1991 AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES #1

Floosmoor Flying Squirrels @ California Quakes

Preview: American League East Champions the California Quakes take on American League Wild Card #2 Seed Floosmoor Flying Squirrels in a 5 game Division Series Match up.

Game #1: Greg Maddux (16-12 3.16) vs. Nolan Ryan (23-4 1.33)

Two possible  HOFers, a young Greg Maddux and an old Nolan Ryan, face off to start the series. T. Pendleton started the scoring with a solo HR in the bottom of the 2nd, but the lead would not last long. In the top of the 3rd, R. Karkovice ripped a double to left center and B. Williams followed with a 2-run bomb. California would tie it up in the bottom half of the inning with a P. Molitor single and stolen base and a J. Canseco RBI single. Neither team would score again until the 10th inning when in the bottom half of the inning California’s W. Randolph walked, putting the potential winning run on base. V. Hayes was brought in as a pinch runner and promptly stole second, giving P. Molitor the opportunity to play hero with a RBI single to score Hayes for the Game 1 victory. Neither starting pitcher would factor into this one, with G. Maddux leaving in the 4th inning with a minor injury and N. Ryan getting the quality start while giving up 2 runs in 6.

W – J. Fassero
L – W. Edwards

2B – R. Karkovice
HR – B. Williams, T. Pendleton
RBI – B. Williams (2), T. Pendleton, P. Molitor, J. Canseco
SB – B. Williams, P. Molitor (2), P. O’Neill, V. Hayes
CS – J. Canseco

Final Score: California 3 – Floosmoor 2  (10 Innings)

Game #2: David Cone (13-12 3.61) vs. Pete Harnisch (17-10 4.30)

The Quakes jump to an early lead with a 2-run HR off the bat of H. Johnson in the bottom of the 1st. Down 3-0 in the top of the 6th, R. Gant closed the gap to 3-2 with a timely 2-run double. But that’s all the Flying Squirrels could muster. The Quakes get an insurance run with the help of an O. Smith single and SB and a W. Randolph single in the bottom of the 7th to extend the lead to 4-2. P. Harnisch goes 7 innings of 2-run ball while D. Cone struggled somewhat, giving up 7 hits and 4 runs (3 earned) in 6.1 innings.

W – Harnisch
L – Cone
S – Harvey

2B – J. Canseco, R. Gant
HR – H. Johnson
RBI – R. Gant (2), H. Johnson (2), W. Randolph
SB – T. Pendleton, O. Smith, R. Gant
CS – V. Hayes, B. Williams, R. Gant, D. Bichette

Final Score: California 4 – Floosmoor 2

Game #3: Greg Maddux (16-12 3.16) vs. Bret Saberhgaen (17-11 2.57)
Greg Maddux gets the nod after leaving Game 1 early, as Game 3 is do or die for Flossmoor. The Quakes, however, jump all over him, scoring 6 runs in 3.2 innings, chasing him from the game in the 4th. By the end of the game, California had racked up 17 hits, only 5 of which were XBH, and 11 runs. P. Molitor and W. Randolph led the California offense with 3 RBI each.

W – B. Saberhagen
L – G. Madux

2B – L. Whitaker, T. Steinbach, K. Puckett, H. Baines, T. Fryman, T. Teufel
HR – P. Molitor, J. Canseco, P. O’Neill, H. Baines
RBI – L. Whitaker, P. Molitor (3), J. Canseco (2), H. Johnson, P. O’Neill, W. Randolph (3), H. Baines (2), T. Fryman
SB – P. Molitor, O. Smith (2)

Final Score: California 11 – Floosmoor 3

Summary:  California takes the series 3 games to 0.  American League East Champion the California Quakes will now take on the winner of the Fort Worth Panthers & Portland Maverick Series in the American League Championship Series.