Baseball in the Pythagorean Universe: 1994

Garrett Garlits · Feb 16, 2019

Now let's look at the action for Tuesday, August 30. We begin with my Central report:

Indians 2, Royals 0

The Tribe continues to run away with the AL Central and push the Royals further back in the Wild Card race. Tonight, it was all Jack Morris, as he pitched a five-hit shutout. Eddie Murray drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly in the fourth, and Kenny Lofton's home run into the bleachers in right center field in the sixth provided insurance. Morris was called out by the joyous Jacobs Field crowd for a curtain call before he walked to the clubhouse. Kevin Appier held the Indians to four hits in eight innings, but still got stuck with the loss.

The Tribe's lead over the White Sox in the Central is seven games at the moment, and their magic number to clinch the division stands at fourteen.

W- Morris (14-6)
L- Appier (11-8)

HR- CLE: Lofton (14)

Twins 3, Athletics 2

The Twins got to Dennis Eckersley in the bottom of the ninth, as Scott Leius' double down the line in left scored the winning runs. Dave Winfield's leadoff single and a walk to Pedro Munoz set up the heroics. Kent Hrbek went deep in the second to get the Twins on the board. The A's, meanwhile, were led offensively by second baseman Brent Gates, who went four for four and drove in both Oakland runs with a first-inning single. Carl Willis got the win for the home team.

The last-place A's are now five games behind the Rangers in the West

W- Willis (4-4)
L- Eckersley (5-7)

HR- MIN: Hrbek (13)

White Sox 3, Orioles 2

Lance Johnson drove in the game-winning runs in the bottom of the ninth, as the Sox took Game 1 of a very important series in the AL Wild Card race. The O's had taken a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth on a home run by Chris Hoiles off of starter Jack McDowell. The Sox got their other run on a fourth-inning homer by Robin Ventura. Speaking of homers, Frank Thomas was 0 for 3 plus a walk, so he's still stuck on fifty-four. On the bright side, the Pale Hose now lead the Birds by two games in the wild card race, and they also stay within six and a half games of the Indians in the Central. It's not so rosy for the Birds, who now trail the Yanks by eight and a half games in the East with the Tigers-Yankees result still to come from Yankee Stadium.

W- Hernandez (5-8)
L- Moyer (5-12)

HR- CWS: Ventura (26)
BAL: Hoiles (26)

Brewers 15, Mariners 2

The Brew Crew scored twelve in the first two innings and cruised from there. Leading the way was center fielder Daryl Hamilton, who went four for five, scored twice, and drove in three runs. Jody Reed added three hits, three RBIs, and three runs scored, while John Jaha homered for good measure. M's starter Chris Bosio didn't even get out of the first inning; he was charged with five runs and six hits while only getting two outs. Ken Griffey Jr. was held hitless in four at bats, which means his pursuit of the home run leaders is stalled at forty-eight. To manager Lou Piniella, this is all just a bunch of hot air. "I don't give a shit about Junior's home runs, or even being in the damn pennant race, really. We're not even at the damn .500 mark. We're fourteen games under, and we're playing like it. Let's actually start playing good ball before we worry about pennant races, home run chases, or any of that other crap."

For the record, the Mariners are currently tied with the Angels for second place in the West, a game and a half behind the Rangers.

W- Ignasiak (4-1)
S- Scanlan (3)
L- Bosio (7-14)

HR- MIL: Jaha (15)

Now to Desmond in the East:

Tigers 5, Yankees 2

Homers by Travis Fryman and Kirk Gibson keyed the Tigers' victory. It was still a good night for the Pinstripes, though, as the loss by the Orioles knocked their magic number for clinching the East down to twelve.

W- Wells (8-10)
S- Henneman (10)
L- Mulholland (8-9)

HR- DET: Fryman (24), Gibson (29)

Angels 12, Blue Jays 6

The Angels broke a 2-2 tie with six runs in the fifth. J.T. Snow, Tim Salmon, and Chili Davis all homered consecutively in the inning. With the win, the Angels move into second place in the West, while the Jays now find themselves tied with the Tigers for third in the East.

W- Anderson (9-7)
L- Guzman (13-16)

HR- CAL: Davis, (36), Snow (12), Salmon (28)
TOR: Carter (38), R. Alomar (12)

Finally, Joe Ray's Western report:

Red Sox 6, Rangers 5

The Bosox blew a 5-1 lead, but scored the winning run on Dean Palmer's eighth-inning error. Roger Clemens struck out seven, and Scott Cooper hit a solo homer in the fourth. The tying run was at third for the Rangers in the bottom of the ninth, but Jose Canseco lined out to end the game.

The Rangers' lead in the West is down to a game over the second-place Angels.

W- Howard (2-0)
S- Russell (13)
L- Oliver (4-3)

HR- BOS: Cooper (16)
TEX: Gonzalez (25)

Now for your up-to-the-second standings, beginning in the East:

Yankees: 89-54
Orioles: 81-62- 8 GB
(tie) Tigers: 68-75- 21 GB
(tie) Blue Jays: 68-75- 21 GB
Red Sox: 64-81- 26 GB

In the Central:

Indians: 89-53
White Sox: 83-60- 6.5 GB
Royals: 75-68- 14.5 GB
Brewers: 69-74- 20.5 GB
Twins: 56-87- 33.5 GB

In the West:

Rangers: 66-77
Angels: 65-78- 1 GB
Mariners: 64-78- 1.5 GB
Athletics: 61-81- 4.5 GB

In the Wild Card:

White Sox: 83-60
Orioles: 81-62- 2 GB

Next: We look at August 31.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Feb 17, 2019

I'm going to go back to my original plan and do August 19-21 over the next three days before I completely forget about it. We'll go back to August 31 on Wednesday (assuming I still post once a day).

Now here's the action for Friday, August 19, beginning with my Central report:

Royals 9, Orioles 4 (ABC: Chris Berman, Tommy Hutton)

Wally Joyner drove in five runs for the Royals, while the Birds' season is rapidly slipping away; they trail the White Sox by two and a half games in the wild card race at the moment, and their elimination number in the East is down to eleven.

W- Appier (12-8)
S- Belinda (2)
L- Eichhorn (9-7)

HR- BAL: Anderson (18), Gomez (19)

Brewers 7, A's 4 (ABC: Gary Thorne, Dave Campbell)

Jose Valentin and Turner Ward each drove in two runs for the Brew Crew, who got their seven runs on just six hits. Scott Brosius homered for the visitors, while Troy Neel drove in a pair.

W- Kiefer (2-0)
S- Fetters (24)
L- Welch (3-8)

HR- OAK: Brosius (17)

Indians 8, Mariners 1 (ABC: Brent Musburger, Jim Kaat)

Jack Morris pitched seven strong innings for the win, and Albert Belle delight the home crowd by belting his fifty-first homer of the year.

The Tribe once again leads the White Sox by seven games in the Central, and their magic number to clinch stands at thirteen. Meanwhile, the Mariners fall two games behind the Rangers in the West.

W- Morris (15-6)
L- Hibbard (1-10)

HR- CLE: Belle (51)

Angels 10, Twins 9 (ABC: Bob Ley, Buck Martinez)

Bo Jackson drove in five runs to pace the Halos' offense, while Shane Mack went five for five in a losing cause for the Twins.

Thanks to the Angels' win, a loss by the Rangers tonight means that there will be a tie atop the West.

W- Anderson (10-7)
S- Dopson (2)
L- Pulido (5-10)

HR- CAL: Davis (37), Curtis (15), B. Jackson (22)
MIN: Mack (25), Meares (3)

Now to Anthony's Eastern reports:

Tigers 6, Red Sox 1 (ABC: Bob Carpenter, Reggie Jackson)

Cecil Fielder's two-run homer in the fifth was the key blow for the Tigers. If the Blue Jays lose to the White Sox, the Tigers will be back in third place in the East by themselves.

W- Gardiner (5-2)
L- Sele (10-10)

HR- DET: Fielder (35)

Blue Jays 10, White Sox 8 (ABC: Jon Miller, Joe Morgan, Gary Miller)

Paul Molitor drove in four runs for the world champions, three of them with a homer and the game-winning two-run double in the eighth. Frank Thomas went two for five but didn't homer, which means he still has fifty-four.

The Chisox' lead over the Orioles in the wild card race is still two games, and they now trail the Indians by seven and a half games in the Central with an elimination number of twelve. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays and Tigers remain tied for third in the East.

W- W. Williams (2-4)
S- Hall (22)
L- Bere (13-8)

HR- TOR: Molitor (16), Sprague (13), Huff (4)
CWS: Raines (14)

Finally, Joe Ray's Western report:

Rangers 8, Yankees 5 (ABC: Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Lesley Visser)

Juan Gonzalez hit a two-run homer in the second to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead, and Rusty Greer's RBI double drove it David Hulse in the third to make it 3-0. The Yankees took the lead with a three-run seventh, as Mike Gallego's two-run double drive in Bernie Williams and Danny Tartabull and Randy Velarde's single scored Gallego. But four walks and five Texas hits produced five runs in the bottom of the eight, and Jay Howell set the Pinstripes down in order in the ninth to wrap things up. The victors finished the game with nine hits.

Rangers starter Kenny Rogers wasn't exactly sharp, as he walked seven in seven and two-thirds innings. But the Yankees had trouble taking advantage; they left elven men on base for the evening.

The Yanks' magic number to clinch the East remains at eleven, while the Rangers maintain their one-game lead over the Angels in the West.

W- Oliver (5-3)
L- Wickman (8-6)

Note: I'm fairly sure that Howell should have been credited with a save, but Joe Ray didn't do it, so I've decided to leave his report the way it was.

HR- TEX: Gonzalez (26), Clark (23)

Now for your up-to-the-second standings, beginning in the East:

Yankees: 89-55
Orioles: 81-63- 8 GB
(tie) Blue Jays: 69-75- 20 GB
(tie) Tigers: 69-75- 20 GB
Red Sox: 64-82- 26 GB

In the Central:

Indians: 90-53
White Sox: 83-61- 7.5 GB
Royals: 76-68- 14.5 GB
Brewers: 70-74- 20.5 GB
Twins: 56-88- 34.5 GB

In the West:

Rangers: 67-77
Angels: 66-78- 1 GB
Mariners: 64-79- 2.5 GB
Athletics: 61-82- 5.5 GB

In the Wild Card:

White Sox: 83-61
Orioles: 81-63- 2 GB

Next: We look at August 20.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Feb 18, 2019

Now for our look at Saturday, August 20. We begin with Anthony's Eastern report:

Tigers 6, Red Sox 2

Kirk Gibson, Cecil Fielder, and Lou Whitaker all homered for the visiting Tigers.

W- Gardiner (6-2)
L- Nabholz ((3-5)

HR- DET: Fielder (36), Gibson (30), Whitaker (22)
BOS: Brunansky (17)

Blue Jays 9, White Sox 2

Paul Molitor drove in three more runs for the Jays, which gives him seven RBIs so far this weekend. Losing pitcher Jack McDowell gave up eight runs, while Frank Thomas went 0 for 3.

The reeling White Sox now trail the Indians by eight games in the Central, and their elimination number is down to eleven. As for the Jays, they remain tied for third in the East with the Tigers.

W- Stottlemyre (13-7)
L- McDowell (11-12)

HR- CWS: Franco (21)
TOR: Molitor (17)

Now for my Central report:

Mariners 11, Indians 6

The M's took advantage of a Cleveland lineup without Albert Belle, Jim Thome, and Sandy Alomar Jr., who were all given the night off by Cleveland manager Mike Hargrove. Third baseman Mike Blowers was the big offensive star for Seattle, driving in four runs. Utilityman Luis Sojo got a start for the M's and drove in three more. Center fielder Kenny Lofton had two hits and drove in two for the AL Central leaders, whose magic number remains at eleven.

The Mariners are now tied for second place in the West with the Angels; both teams are currently a game behind the division-leading Rangers.

W- Salkeld (5-7)
L- Nagy (11-10)

HR- SEA: Sojo (8)

A's 9, Brewers 0

Stan Javier's second-inning grand slam was all the A's needed for offense. First baseman Troy Neel also drove in a pair, and five different A's had two hits each. Steve Karsay, Steve Ontiveros, and Carlos Reyes combined on the five-hitter, two of said hits belonging to Brew Crew right fielder Matt Mieske.

