Prime Time Baseball: The Enhanced Career of Deion Sanders

[Garrett Garlits]

We're at Yankee Stadium for Game 3 of the Yankees-A's series. Deion is in center field and will lead off. Let's examine his at-bats first:

In the bottom of the first, he hit a tapper in front of the plate and was thrown out by A's catcher Terry Steinbach for out number one, Sax walked, then stole second. Maas' fly to Canseco in deep right moved him to third, and he scored on Hall's single to right to give the Yanks a 1-0 lead. Nokes' tapper to McGwire at first ended the inning,

In the bottom of the third, Deion grounded to McGwire at first for the second out.

In the bottom of the sixth, he did the same, this time for the first out,

In the bottom of the eighth, he popped to Gallego at short for the final out.

Deion's stats: .183 average (55 for 301), five home runs, twenty-two RBIs,

Now for the rest of the action:

The A's took the lead in the top of the first against Yankees starter Tim Leary. Rickey led off with a double off the left field wall, After McGee struck out swinging, Leary threw back-to-back wild pitches; the first moved Rickey to third, and the second allowed him to score.

The visitors took the lead in the top of the third. McGee drew a one-out walk, and Canseco followed by blasting Leary's first pitch into the right center field stands for a two-run homer and a 3-1 Oakland lead.

The A's added to their lead in the top of the fourth. With one out, Randolph doubled off the wall in left. Third baseman Lance Blankenship followed with a single to left that scored Randolph and gave the A's a 4-1 lead. Gallego hit a bouncer to third that skipped off of Leyritz's glove for an error, but Rickey forced him for out number two, Leary then threw his fourth wild pitch of the game, which brought Blankenship home to make it 5-1 Oakland and allowed Rickey to move to second. McGee's shallow fly to Deion in center ended the inning.

In the bottom of the fourth, Nokes hit a solo homer on to the short porch in right to cut the Oakland lead to 5-2.

Canseco led off the top of the fifth with his second homer of the day. This one landed in the third row of bleachers in left center field. Left center is 399 feet away from home plate at Yankee Stadium; this ball traveled approximately 422 feet. The A's led 6-2,

In the top of the seventh with two out against Guetterman, McGwire singled to left, Steinbach followed with a double off the wall in left that scored McGwire with the seventh Oakland run.

Maas closed out the scoring in the bottom of the ninth with a one-out solo homer over the wall in right center to narrow the Yankee deficit to 7-3. A's starter Dave Stewart finished his complete game by retiring Hall and Nokes on consecutive foul flies to Canseco in right,

Final totals: A's 7-13-0, Yankees 3-4-1.

W- Stewart (19-10; won real-life game as well)
L- Leary (8-18; lost real-life game as well)

HR- OAK: Canseco 2 (38)
NYY: Maas (27), Nokes (12)

The A's won the real-life game 7-3 as well. McGee was three for five with four RBIs, and McGwire hit a solo homer in the second to begin the scoring. Big Mac loses that homer, which leaves him with thirty-five for the year,

Both teams' records remain the same.

Deion was held out of the lineup on Monday, September 10 when the Yanks opened a three-game series with the Rangers. First baseman Rafael Palmeiro's RBI single off of Guetterman in the top of the eleventh gave the Rangers a 1-0 win; five Texas pitchers combined on a six-hit shutout. Deion was back for the second game of the Rangers series on Tuesday, September 11.

Next: Game 2 of the Yankees-Rangers series. Chuck Cary will start for the Yankees, while Bobby Witt pitches for the Rangers,

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

We're at Yankee Stadium for Game 2 of the Yankees-Rangers series. Deion will serve as the designated hitter and bat cleanup. Here are his at-bats:

In the bottom of the first with the Yanks already trailing 1-0, Kelly led off with a solo homer into the left center bleachers that tied the game at one. Sax followed with a single to left center. After Maas struck out swinging for out number two, Sax stole second. Then it was Deion's turn, Here's Jim Kaat with the count one ball and one strike:

"The Yankees want to look at some of their other prospects as the season winds down, so we probably won't be seeing a whole lot more of Sanders, What happens to him next year is anybody's guess, but it's hard to imagine the Yankees putting up with another year like this one from him. One-one pitch is driven high and deep to right center, back goes Pettis, he's at the wall, IT'S GONE!.........Home run number six this season for Deion Sanders, and the Yankees take a 3-1 lead. There's the potential that made him a top draft pick in two sports, but have the Yankees seen enough of it to keep him around in 1991?"

