Impossible Dream???

[bigpapi]

1968 World Series Baltimore Orioles at Philadelphia Phillies

Game Four-Bobby Wine went 3-5 with 3 RBI and Dick Ellsworth pitched 8 innings, striking out 7 as the Phillies moved within one game of back to back World Championships with a 7-2 drubbing of the Orioles.

Baltimore Orioles at Philadelphia Phillies
October 23, 1968

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
       Orioles (BAL) 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0    2  7  1
      Phillies (PHI) 0 1 0 3 2 1 0 0 x    7 13  0

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)         3  3  1  1  0  0  0  0    .267
F. Robinson (RF)      4  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .282
B. Powell (1B)        4  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .309
C. Blefary (LF)       3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .284
D. Johnson (2B)       4  2  0  1  0  0  1  0    .280
B. Robinson (3B)      3  0  1  0  0  1  1  0    .308
B. Tillman (C)        4  1  0  0  0  1  1  0    .253
J. Palmer (P)         1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .100
 M. Rettenmund (P)    1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .274
 M. Drabowsky (P)     0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .083
 G. Brabender (P)     1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .000
 M. Epstein (P)       1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .261
TOTALS               33  7  2  2  0  2  8  0

   2B:  P. Blair
   HBP:  C. Blefary
   CS:  P. Blair

       BALTIMORE   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       J. Palmer  4.0  7  3  0  4  3  1  92   2.28
    M. Drabowsky  1.1  4  4  0  3  3  2  59   3.15
    G. Brabender  2.2  2  0  0  0  0  2  45   0.76
          TOTALS  8.0 13  7  0  7  6  5 196

PHILADELPHIA         ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
J. Briggs (CF)        5  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .268
T. Gonzalez (LF)      3  1  2  1  0  1  1  0    .271
J. Callison (RF)      5  2  0  0  0  1  0  0    .291
D. Allen (3B)         4  2  1  1  0  0  0  0    .293
B. White (1B)         4  1  1  0  0  0  1  0    .282
D. Sims (C)           3  1  2  1  0  0  0  0    .263
C. Rojas (2B)         4  2  1  3  0  1  0  0    .306
B. Wine (SS)          5  3  0  1  0  3  0  0    .230
D. Ellsworth (P)      2  0  0  0  0  1  2  0    .093
 R. Barry (P)         1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .125
 D. Hall (P)          0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .333
TOTALS               36 13  7  7  0  7  5  0

   2B:  B. White, C. Rojas, B. Wine
   3B:  T. Gonzalez

    PHILADELPHIA   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
    D. Ellsworth  8.0  7  2  0  2  2  7 110   3.00
         D. Hall  1.0  0  0  0  0  0  1  10   2.64
          TOTALS  9.0  7  2  0  2  2  8 120

     WP: D. Ellsworth
     LP: J. Palmer

     Temperature: 49F
     Wind: Calm
     Attendance: 33,608
     Time: 3:19

1968 World Series Baltimore Orioles at Philadelphia Phillies

Game Five-Bill White hit a 3 run HR and the Phillies hit 4 homers total as they won their second straight World Series Championship, battering the formidable Oriole pitching staff, 8-2. Larry Jackson was named MVP, after pitching his shutout in Game Two.

Baltimore Orioles at Philadelphia Phillies
October 24, 1968

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
       Orioles (BAL) 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0    2  5  1
      Phillies (PHI) 0 2 0 0 2 0 4 0 x    8 11  0

BALTIMORE            ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
L. Aparicio (SS)      3  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .270
 M. Epstein (P)       1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .261
 B. Johnson (P)       0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .254
P. Blair (CF)         4  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .267
F. Robinson (RF)      4  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .282
B. Powell (1B)        4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .309
C. Blefary (LF)       3  0  1  1  0  0  0  1    .284
D. Johnson (2B)       4  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .280
B. Robinson (3B)      4  1  0  1  1  2  0  0    .308
B. Tillman (C)        3  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .253
W. Bunker (P)         1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .228
 M. Drabowsky (P)     0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .083
 M. Rettenmund (P)    0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .274
 D. Leonhard (P)      0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .111
 G. Brabender (P)     0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
TOTALS               31  5  2  2  1  2  4  1

   2B:  L. Aparicio, P. Blair
   HR:  B. Robinson
   HBP:  B. Tillman

       BALTIMORE   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       W. Bunker  4.2  6  2  2  4  3  3  83   3.38
    M. Drabowsky  1.1  1  0  0  0  0  0  13   3.15
     D. Leonhard  1.0  4  0  2  4  4  1  28   2.87
    G. Brabender  1.0  0  1  0  0  0  1  22   0.76
          TOTALS  8.0 11  3  4  8  7  5 146

PHILADELPHIA         ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
J. Briggs (CF)        4  0  1  1  0  0  1  1    .268
T. Gonzalez (LF)      5  1  0  0  0  0  2  0    .271
J. Callison (RF)      4  1  0  2  1  2  0  0    .291
D. Allen (3B)         3  1  1  1  0  0  1  0    .293
B. White (1B)         3  1  1  1  1  3  0  0    .282
D. Sims (C)           4  2  0  1  1  1  0  0    .263
C. Rojas (2B)         4  3  0  1  0  0  0  0    .306
B. Wine (SS)          4  2  0  1  1  2  0  0    .230
J. Bunning (P)        3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .170
 D. Clemens (P)       1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .248
 P. Ramos (P)         0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
TOTALS               35 11  3  8  4  8  5  1

   2B:  C. Rojas, T. Gonzalez
   HR:  D. Sims, B. White, B. Wine, J. Callison
   HBP:  J. Callison
   GIDP:  B. Wine

    PHILADELPHIA   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
      J. Bunning  8.0  5  2  1  2  2  4 137   2.31
        P. Ramos  1.0  0  0  0  0  0  0   5   2.92
          TOTALS  9.0  5  2  1  2  2  4 142

     WP: J. Bunning
     LP: W. Bunker

     Temperature: 49F
     Wind: 4 MPH (in from center)
     Attendance: 33,608
     Time: 2:48

Philadephia Phillies 1968 World Series Champions!!!

Up next will be the off season awards, final Red Sox stats, and league leaders!!!

