Final stats: Obamas

Name AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR SB BB BA

Boudreau 163 25 41 21 15 1 6 0 16 .252

Cochrane 121 12 27 12 8 0 1 0 12 .223

Foxx 159 37 47 42 6 2 12 0 25 .296

Gehringer 180 28 49 18 5 1 3 0 10 .272

Hamilton 133 35 46 7 1 2 3 4 24 .346

Kelley 60 3 16 4 2 0 0 0 6 .267

Lazzeri 16 1 7 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 .438

Lombardi 55 8 21 13 3 0 5 0 5 .382

Mantle 158 31 41 39 5 0 17 0 24 .259

F Robinson 174 33 46 40 4 2 13 1  5 .264

J Robinson 31 9 9 4 1 2 2 0 5 .290

Schmidt 163 27 38 28 5 1 12 1 24 .233

Pitching

Name IP H R ER BB SO W L S ERA

Chesbro 21 17 9 9 6 8 0 0 0 3.86

Gomez 18.3 26 12 12 5 13 3 3 1 5,89

W Johnson 83 90 61 58 28 49 5 4 0 6.29

Nichols 72.6 86 44 43 20 32 4 2 0 5.33

Plank 81 95 52 52 28 49 4 5 0 5.78

Ryan 77 72 44 38 52 78 4 3 0 4.44

Walsh 15.3 20 6 6 5 9 2 1 4 3.52

Willis 18 12 2 2 5 3 1 1 1 1.00

Series 18: Ikes take two of three from Obamas

Obamas 25-19, Ikes 15-29

Pitcher use: Season over for both teams

Game One: Ikes 9, Obamas 5
WP: Wynn (3-7)
LP: Ryan (4-3)
HR: Mays 3 (9), Musial (9), Foxx (11), F. Robinson (13)

Game Two: Obamas 10, Ikes 9 (11 innings)
WP: Willis (1-1)
LP: Wilhelm (0-1)
HR: Doerr (1), Berra (4), Mathews (13), Snider (8), Mantle 2 (15), Foxx (12), Hamilton (3), Musial (10), Mays (10)

Game Three: Ikes 5, Obamas 2
WP: Ford (6-5)
LP: Plank (4-5)
Save: Wilhelm (7)
HR: Mays (11), Williams (9), Mantle 2 (17), Musial (11), Campanella (3)

---

The two teams combined for 22 home runs -- slightly more than seven per game -- in the season-ending series. Willie Mays hit five, three of them in the first game; Mickey Mantle went deep four times, twice in each of the last two games; Stan Musial homered in each game.

Amid all the long balls, Series 18 brought the demise of the Obamas' slim playoff ambitions.

The lowly Ikes put four runs on the board before Nolan Ryan could get an out in the opener; the outburst featured Mays' three-run homer. The Obamas made it 4-2 after six, but Mays hit another three-run shot, this off Jack Chesbro, in the seventh, and in the ninth Musial and Mays hit solo shots off Lefty Gomez. Mays had seven RBIs.

Early Wynn went the distance, giving up five runs on seven hits.

Neither starter in the second game was effective. Kid Nichols allowed five runs in the top of the first for the Obamas -- Musial and Duke Snider hit back-to-back shots to open the game -- but the Obamas tied it at five in the second.

Nichols departed after four innings down 7-6. Chesbro went four innings of one-run ball (a homer by Eddie Mathews), which gave his mates a chance to tie it against Ikes starter Robin Roberts. Mays homered off Vick Willis in the ninth to put the Ikes but 9-8, but Hal Newhouser gave up a walk, a double and a sac fly, and in the bottom of the 11th, Jimmie Foxx hit a walk-off bomb off Hoyt Wilhelm.

Obama starter Eddie Plank kept the streak of early crooked numbers going in the finale; Ted Williams and Mays hit back-to-back homers in the first. Whitey Ford was sharp for the Ikes, allowing just seven hits and two runs in 8.6 innings, striking out nine. Wilhelm entered with two out and the bases loaded in the ninth to get Jackie Robinson on a grounder  to end the game and the teams' seasons.

