|
FOUNDER'S CUP 2006
 Louisville,
Cleveland Win Groups
Earl Francis Leads Barons
to Group Stage Perfection
DALLAS (July 6) -- The Louisville Colonels
and Cleveland Barons swept through their groups with perfect 5-0 records to earn
the top seeds in the knockout stage of the inaugural Founder's Cup.
Louisville won two of its games in the last inning, edging Boston 5-4 on Hank
Aaron's 11th inning home run and toppling Washington on Al Kaline's game-winning
RBI double in the ninth in their fourth game. In between, the Colonels
blanked Los Angeles 3-0 on Herm Wehmeier's five-hit shutout and blasted Dallas
15-8 with seven extra base hits and Willie Jones' 5-for-6.
Cleveland opened the tournament with a 8-4 win over St. Louis, as
rookie third baseman Ed "The Glider" Charles hammered two homers and drove in
five runs. But it was rookie starter Earl Francis who earned the Barons'
their Group B title. Francis shone in a pair of wins, holding Manhattan to
four hits in a 2-1 win in game two, and blanking San Francisco with a one-hit
shutout. Francis is red hot, going 3-0, 0.53 in his last four starts, and
will be ready to go in the Founder's Cup final should Cleveland defeat
Washington and the winner of St. Louis/Dallas in the knockout stage.
Colts, Griffins Crash Out
Chicago and Detroit, two of the league's top teams, failed to advance to the
Founder's Cup Quarterfinals. The West-leading Colts, who posted the
league's best record in the first half, lost their first three games by one run,
then were knocked out of the tournament by St. Louis in a 13-2 laugher.
The Colts had their share of scoring chances, leaving 16 men on base in the 5-4
loss to Manhattan in game one, and 14 more in the 4-3 loss to the Spiders, but
the club got no help from Don Elston, who blew saves in games one and three, the
latter in dramatic fashion as Cleveland rallied from 3-1 behind to win in the
ninth.
Detroit's issue was even more fundamental -- the Griffins just
couldn't score any runs. Literally. After a 4-3 loss to San
Francisco and a 2-0 win over St. Louis behind yet another Joey Jay gem, the
Griff scored exactly zero runs in their final three group games, 2-0, 3-0, and
9-0 defeats. Detroit hit .209 in the five group stage games.
|
|
GROUP A |
GROUP B |
|
DAY 1 |
Brooklyn 5, Dallas 0
Lew Burdette 7-hit SHO, 13 K
Louisville 5, Boston 4 (11)
Hank Aaron: 3-6, HR in 11th
Washington 9, Los Angeles 6
Blanchard, Larker 2-run 2B
|
Manhattan 5, Chicago 4 (10)
Alou 2 RBI, Gus Bell GWRBI
San Francisco 4, Detroit 3
Brock, Carrasquel RBIs in 9th
Cleveland 8, St. Louis 4
Ed Charles 2 HR, 5 RBI |
|
DAY 2 |
Brooklyn 4, Boston 1
Whitey Ford CG, 6 H, 1 R, 11 K
Louisville 3, Los Angeles 0
Herm Wehmeier 3-hit SHO, 2 W, 6 K
Dallas 5, Washington 1
Dick Donovan CG, 8 H, 1 R
|
Detroit 2, St. Louis 0
Joey Jay 8.1, 4 H, 0 R, 6 K
San Francisco, 4, Chicago 3
Chico Carrasquel 2-4, 2 RBI
Cleveland 2, Manhattan 1
Earl Francis 8.0, 4 H, 1 R |
|
DAY 3 |
Washington 9, Brooklyn 7 (12)
Romano 6 RBI, Larker 2-run HR in 12th
Louisville 15, Dallas 8
Billy Moran 4 RBI, Willie Jones 5-6
Boston 7, Los Angeles 4
Orlando Cepeda 3-5, HR, 3 RBI
|
St. Louis 5, San Francisco 3
Rocky Bridges 4-5
Cleveland 4, Chicago 3
Don Drysdale CG, 8 H, 3 R, 1 ER
Manhattan 2, Detroit 0
Johnny Podres SHO, 8 H, 1 W, 9 K |
|
DAY 4 |
|
|
|
DAY 5 |
Brooklyn 9, Los Angeles 6
Jim Gentile 3-3, HR; Mickey Mantle HR, 3 RBI
Louisville 4, Washington 3
Billy Goodman 3-3; Hank Aaron 3 RBI
Dallas 6, Boston 3
Norm Siebern 2-4, 3 RBI
|
St. Louis 13, Chicago 2
Floyd Robinson 3 2B, 5 RBI; Pearson 3 R, 3 RBI
Cleveland 3, Detroit 0
John Tsitouris 8.2, 7 H, 0 R; Herzog 2-4
Manhattan 4, San Francisco 1
Billy O'Dell CG, 5 H, 1 R, 1 W, 7 K |
|
DAY 6 |
Louisville 5, Brooklyn 3
Bill Skowron 3-3, HR, 2B, 2 RBI
Dallas 13, Los Angeles 3
Frank Thomas 3-4, 2 HR; Throneberry 4-5
Washington 5, Boston 2
Don Larsen 8.0, 1 ER, 6 K; Hansen 3-run HR
|
Chicago 9, Detroit 0
Billy Pierce SHO, 5 H; Jerry Lumpe 3-5, 5 RBI
