Baseball in the Pythagorean Universe 1871-Present

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 1 of the first 1996 National League Division Series from Olympic Stadium in Montreal. The date is Tuesday, October 1:

Padres 1st: Left fielder Rickey Henderson belted the first pitch of the game into the left field corner for a triple. Right fielder Tony Gwynn's base hit to right center brought Rickey home, and three pitches into the game the Padres had a 1-0 lead. Center fielder Steve Finley's fly to the warning track in deep center was gloved by counterpart Rondell White for out number one, and third baseman Ken Caminiti was caught looking for the second out. First baseman Wally Joyner kept the inning going with a single to left, and Expos starter Rheal Cormier hit shortstop Chris Gomez in the knee with a pitch to load the bases. Catcher Brian Johnson's foul pop behind third was caught by Shane Andrews to end the inning with the bases still loaded, so the Friars have to settle for one run on three hits and a hit batsman. Now les Expos are ready to hit.

Expos 1st: Shortstop Mark Grudzielanek led off with a base hit to right center. After second baseman Mike Lansing struck out swinging, first baseman David Segui lined a base hit up the middle to put runners at the corners. Left fielder Moises Alou was next, and his single to left center scored Grudzielanek to tie the game at one. After White popped to short for the second out, right fielder F.P. Santangelo socked a base hit to right center to score Segui and put the home squad up 2-1, with Alou moving to third. Andrews' grounder to third ended the inning, but the Expos have responded with two runs on four hits while leaving runners at the corners. After one, it's Expos 2, Padres 1.

Expos 2nd: Catcher Lenny Webster banged a leadoff double to right center. He was bunted over to third by Cormier, and Grudzielanek brought him home by banging a triple off the top of the wall in left to make it 3-1 Expos. Lansing was next, and here's Vin Scully with the count one ball and one strike:

"Most experts say that the Expos haven't yet recovered from being swept by the Reds in the NLCS two years ago, but what they forget is that this Padre club took them to five games in the divisional round, which absolutely nobody expected after the Padres had to fight their way up from last place just to win the West. It's only been a little over an inning, but this series promises to be another classic. One and one to Mike Lansing with Grudzielanek at third and one out here in the second. One-one pitch is HIT HIGH IN THE AIR TO DEEP LEFT CENTER! BACK GOES FINLEY, AWAY BACK, AT THE WALL, AND GONE!......Mike Lansing hits a Joey Hamilton curveball halfway to Quebec City, and it's 5-1 Expos at a delirious Olympic Stadium."

Jim Palmer: "This is a textbook hanging curveball from Joey Hamilton, and Lansing just tattoos it. That ball's hit about as high as you can possibly hit a ball here without tearing a hole in the roof, and it's gone from the second it leaves the bat, Vinnie. The Expos have opened up a big early lead for this rabid sellout crowd."

Segui followed with a seeing-eye single to left, but Alou flew to left and White popped to short to end the inning. The Spos have added three runs on four hits, including Lansing's 402-foot blast to left center. We've played two, and it's Spos 5, Friars 1.

Padres 3rd: After two out, Caminiti grounded a single to right. Joyner followed with a double down the right field line to bring him home and cut the Montreal lead to 5-2. Gomez grounded to Segui at first to end the inning with Joyner still at second, but the Pads have scratched out a run on two hits to get back within 5-2 after two and a half.

Expos 3rd: With two out, Webster faced Hamilton. Here's Vin:

"Webster led off the second with a double. He's a bit of a surprise starter today, since he only played in fifty-seven games during the regular season, but as of right now it's paying off. There's the one and only Fernando Valenzuela warming up in the Padres' bullpen; he'll be a long man in the postseason, although he was still effective as a starter in the regular season. First pitch to Webster is hit hard down the right field line, over is Gwynn, he's at the wall, out of room, AND THIS BALL IS GONE!.....It ended up only a foot or two beyond Tony's glove, but that's still enough to count, and the Expos lead 6-2."

Palmer: "Hamilton's had a rough tie out there, and he cold be getting tired. He leaves this ball over the heart of the plate, and it's pulled down the line by Webster. Gwynn's quick enough to get to it, but it's hit just far enough to get beyond his reach, and the Expos have gone deep for the second time today."

Cormier's tapper to first ended the inning, but Webster's longball has restored the Expos' four-run lead. We've played three, and it's les Spos 6, Friars 2.

Expos 4th: Lansing faced Fernando with one out. Here's Vin with the count two balls and a strike:

"This is the series that will have a day off in between Games 1 and 2, which is something that Major League Baseball has established this year. So we'll be with you again Thursday at 1PM Eastern from here in Montreal, then it's Saturday night at 11PM Eastern from Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. It's been a wild one so far, so join us over the next two games for more of the same. Two and one to Lansing, and the next pitch from Valenzuela......SCROOGIE BLASTED DOWN THE LINE IN RIGHT, BACK IS GWYNN, AT THE WALL, AND IT'S A FAIR HOME RUN FOR LANSING!......We thought for a moment that it would hook foul, but right field umpire Greg Bonin gave the fair signal, and it's 7-2 Montreal, with Lansing hitting two home runs. Not a bad half-day's work."

Palmer: "That's fur sure, Vinnie, The Expos know that the screwball is still the out pitch for Fernando, so they're waiting for it, and Lansing pulls this one down the line like Lenny Webster did last inning. There was a brief question of fair or foul, but there you see the home run signal from Greg Bonin. Lansing only hit eleven home runs during the year, but he has two big ones today."

Segui struck out swinging, and after Alou walked White flew to Finley in right center to retire the side. The Expos have added to their lead thanks to Lansing's second dinger of the day, and after four they lead the Padres 7-2.

Padres 6th: Gomez ripped a one-out double off the wall in left. He moved to third on Johnson's fly to the warning track in left and scored on a single by second baseman Jody Reed, also to left. Fernando made it two straight base hits to left to put two men on, but Rickey grounded to second to end the inning. The Padres get a run on three hits and a productive fly ball, but they've also left runners at first and second. The Friars have matched the Spos with eleven hits apiece through five and a half, but they still trail on the scoreboard 7-3.

Expos 6th: With one out, Lansing singled to left. He was forced by Segui for the second out, but Alou drilled a double to center, scoring Segui and putting the Spos up 8-3. Alou's wicked liner was speared by Gomez to end the inning, but the home squad has added another run on two hits while leaving a runner at second. We've played six, and it's Montreal 8, San Diego 3.

Padres 7th: Expos reliever Jose Paniagua got the first two outs with ease, but Caminiti kept the inning alive with a base hit to right center. Joyner beat out a grounder to short for an infield single to put two men on, and Gomez's base hit just out of Paniagua's reach and into center brought Caminiti home with the fourth San Diego run. Sensing a chance to close the gap quickly, Padres manager Bruce Bochy sent Greg Vaugnn up to bat for Johnson. Here's Vin with the count one ball and no strikes:

"Bochy's laying it all on the line right here, down by four in the seventh. John Flaherty will come in to catch, but unless Bochy wants to put Vaughn in left, there will be some who say that he's being wasted; even a home run leaves him down by one with his best pinch hitter burned. Of course, it's a lot easier to make a one-run comeback with the existing lineup than a four-run comeback."

Palmer: "I'm one of the ones who feel he should have waited, Vinnie. The pitcher's spot is just two hitters away, and if you don't make it, maybe you do something next inning."

Scully: "But Bochy's not waiting on a maybe. Expos 8, Padres 4, top of the seventh with Joyner at second and Caminiti at first. One-ball pitch is HAMMERED TO DEEP LEFT! BACK GOES ALOU, AT THE WALL, SHE'S GONE!.....And Bruce Bochy, should he be of a mind to, can thumb his nose at his detractors one and all."

Palmer: "This is what the Padres traded for. Paniagua got that pitch just a bit too far up in the strike zone, and it ends up right in Vaughn's wheelhouse. He does just what you'd expect with it, and we have a one-run game."

Dave Veres relieved Paniagua at that point and struck Reed out swinging to retire the side, but the Padres have scored four runs on four hits, including Vaughn's three-run pinch-hit blast. As the nearly-silent throng at The Big O rises to stretch, their Expos are clinging to a one-run lead at 8-7.

Padres 8th: With one out, Henderson singled to short. Gwynn's base hit to left put runners at the corners, but he was forced by Finley for out number two. Caminiti's base hit to left brought Rickey home to tie the game, and Expos manager Felipe Alou went to Omar Daal to keep the game tied. His first pitch was spanked off the wall in right by Joyner to score Finley, and the Padres had their first lead of the day at 9-8. Gomez was next, and he put the finishing touches on an incredible San Diego comeback despite not getting a hit. Here's Vin with how it happened:

"Daal checks the runners, and the one-two pitch......fly ball to right, (F. P.) Santangelo coming in, under it, and makes the......NO! HE DROPPED IT, AND IT ROLLS AWAY FROM HIM! HERE COMES CAMINITI! HERE COMES JOYNER! THEY'RE HOLDING GOMEZ AT SECOND, AND IT'S 11-8!...…..The Expos were up 7-2 and 8-3 at various points, and now it's all fallen apart for them here in Game 1."

Palmer: "Santangelo's kicking himself, Vinnie, but there was nothing he could have done. He made the catch, but the ball just fell out of his glove. It happens to most outfielders at one time or another; his problem was, it happened to him in the postseason when the whole world is watching."

Chris Gwynn batted for reliever Willie Blair and struck out swinging to retire the side, but the Padres have completed their comeback with four more runs on four hits and an error, with Gomez stranded at second. After seven and a half, it's now Padres 11, Expos 8.

That was all the scoring. Doug Bochtler and Trevor Hoffman combined to limit the Expos to one hit over the final two innings, and Hoffman retired the side on five pitches in the bottom of the ninth. Our final: Padres 11, Expos 8, and the Padres lead the best-of-five series one game to none.

Caminiti and Joyner shared ESPN's Player of the Game award. They were each four for five, with Joyner driving in two runs and scoring two more and Caminiti driving in a run and scoring three. Lansing had four hits for the Expos in a losing cause with two home runs and three RBIs, while Webster was three for three plus a hit-by-pitch with a hoe run and another run scored.

Final totals: Padres 11-19-0, Expos 8-14-1.

W- Blair (1-0)
S- Hoffman (1)
L- Veres (0-1)

HR- SD: Vaughn (1)
MTL: Lansing 2 (2), Webster (1)

The series will continue with Game 2 on Thursday afternoon here at Olympic Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 1PM Eastern, with Bob Tewksbury starting for the Padres and Ugueth Urbina taking the hill for the Expos.

Before we go, here are our Defensive Plays of the Day. First, it's the top of the sixth with the Expos leading 8-3 with one out, Lansing at first, and Segui at the plate. Here's Vin:

"Grounder down to first. Joyner to Reed for one, coming back......NO! Safe at first, but Reed was almost dumped straight on his head by the oncoming Lansing and somehow got the throw off. Two out now, and here's Moises Alou."

Now it's the top of the eighth. Gwynn is at third, Rickey is at first, and there's one out with the Spos leading 8-7 and Finley at the plate against Paniagua. Vin, if you please:

"Right back to Paniagua. HE GOES TO SECOND, AND THEY GET HENDERSON!.....Most pitchers would have taken the sure out at first, but Paniagua decided to try for the more dangerous Henderson, and it paid off. Two out now, with Caminiti coming up."

Next: We look at Game 2.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 2 of the first 1996 National League Division Series from Olympic Stadium in Montreal. The date is Thursday, October 3:

Lineup Changes:

Padres- John Flaherty will catch and bat sixth, which moves Chris Gomez down to seventh.

Expos- Moises Alou moves from left field to right field. Henry Rodriguez starts in left and will hit fifth, while Darrin Fletcher starts behind the plate and bats sixth. F.P. Santangelo moves to center field and will bat seventh, while Shane Andrews moves down to eighth.

Padres 3rd: Rickey Henderson drew a one-out walk, then stole second. Tony Gwynn struck out swinging for out number two, but Steve Finley stroked a base hit to right center, scoring Rickey and giving the Friars a 1-0 lead. Finley then stole second himself, and Ken Caminiti walked to put two men on, Wally Joyner's pop to short was caught by Mark Grudzielanek to end the inning with runners still at first and second, but the Padres have scored first on the strength of two walks, two stolen bases, and a hit. After two and a half, it's Padres 1, Expos 0.

