Impossible Dream???

[bigpapi]

Complete Team Batting Stats Through July 31-(Team leaders in bold)

1968 Batting             Team    G   AVG    AB    H  2B  3B  HR   BB    K   SB  CS    R  RBI   SLG   OBP
Fingers, Rollie           BOS    0  .500     2    1   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    1  .500  .500
Conigliaro, Tony          BOS   92  .329   362  119  18   2  33   43   60    0   1   62   97  .663  .402
Yastrzemski, Carl         BOS  104  .328   403  132  31   2  18   66   53    4   2   77   78  .548  .424
Gibson, Russ              BOS   20  .306    72   22   5   0   0    2   14    0   0    7    5  .375  .324
Demeter, Don              BOS   84  .289   135   39   6   0   7    5   21    0   0   24   27  .489  .326
Scott, George             BOS  104  .288   403  116  20   4  25   46   75    1   0   69   81  .543  .363
Stephenson, Jerry         BOS    6  .286     7    2   0   0   0    0    2    0   0    0    1  .286  .286
Smith, Reggie             BOS  104  .275   418  115  20   1  24   69   58   14  11   88   63  .500  .381
Petrocelli, Rico          BOS  104  .273   399  109  22   0  21   52   56    0   0   57   62  .486  .358
Rudi, Joe                 BOS   46  .265   181   48  10   2   3   12   31    0   0   19   15  .392  .311
French, Jim               BOS   33  .261   111   29   5   0   1   20   10    0   0   15   12  .333  .371
Andrews, Mike             BOS   87  .256   328   84  23   0   5   54   43    0   0   52   31  .372  .363
McGraw, Tug               BOS    0  .250     4    1   0   0   0    1    0    0   0    0    1  .250  .400
Money, Don                BOS   24  .247    89   22   0   0   0   12   16    1   2    9    4  .247  .340
Dietz, Dick               BOS   55  .237   177   42   8   0   3   34   39    0   0   24   19  .333  .360
Tiant, Luis               BOS   23  .209    43    9   0   0   0    1   11    1   0    2    6  .209  .227
Foy, Joe                  BOS   58  .197   127   25   8   0   2   27   26    4   1   22   15  .307  .333
Tartabull, Jose           BOS   28  .189    37    7   2   0   0    2    6    1   0    3    2  .243  .244
Stange, Lee               BOS   22  .156    45    7   0   0   0   10   17    0   0    5    4  .156  .298
Santiago, Jose            BOS   12  .154    26    4   0   0   0    1    6    0   0    1    0  .154  .185
Lonborg, Jim              BOS   21  .152    46    7   0   0   0    2   15    0   0    2    1  .152  .184
Bennett, Dennis           BOS   22  .135    52    7   0   0   0    3   19    0   0    3    3  .135  .182
Thomas, George            BOS   12  .120    25    3   1   0   0    1    9    0   0    3    1  .160  .154
Niekro, Joe               BOS   17  .049    41    2   0   0   0    2   17    0   0    0    1  .049  .093
Lyle, Sparky              BOS    0  .000     2    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Lee, Bill                 BOS    2  .000     4    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    1    0  .000  .000

Complete Team Pitching Stats Through July 31-(team leaders in bold)

1968 Pitching            Team     IP   ERA    G  GS   W   L  SV    K   BB   R/9
McGraw, Tug               BOS   78.2  2.40   50   0  10   5   3   59   28 11.10
Santiago, Jose            BOS   77.0  2.81   12  12   6   4   0   78   29 11.57
Stange, Lee               BOS  158.0  2.96   22  22  13   6   0   97   47 10.14
Niekro, Joe               BOS  122.0  3.25   18  17   6   3   0   65   38  9.96
Bennett, Dennis           BOS  152.2  3.36   22  22  15   3   0   99   36 10.26
Lonborg, Jim              BOS  145.2  3.52   21  21  10   6   0   94   55 11.43
Lyle, Sparky              BOS   34.2  3.63   37   0   1   3  26   21    9 12.46
Tiant, Luis               BOS  159.0  3.79   23  23   7  11   0  115   49 10.87
Stephenson, Jerry         BOS   43.0  3.98   14   6   0   3   0   26   19 13.19
Lee, Bill                 BOS   13.0  4.15    2   2   0   1   0    8    5 10.38
Fingers, Rollie           BOS   47.1  4.18   39   0   5   4   1   35    8 10.84
Wyatt, John               BOS   16.0  7.31   14   0   0   0   0   17   18 18.00

[bigpapi]

July 27,28,29 at Detroit Tigers (52-47)

July 27-Bill Freehan homered and drove in 3, and Willie Horton added 4 hits and 2 RBI as Detroit beat Boston 9-4. (62-38)
W-Bill Monbouquette (7-6) L-Jim Lonborg (10-6)

July 28-Luis Tiant's first start as a Red Sox was a struggle as he pitched 6 innings, allowing 4 runs and 8 hits while striking out 5, but Rico Petrocelli hit a 2 run HR, and Carl Yastrzemski drove in the winning run with an RBI single in the bottom of the 9th giving Boston a 5-4 win. (63-38)
W-Tug McGraw (10-5) L-Fred Lasher (0-1)

