Hank Greenberg punctuated a four-run rally in the third inning with an opposite-field solo blast and the Detroit Tigers never looked back in a 9-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics in the first game of their ALDS.
In the home half of the first inning, Detroit starter Justin Verlander retired the first two hitters quite quickly but an innocuous free pass to Jimmie Foxx was a harbinger for an Oakland uprising. Reggie Jackson stroked a bullet down the third base line that was knocked down by Miguel Cabrera but he was unable to recover to make a play on Jackson. Jason Giambi made Verlander pay with an RBI single. Tigers' right fielder Al Kaline had a chance to nail Foxx at the plate to end the inning but his throw was high causing Lance Parrish to leave his feet to gather the throw which allowed Foxx to slide under him. Mickey Cochrane and Sal Bando tacked on their own run-scoring base hits to put the Tigers in an early 3-0 hole.
After the dust cleared in a 32-pitch inning, the sellout crowd at Shibe Park enthusiastically yelled themselves hoarse in appreciation of the prompt response of the Oakland offense. The Game One venue was chosen as a nod to the A's past as the club was one of the original American League charter franchises founded in 1901 in Philadelphia.
In the third inning, Tigers' shortstop Alan Trammell ignited another two-out rally by clubbing a three-run blast over the right field fence to even the score. Greenberg's homer followed as the Tigers went back-to-back to take the lead.
Trammell spearheading the Tigers' comeback
Detroit added on single runs in each of the next two innings with one of them coming on a solo home run by Ty Cobb. That closed the book on Oakland starter Lefty Grove. Detroit put the game out of reach in the eighth tacking on three more runs in another two-out rally with Catfish Hunter falling prey to a hungry Tiger offense. Once again, Trammell and Cobb were the catalysts as Trammell collected his fourth RBI of the game, and Cobb smacked a two-run single.
Verlander did settle in and gave Detroit 6 innings of work. Despite surrendering four runs, he only allowed one in his last five innings while striking out four Athletics. Charlie Gehringer was a force out of the ninth spot in a steep Detroit lineup going 3-4 with 2 doubles and 2 runs scored.
I haven't been posting game results as of late largely because I moved up to the PS5 console back in November, and most of my time was dedicated to creating classic rosters to use for MLB The Show 23. This is first version of the series I've purchased since the fabled MLBTS 20. Along with creating new content, I am also more involved in creating videos and livestreaming games on my YouTube channel in order to promote my classic roster projects.
The Sensational 70s all-decade set was the first classic roster that I released in January of this year, and I have documented some of the action on my new "Livestream" page where you can find my latest livestreamed game and a link to my playlist of other video highlights and games for this classic 70s season. I also created an all 80s decade set called the Electrifying 80s which I plan to feature later on.
I plan on finishing my all-time playoffs as I'll be carrying that over to the new console. I started the all-time playoff on MLB The Show 19 back in May of 2020 playing the entire regular season on the PS4, and began the playoffs on MLB The Show 20. Now, the plan is to complete the playoffs with MLB The Show 23 on the PS5. I am bound and determined to finish this season as this odyssey moves into its fourth calendar year.
I do plan to get back to some blogging at some point and wrap up that all-time playoff, so stay tuned.
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.
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.
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.
