Posts Tagged ‘new york yankees’

1972 League World Series New York Daytraders (Mets) at New York Yankees

Posted: October 19, 2024 by datechguy in baseball, Dynasty, dynasty baseball, gaming, online gaming
Tags: , , , , ,

It’s the Dynasty League’s first subway series. Here’s how it got there.

NL League Championship Series

Game 1 at Candlestick Park SF

The Daytraders began the final step on the quest to return to the world series with Roger Nelson on the mound who had gone 2-0 in playoff appearances this season to face lefty Mickey Lolich who like Nelson had begun his season in the Al Alpha division (Baltimore) but unlike Nelson had not yet had a decision in the postseason. The Giants stuck first in the 2nd with Ellie Rodriguez scoring on the Elliot Maddux Triple and Maddux scoring on a wild pitch that followed. The Daytraders answered immediately when with runners on 1st and 3rd (Graig Nettles double, Leo Cardinals single) Nelson excutted a perfect suicide squeeze plating Nettles and getting Cardenas to 2nd. A Steve Brye pinch single sent him to 3rd and Dwayne Josephson hitting for Willie Mays singed him home to tie it up but with 2 on and one out Lolich managed to get Jimmy Winn and Willie Stargell to keep the game tied. In the sixth NY jumped ahead. A one out single to Stargell and a two out walk to Leron Lee put men on 1st & 2nd vs Reliever Ron Bryant (Lolich was pinch hit for in the 4th) set up Graig Nettles who with the runners going singled to center Stargell motored home and Lee went to third where Leo Cardenas surprised everyone by bunting with two outs completely surprising Catcher Rodriguez enough to allow him to beat the throw to 1st and make it 4-2. That lead held till the 8th when Nelson gave up a leadoff single to Rick Monday and a walk to Chris Speier putting two on with none out. Lerrin LaGrow came in to relieve Nelson but put his 2nd pitch too far over the plate and Darrell Evans drove it to deep right. Ken Henderson tried to chase it down but it went over his head plating Monday and Speier to tie the game and put the go ahead run in scoring position with none out. It looked bad for the Brokers but LaGrow overcame his bad start but inducing three consecutive grounders from Bobby Bonds, Harmon Killebrew and Ellie Rodriguez to keep the game tied

Phil Hennigan came in for the giants in the 9th and held things down and managed to get out of a bases loaded one out jam in the 10th on a grounder to 1st with the infield drawn for the first out. Cardines tried again to bunt with two outs but Rodriguez forewarned this time made the play to end the inning. The Daytraders answered with Tom Seaver in the 12th who got both Bonds and Killebrew to start the inning but came too far inside on a fastball to Rodriguez hitting him and putting him on 2nd with two out setting up Garry Maddox who for the 2nd time in the game would drive a ball to center that would roll to the wall and score Rodriguez this time for the extra inning win and giving Seaver his 2nd loss in relief in the postseason.

Giants 5 Daytraders 4 (11 innings) WP Hennigan 1-0 LP Seaver (0-2)

Game 2 at Candlestick Park San Francisco

Game 2 was a battle of Aces as Phil Niekro and Jim Palmer took the mound. Both pitchers would work deep into the game and both would be victimized by errors at first base. The Giants had taken a 1 run lead in the 2nd on a Sac fly by Evans that scored Rick Monday who had doubled to start the inning and moved to 3rd on a grounder. In the fourth Norm Cash misplayed an Evans grounder that put him on first. He went to single on a Bobby Bonds single and scored on another from Harmon Killebrew to make it 2-0 and getting Bonds to 3rd where a Garry Maddox sac fly plated a 2nd unearned run for the giants to make it 3-0. With a 3-0 lead and Palmer on the mound things looked good but Niekro kept the Giants off the board while in the 8th a Stargell leadoff triple gave Cash a chance to atone for his mistake singling him home to cut the lead to two. It looked like it was all over in the 9th when Palmer got Jimmy Wynn for the first out but a grounder to Killerbrew by Wayne Garrett was misplayed putting a man on first and the tying run at the plate with one out. Willie Mays drilled the next pitch down the first base line but Killer made up for his error with a diving stop that turned a sure double into the 2nd out Garrett moving to 2nd. Leron Lee walked and it looked like it was all over when Stargell grounded the next pitch to first but for the 2nd time in the inning Killebrew failed letting the ball go right between his legs. It rolled down the right field line scoring Garrett and sending Stargell to 2nd and Lee to 3rd. Palmer at this point was out of gas and Eddie Watt came into the game to face Ted Simmons with the game on the line. The good news for the Giants was Simmons didn’t hit the ball to Killebrew, the bad news was he drilled it to center Lee scored easily and Stargell rounded 3rd for the go ahead run but Garry Maddux threw a bullet to the plate for the 3rd out and when the Mets failed to capitalize on the Leo Cardenes two out triple in the top of the 9th and LaGrow put down the Giants in the bottom it was off to extra innings again. The Daytraders brought in Steve Carlton in the 10th where he would pitch out of the 2 out two on jam and hold them down till Willie Mays put a two out fastball over the right center wall to put the Stock brokers in the lead in the top of the 12th but a pair of leadoff singles put runners at the corners in the bottom of the inning when Tommie Agee put a ball to the warning track scoring the tying run and just missed ending the game. Again Carlton pitched out of the jam and the game went on until the 14th when Cardenes again bunted his way on off of Dave Giusti with one out. Jimmie Wynn drew a walk and then Jack Brohamer took a breaking ball and sent it rolling to the wall in right clearing the bases and giving Carlton a 2 run lead. That would be enough as lefty in his fifth inning of work would retire the Giants in order to even out the series.

Daytraders 6 Giants 4 (14 innings) WP Carlton (2-0) LP Giusti (0-1) HR Mays (1)

Game 3 Shea Stadium New York

After two exhausting extra inning games the series moved to New York with Tom Seaver hoping to do better in his normal starting role facing Ron Bryant. While his fastball was active striking out 12 he was also a little wild. In the 4th he walked Darrell Evans to start the frame and Harmon Killebrew with out out setting up Johnny Oats who would single to right scoring Evans and sending Killer to 3rd. One out later Dave Cash would double to right easily plating Killebrew and allowing Oates to just beat Stargell’s throw to make it 3-0. When Rick Monday led of the 5th with a solo shot and Garry Maddux scored in the sixth on pitcher Ron Bryant’s singled after his own double it seemed like Tom Terrific was set up for this 3rd playoff loss. The Mets would not break through till the 7th when Eddie Watt would walk pinch hitter Ted Simmons with the bases loaded and two outs but would strike out Leron Lee to end the inning and after 7 it was 5-1 Giants.

Then came the 8th and it all went pear shaped. Watt got Jimmy Wynn for the 1st out and pinch hitter Cash for the 2nd out but gave up a Solo shot to Willie Stargell to make it 5-2 and followed up with singles to Graig Nettles, Leo Cardenas and a walk to Wayne Garrett putting the tying runs on with only one out. Having put on 5 of the 8 men he faced in 2/3 of an inning Dave Giusti came in to try to put out the fire.

He failed. Willie Mays Pinch hit single scored Nettle and Cardenes to make it a 1 run game and after Hitting Ted Simmons to load the bases up Bob Montgomery pinch hit for reliver Jerry Reuss and singled to left. Garrett scored to tie the game and Mays forgetting his age rounded third and just beat the accurate throw to the plate by Rick Monday. The Giants had a shot in the 9th when Darrell Evans hit a two out double off Lerrin LaGrow. With 1st base open the Mets manager put Bonds on 1st risked the go ahead run on 1st rather than facing him and left it for LaGrow to face Killebrew who had already hit two HR in the playoffs. Alas for the Giants he grounded into a fielders choice to give the Daytraders the lead in the series and Giusti his second consecutive loss.

