Cabrera Delivers on the Green Light

This is just a post about recent baseball and APBA Baseball things that I have noticed over the past week. We are all certainly missing Major League Baseball, but thank god us APBA guys can create our own moments of baseball fantasy, while we can relive baseball history through things like the MLB Network and ESPN that have been re-showing some old classic games.

If there is one great thing that did come out of this pandemic is that we have more classic games being shown than possibly ever. Even in the off-season, I personally felt we never got enough classic games because of the other shows such as MLB Now, Hot Stove, MLB Tonight, and Intentional Talk -- Don't get me wrong, I enjoy these shows, but in the off-season they could be talk of a recent transaction spread over the entire week, and quite frankly regurgitated conversation talk.

I love that we are seeing many of these games now, with the MLB talk shows are limited and can be caught online instead. The other day, I caught the last few innings of the 1992 National League Championship Series, Game 7, between the Atlanta Braves (my beloved National League team) against the Pittsburgh Pirates, in which resulted in the walk-off single by Francisco Cabrera. I watched it, and thanks to DVR, I just rewound that play about 10 times over-and-over, getting that excited feel of yesterday all in one huge rush! It brought back a lot of memories, I was a junior in high school, and the way Doug Drabek was pitching for the Pirates, the game appeared to be done and over. The 9th Inning rally started on a Terry Pendleton double, who was ice cold at the plate, and would end on a game-winning hit by a guy who had 10 at-bats during the regular season.

As a junior, I ended up writing a poem on the Francisco Cabrera game-winning hit, named "Green Light" and I ended up with an A+ for it. I also still have the newspaper tucked in one of my totes or boxes with other baseball merchandise.

A few things that I may have forgotten from the game, were brought to my realization of watching it on the MLB Network's All-Time Games, here they are...

• Doug Drabek threw 129 pitches, and was still pretty sharp early in the 9th, with him possibly being squeezed on a pitch or two, particularly one of them that Pirates catcher Mike LaVaillere wanted badly.

• Braves' reliever Jeff Reardon was currently the all-time Saves leader during that game with 357 Saves; Reardon now sits in 10th with 367.

• The Braves almost blown a 3-1 series lead, which would have made Braves manager Bobby Cox the only manager to have done so in both leagues. Cox's 1985 Toronto Blue Jays blown a 3-1 series lead against the eventual World Champion Kansas City Royals.

• The Braves' right fielder David Justice had an unbelievable assist, gunning down Orlando Merced at home on a close play, to help prevent the Pirates from adding to their 2-0 lead.

• Jose Lind, who would win his lone N.L. Gold Glove that season, made two errors that game, while making only 6 errors all season -- none bigger than his 9th inning error with no outs, booting a grounder to second in which Justice reached safely, advancing Pendleton from second. 

• Vinny Castilla, best known for his years as a Colorado Rockie, was a bench player of the Atlanta Braves, with a god-awful mullet.

* * * Game 3 of the 1955 World Series Replay is up next * * *

1955 World Series Replay (Game 2)

Game 2

Thursday, September 29th

Yankee Stadium I

Attendance: 64,707

Day game

BRO: Don Newcombe - Grade B-XZ 

NYY: Tommy Byrne - Grade B-YW

Much like Game 1, scoring was at a premium through the first 6 innings, while both pitchers kept the base paths vacant. It would not be until the top of the 7th until the game started to shape up.

Top of the 7th, Duke Snider smacked a grounder to Yankee third baseman Gil McDougald, who ended up booting the ball (E-5). Roy Campanella would follow Snider with a single to right, advancing Snider to third. Carl Furillo would take advantage of a off-speed pitch, sending the ball over Elston Howard's head into the left field stands. Pinch-hitter Frank Kellert added a RBI single before the inning was over. Dodgers lead 4-0.

The Dodgers would add two more runs during the top of the 9th. Gil Hodges led the inning off with a double off Yankees reliever Rip Coleman, while Jackie Robinson drew his 6th walk of the young series. Sandy Amoros' single loaded up the bases for the Dodgers, which Dodgers pitcher Billy Loes would drive in a run on a fielder's choice, and Jim Gilliam's sac fly RBI made it 6-0 Dodgers.

