The 1969 Expos: An expansion Team comes to Canada - Page 2

Big Train · 05-01-2016, 08:48 AM

July 1971: No surprise respectability or even very marginal pennant race participation this year as the Expos drop to 47-63. The team did manage to send 5 representatives to this all star game in Oakland. Rookie John Harbin made the team even after missing his first month with an injury. He joined Rusty Staub, Dan McGinn, Carl Yastrzemski and new trade acquisition Ken Henderson as Expo all-stars. The game was exciting, going into extra innings when the Tigers Jim Northrup homered off Jim Merritt to send the AL home victorious.

Expos make waves at the trade deadline- The Cubs - surprise contenders in the NL East - looked to the Expos for help with their playoff push. They acquire ace stopper Dan McGinn and veteran slugger Carl Yastrzemski along with veteran reliever Moe Drabowski and two minor leaguers. In return for all that, the Expos pick up 21 year old Oscar Gamble, one of the hottest outfield prospects in all of baseball. Brooks Robinson goes to the Giants for a couple of relief pitchers and the Mets and Yankees do a subway trade with Tommie Agee headed to the Bronx in return for Ron Guidry and Mike Kekich.

Orioles get hot and open up an 8 game lead on the Yanks. The Twins lead the White Sox by 4, the Mets lead the Cubs by 3 and a half and the Dodgers lead the Astros by 5. The Phillies are getting some great hitting with rookie Garry Maddox hitting .353 and Dick Allen already having 38 homers. Tom Seaver has compiled 16 wins and a 2.20 ERA. While in the AL 21 year old Mike Schmidt is putting together a nice sophomore season 22 HR and a .293 average with 2 months to go.

Big Train · 05-02-2016, 02:34 AM

Aug. 1971:

The Expos weather another injury to pitcher Carl Morton and manage to pretty much tread water this month ending up at 61-74. Rice is hurt at AAA which nixes the September call-up I was planning but didn't seem to affect his development much, thank god. While I think I will give Phil Garner, who is batting over .350 at AAA a shot at some major league at-bats.

Starting pitching is what this team really needs but most of it is a couple of years away at best although Nino Espinosa is tearing up the International League so he should be ready for the show next spring at the tender age of 18.

Around baseball, The Orioles pull off a 20 game win streak in August to pretty much wrap up the AL East. The NL East is baseball's best pennant race again this year as the Cubs have narrowed the Mets lead to only a half game. The White Sox also remain hot behind Bill Melton and Tommy John and they have moved to within 2 and a half of the Twins who are trying to avoid another September fold. In the other division, the Dodgers, a pitching and defense team par excellence , holds a 9 game lead on the Astros.

Big Train · 05-03-2016, 05:18 AM

Sep. 1971:

The Expos finish at 75-87 which is kind of a step back from last year's 83-79. but with 3 of the best prospects in baseball set to join the team though the outlook isn't that bleak. Bill Stoneman managed to turn around his bad season last year and kept his ERA respectable. He was really the only reliable starter the Expos had though. Mike Fiore being on the DL most of the year and Bob Bailey hitting .250 rather than .350 were also problems but pitching is definitely where this team needs to improve.

In the division races the Mets held off the Cubs although it went down to the last week of the season and the A's got hot in September for the second year in a row to almost grab the pennant but the Twins were able to hold them off this time:

So, only 1 1970 playoff team will return in 1971 and we have the 108 win Orioles missing Frank Robinson but looking to atone for last year's poor ALCS performance taking on a Twins team that is missing Rod Carew but still having plenty of star power with Harmon Killebrew, Orlando Cepeda and Jim Kaat among others.

In the NL I expect some pitchers duels as two great pitching staffs will collide. The Mets Seaver, Ryan and Gentry vs. The Dodgers Sutton, Singer and Osteen. Both these teams are pretty similar. Their offenses are not bad but they will win or lose on their pitching.

On the injury front, The Mets are missing two starting pitchers (Wibur Wood and Jerry Koosman) while the Dodgers lack two of their best hitters (Steve Garvey and Ron Fairly)

1971 World Series and award report next....

Big Train · 05-03-2016, 04:14 PM

1971 playoff recap: Both LCS go the distance...

ALCS Game 1: Dean Chance gets hurt early in the game and the Orioles are able to make a couple of first inning runs stand up. Winning the game 3-1 behind Palmer.

Game 2: Orioles score 2 in the eighth to win 5-3 and go up 2-0

Game 3: Orioles take a 3-0 lead into the seventh but Twins break out the long ball as Killebrew and Cepeda go deep and Rick Dempsey adds a 3 run triple. 3 in the seventh and 5 more in the eighth keep the Twins alive.

Game 4: Twins shock Jim Palmer. Hitting hero Rick Dempsey homers twice and Killebrew has another big game. Twins take the game 9-5 to even up the series.

Game 5: But the Orioles are able to ice the Twins rally in the deciding game as Baltimore's Terry Crowley hits a grand slam and Dave McNally pitches a shutout. Baltimore wins 6-0 to go back to the World Series.

NLCS

Game 1: Light hitting Paul Dade hits a homer and Claude Osteen narrowly outduels Tom Seaver as the Dodgers grab the opener 2-1.

Game 2: Mets flip the game 1 script in game 2. Homers from Mike Jorgensen and Amos Otis and great pitching from Nolan Ryan allow the New Yorkers to come away with a 3-2 win against Don Sutton to even the series.

Game 3: Bill Singer turns in the best pitching performance yet in a pitching dominated series shutting down the Mets on 4 hits. Gary Gentry only allows 3 hits but still loses 2-0.

Game 4: Yet another close game sees the Dodgers take a 2-1 lead into the ninth but they were fated to waste Claude Osteen's seven strong innings as the bullpen blows it allowing the Mets to explode for 7 runs in the ninth inning making the final score of 8-2 very deceptive but the Mets are able to push the series to a deciding game back at Shea.

Game 5: Rematch of game 2 doesn't disappoint but this time Don Sutton comes away the winner of the duel with Nolan Ryan. Willie Crawford provides most of the offense with a homer as the Dodgers win a nail biter 3-1 to go to the World Series.

...
World Series.

So it was the 108 win Orioles running into the 102 win Dodgers in the World Series...

Game 1: Buford pounded a homer and Palmer was sharp as The Orioles took the opener 6-2.

Game 2: Singer and McNally were deadlocked at 1 going into extra innings but in the bottom of the tenth Enos Cabell puts Baltimore up 2 games to none with a walk off double sending the Memorial Stadium crowd into a frenzy.

Game 3: Back at home the Dodgers turn to their ace Don Sutton and he delivers - striking out 11 Orioles and overcoming Mike Cuellar as this time Los Angeles gets the narrow 2-1 victory.

Game 4 - Boog Powell (who missed the ALCS with an injury) makes his presence felt with a three run homer as the Orioles win on the road to give the Orioles a 5-3 win and a 3 games to 1 lead.

Game 5 - The Orioles hold a 3-1 lead late in the game but their reliever Joe Costello allows 4 runs to score in the eighth inning and the Dodgers hold on to win 5-3.

Game 6 - Bill Singer and the Dodger bullpen pitch a 4 hit shutout over Dave McNally winning 1-0. For the second straight series the Orioles lose two straight deciding games.

Game 7 - And for the second straight series they come back in the final game to take the series anyway. Don Sutton gets uncharacteristically knocked around a bit and 4th starter Jim Hardin picks up his second win of the series subbing for the injured Mike Cuellar. Orioles win 5-2 to win the World Championship for the second time in 3 years.

Don Buford hits .407 to win World Series MVP.

1971 awards:

Sutton Wins National League Pitching Crown for the third time in a row : The Cy Young Award for 1971 has been presented and the National League winner is Don Sutton of Los Angeles.

"It's always nice to receive an award like this," said Sutton. "I just hope I can improve on my performance next year and be in the running again," the Dodgers star told reporters.

Sutton excelled with an impressive 20-11 record in 38 starts. In 304.1 innings he yielded 218 hits and 53 walks, while striking out 189 and compiling a fine 1.92 ERA.

Tom Seaver of the New York Mets finished second in voting, while Dock Ellis of the Pittsburgh Pirates finished third.

...

Palmer's Great Year Nets Cy Young Award: The Baltimore Orioles have a rising superstar or maybe even a budding Hall-of-Famer in the making.
It's Jim Palmer, this year's American League Cy Young Award selection. This blossoming hurler wowed fans, peers and sportswriters with a fabulous performance.

Palmer compiled a 20-6 record in 36 starts, tallied 222 strikeouts in 284.1 innings and recorded a 1.93 ERA. Other clubs managed only a .201 batting average against him.

Sam McDowell of the Cleveland Indians finished second in voting, while Mike Caldwell of the New York Yankees finished third.

...AL's Top Player for 1971 Named: Harmon Killebrew of the Minnesota Twins proved that you can step out of the shadows and onto the stage if you've got the talent and the drive to hone your skills. Hard work, long hours and a tireless resolve paid off for him today in the form of the American League Most Valuable Player Award.

Killebrew hit for a .270 average while collecting 155 hits, 14 doubles, 1 triple, 35 home runs, 113 RBIs and scoring 109 times.

Mike Schmidt of the Milwaukee Brewers finished second in voting, while Jim Palmer of the Baltimore Orioles finished third.

...
Superb Year For Santo, Wins Most Valuable Player Award: Cubs third baseman Ron Santo was at the top of the heap in the National League this season and today he nabbed the Most Valuable Player Award.

