1991 WORLD SERIES
Mid-West Winter League World Series was played over join-me.
Preview: The AL was represented by California Quakes. Georges Quakes were the class of the league with everything a playoff team needs to win. They had Nolan Ryan the leagues best pitcher this year and career, their other starters were great and the last man in the pen Fassaro was better than Winnipeg’s closer.
The odds-makers said the series would go five games before California celebrated. But baseball is a funny game and sometimes you roll 65s and the other manager rolls 66..
Winnipeg was a David story underdog through the playoffs but some how managing to just make it to the World series. Winnipeg did have the advantage of home field, although this did not factor in the final results.
Game #1: Pete Harnisch (17-10 4.30) vs. Andy Benes (17-9 2.79)
Top of the first: Sweet Lou popped up but Molitor got on base via a Omar Vizquel error. Winnipeg fans gasped but Jose Canseco then hit into a Sax to Vizquel to McGwire double play.
Bottom of the first: Steve Sax goes deep ! 1-0 Winnipeg….Then Bip Roberts singles, Ventura singles 1st and 3rd, and Buhner walks bases load… But Harnish came back as Devereaux and Mcgwire strikeout and Harnish is pumped. But the mid season pick up Mike Scoicia took ball four and Winnipeg had a 2-0 lead.
Winnipeg up 2-0.
Top of the second: Pendleton walks gets to second and scores on a Matt Nokes single. Winnipeg 2-1
The game stayed 2-1 thanks to some big DPs for Winnipeg vs Canseco and Molitor.
Top of the 7th: With Benes out for a pinch hitter Flannigan gives up a solo homer to Jose Canseco. This was not good as Winnipeg need to score off the California pen.
Top of the 9th: tied 2-2
Flanagan gets Phillips to ground out, Whitaker walks but Molitor flys out. With 2 down Freeman came into face Canseco goes with the hard cheese and blows him away.
Bottom of the 9th Harvey shuts Winnipeg down.
op of the 10th: Hojo singles off Freeman to start the inning. Pendleton singles, 1st and 2nd. Freeman faces the lefty O’Neil and gets the strikeout. Terry Steinbach then pops up and Ozzie Smith grounds out.
Winnipeg could do nothing off Harvey.
Still 2-2 heading into the 11th
In the 11th Magadan hits a lead off double vs Freeman.. Von Hayes pinch runs and Willis replaces Freeman. Willis gets Whitaker no advance for the runner. Molitor is intentionally walked to face Jose Canseco. Canseco hit an infield fly and Jojo ground out… still 2-2
Bottom of the 11th
Poole the 19YZ lefty facing Mike Scoicia.. Crazy play an infield single to the hole and Ozzie could not make the out! The Winnipeg bench had two players left Rick Cerone and George Bell. Bell Winnipegs clutch pinch hitter came of the bench and in order to avoid the DP with a 2-1 count H&R was called and Bell lined a double over first base.
Final Score: Winnipeg 3 – California 2 (11 Innings)
W-Willis(1-0)
L-Poole(0-1)
14 Quakes left on base.
Winnipeg up 1-0 in the series
Game #2: Greg W. Harris (13-4 2.53) vs. Tom Glavine (20-8 2.35)
Winnipeg had their ace Glavine going although he has not done will in the playoffs so far. Ryan wasn’t quite 100% yet so Harris another A starter got the call for California.
Bottom of the second – George Bell singled and Devereaux got the call to pinch run. The pinch runner steals second but Buhner strikes out and McGuire flys out, but with two out Mike Scoicia again plays hero with a single and an rbi. Winnipeg 1 California 0
In the top of the 5th – Tony Phillips walked and Matt Nokes hits a 2 run homer of Glavine the lefty to give California the lead 2-1
Top of the 7th: Hojo takes Mel Rojas deep and California had their insurance 3-1.
Bottom of the 7th: Harris walked Mark McGwire, Lance Bankenship pinch runs. Scoicia again plays hero with a H&R single. Winnipeg’s Barbarie hits a pinch hit double and its a 3-2 and Winnipeg has 2nd and 3rd. That was it for Harris in comes Gray but Milligan hits another pinch hit 2 run double.
Winnipeg 4 California 3
Top of the 8th With one one Whitaker walks off of Willis, but the righty gets Randolph and Molitor to end the inning.
Top of the 9th: Winnipeg 4 California 3 – Canseco grounds out 5-3 as Willis breaks his bat. -Pendleton hits a smash to 3rd but Ventura makes the plays 5-3
O’Neill pinch hits Mike Flannigan is in for the save. But O’Neill is out the righty Clark in. Flanagan gets the pop up to Ventura.
Final Score: Winnipeg 3 – California 2
W-Rojas
S-Flanagan
BS-Gray
L-Harris.
Winnipeg up 2-0 but California was heading home and had Ryan to turn things around…
Game #3: Tom Candiotti (19-9 2.06) vs. Nolan Ryan (23-4 1.33)
Winnipeg went with their playoff ace Candiotti the 80 mph knuckler vs Ryan and his 100 mph fastball.
Top of the second: Jay Buhner hits a solo homer, then George Bell goes back to back.. California fans can’t believe it.
