Chicago Docs starter William Bell allowed 3 runs on 4 hits in the 1st inning against the St. Louis Wizards, but just 2 hits over the next 6 innings. Unfortunately, the 3-1 score that he left quickly blew up when reliever Curt Schilling took the mound. St. Louis hit 4 home runs off Schilling in the 8th inning, on their way to 8 runs for an 11-1 lead. Stan Musial hit a solo homer to start the inning, and Willie McCovey added a 2-run shot just two batters later. Joe Morgan added a 2-run homer of his own, before Schilling had retired a single batter. Duke Snider struck out for the 1st out of the inning, but Willie Mays hit a 2-run blast to end Schilling’s night. St. Louis starter, Robin Roberts, allowed a 2-run homer of his own to Buster Posey in the bottom of the inning before leaving the game. Chicago would score two more against Hoyt Wilhelm, but Jim Edmonds grounded into a double-play with the bases loaded to end any hope of a comeback. McCovey led the St. Louis offense, going 3 for 5 with 3 RBI. Posey was 4 for 5 in a losing effort. The 11-5 loss ensures Chicago of a last-place finish.

Wizards @ Docs – 5/30/23

David Cone scattered 10 hits, allowing two runs in a 3-2 win against the New York Swats. Cone also struck out 6, picking up his 3rd win of the season in his final start. Babe Ruth slugged his 18th home run of the season, tying teammate Dick Allen for the Baseball Maelstrom lead. Mark McGwire broke a 2-2 tie in the 5th inning with an RBI single off CC Sabathia to put Detroit up 3-2. John Hiller pitched a scoreless 9th for the Rockets, earning his 3rd save of the season. One season after winning the World Series, the Detroit Rockets are just 23-30 with one game left in the regular season.

Swats @ Rockets – 5/30/23

Juan Marichal outdueled Sandy Koufax, limiting the Los Angeles Dynamos to two runs on 6 hits to clinch a World Series spot for the Houston Hoots. Things didn’t look great early for Houston. Tony Gwynn led off the game with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly in the 1st. Gwynn then hit a solo home run in the 3rd inning to give LA a 2-0 lead. Tim Raines’ speed generated the 1st run for Houston when he singled, stole 2nd, and advanced to 3rd on a flyout. Oscar Charleston singled him home to cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the 3rd. Raines led off the 5th with a double, and Charleston, once again, brought him home, this time with a double to tie the game. Koufax scattered 9 hits, but the last hit came when Gil Hodges hit a leadoff homer in the 8th inning to give the Hoots a 3-2 lead. Bruce Sutter came in to close out the 9th, throwing a perfect 9th for his 17th save and clinching the win for the Houston Hoots. Houston will enter the final day of the regular season with a 2-game lead over the LA Dynamos for the National League pennant, and will advance to face the Boston Splinters in the World Series.

Dynamos @ Hoots – 5/30/23

Bert Blyleven allowed just two hits, but the Boston Splinters needed extra innings, eventually winning in the 11th on their only run scored thanks to a base hit. A sacrifice fly off Nolan Ryan gave Boston an early lead. In the 5th, George Brett’s throwing error, and a questionable call led to a big inning for the Oakland Jacks. Lou Boudreau watched an apparent strike 3 for what should have been the 3rd out, but the home plate ump called the pitch outside. After some chattering from the Boston dugout, Blyleven struggled to throw a called strike, walking 5 batters in the inning and allowing 4 runs. Another sacrifice fly in the 6th, and two runs on groundouts in the 7th after a couple of errors tied the game 4-4. Relievers keptt things tied until the 11th, when Ichiro Suzuki doubled in Carlton Fisk. Rollie Fingers pitched a perfect 9th to seal the win and earn his 13th save. Suzuki finished 2 for 5 and has hit safely in 20 games for the 2nd time this season. If Boston wins tomorrow, they’ll tie last year’s St. Louis Wizards for most wins in a season.

Splinters @ Jacks – 5/30/23

Down two games with 3 left to play, the Los Angeles Dynamos needed to win out against the Houston Hoots to make the World Series. Don Drysdale took the mound and kept those hopes alive, taking a 2-hit shutout into the 9th, and winning it 4-1. After giving up two 1st-inning singles, Drysdale cruised most of the rest of the way. Houston ace, Bob Gibson, nearly matched Drysdale, but a 4th inning two-run home run by Turkey Stearnes put LA in front. Houston had a chance in the 8th when Drysdale walked Ernie Lombardi and Eddie Mathews to lead off the inning. Tim Raines laid down a bunt to put the tying run on 2nd. With speedy Arky Vaughan pinch-running for Lombardi, Honus Wagner grounded to a drawn-in Rogers Hornsby for the 2nd out, and Oscar Charleston flew out to keep the shutout for Drysdale. Meanwhile, Stearnes home run was the only hit Gibson allowed heading to the 9th, when Tony Gwynn and Craig Biggio had back-to-back singles. Stearnes followed with a triple, and Drysdale entered the 9th with a 4-0 lead. Willie Stargell hit a homer with one out to end the shutout, but Drysdale still picked up the win. The teams combined for just 8 hits, with 5 of those coming in the 9th. LA has closed the gap to just one game, but will need two more wins to seal the comeback.

