Baseball in the Pythagorean Universe: 1994

Now here's the National League Report for Wednesday, September 14. We begin with Desmond in the East:

Montreal 11, NY Mets 5
W - Jeff Fassero (10-7)
L - Mauro Gozzo (7-7)
HR - MTL: Moises Alou (35), Vladimir Guerrero (1)
NYM: Jeff Kent (19)

The Expos took their fifth straight game. Guerrero is a rarity, as he was called up from the Rookie Leagues so that the big club can see how he's progressing.

Philadelphia 8, St. Louis 7 (11 innings)
W - David West (6-11)
L - Bryan Eversgerd (3-4)
HR - STL:Greg Jefferies (grand slam; 16)
PHI: Milt Thompson (4), Jim Eisenreich (walk-off; 7)

This game ended with a dramatic eleventh inning. In the top half, the Cardinals took a 7-6 lead when Todd Zeile singled in Ozzie Smith. In the bottom half, Thompson led off with a walk, followed by a first-pitch home run from Eisenreich.

Now for my Central report:

Dodgers 5, Cubs 2

Mike Piazza homered twice and drove in all five Dodger runs as they put away the Cubbies to stay three and a half back in the NL West. He doubled home two in the first, hit a two-run homer in the third, and hit a solo shot in the ninth to close things out. Delino Deshields was his chief assistant, going three for four, and Raul Mondesi had two hits and scored twice. The Cubs got RBIs from Tuffy Rhodes and Derrick May. Orel Hershiser got the win for the Men in Blue, with Jim Gott earning the save in place of Todd Worrell.

I'm not sure when it happened officially. but the Cubs have been eliminated from the Wild Card race.

W- Hershiser (8-8)
S- Gott (4)
L- Morgan (4-12)

HR- LA: Piazza 2 (38)

Rockies 8, Reds 6

The Rox won't go away quietly in the West, either; they scored twice in the ninth to stun the Reds again at Riverfront. Eric Young's home run off of Hector Carrasco was the game-winning blow, but the Central leaders also gave up home runs to Dante Bichette and Nelson Liriano, and Charlie Hayes also knocked in three runs. Bichette scored a total of four runs on the evening, and Liriano crossed the plate twice. Roberto Kelly, Reggie Sanders, and Eddie Taubensee all went deep for the home squad, but losing two in a row to a team that's under .500 is raising plenty of flags in the Ohio Valley. If the Astros can beat the Braves tonight, they'll be just four and a half games back with two and a half weeks to play. They're not pressing the panic button yet in the Queen City, but they're starting to search for it just in case.

W- Munoz (9-7)
S- Ruffin (20)
L- Carrasco (5-7)

HR- COL: Liriano (5), Bichette (35), Young (6)
CIN: Sanders (23), Taubensee (12), Kelly (5)

Braves 8, Astros 5 (ESPN alternate: Bob Carpenter, Reggie Jackson)

The Braves took control with a six-run sixth and pushed the Astros one game closer to extinction in the NL Wild Card race. A bases- loaded walk to pinch hitter Jose Oliva, batting for starter John Smoltz, and an error on Astros shortstop Andujar Cedeno gave the Bravos the lead, and Ryan Klesko's bases-clearing double put the game away. Smoltz struggled through five innings, but still picked up the win.

In other news, Fred McGriff smacked Number 51 in the fourth to put the Braves on the scoreboard. He's four behind Matt Williams. but a hot streak could put him at the front of the Maris chase in a hurry. As for the Stros, time is running out; they finish with the Braves tomorrow night, then have to go to San Francisco to face a Giants team looking to nail down the NL West. If they can't win three out of these next four, any realistic playoff hopes will be gone.

W- Smoltz (8-11)
S- McMichael (29)
L- Kile (11-7)

HR- ATL: McGriff (51)

Pirates 9, Marlins 2

The Bucs showed that there's still a little bit of fight left in them by pounding the Fish at Three Rivers. Leading the way offensively was catcher Don Slaught, who went two for three and drove in four runs. Dave Clark got the start in right field and added a two-run homer and three runs scored, while Orlando Merced had two hits, drove in two runs and scored twice. Jon Lieber pitched six satisfactory innings before turning things over to the Pirate bullpen. Kurt Abbott homered for the Fish, and Orestes Destrade added the other RBI. Starter Ryan Bowen lasted just two and a third innings despite only giving up one hit; he walked five and gave up five runs. The series, as well as Bill Virdon's term as interim Bucco manager, conclude tomorrow night.

I forgot to mention earlier that the Marlins have officially been eliminated from Wild Card contention.

W- Lieber (8-6)
L- Bowen (1-7)

HR- FLA: Abbott (10)
PIT: Clark (12)

Now to Joe Ray in the West:

Padres 6, Giants 2
W: Sager (3-5)
L: Portugal (11-11)
S: Hoffman (29)
HR- SD: E. Williams (16), Shipley (6)
SF: Patterson (4)
Gwynn: 0-1, 221-542 (0.4077)

The Padres earn a huge win at Candlestick. Craig Shipley's three-run homer in the fourth inning gave the Padres a lead for good, and Eddie Williams added a double in the sixth that scored Billy Bean, who got the start in right in place of Tony Gwynn. Shipley then doubled in Williams to give the Friars a 5-2 lead. Williams homered in the eighth to close the scoring , and Trevor Hoffman zipped in and out of trouble in the ninth, allowing a hit and a walk but only needing nine pitches to get the save. John Patterson's two-run homer in the second was the only scoring for the Giants, whose fans, needless to say, are not impressed by today's outing.

Both teams take tomorrow off before heading back home for huge series. The Padres face the Cubs, while the Giants play the Astros, who are fading in the Wild Card race.

The standings in the East to the moment:

Expos: 87-59
Braves: 85-61- 2 GB
Mets: 73-73- 14 GB
Phillies: 72-73- 14.5 GB
Marlins: 61-84- 25.5 GB

In the Central:

Reds: 84-60
Astros: 79-66- 5.5 GB
Cubs: 66-80- 19 GB
Cardinals: 61-84- 23.5 GB
Pirates: 55-91- 30 GB

In the West:

Giants: 76-70
Padres: 75-73- 2 GB
Dodgers: 73-72- 2.5 GB
Rockies: 71-77- 6 GB

In the Wild Card:

Braves: 85-61
Astros: 79-66- 5.5 GB

Next: We look at September 15.

Thoughts?
 
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A heads-up: Updates may be sporadic for the next few days, with the real-life baseball playoffs going on, plus football (both pro and college) and the start of the NHL season. If I only have time to update one thread, it's going to be the 1871-Present thread, not this one, which is still twenty-five years ahead of "real time" (in other words, the "main thread" is in 1969.)

Daily updates should resume once the Division Series are over.
 
Okay, let's try and squeeze in the National League Report for Thursday, September 15. We begin with my Central report:

Astros 7, Braves 1

The Stros, down to their last chance to make any significant splash in the Wild Card race, manhandled the Braves. Kevin Bass, given a spot start in left field by manager Terry Collins, drove in two runs to lead the Houston offense, and Ken Caminiti went deep. James Mouton added two hits, and Tony Eusebio scored twice. Greg Swindell showed the form that made him a high draft pick coming out of college, giving up just one run and five hits in seven innings. The run came on a Javy Lopez force play in the fourth. This means that Fred McGriff went homerless, so he still has fifty-one. Terry Pendleton went three for four for Atlanta.

This coming weekend is huge for both teams: the Astros go to San Francisco, where the Giants are trying to claim both the NL West crown and the home run record for Matt Williams, while the Braves play host to the never-say-die Rockies, who despite their recent swoon are still looking to become the youngest team ever to claim a division title in MLB history.

W- Swindell (11-13)
L- Mercker (11-6)

HR- HOU: Caminiti (21)

Pirates 3, Marlins 1

Al Martin launched a three-run homer into the right field bullpen in the bottom of the eighth to lift the Bucs past the Fish. Tom Foley walked to start the inning, and pinch hitter Gary Varsho singled to set the stage. Florida starter David Weathers had been cruising with a three-hit shutout through seven; Orestes Destrade's sacrifice fly in the sixth gave him the lead. Jeff King had two hits for the Bucs, and Bret Barberie had a pair for Florida. Manager Jim Leyland will rejoin the Bucs tomorrow night in Montreal.

