Game 3

Here is the starting lineup for the visiting National League in Game 3: 

1. CF Willie Mays (3-9) 

2. 1B Honus Wagner (3-10) 

3. 2B Rogers Hornsby (2-9) 

4. LF Hank Aaron (2-4) 

5. 3B Mike Schmidt (2-6) 

6. SS Arky Vaughan (2-2) 

7. RF Roberto Clemente (0-4) 

8. C Gabby Hartnett (0-3) 

9. SP Three Finger Brown (0-0) 

The National League will stack its lineup with righties against Lefty Grove, as only Vaughan will bat from the left side. With both Musial and Pujols struggling, Honus Wagner moves over to first base to accommodate Vaughan, who has come through in the clutch as a pinch hitter in each of the first two games. Both brilliant defensive shortstops, Wagner makes the move to save his legs. The transition will be a familiar one; Wagner played 248 games at first base during his career, and handled the position well. As teammate Tommy Leach said of him: "...while Honus was the best third baseman in the league, he was also the best first baseman, the best second baseman, the best shortstop, and the best outfielder." Hartnett, a longtime Cub and a better blocker than Bench, gets another start behind the plate with Brown pitching. 

And the starting lineup for the American League: 

1. 2B Eddie Collins (1-4) 

2. CF Tris Speaker (0-0) 

3. RF Babe Ruth (3-10) 

4. 1B Lou Gehrig (3-8) 

5. LF Ted Williams (2-6) 

6. 3B George Brett (2-6) 

7. C Yogi Berra (2-5) 

8. SS Cal Ripken Jr. (5-9) 

9. SP Lefty Grove (0-0) 

The American League is also going heavy on the platoon advantage, starting eight lefties against righthander Brown. Speaker earns his first start of the Series over Trout, a righty, and Cobb, a lesser defensive centerfielder who hasn't been hitting. Despite his relative lack of playing time thus far, Speaker fits quite well in the #2 spot in the batting order, sporting a career batting average of .345 and 792 doubles, the most in MLB history. 

The game commences with Grove pitching to Mays, the hero of Game 2 with his walk-off triple in the 10th inning. Grove retires Mays, as he does the next two batters, finishing the first inning with only five pitches. Brown counters with a 1-2-3 inning of his own, fanning Speaker and Ruth to retire the side. 

In the top of the second inning, the NL sends three men up against Grove, who promptly sets three men down. The silence is broken by a Ted Williams double in the bottom of the second, but Brown quickly gets out of it by retiring Brett. The NL finally gets a piece of Grove in the third with a single by Hartnett, but Grove finishes another shutout frame by fanning Mays. Brown fires back with another 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the third. It seems as though we have a pitchers' duel on our hands. 

In the top of the fourth, Grove tosses another perfect inning. In the bottom of the inning, Speaker drills Brown's first pitch for a home run, giving the AL a 1-0 lead. Brown gets Ruth and Gehrig but surrenders a single to Williams; he quickly gets out of it by retiring Brett. But the way Grove's pitching, that one run could be the difference. 

In the fifth inning, Grove and Brown trade zeros without allowing a baserunner. In the top of the sixth, Grove retires Hartnett to lead off the inning but allows a single to Brown and a double to Mays, pulling the infield in. With the pressure on, Grove retires Wagner and works Hornsby to a 2-1 count before Brown surprises everyone by trying to steal home. The daring move is all for naught, as Berra tags him out at the plate, getting Grove out of trouble and keeping the score at 1-0. 

Despite the frustration of killing the rally, Brown keeps rolling on the mound, tossing another scoreless inning in the bottom of the sixth. In the top of the seventh, Grove surrenders a leadoff triple to Hornsby. His first pitch to the next batter, Aaron, is wild, allowing Hornsby to jog home and tie the game at 1-1. Grove eventually retires Aaron but allows a single to Schmidt, bringing the NL manager (me) to a decision. The due batter, Vaughan, is 0-for-2 against Grove, and is the only lefty in the lineup. On the bench are two righthanded batters, Bench and Pujols. I knew I wasn't going to use Bench in this situation (saving him in case I needed to remove Hartnett), and although Pujols has been struggling, he did come through in the clutch with a homer in Game 1. With that big fly in mind with a runner on base, I decide to let Pujols hit for Vaughan. Pujols hits the ball hard off Grove, but to no avail. The next batter, Clemente, is also retired, limiting the damage for the AL. But the score is tied, 1-1, and the NL is finally starting to hit Grove. 

In the bottom of the seventh, Pujols takes over at first base and Wagner moves to shortstop. The slightly reconfigured defense doesn't seem to bother Brown, who retires the side in order. In the top of the eighth, Grove starts by retiring Hartnett but walks Brown on four pitches, prompting a mound visit. Grove then allows a single to Mays but wiggles out of trouble again, setting down Wagner and Hornsby. 

