1982 Atlanta Braves Retrospective

[selmaborntidefan]

May 3, 1982
Atlanta Braves 10 (W: Niekro, 1-0; SV: Garber, 5)
Pittsburgh Pirates 4 (L: Solomon, 1-3)
18-6
1st place
3.0 games ahead

PIRATES LOSE 4TH IN ROW; NIEKRO GETS 1ST WIN AND RBI DOUBLE

Glenn Hubbard went 4-for-5 with three RBIs and Claudell Washington smashed his 3rd home run of the year, a 3-run bomb that helped Phil Niekro get his first win of 1982 as the Braves pummeled the Pittsburgh Pirates and former Atlanta starter Buddy Solomon, 10-4. The loss is Pittsburgh's fourth in a row and drops them to 2-8 at home on the season while the Braves extend their lead in the NL West to 3 games over the second-place San Diego Padres.

Pittsburgh scored first when Jason Thompson drilled a solo shot in the bottom of the second, his 9th home run of the season and his sixth in the last 8 games just after he was named NL Player of the Week. But the Braves tied it when Bob Horner scored on an infield out by Bruce Benedict after Horner and Chris Chambliss had singled to put Horner at third with one out in the third. An inning later, Brett Butler walked with one out, Hubbard singled him to third, and all 3 came home on Washington's long ball. Then in the fifth, the Braves took command and got rid of Solomon.

Chambliss singled to center leading off, which brought in reliever Manny Sarmiento. Sarmiento struck out Benedict for the first out but then threw wildly on Rafael Ramirez's ground ball, leaving two men on for Niekro. The 43-year-old Atlanta legend belted a double that scored Chambliss and Ramirez, and the wily veteran came home moments later when Omar Moreno's throw beat him home, but he just went around Pirate catcher Tony Pena and was safe to extend the Atlanta lead to 7-1 at the halfway point.

But Niekro ran into trouble in the Pittsburgh sixth when Lee Lacy reached base and Knucksie walked Thompson. Niekro gave way to Larry McWilliams who immediately gave up a three-run homer to Bill Robinson, and the Pirates were back in contention trailing, 7-4. But thanks to three hits and a wild pitch on a third strike by Rod Scurry in the 8th, the Braves got the three runs back and Gene Garber got his fifth save as the Braves won, 10-4.

The Phillies got off to a running start when leadoff hitter Bob Dernier walked and then stole second and, after Pete Rose walked, stole third as part of a double steal that put both runners in scoring position. Although Mike Schmidt struck out, Gary Matthews drove both runners home with a single and later scored himself to give Philadelphia a 3-0 lead before the Giants ever came to bat. The Giants never recovered as Sid Monge got his first win the NL with a 5-3 Philly win. Darrell Porter's two-run shot keyed a five-run Cardinal inning that lifted St Louis to a 9-4 win over the Cubs. Gary Carter and Chris Speier homered while Bill Gullickson went the distance as the Expos thumped the Padres, 8-2, in a game marred by 5 errors (3 by the Padres). Hubie Brooks drove in two runs with a bases loaded single in the 12th as the Mets ended a six-game losing streak at Dodger Stadium with a 6-3 win over the Dodgers and Terry Forster.

Boston won their fourth in a row (and 12th of the last 13) thanks to two-run homers off the bats of Dave Stapleton and Rick Miller en route to a 6-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins. Stapleton's was an inside-the-park job, yes, at Fenway Park that fell just beyond Mickey Hatcher's glove. A Greg Pryor solo home run and Hal McRae two-run double guided the Royals to a 3-2 edging of Milwaukee, whose two runs came on a homer by Larry Hisle. Mike Flanagan channeled his 1979 Cy Young mound persona as he scattered three hits and stuck out three while going the distance for the Orioles in a 6-0 shutout over the Seattle Mariners. Rich Dauer and Gary Roenicke homered for Baltimore. Don Baylor tied it with a single in the 7th and won it with a sacrifice fly in the 9th as the California Angels rallied from a 4-0 deficit to beat the Cleveland Indians, 5-4. A four-run Oakland rally against Tommy John and Goose Gossage in the 8th inning carried the Athletics to a 5-2 win over the Yankees. Dwayne Murphy drove in the tying run and Tony Armas drove home what proved to be the winner.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

May 4, 1982
Pittsburgh Pirates 8 (W: D. Robinson, 2-0)
Atlanta Braves 4 (L: Cowley, 0-1)
18-7
1st place
2.0 games ahead

EASLER'S SLAM ENDS BRAVES ROAD WIN STREAK;
SEAVER GETS 1ST WIN OF '82

Omar Moreno went 4-for-5 and scored three times while Mike Easler drilled the first grand slam of his career as the Pittsburgh Pirates ended their four-game losing streak with an 8-4 win over Atlanta, ending the Braves' nine-game road winning streak to open 1982. The Pirates made short work of rookie Joe Cowley, who surrendered 8 runs in 3.1 innings to earn his first career decision as a starting pitcher, a loss. Cowley faced 20 batters, of whom 11 reached base and 8 crossed home. Three eighth inning cosmetic runs courtesy of long balls by Glenn Hubbard and Bob Horner closed the gap in a game the Braves were never a serious threat to win. Don Robinson, who had shoulder surgery this past December, saw his record rise to 2-0 on the season.

Robinson felt well as he retired the Braves in order in the first and took the hill in the second with a 2- lead after Moreno singled, stole second, went to third on a sacrifice fly to right and then scored on a double by Dave Parker, who himself came around on Jason Thompson's single. But Atlanta struck back quickly as Dale Murphy led off the second with his 8th home run of the year. Cowley got the Pirates in order in the second thanks largely to Biff Pocoroba throwing out Pittsburgh shortstop Jim Smith on an attempted steal, but in the third, the roof fell in on Cowley and the Braves.

