1982 Atlanta Braves Retrospective

[selmaborntidefan]

June 12, 1982
Atlanta Braves 10 (Niekro, 5-2; SV: Hrabosky, 2)
San Francisco Giants 5 (L: Gale, 2-5)
35-21
1st place
2 games ahead

BRAVES WIN 5TH IN A ROW WITH 10-5 ROMP OVER SF;
CUBS LOSE 12TH IN A ROW;
RIPKEN'S HR CARRIES O'S TO WIN OVER YANKS

Glenn Hubbard drove home four runs and Bob Horner had five hits to power the Atlanta Braves over the Giants, 10-5, in San Francisco to give the Braves their fifth consecutive win. The Braves continue to dominate the NL West, lifting their overall record to 17-3 against the division that includes a 13-0 record in road games. Phil Niekro pitched five shutout innings for his fifth win of 1982, but it was his replacement, Larry McWilliams, who let the Giants back into the game by failing to retire any of the four batters he faced entering the sixth, all of whom scored to narrow the 7-0 score to 7-4. McWilliams saw his season ERA climb to 6.47.

Chris Welsh blanked the Astros on four hits, and Luis Salazar's two-run homer keyed a four-run inning in San Diego's 4-0 win over Houston. The Padres are 9-2 in their last 11. Manny Sarmiento, making only his second start since 1979, scattered six hits and singled home two runs in the Pirates' 9-2 thumping of Mike Krukow and the Phillies. Al Oliver's two-run RBI double highlighted a three-run inning that lifted the Expos to a 7-5 win over the Cubs, the 12th straight defeat for Chicago. Mike Jorgensen and Ron Hodges both homered and Craig Swan had his best outing in two years as the Mets beat the Cardinals, 6-2. Dusty Baker socked a two-run homer and Steve Garvey added a solo shot that was just enough to carry the Dodgers to a 4-3 win over the Reds.

Cal Ripken Jr's bottom of the 8th two-run home run was the difference in Baltimore's 5-3 win over the Yankees. It was the rookie's second homer in two games. Larry Herndon homered and Tom Brookens added a two-run shot to support the nine-hit pitching of starter Milt Wilcox in Detroit's 7-3 triumph over the Brewers. Designated hitter Lamar Johnson's two-out single in the 8th scored Doug Flynn and lifted the Rangers to a 4-3 win over the Twins. Rick Sweet's sacrifice fly scored the game winner and gave Gene Nelson his fourth win in the last five starts as Seattle toppled Kansas City, 3-2. Ken Forsch tossed a 3-hitter and Doug DeCinces drove home two as the California Angels beat the White Sox, 3-0, before the largest crowd to attend a game this season so far at Comiskey Park. Rickey Henderson and Jeff Newman homered while Rick Langford scattered four hits and went the distance in Oakland's 8-1 win over Toronto. Carl Yastrzemski's second run-scoring single broke a 3-3 tie and ignited a Boston rally that lifted the Red Sox to a 6-4 win over the Indians.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

June 13, 1982
Game One:
San Francico Giants 2 (W: Martin, 2-3; SV: Minton, 10)
Atlanta Braves 1 (L: Dayley, 2-3)

Game Two:
Atlanta Braves 5 (W: Camp, 4-3; SV: Garber 11)
San Francisco Giants 1 (L: Hammaker, 3-4)

36-22
1st place
1.5 games ahead

BRAVES GIVE UP 3 RUNS, SPLIT DOUBLEHEADER;
CUBS LOSE 13TH STRAIGHT ON 10TH INNING HR;
BREWERS SMASH 5 HRS IN ROUT OF TIGERS

If you had told the Atlanta Braves this morning that they'd hold the San Francisco Giants to 3 runs in 18 innings across two games, the Braves likely would have thought this meant they had won a sweep of the scheduled doubleheader and extended their winning streak to seven games as well as their road record versus NL West teams to 15-0. But the Giants got a better performance in the opener as Renie Martin went 8.1 innings and scattered 7 hits in San Francisco's 2-1 win. Ken Dayley gave up only 3 hits in 7 innings for the Braves, but combined with his 5 walks it was enough to saddle him with the loss. Each starter made one bad pitch and both were sent flying into the seats on solo shots from Bob Horner and Jack Clark. Clark's proved to be the game winner. The Giants dodged a bullet in the 9th, however, as the Braves found themselves with Dale Murphy at third on a double by Horner and only one out. But Murphy was thrown out at home, and the Giants then faced Claudell Washington with the bases loaded and two outs. The rail thin outfielder flied out to center to end the game and earn Greg Minton his 10th save. Perhaps frustrated by his failure at the end of the first game, Murphy gave spot starter Rick Camp all he would need in the nightcap when he socked a two-run bomb off Giants' starter Atlee Hammaker, which turned out to be enough to win the game. Although the Braves only scored one run with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth, Camp needed little on this day, as he scattered nine hits and got his fourth win of the year.

