Time Warp Baseball

[ifspuds]

In The News

July 11th: Oakland's Bernie Wickersham doubles 4 times in a 13-7 win over Cleveland.

July 12th: Baltimore's Shawn Craven 2-hits the White Sox, but the bigger news is Orioles legend Mike Maginnis notching his 2500th career hit. The future Hall of Famer already owns the career record for walks, the only player in history to walk more than 2000 times.

July 17th-18th: The Orioles are happy to see Oakland in their rear view mirrors after the Athletics' two-headed monster of Bob Day and Gary Blaise toss back-to-back 3-hit shutouts against them.

July 24th: The annual All-Star Game is held in Kansas City, and fans are treated to a scoreless duel until the 7th, when California's Bobby Sutter doubles off San Diego ace Perry Whitham to bring in Detroit's Harry Hinze. The AL tacks on two more in the 8th and takes the game by the score of 3-0. The NL is held to just 4 hits in the game, two by Cincinnati's Ted Walter.

July 30th: Montreal Expos leadoff hitter and left fielder Casey Sigler has his 35-game hitting streak snapped. This is the 4th longest hitting streak ever, and the second 30+-game hit streak of the season after California's Tom Catus hit safely in 33 straight. The record, 37 games, is held by two players, Josh Osbeld of the 1923 St. Louis Cardinals and Leo Emig of the 1960 Los Angeles Dodgers.

American League East
Team             W    L   PCT   GB  Stk  L10
Baltimore       67   38  .638   --   L2  2-8
Detroit         66   39  .629  1.0   W3  7-3
New York (A)    68   42  .618  1.5   L1  7-3
Cleveland       54   54  .500 14.5   W1  7-3
Milwaukee       40   67  .374 28.0   L2  2-8
Boston          35   72  .327 33.0   W1  5-5

American League West
Team             W    L   PCT   GB  Stk  L10
California      67   39  .632   --   W3  7-3
Texas           58   48  .547  9.0   L1  6-4
Oakland         56   52  .519 12.0   W1  5-5
Chicago (A)     52   54  .491 15.0   L1  5-5
Minnesota       43   62  .410 23.5   L4  2-8
Kansas City     35   74  .321 33.5   W1  6-4

National League East
Team             W    L   PCT   GB  Stk  L10
Chicago (N)     61   48  .560   --   L1  5-5
Pittsburgh      58   49  .542  2.0   W5  7-3
New York (N)    56   50  .528  3.5   L1  6-4
St. Louis       56   52  .519  4.5   L2  3-7
Philadelphia    51   56  .477  9.0   W1  4-6
Montreal        37   71  .343 23.5   W1  5-5

National League West
Team             W    L   PCT   GB  Stk  L10
San Francisco   66   41  .617   --   W6  9-1
Atlanta         68   45  .602  1.0   W1  6-4
Cincinnati      62   45  .579  4.0   L1  5-5
Los Angeles     48   59  .449 18.0   W1  5-5
San Diego       45   62  .421 21.0   L2  3-7
Houston         39   69  .361 27.5   L1  2-8

All of a sudden we have a race in the AL East, as Baltimore struggled through the month of July allowing the Tigers and Yankees to climb back into the race. It's the AL West that has turned into a laugher, with the Angels going 20-9 in July to outpace the Rangers and Athletics. The decline of the Athletics, who looked so powerful in their championship season of 1971, has pundits around the league scratching their heads. The vaunted pitching staff -- especially the bullpen -- hasn't been up to snuff, though Bob Day continues to dominate.

The National League remains as exciting as ever, with old rivals Chicago and Pittsburgh trading punches atop the NL East and the Mets and Cardinals still well within shouting distance of that top spot. The wailing you hear, though, is from Philadelphia, where new management has stunned Phils fans by dismantling last season's World Champs. The unexpected retirement of last season's Murphy Award winner, James Rossi, began a shakeup in the front office that's resulted in the trades of such Phillie stalwarts as catcher James Bosler (to St. Louis), starter Jerome Gabbert and shortstop Dennis Gill (both to Pittsburgh). Word is going around the league that the fire sale continues, with infielders Brett Evans and Kyle Gilliam headed to the Cubs, who have holes to fill after their star third baseman Joe McMichael went down with a torn thigh muscle for the second straight season. The NL West is turning into a two-team race between the Giants and Braves, although the Reds should never be counted out, as they always have a few tricks up the sleeves of their veteran squad.

