[Westheim]

The Knights owned the Raccoons outright during the regular season, taking six of nine contests between the two teams. Their assortment of left-handed batters was fear-inducing and had broken Raccoons pitching more than once. Michael Root had banged a record 41 home runs this season, and fellow outfielder Sakutaro Ine and switch hitter Mario Rodriguez were also not to toy with. In Eddy Bailey and ex-Coon Dimian Barrios they also had a few high-OBP guys to drive home.

Their rotation was headed by Carlos Asquabal, who had led the CL in strikeouts this year, and Kiyohira Sasaki, who had helped defeat the Coons in the 1983 World Series when he was with the Stars. Juan Correa also hungered for another chance to reach greatness at 38 years of age. The bullpen had a few holes, but the backend was a tough beast to fight against.

If there was anything going in favor of the Raccoons, it was the fact that they had only Daniel Dumont, a 3rd/4th outfielder, and reliever Albert Matthews on the DL, while the Knights had been ravaged by injuries, missing three potent bats in Shoichi Fujino, Luis Barrera, and Marcinek Wodaj, as well as starting pitcher Glenn Ryan.

This was a team that had led the Continental League in many offensive categories this season, and the Raccoons pitchers were in for a few hot days.

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One thing in advance: the game ****ed me over before the playoffs ever began by not allowing a 25th man on the playoff roster. There were only 23 players eligible from September 1, with Dumont and Matthews heading to the DL, and it only let me substitute one of them (adding Neil Reece) and now the Raccoons have to play a man short.

I’m pissed. I’m REALLY pissed.

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1989 CONTINENTAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Portland Raccoons (95-67) @ Atlanta Knights (96-66)

Game 1 – Kisho Saito (17-5, 2.72 ERA) vs. Carlos Asquabal (19-7, 3.13 ERA)

The first blow to the Raccoons’ ambitions didn’t take long to be delivered. In the bottom 1st, with one out and one on, Sakutaro Ine lined hard into left field, and Daniel Hall made a great play. He also hurt a rib cage muscle, left the game, and was out for the rest of the playoffs.

-.-

Amongst strong performances by both pitchers, Saito was the first to crumble, hitting Valerio Saldana in the third inning. Saldana went to third on a single by Dimian Barrios, where he collided with a stubborn Mark Dawson. Saldana was out and injured, and thus out twice. Saldana’s replacement Mario Rodriguez scored in the inning, but Tetsu Osanai tied the game back in the top 4th with a sac fly.

Saito singled himself off Asquabal to start the top 6th, only the Coons’ third hit that day. Gonzalez was asked to bunt, but popped it up and Asquabal made an easy catch. Glenn Johnston had to hit something a long way to get the slow-footed Saito to score, and he launched a shot that went over Ine in left and fell in, bounced off the wall and away from Ine and ended up being a go-ahead RBI triple. Jeff Martin, who had replaced the fallen Hall, sacrificed him in.

Michael Root hit a 2-out double in the bottom 6th, but Saito struck out C Joreao Paulos to quell that threat and keep our 3-1 lead together. Saito went seven innings eventually on 113 pitches. Lagarde got the first two outs in the eighth, then was replaced by Goodman with Ine and Root up. Ine went to a full count, on which he took a huge rip – but missed. Side retired.

Top 9th: Osanai and Dawson both singled to start the inning. Higgins bunted them over. Goodman was in the #7 spot and replaced with Dadswell, who struck out. Vinson grounded out to leave the two men in scoring position. It didn’t matter, though. Grant West came in, and starting with Root retired the Knights in order.

Raccoons won, 3-1, to take the lead in the CLCS. Martin 1-2, 2B, RBI; Reece (PH) 1-1; Saito 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, W and 1-2;

Elsewhere: Wolves @ Blue Sox … 4-1 … (Wolves lead 1-0) … SAL Terry Murphy 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K;

Before game 2, Daniel Hall was moved to the DL for the rest of the month.

1989 CONTINENTAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Portland Raccoons (95-67) @ Atlanta Knights (96-66)

Game 2 – Scott Wade (21-6, 3.44 ERA) vs. Kiyohira Sasaki (17-5, 2.95 ERA)

We already had a hole in our lineup now. Dawson batted third, Quinn fifth, and Martin seventh (behind Higgins) for this game. Key here was how Wade would handle Ine and Root, who both owned him, hitting .385 and .500, respectively, both with a homer against him.

The Knights loaded the bases in the bottom 1st, despite Wade punching out Root, and only a great play by Dawson for the final out held the tie together. Bobby Quinn drew a leadoff walk in the top 2nd, stole second, and two outs later was picked off by Sasaki.

The bottom 3rd got the game really moving. A 1-out triple by Jesus Berrios got Wade in trouble, and Ine doubled to give the Knights a lead. Root popped to Gonzalez, who couldn’t catch it and the runners were on the corners. Eddy Bailey then flew into short left, where Quinn caught the ball. Ine tagged and moved for home, but Quinn’s momentum and an excellent throw beat him to the plate, where Ine collided with Vinson – and Ine was injured, and out.

Down 1-0, Johnston opened the fourth with a single, but Dawson just missed the stands behind right field, Root caught that one, and the inning fizzled out quickly. Back-to-back doubles by Jack Jackson and Juan Nunez gave the Knights a 2-0 lead in the bottom 4th. Higgins homered in the fifth, only the Coons’ second hit that day, 2-1 Knights.

Root was walked intentionally for the first time in the series in the bottom 5th with a runner on second and one out, but ultimately the strategy didn’t get the Raccoons very far, since the Knights still scored a run in the inning.

Wade was done after six innings, while Sasaki was motoring and striking out raw amounts of Furballs. He went seven frames and punched out nine. Tetsu Osanai struck out four times in the game, three times against Sasaki.

A leadoff triple by Jesus Berrios in the bottom 7th off Cordero did not lead to a run, as Cordero punched out two, including Root, and then got a grounder from Bailey. The Knights added a run in the eighth off Martinez. Dawson led off the top 9th with a double, but two outs later was still on third base. Higgins singled to score him, but Martin grounded out and the game was over.

4-2 Knights, series was tied heading to Portland. Higgins 3-4, HR, 2 RBI;

Elsewhere: Wolves @ Blue Sox … 2-0 … (Wolves lead 2-0) … SAL Dragoljub Djukic 9.0 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K; NAS Steve Thompson 9.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K;