Last Place Update - July 26

Hey everybody! Hope your summer has gone well. Mine has been great, except for one thing that must be noted here shortly. Since my last post, I had the privilege of performing with the Phantom Regiment Alumni Corps a couple of weeks ago. I got to perform with people ranging from the founding members from 1956, to people I looked up to when I first got involved in the drum and bugle corps activity, to people I marched with long ago, to members of the 1996 and 2008 DCI champion corps, to recent ageouts. It was a great experience. SUTA!!!!

Now to the exception.

My 33-66 Atlanta Braves are Kings of the Cellar right now. They are 2-8 since the All-Star break, losers of the their last five. At least the 1899 Cleveland Spiders' record is safe for another year. The 1962 New York Mets were 25-74 after 99 games, so the Braves are 8 games ahead of their pace.

The 37-61 Minnesota Twins are 4.5 games back. The Twins have done a little winning, going 5-5 in their last ten games. Also standing outside the cellar door are the 38-60 Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who are 5.5 games back. They are 4-6 in their last ten games, losers of their last three.

Today's honorable mention goes to the 58-41 San Francisco Giants. The NL West leaders are 2-8 in their last ten games, losing their last two. That's what bad relief pitching gets you. Before the All-Star break, they enjoyed  a 7-2 record dating back to June 30. Will Frisco improve or implode?

Today my Braves play the Twins for a battle of mediocrity. Atlanta leads the series 10-9, which includes the 1991 World Series. The Braves have a five game winning streak against Minnesota dating back to June 12, 2010. They first met in the World Series, when the Twins won 4 games to 3. They went to extra innings five times, three of those in the World Series, including Game 7. Their last extra innings game was in 2013, when Atlanta won 5-4.

Will Atlanta take the beer in the Cellar? Will the Twins take this series and break my Braves' win streak against them? Will the Devil Rays surprise everybody and kick down the Cellar door?

Bring on the games!

Have a great day!!!

Last Place Update - October 1

Oh, now they start winning. No matter. I was ready to crown the 2016 MLB Kings of the Cellar, but a team I thought was out of contention is now making its run for the beer. At least the race in futility is more interesting.

The 61-97 Philadelphia Phillies are still three losses from the title. They are 4-2 since the last update and are on a three game winning streak. The Phillies are two games ahead of once again cellar tease, the 63-95 Cincinnati Reds. Cincy is 0-7 since the last update and is sporting an 11 game losing streak. Also still not out of it are my 64-94 Atlanta Braves, though they're two losses from being out of contention. The Braves are 2-3 since the last update, breaking their three game losing streak.

The 66-93 Oakland A's are officially king's of the AL cellar, but they are out of contention for the beer in the Cellar. Oakland is 2-5 since the last update and can now kick back and enjoy the last few games of the season. Today's honorable mention goes to the 88-70 Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers are 3-7 in their last ten games and 3-9 since September 19.

This evening, the former Brooklyn Superbas will visit AT&T Park to take on the former New York Giants. The now San Francisco Giants lead the series 1,221-1,191. They first met on May 3, 1890, when the also former Brooklyn Bridegrooms beat the Giants 7-3. The most runs the Giants scored against the also then Brooklyn Dodgers was a 26-8 beatdown on April 30, 1944. The most runs the now Los Angeles Dodgers scored against the Giants was a 21-8 spanking by the also former Brooklyn Grooms on August 6, 1894. The longest game in the series happened on September 4, 1943, when at the bottom of the 17th inning, Howie Schultz hit in Luis Olmos to get the then Brooklyn Dodgers the win, 4-3.

Will Philly finally take the beer in the Cellar? Will Cellar tease Cincy complete its collapse to kick the Phillies out? Will my Braves surprise everybody for the win?

Stay tuned.

Have a great day!!!

Last Place Update - September 3

And the saga continues. The once dominating collapse of the season has turned into a real race.

