1969 Game Reports, Vancouver, Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley     

1969 Vancouver, Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley 
1969 BC Interior 
1969 Vancouver Island   

VANCOUVER INDUSTRIAL LEAGUE

Leaving the 1969 loop was the team from Port Coquitlam while Burnaby and the Villas squad of the defunct Metropolitan circuit joined the fray to increase membership in the alliance of lower mainland clubs to six.
Game coverage within the Vancouver press was sporadic as many games, especially those played during the early part of the season, went unreported.

Burnaby
C.Y.O.
Longshoremen
Merchants
North Shore
Villas

(May 16)  A triple by catcher Barry Sullivan drove in teammate Bill Ruby with the game’s only run as North Shore triumphed over the Merchants in Industrial League action at the Powell Street grounds. Bert Nichol was the winning pitcher.

(May 21)  Fireballing right-hander Ron Brown, who attended the Seattle Pilots’ training camp this spring, pitched a two-hitter as the Villas blanked North Shore 4 to 0 in an Industrial League match at the Powell Street grounds.

Newcombe (L) and Sullivan
Brown (W) and Bird

(May 22)    21 up, 21 down. Longshoremen's lefty Larry Webster hurled a perfect game Thursday night in a 1-0 victory over the Vancouver Merchants in Industrial League action at Powell Street grounds. He struck out 10 in the seven inning contest. It was a tough loss for Merchants' Bob Trinder who whiffed 15 and faced only 24 batters. The lone run came on Larry Shannon's double and two Merchants' errors.

Webster (W) and xxx
Trinder (L) and xxx

(May 23)  Terry Schuss hit a grand-slam home run as Burnaby beat the Villas 6 to 0 in an Industrial League contest at the Powell Street grounds.

Haar (L) and Bird
Dreger (W) and Keller

(May 25)  The Longshoremen and Villas played to a scoreless tie at the Powell Street diamond despite the hitting exploits of centre fielders Stu Winrob of the Stevedores and Villas’ Brent Carpenter, who combined for five of the game’s eight safeties. Carpenter tripled in the second inning and was thrown out at the plate trying to stretch his three-bagger into an inside-the-park homer. He also stroked a brace of singles. Winrob connected for a pair of one-baggers, accounting for half his team’s hits.

(May 29)  Darryl Fenton drove in three runs as the Merchants coasted past the Villas 10 to 2 in an Industrial League clash while teammates Dennis Lefebvre and Al Gossman drove in a pair each.

Begg (L), Rogelstad (1), Noble (3) and Bird
Trinder (W) and McNabb

(May 30)  Shortstop Jim Chapman swatted a triple and single, driving in a brace of markers including the winner, as the Villas triumphed 7 to 5 over North Shore at Mahon Park. Ron Brown got the pitching victory.

Brown (W) and Bird
Elligott/Elliott (L), Kennedy (1), Nichol (3) and Sullivan

(June 2)  C.Y.O. pitcher Dave Kirk overthrew first base after scooping up a routine comebacker with two out in the sixth inning which allowed a pair of unearned runs to cross the plate as the Merchants prevailed 2 to 1 at the Powell Street grounds. Kirk had come on in relief to protect a 1 to 0 C.Y.O. lead. Rick Mosher’s run-scoring double had given the Catholic Crew its early margin.

(June 3)  Catcher Tom Bird walked twice, doubled and scored three runs as the Villas beat C.Y.O. 8 to 4 in Industrial League play at the Powell Street grounds.

Rogelstad (W), Lewis (5) and Bird, Schwabb (6)
Mosher (L), Kirk (4) and Lowery

(June 5)  Brent Carpenter hammered a three-run homer and tacked on a run-scoring double as the Longshoremen took a 4 to 3 victory over North Shore at the Powell Street grounds.

Elson (L) and Sullivan
L. Webster (W) and Schick

(June 6)  Terry Dreger pitched his second one-hitter of the season to give Burnaby a 6 to 0 win over North Shore at Central Park. In three games, Dreger has allowed only two hits.

Kitchen (L), Calli (2), Kennedy (2) and Sullivan
T. Dreger (W) and Osadczuk

(June 9)  Catcher Stan Osadczuk drove in the winning run as Burnaby defeated the Villas in Industrial League action at the Powell Street grounds.

Baird (W) and Osadczuk
McKay (L), Begg (4), Schwabb (5) and Caig

(June 12)  Dick Hargreaves pitched a one-hitter as the Merchants beat North Shore 3 to 1 at the Powell Street grounds.

Kennedy (L), Kitchen (2) and Sullivan
Hargreaves (W) and McNabb

(June 13)  The timely hitting of Gord Lowery and Pete Blanchard enabled the C.Y.O. baseballers to edge Burnaby 4 to 3 at the Powell Street facility. Lowery singled in two runs and Blanchard drove in the winner.

