Baseball in the Pythagorean Universe: 1994

It's Game 3 of the 1994 World Series, live from Yankee Stadium in New York! We're tied at a game apiece after John Smiley no-hit the Yankees for five and two-thirds innings in Game 2 and lasted seven and two-thirds overall in a dominating 8-2 Cincinnati vctory. Tonight, young Erik Hanson takes the hill for the National League champs, while Melido Perez, who pitched the pennant clincher six days ago against the White Sox, goes for the Yanks. Hanson's last appearance was nine days ago in Game 3 of the NLCS against the Expos.

As far as lineup changes are concerned, Reggie Sanders is going to be the designated hitter tonight; he's still shaking off the effects of his cold, and this way he can just worry about hitting until he feels better. Brian Hunter gets the start in right, and Kevin Mitchell's going to have a go at it in left despite his still achy knees. Also, Tony Fernandez gets the night off to rest his own lingering knee injury from the NLCS; Jeff Branson takes his place at third. For the Yankees, Danny Tartabull is the DH, Mike Gallego makes his third straight start at short replacing Randy Velarde (who was accidentally spiked by the White Sox' Ozzie Guillen in Game 5 of the ALCS and has a deep cut on his thigh which is still healing), and Mike Stanley replaces Matt Nokes behind the plate after Nokes replaced him in Game 2. They're ready for the first World Series game at Yankee Stadium in thirteen years, so let's play ball in Game 3!

The Reds hit the ground running in the top of the first. Deion spanks Perez's first pitch off the center field wall, and only a strong throw from Bernie Williams holds him to a double. He stays at second while Larkin grounds out, and comes home when Morris places one in front O'Neill in right. Mitchell lines the first pitch he sees right at Mattingly, who turns it into a 3-6--3 double play to end the inning. The Reds have scored first; now it's up to the home club to strut their stuff.

They start off swinging on the first pitch as well; Polonia misses a homer to dead center by less than a foot, settling for a triple. But Boggs flies out, O'Neill strikes out on a pitch a foot outside, and Tartabull fouls out to Taubensee. Hunter's walk is wasted in the top of the second after Stanley throws him out at second trying to steal off of a bad jump ("Another baffling baserunning decision by the Reds," Tim McCarver remonstrates), and Hanson sets down the Yanks one-two-three in the bottom of the inning.

Cincinnati adds to its lead in the top of the third. With one out, Taubensee doubles to left. After Deion strikes out for the second out, Larkin hits one almost to the same spot Taubensee did, and Eddie trucks home with the second Reds run. Morris' groundout ends the inning, but the Reds lead 2-0 through two and a half in the Bronx.

The Yanks let out a peep in the bottom of the inning when Kelly beats Branson's throw to first on a grounder by a tick, but he gets too cute trying to steal second and is thrown out easily. "He took too much of a lead for his own good and couldn't get back to first in time," Al Michaels explains. Polonia's base hit is rendered meaningless when Boggs taps to Morris to end the inning.

The Reds add another run in the top of the fourth. Mitchell smokes one into left that would be a double if he could run normally but instead is only a single. Reggie lines one right at Kelly for the first out, then Hunter skies one to left. Polonia tries to make a shoetop catch and fails miserably, and the ball rolls to the wall. Mitchell puts his head down and goes as fast as he can, and by the time Polonia gets off a throw, he's around third and headed home with the Reds' third run. "There's no way he should have scored," McCarver gripes. "That proves just how badly Polonia played that ball."

The trainers begin to attend to Kevin immediately upon his return to the dugout. Meanwhile, the inning ends when Boone flies out and Branson skies one on the infield that's caught by Gallego. The Reds have added another here in the fourth, and lead 3-0 after three and a half.

Hanson gets into immediate trouble in the bottom of the fourth when O'Neill singles to left and Tartabull walks, but Mattingly's double play grounder leaves two out and O'Neill at third. That's the last thing that goes right for the National League champs for quite a while. Stanley drives in O'Neill with a sharp single to left, then four people converge on Williams' pop fly into right center, but none of them think to catch it, and it drops in, scoring Stanley and cutting the Cincy lead to 3-2. Next, Gallego lifts one into left. Mitchell gets the best jump he can, sees he's going to be short of the ball, but instead of playing the hop, tries to lay out to make the catch, only to have the ball skip off of his glove and roll to the wall. Williams scores to tie the game, and Mitchell is charged with a two-base error. "if ever there was an error of commission, that was it," says Palmer. "He tried his level best to make that catch, but his knees simply wouldn't let him."

Kelly then hits one into shallow left. Branson goes out, Mitchell comes in, but the ball drops before either of them can get there, and Gallego comes around to give the Yanks a 4-3 lead. Hanson's night is finished, as Pete Schourek comes in to face Polonia. His first pitch is a ball, and Kelly steals second easily, going to third when Taubensee's late throw ends up in center field. Polonia grounds to Larkin at short to end the inning, but the Yanks have taken the lead and energized an already jubilant crowd. After four, it's Pinstripes 4, Reds 3.

The Reds reclaim the lead in the top of the fifth. With one out, Deion beats out a grounder to Gallego. Larkin's seeing-eye single puts runners at first and third, and Morris' fly ball is caught by Williams, whose throw home has no chance to get Prime Time. Mitchell walks on four pitches, then Reggie grounds one into left to bring home Larkin and give the Reds a 5-4 lead. Sterling Hitchcock is warming in the New York bullpen, as Hunter strides to the plate:

Al: "Hunter a former Pirate, came over in late July and has been invaluable as an outfield sub, especially now with both Reggie and Mitchell at less than a hundred percent. Speaking of the devils, we have Reggie at second at Mitchell at first, two out, the Reds have reclaimed the lead here in the fifth at 5-4. Here's the one-ball pitch......hammered deep to left, Polonia back, back to the track, at the wall, and IT'S GONE!...........Mitchell and Reggie can take their time around the bases; it's 8-4 Cincy and here comes Showalter out to get Perez."

Tim: "The pitch was a bit up in the zone, but Hunter didn't get it a ton. It just kept going and going, kind of like the Energizer Bunny, and just as Polonia was ready to make a play, it gathered a last bit of momentum and disappeared over the fence."

Jim: "Between him and Smiley, there are a couple of reasons why Cincinnati should be liking Pittsburgh right about now."

Al: "I wouldn't go that far."

Nor would we, Al. Boone singles to left on Hitchcock's first pitch, but Branson's liner is gloved by Boggs just before it hits the left field line for the third out. We're halfway through, and the block party's been put on hold; the home team's down 8-4.

The Yanks get back-to-back singles from Boggs and O'Neill to open the fifth, but Schourek strikes out Tartabull, and Mattingly hits into a 3-6-3 inning-ending double play. Then comes the top of the sixth.

Taubensee draws a leadoff walk, remains at first when Deion pops one up behind the plate which is caught by Stanley, then moves to second on a Hitchcock wild pitch. Larkin's screaming single scores Eddie and makes it 9-4, which sends Showalter to the pen again for Donn Pall, who doesn't record a single out. Morris drops one in front of Bernie in center to put the Reds in double digits, then Mitchell lines a gap shot to right center for a single that scores Hal to make it 11-4. Reggie's next at the plate, and he lifts one to center that Bernie completely loses track of in the lights. Mitchell's knees only carry him as far as second, however. Hunter's grounder to second handcuffs Kelly, and by the time he can find the handle, the bases are loaded. Pall is visibly rattled, which he proves beyond all doubt when he hits Boone in the knee with his first pitch. Mitchell limps home to make it 12-4, and Billy Connors comes out to talk to Pall, whose next task is Branson:

Al: "You've got Hernandez in the pen, so why Pall is still out there is a mystery. He's faced five batters, given up three runs on three hits with an error. and hit a man. If this game isn't already out of hand, another hit will do it. 12-4 Cincinnati, and here's Branson. Mitchell, we're told, is done for the night; Thomas Howard is long-tossing in the bullpen to loosen his arm, and he'll be in left in the bottom of the sixth. Pall now checking the runners, first pitch to Branson.........down the right field line, will it drop, O'Neill over, takes a look......IT DROPPED ALL RIGHT, OVER THE FENCE! A GRAND SLAM!........O'Neill went to play the hop off the wall, but there was none!"

Jim: "Another home run that didn't look like one off the bat. You're right, Al, O'Neill got ready to play the carom off the wall, but the ball just kept traveling."

Tim: "Showalter is out to relieve Pall, too little too late. You hear the boos."

Xavier Hernandez strikes out Taubensee, up for the second time in the inning, and gets Deion to fly out to end it. But the Reds have scored eight runs on five hits, an error, a walk, a wild pitch, and a hit batsman. George Steinbrenner is shown is his box, fit to be tied, as ABC goes to break. At the end of five and a half, it's Cincinnati 16, New York 4.

The Yanks get one back in the bottom of the sixth when Williams walks with one out, moves to third on Gallego's base hit, and scores on Kelly's grounder to Morris. Polonia's groundout to Branson ends the inning, and after six it's Reds 16, Yankees 5.

Larkin's leadoff walk is erased by a force play in the top of the seventh, and O'Neill's one-out double in the bottom of the inning comes to nothing.

The Reds restore their twelve-run cushion in the top of the eighth. Boggs boots Hunter's groundball, and Brian moves to second on Boone's grounder to Gallego. Branson strikes out for out number two, but Taubensee brings Hunter home with a seeing-eye grounder into left center. Deion pops to Kelly to end the inning, and at the end of seven and a half, the Reds are firmly in command, 17-5.

The Yanks waste a one-out walk to Williams off of new Reds pitcher Tim Fortugno in the bottom of the eighth and a two-out walk to O'Neill in the bottom of the ninth. Steve Howe gets the Reds out one-two-three in between, and that's that. The Reds have made the biggest statement possible, hammering the Yanks in their own home park 17-5, and now lead the series two games to one.

Branson is named Player of the Game due to his grand slam. "I didn't know I'd hit it out," he tells Lesley Visser. "I thought it was a solid double, especially after I saw O'Neill ready to play the hop."

Do you know if you're in the lineup for Game 4 yet? "No. I'd like to stay in, but if Tony's ready to go, I'll be back on the bench, probably. It's all right, though. The main thing is, we're leading the series."

And that'll do it from a very quiet Yankee Stadium. Who knows what'll be in the papers tomorrow? I'm sure The Boss will have his say after a blowout like this. But the Yankees get another chance tomorrow afternoon, as Terry Mulholland takes the mound against John Roper for Cincinnati. Remember, we're on the air at 3:30 Eastern tomorrow afternoon with Baseball Tonight, followed at 4PM Eastern by the first pitch between the Reds and Yankees. Then at 9 Eastern, we head to the Astrodome for Monday Night Football with my buddies Messrs. Gifford and Dierdorf, as the Houston Oilers host the Philadelphia Eagles. That's all tomorrow right here on ABC. Now stay tuned for your late local news, except on the West Coast and on most Mountain time zone stations, where you'll see Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

Final score again: Reds 17, Yankees 5, and the Reds the series two games to one. Have a pleasant day tomorrow, and until 3:30 Eastern, Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Lesley Visser and Peter Gammons saying good night from The House That Ruth Built!

Tonight's closing montage features Al, Jim and Tim.)

W- Schourek (1-0)
L- Perez (0-1)

HR- CIN: Branson (1), Hunter (1)

Next: We look at Game 4.

Thoughts?
 
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It's time for Game 4 of the 1994 World Series! Last night, the Cincinnati Reds flashed back to days of old, firing up the Big Red Machine and pulverizing the New York Yankees 17-5 to take a two games to one lead in the series. Yankee owner George Steinbrenner was quoted in the New York papers this morning as calling last night's game "the worst experience of my life", but says that he's also confident that his team will "show what it's made of" in Game 4. Whether there was an unspoken "or else" attached is a matter of conjecture. At any rate, the Yanks send Terry Mulholland to the mound against the Reds' young up-and-comer, John Roper. Roper last pitched eight days ago in Game 4 of the NLCS against the Expos, getting no decision; Mulholland hasn't pitched since Game 3 of the ALCS against the White Sox ten days ago, also getting a no-decision.

The Reds have made a couple of lineup changes; Kevin Mitchell's knee held up during pregame warmups, so he'll at least start the game in left field. Also, Reggie Sanders is feeling much better and will be back in right. Jeff Branson starts again at third, mostly because of his hot bat, and Brian Hunter plays his fourth different position in these playoffs; he'll be tonight's DH. Tony Fernandez's knee is feeling better, and he'll most likely be the first pinch hitter off the bench.

For the Yankees, there's been a major shakeup: Luis Polonia, Don Mattingly, and Paul O'Neill are all out of the starting lineup, and the rumor is that these moves were dictated by The Boss. In their places, the returning Randy Velarde will be in left field. Gerald Williams will start in right, and Jim Leyritz will be at first. How will the Yankees fare without their captain, who has apparently been singled out as one of the reasons for last night's blowout? Has George's meddling cost his team the Series he so desperately covets? Will the Reds be able to take advantage of these developments? Let's go down to the field and find out!

The Reds pounce on Mulholland right away in the top of the first. Deion beats out a groundball to Boggs for an infield single, then swipes second. Norris pops to Kelly for out number one, but Mitchell hammers one down the right field line and into the corner. Deion scores easily, and Mitchell is able to get to second with a double, proof that his knee is in good working order. Hunter grounds to Boggs for the second out, and after Boone walks, Reggie strikes out to end the inning. The Reds have established another early lead; what will the Yankees do about it?

They answer with a run of their own in the bottom of the first. With one out, Boggs singles to right, and Velarde rips one into the left-center gap for a double. Wanting a big inning, third base coach Willie Randolph holds Boggs at third. Wade comes home on Tartabull's grounder to Boone at second, but Roper strikes out Stanley to end the inning. We're tied at one after one in Game 4.

The Reds retake the lead in the top of the second. Branson's lazy pop into right dies in front of Gerald for a hit, and Taubensee works Mulholland for a walk. Deion than grounds one to Boggs at third, and Wade picks it up, but when he goes to throw, there's no ball; it trickled out of his glove, and Prime Time is safe and the bases loaded. Larkin's force on Deion beings home Branson to give Cincy a 2-1 lead, and Morris takes Gerald to the edge of the warning track in right for a sacrifice fly to bring home Taubensee and make it 3-1. Larkin then steals second, but Mitchell pops to Boggs to end the inning. The Reds have scored a pair here in the second to take a 3-1 lead.

Roper retires the Yankees in order in the bottom of the second, and the Reds add to their lead again in the top of the third. With one out, Boone's high pop lands between Bernie, Boggs, and Velarde for a double. Reggie's groundout gets Boone to third, and for the second inning in a row Branson gets just enough of a ball to drop it into the outfield, this time into right center. Boone scores, and the Reds are up 4-1. Taubensee then hits a screaming liner that seems to be ticketed for the right field corner, but using his catcher's instincts, Leyritz dives almost to the chalk to smother it for out number three. The Reds have added another and lead 4-1 after three. Could Game 4, and possibly the series, be slipping away from the Pinstripes?