The 53-81 Philadelphia Phillies continue their reign as this season's Kings of the Cellar, but now we have a new team at the door, my 54-79 Atlanta Braves. Philly is 3-5 since the last update, 1-3 in their last four games. The Braves are a game and a half back. They are 1-9 in their last ten games, losers of their last 8. Atlanta is also 1-15 since August 16, including a three game sweep by Cellar tease Miami Marlins. The 55-79 Marlins are two games behind the Phillies and are in a virtual tie with the 54-78 Colorado Rockies, also two games back. Miami is 4-4 since the last update, including said sweep. The Rockies are also 4-4 since the last update.

Today's honorable mention goes to the 69-64 San Francisco Giants. They are 3-7 in their last ten games, losers of their last five. The defending Kings of the Cellar Champion, 65-69 Arizona Diamondbacks, are 3-6 since the last update and 3-8 since August 24. Arizona is 12 games behind the Phillies. You never know.

The former Washington Senators host the Chicago White Sox in an early game. They White Sox lead the series 1,118-1037, but are 4-11 against the now Minnesota Twins this season. They first met on June 2, 1901, when the Senators won 7-5. The went to 18 innings twice in their history. On May 15, 1918, Hall of Famer Walter Johnson pitched a complete game as the Senators won 1-0. LP Lefty Williams also pitched a complete game. Times were different back then. The second time was on June 8, 1947, another 1-0 win by the former Washington Senators. Both teams were battling for the AL cellar during that game. Each team has scored 20 runs on the other twice. Chicago did it to the former Washington Senators in a 20-6 win on May 11, 1911. The second time was a 20-2 spanking on June 17, 1956. The Twins did it in recent years. On July 6, 2007, Minnesota won a 20-14 game that looked more like a game between the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears. The second time was on May 21, 2009, when the Twins nailed Chicago 20-1.

On a personal note, I'd like to wish my daughter, Lauren, a very happy birthday.

Can Philly hang on? Will my Braves take over the Cellar? Will the Marlins continue to be a tease?

Stay tuned.

Have a great day!!!

MLB All-Time Records, et al

With Opening Day coming this weekend, baseball returns to the national spotlight. Hopefully my Atlanta Braves will fare better this season than last. Also, thank you Readers, for checking out my past Today In posts.

I'm on mcubed.net MLB page and am having a little fun here. My Braves come into the 2015 season at with an all-time record of 10,382-10482. There are only 7 teams with a win total greater than 10,000: Chicago Cubs (10,503-10,277), Cincinnati Reds (10,307-10,109), Los Angeles Dodgers (10,156-9,368), New York Yankees (10,255-7,895), San Francisco Giants (10,876-9,514), St. Louis Cardinals (10,597-9,969), and the Braves. The Yankees have the MLB best winning percentage (56.5) and the the Giants have the NL's best percentage (53.3).

There are only two teams with more than 100 playoff game (including World Series) wins. The obvious and correct first guess is the New York Yankees. They have the most wins and a playoff record of 224-154. The other team is the St. Louis Cardinals, with a playoff record of 129-114. Now the Los Angeles Dodgers broke 100 in a different way. Their playoff record is 82-105 and 37 of those losses came at the hands of the Yankees.

The 14-61 New York Knicks are still Kings of the Cellar. They are 2-10 since my last post and are sporting an 8 game losing streak. The 16-59 Minnesota Timberwolves are nipping at their heels. Today's honorable mention goes to the 37-38 Milwaukee Bucks. They're 3-7 in their last ten games, but at least they're 3-2 since March 24.

I'm waiting on one more set of edit notes before putting the final touches on The Curse. Once I get them, the process should be quick. I also finished the first edit of Justice and will start the draft my inner circle will see. So far, the final checks of Second Chance look good. Someone is designing a cover, but until it's ready, I'll use a more generic cover.

Camp NaNoWriMo has started. For those of you who don't know, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, which is in November. The Camp NaNoWriMo months occur in April and July. Although I participated in all three last year, I will not be participating in the camps this year. There's a ton of editing to be done from last year's camps, not including other works that need editing. However, this is subject to change.

