1973 NLCS - Dodgers sweep Redbirds in 3 straight. All close games

Special thanks to Bruce Thomas for making it a fun and entertaining series.  We spent the whole series chit-chatting on DISCORD.  Nothing better than h2h for the strategy and the relationships.  Our topics bounced around between 1970's baseball, the '51 Dodgers, M*A*S*H and who knows what.  Bruce had the underdog Redbirds who won the NL East with a .500 record.  Still all 3 games were tight, especially game 3, where he was up 4-1 and the Dodgers won it in the 9th with a 2 run shot by Willie Davis to put the boys from Hollyweird up 5-4.

GAME 1:

Sutton outlasts Gibby, who was chased late in the game.  The game was tied at 2 after 4, but the Dodgers realized this was 1973's version of Gibby and not 1968's and they scored 3 runs off him over the next 2 innings to stake Sutton to a lead he wouldn't relinquish.  Bill Russell was 4-4 on the day with a run and an RBI out of the 7 hole.  Sutton notched the CG win and no one bellyached about his 125 pitches thrown :)

GAME 2:

Messersmith looked like a Cy Young winner out-dueling Rick Wise.  LA scored all of their runs in the bottom of the 2nd thanks to 2 hits and 3 walks off of Wise.  Messersmith scattered 4 hits and gave up one run thanks to a Davey Lopes error and a WP by Andy himself.  STL's best chance to get Messersmith was in the 6th.  Teddy Simmons hit a deep drive that Davis flagged down against the wall with one out.  Torre and McBride followed with 2 out singles, but Kenny Reitz ended the threat with a weak pop up to 3-Dog.  Messersmith cruised the rest of the way.

GAME 3:

As mentioned earlier STL took a 4-1 lead into the 9th but Hrabosky and Pena couldn't hold down the fort.  Without a doubt 3-Dog is the Series MVP hitting .417 and having the game winning 2 runs shot.  Can't forget Bill Russell who hit .583.  Jim Brewer got the save with a shaky 9th, but we'll take it.  Doug Rau got the win after pitching a scoreless 8th in relief of Claude Osteen, who was roughed up early, but righted the ship to survive.

League Championship Series - 1973

League Championship Series DUE ASAP
Date	1973 Schedule	Home Manager

National League Championship Series
6-Oct	St. Louis @ Los Angeles	Marc Weiss
7-Oct	St. Louis @ Los Angeles	Marc Weiss
8-Oct	Los Angeles @ St. Louis	Bruce Thomas
9-Oct	Los Angeles @ St. Louis	Bruce Thomas
10-Oct	Los Angeles @ St. Louis	Bruce Thomas
American League Championship Series
6-Oct	Oakland @ Baltimore	Chad Weyenberg
7-Oct	Oakland @ Baltimore	Chad Weyenberg
9-Oct	Baltimore @ Oakland	Bill Schneider
10-Oct	Baltimore @ Oakland	Bill Schneider
11-Oct	Baltimore @ Oakland	Bill Schneider

Orioles Finish Season With 108 Wins - Take 3 of 4 From Tribe

GAME 1:

Game MVP:Al Bumbry

Memorial Stadium     Time 3:12, 77ø, Wind: 5 MPH Left to Right     Night Game
Sep 28, 1973           1 2 3   4 5 6   7 8 9      R  H  E
1973 Cleveland         0 0 1   0 0 0   2 2 0      5  8  2
1973 Baltimore         1 0 0   1 1 2   1 0 -      6 11  1

Cleveland                      IP  H  R ER HR  W  K   Ct   S   B    ERA  BF     EPC  Stf  GSc
Tidrow L(14-23)               5.2  9  5  4  0  3  4  121  74  47   4.76  27   80(75)   +   34
 Lamb                         1.1  1  1  1  1  1  1   23  15   8   4.57   6   90(90)
 Hilgendorf                   1.0  1  0  0  0  2  2   32  19  13   4.04   6   70(75)   +
                              8.0 11  6  5  1  6  7  176 108  68   4.56  39