Stat update: Obamas

Batting

Name AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR SB BB BA

Boudreau 151 24 38 19 13 1 6 0 15 .252

Cochrane 111 12 24 11 8 0 1 0 12 .216

Foxx 146 34 42 40 5 2 10 0 25 .288

Gehringer 167 28 47 17 5 1 3 0 10 .281

Hamilton 124 32 44 5 1 1 2 4 23 .355

Kelley 55 3 15 4 2 0 0 0 6 .273

Lazzeri 15 1 7 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 .467

Lombardi 51 8 19 13 3 0 5 0 5 .373

Mantle 146 25 36 35 5 0 13 0 22 .247

F Robinson 161 30 39 39 3 2 12 1  5 .242

J Robinson 24 9 9 4 1 2 2 0 5 .375

Schmidt 154 26 37 28 5 1 12 1 20 .240

Pitching

Name IP H R ER BB SO W L S ERA

Chesbro 15 12 5 5 4 4 0 0 0 3.00

Gomez 15.3 22 10 10 4 11 3 3 1 6.00

W Johnson 83 90 61 58 28 49 5 4 0 6.29

Nichols 68.6 77 37 36 19 29 4 2 0 4.72

Plank 75 89 47 47 27 46 4 4 0 5.64

Ryan 71 67 40 34 48 73 4 2 0 4.31

Walsh 14.3 18 6 6 5 9 2 1 4 3.77

Willis 15 10 1 1 4 1 0 1 1 0.60

Series 17: Kennedys take two of three from Obamas

Obamas 24-17, Kennedys 21-20

Pitcher use: Johnson and Seaver need three games, Plank and Marichal need two, Gibson and Nichols need one. Drysdale pitched one inning in finale

Game One: Kennedys 7, Obamas 5 (11 innings)
WP: Gibson (6-3)
LP: Gomez (3-3)
Save: Fingers (9)
HR: Bench (9), Brett (9), J. Robinson (2), Boudreau (5), Morgan (7), McCovey (6)

Game Two: Kennedys 4, Obamas 3 (10 innings)
WP: Marichal (5-4)
LP: Plank (4-4)
Save: Koufax (2)
HR: F. Robinson (12), Bench (10), Boudreau (6)

Game Three: Obamas 9, Kennedys 1
WP: Johnson (5-4)
LP: Seaver (3-5)
HR: Foxx (12), Schmidt (13), Yount (3)

---

Two extra-inning losses to open the series did serious damage to the Obamas' chances in the Division A race, as they fall to third place, two games behind the Franklins, with three games on the schedule.

The Obamas trailed in the opener 5-3 entering the bottom of the ninth, but got back-to-back homers from Lou Boudreau and pinch-hitter Jackie Robinson to open the frame and tie the score. They mounted no further threat against Bob Gibson, however, and Johnny Bench tagged Lefty Gomez for a two-run shot in the 11th for the winning margin.

Gibson at one point retired 13 straight batters.

The Obamas never led the second game. They fell behind 3-0 after three and tied it on solo homers in the seventh by Frank Robinson and Boudreau. But they got just two baserunners the rest of the way, one on an error. Bench drove in Henry Aaron in the 10th for the go-ahead run, and Sandy Koufax retired Charley Gehringer with the tying run on second to end it.

The Obamas were held to just two runs in seven innings by Tom Seaver in the nightcap, but battered reliever Don Drysdale for seven runs in the eighth after Seaver gave way to a pinch hitter. The big inning was capped by Jimmy Foxx's grand slam.

Walter Johnson tossed a complete game six-hitter, striking out eight, in his best start since his season-opening no-hitter. Boudreau was 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs; for the series, the Obama shortstop was 5-for-12 with five RBIs, two clutch homers and four runs scored.

Series 16: Obamas take two of three from Franklins

Franklins 24-15, Obamas 23-15

Pitcher use: Feller and Ryan need three games; Hubbell and Johnson need two; Covaleski, Pennock, Plank and Grove need one each. Walsh and Willis pitched two innings in finale, Gomez one.

Game One: Obamas 9, Franklins 6
WP: Gomez (2-2)
LP: Grove (4-5)
HR: Boudreau (3), Schmidt (11), Cronin (6), Gehrig (9), Mantle (12), Ott (7)

Game 2: Franklins 6, Obamas 5
WP: Covaleski (2-1)
LP: Johnson (4-4)
Save: Dean (5)
HR: Boudreau (4), Gehringer (3), Foxx (10)

Game 3: Obamas 16, Franklins 12
WP: Gomez (3-2)
LP: Covaleski (2-2)
Save: Walsh (4)
HR: Vaughn (3), Mantle (13), Foxx (11), Schmidt (12)

---

In a slugfest series filled with home runs, big innings, comebacks and short starts, the Obamas made the already-tight Division A race even tighter.

It was the Obama bullpen that made the difference; their relief corps limited the potent Franklins to one run in 10 innings.

Lou Boudreau's walk-off homer in the opener climaxed a dogged comeback for the Obamas, who fell behind 6-0 in the first three innings. The Franklins hit three homers in the second off Eddie Plank, but they could do nothing the rest of the way against Jack Chesbro (one inning), Vic Willis (three innings) and Lefty Gomez (two innings).

Meanwhile, the Obamas got a two-run homer from Mike Schmidt in the fourth, a two-run bomb from Mickey Mantle in the seventh, and stole the game with a four-run outburst against starter Lefty Grove and closer Dizzy Dean in the ninth, ended with Boudreau's three-run homer.