[bigpapi]

Final Team Batting Stats: (team leaders in bold)

1968 Batting             Team    G   AVG    AB    H  2B  3B  HR   BB    K   SB  CS    R  RBI   SLG   OBP
Baylor, Don               BOS   14  .333    15    5   1   1   0    0    2    0   0    1    2  .533  .375
Fingers, Rollie           BOS    0  .333     3    1   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    1  .333  .333
Conigliaro, Tony          BOS  142  .319   565  180  29   3  49   56  104    0   1   97  149  .641  .383
Fanzone, Carmen           BOS    4  .308    13    4   1   0   0    1    3    0   0    0    1  .385  .357
Smith, Reggie             BOS  156  .307   625  192  29   2  39   99   89   20  12  132  106  .547  .406
Gibson, Russ              BOS   21  .301    73   22   5   0   0    2   14    0   0    7    5  .370  .320
Yastrzemski, Carl         BOS  162  .297   626  186  47   2  22  102   79    4   2  106  101  .484  .396
Scott, George             BOS  162  .284   627  178  33   6  31   71  113    1   0   96  108  .504  .358
Demeter, Don              BOS  113  .284   169   48   9   0   8    6   28    0   0   29   30  .479  .315
Petrocelli, Rico          BOS  123  .277   469  130  24   0  23   65   69    0   0   66   71  .475  .367
Rudi, Joe                 BOS   62  .274   230   63  13   4   6   15   35    0   0   27   27  .443  .319
Money, Don                BOS   81  .269   309   83  15   0   4   32   46    1   3   26   30  .356  .336
Andrews, Mike             BOS  142  .241   557  134  36   0   6   85   78    0   0   88   48  .338  .343
Dietz, Dick               BOS   82  .232   254   59  14   0   6   51   64    0   0   31   28  .358  .359
Lahoud, Joe               BOS    8  .222    27    6   1   0   0    4    4    0   0    5    2  .259  .323
French, Jim               BOS   57  .220   177   39   7   0   1   35   21    0   0   23   17  .277  .350
Simmons, Ted              BOS   20  .208    53   11   2   0   0    7    2    0   0    7    3  .245  .295
McGraw, Tug               BOS    0  .200     5    1   0   0   0    1    1    0   0    0    1  .200  .333
Stephenson, Jerry         BOS    6  .200    10    2   0   0   0    0    2    0   0    0    1  .200  .200
Foy, Joe                  BOS   91  .190   248   47  13   0   3   43   41    6   1   32   24  .278  .306
Tartabull, Jose           BOS   35  .175    40    7   2   0   0    2    6    3   2    3    2  .225  .227
Tiant, Luis               BOS   35  .171    70   12   0   0   0    3   28    1   0    3    9  .171  .205
Bennett, Dennis           BOS   30  .159    69   11   1   0   0    3   24    0   0    6    3  .174  .194
Stange, Lee               BOS   32  .145    69   10   0   0   0   12   24    0   0    6    5  .145  .262
Lonborg, Jim              BOS   31  .137    73   10   0   0   0    2   23    0   0    3    3  .137  .158
Santiago, Jose            BOS   18  .122    41    5   0   0   0    1   12    0   0    1    0  .122  .143
Thomas, George            BOS   16  .103    29    3   1   0   0    1    9    0   0    3    1  .138  .133
Lee, Bill                 BOS    7  .071    14    1   0   0   0    2    5    0   0    2    0  .071  .188
Niekro, Joe               BOS   23  .057    53    3   0   0   0    3   22    0   0    0    2  .057  .107
Buckner, Bill             BOS    4  .000     4    0   0   0   0    2    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .333
Conigliaro, Billy         BOS    2  .000     2    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Maddox, Garry             BOS    1  .000     4    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
White, Frank              BOS    1  .000     2    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Lyle, Sparky              BOS    0  .000     2    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Carlton, Steve            BOS    1  .000     0    0   0   0   0    1    0    0   0    0    0  .000 1.000

Final Team Pitching Stats: (team leaders in bold)

1968 Pitching            Team     IP   ERA    G  GS   W   L  SV    K   BB   R/9
Brett, Ken                BOS    4.0  0.00    3   0   0   0   0    1    0  4.50
McGraw, Tug               BOS  106.1  2.37   72   0  14   9   3   82   39 10.75
Stange, Lee               BOS  231.0  3.08   33  32  18   7   0  131   64  9.90
Santiago, Jose            BOS  125.2  3.08   24  18   9   5   1  123   44 11.46
Lonborg, Jim              BOS  220.1  3.27   31  31  17   7   0  144   71 10.95
Tiant, Luis               BOS  247.2  3.34   35  35  13  15   0  184   71 10.17
Niekro, Joe               BOS  166.2  3.35   24  23   8   6   0   88   58 10.10
Stephenson, Jerry         BOS   56.0  3.38   23   6   1   3   0   41   25 12.86
Bennett, Dennis           BOS  208.1  3.46   31  30  18   5   0  139   50 10.37
Lyle, Sparky              BOS   55.1  3.58   57   0   3   4  42   36   23 12.52
Fingers, Rollie           BOS   70.0  3.60   56   0   6   6   1   51   14 10.29
Lee, Bill                 BOS   49.1  3.83    9   7   2   3   0   23   11 10.95
Wyatt, John               BOS   18.2  6.27   17   0   0   0   0   20   19 15.91
Carlton, Steve            BOS   11.1  9.53    5   1   0   1   0    3    5 15.88

Minor League Batter of the Year:
Carmen Fanzone (A/AA) .338/.415/.514 16 HR 98 RBI

Minor League Pitcher of the Year:
(tie) Bill Lee 9-1 2.12 131 IP 120 H 35/20 K/BB ratio
Steve Carlton 15-4 3.90 200 IP 213 H 104/65 K/BB ratio

League Leaders Next!

[bigpapi]

1968 League Batting Leaders:

AL BA: Rod Carew (MIN) .327
NL BA: Tony Perez (CIN) .345

AL HR's: Tony Conigliaro (BOS) 49
NL HR's: Hank Aaron (ATL) 39

AL RBI's: Tony Conigliaro (BOS) 149
NL RBI's: Tony Perez (CIN) 143

AL Doubles: Tony Oliva (MIN) 49
NL Doubles: Joe Morgan (HOU) 47

AL Triples: Zoilo Versalles (MIN) 11
NL Triples: Roberto Clemente (PIT) 15

AL Hits: Rod Carew (MIN) 213
NL Hits: Roberto Clemente (PIT) 217

AL HBP: Frank Robinson (BAL), Bill Freehan (DET) 13
NL HBP: Tony Gonzalez (PHI) 10

AL OBP: Mickey Mantle (NY) .418
NL OBP: Willie McCovey (SF) .415

AL SLG: Tony Conigliaro (BOS) .641
NL SLG: Tony Perez (CIN) .592

AL OPS: Tony Conigliaro (BOS) 1.024
NL OPS: Tony Perez (CIN) .995

AL Runs: Reggie Smith (BOS) 132
NL Runs: Joe Morgan (HOU) 125

AL Sacrifices: Bert Campaneris (OAK) 21
NL Sacrifices: Sandy Alomar (NY) 19

AL Steals: Bert Campaneris (OAK) 72
NL Steals: Tommy Harper (NY) 51

AL Strikeouts: Reggie Jackson (OAK) 140
NL Strikeouts: Bobby Bonds (SF) 154

AL Walks: Mickey Mantle (NY) 104
NL Walks: Joe Morgan (HOU) 108

1968 League Pitching Leaders:

AL Wins: Mel Stottlemyre (NY) 24
NL Wins: Gaylord Perry (SF) 28

AL Losses: Denny McClain (DET) 21
NL Losses: Ken Holtzman (CHI), Bobby Bolin (SF) 20