Padres 8th: Finley drew a leadoff walk against Expos reliever Dave Veres. Caminiti hit a medium-depth fly to center; in almost an instant replay of what happened in Game 1, Santangelo had the ball in his glove for a brief moment, only for it to tumble out. Finley went to third and Caminiti stopped at second as the Expos faithful booed their center fielder heartily. That brought up Joyner. Here' Vin Scully with what happened next:

"Two and two to Joyner with Finley at third, Caminiti at second, and nobody out. Veres checks the runners, now rocks and throws......LINE SHOT INTO LEFT FIELD, BASE HIT! HERE COMES FINLEY! HERE COMES CAMINITI! 3-0 Padres, and once again F.P. Santangelo has the worst possible luck with his glove at the worst possible time for the Expos."

Flaherty grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to empty the bases, but Gomez's single to left center kept the inning alive. Jody Reed went down swinging to end the inning, but the Friars have added two more runs on two hits, a walk, and another costly error by Santangelo. After seven and a half, it's Pads 3, Spos 0.

Padres 9th: Chris Gwynn batted for reliever Tim Worrell and lined a leadoff single to left, then stole second. Henderson lined another single to left to bring Chris home and make it 4-0 San Diego. He promptly stole second himself and moved to third on Tony's fly to right. After Finley struck out swinging, the Expos pitched around Caminiti, and he drew a walk to put runners at the corners. Joyner was next, and he lined a single up the middle to score Rickey and put the Friars up 5-0. Flaherty's hot smash was gloved by Mike Lansing at second to end the inning, but the Padres have scored two more runs on three hits, two stolen bases, a productive fly ball, and a walk while leaving runners at first and second. Willie Blairwill try his hand at shutting down the Expos in the bottom of the ninth when he faces Moises, Rodriguez, and Fletcher while trying to protect a 5-0 San Diego lead.

Fletcher singled with two out, and Santangelo walked to put two on, but Blair got Andrews to fly to deep left center, where Finley made the catch just a step from the wall to end the game. Our final: Padres 5, Expos 0, and the Padres lead the series two games to none.

Joyner was named Player of the Game by ESPN. He finished three for five with three RBIs on the day. Henderson was the Padres' other offensive standout; he was two for four plus a walk with two runs scored and an RBI. Meanwhile, the combination of starter Bob Tewksbury, Blair, and Worrell tossed a four-hit shutout while walking three and striking out seven. Fletcher had three of the hits, while Moises had the other. For the Expos, starter Ugueth Urbina held the Padres to one run on four hits over seven inning while striking out five, but he also gave up five walks.

Final totals: Padres 5-9-0, Expos 0-4-1.

W- Tewksbury (1-0)
L- Urbina (0-1)

The series shifts to Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego for Game 3 tomorrow night. First pitch is schedules for shortly after 11PM Eastern, with Jeff Fassero starting for the Expos against the Padres' Andy Ashby.

Next: We look at Game 3.

Thoughts?

 

[DTF955Baseballfan]

What happened to the dome in Montreal? Was it under repair then?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

I always thought that there was a hole in the roof that allowed the elements to go through. Apparently I was wrong, at least by 1996. It doesn't affect the game result, though; I'll just change it back to Thursday and get rid of the weather reports for the first two games. Thanks, Doug!

 

[DTF955Baseballfan]

You're welcome. That hole in the roof was finally covered in the late 80s, but it took over a decade to do. So much that the cost overruns caused Olympic Stadium to be known as the Big Owe.

 

[Garrett Garlits]

I knew I remembered rain delays there when I was a little kid, which would have been the late seventies/early eighties.

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 3 of the first 1996 National League Division Series from Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. The date is Saturday, October 5:

Lineup Changes:

Expos- Lenny Webster is back behind the plate and will bat seventh, which moves F.P. Santangelo up to sixth.

Padres- Archi Cianfrocco makes his first start of the series at first base and will bat fifth. Also, Brian Johnson is back behind the plate and will bat sixth.

Padres 1st: Rickey Henderson drew a leadoff walk, but was forced by Tony Gwynn. Steve Finley walked to put two men on, but Expos starter Jeff Fassero struck Ken Caminiti out swinging for the second out. Cianfrocco was next, and his base hit to right center scored Gwynn to give the Padres a 1-0 lead. Finley moved to third on the hit, but Johnson's grounder to short stranded the runners and ended the inning. The Padres have scored first thanks to a hit and two walks, an after one they lead the Expos 1-0.

Expos 2nd: With two out, Santangelo faced Padres starter Andy Ashby. Here's Vin Scully with the count three balls and no strikes:

"This is the first hitter that Ashby's had trouble with; he's retired the first five Montreal hitters in order and taken just eighteen pitches to do it. The Expos haven't scored since the sixth inning of Game 1, when they took an 8-3 lead. Since then, it's been all San Diego. Santangelo would love some redemption after his two huge errors in the first two games, so he'll be hacking. 3-0 pitch is HIT A TON TO DEEP RIGHT! BACK GOES GWYNN, AT THE WALL, AND SHE'S GONE!...….At least partial redemption for F.P. Santangelo as he crushes an Andy Ashby fastball way over the wall in right to tie Game 3 at one."

Jim Palmer: "Finally something good happens for F.P. Santangelo, as he waits on this fastball from Ashby and puts the best swing he possibly can o it. Right field is 330 feet away from home plate at Jack Murphy Stadium, and that ball travels at least 360."

Scully: "Not quite, Jim. Tale of the tape reads 359 feet. Missed it by that much."

Webster's fly to left center was caught by Finley to end the inning, but the Expos have tied game thanks to Santangelo's bomb. We've played an inning and a half, and we're tied at one.

Expos 3rd: Shane Andrews led off with a bloop double that fell in the left center power alley. He was bunted over to third by Fassero, and Mark Grudzielanek followed with a lined single to right center that brought Andrews home and gave the Spos a 2-1 lead. After Mike Lansing struck out, Grudzielanek stole second, but David Segui's foul fly down the right field line was grabbed by Tony to end the inning. The Spos have taken the lead with a run on two hits and a sacrifice bunt, and after two and a half they lead the homestanding Padres 2-1.

Padres 4th: Cianfrocco led off against Fassero. Here's Vin with the count one ball and one strike:

"Cianfrocco got the start to give Wally Joyner a day off after playing back-to-back games on the rock-hard artificial turf at Olympic Stadium, and it's paid off so far, as he's knocked in the only San Diego run. Expos 2, Padres 1 ere in the bottom of the fourth, and there you see Joey Hamilton who will start for the Friars tomorrow afternoon if necessary. One-one pitch......lined hard toward the right field corner, Alou coming in, trying for the shoestring catch, BUT CAN'T GET IT, AND THIS BALL'S TROUBLE. CIANFROCCO AROUND SECOND ON HIS WAY TO THIRD, AND NOW THE BALL'S LODGED IN THE CORNER! THEY'RE SENDING CIANFROCCO COMING AROUND THIRD! ALOU FINALLY GETS THE BALL, TRIES A THROW, BUT IT'S CUT OFF! AN INSIDE-THE-PARK HOME RUN FOR ARCHI CIANFROCCO, AND WE'RE TIED!.....Alou's made plenty of better throws in his career, but in fairness to him, he was in a hurry, because Cianfrocco was almost at the plate."

Palmer: "He didn't get a very good grip on the ball, Vinnie, but I don't know if even a good throw would have gotten Cianfrocco; once that ball got past Alou originally and got stuck in the corner, it was at least a triple with a good shot at an inside-the-park homer. Alou can't dig the ball out of the corner until Cianfrocco's already around third, so any throw is almost useless, and a bad throw like the one Alou got off......He should have held on to it.'

Johnson followed up by lining a double into the left center power alley, and Chris Gomez's lined single to right center scored Johnson to give the Friars a 3-2 lead. Jody Reed slapped a base hit to left center to put two men on, but he was forced on a comebacker by Ashby. Henderson's fly ball double to left scored Gomez to make it 4-2, and Tony lined another double off the wall in left to bring home Ashby and Rickey and open up a 6-2 lead. That was all for Fassero; Expos manager Felipe Alou turned to Dave Veres to get his team out of trouble, and he retired Finley on an infield fly to Lansing at second and Caminti on a tapper to first to end the inning. The damage: five runs on six hits, with Tony left at second. At the end of four, it's now San Diego 6, Montreal 2.

Expos 9th: Moises led off with a base hit to left against Willie Blair. He moved to second on Henry Rodriguez's grounder to first and scored on Santangelo's base it up the middle to cut the Padres' lead to 6-3. At that point, "Hell's Bells" began to sound, and Trevor Hoffman strode out of the Padres' bullpen to try and nail down the sweep. Darrin Fletcher batted for Webster and drew a walk to put two men on, but Andres' hot liner was smothered by Cianfrocco for the second out. Cliff Floyd was the Sops' last chance, as he batted for reliever Mike Dyer. Here's Vin with the count no balls and two strikes:

"They're all standing at Jack Murphy Stadium, as Trevor Hoffman toes the rubber. Nothing and two to Floyd, as the Padres look to advance to the National League Championship Series for the first time ever. The only other time they even made the postseason was two years ago, when they lost to these Expos in a five-game Division Series. The city of San Diego has had only one team play for a world championship in its history, and that was Super Bowl XXIX, when they were beaten badly by the 49ers, so this would be its second trip to a semifinal, if you want to call it that. One more pitch is all Hoffman needs, and they want the strikeout. Here's the pitch...….DOWN TO FIRST! CIANFROCCO TAKES IT HIMSELF, AND PADRES HAVE THE SWEEP!...….The Padres went down 8-3 after six innings in Game 1, then staged that incredible comeback from which the Expos never recovered. And with the financial situation of Major League Baseball the way it is, it's an open question whether the Expos will ever get this far again. But tonight belongs to the boys from San Diego, who will face either the Cardinals or the Braves in the National League Championship Series. If I have the rotation right, they'll be going on the road whomever they meet, but that's the last thing on their minds right now.

Our Player of the Game is Archi Cianfrocco, who went three for four with that inside-the-park home run that began the five-run fourth that led the Padres to victory, and he also drove in the Padres' first run in the first inning. We'll be talking to him and plenty of other Padres when we return to Jack Murphy Stadium after the upcoming break. We'll air a couple of the interviews ere, then send you to SportsCenter for more interviews and postgame analysis, plus highlights of the day in college football and a preview of tomorrow's NFL action. We'll get started on all of that approximately one minute from now. Our final score again: Padres 6, Expos 3, and the Padres sweep this series three games to none. We'll be back to San Diego after these messages."

Final totals: Padres 6-10-0, Expos 3-8-0.

W- Ashby (1-0)
S- Hoffman (2)
L- Fassero (0-1)

HR- MTL: Santangelo (1)
SD: Cianfrocco (1)

Next: A recap of the first three games of the Cardinals-Padres NLCS.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now here's a recap of the first three games of the 1996 National League Championship Series:

The battle for the National League pennant began on Wednesday, October 9 at Busch Stadium, and the Redbirds got a three-run homer from third baseman Gary Gaetti in the bottom of the first against Padres starter Joey Hamilton that stood up for the rest of the night. Cardinals starter Todd Stottlemyre gave up a sixth-inning homer to Rickey Handerson, but that was all. Closer Dennis Eckersley gave up two hits, but held the Padres off the board for the final inning and two thirds. Final in Game 1: Cardinals 3, Padres 1, and the Cards took a one game to none lead in the best-of-seven series.

Final totals: Cardinals 3-6-0, Padres 1-8-1.

W- Stottlemyre (1-0)
S- Eckersley (1)
L- Hamilton (0-1)

HR- SD: Henderson (1)
STL: Gaetti (1)

Game 2 was the next evening, and the Cardinals used a bases-clearing double from left fielder Ron Gant to snap a 1-1 tie in the fifth. But the Friars came back with two in the sixth and tied the game in the eighth on a pinch-hit single by Scott Livingstone, a walk, a sacrifice bunt, and an RBI groundout by Steve Finley. But the Cards manufactured a run of their own in the bottom of the eighth on a walk to right fielder Brian Jordan, a groundout, a wild pitch by Padres reliever Doug Bochtler, and an RBI groundout by catcher Tom Pagnozzi. Eck shut the Padres down one-two-three in the top of the ninth, and the Cardinals had escaped with a 5-4 win and a two games to none series lead.