New York 6 San Francisco 5 WP Jerry Reuss (1-0) LP Dave Giusti (0-2) SV LaGross (1) HR Monday (1) Stargell (1)

Game 4 at Shea Stadium New York

San Francisco sent Mickey Lolich to face Roger Nelson in game five. It remained a scoreless affair till the fourth when Darrell Evans put a ball over the right field fence for a 1-0 SF lead. It might have been 2-0 but Bobby Bonds drive to center came up just short. The lead held up til the 6th when with two outs Joe Lis would single and go to 2nd on a wild pitch. Duane Josephson came in to hit for Mays and was given 1b intentionally by manager Hazan which would prove costly as Ted Simmons would drive a 2-1 pitch to the gap in left center plating both Lis and Josephson and suddenly it was 2-1. An inning later Steve Brye would hit a pinch single to start the 7th for the brokers and after a Nelson K Leron Lee would put a ball just over the left field fence and NY was up 4-1. In the 8th the Giants answered. Ellie Rodriguez singled to right and after a strikeout to Garry Maddux Dave Cash would triple to center cutting the lead to 4-2 and bringing the tying run up to the plate in Terry Harmon hitting for Lolich. Dave Lemonds came in for Nelson and promptly hit Harmon putting the tying runs on the corners with one out. The Mets manager wasted no time pulling Lemonds and replacing him with Lerrin LaGrow who struck out Gary Matthews and got a grounder from Chris Speier to end the inning and the threat. In the 9th two pitchers put the Giants down in order putting the Daytraders one win away from a return trip to the Series.

Daytraders 4 Giants 2 WP Nelson (3-0) LP Lolich (0-1) SV Wilson (1) HR Evans (2) Lee (1)

Gave 5 at Shea Stadium New York

Jim Palmer took the mound for San Francisco to try to take the series back to the west coast and he didn’t disapoint. He worked seven innings giving up only a single unearned run when Darrell Evans who had homered in the top of the 1st to give SF a 1-0 lead made a throwing error on a Willie Stargell grounder which scored Willie Mays who had walked and took 2nd on a Jimmy Winn walk tying the game at one.

It wouldn’t stay tied for long as Niekro’s 2nd knuckler of the 2nd didn’t knuckle and Harmon Killebrew provided all the power necessary to put it out to left making it 2-1. It would go to 3-1 when Gary Maddux and Dave Cash singled in the top of the 7th putting runners at the corners and Rick Monday flied deep enough to allow Maddux to score but that was a formality as Palmer gave up only two hits over 8 and when John Strohmayer hit the first batter of the 9th to put bring the tying run to the plate,manager Hazan took no chances brining in Eddie Watt would would make up for his poor outing in game 3 by retiring all three men he faced to secure the win and send the series back to the city by the bay.

SF 3 NY 1 WP Palmer (1-1) LP Niekro (0-2) SV Watt (2) HR Evans (3) Killebrew (3)

Game 6 at Candlestick Park San Francisco:

With two chances to win a return ticket to the Big Apple the Daytraders turned to Tom Seaver despite having lost two game and pitching poorly in a 3rd while the Giants entrusted their season to Jim Willoughby who in limited action had been highly effective for San Francisco. Neither manager would be disappointed by their choices. While Seaver would give up a solo shot to Ellie Rodriguez in the 2nd to give the Giants the lead he would give up no more in 9 innings of work giving up only 2 hits and six walks. Meanwhile Willoughby would pitch 8 4 hit innings but two of those hits would come in the top of the 6th with Jimmy Wynn singling to left and Willie Stargell shooting a ball into the gap just beyond the reach of Maddux allowing Wynn to score and tie the game. And tied it would stay until the 11th when Wynn would again lead off an inning with a single. Two outs later Phil Hennigan would hit Norm Cash and Graig Nettles would single to right, the fleet footed Wynn would score and the Daytraders would be up 2-1. Steve Carlton who came in for the 10th would retire Harmon Killebrew and Ellie Rodriguez to start the 11th when the Giants would go all in with Dave Kingman who had gone hitless in the playoffs and hit .186 in this rookie season but had also hit 26 homers to lead the Giants. With everything on the line is was the veteran ace who would win the duel getting Kingman to ground to short and send the Daytraders to their first pennant since 1969.

Daytraders 2 Giants 1 (11 innings) WP Carlton (3-0) LP Hennigan (1-1) HR Rodriguez (1)

Game 1 at the Polo Grounds New York

You don’t get a more classic pitchers duel than game of this series with Cy Young winner Don Wilson facing knuckle baller Wilbur Wood. Both were excellent pitching complete games neither pitcher allowing a hit with runners in scoring position or an earned run. Wilson struck out 9 and walked only two on six hits while Wood struck out six without a base on balls with only three hits surrendered and it seemed like neither hurler would give in until the bottom of the 8th with two outs when American League MVP Bobby Murcer who had 2 of New York’s five hits fouled a ball toward first. With a lefty on the mound and a park which favors pull hitter Milwaukee slugger Earl Williams was playing first and tracked the ball in foul territory only to drop what would have been the 3rd out. Given this reprieve Murcer took the next pitch and deposited it into the left field stands for the only run of the game which was all that would be needed to give the Bronx Bombers the win

New York 1 Milwaukee 0 WP Wood (1-0) LP Wilson (1-1) HR Murcer (1)

Game two at the Polo Grounds New York City

Game 2 didn’t bear a whole lot of resemblance to game one as the offenses came out of the gate early. Milwaukee having been shut out for 11 innings by Yankees pitching jumped on starter Steve Kline in the 3rd. With a man on first and one out Ron Fairly singled to right, Gene Clines who had singled earlier dug for 3rd and former Brewer Pat Kelly throw went wild. Cline scored and Fairly ended up at 2nd, which left a base open for an intentional walk to Pete Rose which proved costly as Earl Williams anxious to atone for his game costing blunder deposited a ball far above the left field wall for a 4-0 Milwaukee lead. In the bottom half of the inning a pair of pinch hitters, Roberto Clemente and Thurman Munson singled with one out and after retiring Reggie Smith Ken Holtzman who had shut out the twins in his previous outing delivered a ball that would have been the 3rd out in any other park but cleared the short left field wall at the Polo grounds to make it a 1 run game 4-3. Both sides held off minor rallies until the 7th when a one out error by Danny Thompson put pitcher Ken Holtzman on first. Ceasar Geronimo pinch hit for Clines and drilled a triple into the gap off of Jack Billingham to plate Holtman and Ron Hunt followed up with a single to plated him to make it 6-3. With Geronimo and Johnny Edwards now in for defense it looked pretty good for Milwaukee and 20 game winner Holtzman. Then came the 8th which started innocently enough with a John Mayberry ground out for the 1st out and then the bottom caved in. Bobby Murcer and Danny Thompson walked and old man Bill Mazeroski shocked everyone with a double into the gap scoring them both. When Roberto Clemente followed with a double of his own the seemingly safe lead was gone and the game tied at six. Milwaukee hurredly got Blue Moon Odem warming and intentionally walked Thurman Munson to buy time. Reggie Smith came up and hit a nubber in front of the plate. The normally solid defender Edwards was slow in getting to it and the speedy Smith was safe at first loading the bases. That brought up Ron Santo who drove in his 4th of the day with a single to center and suddenly it was 7-6 but the Yanks weren’t done yet. Odem walked Oscar Gamble to force in one run and gave up a single to Mayberry to plate another before finally getting the 2nd out on a force play at the plate on a Murcer grounder Santo being out at home, but he then gave up one more single to Danny Thompson scoring two more and another walk to Mazeroski loading the bases before finally getting out of the inning Milwaukee having given up 8 run on seven hits and allowing 14 men to bat. Milwaukee attempted to rally in the 9th on a pair of singles and a two out RBI from Pete Rose but the air was out of the balloon as were their hopes of a series split in the Bronx.

