Braves 1982 Atlanta Braves Retrospective

[selmaborntidefan]

July 2, 1982
Atlanta Braves 6 (W: Dayley, 4-4; SV: Garber, 13)
Cincinnati Reds 4 (L: Seaver, 4-9)
46-29
1st place
3.5 games ahead

BRAVES TURN TABLES ON TERRIFIC TOM;
BREWERS SET HR RECORD FOR 14-GAME SPAN

Throughout his stellar pitching career, future Hall of Famer Tom Seaver has absolutely owned the Atlanta Braves. Indeed, it might be said his performances against the Braves are a huge reason why he will one day be enshrined in Cooperstown. In a career that has seen "Tom Terrific" win 263 games, he has a stellar 32-9 record against them, which doesn't include his crucial win in the very first NLCS game ever in 1969. But those days appear to be long gone now. Spotted leads of 2-0 and 4-3, Seaver couldn't hold them and stayed one batter past giving up the game-tying home run to Bob Horner in the sixth. As it turned out, it was one batter too long as Chris Chambliss later scored what proved to be the decisive run in Atlanta's 6-4 comeback win over the Reds that dropped the three-time former Cy Young winner to 4-9 on the year. The loss overshadowed Seaver moving into fifth place on the all-time strikeout list when he struck out Rafael Ramirez in the fourth, surpassing Bob Gibson and earning a standing ovation from the Atlanta crowd of 32,000 fans.

Rick Camp earned a rare start this evening, and he was, well, about what you can expect from Camp when he starts. He faced 22 batters in 4.1 innings and ten of them reached base on nine hits and a walk, and the Reds chased four runs across the plate. Camp left trailing, 4-3, after his offense had just given him the lead back, and rookie Ken Dayley, whose last trip to the mound resulted in a loss due to a lack of offensive punch, showed how arbitrary baseball can be when he faced all of five batters, retired four of them, and was pulled when the Braves took the lead on a single by Rafael Ramirez and an error by the other Cincinnati legend, Johnny Bench. But we again saw how shaky the Atlanta bullpen is when Manager Joe Torre let Steve Bedrosian hit for himself for the final out of the 8th and then had to bring in Gene Garber to get that last out in the 9th after Bedrosian weakened and had two on with two out. Garber retired Ron Oester on a fly to left, and the Braves took the opener.

Craig Swan pitched 5 2/3 innings of no-hit ball while Mookie Wilson and Rusty Staub drove in a pair of runs apiece in the Mets' 8-4 win over the Phillies. The Pirates rode a three-run homer by new acquisition Dick Davis to capture the nightcap, 7-2, and sweep the doubleheader from Montreal after a 6-3 triumph in the opener. The Expos are now 2-7 in their last nine games. Ryne Sandberg's grounder scored Larry Bowa from third in the 7th and eventually was enough to ensure the Cubs a 4-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Terry Kennedy's solo homer climaxed a three run inning that lifted the Padres to a 3-2 win over the Giants in the second game of a doubleheader that earned both teams a split after San Francisco won the opener, 8-4, behind three-run bombs from Jack Clark and Joe Morgan. Darrell Evans added a solo shot. Rookie Dave Dravecky took the loss in relief, the first decision of his major league career. Don Sutton scattered six hits in 8 1/3 innings and Luis Pujols drove in two runs to lead Houston to a 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Milwaukee Brewers socked four home runs, including a grand slam by former Boston first baseman Cecil Cooper, among their 17 hits in a 14-5 blowout of the Boston Red Sox that leaves the Brewers just one game behind Boston in the AL East. The Brewers, who have been nicknamed "Harvey's Wallbangers" due to the prodigious clout, broke the record for homers in a 14-game span held by the 1961 New York Yankees, who had 29 in the year of *61; Milwaukee has hit 31 in the last 14 games. The Brewers are 11-3 in that span and have made up five games in the standings during the same time frame. Two solo homers by Dave Winfield, one in the first inning and one in the last, led the Yankees to a 3-1 win over the Indians and gave Roger Erickson his first win in pinstripes. Home runs by Cal Ripken Jr. and Eddie Murray supported the six-hit pitching of Jim Palmer, Tippy Martinez, and Tim Stoddard as Baltimore edged Detroit, 5-4. Billy Sample socked the first pitch of the game for a home run and ignited a 14-hit attack from the Texas Rangers that trounced the Oakland Athletics, 7-0. Texas starter Charlie Hough gave up only two hits. Trailing by two runs in the 7th, the Toronto Blue Jays rode Willie Upshaw's 11th home run and a single by Alfredo Griffin to a 9-4 come-from-behind win over the hapless Minnesota Twins. Seattle and the Chicago White Sox had to abandon their game tied at four before the five inning mark due to rain. Catcher John Wathan stole his 26th base of the season as he approaches passing the all-time single season mark for steals by a catcher and Amos Otis drove in three runs as the Royals beat the Angels, 7-2, to close to within 1 1/2 games of first place in the AL West.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

July 3, 1982
Atlanta Braves 4 (W: Mahler, 8-6; SV: Garber, 14
Cincinnati Reds 2 (L: Soto, 7-5)
47-29
1st place
4.5 games ahead

HUBBARD'***** BRINGS BRAVES WIN;
BREWERS IN 1ST PLACE
RICHARD SHARPER IN 2ND START

Glenn Hubbard's two-out bloop single broke a 2-2 tie and drove home the eventual winning runs as the Atlanta Braves rallied from a 2-0 deficit before their first at-bat to a 4-2 win over the Reds. Rick Mahler won for the 8th time, and Gene Garber picked up his 14th save. The Braves have the best record in baseball (.618) and have surrendered the fewest runs while raising their season series lead over Cincinnati to 9-2. Atlanta remains 4 1/2 games in front of second-place San Diego.

Leon Durham tripled home a run and scored the other in a 4th inning rally that gave the Cubs a 2-1 win over the Cardinals. Jason Thompson socked a two-run homer while Manny Sarmiento held the Expos to one run in 8 innings as the Pirates prevailed over Montreal, 4-2. Steve Garvey's tie-breaking single in the 8th lifted the Dodgers to a 5-4 victory over the Astros and made last year's rookie sensation and Cy Young winner Fernando Valenzuela the first 11-game winner in the bigs this year. Chili Davis led off the top of the 15th with a solo home run, and Greg Minton navigated a rough bottom of the inning in a 4-3 Giants win that saw Minton gain his fifth winning decision on the year.

The Milwaukee Brewers are now in first place. They're not alone, but they're there. Pete Vuckovich tossed a complete game two-hitter while Paul Molitor and Robin Yount homered and Cecil Cooper homered twice in a 6-0 whitewashing of the Boston Red Sox. Yount's dinger was a three-run bomb while the other three homers were all solo shots. Graig Nettles hit a two-out single with the bases loaded, and he followed up with a two-run homer in the 9th to lead the Yankees to a 10-6 win over the Indians in Cleveland. Jack O'Connor tossed a six-hitter after being recalled from the minors and Ron Washington drove home the game-winning run in the 8th as Minnesota edged the Toronto Blue Jays, 2-1. Mike Heath, Mickey Klutts, and Dwayne Murphy singled home runs and Rick Langford fired a six-hitter in Oakland's 5-3 triumph over Texas. Jerry Hairston's 8th inning sacrifice fly was the difference in the White Sox 7-6 win over the Seattle Mariners. Five Baltimore Orioles - Ken Singleton, Cal Ripken Jr., Joe Nolan, Floyd Rayford, and Dan Ford - all homered and gave Storm Davis all the offense he needed in his first career major league start as the Orioles beat the Tigers, 8-3. Hal McRae keyed a five-run fifth inning outburst with a two-run triple, pushing his league-leading RBI total to 72, as the Kansas City Royals moved into 1/2 game of first with a 6-2 triumph over the California Angels.

The Twins traded Larry Milbourne to the Cleveland Indians for Larry Littleton.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

July 4, 1982
Atlanta Braves 4 (W: Walk, 7-6, SV: Bedrosian, 4)
Cincinnati Reds 1 (L: Shirley, 2-6)
48-29
1st place
4.5 games ahead

 

[selmaborntidefan]

July 5, 1982
Atlanta Braves 7 (W: Hrabosky, 2-0; SV: Garber, 15)
Chicago Cubs 5 (L: Smith, 1-5)
49-29
1st place
4.5 games ahead

BRAVES WIN 6TH STRAIGHT ON HUBBARD HOMER;
"THE CHASE IS ON" WARNS LASORDA;
SEATTLE MOVES INTO 3RD WITH WIN OVER YANKS

Glenn Hubbard's two-run homer in the 7th inning lifted the Atlanta Braves to a 7-5 win over the Chicago Cubs as the Braves won their sixth straight game and improved their best record in baseball to 49-29 (.628) as the teams enter the home stretch before the All-Star Game next Tuesday in Montreal. Hubbard's blow got Al Hrabosky off the hook after the reliever blew Phil Niekro's 4-3 lead when he gave up a two-run double to Bill Buckner that put the Braves behind. "The Mad Hungarian" faced only 3 hitters, retired only one, but he came out smelling like a rose with his 2nd win of the season. Cubs starter Lee Smith hit his first career home run to tie the game in the second, when Niekro surrendered two long balls that blew his early 3-0 lead. Atlanta raced out in front in the first when Bob Horner smashed his sixth homer in five games with two aboard. Gene Garber replaced Hrabosky in the 8th and retired all six batters he faced for his 15th save.

