Qualifier Round: Chisox rally to take final 2 to outlast Halos

GAME ONE – Rick Reichardt drove in a pair of runs to lead the Halos to a 3-2 series- opening road victory in Chitown. Reichardt singled home Vic Davalillo in the 1^st. Tommy McGraw answered for the Pale Hose in the bottom half with a solo shot. Reichardt singled in Davalillo again in the 3^rd for a 2-1 lead. Bobby Knoop collected the GWRBI in the 5^th by driving in winning pitcher George Brunet (1-0) who had led off the inning with a single. Duane Josephson brought home Tommy Davis in the Sox 6^th, but they couldn’t notch another against the bullpen combo of Minnie Rojas, Andy Messersmith and Tom Burgmeier.

GAME TWO – With their backs to the wall in sunny California, the White Sox battle for 15 innings before topping the Angels 5-4 and forcing a one-and-done final. The Halos put two on the board in the 3^rd. “Daddy Wags” Leon Wagner tied it with a 2-run blast in the 5^th for the Sox. A dropped fly ball led to an unearned run in the top of the 8^th for the ChiSox. The Angels plated two in the bottom of the frame and thought they had wrapped up. But Ken Berry silenced the crowd with a leadoff homer in the 9^th to tie it up. It stayed that way until the 15^th when Duane Josephson led off with a triple. One out later, Walt “No Neck” Williams hit a PH double. Bob Locker closed out the Angels to save the game for Jack Fisher.

GAME THREE – Duane Josephson doubled in a pair in the 4^th to put the White Sox ahead and Leon Wagner singled in a pair in the 8^th to provide the insurance. Chicago advances with a 5-2 win. Jim Fregosi did his best to help the Halos with 4 safeties. Gary Peters earned the win in 6 innings. Wilbur Wood, who appeared in all 3 games, added the save.

--submitted by Bruce Thomas-- 
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Qualifier Round: Twins seep Sens in 2

GAME 1 - RFK Stadium
Chance vs J.Coleman
Twins 8, Senators 2

3 runs in the top of the 5th broke a 1-1 tie as the Twins (formerly the Senators) returned to our nation's capitol to put a spanking on the expansion Sens.  Dean Chance, who fanned 6 and walked none went the distance allowing just 1 earned run.  The big bat was Bob Allison (3-4) who knocked in 5 and had a homer.  Ken McMullen made 2 errors for the Sens and offset it with a solo shot.
Twins lead series 1-0

 

GAME 2 - Metropolitan Stadium
Pascual vs Merritt
Twins 9, Senators 5

Minnesota easily overcame a 4-0 deficit by battering their former teammate Camilo Pascual.  Minnesota's pitching was nothing to write home about either, but when your offense scores 9 runs on 15 hits you don't need much pitching.  Tony Oliva (3-5) and Cesar Tovar (3-4) led an attack that saw every starter get a hit except slugger Harmon Killebrew (0-3, with 2 k's).  Bob Allison remained red hot homering again for the second game in a row while collecting 2 more hits.
Twins win series 2-0

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Qualifier Round: "What's the story...Jerry ?"

Game 1,
at New York,
A good pitching duel between Tom Seaver and Chris Short.  Everything was going the Fightin' Phils way until Cleon Jones stepped to the plate in the 7th inning with two down. Jones promptly smacked a Short fast ball off the fence in left center to plate two runs to knot the game at 3.  The Mets won the game in the bottom half of the 8th inning on back to back doubles by The Glider Ed Charles and fiery Jerry Grote. Seaver wrapped up the ninth to finish the game.  Mets 4...Phillies 3.

 

Game 2,
at Shibe Park,

Philadelphia held a narrow 1-0 lead heading into the seventh inning. Cleon Jones began the inning with a single to left center which broke up Larry Jackson's no hitter. Jones moved to third when Jackson hung a slider to the glider and Charles pushed a single through the infield to right field.  Jerry Grote bounced into a double play but Jones scored the tying run. Matters became worse during the ninth when the Mets scored 5 runs off Jackson and reliever Turk Farrell. Jerry Koosman earned the victory as he fanned 12 Philly batters through 8 solid innings.  Danny Frisella mopped up in the ninth inning to preserve the New York victory. Mets 5....Phillies 1

--submitted by Joey Scigliano--

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Qualifier Round: Dodgers (7) struggle to sweep Astros (10)

GAME 1 - Astrodome
Drysdale vs Giusti
Dodgers 5, Astros 2Big D was his vintage self fanning 8 and hitting one (Doug Rader), but he ran out of gas after just 6 2/3 innings.  Jack Billingham, who would eventually get the win served up a 2 out RBI single to Rader to blow the Dodgers one run lead that they got in the top of the 6th on a two out two run single by Jim Lefebvre.  The theme of the day would be two out rallies as the dodgers cobbled together 3 consecutive singles by Haller, Gabrielson and Lefebvre, with the latter plating Haller for the go ahead run.  A pinch hit double by Willie Crawford off reliever Shea in the top of the 9th gave the Dodgers a 3 run lead.  Jim Brewer was brought on in the 9th to save it for Billingham.
Dodgers lead series 1-0

