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The two teams who finished first and second in the major leagues in hitting met for the 1951 RABL Retro World Series. The Roswell Rancid Raccoons lost a hard fought 7 games series to I-85 in the 1950 ALCS. This season they came back from down 3 games to 2 to defeat the Silk City Worms in the Divisional Series then dispatched the first place Fullerton Titans in 5 games. Roswell was led during the season by Eddie Robinson who batted .334 with 36 HRs while scoring 117 and driving in 143. Carl Furillo hit .313 while scoring 103 runs and driving in 133. Randy Jackson had 118 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. They were joined by Phil Rizzuti who had 25 SBs, hit .327 and scored 137 runs. On the pitching front, Lou Brissie won 14 with 7 Saves while Cliff Chambers and Johnny Sain won 12 games each. Leckrone was 112 games during a season where they had a 21 game winning streak. Their hitters led the major leagues in average (.297), SBs (81), and runs per game (6.2) and their 188 HRs were second best. Alvin Dark hit .313 with 103 runs and 127 RBI. Mickey Vernon hit .328 with 106 RBIs while Dale Michell (.338) and Bobby Avila (15 SB) each scored over 100 runs. Leckrone's pitchig staff led the major leagues in ERA at 3.68. The staff was led by Warren Spahn (26-7, 3.13), Mike Garcia (22-2, 2.93) and Ed Lopat (19-7, 3.37). Ted Wilks (21 Saves) and Luis Aloma (18 Saves) anchored a deep bullpen. The Bobcats defeated a tough Sacramento River Cats team in 6 games in the NLCS. |
Game 1 at Leckrone Johnny
Sain vs Warren Spahn: The Bobcats jump out to a 3-0 lead in the
bottom of the 1st when Mickey Vernon blasts a 3-run HR for his 2nd of
the playoffs. Dale Mitchell (#2), Walker Cooper (#4), Gil
McDougald (#s 1 and 2), Vernon (#3), and Gil Coan (#s 1 and 2) added
HRs in "band box" known as the Polo Grounds. Spahn goes all the
way for a 3 hit shutout. Leckrone 15 Roswell 0 |
Game 2 at Leckrone Cliff
Chambers vs Eddie Lopat. The Bobcats take a 1-0 1st inning lead
on McDougald's 3rd HR of the Series. Roswell comes right back
scoring 4 times in the top of the 2nd. Randy Jackson and Billy
Goodman singled and Gus Niarhos walked to load the bases.
Chambers helped his own cause by drilling a 2-RBI hit to RF. Phil
Rizzutto followed with another RBI single ahead of a Sac Fly by Bobby
Doerr to close the scoring. Leckrone got 2 back in their half of
the 4th on Vernon's 3rd HR of the Series. Mitchell's 2nd HR of
the Series tied it at 4 in the 4th. Jackie Jensen's 2-out RBI
single in the 5th gave the Bobcats a lead that Lopat with help from Sam
Zoldak, Ted Wilks, Luis Aloma and the play of the Series made stand
up. That play occurred with Roswell down 7-4 in the top of the
8th. Goodman reached on an error and Niarhos walked. PH Bob
Dillinger then lashed a liner that looked to be heading for extra
bases. However, 2B Bobby Avila leaped and speared it before
starting a Triple Play that ended the threat! Leckrone 8 Roswell 4 |
Mike Garcia vs Hal Newhouser. The Bobcats strike first. A walk and 3 singles leading off the 2nd plates 2 runs and after a Passed Ball and a throwing error by Doerr, 2 more score. Roswell gets 2 of those back in the 3rd. Carl Furrilo's Double drives in Doerr and puts runners at 2nd and 3rd. Eddie Robinson's Sac Fly plates the other. The Bobcats add 3 more runs in the 4th on a RBI Double by Jensen, an Alvin Dark Sac Fly and a PB. Furillo's groundout scored a run in the 7th for Roswell's final run. The Bobcats take a commanding 3 games to 0 lead. Leckrone 8 Roswell 3 |
Game 4 at Roswell Warren
Spahn vs Frank Hiller. The best game of the series. The
Rancid Raccoons open the scoring in the 1st when Furillos' single
plates Rizzuto who had hit a Double. The Bobcats drew even in the
3rd on Cooper's 2nd HR of the Series, then went ahead in the 5th on
solo HRs by Cooper and McDougald. A McDougald single drove in
Leckrone's 4th run in the 7th. Roswell rallied against Spahn in
the 8th. Doerr singled and Lary Doby Double'd him to 3rd.
After Furillo walked to load the bases, Spahn got Eddie Robinson to
ground into a 1-2-3 DP. However, Randy Jackson lashed a clutch
2-out Double in the gap. An error by Dark put runners on the
corners, but Spahn escaped with the lead. Ted Wilks took over for
Spahn in the bottom of the 9th with Leckrone 3 outs from a World Series
victory. PH Lloyd Merriman grounded out. Wilks then plunked
Rizzuto with a pitch and uncorked a wild pickoff attempt putting
Rizzuto at 2nd. Doerr made him pay as his single plated the tying
run. Doby and Robinson then walked around a Furillo flyout to
load the bases. Jackson, however, hit a comebacker to send the
game to extra innings. In the top of the 10th, the Bobcats plated
4 runs on 4 hits and 4 walks with 3 runs coming after 2 were out.
In the bottom of the 10th, Goodman laced a Double off Luis Aloma and
scored 1 out later on a Triple by Dave Cole. Aloma,
however, retired the next 2 hitters and Leckrone caps a 112 win
season with a World Series championship. Leckrone 8 Roswell 5 |
Leckrone gets all the breaks and wins the 1951 World Series over Roswell in a sweep.
Gil McDougald is the Series MVP. He went 10-19 with 4 HRs and 6 RBIs.
While
the Rancid Raccoons had no luck in the World Series, Roswell finished
the regular season with a 77-77 record then dispatched both Silk City
and Fullerton who had identical 83-71 records.
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