Memories That You Won't Remember: MLB, 1990 and Beyond...

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MLB Standings and Statistics at the end of June 1990...

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1990 MLB PLAYER OF THE MONTH AWARDS

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AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTER OF THE MONTH

APRIL: Jose Canseco (Oakland Athletics), .333 AVG, 8 HR, 28 RBI, 24 R
MAY: Shane Mack (Minnesota Twins), .364 AVG, 7 HR, 24 RBI, 23 R
JUNE: Cal Ripken Jr (Baltimore Orioles), .360 AVG, 7 HR, 20 RBI, 19 R

AMERICAN LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH

APRIL: Mike Moore (Oakland Athletics), 6-0, 32 K, 2.04 ERA, 53 IP
MAY: Mark Gubicza (Kansas City Royals), 6-1, 50 K, 2.41 ERA, 56 IP
JUNE: Chris Bosio (Milwaukee Brewers), 6-0, 37 K, 1.90 ERA, 52 IP

AMERICAN LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE MONTH

APRIL: Greg Vaughn (Milwaukee Brewers), .253 AVG, 6 HR, 17 RBI, 11 R
MAY: Ben McDonald (Baltimore Orioles), 6-0, 25 K, 3.65 ERA, 49.1 IP
JUNE: Kevin Appier (Kansas City Royals), 6-0, 30 K, 2.12 ERA, 51 IP

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NATIONAL LEAGUE BATTER OF THE MONTH

APRIL: Eric Davis (Cincinnati Reds), .350 AVG, 7 HR, 25 RBI, 21 R
MAY: Andre Dawson (Chicago Cubs), .343 AVG, 8 HR, 24 RBI, 20 R
JUNE: Kevin Mitchell (San Francisco Giants), .323, 13 HR, 27 RBI, 23 R

NATIONAL LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH

APRIL: Bruce Hurst (San Diego Padres), 5-1, 42 K, 2.06 ERA, 48 IP
MAY: David Cone (New York Mets), 5-0, 55 K, 1.55 ERA, 52.1 IP
JUNE: Dennis Martinez (Montreal Expos), 6-0, 33 K, 2.72 ERA, 49.2 IP

NATIONAL LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE MONTH

APRIL: David Justice (Atlanta Braves), .245 AVG, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 14 R
MAY: David Justice (Atlanta Braves), .282 AVG, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 19 R
JUNE: Delino DeShields (Montreal Expos), .282 AVG, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 26 R

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Chicago Tribune

Tuesday, July 3, 1990

PEREZ BLANKS TIGERS AS
WHITE SOX EXTEND LEAD

Story by Mike Gibson

24-year-old White Sox starting pitcher Melido Perez maintained his recent run of eye-catching performances last night when he shut out the Detroit Tigers at Comiskey Park. Dominican-born Perez struck out ten batters and walked just three, giving up seven hits in the 2-0 victory. The complete game gem was his sixth victory in seven starts, improving his season record to 9-6 and reducing his ERA to 2.57. It followed up a twelve-strikeout effort in a last-outing loss against the Angels on June 26. Perez has now struck out at least ten batters on five occasions this season.

Perez's opposing pitcher Jeff Robinson matched him throughout the evening, finishing with five strikeouts and three walks while allowing just five hits. Robinson also went the distance, but conceded a 2nd inning two-out home run to Carlton Fisk before a wild pitch led to Frank Thomas scoring from third in the bottom of the 6th. It came after the Tigers had loaded the bases in the top of the same frame on a hit, an error and a walk, only for Mike Heath to fly out to center on a 3-1 pitch to end the inning. The White Sox recorded their fifth consecutive win to improve to 55-26 and stretch their lead over the two-time defending AL champion Athletics to three games. The Tigers are in a dog fight with Baltimore and Milwaukee for control of the AL East, and fell to 44-39, putting them just a single game behind the Orioles...

