Mon, 3 Apr
Powers 4, Red Dawgs 1: Barry Bonds hit the 500th homerun in HBWRL history,
giving the Fenway faithful free food (namely, 500 chalupas) but it was not
enough, as "Shoeless" Joe Jackson's three run shot and Carl Hubbell's
pitching keyed a 4-1 win for the Karas Powers (1-2) over the Myers Red
Dawgs (1-2). Jackson's homer gave the Powers a 3-0 lead in the 3rd inning,
at which time the Dawgs had not yet tallied a hit. Bonds' 7th inning blast
was historic and tightened the game at 3-1, but Jackson added a 4th RBI
with a single in the 8th inning to seal the win at 4-1.
Homeruns: Jackson, Ba. Bonds
Stolen bases: Fred Clarke 2, Kiki Cuyler
Caught stealing: Paul Moltior, Ba. Bonds
Error: Clarke
Burke Wins 8th Straight
Fri, 31 Mar
Upper-Deckers 9, Reps 3: The Burke Upper-Deckers (2-0) took over first
place with their 8th straight win (dating back to last season), a 9-3 rout
of the Minneapolis Reps (0-2). It was the 5th straight loss for the Reps,
who have started 0-2 in each of the last three seasons. Burke overcame an
early 1-0 deficit with three RBIs by Frank Thomas; two of them on a
homerun. They later extended their lead to 5-1, but the Reps scored two in
the 6th to cut it to 5-3. Undaunted, Reps reliever Bob Lemon served four
more runs in the 8th for the final margin. One of the runs was unearned,
meaning that Burke has scored more unearned runs this season (5) than the
Reps have scored in total (4). The Upper-Deckers have now scored 17 runs
in 17 offensive innings this season. In addition to Thomas, former Rep
Arky Vaughan led the way with three hits and two runs scored. Cy Young and
Mort Cooper each pitched solidly to earn the win and save, respectively.
It was Cooper's second save in as many games; no pitcher had more than two
saves all of last season. Thomas' homerun was the 498th in HBWRL
history--two more until free chalupas! Next week: Burke and Tri-City
battle for 3-0 and sole possession of 1st place.
Hits: Reps 19, Upper-Deckers 17
Winning pitcher: Young (1-0)
Losing pitcher: M. Brown (0-1)
Save: M. Cooper (2)
Homerun: Thomas
Doubles: Elmer Flick, Frank Baker
Caught stealing: Richie Allen
Error: Ted Williams
Middle InfieldError Again Sinks Powers
Thu, 30 Mar 2000
Titans 2, Powers 1: The Tri-City Titans (2-0) improbably took sole
possession of 1st place, with a 2-1 win today over the Karas Powers (0-2).
The Titans are 10-7 since snapping a 17 game losing streak. It was the 5th
straight loss for the Powers. Pitchers Eddie Cicotte (Titans) and Ed
Reulbach (Powers) dueled to a 1-1 tie, with an important exception. Rogers
Hornsby's 5th inning error allowed an unearned run to score, and gave the
Titans a 2-1 lead. That was all the run support that Cicotte and Warren
Spahn, who recorded the final out, needed. In fact, Cicotte allowed no
runs on four hits for 7.2 innings, after allowing a first inning run. It
was the first win of the year for a road team. An error by Honus Wagner
had cost the Powers' four unearned runs in their season opener.
Doubles: Joe Jackson, Kiki Cuyler, Joe Sewell, Al Simmons, George Sisler
Caught stealing: Fred Clarke
Error: Hornsby
Brett, Mathewson Key Major Upset
Tue, 28 Mar 2000
Chips 3, Red Dawgs 0: George Brett hit a three run homerun and Christy
Mathewson pitched a shutout as the Silicon Valley Chips (1-1) evened their
record with an improbable win over the defending HBWRL champion Myers Red
Dawgs (1-1). The Chips got great starting pitching for the second straight
game, and three runs of support for it as well. But this time, reliever
Tom Glavine was allowed to pitch just one pitch--a 3-2 pitch to Bobby Bonds
with the Dawgs down to their last strike. Glavine struck him out, but
Mathewson got credit because he got two of the three strikes on Bonds. On
the previous play, Bonds' son Barry was caught trying to steal third base.