In the bottom of the eighth, Brown retires Berra but walks Cal Ripken Jr. on five pitches, bringing up the pitcher spot. The AL manager (me) has a tough choice to make. Grove has been pitching a great game, allowing only one run in eight innings, and is sitting at only 78 pitches. However, he's been a bit shaky for the last couple innings, and with the game tied at 1, a small mistake could cost him the game. Noticing the NL's righty-heavy lineup (and Grove's .148 career batting average), I decide to let Shohei Ohtani bat for him. Ohtani is the best player in baseball today. A two way sensation (and Game 4's probable starter), he can hit it out any time he comes up to the plate, and a two run homer would certainly help in this situation. Unfortunately, the AL will have to settle for a single from Ohtani, bringing up the top of the lineup. Brown works his way out of a jam, getting both Collins and Speaker, sending the game to the ninth inning. 

In the top of the ninth inning, the AL replaces Grove with righthander Satchel Paige. So dominant was Paige during his career that he'd often call his infield to sit down behind the mound and watch him strike out the side. Paige worked 1/3 of an inning in Game 2, retiring the only batter he faced. He starts this outing by allowing a leadoff single to Hank Aaron, bringing up Schmidt. I let switch hitter Chipper Jones hit for him, and Paige promptly strikes him out. Paige uncorks a wild pitch, advancing Aaron to second, but quickly retires Stan Musial (hitting for Pujols) and Clemente to end the inning. 

In the bottom of the ninth, Babe Ruth leads off against Brown with a stand up triple, drawing the infield in. The next batter, Gehrig, is 0-for-3 against Brown with two strikeouts, so I leave Brown in to face him, and he gets Gehrig for the first out. However, this is the final batter for Brown, as I summon lefty Clayton Kershaw from the bullpen. After taking his warmups, Kershaw quickly retires Williams and Brett, ending the inning. For the second consecutive game, we head to extra innings. 

In the top of the tenth inning, Paige allows a leadoff single to Hartnett. Lefty-swinging Mel Ott, the owner of 511 Big League home runs, pinch hits for Kershaw. True to form, Master Melvin crushes a two run homer, giving the NL a 3-1 lead. This is all for Paige, and the AL gambles by bringing in Nolan Ryan. Ryan is the ultimate hot or cold pitcher; the all-time leader in both strikeouts and walks, the Ryan Express fired seven no-hitters among his 324 wins, but also lost 292 games. The game could well depend on which Ryan we see today. The first batter he faces is Willie Mays, who went 0-for-3 against Ryan in his MLB career. Ryan retires Mays to start his outing but allows a first pitch triple to Wagner. This proves to be the end of the line for Ryan, as the AL can't afford another mistake. If Ryan's not on, then he could let this game get out of hand. His replacement is Bob Feller, the game's best pitcher during the 1940's. A seven time strikeout champion, Rapid Robert was estimated to have thrown as hard as 107.6 miles per hour in 1940. However, like Ryan, Feller did have an issue with walks, leading the AL in four separate seasons. The first batter to face Feller is Rogers Hornsby, who promptly smacks an RBI single, extending the lead to 4-1. Feller quickly retires the next two batters, but walks off the mound an unhappy man. Heading into the bottom of the tenth, the AL has dug itself into a three run hole. 

In the bottom of the tenth inning, the NL brings in their closer, John Smoltz. Smoltz briefly appeared in Game 1 of the Series, striking out the only batter he faced. The NL also replaces Aaron in left with Tim Raines in order to tighten up the defense. After taking his warmups, Smoltz gets set to face Yogi Berra, who hits a leadoff double. With Ripken, a righthanded batter, due up, the AL decides to let Mickey Mantle bat for him with instructions to pull. At best, the Commerce Comet will hit a home run; at worst, a ground ball to the right side would advance Berra to third. Instead, Mantle reaches base on an error, and Berra, expecting the play to be made, stays at second base. At this point Smoltz is in a little bit of trouble, and the NL calls a mound visit. With the pitcher spot due up, the AL sends up righthanded slugger Jimmie Foxx, who hit 534 homers from 1925 through 1945 and won the AL Triple Crown in 1933. Smoltz is able to get Foxx for the first out, but allows an RBI double by Collins. With runners on second and third, Smoltz retires Speaker, bringing up Babe Ruth. Aware of Ruth's prodigious power, Smoltz is careful not to leave one in his wheelhouse, eventually walking him on four pitches. The next batter is Lou Gehrig, who is 0-for-4 on the afternoon. Although Gehrig is having a tough game, he is still a dangerous hitter, and proves it by hitting an RBI single, scoring Mantle to make it a 4-3 game. This is the last batter for Smoltz, and the NL brings in Jacob deGrom to face Ted Williams. Inning for inning, deGrom has a case as the greatest pitcher of all time. When healthy, deGrom has posted a 2.53 ERA in 215 career starts, including a Major League best 1.70 in 2018. As of this writing, he holds the all-time record for strikeouts per walk with 5.38. Who better to face the Splendid Splinter, widely considered the greatest hitter in the history of the game? With the bases loaded and two outs, deGrom gets set to face Williams. deGrom quickly gets ahead 0-2, and Williams, protecting the plate, rolls over one to end the game. 