W- Ontiveros (9-5)
S- Reyes (2)
L- Eldred (13-13)

HR- OAK: Javier (11), Neel (18)

Orioles 11, Royals 10

Just your typical American League roller coaster ride. The O's led 9-3 after four and a half and 11-4 after six, thanks to Rafael Palmeiro's home run and four RBIs and what turned out to be four-hit performances from shortstop Cal Ripken and second baseman Mark McLemore. But the Royals cut the lead to 11-7 with two out in the ninth, then beat out back-to-back infield hits by a combined total of about six inches. Greg Gagne homered off of Lee Smith and we were looking at a one-run game. Unfortunately, the next man up for the Royals was light-hitting Chico Lind, and he flew out to Brady Anderson in left to end the home squad's comeback one run short.

The O's are back to within a game of the White Sox in the wild card race.

W- Moyer (6-12)
L- Cone (18-9)

HR: BAL: Palmeiro (28)
KC: Gagne (18), Hamelin (27)

Angels 9, Twins 8

The Angels got first-inning home runs from DH Chilli Davis and catcher Greg Myers to build a 5-0 lead, then had to hold on for deal life in a wild ninth inning. Chad Curtis added four hits and four RBIs of his own for the Halos, including a home run. DH Kirby Puckett went four for five and added three RBIs for the Twins.

Trailing 9-6 entering the ninth, the Twins scored twice and had two on with two out, including the tying run at third. Third baseman Chip Hale sent one deep to right center. Tim Salmon raced into the gap, but lost the carrying ball in the Metrodome lights until the very last second, then hurdled the wall to make the catch. It was later seen on replay that the catch was in fact a trap, as Salmon scooped the ball up after it hit the ground.

If the Rangers lose to the Yankees tonight in Arlington, the Angels will be tied with them for first place in the West.

W- Langston (11-8)
S- Butcher (4)
L- Deshaies (6-17)

HR- MIN: Puckett (24)
CAL: Davis (38), Curtis (16), Myers (3)

Finally, Joe Ray's Western report:

Yankees 8, Rangers 5

The Rangers scored a run in the first on Gerald Williams' two-base error, another in the second on a Manuel Lee single, and two in the third on a base hit by Jeff Frye and a Juan Gonzalez forceout that scored Pudge Rodriguez. Danny Tartabull's two0run single in the top of the fourth scored Williams and Pat Kelly to cut the lead to 4-2, but the Rangers got a run back in the fifth on Gonzalez's RBI single.

The Yankee bats exploded for six runs in the sixth. Gerald singled, then Mike Stanley homered to cut the New York deficit to 5-4. After one out, Bernie Williams singled to left, then stole second. Tartabull then smacked the second homer of the inning over the left field wall to give the visitors a 6-5 lead. After two out, Randy Velarde and Luis Polonia stroked back-to-back singles, then Polonia swiped second. That brought up Gerald, whose two-run single extended the Yankee lead to 8-5. Rangers starter Hector Fajardo allowed nine hits in five and a third innings, and the Rangers needed three pitchers to get through the sixth. The Yanks missed a chance to blow the game open by leaving two men on in the seventh.

The Yankees' win dropped their magic number for clinching the East to ten, while the Rangers are now tied with the Angels for first place in the West.

W- Abbott (13-9)
S- Howe (19)
L- Oliver (5-4)

HR- NYY: Tartabull (25), Stanley (21)

Now for your up-to-the-second standings, beginning in the East:

Yankees: 90-55 (Magic Number: 10)
Orioles: 82-63- 8 GB
(tie) Blue Jays: 70-75- 20 GB
(tie) Tigers: 70-75- 20 GB
Red Sox: 64-83- 27 GB

In the Central:

Indians: 90-54
White Sox: 83-62- 7.5 GB
Royals: 76-69- 14.5 GB
Brewers: 70-75- 20.5 GB
Twins: 56-89- 34.5 GB

In the West:

(tie) Rangers: 67-78
(tie) Angels: 67-78
Mariners: 65-79- 1.5 GB
Athletics: 62-82- 4.5 GB

In the Wild Card:

White Sox: 83-62
Orioles: 82-63- 1 GB

Next: Our look at August 21.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Feb 19, 2019

Now here's the action for Sunday, August 21. We begin with my Central report:

Indians 3, Mariners 2

A rare tight, low-scoring game at the Jake. The Tribe went ahead to stay on Jim Thome's third-inning double. Center fielder Kenny Lofton had two hits and scored twice for Cleveland, while Felix Fermin homered for the M's. Luis Sojo had the other Seattle RBI.

The Tribe's magic number to clinch the Central has dropped to ten, while the Mariners now trail the Rangers and Angels by two full games in the West

W- Clark (15-3)
S- Mesa (5)
L- Converse (0-10)

HR- SEA: Fermin (3)

Royals 6, Orioles 5

Catcher Brent Mayne went four for four, but it was second baseman Terry Shumpert who drove in the game winner for Kansas City, who came back from 5-1 down at the seventh inning stretch. DH Bob Hamelin had three hits, including a home run, and right fielder Felix Jose went deep as well. Right fielder Jeffrey Hammonds had two hits and scored two runs for the O's.

The O's didn't need this loss at all; they're now a game and a half behind the White Sox in the wild card race, and their elimination number in the East has shrunk to nine.

W- Belinda (4-4)
S- Montgomery (35)
L- Eichhorn (9-8)

HR- KC: Hamelin (28), Jose (14)

Twins 8, Angels 4

An eighth-inning homer by Jeff Reboulet provided a comfort zone for the Twinkies. Shane Mack continued his hot hitting, going four for five with a home run and three runs batted in. Rex Hudler went deep for the Halos, and Spike Owen and Tim Salmon each contributed three hits. Rick Aguilera nailed it down for good when he struck out Greg Myers with the bases loaded to end the game.

The Angels need the Yankees to beat the Rangers later tonight in Arlington to stay in a tie for first place in the West.

W- Tapani (12-11)
S- Aguilera (26)
L- Magrane (2-7)

HR- MIN: Mack (26), Reboulet (6)
CAL: Hudler (9)

Brewers 9, A's 4

Just as in Minnesota, a three-run eighth inning homer salted things away for the home team, this time off the bat of Brew Crew shortstop Jose Valentin. Matt Mieske also homered for the Brewers, and Dave Nilsson added two RBIs. Mike Aldrete went deep for Oakland, while Scott Brosius was three for four in a losing cause.

W- Bones (13-9)
S- Orosco (1)
L- Darling (12-15)

HR- OAK: Aldrete (5)
MIL: Mieske (15), Jose Valentin (12)

Now here's Joe Ray's Western report:

Rangers 8, Yankees 7

Jose Canseco's first-inning homer was the catalyst for a five-run Ranger outburst in the first two innings, and Juan Gonzalez added to the fun with a sixth-inning homer. Yankee starter Scott Kamieniecki gave up six runs on eight hits in five innings, The Rangers led 7-2 after seven, but the Yanks rallied for three in the top of the eighth. Bernie Williams' RBI single scored one run, and Pat Kelly's base hit scored Bernie and Wade Boggs to cut the Texas lead to 7-5. Rusty Greer knocked in a run with a single in the last of the eighth, but a base hit from Boggs brought the Yanks back within 8-7. Tom Henke closed things out by getting Bernie to ground out with two men on.

The Yanks' magic number in the East stays at nine, while the Rangers once again enjoy a one-game lead over the Angels in the West.

W- Brown (10-10)
S- Henke (22)
L- Kamieniecki (10-9)

HR- TEX: Gonzalez (27), Canseco (35)

Finally, Anthony's Eastern report:

Tigers 16, Red Sox 7

Kirk Gibson's three-run homer in the first touched off a twenty-four hit explosion by the visitors. Bosox starter Danny Darwin exited after giving up the first seven runs.

W- Moore (13-13)
L- Darwin (9-8)

HR- BOS: M. Vaughn (37), Cooper (17), Dawson (26), Naehring (8)
DET: Gibson (31), Fryman (25), Tettleton (25)

White Sox 3, Blue Jays 2 (10 innings)

Tim Raines' homer in the top of the tenth won it for the Pale Hose. Alex Fernandez earned the win by pitching a ten-inning complete game, which was highly unusual in 1994 and is unheard of as of this writing in 2019.

The Sox now lead the Orioles by two games in the wild card race, and their elimination number in the Central remains at ten. As for the Jays, they're back in fourth place in the East.

W- A. Fernandez (17-8)
L- Timlin (0-2)

HR- TOR: Molitor (18)
CWS: Raines (15)

Now for your up-to-the-second standings, beginning in the East:

Yankees: 90-56 (Magic Number: 9)
Orioles: 82-64- 8 GB
Tigers: 71-75- 19 GB
Blue Jays: 70-76- 20 GB
Red Sox: 64-84- 27 GB

In the Central:

Indians: 91-54 (Magic Number: 10)
White Sox: 84-62- 7.5 GB
Royals: 77-69- 14.5 GB
Brewers: 71-75- 20.5 GB
Twins: 57-89- 34.5 GB

In the West:

Rangers: 68-78
Angels: 67-79- 1 GB
Mariners: 65-80- 2.5 GB
Athletics: 62-83- 5.5 GB

In the Wild Card:

White Sox: 84-62
Orioles: 82-64- 2 GB

Next: We look at August 31.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Feb 20, 2019

Now here's the action for Wednesday, August 31. We begin with my Central report:

Mariners 9, Brewers 6

The M's scored five in the third to break on top, then held off a furious ninth inning rally from the Brew Crew to stay within shouting distance in the AL West. Included in the aforementioned third was Number 49 from Ken Griffey Jr., a moon shot that lands in the third deck in right center field. Estimated distance: 413 feet. Bernie Brewer took a bath in honor of the occasion. Junior ended up with four RBIs on the evening. The home team got some good hitting too, mostly from Turner Ward, who went four for four and drove in a pair. Designated hitter Darryl Hamilton also drove in three runs for the home squad, who got doubles from both of them in the bottom of the ninth to cut its deficit from 9-2 to 9-6. But Seattle closer Bobby Ayala struck out John Jaha to end the game.

At this time, the Mariners are still two and a half games behind the Rangers in the West.

W- Cummings (3-4)
S- Ayala (23)
L- Miranda (2-7)

HR- SEA: Griffey Jr. (49), Buhner (28), T. Martinez (25)

White Sox 5, Orioles 4 (ESPN: Chris Berman, Tommy Hutton)

The crowd at Comiskey got a double treat: a Pale Hose win and Number 55 from Frank Thomas, a two-run shot in the bottom of the first that sailed into the bleachers in left center field. He later knocked in another run with an infield hit, giving him three RBIs on the night. The Os made a comeback with four in the top of the seventh, including three on a bases-loaded double by Mark McLemore, but Roberto Hernandez shut the door on the visitors in the ninth. Sid Fernandez took the loss for the Os, who are now three games behind the Chisox in the wild card race. Their elimination number in the East has also fallen to eight. The Sox' elimination number in the Central remains at ten, pending tonight's Royals-Indians result.

This series wraps up tomorrow night, with the home squad ready to just about put their closest pursuers away for good.

W- Alvarez (15-9)
S- Herrnandez (17)
L- S. Fernandez (8-10)

HR- CWS: Thomas (55)

Indians 4, Royals 3 (12 innings)

Next we head to Cleveland, where Manny Ramirez smacked an 0-2 pitch from Royals reliever Stan Belinda off the foul pole in right field for a game-winning home run. Here's how Indians TV voice John Sanders called it:

"Belinda's 0-2 pitch...........driven deep to right, over is Henderson into foul ground, reaches.........IT'S OFF THE POLE FAIR, a home run for Manny Ramirez! The Indians win it in twelve innings!............He certainly got every bit of that one, and they're going wild at The Jake!"

Omar Vizquel added a three for four evening for the Tribe, and Carlos Baerga had two hits and drives in a pair. In a rarity, both starting pitchers go into extra innings: the Tribe got ten innings out of Charles Nagy, while David Cone of the Royals went eleven. Royals shortstop Greg Gagne was ejected in the top of the twelfth for arguing with home plate umpire Tim McClelland's strike zone, which is notoriously narrow. "We got squeezed all night," moaned Royals skipper Hal McRae. "I guess we'll earn better calls if we stay in the race, but right now, it's like we're in the way of the Indians or something. They're a feel-good story, and baseball wants them to succeed."

