World Series Game 6: '77-LA 3, '06-DET 2 (14 INN)

Game 6 would prove to be a very dramatic game. Detroit had Nate Robinson on the mound once again looking to face LA ace Don Sutton again.

Detroit struck first in the top 2nd inning, when Monroe Doubled and scored on a Casey Fielder’s Choice. Meanwhile, Robertson held LA to just 2 hits in 4 innings of shutout ball. But, in the bottom 5th inning, Ron Cey Walked and scored on a Steve Yeager Double – to even the score 1-1. In the next inning, LA scored again on a solo shot from Davey Lopes to take a 2-1 lead after 6 innings of play. Detroit was having difficulty against Sutton, who was on fire giving up that 1 run on just 2 hits thru 7 innings of play. In the 8th inning, with 1 out, Sutton gave up 3 straight Walks to Infante, Guillen, and Ordonez to load the bases. Sutton actually gave up 7 Walks and 2 hits for the game. But, his night was done. LA sent in Mike Garman with a 2-1 lead, but Detroit had the based loaded and 1 out here in the 8th inning. Infante would eventually score on a SAC fly from Inge. LA did get out of that jam, but Garman blew the Save and Detroit evened the score at 2-2. It stayed that way, as we headed into the bottom of the 9th inning. Steve Garvey and Dusty Baker both Walked to lead off the inning against Detroit closer Todd Jones. With 2 men on and no outs, LA was in command with Reggie Smith and Ron Cey coming to the plate. But, Detroit and Jones had other plans. Smith hit a shallow flyout and Cey hit into a DP to end the treat. That was a wasted Championship opportunity there – and the LA crowd was stunned as we headed into Xtra Innings.

Garman and Jones were still pitching for their respective clubs. Garman got LA thru the 10th and 11th innings – and Jones did the same for Detroit, even though LA did strand another runner on Third Base in the 10th inning. The 12th inning would have Charlie Hough coming in for LA and Zack Miner in for Detroit. The LA crowd held their collective breath with each pitch from Hough – because he began the 12 inning with a HBP to Casey and a Walk to Polanco – and was now facing 2 men on with no outs and the top of the order set to come up for Detroit. The crowd clearly wanted Hough out of the game. But, the LA manager was sticking with his veteran, and the old knuckleballer settled down to get 3 quick outs on 3 weak swings from Granderson, Infante, and Guillen. After that scare, Hough would go on retire the side in the 13th inning – and Lewallyn then came in for LA to give up only 1 other hit to Casey in the 14th inning. Meanwhile, Miner pitched perfect ball in the 12th and 13th innings for Detroit. In the bottom 14 inning, Steve Garvey started the inning with a Fly Out to Left Field. Dusty Baker then Singled and Reggie Smith Walked. Miner was now looking at 2 men on and 1 out – with Ron Cey at the plate. Cey hit a Fielder’s Choice that moved Baker to Third Base and Smith was forced out at Second Base – leaving Cey on First Base. With First and Third occupied – and 2 outs – Rick Monday, one of the weaker LA hitters, smacked a Single off Miner into Right Field to score Baker and the winning run – and to seal the KOD3 Championship victory for the 1977 LA Dodgers.

LA wins 3-2 in 14 innings of play. Davey Lopes, who went 1-for-5 and an HR, took the Game MVP. But, I may have given the Game MVP to Rick Monday, who had the game-winning hit – or to Don Sutton who held Detroit to 2 hits. Of course, 7 Walks did not help his cause.

This was a classic series between 2 solid clubs in LA and Detroit – and between 2 respected managers George Bseirani and Tom Davis. LA took the series on solid pitching, solid defense and scrappy hits. Their powerful lineup only produced 3 HR’s – one each from Cey, Hale, and Lopes. Credit must be given to Detroit and their pitching staff, as they held off the mighty LA lineup and kept their team close in most every game.

There will be a KOD3 Championship Bash at Tommy Lasorda’s house…..anyone up for some pasta ??

World Series Game 5: '77-LA 5, '06-DET 0

Game 5 had LA turning to Doug Rau (4-1 with 1.52) to stop the bleeding and Detroit went with Bonderman again – who was looking for redemption for Game 1.

This game was decided in the very 1st inning, when Davey Lopes led off the game with a Single and then scored on a Steve Garvey Double. LA struck again in the top 2nd inning, when Ted Martinez Singled and scored on a Steve Yeager Single. Still not done, LA struck again in the top 3rd inning, when LA scored 3 more runs off 5 Singles and a Walk. LA led 5-0 after 3 innings of play and really got after Bonderman, who only lasted 2.2 innings and gave up all 5 runs. Maroth came in for Bonderman and cooled LA off in the 4th inning. However, in the top 5th inning, Dusty Baker Walked and scored on a Reggie Smith Double – who eventually scored on a SAC fly from Hale. With those 2 runs, LA now led 7-0 after 5 innings of play – and that is where the score stayed. Maroth did not allow another run, but Detroit could not find any weakness at all in Rau’s game, as he mowed down the mighty Detroit lineup. LA took Game 5 with a final score of 7-0 and a series lead of 3 games to 2 heading back to LA – and that Dodger Blue sky.

Doug Rau has pitched like a Cy Young candidate all season long – and this game was no different. He pitched a complete game shutout and gave up only 4 hits – and finished the game with 2 dramatic K’s in the 9th inning, as fatigue was clearly setting in with a high pitch-count. The Detroit manager was quoted as saying that he was glad that he did not have to face him again. The Commissioner, Marc Weiss, was quoted as saying that Rau has been a “statistical anomaly” all season. The Game MVP went to Hale who went 1-for-3 and had 3 RBI’s….but I believe the Game MVP should have went to Rau, who improved to 5-1 and actually lowered his ERA to a league-leading 1.32. It is my feeling that both Rau and Roger Clemens of Houston (who also posted an identical 1.32 ERA) should share the NL Cy Young award – but a deciding factor could be that LA made the playoffs and Houston did not. A case for the NL Cy Young award could also be made for LA’s Burt Hooton, who went 5-0 and posted a 1.75 ERA, and SF’s Juan Marichal, who went 7-2 with a 1.79 ERA. The NL Cy Young voting should be close and interesting

World Series Game 4: '06-DET 10, '77-LA 4

Game 4 had LA turning to Tommy John (7-1 with 2.38) while Detroit sent in Kenny Rogers (5-4 with 4.09). It would appear that Detroit was taking a “gamble” on Kenny Rogers, who was facing an LA “ace”.

