Congrats to Mike Roberts who jumped in and took over the 1962 Dodgers in time for series #5 and piloted them to a division title !!! Scott Dyer resigned as manager with the team sitting at 6-10 and in turmoil. Mike Roberts came on board and "righted the ship". Finishing 12-8 down the stretch including a final series where he took 3 of 4 from the 1977 Yanks Mike won the division title ! Kudos to Mike and the Dodgers, who got an MVP type performance out of Tommy Davis (.378-7-32) and a Cy Young performance out of Double D, Don Drysdale (6-3, 2.08). I find it spectacular that Mike was able to win all those games down the stretch when Maury Wills hit only .242 and had a .298 on base % and Sandy Koufax finished with a dismal record (2-3, 4.19)Sunday, December 2, 2007
1962 LA Dodgers clinch NL Div Title at .500
Congrats to Mike Roberts who jumped in and took over the 1962 Dodgers in time for series #5 and piloted them to a division title !!! Scott Dyer resigned as manager with the team sitting at 6-10 and in turmoil. Mike Roberts came on board and "righted the ship". Finishing 12-8 down the stretch including a final series where he took 3 of 4 from the 1977 Yanks Mike won the division title ! Kudos to Mike and the Dodgers, who got an MVP type performance out of Tommy Davis (.378-7-32) and a Cy Young performance out of Double D, Don Drysdale (6-3, 2.08). I find it spectacular that Mike was able to win all those games down the stretch when Maury Wills hit only .242 and had a .298 on base % and Sandy Koufax finished with a dismal record (2-3, 4.19)
'88 LA and '61 Bombers split series
Game 1 at Dodger Stadium, The Yankees and Dodgers faced off in the first of a four game set. The Yankees drew first blood with a run in the second inning. The Dodgers came back with a run in the bottom half of the second inning as pitcher drove in the first of his three runs with a sacrifice fly. Roger Maris hit a two run homerun in the top half of the third to give the Bronx Bombers a renewed 3-1 lead. Los Angeles tied the game in the bottom half of the third and took the lead in the fourth inning with two runs. The Dodgers added two more runs in the 5th and that was all they would need. The Yankees added a run in the ninth to make the final score 6-4 in favor of Los Angeles. Tim Belcher pitched 6 innings and gave up 4 runs but earned his 3rd win of the year against 2 losses. Sheldon got the start for the Yankees and got hung with the loss. Sheldon's record stands at 1-2.Game 2 at Dodger Stadium, Fernando Valenzuela got the rock and very short rest but hung
in there for 5 1/2 innings of no run 2 hit ball. Fernando hung around just long enough to get the win(2-3). The Dodgers scored the first run of the ballgame in the 5th inning with an RBI single by Rick Dempsey. The Dodgers plated three more runs in the 6th inning to increase their lead to 3-0. The Yankees avoided the shutout with Yogi Berra's solor homerun in the 8th inning, his 6th of the year. Final score: Dodgers 4...Yankees 1.Game 3 at Yankee Stadium, Bill Stafford and Tim Leary took the mound in the third game of the series and it looked to be a good
pitching duel. Both pitchers threw well. Stafford threw a complete game for the Yankees and Tim Leary threw 8 innings of 2 runs. Fortunetly for Los Angeles scored 4 runs for a 4-2 victory. Steve Sax connected for his first homerun of the year to aid in the Los Angeles victory. Tim Leary improves to 2-2 on the year and Jay Howell pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his 3rd save of the year. Stafford fell to 3-3 on the year.Game 4 at Yankee Stadium, The Yankees scored early and held onto the lead to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Dodgers. Hard luck pitcher Orel Hershisher served up a two run homerun to Roger Maris in the first inning and that was all New York would need in defeating Hershiser and the Dodgers. All year, the Dodger offense has been unable to support Hershiser. The Dodger righthander is 1-4 on the year. Hershisher pitched a complete game while only surrendering 3 runs on 7 innings. On the other side of the mound Ralph Terry pitched great as he pitched 7 innings and improved to 4-1.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
'69 O's sweep '81 LA to clinch AL top spot
The 81 Dodgers have had a rough stretch lately. A team poised to put it's mark on the NL looks more fatigued than one might expect. Facing the AL leading O's is not a fantastic thing when one is not playing in top form. This 4 game set saw the O's run away with 3 contests and hold tight to win the only close game in the set.
