Week 19 Summary (08/14/1967 - 08/20/1967)

Week Nineteen of the 1967 BBW Replay is in the books, so we are down to six weeks remaining, and they are going to be busy, and fun-filled weeks. We are near that point where teams will be making their final road trip to their opponents, so there is an impetus to get these final games played, and if necessary, games made up as well. For instance, this coming Tuesday there are five doubleheaders on the docket, so yes, we are starting to run out of season. A few teams are sitting at either 118 or 119 games played, meaning most of the teams have reached and passed the 120-games-played mark, and the stragglers will be there shortly.

There were no no-hitters this past week, but we did have six grand slams, and Ken Harrelson checked in with a three-homerun game, albeit in a losing cause. I have had players get four-pitch walks in previous replays, Ted Williams in 1949, and Mickey Mantle in 1957, but this one was a little different:

 


In the AL, the Red Sox still lead, but only by 4.5 games over second-place Baltimore. With Tony Conigliaro out for the foreseeable future, the Red Sox hopeful are properly concerned. Conigliaro has been on a tear over the past month, coming through with several key hits, his power streak occurring just as other Boston players have hit their mid-to-late-season lull. Baltimore recently fell into third place, but only for a few days as they soon regained their equilibrium, and Detroit returned to their struggles. Both teams are well aware that Boston remains ripe for the taking, but only if they can avoid their own occasional doldrums that knock them back in the standings right after they make a jump towards the top.


Right behind these three are Cleveland, Chicago, and Minnesota, all currently with a win-loss record below .500. Just like the teams directly ahead of them, they all jump between winning streaks and losing streaks, all therefore ending up right where they started. Example: This past week the Twins were shut out on both ends of a doubleheader by the Yankees. All that work they put in just to climb up the standings was immediately washed away, meaning they now have no choice but to start all over again.

St. Louis spent a few days in second place recently, but immediately regained their footing (games against Houston will do that for you) and regained first place in the NL. Atlanta had temporarily led the NL, but had also temporarily fallen into third place, and now resides in second place. San Francisco was elated to have claimed the second-place spot, but they couldn’t hold it, and their week ended with losing three consecutive to Cincinnati in Candlestick Park, vaulting the Reds into third place and knocking the Giants down into fifth, with the Phillies now holding on to the fourth spot in the NL. The Giants, now in fifth, are tied with the Cubs and have a 0.5 games lead over the Dodgers.

 

For what it's worth, the third-place Detroit team and the first-place St. Louis teams have identical 69-52 records. At the other end of the standings, seventh place Los Angeles (60-59) has a better record than fourth place Cleveland (61-62), with the Dodgers trailing St. Louis by 7.5 games, while Cleveland trails Boston by 16.5 games.

 

Will St. Louis and Boston be able to hold on and meet in the World Series? Probably, but it's not going to be easy for either team. Bob Gibson will return to the mound for St. Louis in a few more weeks as he recovers from his fractured leg, but Boston will be missing Conigliaro … all this is setting up for a fun and exciting finish. Who is gonna get hot? Who is not? Six weeks to go … let's go play!

 

In Memoriam: Denny Lemaster


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