Jackie Robinson, who pinch-hit for Plank in the third and remained in the game at second base, was 3-for-4 with a double and and RBI triple. The Obamas used their entire bench and all but one relief pitcher in the comeback.

The Franklins won a back-and-forth second game despite another go-ahead homer from Boudreau, this one in the eighth inning. The Franklins led 4-2 after six innings behind Carl Hubbell, but Jimmy Foxx homered in the seventh to tighten the margin to one, then Boudreau's two-run bomb put the Obamas ahead.

But Walter Johnson came one out shy of locking down the win. With two out and Mel Ott on in the ninth, Babe Ruth tripled. Rogers Hornsby singled the Babe home, and this time Dean closed it out, despite Mantle's leadoff double.

Bob Feller and Nolan Ryan promised a finale of fastballs and strikeouts, but what transpired were walks and long balls. Ryan walked 10 men in four innings; the Franklins added eight hits, seven of then doubles, to the mix for 11 runs.

But Feller wasn't much better. He walked the first three Obamas he faced, then grooved one to Mantle. He gave up a three-run homer to Foxx in the second  and left for a pinch hitter after just three innings (Paul Waner had one of the doubles against Ryan).

Herb Pennock, who has pitched poorly all season, got the call with an 11-7 lead and held the Obamas scoreless for three innings. But the Franklins tried to get a fourth from him, and he didn't retire a man in the seventh. By the time Stan Covaleski finally got three outs, the Obamas had scored seven runs -- four charged to Pennock, three to Covaleski -- and a 14-12 lead.

The Obamas had Big Ed Walsh work two innings to close it down, and Mike Schmidt gave the spitballer some insurance with a two-run homer in the eighth.

Mantle was 6-for-13 in the series with seven RBIs and four runs. Boudreau had five RBIs. Rogers Hornsby was 7-for-13 with four runs. Ruth was just 2-for-11 for the series. Vic Willis had five shutout innings of relief for the Obamas.

Stat update: Obamas

Batting

Name AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR SB BB BA

Boudreau 126 16 29 9 10 1 2 0 14 .230

Cochrane 94 9 21 9 5 0 1 0 8 .223

Foxx 125 30 35 35 4 1 9 0 23 .280

Gehringer 143 21 39 13 5 1 2 0 6 .273

Hamilton 105 27 39 4 1 1 2 3 18 .371

Kelley 47 3 14 4 2 0 0 0 4 .299

Lazzeri 12 0 6 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 .500

Lombardi 44 8 15 12 2 0 5 0 4 .341

Mantle 124 21 29 28 4 0 11 0 20 .234

F Robinson 143 24 34 37 3 2 11 1  3 .238

J Robinson 17 7 5 1 0 1 1 0 4 .294

Schmidt 131 23 33 23 5 1 10 1 19 .252

Pitching

Name IP H R ER BB SO W L S ERA

Chesbro 14 11 5 5 4 4 0 0 0 3.21

Gomez 10.3 16 7 7 2 9 1 2 1 6.10

W Johnson 66 73 54 51 22 37 4 3 0 6.95

Nichols 59.6 71 32 32 15 22 4 2 0 4.82

Plank 63 73 36 36 25 39 4 3 0 5.14

Ryan 67 59 29 23 36 68 4 2 0 3.09

Walsh 12.3 16 6 6 4 7 2 1 3 4.38

Willis 10 6 1 1 2 1 0 1 1 0.90

Series 15: Obamas sweep X-Giants

Obamas 21-14, X-Giants 16-20

Pitcher use: R. Foster needs four games, Nichols and Mendez need three, Ryan and Radcliffe need two. Walsh pitched 1.3 innings in finale, T. Williams one inning, McDonald faced one batter.

Game One: Obamas 10, X-Giants 6
WP: Ryan (4-2)
LP: Mendez (3-2)
HR: Schmidt (9), Mantle (11)

Game Two: Obamas 6, X-Giants 5
WP: Walsh (2-1)
LP: McDonald (0-2)
HR: Foxx (9), Schmidt (10)

---

The Obamas kept themselves in the hunt in Division A, while the X-Giants are fading out of the Division B race.

Jose Mendez was hit for two crooked numbers in his brief (3.6 innings) start in the opener, allowing four runs in the first and five more in the fourth. The 10 runs Mendez allowed were too much for the X-Giants to overcome, even with Double Duty Radcliffe tossing 4.2 perfect innings of relief.

Just two of the six runs scored off Nolan Ryan in eight innings were earned.