American League-Pitcher of the Month:
Roberto Villacorta (KCR)!
He had a record of 4-2 in 7 games started, with an ERA of 1.72 and 2 shutouts.

American League-Batter of the Month:
Mike Davis (CAL)!
He batted .321 in 106 AB, with 7 homers and 30 RBI.

National League-Pitcher of the Month:
M.C. McCarter (CHN)!
He had a record of 5-0 in 6 games started, with an ERA of 0.86 and 1 shutouts.

National League-Batter of the Month:
Bob Heinz (NYM)!
He batted .385 in 109 AB, with 6 homers and 24 RBI.

[pat]

Walter Hanham was named an All-Star once again, as he leads Baltimore sustain their lead at the AL East.

Even though Big Wally isn’t putting up big power numbers (23 HR last season to just 9 this year), he has compensated it by hitting for contact a lot of times which is pretty evident this season (he’s hitting ..293).

The New Jersey native is looking for the eluding ring. Will he get it this year as the O’s have been atop the East throughout the season? Can they hold onto it and give Big Wally, an eight-time All-Star, his first ever ring?

[ifspuds]

September 1st, 1973

In the News

August 6: Boston Red Sox pitcher Curly Roberts announces his retirement from the game of baseball. Roberts pitched mostly for the Red Sox in his 17-year career, spending 1969 and 1970 with the Atlanta Braves. Roberts' best seasons were 1961, going 25-9 with a 2.81 ERA and 1964, going 20-11 with a 2.48 ERA. A 4-time All-Star, Roberts finishes with a record of 206-198 with a 3.76 ERA, 933 walks, 2152 strikeouts and 22 career shutouts.

August 10: Cleveland catcher Willie Diaz has a game to remember, going 5-5 with 6 RBI and 4 runs scored and hitting for the cycle. Two of the five hits are homers, one a grand slam. Diaz is the first player in just over a year to hit for the cycle.

August 12: It's a day for milestone hits, as Cincinnati catcher Chris Bland pokes his 2500th career hit in a 4-2 win in St. Louis over the Cardinals. In Pittsburgh, the Pirates' three-time Batter of the Year Asa Booker makes history by becoming the 23rd player in league history to record 3000 hits. Booker's 3rd inning single off Atlanta's Frank Mora gave him the milestone and set off a celebration in Three Rivers Stadium.

August 28: Oakland's Gary Blaise fans a career-high 16 Red Sox in a shutout win over Boston. Blaise was one strikeout away from tying the major league record, held by five players.

American League East
Team             W    L   PCT   GB  Stk  L10
Baltimore       88   45  .662   --   W5  8-2
Detroit         83   52  .615  6.0   W8  8-2
New York (A)    80   56  .588  9.5   L2  4-6
Cleveland       72   64  .529 17.5   L2  7-3
Boston          47   89  .346 42.5   L1  5-5
Milwaukee       45   90  .333 44.0   W1  2-8

American League West
Team             W    L   PCT   GB  Stk  L10
California      85   46  .649   --   L1  7-3
Oakland         72   62  .537 14.5   W1  6-4
Texas           67   68  .496 20.0   L1  2-8
Chicago (A)     66   68  .493 20.5   W3  5-5
Minnesota       58   76  .433 28.5   W1  5-5
Kansas City     44   91  .326 43.0   L4  3-7

National League East
Team             W    L   PCT   GB  Stk  L10
Pittsburgh      71   61  .538   --   L5  3-7
Chicago (N)     72   62  .537   --   W1  4-6
St. Louis       72   63  .533  0.5   W5  6-4
New York (N)    69   66  .511  3.5   L3  3-7
Philadelphia    59   75  .440 13.0   W2  4-6
Montreal        48   88  .353 25.0   L2  3-7

National League West
Team             W    L   PCT   GB  Stk  L10
San Francisco   84   49  .632   --   L1  6-4
Atlanta         84   53  .613  2.0   W5  9-1
Cincinnati      77   58  .570  8.0   L1  6-4
Los Angeles     64   72  .471 21.5   W2  7-3
San Diego       60   74  .448 24.5   W2  7-3
Houston         49   88  .358 37.0   L6  2-8

The American League is all but wrapped up, as the Orioles righted their ship and scratched their lead back to a more comfortable margin. Word out of New York is that new owner George Steinbrenner is disappointed with the direction of the club and is threatening to start shipping underperforming stars out of town. Detroit Tigers fans have to be frustrated, watching their defending AL champs win 8 straight and still sit 6 games behind the Orioles.