(June 16)  Burnaby pitcher Mike Mitzel gave up only three hits in seven innings at the Powell Street grounds but it was one too many. With a runner aboard as a result of an error in the first inning, Brent Carpenter tagged one of Mitzel’s offerings for a two-run homer. It stood up as the Longshoremen nosed out the Burnabyites 2 to 1 in an Industrial League contest. Ron Peterson nailed a solo round-tripper for the vanquished nine in the sixth spasm.

(June 20)  The Villas of Vancouver, representing the Industrial League, swamped the hosting Victoria All-Stars 7 to 0 in the opening game of the four-team, double-knockout B.C. senior amateur baseball championships. Murray Gage-Cole struck out eight batters and walked two in recording the shutout win.

(June 21)  A 12 to 5 thumping of the Kootenay All-Stars clinched the winners’ bracket in the B.C. senior amateur tournament for the Vancouver Villas.

(June 22)   The Vancouver Villas won the right to represent the province in senior men's baseball at the Canada Summer Games in Halifax in August. The Villas clinched the berth with a 5-1 decision over the Okanagan All-Stars. Centre fielder Stu Winrob, a roster addition from the Longshoremen of the Industrial League, sparked the Villas’ triumph cracking a homer, double and single. Marty Lewis scattered eight hits and fanned seven in handling the pitching duties for the winners. The Vancouverites pounded out 15 hits in their convincing triumph.

(June 29)  Burnaby unloaded ten hits, including doubles by Terry Schuss, Mike Keller and Al Foreman to stop hosting North Shore 6 to 2 at Mahon Park. Dan Miscisco and Mike Mitzel combined to limit the Shoremen to six safeties. Dan McCarrell, the North Shore chucker, collected half of those six.

Miscisco (W), Mitzel (4) and Keller
McCarrell (L) and Burns

(July 6)  Al Rogers and Barry Elson combined to give North Shore a 2 to 1 Industrial League victory over the Longshoremen at Mahon Park. Right-hander Elson threw a three-hitter, including a double by Dan McCarrell,  for the victors while Rogers plated their first counter on an error in the fourth and singled to drive in Bill Green with the winning tally in the fifth.

Mezzarobba, L. Webster (L) (4) and Schick
Elson (W) and MacKinnon, Burns (3)

(July 7)  John Haar and Jim Gulbranson provided the kind of support pitchers love as the Villas beat North Shore 10 to 2 in Industrial League play. Haar hit a home run, went three-for-four at the plate and scored three runs, Gulbranson had a homer and single in four tries, scored twice and drove in four runs.

Stebbings (W), Noble (3) and Bird
McCarrell (L), Kitchen (5)and Cannon

(July 9)  The Longshoremen and Villas battled to a scoreless nine-inning 0 – 0 draw at the Powell Street grounds. Darkness prevented further play. The Dock Workers had the best scoring opportunity in the eighth inning when, with one down, they loaded the bases. However, a double play ended the threat.

(July 11)  Bill Ruby’s home run broke a 2 – 2 stalemate and gave North Van a 3 to 2 victory over C.Y.O. at Mahon Park. Bill Green and Danny McCarrell also launched four-baggers for the Shoremen while C.Y.O. pitcher Dave Kirk relied with a dinger for the losers.

(July 13)  Losing chucker Graham Frezell walked in the winning run as North Shore clipped the Longshoremen 2 to 1 at the Powell Street grounds. Winning tosser Barry Elson spun a four-hitter.

Frezell (L) and Schick
Elson (W) and Cannon 

(July 16)  North Shore pitcher Dan McCarrell walked Bob Sharp with the sacks full to force in the winning run as the Villas triumphed 2 to 1 to extend their lead in the Industrial Baseball League to three points.

Kitchen, McCarrell (L) (8) and Burns
Begg, Whyte (W) and Bird 

(July 17)  Bert Nichol fired a three-hit shutout as the North Shore diamond pastimers trimmed C.Y.O. 6 to 0 at the Powell Street grounds.

Nichol (W) and Burns
Mosher (L) and Carr

(July 18)  Marty Lewis ran into the most frustrating experience that can beset a pitcher at the Powell Street grounds. He pitched a no-hitter but didn’t win. His Villa team, though, did manage a 0 – 0 tie with the Merchants in an Industrial League skirmish called because of darkness. Opposing twirler, Dick Hargreaves, swished ten on his way to a two-hitter.

(July 21)  Catcher Tom Bird drove in four runs with a pair of doubles to lead the Villas to a 10 to 0 whitewashing of C.Y.O. at the Powell Street grounds. Bill Stebbings received credit for the win although he turned things over to Gord Whyte in the fifth inning after his mates had built up an insurmountable lead.