Baltimore                      IP  H  R ER HR  W  K   Ct   S   B    ERA  BF     EPC  Stf  GSc
Palmer, J W(29-4)             5.0  2  1  1  0  3  2   81  48  33   2.26  20   70(75)       58
 Watt H(4)                    2.1  5  3  3  0  0  1   42  29  13   2.50  12   55(60)
 Jackson, G S(11)             1.2  1  1  1  1  0  2   25  18   7   1.98   6   55(70)   +
                              9.0  8  5  5  1  3  5  148  95  53   3.14  38

Recap

Bal 1st: Scored 1 run on a hit, and an error.
Bal      Tommy Davis hit a grounder scoring 1 to take the lead.  Cle  0 Bal 1.
Cle 3rd: Scored 1 run on 2 walks.
Cle      Oscar Gamble hit a grounder scoring 1 to tie the score.  Cle  1 Bal 1.
Bal 4th: Scored 1 run on 3 hits.
Bal      Brooks Robinson singled scoring Baylor to take the lead.  Cle  1 Bal 2.
Bal      Bobby Grich singled, hit streak now 11.
Bal 5th: Scored 1 run on 2 hits.
Bal      Paul Blair singled scoring Bumbry.  Cle  1 Bal 3.
Bal 6th: Scored 2 runs on a hit and 2 walks.
Bal      Frank Baker tripled scoring 2.  Cle  1 Bal 5.
Cle 7th: Scored 2 runs on 3 hits.
Cle      Oscar Gamble doubled scoring 2.  Cle  3 Bal 5.
Bal 7th: Scored 1 run on a hit and one walk.
Bal      Jim Fuller hit a solo HR(2).  Cle  3 Bal 6.
Cle 8th: Scored 2 runs on 2 hits.
Cle      Dave Duncan hit a 407 foot 2 run HR(14).  Cle  5 Bal 6.
Bal 8th: Failed to score on a hit, 2 walks and an error.

Bal  Al Bumbry: 3 for 5, double, triple.

Bal  Jim Palmer pitched a great 5 innings for the win: 1 earned run, 2 
     hits, 3 BB, 2 K. He's 29-4 on the year!
Bal  Grant Jackson pitched the final 1.2 innings to record save number 
     11.
Cle  Dick Tidrow pitched 5.2 innings and took the loss: 4 earned runs, 
     9 hits, 3 BB, 4 K. He drops to 14-23 on the season.

===================

GAME 2:

GWRBI-Baylor
Game MVP:Don Baylor

Memorial Stadium     Game 2 (Game 1 - Bal 6, Cle 5)     Time 2:56, 64ø     Night Game
Sep 28, 1973           1 2 3   4 5 6   7 8 9      R  H  E
1973 Cleveland         0 1 0   0 0 2   3 2 0      8 13  0
1973 Baltimore         4 0 0   0 1 4   1 0 -     10 11  0

Cleveland                      IP  H  R ER HR  W  K   Ct   S   B    ERA  BF     EPC  Stf  GSc
Wilcox L(7-7)                 5.1  9  9  9  0  4  2  111  68  43   3.63  28 125(118)       12
 Johnson,J                    1.2  2  1  1  0  0  1   24  17   7   7.03   6   80(75)
 Sanders, K                   1.0  0  0  0  0  0  0    9   6   3   0.93   3   55(64)   +
                              8.0 11 10 10  0  4  3  144  91  53   4.60  37

Baltimore                      IP  H  R ER HR  W  K   Ct   S   B    ERA  BF     EPC  Stf  GSc
Alexander, D W(15-7)          5.1  6  3  3  1  2  2   82  53  29   3.25  23 125(135)       44
 Reynolds H(9)                1.1  4  3  3  0  0  0   28  15  13   2.81   8   60(60)s --
 Hood H(2)                    0.1  0  0  0  0  0  1    9   7   2   2.34   1   75(75)
 Watt                         1.1  3  2  2  1  0  1   24  20   4   2.77   7   20(20)s  -
 Jackson, G S(12)             0.2  0  0  0  0  0  0    8   5   3   1.95   2   20(20)s --
                              9.0 13  8  8  2  2  4  151 100  51   3.17  41


