Your Expansion Seattle Mariners!!!

[BoilerRocketScientist]

Seattle Takes Control of Series

Game 5 kicks off with Detroit’s Jim Umbarger (0-1, 6.14) against Seattle’s Mike Witt (0-1, 6.75). Seattle got things kicked off in a big way in the bottom of the first by posting 6 runs and chasing Umbarger after only posting only two thirds of an inning. The Mariner’s scored their 6 runs on 6 hits (with 4 doubles) and 2 walks as they sent 11 men to the plate in the 6th. After Detroit added their first run in the 2nd, Seattle’s Greg Walker answered with a solo homer (1) off of Tiger reliever Dave Rozema to make the score 7-1. Buddy Schultz relieved Witt (7 IP, 1 ER, 6 hits, 5 K’s, 2 BB’s) in the 7th inning and gave up a run on 3 hits but that was all for Detroit as they fell 7-2. Detroit now finds themselves in a hole down 3 games to 2 as the series shifts back to Detroit. Greg Walker was the hero in today’s game going 3-for-4 (single, double, & homer) with 2 RBI’s, and 2 runs scored. Mike Witt (1-1) earned the win while Detroit’s Jim Umbarger (0-2) took the loss.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

Cubs Stave Off Elimination

The Chicago Cubs forestalled elimination with a 7-3 win in Atlanta. Eric Wilkins (1-1) earned the win pitching 7 strong innings giving up only 2 runs on 7 hits while striking out 5. The game was tied at 2 apiece when Atlanta starter Bob Ojeda (7 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits) gave way to reliever Ed Whitson. The Cubs jumped all over Whitson (L, 0-1) to the tune of 5 runs in two-thirds of an inning. The big shot was a 3-run homer from catcher John Rabb (1). Johnny Ray added 2 hits and 2 RBI’s for the Cubs as part of their 14-hit barrage of Atlanta pitching. The win sends the Cubs back home to Wrigley field where they need to win the next 2 to head to the World Series. Their job just got tougher when they learned that SS Wally Backman would be lost for the rest of the playoffs with a torn meniscus. Backman, who hit .317 during the regular season, was 4/12 with 4 runs scored during the playoffs. Dave Owen (.247/.353/.377, 3 HR’s, 38 RBI’s) will move into the starting shortstop position for Chicago.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

10/08/1984 - Star C Signs Extension with New York

Dan Graham might be greedy, but there's no disputing his talent. The hotshot catcher will pocket $4,400,000 after re-signing with the Mets earlier today, and will hang around another 4 years. Some more financially prudent fans worried that the signing would burden the club down the road and might prevent it from being competitive, though many others were simply thankful that Graham didn't bolt. In this current campaign Graham is hitting at a .277 clip with 34 home runs and 105 RBIs.

Graham becomes the highest paid player in the league and he's well worth it. In his 6 seasons in New York Graham has never hit fewer than 31 homers. His career marks include a .279 average with 212 HR's and 601 RBI's.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

Detroit Evens Up Series to Force Game 7

Game 6 heads back to Detroit where the Mariner’s need to win 1 of 2 to close out the series. Detroit will send Nino Espinosa (1-0, 5.19) in an attempt to thwart Seattle’s Bill Gullickson (1-0, 5.68) to keep the series alive. Detroit got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the 3rd inning on back-to-back doubles from Alan Trammell and Larry Herndon to take a 1-0 lead. The Tigers managed to chase Seattle’s Gullickson in the bottom of the 4th scoring 3 runs and loading the bases with 1 out. Dennis Rasmussen couldn’t get the job done and let all 3 inherited runners scored to give Detroit a 7-0 lead. Seattle got on the board in the top of the 8th with a solo homer by Ruppert Jones, his second this series. But, that would be all the noise that Seattle would make as Detroit’s Nino Espinosa (W, 2-0) pitched a complete game, 4-hitter giving up only a single run on Jones’ homer. Alan Trammell led the way with 3 hits but it was a true team effort with RBI’s from 6 different batters. Bill Gullickson (1-1) took the loss for Seattle.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

