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TCBA Yearbook |
1983 |
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INDEX Seasons 1911 1912 1913 1921 1922 1923 1930 1931 1932 1940 1941 1942 1950 1951 1952 1960 1961 1962 1970 1971 1972 1980 1981 1982 1990 1991 1992 2000 2001 2002 2010 2011 2012 2020 2021 2022 Miscellaneous |
Dan Warren - The obscuring dust lies most densely on 1983 and 1984. While Long Island, Harbor Beach, Winnebago, Mimosa, Horseshoe Bay, and Evanston all reached the playoffs, the 1983 league championship remains an unclaimed void to this day. Bergen’s Keith Hernandez led all hitters with .357. Alan Bannister pitched a no-hitter for the Islanders, while Mike Krukow (23), Phil Niekro (23), Dan Petry (21), Juaquin Andujar (20), and Fergy Jenkins (20) had good years. Vida Blue tossed a no-hitter for Morgantown against Chicago Ridge. Don Sutton of Bradenton had the finest pitching performance in TCBA history over Western Springs when he hurled back-to-back shutouts- a two-hitter and a no-hitter!!! He retired the first 26 in a row in the second outing before walking a pinch-hitter. Fiehl Facts - Not much to say this year. Newsletters were short and totally dominated with National League highlights and write-ups. Dave Brown was constantly on our backs, and rightly so, to get the series in on time. Al Keefer makes the playoffs for the first time in 9 years! League still waiting for his first trade! Marty Fiehl - Dave McKay? While Lamaar was winning 19 and 24, Dave was still in baseball, but I think it was as a thirdbase coach. Just dumb, stupid luck on Boston’s part to acquire Hoyt when they did, but nary a gathering of Metro managers can take place without the Braunmiester bringing this one up. Well, at least not for the last dozen years or so! Bob Braun - Dave McKay hits .176 for Hyde Park. Larry Smith - “Mirth Makers” was stolen from a favorite television show in the Mimosa household -- “Fernwood Tonight.” The Mirth Makers were host Barth Gamble’s band, led by Happy Kyle. December 30, 1983 - The last of David Brown’s TCBA REPORT was published, ending an era of quality reporting that followed our growth for the first nine years. It wasn’t until the appearance of Larry Smith’s TCBA Today in the early 1990’s that we ever came close to David’s professionalism. Bob Braun - As the Dragon of Winnebago continued to ravish the land of TCBA, the Vita-Men struggled to complete their season. Long time hero Ken Singleton appeared in only 25 games, and then was unceremoniously sold to the Bradenton franchise for a paltry $40,000. The franchise leader in nearly every offensive category, a classy man who appeared in over 1200 games during 10+ seasons with Hyde Park, a player who led the team to the American League crown in 1976, who finished his Hyde Park career with close to a .300 batting average, was shipped out like so much excess baggage. The Vita-Men had hit rock bottom. In addition to Dan Petry’s 21 wins, another bright spot for Hyde Park in 1983 was young catcher John Stearns, who batted .335 in 123 games. It was to be his last hurrah, however. Felled by injuries to his shoulder in the early spring of 1984, Stearns would never play another TCBA game. For six years he filled the catcher’s spot for Hyde Park. In that time, he averaged 55 rbi, 67 runs, 32 doubles, 47 walks, 10 home runs, and 8 steals a year. Then suddenly, at the age of 32, it was gone. John Stearns more than anybody reflected the state of the Hyde Park franchise as it entered the 1984 season.
Larry Smith 1992 Mimosa Mirthmakers Larry
Smith (2020) - After
nearly a 40-year hiatus, the 1983 TCBA playoff resumes in Mimosa Memorial
with the 2nd-seeded Mirthmakers hosting the
3rd-seeded Evanston Bees. The series features six MLB Hall-of-Famers: Rollie
Fingers (EB); Ted Simmons (EB); Tim Raines, Sr. (EB); Joe Morgan (MI); Rod
Carew (MI); and Rickey Henderson (MI). The
starting pitchers for game 1 are well rested --- Fernando Valenzuela for the
Bees and Jerry Reuss for the Mirthmakers. The
Bees strike in the very first inning as Tim Raines legs out a lead-off
infield hit and then steals 2nd base on the next pitch. Gary Ward flies out,
bringing up Bruce Bochte. The call ... BOCHTE facing REUSS, T
1st, 1 Out, Runner on 2nd, Tied 0-0 RAINES at second takes
a big lead ... the pitch ... lined hard to left ... toward the gap it's rolling ...
that's good for extra bases ... RAINES's around third ... he scores HENDERSON gets it in
quickly ... BOCHTE stops at second Bees 1, Mirthmakers 0 Bill Madlock follows with a walk, but Reuss escapes by getting
Ben Oglivie to ground into an inning-ending doubleplay. Evanston adds to its
lead in the 3rd inning. With 1 out, Raines walks and steals 2nd base for the
2nd time. Ward walks and Bochte singles to load the
bases. Madlock flies deep to right, scoring Raines
and advancing Ward to 3rd. Reuss walks Oglivie to
load the bases for Ted Simmons ... SIMMONS facing
REUSS, T 3rd, 2 Outs, Bases Loaded, Ahead 2-0 He wheels and deals
... it's a high fly to center ... LEMON is over ... moves under it and makes the catch In the 4th, the Bees
fail to add to their lead despite a 1-out single and double, which sees the Mirthmakers' Chet Lemon crash into the centerfield wall.
Lemon will be lost for 5 days. Mimosa puts at least
one runner on in each of the first 3 innings but fails to score. In the
bottom of the 4th, Valenzuela faces Doug DeCinces
... DeCINCES facing VALENZUELA, B 4th, No Outs, Bases Empty,
Behind 0-2 The pitch to DeCINCES ... cut on ... hit deep to left field ... way
back ... RAINES is racing back it's long gone! ... he
got all of that one Bees 2, Mirthmakers 1 Lee Lacy flies out
to center, and then … BO DIAZ facing VALENZUELA,
B 4th, 1 Out, Bases Empty, Behind 1-2 The pitch from
VALENZUELA ... this one is hit ... it may carry ... it's way back ... bye-bye over the left field
wall Bees 2, Mirthmakers 2 Evanston puts
runners on in each of the next 3 innings, but fails to score. Mimosa manages
only a walk in the 5th inning. The score remains tied at 2 after 7 innings. Bill Caudill
replaces Reuss in the 8th and returns the Bees in order for the first time in
the game. After retiring 7
batters in a row, Valenzuela walks Carew to open the bottom of 8th. Morgan
sacrifices Carew to 2nd, bringing up DeCinces. The
call ... DeCINCES facing VALENZUELA, B 8th, 1 Out, Runner on 2nd, Tied 2-2 CAREW edges a bit
more off second ... VALENZUELA turns and fakes the throw to second CAREW hustles back
to the bag standing up ... VALENZUELA's back on the rubber ... the pitch he swings ... it's
smashed deep to left center ... that's good for extra bases OGLIVIE's chasing it
down ... CAREW scores ... DeCINCES hits second
under full steam but puts on the
brakes ... as the throw comes in ... double for DeCINCES Bees 2, Mirthmakers 3 Rollie Fingers
replaces Valenzuela and retires Lee Lacy and Bo Diaz. Mimosa takes a 1-run
lead to the 9th. In the top of the
9th, Rudy Law bats for Todd Cruz to start the inning ... LAW facing CAUDILL,
T 9th, No Outs, Bases Empty, Behind 2-3 Now the delivery ...
a blast to right ... that could be trouble ... LACY's chasing it he's at the track
... against the wall ... he makes the catch ... one away! Jerry Morales bats
for Fingers and singles for Evanston's 10th hit, putting the tying run on
base with the top of the order coming up. Al Bumbry runs for Morales and
advances to scoring position on a Raines grounder to Alfredo Griffin. Ward,
with a chance to tie the game, grounds out to Morgan to end the game. Mimosa wins the
first game of the series 3-2. Caudill gets the
win. Valenzuela takes the loss. The lines ...
