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(June 9)
Edmonton marked its return to the Western Canada Baseball league
with an opening night victory, 10-5 over Lloydminster at Renfrew
Park. A strong relief effort by Roland Jones
preserved the win for right-hander Ted Neal.
Jones came on with one out in the 6th and allowed just one hit
the rest of the way. Ed Beard led the
Eskimos at the plate with a homer and a single. Tom
Bergeron, Mick Mousalam and Bob Milano
each had two hits for the Meridians. The season opener
drew more than 21-hundred fans plus a thousand youngsters from school
patrols and a department store's Dugout Squad.
Richardson, Read (8) and Milano
Neal, Jones (6) and Rex
(June 10) Stan Beard
scored the winning run in the bottom of the 9th as the Eskimos
beat the Meridians for the second straight night, this time by a
6-5 margin Beard
crossed the plate on a slow roller to third by his brother Ed.
Meridians' third baseman Curly Williams watched
the ball roll down the line hoping it would go foul, which it
didn't. Stan Beard and Richie Johnson
each had two hits for Edmonton while Mick Mousalam
and Bob Milano each had a pair for Lloydminster.
McKenna, Jauregui (3) and Milano
Craig, Shaves (4) and Rex
(June 11) Link
Curtis went six-for-six to lead Saskatoon to a 17-1
trouncing of Lethbridge in the first game of a twin-bill in the
Alberta city. The White Sox scored three in the
bottom of the 9th to take the nightcap 7-6.
Commodores pounded out 23 hits in
taking the first contest. Shortstop Ernie 'Midge'
Fazio and first baseman John Boccabella
belted homers for Saskatoon. Bob Peters held
the Sox to six hits to take the win.
Lethbridge got 9th inning doubles
from Stan Busch and Danny Salazar, a
triple by Terry Banderas and a single by Merlin
Jensen to plate three runs to gain a split of the
double-header. Boccabella and Tim Cullen
each had a double and single for the Commodores. Jim
Garrett paced the Sox with three hits. Saskatoon
had only eleven regulars on the trip. Five other players
arrived in Saskatoon on Sunday. They included outfielder Bob
Levingston, pitcher Goodie Goodrich, and
catcher Gale Tuggle. Dan Schneider, who
worked the first 7 2/3s for the Commodores, fanned 14.
Peters and Herrington
Walasko, Ingram (5) and Garrett
Schneider, Graves (8) and
Herrington
Job, Wyllie (8) and Garrett
(June 11) Cliff Pemberton
drove in the winner in the bottom of the 11th as Lloydminster
got its first win of the season, 5-4 over Edmonton in the first
game of a double-header. John Rebelo went the
distance for the win. Rebelo and Curly Williams
had triples for the Meridians. Eskimos came back to
take the second game 7-3 in a contest called after seven innings
because of a Sunday curfew. Ray Barboza led
the Esks with a three-run homer and a single. Barry
Arnett had four hits on the day for the Meridians.
More than 1,000 fans turned out for the opening games in the
border city.
Burnett, Reuter (6), Jones (10)
and Rex
Rebelo and Milano
Jones, Reuter (7) and Rex
Read and Milano
(June
12) The Lloydminster at Edmonton match was postponed because of
rain.
(June 12) Saskatoon Commodores made their
home debut a winning one beating the defending champion
Lethbridge White Sox 3-2 before 1,000 fans in Saskatoon. The teams had
split a twin-bill in Lethbridge on Sunday to start the
season.
Gene Graves
and Cliff Goodrich teamed up on a seven-hitter for
Saskatoon. Jerry MacDonald went the distance for the
losers. Commodores playing manager Lyle Olsen, shortstop
Ernie Fazio and catcher Gary Herrington each
had a pair of
hits. Stan Busch had two hits for Lethbridge. MacDonald
and Garrett
Graves, Goodrich (8) and Herrington Edmonton
3-1
Saskatoon 2-1
Lethbridge 1-2
Lloydminster 1-3 (June
15) Saskatoon scored six times in the first two innings
and went on to hammer Edmonton 12-5 before more than 11-hundred
fans in Saskatoon. Commodores belted out 15 hits including
three apiece from Bob Levingston and Tim Cullen.
Ray Barboza of the Esks had the only homer and
drove in four runs. Levingston and Mick McDermott
each had 3 RBI for the Commodores. Jones,
Neal (2) and Rex
Thionnett, Goodrich (7) and Herrington (June
15) Lethbridge
and the Meridians split a twin-bill at Lloydminster. The White
Sox got eight runs in the first three innings of the opener and
held on to win 8-4. Merlin Jensen and Jerry
King each knocked in a pair of runs for the Sox. Jerry
Burcher, Bob Wyllie and Tom Ingram
combined to hold the Meridians to three hits. Lloydminster
erupted for five runs in the 8th inning of the second game to
salt away a 7-1 victory. Tom Bergeron's
two-run double and Darrell Read's three-run double
were the key hits. Tom McKenna was the
winner with relief help from Dick Dyer. Burcher,
Wyllie (3), Ingram (5) and King
Arnold and Milano Warren,
Wyllie (7), Ingram (7) and Garrett
McKenna, Dyer (7) and Milano Saskatoon
3-1
Edmonton 3-2
Lethbridge 2-3
Lloydminster 2-4 (June
16) Second baseman Richie Johnson banged out
five hits, including a triple, as Edmonton whipped Lethbridge
11-5. Esks' starter Dennis Shaves added a
homer. Terry Banderas had three hits for the
White Sox. Larry Craig picked up the win in
relief. Job and Garrett
Shaves, Craig (4) and Rex (June
16) Right-hander
Bob Peters tossed a three-hitter as Saskatoon
clobbered the Meridians 12-1. Peters had a no-hitter into
the 6th inning when he gave up a double to Cliff Pemberton
who scored the lone Lloydminster run on a single to right by Curly
Williams. Commodores belted Ted Richardson
for 13 hits including homers by John Boccabella
and Tim Cullen. Boccabella, who also
had a double, drove in five runs. Richardson
and Milano
Peters and Herrington Saskatoon
4-1
Edmonton 4-2
Lethbridge 2-4
Lloydminster 2-5 (June
17) Edmonton built up a 4-0 lead and held off a late
Lethbridge rally to edge the White Sox 4-3. Ray Barboza
had the big blow for the Eskimos, a two-run homer in the
sixth. Walasko
and Garrett
Reuter, Jones (8) and Rex (June
17) Lloydminster
rallied for three runs in the top of the 9th to score a 5-4 win
over the Commodores at Cairns Field in Saskatoon. J.B.
