Louisiana vs. Maine

Game 1 at Louisiana

Maine........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 2 2
Louisiana....... 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 x - 1 8 0
W: Lyons L: Titcomb

Ted Lyons pitched a two-hit shutout and Joe Adcock drove in the game’s only run with a two-out single in the sixth.

Lyons walked four and struck out three, and didn’t allow a base hit after the third inning. Cannonball Titcomb, who gave up six hits over seven innings, matched Lyons with zeroes until the sixth.

Willard Brown singled with one out and moved to second on Albert Belle’s grounder. Adcock followed with a hit to left and Brown beat George Gore’s throw home.

Game 2 at Louisiana

Maine........... 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 6 0
Louisiana....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 - 2 8 0
W: L. Smith L: Ladd
HR: Staub

Maine was two outs away from its own 1-0 victory, but Rusty Staub tied the game with a home run and Louisiana eventually won it in the ninth on Reggie Smith’s single.

Catcher-manager Bill Carrigan singled in a run in the fourth, and it looked like that would hold up for Maine. Starter Carl Willey allowed four hits over six innings, but walked five, and so Carrigan went to the bullpen. Kid Madden pitched a perfect seventh and Pete Ladd came on for the eighth. Ladd stayed in for the ninth and got the first out, but Staub’s homer tied it. George Strickland singled and so did pinch hitter Joe Adcock. Bob Stanley came in to face Reggie Smith, who singled up the middle to win it.

Lee Smith got the victory for Louisiana with two innings of hitless relief, featuring five strikeouts. Starter Ron Guidry only fanned two in seven innings but held Maine to an unearned run and six hits.

Game 3 at Maine

Louisiana....... 0 2 4 0 2 0 0 1 0 - 9 16 1
Maine........... 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 4 10 0
W: Pettitte L: Stanley S: Wilson
HR: Brown, Belle

Willard Brown had four hits, including a homer and triple, and Louisiana rolled this time to take a 3-0 lead in the series.

Bill Dickey was 4-for-4, and Albert Belle homered and drove in three runs to support Andy Pettitte. The left-hander was hit pretty hard, giving up eight hits and four runs, but lasted five innings to pick up the victory. Don Wilson pitched four scoreless relief innings for the save and also singled home a run in the eighth.

Brown homered in the second off Maine starter Bob Stanley and tripled in another run in the four-run third. Stanley, who relieved in Game 2 to poor results, lasted just 2 2/3 innings, allowing six runs and seven hits.

Game 4 at Maine

Louisiana....... 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 2 8 0
Maine........... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 6 1
W: Blue L: Swift S: L. Smith
HR: Ott

This game resembled the first two, and again, Louisiana prevailed to take the series in four straight.

Vida Blue allowed just six hits over eight innings, and Mel Ott’s homer in the fifth was the difference for the Pelicans. Lee Smith struck out two in the ninth for his first save.

Bill Swift pitched well for Maine, giving up just one earned run in five innings. Blue singled in the first run for the winners after Tom Downey’s error moved Rusty Staub up a base after Staub doubled in the second. Maine’s run came in the first on singles by George Gore and Downey followed by a double play.

Heart of a champion

Hard to see any series being better than this one. Start with the starters – Leon Day and Eppa Rixey for Virginia, and Bob Gibson and “Old Pete” Alexander for Nebraska. All four Hall of Famers.

Day pitched extremely well in two of three starts, but walked away 0-2. Rixey was phenomenal both times out, 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA. Except for two Ron Hansen homers, he shut out the Cornhuskers in two games. Alex lost Game 2 despite taking a no-hitter into the seventh, but bounced back to win Game 5 and post a 2.50 ERA. Both were route-going performances.

But Gibson topped them all. Despite control issues in Game 1, he managed to win it, and then he was his usual dominant self in Games 4 and 7. He had a 2.00 ERA, 23 Ks in 27 IP (yes, 3 complete games), and scored the go-ahead run in Game 4 and the winning run in the finale in the last of the ninth. He did it all.