In 1971 he rang up 195 hits, 18 doubles, 5 triples, 39 home runs, 119 RBIs and 114 runs scored. All those numbers helped him to build his .315 batting average and .385 on-base percentage.

Ron Cey of the Los Angeles Dodgers finished second in voting, while Dick Allen of the Philadelphia Phillies finished third.

...
Maddox Nabs NL Rookie of the Year Award: A fine inaugural season has paid off handsomely for Garry Maddox of the Philadelphia Phillies. The 22-year-old topped off his debut year with the 1971 National League Rookie of the Year Award.

The Phillies center fielder took the trophy by hitting .362 in 134 games and finished with 202 hits, 9 home runs, 68 RBIs and 83 runs scored.

Mike Easler of the Houston Astros finished second in voting, while Bob Gallagher of the Los Angeles Dodgers finished third.

...

Roberts Rewarded with Rookie of the Year Award: Dave W Roberts started his American League career in style, capping it off with the Rookie of the Year Award for 1971.

The catcher for the Cleveland Indians played in 140 games, hitting .343 with 170 hits. He totaled 19 home runs, 64 RBIs and 78 runs scored.

Rick Reuschel of the California Angels finished second in voting, while Bruce Bochte of the New York Yankees finished third.
...

Big Train · 05-05-2016, 06:22 AM

Offseaon and April 1972:

A trio of pitching greats made the hall of fame. Early Wynn, Robin Roberts and Sandy Koufax get enshrined amongst the immortals. The 1972 draft is done with another crop of promising youngsters appearing on the scene. The Giants get Fred Lnn, the Rangers get Dick Ruethven and the Brewers, just like in real life, grab Robin Yount. The Expos concentrate on our biggest need, starting pitching and take David Clyde and LaMarr Hoyt with the first 2 picks. Clyde was a hitoric flameout in reality but hopefully he does better in the sim.

The Expos also make a rather big trade. trading our biggest star - Rusty Staub, to the Yankees for pitching prospect Frank Ricelli and OF/1B Ron Blomberg. The fans were sad to see Le Grand Orange leave town but let's face it , his trade value will probably never be higher at 28 and we got 2 nice pieces for the future.
Phil Garner made his debut and won rookie of the month. Nino Espinosa joined the rotation and pitched 7 shutout innings in his first start and Jim Rice is raking at AAA and will likely force his way onto the big club soon. The Expos went 11-9 in April and I'm reasonably happy with that. This team should definitely be better than last year, barring a lot of bad luck with injuries.

The other big trade saw Bob Gibson joining the Big Red Machine and Lee May going to the Cardinals Reds fans are hoping the 35 year old great can help them recapture the pennant and even after trading May and Perez the Reds are still loaded with offense.

The Mets and Reds lead in the NL and the Red Sox at 14-6 are holding off the Orioles for now while the Twins lead in the AL West.

Big Train · 05-05-2016, 06:23 AM

Offseaon and April 1972:

A trio of pitching greats made the hall of fame. Early Wynn, Robin Roberts and Sandy Koufax get enshrined amongst the immortals. The 1972 draft is done with another crop of promising youngsters appearing on the scene. The Giants get Fred Lynn, the Rangers get Dick Ruethven and the Brewers, just like in real life, grab Robin Yount. The Expos concentrate on our biggest need, starting pitching and take David Clyde and LaMarr Hoyt with the first 2 picks. Clyde was a hitoric flameout in reality but hopefully he does better in the sim.

The Expos also make a rather big trade. trading our biggest star - Rusty Staub, to the Yankees for pitching prospect Frank Ricelli and OF/1B Frank Ricelli. The fans were sad to see Le Grand Orange leave town but let's face it , his trade value will probably never be higher at 28 and we got 2 nice pieces for the future.
Phil Garner made his debut and won rookie of the month. Nino Espinosa joined the rotation and pitched 7 shutout innings in his first start and Jim Rice is raking at AAA and will likely force his way onto the big club soon. The Expos went 11-9 in April and I'm reasonably happy with that. This team should definitely be better than last year, barring a lot of bad luck with injuries.

The other big trade saw Bob Gibson joining the Big Red Machine and Lee May going to the Cardinals Reds fans are hoping the 35 year old great can help them recapture the pennant and even after trading May and Perez the Reds are still loaded with offense.

The Mets and Reds lead in the NL and the Red Sox at 14-6 are holding off the Orioles for now while the Twins lead in the AL West.

Big Train · 05-05-2016, 06:23 AM

Offseason and April 1972:

A trio of pitching greats made the hall of fame. Early Wynn, Robin Roberts and Sandy Koufax get enshrined amongst the immortals. The 1972 draft is done with another crop of promising youngsters appearing on the scene. The Giants get Fred Lnn, the Rangers get Dick Ruethven and the Brewers, just like in real life, grab Robin Yount. The Expos concentrate on our biggest need, starting pitching and take David Clyde and LaMarr Hoyt with the first 2 picks. Clyde was a hitoric flameout in reality but hopefully he does better in the sim.

The Expos also make a rather big trade. trading our biggest star - Rusty Staub, to the Yankees for pitching prospect Frank Ricelli and OF/1B Ron Blomberg. The fans were sad to see Le Grand Orange leave town but let's face it , his trade value will probably never be higher at 28 and we got 2 nice pieces for the future.
Phil Garner made his debut and won rookie of the month. Nino Espinosa joined the rotation and pitched 7 shutout innings in his first start and Jim Rice is raking at AAA and will likely force his way onto the big club soon. The Expos went 11-9 in April and I'm reasonably happy with that. This team should definitely be better than last year, barring a lot of bad luck with injuries.

The other big trade saw Bob Gibson joining the Big Red Machine and Lee May going to the Cardinals Reds fans are hoping the 35 year old great can help them recapture the pennant and even after trading May and Perez the Reds are still loaded with offense.

The Mets and Reds lead in the NL and the Red Sox at 14-6 are holding off the Orioles for now while the Twins lead in the AL West.

Big Train · 05-06-2016, 01:37 PM

May 1972 report:

Montreal is abuzz as a great May puts the Expos at 29-19 and only a half game behind the 1st place Mets. The rookies have been leading the way as Phil Garner leads the league in hitting and sensational rookie pitcher Nino Espinosa has an ERA of 1.34 in 7 starts. Expos also trade surplus pitcher Steve Renko and first base prospect Calvin White to the Giants for pitching prospect Randy Fairbanks. The team continues to stockpile young arms and it's certainly much easier to be optimistic about the pitching staff now.

The Astros make a move in the NL West as Don Wilson is putting together a very good season but the Reds still hold on to a game and a half lead. As mentioned, the Mets and Expos are separated by half a game in the NL East and the Twins have the majors biggest lead - 7 games over the A's. Orioles lead the Tigers by only half a game and the Red Sox are right there 2 and a half out.

Big Train · 05-08-2016, 04:56 AM

June 1972:

The Expos close another good month with a thrilling extra inning 7-6 win against the Mets to close to within a game of first place and end the month 45-31. Certainly rarified territory for this young team. Nino Espinosa continues to keep his ERA under 2 and Phil Garner also continues his great rookkie season. Also so far the injury bug has mostly stayed away this year. Hopefully that lasts.

3 of the 4 divisions are very competitive this year. Every team but the Padres are still very much in it in the NL West with 5 teams separated by only 3 and a half games and in the AL East the defending champs have been slow out of the gate leaving the Tigers leading by 2 over the Red Sox and 4 over the Orioles. In the AL West, the Twins are already making plans for October, enjoying an 11 game lead and the majors' best record. Rudy May of the Angels and Dock Ellis of the Pirates both pitched no hitters Twins reliever Mike Marshall is showing great timing, somehow leading the league with 12 wins out of the bullpen and Expos reliever Jerry Robertson has 10 wins to lead his team.
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Big Train · 05-11-2016, 04:02 PM

July 1972:

We end the month where we started it. An exciting three game series at Shea to end the Month. All three games were decided by one run and the Mets grab 2 of 3 to grab back a half game lead. Should be an exciting final two months of the season in the NL East. The Expos made a couple of trades to bolster the bullpen. bring in Dick Selma from the Padres and Dick Ellsworth from the Red Sox for utility infielder Bill Russel and pitching prospect Kenneth Collins. Feels weird to be buyers at the trade deadline but the way the team is playing made that the case. There was some bad news as both Oscar Gamble and very good fourth outfielder Jerry Morales went down to season ending injuries within a couple of days of each other. Luckily the Expos had Jim Rice at AAA simply really there because there was no room in the lineup for him. Time to see what the hot prospect can do.

All Star game is held in Cincinnati and the AL wins again 9-6 as Carew goes 3 for 5. Hard times for Carew's team though as the Twins have seen their huge AL West lead evaporate within the space of a month. They suddenly find both the A's and White Sox only half a game out. Things are also not looking too good for the Orioles attempt to four-peat in the AL East as the Tigers extend their lead to 4 and a half games. The NL West remains a traffic jam although the Braves and Giants have fallen back - The Reds lead but the Astros and Dodgers are 2 and 2 and a half back respectively.

Rod Carew is chasing .400 currently batting .398. George Stone may be the 3rd or fourth best pitcher in the Mets rotation in terms of raw talent but somehow he has a 1.50 ERA and despite the Orioles down year Jim Palmer has a sparkling 1.68 ERA.

