PRELIMINARY ROUND
Series #111
1923 Brooklyn Robins (76-78) vs 1967 Baltimore Orioles (76-85)
A tough year for the Dodgers in 1923 as they failed to stay competitive in the National League and finished in the second division despite only being 2 games under .500. Wilbert Robinson just did not have enough quality in the lineup with legend outfielder Zack Wheat turning 35 and only playing in 98 games due to wear and tear. When Wheat did play, he was all quality hitting .375 with 65 RBI and a .927 OPS. The everyday star in the order was first baseman Jack Fouirnier who drove in 102 runs with 22 home runs and an outstanding .351 average while slugging .426, he really was a an underrated star. Jimmy Johnson had a steady .325 from second base with 11 triples and catcher Zack Taylor at 24 years old was improving daily batting .312 with 46 RBI in 98 games. That unfortunately is where the quality ends, as players like thrid baseman Andy High were less then average as he hit .270 but drove in only 37 runs in 123 games. Bernie Nels also hit .270 with the same RBI total in three more games while Gene Baily was a .265 hitter but overall had only a 81 OPS+. Tommy Griffith at 33 years old had 66 RBI and showed signs of life but like Wheat, he best was behind him. Twenty-one year old Moe Berg was way over his head at short and there was little behind him for relief. Burleigh Grimes went 21-18 giving everything in 327 innings with a 3.69 FIP. Dazzy Vance was a solid second man winning 18 games with a 3.50 ERA and 197 strikeouts, very good for the time. Lefty Dutch Ruether wasnt as dependable with a 4.22 ERA and Leo Dickerman was hit even harder with an ERA over 1.5 but a modest ERA of 3.72. Art Decatur was a great weapon in relief for Robinson with his 2.58 ERA while kids Dutch Henry and Paul Schreiber under 21 years old wide eyed as relief aides. It was a different time in Brooklyn, as the franchise knew little about winning and were more a local club that didnt have the respect of the Yanks and Giants. In this series, the Robins as they were known, should have the quality especially in Grimes and Vance to win this series.
A rare pause in a great decade for the Orioles in 1967 saw them lose 85 games and having many wonder how a club so talented could be so poor. Much of the blame went to manager Hank Bauer who would be replaced by Earl Weaver in a seasons time. Young Jim Palmer was only 21 years old and made only 9 starts so likely wont be featured in this series but the remainder of the rotation was all over the place. Making 33 starts Tom Phoebus logged the most innings going 14-9 with a 3.33 ERA but keep in mind this is an era where any ERA over 3 was weak. Pete Richert was better from the left side with a 2.99 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP. Dave McNally made 22 starts but was hit hard with a 4.54 and obviously had something wrong with his arm. Jim Hardin and Gene Brabender only made 14 starts each but had good results in about 100 innings. Hardin especially had a great 140 ERA+ with a 2.27 ERA and 2 complete game shutouts. Steve Barber made 13 starts but lost 8 of them with his 4.78 FIP. Moe Drabowsky was among the best relievers in the league with 13 saves and a 1.60 ERA in 43 games. Eddie Watt and Stu Miller were two more pieces in what was a strength of this team keeping this team in close games. Oriole defense was excellent with Brooks Robinson, Luis Aparicio, and Paul Blair in the everyday lineup. Robinson hit 22 home runs and 25 doubles in a productive year while Blair hit .293 at only 23 years old and showed all the tools of success. Aparicio stole 18 bases at 33 years old even if he was strickly a slap hitter while his keystone mate Davey Johnson who hit only .247 but had some pop with 10 homers and was improving at 24. The big new weapon was that of Frank Robinson to the club and he came through hitting 30 home runs with 94 RBI along with an always intense demeanor and a .929 OPS. Boog Powell had a rough season at first both with the bat and the glove, the big man hit only 13 home runs with a .235 average with a .324 OBP. Andy Ecthebarren hit only .215 as a catcher but had to deal with many different looks and arms behind the dish and was playing for that reason. Curt Blefary had a nice 121 OPS+ in left field with 22 home runs and was a nice addition and Russ Snyder was the main pinch hitter on the bench but had scattered success. Mark Belanger at 23 years old had an impressive glove but a very long way to go at the plate. The Orioles have some real capability of making noise in this series because they do the small things well and have some real talent. It is hard to say what Oriole club we will see.
Game 1 At Ebbets Field
Clear 70
1967 Orioles..................2
1923 Robins..................8
WP: D. Vance (1-0) LP: G. Barbender (0-1)
HR: None
POG: Dazzy Vance
1923 Robins Lead Series 1-0
Gene Brabender was a surprise starter in game one for the Orioles and he ran into immediate trouble allowing three runs in the first and putting his team in too far of a whole before he departed. Dazzy Vance was much more on his game striking out nine over 9 innings and allowing only 2 earned runs. Tommy Griffith was 3-5 with 2 RBI in an 11 hit team effort.
Game 2 At Ebbets Field
Clear 62
1967 Orioles.....................2
1923 Robins.....................6
WP: B. Grimes (1-0) LP: J. Hardin (0-1)
HR: Z. Wheat (1), J. Fournier (1)
POG: Bernie Neis
1923 Robins Lead Series 2-0
Curt Blefary hit a two run double in the top of the first inning but that is as much as the Orioles would get on this day against Dazzy Vance. Brooklyn hit two home runs including one by fan favorite Zack Wheat and two bad Oriole errors added to a Brooklyn day as Vance walked only one and struck out two over nine. Now the series moves to Memorial Stadium as Baltimore must get into win now mode and young Jim Palmer on the mound.
Game 3 At Memorial Stadium
Clear 63
1923 Robins......................3
1967 Orioles......................2
WP: D. Ruether (1-0) LP: J. Palmer (0-1)
HR: B. Robinson (1)
POG: Dutch Ruether
1923 Robins Lead Series 3-0
Brooks Robinson hit a two run home run in the 6th inning off Dutch Ruether and the Orioles gave Jim Palmer the lead into the late innings. The young righty is mature for his age but could not hold it after a Mark Belanger error allowed the tying run to score in the 8th and in the 9th Andy High doubled off the centerfield wall and came around to score on a Stuffy Stewart single. The Robins are looking great as they go for the sweep against the lethargic Birds.
Game 4 At Memorial Stadium
Partly Cloudy 60
1923 Robins.....................3
1967 Orioles.....................7
WP: F. Bertania (1-0) LP: L. Dickerman (0-1)
HR: None
POG: Bob Johnson
1923 Robins Lead Series 3-1
After losing the lead, the Orioles plated five runs in the 6th inning thanks to four errors by the Robins to open the way for their first win. Ivy Olsen had a nightmare game for Brooklyn with three errors at second base and Frank Bertania went the distance walking five along the way. One more game in Baltimore to see if the series continues.
Game 5 At Memorial Stadium
Clear 59
1923 Robins....................5
1967 Orioles....................2
WP: D. Vance (2-0) LP: G. Brabender (0-2)
HR: J. Fournier (2)
POG: Dazzy Vance
A 2-2 tie was broken up in a big way in the 8th inning when Jack Fournier ripped a three run home run off Gene Barbender to seal the fate of the Birds. Dazzy Vance remained steady for his second and most crucial win even though he was short of his best allowing 8 hits and walking seven. The Orioles just never seemed to be in this series and Wilbert Robinson could be happy at the ease in which Brooklyn took the series in five.
1923 Brooklyn Robins Win Series 4 Games To 1
Series MVP:
Dazzy Vance
(2-0, 18 IP, 2.00 ERA, 15 K, 10 BB, 197 ERA+)