Rube Foster did well in the nightcap, even though he was out pitched for seven innings by Kid Nichols. The Obamas held a 4-1 lead going into the eighth, but the X-Giants had a run in and the bases loaded with two outs when Ed Walsh relieved.  He was greeted by Rap Dixon's bases clearing double,  which gave the X-Giants a 5-4 lead.

But Tony Lazzeri, filling in for the dinged-up Lou Boudreau at short for the Obamas, singled home Mickey Cochrane to tie the score in the bottom of the eighth, and after Walsh shut down the X-Giants in the ninth, Jimmy Foxx led off with a walk-off homer off Webster McDonald.

Foxx was 5-for 9 in the series with three RBIs, three runs, a homer and two doubles. Dixon was 3-for-7 with six RBIs and two doubles.

Series 14: Crawfords sweep Obamas

Crawfords 21-12, Obamas 19-14

Pitcher use: Johnson and Foster need three games, Plank and Brewer need two. Willis pitched two innings in finale, Gomez one

Game One: Crawford 4, Obamas 3
WP: Brewer (2-4)
LP: Plank (4-3)
Save: Davis (2)
HR: Beckwith (6), Gehringer (2), F. Robinson (10)

Game Two: Crawfords 6, Obamas 2
WP:  B. Foster (6-2)
LP: W. Johnson (4-3)
HR: F. Robinson (11), Hughes (2)

---
The Crawfords opened a two-game lead in Division B by sweeping the Obamas, who slipped a bit further behind in the tight Division A race.

Chet Brewer, who had struggled all season (6.30 ERA entering the opener), shut out the long-ball lineup of the Obamas for seven innings in the opener. His mates touched up Eddie Plank for three runs in the second inning and added a solo homer by John Beckwith in the top of the eighth.

But Brewer weakened in the eighth, yielding a two-run homer to Charlie Gehringer and leaving with just one out and the tying run up. Roosevelt Davis induced a double-play grounder from Mickey Mantle to choke off the threat, only to allow a leadoff homer by Frank Robinson in the ninth. Davis steadied to retire the next three men.

The finale saw the Crawfords get revenge on Walter Johnson, who opened the Presidential League season with a no-hitter in the Crawfords home park. It took just two batters for the no-hitter and shutout to end in this one, as Sammy T. Hughes took the Big Train deep.

The Crawfords ripped off four runs in the fourth inning and another in the fifth, banging out four doubles in the two innings. Meanwhile, Big Bill Foster -- the losing pitcher in that opening-day no-hitter -- shut out the Obamas for six innings and went the distance, allowing eight hits while striking out eight.

Stat update: Obamas

Batting

Name AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR SB BB BA

Boudreau 113 13 27 8 10 1 2 0 12 .229

Cochrane 82 7 19 9 4 0 1 0 7 .232

Foxx 110 27 29 32 2 1 8 0 22 .264

Gehringer 129 18 36 10 4 1 1 0 5 .279

Hamilton 93 25 37 4 1 1 2 2 16 .398

Kelley 42 3 12 3 1 0 0 0 3 .286

Lazzeri 9 0 4 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 .444

Lombardi 40 8 14 12 2 0 5 0 4 .350

Mantle 110 19 26 25 4 0 10 0 18 .236

F Robinson 128 21 28 33 3 2 9 1 2 .219

J Robinson 14 6 4 1 0 1 1 0 4 .286

Schmidt 117 21 30 19 4 1 8 1 17 .256

Pitching

Name IP H R ER BB SO W L S ERA

Chesbro 12 9 5 5 3 4 0 0 0 1.29

Gomez 9.3 16 7 7 2 8 1 2 1 6.75

W Johnson 60 64 48 45 21 32 4 2 0 6.75

Nichols 52 66 28 28 13 21 4 2 0 4.85

Plank 55 64 32 32 23 35 4 2 0 5.65

Ryan 59 51 23 21 34 64 3 2 0 3.20

Walsh 11 15 6 6 4 7 1 1 3 4.90

Willis 8 6 1 1 2 0 0 1 1 1.13

Series 13: Obamas sweep Garfields

Obamas 19-12, Garfields 12-19

Pitcher use: Nichols and Galvin need three games, Ryan and Welch need two. Radbourn pitched one inning in finale.

Game One: Obamas 4, Garfields 2
WP: Ryan (3-2)
LP: Welch (3-3)
Save: Walsh (4)
HR: Mantle (10), Schmidt (7), Connor (1)

Game Two: Obamas 7, Garfields 4
WP: Nichols (4-2)
LP: Galvin (1-4)
HR: Anson (1), Schmidt (8)

---

The Obamas never trailed in the two-game sweep.

Nolan Ryan fanned 10 Garfield batters in eight innings of nine-hit ball in the opener. Mickey Mantle and Mick Schmidt each hit two-run homers in the fourth inning off Mickey Welch to supply all the offense Ryan needed or received.

