Baseball in the Pythagorean Universe: 1994

Now let's look at the action for Tuesday, September 20. We begin with Desmond's report from Baltimore:

Baltimore 11, Minnesota 9 (10 innings)
W - Alan Mills (4-3)
L - Carl Willis (5-5)
HR - MIN: Kirby Puckett 2 (29) , Dave Winfield (13)
BAL: Chris Hoiles (28), Jeffrey Hammonds (18)

Hoiles won it with a walk-off home run in the tenth inning and kept the Orioles alive in the wild card race, at least temporarily.

Now for my report from Chicago:

White Sox 13, Angels 3

The American League season is over, as the Pale Hose scored thirteen runs on twenty-two hits to win the wild card for themselves and hand the Western Division crown to the Rangers. Robin Ventura homered as part of a four-RBI evening, and reserve outfielder Bob Zupcic got the start in right field and went four for five, drove in two runs, and scored two more. Left fielder Tim Raines topped him, though: five for six, three runs scored and two RBIs. J.T. Snow homered for the Angels, but Frank Thomas finished the regular season with fifty-nine homers after going homerless tonight. He had two hits and drove in two runs, though.

The Sox will face the Rangers in the first ALDS, which will begin at the Ballpark in Arlington.

W- Alvarez (16-10)
L- Leftwich (9-13)

HR- CAL: Snow (14)
CWS: Ventura (29)

Finally, let's see what happened in Oakland from Joe Ray's report:

Rangers 14, Athletics 5

The Rangers sent twelve men to the plate in the bottom of the third and scored eight runs on their way to a laugher. Rusty Greer smacked a three-run homer in the second, and Will Clark added one of his own in the third. Dean Palmer added a bases-clearing double.

W- Whiteside (9-3)
L- Jimenez (1-6)

HR- TEX: Greer (16), Clark (25)

Note: As I did with the Yankees and Indians, I moved September 20 ahead of September 19 to wrap the regular season up. If using the other two days first would have created a tie in one of the races, I would have done so, but as it was the Rangers and White Sox would have remained in front and in clinching position no matter which days I used when.

Note 2: All other games scheduled to be played tonight in the American League have been canceled.

Now for your final American League standings, beginning in the East:

Yankees: 94-62 (clinched)
Orioles: 90-70- 6 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: 93-67- 8 GB
Royals: 81-75- 18 GB
Brewers: 76-83- 24.5 GB
Twins: 61-96- 38.5 GB

In the West:

Rangers: 77-83 (clinched)
Angels: 73-87- 4 GB
Mariners: 72-87- 4.5 GB
Athletics: 68-89- 7.5 GB

In the Wild Card:

White Sox: 93-67 (clinched)
Orioles: 90-70- 3 GB

That wraps up the '94 regular season. I'll be back to do the postseason shortly, but first I want to finish the '95 regular season in the American League. See you there!

Next: We begin the American League postseason.

Thoughts?
 
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Now here's the action for Tuesday, October 4. Desmond is our correspondent:

White Sox 12, Rangers 2 (ABC: Jon Miller, Joe Morgan, Jack Arute, Peter Gammons; CWS lead series 1-0)

This game was a nightmare from start to finish for the Rangers and their fans, as the home squad fell behind 5-0 after one inning thanks mostly to back-to-back homers from Frank Thomas and Robin Ventura. Thomas smacked another longball in the fifth, which led to the departure of Rangers starter Kevin Brown after he'd given up nine runs on twelve hits in four-plus innings. Rusty Greer's two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth broke up the White Sox' shutout bid.

The series continues tomorrow in Arlington before heading to Comiskey Park over the weekend.

W- McDowell (1-0)
L- Brown (0-1)

HR- CWS: Thomas 2 (2), Ventura (1), Karkovice (1)
TEX: Greer (1)

Indians 7, Yankees 5 (10 innings; ABC: Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Lesley Visser; CLE leads series 1-0)

Bernie Williams' two-run homer off of Dennis Martinez in the first gave the Yanks the lead, but the Tribe answered with one in the third on Kenny Lofton's sacrifice fly. The Pinstripes added three in the fifth, as Paul O'Neill doubled and scored on Jim Leyritz's single. Luis Polonia was next, and he smacked a two-run homer to give the home squad a 5-1 lead.

The Indians answered immediately with three in the sixth. A single and two walks against Yankee reliever Bob Wickman loaded the bases, and Carlos Baerga's double cleared them. The Tribe tied the game in the ninth off of Yankee closer Steve Howe, as Albert Belle reached when Danny Tartabull dropped his fly ball. He was sacrificed to second by Manny Ramirez and scored on Sandy Alomar Jr.'s base hit. The visitors completed their comeback in the top of the tenth, when Jim Thome's two-run homer off of Xavier Hernandez put them up 7-5. Jose Mesa shut down the Yanks n the bottom of the tenth to wrap up the win for Cleveland.