Al Keefer (2020) – Well, the series as
shifted to Evanston with the series tied with Mimosa at 1 game apiece. There
has been little offense on both sides so far with both games decided by just
1 run. The Mirthmakers
send Erik Show to the bump to face Mike Krukow for Evanston. The Mirthmakers kept getting runners on base but leaving them
in scoring position in 3 of the 1’st 4 innings, meanwhile the Bee’s couldn’t
even get a hit. Finally in the 5th Gary Ward got his 3rd double of the series
& with 2 out Ted Simmons doubled him in to give the Bees a 1-0 lead. The lead didn’t last
long as Doug Decinces ties the game in the 6th with
his 2nd HR in the series. The Bees go
down meekly in the bottom of the inning. 7th inning: “ King
Kong” Kingman gets a pinch single with 1 out, the Bees get Morgan out but
Ricky Henderson walks & Rod Carew comes thru with a clutch 2 run double
making in 3-1 Mirthmakers. The score stays that
way until the 9th when a dropped ball by Tim Raines that way lets another run
in making it 4-1 & with Caudill on the mound it was all but over for the
Bees today. Final Score: Mimosa
4-9-0 WP-E. Show 1-0, S-Caudill
#1 Evanston 1-3-2
LP-Krukow 0-1 Series now stands at
Mimosa 2 Evanston 1 Al Keefer - Well it’s raining at
the Beehive but the ground crew removes the tarp & we will have a
ballgame. The pitchers seem a bit tired as they had to warm up twice but
let’s see how it goes. Evanston sends John
Candelaria to the mound while the Mirthmakers will
go to Dave Schmidt. With the series standing at 2-1 in favor of the Mirthmakers the Bees really need a win today. That pesky Rick
Henderson reaches 1’st on an error by Candelaria & quickly steals 2nd, Landreaux single (Henderson to 3rd) Lacy singles him in
& then DeCinces hits one out (his 3rd in the
series) a 3 run shot & just like that the Bees are down 4-0. The game stayed that
way when in the 5th the Bees, Rudy Law gets a pinch hit triple & scores
on a sac fly by Raines making it 4-1 Mimosa. It didn’t take Mimosa long to
respond as “King Kong” Kingman hits a Baltimore Special off Pashnick making it 7-1 & looks like this one may be
over. There was no more scoring today as the Bees
continue to fail to score runs & Mimosa gets an easy 7-1 victory for
their 3rd win of the series & have a chance Monday at 11 AM Eastern to
lock this series up but they will have to beat Fernando Valenzuela to do
it. Mimosa will give Reuss a chance to
sew the series up. Mimosa
7-11-0 WP-Camp (1-0) Evanston 1-5-1
LP-Candelaria Al Keefer (2020) - Evanston has its back
to the wall as Mimosa has built up a 3-1 series lead, but,as
Yogi says “It’s Never Over Until It’s Over”. Reuss takes the mound for Mimosa &
Evanston will call on their big lefty, Fernando Valenzuela. No score until the 2nd when the Mirthmakers get runners on 1’st & 3rd with 0 outs, Landreaux bounces to Gantner at
2nd base who turns a double play but a run scores & Mimosa draws 1’st
blood 1-0 Mimosa. Griffin gets Single but Reuss grounds out. Bottom of 3rd: Morgan makes a bad throw on Todd Cruz’s
grounder and he is on first with 0 outs.
Valenzuela sacs him to 2nd & he scores on a 2 out single by Madlock to tie the game, but the rally dies there. Top of 4th.
Doug DeCinces leads off the inning for
Mimosa & he goes deep for his 4th HR of the series, 8th hit & 7th
RBI, putting Mimosa back on top 2-1.
That is all Mimosa gets in the 4th. No more scoring until the 7th when Mimosa
puts 3 more on the board making it 5-1 while Reuss keeps mowing down the Bees
& that will be the final score. A complete game win for Jerry Reuss and
the Mirthmakers advance to the finals. Celebration in Mimosa Tonight Mimosa
5-10-3 WP-Reuss (1-0) Evanston 1-6-1
LP-Valenzuela(0-2) Bob Wood (2020) – Well, Al, your club
"hung on" for 36 years before succumbing ... has to be a record! Frank Tedeschi (2020)
- A
very impressive hitting display by 69 year old Doug DeCinces! Larry Smith (2020) - But, 76 year old Joe
Morgan definitely showed his age. Bob Wood (2020) -It was a packed house
for the opening game of the semi-finals.
Gerry Hobbs, Larry Smith, Mike Kane and Al Keefer were the "early
birds" that got to worm their way into the stadium, while Jeff Hobbs
(really just out of diapers in 1983) was shut out, denied admission by the
fire marshal, otherwise known as Team Viewer. Jim Clancy strode to
the mound for the host Islanders, while Joaquin "Cuckoo Jar"
Andujar countered for the Combers. T1 - After retiring
Dusty Baker on a ground out, Clancy gave up a double to Leon Durham. Fred Lynn followed with a single into right
field, placing runners on the corners for clean-up hitter Pedro
Guerrero. Pedro drew a walk - or so he
thought: nfielders back ... the runners
take their lead ... he comes home ... and GUERRERO draws a walk wait a minute ... the
ump says it's strike three ... GUERRERO was already heading to first he can't believe it
... he's hopping mad ... he's waving his arms ... his face is red but he'll head for
the dugout ... two gone ... and CLANCY is pumped! and he gets a big
strikeout with DURHAM threatening on third That brought up Cecil
Cooper, who bounced out to end a scoreless half inning. B1 - Gary Roenicke led off with a slow ground
ball to Frank "Academy" White at 2nd base, and just beat the
throw. Impressed with that display of
speed, the Islanders called for the hit & run with Billy Buckner at bat,
but Terry Kennedy (who would have a marvelous day) gunned out the base
stealer when Billy Buck swung and missed.
White, schooled on the speed of the Islanders, then robbed Buckner of
a base hit, making a diving stop and firing to 1st base. Andre Dawson then bounced out to Andujar. T2 - Kennedy opened
the 2nd inning with a double. White
followed with a wall-banging RBI double to put HB on the score board,
1-0. Bob Bailor flew out to LF. Andujar whiffed and Baker bounced out to
end the inning. B2 - Tom Brunansky fanned.
Cal Ripken fouled out to Kennedy, behind the plate and Ron "the
Penguin" Cey flew out to LF. T3 - One-A-Day
vitamins are a staple for many folks.
Harbor Beach got their Double-A-Inning when Leon Durham opened with a
2-bagger. The very first TCBA player
to ever be won in an auction, was Fred Lynn.
Lynn rewarded Dick Gorney and the Harbor
Beach faithful, upping the ante with a home run!, 3-0. Pedro Guerrero refused to give the home
umpire another chance to call him out on strikes, and got a late swing,
flying out to RF. Cecil Cooper popped
out to short CF and Kennedy fanned on a change up. B3 - Tony Pena opened
with a single. Pulling an old Casey
Stengel trick with Clete Boyer from the 1960 World
Series, Islander skipper Mac McEneaney called Julio Cruz back from the
batter's box, turning to Don Money, with the hope that the pinch hitter could
"cash" in. But Money was
fooled, and took a called 3rd strike.
Determined to keep his team on their toes, the skipper sent Bill Nahorodny to the plate to hit for Clancy. Bill had waited a long time for this
chance: * B. NAHORODNY facing
J. ANDUJAR, B 3rd, 1 Out, Runner on 1st, Behind 0 ANDUJAR cranks it up
... NAHORODNY smacks it ... straight down the line in left ... could it go?it could ... and it's foul ... just outside the left
field foul pole ... strike one If only he had waited
just a fraction of a second longer ..... Andujar jammed him
with the next pitch, inducing a slow roller .... too slow for anyone to make
a play, and the Islanders had another base runner as they turned over the
batting order. Gary Roenicke
represented the tying run now, but had to wait a moment as Nahorodny was pulled for pinch runner Tony Scott. If you remember the
dice game, a "66" is the best roll.
A "65" is SO CLOSE.
It appeared that was what Roenicke "rolled" * G. ROENICKE facing
J. ANDUJAR, B 3rd, 1 Out, 1st and 2nd, Behind 0-3 The runners take
their lead ... to the plate ... ROENICKE pops it up behind the plate KENNEDY tosses his
mask away ... he's back at the screen ... it's out of play ... strike one While it wasn't a
"35-Foul Out-2" Roenicke followed
with a "34-Pop Out-SS".
Still, that gave Billy Buckner a chance to take advantage, but Andujar
coaxed a fly out to CF. T4 - Money remained
in the game to play 2nd base, while Bruce Berenyi
took the mound for the home team.