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THE KANSAS CITY STAR

THURSDAY, JULY 5, 1990

ROYALS SWEEP YANKEES,
STAY IN AL WEST RACE

Story by Joe McGuff

The Kansas City Royals completed a hard-earned sweep of the New York Yankees last night with a second consecutive 6-5 victory at Royals Stadium. After cruising to a 7-2 win in Monday's series opener, the Royals overcame a pair of determined efforts from the Bronx Bombers to take the second and third matchups. Last night, they trailed 3-0 going into the bottom of the 6th, where they scored four runs to take the lead. The scores were tied at 5-5 going into the bottom of the 9th, where George Brett's two-out single into the gap between second and third brought Willie Wilson home from second base. Brett drove in two runs, as did left fielder Bo Jackson on a triple in the 6th.

Royals starter Luis Aquino went 7.2 innings, striking out six and giving up eight hits. Reliever Mark Davis recorded the win, his first of the season, throwing thirteen pitches in 1.1 innings. The '89 NL Cy Young Award winner was making only his seventh appearance of the season, and has an ERA of 1.23. Kansas City continued their outstanding run of form and are now 17-4 since June 12 and 54-30 on the season. They have moved themselves into an enthralling three-way AL West divisional race, sitting just 2.5 games behind the 1st placed White Sox (56-27) and half a game back from the Oakland Athletics (54-29)...

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[royalflush]

Thank You for keeping up with this!

[kenyan_cheena]

Originally Posted by royalflush

Thank You for keeping up with this!

Thanks. Had some computer problems. Laptop's graphics card died, so ended up buying a second-hand Dell Vostro. Had some troubles getting it connected to the internet, but all okay now.

[kenyan_cheena]

The Palm Beach Post

Sunday, July 8, 1990

PHILLIES SIGN ALVAREZ
TO MAJOR LEAGUE CONTRACT

Story by Deon Bridges

The Philadelphia Phillies announced yesterday that their 1st round pick in last month's MLB Draft, Belle Glade's Romy Alvarez, has signed a three-year $690,000 major league contract with the organisation. Alvarez also received a signing bonus of $2.42 million, the deal a clear sign of how highly the Phillies regard the 20-year-old. A shortstop, Alvarez was the #3 overall pick in the draft and is the first member of this year's class to sign a major league contract. The young man himself spoke of how the deal represented a dream come true for him, as he will now be able to support his family financially while playing a game he has grown to love since first picking up a baseball bat when he was twelve years old. Phillies GM Nate Brown believes that Alvarez has a bright future with the ballclub, and confirmed that he will be assigned to their Triple A International League affiliate, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons...

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THE LOS ANGELES DAILY MAIL

Sunday, July 8, 1990

#1 PICK OAKLEY
SIGNS WITH TIGERS

Story by Larry Gibbs

In something of a surprising development, Los Angeles-born outfielder Dustin Oakley put pen to paper on a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers yesterday. It was assumed that the #1 pick in this year's MLB Draft would be offered a major league contract by the Michigan ballclub, but it's been reported that the organisation may be harbouring some reservations about the 6'9", 23-year-old power hitter. Oakley received a $1.78 million signing bonus, which is some $640,000 less than what the Phillies gave their #3 pick Romy Alvarez, who was signed to a major league contract yesterday. Although Oakley is a tremendous talent with huge potential, there were some observers that expressed surprise when the Tigers selected him at #1. He only started playing baseball in his junior year at the University of Florida, and is still considered to be quite raw...

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Okay, so as at the end of July 7, here's the situation with the top ten draft picks...

#1 Dustin Oakley (Tigers) - 7/7, signed a minor league contract with a $1.78 million signing bonus.
#2 Jake Williams (Braves) - unsigned.
#3 Romy Alvarez (Phillies) - 7/7, signed a 3-year major league contract worth $690,000 with a $2.42 million signing bonus.
#4 Eli Wert (White Sox) - unsigned.
#5 Iain Craige (Mariners) - unsigned.
#6 Daniel Young (Pirates) - unsigned.
#7 Mike Schaplowsky (Indians) - unsigned.
#8 Manny Ramirez (Yankees) - unsigned.
#9 Cliff Floyd (Reds) - 6/16, signed a minor league contract with a $1.43 million signing bonus.
#10 Jorge Posada (Dodgers) - unsigned.


