1990 NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES #2

Long Beach Titans @ Manhattan Gas Hornets

Preview: National League Division series featuring the East winners Manhattan Gas Hornets (113-49) hosting the 2nd Wild Card team Long Beach Titans (89-73)

On paper the Gas Hornets seem the odds on favorite, 1st in the NL in pitching (2.61 era) and batting (.257), 3rd in scoring (685) and 4th in fielding. However, the Titans were 3rd in pitching (3.03) and 4th in scoring (658). Their batting was 7th, but they can produce a lot of runs – there did lead the NL in homeruns with 159. However, the games are not played on paper and the 10 game season series was split 5 games apiece. The Gas Hornets faced little difficulty during the season with most teams, with the exception of the three NL West teams that made the playoff.

Game #1: Tomlin (4-6, 2.80 era) vs. Welch (26-4, 2.30)
Welch starts the game strong in the 1st setting down the Titans in order. But the Gas Hornets get their 1st batter on with a Sax double. He moves to 3rd on a groundout. McReynolds then lines one to RF for a single scoring Sax for a 1-0 lead.

Titans 1st threat comes in the 3rd when Fielder comes up with runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 out, but Welch gets him to hit one back to him for the 1-3 groundout. Same thing again in the 5th, this time Fielder hits one off the end of the bat that Joyner takes care of by himself. In the bottom half Joyner leads off with a double and moves to 3rd on Griffin grounder. When Tomlin fans Welch he’s pumped. Then he gets Sax to ground out ending the threat.

The next Titan chance comes in the 6th on a Justice lead-off double. Inky gets him to 3rd but Baerga’s fly to LF wasn’t enough to plate him – he tried, but Dawson’s throw cut him down! Bottom of the 7th, Hartley comes in, he walks Jacoby then Santiago reaches on an infield hit on a controversial call – Fielder’s foot was off the bag. Threat ends when Joyner hits into a DP, Griffin is given the IW and Felder comes into PH for Welch, but he flies out to right.

8th inning, Doug Jones comes in to take over for Welch. Gets Weiss on a pop up and then fans Fielder and Justice. In the 9th he fans Incaviglia then gets Mulliniks and B.Ripken to ground out to end the game preserving the 1-0 Shutout.
Final Score: Manhattan 1 – Long Beach 0

Game #2: Oil Can Boyd (16-9, 2.81) vs. Greg Harris (13-7, 2.74)
Fresh off the 1-0 victory from game 1, the Gas Hornets will try to boost their lead in the best of 5 series. Both teams had their chances the first time around, but some clutch pitching, and even some defense was the norm for the game.

Ripken gets the games 1st hit with a 2 out double off the wall in the 2nd, but the next batter, Pettis leaves him there. A 3rd inning rally for Long Beach starts with 2 outs when Magadan singles. Weiss quickly follows with another giving Cecil Fielder another 2 on chance in the series. Harris delivers and Fielder pops up to end another threat. Bottom half Joyner leads off and nearly takes one out of the park, but foul. He follows that up with a double for the Gas Hornets 1st hit. Huson follows with a single moving Joyner to 3rd. Harris nearly bunts into a DP – but Huson is safe at 1st after the bunt pop-out. Sax steps in and grounds one to Magadan at 3rd, his only play is at 1st – and he fires it right past Fielder, Joyner scores and Huson just kept on running and he scores for a 2-0 Manhattan lead. Believe it or not, that was all the scoring there would be. Tons more chances, but no one else scored. An example, same inning, bases loaded, 1 out, Dawson pops out, Jacoby bounces into FC as Crews gets the Titans out of a jam.

Bottom of the 4th, Gas Hornets get Santiago and Joyner to 2nd and 3rd with NO outs. Manhattan brings in Anderson to PH for Huson when lefty Young comes in. Flies out but not enough to chance it. Felder comes in to bat for Harris (tossing a shutout through 4). Walks, to load bases. Duane Ward in, Sax up – the whiff, Ward pumped. Yount piles into one that Vaughn races after and picks it clean just before the wall. – NO RUNS. Dave Smith, Henke and finally Doug Jones again, shut down the Titans to preserve a second straight shutout and win 2-0.
Final Score: Manhattan 2 – Long Beach 0

Game #3: Mike Scott (13-8, 2.82) vs. Frank Viola (18-7, 2.15)
Top of the 1st the Gas Hornets get runners on the corners with 2 outs only to have Viola get Jacoby to bounce out. Bottom half the home town Titans start things off with a Magadan double then Lemon walks. This sets up Fielder, Justice and Incaviglia to do some damage, but Scott says no way as he gets them all. Top of the 2nd and Benito Santiago hits the 1st home run of the series giving the Gas Hornets a 1-0 lead. Score stays that way until the bottom of the 5th. Walt Weiss reaches on the E6 by Griffin. Oliver comes up and sacrifices Weiss to 2nd. Kilmarx checks things over and calls on Rance Mulliniks to PH for O.C.Boyd (in to finish the top of the 5th). Most starters haven’t stayed around much for any game this series. To counter, Schindel lifts Scott – who has given up 1 hit so far in favor of Jeff Reardon. Reardon walks Mulliniks and buys a seat in the clubhouse. Dave Smith comes in to face Magadan with 1 out and runners on 1st and 2nd. WP and the runners move up. Magadan then lofts one to the track that Yount reaches on a diving catch, Weiss tags and it’s 1-1. But that’s all.

