Orioles 7 Cubs 1, Orioles 4 Cubs 0
The Framingham Orioles completed their perfect season by taking two hard
fought games from the Triboro Cubs on Sunday. The O's won 7-1 and 4-0
behind back to back complete games from Rob Gray and Steve Saraceno. Tom
Barnes and Andy Luckhardt also went the distance and pitched well for the
Cubs. The O's finished the season a perfect 23-0 (18-0 regular season, 5-0
playoffs) improving their overall league record, which dates back to 1994,
to 155-20 (128-15, 27-5). Including playoffs, the O's have won 26 straight
games and 36 of 37 dating back to last year. The only loss during that span
was a 9-3 loss in game two of last years semifinal series against the Newton
Red Sox. The O's have also won 26 consecutive regular season games with
their last regular season loss coming on June 24, 2001 when the Triboro Cubs
beat the O's 3-0 in game two of a double header.
In game one, the Framingham Orioles jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead when Bob
Galvani (2-3, 2 runs) lead off the bottom of the first with a single and
came around to score on Jeff Merzel's (3-3, 3 runs, 2 RBI) double. After
Tom Barnes got the next two batters on strike outs, Mark Stickney (1-3, RBI)
singled home Merzel. Framingham put two more runs up in the bottom of the
fourth as Bob Galvani and Jeff Merzel lead off an inning with back to back
hits for the second time. This time, Galvani doubled to the gap in right
center and Merzel singled him home. Merzel later scored on Bill Stickney's
sac fly.
Meanwhile, Rob Gray was cruising along as only one Cubs batter made it to
second base through the seventh and Gray got the side in order 5 of those
seven innings. The Orioles made it 5-0 in the eight as Merzel singled and
scored on Steve Simoes' double. The Cubs got on the board in the top of the
eight with an unearned run. Tim Shaver lead off with a single and was safe
at second when the O's second baseman dropped a relay from short attempting
to start a double play. Shaver then scored on a Rich Schwarz single to
left. The Orioles came right back with two in the bottom of the eighth as
former Red Sox minor leaguer Bunkie Smith (1-3, run, rbi) lead off a with a
home run over the fence in left. Tom Galvani (1-3, run) followed with a
double to right and later scored on an error by the Cubs second baseman who
couldn't handle Mark Knowlton's (1-3) sharp grounder making the score 7-1.
Rob Gray got the final three outs in the ninth and has won his last 14
consecutive starts. Gray struck out 10, giving up one unearned run and just
four hits. Tom Barnes was nearly as strong going eight innings, giving only
4 earned runs while striking out 8.
Game two featured two more strong pitching performances. Steve Saraceno got
the complete game win for the Orioles and Andy Luckhardt went the distance
for the Cubs. The O's again got a run in the first as Bob Galvani (0-0
3BB's, run) lead the game off with a walk, stole second, went to third on a
wild pitch and scored on Steve Simoes' ground out to third. The O's made it
2-0 in the second again getting a run without a hit as Bill Stickney walked
and eventually scored on a wild pitch. The Cubs Andy Luckhardt kept his
team in the game and did not allow a hit through the fifth as he constantly
got inside on Oriole hitters tying them up. The game stayed 2-0 until the
seventh when the O's managed to squeaked out two runs all but sealing the
game. Steve Saraceno reached on a walk and Rob Gray was grazed by a pitch
to put runners on first and second. After falling behind 0-2 in the count
on two failed bunt attempts, 60 year old Dick Scullary (1-2) put down a drag
bunt and beat the play to first base to load the bases. Carlo Galvani (1-1,
BB, 2 RBI) then flared a hit to left center scoring Saraceno and Gray to
complete the scoring at 4-0.
Steve Saraceno won for the 20th consecutive time and was the star of the
game for the O's as he went the distance giving up 4 hits, 1 walk, while
striking out 10. Only three Cubs base runners reached second base and none
reached third. Luckhardt went nine innings, giving up 4 hits, 4 runs while
striking out 2. Luckhardt was done in by wildness in only his second start
after surgery to his pitching arm but gutted out 9 strong innings. All four
O's runners who scored reached on a hit by pitch or a walk.
Round 2, 09/08/2002
Orioles 10 Indians 2, Orioles 3 Indians 2
The Orioles advanced to the championship series with a 2-0 sweep of the
Indians at Bowditch field. The O's won 10-2 and 3-2 to improve their league record to 21-0.