AL ERA: Jim Palmer (BAL) 2.28
NL ERA: Jim Bunning (PHI) 2.31

AL IP's: Mel Stottlemyre (NY) 310.0
NL IP's: Gaylord Perry (SF) 320.1

AL K's: Mickey Lolich (DET) 212
NL K's: Gaylord Perry (SF) 264

AL Complete Games: Jim Palmer (BAL) 12
NL Complete Games: Gaylord Perry (SF) 13

AL Shutouts: Tommy John (CHI) 6
NL Shutouts: Mike Cuellar (HOU), Gaylord Perry (SF) 6

AL Appearances: Aurelio Monteagudo (CHI), Jim Roland (MIN), Eddie Fisher (WAS) 73
NL Appearances: Bob Miller (LA), Ed Sprague (NY) 74

AL HR's Allowed: Denny McClain (DET) 36
NL HR's Allowed: Ray Culp (CHI) 32

AL Saves: Sparky Lyle (BOS) 42
NL Saves: Jack Baldschun (CIN) 30

We have some serious decisions to make real soon as there are going to be 4 new teams added to the league next season. 2 in the American League (Kansas City Royals and the Seattle Pilots) and 2 to the National League (Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres). We have 15 players we are able to keep, so there will be some long nights figuring out the best options, not to mention we have 4 players whose contracts are up, (Joe Foy, Dennis Bennett, Jose Santiago and George Thomas). Bennett and Santiago will be looking for raises and Foy is due for arbitration where anything can happen. Let's see how it all plays out!

[bigpapi]

1968 Expansion Draft:

The Red Sox were absolutely stripped clean during the expansion draft. Below are the significant picks they made:

Kansas City Royals:

1B-Tommy McCraw (CHI AL) .294 10-42
OF-Ralph Garr (ATL) .316 0-7
OF-Manny Mota (PIT) .368 4-36
OF-Billy Conigliaro (BOS) .376 3-25 (AA)
C-Ed Hermann (CHI AL) .273 3-76 (AA)
OF-Lee Lacy (BAL) .385 6-56 (A)
OF-George Hendrick (CHI AL) .301 1-19 (R)

P-Jim Hannan (BAL) 11-7 4.02
RP-Hal Gilson (STL) 5-3 3.88 2 saves
P-Steve Busby (SF) 8-0 2.77 (A)
RP-Jim Willoughby (BOS) 5-2 2.45 (R)
P-Gary Lavelle (NY AL) 4-1 2.47 (R)

Montreal Expos:

C-Jake Gibbs (CLE) .195 4-27
OF-Jay Johnstone (CAL) .238 0-2
1B-Ernie Banks (CHI NL) .257 12-47
OF-Mickey Stanley (CLE) .260 10-38
OF-Merv Rettemund (BAL) .274 2-18
1B-Joe Hague (STL) .296 16-94 (AAA)
3B-Doug Rader (HOU) .283 12-84 (AA)
OF-Dusty Baker (ATL) .345 5-31 (R)
OF-Mike Shannon (STL) .306 5-27

P-Bill Harrelson (CAL) 10-4 3.51 (A)
RP-Ted Abernathy (OAK) 1-2 4.18
P-Al Santorini (ATL) 3-0 2.10 (AAA)
P-Reggie Cleveland (CIN) 6-0 2.67 (A)
P-Pedro Borbon (CAL) 5-1 1.73 (R)
SP-Bob Forsch (HOU) 1-0 1.79 (R)


San Diego Padres:

OF-Cleo James (LA) .293 3-23
SS-Chico Salmon (CLE) .225 3-37
1B-Gail Hopkins (CHI AL) .282 5-40
OF-Jim King (WAS) .247 20-71
C-John Stephenson (CHI NL) .259 2-22
IF-Cesar Gutierrez (SF) .286 0-78 (AAA)
1B-Danny Cater (OAK) .286 11-77
OF-Willie Crawford (LA) .270 3-8
3B-Bill Sudakis (LA) .360 26-114 (AA)
OF-Joe Rudi (BOS) .274 6-27
C-Ray Fosse (CLE) .324 9-77 (A)
IF-Remy Hermoso (CHI AL) .303 2-82 (A)
1B-Bill Buckner (BOS) .354 7-60 (A)
IF-Chris Speier (NY NL) .353 0-4 (R)
OF-Garry Maddox (BOS) .373 5-42 (R)
OF-Richie Zisk (CAL) .392 9-35 (R)
3B-Brian Downing (CHI AL) .258 1-8 (R)
OF-Ken Griffey (CIN) .481 1-12 (R)
IF-Phil Garner (CIN) .247 2-24 (R)
OF-Vic Davalillo (CLE) .255 2-32

P-Hank Aguirre (DET) 8-12 4.13
P-Joe Moeller (CIN) 7-3 4.43
RP-Ron Willis (STL) 4-9 5.59 19 saves
RP-John Upham (CHI NL) 4-0 3.86
P-Ken Brett (BOS) 12-2 2.43 (AA)
P-John Matlack (NY AL) 2-2 5.18
P-Jim Slaton (BOS) 4-3 4.05 (R)


Seattle Pilots:

OF-Adolfo Phillips (CHI NL) .269 15-51
1B-Wes Parker (LA) .282 10-66
RF-Roberto Clemente (PIT) .328 21-108
LF-Carl Yastrzemski (BOS) .297 22-101
3B-Charley Smith (STL) .275 7-29
C-Carl Taylor (PIT) .304 2-84 (AAA)
SS-Sonny Jackson (WAS) .234 0-23
2B-Hal Lanier (SF) .238 0-15
C-Mike Ryan (SF) .203 5-27
SS-Mark Belanger (BAL) .292 0-7
OF-Tommy Harper (NY NL) .239 15-53
OF-Roger Maris (STL) .271 25-80
IF-Clarence Jones (CHI NL) .266 3-20
SS-Ray Oyler (DET) .236 5-25
2B-Davey Lopes (PHI) .355 11-83 (AA)
OF-Mickey Rivers (NY AL) .377 2-42
3B-Doug DeCinces (BAL) .304 4-20 (R)
OF-Johnny Grubb (LA) .402 5-48 (R)

P-Milt Pappas (CIN) 16-12 3.22
P-Jim Bunning (PHI) 23-6 2.31
P-Larry Jaster (STL) 3-5 3.86
P-Juan Pizzaro (PIT) 6-1 3.60
P-Don Cardwell (NY NL) 9-19 4.09
RP-Darold Knowles (BAL) 2-2 4.50 10 saves
RP-Aurelio Monteagudo (CHI AL) 4-4 3.38
P-Tug McGraw (BOS) 14-9 2.37
RP-Gene Brabender (BAL) 2-0 0.76
P-Bob Moose (PIT) 0-2 5.72
P- John Tsitouris (CIN) 1-0 1.13
P-Joe Niekro (BOS) 8-6 3.35 (I thought I could pass him through being injured, I guess not.)