Big Train · 05-19-2016, 02:09 AM

August 1972:

Good pennant races in all divisions. The Expos and Mets continued to battle it out and while they went up and down a few times at the beginning of September it's right back at the Mets clinging to a half game lead:80-50 to 80-51. We'll have to see what happens in the last 30 games. The EReds hold a 2 and a half game lead over both the Astros and Dodgers. The A's cling to a half game lead over the Twins and 3 and a half over the White Sox and the Red Sox went on a tear to close within half a game of the Tigers with the Yanks 3.5 out. Rod Carew slips to .382 while other than for Carew it seems like a pitcher's year with a bunch of hurlers still having ERAs under 2. Gene Tenace goes down for the year which is a blow to the A's chances.

September and the first real pennant race in Expos history coming up next...

Big Train · 05-24-2016, 01:30 AM

Sep. 1972:

Well, 1972 will mark a milestone in Expos history as they made the playoffs in only their 4th year of existence. Not quite as impressive as what the Royals did in 1969 but cool none the less. The pitching staff was really the key as The Expos powered through September, ending up 101-61. Enough to eliminate the second place Mets with a week or so to spare. Great rookies Nino Espinosa [16 wins and 2.51 ERA] and Phil Garner [Batting champion with .327 with 14HR and 68 RBI] lead the team, firstbaseman Ron Blomberg tied with Atlanta's Darrel Evans for the led the league with 108 RBI and Jim Rice made the most of his Major League playing time with .322 2HR 27RBI in about 2 months action. The team improved to 6th in the league in runs allowed while maintaining 2nd in runs scored. Dick Selma who came over from the Padres and was converted to a starter was huge in that role ending up at 11-3 2.22 ERA. He will be our 3rd starter in the playoffs after Espinosa and Stoneman.

In those playoffs the Expos will face the dreaded Big Red Machine. A team which won 9 of 12 from Montreal in the regular season and held off challenges from the Astros and Dodgers to win their divisions. The Reds are missing their good young starter Burt Hooton who is on the DL but have an extremely potent lineup led by Bench, Carbo, and young Griffey and McRae a long with Wayne Burney, a career minor leaguer in real life who OOTP has made into a stud. Trading for Bob Gibson also worked out for the Reds as the aging ex- Cards ace won 20 games for them.

At least the best record in the majors gives the Expos home field in this series but I'd be lying if I said I'm hugely confident.

In the other playoff series, the Red Sox won the battle of mediocre teams in the AL east. winning their division with only 89 victories. The Red Sox have a good offense, led by Tony Conigliaro, Carlton Fisk, Reggie Smith and Ben Ogilvie and this year they got at least decent pitching to back up the big bats. But they will be without Ogilvie for the LCS and Petrocelli is gone until next season.

They will face the 97 win Twins who held off the A's and White Sox to win the West again. The Twins will be trying to win one more for their aging star Harmon Killebrew who had a nice 21 HR season at the age of 36. Rod Carew ended up at .374 for Minnesota and Dean chance, Dick Boswell and Jim Kaat give the Twins a nice veteran threesome in the rotation.

One thing of note. The Twins Jim Perry no-hit the Angels in Early September. Next installment, We'll see how the Expos do against the Mighty Reds in their first playoff appearance....

Big Train · 05-24-2016, 11:26 PM

1972 Playoffs:

!972 Playoffs; Reds (87 Wins) at Expos (101 wins)

Game 1 The Expos overcome a sloppy 3 error game as Ken Henderson hits a grand slam off Bob Gibson and Bill Stoneman pitches 6 innings without allowin an earned run. 4-1 win for the Expos,.

Game 2: The Reds score all their 4 runs in the third inning but Jim Merritt goes the distance and pitched well enough to make that hold up. 4-3 Reds win Series tied.

Game 3 was a tight contest between Gary Nolan and Dick Selma. Hal McRae comes through with a big double to tie the score at 2 in the 8th and then homers in the 12th to give his team the walkoff win. Reds go up 2 games to 1.

Game 4 Darrel Porter homers and Bill Stoneman pitches well again as The Expos send the series back to Montreal with a decisive 11-2 win.

Game 5: In the deciding game the Expos get to Jim Merritt for 4 runs early and hand on to win 6-1 behind rookie starter Nino Espinosa to win the ALCS.

ALCS Red Sox (89 wins) vs Twins (97) wins:

Game 1: A Cleon Jones fifth inning double is the deciding blow as the Twins win the first game 4-2 behind Dave Boswell.

Game 2: Rod Carew goes 4 for 5 as the Twins succeed in taking both games in Minnesota knocking around Boston starter ken Brett for 6 runs in the first 2 innings and hanging on to win 7-4.

Game 3:Series shifts to Fenway and the Red Sox are able to get their offense going against Jim Kaat. Light hitting Pat Scanlon surprises with a homer and a big game as Boston prevails 9-2.

game 4: Cleon Jones goes 3 for 4 and Dean Chance combines on a shutout, sending the Twins to the Series with a 5-0 win.

World Series: Twins at Expos:

Game 1: Great pitchers duel here as Bill Stoneman and Dave Boswell go at it. The game is scorless heading into the eighth when the Expos are able to score a run of Twins reliever Tom Hall. That's all Stoneman needs as he goes the distance in a complete game 3 hit shutout.

Game 2: Montreal can be cold in October but the Twins bats are even colder. This time it is Dick Selma and Frank Ricelli who combine to shutout the Twins on 2 hits.Mike Fiore hits a homer to help his team win 3-0 and go up in the series 2-0.

Game 3: In Minneapolis, Harmon Killebrew homers as the Twins finally manage to score but Nino Espinosa is still pretty stingy and the Expos score 3 in the 4th to win 4-2 and go up in the series 3-0.

Game 4: A rematch of game 1 between Stoneman and Boswell but this time the Expos offense solves Boswell as Jim Rice goes 4 for 5, leading his team to an 8-3 win and Bill Stoneman picks up his 4th win of the playoffs. The improbable young Expos SWEEP the world series.

Stoneman's 4-0 0.93 performance in the playoffs gets him well deserved MVP awards in both the LCS and World Series.

Big Train · 05-25-2016, 12:43 AM

1972 awards:

NL Hands Out Rookie of the Year Award: Phil Garner, second baseman of Montreal, was the cream of the freshman crop in the National League and today he received the 1972 Rookie of the Year Award.

He played in 135 games, compiling a .327 batting average with 184 hits, 14 home runs, 31 walks, and a .362 on-base percentage. Garner also chipped in 68 RBIs and scored 74 times.

Chet Lemon of the San Diego Padres finished second in voting, while Nino Espinosa of the Montreal Expos finished third.

...

Ayala Honored by AL as 1972 Best Rookie: Benny Ayala turned a lot of heads in American League circles this season, putting together a solid rookie campaign. Today he claimed the AL Rookie of the Year Award.

The 21-year-old Boston center fielder played in 136 games, hitting .237 with 19 home runs, 78 RBIs and scoring 58 runs.

Pete LaCock of the California Angels finished second in voting, while Dick Ruthven of the Texas Rangers finished third.

...

Top Pitcher Trophy Won by Astros Wilson: The Cy Young Award for 1972 has been presented and the National League winner is Don Wilson of Houston.

"It's always nice to receive an award like this," said Wilson. "I just hope I can improve on my performance next year and be in the running again," the Astros star told reporters.

Wilson excelled with an impressive 19-15 record in 38 starts. In 306.1 innings he yielded 225 hits and 78 walks, while striking out 309 and compiling a fine 1.97 ERA.

Larry Dierker of the Houston Astros finished second in voting, while Nolan Ryan of the New York Mets finished third.

...

Orioles Palmer, Cy Young Award Winner: The Baltimore Orioles have a rising superstar or maybe even a budding Hall-of-Famer in the making.
It's Jim Palmer, this year's American League Cy Young Award selection. This blossoming hurler wowed fans, peers and sportswriters with a fabulous performance.

Palmer compiled a 20-8 record in 36 starts, tallied 238 strikeouts in 287.1 innings and recorded a 1.57 ERA. Other clubs managed only a .194 batting average against him.

Bill Bonham of the Chicago White Sox finished second in voting, while Dave Boswell of the Minnesota Twins finished third.
...
Solaita is Best In AL: The manager of the Chicago White Sox said he thinks Tony Solaita is only going to get better as he gets older.

He may only be 25, but it will be hard to top the first baseman's 1972 campaign, as he has been named the winner of the American League Most Valuable Player Award.

His winning campaign featured a .313 batting average and a .404 on-base percentage this year. In 141 games he piled up 166 hits, 21 doubles, 7 triples, 41 home runs, 98 RBIs and 87 runs scored.

Reggie Jackson of the Oakland Athletics finished second in voting, while Rod Carew of the Minnesota Twins finished third.

...
Darrell Evans Chosen NL's Top Player: The future looks extremely bright for Darrell Evans. At the age of 25, many players are still trying to find their way in Major League Baseball.

Evans has not only found his way, he's already established himself as one of the game's brightest stars, today being named the winner of the National League Most Valuable Player Award.

"I didn't expect to hit .296 this year, that's for sure," the third baseman said.

The Atlanta Braves star also put up a .376 on-base percentage this year, with 180 hits, 19 doubles, 6 triples, 37 home runs, 106 RBIs and 99 runs scored.

Ken Henderson of the Montreal Expos finished second in voting, while Bernie Carbo of the Cincinnati Reds finished third.