6th inning starts with Tim Crews taking the hill for the Titans. Rough things follow. After getting Jacoby on a groundout, Santiago singles, Joyner then beats out a swinging bunt to get things going. Crews leaves for Hartley who faces runners on 1st and 2nd and 1 out. Griffin leaves for PH Felder, but Hartley gets him to fly out with no advancement. Yount then steps in and he changes things as he nails one down the RF line that gets past Incky for a double scoring both runners. Manhattan regains the lead and now by 2 runs, 3-1. Gas Hornets starting to smell blood as Smith finishes the 6th giving up no more runs. We go to the bottom of the 7th, Manhattan up 3-1.

Prior to game 3, Kilmarx and Schindel were commenting on the Manhattan bullpen, Kilmarx saying they were too much, Schindel sort of agreeing, but said now and then they mess up, What about today?

Henke in to pitch for Manhattan and he fans Weiss, then Oliver doubles to get the home town Titans fans hollering. Reimer comes in to PH for Hartley and he grounds out moving Oliver to 3rd, 2 outs. Magadan up, he grounds to Huson at SS for the 3rd out – WAIT – the throw to 1st is high and Magadan is safe and a run scores, it’s 3-2 Manhattan. 2 errors, two unearned runs. But that’s all they get and Manhattan still leads 3-2.

Oh yeah? Not for long. Henke still on the mound in the 8th when Fielder steps in and launches a solo shot (1). Righetti comes in to replace Henke. Justice says, “just pitch me the ball” and he then promptly relocates it over the wall for a 4-3 LONG BEACH lead! Ward pitched perfect the 8th, he stands to win it if Gleaton can hold on. Well, Anderson leads off with a double. Yount follows and hits one sharp and hard – and right at Weiss for the 1st out. Sax then lines one to RF for out number 2. James up and he walks. So sports fans, we have a runner on 1st and another on 2nd. McReynolds up and he grounds out 6-3 to end the game. And the Titans have a new lease on life as they go to game 4 with THE win under their belts.
The Titans break through the bullpen jinx of Manhattan to take this one away.
Final Score: Long Beach 4- Manhattan 3

Game #4: Bob Welch (26-4 2.30) vs. Randy Tomlin (4-6 2.80)
Gas Hornets more than doubled the Titans in hits (9 to 4) in game 3, but two costly errors cost them the game (perhaps). But they send Welch to the hill to see if he has any more Game 1 type magic. Titans come back with Tomlin – there is no tomorrow.

First 7 innings looked like repeats of a lot of the rest of the series – all goose eggs. Titans get 2 on with 2 out in the 2nd but nothing happens. Manhattan gets 2 on with 2 outs in the 4th then loaded bases as Griffin is given the IW to get to Welch. Schindel DOES NOT pull Welch. So with the bases loaded, Welch up and Dawson on 3rd, Schindel calls for the steal of home. No stretch, but no go – he’s out, Long Beach didn’t fall for it.

Bottom of the 5th Magadan gets a 2 out infield single. B. Ripken follows with a single moving Magadan up 1 base. Fielder up (for what, the 30th time in the series with 2 on and 2 out). This time he loops one to left, but Dawson raced in, just fast enough, to make a shoestring catch.

Excitement in the 6th as McReynolds singles. Dawson, who was pretty much silent before today, follows with a double. McReynolds stops at third. Top 6, no outs, runners at 2nd and 3rd – and Kilmarx brings in Tim Crews to try and thwart the Manhattan dreams. Crews greets Jacoby with a whiff. Then with Santiago up, Oliver takes a pitch from Crews and picks off McReynolds at 3rd, 2 down. Santiago steps back in and he pops out, still ZERO-ZERO! Each team gets a runner on in the 7th, but score nothing.

8th innings, Hartley in, when James and McReynolds lead off and Hartley fans them both, Kilmarx is looking pretty good. However, Dawson – who is having a great day for Manhattan – singles to. Kilmarx yanks Hartley and brings in Gleaton. Jacoby steps in and wakes up to the tune of a 2 run shot over the CF wall for a 2-0 Manhattan lead. Bottom half dramatics occur when Joyner tosses one behind Welch on a play at first. Welch leaves the game with 7.1 IP, 5 hits, 2 walks and only 1 K. Doug Jones is coming in to presumably get the final five outs to preserve the 2-0 lead. 1st up, Cecil and he flies out. Then Justice goes down on an infield grounder.

Gleaton going the 9th and Yount works him for a 2 out single. But take no fear, that’s all the Gas Hornets could muster. So Jones takes the hill to pitch the 9th to try and earn save #3. Incky leads off and singles. Weiss gets the Jones KO for out #1. Pettis up and he bounces one to the left side that Griffin fields and fires to 2nd getting Incky, but that’s all, 2 down. Reimer then steps in to bat for Oliver, he’s hitless in all his PH appearances. He connects on this at bat and hits one hard to short, Griffin knocks it down, gets it under control, fires to 1st and gets Reimer easily to end the game. Gas Hornets begin their celebration taking the series 3 games to 1 and on to the LCS.
Final Score: Manhattan 2 – Long Beach 0

Summary: For a 4 game series win, it was about as tense as you could get. 3 shutouts, but they were won with barely any scoring on the Gas Hornets part. The Long Beach win was a 1 run event. Stars for the series – Santiago (.400) and Joyner (.385) seemed to be getting on base all the time in games 1 through 3. Dawson and Jacoby were non-existent until game 4 – but they were the offense in that game. But the team of Welch (2-0, 0.00 era) and Doug Jones (3 saves, 0.00 era, 4.2 innings, 5Ks) were the Co-MVPs.