Braves 1982 Atlanta Braves Retrospective

[selmaborntidefan]

August 11, 1982
San Francisco Giants 8 (W: Breining, 7-4)
Atlanta Braves 6 (L: Diaz, 2-2)
12 innings
62-49
2nd place
1/2 game behind

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 12, 1982
San Diego Padres 8 (W: Welsh, 6-5)
Atlanta Braves 2 (L: Walk, 10-8)
62-50
2nd place
1.5 games behind

BRAVES DROP 10TH STRAIGHT

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 13, 1982
San Diego Padres 7 (W: Dravecky, 3-1)
Atlanta Braves 4 (L: Camp, 8-6)
62-52
2nd place
2.5 games behind

11 IN A ROW, BRAVES LOSE;
PERRY THROWS 300TH COMPLETE GAME;
FOUR TEAM RACE IN NL EAST WITH CARDS LOSS

What is going on?

The (formerly) first-place Atlanta Braves have somehow managed to do something that the "not as good and two of them finished last" Braves teams of the past four baseball seasons haven't done: compile a losing streak longer than seven games. They're now up to 11, and they're on the verge of completing a 12-game West Coast road trip without winning a single game. Tonight it was the San Diego Padres and, once again, the Braves' shaky bullpen. Rookie Tony Gwynn hit a bases loaded single to break a 4-4 tie in the 7th, and Kurt Bevacqua cleared the bases in front of him when he greeted reliever Steve Bedrosian with a three-run double to ice the game and give San Diego a lead by the eventual final score of 7-4. Atlanta Manager Joe Torre let starter Rick Camp stay in the game two batters too long, and he wound up with the loss as his record fell to 8-6. When the Los Angeles Dodgers unleashed a 15-hit attack and routed the recently on fire San Francisco Giants, 6-1, they extended their NL West lead to 2.5 games, the largest deficit in the standings the Braves have faced all year. Rookie Steve Sax drilled his second career homer while power slugger Pedro Guererro socked his 23rd.

Pittsburgh's Don Robinson scattered nine hits and Bill Madlock and Tony Pena both homered to end the Cardinals' three-game winning streak, 7-4. When the Montreal Expos toppled the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-2, the NL East suddenly became a four-team race, with the Cardinals out front, Philly behind by 1/2 game, Montreal down 3, and the Pirates only 4 down. Ron Oester and Alex Trevino had run-scoring hits and Frank Pastore scattered five hits as Bob Lillis tasted defeat for the first time as the Astros new manager in a 3-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Chicago's Bill Buckner hit his 9th homer and Jesse Orosco got his third career win in relief as the Mets upended the Cubs, 6-4.

Gaylord Perry won his 300th game just three months ago and tonight he became the 39th pitcher to throw 300 complete games, but he also suffered his 249th loss in Seattle's 3-1 loss to Bobby Castillo and the Minnesota Twins. Four sixth inning singles gave the Twins a 2-1 lead, and Castillo only gave up 3 hits. Mike Witt tossed a four-hitter, and Reggie Jackson hit his 27th home run as the California Angels routed the Oakland Athletics, 9-0. Oakland's Rickey Henderson stole his 107th base, leaving him just 12 short of breaking Lou Brock's single season record set in 1974. Pete Vuckovich scattered 7 hits, and Jim Gantner singled home the go-ahead run in the fourth as Milwaukee increased their AL East lead to 5 1/2 in a 3-1 win over Toronto. Rick Cerone's third home run of the season broke a seventh inning tie and propelled the Yankees to a 4-3 win over the White Sox, ending Chicago's four-game winning streak. Lou Whitaker belted two homers in a game for the third time this season, and Milt Wilcox and Pat Underwood combined to scatter 7 hits as Detroit buried Kansas City, 10-1. John Tudor tossed a five-hitter and Boston's first five batters reached base to push them out to a 3-0 lead as the Red Sox ended a three-game losing streak with a 5-2 triumph over the Baltimore Orioles. Trailing 7-2 at the 7th inning stretch, Texas rallied for six runs, including 3 in the 9th, the last coming on a sacrifice fly from Dave Hostetler that scored George Wright and gave the Rangers an 8-7 come-from-behind win over the Cleveland Indians.