These rosters include any free agent signings, so it is very clear that Seattle is not wasting any time and they want to win now. That 2-3-4 is as good as any team in the American League. Their 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation is extremely solid as well. San Diego went very young but could be real real good in about 3 or 4 years. Montreal and Kansas City had a mixture of young and old. I think it's pretty clear that Seattle will be the best of the expansion teams. Due to losing the players we lost, we had to scramble to fill out our roster, and I think we did a pretty good job, details next!

[bigpapi]

Off Season Trade News:

We made a flurry of trades after the expansion draft to try and fill out our roster, as well as having some talent in the minors still. Our first move was to sign a couple of free agents. We brought in P RP Ted Davidson to replace Tug McGraw. Davidson went 8-7 3.33 last year in Cincinnati. He brings a solid fastball and above average curveball to the table. He moves into a short role with Rollie Fingers taking over the set-up role. Also signed was infielder Ron Hunt from the Los Angeles Dodgers. He hit .192 0-9 in limited playing time. Hunt is a teriffic fielder, he has nice speed and rarely strikes out. He will back up Petrocelli and Andrews.

We also made a few trades to improve our now lacking depth and the details are below:

Boston sends OF George Thomas $10,000 cash
Montreal Expos send OF Jesus Alou SS Nathan Bushel
Alou hit .307 4-73 for San Fransisco last year and will start against lefties. He makes good contact and has a decent eye.

Boston sends CF Jose Tartabull
Philadephia sends SS Gary Sutherland $10,000 cash
Purely a depth move as I had no room for Tartabull and Sutherland could turn into a decent backup infielder in the future.

Boston sends IF Carmen Fanzone
San Diego sends P Joe Alexander
Another depth move as Fanzone wasn't going to get any better and I need more pitching depth in the minors. Alexander went 5-3 2.81 as a Sophomore in college.

Boston sends CF Don Demeter $10,000 cash
Cincinnati sends OF Ken Berry
I like this trade as Berry is a younger, cheaper, and now better version of Demeter. He will be our main bat off the bench.

Boston sends OF Ted Uhlaender C Dick Deitz P John Wyatt $20,000 cash
Oakland sends OF Allan Lewis P Tony Pierce
Another deal I am very pleased with. Lewis moves into the starting lineup against righties and is the main pinch runner and Pierce will move to AAA to work on his control. Lewis hit .246 6-41 with 30 doubles, but more importantly 60 steals. After the trade for Berry, Uhlaender was just an expensive 5th outfielder, and Dietz was expendable as Ted Simmons will more than likely be the starting C this year.

Up next are the Off Season Awards!

[bigpapi]

AL Gold Gloves:

P-Jim Palmer (BAL)
C-Bill Freehan (DET)
1B-George Scott (BOS)
2B-Davey Johnson (BAL)
3B-Don Buford (CHI)
SS-Ron Hansen (CHI)
OF-Carl Yastrzemski (BOS)
OF-Pete Ward (CHI)
OF-Russ Snyder (WAS)

AL Rookie of the Year:
Sparky Lyle (BOS) 3-4 3.58 42/48 save chances

AL Cy Young:
Jim Palmer (BAL) 21-7 2.28 291.1 IP 225 K

AL MVP:
Tony Conigliaro (BOS) .319 49-149

NL Gold Gloves:
P-Mike Cuellar (HOU)
C-Joe Torre (ATL)
1B-Wes Parker (LA)
2B-Cookie Rojas (PHI)
3B-Bob Bailey (LA)
SS-Dal Maxvill (STL)
OF-Tom Tresh (HOU)
OF-Johnny Callison (PHI)
OF-Mack Jones (ATL)

NL Rookie of the Year:
Bobby Bonds (SF) .256 25-67 38 steals

NL Cy Young:
Gaylord Perry (SF) 28-8 2.55 328.1 IP 264 K

NL MVP:
Tony Perez (CIN) .345 34-143

Up next are the team by team Opening Day Previews!

[bigpapi]

With the 4 new expansion teams, each League has been broken into two Divisions, the American League East, and the American League West. Prior to the World Series, there will be a League Championship Series between the two division winners. This should boost interest as now two teams have the chance to go to the World Series from each League. Below are hitting and pitching previews for each team along with their projected division placement.

American League East:

Baltimore Orioles
Offense: Led by Brooks Robinson (.282 36-118) and Boog Powell (.309 32-114). Paul Blair (.267 27-111) is getting better and better. Luis Aparicio spearheads this offense with his 45 steals from a year ago.

Pitching: Led by 2 time Cy Young winner Jim Palmer (21-7 2.28), but is complimented nicely by Steve Barber (19-10 3.74) and Wally Bunker (16-6 3.38), a formidable staff. 2nd year man Fred Beene (6-7 4.38 5 saves) becomes the closer with the loss of Darold Knowles.

Boston Red Sox
Offense: The loss of Carl Yastrzemski to the Seattle Pilots will hurt, but they still have plenty of pop from MVP Tony Conigliaro (.319 49-149) and Reggie Smith (.307 39-106). Boomer Scott takes Yaz's 3rd spot in the lineup with his .284 31-108 line.

Pitching: No real ace, but they have 4 solid starters in Jim Lonborg (17-7 3.27) Luis Tiant (13-15 3.34), rookie Bill Lee (2-3 3.83) and Lee Stange (18-7 3.08). The closer is ROY Sparky Lyle (3-4 3.58 42/48 save chances).

Detroit Tigers:
Offense: 26 year old Willie Horton (.295 40-120) powers this offense with help from veteran Al Kaline (.292 18-76), Norm Cash (.286 36-98) and SS Dick McAuliffe (.243 20-61). The Tigers signed LF Al Ferrera from the LA Dodgers (.262 25-83) to counteract the loss of OF Jim Northrup.

Pitching: Mickey Lolich (15-14 4.22) is the ace, and he gets help from Denny McClain (10-21 5.14) and setup man Larry Sherry (13-1 3.94). Fred Gladding and his 5-1 1.23 line is the stopper for the staff.

New York Yankees
Offense: 3 players power this offense, Frank Howard (.278 40-148), Joe Pepitone (.265 29-115) and the ageless Mickey Mantle (.310 36-136) who is closing in on 600 career homeruns. They signed Max Alvis (.279 16-65) from Cleveland to help the offense.

Pitching: 3 Solid pitchers lead this rotation in Mel Stottlemyre (24-10 2.75), Fritz Peterson (19-13 3.59) and Al Downing (10-6 3.54). The bullpen is a weak spot, lead by Dooley Womack (11-6 6.20) and John Cumberland (3-3 4.24)

Cleveland Indians:
Offense: The Indians did nothing to improve their offense this year, so it could be a long season, led by Leon Wagner (.279 18-70) and Tito Francona (.224 17-39). On the horizon is slugger George Foster who hit .404 20-99 in AA last year and starts this season on the Indian bench.

Pitching: The top three pitchers in the Indian rotation went a combined 12-39, and they are Steve Hargan (4-19 5.68), Gary Bell (4-14 5.29) and Jerry Koosman (4-6 4.15). The bullpen is lead by closer Horatio Pina (3-1 .300 18/22 in save chances).