GAME 2 - Dodger Stadium
Dierker vs Sutton
Dodgers 1, Astros 0

Both team's young righthanders hooked up in a classic pitcher's duel.  Houston's Larry Dierker went the distance allowing just one run on 8 hitters.  His opposing number, Don Sutton, did one better.  Sutton recorded a complete game 7 hit shutout while fanning 7.  Dierker fanned 9.  Both guys walked just 1 apiece.  Runs were going to come at a premium today as the game remained scoreless for 7 1/2 innings.  Willie Davis (3-4) led off the home half of the 8th with a opposite field single to left.  Dierker threw over to first twice trying to keep Davis, who already stole 2 bases, close to the bag.  Wes Parker, batting left handed tried hard to pull one into the 3-4 gap, but after fouling off two pitches went down on strikes.  Dierker again threw over to first to keep Davis close, but finally 3 Dog got a good jump and stole his 3rd sack of the day.  Batter Tom Haller hit a bullet to Dennis Menke at short for the second out.  Menke fired to Torres, who was covering second, but Davis narrowly got back to the bag.  Len Gabrielson, who had flied out weakly twice and lined to first in his other AB lined an opposite field bullet just out of the reach of Rader at 3rd to score Davis and make it 1-0.  Sutton took the hill in the 9th needing 3 outs to notch the shutout and close out the series in 2 straight.  After getting Wynn and Miller to fly out to Willie Davis in center, Sutton gave Menke a pitch that he could easily line into center to keep the Astros hopes alive.  Those hopes would be dashed as pinch hitter Aspromonte hit a sharp grounder to Popovich at short, who flipped the ball to Lefebvre at second for the final out of the game and the series.
Dodgers win series 2-0

Special thanks to Andy Sexton for doing a gr8 job with a team that was incapable of scoring a run vs even a little league team.  He did a great job making each Dodger victory a monumental struggle for the boys in blue
Series Boxscores are here

1968 Tournament Underway - The Year of the Pitcher

Congrats again to Tom Davis and the Back to Back Tournament Champs

1967 World Series: Tigers defeat Jints in 6

GAME 1

  The Giant lone run came on a Jesus Alou 8th inning homer.  Meanwhile, the Tigers outfield all hit homers, Willie Horton, and Jim Northrup each had two run homers and Al Kaline added a solo drive.  Mickey Lolich threw 7 innings and earned the win.  Juan Marichal gave up all three dingers and took the loss.

Tigers 5  Giants 1

 

GAME 2

  Willie McCovey opened the scoring with a two run homer in the first.  Willie Mays had a solo blast in the fourth to give the Giants a 3-0 lead.  Dick McAuliffe lead off the 6th with a homer and was followed in the inning with a 3 run homer by Willie Horton.  McCovey and Horton both hit solo homers in the 8th.  Earl Wilson was the winner and Gaylord Perry the loser.

Tigers 6  Giants 4

 

GAME 3

 The winds seemed calm on the field, but there must have been a jet stream in the upper atmosphere as the two teams combines for 9 homers bringing their total for the series in three games to a staggering 19!!!  Alou, Ollie Brown and Jim Hart greeted Tiger starter and loser Denny McLain with consecutive homers to lead off the first.  Jack Hiatt added another Giant homer in the 4th off Johnny Podres.  Winner Mike McCormick gave up 5 homers to Kaline, Mickey Stanley, Norm Cash, pinchhitter Eddie Mathews and Dick Tracewski.  But the Giants were able to score without a home run.

Giants 10  Tigers 8

 

GAME 4

  Willie McCovey again hit a two run homer in the first but that was the only round tripper of the game,  The Giants added two more in the first off loser Joe Sparma.  The rest of the game was anti-climatical.  Ray Sadecki won the game with 6.1 innings of work backed by a stellar Giants bullpen.

Giants 5  Tigers 3

 

GAME 5

  You had to know the power outage would not be gone for long.  Dick McAuliffe lead off the game with a homer run off Juan Marichal.  Al Kaline accepted his demotion in the lineup to the 7th spot carrying a disappointing .237 average into the game.  But you knew he wasn't satisfied.  He lead off the 2nd with a home run, his third of the Series.  After an out, the next five Tigers reached base pushing the Tiger lead to 5-0.  Singles by Jim Northrupand Kaline added two more runs and the Tigers had staked Mickey Lolich to a 7-0 lead.  Lolich would give up two solo homers to McCovey, his fourth and fifth of the Series.  Kaline would hit his fourth in the 6th. 

Tigers 10  Giants 3

 

GAME 6

  Game two starters Earl Wilson and Gaylord Perry met in this elimination game.  Don Wert hit a home run in the first to give Wilson a 1 -0 lead.  Norm Cash added a two run homer in the 3rd and it was 5-0 when Willie Mays got the Giants on the board in the 6th.  That was it for the scoring in this wild World Series that saw 28 home runs in 6 games. 

Tigers 5  Giants 1

--submitted by Tom "Crash" Davis"--