THE 1968 GOWDY INSIDE PITCH PROJECT BEGINS CHAPTER 1

 

   GIBSON FANS 11 TIGERS, COMPLETE SHUTOUT WIN 

The 1968 Curt Gowdy Memorial Project honors the late great broadcaster.  Gowdy knew his baseball but also was able to convey the triumphs and struggles of the major league ballplayer.  He knew where they were born and the personal journey the ballplayer made to arrive at the big leagues. 

PROJECT TOOLS 

1. Inside Pitch classic board game and 1968 player cards 
2. Google dice roller 
3.  Digital Diamond Board Game Companion (DDBG) 
4.  IP Liberty League Rulebook revised for project 
5.  King of the Hill Scheduling Format
6.  Unique All Star Tournament 
 

SCHEDULING 

REGULAR SEASON 

This year I will use a straight KOH schedule.  I start by listing the teams based on total wins in the season.  Second,  the NL and AL champs will play the first 2 games of the season.   The regular season schedule includes 180 games broken up in  9 chapters of 20 games each. 

PLAYOFFS 

Top 6 teams qualify for the playoffs.  Teams are ranked 1 through 6. 

1.  6 at 5:      best of 3
2.  W1 at 4:  best of 3 
3.   W2 at 3:  best of 5 
4.  W3 at  2:  best of 7
5.   W4 at 1:  best of 7 


PAST CHAMPIONS 

1965 
WS Champs:  Milwaukee Braves 
MVP: Willie Mays SFG 
CYY:  Tony Cloninger MIL 

1966
WS Champs:  Pittsburgh Pirates 
MVP:  Jim Lefebvre LAD 
CYY:   Don Sutton LAD 

1967 
WS Champs : San Francisco Giants 
MVP: Willie McCovey 
CYY:   Gaylord Perry 

 

CHAPTER 1 RESULTS AND NOTES 

ST. LOUIS 

Game 1 
Chapter 1 opened with Bob Gibson and the Cardinals facing off against Denny McLain and the Tigers at Tiger Stadium.  Gibson threw a complete game shutout , fanning 11 while limiting the Tigers to 3 hits and 2 walks.  Mike Shannon had a HR and 2 RBIs to lead the Cardinals offense.  

Game 2
Earl Wilson (DET) and Nelson Briles (STL) started on opening day in St. Louis.  The Cardinals outslugged the Tigers 7-4. Roger Maris led the St. Louis hit parade with the following stat line: (2-3) BB 3RBI.  The Cards tagged John Wyatt for 4 earned runs in 1/3 IP. 

The Tigers open the season at 0-2 and will slide to the bottom of the hill in Chapter 2. 

BALTIMORE 

Games 3-6

The Orioles downed the Cardinals 7-6 and reeled off 3 more wins to finish the Chapter with a 4-1 record. Boston nipped the Orioles 3-1 in game 7.

CINCINNATI  

Games 7-14

The Reds went 6-1 in the chapter with wins over Boston,  the Yankees, Atlanta, Oakland, Pittsburgh and Minnesota.  The Dodgers ended the 6 game win streak with a 2-1 win in game 14. 

LOS ANGELES 

Games 14-17

The Dodgers went 3-1 in the chapter with wins over the Reds, Phillies and White Sox before the Angels downed their cross state rivals 3-2. 

CALIFORNIA 

Games 18-20 
The Angels went 2-1 in the chapter. 
Houston went 1-1. 


PLAYOFF RACE 

Here are the early leaders in the playoff race:

1. Cincinnati 6-1 
2. Baltimore 4-1 
3. Los Angeles 3-1 
4. Houston 2-0 
5. St. Louis 2-1 
6. California 2-1 


TOP PERFORMERS  

Bob Gibson threw a complete game shutout while fanning 11 Tigers on opening day. 

Mike Shannon had a 1.767 OPS 

Alex Johnson leads the project with 14 hits. 

Johnny Bench and Roger Maris both have 2 HRs. 

So it is on to Chapter 2 in the 1968 Curt Gowdy Memorial Inside Pitch Project !!!!!