Ed Walsh wrapped up the game by striking out Sam Thompson and Ed Delahanty with the tying runs in scoring position.

The Obamas' Kid Nichols went the distance in the nightcap despite allowing 11 hits and solo runs in four stright innings. Schmidt and Billy Hamilton each scored three runs for the Obamas.

Series 12: Obamas sweep X-Giants

Obamas 17-12, X-Giants 15-14

Pitcher use update: Jones needs four games, Johnson and Dihigo three games, Plank two games, McDonald and Gomez one game each. Willis pitched two innings in finale.

Game One: Obamas 2, X-Giants 1
WP: Walsh (1-1)
LP: Dihigo (2-5)
HR: Mantle (9)

Game Two: Obamas 4, X-Giants 3 (12 innings)
WP: Gomez (1-2)
LP: McDonald (0-1)
HR: Boudreau (2)

---
The Obamas had to come from behind twice in the late innings to get the two-game sweep.

In the first game, Martin Dihigo held the Obamas hitless through five innings, but Eddie Plank matched him scoreless inning for scoreless inning until the sixth, when Double Duty Radcliffe singled home Rap Dixon. The Obamas tied it in the eighth after Dihigo walked the first two hitters, and Mickey Mantle put the Obamas ahead in the ninth with a leadoff homer.

Plank and Ed Walsh combined to allow seven hits, three more than Dihigo allowed.

The X-Giants took advantage of a rare error by Charlie Gehringer in the first inning to put up three unearned runs against Walter Johnson, but they could do nothing more against the Big Train. The Obamas picked up an unearned run of their own in the fourth against Slim Jones and tied it with two runs in the eighth.

The bullpens -- Vic Willis and Lefty Gomez for the Obamas, Webster McDonald for the X-Giants -- put up zeros into the 12th inning, when the Obamas scored another unearned run. The winning tally scored on a wild pitch.

The normally outstanding X-Giant defense was charged with four errors in the second game. The X-Giants left runners on third base in the 11th and 12th innings.

Stat update: Obamas

Batting

Name AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR SB BB BA

Boudreau 97 12 25 6 10 1 1 0 11 .258

Cochrane 75 7 17 9 2 0 1 0 7 .227

Foxx 96 25 28 30 2 1 8 0 18 .292

Gehringer 111 18 35 9 3 1 1 0 5 .315

Hamilton 81 22 35 4 1 1 2 2 14 .432

Kelley 35 3 8 3 1 0 0 0 3 .229

Lazzeri 8 0 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 .375

Lombardi 30 7 12 12 1 0 5 0 3 .400

Mantle 95 17 21 21 4 0 8 0 14 .221

F Robinson 111 19 23 32 1 2 9 1 2 .207

J Robinson 11 6 3 1 0 1 1 0 4 .273

Schmidt 101 16 26 15 3 1 6 1 14 .257

Pitching

Name IP H R ER BB SO W L S ERA

Chesbro 12 9 5 5 3 4 0 0 0 1.29

Gomez 6.3 13 7 7 2 6 0 2 1 9.95

W Johnson 53 59 45 45 20 25 4 2 0 7.64

Nichols 43 54 24 24 12 18 3 2 0 5.54

Plank 48 59 31 31 20 32 4 2 0 5.81

Ryan 51 42 21 19 31 48 54 2 2 0 3.35

Walsh 8 12 6 6 4 5 0 1 3 6.67

Willis 6 5 1 1 2 0 0 1 1 1.50

Series 11: Obamas take two of three from Kennedys

Obamas 15-12, Kennedys 13-13

Pitcher use: Johnson, Marichal and Niekro need one game; Ryan and Seaver need two; Nichols and Carlton need three.

Game One: Obamas 6, Kennedys 5

WP: Johnson (4-2)

LP: Marichal (1-4)

Save: Walsh (4)

HR: Foxx (8), F. Robinson (10), McCovey (4)

Game Two: Kennedys 6, Obamas 2

WP: Seaver (3-2)

LP: Ryan (2-2)

Save: Fingers (5)

HR: Schmidt (6), Aaron (7), McCovey (5)

Game Three: Obamas 4, Kennedys 0

WP: Nichols (4-1)

LP: Carlton (2-3)

HR: Mantle (9), Schmidt (7)

--

Game One was essentially decided with a five-run third inning by the Obamas, highlighted by a three-run homer from Jimmie Foxx. One of the runs was unearned.

Other than that inning, Juan Marichal pitched quite well — just three hits in the other five innings. Frank Robinson's eighth-inning homer off Phil Niekro gave the Obamas enough margin to withstand three Kennedy scores in the seventh and eighth innings.