Barfield and left fielder Hensley Meulens each struck out swinging to end the inning.

In the bottom of the third, Deion went down swinging to lead off the inning. After Barfield bounced to third for the second out, left fielder Hensley Meulens was hit in the knee by a pitch. A passed ball charged to Rangers catcher Mike Stanley moved him to second, and Leyritz's single to left brought Meulens home to give the Yanks a 5-2 lead. Tjird baseman Mike Blowers struck out swinging to end the inning.

In the bottom of the fifth, he grounded to Rangers third baseman Steve Buecheie for the second out.

In the bottom of the seventh, Kelly singled to left with one out. Sax hit a roller to first baseman Rafael Palmeiro, then won a race to the bag for an infield single. Maas' fly to right moved Kelly to third and brought Deion to the plate. Our hero popped out to catcher Mike Stanley for the final out,

In the bottom of the ninth against reliever Kenny Rogers, he bounced to second baseman Julio Franco for the second out, Barfield was next, and he powered a hanging curveball over the fence in center field to bring the home squad within 10-8. Meulens popped up to Franco to end the game.

Deion's stats: .183 average (56 for 306), six home runs, twenty-four RBIs.

Now for the rest of the game action:

The Yanks added a run in the bottom of the second. With two out, Espinoza singled to left center. Kelly singled to right to put two men on, and Sax singled to left center to score Espinoza and give the Yanks a 4-1 lead. Maas struck out swinging to end the inning.

In the top of the third with two out, designated hitter Juan Gonzalez doubled off the wall in right center. Left fielder Pete Incaviglia singled to right center to bring Gonzalez home and cut the Yanks' lead to 4-2. Stanley's fly to Kelly in shallow left center retired the side,

The Rangers took the lead with five runs in the top of the sixth. Stanley led off with a double to left center. He moved to third when Espinoza muffed Buechele's grounder, and a walk to shortstop Jeff Kunkel loaded the bases. Center fielder Gary Pettis grounded to Maas. who promptly threw home to get the force on an incoming Stanley. Franco singled to left center to bring home Buechele to cut the Yankees' lead to 5-3. Palmeiro was next, and he hit Lee Guetterman's first pitch over the wall in center for a grand slam and a 7-5 Texas lead.

The Yanks tied the game with a pair in the bottom of the eighth. With one out, Meulens singled up the middle. Leyritz followed with a double to left to put runners at second and third, Mike Blowers grounded to Buechele at third for the second out as Meulens scored to make it 7-6, and Brad Arnsberg came out of the Texas pen to face Mel Hall, who was batting for Espinoza. Hall cracked a double over Pettis' head in center, which scored Leyritz and tied the game at seven, A wild pitch moved pinch runner Wayne Tolleson to third, and Kelly walked to put runners at the corners. But Sax's bouncer to first ended the inning.

The Rangers took the lead for good with three runs in the top of the ninth. Kunkel led off with a fly ball to left center that dropped on the warning track and hopped over the wall for a book-rule double. Pettis struck out swinging, and Franco flew to Kelly in shallow right center for out number two. Palmeiro was intentionally walked, and Alan Mills came out of the Yankee bullpen to face Sierra. who hit the team's second book-rule double of the inning, this one to right center, to score Kunkel and put the Rangers in front 8-7. Gonzalez followed with a bloop that landed in shallow left for another hit, Palmeiro and Sierra scored, and the Rangers led 10-7. Jeff Robinson replaced Mills and retired Incaviglia on a fly to center to end the inning.

Final totals: Rangers 10-13-0, Yankees 8-14-3.

