I've decided to fix each division separately, starting with the East. The Blue Jays have been "absent" for the last three days because they played the Mariners at Candlestick Park from August 22-24. The only other Eastern team to visit San Francisco was the Tigers from September 30-October 2. I've already done October 2, so we'll pick things up with the games of September 30. We'll begin with my Central report:
Rangers 5, Twins 2 (ABC: Chris Berman, Tommy Hutton)
We begin at the Metrodome, where the Rangers easily took care of the Twins before less than 15,000. Pudge Rodriguez's second-inning homer proved to be all the offense the Lawmen needed, and Doug Strange helped out by going two for three and driving in two. Hector Fajardo shut out the Twins on four hits before departing after seven and a third, and Tom Henke picked up the save. Alex Cole and Kirby Puckett drove in the home team's runs.
W- Fajardo (6-7)
S- Henke (18)
L- Mahomes (10-7)
HR- TEX: Rodriguez (18)
White Sox 4, Royals 3 (ABC: Jon Miller, Joe Morgan, Peter Gammons)
The Chisox temporarily stopped their slide by defeating the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Darrin Jackson led the Chicago offense by going three for four with an RBI, and second baseman Joey Cora added three more hits. Ron Karkovice and Robin Ventura also drove in runs. Starter Jason Bere went the distance, allowing eight Royals hits and striking out nine. Greg Gagne's RBI double drove in Chico Lind with the third Kansas City run with one out in the last of the ninth, but Bere struck out Vince Coleman and got Wally Joyner to tap to first to close things out.
The Sox are still three and a half games behind the Indians in the Central at the moment.
W- Bere (13-4)
L- Gubicza (7-11)
Indians 5, Orioles 4 (ABC: Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Lesley Visser)
The Indians survived a tussle from the visiting Birds thanks to homers from Albert Belle and Jim Thome. The O's cut their deficit to 5-4 thanks to Jeffrey Hammonds' dinger in the top of the ninth. Brady Anderson followed up with a base hit, which chased Cleveland starter Dennis Martinez. Jose Mesa came in to relieve, and his second pitch was scalded off of his leg by Mike Devereaux. Carlos Baerga speared the hop, tagged Anderson for one, then fired to first to get Devereaux by a fraction of a step and end the game. Baltimore skipper Johnny Oates went postal on first base umpire Jim Joyce to no avail. The Birds thus wasted an eight-inning complete game from Mike Mussina.
The Birds' lead over the White Sox in the wild card race has been reduced to half a game. and they'll need the Red Sox to beat the Yankees at Fenway Park in order to stay a game and a half behind the Pinstripes in the East.
W- Martinez (16-7)
S- Mesa (3)
L- Mussina (18-6)
HR- BAL: Hammonds (11)
CLE: Thome (24), Belle (40)
Brewers 6, Blue Jays 1 (ABC: Bob Ley, Buck Martinez)
Cal Eldred went the distance before a sparse but appreciative crowd at County Stadium, giving up just one run on seven Toronto hits. He was backed up offensively by Kevin Seitzer, who went three for four and drove in two runs, and Greg Vaughn, who had two hits, drove in two runs, and scored two more. Paul Molitor, who still gets warm ovations whenever he comes to bat in the Beer City, had the only Toronto RBI.
W- Eldred (12-12)
L- Guzman (12-13)
Now for a report from the East and West courtesy of our old friend Desmond:
NY Yankees 6, Boston 1 (ABC - Gary Thorne, Dave Campbell)
W - Jimmy Key (18-4)
L - Ken Ryan (3-4)
HR - NYY: Bernie Williams (13), Paul O'Neill (24)
The Yanks took the first of a three-game series, and their lead over the Orioles in the East is back up to two and a half games.
Angels 10, Athletics 0 (ABC: Bob Carpenter, Reggie Jackson)
Phil Leftwich shut out the slumping A's, while Harold Reynolds hit a rare home run. The A's now trail the Mariners by a game and a half in the West.
W- Leftwich (8-11)
L- Reyes (0-4)
HR- CAL: Salmon (26), Curtis (12), Reynolds (1)
Now for your up-to-the-second standings, beginning in the East:
Yankees: 77-48
Orioles: 75-51- 2.5 GB
Tigers: 61-64- 16 GB
Blue Jays: 59-67- 18.5 GB
Red Sox: 54-74- 24.5 GB
In the Central:
Indians: 80-50
White Sox: 76-53- 3.5 GB
Royals: 67-60- 11.5 GB
Brewers: 62-68- 18 GB
Twins: 54-76- 26 GB
In the West:
Mariners: 64-77
Rangers: 57-68- 1 GB
Athletics: 56-72- 1.5 GB
Angels: 52-74- 5.5 GB
Next: We look at October 1.
