Brooklyn surprised some fans by going with Orel Hershiser in the opening game of the series. Hershiser’s credentials are clear–19 wins and a sub 4.00 ERA–but Don Drysedale is (was?) the established ace of Brooklyn’s staff. We’ll see if this fires up Drysedale in Game 2, but that’s for another day.

Today, Hershiser will face the best pitcher in the league, Indianapolis’ Luis Padrón.

The game was scoreless with each hurler allowing only a single hit until Indianapolis’ Johnny Bench took Hershiser deep to lead off the top of the 5th. Hershiser drilled George Foster in the back–as you do–but escaped without allowing additional runs.

The bottom of the 6th saw the first challenge for Padrón: a walk to John Briggs was followed by a single by Jackie Robinson. Padrón whiffed Ron Cey but Mike Piazza took him deep to right, putting Brooklyn on top, 3-1. Even though he was done on the mound, Padrón wasn’t finished, though: he took Hershiser deep in the top of the 7th, once more tying the game.

Clay Carroll took over on the mound from Padrón, and was greeted quite rudely: Duke Snider and Vern Stephens singled and Beals Becker followed with a 3 run shot, doubling the Royal Giants’ advantage to 6-3. Carroll was relieved by Rube Foster, who fared little better as Piazza hit his 2nd of the day, putting Brooklyn on top, 8-3.

Stephens added a solo shot for the final tally, 9-3 in favor of Brooklyn.

Piazza drove in 5 and Stephens and Robinson chipped in with 2 hits each for Brooklyn.

IND 3 (Carroll 0-1) @ BRK 9 (Hershiser 1-0)
HRs: IND – Bench (1), Padrón (1); BRK – Piazza 2 (2), Becker (1), Stephens (1).
Box Score

#Game 2, Thu Oct 4

The key second game would fall to Johnny Cueto for Indianapolis. Brooklyn turns to Don Drysedale, and the question on everyone’s mind is how the big righthander would react to being passed over for the opening game.

Brooklyn’s Dickie Thon continues to be sidelined with an abdominal strain, but Indianapolis has regained the services of OF Emil Frisk, a useful piece off the bench, perhaps.

Drysedale struggled in the top of the first, giving up a double and a walk. But he also whiffed 2, and escaped the frame without harm. Brooklyn would take the lead on a sacrifice fly, taking advantage of an error by Indianapolis’ Barry Larkin, for an early 1-0 lead.

Oscar Charleston took Drysedale deep with a runner on, putting the ABC’s ahead, 2-1. But Indianapolis’ fielding would continue to betray them, with Jackie Robinson reaching on a miscue by Chris Sabo at 3rd and then scoring on a poor throw from Bescher in left on a Ron Cey single. Clearly frustrated, Cueto delivered a belt high fastball to Mike Piazza, who promptly hit it out. 4-2, Brooklyn.

Cueto surrendered another homerun–a solo shot to Vern Stephens–before a John Briggs single chased him from the game.

Drysedale toughed it out through 6 innings, fanning 7 and exiting with the Royal Giants up, 5-2.

Frisk would get his chance: Johnny Bench greeted Burleigh Grimes with a double, and moved to 3rd on a groundout, bringing Frisk to the plate, pinch-hitting for Tommy Helms. But Grimes prevailed, retiring Frisk and Larkin to maintain Indianapolis’ edge.

Bescher atoned for his fielding mistake with a leadoff homerun in the 8th off Terry Forster, but Rob Murphy continued to struggle on the mound, allowing a double to Dan Brouthers and a triple to Jackie Robinson. So we head to the 9th with Brooklyn ahead, 6-3 and Eric Gagne coming in from the bullpen.

Gagne was not his usual self, walking Adam Dunn and Bench to start the 9th. But he recovered, fanning 2 and getting a groundout from Larkin to end the game and put the Royal Giants up, 2 games to nothing.

Piazza’s third homerun in 2 games was key, but the errors were probably more important as only 2 of the runs were earned, leaving Indianapolis’ fans to wonder what if.

IND 3 (Cueto 0-1) @ BRK 6 (Drysedale 1-0; Gagne 1 Sv; Grimes 1 H; Forster 1 H)
HRs: IND – Charleston (1), Bescher (1); BRK – Piazza 1 (3), Stephens (2).
Box Score

#Game 3, Sat Oct 6

We head to Indianapolis for game 3, with Smokey Joe Williams getting the ball for Brooklyn and the ABC’s turning to Eppa Rixey.

Both hurlers delivered, with the game scoreless through 3 innings, but Dan Brouthers led off the 4th with a double and moved to 3rd on a single from Jackie Robinson. Ron Cey grounded into a double-play, scoring the run for a 1-0 edge to the Royal Giants.

Williams only allowed 1 hit through 5 innings, but 5 walks were nudging his pitch count up earlier than Brooklyn would like.

Rixey gave up 2 hits to start the 6th and a sacrifice fly to Dan Brouthers, doubling Brooklyn’s lead and bringing Dolf Luque in from the ABC’s.

The ABC’s got on the board in the 6th when Joey Votto took Williams yard, but Mike Piazza got the run back with a shot to right in the top of the 7th making the score 3-1 in favor of Brooklyn.

Williams stayed in until a single by Adam Dunn in the bottom of the 7th, but the rest of the inning passed without incident. But the ABC’s wouldn’t go without a fight, using a walk and a single to put runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out in the bottom of the 8th. That brought Sandy Koufax in from the bullpen to face Oscar Charleston and Joey Votto. The runners advanced on a double-steal and Charleston singled in 2 runs, tying the game at 3.

The pitching continued to be solid, and we had the first extra inning game of this year’s postseason.

Brooklyn was the first to threaten, with a Vern Stephens double leading off the 10th. Stephens was replaced by the speedier Ray Dandridge, but Clay Carroll got out of the inning when a hard liner from John Briggs turned into an inning ending double play.

George Foster singled to lead off the bottom of the 11th and after Dave Von Ohlen fanned Dunn, the Royal Giants summoned Eric Gagne from the pen. Gagne walked Luis Padrón and then gave up a game-winning single to Barry Larkin, giving Indianapolis a 4-3 victory that keeps the ABC’s in the series.

BRK 3 (Von Ohlen 0-1; Hildenberger 1 H; Forster 2 H; Koufax 1 BSv) @ IND 4 (Carroll 1-1) [11 Innings]
HRs: BRK – Piazza (4); IND – Votto (1).
Box Score

#Game 4, Sun 7 Oct

Pitching depth begins to matter more and more: for Brooklyn, they get to trot out Fernando Valenzuela, who would be a top of rotation starter for most teams, while Indianapolis goes with Joe Lake, brought over mid-season from Chicago to help bolster their staff.

