My all time best games (from 1969-2009)

from another forum posted in 2009, I have had more projects and more highlight games since then

I have been an avid Strat-O-Matic Tabletop Baseball Game Player, Collector and Hobbyist for exactly 40 years (started May 1969). These are my all time favorite games .... (I only play "basic" cards and dice as opposed to advanced C&D, Super Advanced C&D or computer, which are all options with Strat-O-Matic). 


1. (Summer 1972, while vacationing in Santa Cruz, CA). The 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers oldtimer team defeat the 1927 New York Yankees oldtimer team, 2-0. Sandy Koufax records an all time record 17 K's for me, including a rare strikeout result obtained from the Catcher's card defensive chart.

2. The 1931 Philadelphia A's defeat the 1935 Chicago Cubs 14-7. Al Simmons of the 1931 A's goes 6 x 6 with 10 RBI. He gets a bases loaded triple in the first, an RBI single in the second, a 3 run Home Run in the 4th, a single in the sixth, a single in the 8th, and adds a 3 run Home Run in the 9th.

3. The 1969 Mets defeat the 1964 White Sox 1-0, Jerry Koosman outdueling Joel Horlen. After 8 innings, both teams have combined for just one hit, a triple by the Mets Ken Boswell, who was stranded in the second inning. Donn Clendenon breaks the scoreless duel with a 1 out 9th inning homer, Art Shamsky follows with a single but is quickly erased on a double play. In the bottom of the 9th, Al Weis is sent up to pinch hit for Horlen and flies out. Don Buford also flies out, leaving the White Sox Mike Hershberger as the last hope. Koosman winds and deals, STRIKE THREE, a NO HITTER! Mets win 1-0.

4. The 1965 Reds (who scored almost as many runs than the 1961 Yankees) defeat the 1969 Mets 19-3. Seven of the first 17 Red batters homer, which is (then) an all time record for me. Gary Gentry is the culprit for most of these.

5 The 1969 Braves face the 1970 Orioles. The Braves score 7 runs but lose by 10! Boog Powell hits the home run cycle (a solo HR, 2 run home run, 3 run home run and grand slam) as the Orioles pound out 7 home runs and win 17-7. Powell ends up with 10 RBI. Trailing 17-1 after 7 innings, the Braves score a solo run in the 8th and 5 in the 9th. The Orioles miss a chance to break my all time home run record in one game (7) when Don Buford does not get the 1-14 (out of 20) on his split chance early in the game. All 4 of Powell's home runs were rolled off his own card, 3 of them being identical 1-10 rolls.

6. The 1974 Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the 1971 Oakland A's 14-13. The A's are trailing 14-6 heading into the bottom of the 9th and score 7 times and with 2 out and 2 on Rick Monday just misses a three run HR on a roll off his card by one number. This is the most runs ever scored for me by a losing team.

7. Another 1971 A's game, this time a little more low scoring. The 1971 A's send MVP Vida Blue to face the 1965 Dodgers and CY Young Winner Sandy Koufax. The A's get an unearned run in the second on a double, an error and a sac fly. Meanwhile Blue retires the last 22 Dodgers for a no-hit gem. Vida allows just 2 walks in a 1-0 victory.

8. Yes a third Koufax/Dodgers game, but this time it is the 1963 Dodgers facing Sam McDowell (17-11, 2.18 ERA, 325 K) and the 1965 Indians. McDowell is on fire and after 5 innings has 11 strikeouts. Oh by the way, Koufax has a no-hitter. The Dodgers get a Tommie Davis double and Ron Fairly single to plate a run in the 6th. After 8 it is 1-0 Dodgers with McDowell cooling off and having 13 K's. Meanwhile. the Dodgers have made some errors but Koufax has allowed no runs, no walks, no hits. Pinch-hitter Chuck Hinton get a favorable roll to lead off the Indian 9th and gets a split chance single. An out later, Koufax walks a batter the Indians have the go ahead runners on base. Leon Wagner strikes out and Rocky Colavito is the last hope for the Tribe. He drills a Koufax pitch way back in LF and it is going, it is going, it is CAUGHT by Johnson preserving the Dodger victory. Koufax settles for a 1 hitter and a 1-0 victory.

9. (Played 2009) The 1972 A's face the 1972 Astros in the third game of a 3 game series, Oakland easily winning the first two games and hitting three homers in each of the first two games. This time the A's set an all time record for me in 40 years by blasting 9 home runs in a 13-1 shellacking. Sal Bando and Mike Esptein homer in the first. Joe Rudi and Reggie Jackson homer in the 5th and the A's are fortunate to see both light hitting middle infielders, Bert Campaneris and Tim Cullen homer in the 6th with rolls off the opposing pitcher's card. In the 8th, Sal Bando, Joe Rudi and Mike Esptein all hit their second home runs of the game, giving the A's 9 for the game.

10. The 1934 Cardinals send Dizzy Dean (30-7) out to the mound to face the 1931 Philadelphia A's and Lefty Grove (31-4). I will cut to the end where a 14 inning scoreless duel is finally won in the bottom of the 15th by the A's 1-0. Both Dean and Grove pitched the entire game.