The series continues tomorrow at Yankee Stadium before relocating to Jacobs Field over the weekend.

W- Plunk (1-0)
S- Mesa (1)
L- X. Hernandez (0-1)

HR- CLE: Thome (1)
NYY: B. Williams (1), Polonia (1)

Next: We look at October 5.

Thoughts?
 
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Now here's the action for Wednesday, October 5:

White Sox 4, Rangers 1 (ABC: Jon Miller, Joe Morgan, Jack Arute, Peter Gammons; CWS leads series 2-0)

Sox starter Alex Fernandez was perfect for the first five and two-thirds innings and ended up allowing one run on six hits while walking five and striking out eight. On offense, Frank Thomas led the way for Chicago, doubling in one run in the second and forcing anther one in with a bases-loaded walk in the seventh. Robin Ventura hit the game's only home run in the sixth, and Darrin Jackson doubled in the fourth and final run for the home squad in the eighth.

The Pale Hose will attempt to sweep the Rangers in Friday's Game 3 at The Ballpark at Arlington.

W- A. Fernandez (1-0)
L- Rogers (0-1)

HR- CWS: Ventura (2)

Yankees 6, Indians 1 (ABC: Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Lesley Visser; series tied 1-1)

The Yanks bounced back to earn a split at the Stadium. Paul O'Neill started things off with a two-run homer in the first, and Don Mattingly went deep in the seventh after an RBI double by Bernie Williams. They also played small ball in the third, as Mike Gallego led off with a single, stole second, and came home on back-to-back groundouts. Jim Abbott provided a fine pitching performance, going seven strong innings while walking two and striking out five. The Indians were held to a single run in the fifth, and their best hitters, Albert Belle and Manny Ramirez, each went 0 for 4.

Game 3 will be at Jacobs Field on Friday.

W- Abbott (1-0)
L- Nagy (0-1)

HR- NYY: O'Neill (1), Mattingly (1)

Next: We take a look at the Game 3 action on Friday, October 7.

Thoughts?
 
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Here's the action for Friday, October 7:

White Sox 4, Rangers 3 (10 innings; ABC: Jon Miller, Joe Morgan, Jack Arute, Peter Gammons; CWS sweep series 3-0)

The White Sox had a 3-2 lead at the seventh-inning stretch, but the Lawmen tied things up in the bottom of the seventh when Will Clark homered. The game was still deadlocked in the bottom of the ninth, and the Rangers loaded the bases, but Rusty Greer grounded into a double play and Dean Palmer struck out. The Sox took the lead in the top of the tenth, as Joey Cora led off with a triple and came home on Tim Raines' double. Jose Canseco led off the bottom of the tenth by belting a ball off the very top of the left field wall that just missed a home run by inches. He settled for a triple, but was left stranded at third, as Roberto Hernandez struck out the next two batters and induced a popout to end the game.

The White Sox will meet the winner of the Indians-Yankees series in the American League Championship Series.

W- DeLeon (1-0)
S. R. Hernandez (1)
L- Whiteside (0-1)

HR- TEX: Clark (1)

Indians 9, Yankees 6 (ABC: Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Lesley Visser; CLE leads series 2-1)

The Yanks jumped out to a 4-0 first-inning lead against Jason Grimsley, who gave up homers to Bernie Williams and Don Mattingly. The Indians began their comeback in the third, when Jim Leyritz's throwing error chased home Sandy Alomar Jr. Albert Belle cracked a two-run homer in the third to bring the home squad back within 4-3, and Jim Thome's two-run double gave them the lead in the fifth. RBI singles by Mike Stanley and Pat Kelly gave the Yanks a 6-5 lead, but Eddie Murray won it for Cleveland with a two-out, two-strike grand slam against Bob Wickman in the last of the eighth. Jose Mesa shut the Yanks down in the ninth to earn the save, his second of the series.

The Indians will try to punch their ticket to the ALCS in tomorrow's Game 4.

W- Grimsley (1-0)
S- Mesa (2)
L- Wickman (0-1)

HR- NYY: B. Williams (2), Mattingly (2)
CLE: Thome (2), Murray (1)

Next: We examine Game 4 between the Tribe and the Pinstripes on Saturday, October 8.

Thoughts?
 
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Here's the action for Saturday, October 8:

Yankees 5, Indians 0 (ABC: Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Lesley Visser; series tied 2-2)

Terry Mulholland pitched a six-hit shutout for the Yanks while walking four, striking out six, and holding the big three of the Cleveland lineup- Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, and Jim Thome- to two hits in thirteen combined at-bats. The big offensive blow for New York came in the third, when they loaded the bases on two errors and a walk. Tis brought up Bernie Williams, who cleared them with a double. The visitors added their other two runs on Jim Leyritz's RBI single in the sixth and Mike Stanley's sacrifice fly in the seventh.

This series now moves to a decisive Game 5, which will take place tomorrow at Jacobs Field.