Game Two was dominated by Tom Seaver, who allowed just four hits through eight innings and fanned 11. He weakened in the ninth and needed help from Rollie Fingers, who entered with the bases loaded and one out and escaped with just a run scored. Willie McCovey's two-run homer in the first highlighted a three-run rally.

As good as Seaver was in Game Two, Kid Nichols was in Game Three — a four-hit shutout. Steve Carlton was a hard-luck loser; Mickey Mantle's two-run homer in the first came after Johnny Bench dropped his pop foul, which would have been the third out of the inning. Mike Schmidt hit a two-run homer in the sixth to close the scoring.

Series 10: Homestead, Obamas split

Obamas 13-11, Homestead 15-8

Pitcher use: R. Brown and Plank need three games, D. Brown and Nichols need two. Wickware worked one inning in finale.

Game One: Homestead 7, Obamas 5
WP: D. Brown (4-0)
LP: Nichols (3-2)
Save: Bell (3)
HR: F. Robinson (9), Mantle (8)

Game Two: Obamas 20, Homestead 9
WP: Plank (4-2)
LP: R. Brown (3-3)
HR: J. Gibson (10), Boudreau (1), Schmidt (5)

---

Forty-one runs were scored in the two games, and scarcely a reliever was to be seen.

The Obamas held a 4-3 lead going into the bottom of the seventh of the opener, but Homestead erupted for four runs, highlighted by a two-run triple by Mule Suttles.

Dave Brown went eight innings for the win, allowing seven hits and four earned runs.

Teammate Ray Brown also went eight bullpen-saving innings in a disastrous start. He was victimized by three bat-arounds and had four innings of at least four runs allowed.

Among the gaudy stat lines put up by the Obamas: Billy Hamilton went 5-for-6 (two runs, one RBI); Jimmy Foxx 3-for-7 (four runs, three RBI, a triple); Lou Boudreau 3-for-5 (five RBI, two runs, a homer); and Mickey Cochrane 4-for-6 (three runs, four RBIs, a double). Every position player had at least one run and one RBI.

Eddie Plank, staked to a seven-run lead before taking the mound, went the distance. He allowed eight runs over the final three frames, six in the seventh inning alone.

Dobie Moore drove in three runs for Homestead.

Suttles was 5-for-8 in the series with three walks, two triples, five runs and three RBIs -- a good series, but barely a match for what some of the Obamas racked up in just one game.

Stat update: Obamas

Batting

Name AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR SB BB BA

Boudreau 80 8 19 1 8 1 0 0 10 .238

Cochrane 62 4 12 4 1 0 1 0 6 .193

Foxx 78 19 23 24 2 0 7 0 16 .295

Gehringer 91 16 29 7 2 1 1 0 5 .319

Hamilton 67 20 27 4 1 1 2 1 12 .403

Kelley 29 3 8 3 1 0 0 0 3 .276

Lazzeri 7 0 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 .286

Lombardi 26 7 11 11 1 0 5 0 2 .423

Mantle 79 12 18 20 3 0 7 0 11 .228

F Robinson 93 14 19 26 1 2 8 1 2 .204

J Robinson 10 6 3 1 0 1 1 0 3 .300

Schmidt 86 12 20 11 3 0 4 1 11 .233

Pitching

Name IP H R ER BB SO W L S ERA

Chesbro 10 5 3 3 3 2 0 0 0 1.29

Gomez 6.3 13 7 7 2 6 0 2 1 9.95

W Johnson 45 47 40 40 16 23 3 2 0 8.00

Nichols 37 42 17 17 9 14 3 1 0 4.14

Plank 39 44 22 22 15 25 3 2 0 5.08

Ryan 45 37 17 15 25 48 2 1 0 3.00

Walsh 7 12 6 6 3 5 0 1 3 7.71

Willis 4 4 1 1 2 0 0 1 1 2.25

Series 9: Teddys sweep Obamas

Obamas 12-10, Teddys 12-10

Pitcher use: Ryan and Mathewson need three games; W. Johnson and Alexander need two games' Chesbro, Brown and Plank need one game. Gomez, McGinnity and Bender each pitched two innings in finale.

Game One: Teddys 5, Obamas 4
WP: Brown (3-1)
LP: Plank (3-2)
HR: Foxx (7), J. Robinson (1)

Game Two: Teddys 10, Obamas 8
WP: Alexander (2-4)
LP: W. Johnson (3-2)
Save: Rixey (2)
HR: Gehringer (1), F. Robinson (8)

Game Three: Teddys 4, Obamas 3 (11 innings)
WP: Bender (1-0)
LP: Willis (0-1)
HR: Mantle (7)

---

Same teams, different parks, different results.