Until next time...

Have a great day!!!

Last Place Update and Did the '62 Mets Win On This Day?

Before we get started, congrats to Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers, for pitching his first ever no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies, an 8-0 win. Kershaw struck out 15 batters and is now 7-2.

On the flip side, the 28-45 Tampa Bay Devil Rays are this week's Kings of the Cellar. After going 4-1 in recent games, the Rays have lost two in a row. The 31-44 Arizona Diamondbacks trail the Devil Rays by two games. Arizona is 3-7 in their last ten games, but are 2-2 in their last four. At this point, none of these teams are a threat to the 1962 New York Mets' record of futility. After 73 games, the Mets were 20-53.

This week's honorable mention goes to the 43-29 San Francisco Giants. They are 2-8 in their last ten games, losing five straight.

Now for some trivia...

Today in 1962, the New York Mets scored three runs in the first inning and never trailed against the Milwaukee Braves, getting one of their few wins in their worst ever season, 6-5. Future Padres and Giants manager, Roger Craig, pitched a complete game for the Mets and struck out five. Eddie Matthews of the Braves, and Joe Christopher and Gene Woodling of the Mets each hit a homerun.

Today in 1988, David Cone pitched a complete game two-hitter helping the New York Mets defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-0. Cone struck out seven and batted 1-4. Darryl Strawberry and Kevin McReynolds hit a homerun.

Today in 1992, a top of the first inning leadoff homerun by Greg Briley was all the Seattle Mariners needed to beat the Minnesota Twins 1-0. This was Briley's only hit of the game. WP Dave Fleming struck out six batters. Chili Davis and Kent Hrbek got the only hits for the Twins.

Today in 2004, Julio Franco and Eli Marrero each hit a two run homer and elevated the Atlanta Braves to an easy 4-0 win over the Cleveland Indians. In seven innings, WP Paul Byrd struck out seven and John Smoltz got the save.


As we count down to July's Camp NaNoWriMo, the choice of which story to write is getting easier. It also appears that July's Camp NaNoWriMo is called JuNoWriMo. If I had to choose which story to write now, it would be Return To Origin. I started it just after finishing the first draft of The Curse in 2011.

It seems I may have to use Amazon's Cover Creator once again for Second Chance. I was hoping to enlist someone's help, but that's not going to happen. Hence, the plan is to keep the cover design simple until it can be replaced with a better one.

I wrote a few drafts of the blurb to Second Chance. Although it's not ready, here's the best version so far:

Gus Harrison is a 46 year old city worker who lives in the past. He obsesses over the good old days of his youth, but there is a dark side. In 1987, the love of his life, Penny Neal, was murdered. His best friend, Dub Druber, died in 2000. Not a day goes by that Gus wishes he could go back in time and save their lives.

One fateful day, as his life falls apart, Gus gets his chance. He gets sent back to 1987 and is young once again. Can Gus change history and save the people he loves?

If things go as anticipated, Second Chance will be published as early as July or August.

Have a great day!!!

Last Place Update - July 1

An early Happy Fourth of July to you all!! Welcome to this week's Last Place Update. They fight, they claw their way, and refuse to give up on themselves to keep winning. No, this isn't the Pittsburgh Pirates, who won nine straight. Then who?

   The 29-51 Miami Marlins continue their winning ways and are in a virtual tie with the 30-52 defending Kings of the Cellar champion Houston Astros. The 33-45 New York Mets won six of their last ten games and got booted from third place by the 32-48 Milwaukee Brewers, who are three games behind the Marlins.Miami is 7-3 in their last ten games and 13-7 since June 8. Houston, alas, is 3-7 in their last ten games, losers of their last three. This week's newcomer, the Brewers, are also 3-7 in their last ten games, but they lost five straight.

   Since the last update, Miami went 4-1, Houston went 1-4, and the Mets went 3-3. The Marlins fared better in their last ten games than all of their NL East rivals. They also did better than the NL West leading Arizona Diamondbacks and the AL East leading Boston Red Sox. Will Miami leave the beer in the cellar fridge to Houston or will they start to collapse again?