W- Dewey (5-4)
S- Miceli (5)
L- Weathers (8-15)

HR- PIT: Martin (13)

Now to Joe Ray in the West:

Dodgers 9, Reds 6

W: Valdes (4-2)
L: Schourek (11-4)
S: McDowell (4)
HR- CIN: Reggie Sanders (24)
LA: Piazza (39), Ingram (4)

The Dodgers pulled off a big win, cutting the Reds' division lead to four and a half games. They scored multiple runs in the third, fifth, sixth, and seventh, and came back from a 4-2 deficit. They tied the game (Note: Joe Ray doesn't give the inning) with a Mike Piazza homer deep to left and a Henry Rodriguez single. In the sixth, Raul Mondesi's double gave them a 6-4 lead. Garey Ingram clinched the game in the seventh with a three-run HR to left which made the score 9-4.

The Dodgers have moved into a tie for second with the Padres in the West, with both teams sitting just three games behind the division-leading Giants.

Now to Desmond in the East:

Philadelphia 7, St. Louis 3

W - Shawn Boskie (5-8)
L - Omar Olivares (4-6)
HR - STL: Bernard Gilkey (10)

Darren Daulton was three for four with two RBIs, Mickey Morandini was three for five with an RBI triple, and Pete Incaviglia had a pair of doubles.

The standings in the East to the moment:

Expos: 86-59
Braves: 84-62- 2.5 GB
Mets: 73-72- 13 GB
Phillies: 72-73- 14 GB
Marlins: 61-84- 25 GB

In the Central:

Reds: 84-60
Astros: 80-65- 4.5 GB
Cubs: 66-79- 18.5 GB
Cardinals: 62-83- 22.5 GB
Pirates: 55-91- 30 GB

In the West:

Giants: 76-69
(tie) Padres: 74-73- 3 GB
(tie) Dodgers: 73-72- 3 GB
Rockies: 70-77- 7 GB

Next: We look at September 16.

Thoughts?
 
I've decided to do September 16 while I'm here, since tomorrow has wall-to-wall baseball from 2PM until God knows when. We begin with Joe Ray in the West:


Dodgers 7, Reds 6 (NBC: Vin Scully, Joe Garagiola, Fred Roggin)
W: McDowell (1-3)
L: Brantley (7-9)
HR- CIN- Mitchell (41)

The Dodgers won on another wacky walkoff in front of 48,500 at Dodger Stadium. Brett Butler had two doubles and three RBIs all of which came on a fourth-inning double which gave Los Angeles a 4-2 lead. Kevin Mitchell had homered in the top half of the inning for the Reds.

In the bottom of the ninth, Butler led off with a double against Reds closer Jeff Brantley. After one out, a wild pitch moves Butler to third. After another groundout by Raul Mondesi for out number two, Tim Wallach walked. Brantley's first pitch to Eric Karros hit him in the bicep, and the Dodger rookie sensation crumpled in a heap. After staying down for several minutes, he finally shook it off and went to first. The bext batter was Henry Rodriguez, whose single to center scored Wallach with the winning run.

Padres 3, Cubs 0 (NBC: Dick Enberg, Mike Schmidt, Hannah Storm)
W: Sager (4-5)
L: Banks (10-15)
S: Hoffman (30)
HR- SD: Gwynn (15)
Gwynn: 1-4 with HR (222-546, 0.4065)

The Padres' pitchers combined on a five-hit shutout, and the offense provided runs in the third, fourth, and fifth. Reliever Bill Krueger singled in a run, and Gwynn added a homer in the fifth; he's batting .407 for the season.

Giants 5, Astros 4 (14 innings; NBC: Bob Costas, Tony Kubek, Jim Gray)
W: Torres (5-8)
L: Veres (3-4)
HR: HOU: Bagwell (44)
SF: Bonds (47), McGee (6)

The Giants won this one in fourteenth inning, taking four hours and thirty-nine minutes to do so. Matt Williams started the scoring by singling in John Patterson in the third, and Patterson drove in Kirt Manwaring with a double in the sixth. Houston ties the game in the 8th on a Ken Caminiti sac fly and a Craig Biggio ground-rule double.

The game went into extras, but the fun is just beginning. After two quick outs in the top of the twelfth, Kevin Bass hit a ball so hard off the left field wall that it left a hole. After a twenty-seven minute repair job, Jeff Bagwell hit his forty-fourth home run of the season to give the Stros a 4-2 lead. Willie McGee answered with a solo shot of his own in the bottom of the twelfth. Later in the inning, Barry Bonds reached on an error, stole second, and scored on Todd Benzinger's base hit to retie the game. He then won the game in the fourteenth with a walkoff home run against Dave Veres. A total of sixteen pitchers were used in the game: nine by the Giants, seven by the Astros.

Now for my Central report:

Cardinals 3, Marlins 1 (NBC: Charlie Jones, Fred Lynn)

Tom Pagnozzi's two-run homer in the second was only one of four St. Louis hits, but it was enough for the Cardinals to top the Fish at Busch Stadium. Mark Whiten's sixth-inning double plated the other St. Louis run. Pat Rapp threw a complete game for Florida, but his teammates could only score once, on a seventh-inning fielder's choice from Chuck Carr. Benito Santiago and Bret Barberie each went three for four in a losing cause. Tom Urbani got the relief win, as starter Rheal Cormier could only go three and a third innings for the Redbirds. Despite the Cardinals' down year, over 30,000 were in attendance for this one, preserving St Louis's reputation as one of America's finest baseball towns.

W- Urbani (5-7)
S- Arocha (13)
L- Rapp (11-9)

HR- STL: Pagnozzi (10)

Finally, to Desmond in the East:

NY Mets 10, Philadelphia 1 (Greg Gumbel, Jim Rooker)
W - Pete Smith (7-12)
L - Shawn Boskie (5-9)
HR - NYM: Jeff Kent 3 (22)
PHI: Darren Daulton (20)

Kent's career night helped the Mets take the first game of this battle for third place in the East.

Montreal 6, Pittsburgh 3 (Don Criqui, Tom Seaver)
W - Mel Rojas (4-3)
L - Ravelo Manzanillo (6-6)
HR - MTL: Larry Walker (30)

Walker's three-run shot came in the bottom of the eighth and helped the Expos win their sixth straight contest.

Atlanta 12, Colorado 10 (Marv Albert, Johnny Bench)
W - Mike Stanton (7-4)
L - Willie Blair (5-9)
S - Greg McMichael (30)
HR - ATL: David Justice (26), Roberto Kelly (7)
COL: Dante Bichette (35), Andres Galarraga (40)

The Braves trailed 10-3 after six innings before coming up with one of the largest comebacks of the season. They scored five in the seventh, two in the eighth, and two in the ninth. Justice (6 RBIs) had a walkoff single with the bases loaded to win it. if the Rox want to make the postseason, they'll have to win the West; the loss eliminated them from Wild Card contention.

The standings in the East to the moment:

Expos: 87-59
Braves: 85-62- 2.5 GB
Mets: 74-72- 13 GB
Phillies: 72-74- 15 GB
Marlins: 61-85- 26 GB

In the Central:

Reds: 84-61
Astros: 80-66- 4.5 GB
Cubs: 66-80- 18.5 GB
Cardinals: 63-83- 21.5 GB
Pirates: 55-92- 30 GB

In the West:

Giants: 77-69
(tie) Padres: 75-73- 3 GB
(tie) Dodgers: 74-72- 3 GB

Rockies: 70-78- 8 GB

In the Wild Card:

Braves: 85-62
Astros: 80-66- 4.5 GB

Next: We look at September 17.

Thoughts?
 
Now it's time for the National League Report for Saturday, September 17. We begin with Desmond in the East:

Atlanta 6, Colorado 0
W - Greg Maddux (20-6)
L - David Nied (8-10)
HR - ATL: Terry Pendleton (10), David Justice (27)

No drama this time as Maddux mowed down the Rockies (ten strikeouts in eight innings) on the way to his twentieth win of the season. Time of game: just two hours, seven minutes.

Montreal 3, Pittsburgh 1
W - Kirk Rueter (9-3)
L - Steve Cooke (4-16)
HR - MTL: Moises Alou (36)

Make it seven in a row for the surging Expos. All the scoring came on Alou's homer in the fourth inning.

NY Mets 7, Philadelphia 6
W - Doug Linton (8-2)
L - Heath Slocumb (7-4)
HR - NYM: Bobby Bonilla (28), Todd Hundley (25)
PHI: Dave Hollins (6), Pete Incaviglia (15)

Bonilla "chilled" the Phils with a three-run walkoff homer in the ninth inning.

Now to Joe Ray in the West:

Astros 5, Giants 2
W: Drabek (14-8)
L: Burkett (7-11)
HR- SF: Williams (56)

The Astros pulled off a big win here at Candlestick, scoring twice in the first inning and never trailing. Starter Doug Drabek knocked in a run with a fifth-inning single, and two more runs in the sixth made it 5-0 Stros. Matt Williams hit Number 56 on the bottom of the sixth, a two-run shot that represented all the Giants' scoring. The ball was caught by a Mexican fan, who promptly did the salsa, much to the delight of the 44,000 in attendance at Candlestick.

