October 03, 2023

All - Time Franchise Playoffs - Wild Card Games

 Wild Card - American League
Boston right fielder Dwight Evans belted a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth to send the Red Sox past the Cleveland Indians to the ALDS. Evans had come into the game in the top half of the inning as a defensive replacement for Manny Ramirez. The Red Sox were attempting to protect a slim lead at that point but had it slip through their fingers as the Indians got a clutch RBI single from Jose Ramirez.

With the score 3-2 for the Red Sox, Francisco Lindor led the eighth off with a single, and Nap Lajoie sacrificed to move him up to second. After Ramirez drove him home, that spelled the end of the game for Boston starter Pedro Martinez. Cleveland decided to push the envelope and had Ramirez try to steal second base. Carlton Fisk came up with one of the big defensive plays of the game, gunning him down on the attempt. Papelbon caught Jim Thome window-shopping on a fastball low and away to get the Red Sox off the field.

After Indians' reliever Bob Lemon secured the first out in the home half of the eight, Evans crushed a breaking pitch sending it out to deep center field. Boston then loaded the bases on two walks and a Carl Yastrzemski double. One of the free passes was intentionally issued to Fred Lynn. Early Wynn then came out of the Cleveland bullpen and struck out Nomar Garciaparra and Jason Varitek to stall a possible uprising.

Papelbon would face rough waters in the ninth as he immediately beaned Albert Belle. Kenny Lofton came on to run for Belle and was sacrificed to second by Victor Martinez. Larry Doby grounded out to second to put Lofton 90 feet away from tying the game, but Shoeless Joe Jackson bounced out to Wade Boggs to end the contest.

Evans was added to the postseason roster after having started the season with the big club. He was sent down about a third of the way through the year. He was added as a late-innings defensive option for Manny Ramirez, and Boston management looked like geniuses as it would be Evans's bat that would send them on a collision course with their storied nemesis, the New York Yankees. To see year-end stats for the American League in my all-time franchise season, click here.


 Wild Card - National League
Colorado starter Ubaldo Jimenez slayed the giant as he convincingly outdueled arguably the greatest left-handed pitcher of all time in a 7-0 shellacking of Sandy Koufax and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Rockies will now face the San Francisco Giants in the ALDS after an upset for the ages. 

I don't think many baseball fans would have had a complete game shutout for Jimenez on their playoff bingo card against a steep Dodger lineup, but Jimenez surrendered only 6 hits in his gem. What was even more unbelievable was that Koufax was finished after only 4 innings. He allowed five runs on five hits with the dagger being a two out three-run homer by Andres Galarraga in the second inning. Galarraga was the offensive star for Colorado going 3-4 with a double and two runs scored. Vinny Castillo chipped in with a double and triple in three official plate appearances with two runs scored also.

Koufax had been stung for a leadoff double by Vinny Castillo, but he regrouped to whiff Nolan Arenado. After walking Dante Bichette, he fanned Ellis Burks, but he couldn't solve Galarraga who deposited a 412-foot missile into the left field bleachers. Colorado nickeled and dimed Koufax for single runs in the third and fourth on sacrifice flies to add salt to the wound.

Colorado will have to load up the slingshot once again as the Giants played Goliath in the National League dominating during the regular season. To see year-end stats for the National League in my all-time franchise season, click here.

August 22, 2023

Yzerman Calls Game in OT

All-Time Stanley Cup Quarterfinal Bracket
The Detroit Red Wings rebounded from coughing up a 3-1 lead as captain Steve Yzerman potted the game-winner 4:42 into the extra frame to give the Red Wings a 4-3 Game 1 win over the Boston Bruins in the all-time Stanley Cup Quarterfinals. Honorable mention goes to Detroit netminder Terry Sawchuk as the game might have been a foregone conclusion in Boston's favor. Sawchuk made a number of point-blank stops, especially in the first period and some of those are noted on the highlight reel.

Detroit's famed "Production Line" opened the scoring as Gordie Howe fed Sid Abel streaking down the left side, and he snuck one past Gerry Cheevers on the short side. The Bruins' fourth line was a force throughout the game as they were in on all three Boston goals and answered 1:57 later. Center Peter McNab took a feed behind the Red Wings' net from Terry O'Reilly and circled to stuff one past Sawchuk on the far side. Then Detroit's fourth line got into the act as Norm Ullman pounced on a loose puck and backhanded the puck over Cheevers glove to make the score 2-1.

Cashman's game-tying goal
Halfway through the second period Igor Larionov pumped an absolute one-time howitzer over Cheevers' shoulder to stretch Detroit's advantage to 2 goals. Once again the Bruins' fourth line went back into quick-strike mode. Peter McNab cut across the goal mouth to slide his second goal of the game past Sawchuk with 1:54 left in the frame. With one second remaining in the period, NcNab's shot created a rebound in front and was gathered in by winger Wayne Cashman. He flipped a puck under the arm of Sawchuk to tie the proceedings.

The Bruins absolutely blitzed the Red Wings in the third period outshooting them 16-7 but Sawchuk was the difference as he carried Detroit into an extra period.

Steve Yzerman collected a partially blocked shot and avoided a check by Boston's Johnny Bucyk in front of the Bruins' net. He roofed a snapshot over the glove of Cheevers to salvage the game for the Red Wings and send a delirious hometown crowd away ecstatic.

