GAME ONE – “Laropin” Lou Gehrig’s 3-run double in the 2nd propelled the Yankees to a lead they would not relinquish in a 7-5 opening game victory. Babe Ruth added a solo shot in the 5th to up the lead to 5-2. Waite Hoyt tossed 7 1/3 innings for his third victory in this Baseball Dynasties Tournament. Lefty Grove just could not contain Murderer’s Row as he yielded 8 hits and 7 runs over 6 innings of work. The Athletics struck first on Mule Hass’ 2-run blast in the 2nd. Bob Meusel tripled in the B2 and scored on Tony Lazzeri’s sacrifice fly. Haas would double in a run in the 6th and single in another the 8th for a 3-4 day with 4 RBI. Yankee catcher Pat Collins stroked a 2-run homer in the B6 to finish up the NY scoring.
GAME TWO – Yankee starter Dutch Ruether walked off the mound with shoulder
tightness midway through the 2nd. Not to worry, George Pipgras (4 2/3 IP) and Bob Shawkey (W, 3 IP) picked up where he left off and completed a shutout trio as New York went up 2 games to 0 with a 3-0 shutout. Philadelphia starter George Earnshaw also kept the Bronx Bombers off the board for 6 innings, overcoming his 8 walks with 12 strikeouts. But it was his wildness that was his undoing in the 7th when Ruth reached with a 1-out walk, followed by a Gehrig single. Earnshaw fanned Meusel, then uncorked a wild pitch. Mike Gazella singled to score both runners. Mark Koenig tripled home the final Yankees run in the B8.
GAME THREE – Mickey Cochrane homered, doubled twice and drove in all 3 Athletics runs in a 3-2 victory as the series moved to Philadelphia. Both starting pitchers, Rube Walberg for Philly and Herb Pennock for NY, went the distance with Walberg being just a bit better. Ruth doubled in a run in the T1 and Meusel tripled him in for a very-short-lived lead for the Yanks. It would be all they would get. Cochrane’s 2-run blast in the B1 tied it at 2-2. Cochrane’s RBI double in the 5th was the game winner.
GAME FOUR – Howard Ehmke absolutely baffled the Bombers for 7 2/3 innings
and it looked like Jimmy Dyke’s lead off home run in the 4th would be all the Elephants would need. Koenig broke up Ehmke’s no-hit bit with a 2-out single in the T8. The A’s hurler came unglued a bit as he uncorked a wild pitch, then surrendered a run scoring single to Ruth. With the Bambino advancing to 2nd on the throw, Gehrig was intentionally passed. Bill Shores was called in to relieve, but Meusel greeted him with a double scoring Ruth and the Yanks were suddenly up 2-1. But Mack’s men weren’t about to back down. Haas singled to score a pair in the B8 and the home club was right back on top. Shores closed it out in the 9th and the series was now tied at 2 apiece.
GAME FIVE – With the series now down to a best of 3 contest, both offenses were primed and ready for this crucial battle. Both clubs pounded out 11 hits apiece, but the Bombers made slightly better use of theirs for a 7-5 victory. Hoyt again bested Grove as he did in game one in a battle of aces. Grove was the tougher hombre in the early going as he fanned 9 Yanks through the first 5 innings as Philly bumped out to a 3-1 lead. Sammy Hale singled in a run in the 2nd. NY tied it with an RBI single by Earle Combs in the T3. Cleanup hitter Al Simmons squeezed in a run with the bases loaded in the B3 and Max Bishop plated a run in the B4 with an infield groundout. The Yankee bats woke up the 6th when Gehrig and “Push em Up” Tony Lazzeri tied it with solo home runs. They added 2 more runs in each of the next two innings for a 7-3 advantage. George Burns PH 2-run homer in the 9th was not enough for a Philly comeback, as Bob Shawkey came on to get the final two outs and the save.
GAME SIX – “Long” Bob Meusel blasted a walk off blast deep into the drizzly New
York dusk in the B12 to send the Yankees into the championship series against the Big Apple rival 1986 Mets. Bing Miller got the scoring started for the Athletics with a solo shot in the T3. Koenig answered for the Bombers with his solo blast in the B3. Lazzeri’s lead off bomb in B4 gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead. The A’s took a 3-2 lead in T6 when Cochrane cracked a 2-run HR. NY tied it at 3 in the B6 when Nig Grabowski squeezed home Meusel. It would stay deadlocked until Meusel’s blast, but not without plenty of drama. Philadelphia’s only real threat came in the 9th when Jimmie Foxx popped out leaving 2 runners stranded. The Yankees had a runner on in the 7th when Walberg blew away Ruth and Gehrig in succession. In the 8th, 45 year-old Jack Quinn struck out Ben Paschal with two aboard. In the B11, Earnshaw unintentionally walked Koenig to load the bases in front of Ruth, but Ossie Orwoll entered to get the Sultan of Swat to fly out.
Thanks to Steve Tate for working with our time zone differences. He suggested the MVP be given to the entire New York pitching staff, as only one regular Yankee batter hit over .300 for the series, Joe Dugan (.313). I will submit Bob Shawkey, who while pitching only 4 innings of shutout ball, earned 2 wins and a save in relief. However, a case could be made for Mickey Cochrane (.308, 2 HR, 5 RBI) in a losing cause.
--Submitted by Bruce Thomas--
No comments:
Post a Comment