W- Arnsberg (7-1)
S- Rogers (16)
L- Plunk (6-4)

HR- TEX: Palmeiro (16)
NYY: Barfield (29), Sanders (6), Kelly (15)

In real life, the Yankees scored twice in the bottom of the eighth to beat the Rangers 5-4. Hall, who was the designated hitter, drove in the winning runs with a two-run triple. Gonzalez hit the only home run of the game, which he loses; he now has three. Starter Bobby Witt pitched an eight-inning complete game in a losing cause, giving up five runs on seven hits.

The Rangers are 84-78. while the Yankees are 62-100.

The Rangers won the final game of the series on Wednesday, September 12 by a score of 5-4. Palmeiro and Gonzalez each had two hits and a run batted in to lead the Texas offense, while Maas and Meulens each homered for the Yanks. Deion was out of the lineup; he returned on Thursday, September 13 for the first of a four-game series between the Yankees and the Tigers in Detroit.

Here are the final American League West standings:

Athletics: 102-60
White Sox: 94-68- 8 GB
Rangers: 84-78- 18 GB
Mariners: 82-80- 20 GB
Angels: 78-84- 24 GB
Royals: 76-85- 25.5 GB
Twins: 74-88- 28 GB

Next: The Yankees open a four-game series at Tiger Stadium on Thursday, September 13, Mike Witt will start for the Yankees, while Walt Terrell gets the ball for the Tigers.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

We're at Tiger Stadium for Game 1 of the Yankees-Tigers series on Thursday, September 13, Deion is in left field and batting sixth,

Here are Deion's at-bats this evening:

In the top of the second, he popped up to Tigers second baseman Lou Whitaker for the second out,

In the top of the fifth. his liner was speared by first baseman Cecil Fielder for the first out. Matt Nokes was next. and he hit a line drive over the left field wall for a home run to cut the Tigers' lead to 2-1.

In the top of the seventh, Barfield led off with a base hit to left. Deion was next. and he flew to Chet Lemon in right field for the first out.

In the top of the ninth, he again lined to Fielder for the second out.

Deion's stats: .181 average (56 for 310), six home runs, twenty-four runs batted in.

Now for the rest of the game action:

The Tigers scored twice in the bottom of the third to take the lead. Center fielder Milt Cuyler led off with a double inti the left center power alley. Third baseman Tony Phillips followed with a base hit to right that scored Cuyler and put the Tigers in front 1-0. Whitaker's liner was gloved by Sax for the first out, and shortstop Alan Trammell forced Phillips for the second out, Cecil Fielder's base hit up the middle put two men on, and left fielder Lloyd Moseby's single to left brought Trammell home to make it 2-0. Designated hitter Dave Bergman grounded to Leyritz at third to end the inning.

The Yankees tied the game in the top of the eighth. Espinoza drew a leadoff walk against Tigers starter Walt Terrell, He was forced by Kelly. who promptly stole second and third. Sax followed with a single to left that brought Kelly home and tied the game at two. That was the end of the line for Terrell; Jerry Don Gleaton relieved him and retired Maas on a popup to Whitaker at second and Hall on a fly to Cuyler in shallow center to end the inning.

Fielder won the game for the Tigers in the bottom of the eighth when he drove Lee Guetterman's second pitch deep into the right field stands for his forty-sixth home run of the season.

Final totals: Tigers 3-11-0, Yankees 2-6-0,

W- Gleaton (2-3)
S- Henneman (23)
L- Guetterman (11-11)

HR- NYY: Nokes (13)
DET: Fielder (46; homered in real-life game as well)

In real life, the Yankees won 7-3. Maas took Terrell deep for a two-run homer in the first, Kelly had three hits and drove in a run, and Barfield had two hits and drove in two runs. Mike Witt went the distance on the mound, giving up three runs on five hits. Maas loses his home run, which leaves him with twenty-six.

The Tigers are 80-82; the Yankees are 62-100.

