Louisville Sluggers at Cincinnati Kids, Game Four                     September 29, 1009

 

Whit Wyatt (21-9) vs. Carl Mays (16-13)

 

Can Wyatt, the expensive free agent who won 21 games this year for Louisville, come up big again to tie the series?  Can Mays find his groove that led him to be on of the top ten winners in CPBA history and grant the Kids a commanding 3-1 series lead?

 

Carl Mays struggles in the first inning as he gives up a double to Cesar Cedeno and two walks to load the bases with two outs.  Fortunately he gets Slugger SS Ernie Banks to pop out to end the inning.  The Kids will keep an eye on Mays to see if he’s got his “A” game today . . .

 

Both pitchers settle in nicely, but in the visiting third, C Josh Gibson and 1B Ted Kluszewski single with one out, bring up Banks again.  He skies to center and though Gibson gives thought to advancing, both runner hold. Up come the hot-hitting Buck Leonard, who struggled throughout the year but is having a fine post-season.  He strikes out to end the threat.

 

At the end of 5 innings, the score is tied at 0.  Wyatt has given up just one hit and Mays has been in a out of trouble while giving up 6.

 

That’s the way things stay until the Cincy 7^th when Mantle opens with a walk and advances to third on Reggie Jackson’s single.  Nobody out; this is a big opportunity.  Kids’ 3B Frank Baker launches a double to right-center, scoring Mantle and moving Jax to third.  Up comes Sam Crawford . . . he screams a liner just past Big Klu at first and two more runs score!  Kids are up 3-0 and still no one is out.  Wyatt, on the ropes, recovers and gets 2 quick outs.  JH Lloyd singles to extend the inning.  CF Joe Dimaggio ends the inning with a liner to Banks at short.

 

Carl Mays now working with a three run lead.  He needs just 6 outs to put the Kids up in the series 3 games to 1.  Though Josh Gibson walks to start the inning, he is erased by a DP and the Kids come up again in the 8^th.

 

When 1B Bill Terry opens with an infield single and Mantle works another walk, the Sluggers call upon J. R. Richard to stem the tide.  Reggie walks to load the bases with nobody out.  Baker pops out but Sam Crawford delivers a 2-run single to right to make the score 5-0, Kids!!  The home crowd is delirious!  JR gets tow more outs to end the inning but the damage is done.

 

Mays, now, working the 9^th.  His specialty is throwing strikes  . . . Banks takes advantage of a meatball and triples off the base of the wall in the left-center gap.  Leonard pops out for out number one.  Ken Boyer works a walk.  How long will the Kids wait to relieve Mays?  For now, he stands in there, looking for the call from Fisk.  Lenny Dykstra, hitting a ridiculous .611 in the post-season, flies deep to center but Banks won’t risk trying to score.  Two down, Eddie Collins steps in . . . he’s been quiet lately . . . Mays delivers  . . . and it’s a slow grounder to Molitor at second, he fields it and just gets the speedy Collins at first.  The Kids win it, 5-0, and go up 3 -1 in series!!!!

---

 

WP: Carl Mays

LP: Whit Wyatt

 

HIGHLIGHTS: Sam Crawford had 4 RBIs. JH Lloyd had 2 more hits and is now hitting .432 for the post-season. Mays’s shutout was the first one of the post-season for all teams and the first CG for the Kids.  Given Wyatt’s hints about retiring at the end of this year, could this have been his last game of his career?  One wonders whether he would retire, should the Sluggers lose this series, having gotten so close to the championship.  He does, however, have two rings already from the 1001 and 1008 campaigns with the Pittsburgh Stealers.

 

 

BOXSCORE: 1009 Louisville Sluggers At 1009 Cincinnati Kids          9/29/1009

Mays checks Louisville to put Kids at doorstep!  Kids up 3-1 with one more home game

 

  Sluggers           AB  R  H RBI AVG     Kids               AB  R  H RBI AVG

  E.Collins 2B        5  0  1  0 .333     P.Molitor 2B        5  0  0  0 .359 

  C.Cedeno RF         4  0  1  0 .265     J.Lloyd SS          3  0  2  0 .432 

  J.Gibson C          3  0  1  0 .290     J.Dimaggio CF       4  0  0  0 .349 

  B.Herman DH         3  0  0  0 .351     B.Terry 1B          4  1  1  0 .326 

  T.Kluszewski 1B     3  0  1  0 .235     M.Mantle RF         0  2  0  0 .088 

  E.Banks SS          4  0  1  0 .243     R.Jackson DH        2  1  1  0 .333 

  B.Leonard LF        4  0  1  0 .308     F.Baker 3B          4  1  1  1 .244 

  K.Boyer 3B          3  0  0  0 .121     S.Crawford LF       4  0  2  4 .314 

  L.Dykstra CF        4  0  2  0 .579     C.Fisk C            4  0  1  0 .364 

                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---     

         Totals      33  0  8  0                 Totals      30  5  8  5

 

 

Sluggers........ 0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  -  0  8  0

Kids............ 0 0 0  0 0 0  3 2    -  5  8  0

 

Sluggers                 IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR  PC    ERA

W.Wyatt LOSS(2-1)         7       7   5   5   5   4   0 121   4.94

J.Richard                 1       1   0   0   1   1   0  22   0.00

Totals                    8       8   5   5   6   5   0

 

Kids                     IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR  PC    ERA

C.Mays WIN(2-1)           9       8   0   0   4   2   0 140   4.85

Totals                    9       8   0   0   4   2   0

 

ATTENDANCE- 48,960 DATE- Thursday, September 29th 1009 TIME- Night WEATHER- Average

T- 2:06

LEFT ON BASE- Sluggers:10  Kids: 8

DOUBLE PLAYS- Sluggers: 2  Kids: 2

DOUBLES- C.Cedeno(3rd), F.Baker(5th)

TRIPLES- E.Banks(1st)

WALKS- J.Gibson, B.Herman, T.Kluszewski, K.Boyer, J.Lloyd, M.Mantle-4,

       R.Jackson

HIT BY PITCH- R.Jackson

STRIKE OUTS- B.Herman, B.Leonard, P.Molitor-2, S.Crawford, C.Fisk-2

GIDP- E.Collins, T.Kluszewski, P.Molitor, B.Terry