I am officially getting too old for this s^&t...
Let's pick things up in early September, after an ugly home sweep loss to Houston. This is the first sign we are dying on our run a bit, with Pascual, Veale and Friend unable to get us a win and two of the losses in spares, where we have for so long excelled.
Ominous signs abound, in other words.
Two more losses in both games of a DH with the Giants the next day and suddenly they’ve made a run for it and we’re having our worst losing streak of the season.
We snap that at six with a walkoff win against Cincy. Yet again, as has happened so many times in this situation, that most crucial of errors is made: a failure to put us away when the chance is there to. And, when we take two of three from them at Candlestick, we’re tied again with 10 to play.
As we both hit the wall, the Cubs keep winning and are suddenly within five of both of us to really amp up the pressure. It's looking as if it’ll take 100 wins to do it.
It is, if anything, even more chaotic across in the AL with the Red Sox holding three teams – the Athletics, Orioles and Tigers – at bay by the smallest of margins.
As we enter the final ten games of the season, we stumble again with a 2-4 homestand including a couple bad beat-ups by the Birds that really should kill us off, but once more the Giants fail to capitalise.
Progressing into the final week of the season, the races look like this:
We are a combined 17-14 against the Reds and Braves, both of whom regularly cause us grief, so that Giants series at home to Houston may prove the difference if they win all three like they should.
Let's count this off daily until we get a winner, shall we?
Tuesday, 29 September
Wednesday, 30 September
I have noticed this happen before - no reason Baltimore shouldn't still be up there - their record is identical to the Tigers. They're still in it. English lesson over...
Thursday, 1 October
Unbelievable to see the Jints drop all 3 at home to the Colts, who have already lost 100 entering the series.
Friday, 2 October
That is six straight losses and an ungodly exit for San Fran to give us a rather hollow clinch; will be very interested to see if that has managerial repercussions come season's end. The Tigers are also gone, the other three are still alive.
Saturday, 3 October
And then there were two as the O's drop out. We have a day off.
Sunday, 4 October
Never in doubt for the BoSox, rendering the A's extra-inning loss moot.
That leaves the final standings looking like this:
We'll stick with the league news, at the top of which is Willie Mays' winning the Triple Crown with 363 / 45 / 111 - an outstanding season, although I'm not sure how much he'll be enjoying it just now, especially given he ends up setting no new seasonal records either. Minnesota's Tony Oliva wins the AL batting crown, while Norm Cash's 123 RBI lead either league.
Jim Bunning wins 21, the only one with 20+, while Sam McDowell punches out 335 to be the King of K (at a new record 11.66 per 9 IP. He also sets the low ERA for the year with 2.40, while Ron Perranoski and Joe Gibbon tie for the most saves with 35.
Now let's narrow the focus to what happened at our club.
If you look at the two groups on paper, it is hard to figure out how we even get close to the Giants, let alone see them off by three games. Then you look at the metrics and the player stats and you understand how: no disrespect to San Fran, but it is the difference between a champion team and a team of champions.
Final Top 20s and Leaders
Monthly Award Winners
August
American League
- Batter – Norm Cash (Tigers): 320 / 10 HR / 22 RBI
- Pitcher – Denny Lemaster (Red Sox): 5-0 / 1.93 / 40 K / 46.2 IP
- Rookie – Billy McCool (Angels): 1-0 / 0.0 / 7 SV / 12 K / 9.2 IP
National League
- Batter – Rico Carty (Cubs): 391 / 4 HR / 22 RBI
- Pitcher – Billy Hoeft (Braves): 4-0 / 2.08 / 35 K / 47.2 IP
- Rookie – Phil Niekro (Braves): 4-2 / 3.59 / 24 K / 47.2 IP
September
American League
- Batter – Bob Allison (Twins): 378 / 10 HR / 27 RBI
- Pitcher – Mickey Lolich (Tigers): 4-0 / 1.54 / 43 K / 41 IP
- Rookie – Rico Petrocelli (Red Sox): 333 / 4 HR / 18 RBI
National League
- Batter – Dick Allen (Phillies): 359 / 7 HR / 27 RBI
- Pitcher – Don Drysdale (Dodgers): 4-1 / 2.05 / 40 K / 52.2 IP
- Rookie – Ken Berry (Reds): 343 / 3 HR / 15 RBI
Milestones and Observations of Note
- 200 Wins: Don Newcombe
- 2000 Hits: Harvey Kuenn
- Right in the thick of that ferocious four-way tussle for the AL pennant, the Athletics lose underrated OF Albie Pearson for the season to a broken kneecap.
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