Top of the third: Sax walks with one out. Ryan loses it an hits Ventura with the pitch. There would be no brawl as Ventura hobbled to first. Buhner then singled in Sax but the rally ended there as Ryan got George Bell and Millagan. Winnipeg 3-0
Ryan is pulled after 6 innings 3 runs and 6 strikeouts. Quality yes but not enough as Candiotti was amazing still throwing a shutout.
Top of the 8th: Buhner single went to second and with two outs Millagan singled him in. Winnipeg 4 California 0
Top of the 9th: Devereaux took Berenguer deep and it was 5-0.. Candiotti was still in for the complete game
Bottom of the 9th: Molitor out, Hojo out. But Pendleton walked, O’Neill got a seeing eye single..Nokes the Quakes best hitter hits one over Buhner! 3 run homer, Quake fans return to their seats…
Freeman replaces Candiotti and Ozzie Smtih trys to play hero but comes up short and flys out to the track.
Final Score: Winnipeg 5 – California 3
W_Candiotti(1-0)
L-Ryan(0-1)
S-Freeman(1)
Winnipeg up 3 games to 0. How could this have happened…
Game #4: Andy Benes (17-9 2.79) vs. Bret Saberhgaen (17-11 2.57)
Winnipeg returned to Benes and California asked Saberhagen to save the series for them. Ex quake Brian Downing leg was finally well enough to play so he got the call for Winnipeg.
Top of the first: Steve Sax singles and was on second with two out when George Bell played hero for Winnipeg with an rbi single. Winnipeg up 1-0
Top of the Second: Mike Scoicia hits a home run for Winnipeg. Even worse Vizquel walks and scores on a two out Bip Roberts single. Then Ventura drove in Roberts! Suddenly Winnipeg was up 4-0. Incomes the gloves for Winnipeg as it was hold on time.
But…the Quakes got to the World series for a reason..
Bottom of the second: But Benes makes and error Pendleton reaches and O’Neill homers.. Its now a 4-2 game and its only the 2nd inning.
Bottom of the third: Randolph singles, and Whitaker singles. He gets Molitor and Canseco to ground out but that made the game 4-3.
Bottom of the 4th: Benes out Flanagan in to face Nokes with Pendleton on second but Matt Nokes stays hot and ties the game 4-4. Flanagan did get Ozzie to hit into a DP as Ventura goes 5-4-3.
Top of the 5th: With two out Ex Quake Brian Downing shakes all of California with a solo homer. Suddenly the Momentum switched back as it was now 5-4 Winnipeg.
Bottom of the 5th: Randolph walks off Flanagan, then Whitaker hits into a FC. Molitor gets hit by the pitch. Freeman is in to face Canseco. Canseco flys out to CF and Hojo strikes out disaster averted for Winnipeg. Still a 5-4 game
Bottom of the 7th
Whitaker singles and goes to second on the wild pitch. Molitor the winning run is intentionally walked by Willis to face Canseco. But Willis gets the foul pop up and the MVP outfielder is ballistic. Still 5-4 Winnipeg.
Bottom of the 8th
Hojo walks, Pendleton FC, infield hit by O’Neill and Matt Nokes up. Nokes was the hottest hitter for California. Winnipeg had no Flanagan anymore and no second lefty to go to. Would this be the point the Winnipeg bullpen would finally fail? Nokes smashed it to McGwire who gets a force-out at second. So it was Ozzie Smith up 1st and 3rd down by a run. And Willis still on the mound. Ozzie can’t do it hit hit it to Vizquel and he flips to Sax for the 6-4 out,
Top of the 9th Harvey into keep it a 1 run game.
The closer gets Scocia and Vizquel but Sax walks, Devereaux doubles him in.. Winnipeg has insurance 6- 4 now.
Bottom of the ninth
Willie Randolph 1-3
Lou Whitaker 4-3
Molitor drive by Sax 4-3
and that does it! The Winnipeg Goldeyes win the MWWL World Series miracles do happen!
Final Score: Winnipeg 6 – California 4
W-Flanagan(1-0)
S-Willis(1)
L-Saberhagen
It was totally unexpected as Winnipeg shows why we love baseball. A team that really had nothing on California not only manages to win but wins in a sweep. Georges California team deserved better ín every way and had a bullpen that seems like over kill yet it was needed in this series.
Winnipeg’s Manager Kuryliw did seem to make the right moves this season adding Sanderson, Sax, Candiotti, Sciocia, Flanagan, Downing to a decent but not a sure playoff team. During the world series risky moves were made sending runners, walking the winning run to face Canseco and emptying the bench in every game it seemed.
The 1991 World Series MVP ended up being the veteran catcher Mike Scoicia as he hit .462 with a .563 OB% and seemed to be involved in all the big moments. His dash from first in the 11th inning of game one as Bell’s doubled will never be forgotten in Canada. Although his counterpart Matt Nokes was amazing hitting .357 with 2 homers and 7 rbis her was over half of the entire Quake offense.
For California its the disappoint that shows up Johnson and Canseco go 2 for 17(.118) with their homers being solo shots. Molitor even worse 2 for 16 no runs and no rbis. Winnipeg relief pitching what was thought their achilles heel sure wasn’t as they went 3-0 with 3 saves over 14.1 innings with a 1.26 era.