You may ask, why did Gibson start Game 1 and not Alex? A fair question. There are no wrong answers in a project like this, and it’s not exactly a problem for Nebraska. But I could have seen Alex coming out of the bullpen in a seventh game, like in the 1926 World Series, and of course Gibson proved his chops in the ’60s Series for the Cards. Alexander will start the opener against Sandy Koufax and New York, with Gibson returning for Game 3. The bullpen is well rested, having worked just 4 2/3 innings in the entire series.

With all these great pitchers, as one might expect the hitting was somewhat down in this series. Nebraska hit just .232, Virginia .217. Each team was held to three or fewer runs in four of the seven games. Wade Boggs, of course, was immune, pounding out a .429 average (12 for 28) with three doubles, a triple and four RBI. Bob Cerv (.320) and Richie Ashburn (.292) were also solid, with Ashburn driving in the series-winning run.

Virginia, as the cliche goes, can hold its heads high. Johnny Grubb, who appeared in all but one game, hit .444 while Ray Dandridge led the regulars with a .333 average. “Hooks” also tied for the team high with 3 RBI with Jud Wilson and David Wright.

So a great effort from the Virginians, but it is the children of the corn who move on to meet the big boys from New York. Our next series follows the theme of distant opponents as it will match Louisiana against tiny but feisty Maine.

Nebraska vs. Virginia

Game 1 at Nebraska

Virginia........ 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 - 4 7 1
Nebraska........ 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 x - 6 10 1
W: Gibson L: Day

Wade Boggs was 4-for-4, including a double that ignited the winning three-run rally in the eighth, and Bob Gibson went the distance as Nebraska won a back-and-forth opener.

Virginia went ahead 4-3 in the top of the eighth on David Wright’s RBI single, but left the bases loaded as Gibson struck out two in a row to end the inning. Boggs, who had three singles earlier, doubled off Leon Day in the Nebraska eighth. Richie Ashburn walked and Sam Crawford’s single tied the game and knocked out Day. Bob Cerv’s RBI hit off Charlie Ferguson put Nebraska ahead for good and another run scored later on a Granny Hamner error.

Gibson, who got the Game 1 nod over Grover Cleveland Alexander, struggled with his control, walking five. Day doubled in three runs in the fifth for Virginia.

Game 2 at Nebraska

Virginia........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 - 2 5 1
Nebraska........ 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 - 1 8 0
W: Phillippe L: Alexander S: Wagner
HR: Wilson, Crawford

Jud Wilson busted up Grover Cleveland Alexander’s no-hit bid and shutout hopes with a two-run homer in the seventh, and Deacon Phillippe made it stand up to give Virginia a split at Nebraska.

Sam Crawford had given the Cornhuskers a lead with a solo shot in the sixth. Jackie Brandt doubled with one out in the eighth to knock out Phillippe, but Al Holland finished the eighth and Billy Wagner pitched a perfect ninth for the save. Phillippe walked one and struck out one.

Alexander went the distance for Nebraska, walking two and striking out three. One of the walks, Paul Hines, scored on the Wilson homer.

Game 3 at Virginia

Nebraska........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 3 1
Virginia........ 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 x - 1 4 0
W: Rixey L: Harder

Eppa Rixey, another Hall of Fame starting pitcher, won a great duel with Mel Harder to give Virginia a 2-1 series lead.

Rixey walked two and struck out three. The only Cornhusker to get past first base was pinch hitter Cliff Lee, who batted for Harder in the eighth and tripled with two out. But Rixey retired Richie Ashburn to end the inning.

The game’s only run came on Randy Hundley’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the second. Willie Horton and David Wright singled to start the inning and Gene Alley walked to load the bases. Harder gave up just four hits in seven innings, with one walk and three strikeouts.

Game 4 at Virginia

Nebraska........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 4 - 7 11 1
Virginia........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 - 1 7 0
W: Gibson L: Day

Nebraska tied up the series, breaking up another pitchers’ duel with seven runs in the last two innings.

Bob Gibson struck out nine in a complete-game performance, and started the go-ahead rally in the eighth by drawing a walk from Leon Day. Richie Ashburn singled one out later, and Wade Boggs tripled to put Nebraska ahead and knock out Day. Sam Crawford’s sacrifice fly against Nick Cullop made it 3-0.

