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Semi-finals :
(Aug 26) Charlie Bogan's
parents and sister from Fayetteville, Arkansas were among the fans Friday
and the big lefty gave them something to remember. Bogan tossed a
six-hit shutout as Saskatoon took a one game lead in their semi-final series
with a 3-0 win over Regina at Cairns Field. Bogan fanned 10, walked 2
and also handled nine fielding chances and figured in two double
plays. Gems scored all their runs in the first two innings against
Braves' ace right-hander Ted Ellis.
Ellis and Schulz
Bogan and Shirley
Edmonton had 13 hits in downing Moose Jaw 7-3
in the opener of their best-of-seven semi-final series at rain-soaked
Exhibition Park at Moose Jaw. Dale Bloom
tossed a five-hitter, running into trouble only in the eighth when Rich
Rubio slammed a three-run triple.
Bloom and Garay
Weekly, Martin (7) and Abel
(Aug 27) Regina just couldn't hold the
lead. They scored seven in the top of the first and had a 10-8 lead
going into the bottom of the ninth but watched the Gems score three in the
bottom of the ninth to pull out an 11-10 victory. With the bases
loaded on walks, Cliff Pemberton belted a double which easily scored Jackie
McLeod and Earl Huffman. Jose Valladares scored the
winner when outfielder Jim McMahon fumbled Pemberton's drive. Jim
Pederson led the Braves with four hits.
Mickelsen, Peerless (2), Leopp (70, Walker
(9) and Schulz
McLeod, Fabre (1), McLeod (2) and Shirley
Edmonton took a 2-0 lead in their series with
an 11-5 win in Moose Jaw. Cal Bauer was the big man at the
plate with a triple, double and single in five trips.
Bowman, Seaman (6) and Garay
Watts, Reniker (6) Weekly (7) and Abel
(Aug 29) Noel Mickelsen gave up
two early runs then shutdown the Gems as Regina scored a 4-2 win for their
first win in the series. Mickelsen and JD Peterson each
had two hits to lead the Braves at the plate.
Kirk, Griggs (7) and Motley
Mickelsen and Schulz
Edmonton beat Moose Jaw 5-1 to take a 3-0
game lead in the semi-final series. John Doucette, who
relieved started Ed Belter in the 8th, drove in three runs with
a bases-loaded, two-out, double. Tom Higa of the Mallards and Norm
Forbes of the Esks each had three hits.
Alvarez and Abel
Belter, Doucette (8) and Garay
(Aug 30) Dixie Walker
held Saskatoon to five hits as Regina squared their semi-final series at two
games apiece with a 2-0 victory. The Braves scored both their runs in
the second off Charlie Bogan,
loading the bases on an error, a walk and a single. Bogan walked two
more to force across the runs.
Bogan, Griggs (4) and Shirley
Walker and Schulz
Moose Jaw exploded for 18 hits and pounded
the Eskimos 17-6 for their first win of the series. Darrell Martin
gave up seven hits and eleven walks in gaining the decision. At the
plate, he had five hits in six trips. Dave Abel and Rich
Rubio each had three hits for the Mallards. Relief pitcher John
Doucette had a triple and double for Edmonton.
Martin and Abel
Bloom, Doucette (4) and Garay
(Aug 31) Ted Ellis
pitched a four-hitter and Regina rallied for three runs in the bottom of the
ninth to beat the Gems 3-2 win and gain a 3-2 game edge in the best-of-seven
semi-final series. It was the Braves third straight win after dropping
the first two games of the series. Sergio
Fabre had held the Braves off the
scoreboard for eight innings. But in the ninth he gave up a double to Noel
Mickelsen and a single to Joe
Pedrazzini. Bennie Griggs took over and gave up a
run-scoring single to pinch-hitter Suge
Carter. An infield error
tied the contest. Following an intentional walk to load the bases,
Griggs walked in the winning run.
Fabre, Griggs (9) and Shirley
Ellis and Schulz
Edmonton scored ten runs in the last two innings to whip Moose Jaw 19-12
and win the semi-final series four games to one. Eskimos had 17 hits
and were aided by 11 Moose Jaw errors. Cal
Bauer led Edmonton with five hits
and five runs batted in.