Frank White lined out to LF to greet the reliever. Bob Bailor bounced slowly to Money, beating
the throw for a base hit. Bailor then
stole 2nd base before Andujar lifted a pop up, just beyond Buckner's
reach....but Money ran a long way to make the play for the 2nd out, forcing Bailor
to retreat back to 2nd base. Baker
then lifted a "skyscraper" to LF that Roenicke finally settled
under, after turning left, then right, to make the play. B4 - Dawson hit a
"towering fly" to RF that Baker captured. Brunansky bounced
out to 2B. Ripken hit one to deep
right center field, but Baker was there again to retire the side, still 3-0
Harbor Beach. T5 - Leon Durham led
off with a "blast to center field" but the Hawk, Andre Dawson, ran
it down for a putout. Berenyi fanned Lynn, but Pedro Guerrero timed the next
pitch perfectly. LF'er
Gary Roenicke didn't have the ladder he needed as he watched the ball sail
into the stands, 4-0. Cecil Cooper
doubled past Buckner, down the RF line for another double - the 4th of the
day for Harbor Beach. Berenyi then threw as hard as he could to Terry Kennedy: * T. KENNEDY facing
B. BERENYI, T 5th, 2 Outs, Runner on 2nd, Ahead 4-0 The pitch ... KENNEDY
goes out and gets it ... long ball ... down the left field line ... curving curving ... is it or
isn't it? ... the ump signals ... home run! an opposite field
two-run blow The Islanders were
now down, 6-0. Frank White fouled out
to end the inning. B5 - The Penguin, Ron
Cey, led off with a double into left center, advancing to 3rd when Pena
bounced out. But the Penguin had his
head up Antarctica, as Andujar snagged a liner off the bat of Don Money and
doubled Cey off 3rd base to end that inning. T6 - Bailor singled,
but was forced out on Andujar's attempted sacrifice, Billy Buckner making a
nice play. Dusty Baker then doubled -
the 5th of the day for the Combers.
Durham's SF to CF scored Andujar to make it 7-0 before Lynn lined out
to Buckner to end the inning. B6 - Terry Puhl pinch hit for Berenyi,
flying out to CF. Gary Roenicke was
safe on an E-6 (Bailor, SS-7). Buckner
popped out to 3B, but Andre Dawson delivered a 2-run home run deep to LF to
put the Islanders on the scoreboard, 7-2. Tom Brunansky lined it into CF, but the ball hung up long
enough for Fred Lynn to snag it. T7 - Jesse Orosco made his series debut on the mound, retiring
Guerrero on a fly to right and Cooper on a checked swing 3rd strike. Terry Kennedy then doubled - the 6th of the
day for HB, and the 2nd of the day for Kennedy, who also had homered. Orosco fanned
White, though, to end a scoreless half inning. B7 - after the
Stretch, Cal Ripken hit a worm-killer to White for the 1at out. Cey flew out into the right-center field
gap (Baker). Pena "swung and
missed" ending a quiet frame. T8 - Bailor flew out
to short CF, ending Orosco's contributions on the
mound. Mike Armstrong took the mound,
retiring Andujar on a ground ball, before Dusty Baker singled. Leon Durham then doubled before Lynn fanned
to end the inning. B8 - Money flew out
to LF to start the 8th inning. Charlie
Moore got the call from the bench, pinch hitting for Armstrong, but waved at
a pitch in the dirt, striking out.
Roenicke flew out to LF. T9 - Long Island gave
Steve Bedrosian a chance on the mound and the big
right hander quickly fanned Guerrero and Cooper. This truly was a day for Terry Kennedy, who
singled for his 4th hit of the afternoon.
Frank White singled, too, before Bailor bounced out to end the inning. B9 - Billy Buckner
popped out to 1B. Dawson dribbled on
to the left of the mound ... and beat the throw for his 2nd hit of the
afternoon. Brunansky
popped out to short and Cal Ripken bounced out, 4-6, ending the opener. HB 7-17-1
WP-Joaquin Andujar (1-0) LI 2-
6-0 LP-Jim Clancy (0-1) Harbor Beach had
EIGHT DOUBLES and THREE HOME RUNS --- eleven extra base hits. While that's only 1 for every 3 years since
they last played, it's a barrage that was impossible for the Islanders to
overcome Still, it only counts
as one win. Jim McEneaney (2020)
- In
a series that feels a bit like an episode of the Twilight Zone, or a Jack
Finney novel, or maybe even "If I Never Get Back" (by Brock...that
I just finished reading today).... the 1983 TCBA postseason resumed some 37
years after its originally scheduled start date. With the Mirthmakers
of Mimosa already waiting in the wings for an opponent for that Fall/Spring
Classic, the Long Islanders hosted Dick Gorney's
Harbor Beach Combers under the spirited leadership of Woody Wood. Once again, a full
house was on hand via Team Viewer, and once again, the Combers jumped to an
early lead, this time in the very first inning. Howard Johnson led off the game by legging
out an infield single, but LI's Floyd Bannister induced Dusty Baker to chop a
grounder right back to the mound. But
instead of turning a DP, Bannister bobbled the ball for an error. After retiring the next two batters,
Bannister looked to be out of trouble, but Cecil Cooper lined a single to
left and HB was up 1-0. And the
Combers weren't through yet....Terry Kennedy drove a ball into the RF corner
for a double (HB's 12th XBH of the series!), scoring two more and Harbor
Beach led 3-0 before LI had even come to the plate. True, all three runs were unearned (though
on Bannister's own error), but that was already more runs than the LI offense
had produced all day yesterday, and today LI's bats seemed even more inept. In fact, Charlie
Hough had LI batters flailing helplessly right through the order, not only
retiring the first nine batters in order, but fanning four of them! Fortunately for LI though, Bannister had
settled in, and as we headed to the home 4th, the score remained only
3-0. With 1 out, Bill Buckner singled,
breaking up Hough's perfect game and bringing Islanders' All-time great Andre
Dawson to the plate, and he delivered....lashing a double to put LI on the
board. The 5th inning would
become huge...for both teams. Harbor
Beach finally got to Bannister as Charlie Hough (of all people!) led off with
a double, Howard Johnson walked, and the Combers looked about ready to blow
things WIDE OPEN. Dusty Baker then
drilled a single to right, but Hough ran through a stop sign and was nailed
at the plate. Worse yet for HB, Tony
Pena fired to second to double up Baker and the Isles shutdown what could
have been a huge inning for the visiting Beach Combers when Bannister got
Durham on an easy fly to left to end the inning. Long time Islander
favorite the "Penguin" Ron Cey led off the home 5th with a long
blast to left and suddenly it was
a1-run game. And just as
suddenly, it was over...or at least it seemed to be. Team Viewer froze; the teams and the fully
packed stands full of fans could converse, but the game seemed frozen to all
except the host. After a bit of a
delay, it was determined that everyone would have to be evacuated, and the
stadium was shut down. New invites went out,
the fans again flocked to the stadium....in fact several addition fans had to
be turned away from the totally sold out park....and the game resumed. Tony Pena flied out, but Julio Cruz singled
bringing the pitcher's spot to the plate....Bannister had yet to allow an
earned run, but with a fully rested pen and the tying run on base, LI
summoned Don Money to bat....."D. MONEY facing C. HOUGH, B 5th, 1 Out,
Runner on 1st, Behind 2-3 ... CRUZ well off first ... the pitch ... this one
is hit ... it may carry ... it's way back ... say good-bye ... home run for
MONEY ... and two runs score. Combers
3, Islanders 4" The Isles had their
first lead of the series, but not for long.
Jesse Orosco came on to pitch the 6th and
Pedro Guerrero greeted him with a game tying HR. Orosco fanned the
next batter, but after a walk to Terry Kennedy, Gary Lavelle was summoned to
face Frank White. Good call. Lavelle induced White to bounce into an
inning ending 6-4-3 DP and we headed to the home 6th. Yesterday it was
Harbor Beach's offense that was seemingly unstoppable; today it would be LI's
bat that suddenly exploded. Andre
Dawson led off the 6th with a HR (his second of the series) to make it 5-4
LI. A single and a walk would bring
Ron Cey to the plate and he unloaded on a Bob Stanley offering (his 2nd HR of
the game) and LI had a comfortable 8-4 lead with Steve Bedrosian
on to close it out. But after the day's
earlier rain delay which pushed back the time of today's Team Viewer start,
the wind must have been blowing out.
Pedro Guerrero smacked his 2nd HR of the game (the 6th overall in the
contest) in the 8th, but Harbor Beach still trailed by 3 heading into the
9th. No problem. Problem! Top 9th....one quick out, then...."F.
