1982 Atlanta Braves Retrospective

[selmaborntidefan]

March 17, 1982

Lou Piniella has been fined several times in the past three weeks. He's being fined $1,000 per day his weight is not below 200 pounds, and he was fined another $1,000 for leaving the team's scheduled game with the Texas Rangers without permission. Yankee owner George Steinbrenner, showing the compassion that marks his ownership, blistered Piniella by saying that he sometimes needs to be treated like an 19-year-old and he can't understand why a guy making more money in one year than the President of the United States can't get his weight under 200 pounds when there are 10 million unemployed Americans right now.

Al Oliver, under contract with Texas through the 1985 season, has requested a trade, and the Rangers said they would attempt to accommodate him. His current contract is for $320K per year. With 2158 career hits, Oliver would need about six more seasons (until age 41) to top 3,000 hits, assuming he can maintain something resembling his current pace.

There has been no improvement in the health of Tony Conigliaro, who remains in a coma. The day after he turned 37, Conigliaro suffered a massive heart attack in a car on his way to the airport, the latest in a list of tragedies that have afflicted the youngster. To put Conigliaro's age and suffering into perspective: his teammate on the 1967 Red Sox, MVP Carl Yastrzemski, is still active and is five years OLDER than Conigliaro.

In their efforts to trim their roster to acceptable size, the New York Mets sent a truckload of guys back to the minors yesterday. Among them: Tim Leary, Tom Thurberg, Rick Ownbey, Marvell Wynne, Jose Oquendo, and Brian Giles.

SCORES
Braves 6 Dodgers 2 - Brook Jacoby and Chris Chambliss had RBI singles in the 7th that broke a 2-2 tie and gave the Braves their 9th win in ten exhibition games.
Reds 5 Mets 1
Expos 6 Yankees 4
Orioles 14 Royals 3
Blue Jays 3 Cardinals 1
Rangers 12 Twins 4
Red Sox 8 Astros 1
Mariners SS 4 Padres 2
White Sox 9 Pirates 5
Giants 8 Brewers 5
Cubs 10 Indians 9
Athletics 7 Angels 6
Tigers 5 Phillies 0

 

[selmaborntidefan]

March 18, 1982

The weather has been unusually bad in Arizona this March as a number of games continue to get rained out. Three more contests were cancelled today.

Doc Medich, the Texas Rangers pitcher who attends medical school in the offseason in the hopes of becoming a doctor, has tested positive for hepatitis, but he isn't letting that stop him. He was seen in the stands recently wearing a T-shirt that says, "Better, thank you." Told he would be out six weeks, Medich has returned in mere days, an unusual circumstance.

The Minnesota Twins signed free agent Alvaro Espoinoza, who was released by Houston at the end of 1980. Espinoza has still not made a single appearance at the major league level.

Gaylord Perry will face his former team - well, one of them (he's played for six) - San Diego in Seattle's next spring training game.

SCORES
Orioles 7 Braves 3 - Mark Corey had a homer and 3 RBIs as Atlanta lost for only the 2nd time in spring.
Rangers 4 Expos 0
White Sox 10 Tigers 7
Pirates 5 Phillies 2
Indians 2 Mariners 0
Cardinals 3 Mets 1
Dodgers 11 Reds 0
Royals 3 Blue Jays 2
Twins 4 Red Sox 3
Yankees 6 Orioles SS 3
Padres vs Cubs - ppd rain
Giants vs Athletics - ppd rain
Angels vs Brewers - ppd rain

 

[selmaborntidefan]

March 21, 1982

The Chicago White Sox today traded starting pitcher Ross Baumgarten and minor leaguer Butch Edge the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Vance Law and Ernie Camacho. This is a move seen to shore up Pittsburgh's less than stellar pitching staff, and at the same time cuts down the number of disappointed infielders on the White Sox. Baumgarten, a Chicago native, said he liked playing in his home city but didn't really care much for Manager Tony LaRussa, saying that once you cross the boss, you're gone as happened to Ken Kravec and Ed Farmer. Baumgarten had a nerve surgically removed from the bottom of his foot during the winter and has been lifting weights hoping to return to his 1979 form.

George Steinbrenner is at it again. After three errors - it's spring ball, George - and the Yankees' 7th loss in 8 games, the Big Guy ordered an 11am workout today. It promises to be a long year in Manhattan if this guy keeps doing childish stuff like this.

SCORES
Braves 5 Expos 4 - the Expos made four errors in the 7th inning, two by Larry Parrish. The Braves still have the best record by far in the spring for what that's worth, which isn't much.
Orioles 8 Yankees 1
Royals 7 Rangers 5
Phillies 11 Blue Jays 5
Dodgers 5 Mets 0
Cardinals 7 Twins SS 0
Orioles SS 4 Astros 2
White Sox 4 Red Sox 1
Twins SS 8 Tigers 4
Pirates 5 Reds 3
Padres 4 Mariners 3
Indians 9 Athletics 3
Cubs 8 Giants 7

 

[selmaborntidefan]

March 22, 1982

Sadly, it is probably over for Brian Asselstine. It's not for lack of trying on his part or opportunity on the part of the Braves, but the effort at coming back from one of the most gruesome injuries ever seen on a major league field apparently ended today when Atlanta placed the outfielder on waivers. He has become a "hope for" situation in recent years, but it appears all hope is gone. A first-round pick in 1973 after refusing to sign with the Giants in 1972, Asselstine came to the majors on September 14, 1976, for a mediocre at best Braves team and in 11 games he hit .212. In 1977, a year that saw the Braves beaten over 100 times, Asselstine altered between starting outfielder and late game pinch hitter/substitute. But in 1978, he entered the starting lineup as the centerfielder - yes, the position Dale Murphy now patrols - and had a .280 batting average through 44 games, of which he had played 38. But on May 31, 1978, it all ended when Asselstine chased a Mike Lum shot to the then chain-linked fence at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium and attempted to scale the fence. He missed the catch, but he didn't miss getting his ankle caught in the fencing and snapping it, ending his season and now it appears his career. How good he may have been is up for debate, but he has over the years become a sympathetic figure of courage among Braves fans who rooted to see him overcome the injury and return as a full-time player. In perhaps the cruelest irony of all, his injury necessitated a move to first base. When Asselstine didn't improve enough to earn the trust of Bobby Cox before the 1979 season, the Braves signed a free agent - the same Mike Lum whose homer put Brian in his predicament. Yes, the two shared duties at first base, although Lum largely platooned with (are you ready for this?) Dale Murphy that year. His career ends with a .254 batting average.

Fernando Valenzuela's long holdout is over. That doesn't mean he likes it or agrees with it. At a news conference, last year's phenom and Cy Young winner who supposedly cannot speak English complained in English about how he was being treated as "a boy." Valenzuela made $42K last year, perhaps the biggest bargain in the game. The Dodgers offered him an apparently insulting $350K, while he wants $850K. It will be interesting to see how this one is resolved.

Tom Seaver admitted that at his age (37) there isn't much left to do, but there's one personal accomplishment he'd love: to win 300 games as a major league pitcher. He's 41 wins short and notes it will take consistency for him to reach the goal. One thing Seaver has been in his career is consistent. Despite playing for some rather poor teams - his Mets only exceeded 83 wins twice during his years there - Seaver led the NL in strikeouts five times in seven years, ERA three times, and wins three times, including last year. But he has also been victimized by shoddy run support; six times Seaver's teammates have provided him with less than 4.00 runs per start of offense, including the 1978 Reds.


SCORES
Rangers 3 Braves 1 - Frank Tanana goes six and Bump Wills drives in the go-ahead run in the 8th as the Rangers win. Terry Harper's solo homer was Atlanta's only run.

Royals 8 Phillies 2
Twins 6 Dodgers 4
Tigers 9 Blue Jays 2
White Sox 8 Red Sox 4
Cardinals 7 Reds 3
Indians 8 Cubs 6
Blue Jays SS 4 Pirates 0
Mariners 4 Angels 1 - Gaylord Perry with some powerful two-hit ball
Expos 6 Mets 1
Orioles 3 Astros 2

 

[selmaborntidefan]

March 23, 1982

The Braves are reducing their number of outfielders. After cutting Brian Asselstine yesterday, the Braves today traded Eddie Miller to the Detroit Tigers for pitcher Roger Weaver, whom they then optioned to AAA Richmond. Miller is a speedster who stole 23 bases for the Braves last year. That's a high number of steals for a guy whose highest batting average has been .230; Miller hit .209 at Richmond in 1980.