Ozzie Smith's 9th inning error allowed the tying run to score, but he made up for it in the tenth when he singled home the winning run in the Cardinals 6-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds. The largest regular season crowd in the history of Veterans Stadium watched their hometown Phillies go down to defeat to Bill Laskey, who scattered 8 hits and allowed only one run in San Francisco's 3-1 win. Trailing Montreal, 6-0, in the fifth inning and 6-1 entering the 7th, the San Diego Padres exploded for a six-run inning against starter Scott Sanderson and reliever Jeff Reardon and held on to win, 8-6. Mike Marshall and Ron Cey homered to support Bob Welch's five-hit complete game as the Dodgers downed the Mets, 4-1, and Dodger Manager Tommy Lasorda sounding a warning shot to the Atlanta Braves and anyone else in the NL West: "The chase is on. We're in the hunt, and they will be hearing our footsteps before the season is over." The defending champion Dodgers currently sit in third place, eight games behind the Braves. Omar Moreno and Johnny Ray led off the bottom of the first with home runs, but Joe Niekro settled down and, aided by a two-run shot by Jose Cruz and a three-run bomb by Phil Garner, the Astros toppled the Pirates, 6-4.

The Seattle Mariners are in only their sixth season of existence and great moments have been few and far between. But for whatever reason, they can beat the powerful Yankees just as long as the game is in their ballpark. Seattle beat New York, 5-4, with a two-run rally in the 7th to lift their all-time home record against the Yankees to an astonishing 20-11 and move into third place in the AL West, only 3 games behind the first place Royals. The two teams socked three homers apiece, but Baltimore got the better of it as the Orioles beat the Angels, 8-5, and lifted starter Scott McGregor's all-time record against California to 12-2, which includes the clinching game of the 1979 playoffs. Boston and Kansas City traded 4-3 scores in a doubleheader, the Red Sox taking the opener in 11 innings. Seven White Sox errors and home runs by Robin Yount and Roy Howell gave the Milwaukee Brewers a 10-4 win over Chicago. Jim Slaton came on in relief of starter Randy Lerch and pitched the final 6 1/3 innings for the win. White Sox ace LaMarr Hoyt, who began the season with a sparkling 9-0 record has now fallen to 10-7. Dan Meyer's solo homer and Mike Heath's RBI single were enough to give Oakland a 2-0 win over Rick Sutcliffe and Cleveland. Kent Hrbek's 17th homer run and John Castino's two RBIs carried the Twins to a 5-3 win over the Rangers. Billy Sample extended his hitting streak to 17 games and drove in the Rangers' first run in a 3-run second as Texas edged Toronto, 3-2. Toronto Manager Bobby Cox was ejected when he tossed a bat on a pitchout.

The Braves released Preston Hanna after seven seasons at the major league level. Working mostly as a middle reliever, Hanna has compiled a record of 17-21 with a 4.49 ERA and one save. Hanna spent one year as a starter on a horrid Braves team in 1979, the year he got most of his decisions (7-13, 5.13 ERA). At age 28, he hopes to catch on with another team.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

July 6, 1982
Chicago Cubs 7 (W: Bird, 5-8; SV: Hernandez, 7)
Atlanta Braves 2 (L: Dayley, 4-5)
49-30
1st place
3.5 games ahead

WORST NL TEAM BEATS NL TEAM IN CUBS' 7-2 VICTORY
REDS LOSE 9TH STRAIGHT;
ALL-STAR STARTERS DETERMINED

In the end, the Braves tried to get one too many innings out of rookie Ken Dayley.

With the score tied at two in the 7th inning, Dayley took the mound having surrendered only four hits and two runs. He then gave up what appeared to be a harmless single to Keith Moreland leading off the inning. It may have been a warning since Moreland'***** broke an 0-for-20 slump, but speedy Bump Wills (Maury's less talented kid) took Moreland's place on the basepaths as a pinch-runner. Dayley then made a rookie mistake when Jody Davis lay down a perfect bunt along the first base line. Instead of taking the sure out at first, Dayley opted to try and nail Wills at second. It wasn't even close, and instead of a runner at second with one out, the Cubs had two runners on with nobody out. Larry Bowa then executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to move the runners ahead a base as the first out of the inning. After the usual sequence of "this pitcher versus this hitter," another rookie pitcher, Joe Cowley, faced Jay Johnstone, and walked him intentionally to load the bases for yet another rookie, Ryne Sandberg of the Cubs. Sandberg hit a potential game-ending double play ball but Johnstone roll-blocked second baseman Glenn Hubbard out of the play, and Wills scored to give the Cubs the lead with runners at the corners and two outs. Sandberg then stole second and both Davis and Sandberg scored on Junior Kennedy's single, capping a three-run rally on just two hits and giving the Cubs an insurmountable 5-2 lead on their way to an eventual 7-2 win over Atlanta. Dayley lost for the fifth time in his nine career decisions and Doug Bird, having a forgettable year on the mound for the Cubs, got the win. Dale Murphy slugged his league-leading 23rd home run.

And how the mighty have fallen. The Cincinnati Reds, who had baseball's best record last year and have been a contending dynasty virtually every year since 1970 (six division titles, four pennants, two World Series championships) lost their ninth game in a row, 3-1 to the Cardinals behind Steve Mura's four-hitter. It is the longest losing streak by the Reds since an 11-game skid in 1966. They are now an incredible 18 1/2 games behind first-place Atlanta in the West. A great effort by the bullpen sealed San Diego's 5-1 win against the slumping Expos, the 12th loss in 15 games for Montreal, who have fallen from 1st to 4th in the East. An 8th inning bases loaded single by Bo Diaz gave Philly the lead and closer Tug McGraw made it stand up in Philadelphia's 3-2 edging of the Giants. Larry McWilliams, acquired from the Braves last week, tossed a five-hitter and made Jim Morrison's solo home run stand up as the shut the door on the Astros with a 1-0 shutout win. Dave Stewart scattered six hits over six innings and struck out four while the Dodgers cashed in on five Mets errors in a 9-3 win over New York.

In the junior circuit, Hal McRae's first-inning grand slam was the difference as Vida Blue lifted his record to 6-5 in Kansas City's 6-2 win over the Red Sox. McRae's 13th home run of the season lifted his league-leading RBI total to 76. Damaso Garcia's 7th inning triple scored Lloyd Moseby from first and was the clincher in Toronto's narrow 4-3 triumph over the Texas Rangers. Cal Ripken Jr's 8th inning home run off Doug Corbett broke a 2-2 tie and lifted Baltimore to a 3-2 win over the California Angels, who lost their 7th straight. Bobby Murcer slammed rookie Ed Vande Berg's first pitch of the 12th inning into the seats for a home run that carried the Yankees to an 8-7 win over the Mariners in Seattle. The Yankees blew a 7-0 lead by giving up a 7-run bottom of the 7th to set the stage for extra innings. Detroit socked five home runs, two by catcher Lance Parrish, in an 11-6 rout of the Twins. Davey Lopes homered twice and Rickey Henderson scored twice after stealing bases as Oakland beat Cleveland, 7-3, to give Athletics Manager Billy Martin his 999th career win.

The Expos released John Milner, and the White Sox released Buddy Solomon.

The All-Star starting rosters are now set, and Montreal catcher Gary Carter is this year's leading vote getter. Managers will set the rest of the lineup plus the pitching staffs, and the game will be held in Montreal one week from tonight. Carlton Fisk, the A.L. catcher, led his league in voting.

N.L. STARTING LINEUP
C- Gary Carter
1B - Pete Rose
2B - Manny Trillo
SS - Dave Concepcion
3B - Mike Schmidt
OF - Andre Dawson
OF - Tim Raines
OF - Dale Murphy

A.L. STARTING LINEUP
C - Carlton Fisk
1B - Rod Carew
2B - Bobby Grich
SS - Robin Yount
3B - George Brett
OF - Rickey Henderson
OF - Reggie Jackson
OF - Fred Lynn

 

[selmaborntidefan]

July 7, 1982
Atlanta Braves 3 (W: Camp, 6-3; SV: Garber, 16)
St Louis Cardinals 2 (L: Andujar, 7-7)
50-30
1st place
3.5 games ahead

BRAVES WIN, 3-2, IN BIZARRE CONTEST;
ECKERSLEY WILL START FOR AL;
SUTTON WINS #250
ALL-STAR SNUBS COMPLAIN - AS USUAL

Joaquin Andujar took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before giving up a leadoff double to rookie Randy Johnson. Whether it broke his concentration or ignited the Braves, who knows, but after starting pitcher Rick Camp struck out, Johnson broke a scoreless tie on Claudell Washington's single. Moments later, Washington moved to third on a single by Rafael Ramirez and then scored on Darrell Porter's passed ball to give the Braves a 2-0 lead. That's when the bizarre happened.

Atlanta starting outfielder Terry Harper was at bat when Washington scored and - somehow - injured his shoulder waving him home. Harper had to leave the game and was replaced batting by rookie Bob Porter, who was just called up last week. Porter struck out, and it was charged to Harper, but the Braves went out for the 7th with a 2-0 lead. Camp, who has been a solid reliever the past two years, was in his fourth start this year, and the Braves had won the previous three. But given prosperity, he wasted it. First, he walked (Darrell) Porter and then allowed a single by Ken Oberkfell. When Dale Murphy misplayed the single and allowed the ball to roll to the fence, Porter scored from first, and Camp got the hook in a game he was now barely leading, 2-1. Steve Bedrosian first walked Ozzie Smith and then retired the next 3 hitters to stifle the attempted comeback. But then the game got even weirder.