Brooklyn will give Ray Dandridge his first start of the series while Indianapolis will turn to Ed Charles for the first time, sliding Chris Sabo to DH in an attempt to get more right handed bats against the lefty Valenzuela.

With 2 outs in the bottom of the first, Oscar Charleston and Joey Votto doubled, and Johnny Bench followed with a homerun, making it 3-0.

Dandridge rewarded the faith in him with an RBI single in the 2nd, and then scored on a base hit by John Briggs, making it a 1 run game at 3-2 in favor of the ABC’s.

Charleston took Valenzuela deep with a runner on, but the Royal Giants bounced back with a vengeance: Ron Cey and Mike Piazza went back-to-back with big flies and Dandridge tripled in a run by the time the inning ended, Lake had been replaced by Doc White and Brooklyn held a 1 run advantage, 6-5.

Brooklyn added 2 more, fueled by a 2-out double from Roy White, and Barry Larkin got 1 back for Indianapolis with a solo shot. At that point, both bullpens were fully engaged: Sandy Koufax for Brooklyn and Rube Foster in relief of White for the ABC’s. Koufax gave up a run on another Larkin RBI, so after 6 innings we had a 1 run game, 8-7 in favor of Brooklyn. Roy White took Foster deep and Brouthers added another RBI, giving the Royal Giants a 3 run cushion as they turned to the back end of their bullpen

Brouthers drove in 2 more with a double in the 9th, which became important when Charleston hit a 2 run shot in the bottom of the inning. That fetched Eric Gagne from the bullpen, who was able to close it out for a 12-9 win for Brooklyn, and the all-important 3-1 series lead.

Charleston finished with 3 hits and 4 RBIs in the losing cause; Briggs and Dandridge each had 4 hits for the victors.

BRK 12 (Koufax 1-0; Gagne 2 Sv; Forster 3 H; Hildenberger 2 H) @ IND 9 (Lake 0-1)
HRs: BRK – Piazza (5), Cey (1), White (1); IND – Bench (2), Charleston 2 (3), Larkin (1).
Box Score

#Game 5, Mon Oct 8

With Brooklyn having a chance to clinch, the 2 teams will bring out the same hurlers who faced off in Game 1–Orel Hershiser for Brooklyn and Luis Padrón for Indianapolis.

Pedro Guerrero will see his first action of the series for the Royal Giants while Ed Charles will start at 3B for Indianapolis in place of the struggling Chris Sabo.

Indianapolis would take the lead on a fairly unlikely event–a triple by Johnny Bench, which scored Joey Votto. Hershiser and Padrón were dealing, and the game remained 1-0 through 4 innings. In the top of the 5th, Guerrero came through with an RBI single, driving in 2. Ray Dandridge followed with a single, and Brooklyn had a 3-1 lead.

Padrón went 6, giving up the 3 runs. Duke Snider greeted his replacement, Jack Billingham, with a solo homerun; 2 walks and a hit later, the ABC’s brought in Willie Mitchell. It was a challenging ask: Mitchell came into the game with 1 out and the bases loaded. H walked in a run and gave a single to Mike Piazza, making it 7-1 Brooklyn, with 9 outs to go.

Hershiser got 2 of them, pitching into the 7th, but a walk to Padrón and a 2-out single from Bob Bescher brought Burleigh Grimes in from the pen. Grimes got the final out–a flyout from Charles–and we were off to the 8th.

Frank Knauss–yet to see action the series–was given the chance to close the game out for the Royal Giants. Knauss allowed 2 baserunners in the 9th but eventually got Bescher to groundout, ending the ABC’s season and joining Houston in the Division Series.

Dandridge continued to argue for more playing time, banging out 3 hits in the game, but it was really Hershiser’s performance that sealed the deal.

BRK 7 (Hershiser 2-0) @ IND 1 (Padrón 0-1)
HRs: BRK – Snider (1); IND – none.
Box Score

Mike Piazza took home the MVP Award, hitting .400 with 5 homeruns and 12 RBIs for Brooklyn.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Sailing under the radar for most of the season, Brooklyn still managed 99 victories, led by a ridiculously strong pitching staff.

The Royal Giants are one of the a very few teams with a legitimate top 4, and it’s unclear if Don Drysedale‘s 2nd half resurgence earns him a start in the opening game, given that Orel Hershiser (19-5, 3.69), Smokey Joe Williams (12-13, 3.93), and Fernando Valenzuela (14-5, 3.69) each had better seasons than Drysedale’s 11-8, 5.66 record.

The bullpen sports 2 of the dominant relievers of the league, with closer Eric Gagne and setup man Trevor Hildenberger, and Burleigh Grimes and Sandy Koufax provide excellent middle inning help when needed.

The offense is a notch below the pitching: Ron Cey and Mike Piazza are stars, and Dan Brouthers, John Briggs, Jackie Robinson, Beals Becker, and Duke Snider are all quite good. Vern Stephens and Dickie Thon seem to be sufficient at SS, and the versatility of Ray Dandridge helps around the IF, despite his lackluster offense.

George Hendrick has been lights out since being brought over in a trade, and makes the playoff roster ahead of swing starter Jim Bunning.

#Philadelphia Stars

Quite a turnaround for Philly, who were horrible last year, mediocre much of this year, and then turned it on the final few months to finish in 2nd place in the Effa Manley Division.

It’s an odd team in many ways. Clearly, Charles Rogan and his unique combination of a 308/362/620 slash line and legitimate #2 starter mound performances count for a lot, as does Aaron Judge breaking out with an OPS over 1.000, 63 homers, 133 RBI’s, and 108 runs scored. Scott Rolen is excellent at 3B, and Rico Carty held off the demons of age for another productive season.

And then the question marks start … Bill Dickey seems to be the answer behind the plate, but is untested, Sherry Magee could be useful, and the newly acquired Jim Fregosi might finally provide some stability at SS. Seems, could be, might …

The rotation is … odd. Hardie Henderson (18-12, 3.78) is probably the #1, but Steve Carlton‘s stuff is electric, despite a 12-13 record and a 5.05 ERA. Then, Rogan. Behind those, JM Ward has been far, far, far better than his 6-10 record would indicate and lefty Ray Collins is dependable.

Bob Howry, Ted Kennedy, Fred Cambria, and Pedro Feliciano form a solid, no-name bullpen (with trade acquisition Mark Melancon‘s selection to the postseason roster in doubt).

In the end, Melancon made it, as did the disappointing Harry Hooper, but that was more a function of a lack of relevant alternatives than anything else.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Most saw this Houston team as being a year or 2 away, but they kept winning through the Summer, and ended up topping the Marvin Miller Division by a comfortable margin.

