Flashback Friday: Clinching (1967)

Not every time a team clinches a playoff spot can be a big party on the field after a win. Sometimes a team needs help to get into the postseason.

This week's Flashback is about the 1967 Appleton Foxes making it into the playoffs despite a loss to Cedar Rapids on August 27 of that season.

The story is by Tim Petermann and appeared in the August 28, 1967 edition of The Post-Crescent.

Foxes Wrap Up ML's Second-Round Title
Bow to Cedar Rapids, But Only 2 Remaining Contenders Lose, Also

"No, we didn't back into it," retorted Appleton manager Alex Cosmidis when informed that, despite his team's 7-3 loss to Cedar Rapids, the Foxes had clinched the Midwest League's second half championship Sunday because second-place Quad Cities and third-place Decatur had both been beaten, also.

The Foxes now lead Quad Cities by 3-1/2 games and Decatur by four with three games remaining for each team.

Cosmidis was quick to defend his statement by noting that earlier in the second half campaign, the Foxes had won the games they had to against various contenders to mount a fairly comfortable 5-1/2 game lead two weeks ago that has held them up through a recent losing streak.

Since July 17

His reference was to the fact that the Foxes' opponent in at least five different series was the team that was in second place at the time it met Appleton. The Foxes dismissed each of them in turn and have been on top of the league since July 17.

"After we built up the big lead, the pressure was on the other clubs to win, not us," added Cosmidis whose injury-plagued squad has won only four of its last 13 games to bring the pennant-clinching day closer to the wire than most Fox Citians had thought it would be.

Cosmidis called the championship "a team effort" and said he was "proud of the boys." He added that the boys had "the will to win".

The Foxes' second half championship means that Wisconsin's only two representatives in the 10-team Midwest League - Appleton and Wisconsin Rapids - will battle for the ML pennant in a best-of-three playoff series beginning Thursday in Wisconsin Rapids' Witter Field, the home of the first half champs.

The championship was the second in the 5-year managing career of Cosmidis. In his first managerial assignment with Salisbury, his team won the Western Carolina League's second half pennant, but lost two straight games in the playoffs. The title follows on the heels of an eighth place finish by the Lexington team, also of the Western Carolina League, the he skipped last year.

Appleton is assured of not only the second half crown but also has captured the top spot in the overall standings holding a 4-1/2 game lead edge on Quad Cities.

Tonight, the Foxes will send Steve Kokor against Cedar Rapids in the wrap-up game of the 2-game set before second-place Quad Cities comes into town for the final two games of the regular season.

First Win Here

Cedar Rapids' victory last night was the first at Goodland Field this year after five straight losses and was only the third in 13 games with Appleton this year.

The Cardinals tore into four Appleton hurlers for 12 hits in recording the win, while the Foxes could muster only eight off two Cardinal moundsmen.

The Cards grabbed a 4-0 lead in the second inning when they put together four hits and a hit batsman by Appleton starter and loser Ken Frailing for all of their uns.

The Foxes got one of the markers back in the third with two out when "Deacon" Jones singled in Carl Champion who had beaten out an infield hit and gone to second on a walk to Karl Simon.

Cedar Rapids regained its 4-run margin in the fourth on a double by Bob Lanning and a single by Bob Schaefer. The Cardinals added one in the seventh on a single, wild pitch, and Duane Freeman's hit to center.

Appleton rallied for two in the eighth. With one out Ortiz hit safely down the right field line, stole second, and went to third when the ball got by the second baseman. He scored as Raul Guerrero made a circus catch of Simon's sacrifice fly to right. Jones followed with a towering blast over the right field fence. Roy Radmaker then sent Cedar Rapids' starter Jack Whillock to the showers with a triple off the left field fence, but he died at third. Cedar Rapids concluded the scoring in the ninth on a double and single [followed] by Freeman's sacrifice fly.