The Yankees go up and down in order again in the bottom of the third, and the Reds pile on yet again in the top of the fourth. Deion starts it off with a base hit, and Mulholland loses Larkin on a 3-2 pitch that replays show should have been strike three. Mulholland fixes an icy stare on plate umpire Drew Coble, then heads back to work. He gets ahead of Morris one strike. Then...........

Al: "Reds leading 4-1, and the Yankees seem a bit listless, which is surprising after the way they were blown out last night. There you see the runners."

Tim: "We'll see during this at-bat if Mulholland's disagreement with Drew Coble affects him, and if so to what degree."

Al: "Mulholland ready now, and the 0-1 pitch.............line drive to right, deep and carrying, back is Gerald Williams, LOOKING UP AND IT'S GONE!........Gentlemen, we have another blowout on our hands; it's 7-1 Reds."

Jim: "Certainly not a gimme by any means, Al. Morris just tomahawks it on a line, and Gerald gets on his horse, but can't outrun it. It was the definition of a laser shot."

Al: "Does O'Neill have a play on it?"

Jim: "This sounds wishy-washy, but it's hard to say."

Tim: "Pity we'll never know, though. It looks like the lineup changes might have done more harm than good."

Showalter is nearly drowned in boos as he goes out to get Mulholland, and Sterling Hitchcock comes in to do damage control for the second night in a row. He gives up a single to Mitchell on his first pitch, but Hunter forces him. Boone then strikes out for out number two, but Reggie gets the run home by driving one into left that gets past Velarde. Hunter scores easily, and it's 8-1 Cincy with Reggie ending up at second. "That one Polonia would have had," Palmer comments.

Branson pops to Kelly to end the inning, but the Reds have put up four more and lead 8-1 after three and a half.

The Yankees waste Tartabull's one-out double in the bottom of the fourth, and Showalter reshuffles his defense in the fifth, moving Velarde to short in place of Gallego and putting Polonia in left, and Mattingly at first; only O'Neill is still on the bench. Unfortunately, that doesn't help Hitchcock; he walks Taubensee and Deion, then after a Larkin force does the same to Morris, which loads the bases. Pall, last night's whipping boy, comes in and gives up a sacrifice fly to Mitchell that brings Taubensee home, then strikes out Hunter to end the inning. We're halfway through, and it looks like another blowout: Reds 9, Yankees 1.

After a one-two-three Yankee fifth, the Cincinnati onslaught continues in the top of the sixth. Boone leads off with a single to right, moves to second on a grounder by Branson after one out, and scores on another bloop, this time from Taubensee. Paul Gibson is next out of the Yankee pen, and he gives up a base hit to Deion and another to Larkin which scores Taubensee to make it 11-1 Cincinnati. He then walks Morris to reload the bases, but Mitchell's deep fly ball is caught on the run by Bernie to end the inning. The Reds have scored two and left the bases loaded, and at the end of five and a half the AL champs are staring at a 11-1 hole.

The Yanks redeem themselves slightly in the bottom of the sixth with two out and Velarde at the plate:

Al: "Velarde started in left, but was moved to short in the fifth, and you have to wonder whether Buck did it for baseball reasons or just out of defiance. This new retooled Yankee lineup hasn't exactly been a smashing success, and speaking of smashing, Velarde does just that to the pitch, It's to deep center, and Deion has no play! The Yankees are back on the board."

Tim: "Velarde sure gets this one right in the sweet spot, and the Yankees are showing just the tiniest sign of life. If they can make this one interesting, it'll give them some momentum for tomorrow night's Game 5."

Jim: "And spare themselves more lineup changes too, probably."

They don't sustain said life, though, as Tartabull strikes out to end the inning. After six, it's Reds 11, Yankees 2.

The Reds go out in order in the top of the seventh against new pitcher Bob Wickman, with Mattingly turning in a defensive gem by smothering Reggie's liner and literally rolling over to touch first base for the third out.

The Yanks close out the scoring in the bottom of the seventh. Stanley draws a leadoff walk against new Reds pitcher Tim Fortugno, then Mattingly and O'Neill, batting for Gerald, stroke back-to-back singles to load the bases. Polonia and Kelly's attempts at sacrifice flies fall short, but Fortugno's first pitch to Bernie goes to the backstop, bringing home Stanley. Bernie eventually pops to Taubensee, ending the inning. After seven, the Cincinnati lead is 11-3.

Taibensee doubles with one out in the top of the eighth, and Deion's grounder to Kelly gets him to third. But after a walk to Larkin, Wickman induces Morris to force Barry, ending the inning. Reds closer Jeff Brantley comes on to get some work in the bottom of the eight and strikes out the side sandwiched around a walk to Tartabull, and gives up a two-out single to Polonia in the bottom of the ninth before catching Kelly looking to end the game. Steve Howe also comes in, retiring the Reds in order in the top of the ninth. Final score: Reds 11, Yankees 3, and the Reds are one win away from the world championship.

Morris is named Player of the Game by ABC Sports. "I had a hunch it might be gone," he tells Lesley, referring to his home run. "I thought Gerald had gotten a little better jump on it than he had, but I knew I'd hit it hard enough to get it out anyway."

You're also solid defensively, as you've shown throughout the postseason. "It's important to me. People always forget that there's a defensive component to playing first base. It's more than just hitting home runs."

One more win to go, and Rijo pitching for you guys tomorrow night. How confident are you? "We know we can beat these guys, but we also know that they're going to be out for revenge after getting their brains beaten out two nights in a row. We're not planning the victory celebration in Fountain Square just yet, believe me."

But they can if they get one more win, and they'll try for it tomorrow night, with a rematch of Game 1 on the mound, Jose Rijo against Jim Abbott. We'll be on the air with Baseball Tonight at 8 Eaatern, with first pitch at about 8:20. Who knows what the Yankee lineup will look like now that their backs are really and truly against the wall? It'll be an interesting twenty hours or so here in the Big Apple. Stay tuned for a special edition of 20/20, followed my Monday Night Football live from the Houston Astrodome, as the Oilers welcome the Philadelphia Eagles to the House of Pain. Good luck to Frank, Dan, and Swannie, and I'll see you guys next week. On that note, until tomorrow night's potential clincher, Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Lesley Visser and Peter Gammons saying good night from the Bronx!

The closing montage features Morris's home run.)

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

HR- CIN: Morris (1)
NYY: Velarde (1)

Next: The Reds try to wrap up the world championship in Game 5.

Thoughts?
 
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Well, the Reds fans don't think about the loss of Johnny Bench and how that would have meant they didn't have as good of a chance in 1981 had the full season been played, more about how good the Dodgers were and the Los Angeles just rested a bunch of guys the last 6 weeks.

However, Reds fans generally don't think about this is a lost chance, but 1994's team was quite good.

So, perhaps a World Series Victory would be fitting for this team.
 
I don't know if I told you this, but when we completed 1981 over on the All Time Sports board using real-life records and stats, the Reds won the World Series, beating the A's in five games. Bench even retuned in the postseason to play first base.

As for what will happen this time around...….well, remember that the last win is always the toughest!
 
Wow, that's neat. Funny thing is, the A's are the more unusual team because I'd think aall those complete games would be tough even for the shortened season.

1981 was so much fun to do on Strat-O-Matic 15-25 years ago, though, on the computer. I'd play full seasons, split seasons, all kinds of things. You can get lots of crazy stuff going on with a shorter season - I even had the Cubs win a half! Of course I had to start managing them once they were close.
 
It's time for Game 5 of the 1994 World Series! This series has belonged for the most part to the upstart Cincinnati Reds, who spotted the New York Yankees Game 1, then have come back to take the next three, including last night's 11-3 pummeling. They've outscored the Bronx Bombers 39-15 in the four Series games so far, and look to wrap up their sixth world championship so far in this timeline tonight. Jose Rijo will be their starter, while the Yankees counter with Jim Abbott. These two were the starters in Thursday's Game 1 5-3 victory for the Yanks at Riverfront Stadium. Abbott got the win to improve his postseason record this year to 4-0, while Rijo took the loss.

There's only one change in the Cincinnati lineup from last night: Brian Dorsett replaces Eddie Taubensee behind the plate, as Davey Johnson's successful catcher platoon continues. Brian Hunter is once again the DH, and Kevin Mitchell will start in left, with Jacob Brumfield or Thomas Howard ready to replace him if needed. The Yankee lineup is back to normal, with Luis Polonia, Paul O'Neill, and Don Mattingly back in left, in right, and at first respectively. There is one other difference: Matt Nokes will DH in place of Danny Tartabull. Can the Reds wrap up the world championship, or are we headed back to Riverfront for Game 6 on Thursday? Let's go down to the field and find out!

The Reds start off by wasting a Mitchell double with two out in the top of the first. The Yanks threaten in the bottom of the inning; with one out, Boggs singles to left. O'Neiil then hits a bullet that slides past Deion in center. Prime Time uses his superior speed to track the ball down before it reaches the wall, then fires a strike to Dorsett at home. Boggs lowers his shoulder to run the Reds catcher over, which leaves the back of his neck exposed, and that's exactly where Dorsett tags him for out number two. "I never would have thought to tag him there," says Al.

"I've never even heard of anyone being tagged there," former catcher McCarver chimes in.

Nokes grounds to Morris to end the inning and strand O'Neill at second.

The Reds break on top in their half of the second. Hunter beats out an infield grounder to Kelly at second, then gets a huge jump and steals second. Stanley realizes too late just how good of a jump Brian has and rushes his throw, which skips into center, allowing Hunter to go to third. Boone then serves one into right to drive him in, and the Reds are on top 1-0. The Yanks troubles don't end there; Abbott hits Reggie with a pitch, then after Branson strikes out Dorsett's single loads the bases. But Deion's fly into right center is too shallow to being home Boone, and Larkin forces Dorsett to end the inning. Still, the Reds are up 1-0 through an inning and a half.

Rijo sets the Yankees down in order in the bottom of the second, and another Reds threat is turned away in the top of the third. With one out, Morris's fly ball bounces over the left field wall on a hop for a ground-rule double. After Abbott strikes out Hunter, Boone lines one into left for a base hit. Polonia comes up with the ball as Morris steams around third, and ball, runner, and catcher meet at the exact same moment. Somehow, Stanley holds on for the third out of the inning, but he has to be helped into the dugout by Abbott and Mattingly, and his status for the rest of the game is questionable.

"Pardon an old joke. Al, but when did the Bengals and Jets start playing?" wonders Palmer.

"Their fans wish the Bengals and Jets could hit that hard," cracks the voice of Monday Night Football.

Morris is okay, at least for now, but Lenny Harris starts getting loose in the Reds dugout just in case. Meanwhile, the Yanks take the lead in the bottom of the third. After two out, Polonia taps one down to Morris, who's half a beat slow coming up with it. He tries to outrace Polonia to the bag and loses, tripping and falling over the bag. Once again, he shakes it off and stays in the game. Rijo walks Boggs, and O'Neill skitters one through the hole between third and short to bring home Polonia and tie the game. Nokes then slaps one into right to score Boggs and give the Bronx Bombers a 2-1 lead. Mattingly pops out to Boone to end the inning, but the Yanks appear to finally be out of their funk; they've scored twice and lead 2-1 after three.

The Reds go down in order in the top of the fourth, and the Yanks fail to take advantage of a Boone error on a ball hit by pinch hitter Jim Leyritz, batting for Stanley, in the bottom of the inning. Both sides go out in order in the fifth, and it's Morris leading off the top of the sixth for Cincinnati:

Al: "Top of the sixth inning, with the Yankees ahead 2-1, and Morris to lead off against Abbott. Morris, Hunter, and Boone here in the sixth. Hal still a bit shaken up, but is playing mostly because their other viable option at first, who is Hunter, is already DHing, and if they move him to first, they lose the DH, which would be an unfair advantage in their minds for the Yankees. So he's toughing it out. Ready to start the sixth, and the first pitch is driven deep to center, Bernie back at the track, to the wall.......TIE GAME!..........Just like that, Morris ties it for Cincinnati, and his swing looked pretty good."

Tim: "Nothing wrong at all with that swing, Al. He got every bit of that pitch and then some."

Jim: "He's taking his time around the bases a bit, though. Harris and Brumfield can play first in a pinch, as can Jerome Walton, so maybe we'll see them later."

Abbott rebounds to get Hunter to pop to Mattingly and Boone to ground to short, then strikes out Reggie swinging to end the inning. We're tied 2-2 through five and a half.

Nokes and Mattingly open up the bottom of the sixth with back-to-back singles, but Leyritz, now catching, flies out to Deion, Bernie forces Mattingly, and Gallego pops out to Boone to end the inning. Abbott has a one-two-three top of the seventh, and a one-out infield single by Polonia and a two-out walk to O'Neill come to nothing in the bottom of the inning.

The Reds resume the lead in the top of the eighth. Larkin walks to lead it off, then after Mitchell fouls out to Mattingly, Morris singles to right to put runners at first and third. Now it's up to Hunter, and he drops one in between Kelly and Bernie for a base hit to bring home Larkin and put the Reds in front 3-2. With just six outs now left in his season, Buck Showalter wastes no time going to the bullpen for Bob Wickman, who gets Boone to ground into a force play. Morris trots home, and the Reds lead 4-2. Reggie then grounds to Boggs to end the inning, but the Reds' sixth world title is in sight. After seven and a half, it's Cincinnati 4, New York 2.

Morris has a further mishap in the bottom of the eighth when he once again is in a race to the bag on a groundball, this time with Mattingly. He wins, but there's some bumping, and that's enough for Johnson, who waves in Harris to take Hal's place. The rest of the inning is uneventful, and the Reds are now only three outs from the championship. Deion's two-out walk is meaningless in the top of the ninth, and Jeff Brantley comes in in the bottom of the ninth to finish off the Yanks once and for all.

Gallego leads off by slapping one down to second, and Boone's throw causes Harris to do contortions trying to keep his foot on the base, but first base umpire Gary Cedarstrom calls Gallego safe. Kelly fouls out to Harris, and the Reds are just two outs away. But Brantley's first pitch to Polonia gets away from Dorsett, and Gallego moves into scoring position. Polonia's fly ball two pitches later drops between Mitchell and Deion, who tries for a basket catch and misses, and Gallego scores to make it 4-3. Boggs' fly ball into the left-center gap is snared by Deion for out number two, and former Red O'Neill is the Yankees' last hope. He works a walk to keep New York's hopes alive and bring up Nokes, who falls behind a ball and two strikes:

Al: "One strike away. This one's been a humdinger, especially after the last two blowouts. Yankee fans praying to stay alive, Reds fans tasting the World championship. Here we go with the one-two pitch........fly ball into right-center, can Deion get there........NO! It hops over the wall for a ground-rule double, which means Polonia can score and the game is tied. Davey already signaling to put Mattingly on and load the bases, probably because any sort of ball to the outfield beats him anyway. A hit to the infield and they've got their choice of home or first. So now it's up to Jim Leyritz."