Carroll, a former Commodore, belted a two-run triple to
tie the game and then scored on Cliff Pemberton's
sacrifice fly. Commodores out-hit the Meridians 15-7 with Lyle
Olsen leading the way with three hits. John Rebelo
went the distance to gain the win. He fanned eight and
didn't allow a single walk. Rebelo
and Milano
Graves, Goodrich (9) and Herrington (June
18) Jim Johnson turned in a four-hit
performance as Edmonton topped Lethbridge 8-3 in a
rain-shortened, seven-inning contest. White Sox won the
first game of the double-header, 11-8. White
Sox had 15 hits in winning the opener. Norm Harding
had four singles and Terry Banderas had a triple,
double and single. Danny Salazar added a
solo homer. Jerry MacDonald went the route
for the win. Ray Barboza's
three-run homer, his 4th of the young season, was the key hit
for the Esks in the second game. Burnett,
Neal (2), Shaves (4), Reuter (6), Jones (8) and Rex
MacDonald and Garrett Johnson
and Hinkle
Wyllie, Burnett (7) and Garrett (June
18) Saskatoon
smashed out 25 hits in sweeping a double-header from the
Meridians at Lloydminster. John Boccabella
wielded the big bat for the Commodores with a pair of homers as
Saskatoon took the first game 13-2. Dan Schneider
pitched a six-hitter and fanned nine to get the win. Mickey
McDermott added three singles for Saskatoon and Robert
Levingston had a double and a single. Lyle
Olsen, the Saskatoon playing-manager, had the key hit in
the nightcap with a two-run homer in the 8th as the Commodores
pulled out a 7-6 win. Levingston had a double and
two singles. Curly Williams had a homer and
a single for the Meridians. Boccabella had five
hits on the day, adding two doubles and a single to his two
homers. Schneider and
Tuggle
Jauregui, Read (9) and Milano Goodrich
and Herrington
Dyer and Milano Saskatoon
6-2
Edmonton 6-3
Lethbridge 3-6
Lloydminster 3-7 (June
19) Back-to-back doubles by Lyle Olsen
and Ernie Fazio in the fifth inning provided the
winning edge as Saskatoon beat the Eskimos 7-4 at Edmonton. It was one of three doubles for Olsen.
Lyle Thionnett pitched a five-hitter for the win. Thionnett
and Herrington
Craig, Jones (5) and Rex (June
19) A
two-out single by Bill Lynn in the bottom of the
9th drove in Norm Harding with the winning run as
Lethbridge shaded Lloydminster 7-6. It was Lynn's fourth
hit of the game. Terry Banderas had a
three-run homer for the White Sox. Playing-manager Cliff
Pemberton and Darrell Read led the
Meridians, each had three hits. Arnold,
Richardson (5) and Milano
Ingram and Garrett (June 20) Saskatoon
Commodores dominated the team and individual statistics.
The club sported a .355 batting average, a fielding mark of .948
and ERA of 2.70 in games through June 19th. John Boccabella,
the Commodores' first baseman, was in the lead or tied for the
top spot in five categories. His .500 average was second
to Bill Lynn of Lethbridge, who led the league
with a .519 mark. Richie Johnson of Edmonton
was third with a .450 average. Boccabella and Ray
Barboza of Edmonton had the most homers, 4, and tied for
the RBI lead with 16. Boccabella had the most hits, 19,
doubles, 6, and total bases, 39. Bob Peters
of Saskatoon had the lowest ERA, 0.50. Commodores
announced they had lost the services of Wally Wolf,
a 19-year-old pitcher who helped the University of Southern
California win the College World Series. Wolf,
who had been scheduled to join the Commodores, signed a
professional contract with the Houston Astros. Wolf was
reported to have received a signing bonus of $100,000. (June
20) Lloydminster scored four in the 8th and another in the
9th to come from behind to beat the White Sox 10-7 in
Lethbridge. Bob Milano had three hits for
the Meridians while Darrell Read and Tom Bergeron
each had a pair. McKenna,
Richardson (2), Arnold (7) and Milano
Job, Dowling (5) and King (June
20) Gene
Graves tossed a six-hitter to lead Saskatoon to a 3-1
victory over Edmonton. Lyle Olsen again led the
Commodores at the plate with three hits. Bob Levingston
added a triple. Ray Barboza had a homer and
double for the Eskimos. Graves
and Herrington
Neal and Rex (June
21) Ray Barboza belted a two-run homer, his
sixth of the season, to lead the Eskimos to a 3-2 win over
Saskatoon. Barboza also had a double, single, and a stolen
base. Jimmy Johnson held Saskatoon to just
four hits to pick up the win. Esks got the winning run in
the 8th inning as Richie Johnson tripled home Clark
Rex. J
Johnson and Rex
Peters and Herrington (June
22) Lloydminster scored a pair of one-run wins over the
White Sox in a double-header in Lethbridge. Meridians won
the first game 12-11 and took the nightcap 4-3 in 10
innings. The two clubs combined for 25 hits in the first
game with a triple by Lloydminster's J.B. Carroll
the key hit. Norm Harding had three doubles
for the White Sox. Meridians' catcher Bob Milano
was injured in the opener and during the break between games
Lethbridge released catcher Jerry King who was
picked up by Lloydminster and replaced Milano for the second
contest. Curly Williams
was the star for the Meridians in their 4-3 win. He
started the scoring with a first inning homer and drove in the
winning run in the 10th. Dick Dyer went the
distance holding Lethbridge to six hits. Rebelo,
Jauregui (8) and Milano
Burcher, Sylvester (8), Wyllie (9) and Garrett Dyer
and King
Walasko and Garrett (June
22) John
Boccabella's three-run double in the 8th inning carried
Saskatoon to a 4-1 win over Edmonton. Dan Schneider
went the distance for the win. Ray Barboza
led the Eskimos with a towering triple and a single. Saskatoon
announced the acquisition of pitcher Jim Heise, a
29-year-old right-hander with four years of experience with
Chattanooga of the Southern Association. Reuter
and Rex
Schneider and Herrington Saskatoon
9-3
Edmonton 7-6
Lloydminster 6-8
Lethbridge 4-9 (June
23) Saskatoon scored the winning run on two infield
singles by Mickey McDermott and Ernie Fazio
in the 7th to top Lloydminster 3-2 for their 10th win in 13
games. Commodores took a 1-0 lead in the opening frame
when McDermott stole home on the front end of a double
steal. Meridians tied the count in the second on Jerry
King's homer and went ahead 2-1 in the fifth on singles
by King and Wayne Clark and an infield out. Bob
Levingston's homer in the bottom of the fifth brought the
Commodores back into a tie. Cliff Goodrich,
with 9th inning relief from Floyd Thionnett,
picked up the win. McKenna,
Jauregui (7) and King
Goodrich, Thionnett (9) and Tuggle (June
23) Edmonton
erupted with eight runs in the 8th to beat Lethbridge
10-6. A three-run homer by Ed Beard was the
big blow. MacDonald
(L),
Dowling (8), Ingram (8) and Garrett
Jones (W), Neal (9)) and Rex (June
24) Saskatoon exploded for seven runs in the fourth inning
and held on to beat Lloydminster 9-8. Lyle Olsen's
three-run homer capped the Commodores' comeback. Mick
Mousalam was the big man at the plate for the Meridians
with a homer and two-run triple. Jerry King
had three singles. Arnold
and King
Graves, Schneider (9) and Herrington (June
24) A
four-run 9th inning carried Lethbridge to a 10-9 win over the
Eskimos at Edmonton. The White Sox rally overcame a
five-run 7th inning by Edmonton.
