United League of American Base B

1965 FOUNDER'S CUP
Iddy Biddy, Buck! Colts Lift the Cup
Rodgers Delivers Clutch Hit, Podres Smoked
CHICAGO 6, CLEVELAND 2
WASHINGTON (July 10) -- Catcher Buck Rodgers doubled to the right-center field gap, scoring Don Demeter and Willie Jones to break open a tight pitchers duel and send the Chicago Colts on their way to a 6-2 win over Cleveland and their first Founders' Cup trophy. Tom "Smoke" Sturdivant allowed 10 hits and four walks, but repeatedly pitched out of jams as the Barons left 23 men on base. Johnny Podres allowed just one earned run (out of three total), but suffered just his fourth loss in 23 starts.
   Chicago opened the scoring with Bob Allison's solo jack in the third, but the Lakesiders strung together four straight hits, including Johnny Roseboro's bunt single, to capture the lead. The score held at 2-1 until the top of the sixth, when Demeter and Jones delivered back-to-back two-out RBI singles to recapture the lead for the Colts. Jim Busby led off the inning with a single, but was erased on Allison's double play. Joe Adcock then singled, and Ernie Banks reached on Gus Bell's error.
   Another error would figure prominently in the breakout eighth inning. With the score still 3-2, Adcock hit a leadoff double off reliever Terry Fox. Banks was intentionally walked and Don Demeter hit into a fielders choice. With runners on the corners and one out, Willie Jones laid down a sac bunt. Roseboro pounced on the ball, wheeled, and fired the ball over first baseman Ron Fairly's head into right field, allowing Adcock to score. On the next at-bat, Rodgers doubled to give Chicago an insurmountable lead. The switch-hitting Rodgers, 26, was the Colts' third round pick in 1962, and is hitting .270-1-34 with a .649 OPS in 66 games.
   Chicago is the fourth team in four years to win the Founders' Cup, and the first from the West Division. The victory was extra sweet for the Colts, who have won four straight West Division titles, but are 0-for-4 in the World Series. The Colts backed into the knockout stage, losing three of its last four group stage games, including a 7-2 loss to Barons, and finished fourth in Group B by a single run. But the starting pitching came around in the quarterfinals, as Bud Daley shut down the Spiders, and the offense exploded for 15 runs against the Hilltoppers, setting up their Final date with Cleveland.
Seven different teams (out of a possible eight) have appeared in Founders' Cup finals thus far, fulfilling one of the tournament's objectives as an alternative competition for teams out of pennant contention. League president Timothy J. Smith called the tournament "a huge success" and looked forward to its fifth incarnation in St. Louis in 1966.

GM Lance Mueller's clubhouse comments:
"Well, I guess I'm gonna have to have the clubhouse boys back at Comiskey build us a bigger trophy case 'cause man this ones a big ol' sucker! Frankly, I'm a bit shocked by all of this, especially considering our slow start in the tournament, but these guys really showed what they're capable of doing once they got into the knock out round. The guys on this club are real competitors and they just seemed to find a way to pick each other up during this tournament. We got contributions from everywhere -- the bats, the starters, the bullpen, the subs -- man, I'm just so proud of these guys! It's no secret we've struggled in the post season, so I think these guys felt like they had something to prove and they really came out here and showed they could win the 'big ones" when they count. Let's hope the momentum from this carries us through the rest of the season and right on into another World Series! And I'd just like to take a moment to thank the fans in Chicago for their undying support...this one is for you guys! Now let's go get a brat and a beer!"

FOUNDER'S CUP: GROUP STAGE

GROUP A

GROUP B

July 1

Dallas 5, Washington 4, 12 inn.
Steve Bilko 3-6 with HR and GWRBI in 12th
San Francisco 4, Brooklyn 3
Kralick & Co. pitch 8 shutout innings after 3-run BRO 1st
St. Louis 6, Los Angeles 2
Maris 3-4, Sarni 2 RBI as Sadowski tops Ken Johnson

Chicago 6, Atlanta 2
Bud Daley anchors five-hitter and drives in a run
Detroit 6, Cleveland 1
Ramos 3-hit CG; Held, Brown, and Bouchee homer
Manhattan 8, Boston 6
Pinson homers in matchup of last two FC winners

July 2

San Francisco 3, Washington 2, 13 inn.
McDevitt blows 2-1 lead in 13th for 2nd extra-inn. loss
Los Angeles 9, Brooklyn 3
Aaron, Mantilla each 3-5 with HR; Burdette L (11-4)
Dallas 6, St. Louis 1
Post 3-4, HR, 4 RBI; Ceccarelli 8.0, 6 H, 1 R, 9 K

Detroit 4, Chicago 3
Allen, Edwards, and Held homer; Drysdale 2.0, 4 R, L
Atlanta 9, Manhattan 2
Pavletich 4-5, Hart HR, 3 RBI; M Alou 3-5
Cleveland 3, Boston 1
Dick Groat GW PH RBI in 9th, Dick Williams 3-4

July 3

Los Angeles 5, Dallas 4, 10 inn.
Frank Robinson 2 HR, including GWHR off Crone in 10th
St. Louis 10, San Francisco 6
Frank Torre 4-5, 3 R; B Williams 2 HR; Cheney L (1-14)
Washington 14, Brooklyn 1
Mays 2 HR, including GS off Conley; Ford CG, 14 K

Manhattan 5, Chicago 0
Dean Chance 4-hit shutout, Torre 3-3, 2B
Detroit 9, Boston 7
Jim Cunningham 2 HR, 4 RBI, Hershberger 2-4, 2 RBI
Cleveland 4, Atlanta 3
Portocarrero 8.0, 5 H, 1 ER, 8 K, Elston 15th save