Tim Wallach homered off Willie Hernandez with two outs in the tenth to lift Montreal to a 5-3 win over Chicago, the 13th straight defeat for the Cubs. Alan Wiggins singled in the tying run in the seventh and then wound up scoring the winning run courtesy of a stolen base and two throwing errors as San Diego closed to with 1 1/2 games of Atlanta in a 5-4 win over Houston. Bruce Berenyi and Tom Hume combined on a six hitter while Alex Trevino drove in two runs and Larry Biittner and Ron Oester drove in one each to earn the Reds a split in the finale of their four-game series with the Dodgers, 4-2. The scheduled games between the Cardinals-Mets and Phillies-Pirates were both rained out and will be made up at a later date. The same happened with the scheduled Orioles-Yankees game in the AL.

Trailing 3-2 after seven innings, the California Angels rallied with five late runs, keyed by Don Baylor's RBI double that was part of a four-run Angels 8th that defeated the Chicago White Sox, 7-4. Geoff Zahn won his 7th decision while Reggie Jackson socked his 10th homer of the year for the Angels. The Milwaukee Brewers socked five home runs, including two off the bat of Gorman Thomas, en route to a 13-5 pounding of the Detroit Tigers. Don Money, Robin Yount, and Ben Oglivie also homered for the Brewers. A two-run seventh inning shot by Tony Armas was the difference as the Athletics topped the Blue Jays, 7-5. Rickey Henderson stole four bases to lift his record-setting pace to 62. Oakland stole six overall, and Toronto Manager Bobby Cox mused after the game, "He's not a base stealer, he's a thief!" The Mariners overcame the shock of a line drive off the head of starting pitcher Floyd Bannister, who recovered and scattered five hits in seven innings to help Seattle beat Kansas City, 7-1. The shot to Bannister came off the bat of Willie Wilson, but the lanky pitcher recovered enough to throw out the speedster at first. The Texas Rangers chased seven runs across the plate in the first inning and took a quick 8-0 lead in a 10-4 home laugher against the hapless Twins. It was Jack O'Connor's second major league start. Thus far in his starts, O'Connor has pitched 5 2/3 innings with a 12.91 ERA.

Randy Bobb, who had a ten-game major league career with the Cubs on 1968-69, was killed in an auto accident today in Carnelian Bay, California. Bobb struck out 3 times in 10 plate appearances and singled off Atlanta starter Ron Reed for his only major league hit.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

June 14, 1982
Houston Astros 9 (W: Niekro, 6-4)
Atlanta Braves 0 (L: Mahler, 6-5)
36-23
1st place
1.5 games ahead

NIEKRO ROUTS THE BRAVES;
DUSTY BAKER'S 11TH INNING HR WINS IT FOR LA;
CUBS END 13-GAME STREAK WITH 19 HITS

Joe Niekro scattered six hits and Denny Walling knocked in three runs, including two on a home run, as the Astros obliterated the Atlanta Braves, 9-0, in the Astrodome. Every starting Houston position player had at least one hit while Niekro went the distance and struck out six while walking only two. At one point, Phil's brother retired 18 of 19 hitters, including 11 in a row. The Astros banged out 15 hits and were 2-for-4 stealing on the night.

Don Robinson struck out ten Mets but Ellis Valentine's two-run home run was enough to lead New York to a 2-1 win over the Pirates. Pete Falcone allowed but five hits through 8 innings before Neil Allen notched his 15th save with a scoreless 9th. Dusty Baker's 11th inning home run was the game winner as the Dodgers edged the Padres, 4-3, before the second largest crowd in San Diego baseball history. Darrell Porter tripled home Ken Oberkfell and then scored himself on Dane Iorg's sacrifice fly to lead St Louis to a 2-1 win over Montreal. The Chicago Cubs won for the first time since May 29 as they rapped out 19 hits but committed six errors in a harrowing 12-11 escape win over the Phillies in a game that saw a 20 mph wind blowing out of Wrigley Field. How weird was it? Pete Rose hit his first home run since June 30, 1980. The Cubs took a 12-7 lead into the 9th and then watched as Philly cut the gap to one thanks to a three-run shot from Gary Matthews followed by Mike Schmidt singling, going to second on a wild pitch, and scoring on two ground outs to cut the lead to one. Bill Campbell got Luis Aguayo to ground into a fielder's choice to end the game, but the fact remains the Cubs blew leads of 6-0, 9-3, and 12-7 before escaping with the win.

