COVID World Series Part VIII - World Series Game 5

Mike Norris didn't pitch too poorly, and but my offense couldn't get much going against Pedro Martinez. Garry Maddox crashed into the wall chasing a Barry Bonds hit turning it into an inside-the-park home run (Z-cards, am I right?)

Garry Templeton was definitely the MVP for my squad hitting .542 and scoring 5 runs, but Leo's power and superior starting pitching made the difference. Ken Griffey Jr. was finally held without a homer, but his 2 run double started the scoring and sealed the Series MVP for him.

COVID World Series Part VII - World Series Game 4

I reached out to my one player I could find on twitter. Manny Sanguillen, prior to Game 4 and he liked my tweet - so there was that going for me

My squad of 1970s favorites is down 3 games to 0 to @dabearsfan40. We need a big game from @TheRealSangy35 and teammates https://t.co/9jvYuuTAXR

— Mike Altese (@mpharmd98) May 16, 2020

That was enough apparently. Vida Blue pitched well enough on 3 days rest and a 3-run homer from Henry Aaron completed a 5 run 3rd inning. 4 insurance runs in the 8th offset Ken Griffey Jr. homer streak continuing in the 9th.
Moving on to game 5!

COVID-19 World Series Part VI - World Series Game 3

For the earlier parts of this series
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV 

I sent Mickey Lolich out to try to get my team a victory. He pitched pretty well, but gave up 3 home runs. First a two-run shot to Ken Griffey Jr. - his 4th consecutive game with a homer and 2 solo homers to Barry Bonds. The offense scraped together 2 runs, but wasted opportunities and lost game 3 by a score of 6-2.

 

COVID-19 World Series Part V - World Series Game 2

For the earlier parts of this series
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV

Game 2 Mark Fidrych faced Orel Hershiser. Fidrych got spotted 3 runs in the first, but gave them back in the bottom half of the inning. Ken Griffey Jr. powered Leo to a 6-4 victory.

COVID-19 World Series Part IV - World Series Game 1

For the earlier parts of this series
Part I
Part II
Part III

Game 1 was Vida Blue facing Pedro Martinez. Blue got rocked early falling behind 9-2, a 6th inning comeback tightened the game to 9-8, but that was as close as my team would get.

COVID-19 World Series Part III - the NLCS

For Part I - the explanation
For Part II - the ALCS

The NLCS went 6 games before Leo's team finished off Madds.

Game 1 - George Brett homered in extra innings to win the game for Leo

Game 2 - Orel Hershiser pitched a gem and knocked in all the runs he needed to take a two games to zero lead

In game 3 Madds team got on the board with on offensive onslaught over Justin Verlander.

Game 4 went back to Leo as Jack Morris struck out 10 batters

Game 5 - Bob Gibson sent the first 26 batters down in order before Rajai Davis had a controversial bunt to break up the perfect game - Gibson held on for the win.

Leo's team ended the series in the 6th game with timely homers and Bruce Sutter closed out the game in a loooong win. And was the series MVP.

COVID-19 World Series Part II - The ALCS

For Part I
The first baseball cards I ever purchased were the Topps 1975 cards, from Pat & Jim's on Delta Avenue in Gladstone. It's still my favorite card style - I'm not alone in that opinion.

That set, like many in the 1970's had summary cards of playoff and World Series games. So I started making those too.

Game 1 was a late victory for me with Dave Bergman hitting a pinch hit home run.

Game 2 A Joe Morgan homer was the difference.

Game 3 was another close battle, but my squad took a 3 games to 0 lead and Rollie Fingers picked up his 3rd save.

With their backs to the wall Fergie Jenkins went on 3 days rest and kept Paul's team alive.

Vida Blue pitched a gem in game 5 to close out the series.

Rollie Fingers and his 3 saves made him the MVP of the ALCS, other options were Dave Bergman and his 2 pinch hit homers, Manny Sanguillen or Hank Aaron pacing the offense. But in 5 close games, the bullpen made the real difference.

COVID-19 World Series Part I

I dug my old Statis-pro baseball game out of the basement, figured out how to make player cards and challenged some friends and family to a championship series and world series.

I was originally thinking of all of us trying to come up with the greatest teams ever, but then decided my preference was our favorite players from out childhood, for the most part. We'd play the games over Zoom.

