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.
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.
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