Yankees 11 Brewers 7 WP Beene (1-0) LP Holtzman (1-1) HR Williams (1) Santo (1)

Game 3 at County Stadium Milwaukee

With her series on the line Milwaukee turned to Blue Moon Odem despite his failure in game 2 while the Yanks turned to Bob Moose. The Yanks picked up where they left off with a two run shot in the first to take a 2-0 lead while Milwaukee answered immediately. Geronimo singled to the pitcher and reached 2nd when Moose hurried the throw to first in a vain attempt to nail the speedster. Ron Hunt singled and once again Pete Rose was intentionally walked and once again it burned the Yanks as Ron Fairly also waited out a walk scoring Geronimo. Up came Doug Rader who had hit three grand slams this season. He singled to center scoring Hunt. Pete Rose never hesitated rounding third and heading for the plate but Reggie Smith threw a perfect strike to the plate to nail him and when Ken Berry grounded to 3rd the game was tied after 1.

There it would stay. The Yanks would pull Moose after arm stiffness after is first pitch of the 2nd but it didn’t matter the yanks pitched out of a bases loaded jam in the 3rd stranded a lead off double from Odem in the 4th. Meanwhile Odom stopped Yankees cold managing to draw key double plays when things looked poor. By the 9th the Yanks were on their 5th pitcher and Milwaukee their 2nd but the score remained 2-2 until the 14th when starter Al Downing who was pressed into service in the 10th took the mound for his fifth inning of work. Like Holtzman before him Downing had not giving up a run in his previous start and was now up to this 13th consecutive scoreless playoff inning, but that would change. Clemente singled and was bunted to 2nd. After manager Ingemi called for an intentional walk to Santo to set up the double play Danny Thompson deposited a single to left scoring Clemente and sending Santo to 2nd where he was replaced by pinch runner Oscar Gamble who prompted scored on a Celerino Sanchez single to make it 4-2. Gary Waslewski came in to relieve Downing and k’d pitcher Terry Foster when Reggie Smith came to the plate and drove a ball into left center that would have been a long flyout in NY but in Milwaukee cleared left center with plenty to spare. Suddenly it was 7-2 and despite a couple of singles in the bottom of the inning the Brewers could come no closer.

Yankees 7 Brewers 2 (14 innings) WP Forster (1-0) LP Downing (1-1) HR Smith 2 (2)

Game 4 at County Stadium Milwaukee

With their season on the line and every pitcher that had won in their series against the Twins having failed the Brewers turned to hard luck starter Mike Torrez to face Jack Billingham with it all on the line. Torrez pitched seven strong innings giving up but a single run in the 2nd on the Danny Thompson single. Billingham however did better pitching seven shutout innings and when Wilbur Wood came in for the 8th with a 1-0 lead and struck out both Cesar Geronimo and Johnny Edward swinging it looked like the series was over then and there.

It was not, Ron Hunt managed a single to left and Pete Rose singled to center. Gene Clines came in to pinch hit for lefty Ron Fairly and singled in the tying run before Wood coaxed a popout from Doug Rader to keep the score at 1 all. In the bottom of the 9th Milwaukee got two on with two outs and Fred Beene came in and promptly loaded the bases with a walk but with the winning run 90 feet away Roberto Clemente caught up to a ball driven over his head for the 3rd out and once again we were into extra innings. Milwaukee threatened again in the bottom of the 11th with a pair of leadoff singles from Ken Berry and Gene Michael. LIndy McDaniel came in for Beene and Tim Foli hit for Milwaukee Closer Ken Sanders who had kept the Bronx Bombers scoreless and bunted them over to 2nd and third with only one out. Earl Williams then hit a fly ball to center and Ken Berry tagged up dashing for home. For the second time in the game Reggie Smith would throw a strike to the plate and save the game. Jerry Bell would make his first playoff appearance in the top of the 12th and would give up a pinch hit single to Pat Kelly, which was followed by a pinch hit single allowing the speedy Kelly to reach third. With runners at the corners and nobody out and the season on the line Milwaukee was forced to play in with Reggie Smith at the plate who already saving the game for the Yanks twice anxiously swung at the first pitch popping to first for a key out. MVP Bobby Murcer was up next and hit a fly ball to center. With the speedy Pat Kelly at 3rd it was time for Ken Berry’s arm to be tested and it proved to be as solid at Smith as Kelly was a dead duck at the plate and the game would continue tied to the bottom of the 12th. Muercer while failing to deliver the run managed a great running catch to rob Jack Hiatt of a single for Pete Rose’s single came with the bases empty and the game would go to the 13th. For the 2nd inning in a row Bell would put himself in a jam loading the bases with none out on a Ron Santo, walk, a John Mayberry single and a Roberto Clemente walk, but this time there would be no miracle. Thurman Munson would single to left scoring two and while Bell would retire the next 3 in a row Milwaukee would face a bottom of the 13th down two with their season on the line and the bottom of the order up to face Terry Forster who would make short work of them ending the game and the season for the Brew crew and guaranteeing that the World Series trophy would go to New York although WHICH New York team is still in doubt

New York 4 Milwaukee 2 (13 innings) WP Johnson (1-0) LP Bell (0-1) SV Forster (1)

Series 1 at Shea Stadium NY April

Game one would see the 9-12 Daytraders surprising the 15-6 Yankees as Jerry Reuss would pitch six seven strong innings giving up only 3 hits and 1 run while Wilbur Wood would be tagged for 4 runs including three driven in by Leron Lee on a pair of homers in the 3rd and 7th. Leron Legrow would pick up his first save for quashing a bases loaded rally in the 8th and would double in one more run for insurance in the bottom of the 8th for the 6-1 final. In game 2 the yanks would build a 5-0 lead after 7 on a Bobby Murcer grounder driving in Pat Kelly who had tripled and a grand slam by Phil Roof in the 7th. The Daytraders would rally with 3 in the 8th on a Jim Holt sac fly and a Norm Cash Homer and would plate one more off of Closer Terry Forster one a Steve Brye single with one out to make it 5-4 but Forster would get Graig Nettles and Leron Lee on grounders to preserve the win. The Rubber game would go to the Daytraders as Lefty Carlton would after giving up a pair of unearned runs on a passed ball and a throwing error in the 2nd would work a complete game while the Daytraders would get to Bob Moose for a run in the 2nd on a Cardenas single and two more thanks three 5th inning doubles to Steve Carlton, Leron Lee and Ted Simmons for the 3-2 win.