The pitching staff is not structured as it was to start the season, as both Stephen Strasburg and Roy Oswalt have struggled mightily all season. Still, it’s a strong opening trio, led by the dominant Toad Ramsey (16-10, 3.23) and Roger Clemens (17-10, 3.71) and the now-healthy Ice Box Chamberlain (4-4, 3.56).

The bullpen has been poor all season, with Sparky Lyle (brought over to be the closer) struggling and Tug McGraw having his issues as well. Jim Kern has been a surprising bright spot, and Andrew Chafin and Roberto Osuna have been solid enough.

The offense is an intriguing mix. Carlos Correa, Jeff Bagwell, and Tony Gwynn are a solid core and Paul Goldschmidt has forced his way into the conversation in about 1/3 of a season’s work. Gentleman Jim O’Rourke has bounced back from a poor first season, and the rest of the pieces–mostly Jim Wynn and teenage phenom Pete Hill–are solid enough.

The worst news for Houston is that C Will Smith, who has absolutely destroyed WBL pitching since his recall, is not eligible for the postseason, putting the onus behind the plate on Jorge Posada, who has struggled. Given the presence of Gorman Thomas–who has also been on fire in limited action–we may see O’Rourke catching more than anticipated.

Thomas’ performance forced Casey Stengel off the playoff roster, as, especially with Dock Ellis injured for a few days, both Strasbourg and Oswalt made it.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

It came down to a playoff, but baseball fans are happy to see the ABC’s make the playoffs, as it extends the season for the best pitcher in baseball, Luis Padrón, and the emerging superstar Oscar Charleston.

The postseason likely brings an end to Indianapolis’ 6 man rotation, as the team will try to maximize the starts for Padrón (23-3, 3.22) and Johnny Cueto (12-14, 4.62). Eppa Rixey, Guy White, and Joe Lake are the most likely candidates behind those 2.

The back end of the bullpen was supposed to be a strength, but both Rob Dibble and Rob Murphy have struggle of late, leaving Jack Billingham and the surprising Mike LaCoss as the strongest performers at the moment.

Offensively, this is Charleston’s team, with the young CF slashing 337/381/619 with 38 homers, 130 RBIs, and 101 runs scored. Joey Votto and George Foster have been excellent and while Johnny Bench fell short of last year’s heights, 46 homers and 116 RBIs from behind the plate is nothing to sneeze at.

Chris Sabo has mostly displaced Ed Charles at 3B, but the biggest issue is the absence of Joe Morgan, who will miss the postseason through injury. Morgan was among the best in the game, and without him, the middle infield becomes pretty mediocre, relying on Tommy Helms and Barry Larkin.

#Predictions

Brooklyn is just that much better than Indianapolis across the board, so I think the Royal Giants take that one, 4-2.

The Houston/Philadelphia series is even harder to predict, and I think it is either very close, going the full 7 games, or Houston’s offense clicks on all cylinders and the Colt 45’s win in 5. Let’s say the former, with Houston edging it in a final contest.

#Monday

Miami moved in front of Detroit by a half game in the AL Wild Card race behind a great start from Phenomenal Smith, whose return may be a difference maker for the Cuban Giants. Smith gave up 1 run in 7 innings, moving to 4-0. Hal Newhouser was good for Detroit, but an early homer from Gary Sheffield and a late one from Joe Adcock sealed the game for Miami.

Cleveland was supposed to have an easy time of it, hosting the lowly Memphis Red Sox. But the Spiders’ bullpen collapsed, and they dropped a 9-8 decision to the visitors, who were powered by homers from Lefty O’Doul, Hack Wilson, and David Ortiz.

In a series that means more for Indianapolis than Philadelphia, the ABC’s opened with a decisive win, 15-8 over the Stars. Johnny Bench hit 2 out, and the game wasn’t as close as the score (Philadelphia tallied 5 in the 9th to make it more respectable).

#Tuesday

Detroit pulled back into a dead heat with Miami, pounding out 6 homeruns (2 from JD Martinez) in an 11-5 win. Ernie Lombardi, Tony Lazzeri, Oscar Gamble, and Ty Cobb also went deep for the Wolverines in an easy win for the visitors.

Memphis did it again, beating Cleveland 4-2, and dropping the Spiders 2.5 games behind the Black Yankees. Homers from Reggie Smith and Wade Boggs backed a strong showing from Stubby Overmire, who moved to 13-9 on the year. The Spiders, however, remained only 2 games behind the Black Yankees as New York fell to San Francisco, 9-0, as Bump Hadley improved to 18-6 with a masterful 1-hitter.

Philadelphia stormed back from a 7-1 deficit, beating the ABC’s 8-7 on a pinch-hit walkoff shot from Aaron Judge–his 60th of the year–in a game that saw 2 grandslams, one from Indianapolis’ Ed Swartwood, the other from the Stars’ Charles Rogan. This was good news for Houston, who dropped a 9-8 decision to the New York Gothams, who were powered by 2 homeruns from Willie Mays. Houston remains 3.5 games ahead in the Marvin Miller Division.

Riding an excellent start from Rick Reuschel, the House of David pulled into a tie with Kansas City by defeating the Monarchs 3-1. Reuschel was supported by Ryne Sandberg‘s 40th homer of the year, and the win leaves both teams 1 game behind Indianapolis in the Wild Card race.

#Wednesday

What you see depends on where you stand: Miami fans will be miserable at their bullpen’s performance, as the Cuban Giants’ relievers surrendered 11 runs over the final 4 innings n an 11-8 loss to Detroit. Wolverines fans, of course, will be applauding the clutch performance of their team, led by Juan Beníquez‘ 4 hits and 3 RBI’s from Charlie Gehringer and Bob Bailey. The win moves Detroit 1.5 games up in the Wild Card chase.

The Spiders are struggling, but they refuse to give up: a Larry Doby homerun and walkoff RBI single from John Ellis gave Cleveland a 9-8 win over Memphis, keeping them at least within touch of the Black Yankees for the Bill James Division crown. Willie McCovey hit his 15th homerun in 35 games, and Paul O’Neill (the first of his WBL career) and Ron Blomberg also went deep.

The Black Yankees fell to San Francisco, as Eddie Plank earned his 20th win of the season with 6 strong innings for the Sea Lions. San Francisco’s bullpen–Ken Howell, Joe Nathan, and closer Rod Beck–fanned 7 of the 9 batters they retired, with Beck earning his 40th save of the season.

Houston bounced back in a big way, using a phenomenal start from Ice Box Chamberlain and 7 homeruns to beat the Gothams, 9-2. Chamberlain allowed 1 hit in just under 8 innings, fanning 12 and 2 of the important cogs in the Colt 45’s late season surge–OF Gorman Thomas and C Will Smith–carried the team, twice launching back-to-back homeruns. Jim Wynn led off the game with a dinger, and Paul Goldschmidt and Jim O’Rourke also went deep.