Brantley falls behind two balls and no strikes, then rallies to punch out the Yankee catcher and take the game into extra innings tied 4-4.

Mitchell leads off the top of the tenth with a base hit, then is run for by Brumfield. Harris erases him by grounding into a 4-6-3 double play, and Hunter grounds to Gallego to end the inning. Brantley gets the Yanks in order in the last of the tenth, and Scott Kaminiecki takes the mound for the second time in this series in the top of the eleventh.

He's greeted by a rocket shot to left center from Boone that goes for a double, then throws one in the dirt that Leyritz has no chance to smother, sending Boone to third. Reggie walks, and Branson puts the Reds in front by placing one perfectly between Bernie and O'Neill, scoring both Boone and Reggie to give the Reds a 6-4 lead. Showalter once again signals the pen, and out comes closer Steve Howe, who gets Dorsett and Deion to fly to O'Neill, walks Larkin, then gets Brumfield to fly to Bernie in center to end the inning. The Yanks are up against it again, as the Reds need just three more outs to be world champions. After ten and a half, it's Reds 6, Yankees 4.

Johnson decides to stay with Brantley for one more inning to nail down the title, and after walking Polonia, Jeff gets Boggs to fly to Reggie for out number one, then O'Neill to hit into a force play for out number two. But Nokes keeps the Yanks alive by smacking the first pitch he sees between first and second for a base hit. Nokes is slower than slow, so Velarde comes out to run for him. Mattingly smokes one into right for a hit to bring home O'Neill, send Velarde to third, and make it 6-5. Then it's up to Leyritz, who falls behind one ball and two strikes:

Al: "We've been here before tonight, both with Leyritz down to his last strike and the Yankees down to theirs, as time is called. Leyritz could have won it in regulation, but struck out with the bases loaded against Brantley in the ninth. But it was on this same count that Nokes doubled in Polonia with the tying run to make it 4-4 in the ninth and send us into extras in the first place. Leyritz can now redeem himself and keep the game going, or the Reds can finally win the series. Here we go............to short, deep in the hole, can Larkin throw him out........SAFE AT FIRST, VELARDE SCORES, AND WE'RE TIED AGAIN!"

Tim: "He was out, Al."

Jim: "Let's see.........there's the throw..........the tag, and there's the foot.......oh, by half a step, easy!"

Al: "Johnson is out of the dugout, at least asking if Cedarstrom can get some help, but you see him shake his head. He's sticking to his guns, and we're tied."

Bernie flies to right to end the inning, and we're tied at six through eleven. (Reds announcer Marty Brennaman calls Cedarstrom a "disgrace" after the missed call, and gets the Reds organization a $50,000 fine following the series. Conversely, Yankees announcer John Sterling's call of "HE'S SAAAAAFE!" is still imitated by Yankee fans everywhere.)

Harris greets new Yankee reliever Sterling Hitchcock with a single leading off the twelfth, but Hunter forces him and compounds the felony by getting caught stealing. Boone strikes out to end the inning. Gallego's leadoff walk is wasted against Reds reliever Chuck McElroy in the bottom of the inning. Reggie walks against Hitchcock leading off the thirteenth, then steals second, but three straight groundouts end the threat. Johnson goes to Pete Schourek in the bottom of the inning, and O'Neill greets him with a single. Velarde's pop is caught by Larkin for out number one, but Mattingly walks on five pitches. Once again, it's up to Leyritz:

Al: "It was Leyritz who put us here in the bottom of the eleventh with that infield hit; now a base hit could win the game and send us back to Cincinnati for Thursday. Schourek, remember, threw three and a third on Sunday night to get the win, so he's not really himself. There's almost certainly gonna be a new Cincinnati pitcher if we have a fourteenth, but for now it's Schourek against Leyritz. First pitch...........CRUSHED TO CENTER, DEION BACK, BUT HE CAN FORGET IT! WE'LL SEE YOU THURSDAY!"

Here's Vin Scully's call for CBS Radio:

"Pitch is driven high and deep to center, Deion going back, but it's long gone, far into the New York night!.............1:17 AM is the time, Jim Leyritz is the hero who keeps the Yankees alive for at least one more game, and Frank Sinatra is more right than he knows, because this city won't sleep tonight!"

John Sterling's call is predictable:

"HIGH FLY BALL, DEEP TO CENTER! NO CHANCE FOR DEION! HOME RUN JIMMY LEYRITZ! GAME 5 OVER! YANKEES WIN! THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA YANKEES WIN!!!!!!!!!!!]"

Finally, Marty Brennaman:

"Schourek's first pitch.........launched deep to center, Deion going back, but it's no use! Leyritz homers, and the Yankees win, or rather steal, Game 5 as a direct result of one of the worst blown calls in the history of the World Series. They can do what they want to me, but I'll say it again: Gary Cedarstrom, you're a disgrace!"

Leyritz is carried into a jubilant Yankee clubhouse, going right past Lesley Visser. He later says, "This is the proudest moment of my life as a baseball player. I've never hit a home run this big, and hopefully we can build on it and come back to take the series."

They'll try to do that on Thursday night at Riverfront, as Jimmy Key and John Smiley face off again. Airtime for Baseball Tonight is 8PM Eastern, with first pitch at 8:20. An all-time classic tonight here at Yankee Stadium, as the celebration will go on into the night. The final in thirteen innings taking four hours and fifty-seven minutes: the Yankees 9, the Reds 6. Until Thursday, then, Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Lesley Visser and Peter Gammons saying good night from New York. Your local news and Nightline are next!

(The closing montage features Leyritz's home run, with Al's call taking the place of the voiceover.)

W- Hitchcock (1-0)
L- Schourek (1-1)

HR- CIN: Morris (2)
NYY: Leyritz (1)

Next: The series heads back to Cincinnati for Game 6.

Thoughts?
 
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It's time for Game 6 of the 1994 World Series! However great this one is, it'll have to go a long way to top Game 5. The Reds were within one strike of the world championship twice, and within one out several more times, only for the Yankees to come back and tie the game. They eventually won it on a three-run thirteenth-inning home run from Jim Leyritz, 9-6. Tonight, it's the battle of the aces, as John Smiley takes on Jimmy Key. They met last Friday night in Game 2, and Smiley came out on top as the Reds cruised to an 8-2 victory.

There's only one lineup change for the Reds; Tony Fernandez is fit and ready to go, so he's back in at third. Brian Dorsett gets his second straight start behind the plate as well. As for the Yankees, they'll be missing a major piece of their lineup, as Wade Boggs woke up this morning unable to turn his head due to a stiff neck. He's been getting treatment all day and feels somewhat better, but manager Buck Showalter has decided to start Randy Velarde at third in his place, though Boggs is available for pinch hitting duty. Also, the lack of the designated hitter in the National League park has led to another change: Regular DH Danny Tartabull will start in right field, which moves Paul O'Neill to left and Luis Polonia to the bench. Finally, both Hal Morris and Mike Stanley are recovered from their crash at home plate on Thursday night and are back in the respective starting lineups. Game 6 is about to get underway, so let's go down to the field!

The Yanks start out hot when Bernie, leading off in the reshuffled Yankee lineup, singles into left center. But Mattingly and O'Neill ground into back-to-back force plays, and Tartabull grounds to Larkin to end the inning. Key sets the Reds down one-two-three in the bottom of the first, and Smiley does the same to the Yanks in the top of the second. Mitchell's single in the bottom of the second is wasted when Reggie grounds back to Key, who throws to second to force him. Reggie is then thrown out by Stanley trying to steal second, and Morris grounds out to end the inning. Kelly's base hit is wasted in a similar fashion in the Yankee third, with Key grounding to Smiley for the force.

The Reds break through in the last of the third when, with one out, Dorsett draws a walk. Smiley bunts him over, then Deion turns on the afterburners to beat out a routine grounder to Kelly at second. Fernandez then lines one into left center to score Dorsett from third and put the Reds up 1-0. Larkin lines out to Kelly to end the inning, but the Reds have the first lead of Game 6, 1-0 after three.

It all falls apart for Smiley in the top of the fourth. O'Neill leads off with a seeing-eye base hit to right. Tartabull hits a similar ball into center for another single, and Stanley walks on five pitches to load the bases. Johnny Ruffin begins to throw in the Cincinnati bullpen. Next up is Velarde, who lines one to third that's gloved by Fernandez for the first out. Then it's Gallego, who Smiley starts off with a strike:

Al: "Bases still loaded, one out here in the fourth. A base hit will give the Yankees the lead, which is kind of a shame, because no one's really hit a ball hard off of Smiley yet. A couple of little squibblers by O'Neill and Tartabull and a walk to Stanley are what's got him in this mess. Now the 0-1............fly ball to deep right center, Deion on the run, to the track, to the wall, reaches and..........NO! CAN'T GET IT! A GRAND SLAM FOR GALLEGO!!!................Deion did everything but leap over the wall, but it's 4-1 New York."

Tim: "This one's well hit by Gallego, but it's not a no-doubter. I've had my issues with Deion, but he does everything he can here, including stick his glove over the wall to try and bring it back. I wish we could know how close he came."

Jim: "Davey's not waiting, guys. Here comes Ruffin."

Ruffin strikes out Kelly looking and gets Key to fly out to Reggie, who goes down the right field line and into the corner to make the grab. But the Yanks score four on Gallego's granny and lead 4-1 after three and a half.

The home team closes the gap slightly in the bottom of the inning. Mitchell draws a leadoff walk, and Key bounces one two feet in front of Stanley that's scored as a wild pitch to move Kevin to second. Reggie goes down looking, but Key walks Morris, and Boone's dying-quail flyball drops in front of O'Neill for a hit, loading the bases. Dorsett takes O'Neill back to the track to catch his fly, and Mitchell scores to cut the New York lead to 4-2. With runners at first and third, Johnson decides to bat Hunter for Ruffin, but Brian grounds into a force play to end the inning. After four, it's Yankees 4, Reds 2.

The Yanks widen their lead in the top of the fifth. Mattingly walks with one gone, and O'Neill lines one into the gap in right center for a double. Willie Randolph holds Mattingly at third; the Yanks are looking to blow this one wide open, and do so when Tartabull grounds John Roper's first pitch to him into right for a base hit. Mattingly and O'Neill both score, and it's 6-2 New York. After Stanley flies out, Velarde walks to put two on, but Roper freezes Gallego with a curveball for strike three to end the inning. The Yanks have scored twice more and lead 6-2 halfway through in Cincinnati.

The Reds get another infield hit from Deion in the bottom of the fifth, but he's nailed at second in a bang-bang play. Johnson argues briefly with second base umpire Chuck Meriwether to no avail. The rest of the inning goes quietly, as does the Yankee sixth.

The Reds fight back in the bottom of the sixth. Mitchell's leadoff walk is erased by Reggie's force, but Morris' base hit moves Reggie to third. Boone singles as well, scoring Reggie to cut the lead to 6-3. Dorsett's fly to left has to be chased down on the run by O'Neill, which allows Morris to come home. Harris, batting for Roper, flies out to Bernie to end the inning, but the Reds and their fans still have some hope. After six, the Yankee lead is down to 6-4.

O'Neill's one-out single in the New York seventh is wasted, but the Reds creep ever closer in the bottom of the inning. Deion and Fernandez lead off with back-to-back base hits to put Reds at first and third with nobody out. Key gets Larkin looking with a forkball for out number one, but Mitchell comes within inches of a three-run homer to left. O'Neill makes the catch, but Deion is able to trot home with the fifth Cincy run. Reggie then scalds one that's destined for the left field corner, but Velarde smothers it for the third out. After seven in Game 6, it's Yankees 6, Reds 5.

Gallego singles with one out in the Yankee eighth off of Chuck McElroy and moves to second on Kelly's groundout, but Boggs, batting for Key, grounds to Larkin to end the inning.

New Yankee hurler Bob Wickman sets the Reds down one-two-three in the eighth, and the Bronx Bombers put the game away in the top of the ninth. New Reds pitcher Hector Carrasco walks Mattingly with one out, then O'Neill grounds one into right center to put runners at first and third. Carrasco then strikes out Tartabull for out number two, but Stanley walks to load the bases. which brings up Velarde. He taps the first pitch he sees to Boone, who's got the third out at first easily. But he fumbles the ball, and by the time he recovers, everybody's safe and Mattingly has scored to give the Yanks a 7-5 lead. Gallego's grounder to Larkin ends the inning, but the Reds have a deep hole to climb out of against Steve Howe in the bottom of the ninth. After eight and a half, the Yankees lead 7-5.

Howe sets the Reds down quickly in the bottom of the ninth to earn his second save of the series and fourth of the postseason. This series will go to what should be a tremendous Game 7 tomorrow night. The final tonight: Yankees 7, Reds 5.

Gallego is named Player of the Game because of his grand slam. "I didn't think it was gone when I hit it, and I saw Deion try so hard to make the catch," Gallego tells Peter Gammons. "He just missed it."

Talk a bit about the character of your team, coming back from three total blowouts to tie the series. "This is a great group of guys. We never let anything bother us, not even George. We accept that he's going to vent when he's mad, say some things and such, but that has nothing to do with how we play. Once we're between the lines, we find a way to get it done."

It's every little boy's dream tomorrow night: Game 7 of the World Series. "Yeah, it'll be cool. It'll be better if we come out on top, but whatever happens, these are two championship ballclubs, and nobody should be ashamed of themselves."

Yes indeed, it's Game 7 tomorrow: Baseball Tonight at 8 Eastern, with first pitch a little after 8:20. The pitchers? Well, Erik Hanson and Melido Perez will be the starters, but you can bet that Showalter and Johnson will use everyone, including tonight's starters for a batter or two if need be, because everybody has all winter to rest. It should be something else no matter what, as Mike Gallego just said, and we'll be honored to bring it to you. Stay tuned for your late local news in the Eastern and Central time zones, and a special movie presentation of Dr. No out west. Until tomorrow night, Al Michaels, Tim McCarver, Jim Palmer, Lesley Visser, and Peter Gammons all saying good night to you from Riverfront!

(Tonight's closing montage features Gallego's grand slam.)

W- Key (1-1)
S- Howe (2)
L- Smiley (1-1)

HR- NYY: Gallego (1)

Next: It all comes down to Game 7.

Thoughts?
 
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I'm running late today, so with your kind permission I'm going to hold Game 7 in abeyance for the moment and move on to the last part of the project that I have on hand.

This explores what would have happened if the 1994 season ended on August 11 in the Pythagorean universe as it did in real life. In the National League, the only difference would have been that the Dodgers would have won the West instead of the Padres, which means that they would have faced the Expos in the Division Series. The winner of that series would have gone on to face the Reds in the NLCS.