Andujar hit Atlanta slugger Bob Horner in the back with a pitch, and umpire Lanny Harris ejected the volatile pitcher, who had gone from nearly perfect to fully apoplectic. Horner was pulled in favor of the faster Jerry Royster, and it may have been the difference in the game. Andujar raged for a full five minutes at the umpire, insisting that he had not thrown at Horner intentionally. And for the record, nobody on either side thought he did - or at least was willing to admit it. Camp himself had nearly hit Oberkfell twice in the same at-bat, but cooler tempers prevailed, and even some Atlanta players thought the punishment harsh. Royster then moved to second on a ground out and scored on a single by Bruce Benedict that put Atlanta in front, 3-1. Two outs from victory, Atlanta closer Gene Garber somehow managed to give up Ken Oberkfell's first home run of the season, cutting the lead to one. But he retired both Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee on infield outs, and the Braves took a 4-3 lead in the season series with two teams that may well meet in the LCS this October.

Don Sutton became the 33rd major league pitcher in history to win 250 games as he tossed a four-hitter in Houston's 5-1 win over the Cubs. The key blow was a two-run shot by Phil Garner, his sixth of 1982. At current writing, only 15 pitchers have reached 300. Sutton will need a lot of luck and good fortune given he's 37 years old and still needs 50 wins. Wayne Krenchicki's first career home run was a three-run shot that made the difference as the Cincinnati Reds ended a nine-game skid with a 6-3 win over the Pirates. Tom Hume, who was told prior to the game he is pitching for the All-Star team, won his second decision of the year. Reggie Smith's two-run homer ignited a three-run inning that was all the Giants needed to send the Mets to their fifth straight loss, 3-2. Fernando Valenzuela became the first 12-game winner in the majors and solidified his selection to the All-Star team with a 3-1 win over Montreal, who dropped to 3-13 in their last 16 games. San Diego's Tim Lollar scattered six hits and ran his record to 9-2 with a 5-3 win over Philadelphia. He also had plenty to say upon finding out he's not one of the eight pitchers selected by Tommy Lasorda to the All-Star Game.

Lollar has put together one of the best seasons by an NL pitcher this year. He's got the best winning percentage in the National League (.818), he's clearly a major reason the Padres are in contention this year, and he's near the top of the league in several pitching categories. And Lollar feels that Lasorda, as manager of the Dodgers, is holding a bit of animus towards the Padres, who are doing better than the defending champions so far this year. Lollar referenced an early season series where, he asserts, the Dodgers got so frustrated at getting swept by the Padres that they began to intentionally throw at the San Diego hitters. Lollar may have been snubbed, he may have been ignored, but it is also hard to argue against Lasorda's choices on the mound. Three of the guys have more wins, and one of those (Steve Rogers) just happens to be the ace for the hometown Expos and is likely to start. Three of the top four strikeout pitchers (Steve Carlton, Rogers, and Mario Soto) are on the staff. And he kind of has to include an Atlanta Brave given they have the best record in baseball, and he cannot afford to antagonize a team he has to catch (Phil Niekro). Greg Minton, as a middle reliever, has finished the most games in the NL, and he has an ERA of just over 2.00. In all honesty, none of his picks can be criticized for being on the team. There are several other pitchers, including Bruce Sutter (who leads in saves), Neil Allen (who is 2nd in saves and pitches for a horrible team), Jerry Reuss (who pitches for Lasorda, has as many wins as Lollar, and has pitched as well been unlucky), and perhaps one or two others. There are limitations on the roster and, sadly, deserving players like Lollar sometimes get passed.

In the American League, Harold Baines crushed three straight homers in three trips to the plate, the last one a grand slam, as the White Sox pulverized the Detroit Tigers, 7-0, behind the 7-hit pitching of Dennis Lamp. A leadoff single by Willie Randolph, a walk to Ken Griffey, and a three-run bomb by Dave Winfield were the catalyst in the Yankees' 5-3 win over Oakland. Gary Gaetti's three-run homer highlighted a six-run inning as Minnesota romped over Milwaukee, 11-8. Dwight Evans and Jim Rice drilled back-to-back homers and led a 16-hit barrage as Boston took an 8-0 lead into the bottom of the 9th and held on despite a five-run late rally for an 8-5 win over Texas in Arlington. Combined with Milwaukee's loss, the Red Sox are one game ahead in first place in the AL East. Rick Waits pitched five-hit ball for 8 innings and Von Hayes slugged a two-run homer as Cleveland sent the California Angels to their 8th straight loss and ended their own five-game losing streak, 8-6. Reggie Jackson belted his 18th home run. Larry Gura tossed a four hitter while Willie Mays Aikens and Jerry Martin hit solo homers in Kansas City's 3-1 win over Toronto that lifts the Royals to 6-1 in their last seven. With the score tied at 7 with two outs in the 9th, Todd Cruz singled home Bobby Brown to seal Seattle's 8-7 win over the Baltimore Orioles. It is Seattle's 25th come-from-behind victory of 1982 and lifts them to six games over .500 for the first time in their brief history.

Billy Martin, managing the A.L. All-Star team because of the firing of last year's A.L. pennant winning manager Bob Lemon, has named his pitchers for the game. Dennis Eckersley, the Boston ace with a 9-6 record and 3.15 ERA on a first-place team, will get the starting nod. He will be followed to the mound, in no particular order, by Jim Clancy, Ron Guidry, Floyd Bannister, and four relievers: Mark Clear, Goose Gossage, Dan Quisenberry, and Rollie Fingers.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

July 8, 1982
St. Louis Cardinals 5 (W: Stuper, 4-1: SV: Bair, 4)
Atlanta Braves 2 (L: Mahler, 8-7)
50-31
1st place
2.5 games ahead

5-RUN 8TH LIFTS ST LOUIS INTO 1ST;
REDS BLOW WIN AFTER 6-RUN 9TH;
BILLY MARTIN GETS 1,000TH WIN

For seven innings tonight, Braves starter Rick Mahler was almost untouchable, surrendering only two hits to go with two walks and five strikeouts. Due to lead off at the plate in the bottom of the 8th, Braves Manager Joe Torre opted to send his tiring starter back out for three more outs against the bottom of the Cardinals batting order. It turned out to be the wrong decision as St. Louis climbed off the deck and rallied with a five-run inning, three charged to Mahler, that turned what appeared to solid start win into Mahler's 7th loss of the season. If any game serves as a warning of Atlanta's bullpen woes, perhaps this one that saw a close game and starter returned to the mound once too often should do it.

John Stuper, making only his 8th major league start since his June 1 call-up, wound up a rather lucky winner by the virtue of timing. Pulled for a pinch-hitter that helped ignite the Cardinal rally, Stuper went 7 innings and matched Mahler pitch for pitch except for the one that Bob Horner drilled into the seats for his 18th home run. But he was still trailing, 2-0, when Dane Iorg came to bat with the speedy Ozzie Smith on base and one out in the top of the 8th. Iorg singled Ozzie to third, Tito Landrum replacing Iorg as a pinch-runner. Lonnie Smith then singled Ozzie home to put runners at the corners with the Braves holding a precarious 2-1 lead. That's when Torre summoned closer Gene Garber to get the final five outs and preserve the victory. Instead, Garber gave up a triple to light-hitting Tommy Herr that chased Landrum and Smith home and gave St. Louis their first lead of the night. After getting Willie McGee to ground out, the Braves walked former batting champion Keith Hernandez, but it was George Hendrick's double that plated both runners and extended the Cardinal lead to 5-2 that closed the book on the evening and secured the win. Doug Bair came on for the final two innings and other than a harmless single to Dale Murphy got the final six outs without any tension. The move puts the Cardinals back into first place as we near the halfway point of the season.

Chili Davis had four hits and two RBIs in San Francisco's 9-7 win over the Mets, the sixth straight defeat for New York. Trailing 3-2 with two outs in the 8th, Jody Davis's double cleared the sacks and chased home three runs to give the Chicago Cubs a 5-3 comeback win over the Houston Astros. Warren Cromartie drove in 3 runs, including two on a 5th inning double that broke a 3-3 tie and helped Montreal to a 7-3 win over the Dodgers, ending a four-game skid by the Expos. One night after putting a five-spot in the 9th against closer Kent Tekulve that lifted the Reds to a win and ended their 9-game losing streak, the Reds did it again - temporarily. With one out in the 9th, Cincinnati erupted against former Red Manny Sarmiento and Tekulve for a six-run inning that gave them an 8-4 lead. Needing three outs to get the win, the Reds sent closer Tom Hume to the mound, who only got one. And he was pulled in favor of Joe Price who got none before the Pirates completed a stunning five-run rally in the bottom of the 9th to win a game they'd won and then lost, 9-8. The key blow for Pittsburgh's rally in the 9th was a two-run pinch-hit home run by Willie Stargell.