Dan Ford drilled a pinch-hit grand slam homer in the 7th that helped break a 4-4 tie and carried the Baltimore Orioles to a 9-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. It was Baltimore's sixth pinch-hit home run on the season, and the Orioles are 8-1 in their last nine games. Len Barker threw a complete game gem while Rick Sutcliffe worked into the 9th before being bailed out by Dan Spillner as Cleveland swept the Tigers in a doubleheader by scores of 5-0 and 2-1 to end their five-game losing streak. Andre Thornton hit his 18th homer for the Tribe. Tony Armas hit a third-inning sacrifice fly that decided the game in the third inning, and Rickey Henderson stole his 63th base in Oakland's 4-2 win over Toronto. Paul Splittorff and Dan Quisenberry combined to limit Minnesota to five hits, and George Brett hit a solo homer in Kansas City's 3-0 win over the Twins, who are now 2-22 in their last 24 games. Jim Beattie and Mike Stanton combined on a three-hitter while Bruce Bochte, Al Cowens, and Dave Henderson all hit solo homers in Seattle's 4-0 win over Texas. The Mariners are 5-1 in their last six. Trade rumors are dogging Dave Collins as the deadline approaches tomorrow, but if he leaves, he goes out with a bang. A thus far disappointing outfielder acquired in the offseason, Collins started at first tonight and hit his first home run since August 30, 1981 to carry the Yankees to a 5-1 win over the Red Sox. Ron Guidry, off to his best start since 1978, outdueled Dennis Eckersley to raise Guidry's record to 8-1. Louisiana Lightning struck out 7 and walked 3 while giving up one earned run on a two-out single by Carl Yastrzemski.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

June 15, 1982
Atlanta Braves 7 (W: Walk, 6-4)
Houston Astros 0 (L: Knepper, 2-8)
37-23
1st place
2.5 games ahead

HORNER, WALK LEAD ATLANTA IN 7-0 WIN;
HOYT BECOMES FIRST 10-GAME WINNER;
NORDHAGEN TRADED TWICE IN ONE DAY

Bob Walk scattered four hits and struck out five in a dazzling complete game performance while Bob Horner drove home three runs with a pair of doubles as the Atlanta Braves thumped the Houston Astros, 7-0, to maintain their lead in the NL West. Starter Bob Knepper and four Houston relievers were blistered for 14 hits and 7 runs.

Jerry Reuss continues to shine as he tossed a five-hitter for his 150th career win in the Dodgers' 3-0 win over the San Diego Padres. Los Angeles is 7.5 games behind first-place Atlanta. Rookie Willie McGee's RBI single in the bottom of the 11th broke him out of a 1-for-16 slump and lifted the first-place St Louis Cardinals to a 3-2 win over the second-place Montreal Expos. Bruce Sutter pitched two shutout innings for his fifth win on the season. Every starter for the Pittsburgh Pirates had at least one base hit in a 17-hit barrage against three Mets pitchers that saw the Pirates and Rick Rhoden win, 13-3. Tom Seaver's struggles continue as he faced 11 batters and 8 reached base in San Francsico's 4-3 win over Cincinnati. The loss drops Tom Terrific to 3-7 on the year. Jay Johnstone's third homer of the year sparked the Cubs to their second straight win with an 8-5 triumph over the Phillies at Wrigley Field, the fourth straight loss for Philadelphia.

LaMarr Hoyt became the first big league pitcher to reach ten wins with a masterful three-hit shutout over Oakland, 7-0. Ken Griffey's two-run shot off Mark Clear in the 8th keyed a three-run inning as the Yankees edged the Red Sox, 5-4. Robin Yount hit a two-run home run in the first and later hit a two-run triple in the 8th following a crucial error by rookie shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. to lead the Brewers over the Orioles, 6-3. Gorman Thomas drilled his 13th home run for Milwaukee. Dave Hostetler hit a pair of home runs that drove in three runs and Texas beat Seattle for the first time in 1982 by a score of 5-2. John Wathan had two hits and scored three runs while Kansas City rookie pitcher Bud Black won his first major league game (in his second start) with a 7-4 win over the Minnesota Twins, who fell to 3-23 in their last 26 contests. Jim Clancy scattered five hits and Mike Witt lost it in the 9th as the Blue Jays won, 2-0, on Dave Revering's two-run shot with one out in the top of the 9th over the Angels.

The Giants sold Dan Schatzeder to the Expos. Wayne Nordhagen, who spent parts of the previous six seasons with the White Sox before being traded on April 2, was traded TWICE today in a matter of hours, making three trades for the catcher in about ten weeks. The Blue Jays sent him to the Phillies for Dick Davis and mere hours later, he was traded from the Phillies to the Pirates for outfielder Bill Robinson. And the Yankees signed infielder Rodney Scott as a free agent.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

June 16, 1982
Atlanta Braves 5 (W: Garber, 5-2)
Houston Astros 4 (L: Cappuzzello, 0-1)
10 innings
38-23
1st place
3.5 games ahead

ONE OUT FROM LOSS, BRAVES RALLY TO WIN;
SANDBERG'S 11TH INNING HIT LIFTS CUBS;
VIOLA WINS 1ST BIG LEAGUE GAME

Phil Niekro and Don Sutton have a combined 492 career wins (245 for Niekro, 247 for Sutton), but it was relievers who settled tonight's game in the Astrodome where a solo home run by Chris Chambliss
in the top of 10th against George Cappuzzello proved to be the game winner when Gene Garber navigated a tough bottom of the inning but held on for the save in Atlanta's 5-4 win over the Astros. Houston put the tying run on second with one out but failed with three attempts to tie the score. Houston blew an early 3-0 lead when Sutton and then relievers Danny Boone and Verne Ruhle surrendered runs that forced extras.