Moreno again led off the inning with a single, followed by rookie Johnny Ray doing the same. When Parker flied out to right and Ray stole second, the Braves walked the hot-hitting Thompson and gave up a single to former batting champion Bill Madlock that lifted the Pirates to a 3-1 lead. With the bases loaded, Cowley faced 31-year-old platoon left fielder Mike Easler, who entered the series with the Braves last night hitting .241 on the year and 34 career home runs. Easler drove a Cowley delivery to deep center field to empty the bases for his first career grand slam and just like that the Pirates were way out front, 7-1. Cowley recovered well to retire the next two hitters, but the game was as good as over. Just to make sure, Moreno again singled in the fourth, this time with one out, stole second, and scored on Ray's double to chase Cowley and raise the Pirate lead to 8-1. The Pirates were held scoreless the rest of the way and other than the Pirates pulling Robinson after he gave up 3 runs in the eighth, the game was uneventful the rest of the way. The Braves remain two games ahead of the Padres in the NL West.


Seattle 4 Baltimore 3 - after spotting the Orioles a quick 3-0 lead, the Mariners rally, including 2 runs in the 9th to win.

Boston 5 Minnesota 3 - Glenn Hoffman's two-run single sparked a Boston uprising and four-run inning that carried the Red Sox over the Twins.

White Sox 4 Toronto 3 - Jesse Barfield's three-run shot was all of Toronto's offense, and it was matched by Greg Luzinski in Chicago's four-run sixth.

Cleveland 6 California 5 - Dan Spillner entered a 5-3 game, gave up 3 runs in 1.2 innings and got the save.

Detroit 4 Texas 3 - three Rangers errors and they drop their 10th in a row.

Milwaukee 9 Kansas City 5 - reliever Jim Slaton beat reliever Danny Jackson thanks to two Brewer bombs

Oakland 9 Yankees 7 - Oakland blew a 7-1 sixth inning lead only to win on a Tony Armas double in the 13th when Dave LaRoche replaced a tiring Goose Gossage.

Cincinnati 5 Houston 2 - Tom Seaver and Tom Hume combined for a six-hitter as the Reds beat the Astros for Tom Terrific's first win of the year.

Dodgers 2 Mets 1 - Fernando Valenzuela led off the 9th with a double and pinch-runner Derrel Thomas scored the winning run on Dusty Baker's bases loaded single to give Neil Allen his second painful loss of the season.

San Diego 7 Montreal 3 - Garry Templeton and Sixto Lezcano homered and Floyd Chiffer notched his first career save.

St Louis 7 Cubs 4 - Rare long balls as Keith Hernandez and George Hendrick both homered as Bruce Sutter got his 9th save with 3 Ks in 2.1 innings.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

May 5, 1982
Pittsburgh Pirates 4 (W: Rhoden, 1-3; SV: Tekulve, 2)
Atlanta Braves 2 (L: Mahler, 2-2)
18-8
1st place
1.5 games ahead

RHODEN GIVES UP 2, DRIVES IN 3 FOR HIS FIRST WIN OF YEAR;
TEXAS LOSING STREAK AT 11

Jason Thompson hit 3 singles and drove in a run to continue his hot 1982 start, and Rick Rhoden went 7.1 innings and scattered 8 hits as the Pirates took another series from the Braves with an 8-4 win at home. Although the Pirates have still not pitched a complete game, closer Kent Tekulve got his second save of the year by retiring four of the five hitters he faced to seal the win. Once again, Omar Moreno got the Pirates off to a fast start.

After Rhoden faced the minimum to open the first, Moreno singled, stole second, went to third on an infield out, and scored on Thompson's RBI single. But the lead didn't last long as Dale Murphy led off the second with a walk, moved to third on Bob Horner's double, and both Murphy and Horner scored when shortstop Jim Smith, who had three errors on the night, made his first by throwing a Chris Chambliss grounder wildly past first. As it turned out, the Braves had four of their nine hits and had scored both runs they would have in the second. Chambliss was thrown out at home on a fielder's choice, and Rhoden got out of the jam with Pittsburgh trailing by one. As if to make up for his faux pas, Smith walked and then scored when Rhoden and Moreno both singled to tie the game in the second. Rhoden then helped himself by doubling home Tony Pena, who had reached on a single, giving the Pirates the lead. Smith later tripled leading off the sixth and scored on Rhoden's sacrifice fly to close out the scoring and give the Pirates a 4-2 lead that was the final score.

It was a light day of baseball around the two leagues. Rookie Gary Gaetti's sixth home run of the season lifted Minnesota to a 3-2 win over Boston. Trailing 1-0 at the 7th inning stretch, the White Sox erupted for four runs by socking three home runs in the bottom of the seventh, two off starter Luis Leal, leading to four runs and a 4-1 win for Chicago. Harold Baines began the uprising with a two-run shot. Needing only five outs to end their ten-game losing streak, the Rangers turned - for the fourth time - to 1979 starting ace Steve Comer to finish the game. And for the fourth time, Comer failed again. Although his problems were exacerbated by a Billy Sample error, Comer surrendered three Detroit runs on four hits in the bottom of the 8th to send Texas down to defeat for the 11th straight time, 6-4. Dan Quisenberry tossed four innings of two-hit ball and got the win thanks to Jamie Quirk scoring on an Onix Concepcion double in the tenth that enabled Kansas City to edge Milwaukee, 3-2.