Game one:
Rob Gray got the complete game win going seven innings, giving up 2 earned
runs, on 8 hits, while striking out 8. Jack Buchannon and McAuley pitched
valiantly for the Indians but the O's scored a run in each of the six
innings they batted to run away with game one. The O's jumped out to a
quick 1-0 lead as Bob Galvani (1-3, run) lead off the bottom of the first
with triple. He promptly scored on Jeff Merzel's (2-3, run, 2 RBI) single.
Three straight singles by Steve Saraceno (1-2, run), Mark Knowlton (2-2,
run) and Dick Scullary (1-2, rbi) made the score 2-0. The O's got two more
in the third as John Malone (1-1, bb, 2 runs) lead off with a single
followed by a Tom Galvani (2-2, 2runs, rbi) single. With two outs, Merzel
singled home Malone and moved Galvani to third. Galvani then stole home on
a pick off attempt to first base to make it 4-0 O's.
The Indians made it 4-2 in the top of the fourth. Larry Rosoff (3-3, 2 2b,
run) lead off with a double and moved to third on Guerra's (1-3, run)
single. Rosoff then scored on a successful double steal play as the throw
from second was late. Guerra then scored on Leone's (1-2, rbi) single. Rob
Gray held the fort from then on as the O's added single runs in the fourth
and fifth and put the game away with 4 in the sixth. Bill Stickney was 2-3
with a run and 2 rbi's to join Knowlton, T. Galvani and Merzel who also had
two hits each. Pare had two hits for the Indians and along with Rosoff lead
the Indians attack.
Game two:
Steve Saraceno and Andy Troiani locked up in a good duel to make game two a
much tighter affair. Saraceno went 6 an 1/3 giving up 2 earned runs on 8
hits but did not strike out a batter. Troiani went 7 full, giving up 3
runs, all earned, on 7 hits, while striking out 8. Both pitchers kept the
game scoreless until the top of the fourth when the O's got all their runs.
Mark Knowlton (1-2, run) singled with two out, stole second and scored on
Dick Scullary's (1-2, run, rbi) two out single. Troiani then hit John
Malone and gave up a run scoring single to Carlo Galvani (1-1, rbi) moving
pinch runner Brendan Doyle to third. Doyle then came home on a double steal
to make it 3-0 O's. The Indians got one back in the bottom of the fifth as
Leone (2-3, run, rbi)lead off with a double and scored on Togneri's (1-1,
bb, rbi) single.
The O's loaded the bases in the sixth with one out as B. Doyle (1-2) and T.
Galvani (1-2) singled and A. Doyle reached on an error. But Troiani got a
strike out and a ground out to end the threat. Saraceno got the side in the
sixth but got into trouble in the bottom of the seventh. McAuley (1-3, run)
and Rosoff (1-3, 4-6 on the day) lead the inning off with back to back
singles and Guerra sacrificed the runners to second and third. After a trip
to the mound, Saraceno was left in to face Leone who had doubled off him
earlier. Leone came through with a single that scored McAuley but a quick
relay kept Rosoff at third. T. Galvani then went to Steve Simoes to close
the game moving B. Galvani to third and C. Galvani entered the game to play
second. With runners on first and third, the Indians tried a safety squeeze
but Pare couldn't get the bunt down. However, his bunt attempt kept O's
catcher Jeff Merzel from getting a good throw off to second and Leone was
safe putting the potential winning run on second.
Simoes was strong and got the strike out for out number two. With Troiani
at the plate, Simoes quickly got ahead 0-2. But Troiani connected on the
next pitch and hit a sharp grounder to the hole between short and third.
Third basemen Bob Galvani made a nice stop going to his left and spun around
to throw to first but alertly tagged out Leone who tried to get past Galvani
on his way to third. Galvani easily tagged out the runner before Rosoff
could cross the plate to end the game and send the O's to the finals.
Braves 3 Cubs 2, Cubs 7 Braves 6
The Braves and Cubs split an exciting doubleheader at Millis on Sunday setting up a one game rubber
match next week to settle the National League Championship. The Braves edged the Cubs 3-2 in game
one and were in control of game 2 up 6-1 going into the 8th. But, the Cubs never quit and plated
4 runs in the bottom of the ninth to win it 7-6 in dramatic fashion. The Cubs were down to their
last strike on each of the last three batters, each of which singled.
