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September 29, 1936
The League Championship Series have been played, and Cinderella is still at the ball.
The San Diego Padres defeated the mighty Portland Beavers in seven games to capture the American League pennant. Now, the Padres will face the Boston Red Sox in the World Series, the Red Sox having swept the Detroit Tigers.
The Beavers began the ALCS with style, as Paul Baker fired a five-hit shutout in Game One. The next day, however, San Diego's Dutch Leonard matched Baker's feat exactly, tying the series.
The Padres could have won the series in Game Six, but Portland's Syl Johnson twirled a shutout and kept his team's chances alive for another day. However, the Padres called on Cliff Melton, who had already started Game One (a loss) and Game Four (a win), and the rookie beat the Beavers 4-1 to clinch the pennant. Buddy Lewis led the Padres attack with three hits in the deciding game, and he hit .393 in the series.
The Red Sox-Tigers series was much less exciting. Only one game was close; the Red Sox scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Tigers 9-8 in Game Two.
The stars for the Sox were catcher Dave Neal, who got ten hits in four games, including the decisive blow in Game Two, and Satchel Paige, the winning pitcher in Games One and Four.
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