Recap

Bal 1st: Sent 8 batters to the plate scoring 4 runs on 2 hits and 3 walks.
Bal      Don Baylor hit a fly ball scoring 1 to take the lead.  Cle  0 Bal 1.
Bal      Merv Rettenmund doubled scoring Coggins.  Cle  0 Bal 2.
Bal      Enos Cabell scored on a WP by Wilcox.  Cle  0 Bal 3.
Bal      Doug DeCinces hit a fly ball scoring 1.  Cle  0 Bal 4.
Cle 2nd: Scored 1 run on 2 hits.
Cle      Ted Ford singled scoring Smith.  Cle  1 Bal 4.
Cle 5th: Failed to score on a hit and 2 walks.
Bal 5th: Scored 1 run on 2 hits.
Bal      Don Baylor singled scoring Cabell.  Cle  1 Bal 5.
Cle 6th: Scored 2 runs on 2 hits.
Cle      Buddy Bell hit a 2 run HR(18).  Cle  3 Bal 5.
Bal 6th: Sent 7 batters to the plate scoring 4 runs on 5 hits.
Bal      Mark Belanger singled scoring Crowley.  Cle  3 Bal 6.
Bal      Bobby Grich doubled  scoring 1.  Cle  3 Bal 7.
Bal      Bobby Grich doubled scoring 2.  Cle  3 Bal 8.
Bal      Rich Coggins singled scoring Grich.  Cle  3 Bal 9.
Cle 7th: Sent 7 batters to the plate scoring 3 runs on 4 hits.
Cle      Oscar Gamble tripled scoring 2.  Cle  5 Bal 9.
Cle      Chris Chambliss hit a grounder scoring 1.  Cle  6 Bal 9.
Bal 7th: Scored 1 run on a hit.
Bal      Don Baylor scored on a WP by Johnson.  Cle  6 Bal 10.
Cle 8th: Scored 2 runs on 3 hits.
Cle      Ron Lolich hit a solo HR(5).  Cle  7 Bal 10.
Cle      Walt Williams doubled scoring Duffy.  Cle  8 Bal 10.

Cle  Ron Lolich: 1 for 2, HR.
Cle  Walt Williams: 3 for 4, double.
Bal  Rich Coggins: 3 for 4.

Bal  Doyle Alexander pitched 5.1 innings to earn the win: 3 earned 
     runs, 6 hits, 2 BB, 2 K. He moves to 15-7 on the season.
Bal  Grant Jackson pitched the 9th to earn his 12th save.
Cle  Milt Wilcox pitched poorly for 5.1 innings and took the loss: 9 
      earned runs, 9 hits, 4 BB, 2 K. He's now 7-7 on the year.
===============
GAME 3:

Game MVP:Tom Timmermann
Injury:Williams,W (today only) Baylor (today only)

Memorial Stadium     Time 2:43, 77ø, Wind: 4 MPH Left to Right     Day Game
Sep 29, 1973           1 2 3   4 5 6   7 8 9      R  H  E
1973 Cleveland         1 2 0   1 0 3   0 2 1     10 15  2
1973 Baltimore         1 0 1   0 0 0   0 0 0      2  4  2

Cleveland                      IP  H  R ER HR  W  K   Ct   S   B    ERA  BF     EPC  Stf  GSc
Timmermann, W(9-5)            9.0  4  2  2  0  1  2  133  94  39   4.58  33 135(134)       72
                              9.0  4  2  2  0  1  2  133  94  39   4.58  33