Remember when the upstart Texas Rangers were in first place? People are starting to wonder if the Angels front office got hold of some voodoo dolls, as Rangers players have been hitting the DL like the postgame buffet this season. Reliever Julian Marshall, catcher Bill Melancon, second baseman Art Van Der Hoeck, center fielder Jose Camacho and starting pitcher Ramon Iglesias have all spent significant time on the shelf. Whatever the reason, the Rangers are now sinking below .500 and watching those Angels run away with the AL West.

The amazing race is in the National League East, where old-time rivals Chicago, Pittsburgh and St. Louis are all neck-and-neck for the crown. The Mets, at 3.5 out, are hardly out of it. All four teams play a number of games against each other in the final month of the season and it's anyone's guess who's going to come out of the scrum with the lead and a trip to the NLCS.

Whoever gets there is likely to face either the Giants or Braves, who continue to trade punches atop the standings. The Giants are riding fine seasons from Batter of the Year favorite Dino Dinardo (.344, 30 HR, 125 RBI) and Sal Fernandez (18-9, 2.65 ERA) with solid support from the rest of the pitchers, who comprise the top staff in baseball. The Braves continue to get it done with a veteran offense and solid pitching, but they're going to have to find a way to make up the loss of center fielder George Jumper (.300, 10 HR, 69 RBI), one of their top hitters this season.

American League-Pitcher of the Month:
Eddie Millan (CHA)!
He had a record of 5-1 in 6 games started, with an ERA of 0.50 and 2 shutouts.

American League-Batter of the Month:
Willie Diaz (CLE)!
He batted .351 in 94 AB, with 7 homers and 24 RBI.

National League-Pitcher of the Month:
M.C. McCarter (CHN)!
He had a record of 5-0 in 6 games started, with an ERA of 1.15 and 3 shutouts.

National League-Batter of the Month:
Dino Dinardo (SFG)!
He batted .372 in 94 AB, with 5 homers and 25 RBI.

[pat]

Los Angeles players are still smiling, even though they find themselves in the middle of the pack in the NL West.

What are they smiling about? Well, for one, rookie John Stepston is amazing on the mound. He has registered 12 wins with less than 4 ERA (3.81) and has thrown more than 200 innings (227 IP) and closing on 100 Ks (95).

Another young pitcher, Alvin Berrie has buried opposing hitters as his ERA is 3.17. He has logged 247 innings (the most in their rotation) and has collected 10 wins.

With at least that couple of development, the LA-based franchise sure can smile all they want as their future is crystal clear.

[kreitena]

HAHA! I love it!

[pat]

Thanks my article is a bit shallow recently but I think the magazine is more important.

[metsgeek]

I want a RED SOX COVER!!!!!!

[pat]

Originally Posted by metsgeek

I want a RED SOX COVER!!!!!!

When you start winning.

[pat]

Your wish is my command, Tom.

[knightni]

Originally Posted by LFC1892

Awesome. Dad's still going strong! I havent kept up with it lately, after losing interest in OOTP, but am gradually getting back into it.

He'll be an Athletic as long as I have any say in it.

[jdw]

Pat - make sure to *also* put this stuff on the TWB boards. We lost several seasons worth of stuff here when the boards blew up once.

Also... there are some of us who come here once a week... if that. But we're on the TWB boards all the time. I wouldn't want to miss any of your covers.

John

[jdw]

Originally Posted by ifspuds

August 12: It's a day for milestone hits, as Cincinnati catcher Chris Bland pokes his 2500th career hit in a 4-2 win in St. Louis over the Cardinals. In Pittsburgh, the Pirates' three-time Batter of the Year Asa Booker makes history by becoming the 23rd player in league history to record 3000 hits. Booker's 3rd inning single off Atlanta's Frank Mora gave him the milestone and set off a celebration in Three Rivers Stadium.