Stebbings (W), Whyte (5) and Bird, Caig (7)
Bryant (L), Bayne/Baynes (4), Mosher (5), Pederson (7) and Carr 

(June 22)   Vancouver Villa have won the right to represent the province in senior men's baseball at the Canada Summer Games in Halifax in August. Villa clinched the berth Sunday with a 5-1 decision over the Okanagan All-Stars. Villa crushed Victoria 7-0 Friday in the double-knockout tournament and beat the Kootenay All-Stars 12-5 on Saturday.

Centre fielder Stu Winrob sparked Villa's Sunday triumph cracking a homer, double and single. Marty Lewis scattered eight hits and fanned seven in handling the pitching duties for the winners. Villa pounded out 15 hits. Bob Schwab of Kelowna, a pitcher and catcher for the Okanagan crew, took the loss before Ed Folk of Penticton relieved in the seventh.  On Saturday, Okanagan eliminated Victoria 6-4 with Don Archer and Russ Keckalo of Vernon and Jerry Robertson of Kelowna each rapping three hits.  Victoria's biggest blow was a triple by Pete Duncan off winning pitcher Reg Main of Vernon.  Okanagan downed Kootenay 10-8 on Sunday with catcher Randy Rota of Kamloops going three for six with a pair of doubles and Robertson hitting three for four with a two-bagger.

(July 23)  Rick Mark’s two-run double in the fifth inning and the four-hit pitching by a trio of hurlers ignited the Villas to a 5 to 1 Industrial League win over C.Y.O. Murray Gage-Cole, Marty Lewis and Gordie Whyte combined to throttle the C.Y.O. hitters while Mark, with his timely two-bagger, and Tim Chapman, who went two-for-three at the dish with a pair of RBI’s, led the Villas’ offensive attack.

Mosher (L), Crosato (5) and Stephens
Gage-Cole (W), Lewis (5), Whyte (7) and Caig

(July 24)  Gordie Webb’s two RBI’s in three trips to the plate, combined with the three-hit pitching of Bert Mezzarroba, steered the Longshoremen to a 4 to 0 blanking of the Villas at the Powell Street grounds. 

Whyte (L), Haar (5) and Caig
Mezzarobba (W) and Schick

(July 25)  Burnaby scored four runs in the first inning and went on to beat North Shore 6 to 3 at the Powell Street grounds. Bob Baird went the distance on the slab for the Burnabyites, scattering eight hits, breezing an equal number and walking two.

Newcombe (L), Elson (3) and Burns
Baird (W) and Keller

(July 27)  Larry Webster’s two-hit pitching boosted the Longshoremen to a 2 to 1 victory over the Merchants at the Powell Street grounds. Catcher Warren McNabb of the Retailers pasted Webster’s first pitch of the game for a home run but Webster yielded only one more safety after that while piling up seven punchouts. Gord Nishi doubled home both runs for the Stevedores in the fifth.

L. Webster (W) and Schick
Hargreaves (L) and McNabb

(July 27)  Burnaby defeated North Shore 5 to 2 at Central Park as winning slab artist Terry Dreger out-duelled Bert Nichol.

Nichol (L) and Bruce
T. Dreger (W) and Keller

(July 28)  The Longshoremen moved into a third-place tie with the Merchants in the Industrial Baseball League standings when they garnered a 3 to 1 win over C.Y.O. at the Powell Street grounds. A solo home run off the bat of Rod Aksaniuk in the first inning got the Dock Workers off and running on the road to victory.

Frezell (W) and Schick, Fairbrother (6)
Mosher (L) and Lowery

(July 29)  Terry Docker and Wyatt Dreger crossed the pan with the what turned out to be the tying and winning runs on a final-inning error as Burnaby downed the Longshoremen 5 to 4 at the Powell Street grounds. Danny Miscisco came on in relief in the seventh inning to save the win for starter Mike Mitzel after the Stevedores punched back with their own late rally.

Mitzel (W), Miscisco (7) and Keller
Mezzarobba (L) and Schick

(July 30)  Catcher “Duke” Fairbrother drove in the tying and winning counters in a 4 to 1 Industrial League victory for the Longshoremen over C.Y.O. Fairbrother hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning and a single in the sixth to plate the tallies.

Bryant (L), Lowery (6) and Carr
L. Webster (W) and Fairbrother

(July 31)  Norm Caig and Tim Chapman hit home runs as the Villas pasted the Merchants 9 to 2 at the Powell Street grounds. Murray Gage-Cole had a one-hitter in pitching the complete-game win.

Gage-Cole (W) and Bird, Caig (3)
Gruhn (L), Bazaluk (2, Elliott (5) and McNabb

(August 3)  Gordie Webb had five RBI’s as the Longshoremen hung on to win a 14 to 13 slugfest over Burnaby at the Powell Street grounds. Top swatsmith for the vanquished nine was Terry Schuss who stroked four hits in five trips to the plate.