CF Mays 5 AB, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 1 K 

1B-SS Wagner 5 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

2B Hornsby 5 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 RBI, 0 K 

LF Aaron 5 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    LF Raines 0 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

3B Schmidt 3 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    PH-3B Jones 2 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 1 K 

SS Vaughan 2 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    PH-1B Pujols 1 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    PH-1B Musial 1 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

RF Clemente 4 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

C Hartnett 4 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

SP Brown 2 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    RP Kershaw 0 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    PH Ott 1 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 RBI, 0 K 

    RP Smoltz 0 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    RP deGrom 0 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

Total NL 40 AB, 4 R, 11 H, 1 BB, 3 RBI, 2 K 

Brown 8 1/3 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 K, 1 BB, 83 Pit, 57 Str 

Kershaw (W, 1-0) 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 K, 0 BB, 7 Pit, 5 Str 

Smoltz 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 K, 1 BB, 12 Pit, 8 Str 

deGrom (SV, 1) 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 K, 0 BB, 3 Pit, 3 Str 

Total NL 10 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 K, 2 BB, 105 Pit, 73 Str 

2B Collins 5 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 RBI, 0 K 

CF Speaker 5 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 RBI, 1 K 

RF Ruth 4 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 RBI, 1 K 

1B Gehrig 5 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 RBI, 2 K 

LF Williams 5 AB, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

3B Brett 4 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

C Berra 4 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 1 K 

SS Ripken 2 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    PH Mantle 1 AB, 1 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

SP Grove 2 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    PH Ohtani 1 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    RP Paige 0 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    RP Ryan 0 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    RP Feller 0 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    PH Foxx 1 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

Total AL 39 AB, 3 R, 8 H, 2 BB, 3 RBI, 5 K 

Grove 8 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 K, 1 BB, 78 Pit, 52 Str 

Paige (L, 0-1) 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 K, 0 BB, 16 Pit, 11 Str 

Ryan 1/3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 K, 0 BB, 2 Pit, 2 Str 
Feller 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 K, 0 BB, 7 Pit, 5 Pit 

Total AL 10 IP, 11 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 K, 1 BB, 103 Pit, 70 Str 

With this thrilling victory, the NL takes a 2-1 lead in the Series. Here are the probable starters for Game 4: 

American League: Shohei Ohtani 

National League: Max Scherzer 

The American League will start two way star Shohei Ohtani. As a pitcher, Ohtani is 38-19 in his career with a 3.01 ERA and 608 strikeouts in 481 2/3 innings, finishing fourth in the Cy Young Award voting in 2022. His presence is just as big at the plate, as he led the league with 44 homers this year. The NL will also start an active pitcher, "Mad Max" Scherzer, perhaps the most intimidating pitcher in today's game. The winner of three Cy Youngs, Scherzer has 3,367 strikeouts to his credit (eleventh on the all-time list), including 300 in 2018. 

What an exciting series so far! I can't wait to see what Game 4 has in store for us. 

Game 2

Here is the starting lineup for the American League in Game 2: 

1. 2B Nap Lajoie (0-0) 

2. CF Mike Trout (0-0) 

3. RF Babe Ruth (2-5) 

4. 1B Lou Gehrig (2-4) 

5. LF Mickey Mantle (0-0) 

6. SS Lou Boudreau (0-1) 

7. C Ivan Rodriguez (0-0) 

8. 3B Cal Ripken Jr. (1-4) 

9. SP Rube Waddell (0-0) 

bench: Berra, Foxx, Collins, Brett, Cobb, Speaker, Williams, Ohtani 

bullpen: Walsh, Johnson, Grove, Feller, Paige, Ryan, Martinez, Rivera, Verlander, Ohtani 

Once again, the AL is going heavy on the platoon advantage, inserting every righthanded batter except Foxx into the lineup, including switch hitter Mantle. They want to save at least one righty to come off the bench, and come on, how can you take Ruth and Gehrig out of the lineup? Lajoie gets the start at second base, strictly platooning with Eddie Collins, and Lou Boudreau gets the start at short, moving Cal Ripken Jr. to third. Although primarily a shortstop, Ripken played 675 games at the hot corner, and was above average at the position. 

1. CF Willie Mays (1-3) 

2. RF Roberto Clemente (0-0) 

3. 2B Rogers Hornsby (0-5) 

4. LF Hank Aaron (0-0) 

5. 1B Albert Pujols (1-5) 

6. SS Honus Wagner (0-5) 

7. 3B Mike Schmidt (1-3) 

8. C Gabby Hartnett (0-0) 

9. SP Carl Hubbell (0-0) 

bench: Bench, Musial, Morgan, Jones, Vaughan, Ott, Raines 

bullpen: Mathewson, Brown, Alexander, Seaver, Maddux, Smoltz, Johnson, Scherzer, Kershaw, deGrom 

Unlike Game 1, the National League is also going heavy on the platoon, inserting all righties against lefty Waddell. Mays and Wagner switch batting positions after their Game 1 performances, Schmidt gets another start at third, and Aaron, primarily a rightfielder, moves over to left to accommodate Mays and Clemente, the two best ever at their position. For what it's worth, Aaron played 315 games in left across his career. 