In the senior circuit, Bruce Sutter got his tenth save and George Hendrick clubbed two homers in the Cardinals' 7-6 win over the Cubs. Terry Puhl and Phil Garner knocked in three runs apiece and Don Sutton lifted his record to 4-1 as the Astros topped the Reds, 8-7.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

May 6, 1982
Travel day
18-8
1st place
2.0 games ahead

PERRY BECOMES FIRST PITCHER SINCE '63 TO WIN 300 GAMES;
RANGERS DROP 12TH STRAIGHT

Gaylord Perry, whose career has been marked by suggestions of throwing the spitball and who is playing for his sixth team in the last nine seasons, joined an exclusive club of major league pitchers who have won 300 games by scattering nine hits and surrendering 3 runs and going the distance in Seattle's 7-3 win over the defending AL champion New York Yankees for the greatest moment in Seattle's brief history as a major league franchise. Perry struck out 4 and walked one by giving up a solo home run to Ken Griffey, who went 3-for-4 and scored 2 of the Yankee runs on a night where the Yankees fell behind, 5-0, in the 3rd and never seriously threatened. Perry becomes the first major league pitcher since Early Wynn on July 13, 1963 and 15th overall to reach the 300-win plateau. Because the 300-win club is predominantly members who pitched prior to the invention of the live ball in 1920, Perry became only the 4th player to win 300 games in the last 59 baseball seasons, joining Hall of Famers Lefty Grove, Warren Spahn, and Wynn.

There was a light schedule in MLB tonight as teams prepare for a busy weekend. Cleveland's John Denny went the distance and allowed Oakland only 3 hits while striking out 9 but came out on the short end of a 4-2 loss to Steve McCatty. Rickey Henderson, setting a blistering pace on the basepaths, opened the guy by reaching first on an error by shortstop Jerry Dybzinski and promptly stole second and third, his 28th steal of the season in only 27 games. After a walk to Dwayne Murphy, a Dan Meyer single plated Henderson and put Murphy on third. When Tony Armas forced Meyer at second with a ground out, Murphy scored to give Oakland a 2-0 lead. Two walks and a Henderson single in the 2nd gave Oakland a 3-0 lead. And from that moment, Denny retired the next 18 batters in the Athletics' lineup. Andre Thornton socked his sixth homer of the year, but Oakland held on with reliever Dave Beard closing out the win and notching his 2nd save. Lamar Johnson clubbed a two-run home run off Boston starter Bob Ojeda to cut a 3-0 lead to one run, but the Rangers only had four other hits, while Jim Rice and Tony Perez both homered in the Red Sox 5-2 win over Texas that extends the Ranger loss streak to 12 games. Don Aase entered at the start of the 8th inning tonight after the former Angel and .179 hitting Dan Ford led off with a double. Aase retired the Orioles in order and took the hill for 9th. And that's where all hell broke loose. After striking out Jim Dwyer to start the 9th, Aase walked Rick Dempsey and then faced Terry Crowley, the game's premiere pinch-hitter who batted in place of rookie Cal Ripken Jr. Crowley singled, but Al Bumbry struck out for the 2nd out of the inning before Rich Dauer walked to load the bases. But in just two batters, Ford doubled home two runs and Ken Singleton slammed a three-run homer to give Baltimore five runs in a flash. John Lowenstein followed with a double and Gary Roenicke connected for another home run that ended a 7-run uprising for Baltimore en route to a 9-2 win over the Angels. Aase watched his ERA rise from a league leading 0.67 to 2.83. Milwaukee doubled up Minnesota, 6-3, as Pete Vuckovich got his 4th win.

In the NL, Rick Monday made his first appearance in Montreal since his pennant-winning home run last October and tripled in the first with Steve Garvey aboard as the Dodgers scored 3 runs in the game's first six batters and were held scoreless the rest of the way. But it was enough as Montreal's entire offense was two solo home runs by catcher Gary Carter as LA won, 3-2. Dave Kingman drilled a first-inning home run, but the Giants rallied with two late runs off Jesse Orosco to give San Francisco a 5-3 win. George Vuckovich had four hits and five runs in Philly's 12-7 win over San Diego.

IS GAYLORD PERRY THE LAST 300-GAME WINNER?

After Early Wynn won his 300th game in 1963, there was a general consensus: never again would a major league pitcher win 300 games. It was viewed as no accident that the achievement has become nearly impossible. Seven of the 14 pitchers who had made the club prior to Perry's feat pitched at least some of their careers prior to 1900 when most teams only had two pitchers. Those pitchers managed to get 300 wins quite quickly under these circumstances. The first five members all had at least one season where they won AT LEAST 40 games in a season, including Old Hoss Radbourn winning 60 in 1884. The next group of five pitchers to accomplish the feat all began their careers - and played most if not all of it - PRIOR to the invention of the live ball (and thus the more common occurence of the home run) in 1920. As noted above, the only 4 pitchers to start their careers after 1920 and reach 300 wins are Grove, Spahn, Wynn, and Perry. And the circumstances may not favor it happening again.

Why?

1) the live ball (as noted above)
2) air travel necessitated a move to five-man rotations in the 1960s
3) the diminished strike zone makes it harder to keep a starting pitcher in the game
4) the increasing usage of relief pitchers for favorable matchups late in the games
5) the increasing dependence upon "closers" to come get the final 3-6 outs.
6) free agency means teams don't have to keep around an old pitcher any longer

Perry got his 200th win in 1975. In six of the previous seven years, he had 20 or more complete games (he had 14 the other year). But in the six-plus years it took him to get 100 more wins, Perry has 37 total in the last five seasons. This means he isn't winning 1-0 games late where he holds the opponent at bay and his team scores two runs to win, and he's losing games where he comes out with a lead and the bullpen blows the lead (and sometimes the game). And it took Perry 19 years to accomplish the feat. Only Wynn, who took 23 years to reach #300, took longer - and it took him three years to win those last 16 games as he was over 40. In other words, it will take a pitcher with a 19-year career who can average 16 wins a year, stay healthy that long, and maintain enough of his ability to make it.

WHO ARE THE CANDIDATES CURRENTLY WITH THE BEST CHANCE?