GAME 1: (Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, MD) - LA jumped out to a quick 1-0
lead in the third, but became a victim of the weather more so than a victim of the jaugernaut O's. The heavens opened up and doused Baltimore with close to 30 minutes of rain. After the delay Sutcliffe didn't have much left in his arm and was removed in favor of Dave Goltz who served up 5 runs. Baltimore won this one 6-1. Even though he gave up 1 (unearned) run, Baltimore starter Jim Palmer had a no-hitter going into the ninth, but ran out of gas and had to be lifted. In the post game interview Baltimore's manager downplayed the no hit opportunity and said no one even paid attention to it since it wasn't a shutout. Palmer (6-0, 1.39), wouldn't comment on it when interview. The young hard throwing righty who battled injuries all season knew it was the right move as the team's one goal is a World Championship. 
GAME 2: Valenzuela fanned 10, but McNally was mystifying. Not a hard thrower, Dave McNally relies on changing speeds and keeping hitters off stride, which is exactly what he did for 8 2/3 innings before giving way to Ed Watt who notched his 9th save. This low scoring event featured plenty of pitching. Brooks Robinson, who always brings his leather, brought his lumber today as he knocked in 2 runs. The 2 run 6th inning was the big inning for the Orioles. Brooksie knocked in Frank Robby with a double and Mark Belanger singled home Brooksie.
GAME 3: (Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA) - The change in venue did not help the Dodgers as Baltimore scored early and often. Veteran Dodger hurler Jerry Reuss just didn't have it as he gave up all ten runs and was not afforded any relief help. Sometimes during a season a manager asks a pitcher to "take one for the team" Reuss took this one on the chin. Baltimore starter Tom Phoebus went the distance and only gave up 1 run. Boog Powell continued his hot hitting with 2 huge homers and 6 RBI's on the day. Powell's linescore read 3-5 as he increased his batting average to .331. Merv Rettenmund and Don Bufford also had 3 hits and catcher Andy Etchebarren had 4 as Baltimore knocked out 16 hits on the afternoon in this rout.
GAME 4: Both teams banged out 10 hits appiec vs each team's
respective starters. The difference here was that Baltimore made their hits count for more. Entering the top of the 6th the Dodgers had a 3-2 lead, but the O's exploded for 3 runs + 2 more in the following inning. Boog Powell was again the catalyst as he led off the inning with a double. Subs Merv Rettenmund and Dave May both had key hits. Davey Johnson was the offensive star of the show going 4-5 with 3 RBI while increasing his average to .361.
GAME 1: (Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, MD) - LA jumped out to a quick 1-0
lead in the third, but became a victim of the weather more so than a victim of the jaugernaut O's. The heavens opened up and doused Baltimore with close to 30 minutes of rain. After the delay Sutcliffe didn't have much left in his arm and was removed in favor of Dave Goltz who served up 5 runs. Baltimore won this one 6-1. Even though he gave up 1 (unearned) run, Baltimore starter Jim Palmer had a no-hitter going into the ninth, but ran out of gas and had to be lifted. In the post game interview Baltimore's manager downplayed the no hit opportunity and said no one even paid attention to it since it wasn't a shutout. Palmer (6-0, 1.39), wouldn't comment on it when interview. The young hard throwing righty who battled injuries all season knew it was the right move as the team's one goal is a World Championship. 
GAME 2: Valenzuela fanned 10, but McNally was mystifying. Not a hard thrower, Dave McNally relies on changing speeds and keeping hitters off stride, which is exactly what he did for 8 2/3 innings before giving way to Ed Watt who notched his 9th save. This low scoring event featured plenty of pitching. Brooks Robinson, who always brings his leather, brought his lumber today as he knocked in 2 runs. The 2 run 6th inning was the big inning for the Orioles. Brooksie knocked in Frank Robby with a double and Mark Belanger singled home Brooksie.
