PRELIMINARY ROUND
Series #130
1995 New York Yankees (79-65) vs 1974 Kansas City Royals (77-85)
The building blocks were already in place as the next Yankee dynasty was about to take flight. Two key pieces of the 1995 team however would not be part of the imminent success, as manager Buck Showalter and the great Don Mattingly were in their final seasons. The 1995 club overachieved in many peoples eyes even if they lost a heartbreaker against Seattle in the ALDS, this is a club that should not be taken lightly. Mattingly was hurting physically and hit .288 while slugging only .413 with 7 home runs. Still he only struck out 35 times and drilled 32 doubles while maintaining a good glove at first. The star of the team was 26 year old Bernie Williams in center. Williams hit .307 with 82 driven in and 93 runs scored totaling a .878 OPS. Next to him in the outfield was the intense Paul O'Neil who hit 22 home runs and drove in 96 keeping in mind the 1995 was a short season. Pauly hit exactly .300 while the final outfield spot was usually filled by Luis Polonia or Rueben Sierra. Sierra had a 95 OPS plus hitting .260 while Polonia was more of a defender and speed option who struggled to make hard contact. Tony Fernandez was the 33 year old shortstop for most of the season but after hitting only .245, he was replaced by rookie sensation Derek Jeter who soon took over the role but was as green as could be at 21. Pat Kelly and Randy Velarde played the rest of the time in the infield mostly at second, neither was very good although the latter stole 6 bases and hit .278. Thirty seven year old legend Wade Boggs took his place at the hot corner hitting an impressive .324 with a .412 OBP showing that he still have alot to give even as the power stroke was gone. Mike Stanley did most of the catching and delivered 18 home runs with 83 RBI, excellent numbers for a catcher. Darryl Strawberry and Danny Tartabull are two veteran names that also played a big role when called upon. The bullpen was anchored by John Wetteland who saved 33 games with a 2.93 ERA10 K per nine. In support of him was Bob Wickman and Steve Howe who both had the knowhow to hold leads in tough sports. As for Mariano Rivera, he had a 5.51 ERA and even made 10 starts, he was galaxies away from being the great closer he would become. Jack McDowell won 15 games and started in 30, he had a 3.93 ERA and a 4.30 FIP showing that consistency wasnt a strong point. Andy Pettitte was 12-9 at 23 years old with a 4.17 ERA and a high WHIP of 1.4. David Cone came on strong going 9-2 in 99 innings of work with 89 K. Sterling Hitchcock made 27 starts with an ERA near 5 and losing 10 times in the process. Melido Perez and Scott Kamienieki were also part of the mix but wont see a start in this series and likely will be in long relief. The Yankee rotation was a rough spot for a team that had a good bullpen and a lineup that got on base and could hit in the clutch.
Another team that was building something special was coming together in the 1974 Royals. A number of young stars, including 21 year old George Brett at third base, were learning the ropes in real time and even as this particular club lost 85 games, manager Jack McKeon had alot of talent to work with. As for Brett he hit .282 in 133 games with only 2 home runs and 49 runs, The improvement over the season however could be seen both at the dish and with the glove. Freddie Patek was the everyday shortstop hitting only .225 but showing off speed with 33 steals, 72 runs, and 6 triples. John Mayberry still had some pop at first base slugging .424 with 22 home runs but he too could not hit for average. Amos Otis was a very good all around player in centerfield stealing 18 bases with 72 RBI and a 121 OPS+. Jim Wohlford patrolled left but also had only 2 home runs hitting .271 that was obviously underwhelming for the position. Two veterans made their mark for the club starting with 35 year old Vida Pinson in right. Pinson hit .276 with 21 steals but only 45 runs and 41 RBI making him the same type of hitter with too many in the order. Second baseman Cookie Rojas was a smart player at his advanced age and did drive in 60 runs with 147 hits in 144 games. Fran Healy was a good catcher driving in 53 runs with 24 doubles at the position. At DH was the very consistent Hal McRae who proved himself as the best hitter on the team. He hit .288 with 15 home runs and 36 doubles for 256 total bases. Young Frank White was part of the infield depth and Orlando Cepeda also had a roster spot. Buck Martinez and Al Cowens were the regular reserve men for McKeon. At 24 years old Steve Busby tried to take the moniker of ace winning 22 games with a 3.39 ERA and three shutouts; he struck out 198 batters in 292 innings to add to an impressive season. Paul Splittorff lost 19 games with a 4.10 ERA and 23 home runs allowed. The lefty had some back luck but making hard contact on him didnt seem to be a problem. Al Fitzmorris was 13-6 with a 2.79 ERA even if his FIP was 3.56 he did provide some quality innings for the staff. Bruce De Canton was good in his 22 starts and might see a role in this series but he does have some control issues. Nelson Briles had a 4.02 ERA and an even better FIP as he is yet another option to bolster the staff. Doug Bird played the role of closer but saved only 10 games, still in any capacity he was in he did well with his 2.73 ERA. Lindy McDaniel and Marty Pattin will also be used if the starters in a particular game prove ineffective. Both this Royals team and the 1995 Yankees are similar clubs, the edge for New York would be with the bats while the Royals have some very good starting pitching. There is also some history between these two franchises including two very capable manager.