Sylvester,
Job (7), Ingram (9) and Garrett
Burnett, Johnson (6), Neal (9) and Rex (June
25) Saskatoon opened up a 5 1/2 game lead atop the
standings with a double-header sweep of Lloydminster, 9-2 and
12-11 in games played at Cochin Beach. John Boccabella
led the Commodores attack in the opener with a homer and single,
while Link Curtis contributed a triple and a
double. Floyd Thionnett went all the way for
the win. Commodores
scored six runs in the sixth and held on to shade the Meridians
12-11 in the second game. Bob Levingston led
Saskatoon with a two-run homer and a triple. Lyle Olsen
belted a three-run double and added two singles. J.B.
Carroll paced the Meridians with a triple and two
singles. Third baseman Tim Cullen and first
baseman Boccabella combined on a sensational fielding
play to save the victory. Lloydminster had runners on
first and third with two out in the 9th when Cullen made an
eye-opening stop of Carroll's ground ball and, while falling,
threw to first for the final out. Thionnett
and Tuggle
Rebelo and King Peters,
Goodrich (6), Heise (6) and Herrington
Richardson, Jauregui (5), McKenna (5) and King (June
25) The
hometown White Sox swept a pair from Edmonton, 14-6 and
7-3. Third baseman Jim Lester powered
Lethbridge to their opening game win. Lester drove
in five runs with a triple, two doubles and two singles. Bill
Lynn added four singles and Jim Garrett
chipped in with three doubles. Stan
Busch led the White Sox in the second game with four hits
including a triple and double. Willie Walasko
went the distance to pick up the win. Craig,
Burnett (6) and Rex
Wyllie, Warren (3), Burcher (7) and Garrett Reuter
and Rex
Walasko and Garrett (June
26) Lethbridge scored nine runs in the third inning on
seven hits and five Lloydminster errors and coasted to a 13-3
win. Lefty Dave Dowling pitched a
seven-hitter for the win. Danny Salazar had
two triples and a single to lead the White Sox. Dyer,
Read (4) and King
Dowling and Garrett Saskatoon
13-3
Edmonton 8-9
Lethbridge 8-10
Lloydminster 6-13 (June
27) John Boccabella's 11th inning grand slam
homer carried Saskatoon to a 13-11 win over the Eskimos at Edmonton. Commodores, who were down 7-0 after four
innings, scored four in the 7th to go ahead 8-7 but Ray Barboza's
homer in the 8th tied it 8-8. A bases loaded walk to Ernie
Fazio forced in the first run of the 11th setting the
stage for Boccabella's dramatic blow. The first
sacker had three hits and five runs batted in. Mike
Bellas led Edmonton with four hits. Schneider,
Heise (5), Peters (9), Goodrich (11) and Herrington
Jones, Johnson (6), Neal (7), Slaughter (9) and Rex (June
27) Lethbridge
embarrassed Lloydminster 22-6. White Sox pounded out 21
hits. Stan Busch and Jim Garrett
each had a triple, double and two singles. Busch drove in
five runs. Bill Lynn had an inside-the-park
homer. Marve Marchbanks was the only White
Sox not to get a hit. He was released following the
game. J.B. Carroll had a triple and two
singles for the Meridians. Richardson,
Read (6) and King
Job, Thompson (8) and Garrett (June
29) Lethbridge scored on an error in the bottom of the 9th
to shade Saskatoon 8-7 for their sixth straight win.
Playing-manager Lyle Olsen bobbled a routine
grounder and Terry Banderas scampered home with
the winning run. Stan Busch paced the White
Sox with a three-run homer, double and a single. Jim
Garrett added two doubles. Bob Levingston
topped the Commodores with a three-run homer and a double.
He drove in five of Saskatoon's seven runs. Graves,
Heise (2), Goodrich (9) and Herrington
MacDonald and Garrett (June
30) Newcomer Darrell Sutherland tossed a
six-hitter to lead Saskatoon to a 6-0 win over the White Sox at Lethbridge. Sutherland
and Herrington
Walasko and Garrett (July 1)
Commodores took a twin-bill from Lethbridge, 3-0 and 3-2, before
a large holiday crowd at Cairns Field in Saskatoon. Floyd
Thionnet threw a three-hitter and drove in two of the
Saskatoon runs as the Commodores took the opener,
3-0. Gary Peters bested Dave
Dowling in the nightcap as Saskatoon won,
3-2. Sylvester
and Garrett
Thionnet and Herrington Dowling
and Garrett
Peters and Tuggle (July
2) Saskatoon and the Eskimos split a double-header at Edmonton. Eskimos won the opener 3-1 behind the combined
four-hit pitching of Ken Reuter and Roland Jones
while the Commodores won the second game 8-0 behind Danny
Schneider's three-hitter. Edmonton's Ray Barboza
had a homer in the first game. Graves
and Tuggle
Reuter, Jones (7) and Rex Schneider
and Herrington
Johnson, Ben Burnett (3), Neal (6) and Rex (July
2) Frank Warren pitched a three-hit shutout
to give Lethbridge a 6-0 win and a split of their twin-bill
before just 343 fans at Lloydminster. The Meridians won
the opener 4-3. John
Rebelo scattered six hits to get the win in the first
game. He also helped at the plate with a double and two
singles. Darrell Read also had three hits
for the Meridians. Warren
pitched a gem in the second game and drove in the winning run
with a single in the second inning. Stan Busch
belted a three-run homer for the Sox. Pitcher Jerry
MacDonald got the only other extra base hit, a
triple. He entered the Sox lineup in the first inning in
place of third baseman Jim Lester who was ejected
from the game for arguing a third strike call. Thompson,
Burcher (2) and Garrett
Rebelo and Milano Warren
and Garrett
McKenna, Richardson (2), Jauregui (6) and Milano Saskatoon
18-5
Edmonton 9-11
Lethbridge 11-14
Lloydminster 7-15 (July
3) Lethbridge topped the Eskimos 5-4 before
14-hundred fans at Edmonton. Dennis Job, with
relief help from Jerry MacDonald, picked up the
win. Ray Barboza clouted his 9th homer for
the Eskimos. Job, MacDonald
(9) and Garrett
Slaughter, Jones (6) and Rex (July
3) Lloydminster stopped the high-flying Commodores
12-8 before just 200 fans in the border city. Meridians
had seven extra base hits and took advantage of four Saskatoon
errors. Shortstop Barry Arnett led the
Meridians with two triples and a double. Curly Williams
and Wayne Clark each had a double and
single. The game was called after 7 1/2 innings because of
darkness. Goodrich,
Sutherland (4) and Herrington
Arnold and Rebelo Saskatoon
general manager, Spero Leakos, announced the
acquisition of left-handed pitcher Pete Kenney
from the University of Southern California.
Saskatoon
18-6
Lethbridge 12-14
Edmonton 9-12
Lloydminster 8-15
(July 4) Jerry Burcher
tossed a five-hitter while his Lethbridge teammates exploded for
19 hits in a 12-1 trouncing of the Eskimos at Edmonton.