Drabek threw a complete game, allowing just four hits and striking out seven. He needed just a hundred and eight pitches and finished the game in two hours and twenty minutes.

Dodgers 6, Reds 4
W: McDowell (2-3)
L: McElroy (2-3)
S: Gross (2)
HR: CIN: Larkin (12)
LA: Mondesi (22), Wallach (28)

The Dodgers kept pace in the West with their third straight win over the Reds. They took a 2-0 lead in the third on a triple by Brett Butler and a single by Raul Mondesi. Cincinnati scored three times in the top of the fourth on a bases-loaded walk to Barry Larkin and a single by starting pitcher Jose Rijo. l Mondesi and Tim Wallach led off the bottom of the sixth with back-to-back homers that gave the Dodgers a 4-3 lead. Larkin's leadoff homer in the top of the seventh tied the game at four, but a two-base error on Jacob Brumfield scored Wallach with the eventual winning run in the bottom of the eighth. Chris Gwynn singled in an insurance run. The Reds got the tying run to the plate in the ninth on a walk, but Brumfield grounded out to end the game.

The Reds' lead in the Central is now down to three and a half games as a result of their awful weekend so far. Thankfully for them, this series ends tomorrow.

Padres 2, Cubs 1
W: Ashby (9-12)
L: Plesac (2-4)
HR- SD: Eddie Williams (17)
Gwynn: 0-3 with BB (222-549, 0.4043)

The Padres won this pitchers' duel, with Luis Lopez's seventh-inning double giving them the lead for good. Andy Ashby threw a four-hit complete game, striking out seven in just a hundred and three pitches. The Padres and Dodgers are still tied for second in the West, but now they're each just two games behind the Giants.

Finally, my Central report:

Cardinals 6, Marlins 2

Todd Zeile drove in three runs and hit a mammoth home run in the Cards' win over the Marlins. His fifth-inning dinger ended up in the last row of seats in left center at Busch Stadium, 440 feet from home plate. (Left center is 372, to give you some idea of how far the ball traveled.) Gregg Jefferies and Jose Oquendo had the other St. Louis RBIs, as staff ace Bob Tewksbury became a fifteen-game winner, going seven and two-thirds innings. Bret Barberie went three for four and had both Florida RBIs.

W- Tewksbury (15-12)
L- Hough (6-12)

HR- STL: Zeile (25)

The standings in the East to the moment:

Expos: 88-59
Braves: 86-62- 2.5 GB
Mets: 75-72- 13 GB
Phillies: 72-75- 16 GB
Marlins: 61-86- 27 GB

In the Central:

Reds: 84-62
Astros: 81-66- 3.5 GB
Cubs: 66-81- 18.5 GB
Cardinals: 64-83- 20.5 GB
Pirates: 55-93- 30 GB

In the West:

Giants: 77-70
(tie) Padres: 76-73- 2 GB
(tie) Dodgers: 75-72- 2 GB

Rockies: 70-79- 8 GB

In the Wild Card:

Braves: 86-62
Astros: 81-66- 4.5 GB

Next: We look at September 18.

Thoughts?
 
Now it's time for the National League Report for Sunday, September 18. We begin with Desmond in the East:

Atlanta 6, Colorado 2
W - Steve Avery (10-7)
L - Marvin Freeman (12-4)
HR - ATL: David Justice 2 (29)

Avery pitched seven solid innings (six hits, two runs, one walk, seven strikeouts).

Pittsburgh 3, Montreal 2
W - Paul Wagner (9-11)
L - Butch Henry (11-6)
HR - MTL: Moises Alou (37)

The Pirates broke the Expos' winning streak. The eventual winning run was unearned; Brian Hunter had reached base on a Wil Cordero error.

Philadelphia 5, NY Mets 0
W - Curt Schilling (7-9)
L - Bret Saberhagen (19-7)
HR - PHI: Lenny Dykstra (8)

Schilling silenced the Mets' bats with just three hits allowed in a complete-game victory.

Now to Joe Ray in the West:

Padres 5, Cubs 4
W: Hamilton (12-6)
L: Morgan (4-13)
S: Hoffman (31)
HR- CHC: Grace (12), Buechele (22)
Gwynn: 0-0, BB (222-546, 0.4065)

The Padres pulled off another win here in San Diego, even with Tony Gwynn out of the lineup except for a pinch-hit appearance. Mark Grace hit a homer in the first inning, to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead, but the Padres come back with a four-run bottom of the first. It's led by singles from Eddie Williams and Dave Staton. Brad Ausmus provided a double as well. Staton's later groundout (Note: Joe Ray doesn't give the inning) scored another run to make it 5-1 Padres.

Buechele's two-run homer (Note: Again, Joe Ray doesn't give the inning) cut the San Diego lead to 5-3. Tim Mauser's eighth-inning wild pitch scored Rick Wilkins to make it 5-4, and the Cubs had two on with one out, but couldn't get another run across. Hoffman closed the game in just thirteen pitches in the ninth, and the Padres completed the sweep.

The Cubs head up the coast to San Francisco to face the Giants, while the Padres have a huge series against the Astros at home.

Reds 10, Dodgers 4
W: Pete Schourek (12-4)
L: Ramon Martinez (13-9)
HR- CIN: Kevin Mitchell 2 (43), Boone (14), Taubensee (13)
LA: Webster (6)

The Reds managed to take the final game of the series. Raul Mondesi's foulout scored Delino Deshields to give the Dodgers a 1-0 first-inning lead, and Tim Wallach singled in another run in the third to make it 2-0. Mitchell's homer into the batters' eye in center put the Reds on the board (no inning given), and the eventually take the lead on a homer by Eddie Taubensee and a single from pitcher Tim Fortugno. The Dodgers later tied the game at three on a Wallach double.

After taking the lead in the sixth, Cincinnati added five more runs in the seventh on a Hal Morris two-run double and a Bret Boone three-run homer over the right field wall. Mitch Webster cuts the deficit to 9-4 with a homer in the bottom of the eighth, but Kevin Mitchell hit his second homer of the day in the ninth to establish the final score.

The Dodgers have a big series against Colorado starting tomorrow, while the Reds hope to get closer to clinching as they face the Braves at Fulton County Stadium. This loss combined with the Padres' earlier win puts the Dodgers back in third place in the West.

Giants 7, Astros 1
W: Bryan Hickerson (10-8)
L: Brian Williams (6-8)
HR- HOU: Bagwell (45)
SF: Strawberry (8), Benjamin (2)

The Giants spotted the Astros a 1-0 on Jeff Bagwell's homer to center, then hit two homers in the third to take the lead for good. Mike Banjamin tied the game with a pinch-hit solo shot (he was batting for Bud Black, who had to leave the game with hamstring tightness), and Darryl Strawberry's two-run shot gave Frisco the lead for good. John Patterson and Darren Lewis each singled in runs in the fourth, Barry Bonds drove in Patterson with a base hit in the sixth, and Todd Benzinger completed the scoring with a double in the seventh. The Giants' bullpen combined to throw six innings of shutout ball following Black's departure.

The Stros' elimination number in the Wild Card race is down to nine.

Finally, my Central report:

Marlins 4, Cardinals 3

The Fish salvaged the final game of the series at Busch Stadium. Benito Santiago broke a 2-2 tie with a ninth-inning double that scored Chuck Carr and third baseman (and current White Sox manager) Rick Renteria with the winning runs. Robb Nen had a scary moment in the bottom of the ninth when Todd Zeile took his first pitch deep for a home run, but struck out the side (interrupted by a Bret Barberie error) to shut down the Redbirds. Renteria and Kurt Abbott had the other Florida RBIs, and Carr had two hits and scored twice. Zeile knocked in a pair on the day for St. Louis, with Gregg Jefferies getting the other RBI, and Luis Alicea had two hits and scored twice in a losing cause.

W- Perez (6-1)
S- Nen (22)
L- Rodriguez (5-7)

HR- STL: Zeile (26)

The standings in the East to the moment:

Expos: 88-60
Braves: 87-62- 1.5 GB
Mets: 75-73- 13 GB
Phillies: 73-75- 15 GB
Marlins: 62-86- 26 GB

In the Central:

Reds: 85-63
Astros: 81-67- 4 GB
Cubs: 66-82- 19.5 GB
Cardinals: 64-84- 21.5 GB
Pirates: 56-93- 30 GB

In the West:

Giants: 78-70
Padres: 77-73- 2 GB
Dodgers: 75-73- 3 GB
Rockies: 70-80- 9 GB

In the Wild Card:

Braves: 87-62 (Magic Number: 9)
Astros: 81-67- 5.5 GB

Next: We look at September 19.