Virginia finally scored against Gibson in their half of the eighth on a single, a walk and an infield out, but Nebraska finished it off in the ninth with four more runs. Gibson singled in the first run, Johnny Hopp drove in another with a single, Ashburn hit a sacrifice fly and Crawford’s single made it 7-1.

Day, who took a three-hit shutout into the eighth, struck out five and walked three, but lost for the second time in the series.

Game 5 at Virginia

Nebraska........ 0 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 7 13 1
Virginia........ 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 4 6 0
W: Alexander L: Verlander

Grover Cleveland Alexander survived a shaky beginning for the victory, and contributed a two-run single in the second inning as Nebraska took a 3-2 series lead.

The ‘Husker hitters knocked out Justin Verlander in three-plus innings, shelling him for seven hits and all seven runs. Bob Cerv went 4-for-4 and Johnny Hopp drove in three runs for the winners.

Alexander, like Bob Gibson, completed the game for the second time in the series. He gave up six hits, but just two in the last six innings, and one of the four runs was unearned. He walked four and struck out four.

Game 6 at Nebraska

Virginia........ 0 2 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 - 6 14 1
Nebraska........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 - 3 4 0
W: Rixey L: Harder
HR: Hansen 2

Eppa Rixey won for the second time in the series and also drove in three runs with a double and single to give Virginia a chance in a seventh game.

Rixey held Nebraska to four hits, walking one and fanning three. The only Nebraska hitter to solve him was Ron Hansen, who hit a solo homer in the seventh and a two-run shot in the ninth.

Johnny Grubb had four hits and scored three runs for the Virginians, and Ray Dandridge had three hits and drove in a pair of runs. Mel Harder, who pitched very well in Game 3, didn’t have it this time. He was pounded for 13 hits and six runs in 5 1/3 innings.

Game 7 at Nebraska

Virginia........ 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 1 6 0
Nebraska........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 - 2 4 3
W: Gibson L: Wagner
HR: Wilson

Bob Gibson again did it all, striking out 10 and scoring the winning run for his third series victory as Nebraska advanced in a nail-biter.

Gibson and Leon Day hooked up in another great matchup, and Virginia led when Jud Wilson homered in the fifth. Gibson walked six, and Nebraska committed three errors, two by first baseman Johnny Hopp, but Virginia couldn’t take advantage and stranding 12 runners.

Nebraska tied it in the seventh when Richie Ashburn singled and Wade Boggs doubled him in. Day departed for a pinch hitter after the eighth, having given up just three hits and no walks, and closer Billy Wagner took over in the ninth. Gibson, allowed to bat for himself, walked. Hopp sacrificed and Ashburn singled, with Gibson just beating the throw home.

Thome and Co. in a walk

Big Jim Thome powered Illinois to a second-round victory.

Ouch. Illinois scored 30 runs in the series to eight for Venezuela. While Venezuela will continue to improve over the years, they aren’t at the numbers for Illinois, which has sent more than 1,000 players to the big leagues. The Prairie State was seeded low based on a poor round-robin record, but clearly they’re better than the seed and Michigan won’t have an easy time with Illinois in the next round.

Big Jim Thome was an amazing 10-for-18 (.556), with three homers and nine RBI. He also drew five walks for a .652 on-base percentage and posted a 1.111 slugging mark, giving him a revolutionary 1.763 OPS.

Setting the table for Thome were Hall of Famers Rickey Henderson (.400, .520 OB, 8 runs, 4 SB, 4 RBI) and Robin Yount (.429, .500 OB, 6 runs, 4 RBI). Ray Schalk, in the lineup for his defense behind the plate, hit .417 and even contributed a homer.

Henderson and Thome each drew five walks in the series. The entire Venezuelan team drew five walks in the series. Four came in Game 2 against Red Ruffing. Robin Roberts (2-0, 1.00) walked none in two complete games. Illinois had a team WHIP below 1, giving up 36 hits and those five walks in 44 2/3 innings. The staff ERA was 1.21.

Carlos Guillen was the top hitter among those appearing in all five games, at 4-for-10. Andres Galarraga was in the starting lineup for all five and hit the only Venezuela homer, batting .350 and driving in three runs. Magglio Ordonez also drove in three but had just one hit in 18 at-bats.