Terry Puhl socked two home runs for the Astros off Niekro, providing Houston with 3 of their 4 total runs. But the knuckleballer weaved his way into and out of trouble all night, pitching just well enough to keep Atlanta close. Sutton, meanwhile, struck out seven Braves and moved into tenth place on the all-time strikeout list ahead of legend Cy Young, with 2824 Ks. He was undone by a sequence in the fifth inning that allowed the Braves two runs when Bruce Benedict singled and scored on Randy Johnson's double, and Johnson scored on an error by Ray Knight. Despite giving up only 3 hits, Sutton left with a 3-2 lead that fell apart when Claudell Washington hit a solo shot off Boone in the 8th. With two outs in the 9th, Bruce Benedict singled and gave way to Brett Butler as a pinch-runner. The speedy rookie advanced to third on a single by Rufino Linares and then scored when former Astro Bob Watson delivered a pinch-hit single that tied the game against his old mates. The Chambliss homer sent Houston into the cellar after the Astros have made the postseason each of the last two years.

Andre Dawson's three-run doubled capped a five-run second and sent Montreal well on their way to an 8-3 win over St Louis. Rookie Ryne Sandberg's RBI single with one out in the 11th lifted the Cubs to their third straight win over the Phillies, 7-6. Cesar Cedeno slammed two homers and drove in six runs as the Reds - or more precisely Cedeno - trounced the Giants, 7-3. Bob Welch pitched a three-hitter and Pedro Guererro hit a home run as the Dodgers shut out the Padres for the second straight game, this time by a score of 8-0.

His parents came to see him pitch, and despite the woes of the Minnesota Twins, Frank Viola was up to the task. In the first road start of his three-game big league career, Viola went 7 innings and left with a 3-1 lead as the Twins put aside their struggles for one night to beat the Royals, 5-2. Tom Brunansky's two-run shot in the 8th put the game away for the Twins. Manny Castillo hit a bases loaded two-run double in Seattle's three-run second and Julio Cruz socked a three-run homer to give Gaylord Perry win number 302 in the Mariners' 7-3 win over Texas. Salome Barojas balked in the tying run in the 9th, but Greg Luzinski singled home speedy Ron LeFlore from second to lift the White Sox to a 7-6 win over Oakland. Barojas got the win. A rainstorm with the game tied at 2 in the 9th inning resulted in the Brewers-Orioles game being called off. The game has been moved to the last weekend of the season if necessary. Ken Griffey slugged his fourth homer of the year and Dave Righetti scattered 3 hits as the Yankees won a rain shortened 4-1 triumph over the Red Sox. Bob Boone drove in two runs and Don Baylor slugged a two-run homer as the Angels thumped the Blue Jays, y7-1.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

June 17, 1982
Travel day
38-23
1st place
3.5 games ahead

ANGELS MOVE INTO FIRST

Alan Trammell's error on a hard two-out smash by Gorman Thomas scored Ned Yost in the 11th inning and was enough to give the Milwaukee Brewers a 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers. The defeat, combined with Boston's 6-3 win over Cleveland dropped the Tigers to 1 1/2 games behind the Red Sox in the AL East. Trammell, who won a Gold Glove in 1980 and made no errors in this season's first 35 games has now committed 7 errors in the last 21 games, this after making only 9 in the entire strike shortened 1981 season last year. Detroit starter Dan Petry worked 10 innings and gave up but two runs on eight hits, but Milwaukee's Mike Caldwell was even better, scattering just four hits over his ten innings, two of those solo home runs by Lance Parrish and Mike Ivie. Rollie Fingers retired Detroit in the bottom of the 11th to pick up his 13th save. The California Angels raced out to an early 8-0 lead on the Blue Jays thanks to a six-run third inning, but Toronto rallied with a four-run ninth and had the tying run at the plate with one out when Lloyd Moseby popped to third and Willie Upshaw struck out to end the comeback attempt. The Angels beat the Blue Jays, 10-8, and moved ahead of idle Kansas City into first place in the AL West. Bobby Grich hit his 8th home run for California. Tony Bernazard committed three errors at second base but knocked in four runs to propel the White Sox to an 11-7 win over Oakland. Rickey Henderson had one attempted steal and was thrown out by Carlton Fisk, the 18th time he's been caught this year. Buddy Bell's three-run double capped a four-run third and helped Texas beat Seattle, 5-1. Karl Pagel strode to the plate in the bottom of the 9th as the potential game-tying run when Cleveland attempted to rally from a 6-0 deficit, but Mark Clear struck him out to notch his 11th save and retain Boston's 6-3 win over the Indians.