The Indians' magic number to clinch the Central now stands at nine.

W- Mesa (9-5)
L- Belinda (4-5)

HR- CLE: Ramirez (23)

Twins 6, A's 4

Another game-winning home run came at the Metrodome, where Matt Walbeck's three-run eighth inning dinger off of A's reliever John Briscoe lifts the Twinkies over the A's. Kent Hrbek, Alex Cole, and Pat Meares had the other Minnesota RBIs, while the A's got a pair of buns batted in from DH Troy Neel.

The A's are now six games behind the Rangers in the West, and barring an unheard-of triple collapse by the Rangers, Angels, and Mariners, their postseason hopes are all but dead.

W- Willis (5-4)
S- Aguilera (27)
L- Briscoe (4-6)

HR- MIN: Walbeck (6)

Now for Desmond's Eastern report:

Toronto 4, California 1
W - Juan Guzman (14-16)
L - Mark Langston (11-9)
HR- TOR:Joe Carter (39)
CAL: Harold Reynolds (2)

Guzman allowed four hits and struck out ten in seven and two-thirds innings. The Angels need a Rangers loss at home against the Red Sox to stay a game back in the West.

NY Yankees 3, Detroit 2 (12 innings)
W - Bob Wickman (9-6)
L - Mike Henneman (1-4)
HR - DET: Cecil Fielder (37)

The Yanks continued their hot run in an unusual way, as Mike Gallego was successful on a suicide squeeze. Paul O'Neill scored the winning run when pitcher Mike Henneman threw the ball away. Don Mattingly and Wade Boggs each went 0 for 5 in the win.

The Tigers are once again tied with the Blue Jays for third in the East as a result of this loss and the Jays' victory over the Angels. As for the Yanks, their magic number to clinch the East is down to seven.

Finally, Joe Ray's Western report:

Rangers 7, Red Sox 2 (ESPN to Baltimore and Chicago: Steve Physioc, Jim Rooker)

The Rangers scored four in the first thanks to RBI singles by Jeff Frye, Juan Gonzalez and Dean Palmer, plus a Tim Naehring error. They add three more in the fourth on Rusty Greer's two-run double and Will Clark's RBI single. The Bosox were shut out on four hits until the ninth, when they got RBI singles of their own from Rich Rowland and Scott Cooper to cut the Texas lead to 7-2. But Mo Vaughn grounded out with the bases loaded to end the contest. The visitors' only other threat came in the sixth, when they left two men on base.

The Rangers now lead the Angels by two games in the West.

W- Whiteside (6-3)
L- Nabholz (3-6)

Now for your up-to-the-second standings, beginning in the East:

Yankees: 91-56 (Magic Number: 7)
Orioles: 82-65- 9 GB
(tie) Blue Jays: 71-76- 20 GB
(tie) Tigers: 71-76- 20 GB
Red Sox: 64-85- 28 GB

In the Central:

Indians: 92-54 (Magic Number: 9)
White Sox: 85-62- 7 GB
Royals: 77-70- 15.5 GB
Brewers: 71-76- 21.5 GB
Twins: 58-89- 34.5 GB

In the West:

Rangers: 69-78
Angels: 67-80- 2 GB
Mariners: 66-80- 2.5 GB
Athletics: 62-84- 6.5 GB

In the Wild Card:

White Sox: 85-62
Orioles: 82-65- 3 GB

Next: We look at September 1.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Feb 21, 2019

Now let's look at the action for September 1. There are only two reports for the next few days, as no games are being played in Western parks. First, here's Desmond in the East:

NY Yankees 6, Detroit 0
W - Terry Mulholland (9-9)
L - Tim Belcher (9-17)
HR - NYY: Don Mattingly (11)

A combined shutout from Mulholland, Bob Wickman, and Steve Howe plus four RBIs from Mattingly helped the Yanks win the rubber game of the series in the Bronx. The Yanks' magic number to clinch the East is down to six.

Toronto 4, California 3
W - Mike Timlin (1-2)
L - Mark Leiter (7-12)
HR - CAL: Tim Salmon (29)

Another rubber match here, and this one had a dramatic finish - a walkoff two-out single from Pat Borders. The Angels led 3-0 heading into the ninth inning.

Speaking of the Halos, they now trail the idle Rangers by two and a half games in the West. and a Mariners victory in Milwaukee tonight will drop them into third place. Meanwhile, the Jays are back in undisputed possession of third in the East.

Now to my Central report:

Brewers 7, Mariners 4

The Brew Crew took the final game of the series and put the Mariners' hope of catching the Rangers in the AL West in jeopardy. The home squad scored twice in the seventh and once in the eighth to break a 4-4 tie. Darryl Hamilton went three for four and drove in a run, while Turner Ward drove in a pair. Eric Anthony led the M's by going three for four and driving in two runs, and rookie Alex Rodriguez had three hits and a run batted in as the designated hitter.

The Brewers will continue to impact the AL West race this weekend when they play host to the Rangers, while the Mariners are headed for the Metrodome to take on the Twins. They'll arrive in Minneapolis three games behind the Rangers in third place.

W- Orosco (6-1)
S- Fetters (25)
L- Cummings (3-5)

Orioles 5, White Sox 2

The O's got an inside-the-park home run from Jeffrey Hammonds in their easy victory over the Pale Hose. Hammonds' liner into the right field corner with one on in the sixth eluded Darrin Jackson until Hammonds had already rounded third. The throw to the plate was way off the mark. Chris Hoiles drove in the other Baltimore runs, while second baseman Craig Grebeck provided all of the Chicago offense, going two for four and driving in both White Sox runs. Frank Thomas is held hitless in three at bats plus a walk; as of this moment, he remains at fifty-five homers for the year. The O's go home to take on the Tigers over the weekend, while the Sox entertain the Yankees.

The Orioles are back to within two games of the White Sox in the wild card race, and their elimination number in the East is still six. Meanwhile, the Chisox' elimination number in the Central has shrunk to eight.

W- Williamson (6-1)
S- L. Smith (36)
L- Bere (13-9)

HR- BAL: Hammonds (15)

Royals 11, Indians 9

Our next stop is Cleveland, where the Tribe and the Royals engaged in a typical American League slugfest. The teams combined for twenty-seven hits, six of which were longballs, but it was a simple line drive base hit from Brian McRae that gave the Royals the lead for good. McRae and Wally Joyner each had four hits and drove in three runs, and Joyner homered. Gary Gaetti went three for five and drove in a pair, and Mike MacFarlane went deep in the fourth. The Tribe's Jim Thome went three for four, which included two home runs, and Albert Belle and Paul Sorrento each joined the longball party as well. Kenny Lofton added four hits in five at bats and three runs scored. The Royals now go home to face the Red Sox, while the Indians entertain the Angels, who are in the thick of the race in the AL West.

The Indians' magic number to clinch the Central remains at eight.

W- Belinda (5-5)
S- Montgomery (36)
L- Plunk (12-6)

HR- KC: Joyner (12), Macfarlane (23)
CLE: Belle (52), Thome 2 (27), Sorrento (19)

Athletics 5, Twins 4 (10 innings)

Terry Steinbach's tenth-inning base hit drove home Ruben Sierra with the winning run, helping the A's to stay afloat in the AL West. Once again, Dennis Eckersley couldn't hold a ninth inning lead; the A's went in up 4-2, but Eckersley gave up three hits and an intentional walk. Kirby Puckett beat out an infield hit to bring in the tying run, but replays later showed that Puckett was out by at least a step; A's skipper Tony LaRussa was tossed for pointing out that fact to first base umpire Dale Scott. At the plate, Geronimo Berroa led the A's with three hits, including a home run, and three runs batted in. The Twins got a home run from Puckett and two hits and two RBIs from Alex Cole.

The A's are now headed for Toronto, where the World Champions look to end their division title hopes once and for all.

W- Taylor (2-3)
L- Stevens (5-3)

HR- OAK: Berroa (16)
MIN: Puckett (25)

Now for your up-to-the-second standings, beginning in the East:

Yankees: 92-56 (Magic Number: 6)
Orioles: 83-65- 9 GB
Blue Jays: 72-76- 20 GB
Tigers: 71-77- 21 GB
Red Sox: 64-85- 28.5 GB

In the Central:

Indians: 92-55
White Sox: 85-63- 8 GB
Royals: 78-70- 14.5 GB
Brewers: 72-76- 20.5 GB
Twins: 58-90- 34.5 GB

In the West:

Rangers: 69-78
Angels: 67-81- 2.5 GB
Mariners: 66-81- 3 GB
Athletics: 63-84- 6 GB

In the Wild Card:

White Sox: 85-63
Orioles: 83-65- 2 GB

In case there was any doubt, the only way for a Western team to make the playoffs is to win the division; all four teams have been eliminated from wild card contention.

Next: We look at September 2,

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Feb 22, 2019

I've decided to clean up some series that I joined in the middle while I was fixing the schedule earlier. There are only two days of these that I've run across so far, although there could be at least one more.

Before any of that, though, I need to confess an error I just found in the original thread over at All Time Sports. On September 8, the Angels should have played the Twins instead of the Blue Jays. It doesn't matter for our purposes at the moment, since the Angels won the corrected game and neither the Jays nor the Twins are going anywhere. If the Jays creep back into the Eastern race by some miracle- and they better start creeping in one hell of a hurry since the Yanks' magic number is six- I'll add the corrected game and fix the standings. Otherwise, things will go on as is.

Now to the games of September 26, which will finish the series that went until September 29. We begin with Joe Ray's report in the West:

Angels 10, Rangers 5

Jose Canseco's two-run homer gave the Lawmen the lead in the top of the first, but the Angels responded with four in the bottom of the inning, as Chili Davis homered and Chris Turner stroked a two-run single. Chad Curtis extended the California lead to 5-2 with a homer in the fourth, but Will Clark's two-run single in the fifth cut the lead to 5-4. Harold Reynolds knocked in J.T. Snow with a base hit, but Rusty Greer's single scored David Hulse to make this a one-run game again. (Note: Joe Ray doesn't mention in what inning these last two runs were scored.) The Halos broke it open for good in the bottom of the eighth, as Tim Salmon singled in a run and Bo Jackson put the topper on the evening with a three-run homer into the third deck in right field. Starting pitcher Chuck Finley gave up nine hits in six innings, but still hung on to get the win in front of an announced crowd of over 56,000 at Anaheim Stadium.

The Angels now trail the Rangers by just a game and a half in the West.

W- Finley (13-10)
L- Pavlik (2-8)

HR- TEX: Canseco (36)
CAL: Davis (39), Curtis (17), B. Jackson (23)

Now to Desmond's Eastern report:

Orioles 7, Blue Jays 4

Jeffrey Hammonds and Harold Baines went deep for the Birds, who now find themselves a game and a half behind the White Sox in the wild card race. Their elimination number in the East remains at six.

W- S. Fernandez (9-10)
L- A. Leiter (7-8)

HR- TOR: Molitor (19), White (16)
BAL: Hammonds (16), Baines (23)

Now for my Central report:

Royals 13, Twins 2

The Royals kept themselves alive in the AL Wild Card race by blasting the Twins out of the Metrodome. Brian McRae moved into the leadoff spot because of a slight hamstring pull that limits Vince Coleman's ability on the bases and responded by driving in four runs. Wally Joyner drove in thre, e, Gary Gaetti scored three times and drove in a pair, and Greg Gagne was a perfect four for four. Add a Bob Hamelin home run and a complete game five-hitter for Tom Gordon and you get a superb all-around night's work. Kirby Puckett had the only Minnesota RBI.

W- Gordon (14-8)
L- Pulido (5-11)

HR- KC: Hamelin (29)

Indians 7, Yankees 3

With the Yanks almost certain to win the East in a walk, manager Buck Showalter dedicated this night to playing a bunch of future Yankee stars. Catcher Jorge Posada went three for five and drove in two runs in his major league debut, while can't-miss shortstop prospect Derek Jeter was one for four. For their part, the Tribe used Albert Belle as their designated hitter, pulled Jim Thome after he fouled a ball off of his foot in the fifth, and gave Omar Vizquel and Sandy Alomar Jr. the night off altogether. Those members of the Tribe who played racked up twelve hits, led by Belle's three for five. Rookie Chad Ogea pitched six and two-thirds innings to get his first major league win, while Thome homered before he left.