July 29-George Scott hit a 3 run HR, and Tony Conigliaro hit a 2 run shot as Boston took two of three from Detroit, winning 7-2. (64-38)
W-Joe Niekro (6-3) L-Denny McClain (5-13)

July 30,31 August 1 at Washington Senators (39-60)

July 30-George Scott hit his 25th HR of the year, a 3 run shot giving Boston all the offense they would need in a 4-2 win over the Senators. (65-38)
W-Dennis Bennett (15-3) L-Pete Richert (7-9) S-Sparky Lyle (26)

July 31-Rico Petrocelli homered and drove in 4, and Boomer Scott added 3 hits and 2 RBI as Boston beat up on Washington 8-4. (66-38)
W-Jose Santiago (6-4) L-Joe Coleman (7-11)

August 1-7 different Sox drove in runs, and Jim Lonborg pitched a complete game, allowing just 2 runs and 5 hits as Boston swept Washington, winning 7-2. (67-38)
W-Jim Lonborg (11-6) L-Johnny Podres (4-7)

Around the MLB: (Trade Deadline)

A couple of big moves were made as we hit the trade deadline, complete details below:

San Fransisco sends LF George Foster
Cleveland sends P Sam McDowell

McDowell was 11-9 4.62 this year striking out 158 in 140 IP's. He's only 25 and signed through 1970. Foster is a minor league monster, hitting .396 11-67 in 70 games in AA ball. He hit .399 9-44 in 41 games last year in A ball. He could anchor a very weak offense next season. Edge Cleveland.

California sends P Fred Newman P Greg Washburn
Oakland sends P Catfish Hunter

Newman was 7-7 4.26 this year in 20 starts. He is 39-46 in 125 career games. Washburn is a 21 year old minor leaguer who has a 2.65 ERA in 98 IP in AA ball. Hunter was the ace of the Oakland staff, going 12-11 3.48 in 25 starts after going 11-17 3.90 in 280 IP's last year. He becomes the ace of the Angels staff. Edge California.

Next for Boston is 3 in Minnesota against the Twins, followed by 3 at home against the California Angels.

[bigpapi]

August 2,3,4 at Minnesota Twins (54-48)

August 2-Dean Chance outdueled Luis Tiant, pitching 8 2/3 innings of 1 run ball as Minnesota beat Boston 2-1. (67-39)
W-Dean Chance (13-7) L-Luis Tiant (7-13) S-Jim Roland (8)

August 3-Jim Merritt pitched a complete game shutout, scattering 7 hits, while striking out 10 as Minnesota blanked the Sox 5-0. (67-40)
W-Jim Merritt (6-8) L-Joe Niekro (6-4)

August 4-Rollie Fingers gave up a solo HR to Tony Oliva in the bottom of the 11th inning, giving the Twins a sweep of Boston and a 5-4 win. (67-41)
W-Jim Roland (8-5) L-Rollie Fingers (3-3)

August 6,7,8 v California Angels (55-53)

August 6-Dick Deitz homered twice and drove in 3, and Tony Conigliaro hit his 34th HR of the year as Boston beat the Angels 5-4. (68-41)
W-Jim Lonborg (12-6) L-Clyde Wright (12-10) S-Sparky Lyle (27)

August 7-3 solo HR's, 2 by Tony C. and one by Carl Yastrzemski gave Boston all the runs it would need in a 3-2 win over California. (69-41)
W-Tug McGraw (11-5) L-Tom Burgmeier (1-1) S-Sparky Lyle (28)

August 8-Pinch hitter Don Demeter hit a solo HR off of Steve Kealey, giving Boston a sweep of the Angels, winning 2-1. (70-41)
W-Tug McGraw (12-5) L-Steve Kealey (6-3)

Around the MLB:

Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 500th career HR, a 3 run HR off Sammy Ellis in a 5-1 Braves win over the Cincinnati Reds. Boxscore below:

Atlanta Braves at Cincinnati Reds
August 7, 1968

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
        Braves (ATL) 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0    5  8  2
          Reds (CIN) 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0    1  8  0

ATLANTA              ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
G. Geiger (CF)        2  2  3  2  0  0  0  0    .254
F. Alou (1B)          5  1  0  1  0  0  1  0    .262
R. Carty (LF)         3  2  2  1  0  0  0  0    .310
H. Aaron (RF)         4  1  1  1  1  3  0  0    .291
J. Torre (C)          4  0  0  0  0  1  0  0    .310
R. Rollins (3B)       4  1  0  0  0  1  1  0    .268
D. Menke (SS)         4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .273
F. Millan (2B)        4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .232
P. Jarvis (P)         2  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .082
 M. Jones (CF)        1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .246
 J. Ritchie (P)       0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .250
 T. Cline (P)         1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .255
 R. Hernandez (P)     0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
TOTALS               34  8  6  5  1  5  4  0

   2B:  R. Rollins (13)
   HR:  H. Aaron (25)

         ATLANTA   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       P. Jarvis  5.0  7  0  0  1  1  2  81   3.87
      J. Ritchie  2.0  0  0  0  0  0  1  18   4.72
    R. Hernandez  2.0  1  0  0  0  0  1  23   3.49
          TOTALS  9.0  8  0  0  1  1  4 122