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[royalflush]

Glad to hear that Oakley is taken care of. Detroit will be VERY happy they have done this.

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The New York Times

MONDAY, JULY 9, 1990

METS BLOW EARLY LEAD,
RALLY LATE TO BEAT BRAVES

Story by David Hayes

In a wild, back-and-forth encounter, the New York Mets recorded a 10-8 victory over the Atlanta Braves yesterday afternoon, securing a 3-1 road series win and continuing their impressive start to July, where they are now 6-1. After Lonnie Smith lead off the bottom of the 1st for Atlanta with a first pitch home run off Dwight Gooden, the Mets took control of the game with four runs in the 2nd. But the Braves fought their way back into it with three in the 5th and two more in the 6th to take a 6-4 lead. Both clubs scored a run in the 7th before ATlanta added one more in the bottom of the 8th to lead 8-5. However, the Mets rallied and tied it up with three in the 9th, and then scored twice in the 10th to secure a memorable 10-8 victory.

The two teams combined for 34 hits (Mets 20, Braves 14), with left fielder Kevin McReynolds being the standout for New York. He was 4-for-5 with three runs scored, while Keith Miller drove in three from the leadoff position. Dave Boston was 2-for-2, with his pinch-hit three-run home run in the 9th tying the scores. Unsurprisingly, neither starter made it to the end of the game, with Gooden lasting six innings, during which he struck out seven, walked two and gave up six earned runs on ten hits. The win saw New York improve to 49-36, and move to 6.5 games behind the NL East-leading Expos, who are 57-31 but were shutout 5-0 by the Astros at home yesterday...

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Springfield News-Leader

Tuesday, July 10, 1990

WHITE SOX SIGN WERT
TO MAJOR LEAGUE DEAL

Story by Emory James

Springfield-born pitching phenom Eli Wert has come to an agreement with the Chicago White Sox, signing a major league contract with the ballclub that drafted him at #4 in last month's MLB first-year player draft. It was confirmed yesterday afternoon that Wert has signed a three-year contract worth $855,000, while also receiving a signing bonus of $2.39 million. Drafted out of Boston College, Wert was regarded as the standout college pitcher in the nation after going 9-2 with an ERA of 2.10 during the 1990 collegiate season, and the White Sox were ecstatic to snare him. Some in the organisation believe that 22-year-old Wert is "MLB ready", but it's almost certain that he will spend the remainder of the year with the club's Triple A Pacific Coast League affiliate, the Vancouver Canadians...

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Atlanta Journal-Constitution

TUESDAY, JULY 10, 1990

Braves sign first round draft pick
to major league contract

Story by Henry Hanson

After an unexpectedly long period of negotiations, the Atlanta Braves signed their first round pick from last month's MLB Draft to a major league contract yesterday. Selected with the #2 overall pick, 18-year-old Philadelphia native Jake Williams came to an agreement with the organisation on a three-year deal worth a total of $855,000, with a signing bonus of $2.34 million. The deal was almost identical to that of the Chicago White Sox #4 pick Eli Wert, which was also confirmed yesterday. Williams is a shortstop who has lived in Hamilton County, Ohio, since the age of twelve, and it's there where he was playing ball at St. Bernard High School. He had planned to attend Xavier University, but with yesterday's announcement, it now appears that he'll be putting those plans on hold...

