NL Play In Game: Cubs 3, Expos 1 - Soto-matic

Wrigley Field
Chicago 3, Montreal 1
Kerry Wood vs. Dustin Hermanson

Following MLB’s lead, KOD decided to have a play-in game this year. Say what you will about having a winner-take-all one game playoff after a grueling 48 game regular season, but this game had it all. Both managers left the field muttering to themselves. I’ll leave it to my esteemed readers what the managers might have been muttering.

Manager Burnette of the Cubs took a gamble. With below average starters for the most part he decided to start his ace Kerry Wood on three days rest. Maybe this is one of the reasons that Kerry would not last as an elite pitcher in the big leagues. His thinking was that he had future HOF’er Fergie Jenkins in reserve. Manager Weiss went with Dustin Hermanson. Hermanson was 1-3 on the year and a so-so ERA. Serviceable but not the top pitcher with both Steve Rogers and Joe Hesketh pitchingbetter for the course of the season.

The strategy for both managers paid off in the beginning. It was a scoreless game heading

into the 5th. Montreal put the 1st run on the board when an Ian Desmond single drove in Larry Walker. Wood who had struck out 7 in 4 1/3 innings was starting to labor. Fergie Jenkins was brought in and kept Montreal at bay. But with the way Hermanson was pitching a 1 run lead might be enough.

It was until the bottom of 6th. Ernie Banks singled. With 1 out Billy Williams looked to ground into an inning ending double play. But a hustling Williams and a questionable call at first kept the inning alive. Up stepped Geovany Soto. Soto blasted a 375’ shoot to left center and the Cubs had the lead. They would add a run in the 7th on a Bill Madlock single.

Jenkins and closer Bruce Sutter would shut down the Expos over the last 4 2/3 innings allowing only a hit and a walk. Jenkins gets credit for the win and Sutter continued his masterful job at closing games, picking up his 11 save of the campaign.  Sutter got the first two Expos out easily to start the 9th, but then tension began to mount as Brett Barbarie reached first on a Banks error at short and Walker walked.  This brought up the go ahead run with 2 outs in the form of Brad Wilkinson.  On a 2-2 count Sutter broke off a gorgeous splitter that Wilkinson swung over the top of, to end the game and propel the Cubbies into the first round of the playoffs.

This was a well played and managed game by both managers. Kudos to Marc Weiss, who said the4 following in his post game press conference:

"Today the Montreal team was let down by their manager, who chose to pitch to the #8 hitter (Soto) instead of walking him to face the pitcher.  Many of the tabloids up in Montreal have been printing articles that the game might have past me by.  At this point I'm unsure if that might not be the truth.  I hope that Montreal ownership will see fit to bring me back for another season."

--submitted by Ron Burnette--

AL Play In Game: M's score 2 in the 9th to break 0-0 deadlock

Seattle at Milwaukee
Dave Fleming vs Jerry Augustine
Neither team could go to their ace pitchers for this all important 1 game playoff match. Both teams had used them in the final series of the season. Which by chance was against each other. Milwaukee in a hard fought battle won that series and overtook Seattle for 2nd place. Today's match-up would be no different. Milwaukee went with Jerry Augustine 2-2 and 7 appearances in the KOD 16 regular season. Seattle countered with Dave Fleming who was 2-1 in 4 appearances.

Both pitchers knew the season was on the line and they both delivered in this classic match-up. Seattle was off to a fast start as Ichiro Suzuki singled to left and Rich Amaral bunted him to 2nd. Augustine then got Bret Boone to flyout and Alvin Davis to ground out. Over the next inning and a half both pitchers pitched 3 up and 3 down ball. In the third with two out Suzuki singled to right, stole 2nd. Amaral grounded to SS Pat Listach but an error by Listach put runners on the corner. Augustine then struck out Bret Boone to end the threat. With one out in the 3rd Wayne Comer lined a single to left but Fleming got the next two to groundout to end the inning. In what seemed to be a repeat of the 3rd inning for Seattle with 2 out Donnell Nixon singled to left, advanced to 3rd on a Darnell Coles single between third and short, but once again Augustine shut the door with a Kenji Johjima groundout.