Final totals: Cardinals 5-5-1, Padres 4-6-0.

W- Honeycutt (1-0)
S- Eckersley (2)
L- Bochtler (0-1)

HR- SD: Caminiti (1)

The series shifted to The Murph on Saturday, October 12, and the Padres took a 4-1 lead into the sixth, thanks in part to Caminiti's second homer of the series. But Gant went deep to jumpstart a three-run sixth for St. Louis which tied the game, and center fielder Ray Lankford's single eventually turned into the go-ahead run in the seventh. The Friars weren't done; Caminti's second homer of the night and third of the series came off Rick Honeycutt in the bottom of the eighth to even things up at five. In the top of the ninth, Gant walked with one out, and Jordan made the Padres pay by homering off of Trevor Hoffman to give the Cards a 7-5 lead. The Padres got the tying run to the plate with one out in the bottom of the ninth against Eck, but Tony Gwynn lined to short and Finley flied to center to end the game. Our final: Cardinals 7, Padres 5, and the Cardinals lead the series three games to none.

Final totals: Cardinals 7-13-0, Padres 5-11-2.

W- Mathews (1-0)
S- Eckersley (3)
L- Hoffman (0-1)

HR- STL: Gant (1), Jordan (1)
SD: Caminiti 2 (3)

Next: We look at Game 4 on Sunday, October 13 at Jack Murphy Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern on Fox, and it'll be a rematch of Game 1 on the mound, with Todd Stottlemyre starting for the Cardinals and Joey Hamilton pitching for the Padres.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

I'm going to leave the rest of 1996 in abeyance for the moment, since the teams in our current focus are out of the running, and turn the clock back about four years to the 1992 American League Championship Series between the Twins and the Brewers, which begins on Wednesday, October 7 at County Stadium in Milwaukee:

Weather: 61 degrees, cloudy skies, south-southeast wind at 7 MPH.

Brewers 2nd: Center fielder Robin Yount led off with a single up the middle. Left fielder Greg Vaughn and first baseman B.J. Surhoff drew back-to-back walks to load the bases, and third baseman Kevin Seitzer bounced into a force play, which eliminated Surhoff but allowed Yount to score and give the Brewers a 1-0 lead, with Vaughn moving to third. Catcher Dave Nilsson grounded into an inning-ending 3-6-3 double play. The Brew Crew has manufactured the first run of the series on a hit, a pair of walks, and a fielder's choice, with Vaughn stranded at third. After two, it's Brewers 1, Twins 0.

Twins 3rd: Left fielder Shane Mack grounded a leadoff single to left center, then stole second and moved to third on center fielder Kirby Puckett's bouncer to second. Designated hitter Chili Davis walked to put runners at the corners, but was forced by right fielder Pedro Munoz. Mack came home on the play to tie the game at one. but catcher Brian Harper popped to Surhoff at first to retire the side. The Twins have evened the game on a hit, a stolen base, a walk, and a pair of productive outs, and we're even at one after two and a half.

Twins 4th: First baseman Gene Larkin drew a leadoff walk. Third baseman Scott Leius singled to left to put two men on, but was forced by shortstop Greg Gagne, with Larkin moving to third. Second baseman Chuck Knoublauch's fly to center was caught by a diving Robin Yount for out number two, but Mack lined a base hit to right center to score Larkin, giving the Twins a 2-1 lead, and move Gagne to third. Puckett's liner was speared by Seitzer at third to retire the side with runners still at the corners, but the Twis have taken the lead thanks to two hits, a force play, and a walk, After three and a have, it's Twinkies 2, Brew Crew 1.

Twins 5th: Davis whacked a leadoff double into the right center power alley. He held there while Munoz popped to first and Harper grounded to short, but Larkin ticked a single off the glove of Brewers starter Jaime Navarro and into center field. Chili came home, and the Twins led 3-1. Leius' lined single to left center put runners at the corners, and Gagne dumped a base hit into right to score Larkin and make it 4-1. Knoblauch's bouncer to Scott Fletcher at second ended the inning with runners still at first and third, but the Twins have added two runs on four hits, and hallway through Game 1 it's Twin Cities 4, Beer City 1.

Twins 6th: Mack led off by beating out a grounder to short for an infield single. Puckett took a pitch off of his left knee to put two men on, and Davis lashed a base hit to left center that scored Mack with the fifth Minnesota run and moved Puckett to third. Kirby came home on a passed ball charged to Nilsson to make it 6-1 while Davis moved to second. That was all for Navarro; Jim Austin came out of the Brewers bullpen and immediately struck Munoz out swinging, then retired Harper on a foul pop to third and Larkin on a screaming liner that was gloved by Surhoff to retire the side. The Twins have added two more runs on two hits, a hit batsman, and a passed ball, with Davis stranded at second. After five and a half, it's Minnesota 6, Milwaukee 1.

Twins 7th: Leius led off with a grounder to short which was bobbled by the Brewers' Pat Listach, allowing Leius to reach. Gagne's base hit to left put two men on, but Greg was forced by Knoblauch for the second out. Listach handled Mack's bouncer to short cleanly, but Shane beat the throw to first for an infield single as Leius crossed the plate to make it 7-1. Puckett smoked a double into the left field corner to bring home Knoblauch and Mack, and it was 9-1 Minnesota. Jesse Orosco was the next one out of the Milwaukee pen, and he retired Davis on a fly ball to right and Munoz on a fly ball to left to end the inning with Kirby still at second. But the Twins have piled on three more runs on three hits, an error, and a fielder's choice, and as we stretch at a tomblike County Stadium, they lead the homestanding Brewers 9-1.

Twins 9th: Knoblauch drew a leadoff walk against Brewers reliever Mike Fetters. Mack grounded a base hit to left to put runners at the corners, and Puckett lined a base hit to right center to score Knoblauch and put the Twins in double digits. Davis was next, and here's Sean McDonough with the count one ball and one strike:

"There was so much anticipation coming into this game, and the Brewers took the early lead; then the roof fell in, and they haven't been able to dig out. There's Penny Marshall, who threw out the first pitch tonight. The Brewers, as we said earlier, use the Laverne and Shirley theme as their seventh-inning stretch song, but their dreams certainly haven't come true tonight. Cindy Williams will throw out the first pitch tomorrow night; no word on Lenny and Squiggy. One and one to Davis, as the Twins lead 10-1 here in the ninth. Next pitch is HIT A MILE INTO LEFT CENTER FIELD! YOUNT GOING BACK, AT THE WALL, BUT THIS ONE IS GONE!......The only thing that the Twins hadn't done so far tonight is hit a home run, but that's taken care of now thanks to Chili Davis, and it's a 13-1 laugher."

Jim Kaat: "Well, this one's certainly going to be one to forget for (Brewers manager) Phil Garner and his players, as the Twins have just beaten them from pillar to post ever since the third inning. This homer from Davis would have been a tape-measure job on a warmer night; it was certainly hit hard enough. Fetters just has to get through this inning with no more damage and get this one over with so the Brewers can focus on tomorrow."

No such luck, as Munoz worked the count to three balls and so strikes. Here's Sean:

"No one warming in the Brewers' bullpen, which would be kind of pointless now anyway. This one's up to Fetters for better of worse. We'll be back here tomorrow night, then it's day games at the Metrodome on Saturday and Sunday. Nilsson wants this one right down the middle, and it's ANOTHER HIGH FLY TO LEFT CENTER! NOT HIT AS HARD, YOUNT GOING BACK, AT THE WALL, AND JUST OUT OF HIS REACH!......Yount gave it a try, but the Twins have gone back-to-back here in the ninth thanks to Pedo Munoz, and that's it for Penny Marshall. I suspect she's not alone, Kitty."

Kaat: "There was so much hoopla about this game that maybe it's good that the Brewers lost it. They need to focus on what's going on on the field and not worry about theme songs or who's throwing out first pitches. I'm not saying that all the players did that, but if even one did, it could have helped to cost them the game. If I'm (Brewers owner and interim Commissioner of Baseball) Bud Selig, I tell the Hollywood types to go home, have a regular seventh-inning stretch, and just try to win tomorrow night."

McDonough: "We'll be giving you Mr. Kaat's address here in Milwaukee as we go to our next break so he can take the heat for his latest statements all by himself."

Sean was kidding, but the scoreboard wasn't. There was no further scoring, but the Twins had already done more than enough. Our final: Twins 14, Brewers 1, and the Twins lead the best-of-seven series one game to none.

Mack and Davis shared CBS's Player of the Game honors. Mack finished five for six with two RBIs and four runs scored, while Davis was three for four plus two walks with a home run, another run scored, and four runs batted in. The Brewers were held to just three hits, and two of them belonged to Yount.

Final totals: Twins 14-19-0, Brewers 1-3-1.

W- Mahomes (1-0)
L- Navarro (0-1)

HR- MIN: Davis (1), Munoz (1)

Before we go, we have three Defensive Plays of the Night to share for the first time in this whole project. First, we take you to the top of the fourth with one out and Knoblauch at the plate, Larkin a third, and Gagne at first. The score's tied at one as we join Sean:

"Fly ball, center field. Not deep, but Yount was playing almost at the track. He's running in, dives, and CAUGHT IT!......That's why he's one of the top defensive players there's ever been at two different positions. The runners have to hold at first and third, and Mack's at the plate."

Next, it's the top of the fifth with the Twins up 3-1, and Davis has just doubled to lead off. Munoz is at the plate, and here's Sean again:

"Pitch is popped up. Surhoff over toward the Twins dugout, does he have a play, he'd going to have to reach over the railing, AND HE DOES!......Made the catch just before he took a headlong tumble into the depths of enemy territory, and Davis holds at second with one out."

Third and last, there's one out in the Minnesota seventh with the Twins now leading 9-1, with Davis at the plate and Puckett at second. For a change, let's hear from CBS Radio's Dick Stockton:

"Fly ball, right field. Hamilton coming in, he lost the ball in the lights for a moment, now finds it again, and MAKES THE BASKET CATCH!.....Darryl Hamilton saves a tenth Twins run for the moment, and Pedro Munoz comes to the plate with two out."

The series continues with Game 2 tomorrow night here at County Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8:30 PM Eastern, with Willie Banks starting for the Twins and Cal Eldred pitching for the Brewers.

Next: We look at Game 2.

Note: The use of Penny Marshall, Cindy Williams, and the theme to Laverne and Shirley is entirely my own invention. I'm a fan of the show, and "Making Our Dreams Come True" is just the type of song that a team might use as a theme song, especially a team that plays in the same city where the first five seasons of the show took place (and probably should have stayed for good).

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 2 of the 1992 American League Championship Series from County Stadium in Milwaukee. The date is Thursday, October 8:

Lineup Changes:

Twins- Kirby Puckett is battling a respiratory infections, so J.T. Bruett bats second and play center field. Shane Mack moves down to third. Puckett will serve as the designated hitter and bat cleanup. Terry Jorgensen gets the start at first base and bat seventh. Finally, Jeff Reboulet will start at short and bat ninth.

Brewers- Paul Molitor gets the start at first base. Dante Bichette will serve as the designated hitter and bat sixth.

Weather: 53 degrees, mostly cloudy skies, west-southwest winds at 16 MPH.

Brewers 1st: Pat Listach drew a leadoff walk against Twins starter Willie Banks. Darryl Hamilton's bloop dropped in the right center power alley for a double to bring him home and give the Brewers a 1-0 lead. After Molitor grounded to third for the first out, Hamilton stole third. Robin Yount's sacrifice fly to left plated him, and the Brew Crew led 2-0. Left fielder Greg Vaughn struck out swinging to end the inning, but the Brewers have scored twice tanks to a hit, a walk, a stolen base, and a sacrifice fly. At the end of one, it's Brewers 2, Twins 0.

