Flashback Friday: Games 3 & 4, 1942 playoffs
Flashback
Friday continues to look back at the 1942 Wisconsin State League playoff
series between the Appleton Papermakers and the Green Bay Bluejays.
Game Three and Game Four were on a Saturday and Sunday night, but The
Post-Crescent did not publish on Sundays or on Labor Day in 1942.
Game Five was to be played on Labor Day, but weather and wet grounds
forced a postponement.
So, we pick up the series with the Tuesday, September 8 edition of The
Post-Crescent. Dick Davis has
the details and his Following Through
column.
Appleton, Green Bay in Deciding Battle
Tonight
Garcia to Hurl in Bid for Berth in Championship Series
Weather permitting, Appleton
and Green Bay will square off at 8 o'clock tonight at Spencer park for the
right to meet either Sheboygan or Fond du Lac in a series for the Wisconsin
State league championship, and a ding-dong affair can be expected.
The games stand at 2-all in the elimination series between the
Papermakers and the Bluejays, two of the deadliest league rivals after two
weekend contests. The fifth and
deciding battle was carded for last night but wet grounds forced postponement to
tonight. Appleton won handily, 8 to
2, Saturday night and lost out, 13-12, in a 12-inning hummer Sunday night.
A similar situation exists in the Sheboygan-Fond du Lac series where both teams
have won two games. Sheboygan won
Saturday night, 7 to 4, in 12 innings while the Panthers came back for a 3-2 win
Sunday evening. They were to play
again last night but couldn't get on the Fond du Lac diamond.
The tilt has been re-scheduled for tonight but it was problematical this
morning whether the diamond would be in condition.
The weather is reminiscent of last year when rain stalled the playoffs
with Appleton finally forfeiting to Green Bay and the Bluejays forefeiting the
title to Sheboygan.
The night off gave the Appleton pitching staff a needed rest.
It's Mike Garcia's turn to take the mound tonight and Manager Dutch
Zwilling looks for the popular Mexican hurler to turn the trick.
Large crowds turned out over the weekend and fans are expected to be back
in full force tonight. Barring
further rain, the game will be played.
Sunday night's game was a thriller-diller which packed more action of all
sorts than any played this season. There
was a little bit of everything with three extra innings thrown in.
There were moments of uncontrolled frenzy and others of utter dejection
as the complexion of the game changed rapidly time and again.
The Bluejays finally shoved over the deciding marker on a hit, an error
and a hit in the twelfth inning for a wild 13-12 win.
The fans were kept on the edges of their seats as the Bays clouted three
Appleton pitchers for 19 hits and Appleton took picks on two Bluejay hurlers for
13. Included were nine doubles and
two home runs. Jimmy Delsing got a
home for the visitors with two on in a 6-run second inning spurt for Green Bay.
In the same inning, Fritz Romple banged one into the right field corner
with the bases loaded and sped around the diamond for a 4-bagger inside the
park, giving Appleton a 10 to 8 edged and making a total of 18 runs scored in
the first three innings.
Bluejays Creep Up
Green Bay crept up with single
tallies in the next three innings to take an 11-10 lead and then Appleton got
one in the seventh to even matters. The
next three innings were scoreless and both teams tallied once in the eleventh
frame.
As if this wasn't enough excitement, the fans were down on Umpire Chapman from
the start and he provoked their anger with a close decision that went against
Appleton in the eleventh. Police
protection was required to take him off the field and again from the dressing
room to his car as most of the 1,200 fans hung around.
His car developed motor trouble and he finally was spirited away in the
Appleton team's bus.
Ed Kowalski started for Appleton by retired in favor of Ken Duncan, who in turn
gave way to Eddie Opalach. Both
Kowalski and Duncan gave up five hits in 2-1/3 innings apiece for a total of 10
runs. Opalach did some nice relief
work in giving only three runs on nine safeties.
He took over in the fifth and fanned Timm for the third out with the
bases filled. Deacon Delmore started
for the Bays but took himself out in the third after being touched for eight
hits and nine markers. Daublender
went to work for the Jays and turned in a swell 10-inning performance of five
hits for three runs and 11 strikeouts.
A bad throw by Anderson in trying to double Swittel off second after catching a
liner led to two Green Bay tallies in the opening stanza.
Appleton came back with five runs on four hits and an error in the first
frame. Each nine had two doubles in
the initial inning. The Papermakers
added another in the second on two hits and an error.
Elliott Is Injured
Bill Elliott spiked himself
severely sliding into third base Saturday night and probably will be out for the
rest of the season. In the
centerfielder's absence, Appleton recruited Dick Bixby, Oshkosh shortstop, and
Grant Dunlap was shifted to the outfield. Bixby
made a weak debut, however, for he hit safely but once out of seven times at the
plate and had a couple of errors to his discredit.