The Tribe's magic number to clinch the Central has gone down to seven, while the Yanks' magic number in the East remains at six.

W- Ogea (1-1)
L- Mulholland (9-10)

HR- CLE: Thome (28)

Red Sox 5, Brewers 3

Two teams playing out the string drew less than 7,000 fans to County Stadium. Those who showed up saw a superb pitching performance by Roger Clemens, as he went the distance, striking out ten Brewers. Mike Greenwell led the way for the Bosox offensively with three hits, two runs scored, and an RBI. John Jaha and Kevin Seitzer each had two hits and an RBI for the home club.

W- Clemens (12-9)
L- Wegman (9-8)

Now for your up-to-the-second standings, beginning in the East:

Yankees: 92-57 (Magic Number: 6)
Orioles: 84-65- 8 GB
Blue Jays: 72-77- 20 GB
Tigers: 71-77- 20.5 GB
Red Sox: 65-85- 27.5 GB

In the Central:

Indians: 93-55 (Magic Number: 7)
White Sox: 85-63- 8 GB
Royals: 79-70- 14.5 GB
Brewers: 72-77- 21.5 GB
Twins: 58-91- 35.5 GB

In the West:

Rangers: 69-79
Angels: 68-81- 1.5 GB
Mariners: 66-81- 2.5 GB
Athletics: 63-84- 5.5 GB

In the Wild Card:

White Sox: 85-63
Orioles: 84-65- 1.5 GB

Next: To be determined.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Feb 22, 2019

As a bonus, here are two games from September 15 that wrapped up series which started on September 12:

First, a game from Desmond in the East:

NY Yankees 12, Toronto 6
W - Melido Perez (13-4)
L - Al Leiter (7-9)
HR - NYY: Bernie Williams 2 (21) , Don Mattingly 2 (13), Paul O'Neill (27)
TOR: Joe Carter (40)

The Bronx Bombers lived up to their name in this contest, which was a good bounceback from the loss the day before. Williams and Mattingly had back-to-back home runs in the first, and each added another circuit clout at different times later in the game.

The Yanks' magic number to clinch the East now stands at five, while the Jays are now tied for third in the East with the Tigers.

Now a game from me in the Central:

Indians 9, Brewers 3

W- Martinez (18-7)
L- Bones (13-10)

HR- CLE: Baerga (22)

The Tribe took one more step toward the AL Central crown by dispatching the Brew Crew. The bulk of the offense came from designated hitter Candy Maldonado, who drove in three runs with a pair of triples and scores twice. Paul Sorrento knocked in a pair of runs, and Carlos Baerga homered. Albert Belle, meanwhile, went two for three and scores three runs but was homerless, so he still has fifty-two. On the hill, Dennis Martinez pitched eight strong innings, striking out nine. Dave Nilsson drove in two of the three Milwaukee runs, with Billy Spiers knocking home the other.

The Tribe's magic number to clinch the Central is now down to six.

Now here are the standings in the affected divisions. First, the East:

Yankees: 93-57 (Magic Number: 5)
Orioles: 84-65- 8.5 GB
Blue Jays: 72-78- 21 GB
Tigers: 71-78- 21.5 GB
Red Sox: 64-85- 28.5 GB

Now, the Central:

Indians: 94-55 (Magic Number: 6)
White Sox: 85-63- 8.5 GB
Royals: 79-70- 15 GB
Brewers: 72-78- 22.5 GB
Twins: 58-91- 36 GB

Next: To be determined.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Feb 23, 2019

Now to finish our "cleanup" operation once and for all by examining the games of Monday, September 5. We begin with Desmond's Eastern report:

Tigers 10, Yankees 8
W - John Doherty (8-8)
L - Terry Mulholland (9-11)
S - Mark Gardiner (6)
HR - DET: Cecil Fielder (38), Travis Fryman (26), Kirk Gibson (32)
NYY: Bernie Williams (22), Don Mattingly (14)

The Tigers built a 9-0 lead after four innings, chasing Mulholland from the game. But the Yanks clawed back and had the bases loaded with nobody out in the eighth. Gardiner came in and struck out the next two batters, then Mattingly flew out to end the threat.

The Yanks' magic number in the East remains at five for the moment, while the Tigers are once again tied with the Blue Jays for third place.

Rangers 8, Orioles 7

Will Clark smacked a game-winning grand slam off of Lee Smith with two outs and two strikes in the top of the ninth, and Tom Henke shut the door on the Birds in the bottom.

The Rangers now have a two-game lead on the Angels in the West, and their magic number for clinching the division is down to twelve. Meanwhile, the Birds' elimination number in the East is down to four, and they trail the White Sox by two games in the wild card race.

W- Whiteside (7-3)
S- Henke (23)
L- L. Smith (1-8)

HR- TEX: Clark (24)

Now for my Central report:

Indians 9, Royals 1

Two pieces of good news for the Royals: they managed to hold the Tribe under ten runs, and Albert Belle didn't homer. But there was still more than enough offense for Cleveland to continue their virtually uncontested march to the AL Central crown. Jim Thome drove in three with a bases-clearing double in the fourth, while Omar Vizquel had two hits and drove in a pair. Throw in seven efficient innings from starter Mark Clark, and you have an easy Cleveland victory and a magic number of five to clinch the division.

W- Clark (16-3)
L- Appier (12-9)

Finally, Joe Ray's Western report:

Athletics 7, Twins 5

The Twins scored three times in the top of the first, with two of the runs coming on a Kent Hrbek single. But the A's came back with three of their own in the bottom of the inning on a fielder's choice and Rickey Henderson's two-run single. Troy Neel homered in the fifth to give Oakland a 4-3 lead, and they added three more in the sixth on a passed ball by Twins catcher Matt Walbeck and a two-run single by Ruben Sierra. Scott Leius' solo homer in the eighth brought the Twins back within 7-5, but Dennis Eckersley retired the side on ten pitches in the ninth to earn the save.

W- Welch (4-8).
S- Eckersley (24)
L- Trombley (3-2)

HR- OAK: Neel (19)
MIN: Leius (15)

Before we go, here's the other game from September 15:

White Sox 9, Athletics 5

The Pale Hose kept pace in the AL Central and increased their lead over the Orioles in the wild card race. First of all, Frank Thomas didn't homer tonight, which means that he still has fifty-five. The offensive leadership this evening belonged to designated hitter Julio Franco, who went two for four with a homer and four RBIs. Darrin Jackson drives in a pair of runs, and both Thomas and Tim Raines scored twice. Jason Bere gave up just four Oakland hits in seven innings, though they did score four runs. Speaking of the A's, Scott Brosius had a big night, driving in four of their five runs. Troy Neel homered to account for the other.

The Chisox' elimination number in the Central remains at five, and they now lead the O's by two and a half games in the wild card race. Their magic number to clinch the wild card is eleven.

W- Bere (14-9)
L- Welch (4-9)

HR- OAK: Neel (20)
CWS: Franco (22)

Now for your up-to-the-second standings, beginning in the East:

Yankees: 93-58 (Magic Number: 4)
Orioles: 84-66- 8.5 GB
(tie) Blue Jays: 72-78- 20.5 GB
(tie) Tigers: 72-78- 20.5 GB
Red Sox: 64-85- 28 GB

In the Central:

Indians: 95-55 (Magic Number: 5)
White Sox: 86-63- 8.5 GB
Royals: 79-71- 16 GB
Brewers: 72-78- 23 GB
Twins: 58-92- 37 GB

In the West:

Rangers: 70-79
Angels: 68-81- 2 GB
Mariners: 66-81- 3 GB
Athletics: 64-85- 6 GB

In the Wild Card:

White Sox: 86-63
Orioles: 84-66- 2.5 GB

Note: The Blue Jays, Tigers, and Brewers have all been eliminated from wild card contention. The only other team left in that race is the Royals, and their elimination number is six.

Next: We look at September 16.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Feb 24, 2019

Now here's the action for Friday, September 16. We begin with my Central report:

Brewers 10, Tigers 1 (ABC: Bob Carpenter, Reggie Jackson)

The Brew Crew trampled the Tigers at County Stadium. Greg Vaughn led the way with two hits and three runs batted in, and three more Brewers had a pair of RBIs apiece, including John Jaha, who homered. The Tigers got three hits apiece from Tony Phillips and Kirk Gibson in a losing cause. Commissioner Bud Selig attended this game and got a standing ovation from his hometown fans.

W- Wegman (10-8)
L- Moore (13-14)

HR- MIL: Jaha (16)

Blue Jays 2, Indians 1 (ABC: Chris Berman, Tommy Hutton, Stuart Scott)

All the runs in this game were scored on third-inning home runs; Roberto Alomar went deep for the world champions, and Wayne Kirby followed suit for the Tribe. Kirby ended up with two of Cleveland's five hits, while Joe Carter had three if Toronto's five hits. Albert Belle went 0 for 2 and was walked twice, which didn't exactly sit well with the partisan crowd at the Jake.

The Tribe's magic number to clinch the Central still stands at five, while the Blue Jays are back in third place by themselves in the East thanks to this win and the Tigers' loss.

W- Stootlemyre (14-7)
S- Hall (23)
L- Morris (15-7)

HR- TOR: Alomar (13)
CLE: Kirby (6)

White Sox 7, Athletics 6 (ABC: Brent Musburger, Jim Kaat, Jack Arute)

The Sox held serve against the Indians and also expanded their lead over the Orioles in the wild card race. Frank Thomas went 0 for 3, but Robin Ventura and Mike LaValliere picked up the offensive slack, each driving in three runs. Ventura homered in the bottom of the first as part of a five-run inning. The A's made a determined comeback, led by two hits and three RBIs from Mike Bordick and two hits and two RBIs from shortstop Fausto Cruz, but Kirk McCaskill slammed the door in the ninth to preserve the win.

The Sox' elimination number in the Central stays at five, and they now lead the Orioles by three games in the wild card race. Their magic number to clinch the spot is ten.

W- DeLeon (5-3)
S- McCaskill (4)
L- Witt (8-13)

HR- CWS: Ventura (27)

Angels 9, Royals 5 (ABC: Gary Thorne, Dave Campbell)

The Halos scored four times in the top of the ninth to get the win and move to within a game and a half of the lead in the AL West. Jorge Fabregas's single was the game winning hit, and Chlii Davis went four for five, including a home run, and drove in three runs. Dwight Smith and Tim Salmon drove in a pair of runs apiece. For the home squad, Bob Hamelin and Gary Gaetti hit home runs, and Vince Coleman drove in a pair. It's Gaetti's two-run shot in the bottom of the eighth that tied the game and got Kauffman Stadium to its feet, only for the Halos to take the wind out of their sails. The Royals thus blew a golden opportunity to perhaps move closer in the Wild Card race, and time is slowly ticking away on what was once an extremely promising season.

W- Dopson (5-5)
S- B. Patterson (2)
L- Meacham (4-4)

HR- KC: Hamelin (30), Gaetti (19)
CAL: Davis (40)

Now for Desmond's Eastern report:

Boston 6, Minnesota 2 (ABC: Bob Ley, Buck Martinez)
W - Aaron Sele (11-10)
L - Pat Mahomes (10-9)
HR - BOS:Mo Vaughn (38)
MIN: Kirby Puckett (26)

Sele pitched a complete game, allowed four hits, and struck out seven. The only Twins runs came on the dinger by Puckett with two outs in the sixth.

Orioles 5, Yankees 4 (15 innings; ABC: Jon Miller, Joe Morgan, Peter Gammons)

Mark McLemore's bloop single in the bottom of the fifteenth ended this 545-pitch, five hour and forty-eight minute marathon. Each team used seven pitchers.

The Yanks' magic number in the East stays at four, and the O's are still two and a half games behind the White Sox in the wild card race.

W- Eichhorn (10-8)
L- X. Hernandez (6-6)

HR- NYY: Stanley (22), O'Neill (28)
BAL: Anderson (19)

Finally, Joe Ray's Western report:

Rangers 7, Mariners 6 (ABC: Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Lesley Visser)

Bill Haselman's double gave the Mariners the lead in the top of the second, but Juan Gonzalez tied the game with an RBI single in the bottom of the second. Tino Martinez's sacrifice fly brought home Ken Griffey Jr. in an unidentified inning to give Seattle the lead, Dean Palmer's fourth-inning single tied the game for Texas, but the Mariners took a 4-2 lead in the top of the fifth and knocked Rangers starter Kevin Brown out of the game when Junior blasted his fiftieth home run of the year.