Thoughts?
 
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Here's the National League Report for Monday, September 19. We begin with Desmond in the East:

Florida 5, NY Mets 2
W - Mark Gardner (6-6)
L - Mauro Gozzo (7-8)
HR - FLA: Bret Barberie (8)

Barberie hit for the cycle to pace the Florida victory.


Philadelphia 4, Montreal 0
W - Danny Jackson (16-7)
L - Butch Henry (11-7)
HR - PHI: Mickey Morandini (4), Jim Eisenreich (8)

The Expos are suddenly stumbling with losses in consecutive home games. Jackson (7 innings), Heath Slocumb (1), and Doug Jones (1) combined for the shutout.

Now to Joe Ray in the West:

Cubs 4, Giants 3
W: Bautista (8-7)
L: Beck (2-6)
S: Myers (31)
HR- CHC: Sosa (34), Buechele (23)

The Giants took the lead in the first inning on a two-run Royce Clayton single, but couldn't hold it. Steve Buechele cut the deficit to one with a second-inning homer, and it stays this way, in spite of several good chances for both teams, until the seventh, when Sammy Sosa tied the game with a double to right that scored Tuffy Rhodes. Todd Benzinger gave the Giants the lead in the bottom of the eighth with a single, but the Cubs took the lead for good in the top of then ninth on a one-out double by Mark Grace and a two-run homer by Sammy Sosa that went off the glove of Giants venter fielder Darren Lewis and over the wall. Lewis songled in the btttom of the ninth, but Randy Myers notched the save for the Cubs without further incident.

Rockies 7, Dodgers 5
W: Blair (6-9)
L: McDowell (0-4)

No scoring occurred here until the bottom of the fifth inning, when Mike Piazza's double scored Brett Butler to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. Colorado came right back in the top of the sixth with a Galarraga single that scored Eric Young to tie the game at one. A four-run seventh was the big inning for the Rox; Ellis Burks' pinch-hit single gave them the lead, and Young's two-run single gave them much-needed insurance.

Marcus Moore's wild pitch in the seventh scored Mitch Webster and cut the Dodger deficit to 5-2. The Dodgers then tied the game with three in the bottom of the eighth, as Henry Rodriguez's double scored Tim Wallach, then pinch hitter Gary Ingram tied the game with a two-run single off of Rockies reliever Willie Blair. In the top of the ninth, Vinny Castilla batted for Blair and singled. Young walked, and after Nelson Liriano flew out, Andres Galarraga drove in Castilla with a base hit to give the Rockies a 6-5 lead. Dante Bichette added another run-scoring single later in the inning. Rockies closer Bruce Ruffin gave up walks to Wallach and Eric Karros in the bottom of the ninth, but caught Rodriguez looking to end the game.

Astros 21, Padres 5
W: Kile (12-7)
L: Benes (9-17)
HR- HOU: Bagwell 2 (47), Eusebio (8), S. Finley 3 (16)
Gwynn: 2-5 with 3 RBI (225-551, 0.4083)

The Astros boatraced the Padres, in one of the biggest routs in the National League this season. They started the scoring when Steve Finley bounced into a fielder's choice in the first, then added six runs in the third led by a two-run Jeff Bagwell double and a two-run Tony Eusebio homer. Finley also went deep in this inning.

In the fourth, they added two more, led by a bases-loaded walk to Ken Caminiti. In the fifth, Finley led off the inning with his second homer of the game, and Bagwell added a home runas well, a two-run shot that put the Stros up 12-2. 2. The Padres cut the lead to 12-4 in the bottom of the inning on a base hit by Craig Shipley, and Tony Gwynn's single in the bottom of the eighth made it 12-5.

In the 9th, after one out, Bagwell smacked his second homer of the game. Luis Gonzalez added a two-run double later in the inning, and Finley's third homer of the game, an upper-deck shot to right, put the Stros up 17-5. They added four more runs on a base hit by James Mouton, another two-run double from Bagwell, and an error by the Padres' Derek Bell.

Now for my Central report:

Cardinals 5, Pirates 4 (10 innings)

Bernard Gilkey's base hit drove in Mark Whiten as the Redbirds took the first game of the series. Whiten was the offensive sparkplug for the Redbirds, going two for five and driving in two. Ozzie Smith and Gregg Jefferies also had two hits apiece for St. Louis. Dave Clark had the big bat for the Bucs, as he homered, knocked in two runs, and scored three. Jay Bell went three for five with a pair of doubles.

W- Urbani (6-7)
L- Robertson (0-1)

HR- PIT: Clark (13)

The standings in the East to the moment:

Expos: 88-61
Braves: 87-62- 1 GB
Mets: 75-74- 13 GB
Phillies: 74-75- 14 GB
Marlins: 63-86- 25 GB

In the Central:

Reds: 85-63
Astros: 82-67- 3.5 GB
Cubs: 67-82- 19 GB
Cardinals: 65-84- 20.5 GB
Pirates: 56-94- 30 GB

In the West:

Giants: 78-71
Padres: 77-74- 2 GB
Dodgers: 75-74- 3 GB
Rockies: 71-80- 8 GB

In the Wild Card:

Braves: 87-62 (Magic Number: 9)
Astros: 82-67- 5 GB

Next: We look at September 20.

Thoughts?
 
Now it's time for the National League Report for Tuesday, September 20. We begin with Desmond in the East:

Atlanta 11, Cincinnati 5
W - Kent Mercker (12-6)
L - John Roper (8-4)
HR - ATL: David Justice (30), Terry Pendleton (11), Ryan Klesko (23)
CIN: Steve Pegues (1)

The Braves scored seven in the fourth to break a 2-2 tie. Justice and Pendleton went back-to-back for the key hits. The magic number for the Braves to clinch the Wild Card is down to eight, and they'll be in a tie for first in the East with the Expos if the Spos stumble against the Phillies.

NY Mets 1, Florida 0
W - Bobby Jones (14-12)
L - Pat Rapp (11-10)
S - John Franco (38)

Jose Vizcaino's RBI single in the fourth inning was responsible for the only run of the game. It was the only hit by either team with runners in scoring position in twenty-one combined attempts.

Montreal 6, Philadelphia 2
W - Kirk Rueter (10-3)
L - David West (6-12)
HR - MTL: Moises Alou (38), Larry Walker (31)

The Expos broke out of their slump, such as it was, by getting solid games at the plate from Alou, Walker, and Darrin Fletcher (three base hits each). They still lead the Braves by a game in the East.

Now for my Central report:

Pirates 5, Cardinals 4 (12 innings)

For the second straight night, these two teams went extra frames, but this time it was the Bucs who came out on top. Lloyd McClendon drove in the winning run with a twelfth-inning sacrifice fly. Both McClendon and Orlando Merced drove in two runs apiece for the Bucs, and Al Martin went three for five and scored twice. Ozzie Smith had two hits and drove in a pair for the Redbirds. The highlight of the night was McClendon climbing the right field wall to take a walk-off home run away from Mark Whiten in the bottom of the ninth. Whiten actually started his home run trot before Mac climbed the wall, and the picture of him spiking his helmet at second base made the front page of the next morning's Post-Dispatch as a visual metaphor for the Cardinals' disappointing season. Pirate rookie pitcher Rich Robertson got his first major-league win after suffering his first loss just the night before.

W- Robertson (1-1)
L- Frascatore (1-1)

Now here's Joe Ray in the West:

Giants 4, Cubs 1
W: Swift (8-7)
L: Trachsel (9-11)
S: Beck (37)
HR: Williams 2 (58)

The Giants earned a huge win, with the big story being Matt Williams's two home runs, as he's now just three home runs from tying Roger Maris. He hit a solo job in the first and a two-run homer in the 3rd, exciting the 49,500 at Candlestick. The home squad took a 2-0 lead in the first and didn't look back. Bill Swift allowed just three hits in seven innings, and Rod Beck git the save in just five pitches after Dave Burba allowed a run in the ninth.

The Giants' magic number to clinch the West is down to ten.


Rockies 4, Dodgers 3
W: Blair (6-9)
L: Hershiser (8-9)
S: Ruffin (22)
HR- LA: Ingram (5)

Colorado scored a run in the top of the first, but Los Angeles tied the game in the bottom of the first on a Raul Mondesi fielders' choice. Eric Karros' double gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead in the third. The Rockies took a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth with a Dante Bichette double and a Charlie Hayes single. Joe Girardi's seventh-inning bloop single scored Bichette, giving the Rox a 4-2 lead in front of a stunned Dodger Stadium crowd.