Cubs Blast Braves - Game 7 is ON

Chicago returned to Wrigley field needing a win to stay alive and they came up big with a 12-1 victory. Left fielder Dave Edwards was the star going 3/3 with 2 HR’s & 4 RBI’s but he was part of a massive offensive assault which saw the Cubs score their 12 runs on 18 hits. The Cubs scored 7 runs in the 3rd, 1 in the 4th, and 4 more in the 7th off of 5 Atlanta pitchers. In addition to Edwards 2 blasts the Cubs got homers from Dave Hostetler (a grand slam in the 3rd) and a pinch-hit, 3-run shot from Hosken Powell in the 7th. Orel Hershiser (W, 1-1) pitched 7 strong innings to get the win for Chicago while Atlanta’s Chris Young (L, 0-1) was charged with 7 runs in 2.1 innings in taking the loss.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

Seattle Explodes in 9th, Series Bound!

It all comes down to Game 7 at Tiger Stadium to see who represents the AL in the World Series this year. The visiting Seattle Mariners will send Floyd Bannister (0-1, 10.39) against Detroit’s Dennis Leonard (1-1, 5.93) who’s pitching on 3 days rest. The Tigers got on the board first in the bottom of the 2nd inning when Mike O’Berry singled with 2 outs to score Kevin McReynolds to take a 1-0 lead. Detroit added another run in the bottom of the 6th when Jim Smith singled to score Larry Herndon. Smith’s hit chased Bannister (5.2 IP, 8 hits, 2 runs, 5 K’s, 2 BB’s) but reliever Ralph Citarella got Mike Tyson to ground out to end the inning. Seattle threatened in the top of the 8th inning getting men on 1st and 2nd with no outs but Dennis Leonard wormed his way out of the jam and retired the next 3 batters to keep the score 2-0. Seattle again gets men on 1st and 2nd in the 9th and chased Dennis Leonard while Gary Lavelle comes in to try to get the save. A Bill Buckner single loaded the bases with no outs. Lavelle induced a grounder to third from Dave Stapleton but it took a bad hop off of Jim Smith’s chest and everyone was safe while Barry Bonnell scored to reduce Detroit’s lead to 2-1. Lavelle worked hard to get Ivan Calderon and Ruppert to each hit grounders to force runners at home. It was all up to 3rd string catcher Dan Firova to save Seattle’s season. Firova, who had only 20 at-bats all season promptly lined a 1-0 single to left field to score Dave Stapleton and Ivan Calderon to take a 3-2 lead. Paul Molitor added an RBI single off of Lavelle before Gerald Perry struck out to end the 9th. Seattle scored 4 unearned runs to take a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the 9th where Detroit would have their last at-bats. Detroit’s Alan Trammell earned a 2-out walk off of Tom Gorman to bring Dave Cash to the plate as the tying run. Cash hit a 2-2 fastball on the ground to third baseman Tom O’Malley who fired it to Gerald Perry for the final out and Seattle takes the victory and heads to the World Series for the 3rd time in their short history. Tom Gorman (W, 1-0) pitched the last 2 innings for the win while Gary Lavelle (L, 0-1) pitched a disastrous 9th inning for the loss. Tim Wallach received the MVP Award for hitting .360/.448/.760 with 2 HR's, 5 RBI's.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

Cubs Take Game 7 - World Series Bound!

We’re in Wrigley Field for Game 7 of the NLCS. Atlanta send Doug Capilla (0-1, 5.06) against Chicago’s Jeff Robinson (1-0, 0.00). Atlanta got on the board first with a solo homer from Bill Madlock (3) to take a 1-0 lead. The Cubs answered with 2 runs in the 2nd but were countered by Atlanta’s 2 run in the 3rd to make the score 3-2. Atlanta tacked on a run in the 6th to take a 4-2 lead and making the fans groan. After that, it was all Chicago. Dave Edwards hit a 2-run homer (4) off of Jeff Little in the 7th to tie the game. Then, Ernie Whitt battled Jeff Little in a 9-pitch at-bat and smacked a 3-2, 2-out fastball onto Waveland avenue in the bottom of the 8th that made the crowd roar! Juan Eichelberger pitched the 9th for his 3rd save and all of the North Side erupted when Gary Pettis grounded out to Dave Hostetler to end the game and send the Cubs to the World Series for the first time since 1908. Dave Edwards was awarded the MVP trophy for batting .333 with 4 HR’s and 8 RBI’s.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