Series 2 at the Polo Grounds New York

The 2nd subway series of the season started well for the Yankees as Steve Kline shut out the daytraders on five hits. Loser Tom Seaver also pitched a complete game and gave up no earned runs but a key two out error by Leo Cardenas on a Kline grounder loaded the bases for Reggie Smith who crushed it for a grand slam in the 2nd and another Cardenas error would put runners on 1st and third allowing Thurman Munson’s grounder to plate the fifth and final run of the game. In game 2 Bob Moose got his revenge on Steve Carlton giving up only one run in seven innings on a Ken Henderson double while Carlton would be tagged for a pair in the first when Santo singled in Reggie Smith and Roberto Clemente hit a ball over the head of Willie Mays that he might have caught up to in 1962 but didn’t have the speed to reach 10 years later. The Bullpen would surrender 4 more in the 8th for the Yanks 6-1 win. Game three would be a rout as the Daytraders would get 11 hits and 9 runs including 2 homers from Willie Stargell and one from Ted Simmons and go 5-13 with RISP while Phil Niekro’s knucker would baffle the Yanks for 8 1/3 innings with only a Danny Thompson grounder in the 2nd producing a run and a lead that would not make it through the top of the 3rd.

Season series 3-3.

This is a tough series to call. The Yankees have an overwhelming offense and solid pitching meanwhile the Daytraders have perhaps the best pitching staff in the majors with Niekro, Carlton and Seaver along with Dave Nelson who has been unbeatable in the playoffs. Given the Yankess sweep of the impressing rotation of Milwaukee you might naturally think they would get the nod here but there is one factor that I think is decisive. Unlike the Brewers they Daytraders have an offense that’s not only nothing to sneeze at but has a lineup of full of pull hitters (Stargell, Lee, Lis, Mays, Wynn, Nettles Cash) that are taylor made for the Polo Grounds and with the short left and right field fences even pull hitters with moderate power like Bob Montgomery and Dwayne Josephson or little Power like Wayne Garrett can go deep with ease. If the Yankess pitchers can keep the ball in the park at home they should have the edge, particualry if you consider their sweep gives them time to adjust their rotation, but with Carlton, Seaver, Niekro and Nelson I think it’s too tough a hill to climb against a team of power hitters who pull the ball. The Yanks will score their runs and win their games but I don’t think they’ll win 4.

Daytraders in 7.

1972 Dynasty League American League Championship Series Milwaukee at NY Yankees

Posted: October 10, 2024 by datechguy in baseball, dynasty baseball, gaming, online gaming
Tags: , , , , ,

Milwaukee (2nd seed) AL Beta Division title

Divisional Series vs Twins

Game 1 at County Stadium in Milwaukee

The Twins entered their season series vs Milwaukee 0-10 and Last Year’s Cy Young winner Don Wilson turned it up to 11 pitching a complete game shutout allowing only two hits and not letting any Twins runner reach scoring position. Steve Blass was almost as good pitching 1 hit ball over 7 innings allowing only one Brewers runner reach scoring position and be stranded. Alas in the 7th Ron Fairly hit a solo home run to give Milwaukee the lead and then in the 8th after a error by shortstop Dan Monzon put a man on Johnny Edwards (3-4) hit a 2 run shot off the lefty for the final 3-0 score

WP Wilson (1-0) LP (Blass 0-1) HR Fairly (1) Edwards (1)

Game 2: at County Stadium in Milwaukee

Milwaukee jumped right off into a lead in the first inning Johnny Edwards reached with a 1 out walk & Pete Rose with a walk with two down setting up. Ron Fairly singled to left loading the bases for Doug Rader who didn’t manage to hit his 4th grand slam of the year but did single to center scoring Edwards and Rose who beat the throw from Al Oliver. That would be all they would need as Ken Holtzman proved almost as effective as Wilson shutting them out on 4 hits. The Brew crew would score 5 more via RBI’s from Edwards, Geronimo and Bob Heise as each of the three twins pitchers gave up at least two runs before the day was through but Holtzman made sure they were superfluous.

Mil 7 Min 0

WP Holtzman (1-0) LP Bahnsen (0-1) HR none

Game 3 At Metropolitan Stadium Minnesota

The change of scenery didn’t seem to make a big change in results as the Brewers jumped to a 1-0 lead on a Ron Fairly shot in the 1st off of Marty Pattin. In the 3rd the Twins finally managed their first run on the series as Blue Moon Odom loaded the bases in the 3rd on a HBP (Hebner) an Al Oliver walk and a Bobby Darwin single to left, but instead of a big inning Odom managed to coax a pair of ground outs to get out of a jam with only one run (on the Monzon slow grounder) to tie the game at 1.

The tie didn’t last as Pattin hit Ron Hunt, Fairly singled and Pete Rose singled scoring Hunt and putting Milwaukee back up 2-1. There it stayed till the 8th, Richie Hebner singled to center to lead off and moved to 2nd on a grounder to the mound. Milwaukee was two outs away from their 13th straight win vs Minnesota and their 3rd complete game victory when Bobby Darwin put a hanging curve just over the left field fence and suddenly it was a 3-2 Twins lead. and while Pete Rose managed a one out single off closer Sparky Lyle, he would strike out both Jack Hiatt & Doug Rader to give the Twins their first win of the season and playoff life for another day.

Final Min 3 Mil 2

WP Pattin (1-0) LP Odom (0-1) HR Fairly (2) Darwin (1)

Game 4 At Metropolitan Stadium Minnesota

For the 4th time in 4 games the Brewers struck first and early as Cesar Geronimo singled to center, went to 2nd on a grounder and scored on a Ron Hunt single to give them a 1-0 lead. It became 2-0 when Dick Woodson gave up back to back doubles to Rose and Fairly to make it 2-0. That would all that the Brewers would manage as three pitchers would hold them to those two runs. Meanwhile Al Downing kept pulling rabbits out of his hat. In the 2nd after a walk he managed a strike em out throw em out double play. In the 3rd the Twins left a man in scoring position. In the 5th Bobby Darwin led off with a double and a two outs later pinch hitter Bob Watson walked putting the tying runs on for pinch hitter Cito Gaston who struck out looking. ln the 7th a double play erased a lead off single and in the 8th they loaded up the bases with two out but Downing struck out Nate Colbert to get out of it.

In the 9th still down 2-0 the Twins tried again, with one out Angel Mangual doubled to left and after a John Boccabella ground out Downing walked Dan Monzon to put the tying runs on base. Milwaukee Closer Ken Sanders came in with two outs and Ron Blomberg came up as the winning run to either tie the series or end the Twins season. He smoked a line drive but right at second baseman Ron Hunt who didn’t have to move an inch and the game and series was over.

Milwaukee 2 Minnesota 1

WP Downing (1-0) LP Woodson (0-1) SV Sanders (1) HR none.

Yankees (1st seed) AL Alpha Division Title

Divisional series vs Redsox

Game 1 at the Polo Grounds NY

The Red Sox struck first as Carl Yastrzemski took a Wilbur Wood knuckle ball that didn’t knuckle to right for a 1-0 lead. That however would be the extent of The Boston offense and Wood would not give up another run over seven and four other Yankee pitchers would hold the Sox scoreless for the remainder of the game. Claude Osteen managed to keep the Yanks off the board for six innings but in the seventh Thurman Munson and Horace Clarke led off the inning with singles. Phil Roof batted for Wood and singled in Munson to tie the game. After a force out at 3rd Pat Kelly ran for Roof and 2nd and then the bases were loaded on a Ron Santo walk. Osteen managed to retire Clemente on a grounder to short but Kelly scored to give them the lead and with two out John Mayberry and Danny Thompson both singled to score two more and the Yanks were up 4-1. In the 8th they added three more on a Horace Clarke single, a Reggie Smith Triple, a Ron Santo sac fly and a solo shot from Roberto Clemente.