LA opened the game in the top 1st inning, when Steve Garvey reached base on an error from Carlos Guillen and eventually scored on a Dusty Baker Single. LA would score again in the top 3rd inning, when Lopes led off with a Walk and scored on a Baker SAC fly. Detroit scored a run of their own in the bottom 3rd inning, when Sean Casey hit a solo shot – and Detroit cut the LA lead 2-1. In the top 4th inning, LA went back to work. Reggie Smith reached base on another Guillen error and scored on a Bill Russell Fielder’s Choice – and Dave Lopes, who Singled, scored on a Garvey Single, and LA expanded their lead to 4-1. In the bottom 4th inning, Guillen Walked and scored on a Triple by Ordonez. Ordonez then went on to score on a Inge SAC fly – and Detroit closed the gap to 4-3 after 4 innings of play. Both pitchers were a little shaky, and Detroit compounded their problems by committing 4 errors (3 of them by Guillen) – but both pitchers then settled down. John went on to pitch shutout ball for the 5th, 6th, and 7th innings. Rodgers pitched shutout ball for the 5th and 6th innings but was then replaced by Rodney who also pitched scoreless ball for the 7th and 8th innings. Heading into the bottom 8th inning and still behind 4-3, Detroit got another wake up call. Granderson hit a 2-run blast with Rodriguez on base. Then, John surrendered 3 Singles to Infante, Ordonez, and Thames and 3 Doubles to Inge, Monroe, and Rodriguez (who came to bat a second time that inning), and Detroit ripped open the game with 7 runs off John in that 8th inning. Detroit led 10-4 going into the top 9th inning – and Todd Jones came in to shut the door on LA. Detroit won the game 10-4 and evened up the series at 2 games a piece. The Game MVP went to Curtis Granderson who broke the game open with his 2-run HR in the 8th inning. The pitching domination that LA had in Games 1 and 2 was now gone. Detroit was here to play – and they were not going down that easy. LA saw their hopes of a Championship slowly fading with another game set to be played in Detroit.

World Series Game 3: '06-DET 11, '77-LA 3

Game 3 showcased Rick Rhoden (5-2 with 3.54) of LA facing Justin Verlander (1-4 with 5.28) of Detroit. Detroit was looking for answers – and boy did they find them in this game.

Detroit opened up the game in the bottom 2nd inning, where they scored 5 runs on 4 hits and 2 Walks. Thames led off the inning with a Single, Rodriguez then Walked and Casey smacked a Double to score Thames – all with no outs. Ganderson scored Rodriguez on a Fielder’s Choice – and moved Casey to Third, who eventually scored himself on a Single from Infante. Then, Carlos Guillen Walked and Craig Monroe went on to Single as well. After the dust settled, Detroit had a rousing 5-0 lead. The fireworks for Detroit did not end there. In the bottom 3rd inning, Rhoden was rocked again by Detroit for 2 more runs when Rodriguez Singled and scored on a Single from Infante – and Granderson (who Walked) scored on a SAC fly from Guillen. Detroit quickly led 7-0 and now had LA looking for answers. None came for LA, as Justin Verlander pitched a masterpiece by going the distance giving up 6 hits and 3 runs, which only 2 were earned. LA got 2 of their runs in the 4th inning when Baker Singled and scored for LA, and then Yeager reached base on an Inge error and scored on a Garvey Double. LA would score their 3rd and final run of the game in the 9 inning, when Hale smacked a solo shot. As for Detroit, they scored again the 6th inning, when Infante reach base on an error from Bill Russell and scored on an Ordonez Fielder’s Choice. Detroit would also score a run in the 7th inning off a solo shot from Monroe and another 2 runs in the 8th inning when Monroe Tripled Inge Home and then scored on a Thames Fielder’s Choice. Rhoden lasted all of 5 innings and was rocked for 8 runs – then Hough came in and was roughed up for 3 more runs. No surprise real there. Detroit easily took Game 3 with a final score of 11-3 – and were now looking to even things up heading into Game 4. Craig Monroe took the Game MVP by going 3-for-5, scoring 2 runs, and getting 3 RBI’s

World Series Game 2: '77-LA 5, '06-DET 3

Game 2 had Nate Robinson (2-5 with 3.59) on the mound for Detroit squaring off against Burt Hooton (4-0 with 1.53) of LA. And, this figured to be another pitching duel.

Detroit was hoping to wake their bats up – and they struck in the top 1st inning when Infante Singled and scored on a Carlos Guillen Double – and Detroit jumped to a quick 1-0 lead. Detroit struck again in the 3rd inning, when Granderson Doubled and scored on a SAC fly from Ordonez. Hooton had now surrendered 5 hits and Detroit led 2-0, while Robertson held LA scoreless thru 3 innings of play. In the bottom 4th inning, Ron Cey led off with a Walk and Oates followed with a Single. Dusty Baker then Doubled them both in to score. Baker would then score himself on a Reggie Smith Single – and just like that, LA took the lead 3-2 after 4 innings. Hooton had settled down, but gave up another run in the top 6th inning when Inge Doubled and scored on a Casey Single – to even the score 3-3. Detroit was keeping pace with LA. But, in the bottom 6th inning, Cey led off with solo shot to deep left field. Oates then Singled and eventually scored on a Smith SAC fly. With those 2 quick runs, LA led again 5-3 after 6 innings of play – and both Robertson and Hooton were done after 6 full innings each. The fate of this game rested in the bullpen for each club. Joel Zumaya came in for Detroit and Charlie Hough – and all the drama he brings to the table – came in for LA. This was considered a risky move by LA considering Hough’s reputation for blowing leads. But, it paid off for LA, as Hough surrendered only 1 hit in 3 innings for the Save and for the Game MVP. Zumaya also did his job and held LA scoreless too – but Detroit could not muster any offense, and LA took Game 2 with a final score of 5-3 and now had a 2-0 Series lead going into Detroit. LA felt pretty confident now, and Detroit was left looking for some answers as they were heading back home.

