Bucs outlast Stros (5-4) in 14 innings, to advance to the post season

Fresh off getting swept in 3 straight by the Cubs the Bucs had to face the 'Stros in a winner take all game.  Winner gets the #5 WC seed and heads to San Diego to play the Padres.  Loser...goes home.

With the Astros jumping out to a 4-0 lead and the game heading into the bottom of the 8th Pirate fans started to sense that their season would be marked by an Epic stretch run collapse.   Willie Stargell led off the inning with a pinch hit single off of swingman Danny Darwin.  Alou and Mota followed with weak fly outs to right with the Stros looking to easily post another bagel on the scoreboard.  The ever so clutch Clemente singled to put runners on the corners, with 2 out.  Cleanup hitter Donn Clendenon lined a double just over the 3rd base bag to score Stargell to make it 4-1.  Light hitting catcher Jerry May lined a 2-2 pitch up the middle to score Clemente and just like that Houston's secure 4 run lead with 4 outs to go was now a tenuous 4-3 lead.  Darwin was able to finally get the 3rd out when Maury Wills lined out to left.

Houston did nothing to add to their lead in the top of the 9th, and so Pittsburgh needed to scratch out

a run off closer Dave Smith or this game and their season would come to an end.  Mazeroski led off with a single and the Forbes Field crowd became electric when up to the plate stepped 37 year old Bill Virdon to pinch hit for SS Gene Alley.  Virdon, who had all of 3 plate appearances this season, was happily retired for close to 3 seasons.  With injuries decimating the Pirate Outfield coach Virdon was activated to fill in until the troops regained their health.  Never in his wildest dreams did he expect to be up in a do or die situation in the last of the 9th.  On a 2-1 count the bespeckled coach turned pinch hitter willed a seeing eye hit between the outstretched arms of 2B Bill Doran and 1B Glen Davis.  As the ball slowly rolled toward rightfielder Kevin Bass Maz galloped around 3rd to score the tying run.  Forbes Field was rocking!  With nobody out and a man on first the Bucs were primed to win it until Carl Taylor hit into a neat 6-4-3 DP and Alou grounded weakly to David on 1st.

So...we head to extra innings.  Each team had their chances, with the Pirates coming the closest with bases loaded and 1 out in the 11th, but neither team could score.

Then with 2 outs in the bottom of the 14^th, Bill Mazeroski lined a single to center to score Clemente from third.  Great game!  PIT 5 HOU 4.

Dave Wickersham (2-1, 2.79) notched his 2nd and biggest win of the season with a scoreless inning in relief.  Childress (0-2, 4.40) was tagged with the loss.  The Bucs will get on a plane and head toward San Diego to take on the Padres in the 4 vs 5 Wild Card game.  Winner of that grudge match gets the honor of facing #1 seeded Cincy.

Cubs sweep Bucs...capture NL East Flag

Game 1:  Blass v. Prior.  

Cubs grabbed the early lead with a long D. Lee HR in the first.  The Pirates took the lead in the second with a single by pitcher Steve Blass.  The scored remained the same until N. Perez hit a bomb to CF in the 5th to tie.  In the top of the 8th the Pirates plate 3 on a HR by the great Roberto Clemente to put the Pirates up 5 to 2.  Ironically, I was watching MLB Network and they were having a segment on Clemente at the same time!  Anyway, in the bottom of the 8th the Cubs send 9 guys to the plate and score 4 times off of 3 Prate relievers.  Ryan Dempster closed out the 9th for the save.  Cubs win game 1 6 to 5. 

Game 2:  Ellis v. Mitre.  

Game was scoreless going into the bottom of the 6th when the Cubs scored 1 on 4 walks by Ellis.  Surprisingly, Mitre had a no-hitter heading into the 8th, but it was broken-up by Alou's 2 out single, which put runners at the corners for Mota.  However, Mitre was able to induce a ground out.  Dempster closed out the 9th for the win.

Game 3: Vela v. Maddux. 

Pirates jumped out to a 1 to 0 lead with  a HR by Manny Mota.  After Vela looked very good in the first 2 innings the Cubs put up a 6 spot in the 3rd capped off by a 3 run HR by Matt Murtton.   Each team add 1 run and the Cubs cruse to a 7 to 2 victory for the NL East Title!

