KOD 13 - Tier B World Series - Game 6: "Neon-Leon"

GAME 6 - Stadie' Olympique
Doc Medich vs Bill Gullickson
Rangers 4, Expos 1 (13 inn)

The task at hand for the Expos was plain as day: Win game 6 to force a decisive game 7.  Texas' task was to win game 6 and close out the series.  The Rangers looked well on their way to achieving their task by hammering out 3 runs in the top of the third off of Expo starter Bill Gullickson.  Texas scored on a combination of hits, walks and wild pitches and in a blink of an eye the Expos were in a deep hole as their crowd went silent.  "The Rock", Tim Raines' 2 out 2 run homer off of Doc Medich in the 5th inning made it a one run game as the crowd once again became a factor.  Chris Speier's sac fly in the 6th scored Tim Wallach and the game was now tied at 3-3.  Montreal battled back to tie it as Gullickson righted his ship after the 3 run second inning.  Both starters would go 6 innings and leave the game locked in a 3-3 tie.  Both gave up 7 hits and 3 runs with Gullickson being the flashier of the two by posting 8 strikeouts.  A string of relievers for each team would not allow a run to score as the game moved into extra innings.  Montreal blew a big chance to win it in the bottom of the 10th when Wallach led off the inning with a single and stole second on a botched hit and run play with 1 out.  Rangers reliever Jim Kern was able to save the day by fanning Speier and getting pinch hitter Jerry White to pop out weakly to short.  Neither team had much of a chance to score until the top of the 13th, when Buddy Bell led off the inning by taking one off his ankle.  Jeff Reardon, who was starting his 3rd inning in relief looked to be tiring.  Reardon, who usually closes games with 1 or 2 innings of action, was now past his comfort zone.  Montreal had no other options to go with, so Reardon needed to gut this one out.  After getting Rivers to fly out to right and Sundberg to round into a fielder's choice it looked like Montreal's bearded reliever was in the clear.  Leon Roberts was slammed a double off the right field wall to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 out.  Catcher Sundberg toyed with the idea of trying to score all the way from first, but after being behind the plate for 12 innings today he made the prudent choice of holding up at third.  That choice would loom large as Reardon threw a 2-0 curveball to Billy Sample that went about 56 feet and rolled all the way to the backstop.  Sundberg didn't need to have olympic speed to score from third.  Texas was now up 3-2 in the top of the 13th thanks to a wild pitch.  Sample was then issued an intentional pass and Mendoza did what he does best which is make a weak third out.  John Butcher, who like Reardon had 2 innings of scoreless relief under his belt, came out to start the 13th.  Larry Parrish led off the inning with a clean single to left to give the Expos life.  Speier lined a sinking bullet to right that Leon Roberts got a late jump on.  Roberts got on his horse and layed out with full extension to safely snag the ball just before it touched the shiny pale green astroturf.  If the ball gets by Roberts Montreal has runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out or possibly a man on third and tie game.  Instead the Expos have a man on first with 1 out and pinch hitter Terry Francona strolling to the plate.  Butcher worked Francona to a 2-2 count then caught him looking on a back door slider for out number 2.  The season and the series was squarely on super rookie Tim Raines' shoulders.  Raines immediately found himself in a 1-2 hole and had to protect the plate.  Butcher's 1-2 offering was inside and maybe an inch off the plate, but Raines could not take the chance of getting called out on strikes, so he swung.  Without getting solid wood on the ball Raines' hit turned into an easy one hopper that Rangers second baseman Bump Wills fielded cleanly and sidearmed easily to John Ellis at first to clinch the series for the Rangers.

Four of the 6 games played in this series were one run affairs.  The other 2 games were decided by 2 runs, as two very evenly matched teams battled it out in a great series.  Congratulations to Rangers manager Bill Keller on winning his first ever KOD championship.  Bill is one of the charter members of the KOD family having been with us on and off (mostly on !) since KOD 1 when he piloted the 1968 Tigers.  It's great to see an original franchise owner reach the mountain top.  No doubt that he was sweating out this game 6 extra inning classic, which made this win even that much sweeter.
Rangers win series 4-2

KOD 13 - Tier B World Series - Game 5: "Darwinism"

GAME 5 - Arlington Stadium
Steve Rogers vs Danny Darwin
Rangers 3, Expos 2

In a re-match of game 1 starters a struggling Steve Rogers gutted his way through 7 innings in a tight pitcher's duel with Danny Darwin.  With the score tied at 1-1 the Expos gave Rogers a 1 run lead when "Kid" Carter singled home "Hawk" Dawson in the top of the 7th.  Rogers took the hill in the 7th and got Wills to ground out sharply to short.  Oliver followed that with a single and Rivers worked out a rare walk to put runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out.  Buddy Bell singled to right to score Oliver and tie the game at 2-2.  Rogers, who threw 142 pitches on the day, remained on hill and got the next 3 batters out.  Unfortunately for Rogers Rivers was able to score on the first out of the inning, a Jim Sundberg grounder to second.  That run made it 3-2 Texas.  Danny Darwin, who was keeping the Expos bats at bay, gave up a 1 out single to Raines in the top of the 8th.  The speedy rookie immediately took off for second, but was nailed by Sundberg for out number 2.  That out would be Montreal's last gasp for air as the 'Spos went weakly in the top of the 9th as Darwin went the distance.
Rangers lead series 3-2

KOD 13 - Tier B World Series - Game 4: "A Ray of Hope"

GAME 4 - Arlington Stadium
Ray Burris vs Jon Matlack
Expos 4, Rangers 2

Hoping not to fall into a deep 3-1 series hole the Expos put their hopes on the right shoulder of Ray Burris.  The 6'5" big man from Idabel, Oklahoma did not disappoint going 7 1/3 innings and giving up just 2 runs (1 earned).  Burris did not miss many bats (1 k) on the day, but he got all the big outs that he needed to get, since he did give up 7 hits.  Heading into the top of the 7th the story was former Met, 1972 NL Rookie of the Year John Matlack, who was nursing a 2-1 lead.  The Expos would finally get to Matlack in the 7th with 3 huge runs.  After Tim Raines led off the inning with a double, Rodney Scott singled to put runners on the corners with no outs.  Cromartie singled home Raines to tie the game at 2-2.  Hawk Dawson popped out to third for the first out, but Gary Carter picked him up with a sac fly to right to score Scott and give Burris a 1 run lead.  Larry Parrish, who homered in the 4th, singled home Cromartie with 2 out to make it 4-2.  After Bump Wills reached first via a Cromartie error, to lead off the bottom of the 8th game 3 hero Pat Putnam popped out to short.  Burris was lifted for rookie Bryn Smith, who got the speedy Mickey Rivers to hit into a 6-4-3 DP to end the inning.  Reardon pitched perfect ninth to earn the save as the Expos tied up the series.  Montreal had 10 hits with Parrish and Raines each getting 2 apiece.  Billy Sample knocked in both of Texas' runs with RBI singles.
Series tied 2-2.