Bill Buckner, Jay Johnstone, and Bump Wills all homered as Chicago thumped Montreal, 12-8, to give the Cubs their fifth straight victory following a 13-game losing streak. Cesar Cedeno, hitting .370 since early May, continued his hot streak with a first inning two-run double that helped the Reds top the Giants, 4-2. Charlie Leibrandt won his third game of the season. Gary Matthews drilled two solo home runs, the second in the 11th inning, to end Philadelphia's five-game losing streak in a 4-3 win over in-state rival Pittsburgh.

The Atlanta Braves return home for a seven-game homestand against the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Braves lead the second place San Diego Padres by 3.5, the third place Dodgers by 7.5, and the fourth place Giants by 11.5.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

June 18, 1982
Atlanta Braves 8 (W: Dayley, 3-3; SV: Camp, 5)
San Francisco Giants 3 (L: Martin, 2-4)
39-23
1st place
4.5 games ahead

BENEDICT'S 4 RBIs LEAD BRAVES

Stop me if you've heard this one already in 1982.

The Braves score five quick runs and cruise to a victory as a lesser light has a good game, and the shaky bullpen puts it together enough to ensure a win. It's happened several times this year, and it happened again tonight. Bruce Benedict, Atlanta's light-hitting catcher, went 2-for-4, scored twice, and drove home four runs with an RBI single and a two-run homer, to almost carry the Braves to victory offensively by himself. Starter Ken Dayley got behind in the first thanks to an error, but he managed to get to the sixth and pitch well enough to get his third career win. He was pulled after walking a batter with two outs in the sixth while leading, 6-2, and Rick Camp went the rest of the way and allowed just one run.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

June 19, 1982
San Francisco Giants 9 (W: Lavelle, 4-2)
Atlanta Braves 4 (Garber, 5-3)
39-24
1st place
3.5 games ahead

CHILI'S SLAM BURIES BRAVES

The warning signs are there if anyone wishes to pay attention: the Atlanta Braves are in first place, but their bullpen is shakier than the San Andreas fault. One night after getting some stellar bullpen work from Rick Camp, the Braves were three outs from a 4-3 win over the Giants when San Francisco tied it off closer Gene Garber. As if that weren't bad enough, an error gave the Giants the lead and then just to be sure, Chili Davis launched a moonshot into the night off Steve Bedrosian for a grand slam and to put the game out of reach that just moments earlier the Braves were sure they had in the bag. The Giants scored six runs off the Atlanta bullpen before the Braves could record three outs, and they turned Gary Lavelle from "the guy who stopped the bleeding" into the winning pitcher.

Any fan who went to bed early is surely in shock this morning. One of those normal time passing NL games occurred, where nobody scores more than one run in a particular inning, and neither team takes much of a lead. With the game tied at 3 in the seventh, Rufino Linares connected for his first home run of 1982, and the Braves appeared to be in good shape. Rick Mahler had pitched well, and Garber had closed out the 8th inning for him. But in mere moments, the victory celebration was put on ice - and then put away.

Milt May singled to lead off the 9th and Max Venable replaced the catcher in hopes of scoring the tying run. Champ Summers singled Venable to third, putting runners at the corners with nobody out, and bringing Al Hrabosky into the game in hopes of salvaging the win. Darrell Evans forced Summers at second, but Venable scored to tie the game with one out. After Hrabosky struck out Tom O'Malley, Bob Brenly pinch-hit for Lavelle and singled, Evans going to third on an throwing error by rookie Randy Johnson. A single by Johnnie LeMaster scored Evans, giving the Giants the lead, and not wanting to put the game out of reach with a home run, Atlanta opted to walk Joe Morgan, loading the bases. Steve Bedrosian came on and after falling 2-1 behind Davis in the count, Bedrock watched helplessly as Chili lifted a ball to right field that carried into the bleachers for Davis' first career grand slam and gave the Giants a 9-4 lead, which is how it ended. It was sweet redemption for May to begin the comeback as he had dropped a throw from the outfield that would have nailed Claudell Washington at the plate and netted the Braves their first run...a throw from Davis.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

June 20, 1982
San Francisco Giants 5 (W: Laskey, 6-4; SV: Minton, 11)
Atlanta Braves 3 (L: Walk, 6-5)
39-25
1st place
3.5 games ahead

 

[selmaborntidefan]

June 21, 1982
Atlanta Braves 7 (W: Camp, 5-3)
San Francisco Giants 6 (L: Minton, 3-4)
40-25
1st place
3.5 games ahead

3-RUN 9TH SAVES ATLANTA IN 7-6 WIN;
AARON WANTS INTERLEAGUE PLAY

The Atlanta Braves' bullpen woes are well-established, but lesser known is that their bench is apparently deeper than first imagined. Three consecutive pinch-hitters reached base in the bottom of the 9th to ignite an Atlanta rally and lift the Braves to a 7-6 win over the San Francisco Giants after the vulnerable bullpen and erratic reliever Rick Camp had seemingly let the opponent win another game late. Chris Chambliss' fourth hit of the ninth with the bases loaded scored Claudell Washington from third to seal the Atlanta comeback against Giants reliver Greg Minton and earn the Braves a split in the four-game series. The Braves became the second team in the majors and only team in the NL to reach 40 wins this season as Boston's 5-1 triumph over Detroit ended a few minutes before Atlanta completed their comeback. The two teams were joined by the California Angels, who won on the West Coast hours later.

