SERIES #2 - (5)1954 INDIANS v (12)1983 WHITE SOX

We head to the American League and the Connie Mack Bracket for our Series #2 match-up.  The 1954 Cleveland Indians are the favorite and earned the #5 seed.  They face the #12 seeded 1983 Chicago White Sox.  Let's look at the match-up.

1954 Cleveland Indians

The American League Champions in 1954, the Indians headed into the Fall Classic that year as clear cut favorites to defeat the New York Giants, champions of the National League. Cleveland had, after all, won an astonishing 111 games in the regular season compared to only 43 losses, a whopping .721 winning percentage. The Giants, for comparison, had only won 97 games. But of course, things don't always go the way they should on paper, and the Wahoo's were swept in the Series 4-0. This is the Series made famous by "The Catch" by Willie Mays and the Dusty Rhodes pinch-hit, walk-off 3-run HR in the bottom of the 10th in game one. Nevertheless, this '54 Indians squad is still considered one of the best teams of All-Time not to have won a Fall Classic, earning them the #5 seed in this competition.

Future Hall of Famer Larry Doby paced the offense (.847 OPS, 32 HR, 126 RBI). He finished 2nd in the MVP voting for the year behind Yogi Berra.  As a matter of fact, four Indians finished in the top-6 in MVP voting in 1954, arguably splitting the votes among them and denying Doby the actual honor.  All-Star Al Rosen also had a good season (.910 OPS, 24 HR, 102 RBI), the year before he actually won the MVP in 1955.

As good as the offense was, make no mistake about it, the 1954 Indians were a team built on pitching.  This staff had four, count 'em four, future Hall of Famers, albeit at different stages in their respective careers.  Led by Early Wynn (23-11, 2.73 ERA) and Bob Lemon (23-7, 2.72 ERA), the rotation also included a 35 year old Bob Feller, who went 13-3 in 19 starts.  Hal Newhouser rounds out the HOF contingent, going 7-2, 2.51 ERA with 7 saves out of the bullpen.

1983 Chicago White Sox

The 1983 White Sox failed to make it to the World Series, losing to the Baltimore Orioles 3-1 in the ALCS, but this was a very good team nonetheless.  Our 13th seeded team in the Connie Mack Bracket finished with a 99-63 regular season record, winning the AL West that year by a whopping 20 games.  They were the only team in their division to finish with a winning record.

This team was skippered by future HOF manager Tony Larussa.  The 1983 Sox were actually the first team he managed to a playoff birth.  He went on to win six pennants and three World Series titles in his 33 year managerial career.

Lamarr Hoyt won the CY Young award for the year (24-10, 3.66 ERA, 11 CG).  Richard Dotson also had a fine season (22-7, 3.23 ERA), finishing 4th in the CY Young voting.  The offense was paced by free-swingers Ron Kittle and Greg Luzinski, who hit 35 and 32 HRs respectively.  Those two finished 1-2 in HR per AB for the year.  Future HOFer Carlton Fisk had a fine year behind the plate (.874 OPS, 24 HR), finishing 3rd in the MVP voting.

PREDICTION:  It's hard not to pick the 111 win Indians in this spot, considering the lineup and pitching staff they can put on the field.  Of course, that's what everybody thought in 1954 when they were swept in the World Series.  But this '83 White Sox squad isn't the '54 Giants.  All signs point towards an easy Cleveland victory in this round.  Indians 3-0

Game 1
Comiskey Park

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13		R	H	E
Cleveland 1954 (0-1)	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0		4	12	2
Chicago (A) 1983 (1-0)	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1		5	13	2
	W: D. Lamp (1-0)   L: D. Mossi (0-1)

Shades of game #1 in 1954 as the Indians go into extra innings.  This time the game goes into the 13th before the '83 White Sox break through with the game winner.  Harold Baines the hero for the Pale Hose as he got the scoring started with a homer in the 1st, then comes through with the game winner, knocking a bases loaded single in the 13th.  Lamarr Hoyt a workhorse, tossing 12+ tough innings before giving way to eventual winner Dennis Lamp.  Vic Wertz hit a monumental HR in the 8th to tie the score at the time.  Tale-of-the-tape measured the blast at 497 feet, sailing over the left field stands.  The Sox pick up game one in an extra-inning classic.  The '54 Indians are thinking here we go again.

