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1972 WPK World Series, Game 3 (at Columbus)
As it turned out, Charlotte manager Greg Maye and Columbus manager Aaron Toth were engaged in a bit of gamesmanship and subterfuge, as in fact the starters who took the mound for game 3 were Jalen Cotton for the visiting Sting and Bobby Garrity for the home town Whalers.
Though both teams might have been better off going with their previously stated intended starters as neither Cotton or Garrity were as effective as usual. Garrity in particular was a victim of, among other things, his own command struggles. Although he walked only 3 batters in his 5 innings pitched, a pair of two-out walks in the 1st inning led to 2 runs and put the Whalers behind early. He would allow another run in the top of the 3rd but then the home club rallied for 4 in the bottom of the frame to take a 4-3 lead. Having been given a lead Garrity needed to settle down a get a clean frame or two. He didn't. After having allowed 3 more runs in the next 2 innings he gave way to stopper Alvaro Hernandez, who pitched a good inning. The next Whalers reliever to enter the game, 25-year old Carlos Riojas, gave up a solo HR to Cody Kane. Meanwhile, Charlotte's dominant reliever Jamel McNeil took over from Cotton in the 7th inning and over 3 innings was pretty much perfect, allowing no runs, no hits, no walks, while striking out 7.
Charlotte takes the 2-1 advantage in the series with a 7-5 victory in Game 3. (Jim Decker stays hot, going 3 for 4 and hitting a double in the win.)
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