The Sox made one more shot in the 9th. A Santo error put Parker on 1st. After a Petrocelli strike out Carlton Fisk singled chasing Barry Lersch. Yaz greeted reliver Mike Paul to load it up, but Paul got Willie Davis to fly out and Lindy McDaniel came in to face pinch hitter Vada Pinson who struck out swinging for a Yanks victory

Yankees 7 Red Sox 1

WP Wood (1-0) LP (Osteen 0-1) HR Yastrzemski (1), Clemente (1)

Game 2 at the Polo Grounds NYC

The Yankee offense didn’t slow down for game two. In the 2nd Roberto Clemente led off with a single and was driven home on a two out Danny Thompson double who would go to 3rd on the throw and score on a Horace Clarke single off John Curtis. Curtis would give up two more in the 3rd. After getting the first two yanks, Ron Santo, Roberto Clemente and John Mayberry singled to load the bases. Murcer hit what should have been an inning ending grounder to first but it went between the normally sure handed Parker legs scoring two more and just like that it was 4-0. They added two more before the Sox finally got to starter Steve Kline loading the bases on singles by Pinson and Parker and a walk to Carlton Fisk. Yaz came up with the chance to cut the lead in half and hit a drive over Bobby Murcer’s head deep to center but in his best imitation of Willie Mays Murcer managed to track it down turning a sure bases loaded double or triple into a Sac fly and Kline got Rico Petrocelli to ground harmlessly to third to keep it 6-1. But the Bosox didn’t go quietly with one out and Rob Gardner on the mound for NY Ollie Brown and Doug Griffin singled and when the Yanks counted with Barry Lersch pinch hitter Bernie Williams battled for Ken Brett (a slight surprise as Brett is one of the best hitting pitchers in the game) and singled loading the bases . Terry Forster came in to face Pinson and the Redsox countered with switch hitting Don Buford who ripped a ball to third that became a game ending double play to end it.

Yankees 6 Red Sox 1

WP Steve Kline (1-0) LP Curtis (0-1) SV Forster (1)

Game 3 at Fenway Park Boston

With the Red Sox season on the line Ace Gary Nolan holding the Yankee offense to 4 hits and a single 9th inning run as Boston offense produced 11 hits off of three Yank pitchers for a 3-1 win. Carlton Fisk’s first HR of the series and 2nd of the playoffs in the 4th would put the Sox on the board and only a very nice play by Horace Clarke turned a Bud Harrelson smash up the middle into a force at 2nd instead of an RBI single to hold them to one. Meanwhile Nolan not only kept the Bronx bombers grounded but helped his own effort at the plate when Harrelson walked stole second and reached 3rd with nobody out after a Doug Griffin single. Nolan singled to center for the 2nd run and Vada Pinson would do the same scoring Griffin and again it Horace Clarke who stopped the bleeding gloving a Wes Parker liner and doubling Nolan off second that spiked the rally keeping it 3-0 and giving the Yanks their best chance in the 9th when Ed Kirkpatrick started the inning with a pinch single and Ron Santo followed with another with one out. When Bobby Murcer walked to load the bases John Mayberry came up as the go ahead run and waited out a walk of his own to make it 3-1 with at the plate. A single could tie the game but Harrelson quickly came home with Roberto’s grounder for the 2nd out and with everything on the line Nolan coaxed another grounder to short from Thurman Monson allowing the Sox to live to fight another day.

Game 4 at Fenway Park Boston

The Yanks scored first thanks to Redsox mistakes, a rare error by Doug Griffin put Pat Kelly on first and a balk by Rick Wise put him on 2nd to be doubled in by Bobby Murcer and added a 2nd run in the 6th off a Ron Santo shot way over the green monster. Meanwhile the Sox got the lead off man on in both the 1st and second and runners in scoring position with less than two outs in the first three innings without getting them vs Bob Moose. In the bottom of the 6th Moose coaxed a double play off of Carlton Fisk after a leadoff single but then had to leave with a bad arm. Willie Davis immediately doubled to center but Yaz was unable to deliver him. In the 7th with one out Petrocelli singled and stole 2nd but again the Sox couldn’t plate the run so when Bobby Murcer hit a solo shot deep into the right field bleachers in the 8th and Ed Kirpatrick singled in John Mayberry who doubled directly after Murcer’s shot it appeared to be curtains. Yaz managed to put one over the wall in the last of the 9th with one out but it was too little too late.

Final New York 4 Boston 1

WP Bob Moose (1-0) LP Rick Wise (0-1) HR Yazstrzemski (2) Murcer (1)

Season Series

Series 1

April at the Polo Grounds in NY

The Yanks already with a 16-8 record began a five game winning streak with a sweep of the Brew Crew. Game one the teams traded runs for a 2-2 game going into the ninth when John Edwards hit a two run two out shot off reliever Fred Beene. Milwaukee brought in their closer Ken Sanders with one out in the 9th who promptly gave up back to back homers to Phil Roof and Reggie Smith to tie the game and gave up his third solo shot in the bottom of the 10th to John Mayberry to lose it 5-4. The homer parade continued off Blue Moon Odem in game two as he gave up two run shots from Bobby Murcer and Roberto Clemente as Steve Kline and three relivers gave up only six hits the only run on a Doug Rader homer in the 2nd for a 6-1 win. In Game three Mike Torrez only gave up a single run over 6 but Wilbur Wood shut out the Brewers who went 1-6 with runners in scoring position Wood himself added the final scoring with a two run double of his own in the 7th for a 3-0 shutout taking over the best record in the AL from Milwaukee

Series 2 June at Country Stadium Milwaukee

Milwaukee proved to be a less friendly venue for the Yankees as Don Wilson who had held them to two runs in their first meeting over seven held them to one over 9 a Clemente double doing the damage in the 6th. Meanwhile Caesar Geronimo went 2-4 scoring Milwaukee’s first run in the 3rd and driving in 2 in the 4th and one in the fifth for the 4-1 final. In Game 2 a three run shot by Doug Rader in the 3rd off Wood answered a Clemente RBI in the first answered a the Brew Crew struck for 3 vs Wilbur Wood in the 2nd and an Earl Williams doubled made it 4-1 in the fifth when starter Ken Holtzman drilled Clemente in the 6th (possibly in retaliation for Wood hitting Mike Jorgenson in the 4th). While Roberto was unhurt the benches cleared. Holtzman would be ejected and eventually suspended for seven games but he would still get the win as Rader would homer again in the 6th and a two run shot by Pat Kelly in the 8th would bring NY no closer than the 5-3 Final. The Yanks would get their revenge in game three when a 1-1 tie after six was broken open against Al Downing with a 6 run 7th including a Bobby Murcer Grand Slam with 2 outs leading to an 8-1 rout.