Let's look at Game 1 from Dodger Stadium. As in the Word Series, this is taken directly from the board at All Time Sports.

It's time for our second National League game on the first day of these playoffs. On one side, you have the Western Division Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, baseball royalty for generations. They held off their longtime rivals, the San Francisco Giants, to win the West, and send twelve-game winner Ramon Martinez to the mound in Game 1 in front of their adoring fans here at Dodger Stadium. On the other side, you have a first-time ever playoff team, the Eastern Division Champion Montreal Expos, who have finished second many times in their history, but only this year gotten lucky enough to wear the veil. They send Ken Hill, with a 16-5 record, to the mound to aid Canada in its quest for a second straight world championship, and with hockey disrupted by a lockout the Expos are the primary topic of conversation in Montreal for one of the few times in their history.

As for the lineups, the Expos are missing slugger Larry Walker, who's been battling the flu. Moises Alou takes Walker's place in right, with Rondell White moving to left in his place. Catcher Darrin Fletcher's caught the bug as well, so Lenny Webster starts behind the plate. For the Dodgers, shortstop Jose Offerman fouled a ball off of his foot in batting practice, so Rafael Bournigal will get the start. Offerman will most likely come on for defensive purposes later if the injury's not too serious. Let's get this one underway!

The Expos threaten right off the bat in the top of the first. Center fielder Marquis Grissom grounds Martinez's second pitch into left field for a base hit, and third baseman Sean Berry takes his place on a fielder's choice. Alou then beats out a grounder to Bournigal. but left fielder Rondell White lines one right at Dodger second baseman Delino DeShields for out number two, and shortstop Wil Cordero grounds to DeShields to end the inning. The Dodgers then waste a walk to catcher Mike Piazza in the bottom of the first.

In the top of the second, the Expos break on top. With one out, Webster walks, and shortstop Mike Lansing's bloop into center puts runners at first and second. It's up to Hill to help his own cause, and he does so splendidly, dropping one in between a convention of four Dodgers in short left center to score Webster and give the Spos a 1-0 lead. Grissom then lasers one into right for a base hit to score Lansing with the second Montreal run, and Berry grounds into a fielder's choice to bring Hill home and make it 3-0. Orel Hershiser starts to loosen in the Dodger bullpen just in case, but Alou grounds weakly to Bournigal to end the inning. The Spos have scored thrice, and lead the Dodgers 3-0 after an inning and a half at Chavez Ravine.

The home team goes down one-two-three in both the second and third, and the Expos' mini-threat in the third (a base hit by White and a walk to Cordero) is snuffed out when Webster grounds into an around-the-horn double play.

The East champs push a fourth run across in the top of the fourth. Lansing's base hit leads things off, and Hill lays a perfect bunt at Piazza's feet to move him to second. Grissom smokes one into left center for a hit to bring home Lansing, and it's 4-0 Montreal. Grissom swipes second with ease, but Martinez rallies to strike out Berry, and Alou grounds out to short to end the inning. The Expos have put another on the board, and that makes their lead 4-0 after three and a half.

Hill has kept the Dodgers hitless through three, but they get their first hit leading off the bottom of the fourth. Here's Vin Scully:

"DeShields first-pitch swinging, scalding line drive to left center, back goes White, at the wall, and gone! The Dodgers get their first hit in grand style, as Delino DeShields lives up to his name on Hill's first pitch."

Joe Garagiola: "That one was gone before you can blink, Vin. Deshields not known as a power hitter, but this one wasn't smacked, it was more like stung. If White would have caught it, there'd have been a baseball-sized hole in his glove."

Piazza pops out to third for out number one, and then comes Tim Wallach:

Vin: "Wallach up there trying to hurt his former team, the count no balls and one strike. Hill gets the sign, and here she comes.........driven deep to center. Grissom over, then back, now leaps and.........IT'S GONE! Wallach just did get enough of it to get it out of here, and it's now a 4-2 ballgame."

Joe: "I never thought that one would get out of here. It's just high enough and just far enough. Grissom with a great try, but it's just beyond his reach."

First baseman Eric Karros singles to continue the inning, but left fielder Henry Rodriguez fouls out to Webster, and Raul Mondesi grounds out to Cordero to end the inning. The Dodgers have found the scoreboard and cut the lead in half courtesy of the longball. We've played four; it's the Expos 4, the Dodgers 2.

And that's all the scoring. The Spos threaten in the fifth when Martinez walks Cordero after one out and Webster after two, but Lansing flies out to Mondesi in right to end the inning. In the sixth, Grissom's grounder to third is fumbled by Wallach, and Grissom reaches and steals second. Berry flies out to Rodriguez at the wall in left, and Alou walks on four pitches. But Martinez rallies to strike out White and get out of trouble. In the seventh, first baseman Randy Milligan singles with one out, and Webster's fly ball ticks off of Mondesi's glove to put runners at first and second. But Lansing forces Webster, and Hill strikes out on three pitches to end the threat.

In the bottom of the seventh, Eric Karros ends Hill's streak of eight in a row retired with a base hit to left center, but is forced by Rodriguez, who's forced by Mondesi. Bournigal's base hit to left puts blue at the corners, and Offerman bats for Martinez. But his grounder is scooped up by Hill, who tosses to first to end the inning. Todd Worrell retires the Expos in order over the final two innings, and the Dodgers have one last peep in the bottom of the ninth against Hill. Wallach beats out a grounder in the hole at short, and after Cordero leaps to catch a Karros liner for out number one, Rodriguez grounds into a force play. Mondesi's fly to center does it. Hill has thrown a complete game six-hitter, and the Expos win 4-2 to take Game 1.

"I felt great out there," Hill tells Hannah Storm. "Everything was nice and easy except for the third, but those home runs didn't bother me much. If you're going to give up home runs, always make sure they're solo shots. Everything else was great out there. Hopefully we can build on this tomorrow and go home to try to clinch in front of the greatest fans in baseball."

Hill is named Player of the Game by NBC. His line: nine innings, two runs (both earned), six hits, a walk and three strikeouts, all in 109 pitches. Time of the game: two hours and sixteen minutes.

And that wraps it up from Dodger Stadium. Stay tuned for your late local news. If you're on the West Coast, you'll get repeats of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Conan O'Brien following that. Later with Bob Costas from Atlanta with guest Ted Turner will follow in an all time slots. We'll be back here tomorrow night at 8 Eastern with Game 2. Pedro Martinez of the Expos will try to do what his brother Ramon couldn't: win for his team. He'll be opposed by the Dodgers' Pedro Astacio. The final score again from Dodger Stadium: the Montreal Expos 4, the Los Angeles Dodgers 2. For Joe Garagiola, Hannah Storm, and Len Berman, this is Vin Scully wishing you a very pleasant good evening from Los Angeles. Greg Gumbel and the postgame show are up in just a moment!

W- Hill (1-0)
L- R. Martinez (0-1)

HR- LA: DeShields (1), Wallach (1)

Next: To be determined.

Thoughts?
 
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Live from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, it's Game 2 of the National League Division Series between the Montreal Expos and the Los Angeles Dodgers! Last night, Expos ace Ken Hill went all the way in the Expos' 4-2 victory. Tonight, the Expos send to the mound the most talented young hurler on their staff, Pedro Martinez, whose brother Ramon was the losing pitcher for the Dodgers last night. This Martinez finished 11-5; his mound opponent is also named Pedro. Pedro Astacio, to be precise. He carries into this game a record of 6-8.

As far as lineups go, Jose Offerman's foot is still sore from having a ball fouled off of it in batting practice yesterday; Rafael Bournigal gets his second straight start at short. Also, Cory Snyder replaces Henry Rodriguez in left; no official reason is given by Dodger skipper Tommy Lasorda. For the Expos, Larry Walker is over the flu enough to play, but manager Felipe Alou is starting him at first base so as not to weaken him with any long runs in the outfield. This means that Moises Alou will stay in right and Rondell White in left. Also, Lenny Webster starts behind the plate again today, relegating Darrin Fletcher to pinch-hitting duty for the second consecutive game. With those notes out of the way, let's get Game 2 started!

The first five innings go by with no score. The Expos go down in order in the top of the first, and Delino DeShields' walk in the bottom of the inning is erased when Mike Piazza grounds into a 3-6-3 double play. Webster's two-out single in the Montreal second comes to nothing, and Martinez sets the Dodgers down one-two-three in the bottom of the second. Mike Lansing leads off the top of the third with a base hit and is bunted along by Martinez, but Marquis Grissom strikes out and Wil Cordero grounds out to Bournigal The Dodgers make a little more noise in the bottom of the third; Snyder sneaks one through the left side for a base hit, and Bournigal ticks one off of Lansing's glove for an infield hit. Astacio's sacrifice bunt is successful, but Martinez bears down to strike out Butler and DeShlelds to end the inning. The Expos go quietly in the top of the fourth, and Piazza's leadoff double is wasted by the home club in the bottom of the inning. Astacio has another one-two-three inning in the top of the fifth, and Martinez matches it for the Spos.

The visitors break on top for the first time in the top of the sixth. Astacio starts out strong by striking out Martinez and Grissom, but loses Cordero on a five-pitch walk. Wil then swipes second, mostly due to a weak throw from Piazza, and Moises's lined single to left brings him home to put the Eastern champs up 1-0. Astacio comes back to strike out the side by fanning Walker, but the damage has already been done. We're through five and a half; it's the Expos 1, the Dodgers 0.

The Dodgers pull even in the bottom of the sixth. Brett Butler grounds Martinez's first pitch into left for a base hit, is moved along by a bunt from DeShields, and scores when Piazza ropes a base hit into left. Unfortunately, the Dodger rally ends there; Wallach forces Piazza for out number two, and Karros grounds to Sean Berry at third to end the inning. Still, there's reason for hope at Chavez Ravine now that the Dodgers have tied the game at one through six.

The Expos waste Webster's one-out walk in the seventh after Berry, who forced him, is nabbed by Piazza trying to steal second. Snyder's walk in the bottom of the inning is erased when Bournigal's hot shot back to Martinez is turned into a 1-4-3 double play. Then comes the top of the eighth. Closer Todd Worrell is ready to make an early appearance, but Lasorda chooses to stay with Astacio for at least a batter or two in the top of the eighth. The decision is proven wrong by one swing of the bat from Lansing. Here's Vin:

"One and one to Mike Lansing. Worrell is ready, but Tommy, for whatever reason, is staying with Astacio. Fletcher out to bat for Martinez; we'll see if he stays there. Here's the one-one pitch...........HIT A MILE INTO LEFT CENTER FIELD, AND YOU CAN FORGET ABOUT THIS ONE!.........Mike Lansing, not the first name you think of for home runs in the Montreal lineup with guys like Alou and Walker in it, tattoos one far over the wall in left center to give the Expos a 2-1 lead."

Garagiola: "Who knw he had that kind of power in him, Vin? This was absolutely crushed. Butler doesn't even bother going back on the ball, it was that far gone."

Lasorda turns to Worrell one batter too late, and Todd gets two quick outs, But Cordero works a walk, and then Moises puts this game, and possibly the series, out of the Dodgers' reach:

"Worrell now behind Alou two balls and a strike. He seems a bit rattled after losing Cordero, he kind of looked cross-eyed at home plate umpire Gerry Davis after ball four. But now he has to focus on Alou, who can hurt you with one swing."

Garagiola: "Piazza wants this one low and inside."

Scully: "Two-one pitch......got it up high, and it's launched into left center field. This time it's Snyder's turn to go back, he's at the wall........IT'S GONE! The second home run of the inning for the Expos, and only their fifth hit of the game, but they lead the Dodgers 4-1."

Garagiola: "I said that Piazza wanted that one inside and low. Well, that's not what he gets; it's at the belt, and Alou just creams it. Snyder tries to chase, but it's hopeless."

Walker grounds out to DeShields to end the inning, but it's too late for the Dodgers, who now trail 4-1 through seven and a half and are just six outs away from a long transcontinental flight on which to contemplate a two games to none series hole.

The Dodgers mount a small threat in the bottom of the eighth when Offerman, in for Bournigal at short after a double switch, draws a walk. Butler forces him, but Martinez strikes out DeShields and Piazza on three pitches each to end the inning. Jim Gott gets the Spos one-two-three in the top of the ninth, and Martinez comes out in the bottom of the ninth looking for a second consecutive complete game for the Montreal staff. But Wallach and Karros stroke back-to-back singles, and after Mondesi files out, Rodriguez bats for Snyder and singles to load the bases. Felipe reluctantly brings in closer John Wetteland to face Chris Gwynn, batting for Gott. Wetteland gets the job done in one pitch, inducing Tony's brother to hit into a 4-6-3 game-ending double play. The Expos have taken Game 2 4-1, and have three chances to close out the series at Olympic Stadium, starting Saturday at high noon.

Moises' three RBIs net him Player of the Game honors from NBC. "Pete (Martinez) was just filthy tonight. That's where this all started. We had just enough offense not to waste him," Alou tells Hannah Storm.

Describe the home run. "Todd got it up a bit, and I just saw it and hit it as best I could. I thought I had a double until I rounded second and saw Bruce (second base umpire Bruce Froemming) signal home run."

The Expos are one win away from their first playoff series victory ever, and if they clinch, they'll do it at home. "That oughta be something else come Saturday. Hopefully we give the fans a reason to celebrate."

And that'll do it from Dodger Stadium. Stay tuned for the Prudential Postgame Report with Greg, Tom, and Big John, followed by your late local news, and then the NBC late night lineup: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and Later with Bob Costas. Bob's guest in Atlanta will be former Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton. Be sure to join us at noon Eastern Time on Saturday from the Big O, Olympic Stadium in Montreal, for Game 3 of this series. The Expos send Jeff Fassero to the mound to try for the sweep, and the Dodgers will oppose him with Kevin Gross. This will be followed by Game 3 between the Braves and Reds in Cincinnati.

A special note about the start time for a potential Game 4 on Sunday: because of NBC's football commitments, Game 4 will start at 10:20 PM Eastern Time, if necessary. That's an unusual starting time for a sporting event in the Eastern time zone, to say the least, and one more reason for the Expos to try and clinch on Saturday. So until then, for Joe Garagiola, Hannah Storm, and Len Berman, this is Vin Scully wishing you a very pleasant good night from Dodger Stadium. Our final again: Expos 4, Dodgers 1. The Expos lead this series two games to none, and they'll be bringing the brooms to the Big O on Saturday at noon Eastern. See you then, and so long everybody. Now here's Greg Gumbel with the Prudential Postgame Report!

W- Martinez (1-0)
S- Wetteland (1)
L- Astacio (0-1)

HR- MTL: Lansing (1), M. Alou (1)

Next: The Expos try for a sweep against the Dodgers in Game 3.

Thoughts?
 