Mike Norris, coming off a 21-day stint on the disabled list, pitched no-hit ball into the 7th inning and scattered four hits against Doyle Alexander, himself coming off a broken bone in his hand from punching a dugout wall, for a 6-3 Athletics win over the Yankees that gives Oakland Manager Billy Martin his 1,000th victory as a manager. Alexander drew the ire of the entire Yankees organization by refusing to stay in the minors to rehab his broken bone and then getting shelled in less than two innings of work for four quick runs thanks to a homer by Tony Armas and Jeff Burroughs's two-run single. Chuck Rainey walked four and struck out two while tossing a six-hit shutout and getting support from 3 hits by Dwight Evans as Boston beat Texas, 3-0. Fred Lynn's three-run bomb helped the California Angels end their 8-game losing streak in a 5-1 win over Cleveland. Rookie Kent Hrbek laced out four singles, scored a run, and drove in another while two Twins pitchers scattered 8 hits in a 3-0 win over Milwaukee. With two outs in the bottom of the 9th, Jerry Hairston drilled a dramatic two-run pinch-hit home run that lifted the Chicago White Sox to a 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers, who have now lost 19 of their last 24 games after moving into first a month ago. Dave Edler drove in three runs as Seattle rallied from 3-0 down to a 4-3 win, their 26th come from behind victory this year. RBIs by Barry Bonnell and Willie Upshaw in a two-run 8th lifted Dave Stieb and the Blue Jays to a 5-4 win over Kansas City, ending the Royals' three-game winning streak.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

July 9, 1982
Atlanta Braves 6 (W: Diaz, 2-0; SV: Bedrosian, 5)
Pittsburgh Pirates 4 (L: Rhoden, 5-8)
51-31
1st place
3 games ahead

BRAVES RALLY FROM 4-0 TO WIN;
FERGIE WINS #270

When the Atlanta Braves came to bat in the bottom of the 2nd inning tonight, they were already in trouble. As in trailing 4-0 against the ace of the opposing staff trouble. Starter Bob Walk was having a forgettable outing and so when Rafael Ramirez opened the bottom of the 3rd with a double, Atlanta Manager Joe Torre opted to pinch-hit for Walk with newcomer Bob Porter. Ramirez moved to third and came home on a single by Glenn Hubbard to give the Braves their first run of the game, but what the Braves needed now was effective relief pitching, something that has been unpredictable all year. Carlos Diaz, in only his 3rd major league appearance, tossed effective innings, and by the time he was pulled in favor of long reliever Steve Bedrosian, the Braves had the lead and were well on their way to the win.

Bob Horner hit a double to left with one out in the fourth, and after Larry Whisenton walked, Bruce Benedict doubled home Horner to cut the Pirate lead to two. Whisenton then raced home on an infield grounder by Ramirez, and with two outs, Torre opted to stick with his hot pitcher and let Diaz bat for the first time in the majors. He made contact but grounded out to end the inning, and after retiring the Pirates in the fifth, he retired for the night. But not before Hubbard and Chris Chambliss singled, Dale Murphy doubled to score Hubbard, and Whisenton doubled to right after Rick Rhoden intentionally walked Horner to load the bases. The double plated Hubbard and Murphy for a three-run inning. Diaz was lifted for pinch-hitter Ken Smith with the bases loaded and two out, but the Braves scored no further. But when Bedrosian cruised through four innings give up just two hits, the Braves had a 6-4 win and, combined with San Diego's split of their doubleheader against the Mets, a three-game lead in the NL West with baseball's best record.

Fergie Jenkins knows that 300 wins is a longshot, although he hopes to be around long enough to accomplish it. Canada's greatest baseball player won his 270th career game tonight, a 12-0 blowout of the No Longer The Big Red Machine, when he scattered five hits and overcame two Cubs errors. Terry Kennedy's seventh inning RBI single clinched the opener for San Diego's sixth loss in a row, and Dave Kingman's late bomb salvaged the nightcap and ended New York's seven-game losing streak as the Padres and Mets split a twin bill by scores of 5-3 (SD) and 6-3 (Mets). A solo homer by Joe Morgan and a two-run bomb by Jack Clark was all San Francisco needed as the Giants edged the Expos, 3-2, who got a home run of their own from Al Oliver. Atlee Hammaker outdueled Steve Rogers as Montreal fell for the 14th time in 18 games. The Dodgers overcame a 3-0 deficit to Steve Carlton thanks to home runs by Dusty Baker and Pedro Guererro and a crucial pickoff attempt error by Carlton himself en route to a 6-4 win over the Phillies. The Phils had the winning run at second with one out in the 9th but failed to score. Dave LaPoint and two relievers outdueled Nolan Ryan and Willie McGee tripled home one run and scored another as the Cardinals beat the Astros, 3-2.

The Texas Rangers swept the Detroit Tigers in a doubleheader between teams that in the last month have headed in opposite directions. Texas began the year bringing up the rear in the American League while the Tigers were in first. But over the last month, Texas has been playing over .500 and the Tigers have collapsed. Trailing 2-1 entering the bottom of the 9th of the opener, Billy Sample doubled and Buddy Bell slammed a game-winning home run off reliever Dave Tobik, who had just entered the game after Sample'*****. The Twins are suddenly 9-2 in their last 11 after rookie Frank Viola pitched his first career complete game in a 4-1 win over Dennis Eckersley and the Boston Red Sox. Ernie Whitt's two-run homer and a solo shot by Alvis Woods lifted Toronto to a 7-6 win over the White Sox and gave Dale Murray his 6th win. Dan Ford's bases loaded double that cleared the sacks in a five-run second was the key blow Baltimore needed to triumph over Oakland, 7-5. The Brewers managed a seven-run inning and nine runs total without a single home run in a 9-6 win over the Royals. Rookie Don Slaught hit his first career home run. Larry Milbourne and Chris Bando both socked fourth inning two-run homers while relievers Ed Whitson and Dan Spillner allowed no hits in the final 2 2/3 innings of Cleveland's 7-4 defeat of Seattle. Geoff Zahn won his 10th game by tossing a two-hitter and Don Baylor's homer was the key blow in a 3-run inning as California beat the New York Yankees, 4-1.

The Kansas City Royals released Grant Jackson, who won a World Series ring with the 1979 Pirates.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

July 10, 1982
Pittsburgh Pirates 6 (W: D. Robinson, 6-3)
Atlanta Braves 1 (L: Niekro, 6-3)
51-32
1st place
3 games ahead

ROBINSON GETS 10TH WIN IN RAIN DELAYED FINISH OVER BRAVES;
CRUZ ENDS GAME WITH 2-RUN HR;
CUBS-REDS STOPPED IN EXTRAS DUE TO DARKNESS

Don Robinson was plagued by injuries in 1981 and did not win a single game. Tonight he will go to sleep as one of only four NL pitchers with at least ten wins after he and the Pittsburgh Pirates took a 6-1 lead into the bottom of the 9th against the Atlanta Braves before a rain delay of 80 minutes necessitated reliever Kent Tekulve to record the final two outs. Robinson scattered 8 hits and struck out two, walking only 3. His sole bad pitch of the night accounted for Atlanta's only run when Larry Whisenton hit the first home run of his brief major league career with nobody on in the 2nd inning to give the Braves a brief 1-0 lead. The Pirates rocked 43-year-old Phil Niekro for six runs in just over 5 innings without benefit of a long ball. Robinson drove in two runs himself when he had to swing away after two failed bunt attempted with runners at first and second and nobody out and doubled both Dale Berra and Tony Pena home.

With the score tied at two, Jose Cruz launched a game-winning two-home run into the night in the Astrodome off starter Bob Forsch as Houston topped the Cardinals, 4-2. Dick Ruthven tossed a three-hitter, and Bo Diaz hit a three-run homer in Philadelphia's 4-2 win over Los Angeles and Bob Welch. A misplay by Cesar Cedeno turned a fly ball out by Gary Woods into a double that scored Leon Durham with the game's only run as the Cubs beat the Reds, 1-0, in the first game of a doubleheader. The second game was stopped in the 10th inning with the score tied at 5 when darkness descended on the only field in baseball without lights. The game will resume tomorrow. A three-run home run by Ellis Valentine keyed a five-run inning and helped the Mets beat the Padres, 9-7, in front of over 51,000 fans, the largest crowd at Shea Stadium since 1977. Andre Dawson missed getting the triple that would have netted him the cycle, but he still drove in four runs on a single, double, and homer as the Expos toppled the Giants, 8-4. Montreal starter Bill Gullickson helped his own cause with two doubles.