Game 2
Comiskey Park

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Cleveland 1954 (1-1)	0	0	0	2	4	1	0	4	1		12	17	1
Chicago (A) 1983 (1-1)	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0		2	8	0
	W: B. Lemon (1-0)   L: R. Dotson (0-1)

Cleveland comes back in a big way in game two, rapping out 17 hits in a 12-2 road victory.  The Pale Hose got the scoring started early with a run in the first, but it was downhill from there.  Larry Doby ignited the Indians onslaught with a homer to leadoff the 4th.  Another run in the inning gave them the lead, then four more in the 5th sealed the deal.  Bob Lemon scattered eight hits to pickup the win.  It's off to Municipal Stadium in Cleveland to finish off the series.

Game 3
Cleveland Municipal Stadium

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Chicago (A) 1983 (1-2)	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0		1	2	0
Cleveland 1954 (2-1)	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	X		2	5	1
	W: B. Feller (1-0)   L: F. Bannister (0-1) SV: D. Mossi (1)

A bonafide pitching dual in game three as both teams combine for only seven hits and three runs.  Chicago once again takes the lead with a run in the 3rd.  They've been ahead early in each game so far.  But this time that's all they could muster.  The Indians come back with a run of their own in the 4th, then plate the game-winner in the 5th when Bob Feller scores from 1st on an Al Smith triple.  Speaking of Feller, he was magnificent, holding the Sox to only two hits in his eight innings of work.  Don Mossi tossed a 1-2-3 9th to pickup the save and give Cleveland a 2-1 series lead.  Tough task ahead for the Pale Hose to pickup two in a row on the road without one of their offensive stars.  Greg Luzinski riding the pine as no DH in 1954.


Game 4
Cleveland Municipal Stadium

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Chicago (A) 1983 (2-2)	1	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	0		4	8	1
Cleveland 1954 (2-2)	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0		2	5	0
	W: B. Burns (1-0)   L: M. Garcia (0-1) SV: S. Barojas (1)

Chicago once again gets the scoring started early, scoring in the 1st inning for the third time in four games.  This time they keep the lead throughout, never letting Cleveland get the equalizer, holding on for a 4-2 victory, forcing a 5th and deciding game.  The Indians will be without their middle infield in the finale as both SS Same Dente and 2B Bobby Avilla were injured in separate incidents.  Avilla actually collided with Sox OF Rudy Law who will also miss the game.

Game 5
Cleveland Municipal Stadium

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Chicago (A) 1983 (2-3)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		1	6	0
Cleveland 1954 (3-2)	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	1	X		4	8	0
	W: E. Wynn (1-0)   L: L. Hoyt (0-1)

For the fifth straight game, the White Sox jump out in front early, notching a run in the 1st off Early Wynn.  But that's the only run they can muster.  Cleveland ties it up in the 2nd when Hank Majeski, filling in for the injured Bobby Avillla, belts a solo blast.  The Indians take the lead in the 3rd on a run scoring triple by Dave Pope and never look back.  Final score 4-1.  Cleveland advances.  Wynn goes the distance, allowing only three scattered hits his final eight frames.

Series Recap
The #12 seeded '83 White Sox gave everything and then some against the prohibited favorites in this series.  Chicago led in every single game, scoring in the first inning in four of the five games.  The Sox also played without Greg Luzinski in the final three games in Cleveland as there was no DH in effect.  Throw in the fact that Carlton Fisk and Ron Kittle went a combined 1 for 39 with only one walk in the series and you have to conclude the Indians were quite lucky to escape this first round match-up.

To their credit, Cleveland did weather the heartbreaking game one extra-inning defeat to win three of the next four.  Their pitching was solid, as expected, allowing only 11 earned runs in the five games for a 2.06 ERA and a 1.15 team WHIP.  Vic Wertz get the nod as series MVP, going 8-19 with a HR and a 1.101 OPS.  Bob Lemon and Bob Feller both were considered for their clutch pitching performances, Lemon with a complete game performance in game two, and Feller for his two hit eight inning performance in game three.

Up next for Cleveland is the winner of the 4-13 match-up between the 2001 Seattle Mariners and the 1986 Boston Red Sox