The Teddys roughed up Eddie Plank in the seventh and eighth innings of the opener. The lefty had allowed just three harmless hits through six innings, but the Teddys racked up eight hits in the final two frames. Sam Crawford had a double and a triple with two runs and two RBIs.

Three Finger Brown also went the distance despite late struggles; he allowed solo homers in the eighth and ninth.

The Teddys got going early against Walter Johnson, scoring in all five innings the Big Train worked for a total of 10 runs on 17 hits. The Obamas made a game of it by putting up a five-spot on Pete Alexander in the sixth, and ultimately forced the Teddys to bring Eppa Rixey in to get the last out.

Eddie Collins went 4-for-5 with three runs and two doubles. Honus Wagner and Nap Lajoie each had three RBIs.

Game three was the first computer-driven game of the league, and it didn't go without glitches. In my opinion, the computer manager, which handled the visiting Obamas, messed up the ninth inning.

Problem One: In the top of the ninth, with the Obamas leading 3-1, the CM opted to pinch-hit Joe Kelley for Nolan Ryan. I would have stuck with Ryan, but it's a marginal call, and had I hit for Ryan, I would have used Kelley -- then used Kelley in left as a defensive upgrade for Billy Hamilton.

Instead, the CM wasted Kelley's glove. Worse (Problem Two), it brought in Jack Chesbro to open the ninth. Colby Jack, by my rules, wasn't eligible to pitch in this one, having worked three innings in the previous game. Anyway, Ed Walsh is the assigned closer.

But Chesbro was announced, and I couldn't override that selection. He allowed a single to Home Run Baker, then walked Roger Breshanan. This brought up Shoeless Joe Jackson, who has stayed in after pinch-hitting for Christy Mathewson in the sixth. At this point, (Problem Three) the CM brought in Plank.

Again, I couldn't override this selection. But I couldn't allow Plank to pitch, either. I re-ran the Jackson AB until it resulted in a reading on the hitter's card, then brought in Lefty Gomez. The resulting single will be charged to Gomez on my stat sheets. The CM stuck with Gomez for the blown save. Gomez pitched a scoreless 10th, then gave way to Vic Willis, who allowed single, single, ground out, wild pitch to take the loss in the 11th.

I have yet to figure out how to post the box score and game report to this blog. It's giving me an error reading, and I don't know why. It is my intent to run this league in larger form (162 game seasons) on the computer, but that won't come until this manual league is complete.

I suspect the Chesbro and Plank issues are related to this being, as far as CM knows, an exhibition game. The Kelley-Hamilton issue is debatable managerial stuff. I will not let the CM run the next game I experiment with, at least if it involves a contender.

Series 8: Obamas take two of three from Teddys

Obamas 12-7, Teddys 9-10

Pitcher use: Nichols and Waddell need three games, Ryan and Matthewson need two games, Johnson and Alexander need one game. Walsh and McGinnity pitched one inning in finale, Joss two.

Game One: Obamas 3, Teddys 2
WP: W. Johnson (3-1)
LP: Alexander (1-4)

Game Two: Teddys 7, Obamas 5
WP: Matthewson (1-3)
LP: Gomez (0-2)
Save: Bender (3)
HR: Foxx 2 (6)

Game Three: Obamas 6, Teddys 4
WP: Nichols (3-1)
LP: Waddell (1-2)
Save: Walsh (3)
HR: Mantle (6), Lombardi (5)

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The opening game of this series was marked by the unusual and the dramatic.

Down 2-1 in the fourth inning, the Teddys got Honus Wagner aboard on an error by Charlie Gehringer. Tris Speaker drew a walk. But Nap Lajoie killed the rally by hitting into a triple play, the first triplet-killing of the season.

With the score 3-2 in the ninth, Wagner led off with a triple against Walter Johnson. He tried to score on Speaker's short fly to center, only to be cut down by Mickey Mantle. Lajoie then clouted a triple of his own, but the Big Train fanned Sam Crawford to end the game.

Johnson allowed seven hits and one walk while fanning five for the complete game win, while Pete Alexander struggled in the first two innings, allowing two runs and stranding another five runners in those frames, but settled for a strong eight innings -- eight hits, two earned runs, one walk and four strikeouts.

The Teddys tried to run away with game two, literally. They stole three bases in the first inning against the battery of Nolan Ryan and Mickey Cochrane and added two more in the second. More important, they scored five runs.

But Ryan settled in for five shutout innings after that. Cochrane threw out Eddie Collins on a sixth steal attempt, and Ryan picked off Home Run Baker.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Foxx cranked a two-run homer in the sixth off Christy Matthewson and added a three-run bomb in the seventh to tie the score. But that was a good as it got for the Obamas, as Lefty Gomez allowed single runs in the eighth and ninth.

