| Cincinnati Knights @ Jack Street Hustlers | |
| Series Preview: | The American League season is into its semifinal round and the #2 seeded Jack Street Hustlers, champions of the East Division, welcome the #3 seed and West Division runners up, the Cincinnati Knights for a best-of-seven series. |
| Game #1: | CIN 4-10-0, JSH 0-3-0
Dazzy Vance scattered three hits in a complete-game shutout, that featured eleven strikeouts. Jason Giambi’s two-run homer in the eighth extended, and sealed, the win. Ted Williams delivered three hits in the winning cause. |
| Game #2: | CIN 3-8-2, JSH 0-4-3
Johan Santana extended Cincinnati’s pitching brilliance at Jack Street with a four-hit complete game. Lou Whitaker came up with three hits for the Knights, while Ival Goodman’s fourth-inning homer ended the scoring in this one. |
| Game #3: | JSH 5-7-0, CIN 1-7-0
Home field disadvantage continued as the series moved to Cincinnati. Jack Street collected a 5-1 win behind a pair of homers from Bob Meusel. Mark McGwire added a two-run homer in the third inning for the Hustlers, who built a 4-0 lead early and held on. Bill Byrd got the win, working seven-and-a-third and allowing just a single run. Cincinnati now leads the series, two games to one. |
| Game #4: | CIN 3-8-1, JSH 2-4-0
Reb Russell fired seven-and-two-thirds innings, allowing three hits and a pair of runs to give Cincinnati a 3-2 win and a three games to one edge in the series. Ted Williams delivered three hits and Sal Bando cracked a pair of doubles that netted two RBI for the Knights. Joe Medwick homered for Jack Street, which rallied late in the game. Ryan Madson locked down the game in the ninth inning for the save. |
| Game #5: | JSH 9-12-0, CIN 1-3-0
Facing elimination, Jack Street turned to Dan Haren and he delivered five innings of one-hit baseball and the bullpen locked it down in the 9-1 win. Rogers Hornsby delivered a pair of hits, including a two-run homer to pace the attack. Dazzy Vance, who controlled game one, barely made it through five innings and surrendered five earned runs. Ted Simmons collected a double and triple for the Hustlers, who inched closer to getting back in the series, three games to two. |
| Game #6: | CIN 6-11-0, JSH 4-8-0 (12 innings)
The series moved for the final time to Jack Street. Ival Goodman’s two-run homer in the top of the 12th inning proved to be the final runs in the 6-4 Cincinnati win, that advances the Knights to the A.L. Championship series. The extra session was forced when Edgar Martinez doubled to left-center in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and was thrown out at third trying to stretch it into a triple. Ted Williams and Bill Freehan each homered and delivered a pair of hits to the Cincinnati charge. |
| Series Summary: | Cincinnati heads to the American League Championship Series against either Fort Worth or Purry, next week.
This was a great series and congratulations to Joe for a GREAT first season. The Hustlers gave a great effort all season and should be commended on claiming the East Division championship! It was fun to play this head-to-head, as we figured out how to get TeamViewer to work. |
| Purry Cowpokes @ Fort Worth Cats | |
| Series Preview: | Round 2 LEG AL playoffs Purry vs Ft. Worth Both teams won their first-round series 3 games to 2. |
| Game #1: | Back-to-back doubles by Lee May and Ken Singleton in the 2nd inning gave the Cats 1-0 lead. Ft. Worth got another run in the 5th when Keith Hernandez doubled with two outs coming around to score on a single by Alou. The Cats added another insurance run the next inning on a throwing error by Jake Weimer. Thanks to a strong pitching performance Greg Maddux and a trio of relievers the Cat’s held on to take game 1.
Final Cats 3, Cowpokes 0 |
| Game #2: | Purry started the scoring in this one by scoring on a bases-loaded no-out double-play grounder, in the 2nd but Ft. Worth quickly tied in the bottom half when Hernandez singled home Willie Keeler who had led off the inning with a single. The Cowpokes chased Jim Kaat from the game in the 5th starting with back-to-back homers by Saer and Bailey. After a single by Walker Ricky Henderson tripled him home and Kaat went to the dugout. A sac fly followed and the line for Kaat and the game was basically over for the Cats.
Final Cowpokes 5, Cats 1 |
| Game #3: | Back-to-back homers by Rickey Henderson and Tris Speaker put Purry into the lead after 3 innings 2 to 1. The Cat’s speed helped them retake the lead in the 5th off a couple of hit and run plays and an infield single by Willie Keeler. A throwing error by Home Run Baker allowed the Cowpokes to tie the game in 7th, but the Cats were still able to prevail thanks to a two-out RBI-single by Pete Runnels in the 8th.
Final Cats 4, Cowpokes 3 |
| Game #4: | Ft. Worth jumped ahead 5-0 through five innings with lots of singles and a couple of well-placed doubles and cruised to victory behind starter Justin Verlander and a trio of relievers to mop it up.
Final Cats 6, Cowpokes 3 |
| Game #5: | A great pitching duel between Ted Double Duty Radcliffe and Greg Maddux, who both went 8 innings plus. The only scoring occurred in the 5th, “* P. RUNNELS ’60 facing T. RADCLIFFE ’30, T 5th, 1 Out, Bases Loaded, Tied 0-0 COWPOKES playing for the double play … the runners take their lead … now the pitch fisted to right by RUNNELS ’60 … and it falls in front of SPEAKER ’22 … BAKER ’19 scores ALLEY ’68’s rounding third … KEELER ’04’s around second they’re waving ALLEY ’68 in they’re sending KEELER ’04 to third also … the throw goes home … here’s the play at the plate … and he’s … out by inches! … go to town, COWPOKES! they cut off the run! … and the aggressive baserunning does not pay off” Outstanding performances by both starters, but the difference was some really nifty double plays turned by the Cats infielders. Keith Hernandez may be one of the top defensive first basemen of all time. A bit of controversy in the bottom of the 9th as pinch-runner Brady Anderson stole 2nd with one out and although he had a big lead was thrown out at third for the 2nd out of the inning. Team officials have not said if Anderson went on his own or was sent by the third base coach. With the bases empty Cats closer Dennis Eckersley finished of the Cowpokes as Ft. Worth took game 5 and the series. Final Score Cats 1, Cowpokes 0 |
| Series Summary: | Cats win the three games in Purry to take the series 4 games to 1. A very competitive series where Cats seemed to get the key hits and turn the key defensive double plays when they needed it most.
Cats head to the ALCS to face off against division rivals Cincinnati Knights |