Great Lakes bracket: 1973 White Sox defeat 1973 Cubs in five games

Game One: White Sox 10, Cubs 5
WP: Wood (1-0)
LP: Jenkins (0-2)
Save: Stone (1)
HR: Melton 2 (2), Hickman (1)

Game Two: Cubs 10, White Sox 9
WP: Reuschel (1-0)
LP: Bahnsen (0-1)
HR: Melton (3), Santo (1), Borque (1), D Allen (1)

Game Three: White Sox 6, Cubs 3
WP: Wood (2-0)
LP: Hooton (0-1)
Save: Forster (1)
HR: J Jeter (1), Bradford (1), Melton (4)

Game Four: White Sox 3, Cubs 0
WP: Kaat (1-0)
LP: Jenkins (0-2)
Save: Stone (2)
HR: K Henderson (1)

Game Five: White Sox 4, Cubs 3 (12 innings)
WP: Acosta (1-0)
LP: Gura (0-1)
HR: K Henderson (2)

The White Sox got big production from Bill Melton (11 RBIs and four homers) and Ken Henderson (.524 batting average) in stampeding the Cubs.

Melton hit a grand slam in the first inning to get the Sox off to a roaring start in Wrigley Field. The Pale Hose scored seven run in the frame, and Ferguson Jenkins retired only two hitters. Melton hit a second homer in the top of the ninth and had six RBIs for the game. Wilbur Wood was pulled after five innings (three runs, seven hits), and Steve Stone worked three scoreless innings to be credited with a save. 

The Cubs evened the series in Game Two, driving Stan Bahnsen from the game in a four-run fifth inning. While Bahnsen allowed eight runs in 4.6 innings, only two were earned. The White Sox scored three runs in the seventh and eighth inning to make the final score close.

The series moved to the South Side, and Buddy Bradford and Johnny Jeter, making their only appearances of the series, each homered in Game Three. Wood, pitching on two days rest, carried a shutout into the ninth but left after allowing hits to the first two batters. Eddie Fisher allowed both men to score, and Terry Forster entered with the bases loaded to get the last two outs.

Jim Kaat, like Wood in the previous game, took a shutout into the ninth in Game Four, but after allowing two hits in the ninth was pulled with Ron Santo coming up for Stone, who got Santo to ground out. Ken Henderson homered, tripled and singled for the Sox and scored twice.

The Sox completed their Comiskey Park sweep in Game Five, but it took 12 innings. Santo drove in two runs in the first as the Cubs scored three times off Bahnsen, but the right-hander steadied after that and threw eight scoreless innings. At one point Bahnsen retired 16 straight hitters. Meanwhile, the Sox chipped away at Bill Bonham, scoring single runs in the second, third and sixth innings. Cy Acosta relieved Bahnsen to start the 10th and threw three perfect innings for the win. The Sox got the final run against Larry Gura with a leadoff single by Henderson, a sac bunt by Eddie Leon and a base hit by Chuck Brinkman.

Player availablity: The White Sox's injuries will have healed and all pitchers will be fully rested for the second round

Projected rotation: Wood-Bahnsen-Wood-Kaat-(Bahnsen)-(Wood)-(Kaat with penalty). As noted in the previous post, I will allow Wood to start once a series on two days rest. Bahnsen may start on two days rest with penalty.