The 1984 World Series will pit the Seattle Mariners against the Chicago Cubs. Both team come into the Series with identical 99-63 records during regular season and having survived a 7-game series in their respective championship series. The matchups for the first 3 games are below.

Game 1, Chicago: Neal Heaton (17-10, 3.46) vs. Mike Moore (15-7, 4.30)
Game 2, Chicago: Mike Witt (19-10, 3.30) vs. Orel Hershiser (19-8, 3.13)
Game 3, Seattle: Jeff Robinson (17-9, 3.25) vs. Bill Gullickson (15-10, 3.29)

As you can see, the teams matchup very well. The Mariner's benefit from getting catcher Dale Murphy (.278, 21 HR's, 72 RBI's) back from the disabled list. Seattle will have to make a decision of how to handle the loss of the DH when they're in Chicago. They will likely put Bill Buckner (.280, 17 HR's, 84 RBI's) into left field in place of Gerald Perry (.280, 7 HR's, 65 RBI's).

[BoilerRocketScientist]

Mariner's Take Game 1

Game 1 kicks off at Wrigley Field where Seattle’s Neal Heaton (1-0, 0.00) would face off against the Cubs’ Mike Moore (0-1, 5.14). After trading donuts for 3 innings the Mariners got on the scoreboard first to take a 1-0 lead in the 4^th. Seattle scored when a Greg Walker double scored Dave Stapleton with 1 out. Moore got out of the jam without further damage. Seattle added a run in the 6^th when Greg Walker plated another run, this time singling in Tim Wallach with 2 outs to take a 2-0 lead. Seattle stretched their lead to 3-0 in the top of the 7^th when Dale Murphy led off the inning with a double and later scored on a sac-fly from Dion James. Chicago finally got on the board in the bottom of the 7^th when Jeff Burroughs took a Heaton curveball over the left field wall for a solo homer. That run broke Heaton’s playoff scoreless streak of 15.1 innings and reduced Seattle’s lead to 3-1. Chicago got the tying run up to the plate after Jeff Burroughs singled off of closer Tom Gorman but neither Johnny Ray nor John Rabb could do anything and the Cubs lost 3-1 to go down 1-0 in the Series. Neal Heaton (W, 2-0) was the player of the game going 6.1 innings giving up only 4 hits and a walk with 4 K’s and 1 run on the solo homer by Burroughs. Moore (L, 0-2) took the defeat for Chicago.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

Seattle Sweeps In Chicato to Take 2-0 Series Lead

Game 2 pits Seattle’s Mike Witt (1-1, 3.27) against Chicago’s Eric Wilkins (1-1, 3.46). Seattle got on the board first with a lead-off walk to Molitor. He stole second, made it to third on fielder’s choice, and scored on a balk from Wilkins. Seattle took their 1-0 lead without a hit. The Mariners added 2 more in the 2nd with a pair of hit and walk off of Eric Wilkins. Pitcher Mike Witt even helped himself with an RBI on a fielder’s choice. Chicago reduced the lead to 3-1 scoring in the 2nd on 3 hits. Right fielder Dion James saved 2 additional run when he robbed Dave Edwards of a sure double with 2 men on and 2 outs. Seattle stretched their lead to 4-1 with a solo homer from Tim Wallach (3) in the 5th inning. Chicago answered in the bottom of the 6th with a 2-run homer from Dave Hostetler (2) off of Witt to reduce Seattle’s lead to 4-3. Seattle exploded for 5 runs in the 6th off of Wilkins and former Mariner Rich Gossage to stretch the lead to 9-3. The big damage came from a solo homer from Ruppert Jones (3) and a 3-run shot from Greg Walker (2). Seattle relievers Ralph Citarella and Greg Harris shut down Chicago for the last 3 innings to preserve Seattles 9-3 victory giving them a 2-0 lead in the series while sweeping Chicago at Wrigley. Mike Witt (W, 2-1) gave up 3 runs on 9 hits in 6 innings for the win while Eric Wilkins (L, 1-2) took the loss for Chicago.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