KOD 13 - Tier B World Series - Game 3: "Sweet as Honey"

GAME 3 - Arlington Stadium
Scott Sanderson vs Rick Honeycutt
Rangers 2, Expos 0

Lefty Rick Honeycutt continued to impress his manager, Bill Keller, by winning this pivotal game 3 with a classic 2 hit shutout.  As usual Honeycutt was not flashy (3 strikeout / 0 walks), but he was super efficient (69 pitches).  Montreal's lone 2 hits came from shortstop Chris Speier, who was batting out of the 9 hole, since the game featured the DH.  Honeycutt's brilliance was needed since his opposing number Scott Sanderson gave up just a Pat Putnam 2 run homer in the bottom of the 2nd.  Honeycutt didn't have much margin for error, since the Rangers weren't scoring much themselves.  Incredibly the Expos never had a runner move past 1st.  Texas did get 8 hits off of Sanderson in 8 innings.  Sundberg and Rivers each had 2 of the, but Putnam had the biggest hit of the day.
Rangers lead series 2-1

KOD 13 - Tier B World Series - Game 2: "Say it ain't Sosa"

GAME 2 - Stadie' Olympique
Doc Medich vs Bill Bullickson
Rangers 3, Expos 2

Warren Cromartie's 2 out homer in the top of the first staked Gullickson to a 1-0 lead that would carry him to the 4th when Buddy Bell hit his 2nd homer in successive days to tie the game at 1-1.  Mario Mendoza (yes that guy) led off the top of the 5th and took one in the arm for the team.  Medich bunted him over to second, but Bump Wills grounded out weakly to short for the second out.  "Mr. Scoops", Al Oliver, who is normally the DH, but today was forced to start at 1st base lined a clutch 2 out double off the left field wall to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead.  Pinch hitter Terry Francona's run scoring ground out in the 7th tied the game back up at 2-2.  With Gullickson now out of the game veteran lefty Woodie Fryman was brought on by Montreal to start the 8th and hopefully keep the game "all squared" at 2.  The first two Ranger batters (Wills & Oliver) greeted Fryman with back to back singles.  Taking no chances Montreal's manager removed Fryman and replaced him with enigmatic reliever Elias Sosa.  Sosa got Mickey Rivers to ground weakly to first, but on that play Wills scampered home to break the deadlock and give the Rangers a 3-2 lead.  Sosa would get Sundberg to ground out, and then fan Leon Roberts to end the innings.  Charlie Hough, who gave up Montreal's game tying run in the 7th remained on the mound for the Rangers and set the Expos down in order in both the 8th and 9th innings to earn the win.  Warren Cromartie's 3 hit day could not lift his team to victory.  Both Leon Roberts and Billy Sample avoided he "golden sombrero" by just 1 strike out as Gullickson fanned 6 and walked none in a losing effort.  Lost in the shuffle was Doc Medich's performance.  The good doctor went 6 1/3 innings and gave up just 2, but left the game in the middle of the 7th with runners on base that Hough could not hold, so he did not factor into the decision.
Series tied 1-1

KOD 13 - Tier B World Series - Game 1: "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood"

GAME 1 - Stadie' Olympique
Danny Darwin vs Steve Rogers
Expos 4, Rangers 3

In a theme that would play out throughout this tightly contested series, one run would determine this opening game.  Texas' gold glove third baseman, Buddy Bell, hit a solo shot in the top of the 6th to tie the game up at 3-3.  Montreal would answer right back in the bottom of the frame.  Pitcher Steve Rogers placed a seeing eyed single just over the outstretched arms of Bill Stein at first base.  Tim "Rock" Raines followed that with a two bagger to score Rogers, who was running on the play.  Montreal's hurler would go 8 innings and fan 4 without walking a batter before leaving the game for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 8th.  Jeff Reardon came on board to pitch a perfect 9th to notch the save as the 'Spos take the opener.  Raines, Cromartie and Speier each had 2 hits.  Jerry White was the only Expo starter who didn't get a hit, but he did walk.

Expos lead series 1-0

KOD 13 - Tier A World Series - Game 6: "Happy Ending"

GAME SIX
Los Angeles Dodgers at Oakland A's (LA leads the series 3-2)
Starting Pitchers: Burt Hooton (LAD) vs Mike Norris (OAK)

After getting shutout in game five the Dodgers struck quickly as Dusty Baker once again lead off the game with a single, moved to second on a bunt and the let Norris due the rest. A balk moved Baker to third and a wild pitch brought him home giving the Dodgers an early 1-0 lead.

The A's had a chance to cause trouble in the 5th as Johnson lead off the inning being hit by a pitch, but was quickly thrown out trying to steal second.

But in the top of the 6th the Dodgers made a statement. Leading the game 1-0, they erupted for three more runs, hoping to put the game out of reach.

Cey walked.
Guerrero singled.
Garvey singled.
Scioscia singled bringing in Cey.
Russell grounded in to a double play, but Guerrero scored.
Landreuax singled bringing in Scioscia.

And the Dodgers had a 4-0 lead.

The Dodgers put two more on the board in the top of the 8th thanks in part of a Heath error which allowed Garvey to score. A flyout by Landreaux brought in Scioscia with the Dodgers' final run of the game and the series.

Burt "Happy" Hooton looked great until the ninth inning, having allowed just 4 hits through 8 shutout innings. The Dodgers bullpen was ready if needed but everyone was so excited that the decision was made to leave Hooton in, even though he was starting to look tired.

But Hooton got Murphy to ground out.

One away.

Then Armas singled.

The Dodgers were thinking double play to end the game and win the series.

