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.
Jim Fregosi‘s walk-off single in the 12th inning gave the California Angels a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Pilots in the final contest of the opening round in the 1969 Strat-o-Matic Tournament.
Seattle reliever Bob Locker was in his second inning on the mound as Sandy Alomar doubled to begin the 12.
After Jay Johnstone grounded out, Fregosi singled home Alomar with the game-winning run.
With the win, the Angels will travel to Oakland to face the A’s in the second round.
Eddie Fisher (1-0), California’s third pitcher of the day, allowed a single and a walk in the top of the 12th to earn the win.
Locker (0-1) was tagged with the loss as he gave up three hits with a strikeout.
The Angels got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first with an unearned run off Seattle starter Gene Brabender when Johnstone had a RBI single.
In the fourth, the Angels added to more runs to grab a 3-0 advantage.
Seattle tied the affair in the top of the seventh against Angels starter Andy Messersmith on a three-run homer by Wayne Comer.
Messersmith worked nine frames with seven walks and 10 strikeouts, while Ken Tatum went the next two innings for the Angels as he retired all six batters he faced.
Brabender tossed 10 innings surrendering eight hits with two walks and six strikeouts.
1969 Tournament Schedule
Second Round Pairings
NL East Bracket
(5) Philadelphia Phillies at (1) New York Mets
(3) Pittsburgh Pirates at (2) Chicago Cubs
NL West Bracket
(4) Los Angeles Dodgers at (1) Atlanta Braves
(3) Cincinnati Reds at (2) San Francisco Giants
AL East Bracket
(4) Washington Senators at (1) Baltimore Orioles
(6) Cleveland Indians at (2) Detroit Tigers
AL West Bracket
(4) Kansas City Royals at (1) Minnesota Twins
(3) California Angels at (2) Oakland A’s
First Round Results
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
(4) Los Angeles Dodgers 8, (5) Houston Astros 5
(3) Cincinnati Reds 5, (6) San Diego Padres 3
(2) San Francisco Giants, bye
AL East Bracket
(1) Baltimore Orioles, bye
(4) Washington Senators 7, (5) New York Yankees 1
(6) Cleveland Indians 6, (3) Boston Red Sox 4
(2) Detroit Tigers, bye
AL West Bracket
(1) Minnesota Twins, bye
(4) Kansas City Royals 3, (5) Chicago White Sox 2
(3) California Angels 4, (6) Seattle Pilots 3 (12 innings)
(2) Oakland A’s, bye