an inning-ending double play.

Ford had his third straight 1-2-3 inning in the top of the 4th.

And here is where the Yankees finally got to O'Toole.

Elston Howard led off the bottom of the frame with a homerun. It looked like they might get more as a walk and a single brought Ford to the plate. But all Whitey could do is line out.

Wally Post led off the 5th with the Reds' second and final hit. But Wally got no further than second base.

O'Toole had a 1-2-3 5th, and then Ford did the same in the top of the 6th.

In the bottom of the 6th, it was Moose Skowron's solo blast that put the Yankees up 2-0. Yankees looked in the driver's seat.

Ford would allow just a Frank Robinson walk the rest of the way. Yet the Yankees needed this, as O'Toole and reliever (also future author) Jim Brosnan allowed the Yankees only 6 hits themselves.

Ford also needed another nice play by Boyer in the bottom of the 8th. Dick Gernert, pinch hitting, hit a smasher down the line. But it was down Clete Boyer Way. Boyer made the stop by diving to his left. Then, on both knees, he fired to first for the out. What a play!

But two years later, a 2-hitter by Ford was not enough.

The Yankees had fallen hopelessly behind 3 games to 0 of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 1963 World Series seemed all but over.

Ford was in fine form in game 4. Having lasted just 5 innings in the opening tilt with Sandy Koufax, Ford was more like Ford here.

Maury Wills led off the game for the Dodgers with a walk. But a double play stopped that. The next inning, Frank Howard hit a single. Again, the Yankees erased the baserunner with a double play.

Frank Howard came up again with no one on and one out in the bottom of the 5th. Ford threw what looked like a good pitch, and Howard had to reach for it. Indeed, Hondo ended up hitting it with one hand. But he got enough of it to go yard. It was 1-0, Dodgers.

Koufax was also also dominant from the get-go. Bobby Richardson hit a double off him in the 4th that landed around 3 Dodgers. That was New York's first hit off Sandy. But Bobby was stranded.

The other Howard, Elston, led off the 5th with a single. Ellie was then stranded.

Ford and Koufax retired the side in order in the 6th.

But in the top of the 7th, Ford's buddy Mickey Mantle tied the game. The Mick took Sandy right out of the park on a solo blast. 1-1.

In the bottom of the frame, Jim Gilliam rifled a shot to third. Clete Boyer, again playing the hot corner in terrific manner, stopped the sure double. On the throw to first, Joe Pepitone lost sight of the ball in the white shirts behind third. The first basemen missed the throw. By the time the Yankees got the ball back to the infield, Gilliam was on third.

And a long fly by Willie Davis scored Gilliam.

Ford left for pinch hitter Phil Linz in the top of the 8th. Linz came through with a single. But now it was time for the Dodgers to turn a double play to erase the runner.

Hal Reniff came in to pitch the bottom of the 8th for the Yankees. He kept the 2-hitter going with an easy 1-2-3 inning.

So it all came down to Sandy and the top of the 9th.

Richardson led off with his second hit of the day, a single. Koufax got Tom Tresh and Mantle out on K's. Howard hit what should have been a game-ending forceout at second. But Richardson was safe when Dick Tracewski dropped the toss.

Koufax next faced Hector Lopez. Sandy got him to ground out to Wills. The Dodgers had the sweep. Koufax finished with a 6-hitter and 10 strikeouts.

Ford (with help from Reniff) was left with the loss despite allowing just 2 hits. Other than Howard, he no-hit Los Angeles.

But even that was not enough to beat Koufax!

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, pp. 285-361.

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, pp. 328-345.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. Jan 1. 2014.

World Series: Did You Know?

The 1931 World Series was the last the Philadelphia Athletics would reach.

Sort of an early dynasty in baseball, the A's were. They won the Fall Classic in 1910, 1911 and 1913. But then the Red Sox of Babe Ruth took over. When Ruth went to the Yankees in 1920, the A's languished behind them for many years.

But in 1929, they won the pennant and then the World Series over Chicago. They would repeat that the next year. They also had a great team. Take a look at the '29 Athletics.

Mickey Cochrane, Jimmy Foxx, Al Simmons, Max Bishop, Mule Haas and Jimmy Dykes led the offence.

They had some pretty good pitching with Lefty Grove, Jack Quinn, Rube Walberg and George Earnshaw. Howard Ehmke even pitched that World Series and had one last hurrah!

The team also had one last hurrah in the 1931 World Series. Looking for 3-peat they were. But it wasn't quite in the Cards. The World Series between Philly and St. Louis that year was a classic, to put it mildly.

