[Tiger Fan]

1980 AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
A natural rivalry should develop here especially with how talented each of these teams appear to be. It is the first playoff berth for the 1969 expansion Brewers while the White Sox make their third ALCS appearance in 4 years.

GAME 1 - Bart Johnson and Bill Travers meet in the opener of what should be a long series. The White Sox take a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a 2-run double from Jose Ortiz but the Brewers responded with 2 runs in the second and 2 more in the third, the last 2 on a Willie Montanez homerun. Chicago ties the game with single runs in the 5th and 6th inning. It stays that way through 9. Neither team can mount a rally in the 10th inning. In the bottom of the 11th catcher Mike Colbern leads off with a double off of Brewer reliever Tom Hausman. Third baseman Fran Mullins, replacing the injured Don Money in the series, singles to score Colborn with the winning run and the White Sox take game 1 by a 5-4 score.
Mullins, a rookie who has just 3 major league games under his belt, is the hero going 3-for-6 with the game winning rbi.

GAME 2 - Dusty Baker hits a 2 run homer in the first inning and Francisco Barrios is outstanding as the White Sox go up 2-0 with a 3-2 win. Rich Gossage closes out the game for the save. Bucky Dent got the other rbi for the White Sox and had 2 hits. Moose Haas pitched well but took the loss.

GAME 3 - The series shifts north to Milwaukee. Paul Molitor drives in 3 runs as the Brewers double Chicago 6-3. A 3 run 8th inning highlighted by as bases loaded single from Ron Theobold was the difference. Jim Slaton got the win with Tom Hausman recording a save. Lamar Hoyt went the distance for Chicago but took the loss. Molitor had 3 and Robin Yount 2 of the Brewers 8 hits.

GAME 4 - The Brewers take a 4-1 lead early in the game. White Sox rookie Harold Baines cuts the Milwaukee lead to 1 with a 2 run homer off of Bart Johnson in the 4th but Gorman Thomas' solo shot in the 6th makes it 5-3 Brewers. In the 8th the White Sox rally to tie the game on rbi singles from Brian Downing and Dusty Baker.
Dan Spillner takes over from Johnson and promptly surrenders a single to Dave Parker to lead off the Milwaukee 8th. A few batters later Parker is on third with catcher Charlie Moore at the plate. Moore loops an rbi single and the Brewers lead 6-5. Tom Hausman pitches a perfect 9th for his second save and the series is tied at 2.

GAME 5 - A slugfest. Two homeruns from Fran Mullins, the first two of his major league career, stake Chicago to a 6-3 lead after 4 innings. Jerry Hairston's rbi single in the 6th makes it 7-3 but then the Brewer bats come alive. Doubles from Dave Parker and Gorman Thomas allow Milwaukee to score twice in the bottom of the 7th to make it 7-5, then 2 more runs in the 8th and the game is tied. Carlos May hits a pinch hit 2 run double in the 9th inning off of Brewer closer Tom Hausman and Chicago is back in front. With the score 9-7 White Sox the ball is handed to Goose Gossage to get the final 3 outs. It's over right? Dont count the Brewers out as Charlie Moore leads off with a double. Pinch hitter Jim Gantner grounds out but Willie Montanez singles to score Moore and make it a 1 run game. Another out is recorded but then Sixto Lezcano takes Gossage deep for a 2 run homer and the Brewers win the game 10-9 and take a 3-2 series lead.

GAME 6 - With a chance to clinch the series, the Brewers come out flat. It is all Chicago as the White Sox delight the home crowd with an 8-3 win to force a 7th game. Fran Mullins is again the star driving in 3 runs. After going 1-for-13 in his 3 career regular season games Mullin is batting .321 with 2 homers and 8 rbi in the series.

GAME 7 - For the third time in the series it is Bart Johnson against Bill Travers. Dusty Baker hits a solo homer in the bottom of the second to give Chicago the lead but Fred Lynn ties the game for Milwaukee with a third inning homer. In the top of the 6th Paul Molitor goes yard to make it 2-1 Brewers but the White Sox respond with 3 runs in the bottom of the inning. Brian Downing's 2 run double is the big blow. In the 7th Fran Mullins leads off with a double and scores on a Bucky Dent single to make it 5-2 Chicago. George Culver replaces a tiring Johnson in the 8th and, despite allowing 2 hits, escapes without any major damage done. Rich Gossage strikesout the side in the 9th and the White Sox are going back to the World Series.

Mullins caps a cinderella series for himself by winning the Series MVP award. He has now played 10 career games with all but 3 in the postseason.

Next up the NLCS.