Eric Anthony's base hit extended the Mariners' lead to 5-2, but Palmer tied the game at five in the bottom of the sixth with a three-run homer. The Mariners took the lead back in the top of the seventh when Junior scored on Felix Fermin's single, Jose Canseco retied the game with a solo dinger in the bottom of the seventh, and the Rangers plated the winning run in the bottom of the ninth against future Hall of Famer Goose Gossage when David Hulse tripled and scored on Rusty Greer's ground-rule double.

The Rangers thus retain their two-game lead over the Angels in the West, and the Mariners have now fallen four back. The Rangers' magic number to clinch is eleven.

W- Carpenter (5-5)
L- Gossage (3-1)

HR- SEA: Griffey Jr. (50)
TEX: Canseco (37), Palmer (21)

Now for your up-to-the-second standings, beginning in the East:

Yankees: 93-59 (Magic Number: 4)
Orioles: 85-66- 7.5 GB
Blue Jays: 73-78- 19.5 GB
Tigers: 72-79- 20.5 GB
Red Sox: 65-85- 27 GB

In the Central:

Indians: 95-56 (Magic Number: 5)
White Sox: 87-63- 7.5 GB
Royals: 79-72- 16 GB
Brewers: 73-78- 22 GB
Twins: 58-93- 37 GB

In the West:

Rangers: 71-79
Angels: 69-81- 2 GB
Mariners: 67-83- 4 GB
Athletics: 64-86- 7 GB

In the Wild Card:

White Sox: 87-63 (Magic Number: 10)
Orioles: 85-66- 2.5 GB

Next: We look at September 17.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Feb 25, 2019

Now let's look at the action for Saturday, September 17. We begin with Joe Ray's Western report:

Mariners 12, Rangers 3

The M's scored three times in the first, with the key hit being Felix Fermin's triple. Jay Buhner's two-run homer in the third made it 5-0, and later in the inning Eric Anthony teed off to make it 6-0. Buhner doubled in two more in the fifth, and scored himself on Dan Wilson's single off the glove of Rangers third baseman Dean Palmer. They finished with three in the eighth, including a two-run single by Fermin. On the mound, Randy Johnson went the distance, allowing just five hits and striking out twelve. The Rangers' only runs came on Jeff Frye's bases-clearing double in the sixth.

The Mariners are right back in the thick of the Western race, trailing by three games with eleven to play. The Rangers' lead over the second-place Angels is down to a game and a half, and their magic number to clinch remains at eleven.

W. Johnson (17-8)
L- Fajardo (7-9)

HR- SEA: Buhner (29), Anthony (14)

Now for Desmond's Eastern report:

Minnesota 2, Boston 0
W - Kevin Tapani (13-11)
L - Joe Hesketh (8-12)

Tapani's two-hit shutout silenced the bats and the crowd at Fenway Park.

NY Yankees 9, Baltimore 4
W - Melido Perez (14-4)
L - Jamie Moyer (6-13)
HR - NYY: Bernie Williams (23), Jim Leyritz (19), Danny Tartabull (26), Mike Gallego (7)
BAL: Cal Ripken Jr. (19), Mike Devereaux (15)

Some great hitting and decent pitching helped the Yanks overcome the effects of last night's painful loss.

The Yanks' magic number to clinch the East is now down to four. The O's have also lost more ground in the wild card race, as their elimination number has dropped to nine.

Now for my Central report:

Angels 8, Royals 6

As of this moment, the Halos are just a game out in the AL West after nipping the Royals. Rex Hudler led the way offesnively for California, going three for six and driving in three runs. Chili Davis's bat is anything but; he went a perfect three for three at the plate, driving in two. Felix Jose drove in three for the Royals, who come back from down 6-0 after four and a half to make a game out of it, but fall just short. Amazingly, in a game where the two teams combine for fourteen runs and twenty-five hits, there are no home runs.

The Royals are barely hanging on in the wild card race; their elimination number is down to three.

W- Langston (12-9)
S- Dopson (3)
L- Gordon (14-9)

Indians 8, Blue Jays 3

The Tribe cut their magic number for clinching the Central to four by scoring three in the seventh and two in the eighth to break a 3-3 tie. The game-winning hit was Manny Ramirez's three-run homer to dead center that accounts for the aforementioned runs in the seventh. Tony Pena spelled Sandy Alomar behind the plate for the evening and went four for five with two runs batted in, and Kenny Lofton racked up three hits in six at-bats and drove in another pair. On the mound, Charles Nagy scattered twelve hits over eight innings to get the win.

The only sad news of the evening was that Albert Belle went homerless again. Part of that is due to the Jays, who walked him three times, all intentionally and all to massive boos from the sellout crowd. "I don't blame them a bit," said Jays manager Cito Gaston after the game. "They came to see Albert hit home runs. But surely they don't want us to just give him the record. It wouldn't be fair to our guys to pitch to him every time. We're still trying to win."

Belle agreed with Gaston: "They need to do what they can to win. At least if they walk me, I get on base and we can score some runs." He's currently thirteen home runs behind Matt Williams with ten games to play, so it will take a hot streak of epic proportions for him to even come close to the record.

W- Nagy (12-10)
L- W. Williams (2-5)

HR- CLE: Ramirez ((24)

Tigers 9, Brewers 7

A six-run fourth lifted the Tigers past the Brew Crew in Milwaukee. Lou Whitaker and Kirk Gibson each hit two-run homers in the inning, and Whitaker also drew a bases-loaded walk. Mickey Tettleton got three hits and scored twice in a supporting role. Dave Nilsson went deep for the home team. Bill Gullickson's next start is in jeopardy; he threw just six pitches, exiting after Nilsson's home run. The nature and extent of his injury is unknown at this time.

With this Tigers' win and the Blue Jays' loss, the two teams are once again tied for third place in the East.

W- Gohr (3-4)
S- Groom (3)
L- Henry (2-5)

HR- DET: Gibson (33), Whitaker (23)
MIL: Nilsson (16)

White Sox 9, Athletics 5

The Pale Hose kept the Cleveland magic number at four and extended their lead over the Orioles in the Wild Card race. They turned the game around with a six-run fifth that erased a 5-2 Oakland lead. Starting the scoring in the inning was Number 56 for Frank Thomas. It was a no-doubter into the lower deck in left center field. The eventual game-winner, however, was stroked by shortstop Norberto Martin: a two-run single that scored Darrin Jackson and Lance Johnson to give the Sox a 6-5 advantage. Robin Ventura continued his hot streak by going three for five with an RBI, and Tim Raines had two hits and drove in three. The A's received a home run from catcher Terry Steinbach and two RBIs from center fielder Ernie Young, plus three hits from Brent Gates, who started tonight at first so Troy Neel could rest a slightly pulled groin. Here's the call of 56 from Hawk Harrelson:

"Swung on and crushed deep to left center.........GIVE US FIFTY-SIX! YESSSSSSSSS! NUMBER 56 FOR FRANK THOMAS! He got all of that one, and they're on their feet for The Big Hurt, who takes a curtain call for the Comiskey faithful!"

The Sox' magic number to clinch the wild card spot now stands at eight.

W- A. Fernandez (18-8)
L- Van Poppel (9-13)

HR- OAK: Steinbach (15)
CWS: Thomas (56)

Now for your up-to-the-second standings, beginning in the East:

Yankees: 92-60 (Magic Number: 4)
Orioles: 85-67- 7 GB
(tie) Blue Jays: 73-79- 19 GB
(tie) Tigers: 73-79- 19 GB
Red Sox: 65-86- 26.5 GB

In the Central:

Indians: 96-56 (Magic Number: 4)
White Sox: 88-63- 7.5 GB
Royals: 79-72- 16.5 GB
Brewers: 73-79- 23 GB
Twins: 59-93- 37 GB

In the West:

Rangers: 71-80
Angels: 70-81- 1 GB
Mariners: 68-83- 3 GB
Athletics: 64-87- 7 GB

In the Wild Card:

White Sox: 88-63 (Magic Number: 8)
Orioles: 85-67- 3.5 GB

UPDATE: I corrected the AL East standings.

Next: We look at September 18.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Feb 26, 2019

Now let's look at the action from Sunday, September 18. We begin with Desmond's Eastern report:

NY Yankees 5, Baltimore 4
W - Bob Wickman (10-6)
L - Mark Williamson (6-2)
S - Steve Howe (20)
HR - NYY: Paul O'Neill (29) , Jim Leyritz (20)
BAL: Cal Ripken Jr. (20)

O'Neill's eighth-inning grand slam was the difference as the Yanks took two of three from their closest divisional pursuers and reduced their magic number for clinching the East to two and the Orioles' elimination number in the wild card race to seven.

Twins 15, Red Sox 3

The Twins sent sixteen men to the plate in the third, scoring eleven runs on nine hits.

W- Deshaies (7-17)
L- Darwin (9-9)

HR- MIN: Puckett (27), Mack (27), Reboulet (7)
BOS: Greenwell (14)

Now for my Central report:

Indians 4, Blue Jays 1

The Tribe is now just three steps away from the American League Central crown. Sandy Alomar went three for four with a run batted in, and Wayne Kirby knocked in a pair with a sixth-inning single, while Manny Ramirez went deep leading off the inning. Mark Clark continued his superlative year on the mound, going seven and two-thirds innings to get the win. Jose Mesa recorded the last four outs to earn the save. Joe Carter had the lone Toronto RBI despite going 0 for 3.

W- Clark (17-3)
S- Mesa (5)
L- Hentgen (14-14)

HR- CLE: Ramirez (25)

Royals 7, Angels 3

The Royals showed signs of life in the wild card race before almost 30,000 at Kauffman Stadium, scoring four in the bottom of the first to take the lead and cruising home from there. Felix Jose and Terry Shumpert hit home runs, and Greg Gagne had two hits and drove home two more runs. Kevin Appier struck out ten in eight innings, while Angels starter Joe Magrane couldn't get through the fourth after being touched up for six runs on six hits.

The Angels now trail the Rangers by a game and a half in the West, and their elimination number is ten. Meanwhile, the Royals' elimination number in the wild card race is still three.

W- Appier (13-9)
L- Magrane (2-8)

HR- KC: Shumpert (12), Jose (15)

Athletics 6, White Sox 2

The A's kept themselves faintly alive in the Western race, kept the Chisox from pulling away further in the wild card race, and also knocked their elimination number in the Central down to two. Brent Gates and Ruben Sierra hit home runs for Oakland, and Ron Darling survived giving up six walks in as many innings to get the win. Gates ended up going three for five (including the two-run homer) and scoring three times. Frank Thomas was no factor for the Sox, going 0 for 2 plus three walks, all of the "unintentionally intentional" variety. Former Sox manager Tony LaRussa was booed lustily for his decision, but stood by it after the game. "I couldn't care less if Frank gets the home run record or not. I have my own team to worry about, and I will not let Frank Thomas beat them. Period. Chicago fans should know how I manage, and if they have a problem, that's because they're too wrapped up in records and not enough in sound baseball."

Thomas declined comment, but shortstop Ozzie Guillen stuck up for South Siders: "These are the best, most loyal fans in baseball, and they come out to see us win or lose. (The Oakland fans) call their park a tombstone." (He's referring to the nickname "The Mausoleum" for the Oakland Coliseum.)

The Athletics' elimination number in the West currently stands at five.

W- Darling (13-15)
L- Sanderson (9-6)

HR- OAK: Sierra (29), Gates (4)

Brewers 4, Tigers 1

Alex Diaz's three-run homer in the third provided all the offense that the Brew Crew needed on this day. Jody Reed doubled in an insurance run in the fourth. Kirk Gibson homered in the sixth for the visitors. Bob Scanlan got the win for the Brewers in a spot start, striking out seven in five and two-thirds innings before tiring. Mike Fetters recorded the save. Even on a Packers Sunday, close to 20,000 were in attendance at County Stadium, although the loudest cheers were reserved for Packers scoring updates.