The fifth inning saw both pitchers give up a hit. Seattle a double by Amaral and a single by

Milwaukee's BJ Surhoff but each retired the other batters. The sixth inning was more 3 up and 3 down ball. In the top of the seventh Augustine walked Coles who was replaced on 1st with speedy Julio Cruz once again Augustine shut the door striking out Johjima, forcing Cruz at second on a fielders choice and then when Darren Bragg attempted to steal 2nd Surhoff gunned him down to end the top half of the inning. In the bottom of the 7th Edgar Martinez went to play 3rd and Ryan Braun lead off with a single. Fleming barred down and struckout Prince Fielder and Casey McGehee but walked Surhoff. Danny Walton popped to short to end the inning. Augustine went 3 up and 3 down. With two out in the bottom of the 8th Listach singled to right, with Paul Moiltor coming to bat Seattle went to Karl Best who struck out Molitor to end the 8th.

With 8 innings played it was still 0-0. Alvin Davis walked to start the Seattle 9th, Milwaukee brought in setup man Jayson Durocher, and Danny Tartabull grounded to short advancing Davis to 2nd. With Nixon coming to the plate Milwaukee prepared for a bunt by the speedy centerfielder but he was called back and Rupert Jones came to the plate who singled to left scoring Davis. Edgar Martinez flew out and Johjima tripled scoring Jones. Ray Searge came in to strikeout Bragg to end the inning. Down 2-0 and their last 3 outs Milwaukee's Ryan Braun lead off with a single to right. Seattle then pulled Best and brought in their ace reliever Ed Vande Berg who was 0-1 with 8 saves in the regular season. He got Prince Fielder to ground into a double play and struck out Casey McGehee to end the game. Seattle wins 2-0.

This was a classic playoff battle scoreless until the 9th. Pitchers were at their best with many 3 up and 3 down innings. Between the two teams only 3 walks were issued. Both coaches coached a masterful game but alas only one team could win and Seattle was able to get a little restitution for the season ending series. Karl Best was credited for the victory, Jerry Augustine the loss, Ed Vande Berg the save and Game MVP was Seattle starter Dave Fleming.

Thanks to Ron for a hard fought playoff classic.
--sumbitted by Robert Chisholm--

AL Play In Game Preview: Calgary Canons (aka Seattle Mariners) at Milwaukee Brewers

Both teams came ever so close to winning the AL Expansion division.  In fact at one point during the season both teams either had first place to themselves or a share of it.  The Halos started fast, had a lull, then finished strong to capture the division.  This put Milwaukee and Seattle in a spot to vie for the play in game.  Both teams met up in the final series of the regular season with the Brew crew edging out the M's by taking 3 of 4 in a series marked by close games.  The bats carried the Brew Crew.  Top of the order guys Pat Listach (.342, 21 steals) and Paul Molitor (.301 15 steals) get on often and run just as frequently.  Scott Podsednik (.295, 15 steals) is a dangerous catalyst too.  When they get on they score thanks to triple crown threat and MVP candidate Prince Fielder (.281-14-48) and catcher Darrell Porter (.297-10-30).  Ryan Braun (.281-7-18) compliments the big 2 quite nicely.  The Brewers got nice seasons out of Bill Parsons (5-2, 2.95) and Teddy Higuera (4-1, 3.28).  Cal Eldred was a solid # 3 guy with a 4-4, 3.00 record.  The en was a bit shaky with Axford (0-1, 5.40, 6 sv) closing games.  Ladd (0-1, 6.23, 2sv) was not much better.  Doug Henry (0-0, 3sv) looked to be the answer, but his body of work wasn't all that extensive.
Robert Chisholm's Calgary Canons (aka..Seattle Mariners) were a true labor of love.  When the season started, "Chiz" confided in me that he was looking forward to managing the guys he saw pass through Calgary AAA, back when Canada had baseball.  He wasn't expecting much, but he expected to have a lot of fun strolling down memory lane.  Turns out his passion for this group of guys and his managerial skill pointed them to a post season spot.  His offense afforded him just 17 home runs.  Alvin Davis led the team with just 5.  Of his regulars only 2 hit over .300.  Ichiro Suzuki (.304) and Rich Amaral (.307) get on base.  Griffey Jr. disappointed with just 2 runs batted in and zero homers in 44 AB's.  Matt Young (6-1, 1.60) did everything you could expect from a front line starter.  His Cy Young Award type season may have just pitched the M's into the post season. Mark Langston (4-1, 2.24) was a great # 2 man and Joel Pineiro (5-2, 3.16) was one of the best #3 guys in the league.  Seattle wins with great pitching and timely hitting.  Their starters go as far as they can go and then it becomes a mix and match out of the pen that doesn't have one dominant closer on the back end.