But the A's had one last gasp. Wayne Gross hit a beautiful 2-run homerun.

Hooton looked to the dugout. The bench looked at Manager MacDonald. MacDonald nodded his head at Hooton. Hooton nodded back.

Johnson stepped to the plate – and quickly grounded out.

Two away.

Hooton looked around the infield. Then he winked at his catcher. Scioscia tried hard to hide his giggle.

Hooton server his final pitch of the season. Jim Spencer made contact. The ball was rolling down the first base line.

Garvey picked up the ball and tossed it underhand to Hooton who stepped on first and gave the Dodgers the World Championship.

WP: Hooton (6-4)
LP: Norris (10-3)
Game MVP: Burt Hooton – 9IP, 6 hits, 2 runs, 7Ks

--submitted by Keith MacDonald--

KOD 13 - Tier A World Series - Game 5: "In the Rick of Time"

GAME FIVE
Oakland A's at Los Angeles Dodgers (LA leads the series 3-1)
Starting Pitchers: Rick Langford (OAK) vs Fernando Valenzuela (LAD)

In a rematch of the game starters, LA looked to close out the A's at home and give manager Keith MacDonald his first World Series Trophy.

But it was not to be.

Oakland scored one run in the top of the third inning as Dave McKay singled and moved to second on a Valenzuela balk. A big single by Rickey Henderson brought McKay around to score the first run of the game.

Rick Langford was having a marvelous game giving up only two singles through the first five innings. The Dodgers knew that if they could get Langford out of the game, they had a chance against the Oakland bullpen.

But Oakland put those World Series dreams the dodgers fans were dreaming on ice as they erupted for seven runs in the top of the 6th inning.

Ten batters came to the plate and that was after the first two batters flew out and struck out. But the next seven batters all scored.

Babitt reached on an error.
Murphy hit a single.
Armas hit a double.
Heath hit a single.
Picciolo hit a homerun.
Newman walked.
McKay hit a homerun.

Valenzuela stood brave against the Oakland onslaught but his amazing rookie season was coming to an end as he walked to the locker room, the loser in game 5 of the World Series.

WP: Langford (8-6)
LP: Valenzuela (9-4)
Game MVP: Rick Langford 9IP, 4 hits, 2Ks, 0 runs
--submitted by Keith MacDonald--

KOD 13 - Tier A World Series - Game 4: "Rolls Reuss"

GAME FOUR
Oakland at Los Angeles (LA leads the series 2-1)
Starting Pitchers: Matt Keough (OAK) vs Jerry Reuss (LAD)

Oakland started the scoring early as Shooty Babitt and Dwayne Murphy hits singles, and then a Steve Sax error loaded the bases with just one out. A Mike Heath single brought in one run, but Jerry Reuss worked his way out of a bases loaded jam only down by one run.

Oakland struck again in the third opening the inning with two straight singles by Babitt and Murphy. Tony Armas moved the runners over on a ground out and Mike Heath hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Oakland's second run of the game.

Although he was looking shaky Reuss only gave up two runs on five hits through three innings. Oakland was going to regret not taking advantage of their opportunities.

In the bottom of the 5th, Dusty Baker lead off with a single and moved to second on a ground ball by Steve Sax. Ron Cey walk and Pedro Guerrero singled to load the bases. Steve Garvey flew out, bring in one run and cutting the Oakland lead to 2-1. But Keough couldn't get that final out before the Dodgers put up two more runs on the board, as Bill Russell walked once again loading the bases and Mike Scioscia hit a two-run single to give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead.

Reuss left after scattering seven hits in six innings and was replaced by Bobby Castillo.

Castillo pitched two innings of shutout ball. And then Steve Howe and Alejandro Pena finished the game with a scoreless ninth.

WP: Reuss (8-3)
LP: Keough (6-4)
Save: Pena (3)
Game MVP: Jerry Reuss – 6IP, 7 hits allowed, 7 Ks, 2ER
--submitted by Keith MacDonald--

KOD 13 - Tier A World Series - Game 3: "Pop-eye"

GAME THREE
Oakland at Los Angeles (series tied at 1-1)
Starting Pitchers:Steve McCatty (OAK) vs Bob Welch (LAD)

Once again an Oakland starter went the distance but the result was different.

The Dodgers scored in the bottom of the first to the delight of their hometown fans as Dusty Baker lead off the game with a double, Ron Cey walked, Pedro Guerrero walked (and Baker was caught trying to steal 3rd), and then Steve Garvey brought in a run with a well placed single.

In the top of the 4th, the A's struck back after Rickey Henderson flew out to start the inning, followed by a single by Dave McKay, Dwayne Murphy was hit by a pitch and Tony Armas singled to load the bases. McKay scored on a flyout by Wayne Gross and then Cliff Johnson hit a single, although the A's only scored one run as a result of some good defensive work by the Dodgers.

The A's held their 2-1 lead until the 8th inning. Derrel Thomas lead off the inning with a walk, and two batters later the man with the big forearms, Steve Garvey, hit a big homerun to give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead.

Dave Stewart came in with 2 outs in the top of the 9th and convinced Keith Drumright to ground out to end the game.

WP: Steve Howe (4-1)
LP: Steve McCatty (5-8)
Save: Dave Stewart (4)
Game MVP: Steve Garvey – 4 AB, 2 hits, 3 RBIs, HR
--submitted by Keith MacDonald--

KOD 13 - Tier A World Series - Game 2: "Norris Trophy"

LA Dodgers at Oakland (LA leads series 1-0)
Starting Pitchers: Burt Hooton (LAD) vs Mike Norris (OAK)

After falling behind in the series in game one, Mike Norris and the Oakland A's played an incredible game two to even the series.

Mike Norris gave up only one hit, a 4th inning single to Ron Cey, in a complete game shutout. Norris walked 3 and struck out four, facing only 31 batters to bring his season record to 10-2.

Burt Hooton gave up five runs in 5 innings of work.

With one out in the first, Keith Drumright hit a triple and came home on a balk. Then in the fourth the A's pieced together three singles by Wayne Gross, Jim Spencer, and Jeff Newman to take a 2-0 lead.

The A's then exploded for 3 runs in the 5th as the first four batters reached, with Tony Armas clearing the bases with a 3-RBI double, giving the A's a 5-0 lead.