Brewers 5th: Hamilton led off by bashing a triple into the right field corner. Molitor lined a base hit up the middle to score Hamilton and give the Brewers a 3-0 lead. Yount walked to put two men on, and after Vaughn struck out swinging Molitor and Yount pulled off a double steal, which drew a thunderous ovation from the crowd at County Stadium. While they were still on their feet, Bichette came to the plate with a chance to break the game open. Here's the call from Sean McDonough:

"This could be it for Willie Banks, as Yount is now at third and Molitor at second. Mike Trombley just about ready in the Minnesota bullpen, and Banks checking to make sure that Yount isn't looking to steal another base in this situation. From the stretch, here's the first pitch to Bichette……..LINE DRIVE INTO LEFT CENTER FIELD, GOING OVER IS BRUETT, BUT IT'LL DROP IN FRONT OF HIM AND ROLL TO THE WALL! YOUNT XCORES EASILY, AND MOLITOR'S RIGHT BEHIND HIM! BICHETTE PULLS IN AT SECOND WITH A STANDUP DOUBLE, AND IT'S 5-0 BREWERS!.....Cindy Williams likes it, the rest of the sellout crowd at County Stadium certainly likes it, but (Twins manager) Tom Kelly doesn't, and he's on is way to the mound with the hook for Banks."

Trombley's first assignment was Kevin Seitzer, whose base hit to right center brought Bichette home and extended the Milwaukee lead to 6-0. Dave Nilsson forced Seitzer for the second out, and second baseman Scott Fletcher's popup to Scott Leius at third retired the side. But the Brewers have broken Game 2 open with four runs on four hits, a walk, and a double steal. At the end of five, it's Brew Crew 6, Twinkies 0.

Brewers 7th: Bichette single to left center with one out against Twins reliever Carl Willis. Seitzer's base hit to right center put runners at the corners, and Bichette scored when Nilsson forced Seitzer. Fletcher walked to put two men back on, and Listach slapped a single to left that brought Nilsson home with the Brewers' eighth run, with Fletcher moving to third. Hamilton bouncer to short ended the inning with runners still at first and third, but the Brewers have added two more runs on three hits, a walk, and a productive force play. After seven, it's Milwaukee 8, Minnesota 0.

That was all the scoring. Our final score: Brewers 8, Twins 0, and the series is even at a game apiece.

Brewers starting pitcher Cal Eldred was named Player of the Game by CBS. He pitched seven innings of shutout ball, holding the Twins to six hits while walking four and striking out five. He and reliever Dan Plesac ended up combining on a nine-hit shutout. Bichette was Milwaukee's offensive star, finishing two for four with two runs scored and the double we refenced above that drove in a pair. Listach was three for four from the leadoff spot with a run scored and an RBI. For the Twins, Reboulet was a perfect two for two plus two walks.

Final totals: Brewers 8-12-0, Twins 0-9-0.

W- Eldred (1-0)
L- Banks 0-1)

Note: Johnny Bench replaced an ill Jim Kaat for the whole game as the color commentator on CBS Television, just as he did in the final inning of the real-life Game 2, Kaat will be fine for Game 3 on Saturday.

Speaking of Game 3, it will take place at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 3PM Eastern, with Chris Bosio starting for the Brewers and Scott Erickson taking the hill for the Twins.

Next: We look at Game 3.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 3 of the 1992 American League Championship Series from the Metrodome in Minneapolis. The date is Saturday, October 10:

Lineup Changes:

Brewers- Paul Molitor will serve as the designated hitter after starting at first base in Game 2. B.J, Surhoff gets the start at first and will bat sixth.

Twins- Scott Leius moves up to the two hole. Kirby Puckett is back in center field and will hit third. Pedro Munoz moves up to the cleanup spot. Brian Harper will serve as the designated hitter and will bat fifth. Terry Jorgensen moves up to sixth. Darren Reed will start in left field and bat seventh. Lenny Webster will do the catching and bat eighth, while Greg Gagne is back at shortstop and will bat ninth.

Brewers 1st: Pat Listach grounded the first pitch of the game into right center for a base hit, then stole second. He moved to third on Darryl Hamilton's grounder to first, but had to hold when Molitor popped to short for out number two. Robin Yount's single to left brought Listach home to give the Brewers a 1-0 lead, and Greg Vaughn stepped to the plate against Twins starter Scott Erickson. Here's Sean McDonough with the count one ball and one strike:

"Even though the Brewers took an early lead, they looked nervous all the way through Game 1 and were blown out. Now it's the Twins who look out of sorts, and the Brewers have jumped on top and are looking to add more with one of their top power hitters at the plate. The Brewers didn't go deep in Game 2, which was the only element missing in their 8-0 victory. Yount definitely a threat to steal at first, looked back by Erickson, now the one-one pitch......AND THAT'S DRIVEN DEEP TO RIGHT CENTER, PUCKETT GOING BACK, HE'S AT THE WALL, BUT IT'S GONE!.....There's the power we just talked about, and now it's 3-0 Brewers before the Twins have a chance to hit."

Jim Kaat: "I watched Game 2 from my hotel in Milwaukee, and the Brewers looked like an entirely different team. Whether they were unfocused in Game 1 as I suggested, or whether it was just the Twins' night, the Brewers looked like a championship team then, and they're getting of to a great start today. But the Twins can come back; they're the defending American League champions, which means they've been through hot starts against them before and have come back."

Surhoff's grounder to first ended the inning, but the Brewers have scored three quick runs on three hits and a stolen base, with the big hit being Vaughn's two-run homer. Now let's hear from the Twins.

Brewers 2nd: After two outs, Scott Fletcher singled to left center. Listach's single to right put runners at the corners, and Hamilton's single to right scored Fletcher to make it 4-0 Milwaukee, with Listach moving to third. Molitor grounded to third to end the inning, but the Brewers have added another run on three hits, with runners left at first and third. After an inning and a half, it's Brewers 4, Twins 0.

Twins 2nd: Harper led off with a single to left. Jorgensen flew to left for the first out, but Reed walked to put two men on. Webster's fly to the warning tack in center was caught by Yount for out number two, with Harper moving to third. Gagne lined a base hit to left, which scored Harper and put the Twins on the board. Jorgensen moved to third, but both runners were stranded when Chuck Knoblauch grounded to short, retiring the side. The Twins are on the board thanks to a pair of hits, a productive fly ball, and a walk, but they still trail the Brewers 4-1 after two.

Brewers 5th: Hamilton drew a leadoff walk, but was forced by Molitor, who then stole second and third on consecutive pitches. That brought Yount to the plate. Here's Sean with the count one ball and one strike:

"One-one pitch...….ground ball gets past Leius, and heads for the corner! Reed coming over, the ball's still rolling, AND IT'S STUCK IN THE CORNER! REED'S SIGNALING TO THE UMPIRES THAT HE CAN'T GET IT, BUT YOUNT'S STILL GOING! HE'LL COME HOME WITHOUT A THROW, BUT REED'S STILL TRYING TO GET DON DENKINGER'S ATTENTION!"

Kaat: "Denkinger's the left field umpire, and now he's coming over to inspect the spot that Reed's pointing out."

McDonough: "He's trying to dislodge the ball from the corner with his shoe, but he can't. Now he's calling over the third base umpire Drew Coble. If the umpires rule that that ball can't be played, It's gonna be a ground-rule double for Yount instead of a two-run inside-the-park home run, which would still allow Molitor to score from third."

After a five-minute discussion, the call was changed, and Yount had to go back to second. Brewers manager Phil Garner asked for and got an explanation, and the game continued with Vaughn at the plate. Greg grounded to short, and Surhoff's fly to right center ended the inning. The Brewers have to settle for a run on a hit and two stolen bases with Molitor stranded at second, but they still lead the Twins 5-1 halfway through Game 3.

Twins 6th: Puckett led off with a base hit to right center, which brought Munoz to the plate. Here's Sean with the count one ball and two strikes:

"The Twins need to keep their momentum going, as they've done very little against (Brewers starter) Chris Bosio and are running out of outs. The bullpen, except for Dan Plesac, is completely rested, as they weren't needed on Thursday thanks to Cal Eldred. Puckett not going with a power threat like Munoz at the plate. One-two pitch...….LINED DEEP TO RIGHT, CARRYING WELL, BACK IS HAMILTON, TO THE WALL, TRIES TO CLIMB AND......COMES UP EMPTY!...…..Munoz with a two-run homer, his second of the series, and the Twins are right back in this game down 5-3."

Kaat: "That ball got to the track in a hurry, as Mounz really blistered it, but what an effort by Darryl Hamilton. He knows that every ball hit in the postseason could turn a game around, so he goes almost to the top of the wall to try and take this homer away. He misses it by a few inches, but it's a real hustle play that the youngsters out there should try to emulate."

Bosio rebounded to get the next three batters out in order. Harper's fly down the line in left was caught by Vaughn, Jorgensen went down swinging, and Reed grounded to third. But Munoz's blast has narrowed the Twins' deficit; after six, it's Milwaukee 5, Minnesota 3.

Twins 7th: Webster lined a leadoff single to left. Gagne's base hit to left put two men on, and Knoblauch's double off the wall in center scored Webster to bring the Twins to within 5-4, with Gagne stopping at third. That was all for Bosio, who departed in favor of Jesse Orosco. Leius was Jesse's first assignment, and he grounded one down to third. Kevin Seitzer's throw to first was late, and Leius ended up with an infield hit while Gagne scored the tying run. Puckett walked on five pitches to load the bases, and Munoz faced new Brewers pitcher Jim Austin.

Munoz hit what looked like a routine double play ball to short, but the ball took a bad hop and squirted through Listach's legs for an error. Knoblauch raced home, and the Twins led 6-5. The Brewers finally got an out when Harper went down swinging, but a wild pitch by Austin brought Leius home and made it 7-5 Minnesota. Shane Mack batted for Jorgenson and lined one right into Surhoff's glove for the second out, and Gene Larkin batted for Reed and took a called third strike to end the inning with runners still at second and third. But the Twins have scored four runs on four hits, an error, and a wild pitch, and after seven at a raucous Metrodome, it's Twins 7, Brewers 5.

Brewers 8th: After two out, Seitzer lined an infield single off of Leius' glove. Dave Nilsson lined a single to right to put runners at the corners, and Erickson threw a wild pitch with Fletcher at the plate to score Seitzer and bring the Brew Crew back within 7-6. Not wanting to let the game get away after his team's big comeback, Twins manager Tom Kelly called on closer Rick Aguilera. Fletcher lined his first pitch into left for a single that moved Nilsson to third, but with the tying run ninety feet way, Listach grounded to short to retire the side. The Brewers settle for a run on three hits and a wild pitch while leaving runners at the corners, but as we go to the bottom of the eighth they're trailing the Twins by just one at 7-6.

That was all the scoring, as Aguilera retired the Brewers in order in the top of the ninth. Final score: Twins 7, Brewers 6, and the Twins lead the series two games to one.

Munoz was named Player of the Game by CBS because of his two-run homer in the sixth which began the Twins' comeback. Listach had his second consecutive three-hit game in a losing cause for the Brewers.

Final totals: Twins 7-10-0, Brewers 6-11-1.

W- Erickson (1-0)
S- Aguilera (1)
L- Bosio (0-1)

HR- MIL: Vaughn (1)
MIN: Munoz (2)

The series will continue tomorrow afternoon with Game 4 here at the Metrodome. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 4PM Eastern, with Bill Wegman starting for the Brewers and Kevin Tapani pitching for the Twins.

Next: We look at Game 4.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 4 of the 1992 American League Championship Series from the Metrodome in Minneapolis. The date is Sunday, October 11:

Lineup Changes:

Brewers- Darryl Hamilton moves from right field to center field. Dante Bichette will take his place in right field and bat sixth. Paul Molitor starts at first base, while Robin Yount will serve as the designated hitter. Also, B.J. Surhoff takes Dave Nilsson's place behind the plate and will bat eighth.

Twins- Shane Mack is back in left field and batting second. Chili Davis will serve as the designated hitter and bat cleanup. Brian Harper is back behind the plate and will bat sixth. Terry Jorgensen moves back down to seventh and Scott Leius to eighth. Finally, Jeff Reboulet is back at short and will bat ninth.

Brewers 1st: Pat Listach led off with a base hit to right center, then stole second. Hamilton smacked a double into the right center power alley to score Listach and give the Brewers a 1-0 lead, but had to hold at second while Molitor flew to right center for the first out. Yount's lined single to right brought Hamilton home to make it 2-0, but he was forced by Greg Vaughn for the second out. Bichette took a called third strike to end the inning, but the Brew Crew has seized the advantage thanks to two runs on three hits and a stolen base. How will the Twins answer?