As for the pitching … well, let’s not even go there. It was mostly bad. The Ozzie Guillen press conferences (he’s the Venezuela manager) would have been interesting, as usual. But it’s not really a bad team, this was just a bad matchup and Illinois was on fire.

On to what promises to be a more interesting series between Nebraska’s two aces (Grover Cleveland Alexander and Bob Gibson) and Virginia, another team with new talent to go with some solid “veterans.”

Illinois vs. Venezuela

Game 1 at Illinois

Venezuela....... 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 - 4 6 2
Illinois........ 2 1 1 2 6 1 0 0 x - 13 19 1
W: Roberts L: Santana
HR: Galarraga

Every Illinois starter had at least one hit in pounding Venezuela starter Johan Santana, and Robin Roberts pitched a strong game for the win.

The top three Illinois batters – Rickey Henderson, Robin Yount and Jim Thome – had three hits apiece, and Red Schoendienst drove in three runs. Roberts got into the act with a hit, RBI and run during the home team’s six-run inning off reliever Kelvim Escobar. Santana exited after four innings, allowing 11 hits, three walks and six runs.

Roberts walked none and struck out four. He gave up a two-out homer to Andres Galarraga after an error in the ninth.

Game 2 at Illinois

Venezuela....... 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 - 2 6 0
Illinois........ 3 0 0 3 0 0 0 2 x - 8 13 0
W: Ruffing L: Zambrano
HR: Thome 3, Yount

Jim Thome went deep three times and drove in six runs, and Robin Yount had four hits including a two-run homer to back Red Ruffing for a 2-0 Illinois series lead.

Rickey Henderson led off with a single and Yount followed with a homer off Venezuela starter Carlos Zambrano. Thome then homered to make it 3-0, and his three-run blast in the fourth chased Zambrano. He added a two-run homer off Ugueth Urbina in the eighth. Thome walked and grounded out in his other trips to the plate.

Ruffing went eight innings, giving up five hits. Magglio Ordonez’s two-run single in the sixth ended the shutout bid.

Game 3 at Venezuela

Illinois........ 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 3 9 1
Venezuela....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 8 0
W: Saberhagen L: Garcia

Bret Saberhagen scattered eight hits and Jim Thome had three more hits to put Illinois within a victory of a sweep.

Thome doubled in a run in the first and singled home another in the third against Freddy Garcia, who kept Venezuela close with help from the bullpen but got no help from his offense.

Robin Yount had two hits and through three games equaled Thome’s series batting average to an incredible .643. Leadoff man Rickey Henderson was hitless, but drew a walk, stole his fourth base of the series and his average “fell” to .545.

Saberhagen pitched around several threats. The biggest came in the fifth when Venezuela loaded the bases with one out. Bobby Abreu hit into a double play, though, to end the inning. Saberhagen walked one and struck out three.

Game 4 at Venezuela

Illinois........ 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 3 0
Venezuela....... 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 - 2 10 1
W: Urbina L: Reuschel

Venezuela prevented a sweep, scoring the winning run on a Jason Isringhausen wild pitch in the last of the ninth.

Carlos Guillen singled off Rick Reuschel in the ninth. Henry Blanco hit into a force play and pinch hitter Pablo Sandoval singled for the 10th hit off Reuschel, sending Blanco to third. Isringhausen relieved and his first – and only – pitch bounced past catcher Ray Schalk, scoring Blanco.

Ugueth Urbina pitched two hitless innings for the win. Venezuela starter Wilson Alvarez held the high-powered Illinois attack to three hits and a run in seven innings.

Game 5 at Venezuela

Illinois........ 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 - 5 6 1
Venezuela....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 6 0
W: Roberts L: Santana
HR: Henderson, Boudreau, Schalk

Robin Roberts pitched a six-hit shutout, walking nobody, and Rickey Henderson hit a three-run homer in the second to propel Illinois into a third-round matchup against Michigan.

Henderson just missed a homer leading off the game against Johan Santana, but in the second, with Schalk and Roberts aboard after two-out hits, Rickey didn’t miss. His blast, along with Lou Boudreau’s solo shot in the fourth, gave Roberts a comfortable cushion. Ray Schalk, not a big home run hitter, also connected off Francisco Rodriguez in the ninth.