GAME 3: (Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA) - The change in venue did not help the Dodgers as Baltimore scored early and often. Veteran Dodger hurler Jerry Reuss just didn't have it as he gave up all ten runs and was not afforded any relief help. Sometimes during a season a manager asks a pitcher to "take one for the team" Reuss took this one on the chin. Baltimore starter Tom Phoebus went the distance and only gave up 1 run. Boog Powell continued his hot hitting with 2 huge homers and 6 RBI's on the day. Powell's linescore read 3-5 as he increased his batting average to .331. Merv Rettenmund and Don Bufford also had 3 hits and catcher Andy Etchebarren had 4 as Baltimore knocked out 16 hits on the afternoon in this rout. GAME 4: Both teams banged out 10 hits appiec vs each team's
respective starters. The difference here was that Baltimore made their hits count for more. Entering the top of the 6th the Dodgers had a 3-2 lead, but the O's exploded for 3 runs + 2 more in the following inning. Boog Powell was again the catalyst as he led off the inning with a double. Subs Merv Rettenmund and Dave May both had key hits. Davey Johnson was the offensive star of the show going 4-5 with 3 RBI while increasing his average to .361.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
'54-CLE outduels '81 Dodgers
For those who like low scoring, close pitcher's duels this series was for you. The Indians came out on top by taking 3 of the 4 games, but each team could have easily won all 4 or lost all 4 games.
GAME 1: Saw both Mike Garcia and Fernando Valenzuela go the distance. Garcia gave up only 1 run and Fernando gave up 3 to come up short. The offense centered around Al Rosen who knocked in all 3 of the Indians' runs. Rosen doubled home 2 runs in the first and hit a solo shot in the 6th with 2 out.
GAME 2: Cleveland was up 4-2 going into the 8th when the Dodgers' bats began to heat up. Hal Newhouse came in to close the game out and notch his 2nd save of the season. Both teams knocked out 9 hits in the one game of the series that had some decent offense.
GAME 3: Bob Lemon gave up 1 run and 4 hits in a complete game effort, where he outdueled Burt "Happy" Hooton of the Dodgers. The 6th inning saw Cleveland send 7 guys to the plate and
score 2 runs to answer back the Dodgers who had notched 1 in the top of the inning.
GAME 4: This extra inning afair (11) saw neither team able to score. The Dodgers scored both their runs on homers. Ron Cey hit a solo shot in the 5th and Pedro Guerrero won it with a deep fly in the top of the 11th off Don Mosi who had gone 3+ scoreless innings before that.
GAME 1: Saw both Mike Garcia and Fernando Valenzuela go the distance. Garcia gave up only 1 run and Fernando gave up 3 to come up short. The offense centered around Al Rosen who knocked in all 3 of the Indians' runs. Rosen doubled home 2 runs in the first and hit a solo shot in the 6th with 2 out.GAME 2: Cleveland was up 4-2 going into the 8th when the Dodgers' bats began to heat up. Hal Newhouse came in to close the game out and notch his 2nd save of the season. Both teams knocked out 9 hits in the one game of the series that had some decent offense.
GAME 3: Bob Lemon gave up 1 run and 4 hits in a complete game effort, where he outdueled Burt "Happy" Hooton of the Dodgers. The 6th inning saw Cleveland send 7 guys to the plate and
score 2 runs to answer back the Dodgers who had notched 1 in the top of the inning. GAME 4: This extra inning afair (11) saw neither team able to score. The Dodgers scored both their runs on homers. Ron Cey hit a solo shot in the 5th and Pedro Guerrero won it with a deep fly in the top of the 11th off Don Mosi who had gone 3+ scoreless innings before that.
Yankee/Dodger Rivalry Proves Indecisive
The 1961 Yankees and 1962 Dodgers split an exciting and action packed four game series. The Dodgers took games one and four, while the Yankees took the middle two contests. Game four was especially exciting as the Dodgers scored two runs in the ninth to tie the game, then won it in the twelfth. Here are recaps of the games.
Game One, New York 4, Los Angeles 7
Game one saw Don Drysdale notch win number four, going the distance in a 7-4 Los Angeles win. Drysdale struck out four and walked only one in his route going performance. With Whitey Ford on the hill for the visitors, you would think this would be a low scoring game. But Ford didn’t have it this time. The Dodgers opened the scoring in third, scoring three runs on a
walk to Junior Gilliam, singles by Tommy Davis and Frank Howard, a two-run double off the bat of Ron Fairly, and a single by Doug Camilli. The Dodgers added two in the fifth, but the Yankees made it a one run game when Yogi Berra flashed some of his old magic and touched Drysdale for a grand slam.
The Dodgers answered with one in the sixth when Gilliam singled home Drysdale, who had doubled. Gilliam’s single KO’d Ford. LA added an insurance run in the eighth to close the scoring on this one.