WHITE facing S. BEDROSIAN, T 9th, 1 Out, Bases Empty, Behind 5-8. To the
plate ... on the corner ... no! ... the ump says it missed ... sure looked
good from here ...but it's a walk ... and Frank takes first ... that was
WHITE's first walk of the series ... Combers skipper walking down the bench
... h's recalling pitcher REARDON ... Fred LYNN will pinch hit for him ...
bats left ... he grabs a bat ... he'll take his time getting to the box ...
LYNN facing S. BEDROSIAN, T 9th, 1 Out, Runner on 1st, Behind 5-8. BEDROSIAN brings it to the plate ... base
hit right field ... BUTLER's after it ... spears it on one hop ... WHITE's
around second ... but the coach flashes the stop sign ... WHITE stops at
second ... as the throw comes in ... and Fred has himself a single ... for
Fred LYNN, his 3rd hit of the series.
Combers skipper walking down the bench. He's going to his bench ... they're
replacing Lenny FAEDO ... Lee MAY is enlisted to hit for him ... bats right
... he wheels out with a wagon spoke ... and heads toward the plate." For those of you
scoring at home, May represents the tying run. He also carries a .505 Slg
and .905 OPS on the ML season. Most
fans are expecting another LI pitching change (even 37 years ago I had a
reputation!) but Bedrosian remains in....May swings
and pops it back toward the screen....and Pena makes the catch. Two out.
Howard Johnson steps in and lines a shot toward second .... that Cruz
snares for the 3rd out. Isles win 8-5; series
tied at a game apiece. The series
shifts to Harbor Beach and will resume at 11:00 EDT tomorrow. We've had overflow crowds both games, so
watch for your T.V. invitation then. Bob Wood (2020) - The gates opened
early in the lake-front village, as the defending 1982 TCBA Champion Combers
returned home, tied with the Islanders in the opening round of the playoffs. Comber bats have been
booming thus far, with 11 doubles and five home runs to their credit, but
Long Island outslugged the Michiganders in the 2nd game (4 homers and 6 xb hits to 3 & 5) to even the series. L.J. Honeycutt, Gerry
Hobbs, super-scout Larry Smith and baseball commissioner Frank Tedeschi were
among the audience on Team Viewer as Rick Sutcliffe and southpaw Jerry Koosman carried the hopes of their teams to the slab. Long Island used only
two outs before striking, as Tom Brunansky singled
to open the scoring, before racing home on a 3-base hit by Cal Ripken - the
first triple by either team in the series. Cecil Cooper led off
the Comber 2nd with his 1st home run of the series to cut the lead in
half. With the bases loaded, Koosman was called back, as Howard Johnson pinch hit for
the left hander. HoJo
tied the game with a single. Terry Puhl made a leaping catch of Dusty Baker's long drive,
limiting the damage to a SF that put HB in front, 3-2. Jack Morris took the
mound for the Combers. Andre
"Hawk" Dawson singled with one out, stole 2nd base, but was thrown
out at 3rd while trying to advance on the overthrow. Pedro Guerrero homered
in the Harbor Beach 3rd, 4-2, his 4th home run of the series (!) Sutcliffe picked Terry Kennedy (now
7-for-10 in the series) off 1st base to end the inning. Ron "The
Penguin" Cey homered in the top of the 4th, cutting the lead to
4-3. That was the 3rd homer of the
series for the Penguin, Frank
"Academy" White led off the Comber 4th with his 1st home run, 5-3,
reducing Sutcliffe in grade. In the top of the
5th, Terry Puhl singled, but was thrown out
stealing by Kennedy to end that threat. Mike Armstrong
relieved and kept it close for the Islanders, pitching three innings of 1-hit
shutout ball, but Morris matched him, zero for zero. Greg Minton pitched a
perfect 8th inning for the Combers.
Jesse Orosco answered with a scoreless 8th
on the mound for the Islanders. Top of the 9th. Billy Buckner bounced back to Minton for
the 1st out, but the Hawk, Andre Dawson, doubled, bringing the tying run to
the plate. Don Money, already with a
pinch-hit home run in the series, was sent to the plate to bat for Bruno, Tom
Brunansky (hitting .143). Money just missed it,
popping it "a mile high" while fouling out to Kennedy. That left Cal Ripken,
who had tripled in the 1st inning, as the last hope. The plate umpire, who
took heat early from the Comber bench, made this call: …strike three on the
outside corner ... MINTON slipped one by him ... and RIPKEN is enraged he doesn't like that
called strike ... but he'll have to live with it ... and that's it LI 3-6-0
LP-Rick Sutcliffe (0-1) HB 5-9-0 WP-Jack Morris (1-0) SV-Greg Minton #1 The series is
scheduled to resume on Saturday at 11 am EDT.
Tickets are hard to get, and will be filled on a "first come,
first served" basis on Team Viewer. Bob Wood (2020) - After alternating wins in the first three
games, the Combers of Harbor Beach looked to string together the first two
game win streak of the series. For their part, the Islanders were
facing an almost “must” win if they were to avoid finding themselves on the
brink of elimination. For the first time this series, there were some
empty seats at the park….and they missed a thriller! For
Long Island, it would be Jim Clancy, coming back on just two days’ rest,
while Harbor Beach would counter with Bill Gullickson. As they had in
two of the first three games, HB broke to an early lead when Cecil Cooper
delivered a 2-out single to give the hometown Beach Combers a 1-0 lead. But
that lead would be very short lived as Tom Brunansky
led off the LI 2nd with a mammoth blast over the CF wall to tie
the game at a run apiece. Cal Ripken followed with a single, and after
a ground out, Tony Pena lined a single up the middle. Fred Lynn fielded
the ball as Ripken streaked toward home…Lynn threw toward home as Pena
continued toward second. With the first big call of the contest, the Combers
cut off Lynn’s throw, nailing Pena at 2nd as LI took a 2-1 lead. In
the 3rd, LI padded their lead when with one out, Tom Brunansky brought home Terry Puhl
with a sac fly. And that’s where it stayed….until the 6th.
Pedro Guerrero, who’s been a one-man wrecking crew for Harbor Beach, led off
and blasted his FIFTH HR of the series to pull the Combers back within
a run. A seemingly shaken Clancy walked the next batter, but a fly ball
and a 6-4-3 DP got LI out of trouble as the game moved to the 7th
with HB trailing by a run, 3-2. With
Clancy due to lead off, LI called upon Gary Roenicke to PH, and he drew a
walk, and the speedy Tony Scott came on as a pinch runner. Terry Puhl, who’d doubled earlier then delivered a perfectly
placed H&R single, putting runners on the corners with none out and LI
poised to blow the game open. Bill Buckner stepped to the plate and
slammed a liner toward right, but HB second baseman Frank White snared the
drive and doubled Puhl off first. You could
almost hear the air go out of the Islander team. Tony Scott
still danced off third, as Andre Dawson stepped to the plate. Neil
Allen continued to go into the windup…..and finally Scott broke for the
plate! ….. “SCOTT's stealing home! ...
Here's the pitch ... high and outside ... and he's…..SAFE! ....The hand got
in ... his teammates are out to congratulate him!” One
pitch later, Dawson would swing and miss, but LI had scored a seemingly big
insurance run. And Harbor Beach still had nine outs to go before the
visitors could claim the win. Gary Lavelle came on for LI in the bottom
of the 7th, and HB immediately took advantage. Bob Bailey
led off with a pinch double and Lee May came to bat for Neil Allen and lifted
a fly ball to Brunansky in right. Now it was
time for HB to get aggressive on the bases. Bailor tagged up… “the
coach is waving him to third ... here comes the throw ... and he's ... out by
inches! Go to town, Islanders! ... they give the Combers a baserunning
lesson!... and the aggressive baserunning does not pay off ... two away.” A
missed opportunity, perhaps, but HB still had two more innings to try getting
back in it, and in the 8th, they again began to rally. With
1 out in the 8th, Fred Lynn doubled, bringing Pedro Guerrero (he
of the 5 HR’s to the plate). “Here comes the pitch ...