Two of my all-time favs. Nice to see them get milestones on the same day.


John

[metsgeek]

Originally Posted by pat

Your wish is my command, Tom.

Tom's my dad, but thanks. I'll take what I can get.

[jdw]

Did Pat, after being around TWB for 20+ seasons, just pull a Creed and call you Tom?


John

[pat]

Originally Posted by jdw

Did Pat, after being around TWB for 20+ seasons, just pull a Creed and call you Tom?


John

Haha. Sorry Pete.

Ok, I'll put it in the boards too.

[ifspuds]

In the News

September 2nd: Baltimore's Dusty Lane hits a majestic home run deep into left field in Yankee Stadium in the Orioles' 12-4 win. His second homer of the game, this is a solo shot off Wayne Castile. Yankees left fielder Roger Smith would later say that he could hear the air sizzle as it passed overhead. Way overhead.

September 20th: Pirates ace George Adkison, with his team holding a 1.5-game lead over the Cardinals, throws a perfect game against the Mets while the Cards fall to the Phillies. It is Adkison's first perfect game and second no hitter. It is also the first perfect game in the league. since 1969. Adkison will finish the season with two more shutouts. Four of his last five starts are complete game shutouts.

September 27th: After a series of incidents, the Phillies suspend OF Jerome Triggs for insubordination. Tolan was in several scuffles with club personnel, went AWOL for two days in August, and began growing a beard, a no no with the Phillies.

September 30th: With the National League West pennant safely under wraps, the Giants' Dino Dinardo closes the season and a likely Batter of the Year award in style, clubbing three homers and driving in 7 runs in a 15-2 pasting of the Reds.

American League East
Team             W    L   PCT   GB  Stk  L10
Baltimore      104   58  .642   --   L2  5-5
Detroit        100   62  .617  4.0   W2  5-5
New York (A)    94   69  .577 10.5   L2  7-3
Cleveland       84   78  .519 20.0   W2  5-5
Boston          62  100  .383 42.0   L3  4-6
Milwaukee       52  110  .321 52.0   W3  4-6

American League West
Team             W    L   PCT   GB  Stk  L10
California     105   57  .648   --   W3  8-2
Oakland         90   72  .556 15.0   L2  6-4
Texas           82   80  .506 23.0   W1  4-6
Chicago (A)     81   81  .500 24.0   W2  6-4
Minnesota       68   94  .420 37.0   L3  4-6
Kansas City     51  112  .313 54.5   L1  3-7

National League East
Team             W    L   PCT   GB  Stk  L10
Pittsburgh      93   69  .574   --   W3  8-2
St. Louis       87   75  .537  6.0   W3  4-6
New York (N)    82   80  .506 11.0   L1  5-5
Chicago (N)     81   81  .500 12.0   W1  4-6
Philadelphia    73   89  .451 20.0   L3  5-5
Montreal        58  104  .358 35.0   L7  3-7

National League West
Team             W    L   PCT   GB  Stk  L10
San Francisco  105   57  .648   --   W1  8-2
Atlanta         96   66  .593  9.0   W2  8-2
Cincinnati      94   68  .580 11.0   L1  5-5
Los Angeles     74   88  .457 31.0   L2  2-8
San Diego       72   90  .444 33.0   W5  5-5
Houston         57  105  .352 48.0   L7  3-7

Read on for ALCS and NLCS previews, courtesy of JDW.

American League-Pitcher of the Month:
Earl Bady (MIN)!
He had a record of 4-1 in 3 games started, with an ERA of 1.21.

American League-Batter of the Month:
Freddy Tomas (MIN)!
He batted .384 in 99 AB, with 7 homers and 22 RBI.

National League-Pitcher of the Month:
Shawn Sullivan (LAD)!
He had a record of 3-1 in 5 games started, with an ERA of 0.66 and 1 shutouts.

National League-Batter of the Month:
Kevin Rebosse (CIN)!
He batted .425 in 113 AB, with 5 homers and 15 RBI.