CINCINNATI           ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
P. Rose (2B)          4  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .323
T. Helms (3B)         4  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .266
V. Pinson (CF)        4  2  0  0  0  0  1  0    .323
T. Perez (1B)         4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .346
A. Shamsky (RF)       4  1  0  1  0  0  0  0    .270
H. McRae (LF)         4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .239
L. Cardenas (SS)      4  2  0  0  0  0  0  0    .243
J. Edwards (C)        3  1  0  0  0  1  0  0    .238
 L. May (P)           1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .213
S. Ellis (P)          2  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .235
 D. McGinn (P)        1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .250
 L. Boehmer (P)       1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .119
TOTALS               36  8  0  1  0  1  4  0

   GIDP:  J. Edwards

      CINCINNATI   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
        S. Ellis  6.1  8  4  1  5  5  4 100   4.16
       D. McGinn  2.2  0  2  0  0  0  0  42   3.26
          TOTALS  9.0  8  6  1  5  5  4 142

     WP: P. Jarvis (9-9)
     LP: S. Ellis (3-1)

     Temperature: 62F
     Wind: 3 MPH (right to left)
     Attendance: 20,813
     Time: 2:54

Up next for the Sox is 3 in California against the Angels followed by 3 on the east coast against the Washington Senators.

[bigpapi]

August 11,12,13 at California Angels (55-56)

August 11-Joe Foy, Reggie Smith, and Tony C. each hit homeruns as Boston blasted the Angels 11-3. (71-41)
W-Jim Lonborg (13-6) L-Catfish Hunter (12-13)

August 12-Clyde Wright pitched a complete game shutout, allowing just 5 hits as California blanked Boston 5-0. (71-42)
W-Clyde Wright (13-10) L-Luis Tiant (7-13)

August 13-Don Money had his first career extra base hit, a 2 run HR in the 8th helping Boston to a 6-5 win over the Angels. (72-42)
W-Joe Niekro (7-4) L-Steve Kealey (6-4) S-Sparky Lyle (29)

August 14,15,16 at Washington Senators (47-67)

August 14-Mike Andrews and Reggie Smith each homered and drove in 4 runs as Boston beat up the Senators 11-3. (73-42)
W-Lee Stange (14-6) L-Johnny Podres (5-9)

August 15-Reggie Smith homered and drove in 4 for the 2nd straight day and Tony Conigliaro hit his 38th HR of the year as Boston beat up Washington 11-2. (74-42)
W-Dennis Bennett (16-3) L-Joe Sparma (7-9)

August 16-Jim Lonborg helped his own cause with a bases loaded single, driving in two, and Reggie Smith hit his 29th HR of the year, a solo shot as Boston swept Washington, winning 5-3. (75-42)
W-Jim Lonborg (14-6) L-Bo Belinsky (2-4) S-Sparky Lyle (30)

Around the MLB:

Pennant Races:

American League:

Boston 75-42
Baltimore 71-43 2.5
New York 64-51 10.0

National League:

Philadelphia 75-38
San Fransisco 63-48 10.0

As you can see, the National League race is all but done, but there is still drama in the American League. I'll post periodic updates!

Next for Boston is 3 is back in California against the Angels followed by 3 at home against the Senators.

[bigpapi]

August 17,18,19 at California Angels (59-58)

August 17-Don Money had 3 hits and 2 RBI and Tony Conigliaro hit a solo HR as Boston beat California 5-1. (76-42)
W-Luis Tiant (8-13) L-Clyde Wright (13-11)

August 18-Tony C. hit his 40th HR of the year, a 3 run shot in the 1st inning accounting for all of Boston's runs, but it was all they needed in the 3-2 win over the Angels. (77-42)
W-Jose Santiago (7-4) L-Andy Messersmith (8-9) S-Sparky Lyle (31)

August 19-Tony Conigliaro homered for the 3rd straight day, driving in 4 as Boston swept the Angels, winning 8-3. (78-42)
W-Lee Stange (15-6) L-George Brunet (8-12)

August 23,24,25 v Washington Senators (47-73)

August 23-Tony C. drove in a pair of runs, and Boomer Scott hit a solo HR as Boston beat the Senators 5-2. (79-42)
W-Jim Lonborg (15-6) L-Joe Sparma (7-10) S-Sparky Lyle (32)

August 24-Carl Yastrzemski hit his 20th HR of the year, a 2 run shot, and Reggie Smith added 2 hits and 2 RBI as Boston beat Washington 8-3. (80-42)
W-Luis Tiant (9-13) L-Bo Belinsky (2-5) S-Sparky Lyle (33)

August 25-Joe Niekro pitched no hit ball for 7 2/3 innings, and ended with a 1 hitter, as Boston swept Washington, winning 2-0. (81-42)
W-Joe Niekro (8-4) L-Pete Richert (8-13)

Around the MLB:

Well, we just can't seem to shake the Baltimore Orioles. We have now won 10 games in a row, but Baltimore has won 11 in a row to stay within one game. Below are the actual standings:

Boston 81-42
Baltimore 80-43 1

Other than that, the only thing of note is 2nd round pick Frank White has improved from a 78 on draft day to an 87 now, and the secondbasemen of the future for us. He is currently hitting .287/.327/.441 2-21

Ending August for the Sox is 3 games at home against the Oakland A's followed by 3 on the road against the New York Yankees.