With Norris' work, the A's coasted to a series tying victory.
WP: Norris (10-2)

LP: Hooton (5-4)

Game MVP: Norris 9IP, 1hit, 3 walks, 31 batters faced
--submitted by Keith MacDonald--

KOD 13 - Tier A World Series - Game 1: "The Next Great Baker"

LA Dodgers at Oakland
Starting Pitchers Fernando Valenzuela (LAD) vs Rick Langford (OAK)

The Dodgers struck quickly with a first inning run scored by Dusty Baker on a wild pitch, after he lead off the game with a single and stole second.

The Dodgers maintained their lead until the fourth inning when Mike Heath lead off the bottom of the inning with a single for the A's and Rob Picciolo doubled to bring Heath home and tie the score at 1. Valenzuela then struck out Dave McKay to end the A's threat.

Dusty Baker then lead off the 5th with his third hit of the game in his first three at bats, reaching second on a double. After Steve Sax grounded out, a single by Pedro Guerrero (aided by an error), a walk to Rick Monday, and a single by Mike Scioscia brought the Dodgers a 3-1 lead with only one out in 5th. Langford found his control, and got Derrel Thomas to fly out and Ken Landreaux to ground out, giving up a total of three runs and giving the Dodgers a 4-1 lead.

Coach Weiss had seen enough of Langford and sent his starting pitcher to the showers. Brian Kingman came in in the top of the 6th and immediately gave up a homerun to Dusty Baker (his fourth hit of the game), then threw two consecutive walks. Steve Garvey gladly picked up an RBI as Steve Sax came in to score and the Dodgers took a 6-1 lead in the game.

After Valenzuela left in the 7th, Rick Sutcliffe and Dave Stewart each threw 1.1 innings of shutout ball and the Dodgers took a 1-0 lead in the series.

WP: Valenzuela (9-3)
LP: Langford (7-6)
Game MVP: Dusty Baker 5 AB, 3 runs, 4 hits, 1 RBI, 1 walk
--submitted by Keith MacDonald--

KOD 13 - Tier B - ALCS - Rangers sweep O's in 3 straight

10/16/1981 - GAME 1 - Memorial Stadium
Darwin vs Stone
Rangers 6, Orioles 3

Mickey Rivers' RBI single and Pat Putnam's 2 run double off of Steve Stone gave the Rangers a 3-0 lead in the top of the 1st.  Baltimore answered right back with 2 runs of their own in the bottom of the inning to make it 3-2.  Texas plated their 4th run in the 6th when Oriole righfielder Ron Roenicke dropped Pat Putnam's fly ball, which allowed Jim Sundberg to score from second.  3 walks in a row by Stone in the 8th gave the Rangers their 5th and 6th runs on the day.  Eddie Murray's solo shot to lead off the 9th made it 6-3, but the O's could not get any closer.  Danny Darwin gutted through 5 2/3 innings giving up just those 2 runs in the bottom of the 1st.  Charlie Hough gave up 1 run in 3+ innings of relief to get the save.
Rangers lead series 1-0

10/17 - GAME 2
Honeycutt vs McGregor
Rangers 3, Orioles 0
Rick Honeycutt was masterful tossing a 3 hit complete game shutout, while throwing less than 100 pitches (99).  Honeycutt got all the runs he would need as Texas for the second straight day posted a 3 spot in the top of the 1st in a rally that started with 2 out.  Rivers and Buddy Bell singled with 2 outs.  Sundberg singled to score Rivers and make it 1-0.  Billy Sample hit an opposite field double to score Bell and Sundberg.  Neither team would score the rest of the way.  Buddy Bell was 3 for 4 with a run scored.  The Rangers tallied 13 hits in all with 5 guys getting at least 2 hits apiece.
Rangers lead series 2-0

10/19 - GAME 3 - Arlington Stadium
D.Martinez vs Medich
Rangers 6, Orioles 4

For the third consecutive game the Rangers jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead by doing damage in the 1st inning.  Buddy Bell, who would go 2 for 4, hit a 2 run double to get this party started.  Bill Stein singled home Bell and the Rangers were off to the races.  Texas would push their lead to 5-0 when Mickey Rivers doubled home Bump Wills and then scored on a Buddy Bell ground out.  The O's finally got on the bored with a solo run in the 6th, but the Rangers answered right back with a Buddy Bell homer in the bottom of the 7th to make it 6-1.  Doug DeCinces 3 run shot in the top of the 8th knocked Medich out of the game and put the O's right back in the thick of it.  John Henry Johnson would come on to throw 2 perfect innings of relief to set the O's down and close out the series sweep.
Rangers win series 3-0

KOD 13 - Tier A Playoffs - Dodgers sweep Bucs to win NLCS in 3

GAME 1: Dodgers at Pirates (0-0)

Burt Hooton and John Candelaria faced off in game one of the NLCS in Pittsburgh. The pirates jumped on top in the first innings as Bill Madlock hits 2 run double bringing in Moreno and Garner who had started the  game with back-to-back singles. The Pirates scored again in the second by stringing together 3 singles before Easler knocked in their third run of the game. The Los Angeles manager was seen frequently looking down at his lineup card, apparently considering whether he should leave Hooton in to take a beating or if he should use his bullpen for long relief in the first game of the series. But then in the top of the third the Dodgers got some relief as Burt Hooton lead off the inning with a walk and Dusty Baker hit his 3rd HR of the season to bring the Dodgers back with in one.

The deficit grew again in the bottom of the 3rd, this time with the bruising bat of Candelaria bringing in two runs with a well-placed single to once again give the Pirates a 3 run lead, 5-2 after 3. The Dodgers bullpen started moving around waiting for the call, but it wasn't coming. It looked like the Dodgers were conceding game one. After all, they had won their last series after losing the first two games and then sweeping games 3, 4 and 5.

Once again it was up to Dusty Baker to answer the call. After Landreaux and Hooton both singled, Baker cleared the bases with a triple, giving him 4 RBI's in his first three at-bats. The Dodgers were back within 1, at 5-4.

And finally Hooton held the Pirates without a run, for at least one inning as the game went to the 5th with Pirates holding a 5-4 lead.

The teams again traded runs in the 5th inning, as both Hooton and Candelaria were pulled after the 5th.