Loes would go the distance for the Dodgers, and although he allowed 5 walks, he allowed only 4 walks, while shutting out the Yankees.

Series tied 1-1.

1955 World Series Replay (Game 1)

I have been meaning to get around to doing this World Series Replay since I acquired the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers and 1955 New York Yankees APBA teams from APBA in my last purchase. When I saw my friend Kevin Weber's challenge on The APBA Blog, I decided not to wait any longer at delaying this classic. I thought it was a clever and creative idea by Kevin to have everyone celebrate Jackie Robinson Day (April 15th, 2020) in the best way that we know, and in doing so we are paying respect to the legend that broke the color barrier.

Plus with no Baseball on television, we don't have anything better to do right now, right?

For those that may not know, the 1955 World Series was the sixth time the Yankees and Dodgers faced each other, but it would be the first time that the Dodgers would finally break through, no more "Wait Until Next Year!" 

I will be playing with real starting lineups & starting pitchers. I will then substitute in whatever way I see fit, but will try to stick closely with the way the managers used the bench and pen. 

I will be playing basic game, plus optional fielding, APBA Baseball Error Card & Unusual Play Card (from the APBA Journal). If injuries occur, player will be out for remainder of the game. Keep in mind that Mickey Mantle played limited action, Duke Snider got hurt during the series, while Yankees reliever Jim Konstanty (Grade A*-RZ) regained his form in 1955, but was hurt for the entire series.

Game 1

Wednesday, September 28th

Yankee Stadium I

Attendance: 63,869

Day game

BRO: Billy Loes - Grade B-X

NYY: Whitey Ford - Grade A-Y

Both lineups would be overall quiet on this one, as hitters had a hard time moving the runners up and getting them across the plate. In fact, Game 1 would be decided on two defensive plays, and one clutch hit that would lead to the game's only run.

Dodgers starting pitcher Don Newcombe would lead off the top of the 3rd, with a double off of the Yankees' Whitey Ford. Newcombe had an amazing year at the plate, batting .359 with 7 HR, 23 RBI & a ridiculous 1.028 OPS. Junior Gilliam would ground out to deep short, while Newcombe would advance to third base with one out. On the next play, Pee Wee Reese would fly out to center fielder Irv Noren, Newcombe tags up, but he would get nailed at the plate on Noren's throw -- double play, end of the inning!

The Dodgers would once again threaten during the top of the 5th, with a lead-off double by first baseman Gil Hodges, followed by Jackie Robinson drawing his 2nd bases on balls. The unfortunate thing is that the Dodgers couldn't capitalize on the opportunity as Whitey retired Don Zimmer, Newcombe & Gilliam in order, all on fly balls.

Bottom of the 6th, two outs, with Hank Bauer at second (reached on a single), the Yankees' skipper Casey Stengel calls on Bob Cerv to pinch-hit for Irv Noren. The move would payoff as Cerv smacked a single to right [44-7] to give New York the lead.

Top of the 7th, Whitey Ford walks Carl Furillo, while two batters later, he would walk Jackie Robinson for the 3rd time in the game. With runners on 1st & 2nd, Brooklyn's skipper decides to pinch-hit for Don Zimmer by calling on Frank Kellert, which appeared to be a great move once Kellert made contact with the ball... but Carl Furillo ran through the third base coach's stop sign, tried for home, and got thrown out by Elston Howard's excellent throw from left.

The Dodgers would threaten again in the 9th, with runners on 1st & 2nd, but Sandy Amoros would hit into a game-ending, 6-4-1 double play.

Yankees take Game 1, 1-0. 

1978 MLB Replay: 2 Months in the Books

My brother Chris and I, have made it to June 1978, with 2 months in the books. In this blog post, I will be sharing the standings & statistical leaders, plus disappointments and surprises from both leagues. I am playing the American League, while Chris is playing the National League. I have been playing with real-life starters and starting pitchers, while he is playing with exact starting lineups and starting pitchers.