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THE PLAIN DEALER

Saturday, July 14, 1990

INDIANS COME TO TERMS
WITH 1ST ROUND PICK

Story by Terry Pluto

The Indians have averted disaster. Or at least, that's how some observers have described it. With only two days to go before the draftee signing period expires, the organisation finally agreed to a contract with their first round draft pick Mike Schaplowsky yesterday afternoon. The 22-year-old signed a minor league deal with a signing bonus of $950,000, an outcome which he was apparently less than ecstatic about but has grudgingly accepted. The Wichita-born first baseman was selected with the #7 pick in last month's draft, and his jubilant mood on that day seems to have changed in the weeks since. Schaplowsky reportedly cited the deal that Cincinnati's #9 pick Cliff Floyd signed only a day after the draft, back on June 16, where he was given a signing bonus of $1.43 million...

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Cape Breton Post

Monday 16 July 1990

CRAIGE AMONGST DRAFTEES
UNSIGNED AT MLB DEADLINE

Story by Jason Symonds

In a disappointing development, Nova Scotia native and VC standout Iain Craige has failed to come to an agreement with the Seattle Mariners, who selected him at #5 in last month's MLB Draft. The league's deadline for signing draftees expired yesterday, and Craige was one of three top ten draft picks who did not secure a contract. The Sydney-born right fielder was reportedly dissatisfied with the contract offer the Mariners tabled, believing it should have been comparable to the impressive multi-million dollar major league deals signed by the 2nd, 3rd and 4th draft picks, who were Jake Williams (Atlanta), Romy Alvarez (Philadelphia) and Eli Wert (Chicago White Sox). 20-year-old Craige has said that he will return to Vancouver College for his senior year, ahead of next year's draft, where the outcome will hopefully be better for him.

Amongst the others not to sign an MLB contract was another Sydney native - but in this case, Sydney, Australia. 21-year-old Daniel Young made headlines in his hometown when the Pittsburgh Pirates selected him with the #6 pick, but the two sides were unable to overcome an impasse, for reasons that have not been disclosed. Dominican outfielder Manny Ramirez was taken with the 7th pick by the Yankees, but apparently the 18-year-old is a die-hard Blue Jays fan and, despite having lived in Washington Heights, Manhattan since 1985, expressed a lack of enthusiasm when it came to signing with the Bronx Bombers. Ramirez is a tremendous talent and it will be interesting to see if his stock falls during the next year...

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From the Tuesday 7/24/90 edition of The Buffalo News...

Oakley named NYPL
Player of the Week

Story by Michael Hinkie

Barely a month after he was selected by the Detroit Tigers with the first pick in the 1990 MLB Draft, Los Angeles native Dustin Oakley is already making a name for himself in the minor leagues. Playing for the Niagara Falls Rapids of the New York-Pennsylvania League, Oakley was yesterday named Player of the Week following some impressive performances. Oakley batted .476 during the week with two home runs and eight RBI, with the highlight of his efforts being a walk-off two-run home run in a 5-3 victory over the Oneonta Yankees last Thursday. A day earlier, he drove in six runs and scored three while hitting 4-for-5 in a 17-3 beatdown of the Yankees. On the season, Oakley is hitting .313 with three home runs, thirteen RBI and an OBP of .404...

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MONTREAL GAZETTE

Wednesday 25 July 1990

EXPOS STRETCH
WINNING STREAK TO EIGHT

Story by Joel Acer

The Montreal Expos continued their hot and cold July last night, recording a 6-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Stade Olympique to extend their current winning streak to eight games. It has come after they started the month 5-1 and then lost seven in a row, a streak that covered ten days on both sides of the All-Star Game and included a woeful four-game sweep in Atlanta. The NL East-leading ballclub has bounced back strongly, though, outscoring their opponents 44-14 during this eight-game run. They are now 65-36 and after holding just a 3.5-game lead over the Mets on July 16, are now 5.5 ahead of them.

Last night's game was locked at 2-2 going into the bottom of the 8th, where the Expos scored four runs on five hits, including back-to-back two-out RBI-doubles for Andres Galarraga and Spike Owen. But the Pirates almost tied it up again in the top of the 9th, as they scored three runs on a two-out rally, including a two-RBI double for Bobby Bonilla to deep center field. However, Jose Lind grounded out to first base to end the game and keep Montreal's winning streak alive. Expos started Mark Gardner recorded the win to improve to 11-5. He struck out nine batters and walked four, giving up ten hits in 8.2 innings before Mark Eichhorn took over to make the save...