Arkansas vs. Twin States

Game 1 at Arkansas

Twin States..... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 5 0
Arkansas........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 6 2
W: Tyler L: D. Dean

Lefty Tyler pitched a six-hitter and Carlton Fisk drove in the only run in the first inning as Twin States ran its winning streak to four games with the road victory.

Twin States won three in a row to rally past Mexico in the first round, and held on behind Tyler’s stellar pitching in this one. He walked one and struck out six, and set the side down in order in the ninth.

Dizzy Dean gave up just five hits, also in going the distance, but Fred Mann doubled to start the game and scored on Fisk’s single. Dean walked three and fanned seven.

Game 2 at Arkansas

Twin States..... 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 - 2 5 0
Arkansas........ 0 0 5 3 0 2 0 1 x - 11 16 0
W: Warneke L: Flanagan
HR: Rolfe, Burrell

Lon Warneke held Twin States to five hits over eight innings, striking out eight, and Arkansas busted out after being blanked in the opener.

Warneke started the home team’s five-run third by drawing a walk from Twin States starter Mike Flanagan. Lou Brock followed with one of his four hits, and a wild pitch finally got Arkansas on the board. Rick Monday later tripled home two runs.

Pat Burrell homered in the fourth off Jean Dubuc for Arkansas.

Game 3 at Twin States

Arkansas........ 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 - 4 6 2
Twin States..... 1 0 1 0 1 2 0 5 x - 10 16 0
W: Carpenter L: Burnett
HR: Monday, Mann

Chris Carpenter pitched five-hit ball over eight innings and eleven Twin States players collected at least one hit to give the hosts a 2-1 series lead.

Carpenter walked two and struck out four, and was one of the many on his team to get a hit at the plate. Fred Mann had three hits, including a homer leading off the game against A.J. Burnett, who lasted 5 1/3 innings. Only two of the five runs Burnett allowed were earned, due to errors by Aaron Ward and Arky Vaughan. Twin States put it out of reach in the eighth with five runs off Paul Dean.

Rick Monday hit a three-run homer off Jean Dubuc in the ninth for Arkansas.

Game 4 at Twin States

Arkansas........ 0 0 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 - 5 11 0
Twin States..... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 - 2 7 0
W: D. Dean L: Tewksbury S: Kinder
HR: Burrell 2

Pat Burrell homered twice, knocking in three runs, to support Dizzy Dean and Arkansas tied up the series.

In the third, Dean singled leading off. Arky Vaughan singled and Rick Monday hit a sacrifice fly. George Kell doubled to score Vaughan and Burrell followed with a two-run shot.

Burrell homered off Ray Collinsrn the sixth to make it a 5-0 lead. Dean was breezing until the eighth, when Daric Barton came off the bench to hit a two-run double. Dean retired Larry Gardner with the bases loaded to end the inning, and Ellis Kinder pitched a perfect ninth for the save.

Game 5 at Twin States

Arkansas........ 0 0 2 1 0 0 2 0 2 - 7 11 0
Twin States..... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 1 6 2
W: Lee L: Tyler
HR: Brock

Cliff Lee took a shutout into the ninth and Lou Brock hit a two-run homer to put Arkansas one win from the series victory.

Lee also singled in the third off Lefty Tyler and scored when Brock homered to make it 2-0. Aaron Ward drove in a run in the fourth for a 3-0 lead.

Tyler struck out 12 – including Lee four times and Brock three times – in eight innings, but gave up four runs, while Lee gave up six hits. He left after loading the bases in the ninth on a hit batsman and two walks. Johnny Sain got a run-scoring double play and a lineout to end it.

Game 6 at Arkansas

Twin States..... 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 - 4 8 0
Arkansas........ 0 1 0 2 1 1 0 0 x - 5 11 1
W: Warneke L: Flanagan S: Robinson
HR: Plantier

Arkansas held off a late Twin States rally to advance to a second-round series against Georgia.

Lon Warneke wasn’t as sharp as he was in Game 2, but won for the second time in the series. Both teams had lots of opportunities to score, leaving a combined 23 men on base.