W- Scanlan (7-8)
S- Fetters (26)
L- Boever (10-6)

HR- DET: Gibson (34)
MIL: Diaz (2)

Now to Joe Ray's Western report:

Rangers 13, Mariners 6

The Rangers jumped to a 3-0 second inning lead on run-scoring hits by Jeff Frye, Manuel Lee, and Juan Gonzalez, thus sending Seattle starting pitcher Greg Hibbard to the showers. Mike Blowers homered to left to put the Mariners on the board, but Billy Ripken's two-run single in the fourth made it 5-1 Texas. Blowers knocked in the second Seattle run in the fifth with a base hit, but the Rangers answered with a seven-spot of their own. Rich Amaral's error started things off, and it was followed by a Gonzalez single and a one-out walk. Rusty Greer's sacrifice fly brought home a run, then Jose Canseco singled in two more. Ripken singled, then Junior Griffey misplayed Pudge Rodriguez's fly ball for a two-base error, which allowed Canseco to score. Frye topped tings off with a two-run triple, one of two for him on the night, that made it 12-2 Rangers. David Hulse tripled home the final Rangers run in the sixth.

The Mariners made the final score a little closer with Tino Martinez's solo shot in the eighth and Junior's three-run blast in the eighth, his fifty-first of the year.

The Rangers' lead over the Angels in the West is now two games, and their magic number to clinch the division is nine. The Mariners are now four games back in third place.

W- Whiteside (8-3)
L- Hibbard (1-11)

HR- SEA: Griffey Jr. (51), Blowers (11), E. Martinez (20)

Now for your up-to-the-second standings, beginning in the East:

Yankees: 93-60 (Magic Number: 2)
Orioles: 85-68- 8 GB
(tie) Blue Jays: 73-80- 20 GB
(tie) Tigers: 73-80- 20 GB
Red Sox: 65-87- 27.5 GB

In the Central:

Indians: 97-56 (Magic Number: 2)
White Sox: 88-64- 8.5 GB
Royals: 80-72- 16.5 GB
Brewers: 74-79- 22.5 GB
Twins: 60-93- 37 GB

In the West:

Rangers: 72-80 (Magic Number: 9)
Angels: 70-82- 2 GB
Mariners: 68-84- 4 GB
Athletics: 65-87- 7 GB

In the Wild Card:

White Sox: 88-64 (Magic Number: 7)
Orioles: 85-68- 3.5 GB

Next: To be determined.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Feb 27, 2019

Now let's look at the action for Saturday, September 3. There are no games being played in Western parks this weekend, so it's just Desmond and me. Speaking of Desmond, here's his Eastern report:

A's 3, Blue Jays 2

The A's got just enough offense to win, and Dennis Eckersley topped off the evening with a two-inning save.

W- Witt (9-13)
S- Eckersley (25)
L- A. Leiter (7-10)

Tigers 7, Orioles 5

Rafael Palmeiro belted a grand slam in the top of the ninth to put the Birds ahead, but Travis Fryman answered with a two-run blast of his own in the bottom of the ninth to win it for Detroit. The elimination numbers for the O's are down to one (East) and six (wild card) respectively. Meanwhile, the Tigers are back in third place by themselves in the East.

W- Boever (11-6)
L- L. Smith (1-9)

HR- BAL: Palmeiro (29)
DET: Fryman (27), Fielder (39)

Now to my Central report:

Red Sox 7, Royals 2

The Bosox scored six in the first two innings on their way to a cakewalk. Right fielder Billy Hatcher led the Boston offense, going three for five, driving in two runs, and scoring two more. The Sox also got two hits apiece from Mo Vaughn and John Valentin. Vince Coleman and Wally Joyner had the Kansas City RBIs, and Coleman had two hits. But the big story was the four combined wild pitches and passed balls in the first two innings that led directly to the two Boston runs in the first and to four more in the second. Royals manager Hal McRae was so disgusted that he yanked starter Chris Haney without even looking at him after only one out in the second. "He was horseshit tonight," barked the Royals skipper after the game. "I may have to smell it, but I sure as hell don't have to look at it." Meanwhile, Aaron Sele worked eight strong innings for the Sox to get the win.

The Royals are still hanging on by their fingernails in the wild card race with an elimination number of three.

W- Sele (12-10)
L- Haney (2-3)

Mariners 5, Twins 3

The Mariners stayed alive in the Western race. Tino Martinez and Jay Buhner drove in a pair of runs apiece via the longball. Martinez homered in the second, Buhner in the third. Ken Griffey Jr. had the other RBI, but was held without a homer, leaving him still five short of AL leader Frank Thomas, 56-51. Kirby Puckett went four for five for the Twnkies in a losing cause, and Alex Cole and Chuck Knoblauch had three hits apiece. Starter Scott Erickson lasted just two and a third innings for the home club and left the game after Buhner's dinger.

The Mariners now trail the Rangers by three and a half games in the West with nine left to play.

W- Cummings (4-5)
S- Ayala (24)
L- Erickson (9-15)

HR- SEA: Buhner (30), T. Martinez (26)

Indians 22, Angels 3

The division leaders racked up twenty-two runs on twenty-five hits and left the Angels for dead at the Jake. The only victory that the Halos scored on the day was that Jack Morris left the game after Chili Davis' three-run homer in the sixth due to slight shoulder stiffness after giving up just two hits in five and a third innings. Eric Plunk pitchds the final three and two-thirds to get the save. There's no way to list all the hitting stats the Tribe piled up on this day, but among the highlights were Albert Belle and Sandy Alomar each driving in five runs (and Belle hitting his fifty-third home run in the second inning), Kenny Lofton and Omar Vizquel getting five hits apiece to go with Belle's four, and Lofton and Belle each scoring four runs.

The Angels had to empty their bullpen, using seven pitchers, which could impact their division title hopes in the AL West going forward. They trail the Rangers by two and a half games, and their elimination number is down to eight. Meanwhile, a White Sox loss to the Yankees tonight at Comiskey means that the Indians are Central division champs.

W- Morris (16-7)
S- Plunk (5)
L- Finley (13-11)

HR- CAL: Davis (41)
CLE: Belle (53)

Rangers 21, Brewers 8

For the second time in this report, a team goes over twenty runs: the AL West leading Rangers, who hit blackjack on the Brewers. As with the Indians, there were too many offensive highlights for Texas to list hem all. The major players included second baseman Doug Strange, who homered and drove in five; right fielder Rusty Greer, who went four for five, scored three times, and had a homer and four RBIs; left fielder Juan Gonzalez, who went four for seven with two RBIs, and catcher Pudge Rodriguez, who went five for six with a dinger and three ribbies. All three home runs came in a nine-run sixth. The Rangers amassed twenty-four hits in all.

For their part, the Brew Crew received four RBIs from Turner Ward and three from John Jaha, but starter Bill Wegman was nuked for eleven runs and eleven hits in two innings, and replacement Jose Mercedes for nine runs on ten hits in three and a third.

The Rangers now lead the Angels by three games in the West, and their magic number is down to seven.

W- Brown (11-10)
L- Wegman (10-9)

HR- TEX: Greer (14), Rodriguez (22), Strange (7)

Yankees 8, White Sox 5

The Yanks scored six times in the third on their way to defeating the Pale Hose and clinching the East for themselves and also the Central for the Indians. Danny Tartabull led the way for the Bronx Bombers with a home run and four RBIs, and catcher Mike Stanley also went deep. It's a balanced offensive attack for the Yanks, as they pounded out fifteen hits, with everyone but Wade Boggs (of all people) getting at least one. The Sox are led by three hits from left fielder Tim Raines, but their pitching betrayed them, as they, like the Angels in Cleveland, went through seven pitchers. Frank Thomas went two for five, but didn't homer, so he still has fifty-six.

Two future Yankee legends made their debuts today: Young infield prospect Derek Jeter played the ninth inning at shortstop as a defensive replacement, and future unanimous Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera made his debut in the heat of an eighth-inning White Sox rally. Raines singles home a run on his first major-league pitch, but with the score 6-5 Yanks and runners at first and third, Sir Mo (wearing Number 67 as opposed to his trademark 42) struck out Ron Karkovice and got Ozzie Guillen to ground to third and end the inning. Steve Howe got the save in the ninth.

Because the new Division Series determines its matchups on a rotation basis, the Yankees and Indians, who have the two best records in the American League at the moment, will meet beginning October 4 at Jacobs Field.

The Chisox' magic number to clinch the wild card remains at six.

W- Key (21-6)
S- Howe (21)
L- Sanderson (9-7)

HR- MYY: Tartabull (27), Stanley (23)

Congratulations to both the American League East champion New York Yankees and the American League Central champion Cleveland Indians!

Note: I deliberately did September 3 before September 2 so I could get the East and Central races out of the way. Of course, with the continuity in this thread long since smashed to pieces, what the hell does it matter anyway?

Now for your up-to-the-second standings, beginning in the East:

Yankees: 94-60 (clinched)
Orioles: 85-69- 9 GB
Tigers: 74-80- 20 GB
Blue Jays: 73-81- 21 GB
Red Sox: 66-87- 27.5 GB

In the Central:

Indians: 98-56 (clinched)
White Sox: 88-65- 9.5 GB
Royals; 80-73- 17.5 GB
Brewers: 74-80- 24 GB
Twins: 60-94- 38 GB

In the West:

Rangers: 73-80 (Magic Number: 7)
Angels: 70-83- 3 GB
Mariners: 69-84- 4 GB
Athletics: 66-87- 7 GB

In the Wild Card:

White Sox: 88-65 (Magic Number: 6)
Orioles: 85-69- 3.5 GB

Next: To be determined.

Thoughts?

Tonrich · Feb 28, 2019

Go Tribe!!!!

Garrett Garlits · Feb 28, 2019

Now here's the action for Sunday, September 4. We begin with Desmond's Eastern report:

Oakland 5, Toronto 3 (10 innings)
W - Bob Welch (5-9)
L - Mike Timlin (1-3)
HR - OAK: Ruben Sierra (30)

The A's pushed across two unearned runs in the tenth inning to pull off the victory and remain alive in the West. Their elimination number is three.

Orioles 10, Tigers 3

The O's took out their recent frustrations on the Tigers, belting four home runs. Their elimination number in the wild card race remains at six.

W- S. Fernandez (10-10)
L- Wells (8-11)

HR- BAL: Ripken Jr. (21), Deveraux (16), Baines (24), Hoiles (27)
DET: Kreuter (2)

Now for my Central report:

Mariners 8, Twins 3

The M's kept pace in the West by polishing off the Twins at the Metrodome. The decisive blow was Number 52 for Junior Griffey, which came with two on in the fifth and gave the visitors a 5-3 advantage. Griffey drove in a total of four runs on the day, supplemented by two RBIs from Jay Buhner and a three for five performance from Tino Martinez, including a home run. The Twins got three hits each from shortstop Pat Meares and left fielder Pedro Munoz, but to no avail.

The Mariners will be no more than four games out at the end of the day, but time's running out for them to make their move; they only have eight games to play.

W- Cummings (5-5)
S- Ayala (25)
L- Mahomes (10-10)

HR- SEA: Griffey Jr. (52), T. Martinez (27)

Royals 7, Red Sox 6

Vince Coleman stole three bases and got the game-winning hit as the Royals evened their series with the Bosox. Coleman's single in the bottom of the eighth drove in Bob Hamelin and broke a 6-6 tie. The game-winner was Coleman's third hit in five at bats on the day. Elsewhere, Wally Joyner and Mike Macfarlane went deep for KC. Tim Naehring went three for five for Boston, and Otis Nixon continued his superlative work at the top of the order, going two for four and driving in three runs.

The Royals' elimination number in the wild card race stays at two.

W- Belinda (6-5)
S- Montgomery (37)
L- Howard (2-1)

HR- KC: Joyner (13), Macfarlane (24)

Indians 26, Angels 9

The Tribe picked up right where they left off yesterday with another incredible offensive display, this time piling up twenty-six runs on twenty-eight hits. Sandy Alomar Jr. led the offense, gong five for six with two home runs and seven RBIs, and scoring five runs to boot. Kenny Lofton went five for five with two dingers, six RBIs, and four runs scored, and Omar Vizquel was five for seven. Albert Belle went four for seven with four runs scored and four RBIs, and hit his fifty-fourth homer as part of a nine-run sixth. As of now, he's two ahead of Ken Griffey Jr. in the American League home run race and just two behind Frank Thomas of the White Sox. Tim Salmon homered for the Angels, and he was one of four Halos to drive in two runs apiece. Eric Plunk got the win in relief for the Tribe. Time of the game: 4:32.