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Oakland Tribune

SATURDAY, JULY 28, 1990

ATHLETICS CRUSH TWINS,
MAINTAIN ONE-GAME LEAD

Story by Dave Newhouse

Mark McGwire's grand slam home run was the cherry on top of the cake in an eight-run 2nd inning that propelled the Athletics to a 15-4 win over the Minnesota Twins at Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome last night. McGwire also hit a sac fly in the top of the 7th to finish the game with five RBI, as Oakland improved to 68-35 and stayed a game ahead of the Chicago White Sox in the AL West. Terry Steinbach (3-for-6, two runs, two RBI), Carney Lansford (3-for-4, two runs) and Walt Weiss (2-for-4, two RBI) were also standouts for the Athletics, while starting pitcher Mike Moore improved to 16-6 on the season with the win. His numbers weren't pretty otherwise, as he only struck out two batters while walking nine on 167 pitches. Moore's ERA is 3.25...

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San Francisco Chronicle

TUESDAY, JULY 31, 1990

GIANTS ACQUIRE VETERAN RYAN
FROM RANGERS

Story by Orson Hackleberg

In a move that could very well be the difference between a repeat divisional crown and watching the postseason from their living rooms, the San Francisco Giants strengthened their pitching rotation yesterday when they acquired veteran starter Nolan Ryan from the struggling Texas Rangers. In exchange for the 43-year-old "Ryan Express", the Giants sent first baseman Greg Litton and prospect starting pitcher Mike Hampton to Texas. It was the second time this month that 17-year-old Hampton has been traded, after the Giants originally picked him up in a trade with the Seattle Mariners on July 2. He's now heading back to the AL West.

However, the big story of this trade was eight-time All-Star Ryan, who now has a chance to pitch in the postseason for the first time since '86 and possibly become a World Series champion for the second time in his career. In 21 starts for the Rangers this season, Ryan was 7-10 with an ERA of 4.84. He struck out 151 batters and walked 66 in 151 innings of work. He had lost five consecutive starts between June 25 and July 20, but Giants general manager Miguel Gonzalez is apparently not concerned by that. The ballcub will reportedly be installing Ryan at the top of the rotation, and he will be starting this afternoon's game against the Astros at Candlestick. In a bizarre circumstance, his last appearance with Texas was on July 25 in a game against the Yankees that was suspended due to rain in the 7th inning, and is not scheduled to be concluded until September 10...

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MLB Standings and Stats at the end of July 1990...

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1990 MLB PLAYER OF THE MONTH AWARDS

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AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTER OF THE MONTH

APRIL: Jose Canseco (Oakland Athletics), .333 AVG, 8 HR, 28 RBI, 24 R
MAY: Shane Mack (Minnesota Twins), .364 AVG, 7 HR, 24 RBI, 23 R
JUNE: Cal Ripken Jr (Baltimore Orioles), .360 AVG, 7 HR, 20 RBI, 19 R
JULY: Phil Plantier (Boston Red Sox), .378, 10 HR, 18 RBI, 24 R

AMERICAN LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH

APRIL: Mike Moore (Oakland Athletics), 6-0, 32 K, 2.04 ERA, 53 IP
MAY: Mark Gubicza (Kansas City Royals), 6-1, 50 K, 2.41 ERA, 56 IP
JUNE: Chris Bosio (Milwaukee Brewers), 6-0, 37 K, 1.90 ERA, 52 IP
JULY: Jim Abbott (California Angels), 5-0, 27 K, 1.54 ERA, 41 IP