World Series Game 1: '77-LA 2, '06-DET 0

Welcome to the KOD3 Fall Classic – where the 1977 LA Dodgers will face the 2006 Detroit Tigers…..with the series is set to begin in LA. Both teams are suffering from fatigue, after a long season and playoff run, so it will be interesting to see how each team performs.

Game 1 has pitching ace Jeremy Bonderman (6-2 with 2.54) of Detroit facing LA’s own ace Don Sutton (3-5 with 5.20). Sutton has had his share of knocks this year, but has really come on strong as of late.

Both pitchers came out firing, as both teams were held scoreless thru 4 innings. In the bottom 5th inning, Hale tagged Bonderman with a leadoff Double, which was followed by a Single from Oates – with no outs. Sutton came to the plate and hit into a DP but scored Hale – and the Dodgers led 1-0 after 5 innings of play. In all, Bonderman pitched 5 full innings and surrendered that 1 run on 5 hits – but his night was done. Meanwhile, Sutton held Detroit to just 1 hit thru those same 5 innings. Zack Miner came in for Bonderman – and in the bottom 7 inning, the Dodgers scored another run when Sutton singled home Reggie Smith. Sutton was involved with both LA runs and truly helped his own cause. Sutton went on to pitch a 2-hit complete game shutout and took the Game MVP. Detroit never even made it to Second Base in this game.
LA wins 2-0 to take Game 1.

NLCS: '77 Dodgers finish off '96 Braves in 5

Welcome to the National League Championship Series – with the 1996 Atlanta Braves facing the 1977 LA Dodgers. The Dodgers have won homefield advantage with a coin toss.

Game 1 would showcase John Smoltz (4-5 with 2.76) going for the Braves and facing Don Sutton (2-5 with 5.95) of the Dodgers. The Dodgers were very hesitant to start Sutton due to his rocky season but were willing to back their ace with the series set to begin at home.

This first game would not see much drama as the game was a very lopsided affair. Don Sutton pitched a complete game shutout while surrendering only 5 hits – and took the Game MVP. John Smoltz looked good out the gate as he retired the first 7 batters, but then was rocked during the 3rd inning as the Dodgers had another signature consecutive hit parade that started with a Single
from Davey Lopes and was capped off by a Double from Reggie Smith in
order to run off 5 consecutive hits. In all, the Dodgers scored 5 runs
in that 3rd inning – and they seemed to have a knack for getting consecutive
hits throughout the playoffs. Smoltz settled down for a quick 4th inning,
but the Dodgers struck again in the 5th inning with 3 consecutive Doubles
from Steve Garvey, Dusty Baker, and Reggie Smith and went on to score
3 more runs. It was now 8-0 after 5 innings of play – and Smoltz was
now done for the evening. Clontz came in for the Braves and breezed
through the 6th and 7th innings and actually retired the first 8 batters
he faced. But, with 2 outs in the 8th inning, the Dodgers lit up the
scoreboard again and ran off 8 consecutive hits (all Singles) to score
another 6 runs. The Dodgers took this one 14-0 and pounded out 20 hits.
The problem was that they may have hit themselves out of contention
with this one game.

Game 2 would
have Tom Glavine (4-2) of the Braves face Burt Hooton (4-0) of the Dodgers.

The Dodgers struck early in
the bottom 1st as Davey Lopes smacked a leadoff Double and eventually scored on a Steve Garvey Sacrifice; however, Glavine was pretty stingy after that and held the Dodgers at bay. Hooton was smokin’ and set the Braves down for the first 5 innings, and the Braves now were held scoreless in the first 14 innings of this LCS. In the 6th inning, the Braves finally came through as Mark Lemke reached base on a Steve Yeager error and would eventually score – and tied the score 1-1 after 6 innings of play. Ron Cey hit his 11th Homerun with a solo shot in the 7th inning – the Dodgers did get the lead back, but that is all they could do against Glavine, who was brilliant in giving up only 6 scattered hits to this Dodger team. In the 8th inning, Lemke reached base and scored on another Yeager error….deja vu. The score was tied at 2-2, but Hooton had not surrendered an earned run. He was then lifted by the Dodgers in the bottom 8th inning to try and muster a run, but Glavine shut the door. The Dodgers put in Charlie Hough in the 9th inning, but that was a mistake. Hough has been known for blowing leads, and this was no different as he surrendered a solo shot to David Justice. With the 3-2 lead, the Braves brought in closer Mark Wohlers for his 11th save – to take Game 2 and even up the series. Glavine took the MVP.

Game 3 would
see Tommy John (6-1) for the Dodgers square off against Greg Maddux
(4-4) for the Braves back in Atlanta.

Both pitchers looked dominant early on, as John retired the side for 2 innings and Maddux retired the side for 3 innings. In the bottom of the 3 inning, the Braves scored a run off back-to-back Singles from Andruw Jones and Troy Blauser –
and took the 1-0 lead. The Dodger bats were ice COLD and the cloud of
Game 1 was overhead. Had the Dodgers hit themselves out of this series
??? In the 4th inning, Bill Russell reached base on an error, which
opened the door for Dusty Baker – who smacked a 2-run blast. With
a 2-1 lead, John went back to work and shut the Braves down and held
them scoreless while giving up only 2 more hits. John went 8 innings
– then Charlie Hough came in for the 9th inning, and every Dodger
fan watching held their collective breath. But, the Dodgers had scored
4 more runs by that time and held a 6-1 lead – as Steve Yeager smacked
a solo shot in the 5th inning, Bill Russell smacked a 2-run blast in
the 7th inning with Yeager (Double) on base, and Yeager scored again
in the 9th inning when he hit another Double.