Washington Senators:
Offense: Their big offensive plunge was signing Roger Repoz (.234 18-49) from the Minnesota Twins. Other leaders are Gates Brown (.269 15-69) and Bob Chance (.259 15-82)

Pitching: This isn't much better, lead by Joe Coleman (10-17 4.93), Pete Richert (8-16 4.12) and Joe Sparma (8-14 4.36). They do have a young 19 year old named Jerry Reuss who went 5-0 2.60 in A ball last year and starts this season as the #5 starter.

American League West:

Minnesota Twins
Offense: Signed Gold Glove outfielder Mack Jones (.248 24-71) from the Atlanta Braves, but otherwise is the same team, lead by Rod Carew (.327 5-81), Tony Oliva (.326 23-121) and Harmon Killebrew (.295 25-95).

Pitching: A very solid pitching staff in Minnesota is lead by Dean Chance (19-9 3.25), Jim Kaat (16-7 3.25), Jim Perry (11-17 4.69), and Jim Merritt (10-12 3.69). Bullpen will be anchored by rookie Tom Hall (3-2 2.55 3/5 in save chances).

Chicago White Sox
Offense: Two big signings, first the Sox brought in OF Jim Northrup (.308 29-92) from the Detroit Tigers, and then brought in 2B Glenn Beckert (.259 0-37) from the Cubs for his defense. Tommy Agee (.274 20-91) is the other main offensive threat.

Pitching: Led by youngster Tommy John (18-8 2.51) and Gary Peters (8-8 4.06). Also contributing are John Buzhardt (12-13 4.56) and Dennis Higgins (2-8 6.03 12/16 in save chances) who struggled as the closer.

California Angels
Offense: Signed C Duke Sims (.263 25-90) from the Philadephia Phillies, but that was the only move for a team that is led by Jimmy Hall (.252 21-82) and Don Mincher (.249 18-81). Youngster Rick Reichardt (.284 7-30) is an impressive prospect.

Pitching: 5 Pitchers with 10 wins or more last year, Catfish Hunter (15-17 4.27), Clyde Wright (18-14 3.67), Andy Messersmith (12-11 3.86), FA signee Steve Blass (11-14 3.75) and George Brunet (11-14 4.12).

Oakland Athletics
Offense: 3 big free agent signings by the A's make them a serious player. They brought in Cesar Tovar (.279 3-62) and Bob Allison (.279 22-67) from the Minnesota Twins, and 1B Ken Harrelson (.263 10-38) from the Senators. This team is stacked with young talent led by Reggie Jackson (.268 33-96) and Rick Monday (.255 23-96)

Pitching: Led by Blue Moon Odom (12-11 3.44), Dennis Ribant (15-16 4.06) who was brought in from Pittsburgh, Jim Nash (5-13 4.75) and Chuck Dobson (6-12 4.75). Closer Pete Mikkelsen (5-10 4.22 21/27 in save chances) was also signed from Pittsburgh.

Seattle Pilots:
Offense: Led by Carl Yastrzemski (.297 22-101) and Roberto Clemente (.328 21-108). Wes Parker (.282 10-66) will set the table for them out of the 2nd spot. Sonny Jackson (.234 0-23 27 steals) provides the speed.

Pitching: Led by veterans Jim Bunning (23-6 2.31) and Milt Pappas (16-12 3.22). Also helping out are Don Cardwell (9-19 4.09) and Tug McGraw (14-9 2.37). Darold Knowles (2-2 4.50 10 saves) will close games out for the Pilots.

Kansas City Royals:
Offense: Manny Mota (.368 4-36) and Tommy McCraw (.294 10-49) lead an offense that will have all kinds of trouble scoring this year. They will start 5 rookies on Opening day.

Pitching: Jim Hannan (11-8 4.09) will start on Opening Day, then who knows. They don't have another starter who was on a major league roster last year. The only other pitcher on the staff who was a major league regular last season is Hal Gilson (5-3 3.88).

Up next is the National League!!!

[bigpapi]

National League East:

Philadephia Phillies
Offense: The two time World Champs are led by Dick Allen (.293 27-99), Johnny Callison (.291 22-90), and Bill White (.282 20-77). They also signed Don Kessinger (.226 0-27) from the Chicago Cubs to solidify the infield.

Pitching: The loss of Bunning will hurt, but the Phillies still have 4 solid starters in Larry Jackson (13-11 3.54), Rick Wise (15-10 3.66), Dick Ellsworth (15-9 3.00) and Chris Short (5-4 3.35).

Pittsburgh Pirates
Offense: The offense is the same as last year with the exception of Roberto Clemente, and due to this, the Pirates will have trouble scoring. They are led by Willie Stargell (.269 34-105), Donn Clendenon (.272 17-64), and Matty Alou (.266 5-45)

Pitching: The Pirates lost their top starter and go into the season with a rotation of Bob Veale (10-11 3.38), Dock Ellis (3-6 5.15), Tommy Sisk (9-6 in AAA), Billy O'Dell (4-4 3.69) and Bill Short (6-9 3.72 in AAA)

St. Louis Cardinals
Offense: Signed Gene Alley (.262 8-66) from Pittsburgh to play SS and Jim Ray Hart (.305 17-54) to play 2B, but the main threats are Orlando Cepeda (.300 34-118), Lou Brock (.289 5-44) and Curt Flood (.335 10-62)

Pitching: Bob Gibson (7-16 3.38) and Mike Torrez (15-12 4.54) spearhead this rotation with help from veteran Vern Law (17-9 4.55) in Pittsburgh, and Nelson Briles (9-13 3.75).

New York Mets
Offense: Rocky Colavito (.280 30-87) leads this offense that has some potential with players like Amos Otis (.303 7-42) and Cleon Jones (.285 10-55). Sandy Alomar (.248 0-24 32 steals) provides the speed.

Pitching: This rotation is Tom Seaver (10-19 4.06) and a whole lotta nothing. Others include Bob Shaw (5-14 4.00), Jack Fischer (5-15 3.15) and Ed Sprague (2-6 4.63)

Chicago Cubs
Offense: Led by Billy Williams (.238 20-58) and Ron Santo (.358 18-63) , but they will get alot of help from newcomers Tony Taylor (.283 1-5), Jose Cardenal (.301 10-90) and Fred Whitfield (.242 20-62)

Pitching: The Cubs have 3 solid starters in Fergie Jenkins (20-11 2.58), Ray Culp (13-17 3.48) and Ken Holtzman (15-20 4.35). The bullpen is anchored by "The Monster" Dick Radatz (3-2 3.22 11/14 in save chances).

Montreal Expos
Offense: Mickey Stanley (.283 10-40) is the only experienced bat, bit Doug Rader (.283 12-84 in AA) and Jay Johnstone (.377 9-80 in AAA) should provide some young spark.

Pitching: This is going to be ugly as the only Expo pitcher with any major league experience is closer Ted Abernathy (1-2 4.18), although Pedro Borbon (5-1 17.3 in A ball), Ken Tatum (4-2 2.48 in AA ball), and Steve Arlin (14-2 2.65 in AA ball) provide some potential.