Cubs Take Game 3 in Extra Innings

The Series moves west to Seattle where the Mariners return home after a 2-game sweep in Chicago. In a must win game, the Cubs will send ace Orel Hershiser (1-1, 7.71) against Seattle’s Bill Gullickson (1-1, 6.52). Both starters have struggled this postseason. The Cubs struck first when Ryne Sandberg smacked an opposite field, 2-run homer to give Chicago a 2-0 lead. Seattle cut Chicago’s lead to 2-1 after Gerald Perry scored from third on Greg Walker’s fielder’s choice. Chicago tied the game in the 7th when a sacrifice fly from Dion James scored Bill Buckner. We entered extra innings where Chicago’s Jeff Burroughs had a 2-run single to take a 4-2 lead. Juan Eichelberger (W, 1-0) shut down Seattle in the bottom of the 10th to claim the win for the Cubs. Seattle’s Buddy Schultz (L, 0-1) took the loss in relief.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

Cubs Blast Mariners to Tie Series

So far, home field advantage means nothing as the road team has won the first 3 games. Game 4 will see Chicago’s Jeff Robinson (1-0, 1.20) against Seattle’s Floyd Bannister (0-1, 6.30). Chicago got things started scoring 2 runs in the 2nd off of Bannister. After catcher John Rabb hit a solo homer to lead off the inning, Ryne Sandberg singled in Dave Hostetler with 2 outs before Bannister got out of the inning. Chicago then doubled their lead to 4-0 with a 2-run homer from Jeff Burroughs (2) in the 3rd. Seattle got on the board in the 5th to cut Chicago’s lead to 4-1 when Dave Stapleton singled in Dion James who had tripled earlier. The Cubs exploded for 5 runs in the 9th including a 3-run homer from Willie Randolph only his 2nd all season. The inning did prove costly as Chicago’s Ryne Sandberg pulled up lame at second after smacking a double. Later in the inning, Seattle’s Dion James sprained his ankle making a defensive play in right field. Both players will be evaluated later. In the end, the Mariners had no answer for Jeff Robinson (W, 2-0) who pitched a complete game, scattering 8 hits while giving up only 1 run. Floyd Bannister (L, 0-2) only lasted 5 innings before giving way to the bullpen which fared well until Joe Cowley got blitzed in the 9th inning. The Cubs, in dire straits after losing the first 2 at home, have bounced back to take 2 straight in Seattle to tie the Series all up.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

Sweeping in Seattle - Cubs 1 Win Away from Series Title

The pivotal Game 5 kicks off in Seattle where Chicago’s Mike Moore (0-2, 4.20) faces off against the Mariners’ Neal Heaton (2-0, 0.59). In a bad bit of luck for Chicago, starting pitcher left the game after 1 out in the 2nd inning with arm troubles. He was replaced by Larry McWilliams. Both teams traded zeroes until the 6th inning when Chicago finally got to Seattle’s Heaton and put him in a jam. A single, a walk, and a single scored a run with none out but Heaton worked his way out of a tough spot and Seattle was lucky to go into the bottom of the 6th down only 1-0. Heaton gave way to Ralph Citarella in the 8th inning and Chicago made him pay for a pair of mistakes. After walking Dan Gladden and hitting Dave Edwards, Jeff Burroughs doubled off the left field wall to score Gladden and put men on 2nd and 3rd with none out. Citarella couldn’t hold them off as Edwards scored on a fielder’s choice and Burroughs on a sac fly. In the end, Chicago scored 3 runs on only 1 hit and took a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the 8th. In the end, Seattle couldn’t do much against 3 Chicago pitchers who shut out the Mariners on 4 hits and 3 walks. McWilliams (W, 1-0) pitched 4.2 innings of relief for the win and Jim Dedmon (S, 1) pitched the final 3 for the save. Neal Heaton (L, 2-1) pitched well giving up only 1 run on 4 hits in 7 innings but he didn’t get any offensive help and he took the loss.