Game three went to the Obamas on the strength of a five-run third highlighted by Ernie Lombardi's grand slam off Rube Waddell. Kid Nichols shut out the Teddys through six innings but needed help from Ed Walsh, who finally ended things by getting Wagner to ground into his third 6-4-3 DP of the game.

Cobb was 5-for-11 in the series with two doubles, two steals, three runs and two RBIs. Lajoie was 4-for-12 with a pair of triples.

Stat update: Obamas

Batting

Name AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR SB BB BA

Boudreau 58 7 13 0 4 1 0 0 7 .224

Cochrane 42 4 9 4 1 0 1 0 4 .214

Foxx 55 13 12 15 2 0 4 0 11 .218

Gehringer 67 10 21 6 2 1 0 0 3 .313

Hamilton 44 16 18 4 1 1 2 1 10 .409

Kelley 23 3 6 3 1 0 0 0 3 .261

Lazzeri 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250

Lombardi 21 6 9 7 1 0 4 0 2 .429

Mantle 57 9 14 14 3 0 5 0 8 .246

F Robinson 66 11 14 21 1 2 7 0 2 .212

J Robinson 7 4 2 0 0 1 0 0 2 .286

Schmidt 65 10 16 11 1 0 4 1 8 .246

Pitching

Name IP H R ER BB SO W L S ERA

Chesbro 7 3 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1.29

Gomez 2.3 6 5 5 1 2 0 1 1 19.31

W Johnson 31 22 17 17 13 16 2 1 0 4.94

Nichols 29 30 13 13 7 11 2 1 0 4.03

Plank 31 33 17 17 13 20 3 1 0 4.94

Ryan 30 26 11 9 17 36 2 1 0 2.70

Walsh 6 10 6 6 3 4 0 1 2 9.00

Willis 3.6 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0.00

Series 7: Obamas, Hilldale split

Obamas 10-6, Hilldale 5-11

Pitcher use: Plank, Byrd need three games; Nichols, Winters need two; Chesbro needs one. Willis pitched one inning in finale, A. Cooper less than an inning.

Game One: Obamas 4, Hilldale 1

WP: Nichols (3-1)

LP: Winters (0-3)

HR: Trouppe (1), Lombardi (4)

Game Two: Hilldale 6, Obamas 5

WP: Byrd (1-3)

LP: Plank (3-1)

Save: A Cooper (3)

HR: Schmidt (3)

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Lowly Hilldale snapped a five-game losing streak in the finale, but even what had been a cozy 6-0 lead turned into a nail-biter.

Hilldale had Eddie Plank on the ropes all game, scoring a run in the third, three in the fifth and another in the sixth. Plank left with the bases loaded, a run in and nobody out, but Jack Chesbro induced a 5-2-3 double play from Willie Wells before popping up Judy Johnson.

But Bill Byrd had the Obamas flat-footed at the plate — at one point the righty, who entered the game 0-3 with an ERA of 8.46, retired 14 in a row — and Chesbro wild-pitched a run home in the eighth inning, making the score 6-0.

But the Obamas struck for three runs in the eighth, all coming with two out. Mike Schmidt led off the ninth with a homer off Byrd, who got the next two outs before hitting Tony Lazzeri with a pitch. That brought in closer Andy Cooper, who allowed a walk and a run-scoring single to pinch-hitter Ernie Lombardi before popping up Jimmy Foxx to end it.

There was nowhere near as much drama in the first game. The Obamas scored three runs in the first two innings — a two-single from Frank Robinson and a solo homer from Lombardi — and Kid Nichols did the rest.

Nichols allowed just five hits (one a homer by Quincy Trouppe) and four walks while striking out three in the complete-game win.

Series 6: Obamas, Homestead split

Obamas 9-5, Homestead 10-5

Pitcher use: R. Brown, Ryan need three games; D. Brown, W. Johnson need two. Gomez pitched one inning in each game.

Game One: Homestead 8, Obamas 4

WP: D. Brown (3-0)

LP: W. Johnson (2-1)

HR: Scales (4), J. Gibson (6)

Game Two: Obamas 10, Homestead 6

WP: Ryan (2-1)

LP: R. Brown (2-2)

HR: J. Gibson (7), C. Smith (5), Scales (5), Foxx 2 (4), Cochrane (1), W. Brown (4)

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The two best records collided and left unchanged after splitting a pair of high-scoring games.

Homestead jumped on Walter Johnson for two runs in each of the first two innings and made the score 6-0 in the fifth. Dave Brown was touched up for four runs in the late innings, but the Obamas never really had the game in reach.

In the homer-filled second game, Nolan Ryan stuck out 12 but allowed three homers and walked five. Ray Brown, however, walked six and allowed three homers of his own, two of them to Jimmy Foxx.

Foxx had five RBIs in the second game, six for the series.