Game one was dominated by timely hitting, good defense and sharp pitching. The Cubs Earl Carpenter
and Braves Jim Callaghan pitched into the late innings and both got stronger as the game went on.
The big hit for the Braves was Rich Moran's 4th inning 2 out 2 run single giving the Braves a 3-1 lead
they wouldn't relinquish. With one out in the 8th up 3-2, Moran went to closer Steve Purdy and
Purdy came through
for the Braves. Despite not having great control, Purdy managed to give the Cubs a different look
and he fanned 2 batters while giving up no runs and 1 hit. The last out of the game came via the K with
the tying run at third and the go ahead run at first.
Carpenter took the loss with a tough luck 8 hitter. He was bringing some serious heat. Callaghan
picked up his second playoff win of 2002 with 1 earned run and 9 strikeouts in his 7 1/3 innings.
Mike Callaghan and Mike Londergan were on base twice each for the Braves while Jim Callaghan was 3-3 with
an RBI. The Cubs were led on offense by Dennis
Fontecchio (2-3 with a double) and Eddie Murray (1-2, triple and walk) and Dan Gould who scored a run
in the first inning.
Game 2 proved to be a nailbiter. The Braves fought off an early 1-0 deficit by chipping away at
Cubs starter Tom Barnes and reliever Andy Luckhardt. Moran had another key 2 RBI hit with Chris
Faletra and Raul Matos (2 doubles) doing some serious damage as well. Jack Beradinelli brought
home the Braves sixth run with a textbook suicide squeeze bunt in the top of the eighth.
Jim Callaghan had relieved starter Steve Purdy in the 3rd and kept the Cubs scoreless until the
8th when he tired. With one out and 2 runners on, reliever Rich Moran did a credible job getting
2 outs and keeping the Braves up 6-3. Andy Schultz came on for the Cubs and pitched a scoreless ninth.
Moran's shoulder wouldn't hold up in the 9th, so Callaghan came back in to try and hold the fort.
He couldn't do it. The Cubs got several clutch hits in the inning, including Matt Finnegan's single
to load the bases, Mike Cox's two out two strike two run single to make the score 6-5, Rich Schwarz's game
tying single just over second base and Fontecchio's base hit up the middle to win it. Fontecchio
had a huge game with 2 bombs over the leftfielder and the game winner. Dennis was 5-7 on the day with
3 doubles.
There were too many superlatives in the doubleheader to name. The catchers Faletra and Paul
Sonnett did a great job leading the way in 90 degree heat. Carpenter took an errant throw off the
elbow in game 1 and shrugged it off and pitched a complete game. The defenses were solid with the
catchers leading the way. Fontecchio had a brillant
doubleheader at the plate and in the field. Eddie Murray and Faletra hit tape measure shots. Mike
Callaghan was a vacuum at second base. Jim Callaghan was 4-4 with 2 walks at the plate and
13 1/3 innings pitched over three different stints!
Round 1, 08/25/2002
Orioles 9 Yankees 2
No recap available.
Indians 5 Mariners 0
Indians ace righthander Andy Troiani fired a two-hitter in leading the Indians to their first-ever
playoff victory, a 5-0 shutout over the visiting Mariners.
The victory propels the Indians into the American League Finals against the undefeated Orioles
in a best of three series.
Troiani allowed only a first-inning single by John Gatti and a ninth-inning base hit by Steve
Milo, while striking out 13. He was backed up by an Indians defense which made several sparkling plays.
The Indians gave Troiani the only run he would need in the bottom of the first, as Jerry Guerra's
sacrifice fly plated Chris Gonsalves, who had singles and advanced all the way to third on a
throwing error by Mariners southpaw ace Bob Solat.
Troiani and Solat were locked in a 1-0 pitcher's duel until the sixth, when the Indians added a
pair of runs on RBI singles by Mike Togneri and Bob Crossman for a 3-0 lead.
John Gatti relieved Solat after Crossman's infield hit and retired the first seven batters he faced.
However, with two gone in the eighth he walked Larry Rosoff on four pitches. Rosoff advanced to
second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Guerra. Guerra stole second and raced home on a
single by Richie Leone to make it 5-0, which was the final score.