Teams were picked as starters only, then you pick a closer and get his bullpen from the season you chose and a bench from a particular team and season. We're playing national league rules so pitchers have to hit. And the intention was to play more 1970s style - no 14 man pitching staffs..

My Bother-in-law Paul chose his boyhood favorite 1969 Cubs. Joe Madden and I mostly chose of the players we liked from when we used to play Statis-Pro as kids. John Leonardi, went with a mix of great Tigers and great players from our time. I dpent most of a weekend trying to pick the best season for everyone's starters - after 1967 - so Ernie Banks, Hank Aaron, Al Kaline etc. we're mostly past their prime.

Through random draw we ended up with Paul and I in what I decided was the Altese-related League Championship Series (ALCS) and Joe vs. John in Non-Altese League Championship Series (NLCS)

Paul's Roster		My Roster		Joe's Roster		Leo's Roster
Randy HUNDLEY		Manny SANGUILLEN		Miguel CABRERA		Kirk GIBSON
Ernie BANKS		Hank AARON		Ivan RODRIGUEZ		Ken GRIFFEY JR
Glenn BECKERT		Joe MORGAN		Rickey HENDERSON		Barry BONDS
Don KESSINGER		Gary TEMPLETON		Andre DAWSON		George BRETT
Ron SANTO		Elliott MADDOX		Bill MADLOCK		Alan TRAMMELL
Billy WILLIAMS		Tony GWYNN		Lou WHITAKER		Ian KINSLER
Don YOUNG		Garry MADDOX		Al KALINE		Frank THOMAS
Jim HICKMAN		George HENDRICK		Derek JETER		Victor MARTINEZ
Al SPANGLER		Mike HEATH		Quintin BERRY		Rajai DAVIS
Willie SMITH		Larry HERNDON		Ramon SANTIAGO		Eugenio SUAREZ
Paul POPOVICH		Dave BERGMAN		Ryan RAYBURN		Don KELLY
Jim QUALLS		Darnell COLES		Gerald LAIRD		Bryan HOLADAY
Oscar GAMBLE		Johnny GRUBB		Don KELLY		Ezequiel CARRERA
Rick BLADT		Jim MORRISON		Danny WORTH		Danny WORTH
Nate OLIVER		Terry HARPER		Avisail GARCIA		Alex GONZALEZ
Bill HEATH		Bill BEAN		Jeff BAKER		Tyler COLLINS
Ken RUDOLPH		Jim WALEWANDER		Brandon INGE		Bruce SUTTER
Gene OLIVER		Scott LUSADER		Brad ELDRED		Dave GIUSTI
Bill HANDS		Dwight LOWRY		Omar INFANTE		Dave ROBERTS
Dick SELMA		Bob LOCKER		Andy DIRKS		Dennis LAMP
Don NOTTEBART		Darold KNOWLES		Aurelio LOPEZ		Donnie MOORE
Fergie JENKINS		Jim ROLAND		Bill SCHERRER		Jack MORRIS
Hank AGGUIRRE		Mark FIDRYCH		Bob GIBSON		Jim TODD
Jim COLBORN		Mickey LOLICH		Carl WILLIS		Justin VERLANDER
Joe DECKER		Mike NORRIS		Doug BAIR		Orel HERSHISER
Joe NIEKRO		Mudcat GRANT		Glenn ABBOTT		Paul REUSCHEL
Ken HOLTZMAN		Paul LINDBLAD		Max SCHERZER		Pedro MARTINEZ
Ken JOHNSON		Rollie FINGERS		Nolan RYAN		Pete BROBERG
Phil REGAN		Ron KLIMKOWSKI		Randy O'NEAL		Steve RENKO
Rich NYE		Vida BLUE		Roger MASON		Willie HERNANDEZ
Ted ABERNATHY				Ron GUIDRY
				Sid MONGE
				Willie HERNANDEZ

 You may notice some repeats. Leo picked Bruce Sutter as his closer and went with his best season so he got that entire Cubs Bullpen whinch Incuded Willie Hernandez, the same Willie Hernandez that Joe picked as his 1984 Tiger's closer. They also both picked mid 2010 Tigers as there benches so Don Kelly and Danny Worth make a couple appearances.

Next Post will go over the LCS.