   This week's honorable mention goes to the 39-42 San Francisco Giants. They are 2-8 in their last ten games and 6-13 since June 11. The Giants are on the road this week to play a four game series with the Cincinnati Reds and return home to a three game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers. They swept the Dodgers the last time they played in San Francisco, but this is the first time they are facing the Reds.

   So how is Miami doing against the '62 Mets and the '03 Tigers? The Marlins are only eleven games behind the Mets' total wins from their inauspicious inaugural season. The '62 Mets were 23-57 after 80 games, but they actually won game number 80, the first in a doubleheader. They lost the second game. The '03 Tigers were doing  worse, with a record of 19-61 after 80 games. They, too, won game number 80 and they won game number 81 to bring their win total to 20. And yes, Miami also won game number 80.

Other Stuff...

   Local New Orleans broadcaster and former New Orleans Saints sideline reporter for WWL 870 AM, Kenny Wilkerson, died this past weekend. Thoughts and prayers go out to the Wilkerson family.

   On the drum corps front, today in 1967, the Des Plaines Vanguard won a contest in Kenosha, WI with a score of 78.80. The Kilties came in second place (74.80), followed by the Blue Stars (74.60), Norwood Park Imperials (74.00), SkyRyders (63.70), and the Madison Scouts (54.70). Of these corps, the Blue Stars and Madison Scouts still compete today. The Kilties compete in the DCA circuit.

   Today in 1985, the Blue Devils won the DCI contest in Norman, OK with a score of 86.90. The Santa Clara Vanguard came in second (84.90), followed by the Phantom Regiment (72.70), Freelancers (58.50), Velvet Knights (58.40), and the California Dons (48.10). The top three still compete at the highest levels today and are current or former DCI champions.

Who will win the catfight between Miami and Houston for the beer in the cellar? How long will the '62 Mets and '03 Tigers' records hold out for until they're safe for another year? Or will there be a collapse by one of the bottom three?

Stay tuned. Have a great day!!!

 

Today in 1962 - New York Mets vs San Francisco Giants

Today in 1962, the New York Mets took on the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park.  Jay Hook of the Mets would face off against Billy O'Dell of the Giants.

   The Mets scored in the first inning when Gil Hodges hit in Charlie Neal.  The Giants got on the board in the second inning, with Harvey Kuenn hitting a RBI double, scoring Jose Pagan.  In the top of the third inning, Elio Chacon hit a single to left field scoring Frank Thomas and Hodges.  The Giants responded in the bottom of the third when Orlando Cepeda had a ground out, scoring Willie Mayes.  The score was tied 3-3.

  In the fourth inning, Gaylord Perry relieved O'Dell.  New York took the lead on a sacrifice fly by Neal.  Pinch runner Rod Kanehl scored on the play.  The Mets increased its lead to two runs in the top of the sixth inning on a homerun by Joe Christopher.  San Francisco answered with a RBI single by Jim Davenport, scoring Felipe Alou.  Don Larsen relieved Perry in the top of the eighth.  In the bottom of the eighth inning, Mayes hit a solo homer, tying the game 5-5 and ultimately sending the game to extra innings.

  In the top of the tenth, the Mets took the lead on a solo homerun by Felix Mantilla and kept Hook on the mound.  In the bottom of the inning, with Kuenn on base, Chuck Hiller bunted and got on base on a fielder's choice.  Mayes came to bat and smashed a two run shot, winning the game.  The San Francisco Giants beat the New York Mets 7-6.

   Larsen got the win, going to 3-0.  Hook, who pitched a complete game fell to 3-4.  Hook struck out one while O'Dell struck out four, Perry struck out three and Larson struck out two.  San Francisco improved to 31-14, first in the NL.  The Mets fell to 12-25, ninth in the NL.  The Giants ended the season winning the NL Pennant, but losing to the New York Yankees in seven games.  The Mets made history by ending the season with the worst record in modern history at 40-120.