Game 1 At Yankee Stadium
Partly cloudy 59
1974 Royals.....................5
1995 Yankees...................3
WP: G. Garber (1-0) LP: D. Pavlas (0-1) D. Bird (1)
HR: P. O'Neil (1)
POG: Steve Busby
1974 Royals lead series 1-0
The Yankees held a 3-2 lead heading into the 8th where the Royals rallied and Hal McRae delivered the go ahead hit off Dave Pavlas. The lead would hold up and KC redeems Steve Busby who struck out seven in 6.2 innings pitched and allowed 2 earned runs. A nice upset in game one for the Royal blues.
Game 2 At Yankee Stadium
Partly cloudy 56
1974 Royals..................9
1995 Yankees................0
WP: B. Dal Canton (1-0) LP: J. McDowell (0-1)
HR: J. Wohlford (1), A. Otis (1), J. Mayberry (1)
POG: Bruce Del Canton
1974 Royals lead series 2-0
Royals starter Bruce Dal Canton can be frustrating on the mound at times, and in this one he walked six men while striking out seven, but in the end had a performance to remember. Dal Canton went the whole way completing a shutout at Yankee Stadium allowing only 5 hits. John Mayberry had a three run home run as Jack McDowell didnt have it in what was an easy win for the visitors who control this series.
Game 3 At Royals Stadium
Partly cloudy 53
1995 Yankees......................9
1974 Royals........................10 (10 inn)
D. Bird (1-0) LP: B. Wickman (0-1)
HR: F. Healy (1), B. Williams (1)
POG: Bernie Williams
1974 Royals lead series 3-0
Amos Otis delivered a walk off double in the 10th inning to set Royals Stadium alight as the Kansas City team is one game away from a sweep. This was a wild one as the home team had a 4 run lead in the ninth before New York roared back on Doug Bird helped by a big error by George Brett. The Royals had 20 hits in this game including 4 from Tony Solaita. Bernie Williams went 4-5 for the Yanks with 3 RBI but pitching for both sides in this one was drilled.
Game 4 At Royals Stadium
Partly cloudy 55
1995 Yankees.....................7
1974 Royals........................5
WP: M. Rivera (1-0) LP: D. Leonard (0-1) S: B. Wickman (1)
HR: A. Otis (2), P. O'Neil (2), P. Kelly (1)
POG: Paul O'Neil
1974 Royals lead series 3-1
The Yankees were determined not to suffer a sweep and Paul ONiel hit a three run home run in the first inning to show it. The Royals however scored 4 runs in the 2nd thanks to a George Brett double to take the lead. Pat Kelly put New York back up in the 4th with a 2 run home run and the Yanks would survive. O'Neil ended with 5 RBI and an unlikely Mariano Rivera gets the win in relief.
Game 5 At Royals Stadium
Clear 60
1995 Yankees........................3
1974 Royals...........................2
WP: A. Pettitte (1-0) LP: S. Busby (0-1) S: M. Perez (1)
HR: None
POG: Andy Pettitte
1974 Royals lead series 3-2
Pat Kelly came up with another big hit doubling in two runs in the 4th inning to give his side the lead that they would preserve. It was Andy Pettitte who proved to have the resolve holding off the Royals for seven innings before Melido Perez earned a 2 inning save for the fatigued Yankee pen. Now things get very interesting as the series moves to the Bronx.
Game 6 At Yankee Stadium
Partly Cloudy 54
1974 Royals.........................6
1995 Yankees......................3 (11 inn)
WP: D. Bird (2-0) LP: B. Wickman (0-2)
HR: A. Otis (3)
POG: Amos Otis
Cookie Rojas delivered a two run single off of Bob Wickman in the 11th inning as the Royals put 3 three runs on the board and pull away to win their third game at Yankee Stadium to win the series in six. Amos Otis drove in three for the winning side including 2 in the first inning with his third home run of the series. New York fought back but never had the lead in this one and never had the lead in the series.
1974 Kansas City Royals Win Series 4 Games To 2
Series MVP:
Amos Otis
(.462, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 7 R, 2 2B, .885 SLG)