Third baseman Jim Lester blasted a two-run homer, triple
and two singles to lead the White Sox. Danny Salazar
and Jim Garrett also had four hits apiece for the
winners. Ray Barboza had a triple and a
single for Edmonton. The one run against Burcher was
unearned. 21-hundred fans watched the action at Renfrew
Park. Burcher
and Garrett
Craig, Burnett (2), Neal (6) and Rex (July
4) Dick Dyer pitched a five-hit shutout as
Lloydminster again beat the Commodores, 2-0. Dyer
walked eight but the Meridians were sharp on defense to maintain
the shutout. Twice the Commodores had runners cut down at
the plate. Lloydminster had just five hits off loser Jim
Heise and reliever Gene Graves. Barry
Arnett drove in the first run with a single in the third
and Jerry King knocked in the second in the eighth
inning. Heise,
Graves (9) and Herrington
Dyer and Milano (July
4) Cliff Pemberton, the Lloydminster
playing-manager, turned to umpiring while waiting for his
fractured finger to heal. Pemberton umpired both the
Monday and Tuesday games when the Meridians defeated
Saskatoon. Curly Williams handled the club in
Pemberton's absence. (July
5) Meridians won their third straight at home as
they came back from a four-run deficit to shade Lethbridge 6-5
before 271 fans. Lloydminster scored three runs in the
fifth on two walks and singles by Bob Milano, Barry
Arnett and Jerry King. They scored a
pair, including the winning run, in the 8th on two singles and
two Lethbridge errors. Arnett led the Meridians
with four singles. King and Bill Lynn
of the White Sox each had three hits. With the victory the
Meridians moved into third place, a half-game ahead of Edmonton. MacDonald,
Sylvester (7) and Garrett
McKenna, Rebelo (9) and Milano (July
5) Saskatoon received outstanding pitching from Gene
Graves and Floyd Thionnet to sweep a pair
from Edmonton, 8-0 and 4-1. Thionnet tossed a
three-hit shutout in the afternoon game while Graves gave
up just four in the nightcap. The win moved the Commodores
7 1/2 games up on the second place Lethbridge White Sox. J
Johnson, Slaughter (2) and Rex
Thionnet and Herrington Reuter
and Rex
Graves and Herrington (July
5) Bill Lynn of Lethbridge topped the
hitters according to statistics from the Western
Canada Baseball League. Statistics covered games up to and
including June 27th and showed Lynn with a .412 average. Two
playing-managers, Lyle Olsen of Saskatoon and Cliff
Pemberton of Lloydminster were next at .408. John
Boccabella of Saskatoon was fourth with a .403
mark. Commodores right-hander, Dan Schneider
was the leader pitcher, with an ERA of 2.01. Fines
amounting to $50 were levied on four Western Canada league
players. Commissioner Al Shaver's office announced
that Jim Garrett and Vic Stasiuk of
Lethbridge had been fine $10 each for being evicted from games
during a series in Edmonton. Mick McDermott
of Saskatoon and John Carbray of Edmonton were
each fined $15 for abusive language to umpires. (July
6) Lloydminster erupted for six runs in the bottom of the
7th inning to score a 10-6 win over Lethbridge and move to
within a half-game of the White Sox in the Western Canada League
standings. It was the Meridians fourth straight win.
The winning rally included five hits and three Lethbridge
errors. J.B. Carroll had a triple and single
for the winners while Jim Garrett led the Sox with four
hits. Dowling, Thompson
(2), Warren (7), Steadman (7) and Garrett, Bartholomew (4)
Jauregui and Milano. (July
6) Saskatoon increased its league-leading margin to 8 1/2
games with a 9-4 win over Edmonton, the clubs 21st win in 28
games. Bob Peters tossed a four-hitter for
the win. Bob Levingston blasted a two-run
homer for the Commodores while Ray Barboza belted
his 10th homer of the season for the Eskimos. Burnett,
Jones (4) and Rex
Peters and Herrington Edmonton
announced it had four new players joining the club, including Tom
Satriano and Tommy Taylor. Lloydminster's
W.A. Slim Thorpe denied a report that the club
would be moving to Medicine Hat. Thorpe said the report had
"no basis of fact." He said he hoped to
have many of his problems solved at the league meeting scheduled
for Sunday in Edmonton. Poor attendance had put the
franchise in jeopardy. (July 7) Dan
Schneider, an 18-year-old lefthander from the University
of Arizona, pitched a seven-hitter and fanned 13 as Saskatoon
whipped Lethbridge 9-1. John Boccabella and Ernie
Fazio each belted two-run homers for the Commodores. Boccabella
also had a triple. Sylvester,
Steadman (6) and Bartholomew
Schneider and Herrington (July
8) Lloydminster ran its winning streak to six games with a
sweep of the Eskimos, 7-1 and 4-3. Meridians got
route-going performances from John Rebelo and Alton
Arnold. J Johnson,
Neal (1) and Rex
Rebelo and Milano J
Johnson, Craig (4) and Rex
Arnold and Milano (July
8) Saskatoon scored twice in the bottom of the 13th inning
to shade Lethbridge 10-9 in the first game of a twin-bill at
Cairns Field. White Sox took the second game 3-1. In
the opener, a two-run homer by Bill Lynn of the
Sox sent the game into extra innings. Tim Cullen's
single scored Ernie Fazio with the winner.
Commodores playing-manager Lyle Olsen had a
three-run homer. Warren,
Burcher (3), MacDonald (10) and Garrett
Goodrich, Graves (7), Heise (10) and Tuggle, Herrington (7) Dennis
Job scattered seven hits as Lethbridge won the second
game 3-1. John Boccabella accounted for the
Saskatoon run with a 6th inning homer. Commodores pulled
off a triple play in the 2nd inning. With runners on first
and second, Boccabella fielded a hot grounder off the bat
of John Bartholomew and tagged Terry Banderas
trying for third, then threw to Lyle Olsen at
second to catch Gord Wesley. The relay to
first was in time for the third out. It was the first
triple play at Cairns Field since the 1956 Dominion Day
tournament. Job and Garrett
Sutherland and Herrington (July
9) Saskatoon snapped the Meridians six game win streak
topping Lloydminster 5-4 in ten innings in the first game of a
double-header. Meridians bounced back with an 11-1 victory
in the second game. Link
Curtis drove in the winning run in the opener with a
double. Meridians scored eight times in the 6th inning of
the second game to breeze to the win. Jerry King,
Darrell Read and Bob Milano each had
two hits for the winners. Tom McKenna went
the distance for the win. The game was called after 7 1/2
innings by darkness. Graves,
Heise (7) and Herrington
Dyer and Milano Goodrich
and Tuggle
McKenna and Milano (July
9) Edmonton and the White Sox split a double-header in
Lethbridge. Sox won the opener 7-4 and Edmonton took the
second game 13-6. Danny
Salazar led the Sox in the first game with a double and two
singles. He drove in a pair of runs. Ray Barboza
paced the Eskimos with his 11th homer. He also clouted one
in the second game. Sox
made eight errors in the nightcap and in the process George
Wesley, the Sox owner-manager, was tossed from the game for
attacking umpire Tom Zasadny. "Second
baseman Gord Wesley had fired a throw past John Bartholomew at
first in an attempt to get base runner Casey Jones and the Sox
first baseman retrieved it and fired to second. Not in
time, signalled Zasadny with the "safe" sign and
Wesley lit into him pushing him about the infield. Zasadny took
it only briefly and signalled the second baseman out of the
game. That
did it so far as owner George was concerned. He took after
Zasadny in an attempt to vent his wrath. In the melee
third baseman Jim Lester wrestled the volatile Wesley to the
ground only to have him roll away and take after the arbitrator
again. By
this time there were plenty of bodies between the two and no
further damage was done. George was ejected from the game
as well." (Lethbridge
Herald, July 10, 1961) Willie Walasko picked up the win in
the first game. Sterling Slaughter was the
winner in the second. Reuter
and Rex, Carbray (6)
Walasko and Garrett Slaughter
and Rex
Dowling, Warren (2), Sereduk (9) and Garrett Saskatoon
24-9
Lloydminster 14-16
Lethbridge 15-19
Edmonton 10-19 (July
9) Commissioner Al Shaver announced
that the league would operate the Lloydminster Meridians for the
remainder of the season. A five-hour meeting to discuss
the Meridians' attendance problems resulted in a decision to
have the league take over the club and attempt to place it in
another city. (July
10) The Western Canada Baseball League announced the
Lloydminster franchise would operate out of Medicine Hat for the
rest of the season. The club will be managed by Curly
Williams, assisted by J.B. Carroll.