NL Play In Game Preview: Expos at Cubs

Both Montreal and Chicago arrived at this game with identical 24-21 records.  Both teams arrived in different fashions.  The Cubs started off strong and seemed to fade down the stretch, while the Expos had to fight there way back into playoff contention after starting the season 1-3.  Both teams haven't faced each other since the opening week series where the Cubs dominated the men from the Great White North.  Montreal's offense goes through "the Rock", Tim Raines, who hit .386 and stole 24 bases from the leadoff slot.  His running mate, Delino DeShields hit .303 with 10 thefts.  Both had OBP's over .400.  Steve Rogers (4-2, 1.79) was the ace of their staff.  Dan Warthen started the season off strong going 3-1, but lost his last 4 decisions.  Dale Murray (0-0, 0.00, 4 sv) took over mid season from Chad Cordero as the closer, which fueled Montreal's stretch run.

Chicago got a .400 season from 3rd baseman Bill Madlock, who posted an out of this world OPS of 1.030.  Ernie Banks tied for the team lead in HR's (6), but hit only .215.  Geovany Soto (.261-2-17) anchors the backstop and Randy Jackson, who splits time at 3rd with Madlock had a very respectable .280 average to go along with 6 homers.  Pitching, which typically is not a strong suit at Wrigley, was very solid this season.  Kerry Wood (5-2, 2.71) can blow away any unsuspecting hitter.  Big Daddy, Rick Reuschel (3-3, 2.40), didn't get the run support.  Bruce Sutter (0-0, 0.87, 10 sv) was lights out as the closer going 10 for 11 in save oppotunities.

Final KOD16 Regular Season Standings:

Tribe plays spoiler to O's post season aspirations

With a tear in the eye, the birds of Baltimore check out of the playoff chase, dropping 3 of 4 to the Indians.  Cleveland pretty much outpitched and outhit Baltimore all around with the one exception of a game two shut out courtesy of Mike Mussina.

Well, maybe next year.

Good luck to all in the playoffs!

mark
Baltimore

Editors Note:   Here are the game by game breakdowns:

GAME 1:  Larry Doby paced a 13 hit attack by going 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored and 2 runs knocked in.  Doby, who most folks forget was the 2nd African-American to play major league ball, hit 2 homer in this game.  Gene Bearden (7-3, 3.18) got the win.

GAME 2:  The aforementioned 5 hit shutout by "Moose".

GAME 3:  Gary "Ding Dong" Bell goes the distance giving up 2 runs on 4 hits, while the Tribe's offense knocks Ned Garver out of the box and Cy Young contention after 3 2/3 innings.  Jody Gerut and Sand Alomar Jr. both had 3 hit games with the former also knocking in 3 runs.

GAME 4:  Herb Score fanned 12 in 7 innings, but still had to rely on the pen to save this one for him.  Baltimore, with their backs up against the wall, made a last stand in the bottom of the 9th.  Roy Sievers homer with with out made it a one run game.  Eddie Murray followed with a pinch hit double and things really became interesting.  Unfortunately for the boys from Charm City pinch hitters Markakis and Courtney made out to end their post season aspirations.

Braves eliminated Dodgers from post season

Game 1:Atlanta 2 LAD 1

Craig Mcmurtry finally gets his first win of the season and ruins any playoff hopes for the Dodgers.  Mcmurtry pitches 7 strong innings scattering 7 hits and giving up 1 run.  Earl Williams provides the scoring with a 2-run double in the top of the 8th.

 

Game 2:LAD 7  ATL 3

The Dodgers jump all over Ron Reed with 5 runs in the first and cruise to a 7-3 victory in game 2.  Todd Hollandsworth goes 3 for 4 in the victory.