In game 2, Bill Hallahan (Wild Bill) pitched a fine 3-hitter to even up the Series for St, Louis. Burleigh Grimes then somehow went out in game 3 and trumpted that.

Grimes, the last legal spitballer, tossed a 2-hit shutout for the Cardinals. The final score was 5-2. St. Louis was also up 2 games to 1.

Grimes was actually better than that, as he took a 5-0 lead into the bottom of the 9th. A walk and a Simmons' homerun broke up his shutout bid.

Was this it for the A's? Not so fast!

Earnshaw went out there in game 4 at Shibe Park and fired a fine 2-hitter of his own. The Cardinals failed to score. Series tied, 2-2.

But Hallahan clearly got the better of former Yankee Waite Hoyt in game 5. St. Louis won it rather easily, 5-2.

But Grove went out and gave up just 5 hits to the Birds. The A's scored 8 times. Amazingly, none of them came via the longball. It was time for a winner-take-all game 7.

Grimes and Earnshaw hooked up in a pitcher's duel. But the Cards used the most out of just 7 hits off George to score 4 runs.

Things were looking grim for the A's as they came up in the top of the 9th down 4-0. But Philadelphia, showing the heart of a champion, did not go away quietly.

Al Simmons led off with a walk. The next two batters were retired. It looked all over. But Jimmy Dykes kept a faint hope alive by drawing Grimes' 2nd walk of the inning and 5th of the game. When Dib Williams singled, it was bases loaded and 2 outs.

In game 7.

Isn't this the spot we all dream about being in?

Doc Cramer pinch-hit for Rube Walker, who had pitched the 8th for the A's. And Cramer came through with a clutch single. Two runs scored! Grimes was through for the day, as Wild Bill came on in.

Max Bishop lofted a flyball to center that Pepper Martin caught. It was all over.

It had been a great World Series, but it was also the end of the line for the A's. At least the chapter that covers the Philadelphia portion!

Connie Mack, looking at the depression, was forced to sell much of the team. By 1934, the team was in 5th place. Then they would usually occupy the 7th or 8th spot in the coming years.

By the 1950s it was getting harder and harder for a city to support 2 major league teams. After 1954, with a record of 51-103, the Athletics left Philadelphia and moved to Kansas City. The Phillies were all alone.

And the A's would never return to the World Series until 1972. By then, they had moved again. Oakland was (and still is) there home.

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.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. Jan 3, 2014.

World Series: Did You Know?

The Pirates' 1979 World Series was their last to date (2013). It was quite a comeback, too.

The Baltimore Orioles took 3 of the first 4 games, and Pittsburgh was in a real hole. But that is when Willie Stargell, Dave Parker and Ken Tekulve combined to get the Pirates out of that mess.

The Pirates trailed 1-0 in game 5 at home in Three Rivers' Stadium.

O's starter Mike Flanagan had little trouble with the Pirates' bats in the first 5 innings. Pittsburgh was looking pitiful with just 4 hits and 0 runs.

Jim Rooker had also pitched well for Pittsburgh. But his time was up as a fav of mine came in. Bert Blyleven!

Almost didn't recognize him there!

Anyways, Blyleven held Baltimore in check! Eddie Murray reached on an error that inning. But that was the Orioles' only base runner in the top of the 6th.

Finally, in the bottom of the 6th, the Pirates started to plunder the O's!

A walk, a single, and finally a SH brought Stargell to the plate. He delivered a flyball to tie the game. A Bill Madlock single scored one of my favourite future Toronto Blue Jays, Dave Parker. The Pirates were on top for good!

The Pirates added two more in the bottom of the 7th, with Parker knocking in another run with a double. Three more runs in the bottom of the 8th salted away a 7-1 Pirates' win. But you tell me: Was it easy?

Had to have a few butterflies and pulsating moments! But all that, and it was still 3-2 Baltimore with 2 more in...Baltimore.

Game 6 saw the Pirates' John Candelaria and the Orioles' Jim Palmer (can't get enough or enough or enough of him, now can I?) hook up in a real gem of a pitcher's duel. Nothing but 0's through 6 innings.

The Pirates broke through in the top of the 7th as Parker cashed in a run with a single and Stargell hit another SF to put the Bucs up 2-0.

Teke (who had one of the finest relief seasons ever in '79 and ask the O's if you don't believe me) took the mound in the bottom of the frame. The O's managed to scratch out a single, but nothing more.