Former manager, Cliff Pemberton, sidelined
recently with a broken finger, was given his release.
Pemberton said he had received a tentative offer to remain as a
league umpire working out of Edmonton. (July
10) Eskimos upset league-leading Saskatoon 9-5 at
Renfrew Park in Edmonton. The Esks Casey Jones
had an inside-the-park homer in the 7th inning which scored
catcher Ed Tanner in front of him. Thionnet
and Herrington
Shaves, Jones (3) and Rex, Tanner (3) (July
10) The Meridians changed locales but kept winning.
The team, now based in Medicine Hat, scored three runs in the
top of the 9th to down Lethbridge 7-5. It was the club's 8th win
in their last 9 games. Sox had the bases loaded with none
out in the bottom of the 9th but Alton Arnold came
on in relief to stifle the rally. Meridians ended the
threat with a double play. Bob Milano and Mick
Mousalam each had three hits to lead the Meridians.
Milano had two doubles and Mousalam, a triple. Jauregui,
Arnold (9) and Milano
Sylvester, Sereduk (8), Thompson (9) and Garrett (July
11) A bases-loaded single by Gale Tuggle
knocked in the winning run as Saskatoon beat Edmonton
7-5. Peters,
Heise (5) and Herrington
Shaves, J Johnson (1), Jones (8) and Tanner (July
11) Lethbridge overcame a five-run deficit to tie Medicine
Hat 6-6 in a game called after five innings by rain. Danny
Salazar had three hits to pace the Sox. Lethbridge
general manager George Wesley announced the acquisition of lefthander
Pete Kenney from the Drain Black Sox and the University of Southern
California. Read
and Milano
Steadman, Dowling (2) and Garrett (July
11) Writing in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, columnist Cam
McKenzie began to think about league all-stars: When
it comes to all-star selection time in the WCBL we were
wondering how selectors could pass up about two-thirds of the
leading Saskatoon Commodores. Starting
with the catching position, there isn't a better receiver in the
league than Gary Herrington. The next best is Jimmy
Garrett of Lethbridge. John
Boccabella is tops at first base, Lyle Olsen at second and
Midge
Fazio at short. At third, Tim Cullen is adequate, but
perhaps Curly Williams, Lloydminster, or Jim
Lester, Lethbridge,
would win the spot on an all-star aggregation. For
centre field no one could overlook Edmonton's Ray Barboza and in
left field, although there are some good ones at this position,
Saskatoon's Bob Levingston, we think, has the class.
Levingston's hitting over other contenders would carry
considerable weight in the voting. He represents a lot of
authority at the plate. For right field we'd take Terry Banderas
of Lethbridge. Pitching?
Commodores' Floyd Thionnet and Bob Peters pretty well have the
righthanded department all to themselves. And for lefties,
who is better than Saskatoon's Danny Schneider and
Dennis Job of
Lethbridge? This
array of talent would represent a club which could step into B
Class ball, perhaps even a notch higher.
(Saskatoon Star Phoenix, July 11, 1961) (July
12) Second baseman Gord Wesley's
single drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 9th as
Lethbridge topped Saskatoon 6-5. Jerry Burcher
went the distance for the win. Schneider,
Graves (9) and Herrington
Burcher and Garrett (July
12) Playing-manager Curly Williams was the
big gun with three hits as Medicine Hat downed the Eskimos 7-3
before 634 fans at Edmonton. Williams broke the game open
in the 5th inning as he tripled and scored on a homer by Mick
Mousalam as Meridians took a 4-1 lead. John Rebelo
scattered six hits for the win. Rebelo
and Milano
Burnett, Slaughter (5), Jones (9) and Rex (July
12) Commissioner Al Shaver announced that
Lethbridge manager George Wesley had been fined
$100 and suspended for six days following an incident Sunday in
the game with Edmonton. Wesley rushed onto the field and
assaulted the base umpire after an Edmonton runner had been
called safe. Wesley's son, Gord, the team's second
baseman, was fined $10 for being evicted from the game as a
result of the same incident. Saskatoon
25-11
Medicine Hat 16-16
Lethbridge 16-20
Edmonton 11-21 (July
13) The Western Canada
Baseball League had a new batting leader, 19-year-old Jerry King of Medicine Hat
Meridians. League statistics showed King with a
.409 average. Bill Lynn of Lethbridge, the
previous leader, slipped to .350 and fourth place. Lyle
Olsen of Saskatoon moved into second place with a .385
mark. Cliff Pemberton, the former
playing-manager of Lloydminster, was third. Ray Barboza
of Edmonton was the home run leader with 12. (July
13) Curly Williams, the Medicine Hat
playing-manager, blasted a two-run homer in the 1st inning and
the Meridians went on to top Edmonton 5-3. Jerry King
also knocked in a pair for the winners. Alton Arnold
held the Eskimos to four hits and fanned 16. It was the
Meridians 10th win in their last 11 games. Arnold
and Mousalam
Reuter, J Johnson (1) and Rex (July
13) Gene Graves and Darrell Sutherland
combined on a three-hitter as Saskatoon shaded Lethbridge
2-1. Newcomer Pete Kenney took the loss for
the Sox. Graves, Sutherland
(8) and Herrington
Kenney and Garrett (July
13) Commissioner Al Shaver announced that
Saskatoon playing-manager Lyle Olsen had been
fined $15 for "directing abusive language" at game
officials during the July 6th game at Saskatoon. Jim
Lester of Lethbridge was fined $10 for being evicted from
a game after he had "threatened an umpire with a bat." (July
14) Meridians defeated Edmonton 8-3 in a game played
at Camrose. The contest, a game re-scheduled after a
rain-out in Edmonton, was called after six innings
because of high winds. Dick Dyer picked up
the win tossing a seven-hitter. Curly Williams and Wayne Clark
had homers for Medicine Hat while Clark Rex and Sterling
Slaughter replied for Edmonton. It was the 16th
loss in the last 19 games for the Esks. The losers were bolstered
by three players from the University of Southern California along with
pitcher Tommy Taylor of the Kansas City Monarchs who came on in
relief of starter Dennis Lindstrom, the 18-year-old Camrose
hurler. Lindstrom,
Taylor (3) and Rex
Dyer and Milano (July
14) Saskatoon won a spot in the final of the Edmonton
tournament with a 7-5 win over Lethbridge. Cliff Goodrich
went the distance for the win. Danny Salazar
of the Sox had a three-run homer. Goodrich
and Tuggle
MacDonald, Warren (8) and Garrett (July
15) Commodores took top prize of $2,000 in the Edmonton
tournament with a 13-5 win over the Eskimos in the
final. John Boccabella paced Saskatoon
with a three-run homer while Tim Cullen added a
two-run shot. Edmonton
advanced by downing Medicine Hat 5-2 behind Jerry Merz,
newly acquired hurler from USC. Merz allowed just four
hits and struck out 10. Mousalam
and King
Merz and Rex Peters,
Schneider (4), Graves (7), Thionnet (7) and Tuggle
Reuter, Jones (4) and Rex (July
16) In their debut in Medicine Hat, the Meridians sent 600
fans away happy with a 3-1 win over Lethbridge in the second
game of a double-header. Sox had won the opener 9-2.