Deion was out of the lineup the next night as the Yanks won 5-2. Leary held the Tigers to one run on three hits over seven innings, and the Yanks scored all five if their runs in the third. The key blow was Blowers' two-run double. Deion sat again on September 15 as the Tigers prevailed 4-3 , Cutler provided the big hit with a two-run triple in the fourth off of Yankees starter Dave Eiland, while Barfield, Blowers, and Hall all went deep for New York in a losing cause, The Yanks were held to two hits the following day by the combination of Steve Searcy and Paul Gibson; one of those hits was a Balboni homer. Meanwhile, Fielder's two-run shit in the fifth broke the game open and paved the way for a 5-2 Detroit victory.

Deion's absence reached four straight games on September 17 in Toronto, as the Jays prevailed 6-4. Kelly Gruber drove in the eventual winning run with a seventh-inning single. The big story coming out of that game was that Barfield hit a two-run homer in the second, then was walked, intentionally or otherwise, in each of his next four plate appearances.

Deion finally returned to the lineup on Tuesday, September 18. Before the game, Merrill was asked if Deion was playing for his Yankee future over the season's final two weeks. "Everybody is, really, but I guess you could put Deion at the top of the list. Hopefully he's ready to make a big push, because no team in the majors has room for the kind of player he is now. i know the Yankees don't,"

Next: Game 2 of the Yankees-Blue Jays series on Tuesday, September 18. Mike Witt will pitch for the Yankees, while Dave Stieb takes the mound for the Jays.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

We're at Skydome in Toronto for Game 2 of the Yankees-Blue Jays series, Deion is leading off and playing center field, Let's look at his at-bats first.

In the top of the first, he singled to right against Jays starter Dave Stieb, but was forced by Sax.

In the top of the third with the Jays leading 2-0, Espinoza drew a leadoff walk, and Deion bunted him over to second. Sax's single to left put runners at the corners, and designated hitter Don Mattingly bounced into a fielder's choice, which allowed Espinoza to score and cut the Jays' lead to 2-1. Maas' grounder to Manuel Lee at second ended the inning.

In the top of the fifth, Deion led off the inning with a fly ball to deep right that was caught by Junior Felix for the first out.

In the top of the sixth, Meulens walked with one out, moved to second on Blowers' single to left center and went to third when Espinoza forced Blowers. Deion's bouncer to Kelly Gruber at third ended the inning.

In the top of the eighth, Deion came to the plate with two out and flew to Mookie Wilson in right center to end the inning,

Deion's stats: .182 average (57 for 314), six home runs, twenty-four RBIs.

Now for the rest of the game action:

The Jays scored twice in the bottom of the first. Wilson led off with a single up the middle. After Fernandez popped to Sax at second and Gruber struck out swinging, Wilson stole second. Fred McGriff walked to put two men on, and designated hitter George Bell followed with a double off the wall in right center to score Wilson and McGriff and give the Jays a 2-0 lead. Left fielder Rob Ducey walked, and catcher Greg Myers' single to right loaded the bases, Lee struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Jays added a run in the bottom of the fifth. Wilson drew a leadoff walk. After Fernandez's foul pop was caught by Maas for out number one, Gruber stroked a single to right center to put runners at the corners. McGriff's fly to the warning track in right was caught by Barfield for the second out, but Wilson came home to give the Jays a 3-1 lead. Bell's tapper to first ended the inning.

The Yanks got a run back in the top of the seventh, With two out. Maas lined a base hit to left center. Barfield walked to put two men on, and Nokes singled up the middle to score Maas and cut the Toronto lead to 3-2. Meulens' bouncer to second ended the inning.

The Jays put the game away with two runs in the bottom of the seventh. Wilson led off with a double into the left center power alley, After Fernandez and Gruber each grounded to Espinoza at short, McGriff clubbed a 1-2 hanging slider from Lee Guetterman over the right field wall to give the Jays a 5-2 lead.

Final totals: Blue Jays 5-9-0, Yankees 2-7-1.

W- Stieb (19-6)
S- Henke (33)
L-Witt (4-7)

HR- TOR- McGriff (37)

In real life. the Jays won 3-2 on a walk-off pinch-hit single by Rance Mullinix that scored Gruber with the winning run. Kelly had two hits and an RBI in a losing cause for New York. Maas loses a homer, which leaves him with twenty-six for the year.