Tommy John pitched outstanding, but the bat of Yeager earned him the Game MVP as he went 4-for-4 and
scored 3 runs. The Dodger bats came alive and reclaimed homefield advantage and the series lead at 2-1.

Game 4 had the Dodgers going with Rick Rhoden (5-2) and the Braves going with Steve
Avery (3-1). These unassuming pitchers would play a pivotal role in this LCS.

The Braves jumped all over
Rhoden early, as Marquis Grissom lead off the game with a Triple and
Mark Lemke immediately followed with a Single. The Braves then had back-to-back-to-back singles from Ryan Klesko, Javey Lopez, and Jermaine Dye – and theBraves quickly lead 3-0 after 1 inning of play. In the 2 inning, Grissom
Doubled and Fred McGriff Singled - and the Braves now led 4-0
after 2 innings of play. The Braves meant business now and they were
not holding back – but the Dodgers seemed to drop back and let them
run…..for now. Rhoden was rattled after giving up 7 hits in just 2
innings – but he bounced back to retire the side in the 3rd, 4th and
5th inning. Avery was just cruising along, as he gave up 4 weak Singles
after 4 innings and was not pressured at all by the mighty Dodger lineup.
But, in the 5th inning, Yeager Singled, Davey Lopes then Singled Yeager
to Third and Bill Russell Singled Yeager Home. Steve Garvey was up next
and cranked a 3-run blast into the Braves crowd – to even the score
at 4-4. In the 6th inning, Ron Cey hit a solo shot, but the Braves countered
with a Walk by Klesko and a Double by Dye – to even the score again
at 5-5. It was now a dog fight. In the 7 inning, Grissom led off with
a Single and eventually scored off a Single from Chipper Jones, who
was relatively quiet all series. Rhoden was then replaced by Mike Garman,
but the Braves led 6-5 going into the 9th inning, as there was no action
in the 8th inning by either side. Things went from bad to worse for
the Dodgers, as the Braves brought in closer Mark Wohlers to start the
9th inning and shut the door to even the series. But, the Dodgers had
other plans – and they clearly remembered Wohlers from Game 2. Wohlers
began the 9th inning by getting Yeager to K. Lacy PH for Garman and
reached base on a Single. Lopes followed with a Single – and runners
were on First and Third – so Lopes stole Second Base. Russell then
scored Lacy to send the game into Xtra Innings on a Fielder’s Choice
– and Wohlers had blown the Save opportunity. Elias Sosa came in to
hold the Braves for that 9th inning with 2 K’s. With Wohlers still
in the game, Reggie Smith and Ron Cey both hit back-to-back solo shots
in the 10th inning to give the Dodgers an 8-6 lead. The was Cey’s
second HR of the game. But, it was Sosa who earned the Game MVP as he
shut down the Braves in the 9th and 10th innings – facing 7 batters
(on the road) and giving up only a Single.

The Dodgers now had a commanding
3-1 series lead – and were looking to close out the series before
going back to LA.

Game 5 had Doug Rau (4-1 with a stingy 1.35 ERA – 2nd in the league) going for the
Dodgers and he was facing John Smoltz of the Braves – and LA was getting
a second glance at Mr. Smoltz.

The Dodgers struck first in
the top 2nd inning, when Reggie Smith Walked and scored on a Single
by Rau – who helped his cause. In the top 3rd inning, Bill Russell
led off with a Single and that was followed by a 2-run blast from Steve
Garvey. The Dodgers now quickly led 3-0 – while the Braves were held
scoreless through 3 innings and Rau surrendered only 2 hits. That changed
in the bottom 4th inning, when the Braves scored 2 runs with the help
of a Double from Andrew Jones – and cut the Dodger lead 3-2 after
4 innings of play. Smoltz settled down for a smooth 4th and 5th innings
but was jacked by a solo shot from Ron Cey who led off the 6th inning
– and the Dodgers led 4-2 heading into the bottom 7th inning, where
the Braves hit back-to-back Homers from David Justice and Fred McGriff
– off Mike Garman, who relieved Rau – and the Braves evened the
score at 4-4 after 7 innings of play. The Dodgers countered with a solo
shot from Dusty Baker in the 8 inning – off Mike Bielecki, who relieved
Smoltz – and the Dodgers led 5-4 going into the bottom 9th inning
and their closer Elias Sosa was on the mound. Things looked good for
the Dodgers at that point – and the Braves needed to answer back.
Sosa K’d Justice to start the 9th inning – but Mcgriff then Singled.
Sosa settled down and K’d Chipper Jones. With 2 outs and facing elimination,
Javy Lopez stepped to the plate and slapped a Double to score McGriff
and tie the score at 5-5. Ryan Klesko then lined out to end the 9th
inning. We are heading into X-tra Innings folks. The Dodgers and braves
both had a Single in the 10th inning – but no runs. The Dodgers had
a quick exit in the 11 inning, but the Braves got 2 more Singles from
Fred McGriff and Chipper Jones – and Sosa was done for the night.
With limiting pitching left, the Dodgers turned to Lewallyn to stop
the bleeding in that 11th inning. Lopez then hit a blooper to the Catcher
for an easy out – and Klesko ended the inning with groundout. The
score was still tied 5-5. With 2 outs in the top 12th inning, Lee Lacy
Singled off Greg McMicheal – and Bill Russell then Doubled to bring
home Lacy – and the Dodgers had the lead 6-5 going into the bottom
12th inning. Lewallyn, who had only pitched 3.0 innings all season,
was looking sharp for LA – and he retired the side to end the game
and picked up the win. I would have given him the Game MVP for coming
into the game with 2 men on in the bottom of the 11th inning and retiring
all 5 batters he faced to preserve the win – but Steve Garvey, who
was 3-for-6 (and an HR) took those honors.

The Dodger won the series 4-1
– and now look forward to the KOD3 World Series – where they will
face the 2006 Detroit Tigers.

This was a good set for the
Dodgers – and their manager was looking to get that monkey of his
back. Not only did he guide the Dodgers to the World Series, but he
did so having to go through the Braves manager, Marc Weiss.