Cleveland 6, San Francisco 0
Earl Francis SHO, 1 H, 2 W, 7 K; Bill White 3-3
St. Louis 13, Manhattan 3
Jim Gilliam HR, 3 RBI; Roger Maris 3-5, HR |
|
|
|
|
Group A |
W |
L |
Tiebreak |
|
|
Louisville |
5 |
0 |
|
|
|
Brooklyn |
3 |
2 |
+7 |
|
|
Dallas |
3 |
2 |
+5 |
|
|
Washington |
3 |
2 |
+3 |
|
|
Boston |
1 |
4 |
|
|
|
Los Angeles |
0 |
5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Group B |
W |
L |
Tiebreak |
|
|
Cleveland |
5 |
0 |
|
|
|
St. Louis |
3 |
2 |
HtH |
|
|
Manhattan |
3 |
2 |
|
|
|
San Francisco |
2 |
3 |
|
|
|
Chicago |
1 |
4 |
HtH |
|
|
Detroit |
1 |
4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
QUARTERFINALS |
|
Louisville 9, San
Francisco
Willie Jones was
3-for-4 with a homer, and pitcher Tom Gorman
helped his own cause with three hits and two
RBIs as the Louisville Colonels rolled past the
San Francisco Spiders 9-3. Don Mueller had a
two-run homer, as Spiders starter Al Jackson was
touched for 12 hits and 9 runs in 7.2 innings.
Left fielder Hank Aaron left the game in the
fourth inning with a strained ribcage muscle
after making a diving catch of a Chico
Carrasquel Texas Leaguer, and will be day-to-day
for the next week.
Brooklyn 6, Manhattan 5
The Superbas
rallied from a 5-2 deficit and won the game in
the ninth inning on an RBI single by Mickey
Mantle. Bas' starter Whitey Ford held the Gray
Sox to just four hits, but clustered three of
them together with three walks in the five-run
fifth inning, as the Sox build a three-run
lead. Brooklyn tied the game in the bottom of
the sixth on Del Crandall's 2-run double and Rip
Repulski's RBI double, then won it on Mantle's
single to left off closer Ted Abernathy, which
plated Bobby Brown for the winning run.
Brooklyn will face Louisville in the Founder's
Cup semifinals.
Washington 8, Cleveland 4
Rookie Jim
Hickman doubled twice, driving in three runs,
and Willie Mays added an insurance three-run
homer, as Washington defeated Cleveland 8-4 in
the Founder's Cup Quarterfinals. Stu Miller
struck out 12 Barons and allowed just three
earned runs in 8.1 innings.
St. Louis 6, Dallas 5
A balance St
Louis offense tapped Dallas starter Art
Ceccarelli for six runs in the first four
innings, and never looked back. Roger Maris and
Earl Averill homered as the Maroons built a 6-1
lead. The Texans scored three in the seventh on
Gene Greens' two-run double and a wild pitch and
Del Ennis' solo homer closed the lead to one,
but St Louis closer Dick Radatz shut the door on
the expansion team to earn the fourth and final
spot in the inaugural Founder's Cup semifinals.
|
|
|
|
 9 |
6
|
|
|
|
|
|
 3
|
|
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
 6
|
|
|
|
|
5
|
|
|
|
|
 5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 4
|
|
|
|
|
 3
|
|
|
|
|
8
|
|
|
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
|
 6
|
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
 5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SEMIFINALS |
|
 Louisville
6, Brooklyn 5
Louisville touched three-time Cy Young winner Gene Conley for 10
hits and six runs, and took advantage of three costly errors to
topple the Brooklyn Superbas 6-5 in Dallas. Harry Anderson
doubled twice, driving in a pair, and Johnny Antonelli struck
out 10 en route to his 15th win and first in three tournament
starts. Brooklyn took the lead on former Colonel Felix
Mantilla's two-run double in the top of the first, but
Louisville immediately struck back, scoring four runs on five
hits and the first of two Del Crandall errors. The Colonels
added a pair in the fourth; Bill Skowron singled home Richie
Ashburn, and Don Mueller scored from third on Crandall's second
throwing error on Skowron's steal of second. Brooklyn sliced
the lead to one run on Leo Cardenas' two-run double and Mickey
Mantle's single, but Antonelli and Tom Acker shut down the Bas
bats for the last four innings to seal the win and book their
place in the inaugural Founder's Cup final.