Lou Brock had two more hits, both RBI doubles, and Pat Burrell singled in another run in the sixth to make it a 5-1 lead. Mike Flanagan left in the fifth, giving up five runs.

Phil Plantier’s three-run homer in the seventh finished Warneke’s day and made it a one-run game. Gene Bearden, Ellis Kinder and Hank Robinson finished up, with Robinson getting Joe Lefebvre to hit into a double play with the bases loaded to end the series.

The Doc is in

D.C. bounced back from a brutal Game 1 loss to take the next three, setting up an extremely interesting matchup against Cuba. Could be some intriguing bets between those two ….

Tom Kinslow was expected to split time with the other catchers, but he ended up hitting .500 (8 for 16) and staying in there for all four games, including the 13-inning opener. Maury Wills hit .333 and scored four runs, and who would have guessed that he would have as many homers as stolen bases (one)? I love baseball.

Doc White was the man for the District. The songwriter/dentist (really) twirled a two-hitter for the top pitching performance of the first round, and with Nip Winters pitching the clincher, White will open against the Cubans. (Not sure why he has a bat in this old baseball card, although apparently he was a pretty good hitter too.)

Arizona is still looking for its first big MLB star, and it showed in this series. Ian Kinsler (.385) was the top hitter, and Shea Hillenbrand drove in a series-high five runs, including the key runs in the only ‘Zona win. Infielder-manager Solly Hemus hit just .133 (2 for 15). Five pitchers had ERAs over 10.

So now we go to Round 2. The top 16 are still off, so we’ll lay out the bracket for the 32 teams who will meet next.

Arizona vs. District of Columbia

Game 1 at Arizona

D.C. ........... 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 1 - 7 12 0
Arizona......... 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 - 8 12 2
W: Ortega L: Funk
HR: McBride, Kinslow, Leiber

Shea Hillenbrand came through with the game-tying hit with two out in the ninth, and then drove in the winner in the 13th in a game that saw the lead change hands five times.

Arizona starter John Denny gave up four runs in eight innings, but left with the lead. Then Algie McBride’s two-run homer off Bob Howry put D.C. ahead 6-5. Johnny Klippstein got the first out in the Arizona ninth, then walked Hank Leiber. Joe Engel entered and retired pinch hitter Andre Ethier on a groundout, with Leiber advancing to second, from where he scored on Hillenbrand’s single.

D.C. catcher Tom Kinslow homered off Phil Ortega, the seventh Arizona pitcher, leading off the 13th. But again, Arizona came back, this time against Frank Funk. Ron Hassey walked and was replaced on the bases by Max Venable. Ian Kinsler’s sacrifice was followed by Billy Hatcher’s game-tying double. After Leiber struck out against Clay Kirby, Ethier was walked intentionally and Hillenbrand singled again to win it.

Leiber’s three-run homer off Nip Winters in the first put Arizona ahead, but D.C. came back to tie it in the fifth. Doug Mirabelli’s two-run single in the home fifth restored Arizona’s lead.

Game 2 at Arizona

D.C. ........... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 - 3 10 0
Arizona......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 2 2
W: White L: Gentry
HR: M. Wills

Maury Wills surprised everyone with a leadoff home run, and Doc White pitched brilliantly, firing a two-hit shutout to give the District of Columbia a split on the road.

Wills’ homer off Gary Gentry looked like it would be the game’s only run as Gentry pitched around some D.C. threats, while White completely shut down Arizona’s attack. Gentry left after Don Money’s two-out single in the eighth, but Ed Vosberg gave up Lu Blue’s RBI double and Algie McBride’s single.

Ian Kinsler’s leadoff single in the first was the only Arizona hit until Billy Hatcher singled in the ninth. D.C. manager Pop Snyder said of White, “He came out with good stuff. He threw the ball good from the first pitch on.”

Game 3 at District of Columbia

Arizona......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 3 0 - 7 8 2
D.C. ........... 0 0 0 0 1 0 7 1 x - 9 8 1
W: Funk L: Ortega S: Donnelly
HR: Hardy

A low-scoring duel turned into a slugfest after the starting pitchers departed, particularly in the seventh inning. D.C. scored seven times–all after two out–to answer Arizona’s four-run top half, and took a 2-1 series lead.