Both teams' records remain the same, and the Jays are still tied with the Red Sox atop the American League East.

Next: The Yankees-Jays series concludes on Wednesday, September 19. Tim Leary will pitch for the Yankees, while Jimmy Key starts for the Jays,

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

We're at Skydome for Game 3 of the Yankees-Blue Jays series. Deion will serve as the designated hitter and bat fifth, Let's look at his at-bats first.

In the top of the second, he led off against Jays starter Jimmy Key and flew to Junior Felix in right.

With two out in the top of the third, Sax lined a single to left, Maas walked to put two men on, and former Blue Jay Barfield hammered Key's 1-1 fastball deep into the left center stands for a three-run homer and a 3-0 Yankee lead. Deion struck out swinging to retire the side,

In the top of the fifth, Deion came to the plate with Maas at first following a leadoff walk and one out, He flew to Mookie Wilson in shallow right center for out number two,

In the top of the seventh with the Jays leading 7-5, Sax led off with a double off the center field wall. Maas followed with a fly to right center thar dropped on the warning track and went over the wall for a book-rule double. Sax was awarded home plate, and the Yankees were back within 7-6. Reliever Willie Blair exited in favor of Duane Ward, who was greeted by Barfield's single to right. Deion forced Barfield. which allowed Maas to score the tying run, Meulens grounded into a 3-6-3 double play to end the inning.

Deion's stats: .179 average (57 for 318). six home runs, twenty-five RBIs.

Now for the rest of the game action:

The Jays scored six times in the bottom of the third to take the lead. Myers led off with a single up the middle. Lee singled to left center to put two men in, and Felix walked to load the bases. Yankees starter Tim Leary then walked Wilson to force Myers home and Fernandez to force Lee home. Gruber was next, and his high fly ball barely eluded Kelly's glove and landed in the first row of seats in left center for a grand slam to give the Jays a 6-3 lead.

In the top of the fourth, Meulens hit a leadoff home run to deep right to make it a 6-4 game. Leyritz grounded to Gruber at third and Blowers popped to Fernandez at short for the first two outs, but Espinoza kept the inning alive with a clean single to right center, Kelly ended Key's evening with a double over Wilson's head n center that scored Espinoza and made it 6-5. Blair relieved and retired Sax on a bouncer to short to end the inning.

The Jays got a run back in the bottom of the fourth when Felix hit a two-out solo homer to left center off of Yankees reliever Jeff Robinson.

The Jays scored three times against Greg Cadaret in the bottom of the eighth to break a 7-7 tie. McGriff led off the inning by beating out a bouncer to short for an infield single. Bell lined a double off the wall in left to put runners at second and third, and Ducey followed with a double off the wall in center that scored both McGriff and Bell to give the Jays a 9-7 lead. Eric Plunk relieved Cadaret and was greeted by Myers' lined single up the middle, which scored Ducey to make it 10-7.

Final totals: Blue Jays 10-9-0, Yankees 7-11-0.

W- Ward (3-8)
S- Henke (30; saved real-life game as well)
L- Cadaret (7-6)

HR- NYY: Barfield (30), Meulens (2; homered in real-life game as well)
TOR: Felix (13; homered in real-life game as well). Gruber(32)

In real life, the Blue Jays took a 6-0 lead after four innings, then held off a furious Yankee comeback to win 7-6. Felix hit a two-run homer for the Jays, and future Yankee Luis Sojo had a pair of hits and drove in a pair of runs off the bench. Leyritz hit a three-run homer in a losing cause for the Yanks, and Meulens had two hits, including a home run,

Both teams' records remain the same, and the Jays remain tied with the Red Sox for first place in the American League East.