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It's time for Game 3 of the National League Division Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Montreal Expos! For the first time in this timeline, playoff baseball has come to Quebec, and Olympic Stadium will be packed to the brim with Expo fans waiting to see the dreams of twenty-five years come true. They've packed the place with brooms in anticipation of an Expos sweep after Game 2's 4-1 win, where eighth-inning home runs from Mike Lansing and Moises Alou catapulted the Spos to victory. The Dodgers didn't come all the way across North America to lie down, however, and send Kevin Gross (9-7) to the mound in an attempt to quiet the Eastern Division champs. Going to the mound for the home squad will be Jeff Fassero (8-6).

Big news for the Dodgers lineup-wise: Mike Piazza is back in the hotel with bronchitis, unable even to come to the ballpark. This means that the Men in Blue will be without one of their captains and their star slugger. Carlos Hernandez will start behind the plate in his place. Also, Henry Rodriguez is back in left field, and Rafael Bournigal gets another start at short because Jose Offerman's tender ankle won't let him pivot on the artificial turf of The Big O. The Expos, on the other hand, have big guns returning to the lineup; Cliff Floyd is once again healthy and will start in left, while Moises Alou stays in right and Larry Walker, feeling better every day but still not up to chasing fly balls, remains at first. Regular catcher Darrin Fletcher is also back behind the plate. Can the Expos make history in front of their adoring fans, or will we see midnight baseball tomorrow night in Quebec? Let's play ball and find out!

Both sides go down in order in the first, and Fassero strikes out the side in the top of the second, getting Tim Wallach and Eric Karros looking. In the bottom of the second, the Spos draw first blood. Walker ropes one into right that falls in for a double, and Fletcher makes his return pay off by grounding one into center to drive him in. Deep fly balls from Wil Cordero and Sean Berry fail to advance Fletcher, however, and a walk to Lansing proves harmless when Fassero is fooled by three straight Gross curveballs and takes three progressively worse swings at them. Nevertheless, the home team is on top 1-0 after two, and the buzz at Olympic Stadium is louder than ever.

The Dodgers mount a threat in the top of the third. Bornigal walks with one out, and Gross bunts him over to second. Fassero then walks Brett Butler to put Dodgers at first and second, but Delino DeShields pops harmlessly out to Walker to end the inning. The Spos put Gross in a jam with two out in the bottom of the third when Alou singles. Gross becomes fixated on avoiding the stolen base, perhaps because of Hernandez catching in Piazza's place, and stops when he shouldn't on a pickoff attempt, leading home plate umpire Larry Poncino to call a balk. Gross protests loudly and angrily, to the point of being warned by Poncino that one more word means an ejection. Gross is still rattled and walks Walker on four straight pitches, then hits Fletcher in the elbow. Pitching coach Ron Perranoski comes out to calm Gross down, and Kevin gets Cordero to ground to Bournigal to end the inning, but he's still visibly disgusted with Poncino as he storms into the dugout.

Fassero strikes out the side for the second time today in the top of the fourth, and the Spos add on in the bottom of the inning. Berry leads off with a double, but holds at second when Lansing's fly ball is too shallow to advance him. That leaves it up to Fassero, and he grounds one between first and second into right center for a base hit. Berry scores, and it's 2-0 Spos. "Gross is still shaken up," says Joe Garagiola. "He took that balk call way too personally, and it's still affecting him."

His defense does him no favors either, as Bournigal can't handle Grissom's soft grounder, putting runners at first and second. After another visit from Perranoski, Gross blows away Floyd and Alou on strikes to end the inning. Still, the Expos have scored again and lead 2-0 after four.

Fassero gets the first two outs in the fifth easily, and Vin Scully notes that he has a no-hitter going so far. Just as he says that, Bounigal's fly to left skips off of Floyd's glove, allowing him to reach. The official scorer rules the play an error on Floyd, extending the no-no one batter further. But there's no doubt about this fly ball from Gross:

"Gross in a great position to help his own cause. Maybe the bunt is in order; he did it before. Fassero with the first pitch........hammered to left-center field, back goes Floyd, to the wall..........SHE'S GONE!.............Some bunt, eh?"

Garagiola: "This one was hit a mile, and Gross finally has to feel better after all that's happened to him in this game. With one swing of the bat, he's brought the Dodgers even."

Butler walks to extend the inning, but Fassero strikes out DeShields to end it. But Gross' home run has quieted the crowd more than somewhat, as we're tied 2-2 halfway through.

Walker's leadoff walk in the bottom of the fifth is erased by Fletcher's double play, and Wallach's free pass in the top of the sixth is similarly wasted by the Dodgers. In the bottom of the sixth, Lansing singles with one out, and Fassero's groundout moves him along, but Gross strikes out Grissom to end the inning. Fassero sets the Dodgers down one-two-three in the top of the seventh. Walker singles with two out in the bottom of the inning and steals second, but Fletcher's fly to Butler ends the inning. Each side goes down in order in the eighth, with Todd Worrell now out of the pen for Los Angeles. The Dodgers get back-to-back singles from Wallach and Karros to start the ninth, and manager Felipe Alou calls to the pen for Mel Rojas. Fassero gets a standing ovation as he leaves after giving up just three hits in eight innings' work. Meanwhile, Rojas gets Raul Mondesi to ground into a 4-6-3 double play with Wallach going to third, and Hernandez grounds out to end the inning.

With Gil Heredia ready to pitch the tenth if necessary, Felipe sends Lenny Webster up to bat for Rojas, and he draws a walk. Replays show that the pitch that Poncino called ball four should have been strike three, and the Dodger bench lands all over him. Poncino ignores them, and Lou Frazier comes off the Expos' bench to run for Webster. "Alou's going for it right now," says Joe G. "If he needs a backup catcher, I guess he'll have to send for (Canadiens goalie) Patrick Roy."

Frazier steals second right off the bat, then comes the most controversial play of the postseason so far. Grissom slaps one down to Wallach at third; Tim fires to first, beating Grissom by a hair................except that first base umpire Bruce Froemming calls him safe. Lasorda can't believe it, and he and first base coach Manny Mota both get in Froemming's face. Mota appears to salivate on Froemming, and he's tossed. Lasorda tries to protect him, but this crew has had enough from the Dodgers today, and Lasorda's canned as well. Third base coach Joey Amalfitano starts over toward first to throw in his two cents, but Wallach tackles him. Hitting coach Reggie Smith says a few choice words as he comes out to take Mota's place at first, and Froemming thumbs him as well. In the end, bench coach Bill Russell ends up coaching first. "This is unprecedented," says Scully. "I don't for a moment mean to sound like a homer, but a manager and two coaches being thrown out in the bottom of the ninth inning of a potentially decisive playoff game?"

"I don't believe what I'm seeing, Vin," agrees Garagiola.

Here's what happens next:

"So now Russell, the bench coach, is at first, and I guess Perranoski's got the lineup card. If Wallach hadn't restrained Amalfitano, the Dodgers may have been out of coaches for all practical purposes. Now it's Floyd to face Worrell, the winning run ninety feet away. Todd into the stretch, and here's the first one........GETS AWAY FROM HERNANDEZ, HERE COMES FRAZIER, AND THE EXPOS WIN IT!!!!!! ...….Lasorda was in the runway, and if someone doesn't watch him, he'll strangle Bruce Froemming. Smith back out here too, and now Russell's in his face. Perranoski's got the rest of the team down the tunnel, and the umpires are walking off, which is the smartest move they could make.

Meanwhile, Olympic Stadium is going mad for les Expos, who have just swept the Dodgers and are moving on to the National League Championship Series against either the Braves or the Reds. The Dodgers coming apart at the seams here in the bottom of the ninth: a walk, a stolen base, that infield single by Marquis Grissom that will live forever in Dodger infamy, and then the wild pitch from Todd Worrell that sends home Lou Frazier with the winning run. The Expos win 3-2 and sweep the series in three games, and we'll be back to Montreal in a moment."

"This is so sweet," says Fassero, NBC's Player of the Game. "We know we're the team that can bring the World Series to Montreal, and we took the first step today."

Were you tired in the ninth? "Yeah. I wanted to finish, but I was getting tired. When you have a bullpen like ours, better safe than sorry."

Crazy bottom of the ninth, huh? "I've never seen anything like it. But we'll take the win. Hopefully, Atlanta and Cincinnati go five."

"A great win for our ballclub," says Felipe. "We've shown that we can play with anybody at any time."

Your pitching staff was tremendous. "Yeah, they sure brought it, and they'll be ready for the next series too, including the bullpen which we didn''t have to use much."

Any comments on the bottom of the ninth? "None. I'm just glad we won the game."

"What a fuckin' way to lose," says a still-steamed Lasorda. "I'm filing a formal protest, because this was total bullshit. Grissom was out; the replays showed it. And then......I can understand tossing one of us, but three of us? Manny didn't spit on him. I told that asshole Froemming that. Instead of using the brains God gave him, he throws me out. That's my job, though, to protect my coaches. But Reggie wasn't even talkin' to him; he was talkin' to the fuckin' dugout, and they toss him out too. They're out of fuckin' control, all of them, and they're gonna fuckin' hear about it. Write it down on your fuckin' wrists in ink, they're gonna have it comin' out of their fuckin' ears." (The protest was later denied by National League President Leonard Coleman.)

And that wraps it up from Montreal. Stay tuned now for the Reds and Braves from Cincinnati, and since this is my last broadcast this year for NBC, thank you to everyone at the network for making my return so pleasant; it was like I'd never been away. Good luck to Joe in the NLCS; he'll be with Bob Costas and Tony Kubek, while I'll be working for the good folks at CBS Radio. And speaking of Bob and Tony, they're next, so for Joe, Hannah Storm, and Len Berman, this is Vin Scully saying au revoir from La Belle Province, where the Expos have swept the Dodgers. taking a wild Game 3 3-2 in ten innings. Now let's see if the Reds and Braves can top it. Here's Bob!

W- Rojas (1-0)
L- Worrell (0-1)

HR- LA: Gross (1)

The rest of the National League playoffs happened as already described: the Reds eliminated the Braves in four games to take the other NLDS, then swept the Expos in four straight to take the National League pennant. We'll explore the "incomplete season" version of the American League playoffs later in this timeline.

Next: Back to the World Series, which will be decided in Game 7.

Thoughts?
 
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This is it: Game 7 of the 1994 World Series! The Yankees have survived three straight blowouts during which they were outscored 36-10 to tie the series courtesy of last night's 7-5 win. Mike Gallego was the hero with his fourth-inning grand slam off of John Smiley. Who will tonight's hero be? We'll find out soon enough. The starting pitchers will be Erik Hanson for the Reds and Melido Perez for the Yanks, but anybody and everybody from both bullpens will be available for at least some duty.

The only lineup change for the Reds is Eddie Taubensee starting behind the plate in place of Brian Dorsett, who caught Games 5 and 6. The Yankees, on the other hand, have massive changes: Wade Boggs' neck is still sore, so Randy Velarde gets another start at third. Gerald Williams replaces Luis Polonia in left, Paul O'Neill moves back to right, and in the most stunning development of all, Don Mattingly has been benched for the game he's waited to play all his life. Mike Stanley gets the start at first, with Jim Leyritz, the hero of Game 5, starting behind the plate. The last time there were changes of this magnitude to the New York lineup, the Yanks were blown out of the Bronx in Game 4. Can the Reds do it again tonight in front of their home fans and take the world championship? Let's go down to the field and find out!

The Yanks waste an opportunity right off the bat. With one out in the top of the first, Velarde lines one into the right field corner for a double. Hanson then gives back-to-back walks to O'Neill and Stanley to load the bases, and almost immediately Jose Rijo starts to throw in the Cincy bullpen. But Larkin catches Leyritz's liner for the second out, and Gerald is caught looking to end the inning. Perez gives up a two-out double to Morris in the bottom of the first, then walks Mitchell. But Reggie's fly down the left field line is caught by Gerald for the third out.

The Yanks push one across to take the lead in the top of the second. With one out Kelly drops one in front of Deion for a double, stays at second while Perez strikes out, and scores when Bernie's grounder eludes Fernandez and goes into left for a hit. Bernie is caught stealing to end the inning, but the Yanks are on top 1-0 through an inning and a half at Riverfront.

The Reds mount a small threat in the bottom of the second when Fernandez singles and Boone draws a walk, but Taubensee grounds into a double play and Hanson flies to Bernie in center. The Yanks go down one-two-three in the top of the third, and Morris gets hit by a pitch to no avail in the bottom of the inning. Hanson sets the Yanks down in order in the top of the fourth, and it's evident that he's shaken off any Game 7 jitters, but the Reds can't do anything against Perez. as Fernandez's infield hit is erased by Boone's double play in the bottom of the fourth.

In the Yankee fifth, Perez singles to right with one out, but is forced by Bernie, who moves to third on Velarde's base hit. O'Neill grounds out to Fernandez, however, and the threat is thwarted. Deion's two-out single is for naught in the bottom of the fifth, and walks to Stanley and Gallego in the Yankee sixth do no lasting damage. "You'd never think that these two pitchers have no Game 7 experience," Al Michaels comments. "They're just humming right along."

Perez continues to do just that, setting the Reds down one-two-three in the bottom of the sixth. In the top of the seventh, Hanson runs into trouble briefly when Velarde draws a two-out walk and moves to third on O'Neill's single, but Stanley grounds to Fernandez to end the inning. As we stretch in Cincinnati, the Reds, one strike away from the world championship on two separate occasions, have just nine outs left to erase a 1-0 deficit.

Perez gets the first two outs of the bottom of the seventh with ease, but Taubensee keeps the inning alive by lofting one in between Gerald and Bernie that goes for a double. Hanson's gone long enough, and the Reds need offense in any case, so Jacob Brumfield pinch hits for him and draws a walk. Next up is Deion, and he plays hero again, slapping one between first and second and into right center to score Taubensee and tie the game. Showalter removes Perez, perhaps a batter too late, and Bob Wickman comes in to get Larkin to ground to Gallego. The Reds have tied the game, however, and Riverfront Stadium is again a madhouse. Through seven in Game 7, we're even at one.

But the Yanks take control again quickly in the top of the eighth. Leyritz laces Chuck McElroy's first pitch into right center for a single, and Gerald lines his third pitch over Mitchell's head in left for a double. Leyritz scores, and the Yanks are in front 2-1. McElroy then walks Gallego on four pitches, and that's all Johnson needs to see. With the Series slipping away, he calls Rijo out of the bullpen to hold the Yanks where they are. Jose blows away Kelly and pinch hitter Boggs (batting for Wickman) on strikes, but Bernie grounds one into left to score Gerald and put the Yanks up by two. Velarde grounds to Boone to end the inning, but the Yanks have a 3-1 lead after seven and a half, which leaves the Reds just six outs to do something about it.