-contributed by George Bseraini-

ALCS: '06-DET rallies to defeat '95-CLE 4 games to 2

The American League championship Series would feature the two wild card teams, the second and third place finishers in the American League East, Cleveland and Detroit. Cleveland would be coming in with three days rest while Detroit would only have a day off following their five game series with New York.

Game 1: Kenny Rogers would face Dennis Martinez in the first game of the series. Albert Belle opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with his 9th homer of the season. The Tigers answered in the 4th when Vance Wilson, playing for a weary Pudge Rodriguez, doubled home Craig Monroe who had walked. The Tigers added three more in the fifth on a Magglio Ordonez single and a two run double by Marcus Thames. Cleveland came back with two of their own in the bottom of the fifth with four singles and a Guillen error. The Tigers picked up two more in the 7th when Brandon Inge tripled home Ordonez and then scored on a Chris Shelton sacrifice fly. The Indians refused to go away and added two runs on Belle’s second homer of the game. Zumaya and Todd Jones closed out the final three innings and the Tigers took the first game.
Det 6 Cle 5 w, Rogers 5-4, l, Martinez 5-3 s, Jones 8

Game 2: Justin Verlander against Orel Hershiser. The Tigers struck first in the top of the first when Guillen doubled home Omar Infante. But the Indians struck back harder in the bottom of the first as Jim Thome hit a three run homer. The Indians added two more in the bottom of the third to chase Verlander. Mike Maroth would come in and threw 5.1 innings of one hit scoreless relief but Hershiser, Plunk, Poole and Jose Mesa held the Tigers to three runs and five hits, including solo homers by Ordonez and Monroe and Indians evened up the series.
Cle 5 Det 3 w, Hershiser 4-2 l, Verlander 1-4 s, Mesa 10

Game 3: Mark Clark and Nate Robertson. Homers by Alomar and Albert "Don't call me Joey" Belle were too much for the Tigers who could only manage a homer by Guillen. Guillen is also intentionally walked in the fifth to pitch to Ordonez with two on and two out. The maneuver succeeds and Ordonez pops out. The failure to do this in Game 6 possibly changed the course of the series. Ken Hill gets the win with 4.1 innings in relief of Clark
Cle 5 Det 2 w, Hill 3-3 l, Robertson 2-5 s, Mesa 11

Game 4: Chuck Nagy vs. Jeremy Bonderman. The game was scoreless until the bottom of the third when Monroe hit his second homer of the series and his fifth of the season. In the 4th, Guillen hits a homer for the second consecutive day, his fifth of the season. Marcus Thames adds another homer, his 7th, and the Tigers have a 3-0 lead on 3 homeruns. Kenny Lofton gets the Indians on the board in the fifth with his first homer of the season. Detroit will add solo runs in the 6th and 8th inning, but Cleveland can only manage an 8th inning homer by Belle, his third of the series and 11th of the season.
Det 5 Cle 2 w, Bonderman 6-2 l, Nagy 6-4 s, Jones 9

Game 5: Martinez vs Rogers. A rematch of game 1, with different results, Neither starter gets a decision. Eddie Murray and Craig Monroe each hit solo homers and the teams trade 2 run ninth innings, but the Tigers rally in the ninth falls short and Cleveland takes a 3-2 series lead
Cle 7 Det 6 w, Tavarez 3-0 l, Miner 1-2 s, Assenbacher 2

Game 6: Verlander vs. Chad Ogea. Cleveland needs only to win one of two at home at they will go to the KOD3 World Series. Verlander is chased in the fourth after solo homers by Lofton and Thome and a two run shot by Thome in the first giving the Indians a 5-3 lead after four. The Tigers runs had come in the third when Craig Monroe homered for the fourth time in the series and for the third consecutive game and Granderson doubled home two. Cleveland adds a run in the bottom of the 6th when Tony Pena squeezes home Eddie Murray. In the top of the seventh, Infante and Rodriguez singled with one out. Granderson grounds out to bring home Infante. Vizquel throws away Polanco’s ground ball and Rodriguez scores to cut the lead to 6-5. With Carlos Guillen coming to the plate, Ross decided to pitch to Guillen, rather than follow the strategy that had worked so well in Game 3. Guillen respond with a two run homer to give the Tigers a 7-6 lead. Jamie Walker and Fernando Rodney close out the game and the Tigers tie the series
Det 7 Cle 6 w, Zumaya 4-2 l, Poole 0-1 s, Rodney 4

Game 7: Maroth vs. Hershiser. It is Robertson’s turn but he has already been beaten once in this series and also lost to Cleveland during the season. Mike Maroth shut down Cleveland in relief in game 2 and had not been scored on during the season in two long relief appearances. The decision to start Maroth did not look so good one hitter in to the game as Carlos Buerga hit the second pitch into the seats. But then Maroth settled down and redeemed his manager’s decision by not allowing another run through 6 innings. The Tigers get a pair of two run homers from Thames and Monroe and take a 5-1 lead after 7. Zumaya , Walker and Rodney again close out the game. Cleveland gets two runs in the 8th but go out 1-2-3 in the ninth and Tigers go to the World Series
Det 5 Cle 3 w, Maroth 1-0 l, Hershiser 4-3 s, Rodney 5

ALDS: '06-DET outlast '03-NYY 3 games to 2

Game 1: The Yankee "formula" prevails as Roger Clemens goes 7 shutout innings and Mo throws an inning and a third of scoreless relief. Reyes came in and was shaky, which is why Mo had to come in early to get 5 outs. Middle relief is not the bombers stong suit. Bonderman, who went 6 2/3 took the loss after yielding 3 runs. Ruben "high" Sierra hit a 2 run shot in the 2nd to put the Bombers up 3-0.

Game 2: The Tigers even the series behind the pine tar control of Kenny "the Gambler" Rogers, who tossed 6 innings of shutout ball before yielding to Zumaya and Rodney to close it out. Mike "the moose" Mussina was stellar in a losing effort. Detroit scored 2 in the second thanks to a Soriano error at second. They also scored 2 key insurance runs in the 9th as Thames doubled home Guillen and Monroe followed with an RBI single of his own. Karim Garcia hit a solo shot in the bottom of the 9th, but the Bombers fell 3 runs short as Detroit evened the series.