MIN A 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 - 4 11 1
BOS A 0 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 x - 5 8 4

BOX+PBP
WP: Hurst (3-3)
LP: Castillo (4-6)
SV: Stanley (6)
HR: Gaetti (12), Evans (11)

NY A 0 0 2 3 1 0 0 0 0 - 6 12 2
CAL A 1 0 10 1 0 0 0 0 x - 12 14 3

BOX+PBP
WP: Forsch (8-7)
LP: Guidry (8-4)
SV: Hassler (1)
HR: Reggie Jackson 2 (20), Lynn (9)



KC A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 9 1
MIL A 0 0 1 3 1 0 1 1 x - 7 19 0

BOX+PBP
WP: Lerch (6-5)
LP: Blue (6-6)
HR: Molitor (9), Yount (15), Simmons (13)



BAL A 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 8 0
OAK A 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 x - 3 8 2

BOX+PBP
WP: Underwood (5-4)
LP: D. Martinez (9-6)
SV: Beard (8)
HR: Armas (10), Gross (3)



CLE A 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 1 1 - 7 8 1
SEA A 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 1 5 1

BOX+PBP
WP: Sutcliffe (7-4)
LP: Beattie (6-5)
HR: Harrah (16), Hayes (8)



DET A 0 0 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 - 5 10 2 (1)
TEX A 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 - 6 12 0

BOX+PBP
WP: Darwin (6-2)
LP: Tobik (2-4)
HR: Wockenfuss (2), Trammell (3), Mazzilli (3), Larry Parrish (6)



DET A 0 0 3 1 0 2 0 0 0 - 6 10 0 (2)
TEX A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 7 0

BOX+PBP
WP: Morris (10-9)
LP: Hough (7-7)
HR: Lemon (5)



CHI A 3 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 - 6 6 0
TOR A 0 2 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 - 5 8 5

BOX+PBP
WP: Escarrega (1-1)
LP: Gott (1-5)
SV: Hickey (4)
HR: Paciorek (5)

 

[selmaborntidefan]

July 11, 1982
Pittsburgh Pirates 3 (W: McWilliams, 5-3; SV: Tekulve, 12)
Atlanta Braves 1 (L: Dayley, 4-6)
51-33
1st place
2 games ahead

BRAVES END 1ST HALF WITH LOSS BUT HAVE BEST RECORD IN BASEBALL AT THE BREAK;
BAINES HITS SECOND GRAND SLAM IN LESS THAN A WEEK;
DOWNING DRILLS GOOSE FOR GAME-WINNING HOMER

They suffered the misfortune of a 3-1 loss to a pitcher they traded to the opposition just ten days ago, but when the Atlanta Braves look back over the first half of the 1982 baseball season, they have to feel very good about where they are now. Consider that 75% of teams leading the division by four games or more on July 4 have gone on to finish first, and the Braves, who have not had a winning season since Hank Aaron left at the end of 1974, only have the best record in baseball. A limping into the All-Star break with only two runs in the final two games - both losses - isn't going to change that fact, and had you asked ANY Braves fan prior to the start of the season if they'd take first place by two games at the break, not a single Atlanta fan would have rejected it and very few would have even believed it.

Tonight's game was simple: former Brave Larry McWilliams scattered seven hits over 7 innings and beat Ken Dayley, who scattered seven hits over five innings and allowed two runs. Atlanta closer Gene Garber permitted a third run, and Kent Tekulve took his 12th save of the year. You get the idea McWilliams might just have needed a change of scenery given he's 3-0 since arriving in Steel Town.

Bob Dernier's single to left scoring Ivan DeJesus proved the difference and denied Fernando Valenzuela his league-leading 13th win in Philadelphia's 4-3 defeat of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fernando was undone by 3 unearned Philly runs the previous inning. Milt May's home run with one out in the tenth was his second of the game and the fifth for San Francisco, lifting the Giants to an 8-7 win over the Montreal Expos. Tim Lollar scattered 7 hits through 8 innings and socked his third homer of the season as the Padres beat the Mets and starter Mike Scott, 6-2. Extra base hits by Ray Knight, Terry Puhl, and Danny Heep supported the five-hit pitching of Bob Knepper in Houston's 4-2 win over the St Louis Cardinals. A 13th inning sacrifice fly by Wayne Krenchicki lifted the Cincinnati Reds to a 6-5 win over the Chicago Cubs in a game suspended due to darkness yesterday. In the scheduled contest, Bill Buckner socked his 5th homer and drove in three as Doug Bird routed the Reds, 9-2.

Four Milwaukee bombs, including a three-run shot from Paul Molitor, were enough to give the Brewers an 8-5 win over the Kansas City Royals and move into first place in the AL East. A two-run shot by Gary Gaetti in the 6th and a two-run Twins rally in the 7th as Minnesota concluded their most successful road trip of the season (5-2) with a 7-3 triumph over Boston. Harold Baines homered twice, including his second grand slam of the week, while Tom Paciorek and Tony Bernazard slugged three-run bombs in a 17-hit White Sox barrage that culminated with a 16-7 blowout win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Toby Harrah's 17th home run - a solo shot with two outs in the top of the 9th - lifted Cleveland to a 4-3 win over Seattle and All-Star Len Barker to his tenth win. Larry Parrish's bases loaded error on a fly ball in the 8th scored two runners in motion with two outs and enabled Detroit to edge Texas, 3-2. Eddie Murray's three-run bomb and 4 RBIs supported five Baltimore Orioles pitchers in an 8-7 triumph over Oakland. Rickey Henderson stole his league leading 84th base. Brian Downing's home run off fireballer Goose Gossage while leading off the 8th inning was the difference as the California Angels beat the New York Yankees, 2-1.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

July 12, 1982
All-Star Break
Travel Day

With half of the baseball season in the books, it's time to look at the biggest surprises - both good and bad - of the 1982 baseball season thus far. Some of these were expected, some mind-boggling, but all are important.

THE GOOD
Atlanta Braves - surely the most shocking development to this point has to be the Atlanta Braves' ascendancy from NL doormat (1976-79) to baseball's best record at the All-Star break. And while it would be easy to dismiss this as the product of the hottest start in baseball history, their record-breaking 13-0 run, the Braves have not yet had a sustained losing streak despite a shaky at best bullpen, inconsistent starting pitching, and a lineup dependent upon two sluggers, Dale Murphy and Bob Horner, for most of their scoring. The Braves have exactly two pitchers among the league leaders statistically, Gene Garber has 16 saves (3rd in the NL), and Bob Walk leads the league in hit batsmen. Yet despite the pitching staff that looks to be largely assembled from a telephone book - with the exception of legend Phil Niekro - the Braves have surrendered the fewest runs in the majors to this point. Granted, that does not make them the best pitching staff; the California Angels have surrendered 4 more runs, but they have also played two more games and face an extra hitter at least 3 times per game. Still, given the fact they have no pitcher even close to leading the league in any statistic, the accomplishment is incredible. The question, of course, concerns whether or not this level of success is sustainable. The Braves are on a pace to win 98 games, so it will be interesting to see how close they finish to that number.

Rickey Henderson - what a story this is. The brash young (23 years old) hot dog out of Chicago who showed up in Oakland in 1980 and became only the 3rd player to ever steal 100 bases in a season (Maury Wills, Lou Brock) is on pace to shatter Brock's all-time record, with 84 steals at the break. He also leads the league in times caught stealing (23) and walks. Look for Henderson - key point with a base stealer, if he stays healthy - to obliterate Brock's mark before season's end.

Kent Hrbek - in a darkened sky, which has nothing to do with the Metrodome's Teflon roof, a rookie has put together a solid first half of the season while playing for an also-ran. He "looks" more like a DH than a first baseman, but he's third in the league in hitting, third in slugging percentage, and he'***** 17 bombs on the worst team in baseball. He's compiling a solid case for Rookie of the Year.

San Diego Padres - lost in the hype surrounding the Braves is the second-place team in the NL West, the newly revived Padres with the other option Atlanta had for manager this year, Dick Williams. The Padres are only 2 games behind the Braves, their pitching is likely better even if not statistically at the moment, and their offense is definitely better. San Diego is in position to possibly win the pennant with a great second half.

Dale Murphy - the power hitting former catcher/first baseman is now the power hitting starting centerfielder in the All-Star game. He's leading the league in HRs and RBIs while hitting .285 (he was hitting around .300 two weeks ago) and playing flawless defense. He is building a solid case for MVP.

Reggie Jackson - maybe the Yankees should have re-signed him (see below)? Sure, the old guy leads the league in strikeouts (again!); he's also second in home runs and his new team is in first place, which is more than can be said for his old team.

Honorable Mentions: Tim Raines, Lonnie Smith, Seattle Mariners

THE BAD
New York Yankees - the defending world champions got rid of a 36-year-old strikeout prone slugger, added perhaps the best shortstop in the American League the last four seasons, added two speedy outfielders from the team with baseball's best record last year - and have fallen from 2-0 up in the World Series to only two up from last place in the span of 7 1/2 months. Their meddling owner has caused no small number of headaches, including - get this - firing the guy who was up 2-0 in the World Series and replacing him with the guy he fired to hire the guy who was up 2-0 in the World Series. Look for a house cleaning in New York when this season is over and the Yankees fail to make a stunning comeback to win the division (or more).

Oakland's Pitching Staff - in 1980, the Athletics hired Billy Martin and watched as he kept his pitchers on the mound for an incredible 94 complete games, almost twice as many as any other club in the majors (the next closest was Milwaukee with 48). Last year, the Athletics won the AL and added another 60 complete games. But the bills may be coming due for all of that arm strain and refusal to go to the bullpen. Just consider the records of their starting pitchers:
Matt Keough - 7-12, 5.68
Mike Norris - 4-6, 4.83
Rick Langford - 7-10, 4.10
Steve McCatty - 5-1, 3.84
Brian Kingman - 1-6, 4.22

It gets worse since McCatty and Norris both just went on the DL with shoulder soreness. Whispers were around baseball two years ago that Martin was destroying the careers of his pitchers, and the fall of both McCatty and Norris from Cy Young contenders to DL should be observed and a lesson. Were it not for Rickey Henderson's run-scoring solo machine and the long ball power of Dwayne Murphy and Tony Armas, Oakland would be in worse shape than they are. Expect a second half collapse as more pitchers go by the wayside.