 

Pittsburgh will now host Houston in a one game winner take all play in game to decide the #5 seed for the WC game.

 

--submitted by Kurt Schaden--

Tigers and Indians end their respective seasons

Mercifully, the season has ended for the Tigers and Indians. It appears to have ended a few games early for the Tigers pitching staff, as they gave up 28 runs over the first two games, while the hapless Tigers weren't able to get anything started against Sonny Siebert or John O'Donoghue. Dizzy Trout was able to salvage the Tiger's last shred of dignity by getting the win in the finale, holding the powerful Indians offense to 1 run.

Here's to getting KOD30 started and leaving this mess behind!

--submitted by Patrick Allen--

Take 2 of 3 From Cardinals: Musial’s Heroics Prevent Sweep

In three close games, the 1990 San Diego Padres kept their post season hopes very much alive by taking games one and three of the series.

In a shocking ending to game two, which also looked to be a Padre victory. Protecting a 7-5 lead with one on and one out and Mike Dunne pitching, Red Schoedienst just barely beat out an infield grounder after a force out at second. A double play would have ended the game.  Light-hitting, but decent OBP batter Solly Hemus then grounded a single to right, sending Schoendienst to third. Up stepped Stan Musial, which prompted a change of pitchers, right-hander Greg Harris replacing Dunne, also a righty. Musial took a strike, then timed an inside fastball that was not in enough, and sent the final-home-game crowd off happy with a 3 run homer to win the game.

The Cards trailed by that same 7-5 score in the 9^th of the finale in San Diego, and had a run in, but this time Craig Lefferts was on the hill, facing lefty hitting rookie Wally Moon. Moon grounded out, ending the Cardinals season and keeping the Padres hoping for more baseball.

--submitted by BikeMike--

Bravos play spoiler vs Stros

In the final series of the season the only thing Atlanta could play was spoiler.  They did as the took 2 of 3 games in an exciting series; 7-5 12 inning win in the first game, a close Houston win in game 2 6-5 and an Atlanta 5-2 season finale win.

In Game 1, which lasted 12 innings Claudell Washington went 4-6 with 2 RBI's and a HR., which was a 2 run walk off  job.  

Game 2 saw the Braves left for dead, but not buried as the rallied for 3 in the bottom of the 9th only to come up 1 run short.  Nolan Ryan (3-2, 2.59) got the win and Dave Smith put out the fire.  

The rubber match saw Dale Murphy (3-4) blasted 2 homers to pace the Braves to a 5-2 win.  With his big day Murph took his season average above the .300 mark to .301.  Len Barker (2-3, 4.11) got the win and Bedrock got his 8th save.

Bosox complete incredible stretch run toward post season

The Red Sox continued a surprising second half surge that will them into the playoffs.  Boston was sitting at 12-15 before Jim Rice and friends turned it around posting 11 wins in their final 13 games.  

Rice made a bid for the KOD Triple Crown and it will be interesting to see if he can hold onto the batting crown once all games are in for the week.  

Pete

Boston

LA takes 2 of 3 from Cincy, as Reds clinch at least a tie for NL West.

Dodger Stadium
GAME 1
Grimsley vs Moeller
Dodgers 2, Reds 1

LA needed a sweep to tie the Reds and force a 1 game playoff for the division.  The Reds jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Pete Rose led off the 2nd with a double and scored on Woody Woodward's ground out.  That lead was safe for just 2 innings.  In the home half of the 4th Maury Wills lef off with a single and stole second and wound up on 3rd on a rare throwing error by Johnny Bench.  After Willie Davis walked, Tommie Davis singled home Wills to tie the game at 1-1.  Frank Howard's rope to left scored Davis to make it 2-1.  It was now time to play Dodger ball, which meant white knuckling it along as the pitchers had to hold the opposition at bay.  Joe Moeller (8k's/1 ER) was fantastic for 6.1 innings before he was lifted in favor of pen star Bob Miller, who gave up just one walk while retiring the final 8 outs for the save (his 6th).  Losing pitcher Ross Grimsley gave up just 2 in 6 innings, but his powerful offense never came to life to support him.

