Atlanta Clinches West Title
Most Offensive Team Ever Sets Sights on World Series
ATLANTA (Sep. 22) -- Felix Mantilla, Oscar Gamble, and Bernie Allen homered off rookie Ross Grimsley and Eddie Watt stemmed the tide of a four-run bullpen leak to earn his 17th save, as Atlanta beat Detroit 6-5 to earn the team's second West Division title since leaving Louisville in 1965.  Bill Russell scored the winning run in the bottom of the eighth on a pair of Grimsley wild pitches.  The win eliminated the Dallas Texans, who were tied for first as late as July 20 but faded from the race after the Hilltoppers went on a 25-12 run.

Atlanta now await the outcome of the East Division race to determine their opponent in the World Series, which will open at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium on Oct. 2.  The Toppers need to win six of their last seven games to complete the first 100-win season in franchise history.  They won 99 games en route to their pennant and championship in 1967.

It's been all about offense this year in Atlanta.  The club is averaging 5.9 runs per game, a full 1.2 runs more than any other team, and is on pace to score 940 runs, shattering Brooklyn's 1962 record of 907 runs.  Joe Torre needs just six RBIs to set a new RBI record, Rocky Colavito has a career high 114 RBIs, and Felix Mantilla and Sal Bando have more than 90 RBIs.

But manager Glen Reed has squeezed some great pitching performances out of his staff as well.  Despite playing in the most hitter friendly park in the league, in the rarified air of Fulton-County Stadium, the team ranks sixth in ERA and its starters rank fifth.  All five regular starters have ERAs under 3.90, and Steve Carlton is second in strikeouts and tied for third in wins.

Torre Trips
Joe Torre's bid to win the first Triple Crown in league history hit a snag this week when Frank Robinson hit five home runs in three days to catapult to the top of the home run chart.  Torre meanwhile hit just one dinger in his last six games.  With seven games to go, the Outlaw has 45 home runs to Joe Torre's 43.  Joe is still on track for his third batting title and the single-season RBI record.

Monuments Magic Number is 5
Wise Returns, Tosses 4th Shutout
WASHINGTON (Sep. 22) -- In one of the most convincing wins of the season, Rick Wise threw a 4-hit shutout and Dave Cash and Gene Alley anchored a 15-hit barrage as the Monuments crushed the Spiders 12-0 in San Francisco to expand their East Division lead to three games and cut their magic number to five.  Wise (13-7, 3.22) had missed two weeks with a herniated disk, but came back strong for his league-leading fourth shutout of the year.  The win prevented a sweep at the hands of the Arachnids after Washington won a series in Los Angeles and swept Dallas at home to maintain their margin over Boston and Detroit.

For Detroit, the season comes down to a three-game series at Griffith Stadium this weekend.  The Griffins are four games back with seven to play and must sweep the Mons to have any chance to win their first pennant.  The Monuments are not complacent, however, and are keenly aware of their own improbable run to the pennant last year, when Detroit blew an 8-game lead in the last month of the season.  Detroit swept St. Louis at home Sept. 17-19, but lost five of the last six games on the road.  Boston lost road series at Atlanta and Chicago, and after a home series against Brooklyn will play two games each at Washington and Detroit to finish the season.
 

WEST DIVISION Center fielder Bob Allison suffered his 10th injury in the last two seasons when he had an emergency appendectomy on Sept. 24 that will shelf him for the World Series.     Rod Carew slapped his 200th hit of the year Sept. 21, giving him four 200-hit seasons in his five-year career.      Frank Robinson had 5 HR in 3 games Sept. 19-21 to overtake Joe Torre for the HR lead.  Mike Epstein homered twice Sept. 18.   Rookie Bill Parsons pitched a 2-hit shutout Sept. 17.  Wilbur Wood tossed 8 shutout innings Sept. 20, but the Colts lost to Cleveland 3-2 in the 9th.    Lew Burdette is winless in 11 starts since May 4, leaving him stuck on 305 wins, 7 behind all-time leader Johnny Antonelli.    Fergie Jenkins needs one strikeout to join Larry Dierker and Steve Carlton as the only pitchers under 29 with 1,000 Ks.

EAST DIVISION Johnny Podres pitched a 5-hit complete game in a 7-1 win at LA Sept. 14.  After missing 7 weeks with a herniated disk, Al Oliver has 18 RBIs in his last 20 games.   Chuck Hinton homered twice Sept. 15 and was Player of the Week 9/20 with a .531 average.    Johnny Edwards had 3 hits, including a homer in a 12-5 at Atlanta Sept. 21.     Pete Ward is hitting .339 and Ron Santo has a .944 OPS in September.  Bob Johnson had 6 RBI in a 9-6 win over LA Sept. 17.    Ernie McAnally has a 6-2 record and 2.59 ERA in 10 starts since being inserted into the rotation on Aug. 1.     Ken Holtzman is finishing strong, with a 2.20 ERA and 2-0 record in his last 4 starts, including a 3-hit shutout Sept. 15.  Notable: after a 4-19 year last year, he has a winning record (4-3).