Bowman, Seaman (2), Belter (8) and Garay
Weekly, Watts (6), Reniker (8) and Abel
(Sept 1) Saskatoon came from behind
with three runs in the 7th to edge Regina 3-2 and force a seventh and
deciding game in their semi-final series. Jackie McLeod
pitched and batted the Gems to the victory. On the hill, the veteran
held the Braves to seven hits. At the plate, his 7th inning single
scored both the tying and winning runs. Saskatoon had only five hits
off losing pitcher Dick Leopp, three of them by Cliff Pemberton.
Leopp and Schulz
McLeod and Motley
(Sept 2) Again, a pitcher was the
pitching and hitting star for Saskatoon as the Gems scored in the bottom of
the 9th to win 3-2 and move on to the league final against the Edmonton
Eskimos. Charlie Bogan, who pitched a six-hitter,
singled in the ninth to scored Jackie McLeod from third with
the winning run. Earlier Bogan doubled to set up the Gems' second
run.
Mickelsen and Schulz
Bogan and Motley
Final series :
(Sept 5) Percy Trimont and Mario
Herrera each drove in two runs as Saskatoon Gems scored a 5-1 win
over Edmonton in the opener of the Western Canada Baseball League
final. Jackie McLeod went on the way on the hill
limiting the Eskimos to six hits. 25-hundred fans took in the game on a chilly
evening at Cairns Field.
Doucette and Garay
McLeod and Motley
(Sept 6) Kirby Pain
tossed a two-hitter as Edmonton squared the best-of-seven final at a game
apiece with a 6-1 victory in Saskatoon. Pain, who tossed a no-hitter
and had a 30 inning scoreless streak during the regular season, lost a
shutout in the first inning. Mario Herrera walked, stole
second and third and scored on an overthrow at third. Cal Bauer,
who had just one hit, was instrumental in the victory. He drove in the
tying run in the fourth with a double, went to third on an infield out and
stole home to put Edmonton ahead 2-1. In the eighth, Bauer's sacrifice
fly scored another.
Pain and Garay
Bogan, Griggs (8) and Motley, Shirley ( )
(Sept 7) Saskatoon came from behind
with two runs in the 9th to tie and scored again in the 10th inning to edge
Edmonton 4-3 and take a 2-1 game lead in the final series. Cliff
Pemberton was a key to the victory. He led off the ninth with a
walk and came around to score the Gems' second run. Then, after Jim
Shirley's single tied the game, Pemberton scored the winner in the
10th. Don Kirk went all the way for the win. Dale
Bloom was the loser.
Kirk and Shirley
Bloom and Garay
(Sept 8) Edmonton scored two runs in
each of the fifth and six innings and held on to shade the Gems 6-5 and even
their series at two games each. Ed Garay's bases-loaded single
knocked in two runs and gave the Eskimos a 3-2 lead in the fifth and they
were never headed. Norm Forbes homered for Edmonton in
the seventh. Percy Trimont and Len Breckner
each had four hits for Saskatoon. The Gems played without starry third
baseman Cliff Pemberton who had been called home to Oklahoma
by the illness of his wife.
McLeod, Fabre (6) and Shirley
Bowman and Garay
(Sept 9) Saskatoon scored five runs in
the first inning and held on to beat Edmonton 9-7 and move within one
victory of the Western Canada Baseball League title. The Gems beat
Eskimo ace Kirby Pain, who had pitched a two-hitter in the
second game of the final. Only one of the first inning runs was
earned. Edmonton scored four in the bottom of the ninth and had the
tying run at the plate but an infield liner to shortstop Joe Kretschmar
ended the threat. Percy Trimont had three hits for the
Gems. Cal Bauer and Len Farrell each had
two hits for Edmonton.