Game Two, New York 9, Los Angeles 2
Game two saw the Yankees score eight runs in the final three frames to route the Dodgers 9-2. Bill Stafford (3-2) bested Sandy Koufax, who is still looking for his first win against 3 defeats. New York scored in the top of the first on a Roger Maris single and Mickey Mantle triple. The game stayed 1-0 until the fifth, when the Dodgers got their two runs on a two out single by Maury Wills, a stolen base, Wills’ 11th steal of the season, a single by Willie Davis plating Wills, and a single by Tommy Davis scoring Willie who had taken second on the throw home attempting to get Wills.
The game remained 2-1 LA until the seventh, when Koufax lost the strike zone. He walked the bases full, then gave up a sac fly, a double and a single to give the Yankees a 4-2 lead. The Yankees then turned things into a route in the ninth, plating five more runs off reliever Ron Perranoski.
Game Three, Los Angeles 4, New York 5
The Yankees hit solo homers in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, which erased a 4-2 Dodger
lead and held up for a 5-4 Bomber victory. Little Bobby Richardson hit the seventh inning shot, his first of the year.
The Dodgers scored two in each of the third and fifth innings, with the Yankees scoring two in the first. Roger Maris then unloaded a long drive into the stands in right to cut the lead to 4-3 in the fifth. Moose Skowron hit his blast with two out in the sixth to tie it, setting the stage for Richardson’s blast the following inning. All five Yankee runs were off starter Joe Moeller (2-1). Hal Reniff (1-0) relieved Ralph Terry in the sixth and got the win. Luis Arroyo pitched two scoreless innings for his fifth save.
Game Four, Los Angeles 7, New York 5
The best game of the series started out looking like a Yankee cakewalk, as the Bombers poured four runs across in the first inning off of usually reliable Dodger starter Johnny Podres. After fellow lefty Bud Daley blanked LA in the top half of the first, the Yankees jumped all over Podres. Bobby Richardson started the inning with a single. Hector Lopez then walked, as did Roger Maris. Podres got Mickey Mantle to ground to third, which scored Richardson. Elston Howard then jumped on a Podres fastball and deposited the ball over the left field wall for a three run homer.
Podres settled down after that though, blanking the Yankees the remaining five innings he worked while his mates chipped away at the lead. The Dodgers put single runs on the board in the second, third and fourth innings, the run in the fourth coming on a solo homer by former Yankee Andy Carey. The Yankees added a run in the eighth on an Elston Howard single, which Frank Howard bobbled in right allowing Elston to move up a base. Moose Skowron then singled Howard to third, from where he scored on a sacrifice fly by Tony Kubek.
The Yankee manager stayed with Daley to try to get his complete game win, but the Dodgers had other ideas. Willie Davis started the ninth with a single, and Johnny Roseboro coaxed a walk. Pinch-hitter Duke Snider then hit a rocket, but it was right at Bobby Richardson for the first out. Maury Wills, a disappointment for the Dodgers so far, then shot a single through the hole between first and second plating Davis and sending Roseboro to third. Junior Gilliam then rifled a shot down the line in left to send Roseboro home with the tying run, as the speedy Wills flashed around the bases. It looked like Wills would put the Dodgers up as he flew around third, challenging the weak throwing arm of Hector Lopez. But Lopez made a perfect play on the ball and pegged a one-hopper to the plate, where Elston Howard blocked out Wills and applied the tag, keeping the game tied.
The momentum stayed with the Yankees and pinch-hitter Bob Cerv walked leading off the ninth
against Phil Ortega, and Richardson followed with a single. After pinch-hitter Johnny Blanchard bounced out, sending runners to second and third, the Dodgers brought in lefty Ron Perranoski to face Roger Maris. Perranoski got Maris to line out to first baseman Ron Fairly, then challenged the struggling Mickey Mantle and got the Mick to line to Wills at short, ending the threat.
There was no scoring in the 10th or 11th innings, but the Dodgers erupted in the 12th off of fiery Yankee reliever Jim Coates. Maury Wills started the inning with a single, and promptly stolen second. Jim Gilliam then bunted Wills to third, from where he scored on a Tommy Davis single. Big Frank Howard then hit a long drive to left center that scored Davis, with the big guy lumbering around the bases for a triple. After an intentional pass to Ron Fairly, Andy Carey ended the inning by hitting into a 6-4-3 double play.
But the damage had been done. Stan Williams, who had pitched a scoreless 11th, set the Yankees down in order in the 12th to gain the win.
