1987 AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES #1

detroitCalifornia and Detroit face off in an American League Division Series.

Game 1:
Jack McDowell v. Nolan Ryan
California jumped to an early lead against Detroit ace McDowell, first with a solo home run by Dale Murphy in the 2nd and then jumped all over McDowell in the bottom of the 3rd, scoring 7 runs to chase McDowell from the game.  Detroit Dale_Murphy87would make it close with 2 runs in the 4th, 2 in the 7th, and 3 in the 8th–behind home runs by John Kruk, George Bell, and Lance Parrish–but it wouldn’t be enough.
California – 10
Detroit – 7
W: Ryan
L: McDowell
S: Dave Smith

Game 2:
Jose_Deleon87Jose DeLeon v. Mike Scott
This time, Detroit jumped to an early lead, scoring 3 runs in the top of the 1st capped off by a 2-run home run by Dave Parker.  Scott would give up two more runs, 1 in the 6th and 1 in the 7th, giving Detroit a 5-0 lead heading into the 9th.  California managed to plate Ozzie Smith behind a Detroit error in the bottom of the 9th to avoid the shutout.  George Bell and Dave Parker knocked in 2 a piece, while DeLeon gave up a stingy 3 hits and 1 unearned run.
California – 1
Detroit – 5
W: DeLeon
L: Scott

CaliforniaQuakesGame 3:
Danny Jackson v. Rick Reuschel
Buddy_Bell87California, unhappy with being shut down in Game 2, jumped all over Danny Jackson, scoring 5 in the 2nd, 1 in the 3rd, and 4 in the 4th, taking an insurmountable 10-0 lead.  Detroit followed up with an RBI single by Julio Franco and a 2 RBI double by George Bell in the bottom of the 5th, but that would be it for Detroit.  California finishes with a 12-3 shellacking.   Buddy Bell let the Capitals batting 2-4 with 2 HR and 4 RBI, with 7 of 9 starters each with at least 1 RBI.
California – 12
Detroit – 3
W: Floyd Bannister
L: Danny Jackson

Game 4:
Jack McDowell v. Nolan Ryan
Darrell_Evans87McDowell and Ryan face off again and, when it rains, it pours.  No, really.  It poured, after the first inning, causing Ryan’s aged arm to grow cold.  Ryan was removed from the game after the 1st inning, giving up 1 hit, a HR to John Kruk, and 1 run in 1 inning.  The game would remain close throughout.  California tied it up in the 2nd off a Darrell Evans HR, and pulled ahead in the 4th off a Carlton Fisk HR, but lost the lead in the 4th when Detroit tied it up 2-2.  California took the lead again off singles by Evans and Buddy Bell in the 6th and 7th, but lost the lead again in the bottom of the 7th off three bases loaded singles–a terrible way to lose.
California – 4
Detroit – 5
W: Andy McGaffigan
L: Dave Smith

Game 5
Jose DeLeon v. Nolan Ryan
Nolan_Ryan87Detroit takes the first bite off a John Kruk RBI single in the top of the 1st, but Nolan Ryan shut down the Detroit offense from that point on.  A HR by Dale Murphy, RBI double by Ozzie Smith, and RBI singles by Kevin Bass and Buddy Bell gave Ryan all the run support he would need.
California – 4
Detroit – 1
W: Ryan
L: DeLeon

While the series was quite close, and could have gone either way, the statistics paint a very different picture.  California finished with a 3.89 ERA, Detroit, 6.28.  The two lineups were more closely aligned, with California batting .232 with 5 2B, 1 3B, and 8 HR and Detroit batting .231 with 3 2B and 5 HR.  Nevertheless, California outscored Detroit 31-21 over the 5-game series.  Detroit’s player of the series is John Kruk, who batted .300 with 1 2B, 2 HR, and 5 RBI; and pitcher of the series is Jose DeLeon, who finished 1-1 in 15.2 innings with a 2.30 ERA.  California’s player of the series is Buddy Bell, an unlikely choice, after batting .294 with 2 HR and 7 RBI; California’s pitcher of the series was Nolan Ryan, who went 2-0 with a 2.77 ERA in 13 innings.

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