The Indians spread their nine hits around, as Leone (2-3) had the only multiple hit game.
Solat (8) and Gatti (3) combined to whiff 11 Indian hitters in a well-pitched game.
Braves 6 Cardinals 2
The Braves came away with a first round 6-2 home win over the Cardinals, in a game that appeared
headed for extra innings.
For the first 8 2/3 the Cards matched the Braves step for step in a game that displayed crisp
defense and solid pitching. The Cards Tom Dowey matched up against Braves starter Mike Connor and
the two dueled back-and-forth to a 2-2 tie through five innings. Pat Pisano and John Masiello
generated the Cards offense in the early going. Christo Lagos & Chris Faletra did the scoring for
the Braves.
Solid defensive plays were made by both teams to keep the scoring in check. Both center fielders
Pisano (Cards) and Paul Chiodo (Braves) and Braves doubleplay combo of Mike Callaghan & Steve
Smith each made several good plays to halt scoring threats.
The Braves Jim Callaghan relieved Connor after 5 2/3 with 2 runners on and kept the score tied at
two until the Braves put together a two out rally in the bottom half of the eighth. With Lagos on
3rd and J. Callaghan (2-3, 2 runs) on first after singles, #3 hitter Mike Connor (2-3, 3 RBI's)
delivered a three run homer deep to left putting the Braves up by three. Faletra (2-3, 1 RBI,
1 run) followed with a double and later scored on a Smith hit giving the Braves a key insurance run.
Callaghan finished out the 9th earning the win while striking out 5 over 3 1/3 and scattering
2 hits. Dowey went the distance in a tough luck loss for the Cards. The Braves and Cubs will
battle for the National League Title.
Cubs 14 Phillies 13
Two dramatic comebacks marked the Cubs-Phillies playoff game Sunday, one by each team. The Cubs,
after having watched a 9-1 third-inning lead turn into a 13-11 ninth-inning deficit, scored three
runs in the bottom of the ninth and advanced to the National League Championship for the sixth year
in a row.
The game was a heartbreaker for the Phillies, who, playing with a roster of only nine, had bounced
back from three innings of terrible defense to take a 13-11 lead with a 4-run 7th inning.
Eddie Murray singled home Bruce Sher with the game winner. Sher had doubled home Dan Gould, who
had reached on a fielder's choice. The winning rally began with Chris Greig's leadoff homer to
left. Andy Luckhardt earned the win with 2 and 1/3 innings of shutout ( 4 K's) relief. Phillies'
workhorse Pat Chieffalo went the whole way to take the loss.
While contributions were made by many Cubs, the difference in the game was the top three in the
Cub order. Between them Gould and Sher reached base six times in eight at bats and scored six runs.
Driving home three of those runs was Murray, who was 3-3 with a walk. Luckhardt, Tom Barnes, Dennis
Fontecchio and Greig had two hits apiece, while Tim Shaver had a two-run triple in the second.
The Phillies, too, received offensive contributions from many players, especially during a five-run
fourth and the four-run seventh. Chieffalo had three hits, including a pair of doubles. Craig Bagley,
Steve Myers, Rick Huckins, Mark Rogers, and John O'Reilly each added two hits.
After the third, the Cubs led 9-1 on poisonous mix of hits, speed, and sloppy Phillies' fielding.
Had Chieffalo left the field in disgust, his teammates would have understood. But two runs in the
fourth on Rogers' single gave the Phillies at least a gasping breath.
Then came the Phillie fifth. Huckins started it with a line drive off the leg of pitcher Earl
Carpenter for a single. That little spark ignited the team. The next five hitters reached base
safely, and when O'Reilly singled with one out, it was 10-9 Cubs, the game only half over. Gould's
sixth-inning double and a Murray single made it 11-9 going into the seventh, but the cushion wasn't
big enough.
Three singles opened the top of the seventh. With the bases full, Huckins
hit a game-tying two-run single to center. Singles by Bagley and
Chieffalo gave the Phils an improbable two-run lead. With the sacks full, Luckhardt relieved and
came up with a strikeout to stop the comeback. Both teams went quickly their next two at bats, as
late-inning tension quieted what had been a loud seven innings. Greig's leadoff homer brought back
the noise in the ninth, and Murray's game-winner made it louder still.