The current American League standings are as follows, through June 1st.

The Boston Red Sox (31-19) had themselves a little hiccup recently, losing 6 of their last 10 games, but have been the overall favorite in the American League. The team is solid in all areas: hitting, pitching, relief & fielding, there is not much to not like on this club. 

Every time the New York Yankees get anything rolling their momentum would momentarily get tripped up, but I don't see them falling no lower than 2nd place. There seems to be a significant line in the sand in the A.L. East, in which Boston and New York are on one side, while the other teams in the division are on the other side. The other teams seem to have a serious flaw or two, that makes them hard to considerate a contender. Milwaukee, Baltimore & Detroit at times have their moments, but they certainly are not on the same level as the top two. 

In the A.L. West, the Kansas City Royals are currently on a 6-game winning streak, winning 8 of their last 10 games, while the California Angels have been sliding as of late. The Angels burst out the gate at 7-0, while going 18-7 through their first 25 games. Since then, the Angels are 9-12, with their lineup going mute, while their arms lately have been toughed up a bit. The division also features two surprises, the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers. 

The Mariners between May 18th thru May 25th, had winning percentages ranging from .457 to .463, getting within a few games from a .500 record. They are still playing good compared to their real-life counterparts, who were 17-34 at the end of June 1st... In fact, I was 7 games ahead of the real team at one point. The Rangers in real-life finished in 2nd place tied with the Angels, and actually started out of the gate, 2-9... So when my Rangers started 4-7, it wasn't exactly the end of the world, but then right where the real Rangers woke up April 25th, my Rangers continued to struggle. On May 12th, the replay Rangers had an 8-18 record (compared to 14-12, 6 games behind real-life), before winning 7 straight games (winning 9 of their next 11), then lost 7 of 8 games. The Rangers still have time on their hands, and also a fairly newly acquired Bobby Bonds, while waiting on a later arrival in Johnny Grubb (who is currently playing with Cleveland).

The current National League standings, through June 1st.

Believe it or not Cub fans, but your real-life 1978 team was in first place at this point at 24-20. The Montreal Expos are right on track sitting in 2nd place, while the Philadelphia Phillies are shining early (compared to real team hovering at 22-21). The huge surprise in the National League are the St. Louis Cardinals (27-23), 9 games ahead of their real pace, while those Cards finished in 5th place at 69-93. The N.L. West is playing out the same, but the Atlanta Braves are playing even worse in the replay at 12-33 (.267 pct), all on pace for 43 wins if they don't improve at the rate that they are going.

Early on, the National League seems to have more teams that have the potential of making the playoffs, compared to that of the American League. Philadelphia, Montreal, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Cincinnati & San Francisco all have a chance, compared to Boston, N.Y. Yankees, Kansas City and possibly California in the A.L. 

In the statistical leaders, stars such as Jim Rice and Eddie Murray started slow out of the gate, while some surprises out of the gate in Bruce Bochte, Jerry Remy & Gary Alexander are still sticking around. Rice as predicted is among all the production numbers, while hitting 15 HR & 50 RBI. Alexander hit 12 home runs in April, but has slowed down a bit of late. Bochte has 43 RBI already, compared to his 1978 total of 51. 

The National League hitters are as follows...

The Astros' Jose Cruz is having a solid all-around season, currently batting over .400 with a .410 mark, while also leading doubles (16), on-base percentage (.466) and OPS (1.112). The Reds' George Foster currently leads the majors with 18 HR & 52 RBI. 

Now onto pitching leaders...

The San Francisco Giants are certainly happy on acquiring Vida Blue in March from the Oakland Athletics. Blue leads in most National League pitching categories.

I hope that you all enjoyed this 1978 update, we are now a third through and excited to get June rolling here, and hopefully, hopefully we still have baseball in our nearby future...

Until then keep rolling 66's to kill the time, stay safe my friends!