AMERICAN LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE MONTH

APRIL: Greg Vaughn (Milwaukee Brewers), .253 AVG, 6 HR, 17 RBI, 11 R
MAY: Ben McDonald (Baltimore Orioles), 6-0, 25 K, 3.65 ERA, 49.1 IP
JUNE: Kevin Appier (Kansas City Royals), 6-0, 30 K, 2.12 ERA, 51 IP
JULY: Phil Plantier (Boston Red Sox), .378, 10 HR, 18 RBI, 24 R

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NATIONAL LEAGUE BATTER OF THE MONTH

APRIL: Eric Davis (Cincinnati Reds), .350 AVG, 7 HR, 25 RBI, 21 R
MAY: Andre Dawson (Chicago Cubs), .343 AVG, 8 HR, 24 RBI, 20 R
JUNE: Kevin Mitchell (San Francisco Giants), .323, 13 HR, 27 RBI, 23 R
JULY: Kevin Mitchell (San Francisco Giants), .350, 9 HR, 32 RBI, 21 R

NATIONAL LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE MONTH

APRIL: Bruce Hurst (San Diego Padres), 5-1, 42 K, 2.06 ERA, 48 IP
MAY: David Cone (New York Mets), 5-0, 55 K, 1.55 ERA, 52.1 IP
JUNE: Dennis Martinez (Montreal Expos), 6-0, 33 K, 2.72 ERA, 49.2 IP
JULY: David Cone (New York Mets), 5-0, 44 K, 0.83 ERA, 43.1 IP

NATIONAL LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE MONTH

APRIL: David Justice (Atlanta Braves), .245 AVG, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 14 R
MAY: David Justice (Atlanta Braves), .282 AVG, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 19 R
JUNE: Delino DeShields (Montreal Expos), .282 AVG, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 26 R
JULY: David Justice (Atlanta Braves), .283 AVG, 6 HR, 21 RBI, 20 R

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[kenyan_cheena]

Fictional player stats at the end of July 1990...

[xepicx2729]

Williams struggling early, and also playing 3B? Interesting move by the Braves.

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August 3: Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Randy Johnson strikes out fifteen batters in a ten-inning 4-3 victory over the Twins at the Kingdome. Johnson went the full ten innings, walking four and allowing ten hits on 157 pitches as the Mariners overcame a 3-0 deficit going into the bottom of the 6th. Ken Griffey Jr hit a two-out walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the 10th to win the game. It was his second home run of the season. He also doubled twice earlier in the game, driving in a run in the 6th.

August 4: Vancouver Canadians starting pitcher Eli Wert produces a dominant performance against the Phoenix Firebirds, giving up just three hits and an earned run in a 12-1 victory. Wert went the full nine, striking out six and walking none on 111 pitches to improve to 2-3 on the season, with an ERA of 3.45.

August 4: Romy Alvarez of the Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons hits 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored in a 8-7 win over the Syracuse Chiefs. Alvarez is hitting .287 for the season.

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The Pennant Races, as at the end of play,
Sunday August 5...

AL EAST

1st Baltimore Orioles 61-49
2nd Detroit Tigers 58-55 (4.5 GB)

AL WEST

1st Chicago White Sox 71-39
1st Oakland Athletics 72-40
3rd Kansas City Royals 68-42 (3 GB)

NL EAST

1st Montreal Expos 70-42
2nd New York Mets 66-43 (2.5 GB)

NL WEST

1st Cincinnati Reds 61-48
2nd San Francisco Giants 61-49 (0.5 GB)
3rd San Diego Padres 59-53 (3.5 GB)

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Thursday August 9: The New York Mets complete a three-game sweep of the visiting Philadelphia Phillies, with all three games won by a single run (4-3, 2-1, 4-3). Meanwhile, their rivals in the NL East pennant race, the Montreal Expos win two of three in a visit to Pittsburgh. The Expos lead the division by two at the end of August 9.

Sunday August 12: The Mets continue their amazing start to August with a second consecutive sweep, beating up on the Chicago Cubs in three mostly one-sided games. They win the series by a combined score of 23-11. Things don't go as well for the Expos, who play host to the Phillies and lose the last two games of a three-game set. As a consequence, in the space of six days, the Mets erase a three-game deficit in the NL East and end the week tied by the Expos. They are 10-2 in August.