The Montreal Expos released 1977 NL stolen bases leader Frank Taveras. At age 32, his career is most likely finished.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 14, 1982
Atlanta Braves 6 (W: Moore, 1-0; SV: Garber, 20)
San Diego Padres 5 (L: Eichelberger, 6-10)
63-52
2nd place
1.5 games behind

BRAVES END LOSING STREAK AT 11;
ROSE PASSES AARON IN AT BATS;
THON'S HITTING STREAK ENDS AT 21

It was an immense struggle, but the Atlanta Braves finally ended their 11-game losing streak tonight with a 6-5 triumph over the San Diego Padres. It was not without challenge, however, as the Braves tore out to a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first and came to bat in the top of the second with the game all tied up again as if the offensive outburst had never happened. Atlanta trailed coming to bat in the 8th, 5-4, and turned two walks, a crucial error by shortstop Tim Flannery, and a base hit into two runs. This time Gene Garber held on to give Atlanta a much needed win. But even in their rally inning, the Braves were undone from what could have been a bigger payday as Glenn Hubbard bunted into a double play and stalled what could have been a bigger inning with the power section of Atlanta's order coming to bat.

The Braves opted to start the game aggressively, after Hubbard and Claudell Washington singled with one out, and Hubbard scored on an RBI single by Dale Murphy. Atlanta Manager Joe Torre called for a successful double steal, putting both runners in scoring position, and although Bob Horner failed, Chris Chambliss singled both runners home to push Atlanta out to a rapid fire 3-0 lead. Chambliss then stole second, where he was stranded when Biff Pocoroba flew out to center to end the inning. Spotted a three-run cushion, Atlanta starter Pascual Perez held onto it - for a total of five batters.

Rookie Tony Gwynn got the Padres started with a single, and Joe Lefebvre followed with another one. Garry Templeton's double scored both Gwynn and Lefebvre, and after Perez retired the next two hitters, Luis Salazar singled home Templeton. Just like that the game was tied. And just three innings later, San Diego took the lead when catcher Terry Kennedy singled with two out and scored to make it 4-3 on Sixto Lezcano's double. But the Braves tied it in the sixth, coincidentally, when they sent up pinch-hitter Larry Whisenton in place of Perez with speedster Rafael Ramirez at first with one out. Whisenton doubled Ramirez home to tie the game, but the Braves failed to take the lead despite having two baserunners aboard. But San Diego again took the lead when Lefebvre led off the 7th and gave way to pinch-runner Joe Pittman, who scored after moving to second on a sacrifice bunt and an RBI single by Lezcano. The Braves came to the plate just six outs away from a 12th straight loss.

But Pocoroba walked leading off the inning, and Flannery botched a ground ball by Ramirez, leaving the Braves with runners at first and second with nobody out. Terry Harper walked to load the bases, so the Padres pulled reliever Juan Eichelberger and brought on Gary Lucas, who immediately surrendered a two-run broken bat single to Rufino Linares that gave the Braves a 6-5 lead. But Lucas then got Hubbard to bunt into a double play and retired Bob Watson to keep the game at one. Gene Garber came on for the 8th, and while he was his often shaky self and surrendered 3 singles in the two innings, the tying run never touched the plate, and Garber left the mound with Atlanta's first win in 12 games and his 20th save of the year. Only Bruce Sutter (24) has more in the NL. The Giants beat the Dodgers, 4-2, meaning the Braves picked up a game in the standings and despite their recent slump remain only 1.5 games out of first.






The Milwaukee Brewers sold Randy Lerch to the Montreal Expos.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 15, 1982
San Diego Padres 6 (W: DeLeon, 5-4)
Atlanta Braves 5 (L: Bedrosian, 5-6)
63-53
10 innings
2nd place
1.5 games behind

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 16, 1982
63-54
2nd place
1.5 games behind


The Atlanta Braves head back home today after a two-week period of baseball they just mostly want to forget. They can't, though, as the horrific slump has seen the Braves flip ten games in the standings, going from 8.5 ahead of the Padres on July 29 after sweeping them to 1.5 behind the first-place Dodgers. Both the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants have caught fire at the exact same time and suddenly it's a four-team race in the NL West where just two weeks ago even a .500 performance by the team with the best record would likely have put the race just about completely away.

This entire debacle began when the Braves were perched in the opening game of a four-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 6-1 lead entering the fifth inning. Since the Dodger five-run rally in the 7th inning of that game, the Braves are like one of those airplanes in the death spiral. Just when it appears they may have saved the entire thing, they lose control and revert to spiraling again. After 104 days alone atop the standings, the Braves finally gave way to a new leader last week, but Los Angeles suddenly began to stall, which has helped slow Atlanta's descent.