Game 3: The Yanks tied the game up in the bottom of the 8th as pinch hitter John "Flash" Flaherty singled home Jason Giami off of reliever J.Walker, who could not record an out. Rodney was forced to come on early and keep New York at bay. In a curious move Yankee manager Ed Mikhli allowed Felix Heredia to start the 9th instead of Mariano Rivera. Heredia proceeded to give up 2 runs to Detroit and give away the game. All of Detroit's hitting occurred with 2 out. Monroe singled with 2 outs and Inge doubled him in as he hit one to the wall in death valley. Curtis Granderson came off the bench to single Inge home and Rodney protected the lead in the bottom of the 9th as New York stranded Jeter on 2nd after he doubled with one out.

Game 4: With their backs up against the wall the boys in pinstripes desperately needed a victory. What they got was a 6-2 dominating performance to force game 5 in Detroit. Andy Pettitte, who is known as a big game pitcher scattered 4 hit in over 7 innings of 1 run work. Not taking any chances Mo came on to pitch the 9th to ensure victory. The top of the order for NY (Jeter, Williams, Matsui) went 7 for 12 and scored 5 of the Yanks 6 runs. Nate Robertson took the loss in 5 innings of below average work.

Game 5: The Bombers pinned their hopes on a repeat performance from Clemens. What they got was the ultimate choke job. The Rocket fizzled in a huge clutch situation giving up 6 runs in less than 6 innings worth of work. Detroit's Bonderman wasn't stellar either, but he did yield 2 less runs (4) than Mr. HGH. Brandon Inge went 2 for 3 with two huge homers off of Roger the injector. Mags went 4 for 4 with 3 Ribbie's. Ledezma threw 3 innings of shutout ball in relief of Bonderman and Zumaya, not Todd Jones closed out the series to eliminate the best team in the AL and head to the ALCS vs Cleveland.

ALDS: '95-CLE sweeps '80-KC in controversial series

Game 1: The Tribe's bats came were in full throttle as they tagged KC starter Larry Gura for 7 runs and never looked back. Every Cleveland starter, except Herb Perry, had a hit. KC was actually leading 2-0, until the Tribe exploded for back to back 3 run innings starting in the 5th. El Presidente', Dennis Martinez went 5 and gave up only 2 earned runs to notch the win as the bullpen held down the fort. George Brett hit a solo shot for the Royals for his 10th of the season.

Game 2: All tied up at 2 heading into the 7th this looked to be a classic pitcher's duel between Orel Hershiser and Dennis Leonard, but just like that the Cleveland bats went into turbo mode and posted 5 runs in the 7th and the Tribe never looked back. Hershiser allowed only 1 run on 2 hits in 6 stellar innings of work. The Tribe batted around in the 7th as catcher Tony Pena led off the inning with a single and made the final out.

Game 3: Here's where the controversy occurred. KC looked to stave off elimination, but host manager Allan Silverwood forgot to turn on the "warm in bullpen feature". This allowed the Royals to bring in a reliever who silenced the Indian bats and enabled the Royals to stay alive. Being the man of integrity that Mr. Silverwood is he called himself on this infraction and agreed immediately to forefit the game, which cost his team a chance to remain in the series. Such displays of sportsmanship are what KOD is all about.

NLDS: '77-LA sweeps '27-PIT

This scrappy 1977 LA Dodger team edged out the 1970 Cincinnati Reds for the final Wild Card spot in these here KOD3 playoffs and forced a tie with 1996 Atlanta Braves. As fate would have it, the 77 Dodgers will now travel to 1927 Pittsburgh in order to secure a chance to play in the NL Championship. Despite having a power lineup containing the fearsome foursome in Dusty Baker (30 HR), Ron Cey (30), Steve Garvey (33), and Reggie Smith (32), this Dodger team actually made these playoffs on scrappy hits and timely defense – and the solid pitching staff held opponents at bay.

Game 1 would see Dodger ace Burt Hooton (who went 3-0 and had an ERA hovering around 1.80) square off against Pittsburgh ace Ray Kremer (who went 7-1 himself during the regular season but had an ERA over 3.00).
The Dodgers went down 1-2-3 to start the game…..but Pittsburgh came out swinging in the bottom of the 1st inning, as Lloyd Waner smacked a double on the very first pitch from Hooton – and Joe Harris would then Single him Home – and Pittsburgh quickly led 1-0 after 1.
Dusty Baker led off the 2nd inning with a Walk. But with 2 outs and Baker still sitting on First, Rick Monday smacked a Single sending Baker to Third – and Yeager would follow next with a Single sending Baker Home – and the Dodgers tied the game 1-1 after 2.

The story of this game was Burt Hooton. He survived the rough start and settled down after giving up 3 hits in the 1st inning by giving up only 6 hits for the remaining 8 innings – as he pitched the complete game. In fact, Pittsburgh would only reach 2nd Base only once during that stretch as Glenn Wright Doubled in the 6th inning - but he was stranded there as the Pittsburgh bats went COLD.

Kremer pitched well himself by containing the LA lineup – until the 6 inning – when the Dodgers scored again on back-to-back-to-back-to-back Singles – 4 straight hits from Baker, Smith, Cey, and Monday (who got the RBI with the bases loaded). The Dodgers actually had the bases loaded with 1 out, so Johnny Miljus came in for Kremer to put out the fire. Miljus got his quick 2 outs to end the threat and Pittsburgh got out of that jam by giving up only 1 run. The Dodgers now led 2-1 after 6 – and Baker would end up scoring both runs for the Dodgers in this game.
Miljus pitched well to hold the Dodgers off, but the Pittsburgh Offense disappeared and LA held on to win 2-1 – and Hooton got the Game MVP for the complete game.