After taking his warmups, Carl Hubbell gets set to face Nap Lajoie, who doubles to lead off the game. Hubbell retires Trout and Ruth in order before giving up a single to Gehrig. With runners at the corners and two outs, Hubbell confuddles Mantle with his tantalizing screwball, striking him out on three pitches to retire the side. In the bottom of the first, Waddell gets two quick outs, inducing soft contact from Mays and Clemente. However, he seems to hit a wall, walking Hornsby on four pitches and surrendering a two run homer to Aaron. After a quick mound visit, Pujols reaches base on an error and Wagner doubles, putting runners at second and third. The AL manager (me) hopes to leave Waddell in and let him pull through it, but unfortunately a fire truck races by, and Waddell runs off to chase it. So the AL goes with the next best option: Pedro Martinez. P-Mart gets out of trouble, retiring Schmidt to end the inning. But the NL has its first lead of the Series, 2-0. 

In the top of the second, Hubbell retires Boudreau to the start the inning, but runs into trouble, walking Ivan Rodriguez and giving up a single to Cal Ripken Jr. Undeterred, he strikes out Martinez and retires Lajoie to end the threat. In the bottom of the inning, Hubbell helps his own cause with a one out triple, but Martinez works around it and puts up a zero. Hubbell retires the side in order in the third, but Martinez surrenders a run on the strength of a Hornsby triple and a Wagner double. After three innings, the NL leads, 3-0. 

In the top of the fourth inning, Hubbell retires Mantle to begin the frame but allows back to back doubles to Boudreau and Rodriguez, making it 3-1. A single by Ripken puts runners at the corners, but Hubbell gets out of the jam, retiring Martinez and Lajoie to end the inning. In the bottom of the third, Martinez allows a leadoff single by Hubbell but nothing more, keeping the score 3-1. 

In the top of the fifth, Hubbell starts the inning by serving up a gopher ball to Mike Trout, making the score 3-2. Back to back walks to Ruth and Gehrig prompt a mound visit, and Hubbell seems to recover well, getting both Mantle and Boudreau. However, Rodriguez keeps the rally going, belting a two run triple to take the lead, 4-3, and chase Hubbell. After four innings of nibbling, the AL seems to have figured out his nasty screwball. The new hurler for the NL is longtime Met Tom Seaver, who won three Cy Young Awards in New York. It doesn't help when he allows an RBI single to Ripken to begin his outing, but he quickly silenced Martinez to end the inning. But the momentum has shifted in the AL's favor, and they have a 5-3 lead. 

In the bottom of the fifth inning, pinch hitter Stan Musial takes over for Pujols, but to no avail, as Martinez blanks the NL again. Tom Terrific fights back with a scoreless frame of his own in the top of the sixth, but Martinez keeps the NL quiet in the bottom of the inning. Lefty Mel Ott pinch hits for Seaver in the bottom of the sixth and takes over in right for Clemente in the seventh, moving the pitcher spot to #2. The new pitcher for the NL in the seventh is Grover Cleveland Alexander, a five time ERA champion who won 373 games from 1911 through 1930. He is perhaps best known for his clutch relief appearance in Game 7 of the 1926 World Series, when he preserved a 3-2 lead with 2 1/3 scoreless innings, famously striking out Hall of Famer Tony Lazzeri with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh. The NL hopes to get a similar performance out of Old Pete today. Alexander starts out by retiring the side in order, fanning Boudreau to end the inning. For his part, Martinez again shuts the door on the NL in the bottom of the seventh. Although Alexander puts up another zero in the top of the eighth, the NL is starting to get nervous. In the bottom of the eighth, switch hitter Chipper Jones bats for Mike Schmidt against righty Martinez (resulting in an out), and Johnny Bench bats for Hartnett (also resulting in an out). With the score still 5-3, the NL feels like it is running out of outs. 