Hobson, Griggs (7) and Shirley
Pain, Seaman (8) and Garay
(Sept 10) Edmonton fought back with a
run in the ninth to tie and then scored twice in the 10th to stay alive in
the Western Canada final series. Esks beat Saskatoon 4-2 to force a
seventh and deciding game in the playoff. Cal Bauer was
the ninth inning hero for the Eskimos. He reached on an error, stole
second, continued to third on another error and scored on a wild throw to
the plate when Ed Garay was safe at first on a fielders'
choice. In the 10th, Len Farrell's double to left-centre
field plated the winner. Bauer's sacrifice added an insurance
run. Both pitchers went the distance, allowing seven hits. Charlie
Bogan struck out 12 and walked two for the Gems while Edmonton
starter Dale Bloom fanned three and walked eight. Gems
lost another player. Shortstop Joe Kretschmar left for
Arkansas to return to school.
Bloom and Garay
Bogan and Shirley
(Sept 12) Edmonton broke loose with
four runs in the 13th inning to score a 5-1 victory over Saskatoon and take
the Western Canada Baseball League championship. It was the deciding game of
the best-of-seven final series. Edmonton won the right to represent
Canada at the Global World Series in Milwaukee. Len Karlson, a
former Gem, lashed a double to left-centre in the 13th to score Jimmy
Johnson with what proved to be the winning run. Johnson had
opened the frame by drawing a walk. Len Farrell followed
with his second double of the night with an insurance run. Jim Ryan
and Norm Forbes drove in two more. A crowd of more than 3-thousand
watched a brilliant pitching duel between Edmonton's Kirby Pain and
the Gems' Don Kirk. Through 11 innings Pain had given up just
four hits, Kirk had allowed only five. Pain was removed from the game
after he was bowled over making the third out of the 11th inning. John
Doucette, who relieved in the 12th for Edmonton picked up the win.
Kirk, who gave way to Lew Hobson in the 13th was tagged with the
loss.
Pain, Doucette (12) and Garay
Kirk, Hobson (13) and Shirley
(Sept 14) The Eskimos won't be going to
Milwaukee after all. C. N. Henderson, league president,
announced that league directors had voted to send a "composite"
team to represent Canada at the Global World Series. Ralph Mabee,
manager of the Saskatoon Gems was appointed to handle the team.
Henderson said the decision was reached because "Edmonton could not
field a team that would meet with the approval of league directors."
Earlier in the season, the league agreed to
bolster the championship team, if need be, with five players from other
clubs for the Milwaukee tournament. Apparently, Edmonton didn't want
to go along with the agreement.
"Champs
one day, chumps the next" is an expression used loosely and often in
sport, but seldom has its full meaning been brought home in the manner that
Edmonton's baseball Eskimos have managed.
Yesterday
the Esks were Canadian semi-pro champions and Canada's representatives in
the eight-nation Global World Series at Milwaukee later this month.
Edmonton was proud of them, as it had to be for the fight they mustered to
win out over Saskatoon Gems.
Today
the Eskimos are the laughing stock of Canadian baseball circles and the
runner-up Gems are to represent Canada. This is probably just as well,
for the manner in which several of the Eskimos have acted in the past 24
hours exposes them as shallow thinkers. And Edmonton is too proud of
the fighting champions it has had over the years to wish to be represented
by the "punk" calibre of athlete in any sport.
Four
Eskimos fall in this category. The management, Jim Ryan, and the
others do not. But four members were enough to give the remainder of
the ball team and the city a raw deal. This clique attempted to defy a
Western Canada Baseball League agreement that the league winner would be
strengthened with a minimum of five stars from the other clubs for the
Milwaukee plum. The ruling was made before the season started so it
wasn't suddenly flashed on the clique.
One
of the four had to be dropped as a player, and Brant Matthews offered to pay
his way on the trip. But he replied he wouldn't go if he couldn't suit
up and play, and three others backed him up by saying they wouldn't go
either in that case. Well the western commissioner, Jimmy Robison,
called the group's bluff and named Saskatoon as the Canadian representative.
It
is painful to report this, in view of the fine type of man the U.S. has sent
us over the years in both baseball and football, but the five all were
Americans -- Gary Jackson, Dale Bloom, Len Farrell and Keith Bowman, to be
specific.
The
WCBL didn't look any too good, reversing an earlier decision that had been
given to the Edmonton players. But, two wrongs still don't make a
right.