The 1981 Playoff Teams - we've already covered the two teams that played in the ALCS, but consider the other participants as well as the team that got shafted, the Reds. Okay, the Royals are contending for the AL West, but the Brewers have fired their manager and experienced a revival of sorts (see below), the Astros are thanking God for the Cincinnati Reds' ineptitude, the Reds are one more losing streak away from firing John McNamara, and the Expos are struggling mightily. The Dodgers aren't playing awful, but they're seven games back and have no choice but to pound Atlanta when they meet at the end of the month, and they've been unable to do it so far.

THE GOOD AND THE BAD

Milwaukee Brewers - a preseason contender, the Brewers plummeted the depths of the best division in baseball (the AL East), fired their manager, and suddenly began hitting home runs with abandon and earning the nickname "Harvey's Wallbangers," after new skipper Harvey Kuenn.

LaMarr Hoyt - guy starts 9-0, reaches All-Star break at 11-7.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

July 13, 1982
53rd All-Star Game
National League 4 (W: Rogers, 1-0; SV: Hume, 1)
American League 1 (L: Eckersley, 0-1)
NL Leads Series, 34-18-1

NL STREAK REACHES 11 WITH 4-1 WIN OVER AL

Buoyed by Dave Concepcion's two-run homer in the second inning, the National League won their 11th straight All-Star Game, 4-1, in the first All-Star contest held outside the borders of the United States in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal Expos starter Steve Rogers allowed four hits and one run in his allotted three innings to get his first All-Star win. As the unfortunate victim of Concepcion's bomb, American League starter Dennis Eckersley wound up with the loss. The NL has now won 19 of the last 20 All-Star games, dating back to 1963. With five triumphs in the last seven World Series - and no AL winner except the Yankees twice - the pendulum of which league is better has clearly shifted to the National League. Indeed, the NL used the AL's own strategy for victory to carve out their own.

The potential fireworks began when Rickey Henderson singled to lead off the game. With a mind-boggling 84 stolen bases entering the game, this looked to be the perfect opportunity to see how an NL catcher who never faces AL baserunners could fare. But Henderson stayed put through a fly out to center by Fred Lynn and then advanced to second on a single to left by George Brett. Rogers then moved both runners ahead with a wild pitch, putting runners at second and third with one out while the menacing Reggie Jackson peered back at Rogers. Rogers, however, kept Reggie in the ballpark with a fly ball out, but give Reggie credit: he didn't strike out, he drove in the AL's first - and as it turned out only - run when Henderson scored easily. Cecil Cooper then singled Brett to third, but Robin Yount struck out, the first AL batter to set a trend and ease the problems the NL would have. The AL hitters struck out no less than ten times and left 11 runners on base, wasting opportunities left and right.

Eckersley retired the first five hitters he faced, but with two outs in the 2nd, he walked the dangerous Dale Murphy to face the less dangerous (in terms of slugging power) Concepcion. The Cincinnati shortstop has one home run on the season and 81 in his 13-year career (Murphy, by contrast, has 23 this season and 69 in the past three years). But Concepcion connected with an Eckersley slider right after fouling off a fastball and drilled it into the left field seats for a two-run homer and a 2-1 lead that the NL never relinquished. The NL tacked on single runs when Rupert Jones tripled and Pete Rose drove him home with a sacrifice fly and an Expo rally where Al Oliver scored on an RBI single by Gary Carter. Tom Hume nailed down the save, and the NL prevailed again.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

July 14, 1982
All-Star break
Travel day

The season's second half gets underway tomorrow, and the Braves begin their attempt to complete the journey to the flag holding baseball's best record with a 10-game road swing through Chicago, St Louis, and Pittsburgh, where they will square off with the East leader and two seemingly also-rans, one of which (Pittsburgh) has given them trouble so far this year.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

July 15, 1982
Atlanta Braves 11 (W: Niekro, 7-3)
Chicago Cubs 4 (L: Jenkins, 6-10)
52-33
1st place
3 games ahead

NIEKRO AND WRIGLEY WIND CARRY BRAVES TO 11-4 WIN;
TIGERS SCORE 11 IN TOP OF 1ST;
LYNN HITS 1ST GRAND SLAM

You don't get to see too many games like this: to pitchers who have combined for over 500 big league wins squaring off against each other. It will get rarer as relief pitching comes more into favorable use so enjoy it, but today it was Phil Niekro (246 career wins) and Fergie Jenkins (270 career wins) at the oldest ballpark in the NL - and the only one without lights - facing each other to start the season's second half. And it was all Niekro, who doubled home two runs in his first at bat and went the distance, striking out five and scattering nine hits as the Braves began their pursuit of a division title with an 11-4 thumping of the Chicago Cubs, 11-4, at Wrigley Field. The 13 mph wind blowing out to centerfield aided the Braves, in particular, as Larry Whisenton socked his second career home run while Dale Murphy and Bruce Benedict each added two-run bombs in the rout. The Braves had enough runs to win the game through two innings as the homers by Murphy and Whisenton stretched the Braves into a 4-0 lead before the Cubs ever batted, and a ground ball error by Bill Buckner added another in the second. The Cubs never got closer than 7-4, and the frustration became evident when home plate umpire John McSherry tossed Cubs shortstop Larry Bowa for arguing balls and strikes.

Dave Parker's three hits, which included a home run, and 4 RBIs led Pittsburgh to a 5-1 win over Houston. Parker's bomb came in a narrow 2-1 contest in the 9th to put the game away for the Pirates. Charlie Lea pitched a three-hitter while Gary Carter and Chris Speier each drove in a pair of runs in a five-run fourth that lifted the Montreal Expos to a 6-2 win over the San Diego Padres and giving John Montefusco his first loss after six straight wins. Home runs by Dave Kingman and Mookie Wilson were enough to give the Mets a 9-7 win over the Dodgers and give Charlie Puleo his 7th win. Trailing 1-0 in the 8th, Pete Rose reached on an error and Gary Matthews socked a two-run homer that was enough to win when Tug McGraw earned his 4th save in Philadelphia's 2-1 triumph over the Giants. A five-run third inning rally was enough to give the Reds a 7-3 win over the Cardinals and rookie John Stuper.

Just up the road from Wrigley, the Brewers swept a doubleheader from the White Sox by scores of 8-4 and 5-4, moving into sole possession of first place in the AL East by 1/2 game. Rollie Fingers got his 19th save as the Brewers' climb from dead early in the season to a possible title has revived the team and the town of Milwaukee. The Detroit Tigers unleashed a barrage of hits, 19 to be precise, and chased 18 runs across the plate in an 18-2 blowout of Minnesota after scoring 11 runs in the top of the first against Jack O'Connor and John Pacella. A bases clearing double by Larry Herndon and a two-run shot by Lance Parrish got Detroit off to a record start, and they never looked back. Fred Lynn hit his first career grand slam while Dave Goltz held the Indians to three singles as the Angels thumped the Indians, 8-2. Four outs from losing, Graig Nettles drilled a two-run homer that was enough to give the Yankees a 2-1 win over the Oakland Athletics. Al Bumbry hit a two-run homer while Sammy Stewart squelched a late Seattle rally in Baltimore's 3-2 defeat of the Mariners. Dwight Evans drove in four runs while Tom Burgmeier shut down the Royals as Boston beat Kansas City, 5-3. Three Blue Jay homers toppled the Texas Rangers, 5-1.

The Oakland Athletics signed former Brave Preston Hanna while the Orioles released Don Stanhouse.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

July 16, 1982
Chicago Cubs 4 (W: Campbell, 2-4)
Atlanta Braves 3 (L: Garber, 6-4)
10 innings
52-34
1st place
3 games ahead

FORCED 10TH INNING REST COSTS BRAVES;
WEAVER EJECTED, SHOWS UMP IT WASN'T A BALK

Jay Johnstone's two-out single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th gave the Chicago Cubs a narrow 4-3 win over the Atlanta Braves in a game delayed two hours by rain. Indeed, the rain may have been the instrumental cause in why the Cubs won. Rookie Ryne Sandberg strode to the plate with the game tied at 3 in the bottom of the 10th and Junior Kennedy on first. After taking two pitches from Atlanta reliever Gene Garber, Sandberg joined both teams in their respective clubhouses as torrential rains paused the game for 2 hours and 19 minutes. Once the game was cleared for continuation, Sandberg lineda double that put two on and nobody out, forcing the Braves to intentionally walk Bill Buckner and hope for the best. They almost got it. Both Leon Durham and Gary Woods hit into force play outs at home, leaving the bases loaded with two outs. But Garber's luck ran out when Johnstone singled to left, scoring Buckner with the game's winning run.