The Angels' elimination number has dropped to six, and if the Rangers beat the Brewers at County Stadium they'll be tied with the Mariners for second place in the West.

W- Plunk (13-6)
L- Leftwich (9-12)

HR- CAL: Salmon (30)
CLE: Belle (54), Alomar Jr. 2 (22), Lofton 2 (16)

White Sox 5, Yankees 4 (ESPN: Jon Miller, Joe Morgan, Peter Gammons)

Tim Raines' base hit in the bottom of the seventh won it for the Sox, but there's only one hit that everyone's talking about: Number 57 for the Big Hurt, which came in the bottom of the first off of Jim Abbott. Here's Jon Miller's call:

"O-1 pitch to Thomas.........HIGH AND DEEP TO RIGHT CENTER, WILLIAMS BACK AT THE TRACK..........IT'S GONE, HOME RUN! NUMBER 57 FOR THE BIG HURT!............In the city where they made the curtain call famous, the over-under for Thomas is three........there's one, and they're not letting him sit down yet......and there's two. Now he begs off; he has to save some for later."

Julio Franco also went yard for the Pale Hose to tie the game at four in the seventh, while Raines went a perfect three for three, including his game-winning hit. Danny Tartabull homered for the Yanks, and Don Mattingly went three for five with a pair of RBIs. The education of Mariano Rivera continued, as he was charged with the loss after giving up four hits in two-thirds of an inning, including Raines' game winner.

The Sox still have a three and a half game lead over the Orioles in the wild card race, and their magic number to clinch the spot is five.

W- R. Hernandez (6-8)
S- McCaskill (5)
L- Rivera (0-1)

HR- NYY: Tartabull (28)
CWS: Thomas (57), Franco (23)

Rangers 9, Brewers 8

The Rangers scored two in the top of the eighth to down the Brew Crew and keep their four-game lead over the Angels and Mariners in the West. The eventual winning run scored on a wild pitch from Milwaukee reliever Graeme Lloyd. Leading the way offensively for Texas was catcher Ivan Rodriguez, who had a home run and four RBIs on the day. Jose Canseco also went deep for the Rangers; in fact, both his and Rodriguez's home runs were three-run shots that scored all six runs for Texas in the fifth. Jose Valentin drove in five runs for the Brewers, and Dave Nilsson went five for five and scored three runs while driving in one. Darren Oliver got the relief win for the Rangers while Tom Henke pitched a perfect ninth for the save.

W- Oliver (6-4)
S- Henke (24)
L- Lloyd (2-4)

HR- TEX: Rodriguez (23), Canseco (38)

Now for your up-to-the-second standings, beginning in the East:

Yankees: 94-61 (clinched)
Orioles: 86-69- 8 GB
Tigers: 74-81- 20 GB
Blue Jays: 73-82- 21 GB
Red Sox: 67-88- 27 GB

In the Central:

Indians: 99-56 (clinched)
White Sox: 89-65- 9.5 GB
Royals: 81-73- 17.5 GB
Brewers: 74-81- 25 GB
Twins: 60-95- 39 GB

In the West:

Rangers: 74-80 (Magic Number: 5)
(tie) Angels: 70-84- 4 GB
(tie) Mariners: 70-84- 4 GB
Athletics: 67-87- 7 GB

In the Wild Card:

White Sox: 89-65 (Magic Number: 5)
Orioles: 86-69- 3.5 GB

Next: We go back and pick up the games of September 2.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Mar 1, 2019

Now let's look at the action for Friday, September 2. We begin with Desmond's Eastern report:

Baltimore 5, Detroit 2 (ABC: Al Michaels, Jim Kaat, Lesley Visser)
W - Jamie Moyer (7-13)
L - Bill Gullickson (5-8)
S - Lee Smith (37)
HR - BAL: Brady Anderson (20)
DET: Cecil Fielder (40), Alan Trammell (9)

Moyer pitched seven strong innings for the win, while Smith completed a daunting five-out assignment for the save. The Birds' elimination number in the wild card race remains at five for the moment.

Athletics 8, Blue Jays 3 (ABC: Bob Ley, Buck Martinez)

The A's got home runs from Rickey Henderson and Mike Bordick in a win they needed to stay afloat in the West. Henderson's blast led off the game.

W- Darling (14-15)
L- Stewart (9-11)

HR- OAK: Bordick (4), Henderson (22)

Now for my Central report:

Red Sox 12, Royals 4 (ABC: Bob Carpenter, Reggie Jackson)

Kansas City's wild card hopes were officially dashed, as the Sox piled up seventeen hits and got a complete game from Roger Clemens. Mo Vaughn hit two home runs to lead the way for Boston, one of which landed in the center field upper deck at Royals Stadium. Scott Fletcher added a home run and totaled three for four with three RBIs and three runs scored. Right fielder Lee Tinsley also had a monster night for the Bosox, going four for five and scoring four times. Bob Hamelin went deep for the Royals. Skipper Hal McRae closed the clubhouse to the media for half an hour following the game. When asked what the conversation was like, he replied, "Honestly, there was none. What was there to say? We laid an egg tonight, and our season slipped away from us. What more needs to be said?"

W- Clemens (13-9)
L- Milacki (0-6)

HR- BOS: Fletcher (5), M. Vaughn 2 (40)
KC: Hamelin (31)

Angels 9, Indians 5 (ABC: Jon Miller, Joe Morgan, Peter Gammons)

The Angels are temporarily by themselves in second place in the West, as they sped out to an 8-0 lead on the Tribe and held on from there. Third baseman Damion Ealey, first baseman Eduardo Perez, and second baseman Rex Hudler all drove in two runs apiece, and shortstop Gary Disarcina goes four for five. Hudler's RBIs come on a third-inning home run. Paul Sorrento was responsible for the bulk of the Cleveland offense courtesy of his fourth-inning three -un dinger. Sandy Alomar Jr. also went deep for the Tribe, but they could only get three other hits the whole evening. The Angels are now just three and a half games out in the crowded and dismal West with an elimination number of five.

Even though the Tribe lost tonight, they've won thirty-three of their past forty-three games to turn the Central race into the rout it's become. Wow!

W- Dopson (6-5)
S- M. Leiter (8)
L- Grimsley (6-4)

HR- CAL: Hudler (10)
CLE: Sorrento (20), Alomar (23)

Brewers 7, Rangers 5 (ABC: Gary Thorne, Dave Campbell)

Next we go to County Stadium, where the Brew Crew topped the Rangers and prevented them from widening their lead in the West. Kevin Seitzer and Darryl Hamilton each went three for five to lead the way offensively; Seitzer knocked in a pair of runs, Hamilton one. Jose Valentin homered. Juan Gonzalez drove in a pair for Texas, but the starting pitching failed the Western leaders, as Rick Helling could only last two and a third innings.

The Rangers' lead over the Angels is now down to three games, and the Mariners can also gain ground if they beat the Twins at the Metrodome, which is our next stop.

W- Bones (14-10)
S- Fetters (27)
L- Helling (3-4)

HR- MIL: Jose Valentin (13)

Twins 9, Mariners 2 (ABC: Chris Berman, Tommy Hutton)

The Mariners were pounded by the homestanding Twins, and as of now they're back in third place in the West by themselves. Pedro Munoz and Dave Winfield went deep to lead the way; Munoz drove in three runs on the evening, while Winfield drove in two and scored three times. Backup catcher Derek Parks got the start behind the dish and went two for five with two RBIs. The Mariners amassed eleven hits, including three each from Mike Blowers and Alex Rodriguez, but did nothing with most of them. Junior Griffey went 0 for 4 and was robbed of a potential grand slam when Kirby Puckett reached over the wall in right for a circus catch that ended the game. Chris Berman set a record for "backs" in a home run call that wasn't with seven. The pitching situation wasn't any too good either, as starter Jim Converse only got two outs and fell to 0-11 on the year.

The Mariners' elimination number in the West is down to four.

W- Tapani (14-11)
L- Converse (0-11)

HR- MIN: Winfield (12), Munoz (16)

White Sox 7, Yankees 6 (ABC: Brent Musburger, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Jack Arute)

The Yanks figured to be cruising, as they went to the bottom of the eighth leading 6-2. Then, disaster struck. Ron Karkovice's inside-the-park home run sparked a two-run rally in the eighth, Then, closer Steve Howe came on in the bottom of the ninth and had nothing in the tank whatsoever. Three singles and an error scored one run to make it 6-5, then Joey Cora walked on four straight in the dirt to tie the game at six. Now it's Howe against the Big Hurt, Frank Thomas, and here's Brent:

"3-2 to Thomas. Something's gonna happen here, folks. No place to put him, and we're all tied up. This would be a great time for Number 58. Howe gets the sign from Stanley, checks the runners, and here's the payoff........BALL FOUR! SOX WIN!..............Not exactly a home run, but they couldn't care less here at Comiskey! Howe never found the plate on those last two hitters; the only strikes he got were called ones, and Thomas, who's known for his aggression, wins the game for the Sox by not swinging the bat. Unbelievable! The final score from Comiskey, Sox 7, Yankees 6. Now here's John Saunders in New York."

The Sox' magic number to clinch the wild card spot is down to four.

W- McCaskill (2-5)
L- Howe (3-1)

HR- NYY: Kelly (7)
CWS: Karkovice (12)

Here are your up-to-the-second standings, beginning in the East:

Yankees: 94-62 (clinched)
Orioles: 87-69- 7 GB
Tigers: 74-82- 20 GB
Blue Jays: 73-83- 21 GB
Red Sox: 68-88- 26 GB

In the Central:

Indians: 99-57 (clinched)
White Sox: 90-65- 8.5 GB
Royals: 81-74- 17.5 GB
Brewers: 75-81- 24 GB
Twins: 61-95- 38 GB

In the West:

Rangers: 74-81 (Magic Number: 5)
Angels: 71-84- 3 GB
Mariners: 70-85- 4 GB
Athletics: 68-87- 6 GB

In the Wild Card:

White Sox: 90-65 (Magic Number: 4)
Orioles: 87-69- 3.5 GB

Next: To be determined.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Mar 2, 2019

Now let's look at the action for Thursday, September 22. We begin with my Central report:

Rangers 6, White Sox 4

The Rangers scored three times in the top of the ninth to take Game 1 of this critical series. Juan Gonzalez knocked home the go-ahead runs with a two-run single in the ninth, and Tom Henke pitched himself out of a two-on, two-out jam in the last of the ninth by getting potential winning run Robin Ventura to ground out to short. David Hulse knocked in a pair of runs for the visitors, and Jose Canseco homered for them as well. The highlight of the Sox' evening came in the bottom of the first, when the Big Hurt faced Kevin Brown. Here's the call from Sox radio voice John Rooney:

"Brown got two quick strikes pitching Frank low and away, and I don't think he or anybody else will give him much to hit, especially tonight with the Rangers fighting for the Western title. Let's see about this next one.......a bit higher, AND FRANK CONNECTS DEEP TO LEFT! IS IT FAIR OR FOUL? DARRYL COUSINS SAYS FAIR!!!!!!!!! THAT'S 58 FOR FRANK!.............. It wasn't a bomb, but it did the job! The Sox lead 2-1, and just four home runs separate Frank Thomas from American League history! Here he comes again!"

The Rangers now lead the Angels by three and a half games in the West, and their magic number has dropped to four. Meanwhile, the Sox/ magic number to clinch the wild card spot remains at five, and they lead the Orioles by three games. Both teams have six games to play.

W- Honeycutt (2-2)
S- Henke (25)
L- McCaskill (2-6)

HR- TEX: Canseco (39)
CWS: Thomas (58)

Note: Due to the lack of a collective bargaining agreement, the Red Sox-Indians series that was supposed to start tonight and run through Sunday at Jacobs Field has been canceled.

Now here's Joe Ray's Western report:

Angels 1, Mariners 0

The Angels only managed one hit off of Randy Johnson, but that hit was a sixth-inning homer by Chad Curtis that ended up being the game-winner. The Mariners got seven hits, but they also left seven men on base. Johnson struck out ten in a losing cause. The Mariner had Eric Anthony at third as the tying run in the top of the ninth, but Rich Amaral grounded out to end the game.

The Angels remain three games behind the Rangers, while the Mariners are now five games out and almost certainly will need to win all six of their remaining games and pray for lots of losses by the Rangers and Angels to be a factor in the Western race. The M's and Halos have three more games against each other tomorrow night through Sunday.