The victory sealed the pennant for Houston, setting off raucous celebrations in the home dugout. It also meant all of the attention in the NL is now focused on the final Wild Card Spot, currently owned by Indianapolis, but with Kansas City and the House of David hot on their heels (and Homestead still hanging around with at least a mathematical chance).

After fighting back from a 6-1 deficit, Indianapolis suffered a gut-wrenching loss, falling to Philadelphia, 12-8. The Stars were led by homeruns from Sherm Lollar, Harmon Killebrew, Jung Ho Kang, and Sherry Magee.

Ryne Sandberg had 4 hits including a go-ahead solo homer in the bottom of the 8th as the House of David topped Kansas City, 6-5. Jack Taylor continued a late-season rebound with a solid start, but both bullpens struggled in this one. The victory moves the House of David into a dead heat with Indianapolis in the Wild Card chase, with Kansas City 1 game back.

#Thursday

Miami just refuses to lose: Cleveland had taken the lead, 5-4 in the 6th inning, but the Cuban Giants scored 8 runs in their final 2 frames in a 12-6 victory. Miami pounded out 17 hits, led by 3 each from Jim Thome and Martín Dihigo. The game was never sure: Cuban Giants pitchers gave up 8 walks, so the Spiders had constant traffic on the basepaths. But they did just enough, with homeruns from Julio Rodríguez, Dihigo, Alejandro Oms, and Thome.

With the result, the Spiders drop to 1.5 games behind the Black Yankees and the Cuban Giants move to 1 game behind Detroit in the Wild Card race.

Speaking of the Black Yankees … their bullpen continues to be their Achilles’ heel, with 4 relievers giving up 9 runs in 2.1 innings. Ouch. The big blows were homeruns from Jimmie Foxx and Bobby Bonds as San Francisco defeated New York, 13-10.

#Friday

The Black Yankees continue not to grab the Bill James Division by the throat, falling to lowly Baltimore 5-4 in the opening game of the final series of the season. Homers from Eddie Murray, Manny Machado, and a final go-ahead blast from Earl Averill gave the Black Sox the edge in another game that saw less than stellar performances from New York’s bullpen.

Two homers from Gary Sheffield carried Miami to a 5-4 win over Cleveland, preserving New York’s 1 game advantage, and keeping the pressure on Detroit. The Cuban Giants got another strong outing from Jim Whitney, and were able to fade a 9th inning comeback from the Spiders for the victory.

So what will Detroit do with their opportunity?

Play a game for the ages where they held leads of 3-1, 4-2, 9-5, and 10-6. And it was never enough as, after closer Mike Henneman was forced from the game with a back injury, Troy Percival came in and gave up a grand slam to Manny Ramírez and a walkoff shot to Gabby Hartnett. Both Ramírez and Hartnett had 2 homers in the game, while Al Kaline had 2 for Detroit. Kaline had 3 hits and 7 RBIs while Hartnett had 4 hits for Memphis. A true thriller of a game that leaves everything pretty much undecided.

The House of David fell to Houston 8-2, as all eyes turned to the 4 game series between Indianapolis and Kansas City.

Kansas City’s Smokey Joe Wood and the ABC’s’ Luis Padrón squared off in the series opener and while each pitched well, neither were involved in the decision. Instead, after a 2 run shot from Ducky Medwick tied the game, Kansas City won it on a sacrifice fly from Dale Murphy in the bottom of the 9th. So Padrón fails in his attempt to win his 24th game of the year and, more importantly, Kansas City forces a 3 way dead heat for the final Wild Card spot.

#Saturday

Memphis keeps embracing their role as spoiler while relying on a handful of late season call ups. In this case, Bucky Walters gave a good starting performance, Lefty O’Doul had 3 hits, and Wayne Causey drove in 2 with an 8th inning single for a 5-3 victory over Detroit.

It sure looks like Miami has found a key part of their rotation: Phenomenal Smith improved to 5-0, combining with Ricky Nolasco on a 3 hit shutout of Cleveland. Smith struck out 10 before yielding to Nolasco, for the last 2 outs. Martín Dihigo drove in 2 runs, continuing his second half surge.

Miami moves a full game ahead of Detroit for the Wild Card slot, and Cleveland falls 1.5 games behind the Black Yankees for the Bill James Division title, with New York’s magic number reduce to 1.

And then it was none. New York topped Baltimore 11-7 behind homers from Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, and Roger Maris, giving the Black Yankees their first Bill James Division title.

Oh boy … Indianapolis has nobody to blame but themselves.

Behind a great start from Johnny Cueto and 3 RBI’s from Oscar Charleston, the ABC’s took a 6-2 lead into the bottom of the 9th, with their closer, Rob Dibble, on the mound. Dibble got one out, and then 16 of his next 20 pitches missed the strike zone, resulting in 4 consecutive walks, scoring a run. Rob Murphy relieved Dibble, and an RBI groundout and 2 wild pitches later, the game was tied at 6.

Cool Papa Bell walked in the bottom of the 10th, stole second, and scored on a hit from Ozzie Smith, moving Kansas City a game ahead in the Wild Card race.

#Sunday

The final day of the season leaves both final Wild Card spots up for grabs: in the AL, Miami has a 1 game lead over Detroit and in the NL, Kansas City has the edge over both Indianapolis and the House of David.

Miami was unable to clinch it: Larry Doby became the 2nd player in WBL history (and the first in the AL) to hit 4 homeruns in a game, driving in 7 as Cleveland topped the Cuban Giants, 13-7. That leaves Miami’s fate in the hands of Detroit later in the day.

Detroit used a mix of the old reliable–2 homeruns from Al Kaline and 1 from Ty Cobb–and the newly acquired (a strong start from Connie Johnson and key innings from Steve Howe and Troy Percival) to beat Memphis, 8-4.

And so, we finish in a dead heat.

Eppa Rixey combined with 4 relievers (including an important 1.2 innings from Doc Mitchell), leading the ABC’s to a 7-3 win over Kansas City, meaning Indianapolis and the Monarchs finish with identical 79-83 records. The only question is if the House of David will join them in a 3-way tie for the final playoff spot.

Nope.

The House of David tried valiantly, and even outhit Houston, 10-8, but they fell to the Colt 45’s, 10-9 in a game that saw Tony Gwynn rap out 3 hits, reaching 200 on the season. Richie Hebner, Ryne Sandberg, and Anthony Rizzo each had 2 hits, but they didn’t get enough support as the House of David season ends, falling just short of the postseason.