Richie Zisk, Dave Henderson, and Bruce Bochte each had three hits apiece and combined to drive in all of Seattle's runs in the Mariners' 6-0 shutout win over the Baltimore Orioles that saw starter Floyd Bannister surrender only two hits. After getting right to the halfway point of the season without being ejected, Baltimore skipper Earl Weaver was ejected for the second time in four games, this one for disputing a balk call against starter Dennis Martinez. Second base umpire Terry Cooney tossed the little bantam rooster of a manager, and he responded by demonstrating with Martinez's ball and glove why what "El Presidente'" did was not a balk. Jim Clancy tossed one-hit ball for 8 innings in Toronto's 6-0 win over the Texas Rangers. The California Angels had their second ten-run inning in four games as Ken Forsch scattered four hits and tossed his third shutout while Rod Carew, Fred Lynn, and Bob Boone each had 3 RBIs as the Halos walloped the Cleveland Indians, 15-0, to win their sixth straight. Yankee newcomers Ken Griffey and Roy Smalley both homered in the third inning to beat Oakland, 6-2. Jim Rice drove in 3 runs, including two with a second inning double that keyed a six-run inning and lifted Boston to a 7-3 win over the Kansas City Royals. Jack Morris and Dave Tobik allowed just six hits while 3 Tigers homered to give Detroit a 6-3 win over Minnesota. Rookie Frank Viola took the first loss of his career. A bases loaded double by Ted Simmons with one out in the 8th turned a 3-2 Milwaukee deficit into a 4-3 Milwaukee lead, and Cecil Cooper scored on a sacrifice fly to Gorman Thomas to seal the Brewers' 5-3 win over the Chicago White Sox.

Pinch-hitter Dane Iorg's two-run single capped a four-run inning and lifted the St Louis Cardinals to a 6-4 win over the struggling Cincinnati Reds. Reliever Jeff Lahti got his first major league win. Run scoring singles by Tim Wallach and Warren Cromartie lifted the Expos to a 4-3 triumph over the Padres and gave All-Star starter Steve Rogers his 11th win. Steve Carlton fired a four-hit shutout for his 12th win, and Mike Schmidt scored the game's only run as Philly edged San Francisco, 1-0. Dodger reliever Steve Howe allowed just one hit over the final 3 innings and earned the save of Fernando Valenzuela's 13th win as he held off Dave Kingman and the Mets, 7-6. Kingman homered in the first off Fernando to give the Mets a 3-0 lead and scored 3 runs, but it was Fernando who tied his won-loss record from last year in the strike shortened season. The win ended a three-game losing streak by the Dodgers. Nolan Ryan struck out 11 and scattered six hits while Terry Puhl homered to lead the Astros past the Pirates, 4-2.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

July 17, 1982
Atlanta Braves 9 (W: Walk, 8-6)
Chicago Cubs 4 (L: Noles, 6-8)
53-34
1st place
4 games ahead

LUCKY 13 HITS GIVES BRAVES 9-4 WIN;
BREWERS WIN 7TH STRAIGHT;
ASTROS PREVAIL ON SPILMAN'S 10TH INNING HR

Chris Chambliss hit a pair of RBI singles while Dale Murphy added two more with a single and double and Glenn Hubbard had a 2 RBI triple in Atlanta's 9-4 triumph over the Chicago Cubs that gave Braves starting pitcher Bob Walk his 8th win of the season. The Atlanta offense banged out 13 hits against Cubs starter and losing pitcher Dickie Noles and three relievers.

A two-out double in the top of the 11th by Mike Schmidt scored two runs and lifted the Phillies to a 5-3 win over the San Francisco Giants, their 5th straight victory. A one-out error in the 7th by rookie Reds second baseman Tom Lawless - today was just his third big league game - opened the door, and Mike Ramsey, Darrell Porter, and Tommy Herr passed through it with base hits that spark an uprising and gave the St. Louis Cardinals a 4-2 win over Cincinnati. Dave Kingman went 2-for-4 and drove in four runs with two long balls, but it wasn't quite enough as the Mets succumbed to the Dodgers, 6-5, when the New York bullpen of Terry Leach and Neil Allen collapsed and allowed LA four runs in the bottom of the 9th, both coming on two-run RBI singles by Dusty Baker and Ron Cey. Pinch-hitter Harry Spilman socked a solo home run to right field off Pirates relief ace Kent Tekulve to give the Astros a 4-3 win over Pittsburgh. A two-run double by Warren Cromartie and the 7-hit pitching of Bill Gullickson spoiled the major league debut of San Diego Padres pitcher Andy Hawkins as the Expos prevailed, 4-1.

With a 4-0 lead courtesy of home runs by Reggie Jackson, Fred Lynn, and Brian Downing, the California Angels appeared to be well on their way to their 7th straight win when the worm suddenly turned on starter Geoff Zahn. Though he took a narrow 4-3 lead into the 7th, reliever Doug Corbett's horrid year continued when he walked 3 Indians and gave up a two-run single to Rick Manning that lost the lead and eventually the game in Cleveland's 10-4 win. Corbett, who came over from the Twins on May 12 in the Tom Brunansky trade, fell to 1-9 on the year, including a 1-7 mark with the Angels. Two-run homers by Jerry Mumphrey and Bobby Murcer were all Shane Rawley needed to record his first career complete game in the Yankees' 4-0 shutout win over Matt Keough and the Oakland Athletics. A two-run homer by Lloyd Moseby and a three-run double by Ernie Whitt were key blows in a 7-run inning as the Toronto Blue Jays thumped the Texas Rangers, 11-3. Ken Singleton drove in four runs, giving him 56 lifetime RBIs in 56 games against the Mariners, in Baltimore's 8-4 defeat of Seattle. Larry Herndon's three-run homer and RBI single were the difference in Detroit's 8-4 win over Minnesota. The White Sox collapsed in the bottom of the 8th of a 2-2 tie with Milwaukee. Cecil Cooper and Ted Simmons led off the 8th with singles and both were balked to third by Salome Barojas. Gorman Thomas then ripped a two-run double that lifted Milwaukee into the lead and gave reliever Pete Ladd his second career win and first since he was on the Astros in 1979. Rollie Fingers got his 21st save. A six-run 8th inning against Dan Quisenberry dropped the Kansas City Royals to their 7th straight loss in Boston's 8-2 win, the key blow coming on Rick Miller’s bases loaded triple.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

July 18, 1982
Atlanta Braves 4 (W: Camp,7-3)
Chicago Cubs 2 (L: Bird, 6-9)
54-34
1st place
5 games ahead

ATLANTA BATTERY BEATS CUBS, 4-2;
KC ENDS 7-GAME SKID

Rick Camp pitched a six-hitter and recorded his first career complete game while catcher Biff Pocoroba drove in two runs with RBI singles as the Atlanta Braves took the four-game series from the Chicago Cubs, three games to one, and kept their status as the team with the best record in baseball for at least one more day with a 4-2 win at Wrigley Field before a crowd of just over 15,000. The Cubs fell further into last place in the NL East, six games behind the next best New York Mets in a season lost for one team and reviving another. This game was over before it really began as the Braves raced out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first which was enough to win.

The Braves played for the one run early lead after Claudell Washington singled and moved to second on a bunt by Glenn Hubbard. Washington then scored on a single by Dale Murphy and after Bob Horner flew out to left, Murphy moved to third on a single by Chris Chambliss. Leading 1-0 with two on and two out, the Braves extended the lead on an infield single by Rufino Linares and Pocoroba's first RBI single that concluded Atlanta's scoring as they took the field leading, 3-0. But Chicago quickly recaptured one run when leadoff batter Ryne Sandberg singled and went to second on Dale Murphy's error. Sandberg moved to third on a single by Junior Kennedy and then scored on an infield ground out by Bill Buckner, narrowing the gap to 3-1. But Camp then induced Leon Durham to ground into an inning-ending double play, the first of four twin killings forced by Camp that raised Atlanta's season leading total to 109 and is a large part of the reason the Braves continue to lead. The Cubs narrowed the gap when Larry Bowa led off the 5th with a double, moved to third on a bunt and then scored on yet another double play, closing the score to 3-2. But that's as close as the Cubs got, Pocoroba driving home Linares an inning later with the game's final run. Camp seemed to get stronger as the game wore on, allowing only 2 hits over the last six innings and overcoming three fielding errors by a sloppy Atlanta defense.

The Braves increased their division lead to five games when Montreal erupted for a six-run second inning against the San Diego Padres, the last scoring on a fielder's choice by Al Oliver, who later added a two-run homer as the Expos prevailed, 9-2. Gary Carter also homered for Montreal. Tug McGraw came on needing to get three outs before he gave up at least one run, but the Phils' stopper was ineffective this time, giving up two runs in the bottom of the 9th that enabled the Giants to edge Philadelphia, 4-3. Mike Schmidt homered for the Giants while Joe Morgan did the same for San Francisco. Charlie Leibrandt took the mound in St Louis leading, 2-0, and left 1 2/3 innings later trailing, 5-2, the key blow Keith Hernandez's fourth homer of the year, a three-run bomb that largely sealed Leibrandt's fate. Although the Reds rallied, they fell short in a 6-5 loss to the Cardinals. The Dodgers struck early against Mike Scott to take a 3-1 lead, but the Mets rallied thanks to singles by George Foster and Phil Mankowski as well as a solo homer by Wally Backman that gave New York an 8-3 win over Los Angeles. Bob Knepper won his second straight start and tossed his second complete game of the year as Ray Knight's hitting guided Houston to a 4-2 win over Pittsburgh.