[CatKnight]

Better the O's then the Yankees. At least you can live with yourself if Baltimore passes you.

Well done as always!

[bigpapi]

I think the Yankees will be down for a couple of years, at least until the salaries catch up with each team's payroll budgets. With that said, the Yanks also don't have alot in the minors. A team like the Oakland A's, if they are able to keep their core, could put up a nice challenge over the next couple of years.

[bigpapi]

August 26,27,28 v Oakland A's (50-70)

August 26-Gene Oliver hit a 9th inning grand slam off Sparky Lyle, as Oakland beat Boston 6-3. (81-43)
W-Fred Newman (1-0) L-Sparky Lyle (1-4) S-Steve Hamilton (17)

August 27-Tony Conigliaro hit his 42nd HR of the year, a 3 run shot, and Jim Lonborg won his 16th game of the year as Boston beat Oakland 6-4. (82-43)
W-Jim Lonborg (16-6) L-Jim Nash (3-13) S-Sparky Lyle (34)

August 28-Ossie Chevarria drove in the lead run in the 11th inning as Oakland took two of three from Boston, winning 3-2. (82-44)
W-Paul Lindblad (2-4) L-Tug McGraw (12-6) S-Steve Hamilton (18)

August 29,30,31 at New York Yankees (67-56)

August 29-Mickey Mantle hit his 30th HR of the year, driving in 2 and Frank Howard added 3 RBI as New York beat Boston 7-5. (82-45)
W-Mel Stottlemyre (19-8) L-Joe Niekro (8-5) S-Dooley Womack (4)

August 30-Carl Yastrzemski and Tony Conigliaro each drove in a pair of runs as Boston evened the series with the Yankees, winning 5-2. (83-45)
W-Lee Stange (16-6) L-Fritz Peterson (14-11)

August 31-Mike Andrews had a 2 run single in the 16th inning, as Boston outlasted the Yankees, winning 6-5. (84-45)
W-Sparky Lyle (2-4) L-Hal Kurtz (0-1) S-Jose Santiago (1)

Around the MLB:

The race in the AL East has gotten as close as it can get leading into September:

Baltimore 84-45
Boston 84-45

Tony Conigliaro's shot at the Triple Crown looks like this:
HR's: 42 (1st)
RBI's: 123 (1st)
BAA: .318 (4th-Rod Carew .329)

So he's got some work to do in September.

Leading off September is 3 at home against the Chicago White Sox followed by 3 more in Fenway against the Detroit Tigers.

[bigpapi]

Complete Team Batting Stats Through August 31-(team leaders in bold)

1968 Batting             Team    G   AVG    AB    H  2B  3B  HR   BB    K   SB  CS    R  RBI   SLG   OBP
Fingers, Rollie           BOS    0  .500     2    1   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    1  .500  .500
Conigliaro, Tony          BOS  117  .318   472  150  24   3  42   45   84    0   1   78  123  .648  .380
Yastrzemski, Carl         BOS  129  .311   502  156  38   2  20   84   64    4   2   93   90  .514  .410
Gibson, Russ              BOS   21  .301    73   22   5   0   0    2   14    0   0    7    5  .370  .320
Demeter, Don              BOS  101  .300   150   45   8   0   8    5   23    0   0   27   29  .513  .331
Smith, Reggie             BOS  129  .294   524  154  24   2  31   83   74   18  12  109   85  .525  .394
Money, Don                BOS   48  .293   184   54   5   0   1   23   27    1   3   20   16  .337  .371
Scott, George             BOS  129  .289   499  144  24   5  28   64   93    1   0   81   93  .525  .371
Petrocelli, Rico          BOS  106  .277   405  112  22   0  21   54   57    0   0   57   63  .486  .364
Rudi, Joe                 BOS   46  .265   181   48  10   2   3   12   31    0   0   19   15  .392  .311
Stephenson, Jerry         BOS    6  .250     8    2   0   0   0    0    2    0   0    0    1  .250  .250
Andrews, Mike             BOS  112  .247   434  107  28   0   6   74   59    0   0   71   42  .353  .358
French, Jim               BOS   46  .238   147   35   7   0   1   29   14    0   0   20   17  .306  .362
Dietz, Dick               BOS   71  .236   225   53  11   0   6   47   56    0   0   31   25  .364  .366
Foy, Joe                  BOS   82  .205   219   45  13   0   3   39   37    6   1   32   22  .306  .323
McGraw, Tug               BOS    0  .200     5    1   0   0   0    1    1    0   0    0    1  .200  .333
Tiant, Luis               BOS   28  .196    56   11   0   0   0    2   19    1   0    3    8  .196  .224
Stange, Lee               BOS   26  .179    56   10   0   0   0   11   19    0   0    6    5  .179  .300
Tartabull, Jose           BOS   32  .175    40    7   2   0   0    2    6    1   1    3    2  .225  .227
Santiago, Jose            BOS   14  .156    32    5   0   0   0    1    9    0   0    1    0  .156  .182
Bennett, Dennis           BOS   25  .155    58    9   0   0   0    3   21    0   0    5    3  .155  .197
Lonborg, Jim              BOS   27  .123    65    8   0   0   0    2   21    0   0    2    3  .123  .147
Thomas, George            BOS   16  .103    29    3   1   0   0    1    9    0   0    3    1  .138  .133
Niekro, Joe               BOS   22  .059    51    3   0   0   0    3   22    0   0    0    2  .059  .111
Lyle, Sparky              BOS    0  .000     2    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Lee, Bill                 BOS    2  .000     4    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    1    0  .000  .000

