Stat break: 09 Royals

Hitters

Name                AB   R   H   RBI   2B  3B   HR   BB   SB   Avg,
Aviles                  2     2     1    0        0    0      0       0      0      .500
Betancourt        48     6   14     6        3    1      0       3      0      .292
Bloomquist       36     4     5     3        1    0      0       2      1      .139
Buck                   3     0     1     0        0    0      0       0      0      .333
Butler               48     9   18     9        4    1      2       2      0      .375
Callaspo           54     8   19     8        3    1      2       5      1      .352
Crisp                  6     0     1     1        0    1      0       0      0      .167
DeJesus            46     8   15     4        1    0      2       5      2      .326
Gordon             23     3     7     4        0   0       2       4      0      .304
J Guillen           18    2      3     5        1    0      0       0      0      .167
Jacobs               22     1     3     0        0    0      0       1      0      ,136
Maier                41    8    10     2        0    0      0       5      3      .244
Olivo                35     2     8     6        1     1     1       1      0      .229
B Pena              15     0     2     1       1     0      0       0      0      .133
Teahen             55     2     8     4        3    0      0        2      0      .145

Pitchers

Name                G    GS   IP        H    R    ER   BB    K     Sv.     W    L   ERA

Bale                   6      0       7.3       4     2      1      1      8        0      1    0       1.23
B Bannister       3      3     18.3     22     4      4      5      6        0      1    0       1.96
Chen                 3      0       6.3     10     2      2       2      1        0      0    0       2.84
J Cruz               4      0       5          5     3      2       0      4        0      0    0       3.60
Davies               2     2     15.6     10     7       6      5      7        0      0    2       3.45
Greinke             4      4    24.6     34   17     17    10    21        0      1     3      6.20

Hochevar          1      1       5          7     3      3      0      5        0      0     1       5.40
Meche              4      2     14.6     20   11     11      7    11        0       0     0      6.75

Soria                 4      0       5          3     0      0      1      5        3      0     0       0.00

R Tejada           4      1     13         8     5       3    10    12        0       3    1       2.08
Wright              4      0       7.6      1     1      1      4      1        0       0     0       1.17

George bracket: Dodgers (69) defeat Royals (09) in six games

Game One: 09 Royals 6, 69 Dodgers 2
WP: Greinke (1-2)
LP: Singer (1-1)
HR: Gordon (2)

Game Two: 69 Dodgers 3, 09 Royals 1
WP: Sutton (2-1)
LP: Davies (0-1)
Save: Mikkelsen (1)
HR: Butler (2)

Game Three: 69 Dodgers 6, 09 Royals 5
WP: Osteen (2-0)
LP: R Tejada (3-1)
Save: Brewer (3)
HR: Sudakis (1), Olivo (1)

Game Four: 69 Dodgers 8, 09 Royals 4
WP: Singer (2-1)
LP: Greinke (1-3)
HR: Crawford (1), DeJesus (2)

Game Five: 09 Royals 3, 69 Dodgers 2
WP: Bale (1-0)
LP: Sutton (2-2)
Save: Soria (3)

Game Six: 69 Dodgers 4, 09 Royals 1
WP: Osteen (3-0)
LP: Davies (0-2)
Save: Mikkelsen (2)
HR: Kosco (3), W Davis (2)

The superior pitching depth of the 1969 Dodgers prevailed in this series.

The 2009 Royals got off to a good start in the series opner in Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers touched Zach Greinke for solo runs in the second and third innings, but Kansas City erupted for five runs in the fourth off Bill Singer. Alberto Callaspo led off with a double. Billy Butler singled him to third, and Mark Teahen drove him in with a double. Jose Guillen plated Butler and Teahen with a single, and Alex Gordon capped the uprising with a homer.

Don Sutton was masterful in Game Two, allowing just four hits in eight innings to even the series. Kyle Davies threw four perfect innings for the Royals, but the Dodgers got three runs in the fifth on two singles, a hit batter, a walk and a pair of squeeze bunts, one of which went for a third single. It was the only inning of his seven in which Davies allowed a base runner.