Trivia

• There were 4 Hall of Famers playing or managing in this game: Manager Casey Stengel for the Mets, and Willie Mayes, Orlando Cepeda, and Gaylord Perry for the Giants.
• This was Stengel's first season with the Mets.  He managed the team from 1962-65.  He also managed the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1934-36, the Boston Bees/Braves from 1938-43, and of course the New York Yankees from 1949-60.  He led the Yankees to seven World Series championships (five straight from 1949-53) and three AL Pennants.  The Braves were named the Bees from 1936-40.
• Stengel played from 1912-25 with the Brooklyn Dodgers (1912-17),  Pittsburgh Pirates (1918-19), Philadelphia Phillies (1920-21), New York Giants (1921-23), and Boston Braves (1924-25).
• This was Alvin Dark's second season managing the Giants, leading to the NL Pennant, losing to the Yankees in seven games.  Dark also managed the Kansas City A's from 1966-67, Cleveland Indians from 1968-71, Oakland A's from 1974-74, and the San Diego Padres in 1977.  In his return to the A's in 1974, Dark led the team to the World Series Championship, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.
• Dark played for the Boston Braves (1946, 1948-49), New York Giants (1950-56), St. Louis Cardinals (1956-58), Chicago Cubs (1958-60), Philadelphia Phillies (1960), and the Milwaukee Braves (1960).
• Met's catcher Harry Chiti would only play six more games in the majors.  His last game was two weeks later on June 10 against the Chicago Cubs, who he played for from 1950-56.  His career spanned from 1950-62.
• Giants' outfielder Harvey Kuenn went on to manage the Milwaukee Brewers for a game in 1975 and from 1982 to 1983.  He led the Brewers to the World Series in 1982, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games.
• Mets' first baseman Gil Hodges went on to manage the team from 1968-71, leading the Miracle Mets to the 1969 World Series title.  Hodges was a long time player for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1943, 1947-61).
• Giants' outfielder Felipe Alou went on to manage the Montreal Expos from 1992-2001.  He managed the Giants from 2003-06.
• Alou's brother Matty was a teammate.  They were teammates with the Giants from 1960-63.

Game stats can be found at Baseball-Reference.com on the box score page at New York Mets vs. San Francisco Giants - May 26, 1962.

Today in 1985 - St. Louis Cardinals vs San Francisco Giants

Today in 1985, the St. Louis Cardinals invaded Candlestick Park to take on the San Francisco Giants.  Bob Forsch of the Cardinals faced Jim Gott of the Giants, though neither would finish the game.

   St. Louis got the scoring started in the first inning when Tom Herr ground out to second and got in Lonnie Smith.  San Francisco tied the game on a leadoff home run by Gott in the bottom of the third.

   In the fourth, the Cardinals took the lead again when Terry Pendleton hit a ground out to second and Jack Clark scored.  Gott hit his second HR of the day in the bottom of the day and tied the score 2-2.

  The Giants took the lead for the first time in the game, when Bob Brenly hit a solo HR, but they weren't done.  Jeff Lahti relieved Forsch and Dan Gladden hit in David Green.  San Francisco led 4-2.

   However, St. Louis wasn't ready to go quietly into the night.  In the top of the eighth, Mark Davis relieved Gott when he walked Smith.  Davis faced Clark two batters later, who hit in Smith.  In the top of the ninth, the Wizard of Oz, Ozzie Smith got his only hit of the game on a solo HR on Davis, tying the game.  The Cards held in the bottom of the ninth and the game went to extra innings.

  San Francisco made the Cards go three up and three down in the top of the tenth.  In the bottom of the inning, relief pitcher Neil Allen took the mound.  He walked Chili Davis, who got on second on a wild pitch to Chris Brown.  Brown flied out and Allen intentionally walked Brenly, setting up a double play.  However, it was not to be, because Green hit a single, scoring Davis.

