1970 Great Eight League

Through Game #48:

Game Recaps:

Boston 2 Oakland 9

WP- Diego Segui (7-3) LP- Matt Nagy (3-4)

HR- Bert Campaneris (10), Sal Bando (9)

It twas a rout, she was. The Oakland Athletics set Boston’s pennant hopes further back with a 9 to 2, drubbing. Bert Campaneris homered and smacked a pair of doubles. Reggie Jackson also doubled twice, and Sal Bando hit a two run, home run.

Cincinnati 4 New York 3

WP- Wayne Granger (5-2) LP- Lindy McDaniel (4-4) SV- Pedro Borbon (1)

HR- Johnny Bench (13), Derrell Chaney (1); Thurman Munson (1)

The Reds took a four to one lead into the eighth inning, then held off a late Yankee charge, to win, 4 to 3. Johnny Bench’s solo homer in the eighth gives him the league lead alone, with 13. New York’s Thurman Munson, who had been looking for his power stroke all season, finally connected for a home run.

Los Angeles 7 Minnesota 3

WP- Jose Pena (3-1) LP- Dick Woodson (1-2)

HR- Bill Sudakis (4), Willie Davis (5)

Sometimes, when a team is eliminated from the pennant chase, is when they become the most dangerous. That was the case for Los Angeles, who beat up on Minnesota, 7 to 3. Bill Sudakis led the Dodger offense, with a home run, two doubles and a single.

Pittsburgh 3 Baltimore 5

WP- Jim Hardin (4-0) LP-Jim Nelson (1-1) SV- Eddie Watt (7)

HR- Frank Robinson (8)

Frank Robinson’s two-run clout in the bottom of the seventh, broke a 3-3 tie, as the Orioles won their fifth straight game, 5 to 3, over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Standings and Leaderboard courtesy of http://www.cardanddicebaseball.com

Game #48 Recap.

Baltimore’s magic number is 5, with eight games to play. Any combination of Oriole wins, or Red Sox losses, will lessen that figure. Baltimore has opened up a four-game lead on Boston.

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers have been eliminated from the pennant race. Oakland and Cincinnati are knocking on the door of elimination.

Individually, Johnny Bench now leads the league in home runs by himself, with 13. Cincinnati’s Bobby Tolan has increased his batting average to .369. Eddie Watt of Baltimore has tied the Yankees’ Jack Aker for the saves lead, with 7. Oakland’s Bert Campaneris is redefining the leadoff spot, with 10 home runs from that position.

A couple of interesting notes. Brooks Robinson, statistically one of the best third basemen in the league, has made seven errors, all on rolls of eleven. Other than 17, that’s the only number which can result in an error for him. Just bad luck. The Pirate-Oriole game saw a relatively rare injury roll on a pitcher’s hitting card. (2-2). Tom Phoebus had to leave the game after being injured in his second at bat.

Game #49 Schedule and Probable Starters

Baltimore (Palmer 6-3, 2.68) at Minnesota (Perry 4-4, 2.42)

New York (Peterson 3-3, 2.19) at Los Angeles (Sutton 2-5, 4.62)

Oakland (Hunter 5-3, 3.33) at Cincinnati (Nolan 5-3, 3.67)

Pittsburgh (Ellis 2-4, 3.82) at Boston (Culp 4-3, 2.89)