Thomas Faragi of Portsmouth, New Hampshire approached the Red Sox yesterday and asked for a tryout. That's not unusual, although Boston VP for Minor League Development Ed Kenny was the one to deliver the bad news to Faragi that players must be under contract to tryout. What is unusual is the fact Faragi has an arrest warrant for first degree murder back in New Hampshire. Faragi is wanted in the murder of Valerie Blair, 24, whose body was found at the entrance to a state park in New Hampshire on March 11. Faragi was taken into custody in Bradenton, Florida after his dubious request for a tryout.

Braves owner Ted Turner is eccentric to put it mildly and that quality was on display again at the Atlanta Hawks game three nights ago when Turner, who also owns the Hawks, took over as public address announcer at the Omni in the final 2:29 of the Hawks game against the Pistons and cheered his club on to victory. Stan Kasten, Hawks VP, was advised by NBA Operations Director Joe Axelson that while it wasn't exactly harmful, don't let it happen again. By the way, the Hawks won, important as they and the Pistons are both contending for a spot in the playoffs.

The Angels have traded Butch Hobson to the Yankees for Bill Castro and some cash. Hobson would have been dealt anyway, but the Angels did meet his desire to stay in the American League.

SCORES
Braves 7 Rangers 4
White Sox 3 Mets 0
Royals 6 Cardinals 3
Blue Jays 9 Pirates 2
Cubs 4 Brewers 3
Mariners 8 Oakland B 2
Twins 4 Red Sox 1
Oakland A 7 Padres 4
Indians 8 Giants 4
Angels 7 Seattle SS 1
Astros 8 Orioles 0
Reds 6 Tigers 2
Yankees 6 Phillies 1

Montreal and Milwaukee both won games against college teams.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

March 24, 1982

STEINBRENNER AT IT AGAIN, KUHN IS A WALKING DEAD MAN

Death, taxes, and a George Steinbrenner intrusion into his team's struggles are the only three certainties in life. There are people who know not to take spring training overly seriously except as an attempt to get players into the frame of mind to play the season (and set the roster), and there's the principal owner of the Yankees, who is angry over his team's 4-12 record in meaningless exhibitions. Remember, this is a guy who fired his playoff bound manager (Gene Michael) last year with a month to go in the season and then hired him for a three-year contract scheduled to begin in 1983 as.....Yankees manager. The same guy who announced days after his 1978 manager (Billy Martin) resigned that he would manage in 1980 and brought him back in 1979 only to fire him. The same guy who fired a manager who won his division and 103 games because that manager wouldn't fire a third-base coach whom Steinbrenner blamed for the Yankees losing the ALCS. And yes, the same guy who was so livid after losing last year's World Series to the Dodgers that he had to be talked out of not firing Manager Bob Lemon. Lemon returned for the promise of a full season, and he may not make it out of spring training. That's because Lemon is playing Dave Revering at third base in spring training to see if he can get Revering's bat into the lineup and give Graig Nettles some rest at age 37. But Revering made an error in an 8-run sixth inning for the Texas Rangers, who blew out the Yankees, 14-6. Nobody would have remembered this as blowouts in spring training are common, but Steinbrenner ensured it would become a story by criticizing Lemon for playing Revering at third, saying Revering belongs in a platoon at first with Bob Watson, and capping his criticism of the manager by declaring, "The next time he doesn't do what he's told, he'll be in real trouble." Amazingly, that wasn't the only angle involving Steinbrenner - and get ready folks, the season hasn't even started yet! The other issue concerned the trade yesterday of Butch Hobson from the Angels to the Yankees as part of the Bill Castro trade. Hobson is a pretty good third baseman, and he's six years younger and (more to the point) a righthanded hitter that allows the Yankees to platoon Hobson with Nettles. Such a trade would seemingly make playing Revering at third an exercise in nothingness. But it was the words of Angels President Buzzie Bavasi that caused the stir. Buzzie had let it be known publicly that he intended to compensate the Yankees for losing Reggie Jackson to free agency, and Hobson would certainly qualify. The players union filed a grievance that such compensation as given was - literally - a violation of the collective bargaining agreement and the very subject that caused last year's strike. Steinbrenner, never one to use a soft answer to turn away wrath, snorted, "The players union can say whatever it wants, and it goes in one ear and out the other." Don't expect Lemon to survive long in this scenario.

John Elway, the Stanford quarterback, is in spring training with the Yankees and will spend six weeks this summer at their A affiliate in Omaha. Elway is projected to be the #1 overall pick in the 1983 NFL draft, but depending on the team, he may use his baseball leverage to ensure he winds up on a team that has a decent chance to win quickly.

Let's be clear: baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn is going to be fired this August. I have no idea who will replace him, but he's gone. All it takes is either four owners in the NL or five in the AL to toss him overboard, and he's already lost four votes in the NL thanks to last year's strike. In the land of bizarre ideas, the proposal from the owners that the next commissioner be AN OWNER is amusing and all but ensures another strike. Look, the original commissioner's office is long gone. Commissioners ever since the death of Judge Landis are hired by the owners and fired by the owners - and no matter how "impartial" they suggest they are, they serve at the pleasure of the majority of owners. Kuhn has obviously kowtowed to the owners he thinks are his reliable supporters. But rumblings to fire Kuhn began all the way back in 1976 when he ordered an end to the owner lockout in response to free agency, and now it is real. There's really no question Kuhn is a baseball romantic, a man who as a child attended the 1933 World Series and worked the scoreboard for his beloved Washington Senators. But he might serve the game better by resigning and telling the owners, "You figure it out."

Fernando Valenzuela's holdout is over, but the fallout has just begun. Valenzuela made clear he only returned after 22 days because the fines were about to kick in, but he isn't signing the contract, either. The offer of $350K from the Dodgers would make him the highest paid second-year player in the majors, but he wants more than twice that.

George Brett is hitting .512 in spring ball and looking like the guy who challenged .400 in 1980.

SCORES
Expos 6 Braves 2 (7 inn) - Steve Rogers pitched well over six and the Braves' runs came on an inside-the-park home run by Rafael Ramirez.
Indians 5 Mariners 2 - Tribe wins 7th in a row
Rangers 14 Yankees 6
Royals 13 White Sox 3
White Sox SS 9 Royals SS 2
Reds 11 Red Sox 4
Pirates 8 Twins 2
Phillies 5 Dodgers 4
Mets 9 Blue Jays 3
Padres 11 Cubs 0
Cardinals 5 Tigers 1
Giants 6 Brewers 2

 

[selmaborntidefan]

March 25, 1982

STONE GOES ON DL, TWINS HAVE A FLAT, RECESSION MAY HURT ATTENDANCE

Steve Stone, the 1980 Cy Young winner for Baltimore, has been placed on the disabled list retroactive to March 21 with a sore elbow. The move was made so Stone will eligible to join the Orioles as soon as April 11, six days after the season opener. Stone will remain in Florida for evaluation even after the team travels back to Baltimore to start the season.

The Minnesota Twins are owned by a cheapskate racist (Calvin Griffith) and will be the worst team in baseball this year, and oh yeah, the team bus had a flat, an apt metaphor for the disaster they'll be in 1982.

The excuses have begun already, although there's probably some legitimacy to this. With the American economy in the doldrums (February unemployment checked in at 8.8%, up 2.5 points in a year), baseball owners are in one breath warning that attendance may be down this year because of the economy but NOT because of the strike they caused last June. Spring numbers do suggest that fans are not still too upset about the debacle last year as the Pirates drew an all-time spring training record attendance last week. But expect economically depressed areas like Detroit to suffer at the turnstiles this year.

The Braves are trimming their roster and have designated Brook Jacoby, Carlos Diaz, Jose Alvarez, Mike Colbern, and Paul Runge to return to the minors.