#Monday

So, two playoff games, winner makes the postseason.

#AL

First up, we have Miami visiting Detroit.

The Cuban Giants will turn to Hugh McQuillan who, despite being roughed up in his last start, has been solid for Miami. If he struggles early, look for Jim Whitney to try to give the team some innings on short rest. For Detroit, Pete Conway will take the mound, also on a pretty short leash.

Ty Cobb may be almost universally disliked, but his baseball talent cannot be denied: he launched a 3 run homer in the top of the first and a grand slam in the 2nd, helping Detroit to a 9-0 lead after 2 innings.

Conway, meanwhile, had allowed a single run on 3 hits through 5, and left after 6 with the score 13-2.

Miami scored 3 in the 9th, but fell well short, 14-5. In the end, a just result, as Detroit really feels like the better team. Still, the Cuban Giants went from being the worst team in the league to being this close to the playoffs: a good year for them.

Cobb finished with 2 homers and 7 RBIs, and Al Kaline, Charlie Gehringer, Ernie Lombardi, and Hank Greenberg each also went deep. There was some bad news on Greenberg, who will be out of action for a few days with a leg injury.

#NL

Indianapolis would turn to Doc White while Kansas City gave the start to young Matt Morris.

Kansas City took an early lead on Albert Pujols‘ second homerun of the game, pulling ahead 6-3 after 3 innings, with the ABC’s runs coming on longballs from George Foster and Chris Sabo.

Morris was OK–not great, but not bad–until Tommy Helms singled and scored on a double from Barry Larkin in the top of the 4th. A Bob Bescher walk put runners on the corner, and fetched Frank Castillo from the bullpen. The move backfired as Sabo and Oscar Charleston singled and, after a couple of outs, Johnny Bench brought home 2 with a single of his own, giving Indianapolis an 8-7 lead. Foster followed with his 2nd dinger of the game, extending the lead to 10-7 and chasing Castillo. His successor, Bob Shawkey, gave upa solo shot to Helms and when all of the dust settled, the ABC’s had scored 8 and were up 11-7.

The ABC’s coasted from there, riding additional homeruns by Ed Charles and Sabo to a 15-8 win, powering Indianapolis into the postseason. Sabo drove in 5 and Foster 4, with each of them notching 3 hits on the day.

Kansas City had ridden its pitching staff all year; here their arms betrayed them, surrendering 14 hits and 15 runs.

#Birmingham Black Barons

SS Wally Gerber announced his retirement.

JP Arencibia and Eddie Mathews each hit 2 out as Birmingham topped Indianapolis, 9-4. Lefty Gomez carried a no-hitter through 6 innings, and Hank Aaron and Jim Pagliaroni also went deep for the Black Barons.

Then, Adrián González and Albert Belle did the same, pounding 2 homers each in a 13-7 victory over Indianapolis. Belle drove in 6, giving him 99 on the year.

Aaron again hit 2 out, but the Black Barons fell to Houston in 10 innings, 7-6. There were some positives: Greg Maddux had a good start, something of which they’ll need more of if they want to slide into that final Wild Card slot.

#Houston Colt 45s

37 year old backstop Bob Boone announced his retirement, as well as a desire to go into coaching.

The Colt 45’s had one of their most dominant showings of the year in a 22-1 triumph over Ottawa. Roger Clemens improved to 17-9 with 8+ innings and 10 strikeouts, and the team rapped out 8 homeruns, including 2 from Jeff Bagwell. Bagwell drove in 8 on the day, eclipsing the century mark on the season. Paul Goldschmidt, Jim Wynn, Elliott Maddox, Will Smith, Craig Biggio, and Jackie Warner each also went deep for Houston, and the win extended the Colt 45’s lead in the Marvin Miller Division to 4 games.

Indianapolis ABC’s

Luis Padrón remains superlative, improving to 22-3 with a 4 hit shutout of Philadelphia. Chris Sabo had 2 homers as the ABC’s triumphed, 8-0.

George Foster drove in a half-dozen runs as the ABC’s came from behind to beat Philadelphia 10-8. Foster and Ed Charles had 3 hits each and Foster, Charles, and Johnny Bench each went deep.

#Kansas City Monarchs

The Monarchs recalled Dale Murphy from a rehab assignment, sending utility speedster Rex Hudler back to AAA. More importantly, Smokey Joe Wood began his own rehab, with a goal of being back with the big club by the end of the week.

Wood was indeed recalled, with Dustin Hermanson being returned to AAA. Wood will start in the bullpen, but should re-enter the rotation next week.

#Wandering House of David

Jim Clinton began a rehab assignment, and then was recalled with Frank Sullivan heading to AAA.

Speedy minor league OFer Bob Dernier retired.

Only 6 players are officially full time (that is, they qualify for the batting stats): IF Jimmie Foxx, OFs Turkey Stearnes, John Briggs, Adam Dunn, and Ichiro Suzuki, and everywhere playing Charles Rogan. That group probably forms the core of the shortlist for the final Rookie of the Year Award: if you’re able to hold down a fulltime starting spot as a rookie in the WBL …

#C

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are no fulltime rookie catchers, although 2–Philadelphia’s Bill Dickey and the House of David’s Frank Chance–have seen more and more time as the season has worn on.

Really, that’s it. Chance has played about 3/4 of the time behind the plate, so the playing time is pretty consistent. So … Tom Haller (who is likely to not have a very long career, although he’ll be retained as the backup in Baltimore next season for sure) in the AL and Dickey in the NL.

#1B/3B

The corner IF spots are a bit rough, given the high end talent in the AL and the lack of presence in the NL.

Foxx’s being the only rookie infielder to qualify for the batting championship gives him the lead, despite Ortiz’ remarkable production. Foxx played a little more at 1B than 3B, but given the paucity of hot corner candidates, may get the recognition there, clearing the way for Ortiz.

Pafko played as much in RF as 3B, but we needed more 3B here. Harris is a nice feel-good story–nothing like a 36 year old rookie come good.

#2B/SS

2 of the best here–Cal Ripken, Jr. and Judy Johnson–played regularly elsewhere (including 3B), but logged the majority of their innings in the middle infield.

Interesting list, with Gehringer being the only truly full time player for the entire season, although both Moore and Ripken are close enough to count. The lack of talent at 2B and in the NL is striking.

#OF

Here we have the clear overall RoY from the field players, but there’s more to chew on here than Turkey. Sorry.

We’re not going to be too picky about positions here, going with Stearnes, Kaline, and J-Rod in the AL and Briggs, Rogan, and Foster in the NL; or perhaps Monday, if you want to recognize Rogan on the mound.