Perez comes out for the bottom of the eighth and gets into immediate trouble when Morris' fly ball to right center eludes Bernie's glove and drops for a double. Mitchell grounds to Boggs (who's now playing third while Velarde moves to short) for the first out, and a 1-2 curveball freezes Reggie for strike three and out number two. Fernandez busts his tail to beat out a ground ball to Velarde, but Boone goes down swinging at three straight pitches. After O'Neill does the same to open the top of the ninth, Mattingly comes out to bat for Stanley. His leg is heavily wrapped, which we later find out is a groin pull sustained in pregame warmups. At any rate, he takes two balls from Rijo, and then:

Al: "You wonder almost if this is a courtesy at-bat, a kind of thank you, because if he's hurt like the wrap says he is, forget about defense in the bottom of the ninth. This is just like Kirk Gibson for the Dodgers in 1988."

Tim: "But Gibson's at-bat ended in a home run. We'll have to see about this one."

Al: "And see we will. 2-0 pitch...........HIGH AND DEEP TO LEFT! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! MITCHELL TURNS AROUND, BUT THIS ONE'S IN KENTUCKY!............He might take all night to round the bases, but I'm sure he doesn't care! Don Mattingly has, barring a miracle, come off the Yankee bench to put this improbable comeback on ice!"

Tim: "Like Kirk Gibson in 1988, he had one good swing in him, and he put it to good use."

Jim: "Not quite a game-winner, at least the Yankees hope not, but still a great moment!"

After Leyritz grounds to Larkin for the second out, Gerald and Boggs crack back-to-back singles off of Rijo, and Johnson comes out to get his ace. Hector Carrasco induces Kelly to fly to right to end the inning, but the Reds have a three-run deficit to make up in just three outs, and they have to do it against Steve Howe. It's 4-1 Yankees going to the bottom of the ninth.

Despite his limited mobility, Mattingly stays in the game at first, and Howe's first pitch to Taubensee is lined right at him for out number one. Branson then bats for Carrasco and grounds one down to first. Mattingly fields the ball, but Howe is a step slow coming off the mound. Knowing he can't outrun anybody, Mattingly shovels it in Howe's general direction, hoping that he'll be there when the ball gets there. He is, barely, and there are two gone. "Howe came down the wrong side of the mound," says McCarver. "He raced across the top of the mound and came down the third base side instead of the more natural first base side."

It's all up to Deion now, and he grounds one into right center to keep the Reds alive. Larkin drops one in front of Bernie to put runners on the corners, then Morris draws a walk on a 3-2 pitch that looked to catch the outside corner. Howe stares briefly at plate umpire John Hirschbeck, but he has no time to argue; the one man in the Reds lineup that can win it all with one swing, Mitchell, is at the plate. He swings for the downs twice, coming up empty, and then:

Al: "Mitchell swinging out of his shoes twice to no avail; a base hit keeps the inning alive, a gap shot could tie it up."

Tim: "He just has to put the ball in play and let what happens happen."

Jim: "A little easier said than done in a situation like this."

Al: "Now it's the Yankees who could win the championship on the next pitch. Here it is.........LINE SHOT GLOVED BY VELARDE! THE YANKEES ARE THE WORLD CHAMPIONS!...........And they're celebrating at first base with Don Matttingly. His dream has come true, as he has led the Yankees to a world championship. What a disappointment for the Reds, up three games to one, world title just a strike away twice, losing it in the thirteenth on the Leyritz home run, and then losing two in a row at home. This place is absolutely silent right now, and you can't blame the fans at all."

Here's John Sterling:

"0-2 to Mitchell..........LINER CAUGHT BY VELARDE!!!!!!!!!!!! GAME OVER! WORLD SERIES OVER! YANKEES WIN THE TITLE! THAAAAAAAAAAAA YANKEES WIN THE WORLD SERIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "

Now, Marty Brennaman:

"Kevin just looking for a hit, anything to keep the Reds alive. Here's Howe's 0-2 pitch........line drive speared by Velarde, and that'll do it! The Reds had the world championship in their grasp, but lost Game 5 on the Leyritz homer and were outplayed the last two nights here at Riverfront. Give credit to the Yankees for coming back and fighting as hard as they did to win after the Reds slapped them around in three straight games. They really showed what they were made of."

Finally, Vin Scully:

"Howe set, and now the 0-2 to Mitchell.....screamer smothered by Velarde, and the comeback is complete! The New York Yankees have won the World Series, coming back from three games to one down and being blown out in all three losses, winning that unforgettable Game 5, then taking the next two at Riverfront. "

Leyritz is named Series MVP. "It's incredible, really, to hit a home run that turns around a World Series like that. But we still had to win it, and we had the people to do it, especially all the great pitching: Jimmy last night, and Lido tonight. Gerald got the big hit in the eighth, and what can you say about a man called Donnie Baseball? I'm so glad we could do this for him. After all these years, no one deserves it more."

Mattingly deflects most of the credit, of course. "They did it without me. I couldn't believe that tonight, of all nights, I got hurt enough so I couldn't play. If I'd had even a few hours to rest, I could have played easily."

How big was the home run? "You dream about stuff like this, but you can't imagine that it would actually happen to you, kind of like the World Series itself. It won't sink in until I'm old and gray, most likely."

Manager Buck Showalter, what did you say to your team when it was down three games to one? "Not much. They're professionals, and they knew what they had to do. They just had to go out and do it."

Was Jim's home run the turning point? "Well, it sure started us on the right track, but we still had to go out and win two more games, with them having home field. It takes a special group of players to do that, and thankfully we have them right here in this locker room."

Owner George Steinbrenner appears only briefly. "First, I'd like to congratulate the Reds for giving us all we could handle. They'll be back. Second, I'd like to say that I did not order Buck to change his lineup for Game 4. If I had, I would have made sure to admit it and take the pressure off of them after they got beat like that. And third, I'd like to thank the city of New York for their patience these last sixteen years, and I know that they join me in enjoying and celebrating this......" The Boss is rendered speechless by a champagne dousing from O'Neill and Boggs before he can finish.

By the way, Wade, how does it feel to finally win the big one? Boggs answers' Peter Gammons' question by dousing him as well.

The Reds, as you can guess, are much more subdued. Skipper Davey Johnson is the only one who'll talk on camera. "To come within a strike and lose it, have it taken away.......it's gonna hurt for quite a while. But you've got to give them a ton of credit; when I say took it, they did just that. Perez was just tremendous tonight, and we had our chances, but he just stopped us at every turn. Erik was great too, but you can't afford to make any mistakes in a game like this, and he made a couple. Plus, Jose didn't have it like I thought he would in the eighth. That's no knock on him, just a fact."

How can you possibly rebound from a loss like this? "if you're a professional, you'll find a way. That's the best part of baseball: in three or four months, if the agreement's signed, we'll get another chance to do this. By February, we'll be ready to embrace that chance, and maybe this time the breaks will fall our way."

So that's the story from Riverfront: the New York Yankees are the world champions, coming from literally their last strike twice to defeat the Cincinnati Reds 4-1 tonight and four games to three for the series. Stay tuned now for your late local news in the Eastern and Central time zones and 20/20 in the Mountain and Pacific time zones. Monday Night Football comes to you from this very building at 9 Eastern, as the other tenants of this place, the Bengals, welcome the defending Super Bowl champs, the Dallas Cowboys. I'll be joining Frank and Dan as usual. Until then, Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Lesley Visser, Peter Gammons, and the rest of our tremendous crew at ESPN and ABC Sports saying thank you for joining us all season, and we'll see you next year from the National League parks!

W- Wickman (1-0)
S- Howe (3)
L- McElroy (0-1)

HR- NYY: Mattingly (1)

This is world title number twenty-one for the Yankees, and the American League's all-time lead in the World Series standings is now thirteen at 45-32.

Next: We continue the "unfinished season" playoffs by looking at the American League.

Thoughts?
 
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Since the Reds won the pennant I'm the one that ended on August 11th also now, if they face the Yankees you should have the Reds win in five. A blown call like that should not decide a World Series. This is not 1985 where not only was there a similar blunder by the Cardinals with Jack Clark dropping a foul that would have been an out soon after, you also had a blown call earlier in the game that robbed the Royals of a stolen base right before a single that would have tied it at 1.

Howfitting for '94 to have 2 different outcomes to make up for having none in real life.

Full disclosure, I might not be saying that if it was another team other than the Yankees. :)
 
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Sorry, but I don't re-sim series that I've already done once. You can hope for the Indians or A's to face the Reds, though. (I might as well tell you that the Yankees have already eliminated the White Sox, just like they did in the original scenario. They met in the Division Series this time, and it went to the Yankees in five. For details, see the first five games of the ALCS earlier in this timeline.)
 
Now it's time for Game 1 of the second 1994 American League Division Series, Take 2. We're at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, and the date is Tuesday, October 4.

Weather: 56 degrees, cloudy skies, north-northwest wind at 17 MPH.

A's 1st: Left fielder Rickey Henderson drew a leadoff walk. He was forced by center fielder Stan Javier, who was himself promptly thrown out trying to steal second. Designated hitter Ruben Sierra restarted the inning by lining a double into the left center field gap. and catcher Terry Steinbach was accidentally hit in the head by a Dennis Martinez curve, putting runners at first and second. First baseman Troy Neel then cracked a double into almost the same spot Sierra had, which scored Ruben and Steinbach and gave the A's a 2-0 lead. Martinez rallied to end the inning by catching third baseman Scott Brosius looking at strike three, but the visitors have scored twice and left a runner at second. After half an inning, it's Athletics 2, Indians ready to bat.

Indians 2nd: After two out, left fielder Candy Maldonado and first baseman Paul Sorrento drew back-to-back walks against A's starter Todd Van Poppel. Catcher Tony Pena then hit a high fly ball to left that landed on the warning track and bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double. Maldonado was allowed to score the Tribe's first run, but Sorrento had to stop at third. Third baseman Alvaro Espinoza grounded to second to end the inning. The Tribe has scored a run to get back in the game here in the second, but still trails 2-1 after two.

A's 3rd: Henderson drew another leadoff walk, but was again forced by Javier. Sierra was next, and he whacked a double down the right field line and into the corner. Javier scored easily, and the A's led 3-1. Steinbach then hit a slow roller to third; it turned out to be so slow that Espinoza ran past it. The ball had skimmed lightly off of his glove, which meant that he was charged with an error. Neel then airlifted a ball that dropped between Espinoza and Maldonado for a hit. Sierra crossed the plate, and it was 4-1 Oakland.

With runners still at first and second and Chad Ogea warming up in the bullpen behind him, El Presidente got out of trouble, as Brosius' line drive was speared by Carlos Baerga for the second out and shortstop Mike Bordick grounded to counterpart Omar Vizquel, ending the inning. But the A's have added a run while leaving two men on base, and they now lead the Indians 4-1 after two and a half.

Indians 4th: With one out, Maldonado walked. Sorrento's single to right put two men on, and Pena's single to left center loaded the bases. Espinoza came within inches of a grand slam with his fly to deep left, but Henderson reached up at the last split second and made the catch for out number two. Maldonado trotted home form third, and we had a 4-2 game. With runners still on the corners, Van Poppel struck out center fielder Kenny Lofton on three straight swings to end the inning. The Tribe again settles for one while leaving runners at first and third. At the end of four, it's Oakland 4, Cleveland 2.

Indians 6th: Maldonado drew another one-out walk, which brought up Sorrento. Here's Jon Miller with the count two balls and no strikes:

"Van Poppel definitely tiring; he hasn't found the strike zone yet this inning. Even (Manny) Ramirez's grounder was on a pitch practically in the dirt. Tony Pena on deck, and then it looks like Jim Thome will bat for Alvaro Espinoza. There's the sign from Steinbach, 2-0 pitch...... down the line in left, over goes Henderson, hooking toward the pole...…...IT'S GONE! TIE GAME!...…..Left field umpire Al Clark rules it a home run, and here comes (manager) Tony LaRussa to argue."

Joe Morgan: "He doesn't have a case, Jon. That ball was clearly fair. It dropped on the fair side of the pole. He'll argue for a minute, then go and get Van Poppel, who's clearly run out of gas."

But the argument raged on and on, and as Joe suggested, LaRussa eventually removed Van Poppel. Todd started off the mound, but LaRussa took the opportunity to give home plate umpire and crew chief Jim McKean an earful about the home run call, and he was soon tossed. After a delay of almost ten minutes, longtime lieutenant and pitching coach Dave Duncan got the lineup card, and John Briscoe came in to face Pena, who struck out swinging. As Jon predicted, Thome batted for Espinoza, but Javier caught his shallow fly to right center, ending the inning. Sorrento's two-run blast has tied Game 1; at the end of six, we're deadlocked at four.

Indians 9th: With two out against reliever Billy Taylor, Lofton walked and stole second. Then it was up to Vizquel. Here's Jon with the count two balls and a strike:

"Next up is Baerga, followed by Murray, and you would think we'd see Dennis Eckersley if the situation gets too much hairier. Tying run at second in Lofton, and he's quite capable of stealing third if the opportunity comes up. Right now, Taylor nods at Steinbach, Lofton not going, 2-1 pitch......line drive out toward center, Javier can get it......NO HE CAN'T! HE SLID RIGHT PAST IT! LOFTON'S COMING HOME, AND THE INDIANS HAVE TAKEN GAME 1!...………..Stan Javier tried to make the sliding catch, and it went off of his body somehow and skipped past him."

Morgan: "Right off the pocket of his glove, Jon. He had it for a brief moment, but it slid right out, and by the time Rickey Henderson sprinted over to try a throw, Kenny Lofton was just about at home plate. A throw would have been useless."

Miller: "Javier is limping off; we can't tell whether he's just dejected or whether he hurt something on that sliding catch attempt."

Final score: Indians 5, A's 4, and the Indians lead the series one game to none.

Sorrento was named Player of the Game by ABC. He was two for three plus a walk, which included the game-tying homer in the sixth. Martinez also got some consideration; despite a rather ragged stat line, he pitched a complete game, giving up four runs on seven hits while walking six and striking out seven in 125 pitches.

Game 2 will be tomorrow afternoon here at Jacobs Field First pitch is scheduled for a little after 3PM on ABC. Jack Morris will take the mound for the Tribe, while Bobby Witt will get the ball for the A's.

Final totals: Indians 5-7-1, A's 4-7-1.

W- D. Martinez (1-0)
L- Taylor (0-1)

HR- CLE: Sorrento (1)

Next: We look at Game 2.

Thoughts?
 
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Now it's time for Game 2 of the second American League Division Series, Take 2. We're at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, and the date is Wednesday, October 5:

Lineup Changes:

A's- Troy Neel moves from first base to the DH spot and from fifth to third in the batting order. Yesterday's designated hitter, Ruben Sierra, starts in right field and moves down to the cleanup spot. Terry Steinbach slides to down to fifth, while Mike Aldrete replaces Neel at first base and will hit sixth. Scott Brosius moves down to seventh, Mike Bordick drops to eighth, and Scott Hemond down to ninth.