SCORES
Braves 4 Rangers 3 (10 inn) - Rafael Ramirez singles home the winning run
Blue Jays 5 Royals 1
White Sox 9 Cardinals 7
Red Sox 8 Expos 0
Cubs 10 Padres 2
Indians 9 Mariners 5
Mets 7 Pirates 1
Brewers 8 Giants 0
Angels 10 Athletics 3
Reds 7 Dodgers 3
Yankees 6 Orioles 2
Astros 10 Tigers 3
Phillies 3 Twins 0

 

[selmaborntidefan]

March 26, 1982

NIEKRO REASONABLE ABOUT CAREER TWILIGHT; CUBS ACQUIRE BUMP WILLS

Give the man some credit: in a time when players cannot wait to cash in the big payday, Atlanta's senior player has made it clear that he wants to end his playing career with the Atlanta Braves. Phil Niekro, he of the 240 career wins despite playing for a perpetually lousy team in a hitter's park, turns 43 next week and likely has little left in the tank. It's fair to say he has little leverage, but he's also been with the Braves organization for 24 years and has no intention of leaving. Niekro is the only member of the Atlanta team eligible for free agency at the end of this season, but he's proffered a solution that may work for everyone, one-year contracts (which used to be the norm) into perpetuity. Noting it would be ludicrous for the Braves to sign him to a multi-year contract at his age, Niekro spoke well about the organization and his hopes to retire as a Brave. As old as he is, Niekro isn't the oldest player in the league, a designation that belongs to Dodger pinch-hitter Manny Mota followed by Seattle pitcher Gaylord Perry.
And Jim Kaat is also older than Niekro.

The Giants are trying to trade Doyle Alexander, but he's not making it easy for them. Their biggest winner last year, he refused to report on the normal arrival day for pitchers and then wasn't there on the mandatory report day of March 1, either. In what may be an ode to bad faith negotiation, Alexander's agent (Jerry DiNesco) provided a list of four teams Alexander will absolutely not accept a trade: Atlanta, where he pitched in 1980, Toronto, Montreal, and Cleveland. Alexander demanded (and got) a trade out of Atlanta, and Montreal needs another pitcher so the workings of a deal were underway. However, Alexander then vetoed trades to both Detroit and Kansas City, the latter because they wanted him in camp to make the trade. In all honesty, it's becoming easier to see why the guy has pitched for six teams in his 12-year big league career.

Texas second baseman Bump Wills, son of Maury and holder of the Texas Rangers record for stolen bases in a season, was traded today to the Cubs for pitcher Paul Mirabella. It was nothing personal, more of the fact that Wills had known upon arrival that either he or Doug Flynn was going to be traded before the season started, and it winds up being Wills. His playing time is likely to hinge on the success of rookie Ryne Sandberg unless Sandberg is moved to third. Wills lost his arbitration case this past winter but still got a pay increase of $80K, making his annual salary $355K. We should all be so lucky when we lose.

SCORES
Mets 6 Braves 2 - three straight batters - Dave Kingman, Joel Youngblood, and Hubie Brooks - connected for home runs off Atlanta rookie Ken Dayley in the fifth inning.
Padres 2 Giants 1
Indians 8 Angels 3
Rangers 3 Yankees 1
Phillies 8 White Sox 7
Twins 9 Cardinals B 4
Cardinals A 6 Dodgers 4
Royals 4 Tigers 4 (12 inn)
Blue Jays 15 Astros 10
Red Sox 15 Tigers 13
Orioles 6 Reds 3
Seattle vs Milwaukee rained out

 

[selmaborntidefan]

March 28, 1982

FERNANDO TO MAKE FIRST SPRING START; COWENS TO SEATTLE;
BRAVES RELEASE BRADFORD; UPI SPORTSWRITER PICKS BRAVES TO WIN NL WEST

With Opening Day in just a little over a week, Fernando Valenzuela will - finally - get some work in tomorrow and Wednesday in exhibitions against the Red Sox and Angels. His 22-day holdout will be problematic if he gets off to a slow start, but since Valenzuela did play winter ball, the hope is that his preparation time will not take very long at all. He was supposed to work today, but rain, which has been abnormally common this spring, washed out the opportunity.

Seattle acquired former Kansas City and Detroit outfielder/DH Al Cowens today for cash, suggesting they have given up hope of acquiring Rupert Jones from the Padres. Jones played for Seattle their first three years as a franchise, but two problems prevented his return: the Padres wanted one of three prospects in the Seattle farm system that the Mariners did not wish to let go, and Jones would likely only be in Seattle one season because he's a free agent at the end of 1982. Cowens finished 2nd to Rod Carew for the 1977 batting title but has otherwise been unremarkable in his entering his nine-year career. That same year he hit 23 home runs, but he has only 29 in the other seven seasons, including one last year.

The Blue Jays released Juan Berenguer, Nino Espinosa, and Ted Cox as they trim their roster.

The Astros, choosing a different route after spending a lot of money on free agents, managed to get rid of third-string catcher Dave Roberts and his ridiculous $1.5 million (over five years) contract. Houston didn't even want much just a team dumb enough to assume $200K this year for a guy who played all of 27 games last year. They found their suckers in Philadelphia, where the 1980 world champions have had no fewer than six catchers on the roster since the 1981 season ended. Manager Pat Corrales, himself a backup catcher (who made the last out of the 1970 World Series), thinks you can never have too many catchers on the roster. Okay, Pat, but SIX, none of whom can hit like Yogi Berra? They've dumped two and will likely jettison Ozzie Virgil as well.

The Atlanta Braves, whose pitching consists of Phil Niekro (about to be 43), seven question marks, and closer Gene Garber released Larry Bradford yesterday. Bradford has been a middle reliever of sorts (0 career starts) for the Braves as he spent the last two full seasons on the roster. More understandable was their release of Rick Matula, with a career mark of 19-23 and a 4.41 ERA. And the development of Rafael Ramirez meant Luis Gomez, who came over in 1980 as part of the Chris Chambliss trade from Toronto, is also gone. Gomez is 30 years old, hit .192 in his two years with the Braves (in 156 career games), and played average at best defense on the worst infield surface in the NL. The Braves also optioned several players to Richmond, including Terry Harper, Paul Zuvella, Larry Owen, Ken Dayley, and Donnie Moore.

There's a lot of excitement around the Braves, who have looked excellent in spring training, good enough that UPI sportswriter Mike Tully has gone out on a limb: he predicts the Atlanta Braves will beat out the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers to capture the NL West division title. His prediction says that the key for the Braves will be to get off to a fast start and their success on the mound will hinge on the performance of Tommy Boggs.

Orioles Manager Earl Weaver named Dennis Martinez the Opening Day starter.

SCORES
Braves 7 Reds 2 - Murphy clears the sacks with a bases loaded double breaking a 2-2 tie
Giants 7 Angels 2
Cubs 5 Mariners 4
Orioles 1 Rangers 1 (9 inn- called due to rain)
Padres 6 Indians 4
Five games were rained out.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

March 30, 1982

ANOTHER DAY IN STEINBRENNERVILLE; GIANTS '81 STARTING STAFF IS NOW ALL GONE;
OBERKFELL TO MISS FIRST MONTH

Doyle Alexander is gone from San Francisco, which is what he wanted. He's back in New York, where he was the starting pitcher in Game One of the 1976 World Series, but a lot of his teammates are, shall we say, not very happy with him. Bobby Murcer complained - accurately - that the other Yankees have been in camp for eight weeks and this guy who hasn't been in camp ANYWHERE is suddenly on the team. Lou Piniella made a curt point: "If he wins 20 games this year, nobody will be in spring training for this team next year." The Yankees gave up two minor leaguers to reacquire Alexander, whose departure left Vida Blue as the only remaining starter from the 1981 Giants. But that's not even true now because the Giants also sent Blue out of the City by the Bay to Kansas City in exchange for Renie Martin, Craig Chamberlain, Atlee Hammaker, and Brad Wellman, and only Martin is guaranteed to be playing for the big league team this year. Five days ago, Blue told reporters he would be traded and then added with a smile he was just joking. Well, it's no joke now, Vida is gone. Giants Manager Frank Robinson made clear why Blue was traded: it's because he has a $600K per year contract that runs until 1988, he turns 33 in July, and he's only had one really good season since he joined the Giants. This was the last chance the Giants had to get someone for a pitcher with Blue's reputation, and they're building for the long haul around new and young pitchers. Vida was 124-86 with the Giants, though to be fair he was given shoddy run support in 1981 when he was 13-12 with a 2.45 ERA. Given how unimpressive the Giants pitching already has been this spring, it may be a long year.

What made the trades of Blue and Alexander so amusing was that today is the day predictions were published nationwide regarding how the teams will fare this year, and while most calculated the loss of Alexander into their assessments, most were also expecting Blue to be a leader on the Giants. Of course, most analysts are picking the Dodgers to repeat since they've been first or second eight of the last nine years.