Garey Ingram's pinch-hit homer to center in the bottom of the eighth to cut the lead to 4-3 In the bottom of the ninth, Mike Poazza doubled with one out, and Tim Wallach was intentionally walked, but Eric Karros flew out to end the game. The Dodgers now trail in the West by four games with twelve to play, which makes their elimination number nine.

Padres 6, Astros 3
W: Tabaka (7-1)
L: Jones (5-5)
S: Hoffman (32)
HR- HOU: Bagwell (48)
Gwynn: 1-4 (226-555, 0.4072)

Jeff Bagwell's forty-eighth home run of the season gave the Astros a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but Tony Gwynn drove in Derek Bell (Note: Joe Ray doesn't say how). Luis Lopez tied the game at two in the second, but the Astros took a 3-2 lead in the top of the fourth when Scott Servais' single drove in Craig Biggio. The Padres came back with four in the bottom of the eighth. Bip Roberts and Gwynn stroked back-to-back singles, and a sacrifice fly from Eddie Williams tied the game at three. Craig Shipley doubled in Gwynn to give the Padres a 4-3 lead, and Brad Ausmus' base hit scored him to make it 5-3. Tim Hyers' RBI single later in the inning closed out the scoring, and Trevor Hoffman closed out the Stros after allowing a walk in the top of the ninth.

The Padres are still two games behind the West-leading Giants, while this loss is a body blow to the Stros. Their elimination number in the Central is now ten, as they trail the Reds by three and a half games with just twelve to play. Not only that, their elimination number in the Wild Card race is down to seven, as they now trail the Braves by a whopping six games.

The standings in the East to the moment:

Expos: 89-61
Braves: 88-62- 1 GB
Mets: 76-74- 13 GB
Phillies: 74-76- 15 GB
Marline: 63-87- 26 GB

In the Central:

Reds: 85-64 (Magic Number: 10)
Astros: 82-68- 3.5 GB
Cubs: 67-83- 19 GB
Cardinals: 65-85- 20.5 GB
Pirates: 57-94- 29 GB

In the West:

Giants: 79-71 (Magic Number: 10)
Padres: 78-74- 2 GB
Dodgers: 75-75- 4 GB
Rockies: 72-80- 8 GB

In the Wild Card:

Braves: 88-62 (Magic Number: 7)
Astros: 82-68- 6 GB

Next: We look at September 21.

Thoughts?
 
We sure are. The Central might get mighty interesting too if the Reds don't wake up and put the Astros away soon.

I can't get over the turnaround the Padres have made. They still finished last when we played out the season using the real standings. Now they're in contention for the West with less than two weeks to go!
 
Okay, now for something a bit different:

When we did this over at All Time Sports, all the division races were finished by Saturday, October 1, so we never played the final day of the season in either league. Rather than get caught having to do it on a Sunday (which is what I'd need to do if the races weren't complete, since the day of the week in this timeline matches the real one on the 2017 calendar at this point in time), I'm going to do it now while I have some time due to the NLDS rainout.

Remember, these games were due to be played on Sunday, October 2. Let's begin in the East:

Phillies 4, Marlins 2

Jim Eisenreich's bases-clearing double in the bottom of the first cleared the Phils' path to victory. Darren Daulton added a run-scoring single in the fifth for insurance. and Danny Jackson went all the way on the mound for the Fightins, giving up just two runs on eight hits. Jeff Conine and Dave Magadan had the Florida RBIs, and David Weathers took the loss on the mound. giving up four runs on eight hits and five walks in six innings.

W- Jackson (17-7)
L- Weathers (8-16)

Cardinals 2, Mets 1

Ray Lankford drove in former Met Gregg Jefferies with the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth as the Cardinals downed the Mets before a sparse crowd at Shea Stadium. Jeff Kent's second-inning homer gave the Mets the lead, but a seventh-inning dinger from Ozzie Smith, of all people, tied the game. Bob Tewksbury went all the way for the Redbirds. giving up just one run on five hits and striking out eight in a hundred and two pitches. Bobby Jones took the loss for the Mets, who got two of their five hits from Bobby Bonilla.

W- Tewksbury (16-12)
L- Jones (14-13)

HR- NYM: Kent (23)
STL: O. Smith (4)

Expos 4, Braves 2

The Spos expanded their lead over the Braves to two games with a big win before a standing-room only crowd at Olympic Stadium. Larry Walker homered in the bottom of the first to tie the game at one, but it was a two-run second that gave Montreal the lead for good. Darrin Fletcher's single to left scored Sean Berry with one run, and starting pitcher Ken Hill's double to center drove in Cliff Floyd with the other. Hill and John Wetteland combined to shut out the Braves on two hits over the final five innings, while Tommy Glavine threw a complete game in a losing cause for Atlanta. The loss also cost the Braves a chance to expand their lead in the Wild Card race, where their magic number remains at seven, at least for the moment. Speaking of magic numbers, the Montreal magic number to clinch the East is down to ten.

W- Hill (21-11)
S- Wetteland (32)
L- Glavine (15-11)

HR- MTL: Walker (32)

The standings in the East to the moment:

Expos: 90-61 (Magic Number: 10)
Braves: 88-63- 2 GB
Mets: 76-75- 14 GB
Phillies: 75-76- 15 GB
Marlins: 63-88- 27 GB

Now to the Central:

Cubs 14, Pirates 5

This one was over early, as the Cubbies sprinted out to an 11-0 lead after four innings and cruised home. Shawon Dunston smacked two home runs and had four RBIs for the home squad, which also got home runs from Glenallen Hill and Tuffy Rhodes. Rey Sanchez didn't homer, but still had two hits and knocked in three runs. Starter Willie Banks allowed four runs on seven hits in seven innings to get the win. The Bucs got three hits and an RBI from Carlos Garcia, two hits and an RBi from Don Slaught, and two RBIs without the benefit of a hit from Al Martin. Starter Denny Neagle lasted just two and two-thirds innings on the hill for Pittsburgh, allowing eight runs (all earned) on eight hits.

W- Banks (11-15)
L- Neagle (10-13)

HR- CHC: Hill (14), Rhodes (12), Dunston 2 (15)

Reds 7, Astros 5 (11 innings)

The Stros' postseason hopes haven't been mathematically dashed yet, but this latest loss did them no good whatsoever. They were leading the Reds 5-3 going to the top of the ninth when the visitors came storming back to tie the game. Reggie Sanders drew a one-out walk, and after two out pinch hitter Jerome Walton beat out an infield hit to put two on. Barry Larkin's base hit to left center scored Sanders to cut the Houston lead to 5-4, and Hal Morris lined a base hit to right off of Astros closer John Hudek to tie the game at five. In the eleventh, Reggie led off with a double to center, moved to third on an infield out, and scored on pinch hitter Deion Sanders' double down the right field line. Prime Time later came home on Morris' single to left center.

The Stros wasted a two-homer performance from Steve Finley, whose two-run shot in the fourth gave the home squad a 4-1 lead. Andujar Cedeno and Luis Gonzalez had the other RBIs for Houston. Hector Carrasco had to throw just four pitches in the tenth to get the win for the Reds, who now lead the Astros by four and a half games in the Central with a magic number of eight. The Stros' elimination number in the Wild Card race is down to six.

W- Carrasco (6-7)
S- Brantley (21)
L- Eidens (5-3)

HR- HOU: Finley 2 (18)

The standings in the Central to the moment:

Reds: 86-64 (Magic Number: 8)
Astros: 82-69- 4.5 GB
Cubs: 68-83- 18.5 GB
Cardinals: 66-85- 20.5 GB
Pirates: 57-95- 30 GB

In the Wild Card:

Braves: 88-63 (Magic Number: 6)
Astros: 82-69- 6 GB

Now to the West:

Dodgers 2, Giants 1 (10 innings)

Unlike the Astros, the Dodgers helped their fading playoff hopes by beating the Giants in front of a sellout crowd at Dodger Stadium. Eric Karros' solo homer put the Dodgers on the board in the bottom of the second, but it was matched by Barry Bonds' solo shot in the top of the fourth. The game remained tied until the bottom of the tenth, when Jose Offerman led off with a walk against Giants reliever Rich Monteleone. He was eventually forced by Delino Deshields, who stole second. Walks to Brett Butler and Mike Piazza loaded the bases, then Raul Mondesi dumped a base hit into left to score Deshields with the winning run.

Ramon Martinez threw an exceedingly rare (even for 1994) ten-inning complete game for the Men in Blue, giving up just one run on eight hits while walking two and striking out six in a hundred and twenty pitches.