As of today (May 6, 1982), here's the list of who is the closest (age in parentheses)

Kaat 278 (43)
Jenkins 266 (39)
Carlton 264 (37)
Seaver 259 (37)
Niekro 250 (43)
Palmer 249 (36)
Sutton 241 (37)
John 215 (39)
Ryan 192 (35)
Vida 178 (32)

The first two names on the list can be removed as having no chance at all. Kaat may only need 22 wins, but he hasn't been a full-time starter since 1978, and he's only managed to pick up 17 wins as a spot starter or middle reliever the last three years. Time is running out on him. Jenkins is still a full-time starter, but he hasn't been super good since he was 35, he's losing a little more each year, and his arrest two years ago with drugs in his suitcase isn't likely to find many takers. The three best cases of the closest pitchers are Carlton, Seaver, and Palmer. And Palmer figures to come up short because he cannot stay healthy (he left the game tonight after 3 batters with a stiff neck). Carlton has averaged a little over 15 wins per year the last 11 full seasons (he got 13 in a strike season last year), and he's 37. Carlton is the best bet to make it simply because his current pace makes it possible that he could achieve it by late next season or early 1984, when he will still be under the age of 40. If Seaver can overcome his recent arm troubles then he is also likely to reach 300; if he fails, it will largely be because of the years he spent with the Mets getting meager offensive support. Neither Don Sutton nor Tommy John look like realistic possibilities, and Vida Blue appears to be on the downhill slope too soon in his career to hope to even challenge the mark. But that leaves two difficult cases, Phil Niekro and Nolan Ryan.

Ryan is young enough that if could just last long enough to have several 13-win seasons with one or two 16-win seasons sprinkled into the mix, he could challenge for 300. Niekro presents a unique case that could go either way, and it all may come down to how good the Braves are over the next few seasons. Niekro was victimized by a few unfortunate realities. He did not stay in the big leagues full-time until he was 28 years old, and he was not seen as a starter in 1965 or 1966. If he had come out of the gate with a couple of 12-win seasons, he would now be at 274 and within reasonable shouting distance of 300. But Niekro was also harmed immensely by the poor Atlanta teams for which he was pitching in 1974 (20-13, 2.38) and particularly 1978 (19-18, 2.88) and 1979 (21-20, 3.39). A few breaks - or just pitching in a pitcher's park - and Phil would be approaching 300 right now. Niekro's best bet is to either reach the mark with a good Atlanta team that will keep him around (his arm isn't shot, he throws the knuckler) or go to a solid contending team in a pitcher's park like the Astrodome, Dodger Stadium, or Cleveland and win #300. The best bet is Carlton, and the worst bet is Blue.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

May 7, 1982
Atlanta Braves 6 (W: Garber, 3-1)
St Louis Cardinals 3 (L: Martin, 3-3)
19-8
1st place
3.0 games ahead

BRAVES RALLY LATE ON HERR'S MISPLAY;
KEITH MORELAND 7 HOUSTON ASTROS 6;
TEXAS LOSING STREAK ENDS AT 12

Bruce Sutter blew his first save of the season tonight after a mind-boggling move by Cardinal Manager Whitey Herzog that allowed the Braves to tie St Louis in the 9th and then Sutter watched helplessly from the bench as Tommy Herr's bobble enabled Atlanta to tie the game and eventually lifted the Braves from the verge of defeat to the celebration of victory with a three-run rally in the tenth in the first meeting this season between the National League's current division leaders. It was a night that saw St Louis score twice and allow the Braves to tie it until the final frame.

The confusion stemmed from Herzog's decision to wait until Doug Bair, who had retired all six batters he had faced, gave up a single to Atlanta power hitter Bob Horner to lead off the 9th and then summon his closer, who necessarily came into the game with a runner aboard. Horner was 4-for-10 entering the game against Bair and 1-for-6 against Sutter, with three strikeouts. But when Horner singled to left and was replaced with the faster Jerry Royster in a desperate attempt by Atlanta to tie the game, Sutter had to worry about a baserunner. He found further trouble when lefty Chris Chambliss singled to right and both runners moved up a base on an effective bunt by catcher Bruce Benedict. With the pitcher's spot due, St Louis intentionally walked Rafael Ramirez to load the bases with one out and set up the game-winning double play. Sutter got pinch-hitter Biff Pocoroba to hit a hard grounder towards second baseman Herr that appeared to be the game's last play. But the ball played Herr, and he bobbled the bounce, allowing the slow-footed Pocoroba (he usually catches when he starts) to cross first before the double play relay could finish, and Royster crossed the plate to tie the game. Although he got leadoff hitter Brett Butler to bounce out to the pitcher to end the 9th, Sutter's night was over. And as it turned out, so was the Cardinals' night.

John Martin took the mound for the tenth, and he got off to a bad start by walking Glenn Hubbard. Although he retired Claudell Washington on a fly out to left, Dale Murphy's single put runners at the corners with one out, bringing up the dangerous bat of big Bob Watson. Martin walked Watson intentionally to load the bases and rookie Randy Johnson came on to pinch run while the Cardinals brought in Jim Kaat to pitch through the danger. The 43-year-old veteran who began six Presidents ago with a franchise that no longer exists (the Washington Senators) failed at his task, giving up a double to the gap off the bat of Chambliss that cleared the bases in front of him and gave Atlanta a 6-3 lead. Kaat got two of the next three to end the inning, including a rare at bat by Gene Garber, who came on for the bottom of the 10th and allowed only a harmless single to right by Steve Braun as he closed out his own win on the road.

St Louis took a quick lead in the fourth inning when Lonnie Smith belted a two-run homer with Herr aboard that made it 2-0. But Atlanta rallied almost immediately as Murphy walked and Horner homered. Steve Mura struck out six Braves while scattering six hits as he got through the sixth, but Atlanta starter Bob Walk wasn't so fortunate. Walk was pulled after giving up a double to the hot-hitting George Hendrick, moving Hendrick to third on a wild pitch and then allowing him to score on a single by Dane Iorg. Larry McWilliams came on for Walk and navigated through the trouble despite walking Darrell Porter after giving up a stolen base to pinch runner David Green. In his first at bat in the game in the 8th, Green collided with Atlanta reliver Steve Bedrosian on a bunt and was sidelined for what is expected to be three weeks with a pulled hamstring. Green, a rookie, was hitting .321 on the year when he was hurt.

