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Nick Soulis · 07-14-2021, 07:24 AM

PRELIMINARY ROUND
Series #15
1992 Oakland Athletics (96-66) vs 1951 Boston Braves (76-78)

Maybe not at their best, but still extremely good, this 1992 Oakland team had a good 5 year run where they ran ragged on the American League. The core of the championship team still in tact with Rickey Henderson getting it done at 33 years old with 48 steals and Mark McGwire coming on to strong slugging .585 with 42 home runs. Jose Cansesco still can mash it although he was begginning to fall a bit out of favor and was hampered by injuries. Tony Larussa had his pitching in line and at the anchor was Dennis Eckersley who saved 51 games and had a sub 2 ERA. The rotation is a bit long in the tooth with everyone over 30 and Ron Darling along with Dave Stewart trying to find their form of old. A fun deep club, the A's should be much too strong for the Braves in this series but we have seen the A's falter when they wernt suppose to.

Close to a .500 club, the Braves were not that bad of a club and had some inklings of what would come later in the decade. The pitching staff was very good and should be fun to watch against Oakland; Warren Spahn is a dominant lefty with a 2.98 ERA and 22 wins. Names like Vern Bickford and and Chet Nichols will look to step of their performance to support Spahn. Sid Gordon had a very good season at the plate driving in 109 and hitting .287 while Earl Torgeson had an .812 OPS; catcher Walker Cooper hit .313 in 109 games. In the pre henry Aaron years, it will be interesting if this team could compete and put more then a scare for Oakland to deal with.

Game 1 At Oakland Coliseum
Clear Wind blowing left to right 8 mph
1992 Athletics...................0
1951 Braves......................8
WP: W. Spahn LP: R. Darling
HR: S. Jethroe
1951 Braves lead series 1-0
Leave it to an ace to set the tone of any series. Warren Spahn handcuffed the 1992 Athletics in game one shutting them out and striking out 11 while allowing six hits on 137 pitches. A perfect debut for Spahn who was locked in a tight game with Ron Darling but Roy Hartsfield broke the tie in the sixth and in the 9th, Sam Jethroe hit a grand slam off Jim Corsi to empty the Coliseum.

Game 2 At Oakland Coliseum
Partly cloudy Wind blowing in from left 11mph
1992 Athletics...............8
1951 Braves.................7
WP: G. Nelson LP: B. Hogue S: D. Eckersley
HR: J. Canseco, M. Bordick; S. Gordon
Series tied at 1
Sid Gordon drives in 5 runs but it wouldnt be enough as Dennis Eckersley closes out a one run win for the A's to even this series. Jose Canseco hit a long three run home run as Oakland poured 5 runs home in the 5th to answer their imept showing in game one. The Braves fought back but came up one run short and a lead heading into games late against Oakland is a lethal fate.

Game 3 At Braves Field
Clear Wind blowing out to left 13 mph
1951 Braves.......................7
1992 Athletics....................10 (17 innings)
WP: J. Corsi LP: J. Wilson
HR: W. Marshall, W. Cooper 2, S. Jethroe, D. Stewart, M. McGwire 3
1992 Athletics lead series 2-1
One of those classic games that you will not forget at Braves Field that went 17 innings strong. Twice the A's took the lead in extras only to have the Braves come back and tie the game including a dramatic home run by Walker Cooper in the bottom of the 13th. It was the A's bats however that prevailed thanks to Big Mark McGwire who hit three moon shots out of Braves field, the back breaker in the 17th with a man on. The Braves in truth were running out of arms, and Jim Wilson had probably lost it by his 3rd inning of work. Exciting stuff for almost 6 hours at Braves Field.

Game 4 At Braves Field
Clear Wind blowing out to left 10mph
1951 Braves...............10
1992 Athletics.............13 (10 innings)
WP: B. Walton LP: B. Chipman
HR: E. Torgeson; J. Canseco, M. McGwire
1992 Athletics lead series 3-1
Down by seven runs early after Bob Welch was roughed up and a Earl Torgeson grand slam, the Braves thought they had the game in hand. The A's bats however were far from done scoring 4 in the seventh and 2 in the 8th to tie the game. In the 10th Jose Canseco hit a three run home run to break Boston hearts and really move Oakland close to the clincher.