Certainly,
it hurts a man to know he can't play with his team. But that wasn't
the club's fault and in our book, an athlete's first duty is to his team not
his own pride. Jackson is the man who would have been dropped but
could still have made the trip to Milwaukee. The four should get along
well in organized baseball, if they quit every time a superior makes a
decision they don't like. The truth is American baseball won't stand
for it, but they thought they could make it stick in Canada.
And
in so doing they hurt the Eskimos, they hurt Edmonton -- but fortunately not
much because this city is too big in athletics to be hurt by such small men
-- and they hurt Canadian baseball. Worse than that, they just may
have delivered the death blow to baseball in this city. Our
suggestions would be for fans to rally behind the faltering game here just
to deprive the four of that satisfaction. But, in the long run, they
probably have hurt themselves most of all as they'll have the most trouble
escaping the realization they took the childish way out.
(Hal
Pawson, Edmonton Journal, September 15, 1955)
Global World Series:
(Sept 23) In the opening game of the
eight team Global World Series, Canada scored four in the first inning and
held on to beat Japan 5-2. Mario Herrera and Don Stewart
drew walks and the Canadians followed with four straight singles by Len
Breckner, Ed Garay, Johnny Ford and Jim
Ryan. Ryan, who also had a double, added a homer in the eighth.
Charlie Bogan pitched a six-hitter,
fanning eight and walking five. Canada pulled off a rarity, a triple
play, in the fifth inning. With runners on first and second, Cliff
Pemberton nabbed a liner, threw to Ford to double the runner at
second, and Ford relayed to Jim Ryan at first to make the
third out.
All
tournament contestants were guests at a dinner soon after their arrival in
Milwaukee. It was a $10 per plate affair and attracted 600 people. The
contestants, of course, were not charged. (Saskatoon
Star Phoenix, September 24, 1955)
Yamamoto, Kawai (1) and Taneda
Bogan and Garay
(Sept 24) Hawaii exploded for four runs
in the second inning and went on to beat Canada 5-2. Jack Ladra, who
played for
Kamsack Cyclones in 1953, led Hawaii with three hits. Cliff Pemberton
was 3-4 for Canada.
McLeod, Dean (3) and Garay
Kasparovitch and Kaulukukui
(Sept 25)
Bennie Griggs held Mexico to four hits as
Canada remained in the title hunt with a 5-1 victory. Canada fell
behind 1-0 in the first, but came back to tie in their half of the
inning. Johnny Ford, who had walked, moved to second on Don
Stewart's single. He scored on an error. The Canadians
took a 2-1 lead in the third as Stewart walked, moved to second on Cliff
Pemberton's single and scored on a single by Ed Garay.
In the sixth, Garay scored on a wild pitch to give Canada a 3-1
margin. Len Breckner's eighth inning triple scored the
fourth run, and Canada notched another on a squeeze bunt by Joe Kretschmar.
Pemberton, Garay and Breckner each had
two hits.
Valenzuela, Delfin (8) and Zazueta
Griggs and Garay, Shirley (8)
(Sept 26) The United States pounded out
eleven hits and knocked Canada out of contention for the tournament title
with an 8-2 victory. The Americans got six-hit pitching from Jim
Morris. Among the hits were a homer by Les Layton
and a triple by Daryl Spencer both former members of the New
York Giants. Len Breckner and Charlie Bogan each had two hits for Canada.
Morris and Kovach
Bogan, Doucette (5), Fabre (7) and Shirley
(Sept 27) Canada overcame a 3-0 deficit with four runs
in the seventh to shade Colombia 4-3 and finish third in the
tournament. Jim Shirley's pinch-hit single scored Joe
Kretschmar with the winning run. Kretschmar had doubled.
In the big inning, Canada also got doubles from Don Stewart
and Jim Ryan and a single off the bat of Cliff Pemberton.
Les Dean, who relieved started Bennie Griggs in
the second, picked up the win.
Griggs, Dean (2), McLeod (7) and Garay
Hernandez and Redondo
The United States beat Hawaii 7-4 in the final.
Cliff Pemberton was awarded a trophy
after being named the best hitter (.471) in the tournament.
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