Round Two S15


Don Buford

Accidentally in the tournament, Don Buford tries to stay in against Hall-of-Famer Ernie Lombardi, maybe-someday Hall-of-Famers Dwight Evans and Don Mattingly, Mariner Jay Buhner, and old-timers Les Mann, Fred Tenney, and Fred Pfeffer. They have to finish in the top 4 or with a record over .500 to make it through to Round Three.

The Hitters

Don-Buford-Card Baseballs Greatest Player Playoff

Don Buford
Round One S70
75-79

Jay-Buhner-Card Baseballs Greatest Player Playoff

Jay Buhner
Round One S41
72-82

Ernie-Lombardi-Card Baseballs Greatest Player Playoff Card

Ernie Lombardi
Round One S12
70-84

Dwight-Evans-card Baseballs Greatest Player Playoff

Dwight Evans
Round One S62
67-87

Don-Mattingly-Card Baseballs Greatest Player Playoff

Don Mattingly
Round One S27
65-89

Les-Mann-Card Baseballs Greatest Player Playoff

Les Mann
Round One S57
63-91

Fred-Tenney-Card Baseballs Greatest Player Playoff

Fred Tenney
Round One S59
59-95

Fred-Pfeffer-Card Baseballs Greatest Player Playoff

Fred Pfeffer
Round One S53
52-102

The Results

PlayerWinsLossesPct.GB
Ernie Lombardi10054.649*WON*
Don Buford9460.6106.0
Don Mattingly8668.55814.0
Jay Buhner7678.49424.0
Fred Tenney7282.46828.0
Dwight Evans7183.46129.0
Les Mann6490.41636.0
Fred Pfeffer53101.34447.0

Ernie Lombardi and Don Buford (!) were neck-and-neck heading down the stretch but “Schnozz” turned it on, going 9-1 to close out the season, finishing in first place, 6 games ahead. Mattingly and Buhner round out the top 4, each qualifying for Round 3. Despite having a positive run differential, Dwight Evans finished in 6th in no small part due to his 18-32 record in 1-run games. He and Fred Tenney, Les Mann, and Fred Pfeffer will be heading home.

Season Highlights

  • Ernie Lombardi led all teams with a .258 batting average while the league hit a combined .227. Jay Buhner qualified despite his .191 team average and ONE stolen base in 9 attempts.
  • A good amount of power was exhibited this season with Lombardi leading all teams with 250 home runs. One Lombardi led the league with 39 round-trippers and 4 other batters topped 30.
  • Don Mattingly9 led all individuals with a .299 average.
  • Jay Buhner8 had 10 HBP.
  • Lee Smith2, pitching for Don Mattingly had 1.000 save percentage, totally 18 saves on the season.
  • Walter Johnson3 of the Ernie Lombardi squad had 302 strikeouts on the season.
  • Don Mattingly had 22 hits in a 11-10 victory over Dwight Evans.
  • Don Mattingly and Les Mann had 23 hits apiece in a 21-inning game that Mann won 9-8.
  • Jay Buhner99 had a 3-homer game.
  • Walter Johnson1 of Dwight Evans struck out 17 Jay Buhners in 8 1/3 innings.
  • No-Hitters
    7/ 8 0 Walter Johnson7 of Les Mann vs. Dwight Evans in 9 innings
    8/24 0 Pete Alexander7 of Les Mann vs. Jay Buhner in 9 innings 

Tim Bruno

Tim has been a baseball fan for most of his life and has played a great deal of baseball and softball over the years. Although his playing days are long behind him, he remembers back when he was an extremely fast catcher with an extremely bad arm. He has been playing Strat-o-Matic baseball since he was 14. Tim is currently living in southwest France and writes A LOT about coffee at Procaffeination.com. He has also written Procaffeination: A Coffee Lover's Dictionary, which will be available soon. You can find out more about Tim's writing at TimothyBruno.com and if you want to contact him about the tournament, drop him an email at Tim@BaseballsGreatestPlayerPlayoff.com

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