Seattle won the first 2 games in Chicago and came home with great spirits but got swept at home by Chicago and now sit 1 game from elimination as we head back to Chicago. The windy city will be in a fever pitch as the Cubs need 1 more victory to end the longest championship drought in the major leagues.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

No Sweet Home - Seattle Sends Series to Game 7

The Series switches back to Wrigley field where the Cubs, with a 3-2 series lead, will work to defeat the Seattle Mariners and start the biggest party that the city of Chicago has ever seen. Seattle will send Mike Witt (2-1, 3.71) against Chicago’s Eric Wilkins (1-2, 6.38). These 2 pitchers faced off in Game 2, a 9-3 by Seattle. Seattle struck first putting up 2 runs in the top of the 3rd to go up 2-0. Wilkins gave up a walk and then got 2 outs before giving up 3 straight 2 hits to Greg Walker, Bill Buckner, and Dale Murphy. Seattle loaded the bases but Wilkins got Ivan Calderon to fly out to end the threat. The Cubs bounced back in the bottom of the frame with a solo homer from Johnny Ray and an RBI single from Dan Gladden to score Dave Owen. Seattle was back at it in the 4th when pitcher Mike Witt led off with a triple. Witt scored on a fielder’s choice and, after he doubled, Dave Stapleton scored on a Greg Walker single. Chicago manufactured a run in the bottom of the 6th on a single by Dave Edwards, a stolen base with an advance to 3rd on an error, and a getting home on a wild pitch. Going into the 7th inning, Chicago was down 4-3. Seattle chased Wilkins in the 7th with a Greg Walker single and a Bill Buckner double put men on 2nd and 3rd with none out. Reliever Warren Brusstar came in and allowed only 1 run to score on a sacrifice fly keeping Chicago within striking distance, down 5-3 as Harry Caray sang “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the 7th inning stretch. The tune helped as third baseman Dave Owen, in for the injured Ryne Sandberg, took a 2-out fastball and deposited it in the left field bleachers to cut Seattle’s lead to 5-4. Seattle brought closer Tom Gorman in for the bottom of the 9th inning to try to close out the Cubs. After giving up a leadoff single to Jose Oquendo, Gorman got the next 3 batters out to preserve the win for Seattle and send us to a Game 7 for the Series title. Mike Witt (W, 3-1) earned the victory with Gorman earning his 3rd save while Eric Wilkins (L, 1-3) took the loss.

So, we've played 6 games this series with the road team winning all 6 games. We'll see if the trend holds in Game 7 for a Seattle win or if the Cubs can overcome nearly a century of disappointment and bring a victory to the Windy City.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

CUBS WIN! CUBS WIN! CUBS WIN!

It’s Game 7 at Wrigley field where we’ll see if Seattle can continue the road victory trend this Series or if the Cubs can buck years of disappointment and reward their fans with a World Series title. This game will feature Seattle’s Bill Gullickson (1-1, 4.32) against Chicago’s Orel Hershiser (1-1, 5.02). The Mariners jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first when Bill Buckner tripled with 2 on and 2 out. The return of Ryne Sandberg from a hamstring injury paid immediate benefits as he led off the bottom of the first with a double and later scored on a Dan Gladden single. Gullickson walked the next man to put men on 1st and 2nd with none out but he worked out of the jam and the first inning ended with a 2-1 Seattle lead. Chicago struck again in the bottom of the second with an RBI single from Sandberg and a 2-run single from Dave Edwards as the Cubs took a 4-2 lead. Chicago added another run in the third when Dave Hostetler led off the inning with a solo shot (3) to stretch their lead to 5-2. The teams traded runs in the 5th and we entered the final 4 innings with the Cubs holding a 3-run lead at 6-3. Seattle got Hershiser in trouble in the 6th getting to him for 4 hits including back to back doubles by Dave Stapleton and pinch hitter Ivan Calderon to score 2 runs and reduce Chicago’s lead to 6-5. Dennis Rasmussen came on in relief in the 6th and gave up a pair of hit and a run on a wild pitch when Dave Hostetler hit a 3-run homer (4), his second of the game, to give Chicago a 10-5 lead and send the crowd into a frenzy. Seattle loaded the bases with 1 out against Chicago reliever Kip Young who wormed his way out of trouble striking out Dale Murphy and getting Ruppert Jones to fly out to right field to end the top of the 7th and start Harry Caray singing to a roaring Chicago crowd.