 

Game 3:ATL 2 LAD 1

A 1-0 in the bottom of the 6th when Atlanta gets 3 straight 2 out singles to tie the game at 1.  The Braves win it in the bottom of the 9th when Labine walks in the game winning run.

 

Game 4 ATL 9 LAD 7

The bats finally come out in game 4 and Atlanta finishes on a strong note with a 9-7 come from behind victory behind 3 hits from Bob Horner.  Jason Heyward gets the game winning RBI in the bottom of the 8th.  Craig Kimbel gets the save in the 9th.
--submitted by Andy Sexton--

Amazin's clinch NL Expansion Div Title

GAME 1 - Stadie' Olympique

Seaver vs Rogers

Expos 4, Mets 2

Needing to take 3 of 4 to take the division the Expos got off on the right foot by beating "The Franchise" in a close 4-2 game.  Steve Rogers, who has been really rounding into form, went the distance and gave up just 1 earned run (2 total).  Montreal got 2 hit games from 3 guys:  Delino DeShields, Ryan Zimmerman and Gary Carter.  David Wright hit his 9th homer in a losing cause.

GAME 2

Gooden vs Hesketh

Mets 6, Expos 1

Vintage Doc.  Montreal got 1 run in the bottom of the 1st, then looked feeble the rest of the way thanks to New York's 19 year old phenom, Doc Gooden, who struck out 12 and walked just 2.  Doc allowed just 2 hits over the final 8 innings.  Having 6 runs in his back pocket was equal to having 60 with the way he was dealing.  For good measure he went 2 for 2 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored.

GAME 3 - Shea Stadium

Morton vs Koosman

Mets 1, Expos 0

With a win tonight the Amazin's would clinch the Expansion division title.  All eyes were on Flushing as Jerry Koosman and Carl Morton locked up in a pitcher's duel worthy of the importance of this game.  Morton blinked firs serving up a 2 out solo shot to Darryl Strawberry, which would turn out to be the only run of the game.  Montreal had their share of chances to tie it, but Koosman and his understudies were better.  Kooz would fan 7 in 7 1/3 innings or work then give way to a core of 5 relievers, who held the 'Spos to just 1 hit with Jack DiLauro closing out the ball game by getting Danny Espinosa to ground out with the bases loaded.  The Metsies and their fans celebrated their division flag in style.

GAME 4

Gullickson vs Gentry

Expos 8, Mets 3

With the #2 seed firmly in tow the Amazin's made sure to rest everyone essential.  Montreal needed to play hard in order to ensure a spot in the play in series vs the Cubbies.  A 2 run shot by, seldom used, Moises Alou in the top of the 5th was the opening salvo in a inning where the Expos would pound Met starter Gary Gentry for 6 huge runs.  The Amazin's would get half of that back in the bottom of the 6th off of Gullickson, who ended his day at the inning's close.  Dan Warthen went the final 3 innings to get the save and ensure that the Expos would have a 1 game with destiny vs Chicago in 2 days.  The Hawk, Andre Dawson, hit a 3 run shot in that same 5th inning.  Fans in Flushing were still in a celebratory mood from the day before, so no boos or catcalls were heard all day.

Reds take 3 of 4 from Cardinals

As the season wound down the Cincinnati Reds topped off a solid campaign by taking their final three games of the season, after St. Louis took the opener of the four game closing set. Four Cardinal pitchers combined to surrender only 5 hits and one tally in the 4-1 Redbird victory in the opener, with Albert Pujols and Chris Duncan connecting for back-to-back home runs off Gary Nolan in the fifth to provide most of the offense. Ernie Broglio got the win in relief of Bob Gibson, who had to exit in the fourth inning with tightness in his right shoulder. The Cardinals took no chance in extending Gibson with the team out of the race, as he looks to be a promising young hurler with a live fast ball who once he gains some control could be one of the better pitchers in the game.

Wayne Simpson, another pitcher who looks to have a terrific future, pitched 2 hit ball over 7

innings as the Reds shut down the Cardinals in game two 5-0. The Reds pounded out 11 hits, 3 each by Frank Robinson and Ron Oester, with Frank including a double and triple among his base knocks. Robinson looks to be a future hall of famer if he stays healthy, and could be one of those "franchise" players that become untouchable in potential trade talks, and by the end of his career could establish several Cincinnati club records and become a legend in the Queen City.

