W L Pct. GB
Michigan 4 1 .800 ---
Erie 5 2 .714 ---
St. Lawrence 4 2 .667 0.5
Ontario 3 3 .500 1.5
Superior 1 5 .167 2.5
Huron 1 5 .167 3
Series 3:
St. Lawrence at Superior (four games)
Erie at Michigan
Ontario at Hurons
Michigan 4-1, Superior 1-5
Game One: Michigan 5, Superior 4
WP: Niekro (1-0)
LP: Ryan (0-2)
Save: Wynn (1)
HR: McCovey (1), Wilson (2)
Game Two: Michigan 8, Superior 0
WP: Alexander (2-0)
LP: Gibson (1-1)
HR: Aaron 2 (3)
Willie McCovey homered and scored twice to back Phil Niekro, who allowed two runs and five hits in eight innings. Superior made a late run at reliever Early Wynn in the ninth, with Tony Lazerri tripling in two runs before there was an out. But Phil Rizzuto cut Lazerri down at the plate trying to score on a Johnny Bench grounder, and Wynn then got Ernie Banks to bounce into a double play.
There were no dramatics in the second game. Pete Alexander threw a one-hit shutout and faced just two men over the minimum. Willie Stargell had a clean single in the seventh for the only safety off Alexander. Henry Aaron popped a pair of homers off Bob Gibson and compiled four RBIs in all. Fred Clarke went 4-for-4 with a double, a run scored, an RBI and a walk.
Pitcher availablity: Superior rotation: Ford-Ruffing-Ryan-Gibson. Willis should sit the first game of the next series. Michigan rotation: Roberts-Sutton-Jenkins-Niekro or Wynn. Gomez should sit the first game of the next series.
Erie 5-2; Huron 1-5
Game One: Erie 6, Huron 5
WP: Grove (2-0)
LP: Koufax (0-1)
HR: Mantle (2), Averill (1), Hartnett (1)
Game Two: Erie 2, Huron 1
WP: Lemon (1-1)
LP: Palmer (0-1)
Game Three: Huron 3, Erie 0
WP: Feller (1-1)
LP: Hubbell (1-1)
HR: Kiner (4)
Huron outscored Erie for the series, but Erie won two one-run decisions, both with walk-off hits.
Opening starters Lefty Grove and Gaylord Perry struggled early. Earl Averill hit a two-run homer in the top of the first, but Mickey Mantle and Gabby Hartnett answered with back-to-back homers in the bottom of the inning. The Hurons plated three runs in the second, but Erie got two back in the third. Perry and Grove then stiffened until Harry Hooper tied it in the eighth with a two out single. Sandy Koufax relieved Perry for the bottom of the ninth, but three of the four men he faced singled, with Carl Yaztzremski bringing home Joe Sewell with the winner.
Bob Lemon and Jim Palmer dueled in the second game. Erie scored a run in the third inning on Mantle's sac fly. Huron tied it in the eighth when Luke Appling singled to open the inning, went to third on Rogers Hornsby's single and scored on Averill's double play bouncer. But in the bottom of the ninth Erie got a leadoff single from Hartnett, and Yastzremski followed with a double. With the winning run on third and no outs, Koufax entered in search of strikeouts. He got one from Bobby Doerr, but Heine Manush singled to end the game.
Bob Feller dominated the series finale, holding Erie hitless until Hooper's dribbler in front of Home Run Baker went for a leadoff single in the eighth. Feller's one-hitter came with five walks and six strikeouts. Ralph Kiner hit his fourth homer of the season in the eighth as the Hurons finally picked up a win.
Projected rotations: Erie: Marichal-Perry-Palmer-Feller. Huron: Drysdale or Newhouser-Grove-Lemon-Hubbell. Both bullpens fully rested.
Ontario 3-3, St. Lawrence 4-2
Game One: Ontario 11, St. Lawrence 8
WP: Waddell (1-0)
LP: Vance (0-1)
Save: Dean (1)
HR: Lombardi (3), Dickey (1), Medwick (2)
Game Two: St. Lawrence 8, Ontario 4
WP: Seaver (1-0)
LP: Johnson (0-2)
HR: Terry (1), Schoendienst (1), Doby (1)
Game Three: Ontario 4, St. Lawrence 1
WP: Spahn (2-0)
LP: Hunter (1-1)
HR: Terry (2), Bancroft (1), Mathews (4)
Ontario had a pair of four-run innings in the series opener. The second inning outburst was aided by a three-base error by St. Lawrence centerfielder Larry Doby. Ernie Lombardi blew the game open with a three-run homer in the sixth off reliever Joe McGinnity. Bill Dickey homered and doubled for three RBIs for St. Lawrence.