Deion was out of the lineup on Thursday, September 20 as the Yanks returned home for a game with the Indians, Cleveland prevailed 12-7 after trailing 6-1 and 7-5, scoring four runs in the fifth and three in the sixth. Carlos Baerga was the Tribe's offensive leader with four hits, three runs scored, and three RBIs. Deion was back in the lineup for the first of a three-game series with the Red Sox at the Stadium on Friday, September 21. It would be his last series as a Yankee,

Next: Game 1 of the Red Sox series. Dana Kiecker will start for the Red Sox, while Chuck Cary takes the ball for the Yankees.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

We're at Yankee Stadium for Game 1 of the Yankees-Red Sox series. Deion is in left field and will bat sixth,

The Yankees scored first in the bottom of the first. Kelly drew a leadoff walk, but was forced by Sax, who promptly stole second. Mattingly followed with a base hit to right center that scored Sax and gave the Yanks a 1-0 lead. Maas forced Mattingly for the second out, and Barfield grounded to first to end the inning.

Deion led off the bottom of the first and popped up to Luis Rivera at short for the first out.

In the top of the third, second baseman Jody Reed doubled into the left center power alley with one out. A passed ball charged to Leyrirz moved Reed to third, and Carlos Quintana's book-rule double over the fence in left scored him to tie the game at one. Wade Boggs followed with a single to right that brought Quintana home and gave the Sox a 2-1 lead.

In the top of the fourth. designated hitter Dwight Evans drew a leadoff walk. Home plate umpire Al Clark called a balk on Yankees starter Chuck Cary thar moved Evans to second. After Tom Brunansky struck out swinging. catcher Tony Pena's bloop single to left brought Dewey home to put the Sox up 3-1.

The Yankees scored three times in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead. After Deion flew to right center for the first out, Leyritz doubled off the wall in right center. Velarde walked. but was forced by Espinoza. Leyritz moved to third on the play, and he scored on Kelly's single to right center to cut the Boston lead to 3-2. Sax was next. and he lined a double off the wall in center to score Espinoza and Kelly and give the Yanks a 4-3 lead. Wes Gardner relieved starter Dana Kiecker and retired Mattingly on a fly to shallow right center to end the inning.

In the bottom of the sixth, Deion flew to Mike Greenwell in shallow left to end the inning.

The Sox scored four times in the top of the seventh to take the lead. Quintana drew a leadoff walk against Cadaret. Boggs followed with a two-run homer into the right field stands to give the visitors a 5-4 lead, Plunk came out of the pen to face Burks and struck him out swinging, but Greenwell followed with a base hit to right center. Evans flew to shallow right for the second out, but Plunk walked Brunansky and Pena to load the bases. Rivera was next, and his base hit up the middle scored Greenwell and Brunansky to extend the Boston lead to 7-4. Reed forced Rivera to end the inning.

The Sox added to their lead in the top of the eighth against Mills. Quintana drew a leadoff walk, After Boggs struck out swinging, Leyritz was charged with his third passed ball of the game, which moved Quintana to second. Burks popped to Espinoza at short for the second out, and Greenwell lifted a fly to right that Barfield should have caught to end the inning. But he lost it in the lights, and when he tried for a last-minute diving catch the ball hit the front of his glove and bounced away, Quintana scored, and Greenwell reached on the error. Jeff Robinson came in to face Evans, whose fly to the warning track in right was caught by Barfield to end the inning.

In the bottom of the eighth, Barfield drew a one-out walk. which brought Deion to the plate. Here's Jim Kaat with the count no balls and one strike:

"Rumors abound that Deion may not even last the season, that the Yankees want to use this last week and a half to see what else they have in the outfield. , They host the Orioles for three beginning Monday, they're in Milwaukee next weekend, and they finish with Cecil Fielder and the Tigers here at the Stadium October 1, 2, and 3. That's after two more here with the Red Sox tomorrow and Sunday. 0-1 pitch.....high fly ball, right center field. going back is Burks, he's at the wall. and this ball is GONE!......Deion shows off a bit of pop; that's his seventh home run this season, and the Yankees are back to within 8-6."