Other than one run given up Pittsburgh's Cruz in the 7th, after Dodgers loaded the bases with no outs, the bullpens fared much better than the starters , taking a tied game in to extra innings.

And the Dodgers exploded for some runs in the top of the 10th. 4 singles, 2 walks and some good base-running gave the Dodgers a 10-6 lead and a 1-0 lead in the series, as Alejandro Pena came on in relief for the Dodgers and the held the Pirates scoreless in the bottom of the 10th.
Dodgers 10 - Pirates 6 (10 innings)
Game MVP: Dusty Baker with 4 RBI's

GAME 2: Dodgers at PIrates (Dodgers lead series 1-0)

Los Angeles fell behind again as Jerry Reuss gave up runs in both the 4th and 5th innings. Unlike game one, both starting pitchers were looking good, but the Pirates batters were proving just a bit better.

The Dodgers clawed back one run in the top of the 6th as the first two batters reached base on back-to-back errors, followed by an RBI groundout by Derrell Thomas to bring the score back to 2-1.

Bibby started for the Pirates and looked stong through 8 holding the Dodgers to just one run on 2 hits.

And then the 9th inning happened. Tekulve was brought in in relief.  But another two Pirates errors (they had 5 on the day) allowed both Sax and Guerrero to score and give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead.

Tekulve had his first blown save of the season.

The Dodgers knew how important it was to preserve thier precious lead and they used 3 pitchers in the bottom of the ninth in hopes of leaving Pittsburgh with a 2 game lead in the series.

Foli lead off the 9th by grounding out. The Dodgers replaced Goltz with Howe.

Howe gave up a single to Robinson who was pinch-hitting. Howe then got Moreno to strike out. 2 outs.

Howe was pulled in favor of Stewart. Stewart immediately gave up a stolen base and threw a wild pitch. Stewart decided to intentionally walk Easler after falling behind in the count. The Dodgers had no one up in the pen, so they had no choice but to stick with Stewart.

And Stewart came through with Madlock grounding out to end the game and allow the Dodgers to escape Pittsburgh with two victories, even though the only time the Dodgers lead in each of those two games was in the final inning.  Dodgers 3 - Pirates 2
Game MVP: Pedro Guerrero (GWRBI)

Game 3: Pirates at Dodgers (Dodgers lead series 2-0)

Game three saw Dodgers ace Fernando Valenzuela take the mound facing Solomon from the Pirates. Unlike his last outing where Fernando went the distance while ringing up 13K's to win the series, his control was all over the place in game 3 as he gave up 5 walks and 4 runs in just 6 1/3 innings.

Luckily for the Dodgers they put together a big second inning, scoring 3 runs with 2 outs. Valenzuela hit an RBI single, Madlock committed one of his two errors in the game, allowing Russell to reach base, Sax singled, and Roenicke walked in a run.

At the end of 7 the Pirates once again led, this time 4-3, after a towering homerun by Thomas in the 7th  and it came down to the bullpens.

Rick Sutcliffe held the Pirates scoreless in the 8th. But Jackson was not so lucky for the Pirates, as the Dodgers once again came from behind to tie up the game at 4.

The Pirates opened the 9th with a single and a stolen base. Moreno was on second with no outs. But Castillo shut down the top of the Pirate's order.

Tekulve took the mound for the Pirates in the bottom of the 9th, in hopes of making up for the previous game's blown save.

But Madlock committed his second error of the game allowins Russell to reach 1st. Then a wild pitch moved Russell to 2nd with one out. Dusty Baker came in to pinch hit and was intentionally walked.

Men on 1st and 2nd with 1 out. Tie game.

Guerrero came to the plate but could not get the job done.

So it came down to Steve Garvey. 2 outs, men on 1st and 2nd. And Tekulve for the second game in a row could not come through for the Pirates. Garvey singled and Sax came home with the winning run.

The Dodgers have now won 6 straight games to reach the World Series where they will face off against the Oakland A's.
Dodgers 5 - Pirates 4 (Dodgers win the series)

Game MVP: Steve Garvey (2-5) with GWRBI
--submitted by K.A. MacDonald--

KOD 13 - Tier A Playoffs - Game 5 ALCS - An Instant Classic

10/22 - GAME 5 - Oakland Coliseum
Morris vs McCatty
A's 5, Tigers 4 (12 inn)
Seldom do these decisive series finales live up to their pre-game hype.  This game not only lived up to the hype, it exceeded it.  Each team had numerous chances to put the game away or scrape themselves up from the depths of despair.  If you love drama, read on, because this one has more plot twists than a classic Seinfeld episode minus the laughs.

Rickey Henderson led off the bottom of the first with an infield single that only his blinding speed could beat out.  He proceeded to steal second and take third on a throwing error by catcher Lance Parrish, then score on a sac fly by Armas on a ball that an infielder could have gone back on and caught.  Simply put, Rickey stole this run with his legs and his ability to play Billy Ball to the hilt.  Thanks to the throwing error Morris gives up an unearned run that would never have scored if Henderson had just gotten to second.  The bottom of the second sees the A's nickle and dime Morris for 2 more runs to make it 3-0.  After DH Cliff Johnson struck out looking, Jim Spencer singled then went to third on a perfectly executed hit and run by catcher Mike Heath.  Billy Ball was again put into action.  Picciolo bunted home Spencer and moved Heath into scoring position.  Bill Ball strikes again.  Rickey singles with 2 outs to score Heath and hand McCatty a 3-0 lead after 2 innings.  Morris, being the great competitor that he is throws up zeros for the next 5 innings keeping his team in the game.  Detroit gets one back in the top of the 4th, when they load the bases with nobody out.  McCatty emulates Morris by gutting it out and limiting the damage to 1 run on a Tom Brookens single.  Neither team scores again as the game heads into the 9th and the A's need 3 outs to clinch the AL pennant.