   The San Francisco Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinal 5-4.  Reliever Scott Garrelts got the win, going to 2-1.  However, his teammate Mark Davis got a blown save.  Allen was charged with the loss, falling to 1-3. Forsch struck out four batters, while Gott struck out five.  St. Louis fell to 14-16, 4th in the NL East.  San Francisco improved to 12-18, 5th in the NL West.


Trivia

• There were 2 Hall of Famers who played or managed in this game, both with the Cardinals: Ozzie Smith and manager Whitey Herzog.
• This was Jim Davenport's only season with the Giants.  He only coached for 144 games, going 56-88.  He was replaced by Roger Craig, who led the Giants to the 1989 NL Pennant.
• This was Herzog's sixth season with the Cardinals.  They went on to win 101 games that season and win the NL Pennant, losing to the Kansas City Royals in the World Series in seven games.
• Herzog also managed the Royals (1975-79), California Angels (part of 1974), and Texas Rangers (part of 1973).
• Davenport played his entire career with the Giants from 1958-70.
• Herzog played from 1956-63 for the Washington Senators, Kansas City A's, Baltimore Orioles, and Detroit Tigers.  Although the New York Yankees signed him in 1953, he missed the 1953-54 seasons serving in the military.
• Bob Brenly went on to manage the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2001-04, leading the team to a World Series title in 2001.
• Pitcher Jim Gott hit his first two career homeruns in this game. It was the only time he ever hit more than one homerun in a game.  He would hit three more career homers after this game.

Game stats can be found at Baseball-Reference.com on the box score page at St. Louis Cardinals vs San Francisco Giants - May 12, 1985.

Today in 1960 - Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Francisco Giants

April 20, 1960 - Today in 1960, undefeated pitchers commenced a duel at the brand new Candlestick Park in this storied rivalry between 2-0 Don Drysdale of the Los Angeles Dodgers and 1-0 Mike McCormick of the San Francisco Giants.

   The only score in the game came in the bottom of the fifth inning.  Don Blasingame stood at the plate.  There were runners at the corner, with Willie Kirkland on third and McCormick on first from a bunt.  Kirkland hit a line drive RBI single to right field. 

   McCormick had a no-hitter going into the top of the sixth, but leadoff batter Maury got the first hit for the Dodgers.  He reached second on a sacrifice bunt by Drysdale, but that would be as far as the Dodgers would get to scoring for the rest of the game.

   The San Francisco Giants beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0.   Both pitchers pitched a complete game and McCormick pitched a two hit shutout, going to 2-0.  Drysdale fell to 2-1.

   Both teams went to 5-2, tied for first in the National League.


Trivia

• There were 5 Hall of Famers playing or managing in this game:  Don Drysdale and manager Walter Alston for the Dodgers, and Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, and Orlando Cepeda for the Giants.
• This was Bill Rigney's fifth season managing the Giants.  He would get fired later in the season after going 33-25 and get replaced by Tom Sheehan.  Rigney would manage the LA/California Angels from 1961-69, the Minnesota Twins from 1970-72, and a final one year stint with the Giants in 1976.
• This was Alston's seventh season managing the Dodgers.  He managed the Dodgers from 1954-76.  Alston led the team to four World Series titles and seven NL Pennants.  The Dodgers were defending World Series Champions that season.
• Both managers were with their teams before their moves from Brooklyn and New York.
• Alston only had one official at bat in his only season in the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals.  He struck out.
• Rigney played for the New York Giants from 1946-53.
• The only two players who got hits off of McCormick in the game were Maury Wills and Gil Hodges.  Both players went on to become managers.
• Gil Hodges went on to manage the Washington Senators from 1963-67 and the New York Mets from 1968-71.  He led the Miracle Mets to its first World Series Championship in 1969 and died after the 1971 season.
• Maury Wills went on the manage the Seattle Mariners from the second half of the 1980 season to the first half of the 1981 season.  His career record is 26-56.
• Joey Amalfitano of the Giants went on to manage the Chicago Cubs from 1979-81.
• This was Giants catcher Neil Wilson's only season in the majors.  He only played in six games and never got a hit.  Wilson was in for starting catcher Bob Schmidt.