Doby started a six-run third in Game Two with a homer off Walter Johnson, and Red Schoendienst capped it with a three-run homer. Ty Cobb had two hits, two RBIs and two steals for Ontario, which got four innings of one-run relief from Jim Bunning.
Bill Terry homered for the second straight game in the finale, and Dave Bancroft added another in the best-pitched game of the series. Warren Spahn retired the first 11 men he faced, then Eddie Mathews homered for St. Lawrence's sole run. Spahn finished with a four hitter.
Ontario starters: Roberts-Waddell-Johnson-Hunter. Bunning sits for the next two games.
St. Lawrence starters: Plank-Vance-Seaver-Spahn. McGinnity may not pitch in the first game of the next series.
W L Pct. GB
St. Lawrence 3 0 1.000 ---
Erie 3 1 .750 0.5
Michigan 2 1 .667 1
Ontario 1 2 .333 2
Superior 1 3 .250 2.5
Huron 0 3 .000 3
Series 2:
Ontario at St. Lawrence
Hurons at Eries
Michigan at Superior (two games)
Michigan 2-1, Ontario 1-2
Game One: Michigan 13, Ontario 5
WP: Alexander (1-0)
LP: Johnson (0-1)
Save: Rixey (1)
HR: Clarke (1)
Game Two: Ontario 8, Michigan 5
WP: Spahn (1-0)
LP: Sutton (0-1)
Save: Marquard (1)
HR: Lombardi 2 (2), Wilson (1), Brock (1)
Game Three: Michigan 7, Ontario 6
WP: Gomez (1-0)
LP: Roberts (0-1)
HR: Aaron (1)
First-innng runs were the rule in this series, with a total of 13 runs scored in the opening frame.
Both teams scored three runs in the first of the opener, with Pete Alexander walking four men in the top of the inning and Hack Wilson driving in two runs with a double in the bottom of the inning. Wilson's leadoff single in the third started another three-run inning, with George Kell hitting a two-run double. Eppa Rixey entered to get the final out of the eighth to protect a one-run lead, and the Michigans then erupted for seven runs in the bottom of the inning, with Fred Clarke hitting a grand slam off Jim Bunning.
Ernie Lombardi hit a three-run homer in the first inning and a two-run shot in the seventh to power the Ontarios in Game Two. Ty Cobb had three hits, stole two bases and scored three times.
Michigan scored four runs in the fifth of the third game to take a 7-6 lead, after which the pitching suddenly stiffened. Lefty Gomez entered for the Michigans after the first two batters of Ontario singled in the sixth and calmed the storm. He allowed one hit in four innings with four strikeouts and was credited with the win under scorer's discretion.
Erie 3-1, Superior 1-3
Game One: Erie 7, Superior 4
WP: Grove (1-0)
LP: Ryan (0-1)
Save: Drysdale (1)
HR: Klein (1)
Game Two: Superior 7, Erie 6
WP: Gibson (1-0)
LP: Lemon (0-1)
Save: Wilhelm (1)
HR: Cepeda (1), Mantle (1)
Game Three: Erie 5, Superior 4
WP: Hubbell (1-0)
LP: Ford (0-1)
Save: Bender (1)
HR: Reese (1)
Game Four: Erie 5, Superior 4 (14 innings)
WP: Newhouser (1-0)
LP: Willis (0-1)
HR: Simmons (1)
Four tight games in Cleveland's League Park culminated in a 14-inning marathon and proved, broadly speaking, inhospitable to the visiting Superiors.
Bobby Doerr drove in five runs with a double and triple in the opener. His bases-loaded three-bagger in the sixth followed four walks with a double play grounder mixed in from losing pitcher Nolan Ryan, who fanned six and walked eight in six innings. Lefty Grove went eight innings for the win.
Chuck Klein and Orlando Cepeda each drove in a pair of runs in the second game for Superior, who won despite grounding into five double plays. The Eries got three doubles (Carl Yastzremski, Heinie Manush and Harry Hooper) in a three-run fifth.
Erie led the third game by three runs going into the ninth but had to call in Chief Bender to seal the deal after a Yastzremski error led to two runs off winner Carl Hubbell. Pee Wee Reese had an unlikely three-run homer in the sixth off Whitey Ford in the sixth to put Erie ahead to stay. Al Simmons had a pair of doubles among his three hits for the losers.
Erie built its winning rally with two outs in the bottom of the 14th in the finale. Vic Willis, who had entered in the 12th with two on and immedately ended the inning with a double play, retired the first two in the 14th before walking Manush. Reese then reached on an error by Orlando Cepeda, and Harry Hooper beat out an infield single. Rick Ferrell, the designated hitter, then smacked one into the gap for what would have been extra bases had the game not ended when Manush touched the plate. Hal Newhouser worked four innings for the win.
