Paul Vebber -> RE: NEW Summer of '69 league (8/16/2006 7:25:48 AM)
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Well, when I am over 5 games ahead I sim most games, except for "key matchups" and impressive team speed together aggressive running brought us to an even 100 wins on the season and our first AL West title. The series with the East leading Washington Senators 91wins) got off to a rocky start as Chuck Dobson shuts down the Brew Crew with a 1 hitter through 8 inning, finally tiring and giving up a run on 2 hits in the bottom of the ninth, but wining 3-1 victory over Blyleven who gave up only 1 run on 7 hits, but had to leave after 6 with 115 pitches thrown. Things went from bad to worse as Don Gullet gets touched up for 5 in the top of the first on 58 pitches and eft in teh 2nd with 1 out and two on after his 73rd pitch [X(] and Tommy John goes the distance for a 5 hit shut-out. John did not hit 73 pitches until the middle of the 7th...the 10-0 fiasco had even die hard Brewer fans streaming for the exits after the 5 run 5th, wishing for a "10 run rule". It looked like the 3rd game was going the way of the first two as Doc Meith gave up a run and let the bases get loaded with nobody out in the first inning, but a K and DP got him out of the jam cheap. A pitchers duel ensued between Medich and Roger Nelson who went the distance in the losing effort, until the 6th when the Brewcrew scored 3, but Meditch gave the lead back in the bottom of the inning. Medith stayed in and was rewarded by a 3 run 8th. The Spark man came on to close out the 6-4 Brewer win. Bruce Kison took the mound in game 3 against Tony Cloninger and Washington again gets a run in the first inning. The two pitchers battled until the 4th when Cloninger started to fade giving up 1 in the 4th, 5th, 2 in the 6th and hits the showers. Kison enjoys a 5-1 lead and Pina gets 4 Ks in the last 2 inning to put an exclamation point on the statement game tying the series at 2. Blyleven takes the mound for game 5 and the Brewers smell the chance to take control of the series and get two home games to win 1. Blyleven makes up for his game one jitters (he s 19 after all...[:'(]) His teammates give him a nice cushion early with a run in the first, 2 more in the 4th and 2 more in the 5th. Blyleven hurls a no-hitter through 5 until a 2 run 3 hit 6th. At 5-2 the Brewers Manager is thinking Pina or the ninth, but wanting their young co-ace to get the complete game they get him 2 more in the top of the ninth and Bly strikes out the side in the bottom of the ninth to get the complete game win 7-2. The series returns to Miller park (built a few decades early, but I love it a great park!) with a chance to get a World Series bid, and for Don Gullett a chance to redeem himself after the worst performance of his young career (also only 19!). The team helps out their young future star with a 4 spot in the first on a grandslam by Dave Kingman. That seemed to take the wind out of the Senators sails and Gullett goes 8 shutout innings until relieved by McGinn for the ninth with his pitch count over 100, and the Brewers go to their first World Series on the 4-0 win, the Granny by Kingman being the only scoring in the game. So an interesting team goes to the Series, dominant over the season, I has not been in standard Pure sim fashion. With two co-aces in Blyleveen and Kison both with 18 wins and 7 losses (I managed each of their last 5 outings and managed to get them each only 1 win, 1 loss and 3 no decisions each...[8|] Then we had co #3's in Medich and Gullet each of them with 14 wins and 10 loses (Gullet) and 11 (Medich). Our 5th starter was Stone who came up when Grimsely was traded and struggled for run support going 8-3 in 21 starts. Grimsely ended the season 11-16. In the pen, Sparky had 2 saves on the season with 7 blown saves but only 3 losses. Fingers held the fort ending the season 10-6 with a 3.8 ERA and 57 strikeouts. Offensively, we were not stars hitting for average, with Tony Horton the closest to 300 with a 293. The anchorman was Mike Schmidt with a 209. Every starting offensive player got at least 100 Abs. Jackson lead the team in power, with 39 HRs and 134 RBI, Williams and Horton was a ways behind with 29 and 84 and 24 and 113 respectively. But Williams did it in only 457 ABS