The series shifted to 2009 and Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City called upon first round hero Robinson Tejada, but the power pitcher walked seven and allowed four runs in his five innings. Two of those runs were unearned. Claude Osteen allowed two runs in the first inning, then retired 24 straight hitters. The Royals bats awoke with two outs in the ninth, but Jim Brewer got the final out to preserve the win. Miguel Olivo had three RBIs for Kansas City, two of them on a homer in the ninth off Brewer.

Greinke got the start on short rest in Game Four and fared ill. The first seven Dodgers to hit in the second reached. Willie Crawford led off with a home run, and Len Gabrielson had a two-run single in the five run inning. Despite a three-run homer by David DeJesus, the Royals never got back into the game.

Brian Bannister, John Bale and Joakim Soria kept the series alive in Game Five. Callaspo tripled home two runs in the fifth to give K.C. a 2-0 lead, but Bale's error in the seventh help the Dodgers tie it. Callaspo led off the eighth with a base hit off Sutton; then stole second and scored on Teahen's two-out single.

Davies had a second well-pitched loss in Game Six. Willie Bloomquist's RBI double gave the Royals a 1-0 lead in the third, but a Callaspo error in the fifth set up an unearned run in the fifth. The 1-1 tie held into the eighth, when Ted Sizemore singled and Willie Davis homered. Andy Kosco added another homer one out later. Osteen went 8.1 innings, allowing seven hits and at one point retiring 12 straight Royals hitters. Pete Mikkelsen relieved with two on in the ninth and got the final two hitters.

Player of the series: Osteen threw 17 innings and allowed just four earned runs in his two victories.

Player availability: Wes Parker is injured and cannot play until Game Five.

Projected rotation: Singer-Sutton-Osteen-Singer-(Sutton)-(Osteen)-(Singer)

Stat break: 09 Royals

Hitters

Name                AB   R   H   RBI   2B  3B   HR   BB   SB   Avg,
Aviles                  1     2     1    0        0    0      0       0      0    1.000
Betancourt        29     4   10     5        3    0      0       2      0      .445
Bloomquist       26     4     3     2        0    0      0       2      0      .115
Buck                   3     0     1     0        0    0      0       0      0      .333
Butler               25     5   11     6        3    1      1       1      0      .440
Callaspo           29     5   13     6        2     0     2       5      0      .448
Crisp                  6     0     1     1        0    1      0       0      0      .167
DeJesus            32     6   11     1        1    0      1       3      1      .344
Gordon             12     2     5     2        0   0       1       3      0      .417
J Guillen             9     1     1     2        0    0      0       0      0      .111
Jacobs               11     1     2     0        0    0      0       1      0      ,182
Maier                24    4      7     2        0    0      0       1      2      .292
Olivo                16     1     3     3        1     0      0      1      0      .188
B Pena              12     0     2     1       1     0      0       0      0      .167
Teahen             33     1     4     2        0    0      0        1      0      .121

Pitchers

Name                G    GS   IP        H    R    ER   BB    K     Sv.     W    L   ERA

Bale                   3      0       2.6       1     1      1      1      3        0      0    0       3.37
B Bannister       2      2     12.3     14     3      3      1      3        0      1    0       2.19
Chen                 2      0       5.3       4     0      0       1      1        0      0    0       0.00
J Cruz                3     0       4.3       5     3      2       0      4        0      0    0       4.16
Greinke             2      2    12.3     17     9      9       6      9        0      0     2      6.57

Hochevar          1      1       5          7     3      3      0      5        0      0     1       5.40
Meche              2      2     12.3     17     9      9      5    10        0       0     0      6.57

Soria                 3      0       4          3     0      0      1      5        2      0     0       0.00

R Tejada           3      0       8         4     1      1      3      8        0       3    0       1.13
Wright              2      0       3.6      3     1      1      4      1        0       0     0      2.45

George bracket: Royals (09) defeat Royals (69) in seven games

Game One: 69 Royals 6, 09 Royals 1
WP: Bunker (1-0)
LP: Greinke (0-1)
Save: Drabowsky (1)
HR: Fiore (1), Adair (1)

Game Two: 09 Royals 4, 69 Royals 1
WP: Tejada (1-0)
LP: Drago (0-1)
Save: Soria (1)
HR: Kelly (1)

Game Three: 09 Royals 8, 69 Royals 7 (16 innings)
WP: Tejada (2-0)
LP: Wickersham (0-1)
HR: Hernandez (1), Butler 09 (1), B. Oliver 2 (2), Fiore (2)