The Pirates had more in the top of the 8th, as they tacked on 2 more runs. Tekulve had a 1-2-3 8th and a 1-2-3 9th to seal the deal and tie the Series.

So it was down to game 7. For the third straight game, it was "nothing doin'" in  the first 5 innings for Pittsburgh. The O's, however, picked up a run on a solo blast by Rich Dauer in the 3rd.

But for the third straight game, the Pirates had some late game heroics.

Baltimore's starter Scott McGregor was making it look easy. In the 6th, he easily retired Parker. But Bill Robinson stroked a single. Once again, the Bucs needed Stargell. Well, here comes that man again!

Stargell swatted a towering home run to right that landed beyond the reach of O's right fielder Ken Singleton. It was 2-1 Pirates. They were ahead for good again.

Tekulve came in, looking for his third save. In 1960, Elroy Face had set a World Series record with 3 that year. Single Series record. And about to be tied! By a fellow Pirate!

Kenny came in with 2 on and one out. A walk to Singleton with 2 outs loaded 'em up. But Tekulve got the dangerous Eddie Murray to fly out to end that threat.

And then a 1-2-3 9th by Tekulve brought the Pirates their last World Series as of this writing.

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.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. Jan 2, 2014.

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

Bernier And Scrivens: After 41 Games

So who has won the deal between the Kings and the Leafs? Bernier with all those acrobatic saves? Scrivens, leading the National Hockey League in S% and second in shutouts?

Is is just too early?

Well today's shootout win by the Leafs was in game #42, so that is beyond the scope of this post.

It's hard not to notice Bernier. Standing on his head, 40 + times a night. The puck never makes it out of the Leafs zone. Leafs end up winning.

Splitting the duties with James Reimer (but actually having appeared in 10 more games) Bernier has posted a .930 S%, having turned away 847 of 911 shots. Gotta be something fitting about 911 shots against. I think they've just been robbed!

Anyways, looking more closely, we see Jonathan has faced 40 or more shots 6 times, including 50 in a win over Dallas on Dec. 5th. What impresses me is, the only game he has lost in regulation when facing 40 + shots a night was October 19th vs. Chicago. Bernier is 3-1-2 in games that 40 pucks were on net.

He's also sort of been like a stopper for the Leafs this year. December was supposed to be a rough road for the Leafs, but Bernier went 4-4-2 that month. If that's as bad as it gets...

But what about Scrivens? With another Jonathan (Quick) hurt, the Kings have quickly turned to both him and Martin Jones.

Jones has played well, but Scrivens has played more games this year. So he is the "main man" in the Los Angeles crease until Quick returns.

Jones, it should be noted, has posted a 8-2-0 record with 1.29 GAA. Martin also has a S% of .955 and 3 shutouts. He does not have enough games played at this moment to qualify for the GAA or S% lead.

And it's not as if Ben Scrivens hasn't had some eye popping performances to rival Jonathan Bernier:

What about stopping a combined 53 shots in a back-to-back shutout performances against the Devils and Rangers Nov 15th and 17th?

How about 32 of 33 saves in an OT loss to Colorado on November 23rd?

Stopping 37 of 39 shots two days later against Vancouver in a win?

And then 38 of 40 against the Sharks November 27th?

Now the wheels have come off the chariot as of late. Scrivens has lost his last 3 games. But in only 18 games, he finds himself on top of the NHL in S% (.936), 3rd in GAA (1.84) and 2nd in SO (3).

I am convinced, based on what I saw of him last year with the Leafs (and the numbers Ben has put up this year with the Kings) that he could be a number one goalie on an NHL team.

Bernier, of course, I'm sold on. So who has won the deal?

To be honest with you, I lean towards "too early to tell." And it is worth noting that the Leafs also gave the Kings Matt Frattin in the deal. He's just come back after missing the last 5 games due to injury. Matty has 2 goals, 4 assists and is a minus 7. He averages about 13 minutes per game. So at this point Frattin is merely a footnote to the goalie-for-goalie deal.

No hockey team can win without goaltending. And both of these guys have helped their respected teams in situations that really require them. Bernier catches the eye of the viewer. Scrivens catches the eye of the stats lover.

How about I come back after 41 more games? Or, the playoffs?


References


"Official Site of the National Hockey League” | NHL.com. National Hockey League. Web. Jan 1. 2014. <https://www.nhl.com>

Sports Reference LLC. Hockey-Reference.com - Hockey Statistics and History. http://www.hockey-reference.com/. Web. Jan 1. 2014.