A bunch of guys either got cut or sent to the minors today. Perhaps the best-known of the releases was catcher Jerry Narron from the Mariners, a player whose claim to fame was he was the first replacement for the late Thurman Munson upon the latter's death in a 1979 plane crash. The best-known trades were those involving Blue and Alexander, plus the Cubs sent Lynn McGlothen (pitcher) to the White Sox for Bob Molinaro.

Cardinals third baseman Ken Oberkfell dove for a shot down the line against the Pirates today and fractured his thumb. He's out for at least a month.

SCORES
Mets 4 Tigers 2
Pirates 7 Cardinals 1
Phillies 6 Orioles 3
Yankees 9 Dodgers 7
Blue Jays 3 Montreal SS 2
Royals 6 Reds 5
White Sox 3 Red Sox 1
Twins 6 Rangers 2
Mariners 7 Giants 6
Cubs 8 Angels 0
Padres 8 Athletics 3
Indians 7 Brewers 5
Montreal SS 7 Univ of Miami 0

 

[selmaborntidefan]

April 3, 1982

RANGERS TRADE AL OLIVER; HEAVY TRADE ACTIVITY AS TEAMS HEAD HOME FOR OPENER;
J.R. RICHARD OPTIONED BACK TO MINORS; BRAVES CONCLUDE 18-6 SPRING AND
NAME MAHLER OPENING DAY STARTER

The 1982 baseball seasons opens on April 5 with two games and no labor strife (at least none that is going to stall the season this year), but the teams are making final preparations with roster moves, including cuts, trades, and options to the minors, and there were a couple of big names involved with each, the biggest name being 1980 NL All-Star pitcher J.R. Richard of the Houston Astros. Richard, who has not pitched since suffering a near fatal stroke in July 1980, has basically been told if he wants to come back to the majors, he will have to go through their minor league affiliate in Tucson, it's entirely up to him. Richard, who led the NL in strikeouts in both 1978 and 1979, is having vision troubles that make him a danger to both batters and his team's chances of success. It is a reminder of how quickly an elite athlete can be reduced to a mere mortal. Richard has gone from two Top Five Cy Young finishes and starting the All-Star Game to a minor leaguer who may never pitch again in less than 18 months.

Fernando Valenzuela finally appeared for his first spring throws, and he did well, showing no rust. The Valenzuela contract fracas has the potential to take the Dodger season with it. Not to worry, they're only half a million bucks apart from an agreement.

Al Oliver, who has topped .300 each of the last six seasons, is out of Texas, traded to the Montreal Expos in exchange for third baseman Larry Parrish and minor leaguer Dave Hostetler. The trade makes Montreal the odds-on favorite to win the division they won in the LDS last year. The Rangers also traded minor leaguer pitchers Ron Darling and Walt Terrell to the Mets for 1979 All-Star Lee Mazilli. Darling, the #9 overall selection in the 1981 free agent draft, was an All-American hurler at Yale who received national attention last year for striking out 16 batters and throwing 11 innings of no-hit ball before losing, 1-0, in the 12th to St. John's. Mazilli has traveled the road from All-Star to slumping veteran to "out because we now have George Foster and Lee won't be playing much." This trade has the potential to help both teams if Mazilli can reclaim his 1979 batting prowess.

A three-team trade saw the Cubs complete a swap made last August for Pat Tabler by sending Bill Caudill to the Yankees, who promptly traded Caudill to the Seattle Mariners along with Gene Nelson and a player to be named later for Seattle starter Shane Rawley. Rawley is being brought in as a lefty middle reliever alongside Ron Davis to set the table for closer Goose Gossage. The Cardinals sent Bob Shirley to the Reds for Oscar Brito and Jeff Lahti, neither of whom has ever appeared in a major league game. Shirley is one of those unfortunate players with a mediocre W/L record and decent ERAs who seems on the cusp of being a solid 3rd or 4th starter on a good team. And the Blue Jays traded Aurelio Rodriguez to the White Sox for Wayne Nordhagen.

With his ace bothered by an Achilles tendon and rib injury, Atlanta Braves Manager Joe Torre announced that Rick Mahler will replace Phil Niekro as the Opening Day starter against the Padres on April 6. Mahler became an Atlanta starter just before the strike last year and had a pretty good year for a first-time starter on a 5th place team, going 8-6 with a 2.80 ERA, an incredible feat given Mahler only got an average of 2.29 runs per start. In fact, the Braves only got Mahler three runs in his six losses and were shut out four times, so he may have the potential to be a solid #2 starter behind Niekro when the veteran gets healthy. Niekro will be given the honor of pitching the home opener in Atlanta against the Astros on Friday night - if he regains his health. Torre has said that winning, just like losing, is a habit and infectious, and he hopes the Braves can continue their excellent spring into the start of the season. He did note that his lack of quality pitching is his biggest concern.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

April 4, 1982

Last day without baseball until the day before the All-Star break in July.

The Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians wound up with the two best records in spring training. It may mean a lot, or it may mean nothing at all. The two worst records belonged to two teams that made the playoffs last year, Houston and Oakland.

Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn urged sportswriters and sportscasters to avoid using betting lines in their coverage of sports. Addressing the NSSA dinner gathering of sportswriters and sportscasters, Kuhn said, "There is a dangerous situation out there today." This probably won't be difficult for most sports but good luck imposing this on professional football, particularly as long as Jimmy the Greek is part of the "NFL Today" broadcast.

Kuhn also published a column that was run in several newspapers affiliated with the Associated Press. He did his best to bring attention to possible upcoming record-breaking moments. Pete Rose should pass Hank Aaron and move into second place on the all-time hits list behind record holder Ty Cobb, this after passing Stan Musial last August for the most hits by a National Leaguer. Walter Johnson's once seemingly unbreakable record of 3,508 strikeouts is likely to be broken by four different pitchers in the next year or two, with Nolan Ryan only needing 259 to eclipse the Big Train. Tom Seaver, Steve Carlton, and Gaylord Perry are all within shouting distance. Perry needs three wins to become the first pitcher since 1963 to win 300 games. Kuhn also noted that Fernando Valenzuela and Tim Raines are among the two most exciting rookies to come along in the same season in memory, and projects Raines may challenge Lou Brock's single-season stolen base record of 118. And he notes the major league debuts/rookie seasons of a plethora of talented players, none of whom we know now how they will turn out, including Cal Ripken Jr., Terry Francona, Paul Householder, Chris Bando, Von Hayes, Chili Davis, and a pair of talented youngsters on a horrid Minnesota Twins team, Kent Hrbek and Gary Gaetti. The Twins will be terrible this year, but they are likely to draw in the new ballpark, and the youthful foundation is there for success in coming years. The Atlanta Braves have no fewer than four rookies who may crack their lineup: Brett Butler, Matt Sinatro, Ken Dayley, and Steve Bedrosian.

But the rookies are going to have a tough job in some cases. Ripken Jr. will be replacing Doug DeCinces, whose only downside was "he's not Brooks Robinson." DeCinces was probably traded at least in part as retaliation for last year's strike. Of the four major figures involved as the public faces of the MLBPA during the strike, three of them are wearing new uniforms this year. DeCinces and Bob Boone are with the Angels while good field-no hit Mark Belanger is a Dodger backing up Bill Russell. Only Steve Rogers, who is a Cy Young contender, remains with his club which, oh yeah, just happens to be in Canada where labor is viewed differently. Rookie Steve Sax replaces Davey Lopes in the Dodger infield broken up after an MLB record eight seasons together.

Season starts tomorrow with two games, Kansas City will open on the road in Baltimore and Cincinnati will host their annual "Opening Day" contest against the Chicago Cubs. With an umpire strike that marred the first month of 1979, the near miss strike of 1980, and the seven-week catastrophe last year, baseball fans can look forward to their first year largely free of labor disputes in quite awhile.