The Braves have lost 16 of 18 games. And as we've noted, it's not that they've even played all that poorly. At one point, the Braves lost 5 out of 7 games in the opponent's last at bat and in all kinds of ways. A four-run 9th inning rally, a game-ending home run, and two shutouts. And a look at the statistics of (most of) the starting nine as well as the most commonly used relievers shows a huge problem. When your sluggers are hitting .198 with 5 homers but 28 strikeouts, it's not going well. When your relievers are 0-8 with only two saves, well, it's obvious where the problem is.

BRAVES HITTING STATS FROM JULY 30 - AUGUST 15

HITTING
Dale Murphy - 14-for-72 (.194), 1 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 17 Ks, 4 BB, 8 RBI
Bob Horner - 12 -for-59 (.203), 0 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 11Ks, 4 BB, 9 RBI
Chris Chambliss - 14 - for-46 (.304), 2 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 6 Ks, 6 BB, 10 RBI
Claudell Washington - 6-for-37 (.162), 0 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 7 Ks, 1 BB, 5 RBI
Bob Watson - 8-for-24 (.333), 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 0 K, 4 BB, 6 RBI
Rafael Ramirez - 15-for-63 (.238), 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 2 K, 3 BB, 2 RBI (6 runs scored)
Bruce Bendict - 7-for-40 (.175), 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 4 K, 1 BB, 1 RBI
Glenn Hubbard - 17-for-59 (.288), 3 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 7 K, 7 BB, 4 RBI (10 runs scored)

PITCHING
Phil Niekro - 4 G, 0-0, 22.2 IP, 11 ER, 32 H, 16 K, 12 BB, 4.37 ERA
Rick Mahler - 4 G (2 starts), 0-0, 14.1 IP, 8 ER, 12 H, 7 K, 8 BB, 5.02 ERA
Bob Walk - 4 G, 1-1, 17.2 IP, 14 ER, 13 K, 11 BB, 22 H, 7.13 ERA
Rick Camp - 4 G, 0-3, 18.2 IP, 8 ER, 6 K, 7 BB, 18 H, 3.86 ERA
Pascual Perez - 4 G, 0-2, 25 IP, 9 ER, 5 K, 4 BB, 26 H, 3.24 ERA
Steve Bedrosian - 11 G, 0-5, 1 SV, 16.2 IP, 8 ER, 19 K, 9 BB, 4.32 ERA
Gene Garber - 8 G, 0-2, 1 SV, 1 BS, 15.2 IP, 9 ER, 7 K, 5 BB, 5.17 ERA
Al Hrabosky - 6 G, 0-1, 1 BS, 7 IP, 3 ER, 3 K, 3 BB, 3.6 ERA

FIELDING ERRORS
Claudell Washington - 7
Rafael Ramirez - 4
Glenn Hubbard - 3
Bruce Benedict - 2
Chris Chambliss - 1
Bob Horner - 1
Gene Garber - 1

The Detroit Tigers sold Richie Hebner to the Pittsburgh Pirates. And the Expos completed that trade that brought them Joel Youngblood two weeks ago by sending pitcher Tom Gorman to the Mets.

The Braves return to Atlanta for a ten-game homestand against the Expos, Mets, and Phillies. It remains to be seen if they can right the ship.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 17, 1982
Game One
Montreal Expos 13 (W: Lea, 10-6)
Atlanta Braves 7 (L: Walk, 10-9)

Game Two
Montreal Expos 3 (W: Reardon, 5-2; SV: Fryman, 9)
Atlanta Braves 2 (L: Mahler, 8-9)
10 innings
63-55
2nd place
2.5 games behind

TEEPEE BACK UP BUT BRAVES STILL DOWN;
ATLANTA DROPS DOUBLEHEADER;
KUHN'S FATE DELAYED BY AL

Did the management of the Atlanta Braves arouse the anger of some sort of Great Spirit that has resulted in their recent slump? That's as good an excuse as any, I guess, so after watching the team get clobbered almost every day since July 30 - when they removed mascot Chief Noc-A-Homa's teepee to provide extra seats for the showdown series with the Los Angeles Dodgers - the Braves have returned the teepee to its usual domain in the left centerfield seats. It didn't help, though, as the Braves first went out and got drilled, 13-7, by the Montreal Expos in the opening game of a twinbill and then just for good measure dropped the nightcap, 3-2, in (stop me if you've heard this one) the Expos' last at bat. Once again, the Braves had an early 2-0 lead and took a 2-1 lead into the 9th only to surrender single runs in the 9th and 10th inning to turn what looked all game long like a victory into their 18th loss in 20 games. We will have to await the conclusion of the Dodgers game against the Cubs, which was suspended after 17 innings because Wrigley Field remains the only stadium in the majors to not have lights that will enable night games, before we know how far the Braves are behind the Dodgers.