W- Mulholland (1-0)
L- Clark (0-1)

Next: The decisive Game 5 between the Yanks and the Tribe on Sunday, October 9.

Thoughts?
 
Now here's the action for Sunday, October 9:

Yankees 5, Indians 3 (ABC: Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Lesley Visser; NYY wins series 3-2)

The Yankees are moving on to the ALCS against the White Sox after turning back the Tribe in front of a sellout crowd at The Jake. The two teams exchanged runs in the second, and the Yanks took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third on Paul O'Neill's solo homer. Albert Belle's two-run blast in the bottom of the third made it 3-2 Cleveland, but the Yanks tied things up again in the fourth when Carlos Baerga's throwing error with two outs chased home Jim Leyritz. Bernie Williams' two-out, two-strike homer in the sixth put the Pinstripes ahead to stay. In the bottom of the ninth with Manny Ramirez at first and one out, Yankee closer Steve Howe got Belle to fly out and Jim Thome to ground out, thus ending the series. Incidentally, Belle was a combined one for nine in Games 4 and 5.

Game 1 of the American League Championship Series will take place on Wednesday night, October 12 at Yankee Stadium.

W- Key (1-0)
S- Howe (1)
L- D. Martinez (0-1)

HR- NYY: B. Williams (3), O'Neill (2)
CLE: Belle (1)

Next: Game 1 of the ALCS.

Thoughts?
 
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I mistakenly said that the ALCS would begin on Wednesday, October 12. Actually, it would start on Tuesday, October 11. Regardless, here's Game 1:

Yankees 6, White Sox 3 (ABC: Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Lesley Visser, Peter Gammons; NYY lead series 1-0)

All six Yankee runs came from the longball in their Game 1 victory at Yankee Stadium. It started in the first inning, as Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill, and Jim Leyritz went back-to-back-to-back to open up a 4-0 lead for the Pinstripes. Frank Thomas answered with a solo homer in the top of the fourth to put the Pale Hose on the board, and the Sox climbed back within 4-3 in the top of the eighth on back-to-back RBI doubles by Robin Ventura and Ozzie Guillen against Bob Wickman. But Bernie put the game away for New York with a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth. his second of he game. Steve Howe earned the save by retiring the Sox in order in the ninth.

The series continues with Game 2 tomorrow afternoon at The House That Ruth Built.

W- Abbott (1-0)
S- Howe (1)
L- McDowell (0-1)

HR- CWS: Thomas (1)
NYY: B. Williams 2 (2), O'Neill (1), Leyritz (1)

Next: We look at Game 2.

Thoughts?
 
Now here's the action for Wednesday, October 12:

Yankees 9, White Sox 0 (ABC: Al Michaels, Him Palmer, Tim McCarver, Lesley Visser, Peter Gammons; NYY lead series 2-0)

A six-run third was all the Yanks needed to steamroll the Pale Hose and take a 2-0 series lead. Paul O'Neill's grand slam was the big hit, and Bernie Williams and Mike Gallego each contributed RBI doubles. Meanwhile, Frank Thomas and Robin Ventura were each 0 for 4 for Chicago, while Julio Franco managed only one hit in four at-bats. The tree of them combined to strike out seven times, and the Yankees as a team fanned ten White Sox. Melido Perez, Scott Kamieniecki, and Bob Wickman combined on a six-hit shutout,

The series moves to Chicago's Comiskey Park for Game 3 on Friday night.

W- Perez (1-0)
L- A. Fernandez (0-1)

HR- NYY: O'Neill (2), Leyritz (2)

Next: We look at Game 3.

Thoughts?
 
Now here's the action for Friday, October 14:

White Sox 7, Yankees 6 (ABC: Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Lesley Visser, Peter Gammons; NYY lead series 2-1)

There were five lead changes in this game, with the home squad taking over last. They sprinted out to an early 3-0 lead, but the Yankees went in front 4-3 in the fifth after a bases-clearing double by Don Mattingly. Robin Ventura's two-run homer in the fifth put the Sox back in front 5-4, but the Yanks went back in front in the sixth, as Ozzie Guillen's throwing error started a Yankee rally. Jim Leyritz's bases-loaded walk tied the game, and the Yanks went ahead on a seeing-eye base hit by Pat Kelly. Steve Howe came on to close things out for the visitors in the bottom of the ninth, but Frank Thomas drew a leadoff walk and Ventura ended the evening by tucking Howe's first pitch just inside the left field foul pole for his second homer of the night.

The series continues with Game 4 tomorrow night at Comiskey Park.

W- McCaskill (1-0)
L- Howe (0-1)

HR- NYY: Boggs (1)
CWS: Ventura 2 (2)

Next: We look at Game 4.

Thoughts?
 