Game 5 At Braves Field
Clear Wind blowing out to left 11mph
1951 Braves...................1
1992 Athletics.................0
WP: W. Spahn LP: R. Darling
HR: B. Elliott
1992 Athletics lead series 3-2
He did it again. Just as in game one, Warren Spahn threw a shutout, now going 18 innings of dominant baseball on the mound. Spahn was given the slightest of leads in the second inning when Bob Elliott hit a solo home run but he would make it stand. Ron Darling also pitched well but the A's managed only 5 hits for him. Spahn struck out six and remained determined to make sure the series wouldnt end on the Braves field. Hats off the the Hall of Fame lefty in this one.

Game 6 At Oakland Coliseum
Clear Wind blowing left to right 9mph
1992 Athletics...................5
1951 Braves.....................14
WP: V. Bickford LP: M. Moore
HR: M. McGwire; E. Torgeson. S. Jethroe, S. Gordon, B. Elliott
Series Tied at 3
Sid Gordon has a night to remember going 5-6 with 5 runs scored and 5 RBI as Boston scored 14 times to emphatically send this series to game seven. Boston hit 5 home runs and jumped all over Mike Moore who only lasted 4 innings. Vern Bickford picks up the win and now the stage is set as Dave Stewart takes to mound to try and win the series against Max Surkont.

Game 7 At Oakland Coliseum
Clear Wind blowing left to right
1992 Athletics...................4
1951 Braves......................5
WP: M. Surkont LP: D. Stewart S: C. Nichols Jr
HR: E. Torgeson, B. Elliott
The Braves found a way to fight back late and eliminate the Athletics in a great series. Oakland had a 3-0 lead late into the 8th inning in this one thanks to a Willie Wilson two run double and some great work by a determined Dave Stewart. Stewart however got into trouble in the 8th and with two on and two out, manager Tony LaRussa decided to stay with Stewart and forgo going to the closer Eckersley at that moment. The Braves and Earl Torgeson made him pay hitting a three run home run to tie the score and later Boston would add to the lead. The A's fought back but could not tie the game in their final two atbats, series over and another great comeback by what seemed to be a more determined team. Oakland and their prepotency to lose the big one, shows up in a big way again.

1951 Boston Braves Win Series 4 games to 3

Series MVP:
Name: 1-15 MVP.PNG
Views: 792
Size: 105.9 KB

Name: 1-15 MVP.PNG
Views: 792
Size: 105.9 KB

Sid Gordon
(.406, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 8 R, 3 2B, 1.160 OPS)