compared to 656 for Horton. Kingman and Carbo had 17 and 51 and 16 and 70 respectively. Despite batting only 209, Mike Schmidt had 14 Hrs and 62 RBI in 552 ABs. This odd team, with limited Power, and Average (nobody in the top ten of HRs, BA, or slugging %, but team speed was AMAZING with 4 players in the top 20, and the number 1 by a HUGE margin – Cedeno with 81, Paul Blair was next with 56 and Mickey Rivers third with 49 and Rennie Stennett 7 th with 39 and Belanger 16th with 31. As a Tem we lead the association with 263 SB. Next highest was 146. With so many runners in scoring position, even with limited individual BA, as a team we were 5th, but 15th in HRs but first in RBIs with 799. We go into the World Series against last years Champs the Cincinnati Reds. Game one is a classic pitchers duel between Bob Gibson and Burt Blyleven and the score stays knotted at 0 until the 6th. Mike Hegan is robbed of a Home run by Jackson as Blyleven very nearly gives up a jack on his 2nd pitch. Worse, Hegan suffers a moderate Quadriceps injury, yet soldiers on (injuries in the post season seem to stil be a problem). Our Gun and Run offense runs into a buzz saw as Rivers is gunned down in the bottom of the first. Both pitchers allow men to reach in the 2nd, but nothing serious. The Reds have some speed themselves, but a hit and run turns into a DP when Hegan strikes out in the 3rd. Blyleven dodges another bullet as Jackson brings in another that “would be a Home Run in most parks” by Denis Menke… Stennett reaches in the bottom fo the third and he trys to steal and is gunned down like Rivers. Bly survives a2 on 1 out jam in he 5th, and in the Bottom it looks like the Brewers will get the lead with 1st and third and 1 out themselves when Stennett flies to center 324 feet out. Frank Robinson doesn’t thin so and throws a rope all the way in on one hop as Schmidt comes to the plate like Bart Starr heading for the goal line. Both players go head over heels over each other and Fergusson hold the glove with the snowcone ball high for the ump to see and he rings up Schmidt who storms to the dugout, incredulous anyone could take that hit and hold onto the ball. Gibson struggles in the 6th as he gives up a leadoff walk to Cedano, who is JUST fast enough to steal 2nd. Rivers then singles and the Brew Crew has 1ist and third with no outs. Horton is allowed to swing away and hits a high fly to left, mid way out. Cedeno tests Paul Blair’s arm but Blair cant get a handle on it and has to go to the cutoff man. 1-0 Milwaukee with only 1 out and Jackson strolls to the plate. But Gibson gets him to ground into a double play to end the inning. Bly gets into a jam in the 8th giving up a single and a walk. Dens Menke flys out weakly to to Jackson in right, and then Lee May comes through with an RBI single to tie the game. But Bly sill has some stuff left and gets Fran Robinson to fly our to Left and George the Boomer Scott to line to Belanger. Gibson still strong after 113 pitches gives up a single to Belanger who then steals 2nd. Stennet grounds out to the SS and the reds walk Cedeno and hopes for an inning ending DP by Rivers, but he strikes out! Tony Horton then takes the 2nd pitch deep in the gap in right center scoring the two runners giving the Brew crew a 3-1 lead. That was it for Gibson as Danny Murphy comes in to intentionally walk Jackson and then get Williams to fly out. Sparky comes in for the ninth and gives up a lead off double to Ferguson. Felix Millen pinch hits for Dick Green but flies out to Right weakly. Spark then Ks Paul Blair bringing Jerry Moses up to Pinch ht for Gail Hopkins and flies out to end a game that seemed like a whole Series in itself, and it was only Game 1. Game 2 in comparison was an anticlimax as Don Gullett took the mound fresh off a confidence building performance in the ALCS. But he could not match Blys steely nerve, and gets hammered for 6 runs in the rist2 innings on a 2 run jack by Lee May. Gary Peters look like he was going to give up something big when the Brew crew loads the bases with one out. Tony Horton steps to the plate and looks like he might have hit a Grand Salami, but Frank Robinson times his leap perfectly to steal a HR, he not only makes the catch 393 feet away, but comes down and makes a perfect throw to the cutoff man who guns down the pokey Don Baylor to end the inning. Instead of a 4-2 lead the Brewers retake the field still down 2-0. Gullett appears to be shaken and gives up a lead of walk of Jonny Callison, and a double to Joe Ferguson. Callison then scores on Ben Oglivies single and Ferguson scores on liner over Belangers head by Dick Green. 