|
 Washington
3, St. Louis 0
Art Houtteman turned in his best performance of the year,
shutting out St. Louis on three hits. The Monuments scored
a run in each of the first three innings. Dick Howser
scored from second on Roger Maris' throwing error in the first,
Norm Larker doubled in Minnie Minoso in the second, and Jim
Hickman hit a leadoff homer in the third. Hickman replaced
Willie Mays, who was ejected in the first inning for arguing
strike calls. Hickman, the fourth overall pick in this
year's draft, homered against Louisville in the group stage and
was 3-for-3 with 3 RBI in the Mons' 8-4 win over Cleveland in
the semifinals.
FINAL PREVIEW:
LOU Wehmeier 10-11, 3.69 (2-0, 1.59 in FC)
WAS Larsen 9-11, 4.43 (1-1, 2.65 in FC)
LOU: W Jones 10-20, 5 RBI; Aaron 4 HR, 8 RBI
WAS: Romano 2 HR, 7 RBI; Hickman 2 HR, 5 RBI |
|
FINAL |
|
 Washington
Wins the Cup
Colonels Arrested by
Larsen, Blanchard's Arm
Washington 3, Louisville
2
DALLAS (July 10) -- Don Larsen bent, but he
didn't break. The Washington righthander allowed 10 hits
and a walk, but took a shutout into the ninth and held on for a
3-2 win, as the Monuments captured the inaugural Founder's Cup.
The Mons went ahead in the bottom of the third. Dick
Howser reached on Al Kaline's error, then scored on Willie Mays
single down the left field line. Louisville starter Herm
Wehmeier held the score to 1-0 until the sixth, when Washington
plated a pair of runs on back-to-back two-out singles by Larsen
and Howser. Larsen took the 3-0 lead into the ninth, but
beaned Willie Jones with one out, igniting a Colonel rally.
Semifinal hero Harry Anderson delivered a pinch hit single, and
Ashburn followed with a single, only to see Puddin' Head gunned
at the plate by Johnny Blanchard's rifle throw from right field.
Pinch hitter Ed Bailey next tripled, scoring two runs instead of
three. Larsen was relieved for closer Bob Chakeles, who
got Hank Aaron to fly out to right-center for the final out.
Washington adds the Founder's Cup to their already crowded trophy
case at Griffith Stadium. The Monuments own four UL
championships from 1952, 1953, 1954, and 1956.
 Monuments
On Top Again
More
Silverware For Mays
by Doug Aiton
WASHINGTON (July 11) -- Six years after the once-storied
Washington franchise last won a trophy, the 3-2 Founders’
Cup victory over Louisville in Dallas brought some
silverware back to the capital. It was tough-luck on
Louisville, who had won seven straight in the competition,
but Don Larsen’s strong performance with a little help from
Bob Chakales put an end to that. Larsen, who has always
walked near as many as he struck out, is up towards the top
end of the league in innings pitched every year, and
epitomises the kind of gutsy player that Washington are
trying to reinvent themselves in the image of.
Of course, the Founders’ Cup victory was more than just Larsen’s
story. Journeyman Art Houtteman pitched a three-hit shutout
against St Louis in the semi-final, Stu Miller held down a
potent Cleveland side in the quarters, Jim Hickman hit a
couple of longballs as did Willie Mays. Even in the group
stages, there were great performances – Norm Larker hit at
twelth-inning walk-off homer against the powerhouse Brooklyn
club, and needing to beat Boston to progress to the
quarter-finals Don Larsen threw 8 innings of 1 run ball and
Ron Hansen smashed a three-run hero.
The victory also must be sweet for Willie Mays, the long-time star
of the Washington franchise. With Stu Miller slipping from
his pedestal, Mays is the face of the franchise. Despite
spending his whole career in the cavernous surroundings of
Griffin Stadium (rumoured to be closed down soon), he’s
clubbed over 350 homers, stolen over 400 bases and by next
year will have collected 2000 hits. This season he’s on
course for over 50 homers, which must translate to something
Ruthian when you consider his surroundings. Perhaps, it
signals a new dawn for the Washington franchise …. now if
they can only break .500 . . .
|
|
|