In the AL West, the Oakland Athletics finish the week on a five-game winning streak, which includes a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees. The Chicago White Sox started the week by losing the final three games of a four-game series in Kansas City, but sweep the Rangers to end it. Nevertheless, the Athletics are now in 1st place all by themselves.

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The Pennant Races, as at the end of play,
Sunday August 12...

AL EAST

1st Baltimore Orioles 64-52
2nd Detroit Tigers 61-58 (4.5 GB)

AL WEST

1st Oakland Athletics 77-41
2nd Chicago White Sox 75-42 (1.5 GB)
3rd Kansas City Royals 73-44 (3.5 GB)

NL EAST

1st Montreal Expos 73-45
1st New York Mets 72-44

NL WEST

1st Cincinnati Reds 65-50
2nd San Francisco Giants 64-52 (1.5 GB)
3rd San Diego Padres 64-54 (2.5 GB)

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[kenyan_cheena]

Chicago Tribune

Saturday, August 18, 1990

NO-HITTER!
PEREZ MESMERIZES RANGERS AT ARLINGTON

Story by Mike Gibson

Chicago White Sox pitcher Melido Perez produced the performance of his career last night at Arlington Stadium, throwing a no-hitter in his side's 2-0 victory over the Texas Rangers. The 24-year-old Dominican was magnificent, striking out an AL season-high sixteen batters while walking just one on 117 pitches. The night started inconspicuously enough for Perez, as the Rangers' leadoff hitter Gary Pettis reached on an error by White Sox shortstop Ozzie Guillen. Perez then retired the next nineteen batters he faced before walking Julio Franco on five pitches in the bottom of the 7th.

The game had been scoreless through six innings before Ron Kittle's RBI single in the 7th gave Chicago the lead. Frank Thomas added a solo home run leading off in the top of the 9th. Perez needed fourteen pitches to complete the no-hitter in the bottom of the inning, getting Greg Litton to ground out to third before Gary Pettis struck out looking and Rafael Palmeiro struck out swinging, leading to a jubilant celebration in the middle of the diamond. It was the third no-hitter of the season, following on from the efforts of the Angels' Chuck Finley on May 20 and Dennis Martinez of the Montreal Expos on May 23...

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The New York Times

MONDAY, AUGUST 20, 1990

METS SWEEP SLUMPING GIANTS:
WIN STREAK NOW AT TWELVE

Story by David Hayes

The New York Mets continued their amazing August resurgence last night, completing their fourth consecutive series sweep with a 6-5 win over the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park. After falling behind 5-1 in the 5th, the Mets scored four in the 6th and then took the lead with one more in the 7th. It was very much a complete team effort, at the plate and on the mound. Second baseman Gregg Jefferies and left fielder Kevin McReynolds were the only batters to record more than one hit, while each run was driven in by a different player.

Starter Sid Fernandez went five innings before Bob Ojeda (who took the win), Jerry Gleaton, Alejandro Pena and John Franco (credited with his 32nd save of the season) each pitched one inning. The Mets improved to 78-44, maintaining their two-game lead over the Expos in the NL East. Their winning streak started at home on August 7, where they accounted for the Phillies, Cubs and Dodgers before flying to San Francisco to start what will be a ten-game road trip against the trio of Californian teams in the NL West...

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Sunday August 19: Cleveland Indians draftee Mike Schaplowsky has had a rough start to his pro baseball career. He started out with the Watertown Indians of the New York-Pennsylvania League before being promoted to the Kinston Indians of the Single A Carolina League on July 28. Schaplowsky hit .244 with three home runs and six RBI in twelve games with Wavertown, but was hitting just .227 with Kinston going into Sunday's game against the Frederick Keys. Schaplowsky came through in the clutch, hitting a grand slam home run in a 10-8 Indians victory. It was his fourth home run for Kinston.

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