This was an exciting series between two legendary ball clubs.
Game One, New York 4, Los Angeles 7Game one saw Don Drysdale notch win number four, going the distance in a 7-4 Los Angeles win. Drysdale struck out four and walked only one in his route going performance. With Whitey Ford on the hill for the visitors, you would think this would be a low scoring game. But Ford didn’t have it this time. The Dodgers opened the scoring in third, scoring three runs on a
walk to Junior Gilliam, singles by Tommy Davis and Frank Howard, a two-run double off the bat of Ron Fairly, and a single by Doug Camilli. The Dodgers added two in the fifth, but the Yankees made it a one run game when Yogi Berra flashed some of his old magic and touched Drysdale for a grand slam.The Dodgers answered with one in the sixth when Gilliam singled home Drysdale, who had doubled. Gilliam’s single KO’d Ford. LA added an insurance run in the eighth to close the scoring on this one.
Game Two, New York 9, Los Angeles 2
Game two saw the Yankees score eight runs in the final three frames to route the Dodgers 9-2. Bill Stafford (3-2) bested Sandy Koufax, who is still looking for his first win against 3 defeats. New York scored in the top of the first on a Roger Maris single and Mickey Mantle triple. The game stayed 1-0 until the fifth, when the Dodgers got their two runs on a two out single by Maury Wills, a stolen base, Wills’ 11th steal of the season, a single by Willie Davis plating Wills, and a single by Tommy Davis scoring Willie who had taken second on the throw home attempting to get Wills.The game remained 2-1 LA until the seventh, when Koufax lost the strike zone. He walked the bases full, then gave up a sac fly, a double and a single to give the Yankees a 4-2 lead. The Yankees then turned things into a route in the ninth, plating five more runs off reliever Ron Perranoski.
Game Three, Los Angeles 4, New York 5
The Yankees hit solo homers in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, which erased a 4-2 Dodger
lead and held up for a 5-4 Bomber victory. Little Bobby Richardson hit the seventh inning shot, his first of the year.The Dodgers scored two in each of the third and fifth innings, with the Yankees scoring two in the first. Roger Maris then unloaded a long drive into the stands in right to cut the lead to 4-3 in the fifth. Moose Skowron hit his blast with two out in the sixth to tie it, setting the stage for Richardson’s blast the following inning. All five Yankee runs were off starter Joe Moeller (2-1). Hal Reniff (1-0) relieved Ralph Terry in the sixth and got the win. Luis Arroyo pitched two scoreless innings for his fifth save.
Game Four, Los Angeles 7, New York 5
The best game of the series started out looking like a Yankee cakewalk, as the Bombers poured four runs across in the first inning off of usually reliable Dodger starter Johnny Podres. After fellow lefty Bud Daley blanked LA in the top half of the first, the Yankees jumped all over Podres. Bobby Richardson started the inning with a single. Hector Lopez then walked, as did Roger Maris. Podres got Mickey Mantle to ground to third, which scored Richardson. Elston Howard then jumped on a Podres fastball and deposited the ball over the left field wall for a three run homer.Podres settled down after that though, blanking the Yankees the remaining five innings he worked while his mates chipped away at the lead. The Dodgers put single runs on the board in the second, third and fourth innings, the run in the fourth coming on a solo homer by former Yankee Andy Carey. The Yankees added a run in the eighth on an Elston Howard single, which Frank Howard bobbled in right allowing Elston to move up a base. Moose Skowron then singled Howard to third, from where he scored on a sacrifice fly by Tony Kubek.
The Yankee manager stayed with Daley to try to get his complete game win, but the Dodgers had other ideas. Willie Davis started the ninth with a single, and Johnny Roseboro coaxed a walk. Pinch-hitter Duke Snider then hit a rocket, but it was right at Bobby Richardson for the first out. Maury Wills, a disappointment for the Dodgers so far, then shot a single through the hole between first and second plating Davis and sending Roseboro to third. Junior Gilliam then rifled a shot down the line in left to send Roseboro home with the tying run, as the speedy Wills flashed around the bases. It looked like Wills would put the Dodgers up as he flew around third, challenging the weak throwing arm of Hector Lopez. But Lopez made a perfect play on the ball and pegged a one-hopper to the plate, where Elston Howard blocked out Wills and applied the tag, keeping the game tied.