July 4

July 5

San Francisco 8, Los Angeles 7
Fred Whitfield GW 2-run 2B in 9th, Brock 4-6, 2 SB (47)
Washington 2, St. Louis 1
Bob Veale 3-hit CG, 6 K; Mays 2-5, 2 RBI
*Dallas 5, Brooklyn 4
"Clank" Blefary GW 2-run HR in 6th (1st UL HR)

*Cleveland 4, Manhattan 1
Rusty Staub 3-3, HR, 3 RBI; Podres 7.1, 6 H, 1 R, W (12-3)
*Detroit 9, Atlanta 2
Koufax 8.0, 5 H, 1 R; Johnny Edwards 2-3, 3 RBI
Chicago 2, Boston 0
Mossi (14-3) 9-hit SHO, 7 K; Demeter 2-run HR in 2nd

July 6

*San Francisco 6, Dallas 4
McCovey 2 HR, GW HR in 8th; Brock 3-5; C Boyer HR
*Washington 4, Los Angeles 2
Don Larsen W (9-6) 7.2, 2 R, 2-2, 2 RBI
Brooklyn 5, *St. Louis 2
Mantle 2 HR, 3 RBI, Jim Perry 6.1, 9 H, 1 R

Group A	W	L	R-RA
*San Francisco	4	1	+7
*Washington	3	2	+14
*Dallas	3	2	+4
*St. Louis	2	3	-1
Los Angeles	2	3	-6
Brooklyn	1	4	-18

Detroit 4, Manhattan 1
Ramos 5-hit CG, Frank Howard 2-run 2B in 6th
Cleveland 7, *Chicago 2
Eddie Mathews 3-3, 2 HR, 3 RBI; Friend 7.0, 5 H, 0 R
*Atlanta 8, Boston 5
Pavletich 2-4, HR, 3 RBI; Hunt 2-4, HR, 2 RBI

Group B	W	L	R-RA
*Detroit	5	0	+18
*Cleveland	4	1	+6
*Atlanta	2	3	-2
*Chicago	2	3	-5
Manhattan	2	3	-6
Boston	0	5	-11

QUARTERFINALS

San Francisco

Chicago 6, San Francisco 3
Bud Daley gave up three in the first on two singles, a double, and a wild pitch, but the Colts scratched back a pair off Jack Kralick in the third on doubles by "Iddy Biddy" Buck Rodgers and Ernie Banks, and went ahead with a three-run fifth. Daley settled down and combined with Chet Nichols to toss eight shutout innings. Rodgers was 3-for-5.

Atlanta 11, Washington 6
Johnny Antonelli fell apart and suffered his 11th loss, allowing five runs in the sixth inning to break open a 3-2 game. Three Toppers homered and Dick Stuart and Jim Ray Hart each had three hits. Hart and Pavletich homered in the fourth to erase a 2-0 Monuments lead, but the Hillies put the game away with four hits and an error in the sixth. Willie Mays homered twice, driving in four, in a losing effort.

Detroit 7, St. Louis 4
Joey Jay pitched two-hit ball for seven innings and the Griffins used five straight singles off Pete Mikkelsen and Bob Locker to plate four runs in the ninth to bury St. Louis. Denis Menke was 3-for-5 and Frank Howard hit his 15th home run.

Cleveland 3, Dallas 2, 12 inn.
A Harvey Kuenn sacrifice fly scored Chris Hinton in the bottom of the 12th, breaking a 2-2 tie and sending the Barons to the semifinals. Hinton singled off Tony Phillips, stole second, went to third on a balk, and scored on Kuenn's looping fly to left fielder Wally Post, whose throw in was not even close. Earl Francis battled Art Ceccarelli to a 2-2 tie through seven innings, and the bullpens maintained the deadlock. Dallas' Norm Siebern was 4-for-5 with a double and a triple.

Chicago

Washington

Atlanta

Chicago

Detroit

St. Louis

Cleveland

Dallas

SEMIFINALS

CHICAGO 15, ATLANTA 5
The Colts scored in every inning but one, and batted around in the seven-run eighth inning, burying the Hilltoppers with a 19-hit barrage. Joe Adcock doubled twice, driving in three, and Ernie Banks and starting pitcher Don Drysdale had three hits each. The score was 6-1 going into the bottom of the seventh, when Bob Allison hit a two-run double. Johnny Briggs' three-run homer highlighted a four-run ninth, as Atlanta pulled to within three runs. But the circus came to town in the bottom of the eighth, and Jim O'Toole and Bob Trowbridge played the role of carousel operators, allowing eight hits and an intentional walk. In addition to his three singles at the plate, Drysdale allowed just four hits and one run in seven innings. Ace Tom "Smoke Sturdivant (9-5, 2.79) is on tap to start tomorrow's final.

CLEVELAND 10, DETROIT 4
Gus Bell's three-run homer keyed a six-run third, as the Barons build a 7-1 lead to chase Bob Gibson. Ron Fairly was 4-for-5, Harvey Kuenn homered, and Arnie Portocarrero cruised to his second straight win since joining the rotation July 3, setting up a possible World Series preview between the Barons and Colts. Gibson allowed seven runs in 2.2 innings, and reliever Jack Sanford allowed three more in the fifth, essentially putting the game out of reach. Frank Howard was 3-for-4 and homered, as the Griffs' six-game Founders' Cup win streak came to an end. Barons reliever Pete Richert left the game with back spasms and will miss the Final. Johnny Podres (12-3, 2.02) will face Tom Sturdivant.