In the top of the ninth, Alexander starts out poorly, surrendering a single to Trout and a double to Ruth, and all hope seems lost for the NL. However, this is when the tables started to turn on the AL. Alexander, true to his clutch reputation, retires Gehrig and pinch hitters Ted Williams (batting for Mantle), and George Brett (batting for Boudreau) to lock down the scoreless inning. Williams takes over in left in the bottom of the ninth and Brett takes third, moving Ripken over to shortstop. Martinez, still going for the AL, quickly retires Mays to open the bottom of the ninth. However, pinch hitter Arky Vaughan (batting for Alexander) singles, and is immediately replaced by pinch runner Tim Raines. Another single by Hornsby and a walk to Aaron load the bases, chasing Martinez. To quell the rally, the AL turns to its closer, Mariano Rivera, baseball's all-time save champion who slammed the door in Game 1. Rivera starts okay, retiring Musial, but allows an RBI single to Wagner, making the score 5-4. His first pitch to the next batter, Chipper Jones, sails to the backstop, allowing Hornsby to score the tying run. After three more balls puts Jones on base, the AL pulls the plug on Rivera, turning to Satchel Paige. Paige could very well be the greatest pitcher of all time. Most of his career was spent in the Negro Leagues, dominating the best black teams before Major League Baseball integrated in 1947. Paige made his MLB debut in 1948 at the tender age of 42, posting a 2.48 ERA for the World Champion Cleveland Indians. Primarily a reliever in the Majors, Paige had a 3.29 career ERA, pitching his last MLB game at age 59. Paige gets the third out by retiring Bench, but with the score now tied, 5-5, the game heads to extra innings. 

Righthander Greg Maddux takes the mound for the NL in the top of the tenth. Arguably the greatest pitcher of his generation, Maddux relied on control and inducing soft contact to win 355 games and four NL ERA Titles. Maddux starts the inning by retiring Rodriguez, the first time Rodriguez made an out. Ripken promptly singles (his fourth hit of the game), but Maddux retires Ty Cobb, batting for Paige. With two outs, pinch hitter Eddie Collins (hitting for Lajoie) reaches on an error, and Trout singles to load the bases for Babe Ruth. The NL manager (me) considers pulling Maddux, perhaps for lefty Kershaw, but goes with his gut and decides to trust Maddux's stuff. The decision pays off, as Ruth makes an easy out. 

In the bottom of the tenth, the AL turns to righthander Ed Walsh, a 40 game winner in 1908 who remains baseball's all-time ERA champ with a career mark of 1.82. If anyone is likely to keep this game going, the AL figures, it must be Walsh. However, the game ends in anticlimactic fashion, as Walsh exits the game as the losing pitcher after just two pitches, a single by Ott and a walk-off triple by Mays. 

2B Lajoie 5 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    PH-2B Collins 1 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

CF Trout 6 AB, 1 R, 3 H, 0 BB, 1 RBI, 0 K 

RF Ruth 5 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

1B Gehrig 4 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

LF Mantle 4 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 1 K 

    PH-LF Williams 1 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

SS Boudreau 4 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 1 K 

    PH-3B Brett 1 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

C Rodriguez 4 AB, 1 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 3 RBI, 0 K 

3B-SS Ripken 5 AB, 0 R, 4 H, 0 BB, 1 RBI, 0 K 

SP Waddell 0 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    RP Martinez 4 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 1 K 

    RP Rivera 0 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    RP Paige 0 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    PH Cobb 1 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

Total AL 45 AB, 5 R, 14 H, 3 BB, 5 RBI 3 K 

Waddell 2/3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 K, 1 BB, 18 Pit, 10 Str 

Martinez 7 2/3 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 K, 1 BB, 85 Pit, 55 Str 

Rivera 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 K, 1 BB, 11 Pit, 5 Str 

Paige 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 K, 0 BB, 4 Pit, 2 Str 

Walsh (L, 0-1) 0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 K, 0 BB, 2 Pit, 2 Str 

Total AL 9 IP, 14 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 K, 3 BB, 120 Pit, 74 Str 

CF Mays 6 AB, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 RBI, 0 K 

RF Clemente 4 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    RP Alexander 0 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    PH Vaughan 1 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    PR Raines 0 AB, 1 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    RP Maddux 0 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

2B Hornsby 4 AB, 3 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

LF Aaron 4 AB, 0 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 RBI, 0 K 

1B Pujols 2 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 1 K 

    PH-1B Musial 3 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 1 K 

SS Wagner 5 AB, 0 R, 3 H, 0 BB, 2 RBI, 0 K 

3B Schmidt 3 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    PH-3B Jones 1 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

C Hartnett 3 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 1 K 

    PH-C Bench 2 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

SP Hubbell 2 AB, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    RP Seaver 0 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    PH-RF Ott 3 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

Total NL 43 AB, 6 R, 14 H, 3 BB, 5 RBI, 3 K 

Hubbell 4 2/3 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 K, 3 BB, 69 Pit, 42 Str 

Seaver 1 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 K, 0 BB, 11 Pit, 7 Str 

Alexander 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB, 26 Pit, 18 Str 

Maddux (W, 1-0) 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 K, 0 BB, 12 Pit, 9 Str 

Total NL 10 IP, 14 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 K, 3 BB, 118 Pit, 76 Str 

With their comeback win, the NL ties the Series, 1-1. Here are Game 3's probable starters: 

American League: Lefty Grove 
National League: Three Finger Brown 

The American League will start Lefty Grove, the most dominant southpaw of them all. In the days before radar guns, Grove was considered the hardest thrower in the game, with some sources estimating that he threw over 100 miles per hour. A nine time ERA champion, Grove led the AL in strikeouts in each of his first seven seasons. The National League will start Three Finger Brown, so nicknamed because he mangled three fingers on his pitching hand as a child. This allowed him to throw a nasty curveball, which propelled him to 239 career wins and a 1.04 ERA in 1906, the lowest mark in modern NL history. 