The younger Bonds had also made an error earlier in the game, allowing Mike
Piazza to reach third base with none out. Bobby chewed his son out all the
way to the dugout, before striking out to end the game. The Season 12
expansion teams, Burke and Tri-City, now share 1st place at 1-0. The
Titans play next against the league's all-time winningest pitcher, the
Powers' Ed Reulbach. Home teams have won all four games this season. Said
Burke C Yogi Berra, "if that keeps up, half the teams will be 10-10, and
who knows about the other 80%!" Finally, Brett's homer was the 497th in
HBWRL history--three more until everyone gets 500 free chalupas!
Hits: Chips 7, Red Dawgs 7
Inherited Runners/Scored: Hoyt Wilhelm 0/1, Glavine 0/1
Winning pitcher: Mathewson
Losing pitcher: Whitey Ford
Five Run Outburst Greets Glavine
Mon, 27 Mar 2000
Titans 6, Chips 3:
The Tri-City Titans (1-0) rallied from 3-1 down with a five run 8th inning
to defeat the Silicon Valley Chips (0-1) in the debut game for Chips
players Barry Larkin, Mike Piazza, Craig Biggio, and Tom Glavine, as well
as for Chips GM Ed Corey. (Corey, incidentally, would like to change his
team's name to the "Cow Chips;" we are still trying to figure out if there
is a place called "Cow.") The Chips went 6-8 with an FC RBI their first
time through the batting order, scoring three runs. But could muster no
more offense against Titans starter Bob Gibson. Gibson allowed no runs on
seven hits, in six subsequent innings. George Sisler's RBI single made it
3-1 Chips in the 2nd; and neither team would score again until the 8th
inning.
In the top of the 8th, Bob Feller inheirted two baserunners from Gibson,
but held the Chips without scoring when Biggio lined out. In the bottom of
the 8th, Glavine inherited a tough situation--the bases loaded and none
out--with a two run lead. He allowed all three inherited runners to
score--plus two of his own--before retiring the side. Marichal, who left
the game having allowed just one run in seven innings, ended up with four
runs charged to him, and was tagged with the loss.
Ty Cobb singled to start the Chips' 9th, but Feller got Larkin to hit into
a double play. Lefty O'Doul then flew out to end the game. Two of the
three games played in the opening week were decided in the 8th inning or
later; home teams won all three games. Also, one homerun was hit--four
homers remaining until 500 all-time. At that time, 500 free chalupas for
the fans.
Fri, 24 Mar 2000
Red Dawgs 2, Reps 1: Red Faber served up a bases loaded walk to Maury
Wills with two out and the bases loaded the bottom of the 9th, forcing in
Paul Molitor and capping a 2-1 comeback win for the defending champion
Myers Red Dawgs (1-0). The Minneapolis Reps (0-1) lost their 3rd straight
opener, and their 4th straight to the Red Dawgs, including last year's
World Series. The Reps took a 1-0 the lead on the first pitch of the 2nd
inning, when Babe Ruth hit his league leading 27th career homerun off of
Wilbur Cooper. Cooper allowed just two hits for the remainder of the
game. He has allowed just one run on seven hits in his last 18 innings
pitched, for an ERA of 0.50 and H/IP of 0.39. Paul Molitor doubled and
stole third base in the 8th; then Bill Terry's RBI single tied it at 1-1.
Faber replaced Reps starter Ed Walsh in the 9th, and allowed two singles
and a walk while recording one out. He then retired former teammate Roy
Campanella, leading to the final confrontation with Wills.