Complete Team Pitching Stats Through August 31-(team leaders in bold)

1968 Pitching            Team     IP   ERA    G  GS   W   L  SV    K   BB   R/9
McGraw, Tug               BOS   95.0  2.27   62   0  12   6   3   72   35 10.71
Santiago, Jose            BOS   95.0  2.84   17  14   7   4   1   93   38 11.37
Stange, Lee               BOS  188.0  2.87   26  26  16   6   0  111   53  9.91
Lonborg, Jim              BOS  191.1  3.39   27  27  16   6   0  126   68 11.29
Niekro, Joe               BOS  158.1  3.41   23  22   8   5   0   86   55 10.06
Bennett, Dennis           BOS  171.2  3.41   25  25  16   3   0  112   41 10.64
Tiant, Luis               BOS  197.0  3.61   28  28   9  13   0  144   56 10.64
Fingers, Rollie           BOS   58.0  3.72   45   0   5   5   1   39   10 10.09
Stephenson, Jerry         BOS   47.1  3.80   18   6   0   3   0   30   22 13.12
Lyle, Sparky              BOS   45.1  3.97   47   0   2   4  34   29   16 12.51
Lee, Bill                 BOS   13.0  4.15    2   2   0   1   0    8    5 10.38
Wyatt, John               BOS   18.2  6.27   17   0   0   0   0   20   19 15.91

[bigpapi]

September 1,2,3 v Chicago White Sox (53-79)

September 1-Jim Lonborg pitched 8 shutout innings, and Carl Yastrzemski drove in 3 runs as Boston blanked Chicago 5-0. (85-45)
W-Jim Lonborg (17-6) L-Wilbur Wood (4-6)

September 2-Jim O'Toole pitched a complete game, and 5 different White Sox drove in runs as the White Sox beat Boston 5-2. (85-46)
W-Jim O'Toole (7-16) L-Luis Tiant (9-14)

September 3-Tommy John pitched a complete game, 4 hit shutout, striking out 1 and walking 1 as Chicago beat Boston 2-0. (85-47)
W-Tommy John (15-8) L-Joe Niekro (8-6)

After the game, Joe Niekro complained of shoulder soreness and it was revealed that he has a torn rotator cuff, will undergo surgery and will miss the rest of the season and probably all of 1969. This is a huge blow for the Sox pennant chase, and may force us to make moves we weren't planning on making in the offseason.

September 4,5,6 v Detroit Tigers (70-62)

September 4-Tony Conigliaro hit a leadoff homerun off Larry Sherry in the bottom of the 9th inning, giving Boston a 2-1 win over the Tigers. (86-47)
W-Tug McGraw (13-6) L-Larry Sherry (10-1)

September 5-Tony C. hit a 3 run HR and drove in 4 total, and Dennis Bennett pitched 7 2/3 innings of 3 hit ball as Boston beat Detroit 6-2. (87-47)
W-Dennis Bennett (17-3) L-Denny McClain (7-18)

September 6-Jim Northrup hit a pair of homeruns, driving in 4 as Detroit avoided the sweep, beating the Sox 5-3. (87-48)
W-Mike Marshall (1-1) L-Tug McGraw (13-7) S-Fred Gladding (15)

Around the MLB:

We haven't been able to keep up with the Orioles who have now won 21 of 23 and have opened up a 3 game lead in the American League.

Baltimore 90-45
Boston 87-48 3.0

Up next for Boston is 3 in Minnesota against the Twins followed by the most important series of the year, a 3 game set in Fenway against the first place Orioles!

[bigpapi]

September 10,11,12 at Minnesota Twins (71-61)

September 10-Roger Repoz drove in the winning run with an RBI single off Rollie Fingers in the bottom of the 9th as Minnesota beat Boston 5-4. (87-49)
W-Jim Roland (9-6) L-Rollie Fingers (3-4)

September 11-A 5 run 9th inning, highlighted by 2 run HR's by pinch hitter Joe Rudi and Carl Yastrzemski helped Boston to a 6-3 win. (88-49)
W-Tug McGraw (14-7) L-Tom Hall (1-2) S-Sparky Lyle (35)

September 12-Graig Nettles singled in Rod Carew in the bottom of the 9th giving the Twins a 4-3 win. (88-50)
W-Jim McAndrew (3-1) L-Tug McGraw (14-8)

September 13,14,15 v Baltimore Orioles (93-48)

September 13-Jim Palmer pitched 8 innings of 2 run ball against a Red Sox team that was without Mike Andrews, Reggie Smith, Rico Petrocelli and Joe Foy, all out for the series with injuries as Baltimore won 3-2. (88-51)
W-Jim Palmer (17-7) L-Dennis Bennett (17-4) S-Darold Knowles (7)

September 14-Frank Robinson homered and drove in 4 and the Oriole pitching staff shut Boston down again in a 8-2 Baltimore win. (88-52)
W-Steve Barber (17-10) L-Jim Lonborg (17-7)

September 15-Baltimore put a stamp on the series, division and season as Paul Blair homered and Tom Phoebus pitched into the 8th giving the Orioles a 6-1 win and a sweep of the series. (88-53)
W-Tom Phoebus (2-0) L-Luis Tiant (9-15)

Around the MLB:

Well, that sucked.....We lost Andrews, Smith and Foy for the series, forcing me to play 4 rookies in the lineup during the sweep. We didn't stand a chance. The only shot we have now is we play the 9th place Indians 12 more times before the season is up.

