The
NEVADA DUSTERS
The Story of a Major League Baseball Franchise
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Reds @ Dusters
April 10-12, 1963
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Dusters Honor MVP, Gold Glove Recipients
Al Childress, Las Vegas Sun
Prior to the first pitch of the home series against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Nevada Dusters honored several players who played key roles in the 1962 world championship.
Outfielder Billy Williams, who had been named the Dusters' 1962 Most Valuable Player, led the club last year in hits (177), Runs (97), RBI (110), walks (75), doubles (41) and triples (10). He also had the team's highest on-base percentage (.396) and slugging percentage (.593). He finished the regular season with 32 homers and a .314 batting average. He was also one of Nevada's two selections to the 1962 All-Star Game, and was named Rookie of the Year in 1961 prior to his joining the Dusters.
"Billy is the player around whom we've built our lineup," said Conn Hudson. "He is also one of the team's leaders. He plays at a high level on a consistent basis. This ballclub would not be where it is today without his contributions."
Williams finished in the top ten in numerous categories last year. He was fifth in the NL (9th in the ML) in batting average, first in doubles in both the NL and the ML, second (behind Hank Aaron) in extra base hits in the NL (third behind Aaron and Mickey Mantle in the ML), tenth in the NL in hits, fifth in the NL in home runs, eighth in the NL in on-base percentage, second (behind Aaron) in OPS in the NL (fifth in the ML), eighth in the NL in RBI and runs, second (behind Aaron) in slugging percentage in the NL (fifth in the ML), third in the NL in total bases (seventh in the ML), and seventh in the NL in triples (ninth in the ML).
Also honored were the club's two Gold Glove recipients, first baseman Vic Power and pitcher Joe Horlen. In 1962 Power committed just four errors in 1,194 innings for a .997 fielding percentage. This is the fifth straight year he has won the Gold Glove. It was the first Gold Glove for Horlen, a rookie in 1962 when he committed one error in 240 innings on the mound for a .980 fielding percentage.
Following the ceremony, Williams, Power and Horlen distributed previously autographed baseballs to the fans.
 One of the balls signed by Billy Williams after the ceremony
CINCINNATI REDS (7-2) @ NEVADA DUSTERS (5-1)
April 10-12, 1963
Horizon Field (Las Vegas, NV)
DL: Joe Horlen (sp), sore rotator cuff, 3 days; Wayne Granger (rp-Montana Wolves R), fractured eye bone, 11 days; Jesus Alou (rf--Tucson Stingers A), shoulder bursitis, 4 days.
Cincinnati Reds Game 1 starting lineup:
Richie Ashburn (cf), Marty Keough (lf), Pete Rose (1b), Frank Robinson (rf), Leo Cardenas (ss), Gene Freese (3b), Johnny Edwards (c), Tommy Helms (2b), Joey Jay (sp)
Game 1, April 10
The first game in a battle for the top spot in the NL featured sparkling defensive plays on both sides. In the Reds 2nd, Johnny Edwards was caught stealing second to end the inning. In the 3rd Lee Maye was caught trying to steal second, and in the 4th Tom Tresh was thrown out at home trying to score on a Maury Wills double. The Dusters turned two key double plays to end Cincinnati threats. Tony Cloninger held the Reds to one run on nine hits through six, keeping Nevada in the game until the 6th when, trailing 1-0, the Dusters put together a three-run rally with five hits, all singles. Jim Brewer held the Reds scoreless in the 7th and 8th, and in the bottom of the 8th the Dusters struck again. Maury Wills (3-for-4 with two runs and a stolen base) opened with a double, Johnny Schaive walked, and Wills scored when Lou Johnson reached on a Cincinnati error. Then Vic Power homered to right for three runs, extending the Nevada lead to 7-1, the final score. It was Power's third homer of the season, and his 3-for-5 mark pushed his average up to .452. Cloninger (2-0) earned the win and the Dusters resided -- for the moment, at least -- atop the NL. Team doctors reported that reliever Barney Schultz, who pitched the Reds 9th, would miss four or five days with a sore tricep.