Mike Jauregui tossed a four-hitter for the
Meridians victory. Tom Bergeron provided the
offense with a two-run homer in the 4th. Norm Harding
paced the Sox win driving in three runs with a triple and
double. Winning pitcher Blaine Sylvester
knocked in a pair with a single and a sacrifice fly. Sylvester
and Garrett
McKenna, Dyer (6) and Milano Walasko
and Garrett
Jauregui and Milano (July
16) More than 36-hundred fans watched the Commodores and
Edmonton split a double-header at Saskatoon. Eskimos
scored five runs in the first inning of the opener, with the
help of four Saskatoon errors, and coasted to an 8-2
victory. The big blow for Edmonton was a three-run homer
by George Banda. The Esks' shortstop drove
in five runs in the contest. Floyd
Thionnet was the story in the nightcap as he pitched a
four-hitter and had three hits at the plate as Commodores
notched a 3-0 win. Shaves,
Taylor (3) and Hinkle
Sutherland, Graves (9) and Herrington Slaughter
and Rex
Thionnet and Herrington Saskatoon
27-12
Medicine Hat 19-17
Lethbridge 17-22
Edmonton 12-24 (July
17) Bob Levingston drove in five runs with a
homer and a double as Saskatoon downed Lethbridge 5-1. Gary
Peters tossed a four-hitter for the win, his seventh of
the season. Job,
Dowling (7) and Garrett
Peters and Herrington (July
17) Edmonton scored two runs in the 9th then held off a
Meridians' rally to shade Medicine Hat 4-3. Casey Jones
paced the Esks scoring twice and driving in another. Ken
Reuter picked up the win. Reuter,
Johnson (7), Jones (9) and Hinkle
Rebelo and Milano ------------------------------------------- (July
18) Medicine Hat erased a 2-0 deficit with three runs in
each of the 8th and 9th innings to down Edmonton 6-2 before 400
fans at Medicine Hat. J.B. Carroll
led the winners with three hits. Casey Jones
had three hits for Edmonton. Alton Arnold
scattered ten hits to get the win. Shaves,
Jones (7) and Rex
Arnold and King (July
18) Commodores were outhit 13 to 6 but took advantage of
seven Lethbridge errors to score a 10-3 win over the White
Sox. John Boccabella, with a three-run
homer, and Ernie Fazio with a two-run triple,
paced Saskatoon. Jim Lester had three hits
for the Sox. Kenney,
Warren (7) and Garrett
Schneider and Herrington (July
19) Lethbridge White Sox edged Edmonton 3-2 in 10 innings
in spite of a four-hitter by losing pitcher Jerry Merz.
Sox scored the winner on a walk to first baseman John Bartholomew,
a passed ball and consecutive infield outs. Frank Warren
picked up the win in relief. Stan Beard had
three hits for the Eskimos. MacDonald,
Warren (7) and Garrett
Merz and Rex (July
19) Dick Dyer held Saskatoon to five hits
and struck out 10 to lead the Meridians to a 5-4 victory to move
to with 6 1/2 games of the league-leading Commodores.
Medicine Hat scored the winner in the 9th as Bob Milano
crossed the plate when pitcher Jim Heise fumbled
the ball while backing up catcher Gary Herrington
on a throw from the outfield. Curly Williams
had a two-run homer for the winners. Dyer
and Milano
Graves, Heise (9) and Herrington (July
20) Mickey McNamee blasted a three-run homer
in the 1st inning and Edmonton went on to a 5-3 win over
Lethbridge. Chico Slaughter went the
distance for the win. Burcher,
Dowling (4) and Garrett
Slaughter and Rex (July
20) Saskatoon had just nine hits but took advantage of six
Medicine Hat errors and 10 walks to trounce the Meridians
12-1. Jim Heise gave up six hits in a
route-going performance for the Commodores. McKenna,
Read (7) and Milano
Heise and Herrington (July
21) Medicine Hat and the White Sox split a pair of
high-scoring contests in Lethbridge. Meridians took the
opener 14-10 (the completion of the July 11th game, suspended
after five innings) while Lethbridge came back for a 14-0 win in the
second game. Willie Walasko
was the pitching star on a day for hitters. Walasko tossed
a two-hit shutout in the second game. Jim Garrett
and Jim Lester each had three hits for the
Sox. Garrett knocked in four runs with a triple and
two singles. Barry Arnett paced the
Meridians in the first game with three hits. Read,
Jauregui (6) and Milano
Steadman, Dowling (2), Burcher (6), Sereduk (6) and Garrett,
Bartholomew (8) Rebelo,
Read (5) and Milano
Walasko and Garrett (July
22) Alton Arnold pitched a two-hitter as
Medicine Hat beat Lethbridge 5-3. Arnold
and Milano
Job, Warren (6) and Garrett (July
22) Saskatoon and the Eskimos split a double-header at Edmonton. Esks won the opener 7-3 as former Commodore Tommy
Taylor went the distance for the win. Ray Barboza's
two-run homer, his 13th of the season, was the key blow for the
Eskimos. John Boccabella homered for
Saskatoon. Commodores pulled out a 4-3, 10 inning win in
the second game. Thionnet,
Goodrich (5) and Tuggle
Taylor and Rex Sutherland,
Graves (3), Heise (10) and Herrington
Reuter, Jones (8) and Hinkle, Rex (9) (July
23) Mike Jauregui pitched shutout ball for
six innings to lead Medicine Hat to a 3-2 win over
Edmonton. He finished with a five-hitter. Newcomer Joe
Campise had a triple and two doubles for the Eskimos. Jauregui
and Milano
Shaves, Jones (7) and Rex (July
23) Saskatoon took both ends of a double-header from
Lethbridge, 12-2 and 4-1. Dan Schneider
tossed a five-hitter in the afternoon contest as Commodores
pounded out 16 hits including homers by John Boccabella
and Tim Cullen. Midge Fazio
and newcomer Mike Bellas each had three
hits. Cullen paced the Commodores in the second
game with a double and three singles. Gary Peters
picked up the win, his 8th of the season. Schneider
and Herrington
Sylvester, Sereduk (7) and Garrett Peters,
Heise (8) and Tuggle, Herrington (9)
MacDonald and Garrett Saskatoon
33-14
Medicine Hat 24-20
Lethbridge 19-29
Edmonton 15-28 (July
26) Cliff Pemberton returned to the WCBL as
playing-manager of the Edmonton Eskimos. Pemberton, who
started the season as the manager of Lloydminster, was released
by the club when the team shifted to Medicine Hat. He had been
on the shelf with a broken finger. With Pemberton moving
in, Edmonton announced it had released Clark Rex, Dennis
Shaves, Ed Beard and John Carbray.