Thoughts?
Rangers 5, Twins 2 (ABC: Chris Berman, Tommy Hutton)
We begin at the Metrodome, where the Rangers easily took care of the Twins before less than 15,000. Pudge Rodriguez's second-inning homer proved to be all the offense the Lawmen needed, and Doug Strange helped out by going two for three and driving in two. Hector Fajardo shut out the Twins on four hits before departing after seven and a third, and Tom Henke picked up the save. Alex Cole and Kirby Puckett drove in the home team's runs.
W- Fajardo (6-7)
S- Henke (18)
L- Mahomes (10-7)
HR- TEX: Rodriguez (18)
White Sox 4, Royals 3 (ABC: Jon Miller, Joe Morgan, Peter Gammons)
The Chisox temporarily stopped their slide by defeating the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Darrin Jackson led the Chicago offense by going three for four with an RBI, and second baseman Joey Cora added three more hits. Ron Karkovice and Robin Ventura also drove in runs. Starter Jason Bere went the distance, allowing eight Royals hits and striking out nine. Greg Gagne's RBI double drove in Chico Lind with the third Kansas City run with one out in the last of the ninth, but Bere struck out Vince Coleman and got Wally Joyner to tap to first to close things out.
The Sox are still three and a half games behind the Indians in the Central at the moment.
W- Bere (13-4)
L- Gubicza (7-11)
Indians 5, Orioles 4 (ABC: Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Lesley Visser)
The Indians survived a tussle from the visiting Birds thanks to homers from Albert Belle and Jim Thome. The O's cut their deficit to 5-4 thanks to Jeffrey Hammonds' dinger in the top of the ninth. Brady Anderson followed up with a base hit, which chased Cleveland starter Dennis Martinez. Jose Mesa came in to relieve, and his second pitch was scalded off of his leg by Mike Devereaux. Carlos Baerga speared the hop, tagged Anderson for one, then fired to first to get Devereaux by a fraction of a step and end the game. Baltimore skipper Johnny Oates went postal on first base umpire Jim Joyce to no avail. The Birds thus wasted an eight-inning complete game from Mike Mussina.
The Birds' lead over the White Sox in the wild card race has been reduced to half a game. and they'll need the Red Sox to beat the Yankees at Fenway Park in order to stay a game and a half behind the Pinstripes in the East.
W- Martinez (16-7)
S- Mesa (3)
L- Mussina (18-6)
HR- BAL: Hammonds (11)
CLE: Thome (24), Belle (40)
Brewers 6, Blue Jays 1 (ABC: Bob Ley, Buck Martinez)
Cal Eldred went the distance before a sparse but appreciative crowd at County Stadium, giving up just one run on seven Toronto hits. He was backed up offensively by Kevin Seitzer, who went three for four and drove in two runs, and Greg Vaughn, who had two hits, drove in two runs, and scored two more. Paul Molitor, who still gets warm ovations whenever he comes to bat in the Beer City, had the only Toronto RBI.
W- Eldred (12-12)
L- Guzman (12-13)
Now for a report from the East and West courtesy of our old friend Desmond:
NY Yankees 6, Boston 1 (ABC - Gary Thorne, Dave Campbell)
W - Jimmy Key (18-4)
L - Ken Ryan (3-4)
HR - NYY: Bernie Williams (13), Paul O'Neill (24)
The Yanks took the first of a three-game series, and their lead over the Orioles in the East is back up to two and a half games.
Angels 10, Athletics 0 (ABC: Bob Carpenter, Reggie Jackson)
Phil Leftwich shut out the slumping A's, while Harold Reynolds hit a rare home run. The A's now trail the Mariners by a game and a half in the West.
W- Leftwich (8-11)
L- Reyes (0-4)
HR- CAL: Salmon (26), Curtis (12), Reynolds (1)
Now for your up-to-the-second standings, beginning in the East:
Yankees: 77-48
Orioles: 75-51- 2.5 GB
Tigers: 61-64- 16 GB
Blue Jays: 59-67- 18.5 GB
Red Sox: 54-74- 24.5 GB
In the Central:
Indians: 80-50
White Sox: 76-53- 3.5 GB
Royals: 67-60- 11.5 GB
Brewers: 62-68- 18 GB
Twins: 54-76- 26 GB
In the West:
Mariners: 64-77
Rangers: 57-68- 1 GB
Athletics: 56-72- 1.5 GB
Angels: 52-74- 5.5 GB
Next: We look at October 1.
Thoughts?
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