Lineup: Power, Maye, Williams, Boyer, Blanchard, Tresh, Wills, Adair, Cloninger
Record: 6-1
Dusters 7, Reds 1
Game 2, April 11
Dave McNally got off to a rocky start, walking three in the 1st inning and helping the Reds to a 1-0 lead. The Nevada bats bailed him out in the bottom of the inning as Billy Williams doubled and scored on a Hector Lopez knock prior to Clete Boyer's two-run dinger. Cincinnati scored a run in the 2nd and another in the 3rd to tie it at 3-all, but in the bottom of the 3rd Vic Power (who would finish 4-for-5 for the day) cranked a solo homer to right, putting the Dusters back on top. McNally worked through the 7th, allowing a few more hits but no more runs. In the home 8th Johnny Blanchard's three-run homer and an RBI single by Jerry Adair made the tally 8-3 Nevada, a lead Claude Raymond held for the last two innings. McNally got his second win in as many starts. Hector Lopez, starting in left field with Williams switched to right, was 2-for-4 with two runs, as was Clete Boyer. With three more roundtrippers today, the Dusters had hit 15 home runs in eight games. They also had the distinction of being the only club in either league with a batting average over .300 (.322) and a staff ERA under 2.50 (2.34).
Lineup: Power, Maye, Williams, Lopez, Boyer, Blanchard, Wills, Adair, McNally
Record: 7-1
Dusters 8, Reds 3
Game 3, April 12
Like McNally yesterday, Jim Bouton was victimized early by the Reds, who scored a pair in the 1st. In subsequent innings Cincinnati continued to put men on base, but the Dusters turned double plays in three consecutive innings to end these threats. Nevada loaded the bases in the 4th for Clete Boyer, who delivered a two-run single into left field that tied the game. Bouton got into a bases-loaded jam in the 5th but pitched out it. Concerned about the rookie's high pitch count, Ben Naylor called Jim Brewer from the bullpen, and Brewer retired the side in the 6th only to give up a solo homer to Marty Keough that put the Reds on top 3-2. The Dusters had two on in the 8th but failed to score, and again in the 9th had two on with two out -- Tom Tresh at third and Lou Johnson at first. Johnny Blanchard came to the plate but saw only one pitch before Johnson was thrown out trying to steal second. Naylor told reporters the decision to send Johnson was his. "It was risky, but they weren't holding him on and with two in scoring a position a single would have won the game." The consensus in the press was that the decision had been a foolish error on the Nevada skipper's part. Back in the leadoff spot, Maury Wills went 3-for-4 but the bottom of the order -- Carreon, Tresh and Adair -- managed just one hit in a combined twelve at-bats.
Lineup: Wills, Power, Maye, Williams, Boyer, Carreon, Tresh, Adair, Bouton
Record: 7-2
Reds 3, Dusters 2
 Nevada Dusters financial update:
Average Attendance: 15,819 ... Revenue YTD: $3.7M ... Profit YTD $1.3M ... Cash: $25.3M ... Team Payroll: $35.4M
Series Stats:
2B: Wills 4, Boyer 1, Williams 1, Lopez 1
3B: none
HR: Power 2, Blanchard 1, Boyer 1
SB: Wills 1, Power 1, Boyer 1
R: Power 2, Blanchard 2, Wills 4, Coleman 1, Schaive 1, Johnson 1, Williams 1, Lopez 2, Boyer 2, Maye 1
RBI: Power 5, Coleman 1, Lopez 2, Boyer 4, Blanchard 3, Adair 1
IP: Cloniner 6.0, Brewer 4.0, Schultz 1.0, McNally 7.0, Raymond 4.0, Bouton 5.0
K: Cloninger 4, Brewer 5, Schultz 2, McNally 2, Raymond 1, Bouton 2
ER: Cloninger 1, McNally 3, Bouton 2, Brewer 1
W: Cloninger 1, McNally 1
L: Brewer 1
SV: Raymond 1
Around the Leagues:
CHC--Hank Aaron hits his 300th home run
BOS releases Ed Bouchee (1b), Dick Gernert (1b), Marv Throneberry (1b), Joe Ginsberg (c), Hal Naragon (c), Sherm Lollar (c)
What Really Happened..
April 10--The Yankees win a costly victory over Kansas City, as starter Bill Stafford and Mickey Mantle are injured.
April 11--Warren Spahn collects his 328th victory, moving him ahead of Eddie Plank as the winningest lefty in ML history.
Cincinnati Reds at Nevada Dusters
April 10, 1963
TOP OF THE FIRST
Tony Cloninger takes the mound for the Dusters.
Richie Ashburn lined out to center. <--->
Marty Keough singled to left. <--1>
Pete Rose singled in the left field gap, advancing the runner to third. <3-1>
Frank Robinson grounded to first for a double play (3-6-1). <3-->
0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, and 1 left on base.