Dynamos @ Hoots – 5/29/23

Gaylord Perry finished up his last regular season start holding the Oakland Jacks to one run on 4 hits, improving to 8-3 and giving the Boston Splinters a chance of tying the St. Louis Wizards’ record of 36-18 from last season. Jimmie Foxx hit a solo home run in the 5th for the only Oakland run. Mickey Mantle hit a solo homer for the Splinters, and Wade Boggs added a 2-run shot to lead the Boston offense against Whitey Ford. Two of Boston’s 6 runs were unearned, as Oakland committed three errors. Ichiro Suzuki was 0 for 4 heading into the 9th, before he slapped a single off Waite Hoyt to extend his hitting streak to 19 games. Boggs finished 3 for 4 with 3 RBI. Boston is now 34-18 with two games left in the season.

Splinters @ Jacks – 5/29/23

It might have taken the St. Louis Wizards too long, but once Christy Mathewson joined the starting rotation, he started winning. Mathewson earned 5 straight wins, capped by a 5-hit shutout of the Chicago Docs to end the season. Chicago starter Clayton Kershaw allowed three straight singles to start the game, but escaped the 1st inning, allowing just two runs. Kershaw allowed just one more run on 4 hits in the next 6 innings. Stan Musial led the St. Louis offense, going 3 for 5 with 2 RBI. Ryne Sandberg went 3 for 4 and scored 3 times. The Wizards now have a one-game lead on the Chicago Docs to stay out of last place.

Wizards @ Docs – 5/29/23

New York Swats ace Bob Feller struggled most of the season, but everything came together in his final start of the season. Feller allowed just one run on 4 hits while striking out 11 to top the Detroit Rockets 6-1. Detroit’s Frank Tanana made it a pitcher’s duel through 4 innings, retiring the first 14 batters he faced before giving up back-to-back singles to Al Kaline and Charlie Gehringer. Adrian Beltré followed with a 2-run double. Joe DiMaggio added a 2-run home run in the 6th, and Dick Allen hit his Maelstrom-leading 18th homer in the 8th. Feller’s only run came in the 6th when he hit Álex Rodríguez to lead off the inning. Rafael Palmeiro doubled, and Mark McGwire hit a sacrifice fly to score the sole Detroit run in the loss. The win assures New York a .500 record.

Swats @ Rockets – 5/29/23

Dwight Gooden’s lack of control allowed the St. Louis Wizards to come back late, but the Chicago Docs walked it off in the 11th to win 5-4. Jimmy Rollins and Sammy Sosa hit solo home runs off Steve Carlton, and Rollins added an RBI double to give Chicago a 4-1 lead heading into the 7th inning. Gooden’s trouble finding the strike zone plagued him throughout the game. Gooden issued back-to-back walks to walk in a run in the 3rd. Willie McCovey walked and scored on Mike Schmidt’s double in a 2-run 7th that cut the lead to 4-3. Three more walks in the 8th loaded the bases and set up a groundout by Larry Walker that tied the game, despite St. Louis not having a hit in the inning. Gooden allowed just 4 hits in 8 innings, but walked 7. Chicago got three scoreless innings from Kent Tekulve and Rick Reuschel. Facing Joe McGinnity in the 11th, Rollins and Keith Hernandez singled to lead off the inning. Two batters later, Lonny Frey singled through a drawn-in infield to win it. Rollins finished 4 for 5 with 2 RBI. The teams are now tied at 22-29, at the bottom of the National League.

Wizards @ Docs – 5/28/23

Two solo home runs and a wild pitch put the New York Swats on top of Roger Clemens and the Detroit Rockets 3-0 into the 5th, but the Rockets came back. Ty Cobb led off the game with the 1st solo home run. Babe Ruth tripled and scored on a wild pitch in the 4th, and Roberto Alomar hit a solo shot in the 5th. Clemens allowed just 5 hits in 7 innings of work. Mike Mussina took a shutout into the bottom of the 5th when Mark McGwire hit a solo homer. Dwight Evens led off the 6th with a single off Mussina, and three doubles, capped by Bobby Veach, put Detroit on top 4-3. Veach added an insurance run in the 8th off reliever Bullet Rogan. John Hiller picked up only his 2nd save of the season, holding New York scoreless in the 9th after a leadoff double by Joe Mauer. Despite the loss, New York is still a game above .500.

Swats @ Rockets – 5/28/23