Derek Botelho ended the seven-game losing streak of the Kansas City Royals by getting called up from the minors after five years and allowing only 3 hits in 7 innings as KC routed Boston, 9-0. The Royals cranked out 15 hits, including home runs by George Brett, U.L. Washington, and Jerry Martin. Rick Cerone hit his first home run since April 13 while Ron Guidry and Rudy May combined on a five-hitter that gave the New York Yankees a 7-3 win over the Oakland Athletics. It was Oakland's fifth straight loss. Trailing 4-3 with two outs in the bottom of the 9th, Bill Naharodny's pinch-hit triple scored two runs and gave Cleveland a 5-4 comeback win over the first-place California Angels. Alfredo Griffin's 10th inning single with two on and two out in the bottom of the 10th scored Tony Johnson and lifted the Blue Jays to a 5-4 win over the Texas Rangers that completed a four-game sweep. Ken Singleton continues his absolute devastation of Seattle Mariners' pitching. His three-run homer was the key blow in Baltimore's 4-3 win. In 57 career games against the Mariners, Singleton has 20 home runs and 59 RBIs. Jim Palmer was pulled after allowing 9 hits in 4 2/3 innings. Milwaukee bashed out 14 hits, including five in a six-run second inning to clobber the Chicago White Sox, 8-3. Randy Lerch got his 7th win and most incredibly, Harvey's Wallbangers didn't even need a single homer to win. Brad Havens tossed a three-hitter and the Twins got solo bombs from Gary Gaetti, Gary Ward, and Tom Brunansky as Minnesota ended Detroit's five-game winning streak with a 6-1 triumph.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

July 19, 1982
Atlanta Braves 4 (W: Niekro, 8-3; SV: Garber, 17)
St. Louis Cardinals 1 (L: Andujar, 7-9)
55-34
1st place
5 games ahead

BRAVES WIN ON A BALK,
ROSE GETS HIT #3800;
BRUNANSKY BEATS BREWERS WITH INSIDE-THE-PARK SLAM

Here's one you won't see too often: a pitcher's duel tied at one entering the 8th inning, and the losing pitcher balks the winning pitcher home from third with what turns out to be the winning run. No, you won't see it, but it happened tonight in St. Louis. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Cardinals starter Joaquin Andujar balked Phil Niekro home with what turned out to be the winning run. The volatile Dominican recovered to strike out Atlanta slugger Dale Murphy, but Bob Horner's single to left plated two more runs for a three-run inning, and the Braves beat their possible opponents in this fall's NL playoffs with a late developing 4-1 win. The loss, combined with Philadelphia's win, drops St Louis out of first place in the NL East by one game.

It was a weird ending to game that for seven innings was a classic pitching duel between two former All-Stars. The Braves notched an early run when Chris Chambliss followed his base hit by stealing second and then advancing to third on a throwing error by Cardinals catcher Darrell Porter. Chambliss then scored on a double by Glenn Hubbard to put the Braves ahead, 1-0. Porter himself got the run back in the 6th when he singled, moved to third on a single and then scored on an infield out. But that's when fate turned on St. Louis.

With the scored tied at one and Niekro still going strong - and fearing the consequences of going to the pen too early - Atlanta Manager Joe Torre sent Niekro to bat for himself, and the pitcher responded with a single. Claudell Washington and Rafael Ramirez both singled, loading the bases for the power-hitting Murphy. Andujar then attempted to shake off a pitch call from Porter, but instead he began his motion. Home plate umpire John Kibler immediately, and correctly, called a balk, and all 3 runners moved ahead to give the Braves the lead. Most managers would have walked Murphy to set up the force at any base for the slow-footed Horner, who is not nearly the long ball threat he is in Fulton County Stadium. But Whitey Herzog opted to let Andujar get out of the jam, and he began his attempt by striking out the powerful Murphy. This might have been the point to walk Horner and take the chances with Chambliss, but Anudjar gave up a single and left the mound in favor of Jim Kaat, one of only two current major leaguers older than Niekro. "Kitty" Kaat got the Cardinals out of the jam without further damage, but the game was as good as over. Gene Garber came on to get the final four outs, and the Braves won, 4-1.

With Burt Hooton injured, the Los Angeles Dodgers recalled Vicente Romo to the big leagues, and he pitched a three-hitter for his first win in the majors since 1974 as the Dodgers edged the Expos, 2-1. Jay Johnstone singled home the tying run in the tenth and then scored the winning run on a single by Jerry Morales as the Cubs beat the Astros, 6-5. Mike Schmidt and Bo Diaz hit consecutive solo homers while Gary Matthews extended his hitting streak to 14 games in Philadelphia's 7-6 triumph over the Padres. Pete Rose had two singles, raising his career hits total to 3800. Dale Berra hit a homer and a single and drove in 3 runs as the Pirates topped the Reds, 5-4.

The Milwaukee Brewers continue to bring out the best in the woeful Minnesota Twins. The Brewers entered the evening 23-6 in their last 29 games, with two of those losses coming to the Twins. Minnesota prevailed again tonight thanks to Tom Brunansky's inside-the-park grand slam and solo bombs by John Castino and Lenny Faedo, leading the Twins to a 6-4 win. Trailing 5-0 entering the bottom of the 7th, the Boston Red Sox erupted for nine runs off of starter Doc Medich and losing pitcher Danny Darwin, the death blow administered by Carl Yastrzemski's three-run bomb in the 8th. Bob Boone's two-run homer in the 7th broke a 1-1 tie and powered California to a 6-5 win over Baltimore. Oscar Gamble, Dave Winfield, and Roy Smalley all hit homers in the second inning and Tommy John tossed 7 1/3 innings of four-hit ball to lift the Yankees to a 5-3 win over Seattle. Harold Baines and Vance Law socked solo homers to carry the White Sox to a 6-0 win over the Detroit Tigers. Trailing by one entering the 9th, Cleveland rallied for two runs to beat Oakland, 5-4, the last run coming when third baseman Wayne Gross threw the ball wild with two outs and allowed pinch-hitter Jack Perconte to race home from second with the game's winning run. It is Oakland's sixth straight loss. Solo homers by Barry Bonnell and Leon Roberts extended Toronto's winning streak to five games in a 4-2 win over the Kansas City Royals who are now 1-8 in their last nine.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

July 20, 1982
Atlanta Braves 8
St. Louis Cardinals 6
56-34
1st place
6 games ahead

 

[selmaborntidefan]

July 21, 1982
St. Louis Cardinals 8 (W: Mura, 7-7)
Atlanta Braves 0 (L: Walk, 8-7)
56-35
1st place
6 games ahead

CARDS SHUT OUT BRAVES TO CAPTURE SERIES FINALE;
RYAN LEAVES WITH SORE HIP;
REDS FIRE JOHN MCNAMARA

George Hendrick drove in three runs with a triple and a single while Steve Mura scattered five hits to give the St. Louis Cardinals an 8-0 shutout win over the Atlanta Braves, ending a four-game Braves winning streak and preventing them from sweeping the Cardinals in the three-game set. The Cardinals struck for seven hits and seven runs in the first 13 batters, only five of whom starter and loser Bob Walk managed to retire. The Braves fell behind early and never seriously threatened to make it a game, lacing out four singles and a double and ending the night with only 3 runners left on base. The Braves head to Pittsburgh for a three-game set before returning to Atlanta for the biggest homestand of the year, where they face the Dodgers and Giants in seven straight games that promise to pack Atlanta Fulton County Stadium.

Less than 3 years after his rookie season division title and less than one after he led the Reds to the best record in baseball during the strike shortened season, John McNamara has been fired by the Cincinnati ballclub. Fairly or unfairly, he's gone and Russ Nixon is the new skipper. Nixon got off to a poor start as Willie Stargell's pinch-hit homer in the 8th helped the Pirates down the Reds, 3-2. It was the 475th home run of Stargell's career, tying him with Stan Musial for 14th place on the all-time home run list. Home runs by Mike Schmidt, Bob Dernier, and Bo Diaz helped the Phillies rout the Padres, 7-1. Mookie Wilson hit two doubles, had three total hits, and drove hom two runs as the Mets thumped the Giants, 6-2. Nolan Ryan pitched five shutout innings before leaving with a sore hip, and the Astros bullpen had just enough to give the fireballer his 10th win, 2-1, over Allen Ripley and the Cubs. Tim Wallach's bases loaded double with one out in the top of the 11th plated all three runners ahead of him and helped Steve Rogers get the best of his duel with Fernando Valenzuela in a 4-1 Montreal Expos win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Rogers pitched ten innings and gave way to a pinch-hitter, which wound up giving him the win.

Two bombs by Don Money and a grand slam by Ben Oglivie helped the first-place Brewers rout the Minnesota Twins, 10-4. Boston and Texas split a doubleheader, the Rangers winning the opener, 6-3, and the Red Sox taking the nightcap, 6-1. Bob Stanley and Mike Torrez held the Rangers to just two hits in the Boston win. Tom Paciorek socked two homers and Greg "The Bull" Luzinski drilled his 12th of the year to the Chicago White Sox to a 9-3 thumping of Detroit.The game was tied at three entering the 12th before the White Sox rallied with a six-run inning. Dan Meyer's two-run single keyed a five-run inning and former starter Brian Kingman earned his first save in Oakland's 6-4 win over Cleveland. Manny Castillo's grounder scored Bobby Brown with the winning run, and Bill Caudill earned the save in Seattle's 6-5 edging of New York. Kansas City banged out 17 hits, including a two-run inside-the-park homer off the bat of Willie Wilson to beat Toronto, 9-7. Baltimore blew a late 5-2 lead and fell behind, 7-5, but rallied with pinch hits from Terry Crowley and a two-run double by Benny Ayala to beat the Angels, 8-6.