Game stats can be found at Baseball-Reference.com on the box score page Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Francisco Giants - April 20, 1960.

Today in 1959 - Chicago Cubs vs San Francisco Giants

September 2, 1959 – Today in 1959, the Chicago Cubs visited the San Francisco Giants at Seals Stadium in San Francisco.

Felipe Alou got things going for the Giants by hitting a sacrifice fly in 2^nd inning and a solo homerun in the 4^th.  San Francisco led 2-0.

The Cubs responded with a leadoff homerun by Bobby Thomson in the 5^th.  Willie McCovey added to San Francisco’s lead by hitting a leadoff homerun.  The Giants now led 3-1.

In the top of the 9^th, Chicago came back.  Ernie Banks hit in Tony Taylor and punch hitter Walt Moryn hit in George Altman.  The game was now tied 3-3.

In the bottom of the 9^th, Don Elston was on the mound for Chicago.  Orlando Cepeda was first up was out on a fly ball to right field.  One out and Jackie Brandt came to bat.  Brandt hit a solo homerun.  Game over.  The San Francisco Giants beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3.

Giants’ relief pitcher Sam Jones got his third blown save and went to 18-12 with the win.  Jones struck out two and had no at bat.  Cubs’ relief pitcher Don Elston went to 6-7 with the loss.  He had no strikeouts and no at bats.

The Giants went to 74-58.  They led the National League, a game and a half ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers.  The Cubs dropped to 62-68.  They trailed the Giants by 11 games and were in 6^th place in the National League.

Notables

• There were 3 Hall of Famers playing in this game; Ernie Banks for the Cubs, and Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, and Willie McCovey for the Giants.
  
• This was Bob Scheffing’s last season managing the Cubs.  He was featured in the Notables section of Baltimore Orioles vs Detroit Tigers - August 15, 1961.
  
• This was Bill Rigney’s second year managing the Giants.  He would be replaced in the middle of the 1960 season by Tom Sheehan, who would only finish that season.  Rigney went on to manage the Los Angeles/California Angels from 1961-69.
  
• Cubs player Jim Marshall went on to manage the Cubs from 1974-76.  He managed the Oakland A’s in 1979, the season before Billy Martin took over.
  
• LSU alum and Cub 3rd baseman Al Dark took over managing the San Francisco Giants from Tom Sheehan and led the team from 1961-64.  He led the Giants to the NL Pennant in 1962 and a World Series loss to the New York Yankees.  He went on to manage the Oakland A’s to a World Series victory in 1974.
  
• The Giants’ Jim Davenport managed the team for half a season in 1985.
  
• Cubs’ starting pitcher Art Ceccarelli pitched for eight innings.  He struck out 8 and batted 0-2. 
  
• Giants starting pitcher Mike McCormick pitched for 8 and a third innings.  He struck out 6 and batted 0-3.

Game stats and other data can be found on Baseball-Reference.com at Chicago Cubs vs San Francisco Giants - September 2, 1959.

Today in 1960 - Milwaukee Braves vs San Francisco Giants

August 26, 1960 – The Milwaukee Braves took on the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California.

The Giants got on the board first with an RBI single by Willie Kirkland in the 4th.  The Braves answered in the 5^th with a 2 RBI triple by Eddie Mathews.  Milwaukee led 2-1.

In the bottom of the 6^th inning, Orlando Cepeda hit a solo shot to tie the game 2-2.  In a twist rarely seen today, starting pitcher Warren Spahn put the Braves on top for good with a solo homerun off of Giants starting pitcher Georges Maranda.  Milwaukee won 3-2.

Spahn went to 16-7 with the win.  He struck out 11 and batted 1-3 and an RBI, his game winning homerun.  Maranda dropped to 1-2.  He struck out 3 and batted 0-2.