Brewers 3rd: Listach led off with a hustling triple off the wall in left center. Hamilton followed with a single to right that brought Pat home and extended the Brewers' lead to 3-0. Molitor went down swinging for out number one, and Harper threw out Hamilton trying to steal second for out number two. Yount kept the inning alive with a double to center, but he was stranded when Greg Vaughn's fly to deep right was caught by Munoz in foul territory to retire the side. The visitors have added a run on three more hits, and at the end of two and a half it's Brewers 3, Twins 0.

Brewers 6th: With one out, Seitzer lined a single to left. He was forced by Surhoff for the second out, but B.J. quickly stole second. Scott Fletcher lined a single up the middle to bring him home, and it was 4-0 Milwaukee. Listach struck out swinging to end the inning, but the Brewers have picked up another run thanks to a pair of hits and a stolen base. After five and a half, it's Milwaukee 4, Minnesota 0.

That was all the scoring. Our final: Brewers 4, Twins 0, and this series is even at two games apiece.

Listach added two more hits to give him eight over the last three games, and Hamilton had two hits and drove in a pair of runs. The Twins got a complete game in a losing cause from starter Kevin Tapani, who gave up four runs on twelve hits while not allowing a walk and striking out seven while throwing a hundred and twenty-six pitches. But CBS's Player of the Game award went to Brewers starter Bill Wegman, who pitched a two-hit shutout while walking two, striking out four, and finishing his day's work in only ninety-seven pitches. He walked Davis to lead off the second and Reboulet to lead off the sixth; Reboulet eventually reached third thanks to a pair of groundouts, but Kirby Puckett was called out on strikes to end the inning. Leius doubled to lead off the third and moved to third on a deep fly ball by Chuck Knoblauch, but Mack grounded to short to retire the side. Harper led off the fifth with a single, but was erased when Terry Jorgensen grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.

Final totals: Brewers 4-12-0, Twins 0-2-0.

W- Wegman (1-0)
L- Tapani (0-1)

The series will continue with Game 5 tomorrow afternoon here at the Metrodome. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 3PM Eastern, with Jaime Navarro starting for the Brewers and John Smiley going to the hill for the Twins.

Next: We look at Game 5.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 5 of the 1992 American League Championship Series from the Metrodome in Minneapolis. The date is Monday, October 12:

Lineup Changes:

Brewers- Darryl Hamilton moves back to right field, as Robin Yount returns to center. B.J. Surhoff will serve as the designated hitter and move up to sixth, while Dave Nilsson is back behind the plate and will bat eighth.

Twins 1st: Chuck Knoblauch led off by lining a single up the middle, then stole second. Shane Mack grounded a base hit to left center to score Knoblauch and give the home squad a 1-0 lead, but was thrown out by Nilsson while trying to steal second for the first out. Kirby Puckett's bloop dropped in the left center power alley for a double to keep the inning alive, and Chili Davis walked to put two men on. That brought up Pedro Munoz, whose single to right cashed Puckett in and made it 2-0 Minnesota. Davis moved to third on the play, but Brewers starter Jaime Navarro got Brian Harper to ground into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play. The Twins have drawn first blood with two runs on four hits, a walk, and a stolen base while leaving a runner at third, and they lead the Brewers 2-0 after one.

Twins 2nd: Terry Jorgensen lashed a leadoff single to right center. Scott Leius flew to Yount in left center for the first out, and Jeff Reboulet forced Jorgensen for out number two, then stole second. Knoblauch was next, and his single to right brought Jorgensen home to make it 3-0 Minnesota. Mack's fly to deep center was caught by Yount at the wall to retire the side, but the Twins have added a run on two hits, a fielder's choice, and a stolen base. After two, it's Twins 3, Brewers 0.

Brewers 5th: Surhoff stroked a leadoff base hit to right, then stole second. Kevin Seitzer blooped a single just over Jorgensen's glove and into shallow right, and Surhoff had to hold at third. Nilsson's grounder to first brought B.J. home, and the visitors were on the board. Seitzer moved to second on the play, but Scott Fletcher struck out swinging and Pat Listach grounded to short to end the inning. The Brewers settle for a run on two hits, a stolen base, and an RBI groundout, with the tying run stranded at second. Halfway through Game 5, it's Twinkies 3, Brew Crew 1.

Brewers 8th: Listach led off by banging a triple off the top of the wall in right, just an inch or two from the home run line. Hamilton went down swinging for the first out, and Paul Molitor was caught looking for out number two, but Yount lined a double into the power alley in left center to score Listach and bring the Brewers within 3-2. Twins manager Tom Kelly decided to intentionally walk Greg Vaughn, the Brewers' biggest home run threat, and pitch to Surhoff, who took a called third strike to end the inning. The Brewers have picked up another run on two hits and an intentional walk, but they've also left runners at first and second. As we head to the last of the eighth, it's Minnesota 3, Milwaukee 2.

That was all the scoring. The Brewers put runners at first and second again with two out in the ninth, but Twins closer Rick Aguilera struck Hamilton out swinging to end the game. Our final: Twins 3, Brewers 2, and the Twins now lead the series three games to two.

Twins starter John Smiley was named Player of the Game by CBS. He pitched eight and two-thirds innings and threw 134 pitches, giving up two runs on nine hits while walking three and striking out eleven. He had one in each of the first six innings, then fanned two in the seventh and struck out the side in the eighth as described above. Knoblauch led the Minnesota offense, going three for four with a run scored and another driven in. For the Brewers, Listach continued his torrid series with two hits and a run scored; he now has ten hits over the last four games. On the mound, Navarro went all the way, giving up three runs on ten hits while walking just one batter and not recording a strikeout. Despite giving up ten hits, he threw only ninety-seven pitches.

Final totals: Twins 3-10-0, Brewers 2-9-0.

W- Smiley (1-0)
S- Aguilera (2)
L- Navarro (0-2)

The series will go back to County Stadium in Milwaukee for Game 6 on Wednesday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 3PM Eastern, with Pat Mahomes starting for the Twins and Ricky Bones taking the ball for the Brewers.

Next: We look at Game 6.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

I had a post almost ready to go, but the sim literally disappeared on me just before I finished. So here's a one-paragraph summary of Game 6 with a fresh sim. I hope to be back to normal tomorrow.

Brewers 4, Twins 3 (CBS: Sean McDonough, Jim Kaat, Jim Gray; series tied 3-3)

The Brewers won a Game 6 nailbiter to force a showdown for the American League pennant tomorrow night. They led 2-0 after four thanks in part to a Paul Molitor homer, but Greg Gagne tied things up with a two-run dinger in the fifth. The Brewers took the lead back in the last of the fifth, only for the Twins to tie it up again in the top of the seventh. In the bottom of the eighth, Greg Vaughn reached on a Gagne throwing error, moved to third on B.J. Surhoff's single to right, and scored on Kevin Seitzer's base hit up the middle. The Twins put runners at first and second with two out in the top of the ninth against Brewers closer Doug Henry, who was making his first appearance of the series. But Pedro Munoz grounded to second to end the game.

Seitzer had two hits, but the offensive star for Milwaukee was Pat Listach, who was three for four with a run scored to give him thirteen hits over the past five games. Darryl Hamilton and Scott Fletcher had the other RBIs for the Brewers, while Kirby Puckett drove in the other run for the Twins.

The series now comes down to Game 7 tomorrow night here at County Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern, and it will be a rematch of Game 2 on the mound, with Willie Banks starting for the Twins and Cal Eldred taking the mound for the Brewers.

Final totals: Brewers 4-9-0, Twins 3-13-1.

W- Austin (1-0)
S- Henry (1)
L- Willis (0-1)

HR- MIN: Gagne (1)
MIL: Molitor (1)

Next: We look at Game 7.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 7 of the 1992 American League Championship Series from County Stadium in Milwaukee. The date is Thursday, October 15:

Lineup Changes:

Twins- Jeff Reboulet gets the start at short and will bat second. Shane Mack moves back to left field, while Pedro Munoz is back in right field and will bat fifth. Brian Harper will serve as the designated hitter and bat sixth. Terry Jorgensen moves down to seventh, while Scott Leius moves up to eighth and Lenny Webster moves down to ninth.

Brewers- Paul Molitor will lead off. Darryl Hamilton moves to center field, while Pat Listach moves down to third. Dante Bichette will bat cleanup and start in right field. John Jaha will make his first start of the series at first base and bat fifth. Kevin Seitzer moves up o sixth, while rookie Tim McIntosh will start behind the plate and bat seventh. Scott Fletcher moves up to eighth, while rookie Alex Diaz starts in left and will bat ninth.

Weather: 48 dgrees, clousdy skies, north wind at 16 MPH. Wind chill at first pitch is 32 degrees.

Brewers 1st: Molitor led off with a single to left, but was forced by Hamilton, who then stole second. Listach beat out a grounder to third for an infield single to put two on, which brought Bichette to the plate. Here's Sean McDonough with the count one ball and no strikes:

"Even though he's in right field, Bichette is in effect taking the place of Robin Yount, who fouled a ball off of his right foot last night and woke up this morning unable to even put a shoe on it. He's been treated all day and the swelling is down, but he won't play tonight except in an emergency. So Hamilton moves to center and Alex Diaz takes over for Greg Vaughn in left. He can and probably will pinch-hit rather early, as (Brewers manager) Phil Garner wants to take advantage of Willie Banks' slow move to first to try and steal a run. Speaking of which, HERE COMES HAMILTON! TO THE PLATE, AND IT'S NOT IN TIME! DARRYL HAMILTON STEALS HOME, AND LISTACH TAKES SECOND WITHOUT A THROW! 1-0 MILWAUKEE!"

Jim Kaat: "That's the second double steal by the Brewers in this series, and Banks looked totally rattled when he saw Hamilton coming toward the plate. By the time he finally threw to the plate, Webster didn't have time to make a proper tag."

Listach made it four stolen bases in the inning when he swiped third, and Bichette beat out a slow roller to first for an infield single to bring Listach home and make it 2-0. Jaha took a called third strike for the second out, but Bichette stole second. Seitzer walked to put two men on, but McInotsh grounded to third. Leius stepped on the bag to take care of the incoming Bichette, and the inning was over. But the Brewers have scored two runs thanks to three hits, a walk, and no less than five stolen bases, including a steal of home. After one, it's Brewers 2, Twins 0.

Twins 2nd: With one out, Munoz lined a double into the right center power alley. Harper's single up the middle put runners at the corners, and Terry Jorgensen lined a single to left that scored Munoz and cut the Brewers' lead to 2-1. Laius lined a single to left to load the bases, but Webster's liner was speared by Seitzer for the second out, and Chuck Knoblauch's bouncer to short ended the inning. The Twins are on the board thanks to four consecutive hits, but they've also left the bases loaded. We've played an inning and a half, and the Brewers lead 2-1.

Brewers 2nd: Fletcher led off with a base hit to left center, then stole second. He held while Diaz grounded to short, then scored when Molitor lined a double off the wall in left to give the Brew Crew a 3-1 lead. Molitor ended up being stranded at second, as Hamilton grounded to third and Listach tapped to first to retire the side. The home squad has added a run on two hits and their fifth stolen base of the game, and after two it's Crew 3, Twinkies 1.

Brewers 3rd: With one out, Jaha faced Banks. Here's Sean with the count one ball and one strike:

"Jaha figures to be the future at first base in Milwaukee, as both Molitor and B.J. Surhoff are free agents after the season. He was scheduled to start a game in the series all along, and it turned out to be this one, as Surhoff has been battling a respiratory infection all through the series and woke up really sick after playing in the cold and wind last night. He can pinch-hit, and probably will later in the game. Banks ready with the one-one pitch, and IT'S LINED DEEP TO RIGHT, BACK GOES MUNOZ, TO THE WALL, AND IT'S GONE!...….John Jaha has a home run here in Game 7, and it's 4-1 Brewers. That one was really clubbed, Kitty."

Kaat: "Jaha has quite a bit of power, and we just saw some of it, as this ball wasn't hit very high, but got out of here in a hurry. Banks really hasn't settled down since the Brewers stole five bases on him in the first, and quite frankly I'm surprised that (Twins manager) Tom Kelly's stuck with him this long."