He's capable of much better ball and will be back tonight in an effort
to help the Papermaker cause.
Ernie Groth pitched himself a ball game Saturday night as Appleton scored an 8
to 2 win over Green Bay. Groth
started fast. He retired the first
16 men in order and whiffed 13 out of 15 batters in five innings.
The stocky hurler had the Bays shut out until the seventh when, with two
out, Adams dropped a high infield fly which allowed a run to score.
Groth came back for three strikeouts in the eighth, although the Bluejays
scored on a double and a single, and two more in the ninth for a total of 18,
tying the State league record held by Giles Knowles of Sheboygan.
The mark will not go into the books, however, because it was not a league
contest.
Groth limited the Bluejay sluggers to seven hits while the Papermakers rapped
two Green Bay hurlers for 15 and capitalized on some weak Green Bay at short and
behind the plate. Appleton had 15
men stranded on the bags. Fritz
Romple got two doubles while Grant Dunlap and Ken Manarik each hit safely three
times in five chances.
FOLLOWING THROUGH
by
Dick Davis
Be
he right or wrong, there never is any excuse for the kind of treatment which
umpire Pepper Chapman got after the game Sunday night.
And that goes double for the abuse heaped upon his wife and the utter
disregard for their small daughter. It
is one thing to give vent to one's feelings but it is quite another to menace
the life and property of another individual - no matter who he may be or what
he may have done. It was the second
time that Appleton fans have boiled over this season, and I can't say as I
blame them, but no good can come of such demonstrations.
If Papermaker followers are really sincere in their plaint, then
they'll go to the seat of the trouble. They'll
write Herman D. White, president of the Wisconsin State league at Eau Claire,
and tell him how lousy the umpiring has been.
The regular season is over and the playoffs are well along so there's
not much that can be done about it this year.
But there's always another season coming up, be it next year or after
the war, and there's no reason why the fans should not take action to
forestall a similar condition in the future.
No doubt White has had difficulty in securing qualified officials but
other leagues have had the same problems and apparently have solved them.
The umpiring as a whole has not bee of organized baseball caliber.
And that goes from Dolly Ross on down.
As pointed out before, they call 'em better in the County league.
Appleton is a funny sports town. It
slumbers most of the season and all of a sudden wakes up to find it has a ball
team and some darn good entertainment out at Spencer park.
They packed over 1,800 paid admissions in for the two playoff games
Saturday and Sunday and with a break in the weather probably will have an
overflow crowd for the fifth and deciding battle against Green Bay tonight.
The team has responded and will be out for a triumph tonight so that the
4-out-of-7 playoff championship series will be brought here.
Whether Chapman will be there has not been ascertained.
Efforts were being made to have him relieved of the assignment.
This is not in his behalf because he's anxious and willing to get out
there and face his persecutors. The
guy's got guts. There were a good
many, however, who made known they wouldn't come out to the park if he umpired
and the Appleton Baseball club doesn't want that kind of a feeling to exist.
So, it will be a case of some coming out in the hope he doesn't umpire
and others coming out hoping he does. There
was many a threat that he'd never get on the field if he took another whirl at
it.
As
for Mr. Chapman and that decision on whether in the eleventh inning the man
trapped between first and second was tagged out - it was a crucial moment but
it didn't win or lose the game. Not
like that bad call at Green Bay which would have meant the final out and a 1-0
win for the Papermakers. Sunday
night the boys won and lost that game about three times.
There were moments of brilliance and there were some of the screwiest
things you've ever seen. Many
claim that Chapman didn't see the play. It
went fast but Chapman says he did see it. Most
say that Bixby tagged the runner. Chapman
says he didn't. Bixby did make a
quick motion of putting the ball on him but whether he actually touched him was
difficult to tell from the stands. It
was very close and provided the spark for a general explosion.
That Chapman is very unpopular here is apparent from the boos which he
draws at every turn. And this
decision gave the fans an opportunity to really give it to him.
This is not written in defense of Chapman.
Let him answer for his own actions. It
is only a plea not to get too rough. Such
things and mobbing an ump, throwing stones and damaging a man's car put
Appleton in a bad light. There's a
biblical passage about letting he who is without sin cast the first stone.
It may be applicable. It is a
thrill, however, to see Appleton folk get steamed up about anything.
And I hope it will carry over constructively in the way of interest and
support tonight, through the championship series if Appleton takes part and
continue into the Appleton High school and Lawrence college football and
basketball seasons. End of sermon.