Game 2 would now see Tommy John of LA (who went 5-1 with an ERA around 2.00) face Carmen Hill of Pitt (who went 1-4 with an ERA over 3.00).
The game would see some action – as Pittsburgh was looking to avenge the loss in Game 1 and to regain Home Field advantage – but the Dodgers had a plan of their own.

The Dodgers scored in the top 1st off back-to-back-to-back Singles from Bill Russell, Steve Garvey, and Dusty Baker. Pittsburgh ended the threat with a great doubleplay.
Pie Traynor Singled and scored in the 2 inning for Pitt off a sacrifice from Johnny Gooch. The score was tied at 1-1 after 2. Tommy John led off the 3rd inning for LA and reached base on an error by Joe Harris (1B). John would eventually score on a Garvey Single. LA now led 2-1 after 3. Both pitchers were pitching well, but the Pittsburgh crowd was now getting a little antsy – a slow hum or buzz could be heard amongst the fans.

The buzz rattled John a bit – as Pittsburgh came out swinging to start the bottom 4th inning. Glenn Wright hit a Triple, so John intentionally Walked George Grantham. But, Wright would eventually score on another Gooch sacrifice because LA could not turn the doubleplay. Gooch sitting alone on 1st Base would end up scoring on back-to-back-to-back Singles from Hill (who would also score this inning), Kiki Cuyler, and Clyde Barnhart. Pitt scored 3 runs here and now led 4-2 after 4. John survived the inning and came off the mound shaking his head. He was seen slamming his glove into a water cooler – and the umps were watching – so the LA team rallied around their pitcher in the dugout to avoid an ejection. There was more game to be played – but Hill was humming along with that 4-2 lead, as he retired the side 1-2-3 in both the 4th and 5th innings. Pittsburgh was finally hitting and pitching – together.

Then came the 6th inning...Russell led off for LA with a Single and scored on a Garvey Double. Baker and Smith then followed with Singles of their own to score Garvey – which was 4 straight hits again for LA, who now tied the game at 4-4 after 6. The game was not out of reach – but Pittsburgh could not muster any answers and the bats went COLD again. Pitt would not score again. John held Pitt to those 4 runs for 7 full innings. Mike Garman came in for LA and blanked Pitt in the 8th and 9th inning.

Hill pitched a complete game for Pitt – but could not hold the 4-4 tie. LA would score 4 quick runs in the 8th inning off a solo shot from Smith and a 3-run shot from Lacy, who would pitch-hit for John and allow Garman to come in. What a timely blow. LA now led 8-4 after 8…and they added another run in the 9 inning when Russell scored by reaching base on an error from Traynor. LA went on to win the game 9-4…….and now head back to LA with a 2-0 series lead.

Game 3 had Lee Meadows (4-3 during the year) going for Pitt and Rick Rhoden (4-2) going for LA. Both of these average pitchers came out throwing smoke – and this game would be a duel from these unlikely candidates. These pitchers wore their pride and went the distance.

Both pitchers buzzed along for 3 innings. There was limited action in this game until the bottom 4th, when LA scored 3 runs off a Walk to Dusty Baker, a Single by Reggie Smith, and a 2-run Triple by Ron Cey – who would score himself on a sacrifice. LA led 3-0 after 4. Meadows did settle down after that rough patch and allowed only 4 hits all game.
However, that is all LA would need, as a frustrated Pitt team could not counter at all. Rhoden allowed only 4 base runners all game – giving up 3 scattered Singles and 1 Walk – and nobody reached 2nd Base for Pitt. Rhoden pitched a complete game shutout and took home the MVP.

LA did add an insurance run in the 8th inning for the 4-0 win – and took the series 3-0.

LA is now set to once again face the Atlanta Braves for the NL Championship and the right to represent the NL in the KOD3 World Series. If there was such a thing as an Arch Nemesis in baseball, then this is it…LA vs ATL…George vs Marc…the only compelling issue here is that neither side can be considered the Dark Side…as both teams and both managers are very aware and respectful of each other. It should be a great battle.

NLDS: 96-ATL 3, 62-SF 1

GAME 1: Both teams finished out the regular season vs each other. SF cruised to clinching the NL West during that series, while Atlanta was in a dogfight to keep their grip on one of the two wild cards. Pundits had the Giants heavily favored and one could see why since they sport a HOF caliber lineup. In this game they relied on their HOF pitcher, Juan "dandy" Marichal who allowed the Braves 1 lone run on 4 hits as he cruised to a complete game victory. His opposite number, Tom Glavine, struggled through 7 innings of spotty work. One can't blame Glavine too much since he had to face the toughest righty hitting lineup in the league. 7 of SF's 9 starters, including Marichal, got a hit in this one. Mays' homer in the 8th off of Brad Clontz provided a a huge insurance run.


GAME 2: During game 1's post game interview Marichal was asked if he'd be ready start game 4. Quite possibly there was a language barrier or Marichal just misunderstood the question, but his response, "what 4th game" ? didn't' go over to well in the Atlanta dugout. Tom Glavine, who's game 1 performance wasn't fantastic said in response, "I wasn't devastated with this loss, especially since we have a lot of character in this locker room and we'll rise to the occasion. Game 2 saw the Brave bats come to life and knock Giant starter Billy Pierce out of the box by the 5th inning after yielding 5 runs. The Braves notched 4 runs in the top of the 4th as the Braves had 3 doubles. After 1 out in the bottom of the 7th Brave ace, John Smoltz was forced to leave the game due to an undisclosed arm injury. His status is going to be day to day.


GAME 3: The series headed to Atlanta Fulton County Stadium all knotted at 1 apiece. Game 2 would prove to be a classic pitcher's duel between Jack Sanford and Greg Maddux. Sanford carried a 1 run lead into the 8th when the Braves tied it up when Marquis Grissom received a 2 out walk, stole second and scored on a Mark Lemke singe. Lemke got thrown out trying to stretch his single into a double, but the damage was done. Maddux left the game after 8 innings of work scattering 6 hits and allowing 1 run. The Giants were not able to score in the top of the 9th as they faced 3 Brave hurlers (McMichael, Borbon and Clontz). The bottom of the 9th saw McGriff reach base on a terrible hop error by Cepeda. Chipper Jones, who has not had his power stroke all season, hit a knubber down the 3rd base line and barely beat it out. Klesko followed with a seeing eyed single to load the bases with nobody out. With the infield in Javy Lopez swung from the heels and pulled one down the left field line to McCovey who had no chance to get the speedy Grissom at the plate. Sanford lost a heartbreaker on an unearned run as the Braves took a 2-1 lead in the series and looked to close it out in game 4.


