Mike Scott wasn’t sharp, allowing a solo home run to Roberto Alomar to lead off the game, and another to Frank Robinson two innings later en route to 5 earned runs over 6 1/3 innings. But the Houston Astros wouldn’t quit against Mike Cuellar and the Baltimore Orioles. Cuellar had allowed 9 hits entering the 6th, but hit Denis Menke with a pitch and allowed a single to Alan Ashby before being replaced by Stu Miller. Miller allowed two runners to score before getting out of the inning, and Richard Hidalgo added a solo shot to give Houston the lead. Larry Andersen, Octavio Dotel, and Billy Wagner combined to allow just 1 hit over the final 2 2/3 innings to quiet the Orioles. Wagner picked up the save as the Astros came out on top 7-5. Five different Astros hitters were 2 for 4. Houston will face Cleveland tomorrow.

Baltimore @ Houston – 10/3/23

Gaylord Perry allowed just 4 hits in 7 innings, but two of those hits were solo home runs by Aubrey Huff and Jonny Gomes. That left the door open for a Tampa Bay Rays upset of the Cleveland Indians in the Baseball Maelstrom Tournament. But Tris Speaker did his part to make sure that didn’t happen. With some timely hits, Cleveland scored a run in 3 of the first 4 innings off Alex Cobb, including an RBI single from Speaker in the 4th. But a Jim Thome error in the 8th led to a Sacrifice Fly by Ben Zobrist off Michael Jackson that tied the score at 3. J.P. Howell, who had pitched a perfect 7th for the Rays, allowed a leadoff single to Manny Ramírez and then walked Albert Belle. Rafael Soriano came in, but allowed an RBI single to Nap Lajoie for the go-ahead run. Two batters later, Speaker drove in two more with another single. José Mesa closed the door in the 9th and Cleveland took the game 6-3, eliminating the Rays from the Tournament. Speaker finished 3 for 5 with 3 RBI.

Tampa Bay @ Cleveland – 10/3/23

Johnny Bench was the hero today, hitting a 3-run home run in the 9th inning to give the Cincinnati Reds a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. Mike Lieberthal hit a solo shot in the 2nd off Ewell Blackwell to put the Phillies on the board first. In the 5th, Chris Short walked Barry Larkin to start the inning. Joey Votto drove him home with an RBI single to tie the game. Short allowed just 6 hits in 8 innings, striking out 9. But Blackwell also allowed just 6 hits in 8 innings for the Reds. John Franco pitched a perfect 9th for Cincinnati. That’s when Ron Reed came in. Ken Griffey Jr. led off with a single, and Reed hit Larkin with the next pitch. That brought Bench up. Bench had struck out in his prior two times up, but Reed left one a little too up in the zone and Bench got just enough of it. Ed Delahanty made a leaping attempt over the wall, but a Reds fan made the play instead. A review showed that the ball had cleared the wall at the time of contact, so Bench was awarded the walk-off home run. The Reds will travel to San Francisco to face the Giants in the Loser’s Bracket tomorrow.

Philadelphia @ Cincinnati – 10/3/23

Jeff Kent led off the do-or-die game against the Homestead Grays with a double, scoring when Mel Ott doubled him home. Even though Sam Bankhead’s 2-run single in the 2nd put Homestead up 2-1 early, Kent and the San Francisco Giants were just getting started. The 2nd inning would be the only inning that the Giants were scoreless. The Giants scored 4 runs in the 3rd thanks to three more doubles, including another by Kent. When Kent hit a 3-run homer in the 4th, it ended Edsall Walker’s day. But reliever Wilmer Fields walked 7, as none of the Grays pitchers could figure out the San Francisco lineup. Giants starter Juan Marichal was far from perfect, allowing 4 runs on 9 hits in 7 innings, and Jeremy Affeldt didn’t help, allowing 3 runs himself, but it didn’t matter as the Giants bats romped to a 16-7 win. Kent finished 5 for 6 with 2 doubles, a homer, 4 runs scored, and 4 RBI. Sam Bankhead, the #9 hitter for Homestead was 4 for 5 with 3 RBI in the losing effort.

Homestead @ San Francisco – 10/3/23

Kevin Appier took a 2-hit shutout into the 9th, and the Kansas City Royals did just enough against Wilbur Wood, outdueling the Chicago White Sox to a 2-1 win and advancing in the Baseball Maelstrom Tournament. Amos Otis broke a scoreless tie in the 7th, hitting an RBI single off Wood. Mike Sweeney added an important insurance run with a solo home run in the 9th off Dámaso Marté. Appier was one out away from a shutout when Dick Allen hit a solo shot. Greg Holland retired Carl Reynolds to pick up his 2nd save, sending the White Sox home. Wood allowed just 5 hits and a run in 8 innings, but still picked up the loss. The Royals advance to play the Yankees tomorrow.