Play ball.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

April 5, 1982

WILLS HOMERS ON 2ND PITCH OF SEASON, O'S HOMER 4 TIMES IN ROUT

Two games on Opening Day tell us that baseball has returned and now, aside from the All-Star break we will have our regular season for the next six months followed by two LCS playoffs and a World Series. And Bump Wills, the Chicago Cubs second baseman and son of the legendary Maury Wills, got the proceedings off with a bang when he drilled Mario Soto's second pitch of the season into the right field bleachers of Riverfront Stadium for a home run, giving the Cubs a 1-0 lead en route to a rain shortened 3-2 Cubs win over the Reds in eight innings that saw the Reds leave the winning run at second base after rain delays of 46 and 51 minutes. The 42 degree weather at first pitch felt colder - and got colder - with the rain, and very few were around at game's end. One who missed game's end who would normally be there was Reds Manager John McNamara, who was ejected by home plate umpire John Kibler for arguing over whether or not a pitch hit Leon Durham, who was awarded first base, loading the bases in a 2-1 game and setting the table for Keith Moreland's single to give the Cubs the insurance run they wound up needing when Bill Buckner was gunned down at the plate to end the top of the 8th. Cincinnati fought back when Johnny Bench reached on a fielder's choice with two outs, moved to second on a single by rookie Paul Householder and then scored to narrow the gap to 3-2 on Mike Vail's double. But after a walk to Alex Trevino to load the bases, Willie Hernandez got the save when he induced Rafael Landestoy to fly out to end the 8th. When the rains returned, the game was called as a Cubs win.

After the Kansas City Royals played small ball to take a 1-0 lead in Baltimore in the top of the 2nd, rookie Cal Ripken Jr. socked his first major league home run with Ken Singleton on base to give Baltimore a lead they never relinquished. Eddie Murray's third inning grand slam keyed a five-run inning and the Orioles later got bombs from Gary Roenicke and newcomer Dan Ford en route to a 13-6 blowout win over the Royals. Frank White and George Brett homered for the Royals as reliever Sammy Stewart took the win while KC starter Dennis Leonard got the loss.

The umpires avoided a last-minute strike with a new deal, so labor issues are now resolved. A few late free agent signings with the season beginning everywhere else tomorrow made the news, none of them major.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

April 6, 1982
Atlanta Braves 1 (W: Mahler, 1-0)
San Diego Padres 0 (L: Eichelberger, 0-1)
1-0
1st place
Tied

MAHLER SPINS 2-HIT SHUTOUT IN OPENER;
SIX - YES, SIX - OPENERS POSTPONED

Nine days ago, Atlanta Braves starter Rick Mahler drilled his teammate and Opening Day starter Phil Niekro in the ribs with a line shot off his bat, injuring Niekro severely enough that Knucksie was knocked out of his Opening Day start and, in a twisty of irony, replaced in that start by none other Mahler himself. Niekro tends to get Opening Day starts most seasons now as the Atlanta ace, but he's never won one, either. In his first Opening Day start of a brief career, Mahler pitched a complete game two-hit shutout, and Atlanta rookie centerfielder Brett Butler scored the game's lone run on a double by Glenn Hubbard, spoiling a solid start by San Diego's Juan Eichelberger, and the Braves won their opener for the second year in a row, this time by the score of 1-0. Three sensational outfield catches, two by Dale Murphy, playing in left field for a change, and one by Claudell Washington, kept the Padres at bay.

After retiring the first four batters of the game, Mahle walked Sixto Lezcano, struck out Terry Kennedy, and then gave up a single to Luis Salazar, putting two on and two out in the second. He then proceeded to retire the next 17 batters in a row without much problem, and the lone Padre batter to reach base was Broderick Perkins on an 8th inning walk. Until the ninth. One out short of a complete game shutout, Mahler surrendered a double to Ruppert Jones, bringing Lezcano to the plate with the tying run in scoring position. Mahler struck him out and left the field with the Opening Day win, his second career complete game, and his first career shutout. Atlanta's lone run came in the fifth, when Butler walked with one out in the fifth. After nearly getting picked off first, Butler took off on the next pitch and Hubbard drove it into the left center field gap. The speedy Butler raced around the bases to score what proved to be the only run of the game. The Braves themselves only got four hits, two by Rafael Ramirez, but it was still enough to win.

After a spring training that was shorter than usual for some teams due to an abnormally high amount of rainfall in March, a freak blizzard in the Northeast and Midwest cancelled no fewer than six games on Opening Day. In the NL, the Expos-Pirates and Mets-Phillies games were postponed. That wasn't as bad as the AL, where four games (Toronto at Detroit, Texas at New York, Boston at Chicago, and Cleveland at Milwaukee) were all postponed as well. And the Twins-Mariners game would have been cancelled in Minnestoa, except for the christening of a new domed stadium in the Twin Cities.

The largest baseball audience in the history of the state of Minnesota witnessed a homer barrage as five balls left the field, two by rookie Gary Gaetti, and Jim Maler, the Mariner who less than a week ago was being ripped as a poor hitter, slugged his first career home run and drove in a total of five runs on three hits. The Twins won the homer battle, 3-2, as Dave Engle also homered (as did Al Cowens for Seattle), but lost the game, 11-7, largely due to the worst pitching staff in baseball. Seattle Manager Rene Lachemann suggested this new dome might be just like the Kingdome in terms of ease hitting home runs. That won't make things any easier for the Twins. American League umpire Larry Barnett left the Angels-Athletics game in Oakland in the ninth inning when a foul ball from Jim Spencer broke his mask and cut him on the left temple, necessitating three stitches. The game finished with three umpires as Durwood Merrill took over behind the plate. It seems almost fitting that Oakland won, 3-2, on a bases loaded walk with a different umpire finishing behind the plate than began it.

The St. Louis Cardinals, contenders in the East, chased five runs across the plate against Nolan Ryan. Then they went and took the field for the bottom of the first. Ryan was chased after 3 innings that saw him give up six runs, including a three-run bomb to Darrell Porter as the Cards routed Houston, 14-3. Keith Hernandez had three hits and Hernandez and leadoff batter Lonnie Smith both scored 3 times. Dusty Baker's bases loaded single over a drawn in infield lifted the Dodgers to a 4-3 win over the Giants.

The Yankees sent Bobby Brown to the Mariners, completing the Bill Caudill trade. And the Astros claimed former Reds pitcher Mike LaCoss off waivers.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

April 7, 1982
Atlanta Braves 6 (W: Walk, 1-0; SV: Garber, 1)
San Diego Padres 4 (L: Montefusco, 0-1)
2-0
1st place
Tied

BRAVES HOLD ON FOR 6-4 WIN AND 2-GAME SWEEP;
SIX MORE GAMES SNOWED OUT

Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner predicted a pennant for the Braves before the season began and so far, he's on pace for his prediction to be true; for the first time since 1971, the Braves won their first two games to open a baseball season. Extending San Diego's scoreless streak to 16 innings, starter Bob Walk was sent back out for the 8th inning with a 5-0 lead when a Chris Chambliss error to open the frame opened the door to Walk's exit, reliever Rick Camp's entrance, another error - by Camp no less - and all of a sudden the Braves' big lead looked precarious. A managerial blunder by newcomer Joe Torre of letting Camp hit for himself instead of going with Gene Garber led to Atlanta getting only one insurance run, and when the Padres battered Camp in the bottom of the ninth, Garber came in with the tying run at the plate in the form of Juan Bonilla, whom he Garber induced into a game-ending ground out to the mound a one-pitch save that Atlanta won, 6-4, The win gives the Braves a sweep as they head home for their home opener on Friday night against the Houston Astros.

Rookie Brett Butler got three hits and a walk, scored twice, and was successful on one of two steal attempts while driving in two in only his 36th major league game. Teammate Dale Murphy struck his first home run of the year, a solo shot in the sixth that extended the Atlanta lead to 4-0 before the Padres rallied late to make a game of it. One thing clear early is that Atlanta opted to be aggressive, stealing three bases in four attempts, all by Butler and Murphy. Butler led off the game with a single to center and was immediately gunned down by Padre catcher Terry Kennedy on his attempted steal of second. But the failure did little more than spark the spark plug when Butler drove in the game's first run in his second at bat with a single to center that scored shortstop Rafael Ramirez, who had led off the inning with his own base hit. Butler then stole second and after a walk to Glenn Hubbard, Butler scored on a single to right by Claudell Washington. Hubbard then scored on Murphy's double, but Washington was gunned down at the plate to end the inning with the Braves up, 3-0.