Series 3 July at the Polo Grounds New York

The Yanks would get their 4th straight win vs the Brewers at home in another wild afair that went into extras as a 3-0 Milwaukee lead after 4 1/2 was squandered thanks to a solo shot by Clemente in the 5th and a two run rally in the 9th with one out Clemente tying the game on a fielder’s choice after John Mayberry singled in Ron Santo. Torrez managed to get out of that inning and was relieved by the hated Ken Holtzman in the 10th. Both teams traded runs in the 11th Geronimo and Clemente driving in the runs. The Brewers waisted a bases loaded nobody out situation in he 12th and loaded them again in the 13th but failed to score when the Yanks loaded the bases with none out off Holtzman in the 13 and Roberto Clemente drove in his 3 third run on a warning track out deep enough to win the game 5-4. The Brewers earned a split as Don Wilson held the Bronx Bombers to 2 runs in 6 2/3 innings and Ray Lamb shut them out for the final 2 1/3 while Earl Williams hit two Homers driving in three, Caesar Geronimo slammed a two run triple and Jack Hiatt added a solo shot for the 7-2 final

Series 4 September at County Stadium Milwaukee

The fact that both teams had clinched seemed to change nothing in terms of the rivalry as Yanks finally got the better of Don Wilson with a 6 run 3rd including another Bobby Murcer grand slam chasing him after 2 2/3 Milwaukee refused to go quietly however added two in the 3rd and 4th to the getting two their single run in the bottom of the first to make it 6-5 The bombers seemingly put it out of reach in the 8th adding another for to the run they scored in the fifth with Reggie Smith hitting a solo shot and Murcer hitting a three run shot for 7 RBI’s on the day but in the 9th the Brewers rallied with two outs in the 9th off of three pitchers with a bases loaded walk to make it 11-6 followed by a Doug Rader’s 3rd grand slam of the season to make it a one run game but that would be it as Skip Lockwood got Bob Heise to ground out and leave a comeback a run shot. In game 2 Steve Kline would outduel Al Downing giving up 2 over 8 while Downing would give up 3 over 7. Terry Forster came in to close and for the 2nd time in two days the Brewers would mount a 9th inning rally but this one though smaller would prove more successful as Ken Berry’s lead off double would be followed one out later by a pinch hit double by Mike Jorgenson to tie things up. Clines was intentionally walked and Fred Beene was brought into face pinch hitter Tim Foli whose sacrifice bunt turned into a single allowing Ron Hunt to single to center to win their final meeting

Season Series. Yankees 6-4

This looks like it is going to be a great series that will be decided by pitching. If Don Wilson and Ken Holtzman can pitch as they did early in the year Milwaukee can pull it off but the Yanks have home field advantage and were 4-1 vs the Brew Crew at home. As the Manager of Milwaukee I fully intend to win this series but as the person doing the write up objectively while Milwaukee has a better pitching staff the Yankees offense is far stronger and add to that home field advantage I have to give them the advantage at least on paper.

Yanks in 7

Dynasty All Time Great League AL Division C

Posted: July 14, 2020 by datechguy in baseball, dynasty baseball, gaming, online gaming, Sports
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The latest in our writeups of the teams in the online baseball leagues I run. This league is full but I will be recruiting players for my next all pathetic league in a month or so if you are interested in joining that one or getting on the waiting list for this one leave a message in comment.

2009 New York Yankees 54-46 1st place

The Yankees have remained steady as their division rivals have collapsed. Can they hold that 8 game lead or are they due for a fall?

Heroes: Robinson Cano leads the league in hits while sitting at 3rd in batting and doubles. Mark Teixera is 2nd in RBI’s and 4th in HR. Meanwhile Alfredo Aceves has shined out of the pen with a 4-0 record & ERA of 2.91 and a WHIP under 1 (0.88)

Zeros: Phil Coke(6.39 ERA 1.66 WHIP) and Brian Bruney *5.83 ERA .308 avg against) are both keeping Yankee opponents in the game while Brett Gardner and Jerry Hairston have not excelled off the bench.

Wild Cards: 8 different Yanks are in double digits in HR but no yankee starter is more than two games over .500 Meanwhile closer Mariano Rivera is 3rd in the league in saves while 1st in blown saves.

Coming Attractions: The Yanks have 3 in Cleveland vs the 1954 Indians and before rushing home for a quick series vs the 2010 Texas Rangers before going back on the road to challenge the 2002 Aneheim Angels.

Injury Report: One of the features of the Yankee lead is an empty DL

1924 Washington Senators 46-56 9 GB 2nd place (tie)

The Washington collapse is starting to slow but with only 60 games left to make up nine for the lead and 6 for a playoff spot if a turnaround is going to happen it has to happen now.

Heroes: Walter Johnson leads the league in wins is 2nd in innings and is top 10 in strikeouts and ERA while hitting .322 in 59 AB. Sam Rice is 1st in Triples and tied for 4th in hits HR. Meanwhile Goose Goslin leads Washington in HR (10) and RBI (64) while 2nd in avg at .305.

Zeros: Ossie Bluege .218 3 HR 37 RBI and Muddy Ruel .228 0 HR 27 RBI have not excelled at the plate while Byron Speece (0-0 1 sv 5.95 ERA 31 BB vs 21 K) Allen Russell (1-0 1 sv 6.11 ERA .324 avg against 2.25 WHIP) and Joe Martina (1-5 1 BS .309 avg against 6.68 ERA are not doing the job on the mound.

Wild Cards: The Senators continue to lead the majors triples (58) while dead last in HR (23) but they’re also one of the hardest to hit a HR off 3rd from the bottom in the AL. And don’t think you’re stealing against them. Not only do they have the best numbers for catching those trying to steal (.500) but only 5 bases have been stolen against them. But they’ve been giving away runs with a .981 fielding pct, worst in the AL.

Coming Attractions: The Senators are in the middle of a 21 game road trip. They stop in Baltimore to face the 1970 Orioles, head west to face the 2015 Kansas City Royals, north to Chicago to face the 2005 White Sox, farther north to Toronto for the 1993 Bluejays and finish off their trip back in Chicago to take on the 2016 Cubs.

Injury Report: After injuries to Wid Matthews, Bucky Harris 2 for George Mogridge and suspensions to Goslin and Mogridge over the last 30 days the Senators are finally all present and accounted for.

2015 Kansas City Royals 46-56 9 GB 2nd place (tie)

The good news for Kansas City is that they are still in 2nd place neck and neck with the Washington Senators as they have been since the start of the season, the bad news is that this is because they have shared the same sudden collapse at the exact same time.

Heroes: Johnny Cueto leads the league in WHIP is 2nd in wins ERA and avg against. wins is 2nd in innings and 4th in innings. Out of the pen Chris Young & Kelvin Herrera are a combined 4-1 with 2 saves and ERA’s (2.11 1.23) that strike fear in the hearts of hitters Meanwhile Eric Hosmer’s .297 avg 18 HR and 59 RBI along with 25 doubles gives opposing pitchers pause.

Zeros: Salvador Perez has put 10 over the fence but with a .202 avg he doesn’t get man chances. Meanwhile the non-Cueto starters have collapsed with Ednson Volquez (3-14 5.05 ERA) Danny Duffy (8-7 6.00 ERA .320 avg against) and Jeremy Guthrie 3-6 6.83 avg against 8.63 ERA) all digging holes for the offense to try to climb out of.

Wild Cards: While the teams .265 avg is middle of the pack no Royals hitter is over .300 for the season. That seems to be the theme of the team, none of their stats jump out positive or negative but the key hit seems to elude them particularly against the AL division A where they are 10-20 this season.

Coming Attractions: The Royals play 3 in Detroit vs the 1968 Tigers before coming home to take on the 1924 Washington Senators followed by the 1970 Baltimore Orioles before heading back on the road.

Injury Report: Kansas City is at full strength.

2002 Anaheim Angels 44-58 11 GB 4th place

The Angels are only two games behind both the Royals and the Senators so their best chance of getting out of the cellar not to mention making any kind of move this season is now. The question is are they up to the task?

Heroes: Garret Anderson is the bright spot on the Angels lineup leading the league in doubles while top 10 in slugging and RBI’s despite a .209 avg Troy Glaus’ 19 HR is good for 10th in the league On the mound Jarrod Washburn is 10-6 with 2.81 ERA and relievers Ben Weber (2-0 ‘s 3-3 in saves 1.53 ERA and Brendan Donnelly (5-3 1-1 in saves 2.05 ERA) are doing the job in the pen.

