The
NEVADA DUSTERS
The Story of a Major League Baseball Franchise
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Cubs @ Dusters
April 19-21, 1963
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Extracurricular Activities
Al Childress, Las Vegas Sun
Conn Hudson is a smart businessman. He wouldn't be where he is today if he weren't. He knows that the future success and solvency of the Nevada Dusters baseball franchise depends on good relations with the community, which he hopes will translate into increased ticket sales and higher revenue, which he needs to keep a winning product on the field. To that end he has from Day One presented the Dusters as wholesome entertainment option to the sinful influences of the Strip.
This year he has gone a step further, instituting a couple of programs that can only enhance the standing of the Nevada Dusters. One provides free admission to a game for students in the public school system who make the honor roll. Another targets underprivileged kids by contributing blocks of free childrens' tickets to civic organizations such as Boy Scouts, Goodwill and various churches. Hudson hopes this will foster an interest in baseball in general, and specifically the Nevada Dusters, in the next generation. The Dusters organization is also sponsoring a program which funds the refurbishing of school and little league ballparks in the Las Vegas area.
Hudson has also invested in a feature film starring Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret which is set to start shooting in Las Vegas in a few weeks. Hudson's relationship with Ann-Margret is no longer being denied by either party. The singer-starlet is often seen at Horizon Field during Dusters home games. Hudson is said to be in contact with Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, with regard to a possible open-air concert to be held at Horizon Field in conjunction with next year's release of the film.
When asked if his romance with the sultry actress helps or hurts the image he is trying to convey to the citizens of Las Vegas, Hudson said, "It's not like she's a showgirl. She's a very talented actress who happens to be extremely sexy and beautiful -- and I'm certainly not going to hold that against her."
 Ann-Margret, Conn Hudson's other interest
Chicago Cubs (10-8) @ Nevada Dusters (11-4)
April 19-21, 1963
Horizon Field (Las Vegas, NV)
DL: Jim Bouton (sp), pulled groin, 11 days; Wayne Granger (rp-Montana Wolves R), fractured eye bone, 3 days.
Chicago Cubs Game 1 starting lineup:
Lou Brock (cf), Johnny Roseboro (c), Ernie Banks (ss), Hank Aaron (rf), Brooks Robinson (3b), Andre Rodgers (1b), Jimmy Stewart (lf), Jim McKnight (2b), Glen Hobbie (sp)
Game 1, April 19
It was predicted that the acquisitions of catcher Johnny Roseboro and third baseman Brooks Robinson would significantly improve a Chicago Cubs' lineup that already boasted of Hank Aaron and Ernie Banks, so starter Joe Horlen, back from the DL, was faced with a big challenge. The Cubs scored a run in the 1st but back-to-back doubles by Tom Tresh and Jerry Adair in the 2nd tied it up. Aaron doubled to open the Chicago 4th and scored on a wild pitch by Horlen, and in the 5th MauryWills tripled and scored on a Vic Power single to tie the game again. Brooks Robinson homered in the 6th but Clete Boyer tripled and scored on a Tresh sac fly and for the third time the game was knotted. An RBI single by Johnny Blanchard in the 8th gave the Dusters their first lead. That didn't last long -- the Cubs made it 4-4 in the 9th. In the bottom of the 10th Boyer reached on an error and Blanchard cranked a two-run homer to right to win the game. Horlen allowed three runs on five hits through seven innings, but it was closer Bill Dailey who got the win. Wills, Power and Lee Maye -- the top of the Nevada order -- collected two runs apiece, while Blanchard went 2-for-4 and three ribbies.
Lineup: Wills, Power, Maye, Williams, Boyer, Blanchard, Tresh, Adair, Horlen
Record: 12-4
Dusters 6, Cubs 4
Game 2, April 20
Tony Cloninger was looking for his fourth win in as many starts -- but the Chicago Cubs had other ideas. Cloninger gave up a run in the 2nd; after that he allowed just one hit through seven innings. The game was tied at 1 going into the 8th. Ernie Banks doubled but was tagged out at second on a Hank Aaron grounder. Aaron stole second and Brooks Robinson was issued a pass. Andre Rodgers singled in Aaron and then pinch hitter Don Demeter jacked a three-run homer into the right field bleachers to put Chicago ahead 5-1. Cubs reliever Clem Labine walked a pair in the Nevada 8th and Gordy Coleman made him pay with a two-run single into left field to close the gap to 5-3. Chicago closer Don McMahon slammed the door in the bottom of the 9th and Cloninger (7.2ip, 6h, 3bb, 5r, 4er, 5k, 2.03era) suffered his first loss. What bothered Ben Naylor more than losing were the three errors committed by the Dusters. The loss locked Nevada into a three-way tie with Pittsburgh and Cincinnati for first place in the NL.