Seitzer continued the inning by walking on five pitches, and McIntosh brought him home with a double to center, putting the Brewers up 5-1. He tried to steal third, but was thrown out by Webster for the second out. Fletcher kept the inning going with a hard single to left, and Diaz walked to put two men on, but Molitor grounded to short to retire the side. The home squad has added two runs on three hits and two walks while leaving runners at first and second, and after three they lead the Twins 5-1.

Brewers 6th: Hamilton singled to right with two out, then stole second. Listach was next, and his stroked a single to right to score Hamilton and make it 6-1 Milwaukee. New Twins pitcher Mike Trombley struck Bichette out swinging to retire the side, but the Brewers have added another run on two hits and yet another stolen base. At the end of six, it's Beer City 6, Land O' Lakes 1.

Brewers 7th: Jaha led off with a base hit to left. Seitzer's double off the wall in center brought him home, and the Brewers led 7-1. New Twins pitcher David West got the next two outs, as McIntosh bounced to short and Fletcher tapped to first, with McIntosh moving to third. But Molitor finished the scoring with a single up the middle to bring Seitzer home and make it 8-1. Hamilton's grounder to second ended the inning, but the Brewers have scored twice thanks to three hits, a walk, ad a productive groundout. As we head to the eighth, the Brewers lead the Twins by a touchdown.

That was all the scoring. Here's Sean's call of the final out:

"Doug) Henry's in with a seven-run lead because he didn't pitch in the first five games, and also because there's another day off tomorrow. Garner wants the rust off of him before the start of the World Series. He's gotten the first two outs in just seven pitches, and is ahead of Leius no balls and two strikes. Fans on their feet here at County Stadium; they want the strikeout. So does Henry, although he won't admit it. Pitch is hit deep to center, Yount going back, looks good on the injured foot, and MAKES THE CATCH AT THE TRACK! THE BREWERS HAVE WON THE PENNANT!.....And there are the veterans: Molitor, Yount, and Jim Gantner, who went in at second in the top of the ninth so he could be a part of the celebration!. They were there when the Brewers won their first pennant ten years ago, and they're here tonight. And there's the man who should be the MVP: Pat Listach, who was four for five tonight and had seventeen hits over the past six games. That is, of course, an LCS record in either league. Great pitching by Cal Eldred tonight, as he gave up just one run in five hits in eight innings and probably could have had a complete game. That means that he gave up just one run in this series in fifteen innings over two starts.

We're just about ready for Jim Gray in the Brewers' clubhouse, so we'll take a break and be back to him with interviews and more, including the official presentation of the MVP trophy to Pat Listach and the American League championship trophy to the Brewers, who will now face the Atlanta Braves in the World Series starting Saturday night at Fulton County Stadium. Johnny Bench and I will be calling the series for CBS Radio, so tune in if you're out and about.

Our final score tonight: the Milwaukee Brewers 8, the Minnesota Twins 1, and the Brewers take the series four games to three. Back with more from County Stadium, where the celebration continues, after these messages and a word from your local station. You're watching the American League Championship Series on CBS."

Final totals: Brewers 8-15-1, Twins 1-5-0.

W- Eldred (2-0)
L- Banks (0-2)

HR- MIL: Jaha (1)

Before we go, here's our Defensive Play of the Night. There's on out and one on in the top of the eighth, and Puckett's at the plate. Here's Sean:

"Fly ball to left, Diaz playing deep, the ball won't get to him, races in AND ONE-HANDS IT! TWO OUT!......Puckett thought he had a double, and Mack was rounding second. He'll have to go back to first with two out, and it's up to Munoz."

This is the Brewers' second American League pennant.

Next: To be determined.

Note: I forgot to record how may hits Listach had in Game 1, but seventeen hits is a record for the LCS round regardless of both league and universe. The Brewers also stole seven bases tonight, which is another LCS record as far as I can tell.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 1 of the 1992 World Series from Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta. The date is Saturday, October 17:

Brewers 1st: Shortstop Pat Listach led off the game with a bloop single to left center, then stole second. He held there while right fielder Darryl Hamilton popped to short and center fielder Robin Yount grounded to short, but left fielder Greg Vaughn walked to put two men on. That brought up catcher B.J. Surhoff, whose grounder to Sid Bream at first ended the inning and stranded both runners. The Tomahawk Chop is echoing through the Launching Pad, which means that the Braves are ready to bat.

Braves 1st: With one out, shortstop Jeff Blauser whacked a double down the left field line, but he was stranded at second when third baseman Terry Pendleton grounded to short and right fielder David Justice went down swinging. We're scoreless after one in Game 1.

Brewers 2nd: Third baseman Kevin Seitzer led off with a base hit to left center, but first baseman John Jaha grounded into a 6-4-3 double play and second baseman Jim Gantner flew to Justice in right. There's still no score after an inning and a half.

Braves 2nd: Left fielder Ron Gant ripped a one-out double into the left center power alley, but catcher Damon Berryhill's liner was speared by Jaha for the second out and second baseman Mark Lemke bounced to second, ending the inning with Gant still at second. After two, it's Brewers 0, Braves 0.

Brewers 3rd: Hamilton drew a two-out walk, but was forced by Yount. After two and a half, there's still no score.

Braves 3rd: A one-two-three inning for Brewers starter Bill Wegman. After three, it's AL Champs 0, NL Champs 0.

Brewers 4th: Braves starter Tommy Glavine responded with a one-two-three inning of his own. We're through three and a half, and there's still no score.

Braves 4th: Pendleton lined a leadoff single to left, but Wegmen caught Justice looking, then struck Bream out swinging. Gant's grounder to short retired the side. After four, it's Laverne and Shirley 0, Matlock 0.

Brewers 5th: Jaha's fly to the warning track in left was caught by Gant, Gantner tapped to first, and Wegman struck out swinging. Glvine has now retired seven in a row, and halfway through Game 1, it's still zip-zip.

Braves 5th: With one out, Lemke lined a single to right center. He was bunted over to second by Glavine, which brought center fielder Otis Nixon to the plate. Nixon lined the first pitch he saw into left field for a base hit, and Lemke was waved around third by Braves third base coach Jimy Williams. Vaughn cut loose with the throw of his life, and it arrived at home plate on a hop. Surhoff made a picture-perfect tag, and Lemke was toast. Through five innings, the Braves have outhit the Brewers 5-2, but we're still looking at a scoreless tie.

Brewers 6th: Listach led off with a bloop single to right center, but was caught trying to steal second by Berryhill. Hamilton walked on five pitches, but Yount went down swinging and Vaughn looked at another strike three to retire the side. After five and a half, it's Milwaukee 0, Atlanta 0.

Braves 6th: Blauser lined to his counterpart Listach at short, Pendleton grounded to short, and Justice went down swinging. The pitcher's duel continues through six, as does the scoreless tie.

Brewers 7th: With one out, Seitzer faced Glavine. Here's Vin Scully with the count one ball and one strike:

'This has been a brilliantly pitched game on both sides, and the question is: Which side will break through first? The Braves came closer in the fifth, but Vaughn threw Lemke out at home. No one else has gotten to third base for either team. This is what a World Series is all about, friends. One-one pitch is WHACKED TO DEEP RIGHT CENTER! BACK GOES NIXON, AWAY BACK, AND GONE!......And so the question has been answered in favor of the Brewers, as Kevin Seitzer takes Tom Glavine deep here in the seventh."

Tim McCarver: "Most people blame the pitcher in a case like this for throwing a bad pitch, but sometimes the hitter just goes out and gets it. Seitzer meets this Glavine fastball directly and just tomahawks it, to coin a phrase. This game isn't over, though; the Braves have home run hitters too, and they don't call this stadium The Launching Pad for nothing."

Jaha flew to right center for the second out, but Gantner kept the inning alive with a single to right center. Even though his team now had the lead, Brewers manager Phil Garner decided to let Wegman hit for himself, and he went down swinging at three straight pitches to end the inning. But the Brew Crew has finally drawn first blood thanks to Seitzer's blast, a as we stretch in Atlanta, they lead the homestanding Bravos 1-0.

Braves 7th: We begin with the first of our two Defensive Plays of the Night. Bream led off the inning, and here's Vin:

"Ground ball POUNCED ON BY LISTACH! GETS UP, THROWS, AND GETS HIM!......If Bream still has even average speed, that's an infield hit, but he has two bad knees. Great play by Listach to make the stop regardless, and here's Ron Gant."

Gant's foul pop was caught behind third by Pendleton, and Berryhill lined to Jaha at first to retire the side. After seven, it's Brewers 1, Braves 0.

Brewers 8th: Listach drew a leadoff walk, stole second, and moved to third on Hamilton's deep fly to right, which was caught by Justice a step before he would have crashed into the wall. Listah held at third on Yount's grounder to second, and Glavine pitched around Vaughn, eventually walking him to put runners at the corners. That brought up Surhoff, whose grounder to second ended the inning. The Brewers leave runners at first and third, and Yount's just the second runner to reach third base in this entire game, counting Seitzer's home run. After seven and a half, the American League champions still lead 1-0.

Braves 8th: Nixon blooped a two-out single to center, but Blauser's fly to left was caught by Vaughn at the wall to retire the side. We head to the ninth with the Brewers still leading 1-0.

Brewers 9th: Jaha stroked a single to left center with one out. That brought Gantner to the plate for our second Defensive Play of the Night. Here's Vin:

"Fly ball to right center, hanging up there, Justice loses it for a second, now finds it, and HERE COMES NIXON TO TAKE IT!.....Justice had no idea where that ball was; he found it for a moment, then lost it again, but Nixon came in on the dead run to take it for out number two."

Wegman's bouncer to second ended the inning. As we go to the bottom of the ninth, he'll face Pendleton, Justice, and Bream while trying to protect a 1-0 Milwaukee lead.

Braves 9th: Pendleton's liner was caught by Gantner, and Justice and Bream each flew to right to end the game. Final score: Brewers 1, Braves 0, and the Brewers lead the best-of-seven series one game to none.

Wegman and Seitzer shared Player of the Game honors from CBS: Seitzer for his home run and Wegman for his six-hit shutout. He gave up no walks while striking out four and throwing a hundred and six pitches. He's now thrown two complete game shutouts in this postseason, only giving up a total of eight hits.

In other news, Listach was two for three with a walk, which gives him at least a seven-game postseason hitting streak during which he has twenty hits. Glavine threw eight strong innings for the Braves, giving up one run on five hits while walking five and striking out six. On offense, Nixon had two of the Braves' six hits.

Final totals: Brewers 1-6-0, Braves 0-6-0.

W- Wegman (1-0)
L- Glavine (0-1)

HR- MIL: Seitzer (1)

The series will continue with Game 2 tomorrow night here at Fulton County Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern, with Jaime Navarro pitching for the Brewers and John Smoltz starting for the Braves,

Note: Over the holiday season, there may be days when I don't have time to do a full World Series game writeup. On those days, I'll squeeze in a Division Series or LCS game instead of trying to rush through a World Series game. We'll get to everything eventually, so stay tuned!

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 2 of the 1992 World Series from Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta. The date is Sunday, October 18:

Lineup Changes:

Brewers- Kevin Seitzer moves up to the two hole. Dante Bichette gets the start in right field and will bat fifth. John Jaha moves up to sixth, while B.J. Surhoff slides down to seventh. Also, Scott Fletcher replaces Jim Gantner and second base and will bat eighth.

Braves- Deion Sanders gets the start in left field and will bat second, while Jeff Blauser moves down to sixth.

Brewers 1st: With two out, Robin Yount lined a double off the wall in center. Greg Vaughn's base hit up the middle brought him home, and the Brewers led 1-0. Bichette flailed at strike three to end the inning, but the Brewers have scored first thanks to a pair of hits. Now let's hear from the Braves.

Braves 1st: Otis Nixon greeted Brewers starter Jaime Navarro with a base hit to right center. He was forced by Deion, and Terry Pendleton popped to short for the second out. But Deion stole second to keep the inning going, and David Justice followed with a base hit to right center, bringing Prime Time home and tying the game at one. Sid Bream's line drive was snared by Seitzer for the third out, but the Braves have tied the game on the strength of a pair of hits and a stolen base. We're tied at one after one.