The Braves went to 68-51 with the win.  They were 2^nd in the National League 5.5 games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The Giants fell to 59-60 and were 5^th in the National League, 14.5 games behind the Pirates.

Notables

• There were 5 Hall of Famers playing in this game: Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron, and Warren Spahn for the Braves; Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda for the Giants.
  
• This was Chuck Dressen’s first year managing the Braves.  He would manage the team for only two seasons.  He managed the Brooklyn Dodgers to National League Pennants in 1953 and 1954, losing both World Series to the New York Yankees.
  
• Tom Sheehan replaced Bill Rigney as manager of the Giants during the 1960 season.  This was his only season as head coach.
  
• Dressen and Sheehan were teammates with the Cincinnati Reds for part of the 1925 before Sheehan was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Al Niehaus.  Niehaus only played that season and died in 1932 at the age of 32.  Sheehan won the 1925 World Series with the Pirates.
  
• Del Crandall went on to manage the Milwaukee Brewers from 1972-75 and the Seattle Mariners from 1983-84.
  
• Crandall’s teammate, Chuck Cottier, replaced him as manager of the Seattle Mariners in 1984.  He would manage the team from 1984-86.
  
• Felipe Alou was featured in the Notables section from Today in 1966 - Montreal Expos vs San Francisco Giants

Game stats and other data can be found on Baseball-Reference.com at Milwaukee Braves vs San Francisco Giants - August 26. 1960

Today in 1996 - Montreal Expos vs San Francisco Giants

August 24, 1996 – Today in 1996, the Montreal Expos took on the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California.

The Expos got on the board first with RBIs by David Segui and F.P. Santangelo.  Expos led 2-0. 

Giants pitcher Shawn Estes settled down and pitched shutout baseball until he was relieved in the 9^th by Rich Deluca.  However, he was replaced by Jim Poole, because the two batters he faced, Mark Grudzielanek and Mike Lansing hit singles.  Segui comes to bad and both runners steal base.  Then Segui grounded out to third and Grudzielanek scored.  Mark Dewey replaced Poole on the mound and got Rondell White to ground out to shortstop.

The Giants were up and desperate for a rally.  Pedro Martinez, who pitched a 2 hitter through 8 innings, walked Jay Canizaro.  Martinez was relieved by Mel Rojas.  He faced Marvin Bernard, who flied out to center field.  Barry Bonds pinch hit for Bill Mueller and was out on a fly ball to left field.  Rojas walked Glenallen Hill and there was hope for the Giants with two men on.  Rick Wilkins, who represented the tying run, hit the ball into center field…and…out 3.  Game over.  The Montreal Expos beat the San Francisco Giants 3-0.

Pedro Martinez went to 11-8 with the win.  He struck out 10 and batted 0-4.  Mel Rojas got his 25^th save.  Shawn Estes went to 2-4 with the loss.  He struck out 8 and had 2 sacrifice hits, so officially, he’s 0-0.

The Montreal Expos went to 70-58 with the win.  They were 2^nd in the NL East, 11 games behind the Atlanta Braves.  The San Francisco Giants fell to 54-73 with the loss.  They were 4^th in the NL West, 15 games behind the division leading San Diego Padres.

Notables

• Rick Wilkins accounted for the only two hits the Giants had. 
• Mark Grudzielanek was the only Expos player to get more than one hit.  The others had one hit or none.  He went 3-5 and had a stolen base.
• This was Dusty Baker’s 4^th year managing the Giants.  He would manage the team until 2002, when he led the Giants to a World Series loss to the Anaheim Angels.  He was replaced in 2003 by Felipe Alou.
  
• This was Alou’s 5^th season managing the Expos.  He would manage the team until 2001.
  
• Alou played for the Giants from 1958-63.  Baker played for the Giants in 1984.
  
• Dusty Baker and Felipe Alou were teammates with the Atlanta Braves from 1968-69.

Game stats and other data can be found on Baseball-Reference.com at Montreal Expos vs San Francisco Giants - August 24, 1996