Big Train · 05-25-2016, 03:41 PM

Pre season 1973:

Whitey Ford gets elected to the HoF on the first ballot. Lonnie Smith and Willie Wilson go first in the draft. The Expos take a reliever - Mike Johnson with their late first round pick and another reliever/borderline starter Bill Caudill in the second round.

I believe you can never really have too much pitching so I solved the problem of not really having a spot for both Jim Rice and Oscar Gamble to play by trading Ron Blomberg to the rival Mets along with prospect outfielder Lamar Johnson. The Expos pick up one of the better pitching prospects in the league - Doc Medich. along with another good pitching prospect Dave Golz. I'm really happy that the AAA Peninsula Whips now have a rotation full of potential good big league starters who are probably a year or two away, although Ricelli, Clyde and Fairbanks pitched well in the playoff push last year but I will probably give them another year to develop unless a starter gets hurt.

Another big trade. This one an all LA area affair as the Dodgers send prospect Dennis Eckersley to the Angels for veteran Jim McGlothin. The computer says the Expos will win 95 and the Mets will surge to 101 wins to take the division, we shall see. It also likes the Red Sox and Reds to repeat and the A's to supplant the Twins.

Top prospects in Baseball circa opening day 1973:

3 Daniel Conway Milwaukee SS
4 Mike Hargrove Cubs 23 RF
6 George Brett Philadelphia 19 3B
7 Robin Yount Milwaukee 17 SS
8 Jim Sundberg Oakland 21 C
10 Jack Clark Philadelphia 17 3B
11 Eddie Murray California 17 1B
14 Fred Lynn San Francisco 21 CF
15 Dave Collins Atlanta 20 LF
17 Randy Bass Detroit 19 1B
18 Claudell Washington Texas 18 RF
20 Keith Hernandez Boston 19 1B
22 Brian Downing Pittsburgh 22 C
24 Scott McDonald Texas 25 1B
32 Jerry Mumphrey Texas 20 CF
35 Lonnie Smith San Diego 17 LF
39 Charlie Spikes Montreal 22 3B 4
46 Ruppert Jones Boston 18
47 Jerry Martin Milwaukee LF

...
1 Frank Riccelli Montreal 20 SP
2 David Clyde Montreal 17 SP
5 Andy Hassler Pittsburgh 21 RP
9 Ron Guidry New York 22 SP
12 John Montefusco Kansas City 22 SP
13 Dennis Leonard Mets 21 SP
16 Steve Hardin Minnesota 22 SP
19 Michael Coble Philadelphia 24 RP
21 Willie Prall Minnesota 22 SP
23 Dennis Eckersley California 18 SP
25 David Harper Cincinnati 19 SP
26 Anthony Ponticelli Atlanta 19 SP
27 Bill Atkinson Kansas City 18 SP
28 Dennis Martinez St. Louis 18 SP
29 Mac McSween St. Louis 20 SP
30 Joseph Fitzgerald California 23
31 Manuel Giron Pittsburgh 23 SP
33 Len Barker Baltimore 17 SP
34 William Fewox Minnesota 19 SP
36 Tom Underwood Los Angeles 19 SP
37 Bruce Drummond Milwaukee 25 RP
38 Mike LaCoss Texas 16 SP
40 Jim Flynn Los Angeles 24 SP
41 Herman Grant Baltimore 26 SP
42 Ed Halicki Kansas City 22 SP
43 Larry Christenson Kansas City 19 SP
44 Vandon Mattison Cincinnati 20 RP
45 Scott McGregor Cubs 19 SP
48 Frank Tanana Detroit 19 SP
49 Mike Krukow St. Louis 21 SP
50 Charles Chapple Houston 21 SP

Big Train · 05-27-2016, 02:02 AM

Apr. 1973:

The Expos get their title defense attempt off to a great start going 13-4 in April to lead the Mets by 2 and a half games. Other leaders are the Dodgers by a half game over the Reds, the Orioles by 3 over the Yanks and Indians and the Twins by half over the Rangers and a game over the Angels. Jim Palmer may be eyeing up another Cy Young going 5-0 0.61 in April while Bill Singer of the Dodgers has 4 wins with a 1.36 ERA. Joe Morgan has blasted 7 homers , a bright spot for the Astros who start slow at 9-15 and The White Sox Dave Parker is hitting .434 in the early going. The Phillies trade Dick Allen to the Twins for SP Steve Hardin and The Orioles swap Don Buford to the Tigers for Jim Northup. The Pirates young pitcher Pete Broberg is lost for the season.

Big Train · 05-29-2016, 12:24 AM

May 1973:

The Expos continue their torrid start to the season reeling off a 14 game win streak in May to end up at 31-8 and hold an 8 game lead over the Mets. The pitching staff has really been lights out with a 2.33 starters and 2.55 bullpen team ERA. The Dodgers are also off to a scorching start going 35-13 so far and leading the Reds by 9 games. In the AL, the Orioles are back on top by 4 over the Yankees with a 26-15 record and the Angels have some nice pitching with Rick Reuschel and Andy Messersmith and their young SS Doug De Cinces is hitting .307 with 8HR. The Angels lead the Twins by 3 with their 29-15 mark.

Huge blow for the Mets as they lose their ace Tom Seaver for the season. Richie Hebner is mashing for the Pirates, batting .363 with 9HR and also in the Steel City, future hall of famer Roberto Clemente needs only 25 hits for 3000. Jim Palmer continues to pace AL pitchers with his 7-1 1.88 mark. The introduction of the DH in the AL this year hasn't really slowed pitchers down much so far as we still have quite a few starters with a sub-2 ERA. Over in the NL Bill Stoneman has put up a nice 1.49 ERA to lead the league while The Dodgers' Alan Foster has 8 wins

Big Train · 05-31-2016, 03:11 AM

June 1973:

Clemente gets his 3000th hit for the Pirates. The 38 year old is still playing every day and hitting .326. Impressive. Meanwhile, starting pitching continues to be the story for the Expos as Espinosa and Stonemman are 1st and second in the league in ERA with 1.80 and 2.04 respectively and Steve Dunning is 8-0. The Expos sit at 49-20 and have an 8 game lead on the Mets. The Dodgers still cruise in the west holding a 6 game lead over the Reds. The Reds have their usual deadly offense but have been beset by injuries and poor starting pitching this year. In the AL The Orioles so far seem back in control of the AL east as Jim Palmer is an unreal 12-2 with a 1.55 ERA. The O's lead the Yankees by 5 games and in the AL West, the Twins have recaptured the lead from the Angels who they now lead by 2 games with the White Sox hanging around 2 and a half out. The Mets Ken Singleton (former real life Expos broadcaster) is having a big year hitting .355 with 16 HR. The Braves secondbaseman Ralph Garr has a 24 game hit streak going and the Red Sox Benny Atyala leads his league in homers and RBI .

Big Train · 06-02-2016, 01:25 AM

Jul. 1973:

We had a very dramatic game on Jul. 30 between the Expos and Mets. Nino Espinosa retired the first 25 Mets he faced and needed just 2 more for a perfect game but light hitting backup catcher Jerry Grote broke it up with a base hit and then the Mets got a rally going culminating in a 3 run homer by Mike Jorgensen off Mike Johnson to win the game 4-2.

In the division races the AL West is the only one really shaken up as the Twins lost, I believe, 13 games in a row which opened the door for the Angels and Rangers. Currently California leads Texas by 2 and Minnesota by 3 games as the Twins will try to get back on track in the last 2 months.

Elsewhere the Orioles lead the Yankees by 6, the Dodgers lead the Astros by 5 and a half and the Expos have both the majors best record and biggest lead stretching their advantage over the Mets to 10 games.

The all star game in Cincinnati was a great display of pitching on both sides with the AL narrowly prevailing 1-0 as Rangers SS Toby Harrah drove in the only run of the game in the eighth inning and the NL stars got shut out on only 5 hits.

The trade deadline passed quietly...

Big Train · 06-09-2016, 04:38 AM

Aug. 1973:

As we enter the stretch run of the 1973 season the AL West continues to provide the best pennant race with the upstart Angels currently tied with the Twins atop the standings and the Rangers 5 back.

The Expos lead by 8 and Orioles hold a fairly comfortable 8.5 game lead while the Dodgers try to hold off the charging Astros and currently lead them by 5 games.

While offense has recovered a little bit from last year someone forgot to tell Jim Palmer, he is having an incredible season with a 1.45 ERA and 201 strikeouts while the Yankees' Mike Caldwell has 21 wins giving him a shot at being the first 25 game winner in sim history. Reggie Smith of the Red Sox has 29 HR and 115 RBI to lead in those categories and while Smith is also batting .328 he is going to have his work cut out to catch Carew at .358 to win the triple crown. Still a great season for Mr. Smith.