In the middle of the first, the game is tied at 0.
BOTTOM OF THE FIRST
Joey Jay takes the mound for the Reds.
Vic Power singled to left. <--1>
Lee Maye grounded to first, forcing the runner at second. <--1>
Billy Williams walked. <-21>
Clete Boyer flied out to right field. <-21>
Johnny Blanchard struck out. <-21>
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, and 2 left on base.
At the end of the first, the game is tied at 0.
TOP OF THE SECOND
Leo Cardenas homered around the foul pole in right. <--->
Gene Freese grounded to second. <--->
Johnny Edwards singled up the middle. <--1>
Tommy Helms struck out. <--1>
Johnny Edwards was caught stealing second. <--->
1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, and 0 left on base.
In the middle of the second, Cincinnati leads 1 to 0.
BOTTOM OF THE SECOND
Tom Tresh flied out to left. <--->
Maury Wills flied out to center. <--->
Jerry Adair hit an infield single to second. <--1>
Tony Cloninger lined out to center. <--1>
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, and 1 left on base.
At the end of the second, Nevada trails 1 to 0.
TOP OF THE THIRD
Joey Jay lined out to the second baseman. <--->
Richie Ashburn singled through the left side. <--1>
Marty Keough grounded to second. <-2->
Pete Rose struck out. <-2->
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, and 1 left on base.
In the middle of the third, Cincinnati leads 1 to 0.
BOTTOM OF THE THIRD
Vic Power grounded to short. <--->
Lee Maye was hit by a pitch. <--1>
Billy Williams struck out. <--1>
Lee Maye was caught stealing second. <--->
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, and 0 left on base.
At the end of the third, Nevada trails 1 to 0.
TOP OF THE FOURTH
Frank Robinson singled to center. <--1>
Frank Robinson went for an extra base and was thrown out at second. <--->
Leo Cardenas struck out. <--->
Gene Freese singled down the third base line. <--1>
Johnny Edwards singled to right, advancing the runner to third. <3-1>
Tommy Helms grounded to third. <3-1>
0 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, and 2 left on base.
In the middle of the fourth, Cincinnati leads 1 to 0.
BOTTOM OF THE FOURTH
Clete Boyer grounded to the second baseman. <--->
Johnny Blanchard lined out to center. <--->
Tom Tresh walked. <--1>
Maury Wills doubled over the third baseman. <32->
Tom Tresh went for an extra base and was thrown out at home. <-2->
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, and 1 left on base.
At the end of the fourth, Nevada trails 1 to 0.
TOP OF THE FIFTH
Joey Jay grounded to the third baseman. <--->
Richie Ashburn struck out. <--->
Marty Keough singled through the right side. <--1>
Pete Rose flied out to left. <--1>
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, and 1 left on base.
In the middle of the fifth, Cincinnati leads 1 to 0.
BOTTOM OF THE FIFTH
Jerry Adair walked. <--1>
Tony Cloninger popped up foul down the first base line. <--1>
Vic Power grounded to second, forcing the runner at second. <--1>
Vic Power stole second. <-2->
Lee Maye walked. <-21>
Billy Williams grounded to short. <-21>
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, and 2 left on base.
At the end of the fifth, Nevada trails 1 to 0.
TOP OF THE SIXTH
Frank Robinson walked. <--1>
Leo Cardenas flied out to right. <--1>
Gene Freese grounded to short for a double play (6-4-3). <--->
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, and 0 left on base.
In the middle of the sixth, Cincinnati leads 1 to 0.
BOTTOM OF THE SIXTH
Clete Boyer singled into right field. <--1>
Johnny Blanchard grounded to the shortstop, forcing the runner at second. <--1>
Tom Tresh flied out to right. <--1>
Maury Wills singled to left field, advancing the runner to third. <3-1>
Gordy Coleman pinch hit for Jerry Adair. <3-1>
Maury Wills stole second. <32->
Gordy Coleman hit an infield single to third, scoring a run. <3-1>
Hector Lopez pinch hit for Tony Cloninger. <3-1>
Hector Lopez singled up the middle, scoring a run. <-21>
Vic Power singled to center, scoring a run. <-21>
Lee Maye grounded to short. <-21>
3 runs, 5 hits, 0 errors, and 2 left on base.
At the end of the sixth, Nevada leads 3 to 1.