GUERRERO smacks it ... it's toward the gap in right center … it's in there
for a hit ... DAWSON hustles over for it ... LYNN is digging …he screams
around third ... he ran right through the red light ... here's the throw …the
play at the plate ... what a throw! ... oh, out by inches! ... go to town,
Islanders! They cut off the run at the plate! ... LYNN just doesn't
have the wheels for that. What was he thinking about? ... Two away! ...
and GUERRERO ends up at second.” Could
Long Island continue to escape disaster? After going down in order in
the top of the 9th, LI was just 3 outs away from tying the
series. Terry Kennedy led off the 9th for HB and cracked his
5th double of the series to get things started. Frank White
followed and singled to right; runners on the corners, none out and the
winning run stepping to the plate in the person of Bob Bailor. Bedrosian delivered and Bailor lifted a fly to
left…down by two runs, it was not nearly deep enough. Tony Gwynn was
announced as a PH’er for the Combers, and the Isles
countered with the lefty Jesses Orosco. Tying
run on first, winning run at the plate ...Gwynn swings and lifts a fly ball
toward left...the leftfielder Moore backpedals...and takes it in! Two
out, but Dusty Baker, already with two hits on the afternoon and a .375
average on the series steps to the plate…Here’s the call... “The offering ... banged to left center ... MOORE's running to the
gap...the runners are off with the crack of the bat... Charlie Moore (a late
substitution) races toward center... ….and takes it in!” Long Island wins 4-2 and evens the series at two games
apiece. Bob Wood (2020) – Harbor Beach was dressed in the city's finest as they closed
out the Michigan part of the series before a full crowd (Jeff, LJ, Larry and
Al) on Team Viewer. Tied at two wins apiece, both clubs knew how
critical this game would be. The Combers had their ace, Joaquin
Andujar on the mound, opposed by Hall-of-Famer Fergie Jenkins of the
Islanders. Both hurlers dominated the early
going. In the 3rd inning, Andujar reached on a fielder's choice.
With 2 outs, Cuckoo Jar came rounding 3rd base on a Freddie Lynn single: * F. LYNN facing F. JENKINS, B 3rd, 2 Outs, 1st and 2nd,
Tied 0-0 The runners take
their lead ... the pitch ... stroked solidly to left field ... base hit ROENICKE's racing
over ... ANDUJAR's rounding third ... he's headed for home ... flying the throw ...
collision ... SAFE!...PENA dropped the throw ANDUJAR plowed into
him hard and knocked the ball loose ... unbelievable! ANDUJAR was flying
down the line ... BAKER's in at third ... LYNN ends up at second score that an error
on PENA Islander nemesis Pedro Guerrero
followed with an RBI single to make it 2-0. In the bottom of the 5th inning,
Cuckoo Jar again made an impact: * J. ANDUJAR facing F. JENKINS, B 5th, 1 Out, Bases Empty,
Ahead 2-0 The pitch to ANDUJAR
... ripped to right ... base hit ... it's rolling down the line PUHL is there ...
and he kicks the ball away ... ANDUJAR's digging ... he rounds second he's headed for
third ... they're waving him home ... here comes PUHL's throw ... BUCKNER's relay SAFE!...high throw
... a run scores ... oh man, what a play ... score that a double that's an error on
Terry PUHL Andujar circles the bases (!) and
it's 3-0 Combers. But, will it take anything out of Andujar? In the next half inning, Julio
Cruz draws a lead-off walk, as Andujar misses the strike zone. Islander
secret weapon Don Money is sent to the plate to hit for Jenkins. For
the 2nd time in the series, the clutch pinch hitter delivers: * D. MONEY facing J. ANDUJAR, T 6th, No Outs, Runner on
1st, Behind 0-3 ANDUJAR comes to the
plate ... he goes the opposite way ... high fly deep to right BAKER got a good
jump ... he's at the warning track ... say good-bye to this one...it's gone! home run for MONEY
... and two runs score Islanders 2, Combers
3 In the top of the 7th, Cal Ripken
guesses first pitch fast ball: * C. RIPKEN facing J. ANDUJAR, T 7th, No Outs, Bases Empty,
Behind 2-3 The pitch ... and
RIPKEN takes ANDUJAR for a ride ... going back is DURHAM ... he'll look but he won't touch
it ... it's long gone! Islanders 3, Combers
3 Inspired, Gary Roenicke follows
with a base on balls. Ron "Penguin" Cey flies to RF for the
1st out of the inning, prompting skipper Jim McEneaney to send Tony Scott to
pinch run for Roenicke. Tony Pena, he of the dropped tag in the 3rd
inning, has a chance to redeem himself. With Scott moving, Tony bounces
out, and the Islanders have the go-ahead run in scoring position. Tom Brunansky
is sent to the plate to pinch hit for Julio Cruz, but Andujar intentionally
walks Bruno, whereupon the Islanders send Bill Nahorodny
(1 for 1 this series) to the plate to bat for Jesse Orosco.
Nahorodny pulled the ball, but Pedro Guerrero made
the play for an inning ending 5-4 FC. Steve Bedrosian
takes the mound for the 4th time in the series, as the fans enjoy the 7th
inning stretch. Strikeout, strikeout, fly out to CF makes short work of
the Combers. Andujar retires Puhl, leading off the 8th inning, as Terry Kennedy makes
a nice catch on the edge of the dugout. That brings up Islander
favorite, Bill Buckner. Billy Buck tried to do a little
too much: * B. BUCKNER facing J. ANDUJAR, T 8th, 1 Out, Bases Empty,
Tied 3-3 The delivery ...
it's hit hard over third ... just out of reach ... DURHAM's racing to the
line BUCKNER rounds first
... he's headed for second ... the throw ... the tag ... the ump signals out! ... they get
him trying to stretch it ... for the second out score that a single
for Bill BUCKNER ... go to town, Combers! they knock out the
go-ahead run! ... BUCKNER just doesn't have the wheels for that A ground out ended the top of the
8th, and Bedrosian continued to mow down the Comber
hitters, quickly getting a foul pop out and a strikeout, before Pedro
Guerrero - who already has 5 home runs in the series - to the plate.
Here's the pitch: BEDROSIAN deals ... high fly ball to center ... DAWSON
drifts back ... he's at the warning
track taps the glove ...
and brings it down ... three down Cal Ripken, who homered in the 7th
to tie the score, draws a lead-off walk. Substitute second baseman Brian
Giles bunts him into scoring position. The Penguin "fisted one to
RF" for the 2nd out, bringing up Tony Pena. Islander fans were hoping that
Pena could make pay-back for his 3rd inning dropped tag, but a weak roller to
shortstop ended the inning. Bottom of the 9th. Series
tied at 2-2. Game tied at 3-3. And Bedrock Bedrosian
remains at the top of his game - strikeout, pop out, strikeout! And on we go into extra innings. Tom Brunansky
leads off with a walk and is replaced by pinch runner Brett Butler. Bedrosian is replaced at bat by pinch hitter Tim Foli. On the hit & run, Foli
drove the ball to deep LF, but Leon Durham ran it down, as Butler retreated
to 1st base. Islander favorite Billy Buckner
stepped to the plate. Andujar, worried about Butler,
threw not once, but twice to 1st base, hoping to keep the Islander close to
the bag. Finally, he threw to the plate: here's the delivery ... swung on ... strike! ... BUTLER is
trying for the steal MAKE THROW? (1-yes*,
2-no) KENNEDY strongarms
it down there ... nails him! ... that kills the go ahead run ... side retired
Long Island entrusted
mound duties to Mike Armstrong, who picked up right where Bedrosian
left off, quickly registering a pair of strikeouts. But then trouble
appeared: * D. BAKER facing M. ARMSTRONG, B 10th, 2 Outs, Bases
Empty, Tied 3-3 ARMSTRONG fires it
in ... high, high pop fly ... this one'll bring rain CEY and PENA
converge near the line ... PENA is calling off CEY ... and they collide! PENA drops it! ...
right to CEY! ... but he can't hold it ... what? ... Tony PENA takes the E and BAKER is on at
first ... and that's his 2nd error in the game the Islanders have
now committed 3 errors ... so the Combers have an opening the game-winner is
now at first Everyone in the
ballpark was happy that both Cey and Pena were okay, but that was a tough
call, charging Pena with his 2nd error of the afternoon. With
left-handed hitting Leon Durham at the plate, the Islanders countered with
southpaw Gary Lavelle from the bullpen. Harbor Beach replaced
Dusty Baker with the faster Bob Bailor, who promptly attempted to steal 2nd
base. But Tony Pena had had enough: BAILOR two full strides off first ... now the delivery ...
swung on ... strike! now BAILOR is
sprinting toward second MAKE THROW? (1-yes*,
2-no) PENA with the quick
release ... the sweep tag ... and they nail him! that kills the go
ahead run ... three down On we went to the 11th
inning. Could Andujar continue to be effective? Buckner flew out to CF Dawson flew out to LF Ripken, he of the
game-tying home run in the 7th, LINED out to Cooper at 1st base. Bottom of the 11th,
and the Islander bullpen continues to shine, as LaVelle
registers a ground out, fly out and strikeout. Top of the 12th
inning, and Andujar is still on the mound for Harbor Beach. Two quick
ground outs bring up the maligned Tony Pena, who continues to act like a
professional: * T. PENA facing J. ANDUJAR, T 12th, 2 Outs, Bases Empty,
Tied 3-3 He comes home ...
yanked toward short ... BAILOR dives ... and it's through ... single for PENA the go ahead run has
reached ... for Tony PENA, his 4th hit of the series Pena is a good
soldier. He follows orders. The coach says run, you run: * B. BUTLER facing J. ANDUJAR, T 12th, 2 Outs, Runner on 1st,
Tied 3-3 Big hole on the
right side ... PENA not wandering too far ... here's the pitch from ANDUJAR swung on ... strike!
