1928 LCS
Boston Red Sox v. New York Knickerbockers II: Gehrig's Revenge

Game One
Boston came in overconfident, and it cost them. The game began with
Carl Lind booting Willie Kamm's grounder, and then a bloop single by
Bill Hunnefield.  Lu Blue ripped a Ted Lyons "fastball" into the gap
for an rbi double, and a ground out and sac fly netted the underdogs
2 more first inning runs.  After that, Dazzy Vance frustrated the
defending the World Champs, gutting out a complete game, 5-2 victory
in which Boston left 11 men on-base.

Game Two
Former Sox Bump Hadley and Garland Braxton were locked in a pitchers
duel for the first three innings.  In the fourth, New York pushed
across a run when Hunnefield singled home Kiki Cuyler, but Lou
Gehrig's bat finally erupted when he blasted a 3-run bomb in the
bottom half of the inning.  The Sox added a run in the 7th and 4 in
the 8th to back up 7 solid innings from Braxton, and tied the series
with an 8-3 victory.

Game Three
The series began to take the shape many had expected.  The visiting
Red Sox put 4 up off George Pipgras in the 1st, beginning with
George Harper's rbi triple and ending with Jackie Tavener's 2-run
single.  The Knickerbockers fought back for single runs in the 1st
and 2nd (including a Lu Blue homer), and scratched a clawed their
way back to within one in the 5th of Sam Gray.  However, the Cy
Young candidate settled down from their, and a shocking 2-run hr
from Ira Flagstead put the game away, as the Sox held on for a
convincing 9-4 victory.

Game Four
The Knicks would not give up easily.  They came out and ripped Bill
Sherdel for six runs in six innings, with Red Barnes hitting an rbi
triple and mighty Ed Morgan doubling home 2 in the 6th.  Art Delaney
and three relievers would bend but not break, and the Knicks
deadlocked the series with an 8-5 victory.

Game Five

Awesome is the only word to describe Dazzy Vance's performance. 13
k's, including Gehrig and Ruth 3 times apiece, brought the hometown
crowd to its feet.  Three Boston errors and a 2-run hr by Kiki
Cuyler gave the Yankees a 5-3 victory, and put the Knicks on the
cusp of the upset of the century.

Game Six
Garland Braxton took the mound for Boston, trying to stave off a
humiliating upset to New York.  Things did not begin well, as Kamm
Hunnefeld both got on in the top half of the first, and a sac bunt
by Lu Blue moved them over to 2nd and third. Culyer's grounder
plated Kamm, and Ed Morgan's booming double off the Centerfield wall
scored Hunnefeld.  Hadley once again was sharp for NY in the early
innings.  George Harper finally broke through with a solo shot in
the 4th, and in the 7th Beauty McGowan's pinch-hit single scored Les
Bell to not the game at 2.  Joe Dawson came in to pitch a scoreless
8th, and George Harper hit his second hr of the game in the bottom
half to give the Sox a 3-2 lead.  Bill Sherdel got some redemption
from his game 4 fiasco by pitching a perfect 9th, and the series was
headed for a dramatic game 7...

Game Seven
A beautiful, windy fall afternoon at Boston saw George Pipgras take
the hill for the Knicks against Sam Gray. Boston struck first, with
a pair of runs in the first inning, including Babe Ruth's third hit
of the series.  Both pitchers were then dominant until the 7th, when
the Kickerbockers turned 4 singles into 2 runs to tie the score. It
looked like the upset would be complete in the 8th, when singles by
Kamm, Hunnefeld, and Blue, followed by a sacfly by Culyer, staked
the New York club to a 4-2 lead.  The defending champs were not done
yet, however.  Gehrig opened the 8th off of closer Fred Frankhouse
with a single, and Ruth followed with a walk. Hargraves' single
loaded the bases, and with nobody out manager Greg Woertz elected to
play the infield back.  Jackie Tavener's grounder to first plated
Gehrig, bringing up pinch-hitter Bobby Reeves.  He hit a medium deep
fly to left, deep enough to score Ruth - but Barnes dropped the
ball!  The error was crucial, as it allowed Hargraves to advance to
third, with still only one out.  Carl Lind then executed a perfect
suicide squeeze, and all of a sudden Boston was in the driver's seat
with a 5-4 lead.  Joe Dawson came on to pitch the 9th, and quickly
got Ty Cobb to fly to center.  Ernie Orsatti walked, and Ed Morgan
follwed with a single.  Mule Haas pinch-hit and rifled a single to
center.  Orsatti rounded third, but was forced to hold as Flagstead
got to the ball quickly.  It looked like that would be a costly
mistake when Willie Kamm then hit a routine grounder to second. 
Lind made the toss to Tavener, but the hustling Kamm barely beat the
throw to first, allowing the tying run to score.
The bottom of the 9th, however, was the end for the Knickerbockers. 
With an exhausted relief core, Art Delaney took the hill, and Ira
Flagstead hit a roller down the first base line, which Lu Blue
booted.  George Harper walked, and up stepped Gehrig.  Delaney was
able to induce a grounder to third, but it was not hit hard enough
to get a force, and so the Sox were in business with runners at 2nd
and 3rd with one out.  Ruth was walked intentionally, and Sox
manager Andrew Bywaters brought in Dick Burrus to pinch-hit.  With
the crowd on its feet for every pitch Delaney fell apart under the
pressure, and didn't come close to the strike zone on any of his 4
pitches.  Flagstead danced home from third, and a celebration - more
out of relief than triumph - ensued on the field.

It was a bitter loss for the Knickerbockers, who twice were within 6
outs of a stunning upset.  However, this is a team that can only get
better, with a solid core of young talent and two number one draft
picks to boot.  If they can supplement their offense with a decent
pitching staff for next season, there is no reason they cannot bring
back to New York their third consecutive division championship.

For the RedSox, however, thoughts of next year can wait.  While an
optimist can point out that they won despite Babe Ruth going 3 for
23 with no hr's, the fact is this is a team overly dependent on 2
people, and very vulnerable in the World Series.  Nothing less then
a second straight title will suffice for RedSox fans, and if Ruth
cannot get his bat going it will be a very bitter Fall Classic.