2 out when winning run scored
Game Winning RBI: Wills
Hits: Red Dawgs 16, Reps 5
Winning pitcher: W. Cooper (1-0)
Losing pitcher: Faber (0-1)
Thu, 23 Mar 2000
Upper-Deckers 8, Powers 2: Walter Johnson pitched out of several jams, and
Honus Wagner's 8th inning error broke open a 4-2 game, as the Burke
Upper-Deckers (1-0) defeated the Karas Powers (0-1) on opening day. It was
the 7th straight win for Burke, dating back to last season. The HBWRL
record is 10 consecutive regular season wins, across seasons. It was also
the Powers' 4th straight loss. Former Power Mark McGwire led the way for
Burke, going 4-5; while Ken Griffey, Jr. scored three runs. Making his
HBWRL debut, Elmer Flick went 1-4 with a run scored and an RBI. He also
hit the groundball that led to the Wagner error, opening the door for four
unearned Burke runs.
Winning pitcher: W. Johnson (1-0)
Losing pitcher: Addie Joss (0-1)
Save: Mort Cooper (1)
Mon, 28 Feb 2000
Red Dawgs 4, Reps 0:
Wilbur Cooper pitched an HBWRL record two-hitter and Albert Belle homered as the
Myers Red Dawgs (18-8) won the franchise's first championship since Season 1,
with a 4-0 victory over the Minneapolis Reps (14-12). While Cooper was dominant
throughout, the game's outcome was uncertain through seven innings. The Dawgs
led 1-0, and Reps starter Greg Maddux was pitching almost as well as Cooper.
But Maddux tired, and he allowed three insurance runs in the 8th inning before
Reps reliever Don Gullett could get loose. Not that an apperance by Gullett
would have mattered--the Reps bullpen was a weakness throughout the series, and
there was no stopping Cooper today.
Similarly, there was no stopping the Red Dawgs this season. They were 9-11 last
year, but surprised us all by claiming first place at 5-3 through eight weeks.
Then they shocked us all with a record-tying eight game winning streak, running
their mark to 13-3. They coasted to a 14-6 finish, setting HBWRL records for
wins in a season and lowest H/IP in a season, in the process. Then, trailing
the Reps 2-1 in the World Series, they exploded for 12 runs in Game 4 and never
looked back. They ended the season as they started it--with a winning streak.
And in three years as GM, Jak Myers has taken his team from worst to first.
The HBWRL off-season lasts approximately two weeks; the second week of which is
concerned with draft materials. Look for those materials in about one week.
Also let me know if there are any problems with Sunday evening, 3/12/00, as a
draft date.
See you next season.
Hits: Red Dawgs 11, Reps 2
Winning pitcher: W. Cooper
Losing pitcher: Maddux
Homerun: Belle
Double: Lou Gehrig
Caught stealing: Hank Greenberg
Error: Frank Baker
World Series Game 5:
Lajoie Slams Reps in 9th
Fri, 25 Feb 2000
Red Dawgs 8, Reps 4:
For the second time in five games, the Myers Red Dawgs (17-8) defeated the
Minneapolis Reps (14-11) on the last pitch of the game--this time, it took the
Reps to the brink of elimination. Nap Lajoie's grand slam snapped a 4-4 tie in
the bottom of the 9th inning and gave the Dawgs an 8-4 win, to the delight of a
packed house at Fenway Park.
The game was evenly played throughout--as the series has been generally.
Traling 2-0 in the 5th inning, the Dawgs got RBI singles from George Sisler and
Tris Speaker, to tie the game at 2-2. The teams traded runs in the 6th inning,
and it was 3-3 after 6. In the bottom of the 8th, the Dawgs had two out and
none on against Reps reliever Red Faber. Dawgs SS Ray Chapman walked and stole
second, then Sisler singled--which should have moved Chapman to third. But Reps
LF Rickey Henderson, after making a nice play to cut the ball off, misplayed it,
allowing Chapman an unearned run and Sisler to take second. Sisler was then
thrown out trying to steal third, to end the inning with the Dawgs leading 4-3.