Kansas City @ Chicago (A) – 10/3/23

The New York Yankees topped the Toronto Blue Jays to keep their hopes alive in the Loser’s Bracket of the Baseball Maelstrom Tournament. But it wasn’t easy. John Olerud, Tony Fernandez, and George Bell had RBI singles in the 1st three innings against Yankee starter Jack Chesbro to put Toronto up 3-0. This after the Yankees had the bases loaded with no outs in the 1st and couldn’t score. New York finally pulled ahead against Jimmy Key in the 3rd when Babe Ruth hit an RBI double with 2 outs, Lou Gehrig walked, and Mickey Mantle hit a 3-run home run to give the Yankees a 4-3 lead. Álex Rodríguez hit a solo shot to extend the lead and chase Key in the 5th. José Bautista hit a 3-run homer in the 7th off Chesbro to retake the lead for Toronto 6-5. Tom Henke was in to hold the lead in the 8th, but Charlie Keller came through with a 2-run single after Tony Lazerri bunted Mantle and Joe DiMaggio into scoring position. Toronto threatened in the 9th when Carlos Delgado hit a 2-out single, and Bautista walked, but Mariano Rivera struck out Josh Donaldson to pick up his 2nd save. The 7-6 victory moves New York on in the Tournament as Toronto heads home.

Toronto @ New York (A) – 10/3/23

Don Sutton held the St. Louis Cardinals lineup in check for 3 innings, while Gil Hodges 3-run home run gave the Dodgers an early lead. All of that unraveled in the 4th. Mark McGwire and Albert Pujols hit back-to-back homers, and Yadier Molina added a 2-run double to put the Cardinals up 4-3. While the Dodgers tied the game back up in the 5th, Stan Musial hit a go-ahead single in the 6th and added an insurance run with another RBI single in the 8th. Leading off the 9th, Big Mac added another home run. He’s now hit 5 HR in the 3 games of the Tournament. In fact, all of his hits have been homers. Bruce Sutter picked up his 2nd save with a scoreless 9th. The Cardinals will face the Marlins tomorrow in the last National League matchup of undefeated teams. The winner of that game will advance to the National League Championship. The Dodgers will have a day off before they face their 1st test in the Loser’s Bracket.

St. Louis @ Los Angeles (N) – 10/3/23

Neither Lefty Grove or Jered Weaver could make it through 5 innings, as the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels battered each other back and forth today. Jimmie Foxx started the scoring in the 1st with a solo homerun, but LA responded with back-to-back homers from Troy Glaus and Mike Trout in the bottom of the inning. While the Athletics tied it back up with RBI singles in the 2nd, Tim Salmon capped off a 3-run inning with a home run to put the Angels back on top. But Oakland continued to chip away, eventually tying the game at 7 with a Rickey Henderson RBI single off reliever Troy Percival in the 8th. Gene Nelson couldn’t get out of the bottom of the 8th. Nelson issued two straight walks to load the bases, and pinch-hitter Vlad Guerrero hit an RBI single to break the tie. When the inning was over, the Angels had scored 4 more runs to take an 11-7 lead, and Percival pitched a perfect 9th to close it out. Tim Salmon finished 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored and 2 doubles to go with his home run. LA will face the surprising Seattle Mariners tomorrow.

Oakland @ Los Angeles (A) – 10/3/23

The Miami Marlins are proving that their Tournament run isn’t a fluke. Entering the Tournament as the last-place seed in the National League, other teams have counted them out every step of the way. But they keep on winning. Carlos Delgado’s 2-run single put Miami up 2-0 before they had recorded their 1st out. By the end of the inning, the Marlins were up 4-0 against Jerry Koosman and the New York Mets. The Mets didn’t make it easy though. They chipped away at the lead, led by Mike Piazza’s two home runs. Josh Johnson left with a slim 6-5 lead in the 8th, but José Reyes hit a game-tying homer off Robb Nen. In the 9th, Gary Sheffield took Tug McGraw deep to put the Marlins back on top. Armando Benítez had a shaky 9th, but struck out Carlos Beltrán to pick up his 3rd save in as many games. The 7-6 victory makes Miami one of the final four Winner’s Bracket teams. The Mets will get a day off before facing their first test in the Loser’s Bracket.

Miami @ New York (N) – 10/3/23

The Seattle Mariners entered the Baseball Maelstrom Tournament seeded last in the American League, thanks to a last-place winning percentage ranking. They’ve now knocked off their 3rd straight opponent as they advance to become one of the final four Winner’s Bracket teams. Today, they beat Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers. Verlander walked Edgar Martinez and Alvin Davis to load the bases with 2 outs in the 3rd inning, and Ken Griffey Jr. followed with a 2-run double to get Seattle on the board. Álex Rodríguez added a 2-run single in the inning. Jay Buhner hit a 2-run shot in the 6th to put the Mariners up 6-0. Hisashi Iwakuma finally faltered in the 7th, allowing Detroit to cut the lead in half after Miguel Cabrera homered and Mickey Cochrane hit a 2-run single. But Bret Boone put the game away with a 3-run bomb off Jack Morris in the 8th. Kenji Johjima added a solo shot in the 9th to give the Mariners a 10-3 lead, and eventual win. Detroit will get a day off before facing elimination in the Loser’s Bracket.

Seattle @ Detroit – 10/3/23