Indians- Most of the stars who were on the bench for Game 1 are back in the lineup today. Albert Belle replaces Candy Maldonado in left field and will bat in the cleanup spot. Eddie Murray, who was the designated hitter yesterday, starts at first base in place of Paul Sorrento and will bat fifth. Manny Ramirez moves down to sixth, Jim Thome is back at third in place of Alvaro Espinoza and will bat seventh, Sandy Alomar Jr. replaces Tony Pena behind the plate and will bat eighth, and Ruben Amaro Jr. will sere as the designated hitter and will bat ninth.

I forgot to list the umpiring crew for Game 1, so let me correct that oversight for Game 2:

Home Plate: Jim Joyce
First Base: Terry Craft
Second Base: Ed Hickox
Third Base: Al Clark
Left Field: Dan Morrison
Right Field: Jim McKean

Weather: 53 degrees, mostly cloudy skies, west-northwest wind at 7 MPH.

Indians 1st: Omar Vizquel drew a one-out walk. He stayed at first as Carlos Baerga flew to Stan Javier in center, and that brought Albert Belle to the plate for the first time in this series. Here's Jon Miller:

"(Manager) Mike Hargrove went with a speedier lineup yesterday, which meant that Belle was among many to sit, the other notable benching being Jim Thome, who's also back in the starting lineup today after playing the late innings. Witt now ready and here's Belle's first pitch seen in this series...…..down the right field line, Sierra going over, at the wall...….IT'S GONE! WELCOME TO OCTOBER, ALBERT BELLE! Not exactly a tape measure shot, but it's enough to give the Indians a 2-0 lead."

Joe Morgan: "This is the kind of swing that makes Albert Belle one of the most feared hitters in baseball. He didn't get all of that pitch, but he was still strong enough to hit it out. In most parks Ruben Sierra would have caught up to it, but not here at Jacobs Field, where it's only 325 feet down the right field line."

Murray's grounder to second ended the inning, but Belle's blast has given the Indians a 2-0 lead after an inning in Game 2.

A's 2nd: With one put, it's Aldrete against Indians starter Jack Morris. Here's Sean McDonough on CBS Radio:

"A lot of lineup shuffling by both managers between Game 1 and Game 2, and Aldrete is one of the beneficiaries as he gets the start at first today. One out, top of the second, Indians up 2-0. Morris checks the sign from Alomar, and the 1-1 pitch.....high fly ball to right center field, Lofton back, at the track, at the wall, AND IT'S OUTTA HERE!...….Albert Belle homered in the first, and Mike Aldrete answers with a shot of his own here in the second to make this a 2-1 game."

Sparky Anderson: "Jack got that pitch a little too far out over the plate, and Aldrete killed it. Aldrete's not a home run hitter, Sean, but even someone with no power who knows how to hit can drive a mistake out of the ballpark now and then."

Brosius grounded to third for the second out, and Bordick's fly to right ended the inning. The A's are on the board thanks to Aldrete's home run, but still trail 2-1 after an inning and a half.

Indians 3rd: Kenny Lofton led off by lining a single up the middle, then moved to third when Vizquel grounded one up the middle for another single. Baerga grounded into a tailor-made 4-6-3 double play, but Lofton came in to score and give the home squad a 3-1 lead. Oakland starter Bobby Witt struck Belle out swinging to end the inning, but the Indians have added another un here in the third, and after three it's Tribe 3, Swingiins 1.

A's 6th: Stan Javier rounded a leadoff base hit to right, then stole second. Neel's base hit to right center brought Stan home and cut the Cleveland lead to 3-2. After Sierra popped out to Murray at first for out number one, Terry Steinbach walked to put two men on. Next up was Aldrete, who grounded one down to Murray. Eddie flipped to Vizquel to double Steinbach up, then took the return throw for the inning-ending double play. The A's thus have to settle for one run and leave the tying run at third. After five and a half, the Indians are clinging to a 3-2 lead.

Indians 7th: Lofton drew a one-out walk. after Vizquel's line smash was caught by Brosius at third for out number two, Lofton stole second with ease. With John Briscoe warming up in the Oakland bullpen, Witt had to deal with Baerga. Here's Jon:

"Logton at second, two out, and the count 0-1 on Baerga. Infield playing normally, and Lofton, who doesn't want to take the bat out of Baerga's hands, most likely won't be going. The sign from Steinbach, and here's the pitch...….FLY BALL HIGH AND DEEP TO RIGHT! BACK IS SIERRA! LOOKS UP, ADIOS PELOTA!...…..Baerga's two run homer has put the Indians up 5-2, and Joe, that was a no-doubter."

Morgan: "Baerga's better known for his defense than his hitting, but he hit nineteen homers this year, so he knows how to go out and get the ball. This is high and deep, and there's no question that it's gone, especially since Sierra isn't fast enough to take it away anyway."

Witt's night was over, and Belle greeted Briscoe with a base hit just out of his reach and into center. Murray went down swinging to end the inning, but Baerga's two-run shot has given the Indians some much-needed insurance. After seven, it's Cleveland 5, Oakland 2.

Indians 8th: Ramirez and Thome drew back-to-back walks against new Oakland pitcher Billy Taylor. Alomar forced Thome, but Amaro's base hit to center brought Manny home with the sixth Cleveland run. Lofton's base hit to center loaded the bases, but Vizquel's fly to center was too shallow to score the run from third, and Baerga's grounder to Aldrete at first ended the inning. The Indians have added a run here in the eighth, but they've also left the bases loaded. We head to the ninth with the wild card leading the Western champs 6-2.

That was all of the scoring, as Eric Plunk pitched a perfect ninth to cement the Indians' 6-2 win and a two games to none lead in the best-of-five series.

Morris was named Player of the Game by ABC. He pitched eight innings, giving up two runs on three hits while walking four and striking out five. Belle and Baerga each merited consideration as well because of their home runs.

The Indians will go for the sweep on Friday afternoon in Game 3, which will take place at the Oakland Coliseum. First pitch is scheduled for a little after 3PM Eastern, with Charles Nagy looking to nail down the series for the Tribe. Veteran Ron Darling will start for the A's.

Final totals: Indians 6-10-0, A's 2-3-0.

W- Morris (1-0)
L- Witt (0-1)

HR- OAK: Neel (1)
CLE: Belle (1), Baerga (1)

Next: We look at Game 3.

Thoughts?
 
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By the way, in case anyone's curious, in the scenario we're working under at the moment Commissioner Bud Selig declared the season over on September 14 for all non-playoff teams just as in real life. The playoff teams reported to their cities for a mini-spring training, and they spent the last week playing exhibition games against an opponent of their choice from the opposite league to round back into shape. The Indians split their four-game series with the Reds, the Dodgers split with the A's, the Expos took three out of four from the Yankees, and the White Sox took three out of four from the Braves. Each series had two games in each city, and the parks were about half to three-quarters full, with the Expos and Yankees each selling out their second home game.

More coming soon!
 
Now it's time for Game 3 of the second 1994 American League Division Series, Take 2. We're at the Oakland Coliseum, and the date is Friday, October 7:

First, let's set the umpiring crew:

Home Plate: Terry Craft
First Base: Ed Hickox
Second Base: Al Clark
Third Base: Dan Morrison
Left Field: Jim McKean
Right Field: Jim Joyce

Weather: 67 degrees, fair skies, west-northwest wind at 9 MPH.

Lineup Changes:

Indians- Eddie Murray is back in the designated hitter role, with Paul Sorrento getting his second start of the series at first. Murray remains in the fifth spot, while Sorrento bats eighth. Also, Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez flip-flop, with Thome batting sixth and Ramirez seventh. Finally, Sandy Alomar Jr. moves down to ninth.

A's- Ruben Sierra moves up from fourth to third. Terry Steinbach moves up form fifth to fourth, while Troy Neel slides down to fifth. Scott Brosius moves up to sixth and Mike Bprdick to seventh. Finally, Mike Aldrete moves down to eighth. In pitching news, Ron Darling has had his start moved back to a possible Game 5 due to a bad cold. Todd Van Poppel will start on two days' rest today, and Game 2 starter Bobby Witt will do the same if there's a Game 4 tomorrow.

With the preliminaries out of the way, let's go down to the field and get this game started!

Indians 1st: With one out, Omar Vizquel walked. Carlos Baerga then lined a double off the wall in right, which brought Vizouel home and gave the Tribe a 1-0 lead. Van Poppel recovered to strike Belle out on three straight pitches, and Murray's grounder to Aldrete ended the inning. The visitors have broken on top with a run; let's see if the home squad can match it.

A's 1st: Rickey Henderson stroked a leadoff single to left, then stole second. Stan Javier's fly to deep right center chased Kenny Lofton back to the wall before he made the catch, and Henderson easily took third. With the infield playing in, Sierra's grounder to Baerga at second wasn't enough to get the run home, and there were two out. Steinbach was next, and his fly ball down the right field line dropped between an incoming Sierra and an outgoing Aldrete for a double. Henderson jogged home, and we were tied at one. Neel drew a four-pitch walk, but Brosius' grounder to Baerga ended the inning. The A's have tied the game with a run in the bottom of the first, and we head to the second tied at one.

Indians 2nd: Ramirez walked with one out, and Sorrento followed that up by lining a base hit to center. Alomar walked on five pitches to load the bases, and Lofton walked on four more to force Manny in and give Cleveland a 2-1 lead. After a visit from pitching coach Dave Duncan, Van Poppel got Vizquel to ground the first pitch to Aldrete. Mike threw home to nail Sorrento at the plate, and Steinbach zipped the return throw to first for the inning-ending double play. Three walks and a hit have produced another run for the Tribe, and they've left two runners in scoring position to boot. After an inning and a half, they lead 2-1.

A's 3rd: With one out, Javier dumped a fly ball into center for a base hit. Sierra's sharp single to right center put runners on the corners, and Steinbach's fly to the warning track in left center scored Javier and tied the game at two. Neel also flew deep to left center, but Lofton again raced over to make the catch for the final out. The A's have scratched out a run here in the bottom of the third, and after three in Game 3 we're even at two.

Indians 4th: Thome led off with a base hit up the middle, and Van Poppel issued back-to-back walks to Ramirez and Sorrento to load the bases. Alomar grounded into a tailor-made 6-4-3 double play, but that was enough to bring Thome home and give the Indians a 3-2 lead. Lofton worked the third walk of the inning to put runners on the corners, but Henderson made a diving catch of Vizquel's shallow fly to left center, ending the inning. We'll spotlight that catch later in this report. Meanwhile, Van Poppel's wildness has contributed to yet another Cleveland run, as they take advantage of three walks and a hit to score the go-ahead run while leaving runners at first and third. After three and a half, it's Cleveland 3, Oakland 2.

Indians 5th: With one out, it was Belle's turn to face Van Poppel. Here's Sean McDonough of CBS Radio:

"Van Poppel doing the best he can in a bad situation, with Darling not even able to come to the ballpark due to illness. But he's walked seven, and he's had only one one-two-three inning, that being the third. Now he faces Belle, who's 0 for 2......Gets the sign from Steinbach, and here's the first pitch...….DRIVEN DEEP TO RIGHT CENTER, BACK IS HENDERSON, BUT THIS ONE'S WAY UP IN THE BLEACHERS!...….Albert Belle goes deep for the second time in this series, and it's now 4-2 Cleveland."

Sparky Anderson: "Tony LaRussa's coming to get Van Poppel, and it's a shame that he was put in this spot, because he's a good kid and a good pitcher. But facing a lineup like Cleveland's, with just two days' rest and the season on the line? I can think of one, maybe two pitchers who could handle that, and no offense to this kid, he ain't one of 'em right now. Maybe he will be in time, but not now."

New pitcher Mark Acre retired Murray on a grounder to short, and Thome popped to Aldrete at first to end the inning. But Belle's second homer of the series has given the Indians a 4-2 lead midway through Game 3.

That was all the scoring. Now we head to the bottom of the ninth. Indians starter Charles Nagy is facing pinch hitter Mark McGwire. Here's Jon:

"McGwire's first at-bat since July 26, and it comes with the season on the line. He's batting for Scott Hemond with nobody on and two down in the bottom of the ninth. Eric Plunk warming up for the Indoans just in case, but Nagy's still looking strong. McGwire ready, and here's the first pitch......down to Baerga…...throw to first, AND THE INDIANS HAVE SWEPT THE A'S!......Charles Nagy goes all the way, giving up just two runs on seven hits, and now the American League's first wild card is awaiting the winner of the other Division Series between the Yankees and the White Sox in the ALCS, which will begin on Tuesday night in either New York or Chicago. Our final score here in Game 3: Indians 4, A's 2,. Albert Belle and Charles Nagy the heroes for the victorious Indians. Now for Joe Morgan, this is Jon Miller saying good afternoon from the Oakland Coliseum. Here's Chris Berman at our Baseball Tonight studios in New York."

Nagy was named Player of the Game by ABC. His line: nine innings, two runs, seven hits, two walks and six strikeouts in a hundred and nineteen pitches.

Now for our Defensive Plays of the Day. First, it's the top of the fourth with the Tribe leading 3-2 with two out and runners at first and third, Vizquel is at the plate, and here's Jon:

"Fly ball, left center field, dropping fast, Henderson racing over, diving.....HE CAUGHT IT JUST IN TIME! That ball was just about to hit the turf, but Rickey Henderson plucked it out of the air to end the inning. He'll get a standing ovation from the Oakland faithful as we head to the bottom of the fourth with the Indians now leading 3-2."

Now to the top of the sixth. Cleveland leads 4-2, and Sorrento is at bat against Acre with nobody on and one out. Here's Sean"

"Ground ball deep at third. Brosius makes the stop, really long throw......Aldrete on the bag and OUT!......It took a second for Ed Hickox to make the out call, but he did, and there are two out in the Cleveland sixth, as Brosius shows off the leather."


Final totals: Indians 4-7-0, A's 2-7-0.

W- Nagy (1-0)
L- Van Poppel (0-2)

HR- CLE: Belle (2)

Next: We pick up the ALCS with Game 6 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees currently lead three games to two. For summaries of the first five games, see the Division Series between the two teams earlier in this thread.

Thoughts?
 
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Now it's time for Game 6 of the 1994 American League Championship Series, Take 2. We're at Yankee Stadium in New York, and the date is Tuesday, October 18:

Weather: 57 degrees, mostly cloudy skies, calm winds.