National League West:

San Fransisco
Offense: The Giants signed Gold Glover Cookie Rojas (.306 3-63) to play 2nd base, but otherwise, the lineup remains the same. They are lead by Willie Mays (.285 27-108), Willie McCovey (.288 32-100) and Bobby Bonds (.256 25-67).

Pitching: Teriffic starting rotation lead by Gaylord Perry (28-8 2.55), Juan Marichal (19-11 3.89), Bobby Bolin (13-20 4.11), Sam McDowell (17-14 4.51), and Dick Bosman (8-8 3.66). Sonny Seibert (7-12 4.42) was brought in to provide depth should any of them get hurt.

Atlanta Braves
Offense: The Braves took a step backwards this offseason, but still have Hank Aaron (.309 39-113), Rico Carty (.319 28-84), Joe Torre (.304 15-70) and rookie Darrell Evans (.375 29-116 in AA).

Pitching: The top 4 pitchers for the Braves are, Phil Niekro (14-14 3.07), Pat Jarvis (13-9 4.02), Wade Blasingame (13-12 4.31) and Denny Lemaster (10-12 5.12). The bullpen is lead by closer Clay Carroll (4-5 3.82 27/32 in save chances).

Los Angeles Dodgers
Offense: The big signing was of Felipe Alou (.264 31-93) from the Atlanta Braves, and they still have Willie Davis (.267 13-67), Ron Fairly (.271 18-72), and Bob Bailey (.241 18-70)

Pitching: 4 talented starters return this year in Don Drysdale (12-16 3.50), Don Sutton (14-9 2.87), Claude Osteen (21-13 3.21) and Bill Singer (5-14 5.98). Bill Monbouquette (16-7 3.65) was brought in from Detroit to solidify the rotation.

Houston Astros
Offense: Led by Rusty Staub (.287 20-102), Joe Morgan (.282 22-88), Tom Tresh (.291 28-100) and "The Toy Cannon" Jimmy Wynn (.244 22-73). The Astros also brought in 3B Don Buford (.255 12-63) from the Chicago White Sox to provide some speed and a little more pop.

Pitching: The Astros have a killer 1-2 punch in Mike Cuellar (21-10 2.88) and Larry Dierker (20-10 2.78). They are supported by newcomer Earl Wilson (9-6 4.51), Don Wilson (13-12 3.30) and youngster Chris Zachary (11-13 5.41).

Cincinnati Reds
Offense: Powered by reigning MVP Tony Perez (.343 34-143) and hustler Pete Rose (.309 4-46). Also contributing are Vada Pinson (.338 16-95), Art Shamsky (.275 24-107), and the rejuvenated Ken Boyer (.289 18-76).

Pitching: This is where the Reds could struggle as they only really have a couple of solid pitchers, and those are Don Nottebart (15-12 2.87), Gary Nolan (8-14 5.28), Sammy Ellis (3-2 3.95), and closer Jack Baldschun (6-2 2.47 30/33 in save chances).

San Diego Padres
Offense: Led by youngster Willie Crawford (.385 12-83 in AA), and the speed at the top of the order from Vic Davalillo (.255 2-32) and Chico Salmon (.225 3-37). They could also get help from Joe Rudi (.274 6-27) if he is called up.

Pitching: Hank Aguirre (8-12 4.13) is the ace, and he is helped out by Joe Moeller (7-3 4.43), and youngster Joe Decker (4-6 3.78 in A). The bullpen is anchored by Ron Willis (4-9 5.59 19/28 in save chances). The rest of the pen is very inexperienced.

Up next is the Opening Day Roster for the Boston Red Sox!

[bigpapi]

1969 Boston Red Sox

Starting Lineup:
2B-Mike Andrews (77/80)
CF-Reggie Smith (89/95)
1B-George Scott (84)
RF-Tony Conigliaro (82/92)
SS-Rico Petrocelli (93)
3B-Don Money (84/94)
LF-Allen Lewis (73)/Jesus Alou (78)
C-Ted Simmons (76/95)

Bench:
C-Russ Gibson (69)
C-Jim French (74)
IF-Ron Hunt (85)
OF-Ken Berry (75)
IF-Joe Foy (81)

Starting Rotation:
Jim Lonborg (89)
Luis Tiant (93)
Bill Lee (89/93)
Lee Stange (82)
Dennis Bennett (74)

Bullpen:
Closer: Sparky Lyle (84/93)
Setup: Rollie Fingers (84/89)
Short: Jose Santiago (78)
Short: Jerry Stephenson (73/82)
Middle: Ted Davidson (65) (Was a 81 when I signed him, oh well)
Long: Steve Carlton (77/86)

Leading off the season for Boston is a homestand that starts with Chicago coming to town for 3 followed by the California Angels visiting Fenway.

[bigpapi]

April 1,2,3 v Chicago White Sox (0-0)

April 1-Jim Lonborg pitched 7 shutout innings and Don Money drove in a pair of runs as Boston blanked Chicago on Opening Day, 3-0. (1-0)
W-Jim Lonborg (1-0) L-Tommy John (0-1) S-Sparky Lyle (1)

April 2-Newcomers Jim Northrup and Jim Pagliaroni each hit 2 run HR's as Chicago beat the Red Sox 5-3. (1-1)
W-Bob Locker (1-0) L-Jose Santiago (0-1)

April 3-Tony Conigliaro hit his first HR of the year, a 3 run shot, and Bill Lee pitched 6 innings of 1 run ball as the Red Sox beat the White 7-3. (2-1)
W-Bill Lee (1-0) L-Cisco Carlos (0-1)

April 4,5,6 v California Angels (2-1)

April 4-Rico Petrocelli hit a 3 run HR, and George Scott added 2 RBI as Boston beat California 8-3. (3-1)
W-Lee Stange (1-0) L-Steve Blass (0-1)

April 5-Duke Sims homered and drove in 3, and Jimmy Hall added a 2 run shot as the Angels beat Boston 8-3. (3-2)
W-George Brunet (1-0) L-Dennis Bennett (0-1)

April 6-Jim Lonborg pitched 8 innings, allowing just 1 run, and 5 different Sox drove in runs as Boston beat California 5-1. (4-2)
W-Jim Lonborg (2-0) L-Andy Messersmith (0-2)

Around the MLB:

The Montreal Expos are 1-5 and have a team ERA of 10.76 through 6 games. Kansas City is 1-5 with a 7.10 team ERA. I love expansion teams.

Up next for Boston is 3 at home against the Minnesota Twins followed by our first look at the Kansas City Royals.