GAME 4: Marichal got the call to pitch in the game he didn't think would occur. The Giants now had their proverbial backs against the wall and the weight of the world was on "Dandy's" shoulders. Atlanta countered with lefty Steve Avery vs the big righty bats of San Fran. The Giants scored 1 run in each of the first 3 innings, but still only had a 3-2 lead thanks to Marichal's wildness. The Crime Dog, Fred McGriff homered in the 5th to tie it at 3, which stood until the top of the 7th when the Giants pinch hit for Marichal with runners on 1st and 2nd. Matty Alou delivered a clutch single to plate secondbaseman Chuck Hiller. Just like that the Giants were up by one. Heading into the bottom of the 8th the Giants were still clinging to their 1 run lead when the floodgates opened up. Terry Pendleton led off with a harmless blooper to right off of reliever Don Larsen. Pinch hitter David Justice slammed a double off the right field wall to score Pendleton all the way from first to tie the score at 5. Grissom came to the plate and attempted to lay down a bunt to move Justice over to 3rd. Giant catcher Ed Bailey made an errant throw into left field, which allowed Justice to score. Chipper Jones capped it all off with a huge blast into the visitors bullpen. Mark Wohlers came on to pitch an easy 9th protecting the Braves 3 run lead to notch the save and close out the series. The Giants fantastic regular season came to a screeching halt thanks to a suspect bullpen and some poor fielding. Manager David Moss handled it with class and dignity in his post game interview. He wished Atlanta good luck the rest of the way and reflected back on his team's shortcoming in the bullpen. The Braves will head to the LCS to face the winner of the Pirate/Dodger series.

Brew Crew takes 3 of 4 from KC

Game-1 Milw 4 KC 3: Mil Pitcher Mike Caldwell scattered 13 hits over 7 innings allowing 3 runs while KC had a whopping 18 men left on base! Rollie Fingers closed out the last 2 innings to get the save. KC's Frank White was the big stick of the game going 4 for5 with 2 HR's, his 2nd HR came while he was being PITCHED AROUND!!

Game-2 Milw 3 KC 0: Mil Pitcher Pete Vuckovich carried a no hitter into the 9th inning only to have it spoiled by non other than George Brett, who smacked a 1 out double to right center field to spoil the no hitter.Pete allowed only 2 walks and pitched out of trouble with the Brewers committing 3 errors behind him.Vuckovich gets his 2nd shutout of the season in his 3rd game, the only other game a team has scored on him was his 1st start of the season when he allowed 2 runs in a 10 inning affair vs the Chisox.

Game-3 Milw 6 KC 1: Mil started Don Sutton in place of the struggling Bob McClure, Sutton pitched the 1st 7innings of shutout ball only allowing a run in the 8th, which broke the Brewers consecutive inning shutout streak at 18, he also scattered 8 KC hits.

Game-4 KC 13 Milw 2: Mil P Bob McClure was given an extra day to rest but that didn't help as his pitching woes continued as he allowed 3 runs on 4 hits in 1.1innings pitched. McClure was quickly yanked for Moose Haas who didn't fair any better allowing 8 runs (4 ER)on 6 hits in 5 IP with the Brewer defense committing 5 errors on the day and 11 for the series. Hal McRae was the big gun for KC in this game going 4 for 6 with a solo homer and 4 RBI's. Both teams finished the series with identical 5-7 records. -submitted by Steve Durham-

'27 Bucs split with '96 Braves

Game 1: The Braves roughed up Pirate ace Lee Meadows to the tune of 9 runs en route to a 9-2 win. Pittsburgh struck first when centerfielder Kiki Cuyler blasted a solo shot to left. The Braves answered back with two in the bottom of the inning. Chipper Jones and Jermaine Dye hit their first homers of the season and Steve Avery went 7 with only 2 runs allowed.

Game 2: The Bucs struck back and tagged Greg Maddux for 7 runs (3 earned) in 6 innings of work. Every member of the Pirate starting 9 had at least 1 hit. Shortstop Glenn Wright knocked in 3 runs and had 2 of the Pirates 14 hits. Ryan Klesko hit his 5th of the season and the first time in a game the Braves lost.

Game 3: Finally the series has a close game. Smoltz and Kremer locked up in a pitching duel with Smoltz besting his opponent for 8 innings. With the score 2-1 Atlanta the Pirates plated 2 in the 9th to defeat Smoltz in a heartbreaker. Grantham led of the 9th with a clean single through the box. 2 batters later Smith singled, which was followed by a clean single by pinch hitter Gooch. With the bases loaded Smoltz needed a clutch performance. In what seems to be a lost season for the Michigan native, Smoltz walked the next two batters (Lloyd Waner and Kiki Cuyler) to give the Pirates a 3-2 victory and send the Forbes Field crowd into a frenzy.


Game 4: Tommy Glavine (3-0, 0.76) and Carmen Hill (0-2, 3.67) locked up in the second pitcher's duel in a row. Glavine had a no hitter going for 4 1/3 innings until Harris singled to right for the Pirates. Neither team scored until the Braves broke through with 2 in the top of the 6th. Grissom led off with a single and promptly stole second. McGriff, the crime dog, doubled him home and 2 batters later Klesko singled McGriff home for the second run. Atlanta tacked on one more in the 7th when Grissom singled home Jeff Blauser who walked. The Pirates scored their only run of the game in the bottom of the 8th when Grantham singled home Lloyd Waner. Glavine got the first 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th, but looked out of gas as Wohlers came on to get the final out and notch his 4th save.