The surprises here are probably Briggs (who had an army of doubters, but is 2nd here in WAR) and Monday, whose offense just kept demanding more and more playing time. And mention has to be made of Beníquez–35 years old and a dominant year. He played 1B and 3B as well, so may see recognition there.

#SP

A dozen rookies made 10 or more starts; of those, a half-dozen are worth taking a closer look at.

Foster is the clear class of this group, but Smokey Joe is a very close 2nd. I would add Whitney and Valenzuela to the award list, giving Brooklyn 2 of the 4 slots.

#RP

There aren’t a ton of relievers who are impactful enough to really warrant discussion here, but there are some.

Marberry, McGraw, Forster, and Guardado look pretty solid.

#Birmingham Black Barons

Jim Pagliaroni and Curtis Granderson each hit 2 out of the ballpark, accounting for all 9 runs as Birmingham topped the Gothams, 9-2. Albert Belle and Ryan Braun did the same later in the series, leading the Black Barons to a 13-3 victory.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

Chris Sabo hit 2 homeruns and the ABC’s scored thirteen runs in an inning to break the game wide open, topping Ottawa 16-6 behind another strong start from Luis Padrón, who improved to 16-3 on the season.

Edward Nolan‘s solid enough rookie campaign came to an end as the young hurler was sent to the DL with an elbow injury. While he’ll miss the rest of the season, the ABC’s remain confident he’ll be fully recovered for next season. Dolf Luque was recalled from AAA.

#Kansas City Monarchs

Smokey Joe Wood had 3 hits and struck out 13 over 8 strong innings as the Monarchs topped the House of David, 3-2 behind homeruns from Robinson Canó and Ted Simmons. Wood improved to 13-10 on the year.

#Wandering House of David

Jim Clinton and Anthony Rizzo were both recalled from rehab assignments. Clinton’s return was easy, with Bob Shaw heading to AAA. Rizzo’s was far more complicated, as, even with Cap Anson heading back to AAA, it leaves the House of David with 4 players–Rizzo, Richie Hebner, Mark McGwire, and Ron Santo–rotating through 3 positions (1B, 3B, and DH). For now, they’ll try to spread the PA’s around, but if McGwire’s hot start continues, it does present a bit of a logjam.

It was a good news/bad news day for the House of David: Jack Taylor found some of his form from last season and the team hit 3 consecutive homeruns and 5 overall in a 9-2 win over Indianapolis, but Pete Browning will head–once again–to the DL after being injured making a diving catch in CF in the top of the first. Veteran John Titus was recalled from AAA.

Kyle Peterson continues to be a surprise, combining with Karl Spooner and Ed Bauta on a 4-hit shutout with the House of David topping Kansas City, 4-0. With his 7 scoreless innings, Peterson dropped his ERA below 3.00 and improved his record to 5-2.

Rizzo homered twice, driving in 4, as the House of David edged Kansas City, 8-7. George Stone had 4 hits in the win.

#Birmingham Black Barons

Birmingham named Sam Streeter to its rotation, and sent Fred Fussell to AAA, recalling Alex Malloy from his rehab assignment. They also shook up their bullpen, with all-star Harley Young taking over from Juan Ríncón as closer.

Richie Sexson steps into a platoon with Adrían González at 1B and Ryan Braun looks to take most of the time in LF, essentially pushing Bob Nieman to the bench.

#Houston Colt 45’s

Ice Box Chamberlain was added to the rotation. Rick Wise was returned to AAA as the Colt 45’s dropped back to a dozen pitchers and recalled Kirby Puckett, adding (yet another) OF possibility.

#Indianapolis ABC’s

With the arrival of Chris Sabo, Robin Ventura was returned to AAA after another failed chance.

Emil Frisk‘s strong start looks to keep Jake Stenzel at AAA even after his rehab assignment expires.

#Kansas City Monarchs

The Monarchs made some moves … the least noticed was sending promising Matt Morris on a rehab assignment. Dustin Hermanson, Steve Evans, and Jim King were all sent to AAA to make room for Lee Smith, Joe Harris, and Stan Musial‘s return from a rehab assignment. The choice to keep Cool Papa Bell instead of the far more experienced Evans is sure to cause some controversy.

Craig Kimbrel will be the closer from here on out, depending on Smith and Eddie Guardado to get him the ball, leaving Jeff Pfeffer to hopefully sort himself out in the middle innings.

Harris’ arrival will cut into Dale Murphy‘s playing time, but should strengthen the Monarchs’ offense overall.

Robinson Canó and Musial hit 2 out of the park and Ozzie Smith doubled 3 times as the Monarchs beat Houston, 10-4. Frank Castillo–who, it must be said, didn’t have the best of outings–improved to 11-1.

#Wandering House of David

Kyle Peterson and Larry Jackson were named to the House of David rotation while Jimmy Key was added to the bullpen. Bob Rush lost his rotation spot, but Jack Taylor holds on to his at least for the time being. Bruce Sutter was sent to AAA, leaving the team without a closer at all: we’ll see how that works out for them.

Craig Reynolds, Cap Anson, and Mark McGwire were all recalled as the team tries to sort out its future. Anson and McGwire will essentially rotate at 1B, while Frank Chance will see his playing time behind the plate rise as well.

McGwire went deep twice, but the House of David fell to Homestead, 9-5.

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Rick Aguilera was sent to AAA with Dave Von Ohlen returning from injury. Newly acquired Vern Stephens will get a chance to take over at SS, although expect Germany Smith to continue to see a fair bit of time there, with Matty Alou heading back to AAA.

John Briggs had 2 homeruns, the 2nd a walk-off job in the bottom of the 12th as Brooklyn topped the Gothams, 7-6.

#Homestead Grays

Owen Wilson was recalled from his rehab assignment, taking the traded Chris Sabo‘s roster slot. Sabo’s absence means impressive teenager Judy Johnson will move into a platoon at 3B with Andy Van Slyke. Wilson was recalled largely in light of his performance last season, but he’ll need to step it up to keep the roster spot, as Van Slyke and Goose Goslin cover the same positions (and, in Van Slyke’s case, more).

Goslin hit for the cycle–joining teammate Roberto Clemente as the only players to do so this year–as Homestead beat the House of David, 10-3.

Van Slyke hit the ball over the fence twice, leading the Grays to a 9-5 win over the House of David. Mike Epstein added 3 hits, including a homerun, and Napoleon Lajoie and Honus Wagner also went deep.

#New York Gothams

The Gothams sent Steve Kemp and Pinky Higgins to AAA, with Terry Turner remaining with them solely because of his glove. The Gothams recalled Ryan Zimmerman, who is likely to step directly into the starting lineup at the hot corner.

Don Sutton was named to the Gothams’ rotation, and the arrival of Don Buford moves J0-J0 Moore, who has performed quite well, onto the bench.