W- Martinez (14-9)
L- Monteleone (6-7)

HR- SF: Bonds (48)
LA: Karros (17)

Padres 12, Rockies 1

The Padres moved to within a game of the first-place Giants by destroying the Rox at Mile High Stadium. They pounded out eighteen hots, and were led by a four-for-four day from Bip Roberts, who scored three runs and knocked in a pair. Tony Gwynn was three for four, knocked in three runs and scored a pair. and as of now (assuming all the Padres' games are played), he'll finish the season batting .406. Derek Bell went three for six with a home run and three RBIs with three runs scored, and Brad Ausmus also had two hits and knocked in a pair of runs for the Friars, while Luis Lopez had three hits and scored twice. Andy Benes went the distance, giving up just one run on four hits while walking four and striking out seven. Walt Weiss doubled in the only Colorado run in the seventh. David Nied took the loss, giving up five runs (all earned) on eight hits in just two and two-thirds innings.

W- Benes (10-17)
L- Nied (8-11)

HR- SD: Bell (19)

The standings in the West to the moment:

Giants: 79-72 (Magic Number: 10)
Padres: 79-74- 1 GB
Dodgers: 76-75- 3 GB
Rockies: 72-81- 8 GB

Next: We're back on schedule with a look at September 21.

Thoughts?
 
Now here's the National League Report for Wednesday. September 21. We begin with Joe Ray in the West:

Cubs 1, Giants 0 (13 innings)
W: Bullinger (12-3)
L: Frey (1-1)
S: Randy Myers (32)

The only run in the game came on a Sammy Sosa double in the top of the thirteenth inning off of Giants reliever Mike Jackson that drove in Tuffy Rhodes. It was one of two double which Sosa had during the game. The Cybs' pitchers are the real stars if the game, though, as Anthony Young, Dan Plesac. Jose Bautista, Chuck Crtim, Jim Bullinger, and Randy Myers shut out the Giants on six hits and struck out eleven. The biggest threats for the Giants came in extra innings, as they had two men on in the tenth and eleventh and were denied both times. if the Padres beat the Astros in San Diego, there will be a tie for first place in the National League West.

The Giants now head to Cincinnati for a big series against the first-place Reds, while the Cubs travel to Miami to face the Marlins.

Padres 1, Astros 0 (ESPN regional: Sean McDonough, Fred Lynn)
W: Sager (5-5)
L: Harnisch (12-6)
S: Hoffman (33)
Gwynn: 1-3 with a SO (227-558, 0.4068)

Eddie Williams' first-inning sacrifice fly drove in Bip Roberts with the game's only run, as the Padres have tied the Giants for the Western Division lead. The San Diego staff combined to shut out the Stros on four hits despite walking seven, and the Stros didn't help their own cause at all, as they left twelve men on base. The Padres will face the Dodgers this coming weekend, while the Stros will attempt to save their season in Denver.

Dodgers 4, Rockies 3 (10 innings; ESPN regional: Joel Meyers, Jim Rooker)
W: Valdez (3-3)
L: Blair (7-10)
HR- LA: Piazza (40)

The Dodgers managed to salvage a game in this series. Mike Piazza's fortieth homer of the year opened the scoring in the bottom of the fifth and gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead, but the Rox tied it in the top of the sixth on a double by Dante Bichette and a triple by Mike Kingery. Tim Wallach's single in the bottom of the eighth gave the Dodgers a 3-2 lead, but Charlie Hayes; infield out tied the game again for the Rox in the top of the ninth. They had a golden opportunity to win the game, but left two men on. The Dodgers won it in the bottom of the tenth on a walk to Piazza, a double by Raul Mondesi, and a sacrifice fly from Eric Karros.

The Dodgers now face their most important series of the season this weekend in San Diego.

Now for my Central report:

Pirates 12, Cardinals 8

The Bucs scores three in the seventh and two in the ninth to take a wild one at Busch Stadium. Al Martin's two-run homer in the seventh was the game-winning hit, but it was Jeff King who drove the offense, going four for five and knocking in three runs. Martin, Jay Bell, and Carlos Garcia each had three hits, and Martin, Garcia, and pinch hitter Dave Clark each drove in a pair of runs. The Buccos rocked St. Louis pitching for a total of twenty hits. For the Redbirds, Tom Pagnozzi had his best game at the plate in quite a while: three for four, two runs scored, a home run and five RBIs. Bernard Gilkey drove in another pair of runs and scored twice, while Mark Whiten had two hits and scores twice. The Bucs have their final home series of the year against the Phillies this weekend, while the Redbirds entertain the East-leading (at least for now) Expos.

W- Johnston (1-0)
L- Rodriguez (5-8)

HR- PIT: Martin (14)
STL: Pagnozzi (11)

Finally, here's Desmond in the East:

Cincinnati 10, Atlanta 6
W - Jeff Brantley (8-9)
L - Kent Mercker (12-7)
HR - CIN: Hal Morris 2 (16), Reggie Sanders (25), Deion Sanders
ATL: Mark Lemke (6)

Starter Jose Rijo was chased midway through with the Braves up 6-0, but the Reds then came back with three in the sixth, four in the seventh, and three in the ninth. The Braves' elimination number in the East in now nine, while the Reds' magic number to clinch the Central has dropped to seven.

Florida 3, NY Mets 2 (11 innings)
W - Luis Aquino (4-1)
L - Doug Linton (8-3)
HR - NYM: David Segui (19)

Bret Barberie had the game-winning single for the Fish.

Philadelphia 5, Montreal 4
W - Heath Slocumb (8-4)
L - John Wetteland (4-9)
S - Doug Jones (32)
HR - MTL: Moises Alou (39)
PHI: John Kruk (8)

Morandini's three-run double with two outs in the ninth resulted in a blown save from Wetteland and a collective sacre bleu from the fans. The Fightins are now tied with the Mets for third place in the East.

The standings in the East to the moment:

Expos: 90-62 (Magic Number: 9)
Braves: 88-64- 2 GB
(tie) Mets: 76-76- 14 GB
(tie) Phillies: 76-76- 14 GB

Marlins: 64-88- 27 GB

In the Central:

Reds: 86-65 (Magic Number: 7)
Astros: 82-70- 4.5 GB
Cubs: 69-83- 17.5 GB
Cardinals: 66-86- 20.5 GB
Pirates: 58-95- 29 GB

In the West:

(tie) Giants: 79-73
(tie) Padres: 80-74

Dodgers: 77-74- 1.5 GB
Rockies: 72-82- 8 GB

In the Wild Card:

Braves: 88-64 (Magic Number: 5)
Astros: 82-70- 6 GB

Next: We look at September 22.

Thoughts?
 
Last edited:
Now it's time for the National League Report for Thursday. September 22. We only have two games, and both of them are in the East, so here's Desmond:

Montreal 10, Philadelphia 1

W - Pedro Martinez (15-6)
L - David West (6-13)
HR - MTL: Larry Walker (33), Sean Berry (13), Marquis Grissom (15), Darrin Fletcher (12)

The Expos chased West from the game early and ended up with sixteen hits. The Grissom and Walker homers were back-to-back. The Expos reduced their magic number for clinching the East to eight with the win, while the Phils have fallen back into fourth place.

Cincinnati 2, Atlanta 0
W - John Smiley (14-12)
L - Tom Glavine (15-12)
HR - CIN: Deion Sanders (2)

The ex-Brave (and Atlanta resident to this day) stung the Braves with the only offense of the game. The Braves' elimination number in the East is now seven, while the Reds' magic number to clinch the Central is down to six.

The standings in the East to the moment:

Expos: 91-62 (Magic Number: 7)
Braves: 88-65- 3 GB
Mets: 76-76- 14.5 GB
Phillies: 76-77- 15 GB
Marlins: 64-88- 26.5 GB

In the Central:

Reds: 87-65 (Magic Number: 6)
Astros: 82-70- 5 GB
Cubs: 69-83- 18 GB
Cardinals: 66-86- 20 GB
Pirates: 58-95- 29.5 GB

In the Wild Card:

Braves: 88-65 (Magic Number: 5)
Astros: 82-70- 5.5 GB

Next: We look at September 23.

Thoughts?
 
Last edited:
Here's the National League Report for Friday, September 23. We begin with Desmond in the East:

Atlanta 6, NY Mets 1 (NBC: Bob Costas, Tony Kubek, Jim Gray)
W - John Smoltz (9-11)
L - Mauro Gozzo (7-9)
HR - ATL: Terry Pendleton 2 (13)

Pendleton went deep twice and the Braves got another solid start from Smoltz.

Chicago Cubs 9, Florida 6 (NBC: Jay Randolph, Fred Lynn)
W - Willie Banks (12-15)
L - Pat Rapp (11-11)
S - Randy Myers (33)
HR - CHC: Sammy Sosa (35), Glenallen Hill (15)
FLA: Gary Sheffield (32), Jeff Conine (21), Bret Barberie (9)

The Marlins rallied for five runs in the ninth to force the Cubs to use their closer, but could get no closer than the final score indicated.