Garry Templeton, who came over in a shortstop swap for Ozzie Smith to St Louis, then made his first error as a Padre on Bruce Benedict's grounder, and Benedict advanced on a stunning single by Walk, moved to third when Butler walked to load the bases, and came home on a fielder's choice grounder by Hubbard with an unearned run to give Atlanta the 5-0 lead. Walk was cruising when Chambliss misplayed a ball off the bat of Broderick Perkins for an error to open the bottom of the 8th. As happens so often in baseball, the momentum turned when the next two batters singled to plate a run and chase Walk with a 5-1 lead. Camp came on and loaded the bases with a walk and then returned the favor to Templeton by throwing away his grounder to score pinch-hitter Joe Lefebvre and narrowing the lead to 5-2. Camp then got a double play 3-6-1 grounder that allowed another run, but he got out of the inning without further damage. Camp then gave up three ninth inning singles scattered among two outs before Garber came on and was rewarded for his one pitch of work.

Rookie Paul Householder hit a double and a triple and drove in two as the Reds beat the Cubs, 6-2. Run scoring doubles by Tony Scott and Luis Pujols were the difference in Houston's 3-2 win over St Louis that gave Joe Niekro his first win. Ron Cey homered and singled twice while Ken Landreaux got four singles in the Dodgers' 9-2 drubbing of the Giants. Bob Welch got the win for LA.

Three more homers left the yard in the Hubert H. Metrodome, including rookie Kent Hrbek's second career bomb and the second by Jim Maler in two days as the Twins rode a five-run fourth inning to a 7-5 victory over the Mariners for their first-ever win in the stadium. Roger Erickson is the pitcher of record for history, but it's sad to note that the attendance was about 90% lower for the second game at the Metrodome (5213) after the record of nearly 53,000 for the first. Rod Carew and Fred Lynn, with eight batting titles between them, went 6-for-8 with two runs and two RBIs as Geoff Zahn went the distance and pounded the Athletics by a touchdown, 7-0. Rickey Henderson took the collar with an 0-for-4 night that included grounding into a double play.

The Oakland Athletics have signed unrestricted free agent and former AL MVP Jeff Burroughs.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

April 8, 1982
Travel day
2-0
1st place
Tied

DECINCES' 16TH INNING SHOT LIFTS ANGELS; KNEPPER EDGES ANDUJAR IN 1-0 DUEL;
ROOKIES LEAD TWINS

Four days in the books and thanks to the weather, Major League Baseball has yet to present a full slate of games on one day. Hopefully this weekend will see the season in full swing. The Baltimore Orioles are the only team in the AL East to have played even one game yet.

Doug DeCinces slammed two home runs, including a leadoff shot in the top of the 16th as California scored four runs off of Oakland relivers Jeff Jones and Bob Owchinko then survived a two-run bottom of the 16th to take the three-game series on the road, 2-1. Rickey Henderson stole his first two bases of the season and scored the game's final run while Davey Lopes was caught twice trying to steal second. California's pitching staff induced four double plays to get out of jams as Luis Sanchez won his first game of the year. Two of the three games between the teams went to extra innings.

The new rookies on the Minnesota Twins are playing some exciting baseball as Gary Gaetti slammed his third home run in the three-game series and scored three of Minnesota's four runs in a 4-1 triumph over Gene Nelson and the Seattle Mariners. The other run was scored by the "other" prize rookie, Kent Hrbek, whose unassisted double play in the sixth all but sealed the win when he speared a line shot off the bat of Jim Maler then doubled up Richie Zisk at first to end the threat. Brad Havens got his fourth career win (first this year) and Doug Corbett got the save.

A pitcher's duel between Houston's Bob Knepper and former Houston starter turned reliever Joaquin Andujar saw the pitchers match goose eggs for seventh inning in the Astrodome until Art Howe led off the bottom of the 8th with a double and pinch-runner Dickie Thon scored on Tommy Herr's error that proved the Cardinals' undoing as Dave Smith shut down St Louis in order to save the finale and give Houston a 2-1 series win. And in a battle of former Cy Young winners, New York's Randy Jones outdueled Steve Carlton and the Phillies, 7-2.

Alonzo Boone, a Negro Leagues pitcher from 1929 to 1947, died today in Cleveland. Originally from Decatur, Alabama, Boone ran away from home and joined the Memphis Red Sox in 1929. He was best-known as one of the survivors of a horrific car accident that took the lives of Negro Leaguers Smoky Owens and Buster Brown. Moving to Cleveland in 1970, Boone issued permits for the city's Streets Department and retired from that job just last year. Boone was 74.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

April 9 1982
Atlanta Braves 6 (W: Boggs, 1-0; SV: Hrabosky, 1)
Houston Astros 2 (L: Sutton, 0-1)
3-0
1st place
Lead: 1 game

5-RUN BRAVES FIRST ENDS HOME OPENER BEFORE IT BEGINS;
BARRIOS DEAD FROM HEART ATTACK AT 28

Don Sutton has let it be known that he would like to leave the Houston Astros. After his first turn through the batting order in the Braves' home opener tonight, he probably wanted to leave Atlanta even more. Sutton brought a career 35-14 record into the game against the Braves and thanks to a walk, four hits, two errors, and a Dale Murphy two-run bomb, Tommy Boggs took the mound to face the first Astro batter backed by a five-run lead. Boggs tossed a one-hitter through six before running into trouble in the seventh and getting pulled, but lefty reliever Al "The Mad Hungarian" Hrabosky came on to get Atlanta out of the two on/two out jam and hold serve the rest of the way as the Braves began a season 3-0 for the first time since their pennant clinching year of 1969 with a 6-2 win over Houston.

Sutton peaked when he got leadoff hitter Brett Butler to ground out to start the game, but he was never in control again. Glenn Hubbard drew a walk and then moved to second on a single by Claudell Washington. Astros catcher Alan Ashby attempted to pick off Washington at first, but his throw sailed into right field, allowing Hubbard to score and putting Washington at third. Bob Horner then lifted a seemingly harmless sacrifice fly that right fielder Tony Scott dropped, scoring Washington to make it 2-0 and putting Horner on first. He was only there as long as it took Murphy to drill his second home run of the season to left, giving the Braves a 4-0 lead. Bruce Benedict doubled and Rafael Ramirez singled him home to extend the Braves' lead to 5-0, and Boggs did the rest.

The tragic news of the day came from Hermosillo, Mexico. Francisco Barrios, a former White Sox pitcher scheduled to sign his contract tomorrow with the Milwaukee Brewers, died of an apparent heart attack at the tender age of 28. Barrios had a solid 14-7 record for the White Sox in 1977 (though with a high ERA), but he's best remembered for his faux pas last year when he was picked up for disorderly conduct last year during the strike on June 24 in Chicago. When police asked to see his driver's license, two packets of cocaine fell out of his pocket, leading to his being charged with possession of cocaine. He entered rehab on July 3 and as a result pitched solidly in winter ball, earning a contract from the Brewers. He is survived by his wife and five-year-old daughter. His death, sadly, appears to be drug related.

Frank Pastore fired a three-hitter and Johnny Bench drove in 3 runs in Cincinnati's 7-0 rout of the Giants. Sixto Lezcano doubled home Ruppert Jones to break a 4-4 tie and lift San Diego to an eventual 7-4 win over the Dodgers. Snowed out three straight days in Pittsburgh, Montreal finally played their opener, a 2-0 win over the Phillies courtesy of an Andre Dawson home run and three-hit pitching by Steve Rogers. Bill Buckner's two-run homer and Keith Moreland's two-run single helped lift the Cubs and starter Fergie Jenkins to a 5-0 win over the Mets.