The momentum stayed with the Yankees and pinch-hitter Bob Cerv walked leading off the ninth
against Phil Ortega, and Richardson followed with a single. After pinch-hitter Johnny Blanchard bounced out, sending runners to second and third, the Dodgers brought in lefty Ron Perranoski to face Roger Maris. Perranoski got Maris to line out to first baseman Ron Fairly, then challenged the struggling Mickey Mantle and got the Mick to line to Wills at short, ending the threat.There was no scoring in the 10th or 11th innings, but the Dodgers erupted in the 12th off of fiery Yankee reliever Jim Coates. Maury Wills started the inning with a single, and promptly stolen second. Jim Gilliam then bunted Wills to third, from where he scored on a Tommy Davis single. Big Frank Howard then hit a long drive to left center that scored Davis, with the big guy lumbering around the bases for a triple. After an intentional pass to Ron Fairly, Andy Carey ended the inning by hitting into a 6-4-3 double play.
But the damage had been done. Stan Williams, who had pitched a scoreless 11th, set the Yankees down in order in the 12th to gain the win.
This was an exciting series between two legendary ball clubs.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
'69 O's sweep '86 Mets to go to 20-4
In 1969 O's lost 4 straight (after winning the opener) to the Amazin's and lost the World Series which was all but guarranteed to them. Facing the Mets again, albeit a different season, the O's vowed to turn the tables and exact a pound of revenge.
GAME 1: (Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, MD) Crafty lefties Bob Ojeda and Dave McNally hooked up for a classic pitcher's duel. McNally got 2 runs, Ojeda got 0 and the O's took the opener. Brooks Robinson hit a tape measure shot off Ojeda in the 2nd to open the scoring. McNally himself participated in the offense as he singled in the 5th and moved to second when Met RF'er Darryl Strawberry booted the ball and let it go all the way to the wall. Two batters later Davey Johnson singled him home for all the runs that the O's would need on the day.
GAME 2: Featured two lefty starters just like the opener. Both Mike Cuellar
and Sid Fernandez were less than impressive. Cueller hung around longer to notch the win to got 5-0, but this game was all on the offense. Up 5-3 in the 6th Randy Myers couldn't hold the game and the O's went on top to win 6-5. George Foster hit 2 big homers for the Mets, who thought it was going to hold up. Oriole magic saw to that not happening. Chico Salmon pinch hit for Cuellar in the 6th and triggered a huge rally with 2 outs. Frank Robinson doubled in 2 in a huge 3 running inning for the birds.
GAME 3: (Shea Stadium, Flushing, NY) This contest saw Ron Darling no hit the O's for 5 innings and look extremely comfortable riding a 5 run 1st inning offense explosion by his teammates. The O's being as magical as they are didn't panic and scored 6 runs in the top of the 9th and the shocked fans at Shea expecting miracles of their own just fell silent. The O's had 6 consecutive batters reach base, which included back to back homers by Frank Robinson and Boog Powell. Paul Blair had the GWRBI with a sac fly. He has truly been Baltimore's MVP. Lefty Pete Richert came on to notch his 3rd save on the season in the bottom of the 9th.
GAME 4: The O's decided to bypass ace Jim Palmer since his arm was a little sore from his last
outing. In his stead journeyman Jim Hardin took the hill vs Met act Dwight Gooden. Doc has been an enigma for the Amazin's all season. Management can not figure out why someone with all of his talent is faltering game in game out. Speculation in the NY press is that Doc has a substance abuse problem. Manager Andy Weinrib, not being a physician, has been forced to trot Doc out every 5th day and hope he reverts to his 1985 Cy Young form. This game turned into a laugher by the 6th inning. Both pitchers kept the game scoreless for the first 3 innings, but the O's errupted to score 7 off Gooden and put the game out of reach. Gooden gave up 4 of Baltimore's 5 homers on the day. Boog Powell hit his 9th and Frank Robinson hit his 8th. Even pitcher Tom Hardin found the blueprint for the long ball.
Baltimore swept the series and moved to 20-4 to solidify their lead in the AL. New York dropped below .500 and opened the door for the rest of the NL to move into 1st place in what seems to be a division no one wants to win.