With 2 outs, Seattle got 2 straight hits from Bill Buckner and Dale Murphy off of reliever Warren Brusstar in the bottom of the 9th. Then Brusstar got Ruppert Jones to hit a grounder to first baseman Dave Hostetler who tossed the ball to Brusstar as he raced Jones to first. The umpire raised signaled the final out of the game and the biggest party Chicago has ever seen began at 9:54 PM and would continue all night. Orel Hershiser (W, 2-1) took the win despite giving up 12 hits and 5 runs in 6 innings. In all, Seattle smacked 16 hits but could only manage 5 runs. Chicago scored their 10 runs on 13 hits with only 3 extra base hits – two of which were Dave Hostetler home runs. Bill Gullickson (L, 1-2) took the loss lasting only 3 innings giving up 5 runs on 6 hits before being lifted for a pinch hitter. Dave Hostetler, who came to the Cubs in a trading deadline deal, took the MVP award by virtue of his big Game 7 totaled 3 HR’s and 6 RBI’s in the series.

[symp1]

The cubs win the world series!
The cubs win the world series!
The cubs win the world series!

[BoilerRocketScientist]

symp1, they should've made it there back in 1984 anyway (a painful memory of my senior year of high school) though I don't know if they would've beat Detroit.

[symp1]

Originally Posted by BoilerRocketScientist

symp1, they should've made it there back in 1984 anyway (a painful memory of my senior year of high school) though I don't know if they would've beat Detroit.

Lol I don't think so. Tigers was really the best in 1984.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

Well, I made it to the mountain but got knocked off the Cubs who exorcised some pretty serious demons. Don't fret for me as I have several first round picks owing to compensation from free agent losses last off-season.

On with a team assessment, the draft, and awards!

[BoilerRocketScientist]

Perry Joins Greats in ML Hall of Fame

When you think about some of the greatest names in baseball history, Gaylord Perry's name inevitably pops up. The recently retired hurler, who struck out 3054 batters on his way to a 276-220 record, was a dominating figure on the mound, frustrating hitters and opposing fans everywhere. Now, Perry takes his rightful place among the greats in the Major League 1977 Hall of Fame.

"I loved throwing the ball around with my dad back when I was a little kid," Perry recounted for the crowd at the ceremony. "It started out as a way to bond with him and as I got older and began to dream of being a big leaguer. He always encouraged me and never let me give up."

Lifetime Gaylord Perry appeared in 647 games, hurled 4543 innings and put up a 3.01 ERA. He retired at the age of 46.

Tiant Joins HOF Legends

At his Hall of Fame induction legendary pitcher, Luis Tiant reminisced about his baseball career: "My how time flies. It is only a mere moment from your first spring training game to your first oldtimer's game. But it a magnificent journey."

Today Tiant was installled into the Major League 1977 Hall of Fame after his selection by the Baseball Writers Association.

Baseball's newest HOF inductee was one fine hurler. When Tiant retired at age 43, he had registered 203 wins and 167 losses, struck out 2171 hitters, pitched in 534 games and compiled a 3.44 ERA.

Among the many people he mentioned in his induction speech was his first manager. "He gave me my first opportunity when he could have kept other people. I was lucky -- he was a Luis Tiant fan. You can't get in the Hall of Fame without your first chance."