Next for Boston is 6 games at home, 3 against the Indians followed by 3 against the Detroit Tigers.

[bigpapi]

September 16,17,18 v Cleveland Indians (54-87)

September 16-Joe Rudi hit a grand slam in the 4th inning, and the Sox made it hold up as the beat Cleveland 4-3. (89-53)
W-Bill Lee (1-1) L-Steve Hargan (4-16)

September 17-Lee Stange pitched a complete game, 2 hit shutout, striking out 4 and walking 1 and Tony C. drove in the only run of the game as Boston won 1-0. (90-53)
W-Lee Stange (17-6) L-Jack Kralik (6-9)

September 18-Boomer Scott hit his 30th HR of the year, a 2 run shot and Don Money added 2 RBI as Boston swept the Indians, winning 6-5. (91-53)
W-Rollie Fingers (4-4) L-Bill Landis (0-4) S-Sparky Lyle (37)

September 19,20,21 v Detroit Tigers (79-68)

September 19-Reggie Smith hit a 2 run HR and Jim Lonborg pitched 8 shutout innings, and the Sox held on for a 5-4 win, as rookie Don Baylor drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 9th with a 2 out double. (92-53)
W-Sparky Lyle (3-4) L-Dave Wickersham (2-3)

September 20-Tony Conigliaro (45) and Reggie Smith (35) each hit 2 run HR's as Boston made it 5 in a row with a 7-3 win. (93-53)
W-Luis Tiant (10-15) L-Mickey Lolich (15-11)

September 21-Detroit avoided the sweep, as Norm Cash and Jim Northrup hit solo HR's in the 3-2 Tiger win. (93-54)
W-Fred Gladding (5-1) L-Tug McGraw (14-9)

Around the MLB:
Roger Maris of the St. Louis Cardinals and the single season homerun king, hit his 300th career HR, a 2 run shot off Bob Shaw in a 5-2 Cardinal win over the New York Mets.

Up next for the Sox is 3 in Cleveland against the Indians followed by a 3 game set on the West Coast against the California Angels.

[bigpapi]

September 22,23,24 at Cleveland Indians (54-93)

September 22-Max Alvis homered and drove in 3, as the Indians piled up 13 hits and 8 runs in an 8-7 win over the Sox. (93-55)
W-Tom Kelley (2-3) L-Jose Santiago (7-5) S-Horatio Pina (17)

September 23-Leon Wagner hit a 2 run HR in the first inning and it held up as Cleveland beat Boston 3-1. (93-56)
W-Sonny Seibert (6-12) L-Dennis Bennett (17-5) S-Horatio Pina (18)

September 24-Reggie Smith homered and drove in 5, and Don Money added a HR and 3 RBI as Boston avoided the sweep, winning 9-5. (94-56)
W-Jerry Stephenson (1-3) L-Steve Bailey (4-4)

September 25,26,27 at California Angels (73-74)

September 25-Joe Rudi hit a 3 run HR, and Luis Tiant pitched 7 shutout innings as Boston blanked the Angels 4-0. (95-56)
W-Luis Tiant (11-15) L-Andy Messersmith (11-11) S-Sparky Lyle (38)

September 26-Bill Lee pitched a complete game, scattering 7 hits and allowing just 1 run as Boston beat the Angels again, today 3-1. (96-56)
W-Bill Lee (2-1) L-Clyde Wright (16-14)

September 27-California avoided the sweep, as George Brunet pitched 8 shutout innings, and Ed Kirkpatrick hit a solo HR as the Angels beat the Sox 3-0. (96-57)
W-George Brunet (11-14) L-Lee Stange (17-7) S-Pete Cimino (17)

Around the MLB:

Barring something amazing, the 1968 World Series will pit the Baltimore Orioles against the Philadelphia Phillies. Both teams lead their leagues by 5 full games.

Finishing up September and into October for Boston is 3 in Cleveland followed by 3 in Detroit and lastly, 3 more in Cleveland.

