The Deerborn White Sox face the Delle Stars in the 1931 Windsor Cup Finals. The White Sox won the UA East pennant and cruised to a UA-record 72 wins and the Davis Trophy. They take on the Delle Stars, who swept the Guardians in the SemiFinal Series after clinching their 2nd franchise UA Wild Card. The Stars were the only team in the league to achieve a winning head-to-head record against the dominant White Sox this season, making for a very intriguing match-up on baseball’s biggest stage.
(Link to full series preview)
(Jump to final results)
Game 1: Kostinsky Park, Deerborn, Woodlyn
9/27/1931
The aces start game 1 of the WCF with RHP Ron Rivera getting the start for Delle and RHP Mathew Huertata on the mound for Deerborn.
The Stars get on the board in the 2nd inning with a solo home run from 3B Mario Olivo. CF Jesus Vazquiza scores in the 3rd on a wild pitch from Takato, and RF Antonio Teakowa smashes a 436 ft solo shot to make it 3-0, Delle.
Stars LF Carlos Teakowa smacks a single up the middle with the bases loaded in the top of the 5th, and Delle leads Deerborn, 4-0.
Delle’s starter Ron Rivera is the Player of the Game. He allows just a single hit over 7 innings while striking out 9 batters. CL David Rogers racks up 4 Ks in the 2-inning save, and the Stars take game 1 on the road, 4-0.
Game 2: Kostinsky Park, Deerborn, Woodlyn
9/28/1931 | DEL leads 1-0
After just one start at the end of the Regular Season following an 8-week stint on the injured list, 2-time UA Pitcher of the Year RHP Jorge Takato starts game 2 for the White Sox. All-Star LHP Kevin “Lefty” Leroux starts for Delle.
Leroux is perfect one time through the Deerborn lineup, but gives up a solo homer to lead-off man 2B Luke Lia Puedris in the 4th. Bob Hove adds 2 more with a home run in the bottom of the 5th to make it 3-0, White Sox.
Stars 3B Mario Olivo is at it again in game 2. He hits a 3-run blast to left field to tie the game in the 6th inning.
Takato goes 7 innings with 3 earned runs for the White Sox. Leroux, Gurr, and Luna combine for 7 innings and 3 runs allowed on the Delle side. Closers and leading candidates for Reliever of the Year, David Rogers (DEL) and Carlos Garcika (DEE) each take over pitching in the 8th.
Rogers and Garcika are both perfect until the bottom of the 9th when White Sox 1B Jorge Oko smacks a leadoff double off of Rogers. RF Curt Sawyer follows with a single to bring Oko home from 2nd, and Deerborn walks off in game 2 with a 4-3 win. The series is now tied, 1-1.
Game 3: Stars Ballpark of Darling, Delle, Medland
9/30/1930 | Series tied 1-1
The series shifts to Delle for game 3, tied at a game a piece. Young RHP Pat Carter starts for Delle, fresh of a 7 IP, 0 ER performance against Northsouth in the SFS. Solid starter RHP Roberto Tokorres gets the nod for the Deerborn.
Both starters give a up a few hits but there is no score until the bottom of the 4th inning, when Stars 3B Mario Olivo hits a 412-foot home run to right-center field off of Tokorres to put the Stars up 1-0. The White Sox retaliate in the next inning when 2B Luke Lia Puedris comes home on a balk by Pat Carter. Carter is upset at first, but accepts an explanation from the first base umpire and the game moves on, tied 1-1.
RF Antonio Teakowa gives the Stars another lead with a 2-run home run in the 5th. Deerborn 1B Jorge Oko goes deep in the top of the 6th and the score is now 3-2, Delle.
LHP Pedro Pultudos comes on in the 6th for the White Sox. He gives up a double to Stars 1B Carlos Lia Idris, and follows it up with a 2-run home run to LF Carlos Teakowa. At the end of 6 innings, the Stars lead the White Sox, 5-2.
RHP Jose Luna gets the hold and CL David Rogers earns a 2-inning save as the Stars take game 3 by a final of 5-2. Delle leads the series 2 games to 1 and will press for a 3-1 lead tomorrow at home in game 4.
Game 4: Stars Ballpark of Darling, Delle, Medland
10/1/1931 | DEL leads 2-1
Game 4 features two starters that joined their teams in mid-season to achieve great success this year. RHP Isaac Lee starts for Deerborn after being traded from the Miners, and LHP Jeffrey Irvin starts for Delle after being traded from the Rivals.
