Three crowded at top of American League standings

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basilrathbonejr
Posts: 222
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2017 1:30 am

Three crowded at top of American League standings

Post by basilrathbonejr »

The American League standings have an interesting look about them. Three teams are tied for the top spot, then there are three teams tied four games behind, and the bottom two clubs are both six games back. Kansas City owns the longest winning streak in the league (7) and Tampa Bay has lost their last four for the longest losing streak.

Kansas City has three of the four top three homerun hitters in the league; Bill McCall, Mike Jackson, and Steve Blue have five as does Tubby Johnson of Los Angeles.

Johnson is having a phenomenal season. Johnson leads in batting average; .446. Washington's Keven Carew .392 and Doug Blanco of Washington .391 are second and third.

Bill McCall of Kansas City leads in runs batted in with 18, five more than Preston Becker (TB) and Tubby Johnson (LA)

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Oakland 7 LAL 4

Oakland returned home after salvaging a win in the final game of their six game road trip that saw them post wins in only the first and last game of the trip losing four straight in the middle for a 2-4 total. The first game at home was a extremely hard fought win over first place Los Angeles that kept the sparse crowd on hand entertained throughout the game.

The home team took a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning on a single by Ross McMahon.

Oakland added a run to that lead in the 3rd. Tiny Roberts tripled and Brandon Hill singled him in for a 3-0 lead.

Los Angeles received their wake up call in the 4th inning. George Cole singled to left field, then stole second base. The next two batter went out routinely but Bret Southworth's bouncing ball just got by the diving outstretched glove of second baseman Manuel Perez. 3-1 Oakland.

Los Angeles tied the game in the 5th inning with two runs on three hits and a walk in the inning off Luis Barranca. Bill Davis singled. Pitcher Red Davis' sacrifice bunt moved him to second.

Barranca got a big out when Tubby Johnson bounced to first but the trouble was far from over. George Chacon doubled down the right field line scoring Davis. Barranca walked George Cole and Joe Schwenk singled in Chacon tying the game 3-3.

Oakland took a 4-3 lead in the 7th. Jon Mathewson gave up a one out bases empty homerun to Tiny Roberts, his second of the season.

Joe Schwenk (3rd) tied the game with a solo homerun one inning later.

This exciting back and forth game was decided in the 8th on a bases loaded walk to Manuel Perez. Walks and bases loaded walks were prominent through out the league on this day.

Chandler Webb made that run stand up but not without considerable drama. Webb walked pinch hitter Chuck Wells on four pitches with two out. Tubby Johnson, the league leading hitter batting .446 singled to right. Wells went to tird. Chacon walked to fill the bases.

Webb settled down to strike out George Cole to end the game. It was Webb's 4th save.

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Washington 10 Tampa Bay 2

A route going performance by John Colavito (3-1 9IP 8H 2R/2ER 1BB/9SO) was the key to Washington's 10-2 victory over Tampa Bay.

10 runs on 11 hits helped out quite a bit too.

Bill Willis drove in five runs. He was walked with the bases loaded in the 4th inning and hit a three run double in the 5th inning. Keith Carew drove in three runs with a third inning homerun off losing pitcher Billy Kreig (1-3).

Stan Marquis his a two run homerun for Tampa in the 6th inning.

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Toronto 5 Boston 4

On a day when walks were a problem league wide the Boston pitchers issued seven in this game two with the bases loaded. Toronto remained aggressive at the plate despite the control problems by the opposing pitchers. Doug Blanco homered for Toronto in the 6th win no one on and no one out.

The Boston manger as tossed from the game in the 6th inning for arguing that umpire Jocko Conlan had forgotten his spectacles as well as his tiny ''strike - o - zone'' Boston tied the game in the top of the 9th off Cortez Leon. Pedro Ordonez tripled and Alex Incarnation singled to get the tying run in.

Toronto won it in the bottom of the 9th inning when Bill Schmees doubled and Honus Holloman singled.

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Kansas City 4 Minnesota 1

The trade that brought Denis Coleman to Kansas City paid off handsomely as Coleman went all nine innings scattering three hits and one run (0 earned) one walk and nine strikeouts.

The game was scoreless going into the bottom of the 3rd wen the A's broke through against Molly Davis (LP 1-3). Mike Bassett filling in for resting Mike Jackson at first base homered with no one on and no outs.

The game remained 1-0 until Minnesota tied it in the 7th. Bill Rasmussen doubled to right field with one out. Former A's All Star second baseman Jim Flores reached on an error by shortstop Bill McCall. Rasmussen scored on the play. (1-1)

Kansas City staged a ninth inning rally to win the game. Chris Riley walked to start things off. Davis hit McCall with a pitch.

That was all for the starter. Earl Foytack came in and threw two pitches, the second was hit out of the park by Elmer Riggan (1st) for a game winning three run walk off homerun.
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