[bigpapi]

September 28,29,30 at Cleveland Indians (57-96)

September 28-Dennis Bennett pitched 7 innings of 2 run ball and 5 different Sox drove in runs as Boston beat Cleveland 5-2. (97-57)
W-Dennis Bennett (18-5) L-Jerry Koosman (3-5) S-Sparky Lyle (39)

September 29-Reggie Smith homered and drove in a pair, and Jose Santiago pitched 7 innings, allowing just 1 run and striking out 7 in a 3-1 Sox win. (98-57)
W-Jose Santiago (8-5) L-Steve Hargan (4-18) S-Sparky Lyle (40)

September 30-Tony C. hit a 2 run HR and Rico Petrocelli hit his first HR since coming back from injury as Boston blanked Cleveland 7-0. (99-57)
W-Luis Tiant (12-15) L-Gary Bell (4-13)

October 1,2,3 at Detroit Tigers (85-74)

October 1-Jim Northrup hit a 2 run HR, and Bill Monbouquette won his 16th game of the year as Detroit beat Boston 4-3. (99-58)
W-Bill Monbouquette (16-7) L-Bill Lee (2-2) S-Fred Gladding (19)

October 2-Tony Conigliaro hit his 48th HR of the year, a 3 run shot, and Rico Petrocelli added a solo shot as Boston outlasted Detroit 6-5. (100-58)
W-Lee Stange (18-7) L-Mickey Lolich (15-14) S-Sparky Lyle (41)

October 3-Al Kaline had 3 hits and 4 RBI as Detroit knocked the Red Sox out of playoff contention with a 9-4 win. (100-59)
W-Denny McClain (10-21) L-Steve Carlton (0-1)

October 4,5,6 at Cleveland Indians (58-101)

October 4-Reggie Smith (39) and Carl Yastrzemski (22) each hit 2 run homeruns, as Boston beat the Indians 5-2. (101-59)
W-Jose Santiago (9-5) L-Gary Bell (4-14) S-Sparky Lyle (42)

October 5-Rico Petrocelli had 3 hits and 4 RBI and Boomer Scott added a 3 run HR as Boston blasted Cleveland 9-1. (102-59)
W-Luis Tiant (13-15) L-Jack Kralik (6-10)

October 6-Against a team of minor leaguers, Tito Francona hit a 3 run HR, and 6 other Indians drove in runs as Boston ended the season with a 9-4 loss to Cleveland. (102-60)
W-Jerry Koosman (4-6) L-Bill Lee (2-3)

Around the MLB:

Final Standings

American League:

Baltimore 109-53
Boston 102-60 7.0
Minnesota 88-74 21.0
New York 87-75 22.0
Detroit 87-75 22.0
California 82-80 27.0
Oakland 72-90 37.0
Chicago 67-95 42.0
Cleveland 59-103 50.0
Washington 57-105 52.0

National League:

Philadelphia 98-64
Cincinnati 93-69 5.0
Houston 91-71 7.0
San Fransisco 90-72 8.0
Atlanta 84-78 14.0
Pittsburgh 78-84 20.0
Los Angeles 77-85 21.0
St. Louis 72-90 26.0
Chicago 72-90 26.0
New York 55-107 43.0

Up next will be the recap of the 1968 World Series!!

[bigpapi]

1968 World Series Philadelphia Phillies at Baltimore Orioles

Game One-Bill White picked up where he left off last post season, hitting a 2 run HR, and Jim Bunning pitched 8 2/3 innings as the Phillies took Game One, and home field advantage with a 4-1 win.

Philadelphia Phillies at Baltimore Orioles
October 19, 1968

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
      Phillies (PHI) 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0    4  7  0
       Orioles (BAL) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1    1  5  0

PHILADELPHIA         ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
J. Briggs (CF)        2  0  2  1  0  0  0  0    .268
T. Gonzalez (LF)      3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .271
J. Callison (RF)      4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .291
D. Allen (3B)         4  1  0  1  0  1  0  0    .293
B. White (1B)         4  2  0  1  1  2  0  1    .282
D. Sims (C)           4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .263
C. Rojas (2B)         3  0  1  1  0  0  0  0    .306
B. Wine (SS)          3  2  0  0  0  0  0  0    .230
J. Bunning (P)        4  2  0  0  0  1  0  0    .170
 G. Wagner (P)        0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .333
TOTALS               31  7  3  4  1  4  2  1

   2B:  B. Wine 2
   HR:  B. White
   GIDP:  T. Gonzalez

    PHILADELPHIA   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
      J. Bunning  8.2  5  2  0  1  1  8 142   2.31
       G. Wagner  0.1  0  0  0  0  0  0   6   4.22
          TOTALS  9.0  5  2  0  1  1  8 148

BALTIMORE            ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
L. Aparicio (SS)      4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .270
P. Blair (CF)         3  0  1  0  0  0  2  0    .267
F. Robinson (RF)      3  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .282
B. Powell (1B)        4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .309
C. Blefary (LF)       3  1  1  1  0  0  1  0    .284
D. Johnson (2B)       4  1  0  0  0  1  0  0    .280
B. Robinson (3B)      4  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .308
E. Hendricks (C)      3  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .167
J. Palmer (P)         3  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .100
 F. Beene (P)         0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .125
TOTALS               31  5  2  1  0  1  8  0

   HBP:  F. Robinson, E. Hendricks

       BALTIMORE   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       J. Palmer  7.2  7  3  1  4  4  1 119   2.28
        F. Beene  1.1  0  0  0  0  0  1  15   4.38
          TOTALS  9.0  7  3  1  4  4  2 134

     WP: J. Bunning
     LP: J. Palmer

     Temperature: 46F
     Wind: Calm
     Attendance: 52,185
     Time: 2:42

1968 World Series Philadephia Phillies at Baltimore Orioles

Game Two- Larry Jackson pitched a complete game shutout, allowing just 3 hits, and Bill White does it again with a bases clearing double, giving Philadelphia a 2-0 series lead.