It was 1-0 through six, with Brian Bannister and Fred Talbot locked in a duel The only run came on two D.C. singles off Bannister and an infield out.

Talbot was pulled after Hank Leiber’s one-out double in the seventh. But Joe Engel gave up two walks, a hit and the lead, Shea Hillenbrand greeted Johnny Welch with a two-run single and Solly Hemus also singled in a run off Frank Funk.

But the boos turned to cheers in the bottom of the seventh. Alex Kellner, in relief of Bannister, walked the first two batters he faced. After one out, Phil Ortega came in to walk Tom Kinslow to load the bases. Pinch hitter Curtis Pride struck out, but Maury Wills and Art Devlin each walked to force in a run and make it 4-3. Bubba Morton followed with a two-run single to give D.C. the lead for good. Hits by Don Money and Lu Blue led to four more runs.

After J.J. Hardy’s homer in the eighth cut the lead back to one run, D.C. scored one more in their half of the eighth. Brendan Donnelly pitched a perfect ninth for the save.

Game 4 at District of Columbia

Arizona......... 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 - 3 9 0
D.C. ........... 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 x - 5 9 1
W: Winters L: Affeldt S: Donnelly

The District of Columbia jumped all over Arizona starter Jeremy Affeldt, and Nip Winters and the bullpen did the rest to lead the District into a second-round matchup against Cuba.

D.C. batted around in the third with four hits starting the inning, with leadoff man Maury Wills sparking it. Arizona relievers Don Lee and Gil Heredia pitched the rest of the way allowing just one hit, but Arizona couldn’t sustain enough offense.

Winters pitched into the seventh, giving up seven hits. Clay Kirby struck out Hank Leiber with the bases loaded to end the seventh. Brendan Donnelly picked up his second straight save with a scoreless ninth.

Schilling effects

Wow, what a series!

Curt Schilling got to go up against Walter Johnson twice, and the Anchorage-born hurler more than held his own. In the first game of the series, his Alaska/Hawaii squad led 1-0 before Johnson keyed a three-run rally for a Kansas win. But the 59ers won two of the next three to get the series back to the Pacific, and in Game 5, Schilling outdueled “Barney” 1-0 — and scored the game’s only run in the last of the eighth.

Every game was interesting. Two went extra innings and four were one-run contests. The “blowout” was the 3-1 Game 2 win for the Alaska/Hawaii team.

The top hitter for the winners was the Flyin’ Hawaiian, Shane Victorino, at .435 (10 for 23). He scored five of the team’s 16 runs. But almost everyone contributed for the Alaska/Hawaii team. Eleven players drove in runs, with Mike Lum leading with three. And with the balanced pitching, it could be that the 59ers will give the next opponent fits. That’s Massachusetts, another place Schilling is quite familiar with.

Kansas was a surprising first-round participant at first glance, but the offense just didn’t hold up. The Jayhawks hit only .218, and big hitters Bob Horner (.174) and George Grantham (.111) didn’t produce enough. Horner did have a homer and a team-high four RBI. Beals Becker hit .333 to lead the batters. Johnson (1-1, 1.59) did everything he could, including scoring the winning run in both Kansas wins. But it wasn’t quite enough.

One more first-round series, matching the District of Columbia and Arizona, and then it’s on to some of the larger teams.

Alaska/Hawaii vs. Kansas

Game 1 at Alaska/Hawaii

Kansas.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 - 3 9 0
Alaska/Hawaii... 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 - 2 6 0
W: Johnson L: Schilling
HR: Kutcher

Walter Johnson went the distance, allowing six hits, and his single drove in the first of three Kansas runs in the eighth.

Curt Schilling took a 1-0 lead into the eighth, as Mike Lum knocked in the only run of the game to that point in the fourth. In the eighth, Joe Tinker hit a bloop double with one out. Johnson batted for himself and drilled a single up the middle, tying the game. Johnny Damon then doubled to score Johnson and Damon later came home on George Grantham’s double.

Randy Kutcher homered off Johnson leading off the eighth, but the “Big Train” kept the lead. Prince Oana tripled with two out in the ninth and Johnson retired pinch hitter Bronson Sardinha on a grounder to second.