6th Straight A.L. West Title for Athletics

We continue with the 'Oakland Dynasty' project, which is conducted with Out of the Park 20. This is a "What if" project, an alternate opposition to Finley self-destructing the team.We last left off with Oakland at the 1976 All-Star Break.

OAKLAND DYNASTY

The Oakland Athletics were able to fend off the Minnesota Twins and California Angels, to win the American League West for the 6th consecutive year. This year they hope to return to the World Series for the 5th time in 6 years, but they will have to get by the A.L. East Champion Boston Red Sox to do so.

The Red Sox won the A.L. East with a 88-74 record, winning the division by 3 games over the 2nd place New York Yankees. The Cleveland Indians who were looking good at the All-Star break faded, finishing in 3rd place with a 78-84 record, 10 games back. The defending World Champion Baltimore Orioles finished in 4th, 76-86.

The American League West featured three 90-win teams in Oakland (99-63), Minnesota (97-65) & California (94-68).

The National League featured the only 100-win teams in baseball, with the St. Louis Cardinals (103-59) winning the N.L. East, and the N.L. West Champion Cincinnati Reds (109-53). Both teams also won their divisions by 10 or more games. The 2nd place San Francisco Giants won 98 games. The Cardinals were powered by Wilbur Wood, who led the National League with a 1.59 ERA in his first year with the Cards, all while winning 20 games. The Cards' lineup also featured 8 players batting .280 or higher.

There was plenty of headlines throughout the season, one of the biggest has to be 17 year-old rookie Rickey Henderson who stole 100 bases for the Atlanta Braves. This was definitely one of the few things that Atlanta got to cheer about since they lost 100 games, but they do have Dale Murphy & Dan Petry in the minors, so things could start looking up in the nearby future.

Jerry Koosman won the A.L. ERA title in his first year in the American League, posting a 1.84 mark while winning 20 games for the Athletics.

Here's a list of other players that left their mark on the season...

• Bill Madlock (CHC) and Robin Yount (MIL) won the batting titles for their leagues. Madlock batted a Major League best .344 with 224 hits, his 2nd consecutive year over 200+ hits. The young shortstop Yount led the A.L. with a .325 mark, while posting a 126 OPS+ & 4.8 WAR, to go along with 49 doubles (1st /A.L.) & 32 stolen bases.

• George Foster (CIN) and Jim Rice (BOS) each led their leagues with 34 home runs, while both also won their league's RBI titles; Foster had 146 RBI, while Rice had 140 RBI. Rice was the only MLB slugger who posted a .900 OPS & above (.913), while Foster led the N.L. in that category (.889).

• Bake McBride (STL) edged Madlock in hits with 225, while Boston's Duane Kuiper led the A.L. with 213. The big kicker may be the fact that Kuiper hit 3 HR during the season, compared to his grand real-life total of 1. McBride also led the majors with 117 runs.

• Cincinnati's Joe Morgan had a well-rounded successful season in which he batted .277 with 15 HR & 81 RBI, while scoring 107 runs & stealing 73 bases. Morgan led the N.L. in On-Base Percentage (.424) & Bases on Balls (142), while his 7.9 WAR ranked 3rd in the N.L. & Majors.

• Morgan's teammate, Dave Conception led the majors in WAR with a 9.1 rating. Conception's fielding definitely plays a factor, but he carried a good bat by hitting .295 with 10 HR & 77 RBI. Conception also scored 94 runs while swiping 35 bases.

• Frank Tanana of the Angels, led the A.L. in Wins (22), while he was 2nd in ERA (1.95) & strikeouts (221), while posting a 8.1 WAR (3rd among pitchers).

• The Athletics' Vida Blue was a stud, leading the majors in complete games (20), innings (290), quality starts (30), while ranking 4th in the A.L. in strikeouts (194), while posting an 8.2 WAR.

• The Reds' Don Gullet went 22-4 with a 2.45 ERA & 184 strikeouts, while posting a 7.4 WAR.

• Al Hrabosky (STL) led the majors with 42 saves, while Sparky Lyle (NYY) led the A.L. with 32 saves.

*** Still to come, 1978 MLB Replay Update ***