Topping Atlanta's five-run first, Milwaukee stormed out to a 6-0 lead in the top of the first against Toronto to give the Blue Jays their first opening loss at home in franchise history. The Brewers banged out 15 hits in a 15-4 rout that spoiled Bobby Cox's Toronto debut. Rookie Kent Hrbek's solo home run in the 7th was the difference as the Twins edged the Angels in the Metrodome, 2-1. Angry that Tigers Manager Sparky Anderson intentionally walked Willie Mays Aikens to face him - in the first inning, no less - Kansas City's Amos Otis smashed a 1-1 delivery from Jack Morris into the seats for a grand slam that was all the runs the Royals would get - or need - in a 4-2 win over the Tigers. Needing three wins to reach 300, Gaylord Perry went the distance and only gave up five hits. But he also threw three wild pitches and his fielders made five errors. All 3 wild pitches occurred in the span of three batters and Perry's throwing error contributed to a five-run inning, all Oakland would need in 5-3 win. Seattle brought the tying run to the plate twice in the ninth but failed to execute.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

April 10, 1982
Atlanta Braves 8 (W: McWilliams, 1-0; SV: Camp, 1)
Houston Astros 6 (L: Ruhle, 0-1)
4-0
1st place
Lead: 1 game

BRAVES WIN 4TH STRAIGHT; TWINS TRADE SMALLEY TO YANKEES;
EXPOS' GULLICKSON THROWS RECORD-TYING 6 WILD PITCHES - BUT WINS;
HOLDOUT DOESN'T HURT FERNANDO IN WIN

For the third game in a row, the Atlanta Braves roared out to a 5-0 lead against the opponent and held on for an 8-6 win (and 2nd in a row) over the Houston Astros to lift their record to 4-0 out of the starting gate. Every single Braves starting position player reached base at least once and all except Bob Horner got at least one hit. Rookie sensation Brett Butler accounted for three Atlanta runs on two hits and was joined in the "two-hit parade" by Glenn Hubbard and Bruce Bendict. Butler also drove in two runs, accounting for 5 of the 8 Atlanta scores. Steve Bedrosian lasted only 3.2 innings and got a reprieve thanks to a Houston baserunning blunder so reliever Larry McWilliams came on to put out the fire and got the decision. When Gene Garber ran into trouble with two outs in the ninth and couldn't seal the deal, Rick Camp came on to retire Art Howe, the winning run at bat to get his first save of the year.

The Braves scored two quick runs in the bottom of the first that probably should have been more. Butler led off with a single, moved to second on a ground out and then scored on a double by Claudell Washington. Horner then drew a walk and when Astros starter Vern Ruhle balked, both runners moved ahead a base to scoring position with the dangerous Dale Murphy batting. Murphy scored Washington on the sacrifice fly, but Ruhle got Chris Chambliss to end the inning. In the second, Bendict and Rafael Ramirez led off with singles, moved ahead on a successful bunt by Bedrosian, and both scored on Butler's second single. Butler then stole second and came home on Hubbard's single and just 11 batters into the game, the Braves were ahead, 5-0. But Ruhle settled down and retired Washington on a line out to left and struck Murphy out after hitting Horner with a pitch.

But Houston refused to go quietly and quickly got two of the runs back on a walk to Craig Reynolds and a homer by Terry Puhl. When the Braves went in order to end the third, Houston attempted to make a game of it when Jose Cruz singled and Alan Ashby flied out to left. Ray Knight then hit a ball to right that Washington didn't catch - but Cruz held up at first to see if it was caught and Knight passed him on the basepaths, an automatic out while Cruz eventually did make it to second but with two outs. What mighit have been we will never know, but Bedrosian then walked Howe, which would have loaded the bases with one out but for Knight's blunder. Larry McWilliams came on in relief of Bedrosian, and Dickie Thon pinch hit for Reynolds and singled, scoring Cruz to narrow the margin to 5-3. But McWilliams retired pinch-hitter Mike Ivie, and the Braves escaped without further damage.

Atlanta immediately got a run back when McWilliams, who had only 16 career hits in 117 at bats singled. Although McWilliams was retired on a force at second, Butler was on first and motored around the bases on Hubbard's double to lift Atlanta to a 6-3 lead. In the sixth, Ramirez tripled and after McWilliams walked, Ramirez came home on a wild pitch to restore a four-run lead. Then in the seventh, Houston rallied for a run that should have been more. Puhl singled with one out and Phil Garner drove a certain home run to left field. But Murphy, playing left with the faster Butler in center, reached over the low fence at Fulton County Stadium and pulled the ball back in for the second out of the inning, nearly doubling up Puhl at first in the process. Puhl eventually scored, following singles by Tony Scott and Jose Cruz, but McWilliams got Ashby to ground out, 1-3, to end the inning with the Braves still holding a 7-4 lead. Former Brave Frank LaCorte came on for Houston and, after retiring Horner, gave up 3 straight singles, scoring Murphy. Again, maybe Atlanta should have scored more but Larry Whisenton pinch-hit for McWilliams and grounded out to second to end the 7th, bringing Gene Garber on to close out the last two innings. Garber was his usually "sometimes effective, often not" self, keeping Houston alive with an error following a Knight single that wound up resulting in a run to narrow the gap to 8-5. Then came the ninth.

Garber retired the first two hitters before giving up a triple to Ashby, bringing Knight to the plate as the tying run. Horner's error scored Ashby and now Art Howe was at the plate as the potential winning run. Having faced ten batters and had five of them reach base, Garber was gone in favor of Camp, who got Howe to pop out to Horner to third to end the contest. The last time the Braves began a season 4-0, they won the division.

A big trade early as the biggest cheapskates in the game, the Minnesota Twins, wanted to unload the contract of one of the game's best shortstops (when healthy) and found a willing recipient in New York. Roy Smalley, in the second year of a four-year, $2.5 million contract goes to the Big Apple in exchange for three players: pitchers Ron Davis and Paul Boris and minor league shortstop Greg Gagne, who has 3 years of experience under his belt but has yet to see major league pitching. Davis was expendable largely because he's not quite good enough to be a starter, but Rich Gossage is the lights out finisher. Davis was shelled in the World Series last year, facing 17 batters of whom eight scored in 2.1 innings over four games. Smalley's range at shortstop is narrow, but he will make up for it with his hitting.

Joe Morgan's bloop single with one out scored two runs as his new club, the Giants, beat his old one, the Reds, 7-5 in ten innings. Blowing leads of 5-0 and 7-4, the Pirates scored two runs thanks to Mark Littell's throwing error and wild pitch in and held on for an 11-7 win over St Louis. Al Oliver hit a three-run bomb and the Expos routed the Phillies, 11-3, despite Bill Gullickson tying a major league record with a whopping six wild pitches. Gary Carter also homered for Montreal between dodging errant tosses, and Gullickson tied Phil Niekro and J.R. Richard for the dubious record. But Gullickson neither throws with the speed of Richard or the unpredictable knuckleball of Niekro. After a spring holdout and bad press, the 1982 version of Fernando Valenzuela looks a lot like the 1981 version as he scattered five hits over six innings while striking out four in a 7-0 combined shutout over the Padres that Dave Stewart and Dave Goltz completed. Dusty Baker hit his first home run of the season. Pat Zachry pitched 7.2 innings of no-hit ball until Bob Molinaro broke up his quest for history with a single that triggered a four-run eighth inning that wasn't enough as the Mets held on for a 9-5 win over the Cubs. Mets slugger Dave Kingman drove in five runs with a home run and a single.

Barry Bonnell went 5-for-5 and his two out single in the bottom of the tenth scored Damaso Garcia to give Bobby Cox his first victory as an American League manager in Toronto's 3-2 edging of Milwaukee. Boston and Baltimore split a doubleheader. Dennis Eckersley and Scott McGregor each went the distance and both gave up six hits, but three of Boston's were two doubles and a single in the third that scored the only runs of the game in a 2-0 Red Sox win in the opener. Carl Yastrzemski homered in the nightcap, but it wasn't enough as Dennis Martinez earned a 5-3 win. Highly touted prospect Wade Boggs made his debut playing first base and went 0-for-4. Three Texas Rangers home runs belted Rick Waits and the Indians in Cleveland, 8-3. Rookie Kent Hrbek's third home run in 19 at bats was Minnesota's lone run as former Twin Rod Carew drew three walks and scored twice in California's 8-1 triumph at the Metrodome. Steve Renko got the win in relief while Darrell Jackson took the loss. Dennis Leonard took a perfect game into the sixth before walking Lou Whitaker, but combined with relievers Grant Jackson and Dan Quisenberry to allow only one hit in Kansas City's 5-2 triumph over Detroit.