Baltimore                      IP  H  R ER HR  W  K   Ct   S   B    ERA  BF     EPC  Stf  GSc
McNally L(19-13)              5.1 11  7  6  0  1  1   89  63  26   3.50  30   85(75)   -   20
 Watt                         2.1  2  2  2  1  1  1   32  19  13   2.97   8   20(27)s
 Jackson, G                   1.1  2  1  1  0  0  3   25  18   7   2.06   6   20(22)s
                              9.0 15 10  9  1  2  5  146 100  46   3.21  44


Recap

Cle 1st: Scored 1 run on 2 hits, and an error.
Cle      Buddy Bell singled scoring Spikes to take the lead.  Cle  1 Bal 0.
Bal 1st: Scored 1 run on a hit.
Bal      Bobby Grich doubled, hit streak now 13.
Bal      Rich Coggins hit a fly ball scoring 1 to tie the score.  Cle  1 Bal 1.
Cle 2nd: Scored 2 runs on 3 hits.
Cle      Ted Ford singled scoring 2 to take the lead.  Cle  3 Bal 1.
Bal 3rd: Scored 1 run on 2 hits.
Bal      Rich Coggins singled scoring Grich.  Cle  3 Bal 2.
Cle 4th: Scored 1 run on 2 hits, and an error.
Cle      Charlie Spikes hit a fly ball scoring 1.  Cle  4 Bal 2.
Cle 6th: Sent 7 batters to the plate scoring 3 runs on 4 hits and one walk.
Cle      Charlie Spikes singled scoring Duffy.  Cle  5 Bal 2.
Cle      Chris Chambliss walked scoring Ragland.  Cle  6 Bal 2.
Cle      John Ellis hit a fly ball scoring 1.  Cle  7 Bal 2.
Cle 8th: Scored 2 runs on a hit and one walk.
Cle      Jack Brohamer hit a 2 run HR(4).  Cle  9 Bal 2.
Cle 9th: Scored 1 run on 2 hits.
Cle      Dave Duncan hit a fly ball scoring 1.  Cle  10 Bal 2.

Cle  Jack Brohamer: 1 for 1, HR, 2 RBI.
Cle  Frank Duffy: 3 for 5, double, 2 runs.
Bal  Bobby Grich: 2 for 4, double, triple, 2 runs.

Cle  Tom Timmermann pitched a solid complete game for the win: 2 
     earned runs, 4 hits, 1 BB, 2 K. He's 9-5 on the year.
Bal  Dave McNally pitched poorly for 5.1 innings and took the loss: 6 
     earned runs, 11 hits, 1 BB, 1 K. He drops to 19-13 on the year.
===================
GAME 4:

GWRBI-Grich
Game MVP:Bob Reynolds

Memorial Stadium     Game 2 (Game 1 - Cle 10, Bal 2)     Time 2:33, 81ø, Wind: 6 MPH Out To CF     Day Game
Sep 29, 1973           1 2 3   4 5 6   7 8 9      R  H  E
1973 Cleveland         0 0 0   0 0 0   0 0 0      0  3  3
1973 Baltimore         0 0 0   0 1 0   0 0 -      1  4  1

Cleveland                      IP  H  R ER HR  W  K   Ct   S   B    ERA  BF     EPC  Stf  GSc
Kekich L(2-7)                 6.1  3  1  1  0  6  4  115  69  46   9.08  28 120(118)       61
 Sanders, K                   1.2  1  0  0  0  0  0   19  13   6   0.79   6   50(55)   -
                              8.0  4  1  1  0  6  4  134  82  52   4.56  34

Baltimore                      IP  H  R ER HR  W  K   Ct   S   B    ERA  BF     EPC  Stf  GSc
Cuellar W(20-14)              5.0  2  0  0  0  3  4   70  45  25   4.01  21 130(128)       64
 Garland H(3)                 2.1  1  0  0  0  1  2   31  19  12   3.00   9   60(60)s  -
 Reynolds S(7)                1.2  0  0  0  0  1  1   18   9   9   2.75   5   60(60)s  -
                              9.0  3  0  0  0  5  7  119  73  46   3.19  35