Brewers 2nd: Jaha led off with a single to right, then stole second. Surhoff's single past a diving Smoltz and into center scored him, and the Brewers led 2-1. Fletvher flew to left for the first out, and Navarro laid down a great bunt to move his battery mate over to second. The table was set for the nuclear-hot Listach, but Braves starter John Smoltz set him down swinging to end the inning. The Brewers have taken the lead back with a run on two hits, a stolen base, and a sacrifice bunt, and they're up on the Braves 2-1 as we go to the last of the second.

Braves 2nd: Mark Lemke drew a two-out walk, and Smoltz's single to center put runners at the corners, but Nixon tapped to Jaha at first to strand the runners and retire the side. After two, it's Crew 2, Bravos 1.

Brewers 3rd: With one out, Yount beat out a grounder to short for an infield hit. Vaughn walked to put two men on, but Bichette was called out on strikes and Jaha flew to left center to end the inning, The American League champs strand runners at first and second, but they still lead the National League champions 2-1 after two and a half.

Braves 3rd: Deion drew a leadoff walk, but was thrown out trying to steal second by Nilsson. Pendleton's fly to right center sent Yount back to the wall, but Robin made the catch for the second out. Justice's double into the right center power alley kept the inning alive, but he was stranded when Bream flew to right center to end the inning. We've played three in Game 2, and it's still 2-1 Brewers.

Brewers 4th: Surhoff's leadoff bloop fell in the left center power alley for a double. Fletcher followed with a base hit to left that scored Surhoff and put the Brewers up 3-1. Navarro followed with his second sacrifice bunt of the game, which moved Fletcher to second. Listach's grounder to Bream at first moved him to third, but Seitzer struck out swinging to strand him there. The Brewers have added a run on two hits, a productive groundout, and a sacrifice bunt, and after three and a half they lead the Braves by a pair at 3-1.

Braves 4th: A one-two-three inning for Navarro. After four, it's Milwaukee 3, Atlanta 1.

Brewers 5th: Yount drew a leadoff four-pitch walk, but Vaughn flew to left center, then Yount was caught stealing second. Bichette's grounder to first ended the inning. We're halfway through Game 2, and the Brewers are still up by two.

Braves 5th: Nixon singled up the middle with one out, then moved to second on Deion's grounder to first. Pendleton lined another base hit up the middle to bring Nixon home and make it a 3-2 game, and Justice's base hit to left center moved him to third. Bream grounded to Jaha at first to retire the side with runners still at first and third, but the Braves have cut into the Milwaukee lead with a run on three hits and a productive groundout, and after five it's now Brewers 3, Braves 2.

Brewers 6th: Smoltz set the Brewers down in order for the first time tonight. The boys from Milwaukee still lead 3-2 after five and a half.

Our first Defensive Play of the Night occurs in this inning with Surhoff at the plate and one out. Here's Vin Scully:

"High fly ball to center, not deep, but giving Nixon trouble, he lost it in the lights for a moment, but tracks it down for the out!......The lights here at Fulton County Stadium have given the outfielders trouble in both games, but Nixon managed to make the grab in this case for out number two. That brings up Scott Fletcher."

Braves 6th: Lemke lined a two-out single to left center, but Navarro caught Smoltz looking to end the inning. After six, the Brewers still lead the Braves 3-2.

Brewers 7th: Seitzer drew a two-out walk, then stole second. That brought up Yount, who lined a double off the wall in right to score Seitzer and make it 4-2 Milwaukee. Vaughn flew to Nixon in center to retire the side, but the Brewers have added a run on a hit, a walk, and a stolen base. It's stretch time at The Launching Pad, and a look at the scoreboard shows the Brewers leading the Braves 4-2.

It's time for our second Defensive Play of the Night. There are two outs, with Vaughn at the plate and Yount at second. Here's Vin again:

"High fly ball to center, Nixon coming in, the ball's hanging up there, Nixon has to dive, AND MAKES THE CATCH!......He rolls over to show the world that he has the ball, and the Brewers are out in the seventh. They've scored a run on the double by Yount, who's stranded at second. It's time for the seventh-inning stretch at the Launching Pad with the Brewers leading 4-2, and CBS's coverage of the World Series will continue after these messages and a word from your local station."

Braves 7th: Nixon led off with a single up the middle, but was forced by Deion. Pendleton flew to left center for the second out, and Justice's grounder to first ended this inning. After seven, it's still AL Champs 4, NL Champs 2.

Brewers 8th: Surhoff lined a two-out double to center, and Fketcher walked to put two men on. Sensing a chance to put the game away, Brewers manager Phil Garner sent Paul Molitor up to bat for Navarro, but Molitor's grounder to first retired the side. The Brew Crew leaves runners at first and second, but they still lead the Bravos 4-2 after seven and a half.

Braves 8th: Ron Gant batted for Blauser with one out and lined a single up the middle. Damon Berryhill followed with a fly to deep right that looked like trouble, but the ball hung up in the air just long enough for defensive replacement Darryl Hamilton to run it down in front of the warning track for the second out. Lemke's fly to center ended the inning. We're heading to the top of the ninth with the Brewers still up by a pair.

Brewers 9th: Listach lined a single to right to keep his postseason hitting streak alive, then stole second. After Seitzer bounced to new Braves shortstop Rafael Belliard for the second out, Listach stole third. Yount's single to left center brought him home to put the Brewers up 5-2, but he was soon thrown out trying to steal second for the second time tonight. Vaughn's bouncer to second ended the inning, but the Brewers have added one more insurance run on two hits and two Listach stolen bases. The Braves will send up the pitcher's spot, Nixon, and Deion in the bottom of the ninth against Doug Henry as they try to overcome a 5-2 deficit.

Braves 9th: Deion singled to right center with two out, but Pendleton's fly to Yount in right center ended the game. Our final: Brewers 5, Braves 2, and the Brewers lead the series two games to none.

Yount was named Player of the Game by CBS he finished his evening a perfect four for four plus a walk while scoring a run and driving in two more. As I mentioned earlier, Listach's single in the ninth extended his postseason hitting streak to at least eight games, during which time he has twenty-one hits. Nixon and Justice each had three hits in a losing cause for the Braves, and Smoltz threw a 129-pitch complete game in a losing cause, giving up five runs on eleven hits while walking four and striking out six. Navarro went seven strong innings for the victorious Brewers, giving up two runs on nine hits while walking two, striking out five, and throwing a hundred and nine pitches.

Final totals: Brewers 5-11-0, Braves 2-11-0.

W- Navarro (1-0)
S- Henry (1)
L- Smoltz (0-1)

The series will move to County Stadium in Milwaukee for Game 3 on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern, with Steve Avery starting for the Braves and Ricky Bones taking the hill for the Brewers.

Next: We look at Game 3.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Game 3 of the 1992 World Series scheduled for Tuesday, October 20 has been postponed due to excessive cold in Milwaukee, specifically wind chills below freezing. It will be played on Wednesday, October 21 with first pitch coming shortly after 8PM Eastern. The starting pitchers remain the same: Steve Avery for the Braves and Ricky Bones for the Brewers. Game 4 will now be played on Thursday, October 22, and Game 5 will now be played on Friday, October 23.

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 3 of the 1992 World Series from County Stadium in Milwaukee. The date is Wednesday, October 21:

Lineup Changes:

Braves- Lonnie Smith will serve as the designated hitter and bat fifth. That means that Sid Bream, Jeff Blauser, Damon Berryhill, and Mark Lemke all slide down a spot.

Brewers- Kevin Seitzer moves from third base to second base. Paul Molitor will serve as the designated hitter and bat third, which means that Robin Yount, Greg Vaughn, Dante Bichette, John Jaha, and B.J. Surhoff all move down a spot,. Finally, Jim Gantner gets the start at third base and will bat ninth.

Weather: 43 degrees, fair skies, southeast wind at 6 MPH.

Braves 1st: Otis Nixon led off with a single to right. Deion Sanders followed with a base hit to right center, which moved Nixon to third. Terry Pendleton walked on four pitches to load the bases, but the runners had to hold when David Justice's shallow fly to right center was caught by Yount for out number one. Smith launched a much deeper fly to right; Bichette made the catch at the wall, but Nixon eased home with the first run of the game while Pendleton moved to third. Bream's rounder to short stranded the runners and ended the inning. The Braves have hit the board first thanks to two hits and a walk, but the Brewers are ready to hit.

Brewers 1st: Braves starter Steve Avery retired the Crew one-two-three. After one, it's Braves 1, Brewers 0.

Braves 2nd: Brewers starter Ricky Bones responded with a three-up three-down inning of his own. The Braves still lead 1-0 after an inning and a half.

Brewers 2nd: Yount was retired on a comebacker to the mound, and Vaughn and Bichette both bounced to third. The Braves still lead 1-0 after two.

Braves 3rd: Nixon slapped a ball past Bones' outstretched glove and into center for a hit, stole second, and moved to third on Deion's fly to right center. Pendleton's double to right center brought him home, and it was 2-0 Atlanta. Justice followed with a single to right that scored Pendleton to make it 3-0. Smith walked on five pitches to put two men on, and Bones received a visit from brewers pitching coach Don Rowe. Whatever Rowe said worked, as Bones retired Bream on a fly to shallow center and Blauser on a grounder to short, ending the inning with runners still at first and second. But the visitors have scored two more runs on three hits, a stolen base, a walk, and a productive fly ball. After two and a half, it's NL Champs 3, AL Champs 0.

Brewers 3rd: Jaha popped to Blauser at short, Surhoff's fly to the track in right center was caught by Nixon, and Gantner flew to Justice in shallow right. Avery has been perfect on his first trip through the Milwaukee order, and the Braves lead 3-0 after three.

Braves 4th: With one out, Lemke beat out a grounder to short for an infield single. But Nixon went down swinging, and Deion's fly down the left field line was caught by Vaughn for the final out. We've played three and a half, and it's Bravos 3, Crew 0.

Brewers 4th: Avery got the first two outs, but Molitor ended any dreams of a perfect game by lining a base hit to right center. Yount's bloop single to left put two men on, but Vaughn struck out swinging to retire the side. The Brewers leave runners at first and second, and they trail 3-0 after four.

Braves 5th: Pendleton led off against Bones. Here's Vin Scully with the count no balls and two strikes:

"Even though the Braves managed a pair of runs in Game 2, they were still thoroughly overmatched by (Jaime) Navarro in Game 2, and (Bill) Wegman's brilliance in Game 1 speaks for itself. But they've certainly gotten to Ricky Bones tonight, and there's activity in the Milwaukee bullpen, as Jim Austin is throwing. (Brewers manager) Phil Garner doesn't want his team to fall any further behind with the way Avery's pitching. Two-strike pitch to Pendleton is WHACKED TO DEEP RIGHT CENTER! BACK GOES YOUNT, AWAY BACK, AND THIS ONE IS GONE!......Terry Pendleton turns conventional wisdom on its ear; you're supposed to be conservative and protect the plate with two strikes, but he went out and got that pitch, and it landed over the fence in right center. 4-0 Atlanta."

Tim McCarver: "The great ones make their own wisdom, Vinnie, and Terry Pendleton is certainly a great player. Bones got that pitch way up in the strike zone, almost serving it up on a platter for Pendleton, and Terry certainly dug in. This ball was absolutely blistered, and Robin Yount had no chance, even on a cold night like tonight when balls don't usually carry."

Justice followed with a lined single to right center, and after Smith flew to right for the first out, Bones hit Bream in the leg with a pitch. With Bream already hobbled by chronically bad knees, Braves manager Bobby Cox took him out of the game and sent Brian Hunter in to run for him. Next to the plate was Blauser, who cracked a double into the left center power alley to bring both Justice and Hunter home and put the Braves up 6-0. That was all for Bones; Austin came in and retired Berryhill on a fly to right center and Lemke on a grounder to third, ending the inning. But the Braves have scored three more runs on three hits and a hit batsman while stranding Blauser at second. We're halfway through Game 3, and it's Atlanta 6, Milwaukee 0.

Brewers 5th: Bichette led off with a single to right center. After Jaha flew to left for the first out, Bichette stole second, then stole third two pitches later. But he was stranded there, as Surhoff went down swinging and Gantner flew to right center to retire the side. After five, the Braves still lead by six.