The Braves scored quickly off rookie Alan Fowlkes when leadoff batter Brett Butler singled to right and then advanced to third on an errant pickoff throw. Washington singled Butler home, but an early Braves rally was squelched when Dale Murphy bounced into a double play. The lead was short-lived as Darrell Evans took a delivery from his former teammate, Phil Niekro, into the bleachers to tie the game at one in the top of the 2nd. Evans scored the Giants' second run in his next plate appearance as he walked and then scored on a Jim Wohlford double that saw Wohlford go to third on a Murphy error. Bob Brenly singled Wohlford home to extend the Giants lead to 3-1. Brenly, the team's catcher, stole second without damage, but the Braves learned nothing as in his next plate appearance, Brenly walked, stole second and then scored on a base hit, putting the Giants up 4-1.

After having a forgettable five innings, all was forgiven when Murphy began the sixth by slamming his league-leading 21st home run, a solo shot that cut the lead to two runs. Bob Horner then doubled, spelling the end for Fowlkes, and Al Holland became the only Giants pitcher to retire Chambliss this night as he induced a ground out back to the mound. But with one out, Brenly was called for catcher's interference, putting Bruce Benedict on base. Randy Johnson singled, scoring Horner and putting Benedict in position to tie the game. Rufino Linares singled, loading the bases, and now Manager Joe Torre had the bases loaded with one out and Butler due at the plate. Fearing a double play, Torre opted to replace the speedy Butler with the slugger Bob Watson, hoping for lighting to strike in the form of a grand slam. Watson hit a ball to center deep enough to score Benedict, but it wound up a double play when Johnson was nailed attempting to advance to third. The game was now tied, but the Braves had blown another chance to blow the game open - and Butler was now on the bench.

Rick Camp came into the game in another long relief role and after retiring the first two hitters was betrayed by the Atlanta defense. Washington's error put Johnnie LeMaster at second and he scored to give the Giants the lead, 5-4, when Joe Morgan singled to right. With two outs in the top of the 9th, Chili Davis again connected for a home run, and it appeared the icing was on the cake as the Giants now led, 6-4. A repeated replacement sequence wound up putting Gary Lavelle against Jerry Royster, and the longtime utility man drew a walk to open the bottom of the 9th. Linares grounded out to short, but Royster, in motion on the play, advanced to second. Pinch-hitter Larry Whisenton then tripled Royster home, and just like that, the Braves had the tying run at third with one out. When pinch-hitter Biff Pocoroba singled Whisenton home, the game was tied, and the Braves had the winning run at first. Needing more speed than a catcher usually has, Glenn Hubbard came on to run for Pocoroba and moved to second when Washington singled past short. Both runners moved ahead when new pitcher Greg Minton threw a wild pitch, leaving the Giants no option but to pick their poison: Murphy or Horner? They opted to walk Murphy, setting up the force at every base with one out. This strategy paid off at first because Horner bounced to short, and Hubbard was forced at home, leaving the bases loaded with two out. But Chambliss, who already had three hits on the night, singled into center, and Washington crossed the plate with the winning run as the Braves escaped with a win, 7-6.

Hank Aaron, who will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in about six weeks, opined about the possibility of interleague play in the majors, and he's all in favor of it. The baseball legend said the one regret of his career was not getting to play more games against all-time greats like Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams and baseball should rectify this by moving to at least a limited schedule of interleague games. Aaron noted he had only faced those two guys in All-Star Games or (in Mantle's case) the World Series. He mused about the fact that when he returned to Milwaukee to play for the Brewers in his final two seasons, he got to play in ballparks he'd never been able to visit previously because he was now in the American League. The only game Aaron played in Fenway Park prior to 1975 was when he was on NL All-Star team in 1961. Aaron simultaneously endorsed the idea of MLB saving on travel costs by structuring the leagues geographically - for example, have a Western United States league (or at least a division) that includes teams like the six West Coast teams, the two Texas teams, the two Missouri teams, the Twins, and the White Sox. Aaron's proposal is thoughtful, but it has an immediate obvious problem: the two leagues play a different type of baseball where the pitcher is concerned because the AL has the designated hitter. And while it sounds appealing to say that the NL thus has an advantage because they get to just add a batter, the fact they are not designed for this full-time actually creates a disadvantage unless you have a .280 hitter sitting on the bench a lot in the NL. Most NL staffs will still have an extra pitcher (because they must). One possible way around this would be to expand the rosters by one player each and require the pitching to staff to be a certain number of players. But will the extra player(s) offset some of the money allegedly gained from travel cost saving? It's a thoughtful idea, and it may eventually happen. Right now, however, baseball has to recover from the damage they inflicted on themselves with last year's strike before they make any radical changes.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