Now here's the action for Saturday, October 15:

White Sox 4, Yankees 3 (ABC: Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Lesley Visser, Peter Gammons; series tied 2-2)

The Yankees led 3-2 going into the bottom of the ninth, and Steve Howe got the first to outs on fly balls by Darrin Jackson and Joey Cora. He then got two quick strikes on Tim Raines, but the Chicago leadoff man battled back to work a walk. He then stole second and went to third on Mike Stanley's passed ball. Howe then walked Ozzie Gulllen, who promptly took second due to defensive indifference. Franco went down two strike, then poked a base hit just over the outstretched glove of Wade Boggs at third. Raines scored to tie the game, and Guillen managed to cross the plate just ahead of the throw home to win it for the Pale Hose.

Starters Jimmy Key (Yankees) and Jason Bere (White Sox) pitched fine games for their respective clubs; they each lasted six innings and gave up a run and five hits apiece.

The series continues tomorrow at Comiskey Park with Game 5.

W- McCaskill (2-0)
L- Howe (0-2)

Next: Our look at Game 5.

Thoughts?
 
Now here's the action for Sunday, October 16:

Yankees 8, White Sox 1 (ABC: Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Lesley Visser, Peter Gammons; NYY lead series 3-2)

Don Mattingly almost singlehandedly won Game 5 for the Yanks driving in six runs with a two-run single, an RBI double, and a three-run homer. Mike Stanley also went deep for the visitors, who chased White Sox starter Jack McDowell from the hill after just three and a third innings. The most excitement the fans at Comiskey Park felt all day was when Robin Ventura hit a fly ball down the right field line and the exploding scoreboard went off, as the operator thought it was a home run. Unfortunately, the ball landed just foul.

The Yankees will try to earn their first trip to the World Series in thirteen years with a victory in Game 6 at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night.

W- Abbott (2-0)
L- McDowell (0-2)

HR- NYY: Mattingly (1), Stanley (1)

Next: We look at Game 6.

Thoughts?
 
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Now here's the action for Tuesday, October 18:

Yankees 9, White Sox 0 (ABC: Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Lesley Visser, Peter Gammons; NYY win series 4-2)

The Yanks rolled over the Pale Hose to clinch their first trip to the World Series in thirteen years. Bernie Williams whacked a two-run homer off of Sox starter Alex Fernandez in the bottom of the first to open the scoring, and made it 3-0 in the third on Mike Stanley's RBI single. Jim Leyritz singled home a run in the fifth to make it 4-0, and Paul O'Neill went deep in the sixth to make it 5-0. The Yanks closed things out with a four-run eighth, as Mike Gallego scored on an error, Williams crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly, and Wade Boggs finished things off with a two-run homer.

The Yankees will face the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series, which will begin on Thursday night, October 20 at Riverfront Stadium.

Note: In the Pythagorean universe, the World Series begins two days after the last LCS game is played.

W- Perez (2-0)
L- A. Fernandez (0-2)

HR- NYY: B. Williams (3), O'Neill (3), Boggs (2)

Next: To be determined.

Thoughts?
 
Nice to see the Reds in it - Yankees are kind of expected,they did seem like the best team, potentially better than the Expos even, though Montreal had the better record. But, maybe part of that is because they won so much after that in the late '90s.
 
I was shocked that the Reds pulled off a sweep in the NLCS, given the vaunted reputation of the '94 Expos. It just goes to prove that sims can be as shocking as real life!
 
It's World Series time, and I'd just like to warn you that these games were originally posted over at All Time Sports. This means that they'll be written in present tense ("Mattingly homers to left") instead of past tense. Also, the inning-by-inning format that I used earlier in this timeline is absent. It will be back when I resume doing original sims.

On those notes, it's time for the Series. Enjoy!

It's now time for Game 1 of the 1994 World Series! The prohibitive favorites are the American League champion New York Yankees, who survived a five-game war with the Cleveland Indians in the Division Series, then fought off the Chicago White Sox in six games to win their first American League pennant since 1981. Their opponents are the National League champion Cincinnati Reds, who pulled two upsets to get here; as the Yankees beat the American League Central, the Reds defeated the National League East. First, they beat the Atlanta Braves in four games. Then, they swept the team almost universally chosen to represent the National League in the Series, the Montreal Expos, in four straight games.

There's only one problem for the Reds: they haven't played in four days, and their starting pitcher, Jose Rijo, hasn't pitched in ten, since his record fifteen-strikeout performance in Game 1 against Montreal. His mound opponent, Jim Abbott, is on regular rest, as he last pitched on Sunday in the Yankees' Game 5 triumph over the White Sox. Will the Reds be rusty, or are the Yanks still tired from their tougher trip through the American League? Let's get this World Series underway and find out!

Rijo plows through the Yanks in the top of the first, getting left fielder Luis Polonia and third baseman Wade Boggs to ground out, and striking out right fielder and former Red Paul O'Neill looking at a perfect curveball. Abbott also has an easy first, giving up a walk to shortstop Barry Larkin with one out, but erasing it by getting first baseman Hal Morris to ground into a 4-6-3 double play. The Yankees also go down one-two-three in the top of the second, and a two-out single by third baseman Tony Fernandez is wasted in the bottom of the inning. In the top of the third, shortstop Mike Gallego leads off with a base hit, but second baseman Pat Kelly flies out to Deion Sanders in center field, Abbott taps back to Rijo, and Polonia strikes out. The defensive play of the evening so far comes in the bottom of the third, when with two out Gallego smothers Deion's hard-hit grounder, rises to his knees and fires to first to get Prime Time by an eyelash and end the inning.