Dick Williams faced a tough choice and apparently made the wrong one. His Padres struck for two early runs and still held a 2-1 lead against Philadelphia entering the bottom of the 9th. Needing 3 outs to get the win, San Diego fell one batter short. Manny Trillo led off the bottom of the inning with a walk and pinch-runner Julio Franco moved to second on a bunt. Franco then moved to third on a single by Ozzie Virgil and scored to tie the game at two on Bob Dernier's ground out. With the winning run on second and Pete Rose at the plate, Williams had a choice: Rose, the NL's all-time career hits leader, or Mike Schmidt, the NL's best current slugger. He walked Rose and pitched to Schmidt and then left for the clubhouse a 5-2 loser when Schmidt golfed Luis DeLeon's delivery into the seats for a game-winning homer run. Keith Moreland socked two homers and drove in 7 RBIs in the Cubs' 12-6 win over the Astros. Mets slugger Dave Kingman hit his 10th homer and Neil Allen got his 7th save in New York's 3-2 edging of the Giants. Bob Welch scattered 7 hits and went the distance courtesy of long bombs by Dusty Baker and Steve Garvey as the Dodgers downed the Expos, 6-2. Mario Soto pitched a complete game five-hitter against his old teammate Paul Moskau as Cincinnati topped Pittsburgh, 5-0.

The Texas Rangers finally ended a 12-game losing streak despite garnering only four hits off Boston starter Dennis Eckersley, who went the distance but wound up with a loss. Eckersley made only one bad pitch all night and rookie Bobby Johnson belted it for the game's only run. The Rangers' pitching gave up 12 hits and walked three but a Texas record-tying five double plays bailed them out and preserved a 1-0 win. Ted Simmons cracked a two-run home run while Gorman Thomas and Cecil Cooper added solo homers of their own in Milwaukee's 4-1 win over Minnesota. Jim Morrison socked two homers and Greg Luzinski added his third of the year as the White Sox allowed Detroit to narrow a 5-0 eighth inning lead to just one run before chasing three runs across the plate in the 9th, two on a Harold Baines triple, to lift Chicago to an 8-5 win over the Tigers. Three different Mariners pitchers got Seattle out of three different late-inning jams while Todd Cruz drilled his fourth home run of the year in a 5-2 win over the New York Yankees. Cal Ripken Jr. who was hitting just .162 in his rookie season entering the game, broke a 1-1 tie with his second career home run (and first since Opening Day) that helped Baltimore beat California, 5-3. Reggie Jackson homered for the Angels. Oakland carried a seven-game winning streak and 5-0 lead into the fourth inning only to watch helplessly as Cleveland raced 7 runs across the plate and then added eight more in the final five innings to turn a 5-0 Oakland rout into a 15-6 slaughter in favor of the Indians. Damaso Garcia hit his first homer of the year and two key Willie Upshaw singles plated runs that enabled Toronto to beat Kansas City, 6-4.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

May 8, 1982
St Louis Cardinals 8
Atlanta Braves 7
19-9
1st place
3.0 games ahead

CARDS RALLY FOR LATE WIN

It took the Atlanta Braves less than 24 hours to learn that if you live by the late-game rally, you can also die by the late-game rally. Last night a 9th inning bobble by Tommy Herr allowed the Braves to tie a game they eventually won in extra innings. Tonight's game saw St Louis tie the game in the 8th on Darrell Porter's solo home run and then win it when Lonnie Smith singled leading off the 9th, stole second, raced toward third on a bunt by Ozzie Smith and then scored the winning run when Rick Camp's desperate heave to nail Ozzie at first went for an error charged to first baseman Chris Chambliss. It was an exciting end to an exciting game and suggests maybe that a postseason series between these two teams would be evenly matched. But of course it's still early.

Atlanta scored early, plating two runs in the second on four straight singles. But Atlanta starter Phil Niekro couldn't hold the lead as Lonnie Smith, much as he would do to end the game, began the Cardinal scoring with a double and a run scored when the throw on Ozzie Smith's sacrifice fly that moved him to third skipped away from Bob Horner. The Cardinals then put together a three-run rally in the sixth with two outs. Ozzie singled and stole second and Keith Hernandez walked. With two on and two out, Steve Bedrosian replaced Niekro and gave up and RBI single to George Hendrick. Larry McWilliams replaced Bedrosian and promptly balked both runners ahead a base to put two runners in scoring position. McWilliams then walked Gene Tenace to load the bases and gave up a two-run double to Porter. The 4-2 lead lasted all of four batters.

Ken Smith pinch-hit for McWilliams and singled to center. Glenn Hubbard followed with a single and Claudell Washington tripled to tie the game. When Doug Bair replaced Cardinal starter Bob Forsch and threw a wild pitch, Washington scored to give Atlanta the lead back. Bair then walked Dale Murphy, who stole second and came home on a single by Bruce Benedict to extend Atlanta's lead to 6-4, but the Cardinals got out of the inning without further damage. Three singles and a walk in the bottom of the 7th tied the game, but Atlanta regained the lead in the 8th when Butler singled and advanced home on a Washington single and an error by Lonnie Smith. Porter's home run followed by Smith's ninth inning run rounded out the scoring and saddled Rick Camp with the loss.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

May 9, 1982
Atlanta Braves 3 (W: Hanna, 2-0; SV: Garber, 6)
St Louis Cardinals 0 (L: Andujar, 3-3)
20-9
1st place
3.0 games ahead

4 PITCHERS, 3 HITS, 2 RBIs, 1 WIN;
STAUB AND DAVIS END GAMES WITH HOMERS

Four Atlanta Braves pitchers, led by starter Joe Cowley and completed by closer Gene Garber surrendered only 3 hits while Bob Horner went 2-for-3 and drove home two runs, one on his 9th homer of the year as the Braves won a 3-0 shutout to gave them their first series with the NL East leading Cardinals, 2-1. The questionable Atlanta pitching held together for their fifth shutout in the season's first 27 games. The Braves banged out nine hits as every starting regular got at least one hit except Claudell Washington. Cowley's sixth big league start ended as his previous five, without his first big league win.