[ifspuds]

(written originally on the TWB boards, by jdw)

1973 American League Championship Series Preview

The Baltimore Orioles return to the post season for the third time in five years. Only Duke Maginnis and Harmon Dego in the lineup or rotation of the club that won the 1970 World Series as General Manager Sal Piccolo engaged in two seasons of mad scientist experimention to try to find the magic elixir. It was left to the acclaimed manager Jake Shorkey shape it into a winning team, and once again he did.

The O's offense set a major league record with 249 home runs on the year, lead by Dusty Lane hitting 48 while driving in 120 runs. The club brings power eight spots deep into the order. The heart and soul of the offense remains The Duke, who ended up second in the league in OPS and third in runs scored. If the offense has a weakness it's that they don't hit for much of an average. They are willing to work pitchers for walks, which does put men on base for the longball.

The pitching staff surprised by leading the AL in ERA and finishing second in Runs Allowed. Staff ace Perry Wanklen is making his seven trip to the post season, previously getting there with the Tigers, Twins and Astros. Wank has pitched either brilliantly or gotten hammered in the post season, with no in between. Shorkey is looking for him to provide a study hand as an example to John Bass and John Foxx, neither of whom have pitched in October.

The California Angels took the AL West for the third time in four season. Each time they've taken a step farther, and this time look to top their trip to the Series last season by actually bringing home the rings.

The Halo offense was tops in the majors, putting a whopping 947 runs on the board. Not as powerful as some of the prior Angels lineups, they made up for it by leading the game in BA, BB and OBP. The offense was ignited by Jumpin' Jack Halman, who reclaimed his mantle as the top leadoff man in baseball by scoring a major league high 124 runs. Halman has formed a strong partnership with Ken Jorgenson at the top of the order. 1972 AL BOY Tom Catus followed up with another strong season to anchor the middle of the order. The Angeles offense was so strong and deep that the number eight hitter drove in 108 runs. The club did see regular shortstop Preston Silberman go out for at least the first round of the post season. This forced Fletcher Jones back in the lineup, where both his bat and glove are a liability.

The pitching staff continues to be led by Happy Harry Hoffman. Behind him, veterans Joe Imig and Bobby Egger supply solid support in the second and third slots in the rotation. Their job is to keep the club in the game while the offense takes care of business. Billy Focks took over the closer role mid-season and performed strongly


My Prediction: This is all about matchups at we have two of the more extreme teams in baseball here. The O's offense is about hitting the long ball, and their pitching staff is, with the exception of Wanklen, about preventing it. The Halos have a multi-dimensional offense. They don't match the O's power, but against a pitcher like Wanklen they can bring plenty to the table. Against a control pitcher who keeps the ball int he park like Bass, the Angeles high average offense can put a lot of balls for a weak infield to try to scoop up. Against a pitcher with poor control like Foxx, CAL can work for walks to get people on base. In all of that mix is Halman's speed, which will put Big Wally Hanham's subpar arm to the test. On the other side of the coin, Happy Hoffman's two weaknesses are the long ball and right handed batters hitting much better against him. The O's have some big right handed power hitters in the form of Lane, Karthen and Stevens. Eggers walks a lot of batters, and can give up the long ball. The O's aren't shy about taking a walk, and have that long ball. A key my be Joe Emig, one of the stingiest pitchers in the game when it comes to giving up home runs. CAL's more dynamic offense in 5 games.


Starting Lineups:

Baltimore Orioles
SS Alexander Jones, .232/.309/.454/.763, 33 HR, 112 RBI
3B Fred Karthen, .241/.348/.419/.767, 23 HR, 75 RBI
RF Mike Maginnis, .294/.429/.467/.896, 22 HR, 111 R, 123 BB
LF Dusty Lane, .258/.326/.561/.887, 48 HR, 120 RBI
1B Harmon Dego, .262/.313/.454/.767, 29 HR, 102 RBI
DH Mike Stevens, .258/.329/.455/.784, 27 HR, 76 RBI
C Walter Hanham, .281/.332/.423/.755, 19 HR, 72 RBI
CF Javier Diez, .261/.295/.445/.741, 14 HR, 60 R
2B Leon Gamble, .211/.323/.289/.612, 58 R