Braves 6th: Nixon led off with a single to left, then stole second. He stayed there, as Deion struck out swinging, Pendleton grounded to short, and Justice tapped to first. After five and a half, it's still 6-0 Atlanta,

Brewers 6th: Seitzer walked with one out, then stole second. Molitor's single to left center scored Seitzer to end Avery's shutout bid, but Steve got revenge by picking him off of first. Yount's base hit to left kept the inning going, but Vaughn's fly to the track to deep left center was run down by Nixon for the final out. Tha American League champions are on the board thanks to two his, a walk, and a stolen base, but as we go to the seventh they still trail the Braves 6-1.

Braves 7th: Blauser lined a two-out single to center against new Brewers pitcher Dan Plesac. Berryhill followed with a double down the right field line. Bichette managed to rescue the ball before it went into the corner, but Blauser scored anyway to put the Braves up 7-1. Lemke's fly to right center ended the inning, but the Braves have reestablished their six-run lead thanks to a pair of hits. As we stretch at County Stadium, the Braves lead the Brewers 7-1.

Brewers 7th: Suthoff singled to right with two out, but Gantner's fly to shallow right ended the inning. After seven, the Brew Crew's still down by six.

Braves 8th: Plesac retired the Braves in order: Nixon and Pendleton each flew to left, while Deion struck out swinging in between. After seven and a half, County Stadium's former tenants lead its current tenants 7-1.

Brewers 8th: Molitor lined a single up the middle with two out, but Yount's grounder to Hunter at first ended the inning. It's still 7-1 Braves after eight,

Braves 9th: Hunter swatted a ball over the fence in left center on a hop for a book-rule double with two out, but Blauser's bouncer to third stranded Hunter and killed the rally. Avery's going for the complete game in the bottom of the ninth as he faces Vaughn, Bichette, and Jaha with a 7-1 lead.

Brewers 9th: Vaughn led off against Avery. Here's Vin with the count one ball and one strike:

"The pitching advantage was with the Brewers going into this game, since Wegman went all the way in Game 1 and Navarro lasted seven innings in Game 2, but now with (John) Smoltz going all the way in Game 2, even in a loss, and Avery on the cusp of going all the way tonight, the Braves should have a more rested bullpen going forward than the Brewers. A reminder that we'll be with you every night until this series is wrapped up; Game 5 is now on Friday night here in Milwaukee. Next pitch to Vaughn is hit down the line in left, Deion going over, the ball's still carrying, and IT'S IN THE SEATS FOR A HOME RUN! Deion can't believe his eyes; he was sure that the ball would hold up long enough for him to catch it, but it didn't."

McCarver: "If Deion had been more aggressive charging after that ball, he may have had a play on it anyway. That's the root of my problem with Deion, Vinnie: He makes great plays when he can do it naturally, but if he has to extend himself, go outside of his comfort zone, he doesn't do it often enough. That's why he hates to tackle in football too; it means he has to risk being run over, and maybe hurt. To be truly great in sports, you have to put yourself at risk when the situation calls for it, and that's not his style."

Avery got the next two outs, but Surhoff kept the game alive with a single to right center. Gantner's single to right put runners at the corners, but Listach's pop to third was caught by Pendleton to end the game. Our final: Braves 7, Brewers 2, and the Brewers now lead the series two games to one.

Avery was named Player of the Game by CBS. He pitched a complete game, allowing two runs on ten hits while walking one, striking out four, and throwing 124 pitches. Nixon led the Atlanta offense by going three for five and scoring two runs, while Pendleton and Blauser each had two hits and drove in two runs. Molitor headed the Brewers' offense by going three for four with a run batted in. In other news, Listach's hitting streak was halted; he went hitless in five at-bats.

Final totals: Braves 7-13-0, Brewers 2-10-0.

W- Avery (1-0)
L- Bones (0-1)

HR- ATL: Pendleton (1)
MIL: Vaughn (1)

The series will continue tomorrow night with Game 4 here at County Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern, with Tommy Glavine starting for the Braves and Cal Eldred going to the mound for the Brewers.

Note: If you'll remember, Tim McCarver had ice water thrown on him by Deion during the Braves' National League pennant celebration after he'd made some comment that Deion had taken offense at during the NLCS. Since the NLCS happened as in real life, so did that incident. I wish I could remember what Tim actually said that got Deion so angry, but I couldn't, so I went with something that sounded plausible coming from him instead.

As an aside, I don't t remember any baseball announcer being too thrilled with him playing football at the same time, so they talked smack about him almost in defense of the game they loved. For his part, Deion identifies strictly as a football player these days, never mentioning his baseball career, so they may have been right about his dedication to baseball after all.

Next: We look at Game 4.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for Game 4 of the 1992 World Series from County Stadium in Milwaukee. The date is Thursday, October 22:

Lineup Changes:

Braves- Ron Gant is back in left field and will bat sixth. Jeff Blauser moves back up to the two hole, while Lonnie Smith and David Justice switch places; Smith will bat cleanup, while Justice hits fifth. Finally, Sid Bream's leg is still sore after he was hit by a pitch last night, so Brian Hunter will start at first ad bat seventh.

Brewers- Darryl Hamilton starts in center field and will bat second. Paiul Molitor moves to first base and will bat third. Robin Yount will serve as the designated hitter and bat cleanup. B.J. Surhoff moves up to sixth, while Dante Bichette moves down to seventh. Kevin Seitzer is back at third base and will bat eight, while Scott Fletcher is back at second base and bat ninth.

Weather: 63 degrees, cloudy skies, south wind at 8 MPH.

Braves 1st: Otis Nixon grounded the first pitch of the game into left field for a base hit, but he never left first base, as Blauser went down swinging and both Terry Pendleton and Smith flew to left. The Braves have been held scoreless; now let's see what the Brewers can do.

Brewers 1st: A one-two-three inning for Braves starter Tommy Glavine. We're scoreless after one.

Braves 2nd: Justice's leadoff bouncer to second was muffed by Fletcher for an error, allowing David to reach. But Gant grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, and Hunter took a called third strike to retire the side. We're still scoreless after an inning and a half.

Brewers 2nd: Yount popped to Mark Lemke at second, Greg Vaughn flew to left, and Surhoff grounded to second. Glavine's retired the first six Milwaukee hitters, and there's no score through two.

Braves 3rd: Berryhill led off against Brewers starter Cal Eldred. Here's Vin Scully with the count one ball and one strike:

"Tomorrow night, it'll be John Smoltz against Chris Bosio, and if there's a Game 6 on Saturday night in Atlanta, the likely starters will be Ricky Bones and Steve Avery in a reprise of last night's matchup. The Braves have to win tonight in order to guarantee a trip back home. Much warmer night tonight here in Milwaukee. BERRYHILL SWINGS AND DRIVES ONE DEEP TO RIGHT, BACK GOES BICHETTE, AT THE WALL, IT'S GONE!......Berryyhill jumped all over that hanging curve from Eldred, and the Braves strike first here in Game 4."

Tim McCarver: "You were talking about the Braves wanting to get back home to Atlanta, Vinnie, and this swing from Berryhill has started them on their way. He doesn't have prodigious power, but he hit ten home runs during the regular season, and as Cal Eldred just found out he can drive a ball far if it's put in the right spot."

Eldred settled down immediately and got the nest three outs in order: Lemke tapped to first, and both Nixon and Blauser grounded to second. The Braves are on the board first thanks to Berryhill's home run, and after two and a half they lead the Brewers 1-0.

Brewers 3rd: Seitzer singled to left with one out, then stole second after Fletcher flied to left for out Hnumber two. Listach's bloop found friendly grass in right field for a base hit, which brought Settzer home and tied the game at one. Listach then stole second, but he was stranded there when Hamilton looked at strike three to end the inning. The Brewers have gotten to Glavine, scoring a run on a pair of hits and a pair of stolen bases, and as we head to the fourth we're even at one.

Braves 4th: Eldred retired the Brew Crew in order. After three and a half, we're still tied at one.

Brewers 4th: Molitor led off with a single to left, but Yount flew to right for out number one, and Molitor was forced by Vaughn for the second out. Vaughn stole second, and Surhoff walked to put two men on, but Bichette flew to Nixon in right center to retire the side. The home squad leaves runners at first and second, and we're still even at one through four.

Braves 5th: Another one-two-three inning for Eldred: Gant popped to short, Hunter popped to third, and Berryhill struck out swinging. We're halfway through Game 4, and it's Bravos 1, Brew Crew 1.

Brewers 5th: Seitzer drew a leadoff walk, but Glavine struck Fletcher out swinging. Seitzer was then forced by Listach, and Hamilton's fly to the warning track in right center was run down by Nixon for the final out. We've still got a 1-1 game after five.

Braves 6th: Nixon grounded a single to right with one out. Eldred walked Blauser to put two men on, and Pendleton gave the visitors the lead with a base hit to right that scored Nixon and moved Blauser to third. Eldred stranded the runners by striking out both Smith and Justice swinging to end the inning, but the Braves have taken the lead thanks to a pair of hits and a walk. We move to the bottom of the sixth with the NL champs leading the AL champs 2-1.

Brewers 6th: Vaughn drew a two-out walk and moved to third on Surhoff's lined single to right, but Bichette flew to Gant in left, ending the inning. The Crew leaves the tying run at third; we'll see if it haunts them as we go to the seventh with the Braves still leading 2-1.

Braves 7th: Gant led off the inning by beating out a grounder to short for an infield single., then stealing second. Hunter walked to put two men on, and Gant moved to third on a fly to left by Berryhill that was caught along the foul line by Vaughn. A walk to Lemke loaded the bases, and Brewers manager Phil Garner called Jim Austin out of his bullpen to face Nixon. Otis popped to Seitzer in foul territory for out number two, but Austin still had to deal with Blauser. Here's Vin with what happened:

"Two and two to Blauser, bases loaded, Braves leading 2-1, we're in the top of the seventh. Pendleton on deck, but Austin's worried about the man who's at the plate right now. The runners will be off on contact with two out. Austin checks them anyway, now into the stretch, the two-two pitch...…...LINE DRIVE, BASE HIT INTO RIGHT CENTER! HERE COMES GANT! HERE COMES HUNTER! LEMKE HELD UP AT THIRD, AND IT'S 4-1 ATLANTA!......Now Pendleton can put the game way for good with one swing."

Terry tried to do just that on all three pitches he saw, but Austin struck him out flailing to finally retire the side. The Braves have added a pair of huge insurance runs thanks to two hits, a walk, and a stolen base while still leaving runners at the corners, and as we stand up to stretch in the Beer Capital of the World, it's now Atlanta 4, Milwaukee 1.

Brewers 7th: The Crew went down in order: Seitzer flew to left, Fletcher grounded to short, and Listach tapped to first. After seven, it's still 4-1 Braves.

Braves 8th: Smith bounced to third, Justice grounded to second, and Gant struck out swinging. The Braves still lead by three after seven and a half.

Brewers 8th: Yount blooped a single to left with two out, but Vaughn looked at strike three to end the inning. We go to the ninth with the Braves still leading the Brewers 4-1.

Braves 9th: New Brewers pitcher Dan Plesac had a one-two-three inning: Hunter flew to left, Berryhill popped to short, and Lemke grounded to first. The Milwaukee bullpen has fifnished strong, retiring the last seven Atlanta hitters in a row. We head to the bottom of the ninth with Glavine looking for the Braves' third consecutive complete game. He'll face Surhoff, Bichette, and Seitzer while trying to protect a 4-1 lead.

Brewers 9th: Glavine set the Brewers down in order to finish his complete game: Surhoff grounded to short, Bichette grounded to second, and Seitzer flew to left center for the final out. Our final score: Braves 4, Brewers 1, and this series is now tied at two games apiece.

Glavine was named Player of the Game by CBS. He threw a hundred and six pitches during his evening's work, giving up just one run on five hits while walking three and striking out three. Nixon was the only player on either team with more than one hit; he finished two for four with a run scored.

Final totals: Braves 4-6-0, Brewers 1-5-1.

W- Glavine (1-1)
L- Eldred (0-1)

HR- ATL: Berryhill (1)

The series will continue with Game 5 tomorrow night here at County Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern, and Vin gave us the pitching matchup earlier: John Smoltz of the Braves against Chris Bosio of the Brewers.

Next: We look at Game 5.

Thoughts?