4-0 Reds. Gullet ges Paul Blair to ground out, but then walks Denis Menke. Frank Robinson steps to the plate looking like he could use the struggling 19 year old pitcher as a toothpick, but grounds out to 1st, Menke narrowly avoiding the DP. Lee May then doubles over the head of Cedeno, playing up hoping for a chance to gun down a Reds runner as Robinson had done, but May hits a ROCKET and even Cedenos can get him touch the end of his glove to it as it goes to the wall scoring 2 more. 6-0 reds. The Brew Crew get a few, but 2 more in the 6th send Gullett who settled down nicely for the 3rd – 5th sends him to the shower, and Cy Acostais given a chance. Cy ho struggled through out the season giving up the long ball, not once but BACK TO BACK – a 3 run shot by Robinson and a solo shot by May. Series tied 1-1. The Series moves to Ohio as Jim Hardin takes the mound against Doc Medich. The Brew Crew looks to get back at the reds for the drubbing in Miler Park with a 3 run top of the first on 4 his and a walk, but the Reds battle right back with 2 of there own on a Lee May round tripper. Doc gets in trouble in the bottom of the third loading the bases on a walk to Jim Hardin (walking the pitcher – the ultimate pitching faux pas) and singles to Paul Blair and Gail Hopkins. Frank Robinson looks like a fire snorting bull at home plate but gets under the 2nd pitch and lifts it to Jackson well shy of the track. Hardin, even slower than Don Baylor, holds as Jackson’s cannon zips it in on a rope. Lee May then sends a 2-2 pitch firmly to center, and Cedeno seses his chance. From 333 ft out Cedeno rears back and like Robinson had done hits the cutoff man and Hardin, trying a wide slide rather than a Schmidt- like flying elbow smash, doesn’t even touch the plate. The Brew Crew goes down in order in the 4th ad Medich gives up a solo shot in the bottom to Menke to tie the game. Milwaukee gets the lead back in the 6th on a monster 44w ft moonshot by Williams, But Menke gets his 2nd Homer in the 6t and after a triple by Felix Millan and two 2 out walks to Blair and Hopkins, Frank Robinson clears ‘em with a double to give the Reds a 7-4 lead that would be unchallenged until the bottom of the ninth when Stennett and Kingman single, but Cedeno flys out to shallow Left. Rivers then flys out deep enough for Rivers to scamper to third. Tony Horton send a foul ball near the foul pole, narrowly missing a game tying homer, but then grounds out weakly to SS to end the game Reds take the lead back in the Series up 2-1. Game 4 sends Bruce Kison to the mound against Doyle Alexander. Te game goes quickly until Kison gets into uncharacteristic trouble giving up 3 singles to Boomer Scott, Menke and Ferguson. Dick Green then administers the coup d’grace with a 3 run homer Cedeno can only flail his arm futilely. Kison gets out of the inning with another hit, but then gives up another run in the 3rd on a Fergusn double. The Brew Crew gets one back in the 4th when Rivers scores on a Williams sac fly. But Alexander continues to mow down Brewers giving up only 3 hits. Kison settles down until the 7th when he gives up a 1 out walk to Robinson and a triple to George Scott scoring Robinson. Menke then doubles to score Scott and making it look lie the Big Red machine was on its way to defend its Championship. Despite being don 7-1 the Brew Crew made some noise in the 9th when Jackson lead of with a walk, Williams singled and goes to 2nd on the throw to try to get Jackson at third. Schmidt singles to score Jackson and it looked like a miracle might be possible. But Belanger very nearly grounds into a DP. Stennett then struck out and Carbo took one to the track, but not nearly out. Reds have a 3-1 lead and we can’t take much more of this. The Gun 'n Run don't work if you can't load the guns. [8|] We decide to let things go and continue tomorrow. Its win or go home time…game 5 will match Blyleven and Gibson again. EPIC!
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