Game three saw the Reds score two in the bottom of the first off of Ron Taylor, used solely in relief before this one start, before the Cardinals countered with 5 of their own in the second. The Reds got one back in the third, then leap-frogged to the lead with 3 in the sixth and that's where the scoring ended, 6-5 Cincinnati. Chris Duncan homered again, number 7, ending up with 3 hits and 3 RBI in a strong finish to a fine season. Vada Pinson, close to the equal of Robinson, hit number 4 for Cincinnati.

The final game of the season was all Reds again as

Wyoming's Tom Browning was backed by an 11 hit attack and cruised to a 5-2 win. Vada Pinson and Tommy Helms hit 1 and 2 in the order for the Reds and were on base in 4 of their combined 9 plate appearances, including a double (Pinson) and homer (Helms).  The Cardinals not only did not pitch well but added insult to injury by committing three errors in an extremely lackluster performance to close the season.

--submitted by BikeMike--

A's sweep Bombers to make run at division flag

GAME  1 – Oakland Coliseum

Bahnsen (3-5) vs Zito (2-0)

A’s 3, Yankees 2

New York jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first courtesy of a Thurman Munson 2 out 2 run double that scored Moose Skowron and Roberto (don’t call me Bobby) Kelly.  Oakland answered back 3 innings later to tie it with a 1 out 2 run single by Ben Grieve, which was aided by a Tony Kubek error at the hot corner.  Grieve wasn’t done damaging Bronx pitching.  In the bottom of the 6^th he would single home the would be winning run to make it 3-2.  Barry Zito recovered nicely from his shaky first inning to post goose eggs for the following 6 before handing the ball over to Steve Ontiveros, who got the next 4 outs.  Ontiveros, Bob Lacey and Huston Street (3^rd Save) combined to finish out the game by holding the Yanks scoreless.

GAME 2

Grim (1-3) vs Blanton (3-3)

A’s 7, Yankees 2

Once again the boys in pinstriped suits jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first.  The A’s didn’t get on the board until the bottom of the 6^th when they scored a solo run.  Grim looked firmly in the driver’s seat until the A’s unleashed a 6 run barrage that chased Grim from the hill and battered his replacement Phil Coke.  A three run blast off the bat of Mr. October, Reggie Jackson, served notice that the A’s were playing for a date in the postseason.

GAME 3 – Yankee Stadium

Archer vs F.Peterson

A’s 7, Yankees 5

For the 3^rd consecutive game the road team scored 2 runs in the top of the first, but unlike those first 2 the road team did not lose.  New York did answer back with 5 run in the next 2 innings to go up by 3, but the A’s fired back with 4 in the 6^th and an insurance run in the 8^th to put the Bombers away.  After an ineffective 2 1/3 innings to start the game Jim Archer was sent to the showers.  4 Oakland relievers gave up just 1 run over the final 6 2/3 innings.  Rickey Henderson and Yeonis Cespedes both had 3 hit games.  Rickey stole his 8^th base of the season in limited action.

GAME 4

Nash (3-2) vs Downing (1-1)

New York had their bags packed and their team bus warming up on this getaway game.  Oakland was looking to steal 1 more win to gain a series sweep in order to challenge the Chisox for the AL Charter division title.  The game stayed close until the top of the 5^th when the A’s posted 4 big runs.  It went downhill quickly for New York afterward.  Jim Nash went 7 strong innings to get the win and Jim “Catfish” Hunter threw a scoreless final 2 for the A’s.  Both Henderson and Yeonis Cespedes paced Oakland’s offense for the second consecutive day.  Cespedes had 3 RBI’s including a homer.  Slumping Jose Canseco walked 3 times and got 1 hit, which enabled him to get 2 stolen bases.

Brew Crew takes 3 of 4 from M's

Seattle enters this key series 1 game ahead of the Brew Crew and 1.5 games behind the Halos. This turned into an epic series.