GAME 1: (Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, MD) Crafty lefties Bob Ojeda and Dave McNally hooked up for a classic pitcher's duel. McNally got 2 runs, Ojeda got 0 and the O's took the opener. Brooks Robinson hit a tape measure shot off Ojeda in the 2nd to open the scoring. McNally himself participated in the offense as he singled in the 5th and moved to second when Met RF'er Darryl Strawberry booted the ball and let it go all the way to the wall. Two batters later Davey Johnson singled him home for all the runs that the O's would need on the day.GAME 2: Featured two lefty starters just like the opener. Both Mike Cuellar
and Sid Fernandez were less than impressive. Cueller hung around longer to notch the win to got 5-0, but this game was all on the offense. Up 5-3 in the 6th Randy Myers couldn't hold the game and the O's went on top to win 6-5. George Foster hit 2 big homers for the Mets, who thought it was going to hold up. Oriole magic saw to that not happening. Chico Salmon pinch hit for Cuellar in the 6th and triggered a huge rally with 2 outs. Frank Robinson doubled in 2 in a huge 3 running inning for the birds.
GAME 3: (Shea Stadium, Flushing, NY) This contest saw Ron Darling no hit the O's for 5 innings and look extremely comfortable riding a 5 run 1st inning offense explosion by his teammates. The O's being as magical as they are didn't panic and scored 6 runs in the top of the 9th and the shocked fans at Shea expecting miracles of their own just fell silent. The O's had 6 consecutive batters reach base, which included back to back homers by Frank Robinson and Boog Powell. Paul Blair had the GWRBI with a sac fly. He has truly been Baltimore's MVP. Lefty Pete Richert came on to notch his 3rd save on the season in the bottom of the 9th.GAME 4: The O's decided to bypass ace Jim Palmer since his arm was a little sore from his last
outing. In his stead journeyman Jim Hardin took the hill vs Met act Dwight Gooden. Doc has been an enigma for the Amazin's all season. Management can not figure out why someone with all of his talent is faltering game in game out. Speculation in the NY press is that Doc has a substance abuse problem. Manager Andy Weinrib, not being a physician, has been forced to trot Doc out every 5th day and hope he reverts to his 1985 Cy Young form. This game turned into a laugher by the 6th inning. Both pitchers kept the game scoreless for the first 3 innings, but the O's errupted to score 7 off Gooden and put the game out of reach. Gooden gave up 4 of Baltimore's 5 homers on the day. Boog Powell hit his 9th and Frank Robinson hit his 8th. Even pitcher Tom Hardin found the blueprint for the long ball.Baltimore swept the series and moved to 20-4 to solidify their lead in the AL. New York dropped below .500 and opened the door for the rest of the NL to move into 1st place in what seems to be a division no one wants to win.
'88-Dodgers and '79-Pirates Split Series
Game 1 at Dodger Stadium, Another close hardfought game for the Dodgers as this time they played host to the "Lumber Company" 1979 Pirates. Both teams battled throughout the game with the final tally being scored on the game's final play. The scoring began in the first inning as Willie Stargell doubled in Bill Madlock off Dodger starter Tim Leary. The Dodgers knotted the game up at 1 in their half of the second when Kirk Gibson led off with a walk and then stole second base. For the game, both teams combined for 9 stolen bases. Gibson later scored on a clutch 2-out single to right by shortstop Dave Anderson. Both teams tallied a run in the fourth. The Dodger run came on a solo homerun to right by Kirk Gibson. Pittsburgh retook the lead in the 5th on a single and a stolen base by Omar Moreno(the second of his 3 stolen bags on the day.) Dave Parker drove Moreno home on a sacrifice. The Pirate lead did not last long as the Dodgers scored a run in the 6th as Shelby lead off with a triple, and Gibson drove him in with a single. Los Angeles took the lead in the 7th on a leadoff homerun to leftcenter by backup catcher Rick Dempsey, his 1st of the year. Jay Howell came in the ninth inning for the Dodgers but could not hold the lead as he surrendered the tying run. The score was tied at 4 going into the bottom of the ninth. Grant Jackson was on the hill for Pirates when the Dodgers came to bat in the 9th. With 2 outs Steve Sax walked and stole second base. On the attempted steal, Steve Nicoscia's throw sailed into centerfield for a 1 base error. Mike Davis was called back and Mike Marshall was sent up to pinch hit. Marshall rewarded his skipper with a clutch game winning single to make the final score 5-4 in favor of Los Angeles. Game 2, at Dodger Stadium, Things looked bright for the Dodgers going into the second game of
the series as they had their ace Orel Hershiser on the mound but sometimes the best laid plans do not work out. Hershiser's mates spotted him to an early 1-0 lead in the first but that changed in the Pirates half of the third. Willie Stargell took a Hershiser hanging slider and bombed it deep into the rightfield pavillion with two runners on to give Pittsburgh a 3-1 lead. The Pirates increased their lead in the 6th inning as Bill Madlock connected for yet another Pittsburgh 3 run homerun. After 6 innings, the Pirates led 6-1. Hershiser exited the game after 7 innings and 78 pitches. Only 3 of his runs were earned but none-the-less his record falls to 1-3 with a spectacular 2.44 ERA! Bert Blyleven(2-1) got the win for Pittsburgh as he went 8 innings surrendering 2 runs on 10 hits and striking out 6 batters.