Zeros: Troy Percival has saved 17 games but he’s also lost 8 (1-8) blown five and put up an ERA of 7.18. Of course John Lackey at 3-9 with a 7.31 ERA and a .332 avg against doesn’t get to a closer often. At the bat Ben Molina isn’t doing much .195 1 HR 12 RBI but he’s not alone four other Angels starters (Tim Salmon, Darin Erstad, Alex Ochoa and Glaus are hitting .230 or worse.

Wild Cards: The Angels .250 avg is 3rd worst in the AL as are their 75 HR 876 hits & 414 RBI’s. On the plus side their .988 fielding percentage is 4th in the league and their .251 avg against is the 2nd stingiest in the league but alas when their opponents hit the ball it goes far as their top 5 in HR allowed indicates.

Coming Attractions: The Angels visit the red hot 2010 Texas Rangers to start a short road trip that ends in Baltimore to face the 1970 Baltimore Orioles before they head back home for two quick series against the 1st place 2009 New York Yankees and the 1988 Oakland A’s

Injury Report. Catcher Sean Wootan not only won’t be available for the series vs Texas but he won’t be back for the next series vs the Rangers a month from now which means Molina’s poor bat will be in the lineup for a quite a bit longer.

Dynasty All Time Great Teams League “C” Division Update

Posted: May 17, 2020 by datechguy in baseball, dynasty baseball, gaming, online gaming, Sports
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The weekly update of the various Dynasty Leagues that I run. This week Division C in the All Time Any Time Great Teams League. (Note this post was written before the results of Saturday’s games were complete). All individual stats were current at the time of writing.

American League

1924 Washington Senators 29-25 1st

The fight for the top of the AL “C” Division has been an up and down affair Washington has lost 5 of it’s last 6 but still clings to a half game lead pending one series for their Rival Kansas City can their hitting and pitching come together to keep the lead?

Heroes: Walter Johnson Continues to impress after a slow start currently 3rd in ERA tied for 1st in wins and innings pitched, with the best batting avg against (.201) & 2nd best WHIP 1.09 in the league. Sam Rice has also bounced back leading the league in triples 4th in hits and 5th in batting

Zeros: While he’s been phenomenal behind the plate (.993 FPCT 5.57 Ranger factor) Muddy Ruel has been a disaster as the #2 hitter with a .204 avg and only 13 RBI in 186 ab and that’s with Sam Rice hitting ahead of him. Joe Martina has been getting a little more work but that’s added up to an 0-2 record with a blown save in his only chance a 6.67 ERA and seven round trips allowed in only 28 1/3 Innings

Wild cards: Like last year the Senators are dead last in the majors in homers (16) but are 1st in triples with 35. They are also almost impossible to steal against with an .833 caught stealing avg with only Toronto’s Ricky Henderson managing to swipe a base (while being caught twice) against them. The Senators are the only team in the majors with a winning record AND a negative run differential (-3).

Coming Attractions: The Senators finish their 12 game road trip in the division with 3 at the 2002 Anaheim Angels and then fly into the Bronx to take on the red hot 2009 New York Yankees before starting June with a brief 3 game home stand vs the 1998 Oakland A’s

Injury Report: Washington remains one of the least injured teams in the majors with a clean bill of health and with only 24 men on the roster that’s critical.

2015 Kansas City Royals 27-24 2nd place 1/2 game out

A dip from the best record in the league during a Washington winning streak was followed by a 7-3 surge while Washington went 4-6. This has them on the brink of 1st again and a game up for the last wild card. Will Kansas City ride that see-saw all season or can they break away from an increasingly crowded AL C pack?

Heroes: Lorenzo Cain is not only 2nd in runs in the league and 1st in triples on the team but it’s Ben Zobrist (.312 avg 13 HR 43 RBI) & Kendrys Morales. While the bullpen is strong Johnny Cueto (7-1 2.93 ERA 6 GG in 12 starts) is the ace that makes it easy for them

Zeros: While the bullpen overall is strong Madison Ryan has been a disappointment 2-2 5.40 ERA and most importantly 4 blown saves in four chances. Of course the starting pitching must take some blame Edinson Volquez (1-7 5.43 ERA) Danny Duffy (5-4 7.28 ERA .332 avg against) and Jeremy Guthrie 1-2 8.65 ERA .353 Avg against) make the pens job much harder.

Wild Cards: Only Toronto has stolen more bases in the AL than KC (30) and only Texas and the Senators have more hits but nobody AL team out homers them. But their .143 Caught stealing rate is one of the worst in the league.

Coming Attractions: A critical 3 game home series with the 1954 Cleveland Indians will determine if they will hold 1st place and it gets no easier with 3 as the 2010 Texas Rangers come to down with division rival 2002 Angels to follow.

Injury Report: KC remains healthy and they’ll need it with those two big series coming

2009 New York Yankees 27-27 3rd 2 GB

The Yanks 8-2 run including winning their last 5 straight (including a sweep of their arch rival Red Sox) has put them at .500 and right back in the race. Can this run continue or will it run out of breath as it reaches the pack in front?

Heroes: C.C. Sabathia has been a monster and a half leading the league in WHIP (1.05) 2nd in wins (7-2) and 4th in ERA (2.63). Meanwhile Robinson Cano .317 Avg 7 HR 32 RBI is leading the league in runs and 2nd in hits. Oh and Mark Teixeria .296 17 HR (2nd) 49 RBI (4th) impresses too

Zeros: Nobody can call Brian Bruney lazy with 22 appearances in 54 games but with an 0-1 record 8.49 era and a blown save in his only chance, you can’t call him good either. Meanwhile A. J Burnett’s starts have not quite been an exercise in futility but with a 4-6 record 6.63 ERA and an .302 avg against, it’s pretty close to one. Meanwhile Mariano Rivera has blown a full third of his save chances

Wild Cards: The Yanks are right now 2nd in runs and HR in the AL but their 4.71 ERA is the worst of any team not under .500 in the majors and are having trouble finishing games with the most blown saves in the majors (11) in 21 chances with Mariano Rivera leading the AL in saves (10) and the majors in blown saves (5)

Coming Attractions: The Yanks end a 30 game homestand with 3 vs the 1968 Detroit Tigers, 3 vs the 1st place 1924 Washington Senators and 3 vs the 2015 Kansas City Royals before they set off for a 9 city Jaunt to almost every city in the league.

Injury Report: Catcher Jose Molina has missed the whole month of May with injuries and is expect to miss the whole month of June as well which means a lot more work for everyone else behind the plate.

Anaheim Angels 18-33 4th place 9 1/2 GB

The Angels woes were compounded by a 10 game winning streak but they’ve won their last 3 series including a set against the formidable 2016 Cubs. Has the worm finally turned for the struggling halos?

Heroes: Garret Anderson has been a bright spot on a bad season leading the league in double while leading the Angels in RBI’s (45) and knocking 7 HR over the fence and 4th in ERA (2.63). Donnelly Brendan has done fine work out of the pen with a 5-2 record a 2.31 ERA and a .218 avg against. in 19 appearances

Zeros: Alas the agony of choice remains. Kevin Appier  (3-8 6.50 ERA .281 avg against ) and Jon Lackey ( 1-5 7.39 ERA .362 avg) have actually improved their lines since last time but not enough to get off the list. Nor has Ben Molina whose line of .184 1 HR & 7 RBI is better but still horrible.