TOP OF THE SEVENTH
Jim Brewer came in to pitch for the Dusters. <--->
Johnny Schaive came in to play Second Base. <--->
Johnny Edwards grounded to second. <--->
Tommy Helms singled through the right side. <--1>
Joey Jay grounded to third. <-2->
Richie Ashburn singled through the hole. <3-1>
Marty Keough grounded to short. <3-1>
0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, and 2 left on base.
In the middle of the seventh, Cincinnati trails 3 to 1.
BOTTOM OF THE SEVENTH
Sammy Ellis came in to pitch for the Reds. <--->
Billy Williams lined out to center. <--->
Clete Boyer singled over the third baseman. <--1>
Clete Boyer went for an extra base and was thrown out at second. <--->
Johnny Blanchard hit an infield single to first. <--1>
Tom Tresh struck out. <--1>
0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, and 1 left on base.
At the end of the seventh, Nevada leads 3 to 1.
TOP OF THE EIGHTH
Pete Rose singled to center. <--1>
Pete Rose went for an extra base and was thrown out at second. <--->
Frank Robinson struck out. <--->
Leo Cardenas struck out. <--->
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, and 0 left on base.
In the middle of the eighth, Cincinnati trails 3 to 1.
BOTTOM OF THE EIGHTH
Maury Wills doubled into the left field corner. <-2->
Johnny Schaive walked. <-21>
Lou Johnson pinch hit for Jim Brewer. <-21>
Lou Johnson reached second on a fielding error by the right fielder - a run scored. <32->
Vic Power homered over the right field fence for three RBIs. <--->
Mel Queen came in to pitch for the Reds. <--->
Lee Maye struck out. <--->
Billy Williams was hit by a pitch. <--1>
Clete Boyer popped up to the second baseman. <--1>
Johnny Blanchard flied out to left field. <--1>
4 runs, 2 hits, 1 error, and 1 left on base.
At the end of the eighth, Nevada leads 7 to 1.
TOP OF THE NINTH
Barney Schultz came in to pitch for the Dusters. <--->
Gene Freese struck out. <--->
Johnny Edwards popped up to the second baseman. <--->
Tommy Helms struck out. <--->
DUSTERS WIN: 7-1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 + R H E
Reds (CIN) 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 12 1
Dusters (NEV) 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 4 x 7 12 0
CINCINNATI ab h bb r hr bi k sb avg
R. Ashburn (CF) 4 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .364
M. Keough (LF) 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200
P. Rose (1B) 4 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .286
F. Robinson (RF) 3 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 .389
L. Cardenas (SS) 4 1 0 1 1 1 2 0 .233
G. Freese (3B) 4 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .341
J. Edwards (C) 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .192
T. Helms (2B) 4 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 .200
J. Jay (P) 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
S. Ellis (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
M. Queen (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
TOTALS 34 12 1 1 1 1 8 0
HR: L. Cardenas (2)
CINCINNATI ip h bb hr r er k pit ERA
J. Jay 6.0 8 4 0 3 3 2 100 4.00
S. Ellis 1.0 4 1 1 4 4 1 25 9.00
M. Queen 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 18 0.00
TOTALS 8.0 12 5 1 7 7 4 143
NEVADA ab h bb r hr bi k sb avg
V. Power (1B) 5 3 0 1 1 4 0 1 .452
L. Maye (RF) 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 .444
B. Williams (LF) 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 .208
C. Boyer (3B) 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .323
J. Blanchard (C) 5 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 .333
T. Tresh (CF) 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 .174
M. Wills (SS) 4 3 0 2 0 0 0 1 .333
J. Adair (2B) 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 .083
G. Coleman (PH) 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 .333
J. Schaive (2B) 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 .167
T. Cloninger (P) 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
H. Lopez (PH) 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .286
J. Brewer (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
L. Johnson (PH) 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 .500
B. Schultz (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
TOTALS 34 12 5 7 1 6 4 2
2B: M. Wills 2 (2)
HR: V. Power (3)
NEVADA ip h bb hr r er k pit ERA
T. Cloninger 6.0 9 1 1 1 1 4 76 1.46
J. Brewer 2.0 3 0 0 0 0 2 32 2.25
B. Schultz 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 2 9 1.59
TOTALS 9.0 12 1 1 1 1 8 117
WP: T. Cloninger (2-0)
LP: J. Jay (0-2)
Temperature: 44F
Wind: 4 MPH (right to left)
Attendance: 16,508
Time: 2:50
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