It's Boggs leading off the top of the fourth, and here's Al Michaels:

"These two teams feeling out each other through the first three, each with one hit. Now Boggs up there, grounded to Larkin in the first. Rijo and Abbott both just cruising along so far. First pitch to Boggs.........HAMMERED DEEP TO CENTER, AND SO MUCH FOR RIJO CRUISIING! WAY OUT OF HERE, AND IT'S 1-0 NEW YORK!"

Tim McCarver: "Right over the middle of the plate, and though Boggs isn't known for his power, he's a smart enough hitter to make solid contact, and he got a ton of this one. Deion can't even make a try at it."

Jim Palmer: "I'm wondering if all those strikeouts might have done some damage. He's left quite a few hanging tonight, and the Yankees haven't gotten to them. We'll see if they've figured him out now, or if he starts to tire."

Jim seems to be on to something, as O'Neill and first baseman Don Mattingly each follow Boggs' dinger with a single. Then, catcher Mike Stanley grounds one to Larkin, but the ball takes a funny hop and hits Barry in the chest, loading the bases. Center fielder Bernie Williams is up next, and he taps back to Rijo, who fires to the plate to force O'Neill. Gallego grounds a slow one to Morris, who goes home to get Mattingly on a slightly closer play. Rijo looks to be out of trouble as he faces Kelly and gets ahead no balls and two strikes:

Al: "Jose is gonna be lucky if he gets out of this one just down one-zip. Stanley at third, Williams at second, Gallego at first, two runners already thrown out at the plate. Here's the two-strike pitch..........off the fist, but up in the air, right-center........it's gonna drop and kick past Deion, and here comes everybody! Stanley and Williams score easily, they have a shot at Gallego, here's the relay from Deion........cut off! It's 4-0 Yankees!"

Jim: "That throw was way offline. It would have gone in the dugout, and Kelly might have ended up at third or worse."

Abbott strikes out to end the inning, but the Yanks have made their statement with a four-spot, and after three and a half, it's Yankees 4, Reds 0.

In the bottom of the fourth, Larkin puts the Reds on the board:

Al: "Two strikes on Larkin, the Reds looking to get something started after those four in the fourth for the Yankees. Crowd very quiet after almost blowing the roof off, figuratively speaking of course, before the game..........This might get them going! Driven deep to left, Polonia way back and........gone! Larkin, the hometown hero playing with a groin that night need surgery after the Series, gets all of that Abbott change, and the Reds are on the board."

Tim: "He gets around well enough on that bad leg to really put some juice into his swing. He told us before the game that he's only worked out once, and that was yesterday. He's spent the rest of the week getting his groin treated."

Jim: "Looks like a smart decision so far, Timmy."

Left fielder Brian Hunter later beats out a grounder to short, but is forced by second baseman Bret Boone, and Fernandez strikes out to end the inning. But the Reds get on the board thanks to the Cincinnati native, and the Yankee lead after four is 4-1.

The Yanks get the run back in the top of the fifth. Polonia draws a leadoff walk and steals second, stays there as Boggs flies out, then scores on O'Neill's hard single to right. Mattingly's liner ticketed for the left field corner is gloved by Fernandez for out number two, and Stanley's hot smash is speared by Larkin for the final out. Halfway through, the Yanks' four-run lead is restored: New York 5, Cincinnati 1.

The Reds get a one-out single from catcher Eddie Taubensee in the bottom of the fifth, and Rijo bunts him over, but Deion grounds to short to end the inning. In the top of the sixth, Williams draws a leadoff walk and steals second with one out, then moves to third on Kelly's fly ball. But Rijo blows Abbott away on three pitches to end the inning and keep the Reds in the game. The Reds can do nothing with Hunter's two-out double in the bottom of the sixth. In the top of the seventh, Boggs singles to right with one out, and Mattingly moves him to third on another base hit with two out. Rijo loses Stanley on a five-pitch walk, and the Yanks are suddenly threatening to blow the home team out of Riverfront. But Jose strikes out Williams to end the inning and leave the bases juiced.

In the bottom of the seventh, Abbott walks Fernandez to lead it off, and Bob Wickman starts throwing in a hurry in the Yankee bullpen. Right fielder Reggie Sanders' single to right puts Reds on the corners, and Taubensee's base hit brings home Fernandez to cut the Yankee lead to 5-2. Cincy manager Davey Johnson decides to bring out the heavy artillery, sending Kevin Mitchell up to bat for Rijo, and Yankee manager Buck Showalter brings in Wickman, who proceeds to strike out Mitchell and Deion on three pitches each. Larkin singles to center to bring home Reggie and cut the Yankee lead to 5-3, but Morris grounds to Mattingly to end the inning. The Reds score two but also leave two, and at the end of seven, it's Yankees 5, Reds 3.