the series as they had their ace Orel Hershiser on the mound but sometimes the best laid plans do not work out. Hershiser's mates spotted him to an early 1-0 lead in the first but that changed in the Pirates half of the third. Willie Stargell took a Hershiser hanging slider and bombed it deep into the rightfield pavillion with two runners on to give Pittsburgh a 3-1 lead. The Pirates increased their lead in the 6th inning as Bill Madlock connected for yet another Pittsburgh 3 run homerun. After 6 innings, the Pirates led 6-1. Hershiser exited the game after 7 innings and 78 pitches. Only 3 of his runs were earned but none-the-less his record falls to 1-3 with a spectacular 2.44 ERA! Bert Blyleven(2-1) got the win for Pittsburgh as he went 8 innings surrendering 2 runs on 10 hits and striking out 6 batters. 
Game 3, at Three Rivers Stadium, Jim Bibby and lefty Fernando Valenzuela battled in the third game of the series. Fernando was battered around as he lasted only 5 innings as he surrendered 6 runs on 10 hits. Ed Ott and Willie Stargell connected for homeruns off Valenzuela to put this game out of reach. Bill Robinson also had a big day at the plate for the Pirates as he went 3 for 3 with a run scored. Bibby threw 6 innings of 4 hit ball to earn his first victory of the year against 4 setbacks. Enrique Romo earned his first save of the year as he pitched the final three innings of the game for the Pirates. Final score....Pirates 6.....Dodgers 1. Game 4, at Three Rivers Stadium, The Dodgers used a couple homeruns by backup players to
win a rare blowout game. Tracy Woodson and Rick Dempsey both hit homeruns in the Dodger 9-3 victory. Los Angeles erupted for 14 hits in the game to give veteran righty Don Sutton his 1st victory of the season. Sutton went 6 innings and surrendered 3 runs on 8 hits. He also struck out a season high eight batters on the night. The "Candy Man" John Candeleria started for the Pirates and pitched a solid game of 6 inning ball but the wheels fell off as the Pirate Bullpen got into the act. First was Dave Roberts, who entered the 7th inning in a 3-3 tie. Roberts surrendered 5 runs on 6 hits in 1.1 innings. Next came Dock Ellis, who gave up 1 run in an inning and two thirds. The Dodgers tallied 5 runs in the eighth inning to put this game out of reach. John Shelby and Steve Sax collected 3 hits each in this game as the Dodgers displayed a rare show of offense....Special note...Steve Sax went 9 for 17 in the series with 5 runs scored and 2 stolen bases as the Dodgers split the 4 game series with the powerful Pittsburgh Pirates.
win a rare blowout game. Tracy Woodson and Rick Dempsey both hit homeruns in the Dodger 9-3 victory. Los Angeles erupted for 14 hits in the game to give veteran righty Don Sutton his 1st victory of the season. Sutton went 6 innings and surrendered 3 runs on 8 hits. He also struck out a season high eight batters on the night. The "Candy Man" John Candeleria started for the Pirates and pitched a solid game of 6 inning ball but the wheels fell off as the Pirate Bullpen got into the act. First was Dave Roberts, who entered the 7th inning in a 3-3 tie. Roberts surrendered 5 runs on 6 hits in 1.1 innings. Next came Dock Ellis, who gave up 1 run in an inning and two thirds. The Dodgers tallied 5 runs in the eighth inning to put this game out of reach. John Shelby and Steve Sax collected 3 hits each in this game as the Dodgers displayed a rare show of offense....Special note...Steve Sax went 9 for 17 in the series with 5 runs scored and 2 stolen bases as the Dodgers split the 4 game series with the powerful Pittsburgh Pirates.
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