 

Game 1 – Milwaukee 10 Seattle 7

 

Milwaukee scored 5 in the first and looked to be cruising to a victory in game 1. Seattle however would not quit. They came back to score 5 themselves in the 2nd. A quick hook by manger Burnette may have made the difference. Jerry Bell replaced Angel Miranda in the 2nd and he held the Mariners to 1 run over 6 innings. Prince Fielder led the heading brigade for Milwaukee with his 14th homer and RBIs number 43-46. Teams are now tied for 2nd.

 

Game 2 – Seattle 2 Milwaukee 1

 

The start of the pitchers duel. Matt Young outdueled Cal Eldred as Young earned his 6th win. Young went 8.1 giving up 1 run before turning it over to Ed Vande Berg for the his 8th save. Seattle scored the winning run in the 8th. Ichiro lead of with, guess what?, another base hit. Bret Boone in his pre-steroid days bunted him to 2nd. Then the Brewers forgot how to play catch. Reliever Ray Searage threw a wild pitch on ball four to Alvin Davis. Then with the infield in trying to cut down the go-ahead run, B. J. Surhoff thought he playing left field for a minute and failed to catch a fastball right down the middle. Ichiro scored and that was ball game. Seattle back ahead by 1 game.

 

Game 3 – Milwaukee 3 Seattle 2

 

Another great pitchers duel between Bill Parsons and Mark Langston. Seattle scored first in the 4th on a Rupert Jones homerun. Milwaukee tied it in the 6th on a Ryan (Yes I cheated but no you didn’t catch me) Braun RBI. It stayed that way until the 8th. Robin Young led off with a pinch hit single to left. Podsednik bunted him to 2nd. Pat Listach blooped a single to center allowing Yount to score the go ahead run. But again the Mariners would not quit. Rupert Jones lead off the home half of the 8th with a walk. That man Boone again sacrifices him to 2nd. Dan Plesac strikes out Dave Valle and the Brewers are thinking they will get out of this jam. Pitching coach Burnette comes out and suggest to Plesac to walk Edgar Martinez and take his chances with Darnell Coles. Not sure what happened, but before Burnette could find his seat, Martinez floated a single to left center and the game was tied. Manager Chisolm decided to keep his ace Langston in for the 9th. With 2 out, up steps Greg Vaughn. Vaughn hits a 334’ blast to left to give the Brewers a 3-2 lead heading to the 9th. Doug Henry came on to pitch the 9th and earn the save. Well played tough fought game. Teams are all tied up again.

 

Game 4 – Milwaukee 6 Seattle 5

 

The winner of this game would claim at least 2nd place and a place in the upcoming playoffs.

 

Seattle streaked out 5-0 lead after 4 innings. Capt. Hook Burnette struck again, removing an ineffective Teddy Higuera with Yovanni Gallardo. Gallardo answered the bell with 3.2 scoreless innings. Meanwhile, Bobby Madritsch was mowing down Brewers left and right. After 7 its still a 5 run lead. The Brewers scored 2 in the 8th to make it 5-2. With Ed Vande Berg and Tom Wilhelmsen warming up for the 9th victory still seemed a foregone conclusion. Vande Berg comes on to start the 9th.  Pinch hitter Jeff Cirillo leads of the top of the 9th with a walk. Seldom used Joey Meyer delivers a single and the Brewers have runners at 1st and 2nd and no outs. A murmur starts to run through the crowd. Ace closer Wilhelmsen is brought in to finish the job. Listach pops up and the crowds starts to relax again. Paul Molitor rips a triple down the left field line and all of sudden it 5-4 with the tying run down at 3rd. Braun steps to plate and promptly strikes out. Prince Fielder, who has carried this team all season, rips a double off the wall. Molitor sores and we are all tied at 5. Casey McGehee bloops a hit to right that allows the still slender (well at least in terms of where he is now) Fielder to score from 2nd and the Brewers now lead 6-5. Doug Henry comes on in the 9th giving up walk to Alvin Davis in earning his 2nd save in row. 

 

Brewers end up in 2nd, 1 game ahead of Seattle. They anxiously await word of the Angles upcoming series.