Cowley got off to a bad start when the Cardinals' first batter, Lonnie Smith, doubled to lead off the game but caught a lucky break when Smith was gunned down attempting to steal third. Cowley then retired the next 11 Cardinals but a sore shoulder in the fourth meant he left the game with a 1-0 lead courtesy of Horner's RBI single that followed Dale Murphy's double in the fourth. Preston Hanna came on and while he allowed a hit and walked two batters in two innings, his presence on the mound meant he was the pitcher of the record when Steve Bedrosian walked into a crisis: two on, two out, and the Braves up by two in the bottom of the sixth. Bedrock walked Dane Iorg to load the bases and then got Darrell Porter to fly out to right, ending the best threat St Louis mounted. Garber came on and gave up only one run in the final three innings as Atlanta cruised to the win. The Braves head to Chicago for a series with the Cubs.

With all of the bad press the Atlanta bullpen has received, Horner used his postgame interview to defend the staff, saying, "You don't get a record of 20-9 with a lousy bullpen." Well, maybe; but you can go 13-0 with a .196 batting average if you're Bob Horner, too. Granted, he has six bombs in the last ten games.

Two NL games ended on last pitch home runs that won contests. With the scored tied at 3 at Wrigley Field, catcher Jody Davis blasted a pitch from Billie Jean King's brother (Randy Moffitt) into the bleachers for a three-run bomb that gave the Cubs a 6-3 win over the Astros. Not to be outdone, Rusty Staub of the Mets did the same thing (albeit a solo shot) against Moffitt's former team, the Giants, with two outs in the 9th off Greg Minton. Staub's blast was the sixth home run of the game. Pedro Guererro socked a three-run homer and Fernando Valenzuela scattered 8 hits as the Dodgers swept the four-game series from Montreal with a 5-4 win in the finale. Jason Thompson hit his tenth home run and extended his hitting streak to 17 games as Pittsburgh beat Cincinnati, 6-3, in a game that saw Johnny Ray go 4-for-5 and Don Robinson lift his record to 3-0. Tim Lollar won his fourth game and singled home a run as the Padres beat the Phillies, 6-0, ending Philadelphia's six-game winning streak.

Two nights after a 15-6 drubbing, things got worse for the Oakland Athletics as Cleveland took a 6-2 lead into the top of the 9th and exploded for 8 runs to cap a 14-2 rout that saw the Indians clobber five home runs, including two by Andre Thornton. Ron Hassey, Mike Hargrove, and Rick Manning joined the homer barrage. Boston won their 16th of the last 19 when Tony Perez doubled home the game's only run in a 1-0 defeat of Texas. Jim Gantner hit a two-run triple and a solo homer as Milwaukee beat Minnesota, 6-2. Jim Slaton got the win with 5 innings of one-hit relief. Rudy Law's two RBI's were the difference as the White Sox edged Detroit, 4-3. Bruce Kison got his first win of 1982 as Don Baylor socked a two-run homer while Boby Grich and Tim Foli drove in three runs apiece in California's 8-4 win over Baltimore. Dave Stieb scattered 8 hits and went the distance for the 2nd time in 11 days against Kansas City and Jesse Barfield's solo shot helped lift Toronto to a 2-0 win. Oscar Gamble's two-run homer was all Tommy John needed to beat Seattle, 3-0.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

May 10, 1982
20-9
1st place
3.5 games ahead
Travel day

 

[selmaborntidefan]

May 11, 1982
Chicago Cubs 6 (W: Bird, 2-4; SV: Hernandez, 2)
Atlanta Braves 4 (L: Mahler, 2-3)
20-10
1st place
3.5 games ahead

TWO DAVIS HRS LEAD CUBS OVER ATLANTA

Jody Davis socked two home runs and drove in three while Doug Bird scattered 8 hits over seven innings to give the Chicago Cubs a 6-4 win over the Atlanta Braves in front of a crowd of over 11,000 fans at Wrigley Field today. Atlanta starter Rick Mahler, who started the season 2-0 with two shutouts, dropped to 2-3 on the year. The Braves tore into three Chicago pitchers for 13 hits, nearly doubling the seven the Cubs got, but they failed to execute at the right time and left 8 runners on base. Willie Hernandez got his 2nd save for Chicago.

The Braves took an early 1-0 lead on a solo homer by Chris Chambliss in the 2nd, but the Cubs tied it an inning later when Bird helped his own cause by singling home rookie Ryne Sandberg after the young third baseman doubled with one out in the third. In the fourth, Glenn Hubbard led off the inning with a double to right field and scored on Dale Murphy's single to give Atlanta a 2-1 lead. But Bird got out of a tough jam there by getting Bob Horner to bounce into a 5-4-3 double play. Then in the fifth, Davis, who hit his first home run of the season Sunday in the 9th inning of a Cubs win, socked a solo shot to tie the game. With the score tied at two in the sixth, the Cubs put the game away with a four-run rally that chased Mahler.

Steve Henderson singled leading off the sixth and Bump Wills drew a walk. Mahler then got Bill Buckner to bounce into what appeared to be a perfectly timed double play. But after taking the toss from Hubbard, Rafael Ramirez threw wildly past first, scoring Henderson and giving the Cubs a 3-2 lead. Buckner went to second and during Keith Moreland's at bat that ended in a strikeout, stole third. Mahler got the hook trailing, 3-2, with a runner on third and two out when Larry McWilliams came on and poured gasoline on the fire. Leon Durham singled to short, scoring Buckner for a 4-2 lead, and bringing on Rick Camp, who has been alternatively hot and cold this year. After Durham stole second, Camp gave up the two-run bomb to Davis, and the Cubs were ahead, 6-2. When Steve Bedrosian held the Cubs at bay, Atlanta got the chance to get back into the game.