Now for my Central report:

Phillies 4, Pirates 0 (NBC: Greg Gumbel, Jim Rooker)

Bobby Munoz, Ricky Bottalico, and Heathciff Slocumb combined on a six-hit shutout, and Mariano Duncan's three-run homer in the third gave the Phils all the offense they needed. Mickey Morandini drove in the other run and had hits in both official plate appearances, and third baseman Dave Hollins had two hits. Carlos Garcia and Jay Bell had two hits each for the Bucs.

Before the game, Jim Leyland denied that he's looking to receive either guarantees from Pirate management that the team will be competitive again soon or a release from his contract. "This is home for me, I met my wife here, my son was born here. Would I love to be in a pennant race again soon? You bet I would. But I honestly feel that we can be competitive again here in a couple of years, three at the most, and I want to see it through. I owe this organization and this city that much."

W- Munoz (9-8)
L- Lieber (8-7)

HR- PHi: Duncan (11)

Cardinals 2, Expos 1 (NBC: Dan Hicks, Mike Schmidt)

Ray Lankford's two-run homer in the fourth was all the Redbirds could get off of Jeff Fassero, but Bob Tewksbury and Rich Rodriguez combined to hold the Spos to one run, provided by Rondell White' pinch-hit single in the seventh. Lankford went three for four, and Tewksbury helped his own cause with a pair of hits. Marquis Grissom had two hits for the Expos. For now, the Montreal magic number to clinch the National League East and their first-ever playoff spot remains at seven. In other news, Cardinals manager Joe Torre confirmed before the game that he'll be back in St. Louis for the 1995 campaign.

The Spos' lead over the Braves in the East is now down to two games. and their magic number to clinch the division remains at seven.

W- Tewksbury (17-12)
S- Rodriguez (2)
L- Fassero (10-8)

HR- STL: Lankford (23)

Giants 6, Reds 2 (NBC: Tom Hammond, Tom Seaver, Cris Collinsworth)

The Giants defeated the Reds easily, with help from the longball. Barry Bonds and young right fielder Rikkert Faneyte go deep, but the most important home run of all comes in the top of the third. Here's how Tom Hammond called it:

"Hanson impressive so far here in the third; he's struck out the first two hitters on seven pitches, but now he has to deal with the National League home run leader, who's also tied with Frank Thomas of the White Sox. We'll be giving you his stats after every at-bat, and if he goes deep we'll show it to you right after it happens. Meanwhile, the first pitch to Williams........FLY BALL DEEP TO LEFT, BACK GOES MITCHELL, AT THE WALL, AND OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MATT WILLIAMS HAS HIT NUMBER 59!...................They're standing at Riverfront Stadium. Let's see if he'll take a curtain call........he does!"

Tom Seaver: "Classy response by the fans of Cincinnati, but let's see if they do it again in the eighth or ninth! Seriously, Tom, they appreciate good baseball here unlike almost anywhere else."

Hammond: "They're bringing him out again! This is incredible! Remember, everyone, we're in Cincinnati.............Your move, Big Hurt!"

Bonds, Williams and Faneyte combined for all six San Francisco RBIs, and Bonds went three for five total. Bret Boone drove in both Cincy runs. The Giants move temporarily into first place in the NL West, while the Reds' magic number for clinching the Central remains at six pending the outcome of Astros-Rockies in Denver.

W- Hickerson (11-8)
L- Hanson (7-8)

HR- SF- Williams (59), Bonds (49), Faneyte (1)

Now to Joe Ray in the West:

Astros 12, Rockies 6 (NBC: Vin Scully, Joe Garagiola, Mary Ann Grabavoy)
W: Kile (13-7)
L: Blair (6-11)
HR- HOU: Caminiti (22)
COL: Liriano (6), Galarraga (41)

The Astros earned a much-needed win at Mile High Stadium to keep their fading playoff hopes alive. Ken Caminiti singled in a ryn in the top of the first to give them the lead, but they lost it in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Andres Galarrage and a sacrifice fly by Mike Kingery that scored Nelson Liriano. Houston tied the game at two in the top of the second with a base hit by James Mouton. The Astros took a 3-2 lead in the top of the third on Steve Finley's double. but Dante Bichette's base hit tied it once again in the bottom of the third. The Rockies took a 4-3 lead in the fifth, but in the sixth the Astros scored four times on singles by Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Luis Gonzalez, and Tony Eusebio to take a 7-4 lead. Caminiti's double in the top of the seventh made it 8-4, but Liriano homered in the last of the seventh to cut the Houstob lead back to three. Eusebio doubled in a run in the eighth, and Caminiti's homer spearheaded a three-run ninth that put the game away for Houston. The Rox closed out the scoring with a run in the bottom of the ninth.

The Stros are now just four games behind the Reds in the Central with an elimination number of six, but the Braves' win earlier tonight dropped their elimination number in the Wild Card race to four.


Padres 3, Dodgers 2 (NBC: Dick Enberg, Johnny Bench, Hannah Storm)
W: Mauser (5-5)
L: McDowell (1-5)
HR- SD: Derek Bell (20), Phil Plantier (23)
Gwynn: 0-3 with BB, (227-561, 0.4046)

The Padres defeated the Dodgers before a sellout crowd at Jack Murphy Stadium to remain tied with the Giants in the West. Bell's homer tied the game in the bottom of the third, and Plantier's homer to dead center gave them the lead in the fourth. Raul Mondesi tied the game at two with a sixth-inning single. In the bottom of the ninth, Craig Shipley singled, then stole second with two out. Luis Lopez's fly ball was dropped by Mondesi, who doomed the Dodgers for good once he finally picked the ball up by throwing it past third, allowing Shipley to score the winning run.

The Dodgers are now two and a half games behind the Giants and Padres, and their elimination numbers are seven against the Padres and eight against the Giants.

The standings in the East to the moment:

Expos: 91-63 (Magic Number: 7)
Braves: 89-65- 2 GB
Phillies: 77-77- 14 GB
Mets: 76-77- 14.5 GB
Marlins: 64-89- 26.5 GB

In the Central:

Reds: 87-66 (Magic Number: 6)
Astros: 83-70- 4 GB
Cubs: 70-83- 17 GB
Cardinals: 67-86- 20 GB
Pirates: 58-96- 29.5 GB

In the West:

(tie) Giants: 80-73
(tie) Padres: 81-74

Dodgers: 77-75- 2.5 GB
Rockies: 72-83- 9 GB

In the Wild Card:

Braves: 89-65 (Magic Number: 4)
Astros: 83-70- 5.5 GB

Next: We look at September 24.

Thoughts?
 
Yes, of course. I'm not absolutely sure if I'll continue the thread over the winter or wait to pick it up in February when spring training starts, but I'll get to it eventually.
 
Yes, of course. I'm not absolutely sure if I'll continue the thread over the winter or wait to pick it up in February when spring training starts, but I'll get to it eventually.
Continue during the winter, during offseason or there a big reason why doing it during season?(you're a NBA or NHL fan?)
 
Yes, I'm an NHL fan (Penguins), but that wasn't the reason I was thinking about stopping. I just thought people would be more apt to read a baseball thread during baseball season. It doesn't make much difference, though. I'll most likely continue, though there will be some interruptions if I need to update my "master thread" more than once a day. I'll be sure to let you know when they're coming.
 
Yes, I'm an NHL fan (Penguins), but that wasn't the reason I was thinking about stopping. I just thought people would be more apt to read a baseball thread during baseball season. It doesn't make much difference, though. I'll most likely continue, though there will be some interruptions if I need to update my "master thread" more than once a day. I'll be sure to let you know when they're coming.
Therefore people would be more willingly to read offseason as we're not sidetracked by regular season(and my personal 2 month death during february-april when NFL finish). So yeah continued it during offseason would be pretty nice.
 
Here's the National League Report for Saturday, September 24. We begin with my Central report:


Pirates 6, Phillies 1

The Phils carried a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the eighth, then everything went to blazes as the Bucs scored six times. Al Martin's two-run single provided the game-winning hit, but the crowd of 10,259 is much more thrilled by Jeff King's tape-measure home run that finished the scoring. Approximate distance: 437 feet to deep center field. Tom Foley had tied the game earlier with a double. Despite the Pirates' poor record, over 30,000 are expected tomorrow for their last home game of 1994.