Jeff Gray relieved Gardner and retired Leyritz on a bouncer to third and Velarde on a tapper to first to end the inning,

The visitors put the game away with a five-run ninth. Brunansky walked, then stole second. Pane followed with a single to left that scored Brunansky to make it 9-6 Boston, and that was it for Robinson. Jimmy Jones was next out of the Yankee pen, and after Pena stole second, Rivera and Reed each grounded to short. Quintana walked to keep the inning going, and Boggs stroked a base hit to right center that scored Pena and gave the Sox a 10-6 lead. Burks finished the scoring with a three-run homer to dead center that extended the Sox' lead to 13-6 and also signaled the end for Jones. Mark Leiter ended the inning by retiring Greenwell on a bouncer to short.

Final totals: Red Sox 13-12-0, Yankees 6-9-2.

W-Gardner (4-7)
S- Gray (8)
L- Cadaret (7-7)

HR- BOS: Burks (20; homered in real-life game as well), Boggs (7)
NYY: Sanders (7)

In real life, the Red Sox shut out the Yankees 3-0, as Kiecker and veteran Larry Andersen combined on a three-hit shutout. Home runs by Burks and Greenwell provided all of the offense for the visitors; Burks hit a two-run homer in the sixth, while Greenwell belted a solo shot in the eighth. Greenwell loses his homer, which leaves him with twelve,

Deion's stats: .180 average (58 for 322), seven home runs, twenty-seven runs batted in.

Both teams' records remain the same, and the Red Sox remain tied with the Blue Jays for first place in the American League East.

Deion was out of the lineup for the Yankees' 5-2 win against the Red Sox on Saturday, September 22. It was during the five-hour rain delay before that game that Deion was informed of his impending release, which he accepted with grace. Because his replacement on the roster (utilityman Jim Walewander) wouldn't arrive until Monday, he was told that he could play in the finale of the Red Sox series the following day, after which his release would be officially announced. He agreed.

Sax was the star of the game on the field; his two-run triple broke a 2-2 tie in the seventh.

Next: Deion's finale against the Red Sox on Sunday, September 23. Mike Witt will start for the Yankees, while Tom Bolton pitches for the Red Sox.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

We're at Yankee Stadium for Game 3 of the Yankees-Red Sox series. Deion is playing his last game as a Yankee, and he'll lead off and play center field.

The Yankees scored first in the bottom of the first. Deion drew a leadoff walk, then stole second. He moved to third on Sax's bouncer to second and came home on Mattingly's fly to the warning track in right.

In the bottom of the third, Deion led off with a fly to deep left that was caught by Greenwell at the warning track for out number one,

The Yanks added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth when Balboni lined a leadoff home run onto the short porch in right to give them a 2-0 lead.

Deion led off the bottom of the fifth and struck out swinging against Red Sox starter Tom Bolton,

In the bottom of the seventh, Velarde led off with a lined single to left center. Espinoza followed with another to put two men on, Deion forced Espinoza for the first out, with Velarde moving to third, and Randy scored when Sax forced Deion, Mattingly's popup to Jody Reed at second ended the inning.

Deion's final stats: ,178 average (58 for 325), seven home runs, twenty-seven RBIs,

Final totals: Yankees 3-6-0, Red Sox 0-4-2.

W- Witt (5-8; won real-life game)
S- Righetti (34; saved real-life game)
L- Bolton (9-5; lost real-life game)

HR- NYY: Balboni (19)

In real life, the Yankees prevailed 5-4. Sax hit a home run for the Yankees, which he loses; he now has three. Greenwell had three hits in a losing cause for the Red Sox.

Here are the final standings for the American League East in 1990:

(tie) Red Sox: 87-75
(tie) Blue Jays: 87-75

Tigers: 80-82- 7 GB
Indians: 79-83- 8 GB
Orioles: 75-86- 11.5 GB
Brewers: 73-89- 14 GB
Yankees: 61-101- 26 GB

I'm going to take a break from this timeline for a while; I need to cut back my workload a bit in the heat of summer. I also need to figure out how I'm going to structure this timeline should I decide to continue it: one big thread, one thread for each team (Yankees, Braves, Reds, Giants), or a thread for each season,

Thanks for reading!