[bigpapi]

April 7,8,9 v Minnesota Twins (4-2)

April 7-Pinch hitter Ken Berry hit a 2 run HR in the bottom of the 7th inning as Boston held off Minnesota 4-3. (5-2)
W-Luis Tiant (1-0) L-Jim Merritt (0-1) S-Sparky Lyle (2)

April 8-Tony C. hit a grand slam and was supported by Boomer Scott and Reggie Smith who hit homeruns as Boston beat the Twins 8-3. (6-2)
W-Bill Lee (2-0) L-Dave Boswell (1-1)

April 9-Harmon Killebrew hit a 2 run HR in the top of the 9th inning as Minnesota avoided the sweep with a 6-5 win. (6-3)
W-Charlie Walters (1-0) L-Jose Santiago (0-2) S-Tom Hall (2)

April 10,11,12 v Kansas City Royals (1-8)

April 10-4 different Sox drove in 2 runs, and Ted Simmons hit his first career HR, helping Jim Lonborg improve to 3-0 as Boston beat the Royals 9-1. (7-3)
W-Jim Lonborg (3-0) L-Jim Hannan (0-2)

April 11-George Scott and Rico Petrocelli each hit 2 run homeruns, and Luis Tiant pitched 8 innings, allowing just 1 run and striking out 7 as Boston beat KC 6-1. (8-3)
W-Luis Tiant (2-0) L-Bobby Clement (0-2)

April 12-George Scott homered and drove in 4, and Bill Lee pitched a complete game, allowing 2 runs and just 5 hits as Boston swept the Royals, winning 10-2. (9-3)
W-Bill Lee (3-0) L-Jonah Stickles (0-2)

Around the MLB:

Kansas City sends OF Manny Mota
Philadelphia sends OF Jim Hutto C Pete Koegel
Edge Philly here as the two players KC received will probably amount to nothing.

Next for the Sox is 3 in Seattle against the expansion Pilots followed by 3 in Kansas City against the Royals.

[bigpapi]

April 13,14,15 at Seattle Pilots (5-4)

April 13-Jesus Alou drove in a pair of runs in a 3 run 2nd inning, and Lee Stange made it hold up as Boston beat Seattle 4-2. (10-3)
W-Lee Stange (2-0) L-Milt Pappas (0-3) S-Sparky Lyle (3)

April 14-Jim Bunning pitched the first shutout in Pilots' history, blanking the Red Sox on 3 hits, and Roberto Clemente and Carl Yastrzemski drove in runs in a 2-0 Seattle win. (10-4)
W-Jim Bunning (1-0) L-Jim Lonborg (3-1)

April 15-Tony Conigliaro hit a 2 run HR and Reggie Smith added a 2 run double in a 5 run 7th as Boston beat the Pilots 6-3. (11-4)
W-Luis Tiant (3-0) L-Larry Jaster (1-2) S-Sparky Lyle (4)

April 16,17,18 at Kansas City Royals (2-13)

April 16-Boomer Scott hit a 3 run HR, and Don Money added his first of the year, a 2 run shot as Boston blasted KC 11-6. (12-4)
W-Jose Santiago (1-2) L-Bill Zepp (0-1)

April 17-Boston continued to feast on Royal pitching as Tony C. homered and drove in 4 and Ted Simmons added a bases clearing double as the Red Sox beat up KC 13-3. (13-4)
W-Lee Stange (3-0) L-Tim Abbott (0-2)

April 18-Boston completed the sweep, as newcomer Allan Lewis homered and drove in 3, and Dennis Bennett pitched 7 innings of 1 run ball in a 6-1 Sox win. (14-4).
W-Dennis Bennett (1-1) L-Jim Hannan (0-4)

Around the MLB:

Atlanta sends P Clay Carroll 1B Glen Clark
San Diego sends OF Cleo James C James Deal P John Upham SS Shane Upshaw
Edge San Diego here I think as James is the best player in the deal, but SD filled two needs with this trade.

Quick update on some of the new aquisitions we made this offseason:

Ron Hunt .450/.500/.525 (18-40) 0-6 3 doubles 3 steals
Allan Lewis .300/.300/.700 (3-10) 1-3 2 steals
Jesus Alou .432/.468/.477 (19-44) 0-4 2 doubles
Ken Berry .438/.526/.594 (14-32) 1-7 2 doubles

So far so good. Granted we have played the Royals 6 times and they are going to be historically bad, but I wanted to upgrade our bench, and it appears we hit a homerun (pun intented) here.

Up next for Boston is the first real challenge of the year with 3 at home against the New York Yankees followed by 3 in Baltimore against the Orioles.

[bigpapi]

April 19,20,21 v New York Yankees (7-8)

April 19-Mickey Mantle homered and drove in 3, and Boston left the tying run on third in the 9th inning as New York beat the Sox 6-5. (14-5)
W-Jim Bouton (4-0) L-Jim Lonborg (3-2) S-Jack Aker (1)

April 20-Pinch hitter Ken Berry drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning, giving Boston a 5-4 win over the Yankees. (15-5)
W-Rollie Fingers (1-0) L-Ron Klimkowski (0-2)

April 21-Frank Howard drove in 3 runs, Ed Charles hit a solo HR and once again, Boston left the tying run on 3rd base in the 9th inning as the Yankees escape with a 5-4 win. (15-6)
W-Al Downing (3-1) L-Bill Lee (3-1) S-Jack Aker (2)

April 22,23,24 at Baltimore Orioles (11-7)

April 22-Jim Palmer pitched a complete game, allowing 7 hits and just 1 earned run, and Davey Johnson homered and drove in 4 as Baltimore beat up the Sox 9-2. (15-7)
W-Jim Palmer (4-0) L-Lee Stange (3-1)

April 23-Davey Johnson hit a 2 out 2 run HR off closer Sparky Lyle, giving the Orioles a 5-4 win over the Sox. (15-8)
W-Dick Bertaina (2-2) L-Sparky Lyle (0-1)

April 24-Boston avoided the sweep, as Tony Conigliaro, Boomer Scott and Rico Petrocelli each homered as Boston outlasted the Orioles 11-8. (16-8)
W-Luis Tiant (4-0) L-Steve Barber (2-3) S-Sparky Lyle (5)

Around the MLB:

The Red Sox have made a minor deal to help solidify their bullpen as Steve Carlton needed to move into the rotation while Bill Lee is out for about 3-4 weeks with a bad shoulder. Boston sends minor league C Bob Montgomery to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for RP Larry Maxie. Maxie was 2-2 2.36 in AAA last year in 110 IP's. Montgomery was going nowhere in the Boston organization, so this is a good move.

Also Boston came to terms with three of its prospective free agents. They signed P Luis Tiant to a 4 year deal worth 1.2 million dollars. Tiant is 4-0 this year, and 60-55 3.28 for his career. Also they signed RP Rollie Fingers to a 3 year deal totalling $525,000. Fingers has been teriffic so far this year posting a 1-0 0.75 in 9 games this year and has a career 3.18 ERA in 65 games. Lastly the Sox re-signed backup C Jim French to a 2 year extension worth $104,000. French is an invaluable backup and teacher to Ted Simmons. He is 2-7 this year, but hit .220 1-17 with a 35/21 BB/K ratio.

Ending April and into May for the Sox is 3 games in Minnesota against the Twins followed by a 3 game set in California against the Angels.