McCatty starts the 9th looking for 3 more outs and a complete game series clinching shutout.  Al Cowens grounds out to second for the first out.  Pinch hitter Ron Jackson singles up the middle.  Fahey pinch hits for Hebner and hits a blast that Murphy catches at the base of the wall for the second out.  Oakland is now one out away from clinching the AL Pennant.  Lou Whitaker hit a slicing 1 hopper that handcuffs defensive replacement Wayne Gross at third base to put runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 out.  Up steps Alan Trammell, who just like Morris, has somehow been skipped over for Cooperstown honors.  Oakland has rookie Dave Beard all ready to go after warming up in the pen, but sees that McCatty still has some octane left in the tank and leaves him in to face "Tram".  McCatty's first pitch came right down Broadway and Trammell lined it into left center.  Henderson, who has speed to burn, made a mad dash for the ball, but there was no way that he could have caught hit with his two feet still firmly touching the Oakland Coliseum turf.  Rickey made a split second decision to dive for it and came up short.  The ball rolled to the wall and when all the dust cleared Trammell was standing on third base having hit a game tying triple.  A minion of Monday morning quarterbacks could second guess Henderson's wisdom to dive, but none of them have Rickey's speed and none of them have made that play before in their sleep like he has.  If he doesn't dive the ball probably still gets through and Trammell has a 2 run double and the game is still tied.  McCatty knew his day was done as Beard came strolling in from the pen.  Kirk Gibson flies out weakly to Armas in right and this game now heads to the bottom of the 9th tied at 3-3.  Jim Spencer singles to lead off the inning against Tiger reliever Dave Tobik.  The next three Oakland batters would ground into force plays, so the game headed to extra innings with momentum firmly in the hands of the visiting team from Motown.

Lefty Tom Underwood came on board to pitch for Oakland in the top of the 10th and set the Tigers down in order.  In the bottom of the inning Oakland got a 1 out single from Dwayne Muphy, who then stole second, but could not score because Armas popped out to third and Gross swung at a curve in the dirt for strike 3.  Underwood set the Tigers down in order again in the top of the 11th, and the A's went weakly as well in the bottom of the frame.  Whitaker, grounded out weakly to short to start the top of the 12th, but Trammell struck again by launching a double to right center that could have easily been another triple if not for the gold glove effort by Muphy to cut the ball off before it got to the wall.  Underwood then runs the count to 3-2 on Gibson who looked at a called strike 3 on a changeup.  Take Gibson's cap and exchange it for a golden sombrero with this being his 4th K of the day.  With two outs and a runner on second Underwood has the matchup in his favor facing lefty batter Steve Kemp.  Underwood pushes his advantage even further by getting Kemp in a 1-2 hole.  The 4th pitch was supposed to be a waste pitch down in the dirt.  It was low, but not low enough as we all know lefties are notoriously good low ball hitters.  Kemp is not exception to the rule, and he turns on the ball and hits a screeching liner to right center that Tony Armas had to lay out for.  The ball went off the heel of Armas's glove and rolled away from him.  Kemp easily trots into second and Trammell easily trots home to give the Tigers a 4-3 lead.  You could now hear a pin drop on the turf at the Oakland Alemeda County Coliseum if it wasn't for the foul mouthed cursing coming out of Oakland's manager's truck driver mouth.  Only 3 innings prior the A's had this pennant all wrapped up with a 3-0 lead in the 9th.  Now 3 innings later they pissed it all away (sorry for the vulgarity).  The Tigers now had 3 outs to go and this improbable comeback pennant would be theirs.  Aurelio Lopez returned to the mound to start the bottom of the 12th with a chance to be the unlikely game 5 winner.   Picciolo leads off the inning by hit a blast to left center on a hanging 1-1 slider.  Al Cowens drifts back and safely catches the ball on the warning track.  Credit this out to the huge cavern called the Oakland Coliseum.  Joe Garagiola commented on NBC's broadcast that Piccolo's shot would have been a homer in Tiger Stadium.  Tony Kubek responded glibly, "We're not playing in Tiger Stadium, so all it is is a long out".  Tiger manager Tom Davis had seen enough as his heart sunk and his palms were sweating until Cowens caught the ball.  He was taking no chances with the final 2 outs, so he went to his close Kevin Saucier to face Rickey Henderson.  Time and time again we see a guy being the goat in one inning and a hero in the next.  Henderson came to the plate needing to make something happen, having felt like he blew the game in the 9th with his errant dive on Trammell's liner.  Rickey, who has full support of his manager to play Billy Ball at any time layed down a surprise bunt for a base hit.  Substitue third baseman, Mick Kellher, who replaced the sure handed Brookens, charged the ball and barhanded it.  He threw a one hopper to Whitaker, who was covering first, but the ball bounced off of Lou's abdomen and Rickey was standing safe at first.  With one out and Rickey on 1st Mickey Klutts was called on to pinch hit for Dave McKay.  Saucier had Kutts in a 1-2 hole, but couldn't put him away as Klutts lined a single threw the hole just out of the reach of both Trammell and Kelleher to put runners on the corners with one out.  Shooty Babitt was brought in to run for the slow footed Klutts.  Dwayne Muphy came to the plate.  The lefty vs lefty advantage was firmly on Saucier's side, but Detroit's close was wild and he walked Muphy on 5 pitches to load the bases for Tony Armas.  Arms immediately finds himself in an 0-2 hole, but battles back to 3-2.  With the count full Saucier throws a fastball on the hands of Armas who could not get the bat head out in front of it.  The ball contacted the bat just below the trademark and started lofting in the neighborhood of shallow left center.  Trammell went back, Kemp and Cowens came hustling in.  The hang time on this blopper was almost no existant, so the ball fell safely onto the turf.  Henderson scored easily from third.  Babitt, who got a late jump because he thought Trammell had a shot at catching the ball, now had to get on his horse to score.  Kemp who was charging picked up the ball and threw it home with every bit of armstrength he could muster.  Babitt beats the throw by a split second as Parrish's tag is late.  Oakland scores 2 miraculous runs playing Billy Ball and clinches the franchises second KOD-AL Pennant and their manager's 8th KOD pennant.
A's win series 3-2

KOD 13 - Tier A Playoffs - A's clinch AL pennant with luck and pain in game 5

ALCS - Detroit (4) vs Oakland (3)
This was a classic series between two of the most tenured managers in KOD.  I for one would like to thank Tom Davis, manager of Detroit, for being one of my greatest rivals.  This was a series that had some classic games, went the distance, and had an ESPN instant classic game 5, where both of us thought we were dead and buried numerous times.  When you play against a skilled opponent who knows you as well as you know him these games tend to take on a life of their own and become mini epics.