June 22, 1982
Los Angeles Dodgers 4 (W: Stewart, 2-4; SV: Howe, 4)
Atlanta Braves 1 (L: Bedrosian, 3-1)
40-26
1st place
3.5 games ahead

INJURED LA STARTER HELPS DODGERS BEAT BRAVES
CAREW'S 25-GAME HIT STREAK ENDS;
ROSE PASSES AARON FOR #2 ON ALL-TIME HIT LIST;
STEINBRENNER WHINES, WILL SEND VIDEO TO LEAGUE OFFICE

Vicente Romo twisted his knee, and Dodgers Manager Tom Lasorda was compelled to replace Romo with his fastball-throwing reliever Dave Stewart in hopes of stopping the fastball-hitting Atlanta Braves. Everything came up violets (roses are red, violets are blue) as the Dodgers topped the first-place Braves, 4-1, largely on the backs - and bats - of Steve Garvey and Dusty Baker. Each hit solo shots, Garvey in the second inning and Baker in the third, while Stewart scattered three hits over five innings and one unearned run thanks to an error by Baker while getting his second win. Atlanta opted to spot start Steve Bedrosian to give their rotation a day of rest, and while he wasn't terrible, he left after five innings trailing, 3-1, and struck out five.

Pete Rose doubled with two outs in the third inning, scoring Ivan DeJesus. The hit, off rookie John Stuper, is the 3,772nd of Rose's glorious career, moving him past Hall of Fame-elect member Hank Aaron and into second place on the all-time hits list. Rose is now 419 hits from tying Ty Cobb as the all-time leader, and 228 hits from reaching the 4,000 mark. He's also 41 years old, so the unlikelihood of him passing the record grows each day. The Cardinals won the game, 3-2, thanks to a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the 8th. Aaron was not present at Busch Stadium to see Rose pass him on the list, but Rose waved it off with the observation that he and Aaron are friends and his bigger disappointment was his son, Pete Jr., was not there. Six years ago today, eventual Cy Young winner Randy Jones tied the major league record by going 68 consecutive innings without walking a batter. Tonight, he walked the first four batters of the game before getting the hook, and three of them scored, leading Montreal to a 4-3 edging of the New York Mets. A throwing error by Luis Salazar scored Eddie Milner with the go-ahead run in a key 3-run rally late that lifted the Cincinnati Reds to a 7-5 win over the San Diego Padres. Vern Ruhle, who alternates between being a fifth starter and a long reliever, tossed a complete game three-hitter to give Houston a 2-0 win over San Francisco. John Candelaria, Dave Parker, and Jim Morrison each had two RBIs while rookie Johnny Ray had three hits and scored twice in Pittsburgh's 9-2 rout of the Cubs.

Rod Carew, he of the seven batting titles, saw his 25-game hit streak end in California's 4-0 shutout loss to Rick Honeycutt and the Texas Rangers. Not a bad hitting streak for a batter who broke his hand earlier this season. The Milwaukee Brewers have caught fire under new Manager Harvey Kuenn, and they jumped out to a 3-2 lead at the end of the second inning - and neither team scored the rest of the way as Pete Vuckovich won his ninth game. Yankee principal owner George Steinbrenner was as hot as the Brewers but for a different reason, complaining that the umpires blew two calls that affected the outcome of the game. His team gets only five hits, and he blames the umpires for his team's loss. Rookie Wade Boggs socked his first major league home run in the bottom of the 11th at Fenway Park to cap a Boston rally and give the Red Sox a 5-4 win over Detroit. Boston was down to their last out trailing by two when Dwight Evans socked a two-run shot off of Milt Wilcox to force extra innings. Julio Cruz stole third and scored on a throwing error by catcher Buck Martinez to lift Seattle to a 6-5 win over fellow expansion team Toronto. Bud Black and Dan Quisenberry combined to limit Oakland to six hits, and "Quiz" earned his 20th save in Kansas City's 2-1 win over the Athletics. Rookie Von Hayes keyed a six-run Cleveland inning with a triple to start it and a two-run single to end it as the Indians held off the Orioles, 8-6. Baltimore starter Sammy Stewart left the game in the second with sore knees. Ron LeFlore snapped a 5-5 tie in the bottom of the 8th with a leadoff home run to give the White Sox their sixth win in eight games, 6-5, over the hapless Minnesota Twins.

The Blue Jays, who just picked up Dick Davis from the Phillies last week, sent Davis back to Pennsylvania in a trade with the Pirates for a "player to be named later."

 

[selmaborntidefan]

June 23, 1982
Atlanta Braves 7 (W: Mahler, 7-5)
Los Angeles Dodgers 2 (L: Valenzuela, 9-6)
41-26
1st place
4.5 games ahead

MAHLER'S HR, 7-HITTER BEAT LA;
EXPOS IN 1ST; TIGERS LOSE 10TH STRAIGHT;
OAKLAND PULLS BATTING ORDER OUT OF HAT, STILL LOSES

Rick Mahler socked the first home run of his major league career and scattered 7 hits while going the distance and striking out 5 as the Braves avenged last night's loss with a 7-2 thumping of Dodgers ace Fernando Valenzuela. After allowing three of the first four batters he faced to reach base - and one to score - Mahler only surrendered one hit until the 9th, when another three-hit sequence netted Los Angeles their last run. Mahler got Ron Cey to bounce into a game-ending 4-6-3 double play and left the mound with his 7th win and fifth complete game of 1982. But perhaps nothing was as surprising as his home run.