Cardinals Manager Whitey Herzog resigned as General Manager but will remain the on-field skipper. Executive assistant Joe McDonald, whom Herzog says has been doing all the work anyway, will receive the GM title.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

April 11, 1982
Atlanta Braves 5 (W: Mahler, 2-0)
Houston Astros 0 (L: Ryan, 0-2)
5-0
1st place
Lead: 1.5 games

MAHLER'S 2ND SHUTOUT LIFTS BRAVES TO FIRST 5-0 START SINCE '57;
DENT FUMES OVER SMALLEY TRADE;
BLUE LEFT BLUE IN KC DEBUT


Yes, it's early, but you take your omens when you can get them. For the fourth game in a row, the Braves took a 5-0 lead on their opponent, but this time they held the opponent scoreless en route to a 5-0 final score that leaves the Braves with a 5-0 record for the first time since 1957, which just happens to be the last time the Braves won the World Series. Rick Mahler extended his streak going back to last season of 24.1 consecutive scoreless innings with a complete game shutout and home runs by Dale Murphy (his third) and Bob Horner (his first) drove home three of the five Atlanta runs. Houston ace Nolan Ryan allowed four hits in five innings before he was lifted for a pinch-hitter with the Astros trailing, 3-0. Two Houston errors gave the Braves two unearned runs. The Braves now head to face their longtime nemesis, the Cincinnati Reds, as part of a six-game road trip. Although the Braves were a somewhat surprising 6-5 against the team with the best record in baseball last year, the Reds have pounded the Braves to the tune of a 136-62 record since 1970.

Mike Krukow tossed a three-hitter and outdueled Ray Burris as the Phillies edged the Expos, 1-0.

The Padres-Dodgers game in Los Angeles was rained out, a rarity as only ten games have been rained out at Dodger Stadium since the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn prior to the 1958 season.

Ken Forsch went the distance for the Angels and only gave up 3 hits, two to Randy Johnson, but it was enough to lose to the Twins, 3-1. Johnson drove in two runs with a homer and a double. Three Texas Ranger errors and three successful stolen bases lifted Cleveland to a 13-1 rout that saw the Tribe batter five Texas pitchers, including starter and loser Doc Medich. Milwaukee lit up Toronto starter Jim Clancy for seven runs in the first inning and continued the barrage against four Blue Jay relievers in a 14-5 win. Carney Lansford drove in four runs as John Tudor went the distance in a 6-0 Red Sox win over Baltimore. Vida Blue was drafted to play in Kanas City before the Athletics moved to Oakland, so his first KC start with the home team was delayed 14 years until he took the mound today against Detroit. Vida went the distance and only gave up five hits, but consecutive doubles by Enos Cabell and Kirk Gibson along with an error and a sacrifice fly gave Tiger starter Dave Rozema all the runs he needed in a 2-1 win. George Brett's 2nd home run of the year accounted for KC's only run. Kevin Saucier retired the Royals in order to notch the save.

One out from losing to Seattle, Oakland's Jeff Burroughs slugged a solo shot to tie the game at three. The two teams then played seven more innings that included a one-hour 12-minute rain delay. Finally, Seattle chased three runs across the plate in the 16th inning to clinch a 6-3 win.

Then the teams came back out to play the second game of the scheduled doubleheader. Rick Langford outpitched Mike Moore in the nightcap and Oakland split the day with a 3-1 win. If that sounds crazy, a similar occurrence happened in New York with slightly different results. The White Sox won the opener on a triple by Bill Almon and single by Ron LeFlore in the 12th for a 7-6 win and then took the nightcap, 2-0, on a combined shutout by Britt Burns and Salome Barajas.

After the doubleheader, one Yankee starter understandably miffed by the acquisition of Roy Smalley is the previous starter, Bucky Dent, who had a meeting with Yankee owner George Steinbrenner, to let him know he's not a part-time player "and never has been." Let's do some simple math: Bucky hits less than .250, Smalley closer to .270, Smalley is a switch hitter while Bucky isn't, and Smalley hit as many home runs in two seasons as Dent has in his career. And they're about the same fielding percentage-wise but since he's four inches taller, Smalley can also play first base if necessary. This isn't a comparison Dent is going to win, so he'd do well to take what he can get.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

April 12, 1982
Atlanta Braves 6 (W: Walk, 2-0)
Cincinnati Reds 1 (L: Berenyi, 1-1)
6-0
1st place
Lead: 2.5 games

BRAVES NOW 6-0; COX AND SPARKY JUGGLING LINEUPS FOR DIFFERENT REASONS;
MIGHT YANKS TRADE DENT AND SMALLEY TO ANGELS????

Stop me if you've heard this one. The Atlanta Braves go onto a baseball field, take a 5-0 lead and hold on for the win. For the fifth game in a row the Braves followed that exact script but unlike the others, they waited until the 7th inning to extend a narrow 1-0 lead into the insurmountable 5-0 lead on their way to a 6-1 defeat of the Cincinnati Reds, who kept it close for six innings before coming unglued in just four batters in the 7th. Bob Walk pitched a solid 7.2 innings and only gave up one run while striking out five, but he left reliever Rick Camp in a pickle when he left with runners in scoring position and the greatest catcher in the history of Major League Baseball at the plate with the task of narrowing the deficit to one run. But Johnny Bench popped out in foul territory to Bruce Benedict and though there were three more outs to go, for all intents and purposes the game was over.

The first six innings were a classic pitcher's duel as Walk and Reds starter Bruce Berenyi mowed down the hitters, Walk surrendering only two hits and Berenyi allowing a solo shot to Bob Horner in the second but scattering four other hits without damage. But in the seventh, Chris Chambliss led off with a solo home run that apparently snapped Berenyi's focus because he walked Benedict, gave up a sizzling triple to Rafael Ramirez, who has hit safely in all six games, and finished his night by giving up an RBI single to Walk that sent Berenyi to the shower trailing, 4-0. Joe Price came on and through small ball permitted Walk to score, extending the Atlanta lead to 5-0. A Ramirez double in the 8th scored Chambliss, increasing the Atlanta lead to 6-0. But Walk returned ineffective in the bottom of the eighth and gave up a single to Ron Oester between recording two outs and then a Dave Concepcion triple that scored Oester, giving Reds their first run. After a walk to Cesar Cedeno, Walk gave way to Camp, who allowed Cedeno to steal second but got Bench to pop out to end the inning. The Reds went 1-2-3 in the 9th, and the Braves were 6-0 for the first time in the modern era (beginning in 1901).

A long last half inning can be summarized that Jose Cruz led off with a double and eventually scored on a single to lift Houston to a 2-1 win over the Dodgers in the 11th. Jerry Reuss and Joe Niekro dueled for eight innings to a 1-1 tie before the battle of the bullpens began. George Hendrick slammed two homers and Bruce Sutter pitched two innings of shutout relief as the Cardinals held off the Pirates, 5-4. Sutter retired six of seven batters, yielding only a Tony Pena triple. Keith Moreland homered and drove in another run with a single in Chicago's 5-4 edging of the Mets.

Bobby Cox and Sparky Anderson both juggled their lineups before today's Blue Jays-Tigers game, Cox because he's trying to get everyone into the lineup with a platoon at every position and creating a team environment, Anderson because he has no choice thanks to four injured centerfielders, an injured catcher (Lance Parrish), and an injured infielder (Rick Leach). It appears to be working as Team Environment beat Team Injured, 9-5, as Damaso Garcia went 2-for-4 and drove in three and Willie Upshaw homered. Think about it: Garth Iorg and Rance Mulliniks might be the most no-name platoon in the American League, but they have a combined nine hits in the last four games. The 70th home opener in the history of Fenway Park was another Red Sox loss, 3-2, despite the second home run of the year by Carl Yastrzemski. And the Yankees roared out to a 10-1 lead entering the bottom of the 8th and then held on for dear life before beating the Rangers, 10-7. In fact, the Rangers had the tying run at the plate in the form of Bob Johnson (a nephew of Ernie Banks) before Shane Rawley struck him out to end the comeback attempt and notch the save. Dave Righetti was fantastic for seven innings before a sloppy bullpen and shoddy defense (the Yankees had four errors, including a crucial one by Willie Randolph in the ninth) made the game close. As it turned out that wasn't even the biggest story of the day involving the Yankees. A trade rumor developed that is so insane you have to believe there's at least some level of accuracy with George Steinbrenner involved.

This trade would package Roy Smalley, who has been a Yankee for less than 48 hours, and Bucky Dent (the guy who Smalley is basically replacing) to the California Angels in exchange for shortstop Rick Burleson. That rumor broke in a Minnesota newspaper today, and elicited a shocked sound from Angels GM Buzzie Bavasi. The Yankees will probably trade Dent eventually due to his unhappiness, and the Smalley rumor likely is because his uncle, Gene Mauch, is the Angels manager. Baltimore is interested in Dent until Cal Ripken Jr. fully develops into a shortstop (he's currently playing third), but given the Orioles are the favorites in the AL East, New York is unlikely to "help" Baltimore.