The Reps got back-to-back singles from Roy Campanella and Ernie Banks to start
the 9th. Then Henderson got his chance to atone. He did, with an RBI single to
deep right, which scored Campanella. Later the inning, the Reps had the bases
loaded with two out in a 4-4 tie. Ted Williams hit what might have been a bloop
single to put the Reps ahead. Instead, Tris Speaker--who plays a very shallow
centerfield--dove to make the catch about 20 feet behind second base--and
preserved a 4-4 tie.
But Speaker wasn't finished. Representing the winning run, he singled to start
the bottom of the 9th. Barry Bonds and Hank Greenberg followed with singles of
their own, loading the bases with none out against Faber. Albert Belle's slow
grounder resulted in a fielder's choice, and Speaker was forced at home plate.
That brought up Lajoie, with the winning run at third base and one out, and the
Reps outfield drawn in. Lajoie got under Faber's 1-0 pitch, and it seemed
ticketed for the middle of the Big Green Monster--and a game winning single.
Henderson watched helplessly as the ball hooked, or the wind kicked up, toward
centerfield. The ball landed just to the right of the Monster for a
game-winning grand slam.
It was the first HBWRL World Series game ever to end on a slam. The Reps now
face elimination in Game 6, which will feature a rematch of the Game 1 pitchers.
If the Reps win Game 6, they'll have Ed Walsh in Game 7, their only pitcher with
a winning record against the Dawgs. The Game 6 starter, Greg Maddux, pitched
well in Game 1, but settled for a no-decision when Dawgs C Mickey Cochrane
homered to end that game. Meanwhile, the Dawgs look to their ace--Wilbur
Cooper--to seal the franchise's first championship since Season 1.
1 out when winning runs scored
Game Winning RBI: Lajoie
World Series Game 4:
Dawgs Torch Reps; Even Series
Wed, 23 Feb 2000
Red Dawgs 12, Reps 4:
Nap Lajoie went 5-5 with a homerun and three RBIs, and Hank Greenberg drove in
three runs of his own, as the Myers Red Dawgs (16-8) rebounded from a tight loss
in Game 3 with a lopsided win in Game 4, 12-4 over the Minneapolis Reps (14-10).
The Dawgs scored four runs each in the first and third innings to lead 8-0, and
never looked back. The Reps were victimized by Lajoie and Greenberg, but moreso
by their own starting pitcher, Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown, who might as well
have had zero fingers today. Brown allowed 11 runs, all earned, in five innings
of work, before Red Faber came to his rescue. Worst of all, when the Reps,
trailing 9-0 in the 5th, scored two runs in the top of the inning, Brown
immediately gave them back in the inning's bottom half, which led to his
departure. Fortunately for the Reps, Brown will not pitch again in the
series--except possibly as a reliever in Game 7.
The Dawgs' 12 runs tied a World Series record and earned a win for starter Eddie
Plank, despite a game ERA of 6.34 for the lefthander. Eppa Rixey pitched 3.1
quality innings of relief for the Dawgs, which entitled him to a save--despite
the margin of victory. The series is now reduced to a best-of-three. And the
pivotal 5th game, which will send one team to the brink of elimination, should
be interesting. Grover Cleveland "Pete" Alexander, easily the least effective
Dawgs' starter in the regular season, goes against Robin Roberts, an HBWRL
carreer reliever and last minute substitution for Lefty Grove. A 6th game is
now also ensured; Greg Maddux (Reps) and Wilbur Cooper (Dawgs) will return for
that one.