After falling behind 1-0 in the first, it only took the Braves five batters to take the lead. Claudell Washington greeted Valenzuela with a double, and Glenn Hubbard attempted to bunt Washington to third and wound up with runners at the corners with nobody out on an excellently placed attempted sacrifice. After Chris Chambliss struck out, Dale Murphy walked to load the bases for Bob Horner, who singled home both Washington and Hubbard to give the Braves a 2-1 lead. Murphy then scored on an infield out, and while the Braves could have had more, they went back into the field with a 3-1 lead. Mahler, as noted, hit his stride, retiring 17 of the next 18 batters and permitting just one walk. By the time Ron Cey broke the seeming spell Mahler had on the Dodgers, the game was hopelessly out of reach, thanks to an Atlanta rally in the sixth.

Valenzuela surrendered four straight singles to Murphy, Horner, Rufino Linares, and Bruce Benedict, which netted the Braves two more runs and spelled the end for Fernando. Rookie Alejandro Pena came on and appeared to have put out the fire when he got Rafael Ramirez to bounce into a double play, bringing Mahler to bat with Linares on and two outs. Mahler was an acceptable 10-for-34 for a pitcher with one career double and 2 RBIs, so Pena likely felt he had the advantage. Trying to get ahead in the count, Pena threw one right across the plate on the first pitch, and Mahler drilled it into the seats for a two-run shot that gave him a 7-1 lead in a game he was dominating on the mound. Mahler later singled in his last at bat. The win leaves the Braves 4.5 games ahead of the Padres and 6.5 ahead of the defending World Series champion Dodgers.

The Montreal Expos, who lost last year's NLCS to the Dodgers in the 9th inning, moved into first place (as predicted in the preseason) with a 5-0 win over the Mets that saw Warren Cromartie sock two homers and starter Steve Rogers scatter 8 hits and strike out 7 in his 9th win. Mike Krukow scattered seven hits and drove in a run while Manny Trillo had 3 RBIs to help the Phillies end a three-game losing streak with 7-1 win over St Louis. The Cardinals are out of first place for the first time since April 15. Junior Kennedy's RBI single in the tenth off of Randy Niemann gave the Cubs a 6-5 win over the Padres, who had just tied the game in the bottom of the ninth. The San Francisco Giants squandered a 6-1 lead, but pinch-hitter Max Venable singled in the winning run in the 8th of a 9-8 Giants triumph over the Astros. Paul Householder socked a two-run homer in the 8th inning and Eddie Milner gunned down the tying run at home plate with a throw that nailed Broderick Perkins and preserved a 5-4 Reds win over the Padres.

Thanks to a 1-7 record in their last eight, Oakland Athletics Manager Billy Martin tried something new by having starting centerfielder Dwayne Murphy draw the starting lineup batting order out of a hat. Given the Athletics have been shut out twice and held to one run two other times, this might not have been the worst idea, although having baseball's best leadoff batter, Rickey Henderson, batting 8th was preposterous. And it didn't work, either. Oakland was shutout for the third time in the last nine games and lost when starter Brian Kingman walked the first two batters of the 9th inning and Hal McRae scored the game's only run as Kansas City prevailed over Outrageous Oakland, 1-0. The irony is that the winning pitcher for Kansas City, Larry Gura, is well-known to be loathed by Billy Martin, so he gained a slight measure of satisfaction and revenge. Detroit lost their 10th straight game in a 10-4 pounding that saw Dennis Eckersley outduel Jack Morris. Detroit in first place seems so May now, doesn't it? Reggie Jackson slammed a two-run homer and Rob Wilfong scored twice and had 3 hits as California remained 1/2 game ahead of the Royals with a 5-3 win over Texas. Three outs from a 3-0 win, Dennis Lamp took the mound in the 9th and walked leadoff hitter Tom Brunansky. It ignited a furious rally as the Twins scored six runs off of three White Sox relievers, the key blow Tim Laudner's three-run home run off relief ace Salome Barojas, and the Twins turned a loss into a win with a 6-3 triumph. Jim Palmer went 7 innings and tied Carl Hubbell for 30th on the all-time list with his 253rd win in Baltimore's 3-1 defeat of Cleveland. Mike Morgan and Goose Gossage scattered five hits and Roy Smalley drilled a three-run homer in the fifth to lift the Yankees to a 3-2 win over the Brewers, ending Milwaukee's seven-game winning streak. Tied at 3 in the 11th, Vance McHenry's pivot to first on an inning-ending double play went awry, and the Blue Jays scored twice to prevail over Seattle, 5-3.