The National League, having been home the first two games, will be away for the next three. If the Series goes all the way, they will take over as the home team in Games 6 and 7. 

Game 1

Here is the starting lineup for the American League in Game 1: 

1. 2B Eddie Collins 

2. LF Ted Williams 

3. RF Babe Ruth 

4. 1B Lou Gehrig 

5. CF Ty Cobb 

6. 3B George Brett 

7. C Yogi Berra 

8. SS Cal Ripken Jr. 

9. SP Walter Johnson 

bench: Rodriguez, Foxx, Lajoie, Boudreau, Speaker, Mantle, Trout, Ohtani 

bullpen: Waddell, Walsh, Grove, Feller, Paige, Ryan, Martinez, Rivera, Verlander, Ohtani 

The AL is stacking their lineup with lefties against righthander Mathewson. The only righties are Ripken, the shortstop who hit 431 home runs, and starting pitcher Johnson. No slouch with the stick, Johnson batted .235 over his 21 year career with 547 hits, including 24 home runs. 

And the National League starting lineup: 

1. SS Honus Wagner 

2. LF Stan Musial 

3. 2B Rogers Hornsby 

4. RF Mel Ott 

5. 1B Albert Pujols 

6. CF Willie Mays 

7. 3B Mike Schmidt 

8. C Johnny Bench 

9. SP Christy Mathewson 

bench: Hartnett, Morgan, Jones, Vaughan, Aaron, Clemente, Raines 

bullpen: Brown, Alexander, Hubbell, Seaver, Maddux, Smoltz, Johnson, Scherzer, Kershaw, deGrom 

Unlike the AL, the NL is not going heavy on the platoon, inserting seven righties against righthanded Johnson. Mike Schmidt gets the start at third over switch hitter Chipper Jones for defensive purposes, while Joe Morgan, a lefty, heads to the bench with the Rajah at second base. 

The National League, being the Senior Circuit, gets home field advantage. 

After taking his warmups from the mound (something he had never done before), Mathewson gets set to face Collins, who walks to start the game. Despite his initial misstep, Mathewson seems to rebound strongly, retiring the next two batters in order (striking out Ted Williams on three pitches). However, Lou Gehrig drives in Collins with a triple. Mathewson then uncorks a wild pitch (an issue at the beginning of his career, but not later; 69 WP from 1900-1904, 46 from 1905-1916), allowing Gehrig to score as well. Ty Cobb works the count to 3-0 before trying to bunt his way on, but to no avail. After half an inning, the AL has a 2-0 lead. 

In the bottom of the first, the NL threatens to fight back with a one out double from Musial. This doesn't amount to any runs, however, as Johnson quickly retires Hornsby and Ott after him. In the top of the second, the AL gets a leadoff single from Brett, but likewise strands him as Mathewson retires the next three in order. In the NL half of the second, the first two batters hit singles off of Johnson, who promptly kills their rally. The teams trade zeros in the third, with Johnson retiring the side on three pitches, and the score remains 2-0, AL. 

In the top of the fourth, Gehrig hits a leadoff double against Mathewson. Matty then retires Cobb, but is chased after a double by Brett and a triple by Berra. The NL brings in lefty Clayton Kershaw to match the AL's lefty-heavy lineup. Kershaw starts well, retiring Ripken, but then surrenders a double to Walter Johnson (I told you he could hit!). He then walks Collins on four pitches, prompting a mound visit. The meeting seems to do him good, as he gets out of the inning by retiring Williams. But the NL has dug itself into a hole, trailing 5-0. They tack on two singles in the bottom of the inning, but are again held scoreless. 

In the top of the fifth, Kershaw pitches a scoreless inning, working around a leadoff single by Babe Ruth. In the bottom of the fifth, Johnny Bench leads off with a single, bring the NL manager (me) to a tough decision. Do I let Kershaw hit and continue pitching, or do I pinch hit for him? Noticing Kershaw's low pitch count (22) and weak bat (.185 career slugging percentage), I decide to save him for later and let Joe Morgan bat. The Little General rewards his skipper by smacking a first pitch single. Hoping to have a rally going with runners on first and second and no outs, Johnson thinks otherwise, striking out Honus Wagner and inducing weak contact from Musial and Hornsby. 

In the top of the sixth, reliever Randy Johnson takes the mound for the NL. The only other lefty in the bullpen at this point is Carl Hubbell (Game 2's probable starter), and I was hoping for Johnson to be able to finish the game. He gives up a one out double to Cal Ripken Jr., but quickly fans the next two batters to get out of the inning. In the bottom of the frame, Walter Johnson (surprise!) shuts the NL down again. After six, the score is still 5-0, and the NL is running out of at bats. 