In the NL the Expos young phenom Nino Espinosa continues his great season going 6-0 0.98 ERA in August and second in ERA overall to Larry Dierker and the Pirates' Richie Hebner continues to be the most dominant offensive player with .363 avg and 21 HR

05-01-2016, 08:48 AM	#21
Big Train Major Leagues Join Date: May 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 401	July 1971: No surprise respectability or even very marginal pennant race participation this year as the Expos drop to 47-63. The team did manage to send 5 representatives to this all star game in Oakland. Rookie John Harbin made the team even after missing his first month with an injury. He joined Rusty Staub, Dan McGinn, Carl Yastrzemski and new trade acquisition Ken Henderson as Expo all-stars. The game was exciting, going into extra innings when the Tigers Jim Northrup homered off Jim Merritt to send the AL home victorious. Expos make waves at the trade deadline- The Cubs - surprise contenders in the NL East - looked to the Expos for help with their playoff push. They acquire ace stopper Dan McGinn and veteran slugger Carl Yastrzemski along with veteran reliever Moe Drabowski and two minor leaguers. In return for all that, the Expos pick up 21 year old Oscar Gamble, one of the hottest outfield prospects in all of baseball. Brooks Robinson goes to the Giants for a couple of relief pitchers and the Mets and Yankees do a subway trade with Tommie Agee headed to the Bronx in return for Ron Guidry and Mike Kekich. Orioles get hot and open up an 8 game lead on the Yanks. The Twins lead the White Sox by 4, the Mets lead the Cubs by 3 and a half and the Dodgers lead the Astros by 5. The Phillies are getting some great hitting with rookie Garry Maddox hitting .353 and Dick Allen already having 38 homers. Tom Seaver has compiled 16 wins and a 2.20 ERA. While in the AL 21 year old Mike Schmidt is putting together a nice sophomore season 22 HR and a .293 average with 2 months to go. Last edited by Big Train; 05-01-2016 at 08:51 AM.

05-03-2016, 04:14 PM	#24
Big Train Major Leagues Join Date: May 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 401	1971 playoff recap: Both LCS go the distance... ALCS Game 1: Dean Chance gets hurt early in the game and the Orioles are able to make a couple of first inning runs stand up. Winning the game 3-1 behind Palmer. Game 2: Orioles score 2 in the eighth to win 5-3 and go up 2-0 Game 3: Orioles take a 3-0 lead into the seventh but Twins break out the long ball as Killebrew and Cepeda go deep and Rick Dempsey adds a 3 run triple. 3 in the seventh and 5 more in the eighth keep the Twins alive. Game 4: Twins shock Jim Palmer. Hitting hero Rick Dempsey homers twice and Killebrew has another big game. Twins take the game 9-5 to even up the series. Game 5: But the Orioles are able to ice the Twins rally in the deciding game as Baltimore's Terry Crowley hits a grand slam and Dave McNally pitches a shutout. Baltimore wins 6-0 to go back to the World Series. NLCS Game 1: Light hitting Paul Dade hits a homer and Claude Osteen narrowly outduels Tom Seaver as the Dodgers grab the opener 2-1. Game 2: Mets flip the game 1 script in game 2. Homers from Mike Jorgensen and Amos Otis and great pitching from Nolan Ryan allow the New Yorkers to come away with a 3-2 win against Don Sutton to even the series. Game 3: Bill Singer turns in the best pitching performance yet in a pitching dominated series shutting down the Mets on 4 hits. Gary Gentry only allows 3 hits but still loses 2-0. Game 4: Yet another close game sees the Dodgers take a 2-1 lead into the ninth but they were fated to waste Claude Osteen's seven strong innings as the bullpen blows it allowing the Mets to explode for 7 runs in the ninth inning making the final score of 8-2 very deceptive but the Mets are able to push the series to a deciding game back at Shea. Game 5: Rematch of game 2 doesn't disappoint but this time Don Sutton comes away the winner of the duel with Nolan Ryan. Willie Crawford provides most of the offense with a homer as the Dodgers win a nail biter 3-1 to go to the World Series. ... World Series. So it was the 108 win Orioles running into the 102 win Dodgers in the World Series... Game 1: Buford pounded a homer and Palmer was sharp as The Orioles took the opener 6-2. Game 2: Singer and McNally were deadlocked at 1 going into extra innings but in the bottom of the tenth Enos Cabell puts Baltimore up 2 games to none with a walk off double sending the Memorial Stadium crowd into a frenzy. Game 3: Back at home the Dodgers turn to their ace Don Sutton and he delivers - striking out 11 Orioles and overcoming Mike Cuellar as this time Los Angeles gets the narrow 2-1 victory. Game 4 - Boog Powell (who missed the ALCS with an injury) makes his presence felt with a three run homer as the Orioles win on the road to give the Orioles a 5-3 win and a 3 games to 1 lead. Game 5 - The Orioles hold a 3-1 lead late in the game but their reliever Joe Costello allows 4 runs to score in the eighth inning and the Dodgers hold on to win 5-3. Game 6 - Bill Singer and the Dodger bullpen pitch a 4 hit shutout over Dave McNally winning 1-0. For the second straight series the Orioles lose two straight deciding games. Game 7 - And for the second straight series they come back in the final game to take the series anyway. Don Sutton gets uncharacteristically knocked around a bit and 4th starter Jim Hardin picks up his second win of the series subbing for the injured Mike Cuellar. Orioles win 5-2 to win the World Championship for the second time in 3 years. Don Buford hits .407 to win World Series MVP. 1971 awards: Sutton Wins National League Pitching Crown for the third time in a row : The Cy Young Award for 1971 has been presented and the National League winner is Don Sutton of Los Angeles. "It's always nice to receive an award like this," said Sutton. "I just hope I can improve on my performance next year and be in the running again," the Dodgers star told reporters. Sutton excelled with an impressive 20-11 record in 38 starts. In 304.1 innings he yielded 218 hits and 53 walks, while striking out 189 and compiling a fine 1.92 ERA. Tom Seaver of the New York Mets finished second in voting, while Dock Ellis of the Pittsburgh Pirates finished third. ... Palmer's Great Year Nets Cy Young Award: The Baltimore Orioles have a rising superstar or maybe even a budding Hall-of-Famer in the making. It's Jim Palmer, this year's American League Cy Young Award selection. This blossoming hurler wowed fans, peers and sportswriters with a fabulous performance. Palmer compiled a 20-6 record in 36 starts, tallied 222 strikeouts in 284.1 innings and recorded a 1.93 ERA. Other clubs managed only a .201 batting average against him. Sam McDowell of the Cleveland Indians finished second in voting, while Mike Caldwell of the New York Yankees finished third. ...AL's Top Player for 1971 Named: Harmon Killebrew of the Minnesota Twins proved that you can step out of the shadows and onto the stage if you've got the talent and the drive to hone your skills. Hard work, long hours and a tireless resolve paid off for him today in the form of the American League Most Valuable Player Award. Killebrew hit for a .270 average while collecting 155 hits, 14 doubles, 1 triple, 35 home runs, 113 RBIs and scoring 109 times. Mike Schmidt of the Milwaukee Brewers finished second in voting, while Jim Palmer of the Baltimore Orioles finished third. ... Superb Year For Santo, Wins Most Valuable Player Award: Cubs third baseman Ron Santo was at the top of the heap in the National League this season and today he nabbed the Most Valuable Player Award. In 1971 he rang up 195 hits, 18 doubles, 5 triples, 39 home runs, 119 RBIs and 114 runs scored. All those numbers helped him to build his .315 batting average and .385 on-base percentage. Ron Cey of the Los Angeles Dodgers finished second in voting, while Dick Allen of the Philadelphia Phillies finished third. ... Maddox Nabs NL Rookie of the Year Award: A fine inaugural season has paid off handsomely for Garry Maddox of the Philadelphia Phillies. The 22-year-old topped off his debut year with the 1971 National League Rookie of the Year Award. The Phillies center fielder took the trophy by hitting .362 in 134 games and finished with 202 hits, 9 home runs, 68 RBIs and 83 runs scored. Mike Easler of the Houston Astros finished second in voting, while Bob Gallagher of the Los Angeles Dodgers finished third. ... Roberts Rewarded with Rookie of the Year Award: Dave W Roberts started his American League career in style, capping it off with the Rookie of the Year Award for 1971. The catcher for the Cleveland Indians played in 140 games, hitting .343 with 170 hits. He totaled 19 home runs, 64 RBIs and 78 runs scored. Rick Reuschel of the California Angels finished second in voting, while Bruce Bochte of the New York Yankees finished third. ... Last edited by Big Train; 05-03-2016 at 04:16 PM.

05-05-2016, 06:22 AM	#25
Big Train Major Leagues Join Date: May 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 401	Offseaon and April 1972: A trio of pitching greats made the hall of fame. Early Wynn, Robin Roberts and Sandy Koufax get enshrined amongst the immortals. The 1972 draft is done with another crop of promising youngsters appearing on the scene. The Giants get Fred Lnn, the Rangers get Dick Ruethven and the Brewers, just like in real life, grab Robin Yount. The Expos concentrate on our biggest need, starting pitching and take David Clyde and LaMarr Hoyt with the first 2 picks. Clyde was a hitoric flameout in reality but hopefully he does better in the sim. The Expos also make a rather big trade. trading our biggest star - Rusty Staub, to the Yankees for pitching prospect Frank Ricelli and OF/1B Ron Blomberg. The fans were sad to see Le Grand Orange leave town but let's face it , his trade value will probably never be higher at 28 and we got 2 nice pieces for the future. Phil Garner made his debut and won rookie of the month. Nino Espinosa joined the rotation and pitched 7 shutout innings in his first start and Jim Rice is raking at AAA and will likely force his way onto the big club soon. The Expos went 11-9 in April and I'm reasonably happy with that. This team should definitely be better than last year, barring a lot of bad luck with injuries. The other big trade saw Bob Gibson joining the Big Red Machine and Lee May going to the Cardinals Reds fans are hoping the 35 year old great can help them recapture the pennant and even after trading May and Perez the Reds are still loaded with offense. The Mets and Reds lead in the NL and the Red Sox at 14-6 are holding off the Orioles for now while the Twins lead in the AL West. Last edited by Big Train; 05-05-2016 at 11:08 AM.