Game 2 at Alaska/Hawaii

Kansas.......... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 6 2
Alaska/Hawaii... 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 x - 3 6 0
W: Hough L: Brewer S: Wilcox
HR: Lum

Charlie Hough held Kansas to five hits in seven innings and Mike Lum homered to help Alaska/Hawaii square the series.

Benny Agbayani went 3-for-3 and scored a run for the winners. Chet Brewer pitched the second straight complete game for Kansas, but took the loss despite allowing just six hits and two earned runs.

Game 3 at Kansas

Alaska/Hawaii... 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 - 5 13 2
Kansas.......... 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 - 6 16 2
W: Lindblad L: Yates
HR: Victorino, Daulton, Segui

David Segui tied the game in the 11th with a leadoff homer, then won it with a two-out single in the 14th as Kansas took a 2-1 series lead.

Segui’s single scored pinch runner Walter Johnson, the Game 1 starter who replaced Ray Mueller after the backup catcher batted for winner Paul Lindblad and drew a walk from Tyler Yates. Darren Daulton’s single moved Johnson to third and Segui singled off Doug Capilla, the eighth Alaska/Hawaii pitcher to appear in the game and the 45th player in the box score overall.

Earlier, Daulton had an inside-the-park homer and Kansas led 4-1 behind starter Rudy May, who pitched seven strong innings. When Shane Victorino led off the eighth with a home run, manager Gene Mauch went to his bullpen. Another run came in during the eighth, and in the ninth, pinch hitter Scott Loucks tripled with two out. Another substitute batter, Joey Meyer, followed with a single to tie it.

Alaska/Hawaii went ahead 5-4 in the 11th on Mike Huff’s sacrifice fly, but Segui, batting for the first time in the series, led off the Kansas half with a homer off Steve Cooke, who was otherwise brilliant in 3 2/3 innings of relief.

Game 4 at Kansas

Alaska/Hawaii... 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 1 - 5 11 3
Kansas.......... 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 - 4 6 0
W: J. Williams L: Hendrix S: Diaz
HR: Horner

Another extra-inning classic, this time won by Alaska/Hawaii on Shane Victorino’s triple followed by a Claude Hendrix wild pitch in the 10th, and the series returned to the Pacific for Game 5.

Sid Fernandez took a no-hitter and a 1-0 lead into the sixth, but second baseman Steve Staggs booted consecutive grounders and Bob Horner followed with a three-run homer. Fernandez gave up just two hits in 7 1/3 innings.

Elden Auker was also outstanding for Kansas, but in the eighth, Victorino doubled with one out. Josh Phelps singled and Ed Siever relieved Auker. Mike Lum followed with another hit, scoring Victorino, and pinch hitter Bronson Sardinha tied the game with a single off Frank Wickware. Randy Kutcher followed with a sacrifice fly for a 4-3 Alaska/Hawaii lead.

Bingo DeMoss doubled leading off the bottom of the ninth, and Scott Feldman was then relieved by Dave Williams. Joe Tinker’s single tied it, and eventually Kansas loaded the bases with Horner at the plate. Jerome Williams retired Horner on a fly to left and was rewarded with the win when his teammates scored in the 10th. Carlos Diaz got the last two outs with the tying run at third for the save.

Game 5 at Alaska/Hawaii

Kansas.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 4 0
Alaska/Hawaii... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 x - 1 7 1
W: Schilling L: Johnson

Curt Schilling pitched a four-hit shutout and scored the only run of the game as he outdueled Walter Johnson and lifted Alaska/Hawaii into the second round.

Schilling had only given up two hits in eight innings, and batted for himself leading off the home eighth. He beat out a slow roller to second, moved to second on Steve Staggs’ sacrifice bunt and went to third on Shane Victorino’s grounder. Josh Phelps came through with just his third hit in 22 at-bats in the series, and first RBI.

With two out in the ninth, Johnny Damon and Bob Horner singled, putting runners on the corners for George Grantham. Schilling responded by striking out the Kansas cleanup man on his 126th pitch. It was his eighth strikeout and he walked no one.

Johnson was almost as good, striking out eight, walking one in his eight-inning effort.