In the top of the seventh inning, triples by Williams and Cobb tack on another run for the AL, making it 6-0. Walter Johnson again blanks the NL, taking the game to the eighth. Yogi Berra leads off with a single, but the Big Unit seems to recover, retiring Ripken and Johnson in order. The relief is short lived, however, as Randy surrenders three consecutive singles and a bases loaded walk to Gehrig. At this point, the game is getting out of hand for the NL, so they bring in their closer, John Smoltz, to face Cobb. True to form, Smoltz gets out of trouble, striking out baseball's all-time batting champion on four pitches. But the AL holds a commanding 8-0 lead. 

With an eight run lead late in the game, the AL makes two defensive changes - Speaker for Cobb in center, Boudreau for Ripken at short. It seems funny that Ripken, who once played 8,264 consecutive innings, was pulled after seven. The AL also offers to relieve Johnson, but at 74 pitches the Big Train chooses to stay in. The man pitched 531 complete games in his career, so he can certainly finish this one. And it looked like he was going to - after a leadoff single by Musial, Johnson quickly retires both Hornsby and Ott. But then things get interesting. With two outs, Albert Pujols hits a two run home run, making it 8-2. No big deal, thought the AL manager (me), but then Johnson walks Willie Mays on five pitches. Pinch hitter Chipper Jones singles and Johnny Bench walks, loading the bases. With the bases loaded and two outs, the NL manager knows that he can't let Smoltz bat in a situation like that, and summons lefty Arky Vaughan. Vaughan delivers big with a two run double, chasing Johnson and making the score 8-4. The AL then summons their closer, Mariano Rivera, to face Honus Wagner. Mo rides his famous cutter to strike Wagner out and end the inning. 

In the top of the ninth, the NL brings in righthander Jacob deGrom, who breezes through a 1-2-3 inning with only six pitches. In the bottom of the ninth, Musial and Hornsby both hit the ball hard off Mariano, but make two quick outs. Mel Ott keeps things alive with a single, bringing up the hero of the last inning, Albert Pujols. Mariano is undaunted, however, and retires Pujols to lock down the save. 

2B Collins 3 AB, 2 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 0 RBI, 1 K 

LF Williams 5 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 1 K 

RF Ruth 5 AB, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 RBI, 0 K 

1B Gehrig 4 AB, 2 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 RBI, 0 K 

CF Cobb 5 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 RBI, 1 K 

    CF Speaker 0 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K  

3B Brett 5 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 RBI, 0 K  

C Berra 5 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 RBI, 0 K 

SS Ripken 4 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    SS Boudreau 1 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

P Johnson 4 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 RBI, 1 K  

    P Rivera 0 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

Total AL 41 AB, 8 R, 14 H, 3 BB, 7 RBI, 4 K 

Johnson (W, 1-0) 7 2/3 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 K, 1 BB, 95 Pit, 61 Str 

Rivera (SV, 1) 1 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB, 10 Pit, 9 Str 

Total AL 9 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 K, 1 BB, 105 Pit, 70 Str 

SS Wagner 5 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 3 K 

LF Musial 5 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

2B Hornsby 5 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

RF Ott 5 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 1 K 

1B Pujols 5 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 RBI, 0 K 

CF Mays 3 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 RBI, 1 K 

3B Schmidt 3 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    PH-3B Jones 1 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

C Bench 3 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

P Mathewson 1 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    P Kershaw 0 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    PH Morgan 1 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    P Johnson 1 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    P Smoltz 0 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K 

    PH-SS Vaughan 1 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 RBI, 0 K 

Total NL 39 AB, 4 R, 10 H, 1 BB, 4 RBI, 5 K 

Mathewson (L, 0-1) 3 1/3 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 K, 1 BB, 47 Pit, 26 Str 

Kershaw 1 2/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 K, 1 BB, 22 Pit, 14 Str 

Johnson 2 2/3 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 K, 1 BB, 38 Pit, 26 Str 

Smoltz 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB, 4 Pit, 3 Str 

deGrom 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 K, 0 BB, 6 Pit, 5 Str 

Total NL 9 IP, 14 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 4 K, 3 BB, 117 Pit, 74 Str 

The AL takes a 1-0 Series lead. Here are Game 2's probable pitchers: 

American League: Rube Waddell 

National League: Carl Hubbell 

The American League will start Rube Waddell, the fireballing lefty who led the AL in strikeouts for six consecutive seasons, setting a league record with 349 in 1904 en route to the Triple Crown. As good as he was on the mound, Waddell is perhaps best known for his legendary eccentricities. The National League is going with its second consecutive screwballer. In contrast to Mathewson, a righty who seldom threw his "fadeaway," the NL hopes to cross up the AL by starting Hubbell, a lefty who threw it so often that his palm eventually faces outwards. Sounds like an exciting matchup, doesn't it? 