W- Hope (1-0)
L- Bottalico (0-1)

HR- PIT: King (7)

Cardinals 7, Expos 5

Clinching the National League East isn't turning out to be as easy as the Expos thought it would be. Tonight, they gave up seven first- inning runs to the Cardinals in front of a near-sellout at Busch Stadium and simply couldn't come back far enough. The big low in the inning is Gregg Jefferies' three-run homer that clears just over the left field wall. Expos manager Felipe Alou swore that it hit the top of the wall instead, and said as much to third base umpire Tom Hallion repeatedly and colorfully, which earned him an early shower. Jose Oquendo drove in two more with a single, and the Cards also got run-scoring base hits from Ozzie Smith and starting pitcher Allen Watson.

The Spos knocked Watson out of the game with a four-run second, but could only score one more off of the St. Louis bullpen. Marquis Grissom homered for Montreal, and Mike Lansing and Lenny Webster each had two hits and drove in a pair of runs. However, starter Kirk Rueter lasted just a third of an inning, giving up all seven runs. The magic number for the Spos remains at six, pending developments in Atlanta.

W- Urbani (8-7)
S- Frascatore (1)
L- Rueter (10-5)

HR- MTL: Grissom (17)
STL: Jefferies (18)

Reds 10, Giants 8 (ESPN lookins with Giants announcers Ted Robinson, Mike Krukow)

The fans at Riverfront Stadium tonight got the best of both worlds: the Reds come back from an 8-4 fifth-inning deficit to win, with a pinch-hit three run homer from Jeff Branson being the game-winning hit, and Matt Williams had a historic evening. We'll get to him in just a moment, but first let's talk about everyone else. The Reds got three hits and two RBIs apiece from Barry Larkin, who's still battling that severe groin pull, and Bret Boone. The Giants got two hits and two runs scored from second baseman John Patterson, and shortstop Royce Clayton also had two hits and a run batted in. Reliever Bryan Hickerson also doubled in two in the fifth to give the Giants an 8-4 lead. Kevin Mitchell's two-run homer started the Cincinnati comeback. The Reds' magic number for clinching the NL Central now stands at five, while the Giants trail by half a game in the NL West, pending the results in San Diego.

Now for Matt Williams. He smacked the first pitch he sees over the left field wall in the top of the first for Number 60, and here's how Ted Robinson called it:

"Matt up there with 59 home runs. If you ask him, though, he's a lot more concerned with the Giants' fight to stay on top in the NL West. Here's the first pitch from Roper.........in the air to left. Back goes Mitchell, it's carrying, could it be........YES!!!!!!!!! Matt Williams has hit Number 60 right off the bat here in the first inning! He's just one behind Maris, and they're going wild here at Riverfront. You'd think it was a Red that just did this."

Mike Krukow: "They aren't letting him back in the dugout, Teddy. He's gonna have to tip his hat. He doesn't want to do it so soon, though. There's still eight innings left."

Robinson: "There it is. A kind of reluctant curtain call from Matt Williams. This is a lot bigger deal for the fans and media than it is for him. He just wants to win the West, and the pennant race is the only thing on his mind."

Now, it's the fourth inning, and here's Ted again:

"Lewis at third, Patterson at first, two out here in the fourth. A base hit from Williams keeps the inning alive. He's in front two balls and no strikes. Roper gets the sign from Taubensee, and here's the 2-0 pitch..........in the air to left, back goes Mitchell, at the track, at the wall, up the wall, and.......OFF HIS GLOVE! IT'S SIXTY-ONE! MATT WILLIAMS HAS HIT NUMBER SIXTY-ONE! THE GIANTS LEAD 6-2, BUT THAT CAN WAIT! HISTORY TONIGHT AT RIVERFRONT!.............This time, there's a smile...........He's joined Roger Maris as the only men to ever hit sixty-one home runs in a season. Both dugouts are standing, and Williams shaking hands briefly with each of the infielders as he rounds the bases, now with Reds catcher Eddie Taubensee, home plate umpire Frank Pulli, and pitcher John Roper. Kevin Mitchell's coming in from left, and now he reaches the home dugout. Big hug from manager Dusty Baker, from Barry Bonds, and they're gonna enjoy this for quite a while before we go back to play."

Mike Krukow: "I'm proud to be here, Teddy. Damn proud to be here."

In the fifth, Williams walks on four pitches to a loud round of boos. In the eighth, he takes Chuck McElroy's two-one offering into the upper deck in left, but it's foul. McElroy throws the next two way outside, and Williams walks to another round of boos.

"This is the greatest night of my life so far, but a win would have made it much better," says Williams after the game. "Hopefully tomorrow I can get one and we can win." Were you mad that you were walked twice? "No, no. They're in a pennant race just like we are. They can't be throwing me fat pitches. When and if the record comes, it comes." Is it a disappointment that you'll likely break the record on the road? "No. All the fans have been so great all over the league. It's almost like every game's a home game."

W- J. Ruffin (12-2)
S- Brantley (22)
L- Brink (0-1)

HR- SF: Williams 2 (61)
CIN: Mitchell (44), Branson (7)

Now here's Joe Ray in the West:

Rockies 11, Astros 10
W: B. Ruffin (13-2)
L: Williams (7-9)
HR- HOU: Finley (19)
COL: Kingery (6)

The Astros take an early 1-0 lead, but the Rox tied it on Mike Kingery's home run in the bottom of the second. Dante Bichette's two run single to right in the bottom of the third gave them a 3-1 lead, but the Stros came back with five in the top of the fourth on two-run singles by Craig Biggio and Andujar Cedeno plus a bases-loaded walk to Ken Caminiti. Bichette's double and Joe Girardi's single cut the Houston lead to 6-5 in the fifth. and Andres Galarraga's single tied it at six in the sixth, but Steve Finley's two-run homer in the Houston seventh gave the visitors an 8-6 lead. The Rox came back with four in the bottom of the eighth. Vichette grounded into a fielder's choice to tie the game, a wild pitch from Stros reliever Tom Edens gave the Rox the lead, and Charlie Hayes doubled home Kingery with an insurance run.

The Astros tied it in the ninth, after two out. Kevin Bass singled, James Mouton walked, and Jeff Bagwell's single drove in Bass to cut the Colorado lead to 10-9. Caminiti's single then scored Mouton to tie the game at ten. Walt Weiss led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk, and Nelson Liriano also walked after two out. Galarraga then won the game by singling home Weiss.

The Astros' elimination number in the Central has dropped to four.

Padres 5, Dodgers 3
W: Sanders (8-9)
L: Hershiser (8-10)
S: Hoffman (34)
HR- LA: Butler (12)
SD: Derek Bell 2 (22)
Gwynn: 1-4, RBI, 226-561 (0.4028)

The Dodgers scored two runs on four hits, including Brett Butler's home run, in the first. But the Padres got one back in the bottom of the first on Tony Gwynn's run-scoring single. Bell's three-run homer to left on the second gave the Friars a 4-2 lead. Raul Mondesi stroked a run-scoring single for the Dodgers in the top of the fifth, but the Padres got the run back in the bottom of the inning om Bell's second homer of the game, this one to center. The Dodgers staged one last comeback in the ninth on a base hit by Delino Deshields, and walks to Butler and Tim Wallach, but with two out, Eric Karros flew out against Trevor Hoffman to end the game and put the Padres in first place in the West with exactly one week to go in the season.

Now here's Desmond in the East:

NY Mets 6, Atlanta 4 (10 innings)

W - Josias Manzanillo (5-3)
L - Mike Stanton (7-5)
S - John Franco (39)
HR - NYM: Jeff Kent 2 (25)

Kent's second home run in the tenth won it for the visiting Mets. The Braves' elimination number in the East drops to six, but their magic number to clinch the Wild Card drops to three thanks to the Astros' loss. Meanwhile, the Mets move back into third place in the East.

Florida 3, Chicago Cubs 0
W - Charlie Hough (7-12)
L - Mike Morgan (4-14)
HR - FLA: Chuck Carr (3)

Hough threw a complete game with the unusual line that could be expected from a knuckleballer: three hits allowed, nine walks, and seven strikeouts. Four of those seven came in the second inning.

The standings in the East to the moment:

Expos: 91-64 (Magic Number: 6)
Braves: 89-66- 2 GB
Mets: 77-77- 13.5 GB
Phillies: 77-78- 14 GB
Marlins: 65-89- 25.5 GB

In the Central:

Reds: 88-66 (Magic Number: 4)
Astros: 83-71- 5 GB
Cubs: 70-84- 18 GB
Cardinals: 68-86- 20 GB
Pirates: 59-96- 29.5 GB

In the West:

Padres: 82-74 (Magic Number: 7)
Giants: 80-74- 1 GB
Dodgers: 77-76- 3.5 GB
Rockies: 73-83- 9 GB

In the Wild Card:

Braves: 89-66 (Magic Number: 3)
Astros: 83-71- 5.5 GB

Next: We look at September 25.

Thoughts?


 
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