Philadelphia Phillies at Baltimore Orioles
October 20, 1968

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
      Phillies (PHI) 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0    4  6  2
       Orioles (BAL) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0    0  3  0

PHILADELPHIA         ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
J. Briggs (CF)        3  1  2  1  0  1  1  1    .268
T. Gonzalez (LF)      4  1  1  1  0  0  0  0    .271
J. Callison (RF)      4  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .291
D. Allen (3B)         2  0  2  0  0  0  1  0    .293
B. White (1B)         4  1  0  0  0  3  1  0    .282
D. Sims (C)           4  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .263
C. Rojas (2B)         4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .306
B. Wine (SS)          4  1  0  1  0  0  1  0    .230
L. Jackson (P)        3  1  0  1  0  0  1  0    .111
TOTALS               32  6  5  4  0  4  9  1

   2B:  B. White

    PHILADELPHIA   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
      L. Jackson  9.0  3  2  0  0  0  4 121   3.54
          TOTALS  9.0  3  2  0  0  0  4 121

BALTIMORE            ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
L. Aparicio (SS)      4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .270
P. Blair (CF)         4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .267
F. Robinson (RF)      4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .282
B. Powell (1B)        4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .309
C. Blefary (LF)       4  2  0  0  0  0  0  1    .284
D. Johnson (2B)       2  0  2  0  0  0  0  0    .280
B. Robinson (3B)      4  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .308
B. Tillman (C)        3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .253
W. Bunker (P)         1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .228
 M. Drabowsky (P)     1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .083
 M. Epstein (P)       1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .261
 F. Beene (P)         0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .125
TOTALS               32  3  2  0  0  0  4  1


       BALTIMORE   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       W. Bunker  4.0  5  3  0  4  4  3  72   3.38
    M. Drabowsky  4.0  1  1  0  0  0  5  55   3.15
        F. Beene  1.0  0  1  0  0  0  1  13   4.38
          TOTALS  9.0  6  5  0  4  4  9 140

     WP: L. Jackson
     LP: W. Bunker

     Temperature: 50F
     Wind: Calm
     Attendance: 52,185
     Time: 2:34

1968 World Series Baltimore Orioles at Philadelphia Phillies

Game Three-Paul Blair went 3-4 with a HR and Davey Johnson added 2 RBI as Baltimore won Game Three 5-4.

Baltimore Orioles at Philadelphia Phillies
October 22, 1968

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
       Orioles (BAL) 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0    5 10  1
      Phillies (PHI) 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 1    4  5  0

BALTIMORE            ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
L. Aparicio (SS)      5  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .270
P. Blair (CF)         4  3  1  3  1  1  1  0    .267
F. Robinson (RF)      4  2  0  2  0  1  1  0    .282
 D. May (P)           1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
B. Powell (1B)        3  0  1  0  0  0  1  0    .309
C. Blefary (LF)       4  1  0  0  0  1  1  0    .284
D. Johnson (2B)       4  1  0  0  0  2  1  0    .280
B. Robinson (3B)      4  2  0  0  0  0  0  0    .308
B. Tillman (C)        4  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .253
S. Barber (P)         2  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .139
 M. Rettenmund (P)    1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .274
 F. Beene (P)         0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .125
TOTALS               36 10  2  5  1  5  8  0

   2B:  B. Robinson, F. Robinson
   HR:  P. Blair

       BALTIMORE   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       S. Barber  7.0  4  5  0  3  3  7 118   3.74
        F. Beene  2.0  1  2  0  1  1  1  32   4.38
          TOTALS  9.0  5  7  0  4  4  8 150

PHILADELPHIA         ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
J. Briggs (CF)        4  1  1  0  0  1  1  0    .268
T. Gonzalez (LF)      5  2  0  0  0  1  1  1    .271
J. Callison (RF)      3  0  1  1  0  0  2  0    .291
D. Allen (3B)         1  0  3  1  0  0  1  0    .293
B. White (1B)         2  0  1  0  0  1  0  0    .282
D. Sims (C)           4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .263
C. Rojas (2B)         4  1  0  0  0  1  1  0    .306
B. Wine (SS)          3  1  0  1  0  0  1  0    .230
 D. Clemens (P)       1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .248
R. Wise (P)           1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .174
 L. Colton (P)        0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 D. Lock (P)          1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .214
 D. Hall (P)          0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .333
 R. Barry (P)         0  0  1  1  0  0  0  0    .125
TOTALS               29  5  7  4  0  4  8  1

   GIDP:  B. White

    PHILADELPHIA   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
         R. Wise  5.0  8  2  0  4  4  2  99   3.66
       L. Colton  1.0  0  0  0  0  0  1   9   2.48
         D. Hall  3.0  2  0  1  1  1  5  40   2.64
          TOTALS  9.0 10  2  1  5  5  8 148

     WP: S. Barber
     LP: R. Wise
     SV: F. Beene

     Temperature: 46F
     Wind: Calm
     Attendance: 33,608
     Time: 3:16

Rest of the series next!!!