... PENA is trying for the steal ... good jump MAKE THROW? (1-yes*,
2-no) here's the peg from
KENNEDY ... BAILOR tags him out ... and that costs them a lead-getter it's getting late
... and they're trying to make something happen ... they read him all the way and that's the
Islanders 2nd time caught stealing ... that's three away It's the bottom of the
12th, and the Islanders turn to Bruce Berenyi to
continue their bullpen magic. But, Berenyi is a
"starter" Cecil Cooper lines a
single into RF. Terry Kennedy, hoping to bunt, waits for a pitch
to bunt that never comes, drawing a base on balls. That brings Frank
"Academy" White to the plate. * F. WHITE facing B. BERENYI, B 12th, No Outs, 1st and 2nd,
Tied 3-3 The runners take
their lead ... BERENYI deals ... this one could have wings ... up ... up! and away! ... it's
all over ... a three-run shot to left that pitch was right
in his wheelhouse And, just like that,
the game is over, and the teams are headed to Long Island, where the
Islanders will have to "win or go home". Tentatively
scheduled for Tuesday at 11 EDT, the threat of real-life interfering with the
scheduled start may postpone action until Wednesday. Stay tuned LI
3-5-3 LP-Bruce Berenyi (0-1) HB 6-9-0
WP-Joaquin Andujar (2-0) 12 innings 0 outs runs
scored
Bob Wood (2020) - The Islanders would have their backs to the
wall, facing elimination in Game Six, but hoped to give their owner a nice
Anniversary present. Floyd Bannister, who
gave up no earned runs in five innings of work in the Islander victory in the
2nd game of the series, would face knuckleballer Charlie Hough, who had
breezed through the Islander batting order the first time through the lineup
in that 2nd game, before allowing home runs in the next two innings of
work. After a quiet 1st
inning, the Combers struck first, in familiar fashion, as Tony Pena dropped
another tag at the plate in the 2nd inning. With the bases
loaded, with 1 out in the top of the 3rd, Harbor Beach scored again when
Pedro Guerrero beat out a potential inning ending GDP, 2-0. Long Island, with
their 2nd look at Hough, turned to unlikely power sources - the Killer P's -
Terry Puhl (#1 in the 4th) and Tony Pena (#1 in the
5th) to tie the score Harbor Beach went to
the bullpen, with a runner on 3rd and 1 out in the 6th inning, but Don Money
greeted reliever Neil Allen with a tie-breaking single to give the
Anniversary celebrating Islander owner a lead. Pinch hitter Gary
Roenicke singled home an insurance run in the bottom of the 7th, and the
Islander bullpen proceeded to mow down the Comber hitters, forcing a 7th game
tomorrow --- same Bat Station, same Bat Time. HB 2-6-1
LP-Charlie Hough (0-2) LI
4-9-1 WP-Floyd Bannister (1-0) SV-Gary LaVelle
#1 For the finale, it
will be Jim Clancy, making his 3rd start of the series for Long Island, with
Jack Morris, making his 2nd appearance, and 1st start, for Harbor Beach.
Jim McEneaney (2020) - There was an overflow crowd once
again as Harbor Beach and Long Island squared off for game 7 of their series
that had seen the teams alternate wins, a sequence that Long Island was
hoping to change this morning. Jim Clancy, who had split two previous starts was on the mound
for LI while Jack Morris, who'd pick up a win in relief in game 3 took the
mound for HB. In the home first, Don Money again provided the offensive spark
for LI, driving home Bill Buckner with a 2-out single to give LI a 1-0 lead,
a lead that would be quite short lived. In the 2nd, Bob Bailor
delivered his own 2 out single for the Combers, tying the game at one with a
sac fly. But short lived was that tie as well. Cal Ripken led off
the home 2nd with his 2nd triple of the series and LI retook the lead on
another sac fly, this by Tony Pena. Ironically, in a series that had seen neither team able to put
together back to back wins, two factors that really seemed to define the
series were "momentum" and "streaks." LI's Don
Money (among others as we'll note later) was clearly one of those who
personified these factors. The seldom used Money had delivered a big PH
2-run HR in game 2 that had helped propel LI to their first win of the
series. Then in game 5 he duplicated the feat with yet another PH 2-run
blast. With LI facing a must win in game 6, Money got his first start
of the series replacing Julio Cruz at 2B. Again, Money responded with a
hit and an RBI, so it was not surprising that he again took the replaced Cruz
in today's game. Money already had an RBI single in the 1st, but after an Andre
Dawson triple in the 3rd, Money again stepped to the plate and crushed a Jack
Morris offering deep over the CF fence for his 3rd HR of the series, giving
LI a 4-1 lead. But Harbor Beach was in no way ready to hoist up a white
flag. Singles by Frank White (he of the 12th inning walk off HR in game
5) and Bob Bailor brought PH'er Lee May to the
plate as a pinch hitter in the 4th. May took Clancy's offering deep to
left.... ...but not deep enough. But still deep enough to score White and
make it a 2-run game. Then in the 5th, HB's Fred Lynn (perhaps original
Harbor Beach skipper Dick Gorney's favorite all
time player) drew a walk, bring the series' leading slugger Pedro Guerrero to
the plate. Guerrero (who speaking of streaks) had blasted FIVE HR's in
the first four games of the series, and he now stepped to the plate
representing the go ahead run. Clancy looked in and delivered...."GUERRERO
bruises one ... heading for the gap in left center ... but PUHL flags it
down on the first bounce ... LYNN rounds second (TRY FOR THIRD?)
... but the third base coach is on the job ... and he puts on the brakes
... as the throw comes in ... and GUERRERO has a single ... the tying
run is now at second base ... for Pedro GUERRERO, his 10th hit of the
series." Still, the Beach Combers looked to be in business with none out
and the tying and go ahead runs on base. Cecil Cooper (also batting
well over .300) lofted a routine fly to Dawson in CF...one out. And up
stepped HB catcher Terry Kennedy who had been unstoppable in the early part
of the series, actually averaging .583 in those first three games.