Utility:
3B Rod Tucci, .308/.325/.376/.700, 33 RBI

SP #1 - Perry Wanklen, 21-10, 3.06 ERA
SP #2 - John Foxx, 18-9, 3.03 ERA
SP #3 - John Bass, 18-13, 3.32 ERA

Emergency SP - Shawn Craven, 18-10, 3.86 ERA
Closer - John Aster, 5-5, 2.40 ERA, 31 SV

California Angels
LF Jack Halman, .320/.441/.376/.817, 124 R, 119 BB, 46 SB
RF Ken Jorgenson, .303/.384/.370/.754, 91 R, 81 RBI
2B Tom Catus, .288 .380 .498 .879, 20 HR, 129 RBI
3B Bobby Sutter, .310/.404/.437/.840, 18 HR, 78 RBI, 96 R
C Mike Van Buskirk, .321/.380/.438/.818, 14 HR, 82 RBI
CF Mike Davis, .277/.355/.413/.768, 16 HR, 97 RBI
1B Jim Howser, .275/.384/.420/.803, 17 HR, 88 RBI
DH Hector Vina, .305/.349/.467/.816, 23 HR, 108 RBI
SS Fletcher Jones, .167/.232/.242/.475, 5 HR, 33 RBI

Injured
SS Preston Silberman, .279/.322/.365/.687, 62 R

SP #1 - Harry Hoffman, 21-5, 2.33 ERA
SP #2 - Bobby Egger, 15-10, 3.48 ERA
SP #3 - Joe Emig, 12-8, 3.57 ERA

Closer - Billy Focks, 9-3, 2.76 ERA, 22 SV

[ifspuds]

(written originally on the TWB boards, by jdw)

1973 National League Championship Series

After a wild season long dog fight in the NL East, the Pittsburgh Pirates are back in the post season for a historic seventh time in eight years. General Manager George Balwdin, returning from health issues that slowed him in 1972, showed he still is up to pulling off key deals to put his team over the top. Manager Vic Gorin leads a team into the post season for the ninth time in his career, a figure topped only by those Hall of Fame grand masters Carl Sweeney (10) and Ervin Greiner (11).

The offense was workman like rather than spectacular. As he has for more than a decade, third baseman Ben Trome has excelled from the number two spot with a second baseman in the leadoff role. His old mate Alberto Val is no longer in it, but his successor Terrell Phillips was terrific in the role when healthy. Cap Marcrum stepped into the number three hold and had an outstanding comeback season. Speaking of the former number three hitter, Asa Booker responded to whispers that he was through after a slow start to pick up his came to hit well as the season rolled on. For a while the talk was that the Cannonball didn't want to back into 3000 hits simply due to playing time, and instead want to show respectable form. The talk turned out to be an understatement as after getting to 3000 in mid August, Booker picked up his game to another level to will the Pirates offense into pennant race form. It brought back memories of 1971 as Booker almost single handedly shook the foundations of the offense to start a wicked stretch run for the team enroute to a division title. There's something magical to look down at the Pirates stats and see, in the middle of a tight race, that their best hitter in September is the incomperable Asa Booker.

The legenday Pirates rotation was treading water much of the year. That turned around when Baldwin traded for Jerome Gabbert to drop in Levi Sellers old spot of being the ying to George Adkison's yang. Gabby went 13-3 in the second half after coming over from the Phils, while Adkison went 10-5, including some of the best September pitching ever seen. With longtime number three Hipolito Castillo slowing a bit and finally getting injured in September, Harry Cutshall stepped up to pitch well for the team. Lynn Willmon has been the closer throughout the Pirates run, and he bounced back from an off season in 1972.

The San Francisco Giants are back in the post season for the first time since 1963. There is talk that the club is haunted, as that was the seventh World Series the team ventured to since 1921, all of which ended with the other team drinking the champagne. Manager Tom Howard played on three of those Giants team that game up short, and was a coach on the 1963 team that lost a Game 7 at home with their ace on the mound. General Manager Rex Rex Seelinger has his own demons when it comes to the post season - four trips in six seasons from 1950-55, annd coming up empty. A lot of ghosts in that organization, as the club has never won a series since Ervin Greiner had his falling out the the Stoneman family and was forced out of the General Manager and Manager roles. There are some longtime watchers who would point out that the Yankees have won six world series since Greiner moved across town from the Giants to the Yanks, five of them coming of Greiner's watch.