GAME 2
Nolan vs Ortega
Reds 2, Dodgers 0

Phil Ortega, who has been LA's best starter not named Koufax, toed the rubber and threw another solid game.  Unfortunately for him his team could not plate a single solitary run despite banging out 8 hits (2 more than Cincy).  Cincy's offense relied on solo blasts from Lee May and George Foster.  That was more than enough to reward Gary Nolan (7-1, 1.26) with the victory.  Nolan has been responsible for almost 1/3 of the Reds wins this season and is the odds on candidate for the NL Cy Young.  With the win Cincy clinched themselves nothing worse than a tie for the division (provided HOU or SDP sweep their series).  LA's Wes Parker was 3-4 and upped his avg to .349, but never found a way to touch home.  Howie Reed tossed two scoreless innings in relief of Ortega who finished the season 5-1, 3.00.

GAME 3
Gullett vs Koufax
Dodgers 8, Reds 3

With the division out of reach the Dodgers still went to their ace Sandy Koufax to keep their wild card bid alive.  Sandy carried a 1 hitter into the 9th inning, but faltered a bit and allowed 3 backdoor runs as the nimble lefty is not used to protecting 8 run leads.  LA's offensive explosion (5 runs in the 3rd) chased Don Gullett (7 ER's) after 5 innings.  Jim Merritt came on to mop up over the final 3.  Koufax fanned "just" 7 batsman.  3-Dog and Trixie both had 3-4 days with Trix scorning 3 runs out of the 8 hole.  Frank Howard knocked in 3 with a huge 3 run shot to bust the game open in the 3rd.  LA will now sit back and watch what SDP and HOU do to see where their post season fate lies.

Mets take 2 of 3 from Expos

Game 1:
Mets 4 Expos 1  Koosman pitches a complete game for the win. Millan and Staub 3 hits each

Game 2:
Expos 6 Mets 2  Bryan Little has 3 hits for the Expos as Harry Parker starts and struggles, taking the loss. Steve Rogers starts and gets the win for MTL with Dan Schatzeder pitching 4 strong innings in relief

Game 3:
Mets 4 Expos 2  Tom Seaver gets the complete game win, outpitching Bryn Smith. Ed Kranepool has 3 hits for the Mets

Montreal falls to 20-20, which puts a huge damper on their post season aspirations.  The Mets took their role as spoiler quite seriously.

--submitted by A.Raylesberg--

Final Week Outlook (Due 9/8/2019)

Well...here it is, the final week of the regular season and almost everyone still has a chance to make the post season !  Here are some summaries below, as per the meaning of each 3 game series:

CAL vs MIN - Zaner/Kaufman

This is the marquee series of the week.  Both teams are tied atop the AL West.  Winner takes the division.  Loser more than likely the #3 seed.

KCR vs SEA - Holm/Sexton

KC is fighting for a WC berth, while SEA is hoping to stay out of the basement.

BAL vs CHW - Nixon/Thomas

The O's have clinched the AL East and have a gr8 chance of clinching the #1 overall slot.  The Chisox are one game behind the Royals for the final WC slot

NYY vs BOS - Hoppy/Daly

New York is out of the running, but Boston needs to keep winning to ensure they host the WC game and not have to head on the road.

CLE vs DET - Pryweller/P.Allen

Both teams are out of the running and playing to stay out of the cellar.

CIN vs LAD - Schneider/Weiss

LA needs to sweep Cincy to win the division.  2 wins helps them for the #1 WC.

HOU vs ATL - Landers/Nelson

HOU needs to win 2 or 3 to stay in the hunt for the div and WC.  ATL is here to play spoiler.

NYM vs MON - Raylesberg/Falzone

The 'Spos need to take 2 or 3 to stay alive.  The Amazin's are out.

PIT vs CUB - Myers/Schaden

2 wins and the Bucs clinch the div.  The Cubs can take the div with 2 wins

SDP vs STL - Nixon/Roberts
STL is here to play spoiler.  The Friars need 2-3 win to clinch a post season spot.