New Reds pitcher Johnny Ruffin sets the Yankees down in order in the top of the eighth, and new Yankee hurler Xavier Hernandez gives up a single to Boone with one out in the bottom of the eighth, but gets Fernandez and Reggie to hit into back-to-back force plays to end the inning. Ruffin gets in trouble when Polonia walks and Boggs singles to open the ninth, but O'Neill strikes out and Mattingly hits into a 4-6-3 double play. Yankee closer Steve Howe works around a pinch-hit double from Jeff Branson in the bottom of the ninth, getting Larkin to ground to Kelly for the final out, and the Yankees have taken Game 1, 5-3.

Kelly's named MVP by ABC Sports because of his bases-clearing double. "It feels real good to have this team back in the World Series," he tells Lesley Visser. "Everyone who knows baseball knows the tradition of the Yankees, and I'm proud to be a part of the team who's brought this franchise back to glory. But we still have three more wins to go, so all we can do now is get ready for tomorrow night, because they won't go down easy; we'll have to put them down."

They'll try to do that tomorrow night with ace Jimmy Key taking the mound against the Reds' John Smiley, and we'll be on the air at 8PM Eastern with a special edition of Baseball Tonight, followed by Game 2 at 8:30. On that note, we'll talk to you tomorrow night from Riverfront for Game 2. Stay tuned for your late local news, and flip over to ESPN for further postgame coverage on SportsCenter. Until tomorrow, then, Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Lesley Visser and Peter Gammons saying good night from the Queen City!

(There was no tag line from ABC Sports in 1994. Instead, there was a closing featuring either the announcers or a brief highlight clip over a voiceover that said "The American Broadcasting Company...........ABC." Tonight's close featured Boggs' home run and Howe pumping his fist after the final out.)

W- Abbott (1-0)
S- Howe (1)
L- Rijo (0-1)

HR- NYY: Boggs (1)
CIN: Larkin (1)

Next: We look at Game 2.

Thoughts?
 
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It's time for Game 2 of the 1994 World Series! Last night, the Yankees scored four in the fourth on their way to a 5-3 victory, as Jim Abbott got the win and Pat Kelly provided the bulk of the offense. Tonight, it should be a pitcher's paradise, as Jimmy Key, the ace of the Yankee staff, starts against John Smiley. Key's last outing was a no-decision six days ago in Game 4 of the ALCS against the White Sox; Smiley has been inactive for eight days, since Game 2 of the NLCS against the Expos. Rust and how it affects each of them will be one of the big stories tonight.

Only one Yankee lineup change from last night, as Matt Nokes takes over for Mike Stanley behind the plate. For the Reds, Kevin Mitchell's knee is okay, so he'll start in left field, but Reggie Sanders has a bad cold, so he sits this one out (he's available to pinch-hit) and Brian Hunter, who started in left last night, moves to right to take his place. Let's start Game 2 of the Fall Classic posthaste!

Smiley cruises through a one-two-three top of the first, and the Reds break on top in the bottom. It starts with a patented infield hit from Deion Sanders, who steals second easily. The inning stalls when Barry Larkin pops out to Don Mattingly at first and Hal Morris grounds to third, but Key walks Mitchell on four pitches to bring up Hunter. The former Pirate screams one into left for a double. Deion flies home to put the Reds on the board, and Luis Polonia has trouble finding the handle, so third base coach Ray Knight waves Mitchell around third as well. Polonia comes up with the ball, though, and the throw home, even though it comes in on a hop, nails Mitchell by ten feet.

"Why?" asks Al Michaels rhetorically. "The man can barely walk because of a sore knee!"

"They wanted to jump on Key early is all I can think of, Al," replies Tim McCarver.

The Reds have to settle for one, and lead 1-0 after an inning.

Smiley sets the Yanks down in order again in the second, and the Reds cook up another threat in the bottom of the inning. Tony Fernandez bloops one into left for a base hit, and shows the world that his knee has healed from its NLCS injury by stealing second without a throw. A rattled Key then walks Bret Boone, but gets Eddie Taubensee to pop to third for the first out of the inning. Fernandez and Boone pull off the rare double steal, as Nokes has trouble getting the ball out of his glove, but the threat dies when both Smiley and Deion ground out.

The big lefthander goes out and retires the Yanks in order in the top of the third, and the Reds add to their lead in the bottom of the inning. Larkin bloops one in front of Polonia for a hit, and Morris's base hit puts runners on the corners. Mitchell then smacks a ball as hard as one can while being held to a single, and Larkin scores to make it 3-0. Jacob Brumfield comes in to run for Mitchell, and Hunter puts one over the wall in right on a hop to bring home Morris. Pitching coach Billy Connors comes out to pump up Key, who promptly gives up a base hit to Fernandez that brings home both Hunter and Brumfield. It's 5-0 Cincy, and Buck Showalter goes to his bullpen and brings in Scott Kamieniecki. The line on Key: two innings plus, five runs on eight hits with two walks.

