Editor’s note: Tournament games are played with Strat-o-Matic cards and dice. Three-man pitching rotations will be used for starting pitchers. Injuries are in-game only during this single elimination event.
The Pittsburgh Pirates blasted five homers on the way to a 10-0 victory over the Montreal Expos in the opening round of the 1969 Strat-o-Matic Tournament.
With the win, the Pirates are scheduled to visit the Chicago Cubs for a contest in the second round.
Willie Stargell hit two of the long balls, while Richie Hebner, Al Oliver and Gene Alley smacked each solo shots.
On the mound, Bob Moose tossed a three-hitter for the Pirates as he walked two and fanned eight.
All three of Montreal’s hits were singles. Ron Fairly had one in the second with Bobby Wine and Ty Cline picked up their hits in the third.
After Cline’s hit in the third, Moose allowed two baserunners the reat of the way. Ironically, it was Cline who walked in the sixth and ninth.
It didn’t take long for the Pirates to get going against Expos starter Bill Stoneman with three runs in the bottom of the first.
Matty Alou singled, stole second and scored on a single by Hebner. Stargell drilled a two-run homer and it 3-0.
After Hebner homered in the third, the Pittsbugh third baseman had a RBI double in the fourth to score Alou, who walked and swiped second.
Stargell followed with his second two-run homer and the Pirates led 7-0.
At that point, Larry Jaster took over for Stoneman (0-1), who allowed eight hits with a walk and three strikeouts.
Jaster got out of the fourth and tossed a scoreless sixth.
Carl Morton didn’t give up a run in the sixth, but in the seventh he surrendered the solo homers to Oliver and Alley.
Pittsburgh final tally came in the eighth against Claude Raymond.
Raymond hit Alou and then Hebner doubled for his fifth hit of the affair. Stargell’s sacrifice fly scored Alou.
1969 Tournament Schedule
First and Second Round Pairings
NL East Bracket
(1) New York Mets, bye
(5) Philadelphia Phillies 4, (4) St. Louis Cardinals 2
(3) Pittsburgh Pirates 10, (6) Montreal Expos 0
(2) Chicago Cubs, bye
NL West Bracket
(1) Atlanta Braves, Bye
(5) Houston Astros at (4) Los Angeles Dodgers
(6) San Diego Padres at (3) Cincinnati Reds
(2) San Francisco Giants, bye
AL East Bracket
(1) Baltimore Orioles, Bye
(5) New York Yankees at (4) Washington Senators
(6) Cleveland Indians at (3) Boston Red Sox
(2) Detroit Tigers, bye
AL West Bracket
(1) Minnesota Twins, Bye
(5) Chicago White Sox at (4) Kansas City Royals
(6) Seattle Pilots at (3) California Angels
(2) Oakland A’s, bye