Lineup: Wills, Power, Maye, Williams, Lopez, Blanchard, Tresh, Adair, Cloninger
Record: 12-5
Cubs 5, Dusters 3
Game 3, April 21
It was a battle of the southpaws as Dave McNally took on Dick Ellsworth in the rubber game, while Hector Lopez spelled Billy Williams in left field. Lou Brock took McNally's first pitch and knocked it out of the park. The Cubs made it 2-0 in the next frame. With two on and two out in the bottom of the 2nd, Ben Naylor pinch hit Billy Williams for McNally -- a decision that came back to haunt Nails as Williams grounded out and the two walks issued by reliever Jim Roland, coupled with a pair of Duster errors, tallied up another run for Chicago in the 3rd. In the next frame a wild pitch by Roland and the third Nevada error helped the Cubs to a 5-1 lead. But Lopez hit a two-run homer in the 5th and a RBI single in the 6th to narrow the lead to 5-4. Barney Schultz retired the side in the Chicago 7th and Johnny Blanchard threw out Lou Brock trying to steal third (after successfully stealing second) in the 8th. In the bottom of the inning pinch hitter Lou Johnson got to second on an error by Chicago's Jim McKnight and later scored on a Vic Power single to tie the game, and in the bottom of the 9th Johnny Blanchard came through with a walk-off home run for the second time in the series. With the win, Claude Raymond, who pitched in the 9th, went 3-0, Lopez went 3-for-5 with three RBI, and the Dusters still hadn't lost a series in '63. Still, there were those who questioned Naylor's judgment in yanking his starter so early in the contest.
Lineup: Wills, Power, Maye, Lopez, Boyer, Blanchard, Tresh, Adair, McNally
Record: 13-5
Dusters 6, Cubs 5
Nevada Dusters financial update:
Average Attendance: 15,932 ... Revenue YTD: $7.5M ... Profit YTD $2.7M ... Cash: $26.7M ... Team Payroll: $35.4M
Series Stats:
2B: Tresh 2, Adair 1
3B: Boyer 1, Wills 1
HR: Blanchard 2, Power 1, Lopez 1
SB: none
R: Wills 2, Williams 2, Boyer 2, Blanchard 2, Tresh 1, Power 2, Lopez 2, Maye 1, Johnson 1
RBI: Power 3, Blanchard 4, Tresh 1, Adair 1, Coleman 2, Lopez 3, Boyer 1
IP: Horlen 7.0, Brewer 4.0, Dailey 2.0, Cloninger 7.2, Raymond 1.1, McNally 2.0, Roland 2.0, Schultz 2.0
K: Horlen 2, Brewer 4, Cloninger 5, Schultz 2
ER: Horlen 3, Brewer 1, Cloninger 4, McNally 2, Roland 1
W: Dailey 1, Raymond 1
L: Cloninger 1
SV: none
Around the Leagues:
NYY--Eddie Mathews hits four homers in a single game (April 21).
BOS released Dick Hall (lf)
BOS--Tracy Stallard (p), severe elbow tendonitis, three months.
What Really Happened...
4.21--Rico Carty of the International League's Toronto Maple Leafs hits two homers in one at-bat -- the first one didn't count because time had been called. The opposing pitcher was Fergie Jenkins of the Arkansas Travelers.
4.21--Cincinnati's Jim Owens becomes the first pitcher in ML history to be charged with three balks in a single inning.
Chicago Cubs at Nevada Dusters
April 19, 1963
TOP OF THE FIRST
Joe Horlen takes the mound for the Dusters.
Lou Brock singled back through the middle. <--1>
Lou Brock was picked off first. <--->
Johnny Roseboro walked. <--1>
Ernie Banks grounded to the third baseman. <-2->
Hank Aaron singled to right, scoring a run. <--1>
Brooks Robinson grounded to second. <--1>
1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, and 1 left on base.
In the middle of the first, Chicago leads 1 to 0.
BOTTOM OF THE FIRST
Glen Hobbie takes the mound for the Cubs.
Maury Wills flied out to right. <--->
Vic Power singled to center. <--1>
Lee Maye flied out to right. <--1>
Billy Williams flied out to left. <--1>
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, and 1 left on base.
At the end of the first, Nevada trails 1 to 0.