10/16/1981 - GAME 1 - Oakland Coliseum
Morris vs McCatty
Tigers 2, A's 1

The series opener treated us to a classic pitcher's duel, which was won by the greatest money pitcher of his generation, Jack Morris.  For Mr. Morris not to be in the HOF is a travesty.  He was the winningest pitcher during the decade of the 1980's and his brilliance in this game is quite evident.  After both teams exchanged runs in the 1st, Jack clamped down on the A's and shut them out the rest of the way.  Lou Whitaker led off the game with a homer.  Dwayne Murphy's RBI triple scored Rickey Henderson to tie it.  Steve Kemp's RBI double off of Steve McCatty in the top of the 5th provided Morris with the 1 run margin that he would need.  McCatty, to his credit, had his best outing of the year, but he could not out duel the legendary Morris.
Tigers lead series 1-0

 

10/17 - GAME 2
Wilcox vs Langford
A's 2, Tigers 0
Rickey Henderson stole a run for the A's in the home half of the first.  His base running antics rattled Milt Wilcox, who served up an RBI single to Dwayne Murphy and a sac fly to Tony Armas to give Oakland a 2-0 lead after 1 inning of play.  If you like offense you could have turned your TV set off at this point.  Both pitchers settled into a groove that saw neither team score again.  Detroit would manage just 6 hits off of Oakland starter Rick Langford, who was simply brilliant in going the distance while fanning 7 and walking just 1.  Langford's clutch 6 hit shutout kept the A's from falling to 0-2 in the series.
Series tied 1-1

10/19 - GAME 3 - Tiger Stadium
Norris vs Petry
Tigers 6, A's 5

The series shifted to the corners of Michigan and Trumbull in good old Corktown.  Dan Petry got in trouble early and by the end of the second inning the Tigers were down 4-1.  Mike Norris, who entered the game with a 9-1 record looked like he was going to be unbeatable.  A solo homer by Lance Parrish in the bottom of the 4th cut Oakland's lead in half.  A sac fly by Kirk Gibson and a 2 run shot by Steve Kemp in the bottom of the 5th gave the Tigers a 5-4 lead.  Oakland tied it back up in the 7th with an RBI single by Tony Armas.  Norris was still on the mound battling in the 8th when he gave up a lead off double to Parrish.  After Rich Hebner struck out swinging Tom Underwood was brought in to face lefty Champ Summers.  Manager Davis quickly went to his bench and brought in righty Mick Kelleher, who rewarded his skipper with an RBI single to put Motown up 6-5.  Closer Kevin Saucier came on in the bottom of the 9th to set the A's down in order to save the game.
Tigers lead series 2-1

10/20 - GAME 4
Keough vs Schatzeder
A's 7, Tigers 4
In a battle of shaky 4th starters the A's managed to slip by the Tigers and push the ALCS to the brink of finality.  Each team's respective offenses victimized both starters.  Oakland kept handing Keough a nice lead, but the enigmatic righty kept opening the door to let the Tigers back in.  Oakland's manager finally lost his patience and put the ball in the hands of middle reliever extraordinaire Jeff Jones, who went 3 scoreless innings before handing the ball off to Bob Owchinko for the final out.  Jones' unsung performance was the difference maker, because up until that point the Keough had no answer for Detroit's offense.  Oakland hit 3 homers off of Tiger starter Dan Schatzeder.  Mike Heath and Rob Picciolo hit solo shots in the 2nd and super sub Mickey Klutts hit a 2 run shot in the 5th that chased "Schatzy" from the bump.
Series tied 2-2

KOD 13 - Tier C Playoffs - Friars win NLCS over Jints in 4

Game 1 at San Diego,

Juan Eichelberger pitched 8 strong innings to even his record at 4-4.  Gene Richards hit his second homerun of the year and pounded out three runs in the 6th inning to build a 6-1 lead.  Eichelberger needed to be replaced in the 9th as he ran out of steam. John Urrea came on in relief and struggled as he walked the bases loaded and allowed 3 runs to score but he got Enos Cabell to ground out to Luis Salazar to seal the victory. Padres 6...Giants 3.

Game 2, at San Diego,

Luis Salazar, Ozzie Smith, and Juan Bonilla all lead the offensive onslaught by gathering 3 hits apiece in support of Padre starter Steve Mura. Mura pitched seven innings allowing only 3 hits and one run. Gary Lucas came on in relief to seal the win.  Padres 5....Giants 1.

Game 3, at San Francisco,

The Giants came on strong in game 3 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first and fourth innings.  Jack Clark and Darrell Evans each drove in two runs to assist a strong pitching performance by veteran southpaw Vida Blue. Blue did not allow a run through 7 innings of work to improve to 5-3.  He needed relief help from Al Holland.  Giants 4....Padres 1.

Game 4, at San Francisco,

With the Padres leading the series 2 games to 1, a pair of lefties squared off. Chris Welsh for San Diego and Gary Lavelle of the Giants. Both pitched strong games as Lavelle held the edge with a 2-1 lead until the 5th inning.  Evans and Leonard drove in single runs with hits early in the game. However, with a runner on base in the sixth inning, Joe Lefebvre got a hold of a Lavelle fastball and lined it over the right field fence for a go-ahead two run homerun to give the Padres a 3-2 lead.  Gene Richards added some insurance in the 9th with an RBI single off Ed Whitson.  The Giants made matters tight in the ninth inning off of two relievers.  John Urrea got the first two batters out but gave up a single to Larry Herndon.  Gary Lucas came on to face Joe Morgan. Morgan singled and then base on balls to Darrell Evans loaded the bases.  Lucas faced Jeff Leonard but got him to pop out to second base to end the game and give the Padres the series 3 games to 1....Padres 4....Giants 2.

--submitted by Joey Scigliano--

KOD 13 - Tier C Playoffs - Chisox dispatch Jays via Game 5 blowout

10/12/1981 - GAME 1 - Comiskey Park
Garvin vs Burns
Blue Jays 6, White Sox 3

Toronto jumped out to a 5-0 lead after 2 innings and never bothered to look back.  DH Otto Velez went 4 for 4 with 3 runs scored and 2 runs knocked in.  Chicago actually out hit the Jays (10 to 8), but the Jays got the more timely hits and some great efforts out of the pen.  McLaughlin went 3 scoreless innings in relief of Garvin and Murray pitched a scoreless 9th for the save.