Game one was an Atlanta nightmare at every level. The Braves surrendered a season high 13 runs, 8 of them unearned, thanks to a season high 5 errors, including two by shortstop Rafael Ramirez. Trailing 13-2 entering the 7th, the Braves rallied for a five-run inning thanks largely to an error by rookie Bryan Little, who had just entered the game to get some "no pressure" big league experience at shortstop in place of Chris Speier. But the outcome was never in doubt, and the Braves wisely conserved their energy for the second game. The nightcap, of course, looked like almost every single Atlanta contest since the tailspin began on July 30.

The Braves took a quick 1-0 lead in the second game when Jerry Royster singled, stole second, and scored on a two-out RBI single by Bob Horner. The Braves added to that lead with two outs in the fourth when Chris Chambliss singled and Horner doubled him home to extend the lead to 2-0. The Expos cut the lead in half in the fifth when Speier led off the inning with a solo homer, but once again the Braves took a lead into the 9th inning and needed but three outs to seal the win. Perhaps due to overuse or loss of confidence in the bullpen, Atlanta Manager Joe Torre sent starter Rick Mahler back out to retire the last 3 batters and complete the win. But Mahler immediately gave up a triple to Andre Dawson and a single to Al Oliver, and the game was tied. To his credit, Mahler remained steady and got catcher Gary Carter to hit into a double play before striking out Tim Wallach to end the Montreal rally. But in the tenth with two on and two out, Torre decided to bring in Gene Garber to get out of the jam. Garber gave up yet another RBI single, this one to Warren Cromartie, and the Braves trailed, 3-2. Bob Watson doubled for the Braves with two out, but Royster grounded out to complete Montreal's doubleheader sweep.

Meanwhile, in Chicago, home of the famous 23-22 game just three years ago, the Dodgers and Cubs squared off in a game that saw the game tied 1-1 at the end of the second. And also at the end of the 17th as nobody scored. Darkness necessitated the cessation of the contest, but it will conclude tomorrow at the start of the 18th inning. Both clubs are likely to bring out fresh starting pitchers to conclude the game. Verne Ruhle tossed a five-hit shutout, and RBI hits by Tony Scott and Ray Knight were enough to give the Houston Astros a 2-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. San Diego Manager Dick Williams was ejected despite the fact the umpires determined his objection was, in fact, correct. Trailing the St Louis Cardinals, 1-0, in the 7th, catcher Terry Kennedy singled and then scored on a two-out double by Broderick Perkins. Except fan interference ended the play, and third base umpire Fred Brocklander held Kennedy at third. Williams exploded out of the dugout, arguing that Kennedy would have scored anyway on the play and should be awarded home to tie the game. The ugly undercurrent of the umpires' union was seen after Brocklander, a replacement ump hired in 1979, ejected Williams and was then overruled by the other three umpires who never talk to him otherwise. As amazing as this sounds, it wasn't even the worst call involving Terry Kennedy.

With the game tied at two in the 9th, Kennedy drilled a tie-breaking home run. Second base umpire Jim Quick, who is not a replacement umpire, then royally botched the call and ruled the home run a ground rule double. It was clear as day on television, but baseball doesn't use instant replay to resolve disputes. (One day they will wish they did). Kennedy was awarded second base and pinch-runner Joe Pittman made it as far as third but failed to score. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th, Keith Hernandez singled home Ozzie Smith to give St Louis a 3-2 win. Jason Thompson smashed a two-run homer and the reviving Rick Rhoden tossed a two-hitter as the Pirates thumped the Giants, 4-1.

Rookie Dave Hostetler, just promoted to the majors in June, socked his 22nd home run and 8th of the month, this one in the 11th inning to lift the Texas Rangers to a 4-3 win over the Chicago White Sox. Five long balls and a solid start from Luis Tiant lifted the California Angels to a 10-2 wipeout of the Boston Red Sox. Cleveland swept a doubleheader from Toronto by scores of 6-5 and 9-5. Rickey Henderson stole his 110th base and Tony Armas followed with a two-run shot that keyed Oakland to their 10-6 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Four home runs by the Baltimore Orioles were enough to beat the Minnesota Twins, 8-4. Newcomer Dave Revering homered to give Seattle a win in the opener while Chet Lemon did the same for Detroit in the nightcap as the Mariners and Tigers split a doubleheader. Paul Splittorff notched his 150th win in Kansas City's 8-4 triumph over the New York Yankees. Royals slugger George Brett needs wrist surgery but announced he will wait until the end of the season.