Now let's run down tonight's umpiring crew:

Home Plate: Mark Johnson
First Base: Durwood Merrill
Second Base: Mike Reilly
Third Base: Tim Welke
Left Field: Joe Brinkman
Right Field: Ted Hendry

Indians 2nd: With two outs, Manny Ramirez stepped to the plate against Yankees starter Jim Abbott. Here's Al Michaels with the count one ball and one strike:

"Ramirez has been held in check for the most part in this series, as he has yet to homer. He also failed to go deep against the A's in the Division Series. But with (Albert) Belle getting the night off to rest his sore knee, it'll be up to Manny to take up some of the slack. The one-one......hit down the right field line, curving toward the foul pole, O'Neill takes a look, it's still on the fair side, AND IT DROPS FOR A HOME RUN!......It looked like a foul ball all the way, but it didn't curve; it just kept going straight, and the Indians reap the benefits."

Tim McCarver: "This is a triumph of the laws of both physics and probability, as a ball hit like this will curve most of the time. But there's no wind to help it; it's a still night here in New York, and that might have inadvertently helped the Indians here."

Jim Palmer: "Don't forget the immense power of Manny Ramirez. He's already one of the top power hitters in the American League, and he's only a rookie."

Paul Sorrento's grounder to second ended the inning, but Manny's home run has given the Tribe a 1-0 lead after an inning and a half., brute

Indians 5th: Ramirez led off against Abbott looking for home runs in back-to-back at-bats. Did he accomplish it? I suspect you know the answer if you've read one of my threads, but here's Al anyway:

"Ramirez's second-inning homer the difference in the game, as the Indians lead 1-0 going to the fifth. That home run was helped by the lack of wind, which isn't a problem now because there's a breeze straight out to center. Abbott ready with his first pitch......THIS ONE WON'T NEED WIND! CRUSHED TO DEEP LEFT CENTER, AND IT'S IN THE UPPER DECK!.....The power of Manny Ramirez has been on full display tonight, as his homers have produced both Cleveland runs."

McCarver: "If you'll remember, I said that Ramirez's first home run was a triumph of physics and probability. This one was a product of pure, btute strength. The camera didn't even catch Bernie Williams looking up at the ball, it was so far gone."

Palmer: "Jim Abbott's standing on the mound smiling to himself. That's about all you can do when you give up a home run like that: shrug it off and move on to the next hitter."

Abbott had trouble doing that, as Sorrento singled to left. Sandy Alomar Jr.'s grounder to third moved Sorrento to second, and left fielder Wayne Kirby, starting for the injured Albert Belle, walked to put two men on. After Kenny Lofton went down swinging for out number two, Omar Vizquel grounded a ball just out of Wade Boggs' reach at third and into left. Yankees left fielder Luis Polonia charged the ball, cut it off, and threw a strike to catcher Mike Stanley at home. The ball arrived on two hops, but that was enough to nail Sorrento at the plate and end the inning. The Indians get a run on Ramirez's second homer of the night, but they also have one cut down at the plate. We're halfway through Game 6, and the Tribe leads the Pinstripes 2-0.

Yankees 8th: O'Neill led off against reliever Jose Mesa. Here's Jack Buck's call over CBS Radio:

"O'Neill trying to start something for the Yankees here in the last of the eighth. One for two plus a walk; he singled in the first. Mesa on here in the eight after Nagy shut the Yankees out over seven innings. He'll try to keep it going against the heart of the New York lineup. First pitch swinging, and that one's a high fly ball to right center field. Lofton going back, he's at the track, at the wall, BUT THIS ONE'S GONE!...…..Paul O'Neill has taken only one pitch to spoil the Cleveland shutout and get the Yankees back into the ballgame, and there are plenty of heavy hitters still coming up."

Sparky Anderson: "I've always loved O'Neill as a hitter, Jack. He has such great natural power. He's not bulging with muscles or built like the side of a barn; he just sees the ball and hits it as hard as he can. Those hitters are the dangerous ones, because they don't need to hit the ball out of the ballpark to beat you. Of course, it always helps when they do."

Designated hitter Danny Tartabull worked a four-pitch walk from the rattled Mesa, and Gerald Williams went in to run for him. First baseman Don Mattingly walked on a 3-2 pitch, but catcher Mike Stanley cooled things off significantly by grounding into a 6-4-3 double play, with Gerald moving to third. Mesa walked Bernie to put runners back on the corners, but Randy Velarde, batting for shortstop Mike Gallego, flew to Lofton in shallow left center to end the inning. O'Neill's homer has drawn the Yanks closer, but they left the tying run at third, and they still trail 2-1 heading to the ninth.

That was all the scoring. The Yanks loaded the bases against Mesa for a second time with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but Gerald's hot liner was gloved by Vizquel for the second out, and Mattingly's fly ball to the warning track in center was caught by Lofton to end the game. The Indians had wrapped up a 2-1 victory, and the series was tied at three games apiece.

Ramirez's two home runs earned him MVP honors from ABC. Nagy also received consideration after he pitched seven innings while giving up just one run in six hits.

It all comes down to Game 7 tomorrow night here at the Stadium. Jason Grimsley draws the starting assignment for Cleveland, while the Yanks turn to Melido Perez. First pitch is scheduled for 8:20 PM Eastern.

Final totals: Indians 2-6-0, Yankees 1-7-0.

W- Nagy (1-1)
S- Mesa (3)
L- Abbott (1-1)

HR- CLE: Ramirez 2 (2)
NYY: O'Neill (3)

Next: Our look at Game 7.

Thoughts?
 
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Now it's time for Game 7 of the 1994 American League Championship Series, Take 2. We're at Yankee Stadium in New York, and the date is Wednesday, October 19:

First, let's run down our umpiring crew:

Home Plate: Durwood Merrill
First Base: Mike Reilly
Second Base: Tim Welke
Third Base: Joe Brinkman
Left Field: Ted Hendry
Right Field: Mark Johnson

Weather: 61 degrees, cloudy skies, calm winds.

Yankees 2nd: Don Mattingly led off with a base hit to right center. Mike Stanley followed up by lining a single to left center. With runners at the corners, Bernie Williams almost took Tribe starter Jason Grimsley's head off with another line drive, which ended up in center field. Mattingly scored, and the Yanks led 1-0. Mike Gallego was hit on the forearm by a pitch, and after a few moments he was led off by the Yankee training staff. Randy Velarde was sent out to take his place. After a short delay, Pat Kelly stood in against Grimsley and lined a ball just as hard as Bernie's. This one ended up in left field, and Stanley and Bernie each scored with ease to make it 3-0 New York. With Mark Clark warming up in the Cleveland bullpen, Luis Polonia stood in, and his seeing-eye grounder found right center field. Velarde came home, and the Yankees now led 4-0.

That was it for Grimsley, but Clark's appearance didn't stop the Bronx Bombers. Wade Boggs' grounder to short was scooped up by Vizquel, but Omar's throw to first was half a second late, and the bases were loaded for the second time in the inning. Clark then walked Paul O'Neill on five pitches to force Kelly in with New York's fifth run. After all this offense, there was still nobody out. That changed when Danny Tartabull grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, but Polonia still scored to make it 6-0 Yankees. Mattingly, the tenth man to bat in the inning, flew to Kenny Lofton in right center to finally end the inning, but the Yankees had scored six runs on seven hits and a walk as well as leaving another potential run at third. After two innings in Game 7, the Yankees have a 6-0 lead.

Indians 3rd: Sandy Alomar Jr. led off with a single to left, but was forced by Wayne Kirby. Lofton's base hit to left center moved Kirby to third, and Omar Vizquel's sharp single to right center scored Kirby with the Tribe's first run. Carlos Baerga grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning, but the Tribe has scored a run to start their long road back. After two and a half, it's Yankees 6, Indians 1.

Yankees 4th: With one out, Boggs and O'Neill drew back-to-back walks. After Tartabull struck out, Mattingly lined a single up the middle to load the bases. Next up was Stanley, and that's where we join Al Michaels:

"The Yankees could really put this one away with another hit; they already lead 6-1 here in the fourth. Derek Lilliquist warming up in the Cleveland pen, so another baserunner definitely means another New York run and probably the end of Clark's evening. One strike on Stanley, infield playing normally."

Tim McCarver: "Clark can't be fixated on a strikeout. He just has to make a good pitch."

Michaels: "Well, that one sure wasn't it! It's whacked into right field, and it'll drop in front of Ramirez and go to the track! This should score everybody, as Mattingly chugs around third and comes in behind Boggs and O'Neill to make it 9-1 Yankees!"

Jim Palmer: "He got it up a touch too far, and Stanley met it squarely. Manny tries for the running catch, but it's just too far in front of him, and once it drops and rolls, there goes the merry-go-round. And just as we suspected, here comes (Indians manager) Mike Hargrove out to get Clark, who had next to nothing tonight."

McCarver: "More like the Yankees' bats have everything, Jimmy."

New pitcher Derek Lilliquist got Bernie to fly out down the left field line, where Kirby made the catch just in fair territory for the final out. But a pair of walks led to Stanley's bases-clearing double, and at the end of four the Yankees are immensely enjoying a 9-1 lead.

Indians 6th: After one out, Baerga blooped a double down the right field line. After Murray's line drive was gloved by Velarde for out number two, Jim Thome hit another ball down the right field line that dropped on the chalk and bounced into the stands for a ground-rule double. Baerga was waved in with the second Cleveland run, but Thome was stranded at second when Perez froze Manny Ramirez with a slider for strike three. The Indians have picked up a run, but as we head to the last of the sixth they still trail 9-2.

Yankees 7th: Stanley drew a leadoff walk against reliever Chad Ogea, then moved to second on Bernie's base hit up the middle. Velarde popped out to Thome at third for out number one, but Kelly's base hit to left center scored Stanley and sent the Pinstripes into double digits. Polonia grounded to Sorrento at first, but Ogea was late covering at the bag. Sorrento foolishly threw anyway, and the throw almost rolled into the Yankee dugout. Bernie scored in all the madness, and it was 11-2 Yanks. Boggs then grounded to Baerga, but Carlos could only knock the ball down for a second consecutive error. O'Neill was next, and here's Al:

"One last hit figures to really put this one beyond all hope, not that teams overcome ten-run deficits regularly. Looks like it'll be the Yankees against the Reds in this year's World Series, and note the extra day off in the schedule on your screen; we'll talk to you on Saturday night from Riverfront. There's the pitch to Paul, and THAT'S LINED DEEP TO RIGHT! OVER IS RAMIREZ, BUT THIS ONE IS GONE FOR A GRAND SLAM!...….Just what the Yankees needed to cap off the night. O'Neill's fourth homer of the series, and he'll take at least one curtain call. There it is."

Jim Palmer: "And there's another."

Tim McCarver: "Paul O'Neill has developed into the cornerstone, the heartbeat of these Yankees. It's more than just production; it's his workmanlike, unselfish attitude. Of course, the main thing is that he can hit a ball like the one we just saw. It wasn't far, but I've seen 450-footers that were less of a no-doubter than that. It was just blistered."

Albie Lopez was the next man out of the Cleveland pen, and Tartabull greeted him with a base hit to left center. Mattingly's line shot was caught by Baerga for the second out, but Stanley's single to left center put runners back at first and third. Bernie became the eleventh man to bat in the inning, and his foul fly to right was caught by Ramirez for the final out. The Yankees have had their second six-run inning of the night; they stroked five hits, and they were helped by two costly Cleveland errors and a walk. At the end of seven, it's New York 15, Cleveland 2.

Indians 9th: With one out, Sorrento lined a base hit to left. Alomar went down swinging for out number two, but Kirby walked to keep the Tribe's season alive. Lofton's base hit to right center scored Sorrento to make it 15-3, and Vizquel's base hit to left center cashed Kirby in to make it 15-4. Yankees starter Melido Perez reluctantly left the game in favor of Donn Pall, who faced Baerga. Here's Al:

"The line for Perez is going to look ragged since he gave up fourteen hits, but he really didn't pitch all that badly. Of course, he was free to come right at the Cleveland hitters with a big lead most of the night. Now it's Pall against Baerga with two on and two out, and the Indians still trailing by eleven. Pall briefly checks the runners out of habit, and here's the pitch...…...grounder to first, Mattingly will step on the bag, AND THE YANKEES HAVE WON THE PENNANT!......For the first time in thirteen years, the Yankees are American League champions, and they'll face the National League champion Reds in Game 1 of the World Series Saturday night at Riverfront Stadium. Fifteen runs on fifteen hits, and they bury the Cleveland Indians 15-4 and take the series four games to three. We'll have plenty of interviews from both clubhouses, but first let's break for these messages and a word from your local station."

O'Neill was named Player of the Game by ABC, and also MVP of the series. In Game 7, he finished one for two with three walks, a homer, and five RBIs. Kelly and Stanley each had three hits and three RBIs by way of assistance. Vizquel had three hits and drove in a pair of runs in a losing cause for the Indians.

The Yankees went on to win the World Series in another seven-game thriller against the Reds.

Before we go, here are our Defensive Plays of the Night. First, here's Al's call of Lofton's catch that ended the bottom of the second:

"Fly ball to right center, falling quickly, Lofton on the run, and HE MAKES THE CATCH TO END THE INNING!.....That would have been another run if Kenny had gotten there a second earlier. As it is, the Indians are out of the inning and Boggs is left at third. We go to the third with the Yankees on top 6-0."

Here's our other play, as Polonia leads off the bottom of the fourth against Clark:

"Grounder to short, knocked down by Vizquel, does he have time to throw him out.....YOU BET!.....Vizquel shows off the arm and range that make him on of the top young shortstops in the game, and we have one out."

Final totals: Yankees 15-15-0, Indians 4-14-2.

W- Perez (1-0)
L- Grimsley (1-1)

HR- NYY: O'Neill (4)

That's it for this thread, folks. Thanks for reading!
 
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I'm going through these strike threads and finishing the seasons as best I can. It's going to be slightly more difficult in this case because some of the divisions were clinched so early that some teams have whole series still to play. Nonetheless, I'll do my best, starting in the American League. From what I can tell, we start on Monday, September 19. Here's Desmond:

NY Yankees 2, Milwaukee 1
W - Jim Abbott (14-9)
L - Ricky Bones (14-11)
HR - NYY: Bernie Williams (24)

Both pitchers went the distance in this one. Williams' fourth-inning two-run homer provided the Yanks with all the runs they needed.

Detroit 8, Toronto 5
W - David Wells (9-11)
L - Todd Stottlemyre (14-8)
S - Mike Henneman (11)
HR - TOR: Joe Carter 2 (42)
DET: Cecil Fielder (41)

The game-winning hit was a three-run triple by Tony Phillips in the seventh inning. The Tigers now lead the Jays by two games for third place in the East.

Here are your American League East standings to the moment:

Yankees: 95-62 (clinched)
Orioles: 90-70- 6.5 GB
Tigers: 75-82- 20 GB
Blue Jays: 73-84- 22 GB
Red Sox: 68-88- 26.5 GB

In the Central:

Indians: 99-57 (clinched)
White Sox: 93-67- 8 GB
Royals: 81-75- 18 GB
Brewers: 76-84- 25 GB
Twins: 61-96- 38.5 GB

Next: We look at the rest of the AL action for September 20.

Thoughts?
 
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