In the top of the 8th, Lee Smith came on and after retiring Hubbard gave up a single to Claudell Washington but then struck out Murphy. Horner singled and when Davis couldn't hold onto a pitch, Horner moved to second, putting runners at second and third. Biff Pocoroba lined a single to center, scoring both runners and narrowing the gap to 6-4. When Jerry Royster went on to pinch run for Pocoroba, the usual left/right substitute sequence resulted in big Bob Watson swinging his lumber at the plate against Hernandez with a chance to tie the game. But mighty Bob struck out, and although Rufino Linares reached in the 9th with one out, bringing two game-tying opportunities to the plate, Hernadez retired both, and the Cubs left the field a 6-4 victor.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

May 12, 1982
Chicago Cubs 6 (W: Walk, 4-2; SV: Garber, 7)
Atlanta Braves 4 (L: Martz, 3-3)
21-10
1st place
4.0 games ahead

CUBS PITCH TO MURPHY - AND LOSE
ILLINOIS HOUSE VOTES REJECTS WRIGLEY LIGHTS;
TWINS SHED SALARY AND VETERANS

The Chicago Cubs have not had a winning streak of longer than four games since August 1979, but they entered today's game with a chance to end that drought after beating Atlanta yesterday for their fourth straight win. And though they never led the game today, the Cubs stayed close throughout or at least until Dale Murphy's two run shot with two outs in the top of the 9th gave the Braves two insurance runs and closed out the scoring of a 6-3 Atlanta win over the Cubs that saw Chicago give up one run by walking the pitcher with the bases loaded after rookie Ryne Sandberg's wild throw on a bunt loaded them. Bob Walk won his fourth game of the season and Gene Garber nailed down his 7th save by facing five batters and retiring four of them, only Leon Durham reaching base on a Chris Chambliss error. But the question remains: why in the world would you pitch to Dale Murphy with a base open and - wait for it - a player in only his fourth big league game with only two previous career at bats and who has never even been on base? You'd have to ask Cubs Manager Lee Elia the answer to that obvious question.

It took the Braves just two batters to score as Claudell Washington led off the game with a single and then motored all the way around to score on Glenn Hubbard's double before most of the crowd was even seated. Hubbard moved up one base each on infield ground outs by Chris Chambliss and Murphy, and Walk took the mound with a 2-0 lead. But Chicago tied it in the third when Sandberg singled leading off the inning, moved to second on a bunt, and scored on a single by Bump Wills, who was doubled home to tie the game by Bill Buckner. But the fourth inning was nothing short of embarrassing for the Cubs, though they were lucky to only concede one run.

Bob Horner doubled with one out, and Larry Whisenton walked. After Bruce Benedict popped out to right, Rafael Ramirez attempted to move both runners up with a bunt. But Sandberg is not a natural third baseman, and he threw wildly to first, not badly enough to score Horner but enough to load the bases with two out. Not much of an issue with the pitcher Walk coming to the mound with 10 hits and 24 strikeouts in 70 career at bats. But starter Randy Martz walked him to give Atlanta a 3-2 lead. With a chance to blow the game open, Martz retired Washington on a ground out to second. And when Leon Durham homered in the bottom of the inning to tie the game again, the Cubs appeared to have dodged a major problem.

The Braves added a run in the sixth to take their third lead of the game when Whisenton walked and Bendict attempted to bunt him to second. Durham fielded the ball but threw wildly past second, allowing Whisenton to go to third and bringing on reliever Dick Tidrow to replace Martz. Tidrow got Ramirez to pop to the catcher and pinch-hitter Ken Smith singled batting for Walk, scoring Whisenton and giving Atlanta a 4-3 lead. But Tidrow navigated rough waters, getting Washington to line to first, walking Hubbard, and inducing Chambliss to ground out to second and leave the bases loaded. The game remained 4-3 until the 9th.

Bill Campbell came out for his second inning of work in the 9th and immediately gave up a double to Washington. Hubbard then bunted Washington to third, but Chambliss' fly out to center was not deep enough to score Washington. One out from the Cubs needing one to tie and two to win - and first base open - the Cubs had the choice of facing Murphy or walking him with first base open to face rookie Randy Johnson, who took over for Horner in the 7th. Elia opted to pitch to Murphy, who worked the count full and then unloaded on a fastball that landed just above the right field fence for a two-run home run that put the game out of reach, 6-3. The decision looked even more preposterous when Campbell got Johnson to fly out the right. But the Cubs never threatened, and the game was over.

Speaking of threatening, the issue of lights at Wrigley Field is before the Illinois House and Senate, and nobody wants to touch this hot potato. I take that back, Illinois is run by idiots. The House passed a resolution by a 100-53 vote now headed to the Senate that is designed to ensure the Cubs never play night baseball in the city of Chicago (e.g. no lights at Wrigley). Of course, this is Illinois, so they'd neve be that honest about it. The bill instead limits night noise after 10 pm to 45 decibels, too low even for the dull roar Cubs fans might actually have something to cheer. Naturally, it excludes, you know, the White Sox and every other sport already playing at night in the city limits. John Cullerton is arguing that it's different for the Cubs, saying they're "right in the middle of a residential neighborhood." Plus, it would cause late night traffic congestion and environmental issues.

Mark my words: one of these days the Cubs are going to be good enough to actually make a post-season and then they're going to really find some problems when the MLB contracts call for the games to be played in prime time. And then they'll be left with a choice to play at Comiskey Park, put up lights, or build a new stadium that, yes, has lights.

You would think a team that hasn't sniffed a World Series since right after the end of WW2 would think night baseball might help, but you'd be wrong.