BOX SCORES
GAME THREE - SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1942
APPLETON - 8
AB R
H PO
A
Romple, lf
5 1
2 2
0
Elliott, cf
4 2
2 1
0
Anderson, 3b
3 1
1 0
1
Dunlap, ss
5 1
3 0
1
Pardon, rf, cf
5 1
1 0
0
Manarik, 2b
5 0
3 0
3
Squier, c
4 0
1 19
0
Adams, 1b
5 1
2 5
0
Groth, p
3 1
0 0
0
Opalach, rf
1 0
0 0
0
GREEN BAY - 2
AB R
H PO
A
Swittel, 3b
5 0
1 0
1
Gillespie, 1b
4 1
1 4
2
Raddant, c
4 0
1 10
0
Timm, lf
3 0
0 2
0
Oddo, 2b
4 1
1 3
0
Hendricks, rf
3 0
0 1
0
Delsing, ss
4 0
1 3
1
Perthel, cf
4 0
2 1
0
Linde, p
2 0
0 0
1
Allendorf, rf
2 0
0 0
0
GREEN BAY
000 000
110 - 2
APPLETON 002 101
40x - 8
Errors - Delsin 3,
Adams, Allendorf, Raddant. Runs
batted in - Dunlap 2, Manarik 3, Raddant.
Two base hits - Anderson, Romple 2, swittel, Gillespie. Stolen bases
- Pardon, Elliott, Anderson, Dunlap, Manarik.
Sacrifices - Groth. Left on
bases - Appleton 15, Green Bay 6. Base
on balls - off Groth 2, off Linde 3, Hendricks 2.
Struck out - by Groth 18, by Linde 7, by Hendricks 3.
Hits - off Gorth 7 in 9 innings for 2 runs; off Linde, 11 in 6 innings
for 4 runs; off Hendricks, 4 in 2 innings for 4 runs.
Wild Pitches - Linde, Groth. Winning
pitcher - Groth. Losing pitcher
- Linde. Umpires - Chapman,
LaFond. Time of Game - 2:25.
GAME FOUR - SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1942
APPLETON - 12
AB R
H PO
A
Romple, lf
7 3
3 2
0
Bixby, ss
7 0
1 3
3
Anderson, 3b
5 1
1 5
3
Dunlap, cf
6 2
2 2
0
Pardon, rf
4 2
1 0
0
Manarik, 2b
5 3
2 2
3
Kapusta, c
4 1
2 7
0
Adams, 1b
6 0
0 9
2
Kowalski, p
1 0
0 1
1
Duncan, p
1 0
0 0
0
Opalach, p
2 0
0 0
0
*Squier, c
2 0
1 5
2
GREEN BAY - 13
AB R
H PO
A
Swittel, 3b
8 2
4 0
3
Gillespie, 1b
5 3
3 11
1
Raddant, c
7 1
3 14
1
Timm, lf
5 1
1 2
0
Oddo, 2b
5 2
1 5
3
Henrichs, rf
6 1
1 1
0
Delsing, ss
7 1
2 1
3
Perthel, cf
7 1
2 1
0
Delmore, p
2 0
1 0
1
Daublender, p
5 1
1 1
2
Allendorff, lf^ 1
0 0
0 0
*Ran for Kapusta in seventh
^Ran for Timm in eleventh
Green Bay 260 111
000 011 - 13
Appleton 514
000 000 010 - 12
Errors - Anderson 2, Oddo, Delsing 2, Timm, Kowalski, Kapusta, Adams, Bixby 2,
Perthel. Runs batted in - Oddo 2,
Pardon 2, Timm 2, Bixby, Manarik 2, Adams, Delsing 4, Hendrichs 2, Romple 4,
Kapusta, Squier, Swittel. Two base
hits - Swittel 2, Oddo, Romple, Manarik, Raddant, Anderson, Kapusta, Dunlap.
Home runs - Delsing, Romple. Stolen
bases - Dunlap, Pardon, Oddo, Gillespie. Sacrifices
- Raddant, Pardon. Left on bases
- Apleton 8, Green Bay 18. Base on
balls - off Kowalksi 2, off Duncan 1, off Opalah 3, off Delmore 2, off
Daublender 2. Stuck out - by
Kowalski 2, by Duncan 0, by Opalach 6, by Delmore 0, by Daublender 11.
Hits - off Kowalski, 5 in 2-1/3 innings for 7 runs; off Delmore, 8 in 2
innings and 3 men in third for 9 runs; off Duncan, 5 in 2-1/3 innings for 3
runs; off Daublender, 5 in 10 innings for 3 runs; off Opalach, 9 in 7 innings
for 3 runs. Wild Pitches -
Kowalski. Winning Pitcher -
Daublender. Losing Pitcher -
Opalach. Umpires - LaFond,
Chapman. Time of game - 3:00.
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