Kamieniecki immediately picks off Fernandez for out number one, then after hitting Boone gets Taubensee to pop out to Mike Gallego at short and strikes out Smiley to end the inning. But the Reds have scored four, and the AL champs have a 5-0 hole to dig out of after three.

Smiley allows his first base runner when he gives up a two-out walk to O'Neill in the fourth, but otherwise keeps on cruising. A single by Morris and a walk to Brumfield (who's in right while Hunter moves back to left) amount to nothing in the bottom of the fourth. Bernie Williams and Gallego draw back-to-back walks with one out in the fifth, but Larkin spears Kelly's line drive, and Smiley strikes out Kamieniecki to end the inning. The Reds go down in order in the bottom of the fifth, and O'Neill's two-out single breaks up the no-hitter in the top of the sixth. The Reds go three up and three down in the bottom of the sixth, and Gallego's hit is meaningless in the New York seventh. Hunter's walk in the bottom of the seventh is erased when he, like Mitchell before him, is thrown out by a mile trying to steal second. "Cincinnati's baserunning decisions are questionable, to put it kindly," observes McCarver.

In the top of the eighth, the Yanks finally break through against a tiring Smiley. Danny Tartabull, batting for Kaminiecki, singles, but is forced by Polonia. Smiley then strikes out Wade Boggs, but O'Neill singles to put Yankees at first and third, and Mattingly draws an epic walk that takes a total of fourteen pitches. Nokes then singles to right to bring home Polonia and end the shutout, and Reds skipper Davey Johnson goes out to get the man they call "Smiles", who leaves to a standing ovation from the faithful at Riverfront. Johnny Ruffin comes in and walks Williams on five pitches to force in O'Neill. Gallego comes up with the bases still loaded, but Ruffin gets him to fly to Hunter on the first pitch. The Yanks are on the board with two, though, and at the end of seven and a half, it's Cincinnati 5, New York 2.

The Reds put things away for good in the bottom of the eighth against new Yankee pitcher Xavier Hernandez. With one out, Boone singles and Taubensee walks. Looking to put the game away for good, Johnson sends Reggie to bat for Ruffin, and despite his cold he beats out a groundball to Kelly at second to load the bases. Deion's fly to left center is too shallow to score anybody, but Larkin raps one into left to bring home Boone and make it 6-2, Morris then grounds one between first and second and into right center to score Taubensee and Reggie, and the NL champs lead 8-2. Brumfield flies to center to end the inning, but the three spot the Reds put up effectively ends the evening, barring a miracle. At the end of eight, the Reds lead 8-2.

No such miracle happens for the Yanks; new pitcher Chuck McElroy hits Kelly in the leg with his first pitch, but a pair of fielder's choices and a Boggs grounder to Morris later, it's all over. The Reds have won Game 2 8-2, and the series heads to Yankee Stadium even at a game apiece.

Smiley's seven and two-thirds strong innings win him Player of the Game honors from ABC Sports. "This has been a fantastic year," says John. "Through all my years in Pittsburgh, I wanted to get here, but we just couldn't quite make it. Now it's really a dream come true."

Did you feel as good as you looked? Oh yeah, nice and strong. I threw a six-inning simulated start on my normal rotation day to make sure I didn't build up too much rest. It wasn't the same as facing actual hitters, but it gave me a nice workout."

If the rotation holds, you'll be back in Game 6. "Hopefully not. We want to go there and take them three in a row. But if I need to go again for us to win the Series, I'll be ready, just like I was tonight."

And that does it from Cincinnati; we're going back to the Bronx tied at a game apiece, and Sunday night, it'll be Erik Hanson for the Reds against the Yankees' Melido Perez. We'll be on the air at 8 Eastern with Baseball Tonight, and first pitch will be at 8:20. We'll have player introductions and all the other ceremonies from the first World Series game at Yankee Stadium in thirteen years. Once again, our final score tonight: Reds 8, Yankees 2, and the series is even at a game apiece. Stay tuned for your late local news on the East Coast, and 20/20 out west. Until Sunday, Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Lesley Visser and Peter Gammons saying good night from the Ohio Valley!

(Tonight's closing montage features some of Smiley's best pitches.)

W- Smiley (1-0)
L- Key (0-1)

Next: The series shifts to The House That Ruth Built for Game 3.

Thoughts?
 
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Now let's look at the action for Tuesday, September 20. We begin with Desmond's report from Baltimore:

Baltimore 11, Minnesota 9 (10 innings)
W - Alan Mills (4-3)
L - Carl Willis (5-5)
HR - MIN: Kirby Puckett 2 (29) , Dave Winfield (13)
BAL: Chris Hoiles (28), Jeffrey Hammonds (18)

Hoiles won it with a walk-off home run in the tenth inning and kept the Orioles alive in the wild card race, at least temporarily.