05-05-2016, 06:23 AM	#26
Big Train Major Leagues Join Date: May 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 401	Offseaon and April 1972: A trio of pitching greats made the hall of fame. Early Wynn, Robin Roberts and Sandy Koufax get enshrined amongst the immortals. The 1972 draft is done with another crop of promising youngsters appearing on the scene. The Giants get Fred Lynn, the Rangers get Dick Ruethven and the Brewers, just like in real life, grab Robin Yount. The Expos concentrate on our biggest need, starting pitching and take David Clyde and LaMarr Hoyt with the first 2 picks. Clyde was a hitoric flameout in reality but hopefully he does better in the sim. The Expos also make a rather big trade. trading our biggest star - Rusty Staub, to the Yankees for pitching prospect Frank Ricelli and OF/1B Frank Ricelli. The fans were sad to see Le Grand Orange leave town but let's face it , his trade value will probably never be higher at 28 and we got 2 nice pieces for the future. Phil Garner made his debut and won rookie of the month. Nino Espinosa joined the rotation and pitched 7 shutout innings in his first start and Jim Rice is raking at AAA and will likely force his way onto the big club soon. The Expos went 11-9 in April and I'm reasonably happy with that. This team should definitely be better than last year, barring a lot of bad luck with injuries. The other big trade saw Bob Gibson joining the Big Red Machine and Lee May going to the Cardinals Reds fans are hoping the 35 year old great can help them recapture the pennant and even after trading May and Perez the Reds are still loaded with offense. The Mets and Reds lead in the NL and the Red Sox at 14-6 are holding off the Orioles for now while the Twins lead in the AL West. Last edited by Big Train; 05-05-2016 at 11:18 AM.

05-05-2016, 06:23 AM	#27
Big Train Major Leagues Join Date: May 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 401	Offseason and April 1972: A trio of pitching greats made the hall of fame. Early Wynn, Robin Roberts and Sandy Koufax get enshrined amongst the immortals. The 1972 draft is done with another crop of promising youngsters appearing on the scene. The Giants get Fred Lnn, the Rangers get Dick Ruethven and the Brewers, just like in real life, grab Robin Yount. The Expos concentrate on our biggest need, starting pitching and take David Clyde and LaMarr Hoyt with the first 2 picks. Clyde was a hitoric flameout in reality but hopefully he does better in the sim. The Expos also make a rather big trade. trading our biggest star - Rusty Staub, to the Yankees for pitching prospect Frank Ricelli and OF/1B Ron Blomberg. The fans were sad to see Le Grand Orange leave town but let's face it , his trade value will probably never be higher at 28 and we got 2 nice pieces for the future. Phil Garner made his debut and won rookie of the month. Nino Espinosa joined the rotation and pitched 7 shutout innings in his first start and Jim Rice is raking at AAA and will likely force his way onto the big club soon. The Expos went 11-9 in April and I'm reasonably happy with that. This team should definitely be better than last year, barring a lot of bad luck with injuries. The other big trade saw Bob Gibson joining the Big Red Machine and Lee May going to the Cardinals Reds fans are hoping the 35 year old great can help them recapture the pennant and even after trading May and Perez the Reds are still loaded with offense. The Mets and Reds lead in the NL and the Red Sox at 14-6 are holding off the Orioles for now while the Twins lead in the AL West. Last edited by Big Train; 05-05-2016 at 06:26 AM.

05-02-2016, 02:34 AM	#22
Big Train Major Leagues Join Date: May 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 401	Aug. 1971: The Expos weather another injury to pitcher Carl Morton and manage to pretty much tread water this month ending up at 61-74. Rice is hurt at AAA which nixes the September call-up I was planning but didn't seem to affect his development much, thank god. While I think I will give Phil Garner, who is batting over .350 at AAA a shot at some major league at-bats. Starting pitching is what this team really needs but most of it is a couple of years away at best although Nino Espinosa is tearing up the International League so he should be ready for the show next spring at the tender age of 18. Around baseball, The Orioles pull off a 20 game win streak in August to pretty much wrap up the AL East. The NL East is baseball's best pennant race again this year as the Cubs have narrowed the Mets lead to only a half game. The White Sox also remain hot behind Bill Melton and Tommy John and they have moved to within 2 and a half of the Twins who are trying to avoid another September fold. In the other division, the Dodgers, a pitching and defense team par excellence , holds a 9 game lead on the Astros.

05-03-2016, 05:18 AM	#23
Big Train Major Leagues Join Date: May 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 401	Sep. 1971: The Expos finish at 75-87 which is kind of a step back from last year's 83-79. but with 3 of the best prospects in baseball set to join the team though the outlook isn't that bleak. Bill Stoneman managed to turn around his bad season last year and kept his ERA respectable. He was really the only reliable starter the Expos had though. Mike Fiore being on the DL most of the year and Bob Bailey hitting .250 rather than .350 were also problems but pitching is definitely where this team needs to improve. In the division races the Mets held off the Cubs although it went down to the last week of the season and the A's got hot in September for the second year in a row to almost grab the pennant but the Twins were able to hold them off this time: So, only 1 1970 playoff team will return in 1971 and we have the 108 win Orioles missing Frank Robinson but looking to atone for last year's poor ALCS performance taking on a Twins team that is missing Rod Carew but still having plenty of star power with Harmon Killebrew, Orlando Cepeda and Jim Kaat among others. In the NL I expect some pitchers duels as two great pitching staffs will collide. The Mets Seaver, Ryan and Gentry vs. The Dodgers Sutton, Singer and Osteen. Both these teams are pretty similar. Their offenses are not bad but they will win or lose on their pitching. On the injury front, The Mets are missing two starting pitchers (Wibur Wood and Jerry Koosman) while the Dodgers lack two of their best hitters (Steve Garvey and Ron Fairly) 1971 World Series and award report next....

05-06-2016, 01:37 PM	#28
Big Train Major Leagues Join Date: May 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 401	May 1972 report: Montreal is abuzz as a great May puts the Expos at 29-19 and only a half game behind the 1st place Mets. The rookies have been leading the way as Phil Garner leads the league in hitting and sensational rookie pitcher Nino Espinosa has an ERA of 1.34 in 7 starts. Expos also trade surplus pitcher Steve Renko and first base prospect Calvin White to the Giants for pitching prospect Randy Fairbanks. The team continues to stockpile young arms and it's certainly much easier to be optimistic about the pitching staff now. The Astros make a move in the NL West as Don Wilson is putting together a very good season but the Reds still hold on to a game and a half lead. As mentioned, the Mets and Expos are separated by half a game in the NL East and the Twins have the majors biggest lead - 7 games over the A's. Orioles lead the Tigers by only half a game and the Red Sox are right there 2 and a half out.

05-08-2016, 04:56 AM	#29
Big Train Major Leagues Join Date: May 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 401	June 1972: The Expos close another good month with a thrilling extra inning 7-6 win against the Mets to close to within a game of first place and end the month 45-31. Certainly rarified territory for this young team. Nino Espinosa continues to keep his ERA under 2 and Phil Garner also continues his great rookkie season. Also so far the injury bug has mostly stayed away this year. Hopefully that lasts. 3 of the 4 divisions are very competitive this year. Every team but the Padres are still very much in it in the NL West with 5 teams separated by only 3 and a half games and in the AL East the defending champs have been slow out of the gate leaving the Tigers leading by 2 over the Red Sox and 4 over the Orioles. In the AL West, the Twins are already making plans for October, enjoying an 11 game lead and the majors' best record. Rudy May of the Angels and Dock Ellis of the Pirates both pitched no hitters Twins reliever Mike Marshall is showing great timing, somehow leading the league with 12 wins out of the bullpen and Expos reliever Jerry Robertson has 10 wins to lead his team. .

05-11-2016, 04:02 PM	#30
Big Train Major Leagues Join Date: May 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 401	July 1972: We end the month where we started it. An exciting three game series at Shea to end the Month. All three games were decided by one run and the Mets grab 2 of 3 to grab back a half game lead. Should be an exciting final two months of the season in the NL East. The Expos made a couple of trades to bolster the bullpen. bring in Dick Selma from the Padres and Dick Ellsworth from the Red Sox for utility infielder Bill Russel and pitching prospect Kenneth Collins. Feels weird to be buyers at the trade deadline but the way the team is playing made that the case. There was some bad news as both Oscar Gamble and very good fourth outfielder Jerry Morales went down to season ending injuries within a couple of days of each other. Luckily the Expos had Jim Rice at AAA simply really there because there was no room in the lineup for him. Time to see what the hot prospect can do. All Star game is held in Cincinnati and the AL wins again 9-6 as Carew goes 3 for 5. Hard times for Carew's team though as the Twins have seen their huge AL West lead evaporate within the space of a month. They suddenly find both the A's and White Sox only half a game out. Things are also not looking too good for the Orioles attempt to four-peat in the AL East as the Tigers extend their lead to 4 and a half games. The NL West remains a traffic jam although the Braves and Giants have fallen back - The Reds lead but the Astros and Dodgers are 2 and 2 and a half back respectively. Rod Carew is chasing .400 currently batting .398. George Stone may be the 3rd or fourth best pitcher in the Mets rotation in terms of raw talent but somehow he has a 1.50 ERA and despite the Orioles down year Jim Palmer has a sparkling 1.68 ERA.