TOP OF THE SECOND
Andre Rodgers grounded to second. <--->
Jimmy Stewart doubled in the left field gap. <-2->
Jim McKnight grounded to the pitcher. <3-->
Glen Hobbie struck out. <3-->
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, and 1 left on base.
In the middle of the second, Chicago leads 1 to 0.
BOTTOM OF THE SECOND
Clete Boyer struck out. <--->
Johnny Blanchard grounded to the shortstop. <--->
Tom Tresh doubled down the right field line. <-2->
Jerry Adair doubled down the third base line, scoring a run. <-2->
Joe Horlen popped up to the catcher. <-2->
1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, and 1 left on base.
At the end of the second, the game is tied at 1.
TOP OF THE THIRD
Lou Brock grounded to second. <--->
Johnny Roseboro flied out to left. <--->
Ernie Banks popped up to second. <--->
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, and 0 left on base.
In the middle of the third, the game is tied at 1.
BOTTOM OF THE THIRD
Maury Wills struck out. <--->
Vic Power grounded to second. <--->
Lee Maye singled through the right side. <--1>
Lee Maye was picked off first. <--->
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, and 0 left on base.
At the end of the third, the game is tied at 1.
TOP OF THE FOURTH
Hank Aaron doubled in the left field gap. <-2->
Brooks Robinson grounded to second. <3-->
Andre Rodgers grounded to third. <3-->
Joe Horlen threw a wild pitch - a run scored. <--->
Jimmy Stewart grounded to second. <--->
1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, and 0 left on base.
In the middle of the fourth, Chicago leads 2 to 1.
BOTTOM OF THE FOURTH
Billy Williams singled to right. <--1>
Clete Boyer grounded to short for a double play (6-4-3). <--->
Johnny Blanchard walked. <--1>
Tom Tresh flied out to right. <--1>
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, and 1 left on base.
At the end of the fourth, Nevada trails 2 to 1.
TOP OF THE FIFTH
Jim McKnight grounded to first base. <--->
Glen Hobbie grounded to short. <--->
Lou Brock walked. <--1>
Lou Brock stole second. <-2->
Johnny Roseboro grounded to the second baseman. <-2->
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, and 1 left on base.
In the middle of the fifth, Chicago leads 2 to 1.
BOTTOM OF THE FIFTH
Jerry Adair struck out. <--->
Joe Horlen popped up to second. <--->
Maury Wills tripled over the first baseman. <3-->
Vic Power singled to center, scoring a run. <--1>
Lee Maye hit an infield single to third. <-21>
Billy Williams grounded to short. <-21>
1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, and 2 left on base.
At the end of the fifth, the game is tied at 2.
TOP OF THE SIXTH
Ernie Banks flied out to left. <--->
Hank Aaron flied out to right. <--->
Brooks Robinson homered over the right field fence. <--->
Andre Rodgers lined out to center. <--->
1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, and 0 left on base.
In the middle of the sixth, Chicago leads 3 to 2.
BOTTOM OF THE SIXTH
Clete Boyer tripled down the right field line. <3-->
Johnny Blanchard struck out. <3-->
The Cubs brought the infield in.
Tom Tresh flied out to center. <3-->
Clete Boyer tagged up and reached home, scoring a run. <--->
Jerry Adair flied out to center. <--->
1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, and 0 left on base.
At the end of the sixth, the game is tied at 3.
TOP OF THE SEVENTH
Jimmy Stewart reached first on a fielding error by the pitcher. <--1>
Jim McKnight laid down a sacrifice bunt to first. <-2->
Gary Geiger pinch hit for Glen Hobbie. <-2->
Gary Geiger lined out to right. <-2->
Lou Brock struck out. <-2->
0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, and 1 left on base.
In the middle of the seventh, the game is tied at 3.
BOTTOM OF THE SEVENTH
Clem Labine came in to pitch for the Cubs. <--->
Hector Lopez pinch hit for Joe Horlen. <--->
Hector Lopez flied out to center. <--->
Maury Wills grounded to the shortstop. <--->
Vic Power grounded to second. <--->
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, and 0 left on base.
At the end of the seventh, the game is tied at 3.
TOP OF THE EIGHTH
Jim Brewer came in to pitch for the Dusters. <--->
Johnny Roseboro struck out. <--->
Ernie Banks flied out to center field. <--->
Hank Aaron doubled down the third base line. <-2->
Brooks Robinson struck out. <-2->
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, and 1 left on base.
In the middle of the eighth, the game is tied at 3.