This roster still doesn’t really make sense: they don’t have anyone who can competently play RF behind Johnny Callison, and have far too many 1B. The most likely next move is for Pete Runnels to head to the minors with an OF coming back up.

#Ottawa Mounties

Clayton Richard and Chris Bosio moved to AAA with Dave Gregg being recalled from his rehab assignment and Bill Crouch the latest minor league arm recalled for a shot at WBL glory.

#Philadelphias Stars

John Burkett was recalled to take the role of the now-departed Larry Jackson in the Stars’ bullpen. Butch Wynegar‘s time in the WBL was limited, as he was demoted to AAA to clear the way for Bill Dickey, who will take over the bulk of the catching duties.

That is the largest immediate change, although both César Hernández and George Hendrick will see more playing time as Philadelphia tries to overcome their struggles in CF and the middle infield.

Pete Alexander began a rehab assignment.

Rogers Hornsby and Richie Sexson were traded for the 2nd time at the All-Star Break, each changing teams last season as well.

Baltimore sends John Wetteland & a 4th Round Pick to Portland for Mike Cuellar.

Wetteland’s struggles this year don’t eliminate his immense upside, and this trade reunites Cuellar with his historical team. It also reinforces Baltimore’s belief that the Black Sox are closer to competing than Portland may be.

Miami sends Ryan Braun, Richie Sexson & a 7th Round Pick to Birmingham for Jim Whitney, Andy Pafko, José Cruz, and a 2nd Round Pick.

This one is tricky. Miami is in the unfamiliar position of potentially competing for a playoff spot, and are in desperate need of pitching. Whitney is a first-time all-star, so he is being sold at what is most likely his peak value. Braun is clearly a force, but moving him allows Miami to clearly define roles for Jim Thome and Gary Sheffield and to expand playing time for Yasiel Puig and Al Oliver (Pafko’s acquisition is seen as relatively short-term, with his versatility aiding in the Cuban Giants’ playoff push). From Birmingham’s perspective, Braun immediately becomes a significant lineup addition, and Sexson has a much clearer road to the WBL with the Black Barons.

San Francisco sends John Beckwith & a 3rd Round Pick to the House of David for Frank Grant.

A straight up future talent deal. The Sea Lions think they have their 2B issue solved with this deal, and since Grant is already in the WBL, they had to throw in the pick. It’s not clear where Beckwith plays for the House of David–or when he arrives–but a bat like his will eventually not be denied.

Los Angeles sends Don Buford to the New York Gothams for Freddie Patek and a 2nd and a 5th Round Pick

LA is rebuilding, at least slightly, and Buford has struggled this year, while the Gothams need help both in LF and at 2B. Patek has a future, but the 22 draft picks are the meat of the deal.

Philadelphia sends Larry Jackson to the House of David for Jung Ho Kang, Luis Aparicio, and a 7th Round Pick.

The House of David wanted pitching; given how established in the WBL Jackson is, they would have to pay relatively dearly for it. Aparicio has a massive amount of upside at a position the Stars lack, the rest is to make it all acceptable.

Cleveland send Victor Martinez, Bill Drake, and a 1st Round Pick to Detroit for Ed Bailey and Claude Passeau.

Bailey started the all-star game, but at 37, may be close to done. With Detroit looking to the future and Cleveland trying to make a late push for the playoffs, the Wolverines got to essentially name their price: a C for the future, a strong SP prospect, and a pick seems about right.

Kansas City sent Heliodoro Hidalgo, Jimmy Key, and a 3rd Round Pick to the House of David for Joe Harris and Lee Smith.

The Monarchs addressed 2 significant needs as they try to make a 2nd half push, adding 2 players who were in consideration for the all star game. Both are well into their 30s, but still Kansas City’s price was steep, as Hidalgo is an excellent prospect and Key still has some life in his arm.

The Black Yankees sent Willie Randolph, Jake Peavy, Bill Monbouquette, and a 1st Round Pick to Portland for Rogers Hornsby and Pascual Pérez.

Trying to avoid a repeat of last-season’s collapse, the Black Yankees did the same thing, perhaps overpaying for an all-star 2B. This time, it’s Hornsby, who certainly seems less likely to fade than Tom Herr did last year. Portland was willing to include the immediate value of Pérez for Monbouquette and the currently injured Peavy. If he returns to his potential, this could be a steal for the Sea Dogs, who also get some insurance at 2B in the form of Randolph.

Indianapolis sent a 4th Round Pick to Homestead for Chris Sabo.

The ABC’s needed some depth at 3B. Shrug.

Brooklyn sends a 4th Round Pick to Memphis for Vern Stephens.

Stephens carries a hefty salary (which Memphis will help offset) and has been awful this year. But the Royal Giants are desperate for help at SS.

The Grays inherit players from the Pirates, as well as a smattering of NeL players generally associated with the Grays.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

Homestead is in a virtual tie with Brooklyn atop the Effa Manley Division.

There is a long way to go, but a playoff appearance would be a heck of an accomplishment for what was one of the truly weaker sides in the league last season.

THE OFFENSE

It’s an offense that is evolving into one of the most dangerous lineups in the league top to bottom, with most of the talent under 25 years of age.

#What’s Going Right

Josh Gibson is emerging as a generational talent. OF Rick Reichardt is actually hitting better than Gibson with a 1.166 OPS to Gibson’s 1.155. But Gibson is 21 and a C and–assuming health–has a long career as one of, if not the, best backstop in the league ahead of him. But it’s about more than the two of them: veteran presence Willie Stargell is tied with Reichardt in homeruns and Mike Epstein gives them 4 batters in double digits.

3B Chris Sabo has a SLG over .700, arguing for more playing time, but both Nap Lajoie and Honus Wagner seem to be learning how to use their immense talents. Wagner, Andy Van Slyke, and Andrew McCutchen have combined for 46 SBs, led by McCutchen’s 20.

#What’s Not Going Right

Neither Van Slyke nor McCutchen are hitting much (Van Slyke’s OPS has edged over .700, which isn’t bad, but McCutchen is stuck in the .650s). Roberto Clemente is struggling to match his production from last season, and the other reserves–Rey Sánchez and Del Crandell are doing virtually nothing in their limited opportunities).

Stargell strikes out too much, and Wagner’s offense at this point is merely decent for a young SS, not actually decent. That’s about it.

THE PITCHING

It’s better than last year. But all that means is that it’s not miserable.

#What’s Going Right

Josh Lindblom has emerged–perhaps a little surprisingly–as an elite closer, with 12 saves and 3 wins in his 19 appearances, and the lowest WHIP on the staff.

