1927 LCS
Cuyahoga Falls Collusion vs. Washington Expos
Game One
The Expos defeated the Collusion 5-2 as
Red Lucas outpitched Lefty Grove. The Expos roared to an early lead
by scoring five unearned runs in the first. Ray Blades led off the
inning by reaching on an error by Harvey Hendrick. Joe Boley
followed with a single putting men at first and third with none
out. Earle Combs lined out and then Joe Harris brought Blades home
with a sacrifice fly. It was then that the bats came out as
Cochrane doubled and then Falk, Bluege and McManus all singled to
make the score 4-0. Johnny Schulte allowed a passball to complete
the scoring. This was the runs the Expos would need as Lucas
scattered 6 hits and three walks on the way to a complete game
victory.
Game Two
Game two was a different story as the Collusion stomped on the Expos
at Griffith stadium to the tune of a 7-0 victory. Jesse Haines
pitched a complete game four hit shutout and Harry Heilmann went 4/5
with two runs and two runs driven in to lead the offense. Jack
Fournier was the big goat for the Expos as he was 0-3 with runners
in scoring position. Mickey Cochrane was the only one seeing the
ball for the Expos as he had a double and triple in defeat. Ray
Kremer took the loss.
As the series heads to Dunn Field the Expos have to find a way to
score runs as they have scored no earned runs in the series and have
been held off the scoreboard for 17 consecutive innings.
Game Three
The Collusion took game three 3-0 behind the stellar pitching of Hal
Carlson. Carlson went the distance allowing only five hits and no
walks for the complete game shutout. Unfortunately for the men from
Cuyahoga Falls Harry Heilmann was injured in the game and was forced
to miss the next two. He is expected to return to the lineup for
games six and seven.
For the Expos this marked the second consecutive game they were
shutout and brought their streak of consecutive scoreless innings to
26.
Game Four
The Expos win 5-2 as they break out of their slump by scoring a run
in the first inning and smacking 15 hits for the game. They had a
man in scoring position every inning but the ninth and only the
timely combination of clutch pitching and double plays kept the game
close. Red Lucas goes the distance to post his second victory of
the series. Jesse Petty takes the defeat.
Game Five
The Expos win 7-1 behind the complete game performance of Ray Kremer
and homeruns by Jack Fournier and Cliff Heathcote. Mickey Cochrane
continues to wield a hot bat with a .450 batting average for the
series. The Collusion hope the return of Harry Heilmann will be
enough to stimulate their otherwise moribund offense.
Game Six
With the Expos leading the series three games to two the Collusion
came into town needing to sweep two on the road. The game opened with
a controversial move by Collusion manager Jay "I'll do what I want"
Patrick. Nominal starting pitcher Hal Carlson was removed after one
hitter for young phenom Lefty Grove. Questioned about this move after
the game Jay replied: "If I had started Grove the lineup would have
been full of righty batters. I needed to engage in a little
subterfuge to counter the multiple platoons the Expos throw out there."
The story of the game, however, wasn't the Collusion pitching, it was
the awakening of an offense that had been moribund throughout the
regular season aided by uncharacteristic errors by the Washington
defense. The Collusion scored six runs in the second inning on 4
hits, a walk and three errors.
Staked to a six nothing lead it seemed like with Grove on the mound
were were certainly headed towards game seven. However the gambit did
not pay off as Grove, without the benefit of a proper warm up, tired
and allowed 8 hits, 8 walks and 7 runs over five + innings as the
Expos closed the gap to 9-7. However they never could catch up as the
Collusion kept on scoring and the game finished 11-8. Star of the
game for the Collusion was Jimmy Welsh who went 3 for 4 with 6 RBI
though the difference was probably the five errors committed byt he
Expos and the four unearned runs allowed.
Game Seven
Washington - AP
"The seas were angry that day, my friends. Like an old
man trying to return soup at a deli."
Washington Manager Gaelan Murphy, still fuming at the
trickery tried by Collusion skipper Jay
"Prestidigitation" Patrick to begin Game 6, stormed
back with his lethal weapon, Red Lucas, to send the
upstart Collusion back out with the tides and into the
relative mediocrity that they ardently pursued during
the regular season. "If he pulls stuff again, we're
going fisticuffs. It's me and Patrick in the
thunderdome," Murphy was overheard saying before the
game.
But Cuyahoga Falls was resolute in their stance that
their Game 6 shenanigans were firmly within reason.
"When you line up six lefties to begin the game
against right-handers," manager Patrick defended,
"you're asking for it. That's all I'm saying. We're
the goddamn Collusion, what did you expect? A coffee
clatch?"
But in the end, these fiery combatants let their teams
fight it out on the fields. "Nobody wanted to see a
deathmatch between a aspiring writer and a law
student," Johnny Mokan added comfortably from the
bench. Luckily for fans an actual baseball game
eventually overcame the talk as Lucas easily retired
the Collusion in order in the first.
The home half of the first began as many a regular
season matchup between the two teams had. Two
uncharacteristic walks by Hal Carlson and a Bill Regan
error loaded the bases with two outs. Collusion fans
saw their team unravelling, their celebrated hurler
cracking under pressure and their magical run against
the dominant Grays coming to and end. And then Carlson
got Heathcote to pop out to catcher. And there was
life. Hometown fans listening on the radios rejoiced,
harboring the feeling that despite their doubts, the
day would belong to Cuyahoga Falls .
And so the second inning began with two two-out hits
by Billy Rogell and Bill Regan with runners in scoring
position. "When Regan's even fouling away pitches by a
right-hander, we're in a good place," Rogell added
later, "Billy's for shite against anyone that doesn't
throw wrong handed. It was a near miracle."
Cuyahoga Falls would never look back, their confidence
invigorated by their early success against Red Lucas,
adding one in the 4th, four in the 5th and another in
the 6th to extend their lead to 8-0 before Washington
would finally put a two-spot on the board.
And at the end of the day, the once slumbering
Collusion offense had smacked 20 hits and 10 runs
against Grey pitching. 15 hits coming off of Red Lucas
himself. And Hal Carlson pitched 8.1 clutch innings
before handing the ball off to Win Ballou for the
final two outs in the 9th.
And at the end of the game Murphy and Patrick met at
home plate for a reconciliatory handshake. But Murphy
left with the promise that next year "just like the
Wu-Tang Clan, the Grays will 'bring the pain hardcore
to the brain.'"