Blue Jays lead series 1-0

10/13 - GAME 2
Stieb vs Dotson
White Sox 6, Blue Jays 5
Bill Almon's 2 run single in the bottom of the 8th made it 6-3.  Toronto rallied in the top of the 9th to score 2, but came up short as reliever La Mar Hoyt was able to get yesterday's hero, Otto Velez, to line out to  Tony Bernazard at second with the tying run on board.
Series tied 1-1

10/15 - GAME 3 - Exhibition Stadium
Trout vs Leal
White Sox 9, Blue Jays 2

Steve Trout came within 2 outs of a complete game as the Chisox cruised to victory.  Trout gave up a lot of hits (10), but was able to hold the Jays to just 2 runs.  The top 3 batters in Chicago's lineup each had 2 hits and 2 RBI's.  In fact 5 Chisox batters had 2 hits, as only Chet Lemon went hitless.
White Sox lead series 2-1

10/16 - GAME 4
Baumgarten vs Todd
Blue Jays 6, White Sox 0
Toronto nervously guarded it's 2-0 lead until they broke out with 4 huge insurance runs in the bottom of the 8th off of Ed Farmer.  George Bell hit a 2 run shot in the bottom of the 4th to supply Jackson Todd with a lead.  Todd left the game with 1 out in the 7th having given up just 2 hits and no runs.  Roy Lee Jackson got a well earned save by fanning 5 and pitching a perfect final 2 2/3 innings to force a game 5 back in Chicago.
Series tied 2-2

10/17 - GAME 5 - Comiskey Park
Garvin vs Burns
White Sox 26, Blue Jays 1

What a sad and unexpected way to end such a closely contested series.  Chicago scored early and often and doubled up their 11 run lead with 11 more runs in the bottom of the 6th.  For good measure they scored 4 more in the 7th.  Paul Mirabella took one for the team as he surrendered all 11 runs.  Britt Burns gave up just 2 hits in 6 shutout innings for the Chisox.  Ed Farmer finished the game out and gave up Toronto's lone run in the top of the 9th.  Chet Lemon, who went hitless in Chicago's last runfest went 4 for 6 with 5 RBI's and 3 runs scored.  Interestingly Johnson's 3 run shot in the 4th was the only homer hit on the day.
White Sox win series 3-2

KOD 13 - Tier C Playoffs - Rd 1 - Royals defeat Tribe in 5 game thriller

10/12/1981 - GAME 1 - Royals Stadium
Denny vs Splittorff
Indians 6, Royals 3

Welcome to the KC/CLE tack meet.  Both teams combined for 8 stolen bases.  The game was tied heading into the 7th when Indian catcher Bo Diaz led off the inning with a homer.  For good measure the Tribe added 2 more runs in the 9th to double up the Royals.  John Denny got the win, going 7 2/3 innings giving up 3 runs on 11 hits.  KC squandered a 3 hit, 2 SB day by centerfielder Amos Otis.

Indians lead series 1-0

10/13 - GAME 2
Barker vs Gura
Royals 5, Indians 1
Larry Gura kept the Tribe in check for 8 innings allowing just 1 run on 6 hits.  Len "Mr. Perfect" Barker was far from perfect yielding 13 hits and 5 runs in 8 innings.  Frank White (3-4) knocked in 3 runs, two of them on a 1st inning double and one on an 8th inning single.
Series tied 1-1

10/15 - GAME 3 - Municipal Stadium
Leonard vs Brennan
Royals 4, Indians 3

Dennis Leonard scattered 10 hits over 8 innings and gave up just 2 runs.  The Tribe had their chances, but couldn't capitalize until the 8th and 9th, where they scored solo runs to make it a 1 run game.  KC's closer, Dan Quisenberry faltered in the 9th and had to be saved by journeyman Ken Brett, who got the final 2 outs with the typing run on 2nd.  Leadoff man Willie Wilson went 3 for 5, scored a run and knocked in a run for the Royals.  He also stole a base.  George Brett went 3 for 5 and veteran catcher Jerry Grote, in his final season went 2 for 2 with 2 runs scored.
Royals lead series 2-1

10/16 - GAME 4
Gale vs Blyleven
Indians 6, Royals 4
KC scored 2 in the top of the 6th to tie the game a 3-3.  The Tribe, with their backs to against the wall, scored 3 in the 5th and 3 more in the 6th to force a decisive game 5.  The "Human Rain Delay", Mike Hargrove was 3 for 4 with 2 RBI and 1 run scored to pace the Indians offense.  Jorge Orta and Andre Thornton had 2 hits.  Bert Blyleven wasn't masterful, but he was good enough as he went the distance for the win.
Series tied 2-2

10/17 - GAME 5 - Royals Stadium
Denny vs Gura
Royals 4, Indians 3 (16 inn)
Seldom do decisive series games live up to their pre-game hype.  This one not only lived up to the hype, but it actually exceeded it.  After 6 innings of play the Royals were up 3-0, and ace Larry Gura (starting on short rest) was cruising.  Then just like the weather in Dallas things changed on a dime.  Gura ran out of gas in the 7th and the Tribe made it a 1 run ball game on the heels of RBI singles by Alan Bannister and Miguel Dilone.  With Ken Brett on the mound for the Royals in the 8th the Tribe tied the game up on Thornton's sac fly that scored pinch hitter Ron Hassey, who led the inning off by getting hit by a pitch.  Neither team could score in the 9th, so the decisive game 5 now headed to extra innings.  Tension mounted as each team had their chances to score, but nobody seemed to be able to.  Cleveland reliever Dan Spillner was brilliant with 5 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.  Once it was apparent that Spillner was out of gas, Cleveland brought Ed Glynn in to start the bottom of the 16th.  John Wathan led off the inning with a single, but the next two batters made easy outs.  Wathan stole second while Aikens looked at a called strike 3.  Brett was given an intentional pass to create a force situation on the base paths.  More than likely he was walked, because of his clutch bat.  Hal McRae came up and slammed a 2-2 pitch into the left field power alley to easily score Wathan and clinch the series.  Royals manager Justin Ryan said, "Game 5 was a 16 inning pants shitter!  One of the greatest games, with so many clutch performances on both sides I've ever seen!"
Royals win series 3-2