Francisco Liriano is still the “ace” of the staff, but the quotes are very well deserved: he’s 3-4 with a 4.48 ERA, numbers that are pretty much indistinguishable from those of Billy Pierce and Bob Friend. Doug Drabek won a job on the staff with a strong Spring Training, and has been excellent, but is just recovering from injury. His successful return to form would go a long way to solidifying the mound corps.

Michael Jackson has recovered from a rough 2000 to be a solid bullpen contributor this year.

#What’s Not Going Right

Finding the back end of the rotation has been a struggle. Ray Brown has been hit hard, but retains his spot in the rotation for now, while the final rotation spot has become a bit of a free-for-all, currently distributed between Carlos Zambrano, Brickyard Kennedy, and Cliff Lee. But none of those are having much luck.

Rick Ownbey and Dave Giusti, so effective last year, have been, at best, thoroughly mediocre this year.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

The Grays have a strong system. In the OF, Ralph Kiner (still a teenager) and the Waner brother, Lloyd and Paul, look to have WBL ceilings, and in the IF, there are a wealth of options in Judy Johnson, Freddie Lindstrom, Howard Johnson, and Khalil Greene.

Throw in Clayton Kershaw (currently dominating A ball), Nip Winters, Pink Hawley, and Tim Lincecum and there is enough talent to sort out the Grays’ mound woes, although the exact path to do so is far from clear.

WHAT’S NEEDED

Pitching. And then, more pitching.

Beyond that, when the Grays traded for Lajoie last year, they had visions of a Lajoie/Wagner infield developing into a truly elite pairing. They need to keep building towards that, with the hope they, Gibson, and a few others can all peak at the same time.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

• Who pitches? Absolutely still the key question. There’s Liriano, a hopefully healthy Drabek, and then …. a whole lot of question marks.
• For a team without top end talent, there are a surprising number of logjams (Davey Johnson and Lajoie and even the ageless Jeff Kent at 2B; Rick Reichardt and Willie Stargell at LF; Roberto Clemente, Andy Van Slyke, and Owen “Don’t Call Me Chief” Wilson in RF). Some things have clarified. Johnson and Kent are at AAA (and struggling), and Wilson is trying to come back from a shoulder injury. The Grays seem to have committed to Wagner and Lajoie in the MI, and are happy to let the OF play out over time.

FEATURED SERIES

The Grays open up the week with 3 games in New York to take on the division rival Gothams.

Projected Starters

Homestead starter listed first.

Francisco Liriano (3-4, 4.48) @ Christy Mathewson (2-5, 4.71)
Bob Friend (3-2, 5.43) @ Juan Marichal (4-3, 4.68)
Ray Brown (3-4, 6.21) @ Gaylord Perry (5-4, 5.15)

Game One

It’s not like Francisco Liriano was bad–it’s just that Christy Mathewson was better, as Liriano gave up 2 runs in just over 6 innings while Matty held the Grays scoreless through 7. A single to Mike Epstein and a double from Napoleon Lajoie chased Mathewson.

It got a little weird form there: Robb Nen‘s first pitch hit Honus Wagner on the elbow, forcing him out of the ballgame; Chris Sabo brought home one run on a sac fly, Andy Van Slyke reached on an error by Brandon Crawford, and an infield hit from Rick Reichardt tied the game at 2. Josh Gibson hit a sharp single to LF, scoring 1, but Jo-Jo Moore threw out Van Slyke at home. Willie Stargell drove in another, and Roberto Clemente beat out an infield single, meaning the Grays had run through their entire lineup in the inning. It looked like Nen had gotten out of it when Andrew McCutchen (who had pinch run for Epstein way back when) whiffed, but the ball got past the Gothams’ C, Dick Dietz, and McCutchen beat the throw to first, scoring another run.

So, Homestead now held a 5-2 lead heading to the bottom of the 8th. Dietz would try to redeem himself, hitting his first career homerun after a pinch double from Willie Mays, closing the lead to 5-4.

Josh Lindblom was perfect in the 9th, sealing the come from behind victory for the Grays.

HOM 5 (Ownbey 3-1; Lindblom 13 Sv; Giusti 4 H) @ NYG 4 (Nen 1-1, 2 B Sv)
HRs: HOM – none; NYG – Posey (13), Dietz (1).
Box Score

Good news for Homestead, as Wagner will only miss a day with a bruised elbow.

Game Two

With Bob Friend still out with some wrist issues, Cliff Lee got the start for Homestead against Tony Mullane, who wasn’t expected to last more than 3 or 4 innings in a sort of bullpen game for New York.

Perhaps to be expected with a couple spot starters, there were some longballs early: Rick Reichardt, Josh Gibson, and Andrew McCutchen for Homestead and Willie Mays for New York, leading to a 3-2 lead for the Grays after 3. Mullane gave up another one in the 5th, but overall his start wasn’t bad.

Lee’s was even better, until a Jo-Jo Moore double closed the gap to 4-3 and chased him from the game. Johnny Callison gave New York the lead later in the inning with a double off Brickyard Kennedy. It was short lived: Mike Epstein took the usually unhittable Mike Norris deep in the top of the 8th for a 2 run shot, swinging the game back to Homestead, 6-5. Norris hit 2 batters, but got out of the inning without further damage.

Gibson hit his 2nd of the game in the top of the 9th, which grew in importance when Larry Doyle hit a pinch hit dinger off closer Josh Lindblom to leadoff the bottom of the frame. Lindblom was able to close it out, giving the Grays the first 2 games of the series.

HOM 7 (Kennedy 2-0, 1 B Sv; Lindblom 13 Sv; Jackson 7 H) @ NYG 6 (Norris 2-3, 1 B Sv)
HRs: HOM – Reichardt (18), Gibson 2 (16), McCutchen (3), Epstein (14); NYG – Mays (19), Doyle (2).
Box Score

Game Three

When the Grays’ offense clicks, it clicks. 14 hits, 9 runs, and (finally) a strong outing from Ray Brown later, and Homestead had the series sweep. They did it with 6 runs in the top of the 4th, sending 4 balls over the outfield walls. An inning later, Andy Van Slyke joined Andrew McCutchen, Goose Goslin, Josh Gibson, and Mike Epstein in the homerun parade.

Brown loaded the bases to start the 8th, but Dave Giusti came in to get out of the jam without allowing a run. Giusti was forced from the game, but is likely to be available in a day or 2.

HOM 9 (Brown 4-4) @ NYG 1 (Marichal 4-4)
HRs: HOM – McCutchen (4), Goslin (2), Gibson (17), Van Slyke (3), Epstein (15); NYG – Crawford (7).
Box Score

This is what the Grays dream of: an irrepressible offense, enough pitching to get by, and a stream of victories.