Wild Cards: With the worst ERA in the AL (5.08) and the 2nd worst batting avg in the AL The Angels don’t take a lot of leads into the 9th but when their .900 save conversion percentage all via Troy Percival which is odd given his 6.11 ERA. The question is can Anaheim’s new manager get them to that 9th with a lead?

Coming Attractions: The Angels get a chance to continue their series winning streak vs the 1968 Detroit Tigers and the 1924 Washington Senators before hitting the road to face the 2015 Kansas Royals.

Injury Report: Kevin Appier and Darin Erstad will both be sidelined for the Detroit series but will make it before the Senators leave town, however reliever Dennis Cook likely won’t be available till the last game in Kansas city.

National League

2016 Chicago Cubs 36-18 1st

Chicago has not only broken their tie with San Francisco for sole possession of 1st place in Division C but holds the best record in the majors and the largest lead of any division leader and the formula has been solid pitching. Can the staff hold the line as the weather get warmer?

Heroes: With a team ERA of 2.85 the choices are wide. There is Aroldis Chapman with a league leading 13 saves & a 3-0 record. John Lester (6-1 2.05 ERA over 12 starts ) and Hard Luck Jake Arrieta (5-6 2.16 ERA .136 avg against and anemic 0.82 WHIP in 12 starts) who are 2-3 in league ERA.

Zeros: On a team with a TEAM avg of .241 Javier Baez line of .220 1 HR & 19 RBI isn’t scaring anyone. On almost any other team Kyle Hendricks 5-5 record .233 avg against & 4.08 ERA would be avg but on a team with a TEAM avg against of .194 & 2.85 it stinks.

Wild Cards: Despite having NO player in double digits in HR the Cubs are thriving in Wrigley with the best home record in baseball (24-6) and while the team’s offense is anemic they are 14-5 against left handers this season. Of course giving up the 2nd fewest HR in the league (39) helps a lot.

Coming Attractions: It’s on the road to Houston to face the 2005 Astros then to the west coast vs the 1962 San Francisco Giants, before stopping home just long enough for 3 with the 1975 Cincinnati Big Red(s) Machine.

Injury Report: All present and accounted for. It will be interesting to see how the pitching holds up if that changes.

1962 San Francisco Giants 30-24 2nd place 6 GB

In any other NL division the Giants Record would have them either tired for 1st or just 1/2 game out. But with the Cubs pitching shutting everyone down the Giants will have to play even better if they want to avoid a one game wildcard playoff.

Heroes: It will surprise nobody that Willie Mays 46 runs 2nd in NL is coupled with 13 HR 42 RBI and perfect defense but Willie McCovey’s 47 RBI’s (3rd vs Mays 8th) 15 HR (4th vs Mays 7th comes with a .390 avg that would lead the league if he wasn’t 12 plate appearances short to qualify.

Zeros: Jose Pagan’s .190 avg 1 HR & 14 RBI with only 18 runs scored in 66 more at bats than McCovey is nasty but not as nasty as the Giants Bullpen who with the exception of Stu Miller has been horrible. Mike McCormick (5.35 ERA .304 avg against 1-2 1 sv) Don Larson ( 7.20 ERA .333 avg against 1-0 2 BS ) Gaylord Perry ( 7.31 ERA .319 avg against 1-3 1.84 WHIP) and Bobby Bolin (10.40 ERA .393 avg against 2-3 2.31 WHIP) are the primary reason why the Giants are back in the pack.

Wild Cards: The Giants team ERA is 4.59 but their 1-4 starters all with 11 or more starts hold ERA’s of 2.78, 3.55, 3.77 & 3.86. It’s a good thing too because the Giants +6 Run differential is the smallest of any NL team with a winning record.

Coming Attractions: The Giants have nine at more before a long 27 game road trip welcoming the 1957 Milwaukee Braves, then the 2016 Chicago Cubs and finally the 2008 Phillies before hitting the road in June.

Injury Report: Reliever / spot starter Gaylord Perry won’t be available till the final game vs the division leading Cubs. Given how he’s pitched that won’t hurt much.

2008 Philadelphia Phillies 24-33 3rd place 13 1/2 GB

A month ago the Phillies were right in the NL C mix now they find themselves 9 games below .500, with a new manager and struggling to get back in the mix in a tough decision. Is this drop a crash or just on a blip in the road back to contention.

Heroes: Ryan Howard‘s 22 Homers leads the majors and his 47 RBI’s are good enough a tie with SF’s Willie McCovey’s for 4th in the NL On a team with a weak bullpen J.C. Romero has appeared in half of Phillies games only allowing a .209 avg & a 1.09 WHIP. Although Brad Lidge has blown 4 his 8 saves are 3rd in the league

Zeros: Rudy Seanez has worked in even more games than JC but without the success with a 5.89 ERA, a 2-4 record and only one save in 4 chances Pat Burrell’s .189 avg 7 HR 19 RBI aren’t going to get the Phillies where they need to be. Chris Coste’s .234 avg 7 HR & 25 RBI is better than Burrell but when you’re a catcher & gun down only 8 of 87 people trying to steal that’s a recipe for disaster.

Wild Cards: Philly’s batters are the easiest K’s in the league whiffing 453 times so far this season but when they connect the ball travels far, their 80 Home Runs lead the majors and while their pitching has been terrible their team ERA of 4.99 is 2nd worst in the NL, when the ball is hit to their players they make the play, their fielding percentage of .989 is 2nd in the NL But it’s lefites (7-14) and road games (6-15) that are most hazardus to their record.

Coming Attractions: Philadelphia finishes their homestand with 3 vs the 2005 Houston Astros before going on the road for a bit starting in San Francisco to face the 1962 Giants before heading to Cincinnati to face the 1975 Reds run by the Phillies former skipper.

Injury Report: All hands are on deck and healthy.

2005 Houston Astros 22-32 4th place 14 GB

With the top of the division surging Houston’s needs to make a move soon before the Giants and Cubs get too far to catch, can their good pitching make the difference?

Heroes: Roger Clemens leads the majors in ERA. In the NL he’s is 2nd in Innings & wins, 3rd in batting avg against and 6th in K’s. Meanwhile out of the pen Dan Wheeler’s has done his job with a 2.13 ERA a .198 avg against and a WHIP even better than Clemens 1.00 at .067.

Zeros: Despite their record the starting rotation has put up good numbers been fine with two exceptions Wandy Rodriguez 6.14 ERA .313 avg against with a 1.88 WHIP means no trouble at the plate. Andy Pettitte isn’t doing much better with a 5.14 ERA a dozen homers given up and a 2-8 record to go with it Unfortunately they aren’t facing any Houston batters Adam Everett has been the worst of the lot a .187 avg 2 HR & 6 RBI.

Wild Cards: With a 3.81 ERA (3rd in NL) and a .990 fielding PCT (1st in NL ) you would think Houston would be right in the thick of things. But add in a .230 batting avg , .301 OBP & .347 slugging pct .648 P{S (all worst in the majors) coupled with only 36 HR (worst in the NL) and you get a last place team 14-22 on the road and & 5-11 vs lefties.

Coming Attractions: Houston takes a shot against the even better pitching of the 2016 Chicago Cubs who come to town finishing their homestand. Then it’s off on the road first to Philly to take on the 2008 Phillies and then to Brooklyn to take on the 1955 Dodgers.

Injury Report: There might be reason for the Astros lack of punch, but injury isn’t one of them.