Introduction

Ever since the American League became a Major League in 1901, it has always competed with the National League for players, fans, and money. Since 1903, the two leagues have annually squared off in the World Series to determine which was superior. Many all-time great players have shone in the World Series, passing on their legend to this day. But what would happen if all the all-time greats of each league could be assembled onto two teams, an American League team and a National League team, and they played in an all-time World Series? With this idea in mind, I have assembled two all-time teams, which will face each other in a seven game series: 

American League 

Yogi Berra (C, 1946-1965) 

Ivan Rodriguez (C, 1991-2011) 

Lou Gehrig (1B, 1923-1939) 

Jimmie Foxx (1B, 1925-1945) 

Nap Lajoie (2B, 1896-1916) 

Eddie Collins (2B, 1906-1930) 

George Brett (3B, 1973-1993) 

Lou Boudreau (SS, 1938-1952) 

Cal Ripken Jr. (SS/3B, 1981-2001) 

Ty Cobb (OF, 1905-1928) 

Tris Speaker (OF, 1907-1928) 

Babe Ruth (OF/LHP, 1914-1935) 

Ted Williams (OF, 1939-1960) 

Mickey Mantle (OF, 1951-1968) 

Mike Trout (OF, 2011-present) 

Rube Waddell (LHP, 1897-1910) 

Ed Walsh (RHP, 1904-1917) 

Walter Johnson (RHP, 1907-1927) 

Lefty Grove (LHP, 1925-1941) 

Bob Feller (RHP, 1936-1956) 

Satchel Paige (RHP, 1948-1965) 

Nolan Ryan (RHP, 1966-1993) 

Pedro Martinez (RHP, 1992-2009) 

Mariano Rivera (RHP, 1995-2013) 

Justin Verlander (RHP, 2005-present) 

Shohei Ohtani (RHP/DH, 2018-present) 

National League 

Gabby Hartnett (C, 1922-1941) 

Johnny Bench (C, 1967-1983) 

Stan Musial (1B/OF, 1941-1963) 

Albert Pujols (1B, 2001-2022) 

Rogers Hornsby (2B, 1915-1937) 

Joe Morgan (2B, 1963-1984) 

Mike Schmidt (3B, 1972-1989) 

Chipper Jones (3B, 1993-2012) 

Honus Wagner (SS/Util, 1897-1917) 

Arky Vaughan (SS, 1932-1948) 

Mel Ott (OF, 1926-1947) 

Willie Mays (OF, 1951-1973) 

Hank Aaron (OF, 1954-1976) 

Roberto Clemente (OF, 1955-1972) 

Tim Raines (OF, 1979-2002) 

Christy Mathewson (RHP, 1900-1916) 

Three Finger Brown (RHP, 1903-1916) 

Grover Cleveland Alexander (RHP, 1911-1930) 

Carl Hubbell (LHP, 1928-1943) 

Tom Seaver (RHP, 1967-1986) 

Greg Maddux (RHP, 1986-2008) 

John Smoltz (RHP, 1988-2009) 

Randy Johnson (LHP, 1988-2009) 

Max Scherzer (RHP, 2008-present) 

Clayton Kershaw (LHP, 2008-present) 

Jacob deGrom (RHP, 2014-present) 

These rosters were designed not only with the best players in mind, but also in line with each team's strategy. Thus, the American League opted to draft Mariano Rivera, a short reliever, as their closer, while the National League chose John Smoltz, who was a starter for much of his career but saved 154 games mid-career. Likewise, the National League drafted Tim Raines almost exclusively for pinch running duties. 

Obviously there were a lot of tough calls here, as I had to pass over many elite Hall of Famers. Overall, since this is a short, winner take all series, I focused more on players with high peak value instead of compilers who had higher career value. The honorable mentions on the American League side were Sam Crawford, Harry Heilmann, Hank Greenberg, Brooks Robinson, Al Kaline, and Rickey Henderson, while the Senior Circuit's closest cuts were Ralph Kiner, Jackie Robinson, Frank Robinson (no relation), Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, and Steve Carlton. 

I chose to include Pedro Martinez on the American League team and Randy Johnson on the National League team. While each pitcher made more starts in the opposite league, they both reached the height of their success with the league they are representing in the game. 

The two teams will compete head to head in a seven game series using the baseball board game What About Baseball, a fun game that produces alarmingly realistic statistics. I, having no rooting interest but a keen attraction to strategy and statistics, will manage both teams and keep track of the stats. Each new post will recount a game, hopefully with a box score at the end. After the series, I will crown a champion and release the statistics. Let's close this post with the Game 1 probable starters: 

American League: Walter Johnson 

National League: Christy Mathewson 

A fitting duel of righthanded aces to kick off the series. Walter Johnson, the winner of 417 regular season games, pitched in two World Series, going 3-3 with a 2.52 ERA, while Matty, who won 373 games, went 5-5 with an 0.97 (!) ERA in four World Series. In their only pitching matchup, an exhibition game in Oklahoma on October 28, 1913, Johnson beat Mathewson 6-0, striking out eight in a complete game shutout. Will Mathewson even the score?