05-19-2016, 02:09 AM	#31
Big Train Major Leagues Join Date: May 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 401	August 1972: Good pennant races in all divisions. The Expos and Mets continued to battle it out and while they went up and down a few times at the beginning of September it's right back at the Mets clinging to a half game lead:80-50 to 80-51. We'll have to see what happens in the last 30 games. The EReds hold a 2 and a half game lead over both the Astros and Dodgers. The A's cling to a half game lead over the Twins and 3 and a half over the White Sox and the Red Sox went on a tear to close within half a game of the Tigers with the Yanks 3.5 out. Rod Carew slips to .382 while other than for Carew it seems like a pitcher's year with a bunch of hurlers still having ERAs under 2. Gene Tenace goes down for the year which is a blow to the A's chances. September and the first real pennant race in Expos history coming up next...

05-24-2016, 01:30 AM	#32
Big Train Major Leagues Join Date: May 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 401	Sep. 1972: Well, 1972 will mark a milestone in Expos history as they made the playoffs in only their 4th year of existence. Not quite as impressive as what the Royals did in 1969 but cool none the less. The pitching staff was really the key as The Expos powered through September, ending up 101-61. Enough to eliminate the second place Mets with a week or so to spare. Great rookies Nino Espinosa [16 wins and 2.51 ERA] and Phil Garner [Batting champion with .327 with 14HR and 68 RBI] lead the team, firstbaseman Ron Blomberg tied with Atlanta's Darrel Evans for the led the league with 108 RBI and Jim Rice made the most of his Major League playing time with .322 2HR 27RBI in about 2 months action. The team improved to 6th in the league in runs allowed while maintaining 2nd in runs scored. Dick Selma who came over from the Padres and was converted to a starter was huge in that role ending up at 11-3 2.22 ERA. He will be our 3rd starter in the playoffs after Espinosa and Stoneman. In those playoffs the Expos will face the dreaded Big Red Machine. A team which won 9 of 12 from Montreal in the regular season and held off challenges from the Astros and Dodgers to win their divisions. The Reds are missing their good young starter Burt Hooton who is on the DL but have an extremely potent lineup led by Bench, Carbo, and young Griffey and McRae a long with Wayne Burney, a career minor leaguer in real life who OOTP has made into a stud. Trading for Bob Gibson also worked out for the Reds as the aging ex- Cards ace won 20 games for them. At least the best record in the majors gives the Expos home field in this series but I'd be lying if I said I'm hugely confident. In the other playoff series, the Red Sox won the battle of mediocre teams in the AL east. winning their division with only 89 victories. The Red Sox have a good offense, led by Tony Conigliaro, Carlton Fisk, Reggie Smith and Ben Ogilvie and this year they got at least decent pitching to back up the big bats. But they will be without Ogilvie for the LCS and Petrocelli is gone until next season. They will face the 97 win Twins who held off the A's and White Sox to win the West again. The Twins will be trying to win one more for their aging star Harmon Killebrew who had a nice 21 HR season at the age of 36. Rod Carew ended up at .374 for Minnesota and Dean chance, Dick Boswell and Jim Kaat give the Twins a nice veteran threesome in the rotation. One thing of note. The Twins Jim Perry no-hit the Angels in Early September. Next installment, We'll see how the Expos do against the Mighty Reds in their first playoff appearance....

05-24-2016, 11:26 PM	#33
Big Train Major Leagues Join Date: May 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 401	1972 Playoffs: !972 Playoffs; Reds (87 Wins) at Expos (101 wins) Game 1 The Expos overcome a sloppy 3 error game as Ken Henderson hits a grand slam off Bob Gibson and Bill Stoneman pitches 6 innings without allowin an earned run. 4-1 win for the Expos,. Game 2: The Reds score all their 4 runs in the third inning but Jim Merritt goes the distance and pitched well enough to make that hold up. 4-3 Reds win Series tied. Game 3 was a tight contest between Gary Nolan and Dick Selma. Hal McRae comes through with a big double to tie the score at 2 in the 8th and then homers in the 12th to give his team the walkoff win. Reds go up 2 games to 1. Game 4 Darrel Porter homers and Bill Stoneman pitches well again as The Expos send the series back to Montreal with a decisive 11-2 win. Game 5: In the deciding game the Expos get to Jim Merritt for 4 runs early and hand on to win 6-1 behind rookie starter Nino Espinosa to win the ALCS. ALCS Red Sox (89 wins) vs Twins (97) wins: Game 1: A Cleon Jones fifth inning double is the deciding blow as the Twins win the first game 4-2 behind Dave Boswell. Game 2: Rod Carew goes 4 for 5 as the Twins succeed in taking both games in Minnesota knocking around Boston starter ken Brett for 6 runs in the first 2 innings and hanging on to win 7-4. Game 3:Series shifts to Fenway and the Red Sox are able to get their offense going against Jim Kaat. Light hitting Pat Scanlon surprises with a homer and a big game as Boston prevails 9-2. game 4: Cleon Jones goes 3 for 4 and Dean Chance combines on a shutout, sending the Twins to the Series with a 5-0 win. World Series: Twins at Expos: Game 1: Great pitchers duel here as Bill Stoneman and Dave Boswell go at it. The game is scorless heading into the eighth when the Expos are able to score a run of Twins reliever Tom Hall. That's all Stoneman needs as he goes the distance in a complete game 3 hit shutout. Game 2: Montreal can be cold in October but the Twins bats are even colder. This time it is Dick Selma and Frank Ricelli who combine to shutout the Twins on 2 hits.Mike Fiore hits a homer to help his team win 3-0 and go up in the series 2-0. Game 3: In Minneapolis, Harmon Killebrew homers as the Twins finally manage to score but Nino Espinosa is still pretty stingy and the Expos score 3 in the 4th to win 4-2 and go up in the series 3-0. Game 4: A rematch of game 1 between Stoneman and Boswell but this time the Expos offense solves Boswell as Jim Rice goes 4 for 5, leading his team to an 8-3 win and Bill Stoneman picks up his 4th win of the playoffs. The improbable young Expos SWEEP the world series. Stoneman's 4-0 0.93 performance in the playoffs gets him well deserved MVP awards in both the LCS and World Series.

05-25-2016, 12:43 AM	#34
Big Train Major Leagues Join Date: May 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 401	1972 awards: NL Hands Out Rookie of the Year Award: Phil Garner, second baseman of Montreal, was the cream of the freshman crop in the National League and today he received the 1972 Rookie of the Year Award. He played in 135 games, compiling a .327 batting average with 184 hits, 14 home runs, 31 walks, and a .362 on-base percentage. Garner also chipped in 68 RBIs and scored 74 times. Chet Lemon of the San Diego Padres finished second in voting, while Nino Espinosa of the Montreal Expos finished third. ... Ayala Honored by AL as 1972 Best Rookie: Benny Ayala turned a lot of heads in American League circles this season, putting together a solid rookie campaign. Today he claimed the AL Rookie of the Year Award. The 21-year-old Boston center fielder played in 136 games, hitting .237 with 19 home runs, 78 RBIs and scoring 58 runs. Pete LaCock of the California Angels finished second in voting, while Dick Ruthven of the Texas Rangers finished third. ... Top Pitcher Trophy Won by Astros Wilson: The Cy Young Award for 1972 has been presented and the National League winner is Don Wilson of Houston. "It's always nice to receive an award like this," said Wilson. "I just hope I can improve on my performance next year and be in the running again," the Astros star told reporters. Wilson excelled with an impressive 19-15 record in 38 starts. In 306.1 innings he yielded 225 hits and 78 walks, while striking out 309 and compiling a fine 1.97 ERA. Larry Dierker of the Houston Astros finished second in voting, while Nolan Ryan of the New York Mets finished third. ... Orioles Palmer, Cy Young Award Winner: The Baltimore Orioles have a rising superstar or maybe even a budding Hall-of-Famer in the making. It's Jim Palmer, this year's American League Cy Young Award selection. This blossoming hurler wowed fans, peers and sportswriters with a fabulous performance. Palmer compiled a 20-8 record in 36 starts, tallied 238 strikeouts in 287.1 innings and recorded a 1.57 ERA. Other clubs managed only a .194 batting average against him. Bill Bonham of the Chicago White Sox finished second in voting, while Dave Boswell of the Minnesota Twins finished third. ... Solaita is Best In AL: The manager of the Chicago White Sox said he thinks Tony Solaita is only going to get better as he gets older. He may only be 25, but it will be hard to top the first baseman's 1972 campaign, as he has been named the winner of the American League Most Valuable Player Award. His winning campaign featured a .313 batting average and a .404 on-base percentage this year. In 141 games he piled up 166 hits, 21 doubles, 7 triples, 41 home runs, 98 RBIs and 87 runs scored. Reggie Jackson of the Oakland Athletics finished second in voting, while Rod Carew of the Minnesota Twins finished third. ... Darrell Evans Chosen NL's Top Player: The future looks extremely bright for Darrell Evans. At the age of 25, many players are still trying to find their way in Major League Baseball. Evans has not only found his way, he's already established himself as one of the game's brightest stars, today being named the winner of the National League Most Valuable Player Award. "I didn't expect to hit .296 this year, that's for sure," the third baseman said. The Atlanta Braves star also put up a .376 on-base percentage this year, with 180 hits, 19 doubles, 6 triples, 37 home runs, 106 RBIs and 99 runs scored. Ken Henderson of the Montreal Expos finished second in voting, while Bernie Carbo of the Cincinnati Reds finished third.