Hits: Red Dawgs 24, Reps 11
Winning pitcher: Plank
Losing pitcher: Brown
Save: Rixey
Homerun: Lajoie
Stolen bases: George Sisler, Eddie Collins
Caught stealing: Collins
World Series Game 3:
Waddell Smokes Big Red Engine
Mon, 21 Feb 2000
Reps 2, Red Dawgs 1: In the 1910's, he liked red firetrucks more than
baseball. And today, Minneapolis Reps pitcher Rube Waddell threw plenty of
heat--augmenting a great left-handed curveball--at a team wearing red. The
result was a 2-1 victory for the Reps (14-9), who took a lead in the Season 13
World Series over the Myers Red Dawgs (15-8) by the same margin. With the Reps
leading 2-0 in the bottom of the 8th inning, Dawgs catcher Mickey Cochrane hit
his 2nd critical late inning homer of the series. Cochrane, who won Game 1 with
a three run blast in the bottom of the 9th, hit a solo shot to make it 2-1 in
Game 3. The Dawgs subsequently loaded the bases with one out, but Waddell
pitched out of the jam--the only one he was in all day--then got help from Dizzy
Trout in the 9th. Hippo Vaughn pitched eight strong innings for the Dawgs. It
was the first Reps win over the Dawgs this season--in five tries-- without Ed
Walsh as their starting pitcher. Walsh will pitch Game 7 for the Reps, if
necessary.
Homeruns: Cochrane, Lou Gehrig
Stolen bases: Eddie Collins 2, Edd Roush, Ray Chapman
Caught stealing: Collins, Chapman
Error: Albert Belle
World Series Game 2:
Ruth's Slam Seals it for Reps
Thu, 17 Feb 2000
Reps 7, Red Dawgs 1: The Minneapolis Reps (13-9) even their best-of-seven
series with the regular season champion Myers Red Dawgs (15-7) with a convincing
7-1 victory today at Fenway Park. For the second game in a row, the Reps outhit
the Dawgs and took a 3-0 lead into the late innings. But the Dawgs' comeback of
yesterday was not to be. Babe Ruth's 9th inning grand slam off of Dawgs
reliever Eppa Rixey put the Reps ahead 7-0, and essentially clinched the game.
The Dawgs avoided the shutout with a run off of Reps reliever Bob Feller in the
bottom of the inning. It was the 3rd consecutive game in which the Dawgs were
shutout in innings 1-6. It was also Reps starter Ed Walsh's second straight win
over the Dawgs--no other Reps pitcher has defeated them once. That could be
important, because Walsh is slated pitch Game 7, should the series go that far.
Hits: Reps 19, Red Dawgs 8
Winning pitcher: Walsh
Losing pitcher: Whitey Ford
Homeruns: Ruth, Rickey Henderson
Stolen base: Henderson
Caught stealing: Ray Chapman, Richie Allen
Error: Tris Speaker
World Series Game 1: Cochrane's Blast Stuns Reps
Game 1: Red Dawgs 4, Reps 3:
The Myers Red Dawgs (15-6) rallied from a 3-0 deficit against the league's top
pitcher during the regular season, capped by Mickey Cochrane's three run homerun
in the bottom of the 9th, to beat the Minneapolis Reps (12-9), to the delight of
many at Fenway Park. The Dawgs took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series,
which promises to be competitive, if today's game was any indication.
The Reps scored runs in the 2nd, 4th, and 5th innings, to lead 3-0, and chase
Dawgs ace Wilbur Cooper after five innings. Cooper, who did not allow more than
a dozen hits in any start this season, allowed 13 in just five innings. Frank
"Homerun" Baker made good on his name for the Dawgs in the 7th, with a solo shot
off of Maddux that made it 3-1.
Then Lefty Grove, who was pulled from the Reps rotation for the World Series
because he was ineffective as a starter, appeared in a critical situation in the
bottom of the 9th. Maddux allowed singles to Nap Lajoie and Baker to start the
inning, bringing Cochrane to the plate and chasing Maddux in favor of Grove.
Grove and Cochrane had quite a battle, with the veteran Dawgs catcher fouling
off several 2-2 pitches. Then he pulled one down the line and the Reps
outfielders could simply look up. The Dawgs had completed one of the most
memorable comebacks in HBWRL World Series history.
None out when winning runs scored
Game Winning RBI: Cochrane
Hits: Reps 14, Red Dawgs 10
Winning pitcher: Ron Guidry
Losing pitcher: Grove
Homeruns: Cochrane, Baker, Roy Campanella, Babe Ruth
Stolen bases: Rickey Henderson 2, Eddie Collins, Barry Bonds
Error: Ernie Banks