Esks were reported to be seeking outfielder Bill Lynn,
released by Lethbridge. Pemberton drove in a pair
of runs in his first game back, as the Eskimos won 2-0 at the Lacombe
tournament. (July
30) Saskatoon announced two acquisitions to their roster,
outfielder Kenny Washington, the son of the former
football great, and outfielder-catcher Buddy Hollowell,
both from the University of Southern California.
Commodores said outfielder Bob Levingston had been
forced to return to classes as USC.
(July 31) Jim Heise
and Floyd Thionnett combined to shutout Lethbridge
on eight hits as Saskatoon maintained its comfortable lead in
the standings with a 2-0 victory. Heise, in his final game
with the club, went eight innings for the win. He was scheduled to
return home because of illness in the family.
Commodores had two newcomers in the lineup, outfielder Ken
Washington from USC and outfielder-catcher Buddy Hollowell.
Washington replaced Bob Levingston who had to
return to summer school at USC. Sylvester
and Bartholomew
Heise, Thionnett (8) and Herrington (July 31)
Medicine
Hat exploded for eight runs in the 7th inning and held off a
late Edmonton rally to score a 10-6 win. Playing-manager Curly
Williams knocked in three runs for the Meridians. Mickey
McNamee belted a three-run homer and a triple for the
Eskimos. Ray Barboza also homered for
Edmonton. Merz,
Johnson (7), Neal (7) and Hinkle
Arnold and King Lyle
Olsen, playing-manager of Saskatoon, jumped into the
batting lead in the Western Canada Baseball League with a .373
average and a comfortable margin on teammate John
Boccabella, at .343. Bill Lynn,
formerly of Lethbridge, was third at .339. Medicine Hat
catcher Bob Milano was fourth, at .336, and
Lethbridge shortstop Norm Harding rounded out the
top five, at .321. Ray Barboza of Edmonton
had the lead in homers, with 13. Ernie Fazio of
Saskatoon had 19 stolen bases to top the circuit. Stan
Busch of Lethbridge had scored the most runs, 44. (August
1) Saskatoon got a brilliant relief effort from Gene
Graves as the Commodores topped Lethbridge 8-6. Graves
came on in the sixth after the White Sox had scored four times
and pitched no-hit ball the rest of the way. He fanned the
side in the 8th. Ernie Fazio drove in three
runs for Saskatoon. Ken Washington and Gary
Herrington each had two hits. Tim Cullen
was the defensive star for Saskatoon, making a pair of sparkling
plays. MacDonald, Burcher
(5) and Garrett
Peters, Graves (6) and Herrington (August
1) Edmonton
stopped the Meridians' nine-game winning streak with a 5-2 win
at Medicine Hat. Tony Taylor held the
Meridians to just six hits. Casey Jones
paced the Eskimos with four hits. Curly Williams
and Wayne Clarke each had two hits for Medicine
Hat. In the month of July, Williams, as playing
manager, led the Meridians to 25 wins in 32 games,
including tournament victories at Lacombe and Lethbridge. Taylor and Hinkle
Rebelo and Milano (August
2) Darrell Sutherland, 19-year-old right-hander,
tossed a one-hit gem as Saskatoon defeated Medicine Hat
6-1. The only hit off Sutherland was a double by Curly
Williams. The Stanford University product was lucky
to make it out of the first inning. He walked three
batters and allowed a stolen base but fanned Barry Arnett,
Tom Bergeron and Bob Milano to
escape unscathed. He fanned nine and walked six.
Commodores suffered a heavy blow when outfielder Ken Washington
fractured his leg while sliding into home in the sixth
inning. It was only his third game with the
Commodores. In the fourth inning, Washington had given
Saskatoon a 3-1 lead with a two-run homer. The son
of a well-known football great, Washington had joined Saskatoon
from the University of Southern California. Dyer
and Milano
Sutherland and Herrington (August
2) Willie
Walasko tossed a seven-hitter as Lethbridge beat Edmonton
6-4. All the runs against Walasko were unearned as the
White Sox committed five errors. Walasko ran his scoreless
inning streak, in league and tournament play, to 23 innings
before Edmonton notched a run in the 4th inning. Jim Russell
and Jim Lester each had two hits for
Lethbridge. Slaughter,
Reuter (5) and Hinkle
Walasko and Bartholomew (August
3) 18-year-old lefty Dave Dowling
pitched a two-hitter and fanned 17 as Lethbridge shutout
Edmonton 8-0. The previous week, Dowling had struck out 18 as
Lethbridge beat Regina at the Rotary Tournament. Terry
Banderas led the White Sox with a double and two
singles. Dowling fanned every Eskimo at least once. He
struck out the side in both the first and fifth innings. Johnson
and Hinkle
Dowling and Garrett (August
3) Floyd
Thionnett obviously liked home cooking. The
18-year-old right-hander from Bakersfield Junior College posted
his fourth straight shutout before Cairns Field fans as
Saskatoon trounced the Meridians 8-0. Thionnett gave up
just five hits, fanned five and walked three. Ernie Fazio
led the Commodores' offense with four hits. Saskatoon
announced that outfielder Joe Panella, from San Francisco State
College, would be
joining the team as a replacement for injured outfielder Kenny
Washington. Read, Jauregui (5)
and Milano, King (8)
Thionnett and Herrington (August
4) Saskatoon stretched its first place lead to 11 1/2
games with a 7-1 win over the White Sox in Lethbridge. Gene
Graves tossed a four-hitter for the win. Ernie
Fazio had three hits to lead the Commodores. Graves
and Herrington
Burcher, Warren (4) and Garrett (August
4) Edmonton
took a 3-0 lead over the first three innings and held on to
shaded the Meridians 4-2. Jerry Merz, with
relief from Roland Jones, picked up the win.
Richie Johnson had a triple and single to led the
Esks. McKenna and Milano
Merz, Jones (6) and Hinkle (August
5) Dan Schneider tossed a four-hitter and
struck out 16 as Saskatoon topped Lethbridge 7-3. Bob
Peters had three hits for the Commodores, while Lyle
Olsen banged out a triple and a single. Len Tucker,
the White Sox latest acquisition, belted a double. Schneider
and Herrington
Kenney, MacDonald (8) and Bartholomew (August
5) Edmonton
scored all its runs in the 8th and defeated Medicine Hat
5-3. Tony Taylor, with 9th inning relief
from Ted Neal, picked up the win. Arnold
and Milano
Taylor, Neal (9) and Hinkle (August
6) Medicine Hat had two three-run innings, the sixth and
eighth, to post a 6-1 win over Saskatoon in the first game of a
double-header. John Rebelo went the distance
for the win. Bob Milano paced the Meridians
with three hits. Jerry King knocked in three
runs with a double and single. Bob
Peters tossed a seven-hitter and had three hits at the
plate to lead the Commodores to a 4-2 win in the second game of
the twin-bill. It was Peters' 10th win in 11 starts. John
Boccabella had a double and two singles for
Saskatoon. Mick Mousalam had a triple and
single for Medicine Hat. Rebelo
and Milano
Goodrich, Graves (6) and Hollowell Peters
and Herrington
Jauregui and King (August
6) Edmonton
and the White Sox split a pair at Lethbridge. Esks
dropped the
opener 10-6 while storming back with ten runs over the first
three innings to take the second game 11-6. Jones,
Slaughter (6) and Hinkle
Sylvester, Warren (9) and Bartholomew Reuter
and Hinkle
Walasko and Garrett (August
7) Darrell Sutherland scattered four singles
as Saskatoon topped the Meridians 5-2. More than
12-hundred fans watched a spectacular fielding show which
featured six double plays, three by each club. Two of the
Commodores twin-killings bordered on the sensational. Each
time, third basemen Tim Cullen took a ground ball
on the dead run and fired to Lyle Olsen at second
who make the delay to first. For Medicine Hat, veteran Curly
Williams was the key figure in two double-plays. Dyer
and Milano
Sutherland and Herrington (August
8) Lethbridge's sensational lefty, Dave Dowling,
tossed a one-hitter as the White Sox shaded Edmonton 2-1. Casey
Jones got the only safety off Dowling, a single in the
sixth inning. The run against Dowling was unearned.
