It was really fun when I found out that I would be playing my friend Doug Schuyler, he's a guy I knew that we would hit it off right away, we already done so via facebook. If I was a local Chicagoan, we probably find numerous ways to get together and roll sixty-sixes. When the divisions were announced with only the team names, I had no clue who I was playing, once the APBA Player's names were attached to the team names, I was pleased to see Doug's name there, I know for awhile he was thinking of the 68' Tigers (or at least mentioned them a few times), so I thought he may be playing them. So it brought much joy, that we would get to face one another, and let me tell you that series (even being only two games) had a bit of everything you want in a short series.
The cool thing with this tournament, it was really cool to see how people go about their teams, how they roll (do they use a roller? Just hand? Box and roller?), how they write down their stats, how they manage their teams, do they use their bench a lot? Do they stay with one pitcher? So many different styles, even the way they have their rolling boards, or their hit & run booklets. I know Doug had a binder with pages in sleeves for his boards & etc, while other players like Clark Eichman, who would go on to the championship game with the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates had his APBA Cards in plastic or laminated. I label my corners of all my APBA Card sets, in case I play a combined players league, so I remember what set the cards go to, for Hall of Fame players, I place Gold Star stickers to the right of their name.
I will have to go do a post in the future with what I like to do in APBA, and how I keep score & etc in the near future, but for now let's get on to the action shall we.
GAME #3 - 1998 Yankees at 1912 Giants
at the Polo Grounds
Starting Pitchers:
NYY - Orlando Hernandez (B-X) (12-4, 3.13 ERA, 131 K's in 141 IP)
NYG - Jeff Tesreau (A-YW) (17-7, 1.96 ERA, 119 K's & 106 BB's in 243 IP).
First 3 Innings
The game at first appeared to be in a complete pitcher's duel between Orlando Hernandez (Yankees) & Jeff Tessreau (Giants), no runs for either team, Yankees had two base runners (one hit), while the Giants had four on with four hits.
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| It's Jeff Tesreau's turn for the Giants. |
Top of the 4th
Fred Snodgrass misplays a fly ball hit by the Yankees' Bernie Williams, Williams is on first. Paul O'Neill steps up to the plate, this guy never batted over .276 with the Reds in the National League, but he has been a solid leader & hitter for the Yankees, has yet to bat below .300 while playing in pinstripes. He was traded from Cincinnati with a minor leaguer in exchange for Roberto Kelly, what a steal! Tessreau delivers, wrong part of the plate, and O'Neill makes him pay with a blast to the left field stands. The Yankees draw first blood, and it doesn't get easier with Tino Martinez stepping up to the plate. Martinez had a career year the previous season with 44 HR's & 141 RBI, another great 90's pickup by the Bombers. Tessreau winds up & delivers, OH! He didn't?! This one is going to right, Snodgrass is racing towards the wall, but he'll need a ladder to try and catch this one, back-to-back homers for the 98' Yankees & the Giants' troubles of allowing the long-ball continue, that's already 7 HR's allowed by their Grade A starters in 21 innings! The Yankees would get another base runner on eventually with Jorge Posada drawing his 2nd walk of the ballgame, but Knoblauch would get the Giants out of the inning by hitting into a double-play.
Yankees 3, Giants 0
Bottom of the 4th
Fred Merkle leads off by grounding out. Chief Meyers steps up to the plate, he had a single in the 2nd inning, and is already starting to put together good numbers for the Chicagoland Tournament. El Duque's pitch gets away from him and plunks Meyers, just below the shoulder -- Meyers takes first, Meyers has now been on base six times in this tourney. Stepping up is the Designated Hitter, Josh Devore who is thrilled about playing full time, but has yet to deliver (0-for-6); Devore gets a good pitch, he sends this one into the left-center gap (a double for Devore), Meyers will have to hold third. Runners on 2nd & 3rd, one out, and the batter is Red Murray -- and what's this? The Yankees have elected to intentionally walk him, Murray & some of the home town faithful are a bit surprised by this, then again he did lead the league during the 1909 campaign with 7 HR's. Bases loaded, the Yankees are playing for the double-play to get them out of the possible threat. Batting 8th, is the Giants' Art Fletcher, not the same threat as some of the other men in this lineup, but here's an interesting stat for ya, he led the league by getting Hit by a Pitch 15 times (in fact he would go on to lead the league 4 more times in the next 5 years in that category). Fletcher smacks a double, driving in two runs, Murray will hold up on 3rd base -- Fletcher now has 5 RBI in a little more than 2 games. Runners on 2nd & 3rd, still only one out, Buck Herzog laces a single to center, Murray scores, Fletcher moves down to 3rd. The game is now knotted up three apiece, and Fred Snodgrass steps up to the plate, the pitch is high & Herzog is off-and-running, steals second easily; Runners on 2nd & 3rd, once again still one out, deep fly this will be out number two, but this will be deep enough to score in Fletcher. Beals Becker steps up with two outs, but he will do nothing as he flies out to right. Big bounce-back inning by the 1912 Giants in this "Battle of the Bronx". Giants 4, Yankees 3