Game Four: 69 Royals 3, 09 Royals 2
WP: Butler 69 (1-0)
LP: Hochevar (0-1)
Save: Hedlund (1)
HR: Gordon (1)

Game Five: 69 Royals 6, 09 Royals 5
WP: Bunker (2-0)
LP: Greinke (0-2)
Save: Wickersham (1)
HR: Callaspo 2 (2)

Game Six: 09 Royals 7, 69 Royals 4
WP: B.Bannister (1-0)
LP: Drago (0-2)
Save: Soria (2)
HR: DeJesus (1)

Game Seven: 09 Royals 9, 69 Royals 3
WP: Tejada (3-0)
LP: Rooker (0-1)

The 1969 Kansas City Royals beat 2009 Cy Young winner Zach Greinke twice, but still lost the series due in large part to a leaky bullpen.

Mike Fiore hit a three-run homer off Greinke in the fourth inning of Game One, and Wally Bunker didn't allow a run until the seventh. Moe Drabowsky got out of the jam Bunker left behind and finished for a save while his teammates added three more runs against Juan Cruz.

Brian Bannister and Dick Drago dueled in Game Two, Pat Kelly homered off Bannister to open the game, but the righty shut out the 69 Royals for six innings after that, while David DeJesus scored runs in the sixth and eight to give the 09 Royals the win. Robinson Tejada threw two scoreless innings for the win, and Yuniesky Betancourt singled in two runs in the ninth to widen the margin.

The series shifted to Kauffman Stadium for Game Three, and it was a doozy. Fiore and Bob Oliver homered to give Roger Nelson a 3-0 lead after four innings. Nelson's own error resulted in a run in the fifth, but the 69 Royals added three more runs for a 6-1 lead going into the bottom of the seventh. Nelson allowed a single and a walk to Betancourt and DeJesus, whereupon Tom Burgmeier relieved. The lefty allowed three singles and the score was 6-4 for the 69 team.

After a scoreless eighth, Drabowsky entered for the save, but Mike Jacobs singled and Billy Butler homered for the tie. Drabowsky followed the ninth inning with four scoreless frames, but they were matched by Joakim Soria and Tejada. Jim Rooker threw two scoreless innings, and in the top of the 16th Oliver hit his second homer of the game, this one off Tejada, who was in his fifth inning of work himself.

Dave Wickersham got the call for the bottom of the 16th, but he got only one out. Butler tripled, Mark Teahen singled for the tie, Willie Bloomquist singled and after the 69 Royals failed to turn a double play, Betancourt singled for the game winner.

The 69 Royals recovered to win Game Four as Bill Butler -- no relation to the 09's first baseman -- allowed four hits in eight innings. (Billy Butler went 1-for-3 against the lefty, the hit an RBI double in the first inning.)

The 69 Royals retook the series lead as they pummeled Greinke for six runs on 13 hits in 6 1-3 innings. Bunker wasn't as effective as in Game One, but Burgmeier and Wickersham managed to hang on to the lead for three innings, although there were two on when Wickersham got the final out.

The series returned to Memorial Stadium and 1969 for Game Six, and the 09 team enjoyed the blast from the past, They shelled Drago for six runs in five innings while Bannister held the home team scoreless for six innings. John Bale and Jamey Wright got the lead to Soria and the series was tied.

Game Seven's final score was deceptive. The 69 Royals held a 3-1 lead through seven innings. with Nelson holding the visitors to just four hits in six innings before leaving for a pinch hitter. But the 09 scored six runs on just three hits in the eighth against Rooker and Hedlund -- there were also three walks and a hit batter -- and two more in the ninth. Tejada, who relieved Gil Meche in the seventh, got the win, his third of the series.

Player of the series: Several hitters had outstanding series -- Mike Fiore, for example, was 11 for 26 with eight RBIs and seven runs -- but in a debatable decision it goes to Tejada, whose eight innings of one-run relief over three outings stands in marked contrast to the ineffective relief work of the 69 team.

Player availability: DeJesus is injured through Game Two of the second round if he is left on the active list. Bannister and Meche may not start until at least Game Three. Greinke can start Game One on full rest.

Projected rotation: Greinke-undecided-Bannister-Greinke-(Meche)-(undecided)-(Greinke).