Minnesota, who already looked like the league's worst team before the season, is making sure it winds up being true. Shedding salary, the Twins traded former All-Star catcher Butch Wynegar and pitcher Roger Erickson to the Yankees for Larry Milbourne and two minor leaguers. This follows yesterday's deal where they sent Rob Wilfong and bullpen ace Doug Corbett to the Angels for rookie outfielder Tom Brunansky and pitcher Mike Walters.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

May 13, 1982
St Louis Cardinals 10 (W: Rincon, 2-2; SV: Sutter, 11)
Atlanta Braves 9 (L: Dayley, 0-1)
21-11
1st place
4.0 games ahead

BRAVES RALLY FALLS SHORT;
HRBEK'S HITTING STREAK REACHES 23 GAMES

Cardinals Manager Whitey Herzog summarized tonight's game aptly and succinctly when he said, "We kept hitting the ball. Otherwise, we'd have gotten beat." St Louis brutalized four Atlanta hurlers for 17 hits and 10 runs, and every Cardinal starter except Tommy Herr had at least one hit. Herr scored a run but pulled a quadricep running the bases after drawing a walk and his replacement, Mike Ramsey, rapped out two hits himself. After Jose Alvarez proved ineffective for the Braves and was optioned to the minors, they called up Ken Dayley, who made his major league debut tonight against the Cardinals after starting this season 4-1 at Richmond.

Dayley was not up to the task. He wound up facing the lineup once and allowed five hits and four runs while walking one and not striking any out. When he left, the Braves were in a 4-0 hole, but the relievers who followed him, all with major league experience, did not do much better than the rookie. Dayley's fun ended quickly as Lonnie Smith singled to left and stole second. After Herr drew a walk, Keith Hernandez singled Smith home to put Dayley quickly into a 1-0 deficit. Dayley then got George Hendrick to ground into a double play for two outs, although Herr scored to lift the Cardinal lead to 2-0. Gene Tenace grounded out to end the first. Bob Forsch retired Atlanta in order in the first, and Dayley's return to the mound was short-lived. Ken Oberkfell singled to left, moved to second on a wild pitch, and then Dayley surrendered a two-run bomb to Tito Landrum, who had never homered in 214 career at bats. The Braves now trailed, 4-0, and Dayley was pulled with one out after surrendering a single to Forsch. Preston Hanna came on and ended the inning with a double play off the bat of Lonnie Smith.

The Braves began their first comeback immediately as Dale Murphy, who homered to end last night's game against the Cubs, went deep again leading off the bottom of the second. Bob Horner doubled to left and then scored on a single by Rafael Ramirez to cut the Cardinal lead to two. Hanna singled to left to keep the inning alive, but Forsch retired Claudell Washington to keep the lead at two. St Louis got both runs right back as Ramsey doubled and then moved up one base each on two infield ground outs to give the Cardinals a 5-2 lead. Tenace then walked and came around on back-to-back singles by Oberkfell and Landrum, giving St Louis a 6-2 lead. Glenn Hubbard then did exactly what Ramsey did in the bottom of the third to narrow the gap to 6-3. And the Braves made a game of it when Larry Whisenton doubled to lead off the bottom of the fourth and scored on Hanna's second hit of the night, a double to left field. Hanna then scored on a single by Washington, and he drew the throw to second to ensure the run scored, narrowing the Cardinal lead to 6-5.

Maybe it was baserunning fatigue, but Hanna lost his sharpness when he took the mound for the 5th. He loaded the bases with one out and gave way to Al Hrabosky. "The Mad Hungarian" gave up back to back singles, scoring 2 runs and extending the Cardinal lead to 8-5. Julio Gonzalez then singled home another run but the Braves threw Willie McGee out at the plate, ending the inning but trailing, 9-5. Brett Butler got one run back in the 7th when he walked and then came around to score on Washington's double. But when the Cardinals looped 3 hits and reliever Rick Camp threw a wild pitch in the 9th, they added a run to the lead, seemingly safe at 10-6. Closer Bruce Sutter came on in the 7th with one out and retired 5 of the 6 hitters he faced before Atlanta batted in the bottom of the 9th. After striking out Ken Smith, Sutter surrendered a solo home run to Washington, walked Glenn Hubbard, and then with two outs gave up a mammoth shot to Murphy that brought Bob Horner to the plate with the tying run. Horner grounded to third to end the game, but Sutter's performance shows just how lame a number of saves awarded truly are. He entered the game with a 9-6 lead, gave up two home runs and three runs total that would have tied the game at nine - but because the Cardinals put one more run on the board in the 9th, Sutter gets a save as an effective pitcher. It is saves like this that make the statistic somewhat misleading.

Hal McRae and Onix Concepcion had 3 RBIs each and Willie Wilson laced out four hits as the Royals thumped the Red Sox, 11-2. A bases loaded walk to Juan Beniquez in the bottom of the 12th scored Fred Lynn to give California a 3-2 win over the Indians. Jack Morris went the distance and only gave up 6 hits - 3 in the 9th, leading to two Twins runs - as Detroit topped Minnesota, 6-2. Rookie Kent Hrbek slammed his 10th homer of the year. The homer was important was Hrbek was on the verge of ending his hitting streak that now stands at 23 games. Al Bumbry and Dan Ford homered with Dennis Martinez scattered five hits in Baltimore's 3-1 win over Seattle. With the game tied at 3 in the 9th, the Blue Jays made 3 errors that allowed George Wright to transverse the basepaths and come home with the winning run at Texas. Yankees rookie Steve Balboni hit the first home run of his brief big league career to spot New York a 2-0 first inning lead en route to a 6-4 victory over the Athletics in Oakland. And the White Sox banged out 20 hits in support of LaMarr Hoyt as Chicago thumped high-powered Milwaukee, 13-2.

Allen Ripley and Lee Smith scattered 3 hits while Ripley had two hits batting himself, including an RBI single as the Cubs beat Houston, 5-0. Terry Francona scored from second on Warren Cromartie's RBI single in the bottom of the 11th, enabling Montreal to edge San Diego, 6-5. Hubie Brooks went 3-for-4 and drove in all the Mets' runs in New York's 4-2 win over Los Angeles. Rafael Landestoy's one out double in the top of the 9th scored Dan Driessen, which was enough to help the Reds beat the Pirates, 2-1. Dick Ruthven scattered six hits in a complete game while Gary Matthews socked his second homer of the season to help Philadelphia beat San Francisco, 8-1.