The Giants offense led the senior circuit with 794 runs, 60 more than the second best team in the NL. There was one reason for it: center fielder Dino Dinardo topping his 1972 BOY season. With the exception of new comers third baseman Buster Kerney and Renaldo Gre, the rest of the offense performed well below expecations. There were some signs late in September that left fielder Rich Stanley and catcher Bo Shepard were coming out of long slumps, which the club badly needs if it's going to advance.

The Giants also led the NL in ERA and runs allowed, again with by a wide margin of 67 runs. The Giants have just one top starter in Sal Fernandez, and even he didn't put up a dominating season. The key to the Giants run prevention was two fold. The first was that behind Fernandez were four starters who all bettered the league average in ERA. They all were healthy, which allowed the club to avoid going a month or more with a poor starter in the rotation. The pen followed the same form in not being overwhemingly dominant, but avoiding having a number of men getting hammered.

The second key is that, after the trade for Gre, the Giants could field one of the best defenses in the game. Gre and Kerney are among the best at theri positions, while Tom Breede is a strong defensive second baseman. Dinardo, Nunez and Stanley form one of the best defensvie outfields in the game. Bo Shepard's rocket arm behind the plate won him a pair of Gold Gloves in Houston. So while the Giants have but one top starter, the run out a number of other solid pitchers with a strong defense behind them. This year, at least, it added up to the best run prevention in the NL


My Prediction: Once they got there, the Pirates are made for the post season. Their big two of Adkison and Gabby trumps the Giants top of the rotation, while the Giants solid depth of pitchers that is an advantage is muted in a three-man rotation. The Pirates have better table setters at the top, and plenty of power in the middle to trouble the Giants. Adkison is one of the legendary post season pitchers of this era, while Bash Mahoney is one of the great post season hitters of any era. The Pirates may lose in the World Series, but they aren't going out in the NLCS. The Pirates in four.


Starting Lineups:

Pittsburgh Pirates
2B Terrell Phillips, .288/.393/.402/.795, 75 R, 78 BB
3B Ben Trome, .324/.368/.452/.820, 19 HR, 87 RBI
LF Cap Marcrum, .324/.400/.427/.827, 15 HR, 66 RBI
1B Al Mahoney, .290/.342/.433/.775, 20 HR, 84 RBI
CF Chuck Hart, .227/.272/.394/.667, 29 HR, 88 RBI
C Bill Horan, .290/.341/.374/.715, 58 R
RF Asa Booker, .292/.330/.448/.777, 16 HR, 69 RBI
SS Dennis Gill, .257/.339/.330/.670, 41 R

SP #1 - George Adkison, 20-10, 2.14 ERA
SP #2 - Jerome Gabbert, 20-9, 2.72 ERA
SP #3 - Harry Cutshall, 18-12, 3.30 ERA

Closer - Lynn Willmon, 6-7, 3.29 ERA, 33 SV

San Francisco Giants
1B Gene Smith, .267/.353/.349/.702, 10 HR, 93 RBI
2B Tom Breede, .284/.336/.392/.728, 11 HR, 78 R
LF Rich Stanley, .262/.368/.383/.751, 16 HR, 95 R
CF Dino Dinardo, .329/.373/.573/.946, 39 HR, 149 RBI
C Bo Shepard, .246/.342/.376/.719, 17 HR, 79 RBI
3B Buster Kerney, .271/.352/.435/.787, 23 HR, 83 R
RF Miguel Nunez, .234/.298/.395/.693, 16 HR, 70 RBI
SS Renaldo Gre, .301/.341/.383/.724, 61 R

SP #1 - Sal Fernandez, 24-10, 2.51 ERA
SP #2 - Eldon Holmes, 21-8, 3.22 ERA
SP #3 - Truman Foley, 17-11, 3.19 ERA

Emergency SP - Angel Garcia, 16-4, 3.21 ERA

Closer - Harlan Garrett, 0-5, 3.51 ERA, 32 SV

[rudel.dietrich]

Is the site down again?

[metsgeek]

Originally Posted by Fallschirmjager

Is the site down again?

Nope

5000th post!!!