W- Langston (13-9)
S- Grahe (15)
L- Johnson (17-9)

HR- CAL: Curtis (18)

The Brewers-Yankees and Tigers-Blue Jays series, both of which started on September 19, were also canceled due to the lack of a collective bargaining agreement.

Now for the standings in the affected divisions. First, the Central:

Indians: 99-57 (clinched)
White Sox: 90-66- 9 GB
Royals: 81-75- 18 GB
Brewers: 75-81- 24 GB
Twins: 61-95- 38 GB

Now the West:

Rangers: 75-81 (Magic Number: 4)
Angels: 72-84- 3 GB
Mariners: 70-86- 5 GB
Athletics: 68-88- 7 GB

Note: I just corrected the A's record, and they are now officially eliminated from division title contention, which means that their upcoming series with the Royals will be canceled. As an aside, they were leading the West on August 12, but they've gone 15-26 since then.

In the Wild Card:

White Sox: 90-66 (Magic Number: 4)
Orioles: 87-69- 3 GB

Next: We look at September 23.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Mar 2, 2019

Now here's the action for Friday, September 23. We begin with Desmond in Baltimore, where the Orioles are hosting the Brewers:

Baltimore 11, Milwaukee 8 (ABC: Jon Miller, Jim Kaat)
W - Ben McDonald (21-7)
L - Bob Scanlan (7-9)
S - Lee Smith (38)
HR - BAL: Cal Ripken Jr. (22), Mike Devereaux (17), Harold Baines (25)
MIL: Greg Vaughn (29), Matt Mieske (16), Jose Valentin (14)

The O's withstood a slugfest to keep their playoff hopes alive. They're currently two and a half games behind the White Sox in the wild card race with an elimination number of four.

Next is my report from Comiskey Park, where the White Sox are hosting the Rangers in what could be a playoff preview:

Rangers 6, White Sox 0 (ABC: Keith Jackson, Joe Morgan, Peter Gammons)

Kenny Rogers threw a four-hit shutout, and Jose Canseco's first-inning dinger was all the offense the AL West leaders needed. Canseco went on to drive in two more runs with a ninth-inning double, giving him three on the night, and Will Clark added a pair of RBIs. Right fielder Chris James scored twice, and everyone in the Texas starting lineup got a hit except for third baseman Dean Palmer. Frank Thomas went one for four on the evening, but was thrown out at the plate trying to score from second after his double in the fourth.

The Rangers' magic number to clinch the West is down to three pending the Mariners-Angels result later tonight. As for the Pale Hose, they've lost a game and a half off of their wild card lead over the last two days. It's down to two games now, and their magic number to clinch is still four. They have two more against the Rangers before welcoming the Angels to finish the season, while the O's have two more against the Brew Crew before hosting the worst team in the AL, the Twins, for their final three.

W- Rogers (14-10)
L- Alvarez (15-10)

HR- TEX: Canseco (40)

Finally, here's Joe Ray's report on the Mariners-Angels clash in Anaheim:

Mariners 19, Angels 4 (ABC: Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Lesley Visser)

The Mariners scored all of their runs in three big inning: six in the second, five in the third, and eight in the ninth. Four of the eight ninth-inning runs came on two mighty home runs by Junior Griffey, who now has fifty-four for the season. Mike Blowers, Tino Martinez, Felix Fermin, and Dan Wilson each drove in three runs, while Rich Amaral, Edgar Martinez, and Eric Anthony all drove in single runs. An announced crowd of 42,000 went home disappointed.

The Angels now trail the Rangers by four games in the West, and their elimination number is down to two. The Mariners, meanwhile seem to be delaying the inevitable; despite their huge win, their elimination number has dropped to one because of the Rangers' earlier win in Chicago. If they survive this weekend, they'll finish their season in Kansas City against the Royals.

W- Nelson (1-0)
L- Anderson (10-8)

HR- SEA: Griffey Jr. 2 (54)
CAL: Snow (13)

Now for your up-to-the-second standings, beginning in the East:

Yankees: 94-62 (clinched)
Orioles: 88-69- 6.5 GB
Tigers: 74-82- 20 GB
Blue Jays: 73-83- 21 GB
Red Sox: 68-88- 26 GB

In the Central:

Indians: 99-57 (clinched)
White Sox: 90-67- 9.5 GB
Royals: 81-75- 18 GB
Brewers: 75-82- 24.5 GB
Twins: 61-95- 38 GB

In the West:

Rangers: 76-81 (Magic Number: 2)
Angels: 72-85- 4 GB
Mariners: 71-86- 5 GB
Athletics: 68-88- 7.5 GB

In the Wild Card:

White Sox: 90-67 (Magic Number: 4)
Orioles: 88-69- 2 GB

The following series scheduled to take place this weekend have been canceled; Twins-Yankees, Indians-Tigers, and Red Sox-Blue Jays.

Next: To be determined.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Mar 3, 2019

Now let's look at the action for Saturday, September 24. We begin with Desmond's report from Baltimore:

Brewers 4, Orioles 2

John Jaha's two-run homer broke a 2-2 tie in the seventh and gave the O's a loss they can't afford; their elimination number in the wild card race is down to three.

W- Eldred (14-13)
L- Moyer (7-14)

HR- MIL: Jaha (17)

Now to Anaheim for Joe Ray's report:

Mariners 5, Angels 3

Mike Blowers' two-run homer in the eighth was the game-winning blow, and the Mariners' bullpen held the Halos hitless over the final two and a third innings, allowing just one walk. The home squad's last hit was Chili Davis' RBI single in the bottom of the seventh that tied the game at three. Over 46,000 fans filled The Big A to watch what could turn out to be the Angels' last stand; if the Rangers win at Comiskey against the White Sox, they'll win the West.

W. T. Davis (5-2)
S- Ayala (26)
L- M. Leiter (7-13)

HR- SEA: T. Martinez (28), Blowers (12)
CAL: Salmon (31)

Finally, my report from Chicago:

White Sox 4, Rangers 0 (ESPN cut-ins with Sox announcers Hawk Harrelson, Tom Paciorek)

It was the Sox' turn to blank the Rangers, as Jason Bere and Roberto Hernandez combined on a seven-hitter. Bere struck out ten in eight innings' work, and Hernandez added two in the ninth for a total of twelve. Only Juan Gonzalez had more than one hit for Texas. Starter Hector Fajardo gave up just three hits in five innings, but he also walked three and was too inefficient for manager Kevin Kennedy's taste. Ron Karkovica and Ozzie Guillen drove in runs for the Sox, and oh yes, Frank Thomas belted Number 59 to break a scoreless tie in the bottom of the sixth with one on. Here's John Rooney with the call:

"FIRST PITCH IS ON A LINE TO LEFT CENTER, AND NO ONE EVEN TURNS AROUND! NUMBER 59 FOR FRANK!............That ball took about three seconds to get out, Hulse turned his head, and it was gone before he could even go back on it. No chance for Gonzalez either. Now Frank's saluting the sellout crowd here at Comiskey. as he has three more games here against the Angels to try to break at least the American League record of sixty-one home runs held by Roger Maris. As hot as he's been lately he's got a good shot at it, so come on out over the next three days and give yourself a chance to see a piece of history! Of course, he also has tomorrow afternoon's game against these Rangers."

The Rangers' magic number to clinch the West remains at one, and the loser of tomorrow's game betweeen the Mariners and the Angels will be eliminated. As for the Sox, their magic number is two; they'll be the wild card if they beat the Rangers tomorrow and the Orioles lose to the Brewers.

UPDATE: Because the Mariners and Angels are tied for second, the only way the Rangers will win the West tomorrow is if they beat the White Sox. The winner of the Angels-Mariners game will still be alive.

W- Bere (15-9)
L- Fajardo (7-10)

HR- CWS: Thomas (59)

Now for your up-to-the-second standings, beginning in the East:

Yankees: 94-62 (clinched)
Orioles: 88-70- 7 GB
Tigers: 74-82- 20 GB
Blue Jays; 73-83- 21 GB
Red Sox: 68-88- 26 GB

In the Central:

Indians: 99-57 (clinched)
White Sox: 91-67- 9 GB
Royals: 81-75- 18 GB
Brewers: 76-82- 24 GB
Twins: 61-95- 38 GB

In the West:

Rangers: 76-82 (Magic Number: 1)
(tie) Angels: 72-86- 4 GB
(tie) Mariners: 72-86- 4 GB
Athletics: 68-88- 7 GB

In the Wild Card:

White Sox: 91-67 (Magic Number: 2)
Orioles: 88-70- 3 GB

Next: We look at September 25.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Mar 4, 2019

Now let's look at the action for Sunday, September 25. We begin with Desmond's report from Baltimore:

Orioles 6, Brewers 5

Chris Sabo's pinch-hit RBI double won this crucial game for the Birds, whose elimination number in the wild card race remains at two.

W- Eichhorn (11-8)
S- L. Smith (39)
L- Lloyd (2-5)

HR- MIL: Mieske (17), Nilsson (17)
BAL: Hammonds (17)

Now to Chicago for my report on Rangers-White Sox:

White Sox 10, Rangers 8 (10 innings; ESPN: Jon Miller, Joe Morgan, Peter Gammons)

Someone hit a walk-off home run to send the denizens of the South Side into a delirious good evening, but it wasn't Frank Thomas. No, it was third baseman Robin Ventura who sent everyone home happy with a two-run shot in the bottom of the tenth. Thomas went one for four with an RBI, but was held homerless, so he still has fifty-nine. The Rangers came back from 8-5 down with three in the top of the ninth to tie the game,, and had the go-ahead run ninety feet away with one out. But Kirk McCaskill struck out right fielder Oddibe McDowell and retired center fielder Rusty Greer on what amounted to a popup into short left center. This set up the heroics for Mr. Ventura. Tim Raines also homered for Chicago, while Greer and third baseman Dean Palmer hit home runs for Texas. Raines and Julio Franco each had four hits for the Sox, who totaled nineteen for the game, and catcher Mike LaValliere knocked in three runs. Here's the call of Ventura's home run from Jon Miller:

"Swung on and belted deep to left center, Greer over to the track, looks up.......IT'S GONE! WHITE SOX WIN! HOME RUN VENTURA!.................They've put it on the board, as Ken Harrelson says, and the White Sox are one step away from going back to the postseason!"

Jon's referring to the Pale Hose's magic number in the wild card race shrinking to one. Meanwhile, the Rangers lose their opportunity to clinch the West today; they'll head for Oakland to take on the A's in their season-ending series. Meanwhile, the White Sox will host the Angels, while the Orioles welcome the Twins.

W- DeLeon (6-3)
L- Carpenter (5-6)

HR- TEX: Palmer (22), Greer (15)
CWS: Ventura (28), Raines (16)

Finally, here's Joe Ray's report from Anaheim:

Angels 13, Mariners 9

The Mariners were officially eliminated from the race in the West in a game where the first two innings took ninety minutes to play and saw the Mariners take an 8-7 lead. The M's scored six in one of the two innings (Joe Ray doesn't say which one) with the highlight being Tino Martinez's grand slam. Bo Jackson homered in the seventh to put California ahead for good, while Chili Davis' three-run blast in the ninth put the game away. The Mariners' season came to an end when they left a runner on in the bottom of the ninth.

The Angels' elimination number in the West stays at one as they head for Chicago to end their season against the White Sox.

W- Grahe (4-5)
L- Risley (10-7)

HR- SEA: T. Martinez (29)
CAL: Salmon (32), Davis (42), B. Jackson (24)

Now for your up-to-the-second standings, beginning in the East:

Yankees: 94-62 (clinched)
Orioles: 89-70- 6.5 GB
Tigers: 74-82- 20 GB
Blue Jays: 73-83- 21 GB
Red Sox: 68-88- 26 GB

In the Central:

Indians: 99-57 (clinched)
White Sox: 92-67- 8.5 GB
Royals: 81-75- 18 GB
Brewers: 76-83- 24.5 GB
Twins: 61-95- 38 GB

In the West:

Rangers: 76-83 (Magic Number: 1)
Angels: 73-86- 3 GB
Mariners: 72-87- 4 GB
Athletics: 68-88- 6.5 GB

In the Wild Card:

White Sox: 92-67 (Magic Number: 1)
Orioles: 89-70- 3 GB

Next: To be determined.

Thoughts?