[bigpapi]

Complete Team Stats Through April 30- (team leaders in bold)

1969 Batting             Team    G   AVG    AB    H  2B  3B  HR   BB    K   SB  CS    R  RBI   SLG   OBP
Bennett, Dennis           BOS    3  .500     6    3   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .500  .500
Alou, Jesus               BOS   19  .467    60   28   3   0   0    1    4    0   0    8    8  .517  .500
Petrocelli, Rico          BOS   29  .379   116   44   3   1   6   12   20    0   0   22   23  .578  .442
Berry, Ken                BOS   20  .364    44   16   2   0   1    7    6    0   0    7    8  .477  .451
Hunt, Ron                 BOS   16  .349    63   22   4   0   0    7    5    4   2    9    7  .413  .408
Foy, Joe                  BOS   13  .333    15    5   0   1   0    1    3    1   1    3    0  .467  .375
Lewis, Allan              BOS   12  .333    42   14   3   0   2    1    5    3   4    6    7  .548  .349
Conigliaro, Tony          BOS   27  .311   106   33   6   0   9   11   25    0   0   27   29  .623  .378
Scott, George             BOS   29  .273   121   33   4   1   6   13   21    0   0   20   18  .471  .348
Money, Don                BOS   28  .269   108   29   2   2   1    9   24    0   0   14   15  .352  .328
Smith, Reggie             BOS   28  .248   113   28   1   1   6   17   19    3   2   23   15  .434  .344
Lonborg, Jim              BOS    7  .214    14    3   0   0   0    2    3    0   0    1    2  .214  .313
French, Jim               BOS    4  .200    10    2   1   0   0    3    1    0   0    1    0  .300  .385
Andrews, Mike             BOS   15  .197    61   12   1   0   1    8   10    0   0    9    6  .262  .286
Simmons, Ted              BOS   26  .189    90   17   2   0   1   10    8    0   0    7   14  .244  .272
Tiant, Luis               BOS    7  .167    18    3   0   0   0    1    4    0   0    1    2  .167  .211
Stange, Lee               BOS    6  .167    12    2   0   0   0    2    3    0   0    3    1  .167  .286
Lee, Bill                 BOS    5  .091    11    1   0   0   0    2    5    0   0    1    2  .091  .231
Moeller, Joe              BOS    6  .067    15    1   0   0   0    1   10    0   0    0    0  .067  .125
Gibson, Russ              BOS    1  .000     2    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Carlton, Steve            BOS    1  .000     1    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Santiago, Jose            BOS    0  .000     2    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Fingers, Rollie           BOS    0  .000     1    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000

Complete Team Pitching Stats Through April 30- (team leaders in bold)

1969 Pitching            Team     IP   ERA    G  GS   W   L  SV    K   BB   R/9
Maxie, Larry              BOS    1.0  0.00    1   0   0   0   0    0    1  9.00
Fingers, Rollie           BOS   13.0  0.69   10   0   1   0   0    6    3  8.31
Lonborg, Jim              BOS   51.0  2.12    7   7   4   2   0   38    9  9.35
Bennett, Dennis           BOS   19.0  2.84    3   3   1   1   0   12    6  9.47
Tiant, Luis               BOS   49.0  3.12    7   7   5   0   0   38   12  9.18
Lyle, Sparky              BOS   10.1  3.48   11   0   0   1   7    7    2  8.71
Lee, Bill                 BOS   34.1  4.19    5   5   3   1   0   12    8 10.49
Santiago, Jose            BOS   19.0  4.26   13   0   1   3   0   13    3  9.95
Stange, Lee               BOS   40.0  4.28    6   6   4   1   0   29   12 11.25
Carlton, Steve            BOS   11.0  4.91    4   1   0   1   0    5    3 10.64
Stephenson, Jerry         BOS    9.0 10.00    7   0   0   0   1    8    6 19.00

[bigpapi]

April 25,26,27 at Minnesota Twins (8-13)

April 25-Tony Oliva hit a 3 run HR and Jim Kaat pitched 7 innings of 2 run ball as the Twins beat the Sox 6-2. (16-9)
W-Jim Kaat (1-0) L-Steve Carlton (0-1)

April 26-Reggie Smith homered and had 3 RBI and Lee Stange won his 4th game of April as Boston beat Minnesota 6-4. (17-9)
W-Lee Stange (4-1) L-Jim Perry (1-4) S-Sparky Lyle (6)

April 27-Dean Chance pitched 8 shutout innings, striking out 5, and the only run of the game came off the bat of Rod Carew with an RBI single in the 8th as the Twins beat the Red Sox 1-0. (17-10)
W-Dean Chance (3-2) L-Jose Santiago (1-3) S-Tom Hall (5)

April 29,30 May 1 at California Angels (12-12)

April 29-Tony C. hit a 2 run HR and Jim Lonborg pitched into the 9th inning as Boston beat California 3-1. (18-10)
W-Jim Lonborg (4-2) L-Steve Blass (2-3) S-Sparky Lyle (7)

April 30-Boston knocked Catfish Hunter out of the game after 1/3 of an inning, scoring 7 runs on 8 hits, en route to a 9-3 win. Tony Conigliaro and Reggie Smith homered in the win. (19-10)
W-Luis Tiant (5-0) L-Catfish Hunter (1-3)

May 1-Duke Sims hit a 2 out solo HR in the bottom of the 9th inning off Rollie Fingers for the only run of the game as California beat Boston 1-0. Steve Carlton had his best game as a pro, going 7 shutout innings, allowing just 1 hit, striking out 6 in the loss. (19-11)
W-Tom Burgmeier (1-2) L-Rollie Fingers (1-1)

Around the MLB:
Boston sends RP Tony Pierce
San Diego sends P Joe Moeller

We needed to make this trade as both Bill Lee and Lee Stange are going to be out for the better part of May. Moeller had gotten off to a very strong start for the expansion Padres, going 4-2 1.97 in 6 starts so far this year. Pierce was acquired in the Allen Lewis deal in the offseason, and I hate to give him, up, but you have to give talent to get it. Moeller is only 26 and should help out as a long reliever/spot starter.

The Kansas City Royals finished April 2-28 and on a 17 game losing streak. It will be interesting to see whether or not they win 40 games this year. I doubt it as they have a team ERA of 8.82. Hopefully some of their younger pitchers can mature during the year.

The Montreal Expos didn't fare much better in their first month going 7-23 with a team ERA of 8.35. Their advantage is they have some already matured pitchers like Reggie Cleveland, Pedro Borbon, Ken Tatum and Lowell Palmer, so they should improve here this month.

The San Diego Padres finished 15-17, and right in the middle of the National League in both hitting (.262) and pitching (4.69). They have made a couple of deals to help them out, but don't expect much else this year.

The Seattle Pilots went out and spent lots of money to put a contender on the field immediately and it's working as they end April 19-11 and in 3rd place in the AL West, just 1.5 games back. The are currently 2nd in the AL in hitting (.272) and 1st in pitching (3.32).

Up next for the Sox is a 6 game homestand, the first 3 against the California Angels, followed by 3 against the Yanks.