Frezell (W), L. Webster and Fairbrother
Baird (L), Miscisco (4), W. Dreger (4) and Keller

(August 5)  A solo home run by John Haar in the sixth inning gave the Villas a 1 to 0 decision over runner-up Burnaby and clinched the Industrial Baseball League pennant for the 1969 season. Both teams had just eight hits in the highly-contested affair.

Gage-Cole (W) and Bird
T. Dreger (L) and Keller

(August 6)  Second baseman Darryl Fenton drove in all his team’s runs on a home run and single as the Merchants defeated North Shore 3 to 0 in Industrial League action at the Powell Street grounds.

Newcombe (L), Burdette (4) and Bruce, Cannon (2)
Bazaluk (W), Trinder (4) and McNabb

(August 7)  Bob Johal hit a fifth-inning home run to give C.Y.O. a 1 to 0 win over the pennant-winning Villas in the final game of the Industrial League’s regular schedule.

Kirk (W) and Carr
Begg (L) and Bird

PLAYOFFS  The pennant-winning Villas opted out of the playoffs in order to participate in the 1969 Canada Summer Games in Halifax.

SEMI-FINALS   Longshoremen vs Burnaby and Merchants vs North Shore  (best-of-five series) 

(August 8 and 9)  Results of both opening games in semi-finals went unreported.                                           

(August 10)  Sparked by a two-run homer off the bat of Terry Schuss, Burnaby scored all their runs in the second inning as they defeated the Longshoremen 5 to 1 to take a two-games-to-none lead in their the best-of-five Industrial League semi-final series.

T. Dreger (W) and Keller
Frezell (L) and Schick 

(August 11)  John Wilson crossed the plate with both of the Merchants’ runs in their 2 to 1 Industrial League victory over North Shore to tie their semi-final series at a game apiece.

Nichol (L) and Sullivan
Trinder (W) and McNabb 

(August 13)  Gordie Webb’s fifth-inning double drove in the winning run as the Longshoremen staved off elimination by posting a 2 to 1 verdict over Burnaby at the Powell Street grounds. The Suburbanites still hold a two-games-to-one advantage in the playoff series.

(August 14)  Ken MacKenzie drilled a triple and scored a pair of runs in helping his teammates on the Merchants to a 5 to 4 win over North Shore. The win boosts the Retailers into a two-games-to-one series’ lead.

Elliott, Hargreaves (W) (3) and McNabb
Elson (L), Burdette (3) and Sullivan

(August 15)  Mike Keller drove in the winning run as Burnaby beat the Longshoremen 3 to 2 to capture their Industrial League playoff series three-games-to-one.

T. Dreger (W), Baird (5) and Keller
Frezell (L) and Schick

(August 17)  No report in either Vancouver Sun or Province as to result of game four in Merchants-North Shore series apparently won by the Merchants to end the series.

FINALS  Merchants vs Burnaby  (best-of-seven series)

(August 21)  Rick Gruhn drove in four runs to lead the Merchants to a 7 to 4 win over Burnaby in the opening game of the Industrial League finals at the Powell Street grounds. Wyatt Dreger nailed a bases-empty tater in the last inning for the vanquished nine.

Bazaluk (W), Elliott (5) and McNabb
Mitzel (L), Miscisco (5) and Keller

(August 22)  Wyatt Dreger had a pair of third-inning RBI’s which spearheaded Burnaby to a 5 to 2 conquest of the Merchants in the second game of the Industrial League finals. Terry Docker drove in Dreger for Burnaby’s final marker in the six-inning game that was called due to darkness. The best-of-seven series is now tied at one game apiece.

(August 24)  The Merchants grabbed a two-games to-one lead in the Industrial League finals when they doubled the Burnaby nine by a score of 4 to 2 at the Powell Street grounds. Rick Gruhn paced the winners with the baton, driving in a brace of tallies.

Hargreaves (W) and McNabb
T. Dreger (L) and Keller

(August 25)  Burnaby and the Merchants fought to a scoreless 0 – 0 nine-inning draw in the fourth clash of the finals. The first team to compile eight points will be declared playoff champion. The Retailers currently lead with five points against three for the Suburbanites.

(August 27)  The Merchants salted away the 1969 Industrial Baseball League championship, defeating Burnaby 3 to 2 in a rain-shortened game at the Powell Street grounds. Rick Gruhn singled home Rick Houghton with the winning run in the fifth and final inning. Bob Elliott was credited with the win after replacing starter Bill Bazaluk in the third inning.

Bazaluk, Elliott (W) (3) and McNabb
Baird and Keller 

[Note : Although the finality of the series after game five doesn’t reconcile with the points system mentioned in game four, this is the way it was reported in the Vancouver print medium. Perhaps the two teams simply decided to reduce the series to a best-of-five affair or a first team to reach six points.]