07-14-2021, 07:24 AM	#21
Nick Soulis Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Chicago IL Posts: 4,310	Series #15 PRELIMINARY ROUND Series #15 1992 Oakland Athletics (96-66) vs 1951 Boston Braves (76-78) Maybe not at their best, but still extremely good, this 1992 Oakland team had a good 5 year run where they ran ragged on the American League. The core of the championship team still in tact with Rickey Henderson getting it done at 33 years old with 48 steals and Mark McGwire coming on to strong slugging .585 with 42 home runs. Jose Cansesco still can mash it although he was begginning to fall a bit out of favor and was hampered by injuries. Tony Larussa had his pitching in line and at the anchor was Dennis Eckersley who saved 51 games and had a sub 2 ERA. The rotation is a bit long in the tooth with everyone over 30 and Ron Darling along with Dave Stewart trying to find their form of old. A fun deep club, the A's should be much too strong for the Braves in this series but we have seen the A's falter when they wernt suppose to. Close to a .500 club, the Braves were not that bad of a club and had some inklings of what would come later in the decade. The pitching staff was very good and should be fun to watch against Oakland; Warren Spahn is a dominant lefty with a 2.98 ERA and 22 wins. Names like Vern Bickford and and Chet Nichols will look to step of their performance to support Spahn. Sid Gordon had a very good season at the plate driving in 109 and hitting .287 while Earl Torgeson had an .812 OPS; catcher Walker Cooper hit .313 in 109 games. In the pre henry Aaron years, it will be interesting if this team could compete and put more then a scare for Oakland to deal with. Game 1 At Oakland Coliseum Clear Wind blowing left to right 8 mph 1992 Athletics...................0 1951 Braves......................8 WP: W. Spahn LP: R. Darling HR: S. Jethroe 1951 Braves lead series 1-0 Leave it to an ace to set the tone of any series. Warren Spahn handcuffed the 1992 Athletics in game one shutting them out and striking out 11 while allowing six hits on 137 pitches. A perfect debut for Spahn who was locked in a tight game with Ron Darling but Roy Hartsfield broke the tie in the sixth and in the 9th, Sam Jethroe hit a grand slam off Jim Corsi to empty the Coliseum. Game 2 At Oakland Coliseum Partly cloudy Wind blowing in from left 11mph 1992 Athletics...............8 1951 Braves.................7 WP: G. Nelson LP: B. Hogue S: D. Eckersley HR: J. Canseco, M. Bordick; S. Gordon Series tied at 1 Sid Gordon drives in 5 runs but it wouldnt be enough as Dennis Eckersley closes out a one run win for the A's to even this series. Jose Canseco hit a long three run home run as Oakland poured 5 runs home in the 5th to answer their imept showing in game one. The Braves fought back but came up one run short and a lead heading into games late against Oakland is a lethal fate. Game 3 At Braves Field Clear Wind blowing out to left 13 mph 1951 Braves.......................7 1992 Athletics....................10 (17 innings) WP: J. Corsi LP: J. Wilson HR: W. Marshall, W. Cooper 2, S. Jethroe, D. Stewart, M. McGwire 3 1992 Athletics lead series 2-1 One of those classic games that you will not forget at Braves Field that went 17 innings strong. Twice the A's took the lead in extras only to have the Braves come back and tie the game including a dramatic home run by Walker Cooper in the bottom of the 13th. It was the A's bats however that prevailed thanks to Big Mark McGwire who hit three moon shots out of Braves field, the back breaker in the 17th with a man on. The Braves in truth were running out of arms, and Jim Wilson had probably lost it by his 3rd inning of work. Exciting stuff for almost 6 hours at Braves Field. Game 4 At Braves Field Clear Wind blowing out to left 10mph 1951 Braves...............10 1992 Athletics.............13 (10 innings) WP: B. Walton LP: B. Chipman HR: E. Torgeson; J. Canseco, M. McGwire 1992 Athletics lead series 3-1 Down by seven runs early after Bob Welch was roughed up and a Earl Torgeson grand slam, the Braves thought they had the game in hand. The A's bats however were far from done scoring 4 in the seventh and 2 in the 8th to tie the game. In the 10th Jose Canseco hit a three run home run to break Boston hearts and really move Oakland close to the clincher. Game 5 At Braves Field Clear Wind blowing out to left 11mph 1951 Braves...................1 1992 Athletics.................0 WP: W. Spahn LP: R. Darling HR: B. Elliott 1992 Athletics lead series 3-2 He did it again. Just as in game one, Warren Spahn threw a shutout, now going 18 innings of dominant baseball on the mound. Spahn was given the slightest of leads in the second inning when Bob Elliott hit a solo home run but he would make it stand. Ron Darling also pitched well but the A's managed only 5 hits for him. Spahn struck out six and remained determined to make sure the series wouldnt end on the Braves field. Hats off the the Hall of Fame lefty in this one. Game 6 At Oakland Coliseum Clear Wind blowing left to right 9mph 1992 Athletics...................5 1951 Braves.....................14 WP: V. Bickford LP: M. Moore HR: M. McGwire; E. Torgeson. S. Jethroe, S. Gordon, B. Elliott Series Tied at 3 Sid Gordon has a night to remember going 5-6 with 5 runs scored and 5 RBI as Boston scored 14 times to emphatically send this series to game seven. Boston hit 5 home runs and jumped all over Mike Moore who only lasted 4 innings. Vern Bickford picks up the win and now the stage is set as Dave Stewart takes to mound to try and win the series against Max Surkont. Game 7 At Oakland Coliseum Clear Wind blowing left to right 1992 Athletics...................4 1951 Braves......................5 WP: M. Surkont LP: D. Stewart S: C. Nichols Jr HR: E. Torgeson, B. Elliott The Braves found a way to fight back late and eliminate the Athletics in a great series. Oakland had a 3-0 lead late into the 8th inning in this one thanks to a Willie Wilson two run double and some great work by a determined Dave Stewart. Stewart however got into trouble in the 8th and with two on and two out, manager Tony LaRussa decided to stay with Stewart and forgo going to the closer Eckersley at that moment. The Braves and Earl Torgeson made him pay hitting a three run home run to tie the score and later Boston would add to the lead. The A's fought back but could not tie the game in their final two atbats, series over and another great comeback by what seemed to be a more determined team. Oakland and their prepotency to lose the big one, shows up in a big way again. 1951 Boston Braves Win Series 4 games to 3 Series MVP: Sid Gordon (.406, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 8 R, 3 2B, 1.160 OPS) Last edited by Nick Soulis; 07-15-2021 at 10:09 PM.