--submitted by Ron Burnette--

A's and Tigers split

GAME 1 - Oakland Coliseum

Galarraga vs Byrd

Tigers 6, A's 1

A 3 run blast by Juan Encarnacion in the top of the 7th broke this game open for the Tigers, who were nursing a 3-1 lead to this point.  Armando Galarraga (3-1, 2.38) did a fine job giving up just 1 in 7 innings.  Harry Byrd went the distance taking one for the team while giving up 13 hits and 6 runs.

GAME 2

Fidrych vs Nash

Tigers 6, A's 3d

A strong performance by Mark "The Bird" Fidrych (5-4, 2.90) helped the Tigers play road warrior spoiler for the second night in a row.  Tony Clark (3-4) had half of Detroit's hits.  Jim Nash (5 runs in 4 innings) once again disappointed on the hill for the A's.

GAME 3 - Tiger Stadium

J.Parker vs Verlander

A's 8, Tigers 7

Jarred Parker lasted just 2/3 of an inning as the Tigers victimized him for 3 runs.  Oakland found themselves down 6-1 after 5 innings with their pennant hopes fast fading.  Some late inning heroics, including a huge 5 run 8th put the A's back in a game they should never have been in.  Oakland hit 3 long balls in the 8th.  Mitchell Page led off with a solo blast.  Terry "grapes of wrath" Steinbach hit a 3 run shot with 2 outs that was aided by an untimely error at the hot corner by HoJo.  Scott Spiezio capped it off with a solo blast to put the A's up for good.  Credit Tony Pierce with the save with a perfect 9th inning.  Rollie Fingers (1-2, 6.43), who is usually the mop up man got the unexpected win.

GAME 4

T.Hudson vs Lary

A's 3, Tigers 0

Once again the home team went down to defeat.  Tim Hudson was brilliant in his six shutout innings.  Once he hit the magical 100 pitch plateau he was replaced.  Bob Lacey (7th), Joey Devine (8th) and Andrew Bailey (9th) protected Hudson's handiwork.  Terry Steinbach, who pushed his average above the Mendoza line, hit a homer for the second consecutive day.  Ben Grieve and Ed "the Glider" Charles each had 2 hit days, as the bottom of Oakland's order did all the damage.

Tribe takes 3 of 4 from Bosox

Game 1

Sam Mele drives in 2 runs and Nagy gets the win as the Bosox beat the Indians 5-2.

Game 2

Al Rosen smacks a 2 run HR in the first and Mudcat Grant is outstanding on the mound as Cleveland blanks Boston 2-0.

Game 3

Herb Score does his imitation of Mudcat and follows with a shutout of his own holding Boston to 4 hits and striking out 12.  Cleveland wins 3-0

Game 4

After being shutout for 22 innings the Bosox finally score 2 runs in the third but that was it as Dennis Eckersley and the bullpen limit the Boston hitters to 6 hits and the Indians win the game 3-2

Cleveland takes 3 of 4 from Boston

--from Erik Nelson--

Bravos take 2 of 3 from Amazin's

Game One - Damian Moss goes the distance, spinning a four-hitter to lead the Braves to a 4-0 win over the Mets. The Braves' 12-hit attack was bolstered by three hits from Chipper Jones and homers from Dusty Baker and Rico Carty.

WP - Moss (4-1)        LP - Matlack (3-4)

Game Two - Doc Gooden and two relievers combine to four-hit the Braves and Mets' piece together three runs in the second to key a 5-0 Mets' win.

WP - Gooden (4-3)        LP - Beachy (2-4)        SV - DiLauro (1)

Game Three - The Mets wackiest game of the season ends

in an 8-7 loss as the Braves take the series .Fifty players appear in the game for the two teams (sixteen pitchers). The Braves tie the game with two outs in the ninth on a Baker single off of Jeff Reardon. The teams strand runners and trade zeroes till the 14th inning, when a Jason Phillips leadoff pinch-homer and Lenny Dyskstra bunt single plate two runs to give the Mets a 7-5 lead. But the Braves come right back in the bottom of the 14th. Sam Jethroe's pinch-double ties the game with two outs; and when Jose Reyes boots Earl Williams' grounder, Jethroe comes around to score the game-winner.

WP - Assenmacher (1-0)        LP - DiLauro (0-1)
--submitted by Chris Gotay--