KOD 13 - Rolaids Relief Man - Goose Gossage - New York Yankees

KOD 13 - AL Cy Young - Ken Forsch - California Angels

KOD 13 - NL Cy Young - Tom Seaver - Cincinnati Reds

KOD 13 - NL MVP - Andre Dawson - Montreal Expos

KOD 13 - AL MVP - Willie Aikens - Kansas City Royals

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