Yzerman's OT winner

Game 1 Summary

1973 World Series - Tolan's Double Rallies Reds

Boston starter Bill Lee's abysmal postseason continues as he was touched up for a five-run fourth inning, and Cincinnati road this offensive barrage for a 7-1 win. With the series now tied at one game apiece, the teams will travel to Fenway Park for the next three games.

The Red Sox tried to jump on Reds' starter Don Gullett by loading the bases in the second inning with one out. Carl Yastrzemski doubled, Dwight Evans was hit by a pitch, and Rico Petrocelli walked. Tommy Harper got Yastrzemski across with a sacrifice fly but that was the only run allowed by Gullett. 

Lee had his stuff working for the first three innings but disaster struck as it was Cincinnati's turn to load the bases in the fourth. The Reds had already tied the score on an RBI single by George Foster, but Lee only needed one more out to get off the hook. Bobby Tolan hit a sinking fly ball toward the left-center field gap.  Reggie Smith charged hard and got to the ball only to have it clang off his glove allowing all the runners to score. Tolan was credited with a double as it would have been a great play if Smith had been able to make the catch. Cincinnati tacked on another run on a Dave Concepcion double and Boston never recovered.

Tolan's terrific postseason continues as he went 2-4 to raise his batting average to .326, and he has driven in seven runs. Even though his heroics put the Reds over the top, Joe Morgan received Player of the Game honors as he went 2-5, scored a run, and ran wild on the basepaths with three steals.

August 14, 2023

Cheevers Stonewalls Lightning Onslaught

 

Cheevers foils Kucherov at point-blank range

Bruins' netminder Gerry Cheevers turned aside 14 third-period chances by the Tampa Bay Lightning to secure a 5-2 victory and send Boston to the quarterfinals in my all-time Stanley Cup playoff. Boston ousted the Lightning in six games and will now move on to face the Detroit Red Wings.

The fireworks began early as Ray Bourque didn't hear an offside whistle and drilled a shot toward the Tampa Bay goal. Victor Hedman took exception and tried to give the Lightning an emotional lift in the face of a raucous Boston Garden crowd by taking Bourque on with some fisticuffs. Unfortunately, it backfired as Bourque got the better of Hedman in their bout. 

It was an ominous beginning for Cheevers who only faced 3 shots in the first period but allowed a goal just as he did in Game 5. Halfway through the frame, Nikita Kucherov was beautifully set up at the side of the goal by Steven Stamkos on the powerplay to give Tampa Bay the lead. Rugged Bruins' winger Terry O'Reilly cashed in on a rebound with 2:15 left in the period for his second goal in as many games to send the teams to the dressing room tied at 1-1.

Brandon Hagel gave Tampa Bay a 2-1 advantage by shelving a snapshot over Cheevers on the short side. David Pastrnak then leveled the ledger with a powerplay goal as the teams moved into the third knotted up once again.

Tampa Bay turned up the heat and took the play to Boston in the final frame. Gerry Cheevers held the fort with some of his best saves included in the highlight reel, and Cam Neely delivered the dagger sneaking a rather weak backhander past Andrei Vasilevskiy. In the waning moments of the period, frustration hit its peak as Victor Hedman became involved in his second altercation of the game but clearly chose the wrong dance partner in Zdeno Chara. Hedman's bravado was snuffed out in a decisive decision in Chara's favor. Johnny Bucyk took an opportunity to pad his stats with the Tampa Bay net empty and collected two goals to salt things away. With those two goals, Bucyk moved into a three-way tie for most goals in the opening playoff round.

Series results in opening round

First-Round Leading Scorers

First-Round Top Goalies

August 11, 2023

1973 World Series - Tiante El Terrifico


 
Luis Tiant was dazzling over seven innings extending his playoff unbeaten streak to three games as Boston took Game 1 of the World Series by a 3-1 count over the Cincinnati Reds. Tiant allowed only four hits and the only blemish of his outing was an unlikely solo shot issued by Reds' shortstop Dave Concepcion in the eighth inning. Since surrendering 6 runs in 6 innings against the Oakland A's in Game 1 of the ALDS, Tiant has gone 3-0 with a 1.09 ERA.

The Red Sox got all the offensive they needed in the first inning courtesy of a two-run blast by centerfielder Reggie Smith. It was the fifth homer of the playoffs for Smith who has been a linchpin of the Boston offense. Smith is batting .313 and has drove in eight runs. Luis Aparicio was a sparkplug for Boston leading off the contest with a single, swiping his first of three bags, and coming in to count on Smith's homer. Aparicio went 4-5 to push his playoff batting average to .333.

Cincinnati starter Ross Grimsley has been their ace during their playoff run and settled in nicely after a rough first inning to blank Boston for the next five innings.

Things got a bit precarious for Tiant in the fifth inning as Cincinnati had two runners aboard with one out. Bobby Tolan singled and Cesar Geronimo coaxed a free pass. Tiant wiggled free getting Concepcion to ground into an inning-ending twin killing. Another tense scenario arose in the seventh with Tony Perez smoking a one-out triple into the gap in left field. Tiant notched two of his seven strikeouts to snuff out the threat punching out Bobby Tolan and Cesar Geronimo.

Carl Yastrzemski gave the Red Sox a much-needed cushion in the eighth cranking his first bridge ball of the playoffs. After Concepcion's reply to lead off the bottom of the inning, Tiant gave way to the bullpen. Bob Veale set down the Reds in the eighth with Bobby Bolin working around a lead-off single in the ninth to earn his fourth save of the playoffs.