Leaver's Three Run Triple in the First of Three

Cocoa Astros 5 Orlando Twins 0

Game One

August 13, 1972

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Although the uncontested star-attraction of the tripleheader in question was Eleno Cuen's no-no, the first game is somewhat interesting as well. Although it was played at Cocoa's Exhibition Stadium, Orlando was the home team, because the game was actually a continuation of a game that had been called for rain after an inning in Orlando the night before. Evidently, the teams drove from Orlando overnight, hoping to continue and finish the game before the already-scheduled Sunday doubleheader. The Twins decided to stay with their starter Saturday night, Frank Hecomovich, and I guess you gotta say it was a bad decision; Hecomovich got torched for three in his first inning of work Sunday, all the runs scoring on centerfielder Alberto Leaver's triple. Catcher John McLaren had singled, Luis Rodriguez was hit by a pitch, and Neil Rassmussen had singled. The previous eve's starter, Gordon Crane, then made an out, setting the table for Leaver. Interesting that Cocoa manager Jim Williams decided to let Crane hit in the top of the frame, then passed the pitching duties to Ron Dejean to begin in the bottom of the inning. Also note McLaren went kind of notes with three hits, all singles. McLaren would watch Jose Salas catch Cuen's no-hitter, then catch again in the third game.

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1975 TCMA Dubuque Packers # 9

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Cocoa Astros AB R H RBI Alberto Leaver, cf 3 0 1 3 Jim Busby, 2b 3 0 0 0 Tom Wise, 3b 4 0 1 0 Bob Blakley, lf 4 1 1 0 John McLaren, c 4 1 3 0 Luis Rodriguez, rf 3 1 1 1 Neil Rasmussen, ss 3 1 1 0 John McRae, 1b 3 1 1 0 Gordon Crane, p 1 0 0 0 Ron Dejean, p 1 0 0 0 Cocoa totals 30 5 10 4

Orlando Twins AB R H RBI Ed Palat, cf 2 0 1 0 John Brooks, rf 3 0 0 0 Jackson Sexton, lf 2 0 0 0 Mike Poepping, 3b 3 0 0 0 Joe Jacobsen, 1b 3 0 0 0 John Hasbrouck, c 2 0 0 0 Tom Hanegan, 2b 2 0 0 0 Mike Baier, s 2 0 1 0 Frank Hecomovich, p 2 0 0 0   Orlando totals 23 0 2 0

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Cocoa Astros	0	3	1	0	0	1	0
Orlando Twins	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

E-   Baier
DP-  Orlando 1 Cocoa 2
LOB- Cocoa 7 Orlando 3
2B - Rodriguez, Palat
3B - Leaver
S -  Dejean