Irvin is very solid for Delle, going 6 scoreless innings with just 2 hits allowed. Lee goes 5.2 innings and allows just 1 run on a solo homer by White Sox LF Carlos Teakowa.
RHP Jose Luna takes over for Jeffrey Irvin in the 7th with a 1-0 lead. The White Sox jump all over him as Oko and Sawyer go back-to-back for 2 home runs and 3 RBI. RHP Francisco Terawaa comes on in relief to get Delle out of the inning, but Deerborn now leads, 3-1.
In bottom half of the 7th inning, Stars 1B Carlos Lia Idris takes LHP Pedro Pultudos deep to right field for a 2-run shot, tying the game at 3.
Delle lefty Robby Hawk pinch hits in the 8th and keeps his big-time postseason run going with a solo homer off of Deerborn closer Carlos Garcika. Heading into the 9th, the White Sox trail the Stars, 4-3.
With 1 out and a runner on first, Curt Sawyer creams his 2nd home run of the game, 415 feet off of Amin Roux to put the White Sox on top, 5-4. Carlos Garcika closes it out in the 9th for the Deerborn win.
Game 4 is an instant classic, and the series heads back to Kostinsky Park in Deerborn, tied 2-2.
Game 5: Kostinsky Park, Deerborn, Woodlyn
10/3/1931 | Series tied 2-2
The series heads back to Deerborn after the crucial White Sox win in game 4. Aces Ron Rivera (DEL) and Mathew Huertata (DEE) are back on the mound as the series essentially becomes a best-of-3.
Stars 3B Mario Olivo breaks a scoreless tie in the 4th inning off of Mathew Huertata after a walk to Antonio Teakowa, and it’s 2-0, Delle. In the 6th, Olivo follows an Antonio Teakowa double with his 2nd homer of the game, making it 4-0, Stars.
Huertata stays on for Deerborn through 7.2 innings. RHP Arturo Kolon relieves him in the 8th and immediately gives up another 2-run blast to Stars 1B Carlos Lia Idris. The White Sox scratch a run across in the 9th, but lose by a final of 6-1.
Ron Rivera goes 7.1 scoreless innings for Delle in the win. The Stars head back to Stars Ballpark with a 3-2 series lead, on the verge of a championship.
Game 6: Stars Ballpark of Darling, Delle, Medland
10/5/1931 | DEL leads 3-2
With their backs against the wall in game 6, the White Sox turn to veteran RH SP Jorge Takato. LHP Kevin Leroux gets his 2nd start of the series for Delle.
The Stars score in the 2nd on a wild pitch from Takato, the second time he’s allowed a run on a wild pitch in this series. Stars 1B Carlos Lia Idris strokes a 2-out single to center with the bases loaded in the 5th to make it 2-0.
Deerborn 1B Jorge Oko evens things up with a 2-run homer off of Leroux in the 6th. RHP Jose Luna relieves him in the 7th, and the White Sox take the lead on a solo shot by 3B Rygh Ogg on Luna’s first pitch of the game.
White Sox manager Jim Holt puts starter Jorge Takato back on the mound in the bottom of the 7th, even though his pitch count is already over 100. Takato struggles with his control from the beginning of the inning. He walks Antonio Teakowa, then gives up a single to Mario Olivo. Holt inexplicably leaves him in to pitch to Stars 1B Carlos Lia Idris. Lis Idris has the green light on a 3-0 pitch and crushes a 3-run, line-drive home run to right field, putting the Stars back on top, 5-3. Pedro Pultudos comes in to pitch and finishes the inning for Deerborn, but the damage is done, and the White Sox are 6 outs away from a disappointing end to their season.
Stars closer David Rogers enters with 1 out in the 8th inning and earns a 5-out save to give the Delle Stars a 5-3 win and their first-ever Windsor Cup victory! The Stars storm the field to the elated cheers of 28,000 fans. Mario Olivo and Antonio Teakowa share the weight of the cup as the team takes a victory lap around their home field to show off their new hardware.
For the White Sox, a promising season ends in ruin. They join the Stags as the only teams to lose twice in the Windsor Cup Finals, and are again denied the honor of becoming the first team win the Cup twice.
Mario Olivo takes home Windsor Cup Finals MVP honors. He dominates the White Sox with 5 HR and 9 RBI in the series. He may be able to put the award on his shelf next to a UA league MVP award for 1931, for which he is a leading contender. We will find out at the 1931 UA/NPL Awards Banquet at the end of this month.
Congrats to the Delle Stars, 1931 Windsor Cup Champions! Enjoy your parade, and we’ll see you in 1932!
Uplantic Sports Today 