BOTTOM OF THE EIGHTH
Lee Maye walked. <--1>
Billy Williams grounded to second, forcing the runner at second. <--1>
Clete Boyer singled over the first baseman. <-21>
Johnny Blanchard singled to right, scoring a run. <3-1>
Tom Tresh lined out to center. <3-1>
Gordy Coleman pinch hit for Jerry Adair. <3-1>
Gordy Coleman flied out to left. <3-1>
1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, and 2 left on base.
At the end of the eighth, Nevada leads 4 to 3.
TOP OF THE NINTH
Johnny Schaive came in to play Second Base. <--->
Andre Rodgers doubled in the right field gap. <-2->
Andre Rodgers went for an extra base and reached third. <3-->
Jimmy Stewart struck out. <3-->
Jim McKnight laid down a sacrifice bunt back to the pitcher - a run scored. <--->
Don Demeter pinch hit for Clem Labine. <--->
Don Demeter grounded to short. <--->
1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, and 0 left on base.
In the middle of the ninth, the game is tied at 4.
BOTTOM OF THE NINTH
Dan Schneider came in to pitch for the Cubs. <--->
Cam Carreon pinch hit for Jim Brewer. <--->
Cam Carreon struck out. <--->
Maury Wills singled into right field. <--1>
Vic Power grounded to short. <-2->
Lee Maye grounded to third. <-2->
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, and 1 left on base.
At the end of the ninth, the game is tied at 4.
TOP OF THE TENTH
Bill Dailey came in to pitch for the Dusters. <--->
Lou Brock singled to left field. <--1>
Johnny Roseboro popped up to the third baseman in foul ground. <--1>
Ernie Banks grounded to short for a double play (6-4-3). <--->
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, and 0 left on base.
In the middle of the tenth, the game is tied at 4.
BOTTOM OF THE TENTH
Billy Williams grounded to first. <--->
Clete Boyer reached first on a throwing error by the second baseman. <--1>
Johnny Blanchard homered into the right field bleachers for two RBIs. <--->
DUSTERS WIN: 6-4
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 + R H E
Cubs (CHC) 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 4 8 1
Dusters (NEV) 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 2 6 13 1
CHICAGO ab h bb r hr bi k sb avg
L. Brock (CF) 4 2 1 0 0 0 1 1 .254
J. Roseboro (C) 4 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 .290
E. Banks (SS) 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .289
H. Aaron (RF) 4 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 .320
B. Robinson (3B) 4 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 .273
A. Rodgers (1B) 4 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .309
J. Stewart (LF) 4 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 .222
J. McKnight (2B) 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .207
G. Hobbie (P) 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .167
G. Geiger (PH) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .300
C. Labine (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
D. Demeter (PH) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .222
D. Schneider (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
TOTALS 35 8 2 4 1 4 5 1
2B: J. Stewart (2), H. Aaron 2 (4)
3B: A. Rodgers (1)
HR: B. Robinson (4)
CHICAGO ip h bb hr r er k pit ERA
G. Hobbie 6.0 9 1 0 3 3 4 85 2.52
C. Labine 2.0 2 1 0 1 1 0 28 5.06
D. Schneider 1.1 2 0 1 2 1 1 27 5.40
TOTALS 9.1 13 2 1 6 5 5 140
NEVADA ab h bb r hr bi k sb avg
M. Wills (SS) 5 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 .439
V. Power (1B) 5 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 .377
L. Maye (RF) 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 .393
B. Williams (LF) 5 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .246
C. Boyer (3B) 5 2 0 2 0 0 1 0 .323
J. Blanchard (C) 4 2 1 1 1 3 1 0 .275
T. Tresh (CF) 3 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 .232
J. Adair (2B) 3 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 .171
G. Coleman (PH) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .400
J. Schaive (2B) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .182
J. Horlen (P) 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200
H. Lopez (PH) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .385
J. Brewer (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
C. Carreon (PH) 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .214
B. Dailey (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
TOTALS 39 13 2 6 1 6 5 0
2B: T. Tresh (3), J. Adair (1)
3B: C. Boyer (2), M. Wills (1)
HR: J. Blanchard (6)
NEVADA ip h bb hr r er k pit ERA
J. Horlen 7.0 5 2 1 3 3 2 92 4.00
J. Brewer 2.0 2 0 0 1 1 3 30 2.40
B. Dailey 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 10 2.08
TOTALS 10.0 8 2 1 4 4 5 132
WP: B. Dailey (2-0)
LP: D. Schneider (0-1)
Temperature: 53F
Wind: 2 MPH (out to center)
Attendance: 16,726
Time: 2:33
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