Perhaps surprisingly LI elected NOT to go to the pen, and Clancy got Kennedy
to swing at an off-speed pitch...two out. And up stepped Frank White
who (the last time he'd batted with two men on) had crushed that game winning
walk off. But not this time. White flied to right and LI had
escaped the threat. The score remained 4-3 until that man again (Don Money!) led off
the 6th with a double (his 3rd hit of the game). Two batters later,
another streaking batter (Ron Cey) crushed his 4th HR of the series to give
LI a 6-3 lead. But Harbor Beach refused to yield....An 8th inning
double by Terry Kennedy and a single by Bob Bailor again had HB positioned with
thegh tying run at the plate as Tony Gwynn stepped
to the plate as a PH'er. Jesse Orosco replaced Mike Armstrong…"Islanders playing
for the double play ... runner with a good lead off third ... now the
delivery ... high drive ... PUHL's going back ... it's playable ... he's
under it ... and he pulls it in." The runner scores from 3rd
making it 6-4 but HB still had the tying run coming to the plate in the
person of Dusty Baker who put a charge into Orosco's
next pitch, but Andre Dawson was there to make the catch ending the
threat. LI went down quietly in the 8th (even Don Money, who was just a
triple shy of the cycle, could only manage a line drive out). Harbor Beach still had 3 outs to try getting those two additional
runs to tie things, Orosco and Lavelle worked a
clean 9th as LI became the first team this series to put together consecutive
wins and will now move on to the World Series (just 37 years late) sometime
next week against Mimosa. On a personal note, I'd really like to thank
Bob Wood for seven days of baseball related entertainment and good
conversation at a time when such things are pretty scarce. And to the
"overflow" crowds on team viewer throughout the week and a
half. Maybe not quite like Harrisburg in March, but still fun; thanks
for being a part of the series. A few notes on the series...It was a tale of not two cities, but
two streaks for Harbor Beach offensive stars Pedro Guerrero and Terry
Kennedy. As hot as they were in games 1-4, their momentum shifted
abruptly in games 5-7: Guerrero
8-17, 5 HR to 2-13 0 HR Kennedy 8-16 to 1-12 For LI their offensive leaders were: Don Money 6-13 (.462) 3 HR 8 RBI Andre Dawson 9-29 (.310) 2 each--doubles,
triples, HR's Ron Cey (only .192, but 4 HR's) For the series Harbor Beach had 23 doubles and 11 HR's (that
included 11 XBH's in game 1). Long Island had only 24 XBH's on the
series, but they included 13 HR's in the 7 games...not quite 2019 stats, but
close. Long Island's bullpen, perhaps foreshadowing their "Bullpen
Mafia" of the recent 2020 postseason, saw their four relievers
(excluding normal starter Bruce Berenyi who got
hammered in a couple of relief appearances) make 20 appearances covering 24
IP while allowing just 3 runs for a 1.35 ERA while collecting a win and saves
in all four Islander wins. Jim McEneaney (2020) - {The following is rather lengthy, but
if I may be so bold, it's well worth reading. It would have been sent
out a lot earlier today, but I spent about 3 hours at the hospital this
afternoon. Not me, and not Covid-19, but my brother, and he is now just
fine, but it was a day that took more than a few unexpected turns after a
most pleasant morning. Hope you enjoy.} After a hard fought semi final against
Harbor Beach, the Islanders of Long Island welcomed the Mirth Makers of
Mimosa before a full house that included fellow GM's Jeff & Gerry Hobbs,
and Al Keefer for what turned out to be yet another thrilling contest of
something called "baseball," a sport that was once played some 37
years ago (and even more recently than that I'm told). Anyway, as the crowd filed in, those that may have been caught
in something once known as a "traffic jam" missed an absolutely
"incredible" (an adjective frequently overused by at least one
contemporary politician) 1st inning. Long Island had failed to post a clean opening inning throughout
their earlier series against HB, and today was no different. After a
1-out infield single by Rickey Henderson and a H&R single by Rod Carew
(don't you just love the nostalgia of these names!) put runners on the
corners, Clancy reared back and fanned Doug DeCinces,
and man, was he pumped! Maybe too pumped....Clancy overthrew the next
pitch, which bounced all the way to the backstop and up the line. Not
only did Henderson score, but Carew raced all the way to 3rd, and scored just
one pitch later when Lee Lacy ripped a single to right, making it 2-0 Mirthmakers before the Isles had even come to bat. But Long Island was not about to wave any white flags....Gary
Roenicke led off with a single and Islander favorite Bill Buckner stepped to
the plate.... "BUCKNER facing J. REUSS, B 1st, No Outs, Runner on
1st, Behind 0-2 ... REUSS into his motion ... delivers ... and a long
drive to right ... he buried it! ... he buried it! That blast had a
stewardess on board! ... a two-run dinger." And LI didn't stop
there....Andre Dawson followed with a single and stole second. But that
was it. Reuss escaped further trouble and the game moved to the 2nd as
the crowds continued to pour in. In the 2nd, Mimosa would pick up right where they had left
off. A walk and a single put runners on the corners, and after Clancy
fanned the MI pitcher, Joe Morgan laced a double over Dawson's head putting
Mimosa back on top with two more runners in scoring position. Ricky
Henderson stepped to the plate.... "CLANCY watching GRIFFIN at third ...
the pitch is on the way....HENDERSON wallops this one to center field ... it
might be out of here ... DAWSON is to the wall ... he has no more room
... he's looking up ... leaps ... and grabs it! That one was over the
wall ... but DAWSON brought it back in for the out .. and the runners
scramble back {Ed. Note:--why is the runner on 3rd scrambling back instead of
just waiting on the bag? Oh yeah..it's the bizzaro world of the Millers!}... both runners tag ...
they're waving GRIFFIN in ... here comes the throw home ... here's
the play at the plate ... and he's ... in standing." Having a
tough time visualizing all of this, but one thing is clear...Mimosa leads
4-2, and Long Island is pleased that it's no worse than that. The top of the 3rd was memorable for a variety of reasons.
DeCinces led off with a broken bat fly to left... "ROENICKE
coming on ... dives for it ... and makes the catch! DeCINCES's racing to second ... he's there ... time
called. He's arguing with the ump ... the ump signals hit! ... He
trapped it!" WHAT!? There's no replay!
The ump changed his call??? Not sure if the hometown fans were more
stunned or more livid, but Mimosa had a chance to blow it open, but this time
Clancy settled in, retiring the next two batters before Ken Landreaux ripped a single to left.... "ROENICKE's
after it ... toward the gap ... DeCINCES's
well around third {TRY TO SCORE?} They're waving DeCINCES
in. {THROW HOME?--never in real life, but in the land of the
Millers...} Here comes the throw home. {TRY FOR SECOND ON THROW?}
LANDREAUX's going for second. {CUT IT TO SECOND?--again, it is bizzaro world, so NO} Here's the play at the plate ...
and he's ... out by inches! ... oh, those, Islanders....they nip him trying
to score ... the coach was waving him on with two outs has his boys running ... but he comes up short here."
Larry--you didn't deserve that! Of course, the ump shouldn't have
changed his call, but bizzaro and all that..... Anyway, maybe none of it would matter. After LI had
started its own 1st inning with three straight hits, Jerry Reuss completely
shut the Isles down, retiring the next 16 Islanders in order. But then,
trailing 4-2 with one out in the 6th, Bill Buckner looped a Texas
League single to right. Dawson struck out, but Tom Brunansky
ripped a double to left. OK, 2-out, a fairly slow Buckner chugging toward home...more
"TRY TO SCORE?" options. I probably should have known better,
but we send Billy Buck home.....here comes the throw...and Buckner
scores! Ripken follows with a single, and just that suddenly it's tied
at 4. In the 7th, Tony Pena leads off with a double and advances to
3rd on a sac bunt. Don Money, the offensive hero of the semi's bats as
a PH'er, but he takes a called 3rd strike (as MI's
Caudill is pumped!), but Gary Roenicke singles, and LI has their first lead
of the game, 5-4. Top 9--LI is clinging to a 1-run lead, but Joe Morgan leads off
with a walk. Rickey Henderson steps up....Morgan breaks for
2nd...Rickey slaps a shot down the 1srt base line....Buckner knocks it down,
but has no play! Runners on 1st and 2nd, none out, Rod Carew at the
plate. Mimosa calls for a sacrifice...it's good. The tying and go
ahead runs are in scoring position...DeCinces to
bat....He lifts a fly to left... "PUHL drifts over toward the line
... he's under it ... and makes the catch ... both runners are
tagging." OK...after all those earlier choices in the game,
both managers have had to make, WHAT WOULD YOU DO? Chew on that a while. I know Larry did. And I know I
did when Larry said, "Yes, try to score." And then again when
Larry answered, "Yes, try for 3rd on the throw." AGAIN, MY
FRIENDS, WHAT WOULD YOU DO? I guess it would be cruel to say something like, "Tune in
tomorrow to find out......" but I suspect that would rightfully just
piss off everyone, so let it be known that MI did try to score, and LI then
did decide not to cut it off..... ....And Morgan scored! "...just outran the
ball" and "...slid around the tag." And the game was
tied at 5, and Mimosa still had a runner (Rickey Henderson!) on 3rd with 2
out, and yes, LI did elect to pitch from the stretch. And Lee Lacy
swung for the fences, but got "just a bit under it" as the right
fielder Tony Scott caught it for the 3rd out. And LI would again go
down in order in the 9th, prompting this game script, perhaps the only time
in recent memory that I'll give kudos to the Millers... "GARBER winds
up ... swing and a miss ... and CRUZ is out ... side
retired. GARBER sets them down in order ... this game is 5-5 after
nine ... ain't baseball grand!
We keep playing till we have a winner ... we're going to extra
innings." I honestly don't ever recall seeing a description
even remotely like that, but it was right on target, and off we went to the
10th. Top 10....Mimosa goes down in order. Bottom 10...a quick
out before defensive replacement Tony Scott dribbles a single up the 3rd base
line. Bill Buckner steps to the plate..... "Firstbaseman
CAREW perched right in front of the bag ... the offering ... and a long drive
to right ... it's all over ... oh, man, he buried it! ... That blast had
a stewardess on board! Home run for BUCKNER ... and two runs score ...