He fanned 10 and walked five. Lethbridge scored in the fourth as Len Tucker
singled and scored on Jim Garrett's single to
right. In the 9th, Garrett walked, moved to third on two
infield outs, and scored on Terry Banderas'
single. Esks scored in the bottom of the 9th on a series
of walks and an error. Dowling
and Garrett
Merz and Hinkle (August
8) Back-to-back
doubles by Lyle Olsen and Ernie Fazio
in the bottom of the 12th inning gave Saskatoon a 5-4 win over
Medicine Hat. Meridians had tied the scored 4-4 in the 9th
when pitcher Alton Arnold drove in Tom Bergeron.
Bergeron led the Meridians with three hits. Olsen had a
trio for the Commodores. Saskatoon had three double plays
for the second night in a row. Meridians' catcher Bob Milano
was ejected in the sixth inning for disputing a called third strike. McKenna,
Arnold (7) and Milano, King (6)
Thionnett, Goodrich (9) and Herrington Saskatoon
42-15
Medicine Hat 26-28
Lethbridge 23-34
Edmonton 19-33 (August
9) Lefthander Pete Kinney held Edmonton to
four hits as Lethbridge beat the Eskimos 2-1. White Sox
scored in the third on a double by Stan Busch and Len
Tucker's single. The winner, in the seventh, came
on a single by Busch, a sacrifice, and Norm Harding's
single. Edmonton's lone run came in the first inning on a
walk, wild pitch and single by Mickey McNamee. Kinney
and Bartholomew
Taylor, Jones (9) and Hinkle (August
10) Gene Graves pitched a seven-hit shutout
as the Commodores shaded Lethbridge 2-0 in Saskatoon. Joe
Panella and Buddy Hollowell knocked in runs
in the sixth inning for all the scoring. MacDonald
and Garrett, Bartholomew (2)
Graves and Herrington (August
10) After Edmonton
failed to keep a date with Medicine Hat, the Eskimos franchise
appeared to be in jeopardy.
(August 11) After a shaky
first inning, Dan Schneider shut down the White
Sox as Saskatoon scored a 6-2 victory and handed Schneider his
8th win of the season. He fanned nine and walked none. John
Boccabella and Lyle Olsen each had three
hits for the Commodores. For the second night in a row,
Lethbridge lost its starting catcher early in the game. John
Bartholomew injured his hand in the second inning when
hit by a foul tip. The previous night, Jim Garrett
was forced out of action, again in the second frame. Third
baseman Jim Lester took over behind the plate. Sylvester
and Bartholomew, Lester (2)
Schneider and Herrington (August
12) It was Spero
Leakos Appreciation Night at Saskatoon and the Commodores
celebrated with a 7-3 win over Edmonton.
Esks Casey Jones belted a two-run homer in the
first inning to give Edmonton the early lead, but the Commodores
came back with five straight hits in their half of the first to
score four runs and take a lead they never relinquished. Bob
Peters went the distance for his 11th win against only
one loss. Reuter,
J Johnson (1) and Hinkle
Peters and Herrington (August
12) The
bugs were as big a story as the score. The Lethbridge
White Sox shaded the Meridians 3-2 as Willie Walasko
tossed a three-hitter for the win. The game was halted
twice due to a heavy infestation of bugs which swarmed around
the lights.
"The
bugs, swarming around the lights and giving the playing field
the appearance of a snowy television screen, caused two bulbs on
the light banks to catch fire late in the game. The lights had
to be turned off twice in an effort to clear them."
At one time, left fielder Stan Busch
was forced to flee his position when swarms of bugs surrounded
him. Busch, and Jim Lester poked
homers for the Sox while new first baseman Len Tucker
had two hits and scored the winning run. It was the final
game for Mike Jauregui of the Meridians. He was scheduled to return to California to complete preparatory
studies for the fall university term.
Walasko and Lester
Jauregui and Milano
(August 13) Moths caused a
five minute suspension of the Western Canada League game in
which the Medicine Hat Meridians dumped Lethbridge 7-5.
Umpire Bob Porter ordered a temporary halt after
White Sox third baseman Danny Salazar was hit on
the head by one of John Rebelo's pitches.
Salazar said he couldn't see the pitch because of the
bugs. The stadium lights were turned off and the moths
dispersed enough to allow a resumption in play.
"In the sixth inning, the
outfielders were barely visible and the infield looked like the
victim of a blizzard. The white moths were much worse than
Saturday night's game ... a setting much akin to a snowy
television screen." (Lethbridge
Herald, August 14, 1961)
The Meridians took a 5-0 lead and
held on for the win. Left fielder Jerry King
led the winners with three hits. Tom Bergeron
had a pair of doubles. For the White Sox, Len Tucker
had two singles while Gord Wesley poked out a
double and a single.
Dowling, Ingram (4), Kenney (8),
Sylvester (8) and Lester
Rebelo and Milano
(August 13) Edmonton and the Commodores split a
twin-bill at the new field at Holiday Park in Saskatoon. John
Boccabella belted his
13th homer and two doubles as the Commodores won the opener
15-9. Midge Fazio
and Buddy Hollowell
also had round trippers. A four-run fourth inning carried
the Eskimos to a 5-4 triumph in the second game.
Merz, Neal (3) and Hinkle
Sutherland, Thionnet (6) and Hollowell, Herrington (3)
Taylor and Hinkle
Goodrich, Graves (4) and Hollowell
Saskatoon
46-16
Medicine Hat 27-29
Lethbridge 25-37
Edmonton 20-36
(August 14) Jerry
King had three hits to
pace Medicine Hat to a 9-4 win over Lethbridge in the final game
of the regular season. Tom McKenna tossed a five-hitter
for the win and helped at the plate with a triple and a
double.
McKenna and Milano
Kenney, Sylvester (2) and Lester
With the Edmonton franchise in jeopardy and the Medicine Hat
club already being sponsored by the league, Spero
Leakos of Saskatoon and George Wesley of
Lethbridge reached an agreement to cancel the remainder of the schedule
and begin a best-of-nine playoff.
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