Now for my report from Chicago:

White Sox 13, Angels 3

The American League season is over, as the Pale Hose scored thirteen runs on twenty-two hits to win the wild card for themselves and hand the Western Division crown to the Rangers. Robin Ventura homered as part of a four-RBI evening, and reserve outfielder Bob Zupcic got the start in right field and went four for five, drove in two runs, and scored two more. Left fielder Tim Raines topped him, though: five for six, three runs scored and two RBIs. J.T. Snow homered for the Angels, but Frank Thomas finished the regular season with fifty-nine homers after going homerless tonight. He had two hits and drove in two runs, though.

The Sox will face the Rangers in the first ALDS, which will begin at the Ballpark in Arlington.

W- Alvarez (16-10)
L- Leftwich (9-13)

HR- CAL: Snow (14)
CWS: Ventura (29)

Finally, let's see what happened in Oakland from Joe Ray's report:

Rangers 14, Athletics 5

The Rangers sent twelve men to the plate in the bottom of the third and scored eight runs on their way to a laugher. Rusty Greer smacked a three-run homer in the second, and Will Clark added one of his own in the third. Dean Palmer added a bases-clearing double.

W- Whiteside (9-3)
L- Jimenez (1-6)

HR- TEX: Greer (16), Clark (25)

Note: As I did with the Yankees and Indians, I moved September 20 ahead of September 19 to wrap the regular season up. If using the other two days first would have created a tie in one of the races, I would have done so, but as it was the Rangers and White Sox would have remained in front and in clinching position no matter which days I used when.

Note 2: All other games scheduled to be played tonight in the American League have been canceled.

Now for your final American League standings, beginning in the East:

Yankees: 94-62 (clinched)
Orioles: 90-70- 6 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: 93-67- 8 GB
Royals: 81-75- 18 GB
Brewers: 76-83- 24.5 GB
Twins: 61-96- 38.5 GB

In the West:

Rangers: 77-83 (clinched)
Angels: 73-87- 4 GB
Mariners: 72-87- 4.5 GB
Athletics: 68-89- 7.5 GB

In the Wild Card:

White Sox: 93-67 (clinched)
Orioles: 90-70- 3 GB

That wraps up the '94 regular season. I'll be back to do the postseason shortly, but first I want to finish the '95 regular season in the American League. See you there!

Next: We begin the American League postseason.

Thoughts?
A shame my Orioles couldn’t get into the Pythagorean postseason, given how this real season is shaping up to be less than pretty, to understate it. But then again, this Pythag knocks the Expos out,
and almost everyone felt then, and feels now, that they would have been the odds on favorite to win the WS in1994. In turn, that might have saved the Montreal Expos franchise (which wouldn’t have relocated to DC and thus undercut the O’s market—although it was probably inevitable that Washington gets a team at some point).
I’ve toyed with the idea that the O’s (and in particular some irresponsible media) don’t hound Murray so much that he doesn’t get traded to the Dodgers for basically a balls of twine. Thus no need for the Glenn Davis megadisaster trade (there really wasn’t anyway since Randy Milligan was a much better offensive player than given credit for then), which means the Orioles keep Finley as he (albeit suspiciously) turns into a power hitting solid center fielder (moving Brady Anderson to left, where he was more suited), and pairing Schilling and Harnisch to go with Mussina and McDonald in a strong rotation. Assuming Schilling figures it out in 1992 as he did OTL, with a more consistently contending team maybe the stupid Streak isn’t as important to attendance, Cal rests a bit more and his offensive production during those years (save 1991) might not have been so blasé. And the team contends more with the Jays and later the Yanks, snares a few more division titles and maybe a Series appearance or two.
 
Those are a couple of interesting theories, Catatonia.

I'm not exactly an expert on the ins and outs of the mid-nineties Orioles, but I have a feeling that Cal would have had The Streak regardless. Once he got within two hundred games of it, it would have been a shame not to let him try unless he had bones sticking through one of his limbs or was deathly ill. Where The Streak hurt them was after 2131, when he kept adding to it even after he was starting to go downhill.

Schilling remaining an Oriole would have been interesting, considering how good he was in Philly and Boston. It's even possible that the Phils don't make the postseason in '93 without him, which means that they'd be pretty much in the dumper from '83 until the mid-aughts, when Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and the like began to come into their own.

As for the Expos not moving to Washington, you're right that Washington would have had a team eventually, although it's hard to fathom who it would have been given the timeframe and the Orioles' reluctance to share the Baltimore-Washington market. You wonder why either Angelos or previous owner Edward Bennett Williams (who was a Washington power broker par excellence) didn't just up and move the team to Washington if they wanted to cement their place in the market. (There were talks about a split team between Baltimore and Washington in the late seventies after Williams took over, but they never went anywhere.)
 
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