05-25-2016, 03:41 PM	#35
Big Train Major Leagues Join Date: May 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 401	Pre season 1973: Whitey Ford gets elected to the HoF on the first ballot. Lonnie Smith and Willie Wilson go first in the draft. The Expos take a reliever - Mike Johnson with their late first round pick and another reliever/borderline starter Bill Caudill in the second round. I believe you can never really have too much pitching so I solved the problem of not really having a spot for both Jim Rice and Oscar Gamble to play by trading Ron Blomberg to the rival Mets along with prospect outfielder Lamar Johnson. The Expos pick up one of the better pitching prospects in the league - Doc Medich. along with another good pitching prospect Dave Golz. I'm really happy that the AAA Peninsula Whips now have a rotation full of potential good big league starters who are probably a year or two away, although Ricelli, Clyde and Fairbanks pitched well in the playoff push last year but I will probably give them another year to develop unless a starter gets hurt. Another big trade. This one an all LA area affair as the Dodgers send prospect Dennis Eckersley to the Angels for veteran Jim McGlothin. The computer says the Expos will win 95 and the Mets will surge to 101 wins to take the division, we shall see. It also likes the Red Sox and Reds to repeat and the A's to supplant the Twins. Top prospects in Baseball circa opening day 1973: 3 Daniel Conway Milwaukee SS 4 Mike Hargrove Cubs 23 RF 6 George Brett Philadelphia 19 3B 7 Robin Yount Milwaukee 17 SS 8 Jim Sundberg Oakland 21 C 10 Jack Clark Philadelphia 17 3B 11 Eddie Murray California 17 1B 14 Fred Lynn San Francisco 21 CF 15 Dave Collins Atlanta 20 LF 17 Randy Bass Detroit 19 1B 18 Claudell Washington Texas 18 RF 20 Keith Hernandez Boston 19 1B 22 Brian Downing Pittsburgh 22 C 24 Scott McDonald Texas 25 1B 32 Jerry Mumphrey Texas 20 CF 35 Lonnie Smith San Diego 17 LF 39 Charlie Spikes Montreal 22 3B 4 46 Ruppert Jones Boston 18 47 Jerry Martin Milwaukee LF ... 1 Frank Riccelli Montreal 20 SP 2 David Clyde Montreal 17 SP 5 Andy Hassler Pittsburgh 21 RP 9 Ron Guidry New York 22 SP 12 John Montefusco Kansas City 22 SP 13 Dennis Leonard Mets 21 SP 16 Steve Hardin Minnesota 22 SP 19 Michael Coble Philadelphia 24 RP 21 Willie Prall Minnesota 22 SP 23 Dennis Eckersley California 18 SP 25 David Harper Cincinnati 19 SP 26 Anthony Ponticelli Atlanta 19 SP 27 Bill Atkinson Kansas City 18 SP 28 Dennis Martinez St. Louis 18 SP 29 Mac McSween St. Louis 20 SP 30 Joseph Fitzgerald California 23 31 Manuel Giron Pittsburgh 23 SP 33 Len Barker Baltimore 17 SP 34 William Fewox Minnesota 19 SP 36 Tom Underwood Los Angeles 19 SP 37 Bruce Drummond Milwaukee 25 RP 38 Mike LaCoss Texas 16 SP 40 Jim Flynn Los Angeles 24 SP 41 Herman Grant Baltimore 26 SP 42 Ed Halicki Kansas City 22 SP 43 Larry Christenson Kansas City 19 SP 44 Vandon Mattison Cincinnati 20 RP 45 Scott McGregor Cubs 19 SP 48 Frank Tanana Detroit 19 SP 49 Mike Krukow St. Louis 21 SP 50 Charles Chapple Houston 21 SP Last edited by Big Train; 05-25-2016 at 03:42 PM.

05-27-2016, 02:02 AM	#36
Big Train Major Leagues Join Date: May 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 401	Apr. 1973: The Expos get their title defense attempt off to a great start going 13-4 in April to lead the Mets by 2 and a half games. Other leaders are the Dodgers by a half game over the Reds, the Orioles by 3 over the Yanks and Indians and the Twins by half over the Rangers and a game over the Angels. Jim Palmer may be eyeing up another Cy Young going 5-0 0.61 in April while Bill Singer of the Dodgers has 4 wins with a 1.36 ERA. Joe Morgan has blasted 7 homers , a bright spot for the Astros who start slow at 9-15 and The White Sox Dave Parker is hitting .434 in the early going. The Phillies trade Dick Allen to the Twins for SP Steve Hardin and The Orioles swap Don Buford to the Tigers for Jim Northup. The Pirates young pitcher Pete Broberg is lost for the season.

05-29-2016, 12:24 AM	#37
Big Train Major Leagues Join Date: May 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 401	May 1973: The Expos continue their torrid start to the season reeling off a 14 game win streak in May to end up at 31-8 and hold an 8 game lead over the Mets. The pitching staff has really been lights out with a 2.33 starters and 2.55 bullpen team ERA. The Dodgers are also off to a scorching start going 35-13 so far and leading the Reds by 9 games. In the AL, the Orioles are back on top by 4 over the Yankees with a 26-15 record and the Angels have some nice pitching with Rick Reuschel and Andy Messersmith and their young SS Doug De Cinces is hitting .307 with 8HR. The Angels lead the Twins by 3 with their 29-15 mark. Huge blow for the Mets as they lose their ace Tom Seaver for the season. Richie Hebner is mashing for the Pirates, batting .363 with 9HR and also in the Steel City, future hall of famer Roberto Clemente needs only 25 hits for 3000. Jim Palmer continues to pace AL pitchers with his 7-1 1.88 mark. The introduction of the DH in the AL this year hasn't really slowed pitchers down much so far as we still have quite a few starters with a sub-2 ERA. Over in the NL Bill Stoneman has put up a nice 1.49 ERA to lead the league while The Dodgers' Alan Foster has 8 wins

05-31-2016, 03:11 AM	#38
Big Train Major Leagues Join Date: May 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 401	June 1973: Clemente gets his 3000th hit for the Pirates. The 38 year old is still playing every day and hitting .326. Impressive. Meanwhile, starting pitching continues to be the story for the Expos as Espinosa and Stonemman are 1st and second in the league in ERA with 1.80 and 2.04 respectively and Steve Dunning is 8-0. The Expos sit at 49-20 and have an 8 game lead on the Mets. The Dodgers still cruise in the west holding a 6 game lead over the Reds. The Reds have their usual deadly offense but have been beset by injuries and poor starting pitching this year. In the AL The Orioles so far seem back in control of the AL east as Jim Palmer is an unreal 12-2 with a 1.55 ERA. The O's lead the Yankees by 5 games and in the AL West, the Twins have recaptured the lead from the Angels who they now lead by 2 games with the White Sox hanging around 2 and a half out. The Mets Ken Singleton (former real life Expos broadcaster) is having a big year hitting .355 with 16 HR. The Braves secondbaseman Ralph Garr has a 24 game hit streak going and the Red Sox Benny Atyala leads his league in homers and RBI .

06-02-2016, 01:25 AM	#39
Big Train Major Leagues Join Date: May 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 401	Jul. 1973: We had a very dramatic game on Jul. 30 between the Expos and Mets. Nino Espinosa retired the first 25 Mets he faced and needed just 2 more for a perfect game but light hitting backup catcher Jerry Grote broke it up with a base hit and then the Mets got a rally going culminating in a 3 run homer by Mike Jorgensen off Mike Johnson to win the game 4-2. In the division races the AL West is the only one really shaken up as the Twins lost, I believe, 13 games in a row which opened the door for the Angels and Rangers. Currently California leads Texas by 2 and Minnesota by 3 games as the Twins will try to get back on track in the last 2 months. Elsewhere the Orioles lead the Yankees by 6, the Dodgers lead the Astros by 5 and a half and the Expos have both the majors best record and biggest lead stretching their advantage over the Mets to 10 games. The all star game in Cincinnati was a great display of pitching on both sides with the AL narrowly prevailing 1-0 as Rangers SS Toby Harrah drove in the only run of the game in the eighth inning and the NL stars got shut out on only 5 hits. The trade deadline passed quietly...

06-09-2016, 04:38 AM	#40
Big Train Major Leagues Join Date: May 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 401	Aug. 1973: As we enter the stretch run of the 1973 season the AL West continues to provide the best pennant race with the upstart Angels currently tied with the Twins atop the standings and the Rangers 5 back. The Expos lead by 8 and Orioles hold a fairly comfortable 8.5 game lead while the Dodgers try to hold off the charging Astros and currently lead them by 5 games. While offense has recovered a little bit from last year someone forgot to tell Jim Palmer, he is having an incredible season with a 1.45 ERA and 201 strikeouts while the Yankees' Mike Caldwell has 21 wins giving him a shot at being the first 25 game winner in sim history. Reggie Smith of the Red Sox has 29 HR and 115 RBI to lead in those categories and while Smith is also batting .328 he is going to have his work cut out to catch Carew at .358 to win the triple crown. Still a great season for Mr. Smith. In the NL the Expos young phenom Nino Espinosa continues his great season going 6-0 0.98 ERA in August and second in ERA overall to Larry Dierker and the Pirates' Richie Hebner continues to be the most dominant offensive player with .363 avg and 21 HR