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| The "Straw Man" delivers in the 5th. |
Top of the 5th
Darryl Strawberry will lead it off for the Yankees, what a story Strawberry had been for the Yankees this season, everyone knows the story of how this once promising career has took so many twists and turns, his problems with drugs & injuries that derailed a career that once had a trajectory that tilted at a possible future induction to Cooperstown. Strawberry hit 24 HR's this season in only 295 at-bats, he had a pretty good bounce-back year during the Yankees' 1996 championship season as well, but he missed almost all of 1997. Jeff Tessreau knows he has to be careful, and careful he was not, as this one is flying towards right and into the stands, this one is tied up once again! There is some Yankees fans here chanting "DAR-RRRYL... DAR-RRRYL" as Strawberry rounds the bases. High fives by Chad Curtis & Derek Jeter as Strawberry approaches the dugout. Tessreau answers back by fanning both Curtis & Jeter. The dangerous Bernie Williams steps up to the plate, but ends up grounding out. Yankees 4, Giants 4
Chuck Knoblauch leads off the inning by flying out to right. This brings up Darryl Strawberry, he came up big in the 5th for the Bombers, but Tessreau will get him to pop-up this time. Two outs, and Chad Curtis steps up to the plate, he may be the weakest link to this deadly lineup, but he brings speed to the top of this lineup, and he does his job by smacking a double off of Tessreau. Tessreau settled down after Strawberry's bomb, only walking one runner in the next nine batters, while retiring the rest. Curtis on 2nd (the go-ahead run) with 2 outs, and stepping up to the plate is the Derek Jeter, if your an opponent, this is the last guy you want to see coming to the plate. Tessreau focuses, and he fans him, what a huge strikeout!
Bottom of the 7th
Buck Herzog leads off with a single, and then steals 2nd. Fred Snodgrass still up at the plate, and it's another ball, as Herzog now steals 3rd base! Runner on 3rd, no outs. Giants fans are back on their feet, and our making some noise -- Snodgrass swings and connects, this one could be some trouble, Derek Jeter is running into shallow outfield for this pop-blooper and makes the catch! Herzog decides to tag, Jeter with the throw, Posada swings his body around as Herzog tries to avoid the tag, is he in?! NO!! He's OUT! What a play by Derek Jeter! Is there anything, this guy can't do? Not only he's clutch with his bat, he's clutch with his glove [which we would all find out -- especially the Oakland Atheltics, in 2001]. We'll see if this play will hold up as a potential twist in this one, but one thing's for sure, it silenced the Polo Grounds once again, and now bases are empty for Beals Becker. Becker is 1-for-9 this tournament, and ends up grounding to Brosius, the throw to first -- Yankees escape unscathed thanks to Jeter.
Score remains: Yankees 4, Giants 4
Top of the 8th
Jeff Tessreau who has settled down, sends the Yankees down 1-2-3, finishing off the third batter in Tino Martinez with a strikeout.
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| Devore: 2 key doubles in Game 3. |
Bottom of the 8th
Graeme Lloyd is now on the mound for the Yankees, he gets the lead-off man Larry Doyle to fly out. With on out, Fred Merkle delivers a single to left, and then steals second base. Chief Meyers continues to find ways to get on base, by drawing a walk. Runners on 1st & 2nd, one out, and Josh Devore sends another one to the gap, Merkle scores easily, Meyers is rounding 3rd, the throw from Chad Curtis, and he's... OUT! The Giants love the fact that they took the lead, but they should have held Meyers at third, that could be an insurance run spoiled there. Lloyd would get out of the inning, by getting Red Murray to ground out.
Giants 5, Yankees 4
Top of the 9th
Most teams usually bring in a closer, but this is the difference between two teams from two different eras, and Jeff Tesreau, just like Rube Marquard in the previous game (against Cincinnati) has settled down nicely. Stepping up is Scott Brosius, who like many of the Yankees from this dynasty have a flair for the dramatics, but not this time as he grounds out. Jorge Posada follows up by grounding out as well, it's all up to Chuck Knoblauch, who is 0-for-3 (also hitting into a double-play earlier). The pitch, this one will do nothing, as he flies to left, and the Giants get this one in the books.
R H E
1998 YANKEES 4 5 0
1912 GIANTS 5 9 1 F
WP - Tesreau (NYG) / LP - Lloyd (NYY)
POST-GAME:
- 1998 Yankees - 3 HR's total, two-run HR for Paul O'Neill, with solo HR's by Tino Martinez and Darryl Strawberry.
- Josh Devore (NYG) - 2-for-4, 2 2B's & RBI.
- Art Fletcher (NYG) - Two-Run double; Tournament: 5 RBI.
- Buck Herzog (NYG) - 2-for-3, two singles, RBI & 3 stolen bases.
- Jeff Tesreau (NYG) - CG, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 R, with 8 K's & 3 BB's; scoreless last 4 innings.
Game 4 goes on to have so many twists that I needed to do these games of the series against the 1998 Yankees in separate posts, so stay tuned to check out what we (both Doug Schuyler & I) considered a classic game. I will remember this next one for as long as I live.
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