Bill trots around the bases... He loves a trip downtown ... he's greeted at
the plate." Now in case you were wondering, that was Buckner's 3rd hit of
the game....3 runs scored, two HR's and 4 RBI. Not a bad day at the
park. And as long as we're doing some time travel here from 2020 back
to 1983, let's make a brief stop in 2019. Below is a picture of the
offensive hero, his manager today, and even LI's scheduled 3rd game starter
as they celebrate today's win just a little over a year ago at a spring game
in Arizona. ************************************************** Game 1 hero Bill Buckner with a grateful Islander skipper Jimmy
Mc. Scheduled game 3 starter Fergie Jenkins waits in the background
(lower left).
Jim
McEneaney (2020)- Another full house, another thriller. Floyd Bannister vs Pete Vukovich, and
this time it'd LI that strikes with the game's first run when Lee Lacy drops
Andre Dawson's fly ball in the first. Isles add another run in the 3rd
on a Gary Roenicke double while Bannister continues to frustrate the Mimosa
offense. Bannister actually keeps putting Mirth Makers on base (4 walks,
5 singles thru 6 innings), but Mimosa keeps stranding runners and LI actually
adds an insurance run in the 7th on a Cal Ripken bloop double. But Mimosa is not ready to roll over, and finally breaks
through--(big time!)--in the 8th. A single and a walk bring the tying
run to the plate for Mimosa, and LI goes to the pen to bring in the lefty
Gary Lavelle to face Alfredo Griffin. With a chance to tie things with
one swing, Mimosa skipper sends Dave Kingman out to bat for Griffin. A
wild pitch puts both runners into scoring position, but Kingman takes a
called 3rd strike, and the switch hitting Butch Wynegar
comes on to bat for the Mimosa pitcher...and draws a walk to load the bases! Mimosa has been leaving a ton of runners on base all afternoon,
but not this time. Rickey Henderson bloops a single to RF to make it
3-2, and Mimosa is not done yet. Rod Carew follows with a single to
left, and suddenly it's a tie ballgame. Lavelle finally retires Lee
Lacy, but the damage has been done. Both teams fail to score in their
next at bats, but with 2 out in the 9th, yesterday's hero, Bill Buckner, rips
a double towards centerfield, and LI has a shot. Mimosa orders an IBB
to Andre Dawson, and Cal Ripken steps to the plate with a chance to send the
hometown fans happy. But Ripken grounds to short, and for the second straight day,
the teams head into extra innings. Both teams put runners on in the
10th, but fail to score, and the game moves into the 11th. Jesse Orosco comes on for LI, and Mimosa sends up Ken Landreaux to bat for Bill Caudill who has given Mimosa
three innings of scoreless relief. Landreaux
draws a walk. Lee Lacy, trying to make up for that big 1st inning error
rips a single to right putting runners on the corners with none out.
And Long Island draws the infield in. Doug DeCinces rips a shot down the
first base line, but Buckner snags the ball for out
number one. Bo Diaz takes a swing but fouls out to the catcher...two
out. Can the Isles escape this one? The infield drops back as
Chet Lemon steps to the plate. Lemon gets an Orosco
pitch that he likes and swings...... .....but misses! Three out, and we move to the home 11th
with LI breathing a BIG SIGH of relief. Don Money, still looking to
repeat his heroics of the Harbor Beach series leads off and cracks a double,
bringing Terry Puhl to the plate. Puhl lays dow a perfect
sacrifice bunt, putting the winning run on 3rd and bringing yesterday's hero,
Bill Buckner to the plate. Tony Scott comes in to run for Money, just
in case there's one of those shallow fly balls...."infield drawn in
... speedy SCOTT edging down the line ... looks at third ... he fakes the
throw ... now the pitcher's back on the rubber ... here's the delivery
... lined hard over CASTINO ... it's all over ... SCOTT scores easily!" And
for the second day in a row, Bill Buckner delivers the walk off hit in extra
innings, this one a single, his third hit of the day. For Mimosa, it was, of course, another frustrating and
heart-breaking loss. Looking back, it can be said that Long Island
actually had several opportunities to notch the win as they left a dozen men
on base in the course of the game. But even more frustratingly, it was
Mimosa that not only had failed to score in the 11th but had actually
stranded FIFTEEN runners in the course of the game. The scene
now shifts to Mimosa where the teams will try completing a game in regulation
time. Will they succeed? Tune in Friday at 4:00pm to find
out. But come early...social distancing will limit the number of fans
who will be admitted. Larry Smith (2020) - After 2 games, it appeared #1 seed Long Island and #2 seed
Mimosa were evenly matched. Long Island had won the first 2 games --- both in
extra innings --- and the teams had similar lines: Long Island: 11 runs, 23 hits, 1 error, 2 double plays, 15 men
left on base Mimosa: 8 runs, 23 hits, 1 error, 2 double plays, 24 men left on
base With the series shifting to Mimosa, the Mirthmakers
were optimistic that they could close the gap at home and force the series to
return to the Island for games 6 and 7. The teams again played in front of a capacity crowd as Hobbs,
Keefer, Hobbs and Wood took their seats. At least one additional fan arrived
too late to get a ticket. The starting pitchers are Fergie Jenkins for the Islanders and Eric
Show for the Mirthmakers. Puhl walks to
open the game. Buckner, who had two hit-and-run homers in game 1, follows
with a hit-and-run single on the next pitch, putting runners on the corners.
And then, Dawson puts the Islanders up 3-0 with a Baltimore special, perhaps
before Woodie even made it through the turnstile. With the bases clear, Show
manages to retire Brunansky, Ripken and Cey. In the home half of the first, Morgan opens with an infield hit
and immediately steals second. Rickie Henderson grounds to short and Ripken
throws wildly to first, allowing Morgan to score and Henderson to reach
first. Henderson then steals second. Carew follows with another infield hit
and the Mirthmakers have runners on the corners
with nobody out. Jenkins gets DeCinces to ground
into a doubleplay, scoring Henderson and making it
3-2 without the Mirthmakers getting the ball out of
the infield. Lacy lines out to end the first inning. Charlie Moore opens the top of the second with a double to
centerfield and advances to third on a Diaz passed ball. Cruz grounds to
second, and with the infield deep, Moore scores and doubles the Islanders
lead. In the bottom of the second, Landreaux
gets Mimosa's third infield hit and third stolen base. He's left stranded and
the score is 4-2 after 2 innings. Show holds the Islanders scoreless over the next 3 innings and
Jenkins returns the favor. Long Island leads 4-2 heading to the sixth inning.
Long Island scores 1 run in the sixth, 2 runs in the seventh and
1 more run in the eighth. It could have been worse for the Mirthmakers as two Islanders were thrown out the plate in
those 3 innings. The calls: J. CRUZ facing R. CAMP, T 6th, No Outs, 2nd and 3rd, Ahead 5-2 Infielders in ... now CAMP comes home with it ... CRUZ puts a
charge into this pitch it might fly ... HENDERSON races back ... to the track ... he
leaps ... he has it! terrific play ... and he gets rid of the ball desperately ...
both runners are tagging they're waving CEY in and MOORE's headed for third here's the play at the plate ... and he's ... OUT!...on a close
play ... double play! he held on to the ball ... oh, those, Mirthmakers
... they nip him trying to score C. RIPKEN facing R. CAMP, T 7th, 1 Out, 1st and 2nd, Ahead 5-2 Now CAMP pitches ... RIPKEN pulls it into left center ... it's a
gapper it's going to roll to the wall ... PUHL will score ... DAWSON's
rounding third they're waving DAWSON in ... GRIFFIN will relay here comes the throw home the coach is waving RIPKEN to third on the throw here's the play at the plate ... and he's ... out!...just missed
getting in and the aggressive baserunning does not pay off ... and RIPKEN
takes third on the throw The Mirthmakers have no answer. In
likely his last TCBA appearance, Jenkins goes the distance, allowing only 1
runner over the final 4 innings and only 1 hit to leave the infield for the
game. He cruises to a 8-2 win and Long Island is only one win from the 1983
championship. Long Island: 8 runs, 13 hits, 1 error Mimosa: 2 runs, 4 hits, 1 error The teams
will take tomorrow off. Game 4 is scheduled for Friday, April 24 at 4:00pm
eastern time. Seats may be hard to find. No brooms allowed. |
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