The fate of Bowie Kuhn will be delayed until after the season. White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf persuaded the other AL owners to delay the vote on retaining or removing the commissioner until season's end, in order to give time for the pro-Kuhn faction to persuade the anti-Kuhn faction to keep him. Either league can vote to remove the commissioner since any confidence vote or renewal requires 75% approval of the league's owners. Kuhn at this moment is a dead man walking because the National League already has enough "no" votes to remove him. Whether that will change by late October is debatable.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 18, 1982
Montreal Expos 12 (W: Gullickson, 10-9)
Atlanta Braves 2 (L: Camp, 8-7)
63-56
2nd place
4 games behind

BRAVES ROUTED AGAIN;
REUSS GETS 2 WINS ON SAME DAY
ERIC GREGG EJECTS 2 OVER STRIKE ZONE

It's like the clock struck midnight and the happy-go-lucky fun to watch Atlanta Braves turned back into a pumpkin.

For the fourth straight game and for the 19th time in 21 games, the Braves lost. For the second time in three days, the Braves were blown out, and the competitive phase of the game was over before the clearance price was introduced on the hot dogs. A 12-2 shellacking at the hands of the Montreal Expos combined with two Dodger wins on the calendar day leave the Braves four games behind, their largest deficit of the season by far, with 43 games left on their schedule. Andre Dawson started the proceedings with a bang in the first inning when he socked a three-run homer, and he ended them with another bang with his second homer in the 9th inning, a solo shot that merely added to the blowout. Tim Wallach also homered in the 9th to finalize the score at 12-2. Expos starter Bill Gullickson went the distance, scattering six hits - 3 of them to rookie Larry Whisenton - and surrendering two runs while striking out six. Rick Camp was shelled early and often and so were Steve Bedrosian and Al Hrabosky in relief, the latter surrendering the 9th inning homers. Then there was the utterly bizarre saga in Chicago.

Picking up yesterday's suspended game in the 18th inning, the Dodgers won the opener in the 21st inning after the game resumed with Steve Sax hitting a one out double, moving to third on a wild pitch, and scoring on a sacrifice fly to right field by Dusty Baker. But the game also saw five ejections, including two for disputes over home plate umpire Eric Gregg's mammoth strike zone. Both Jay Johnstone and Cubs third base coach John Vuckovich were tossed for commenting on the wide zone that resulted in 26 strikeouts, although to be fair it was over 42 innings rather than nine. To make it better, both Dodger Manager Tommy Lasorda and third baseman Ron Cey were tossed after Cey bumped first base umpire Dave Pallone while arguing and Lasorda raced out to defend "the Penguin." For good measure, Gregg also tossed Cubs skipper Lee Elia when he argued a call at home. The length of the game and the substitutions meant the Dodgers ran out of position players and had to play two starting pitchers, Bob Welch and Fernando Valenzuela, in the outfield. Bizarrely enough, Fernando recorded a fly ball putout on the first batter to make contact, Larry Bowa. At 6:10, the game was the longest ever played at Wrigley Field. After a short respite, the teams took the field for today's schedule game and Jerry Reuss, who got the win in "last night's" game also got the win in the nightcap, as he went five innings and left with a 6-2 lead in a game the Dodgers won, 7-4. Reuss pitched nine innings in all today and went 2-0.

A 14th inning single by Cesar Cedeno scored pinch runner Mario Soto from second and lifted the Reds to a 7-6 triumph over the Mets. A 15th inning double by Gary Matthews broke a 3-3 tie and helped spark a two-run rally that gave the Phillies a 5-3 win over the Astros. Bob Forsch allowed six hits and drove in both runs to lead the Cardinals to a 2-1 win over the Padres. The Pirates scored nine runs on the day while the Giants scored 9 runs in the fifth inning of a 16-9 rout that saw the two teams combine for six home runs on the day, three for each squad.

Kent Hrbek doubled home the tying run and then scored the winning run on a Mickey Hatcher single as the Twins rallied from a run down in the tenth to beat the Orioles, 6-5. Joe Rudi singled home Rickey Henderson from second in the 11th to give Oakland a 3-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Jerry Remy's two-run single in the sixth inning lifted the Red Sox to a 4-1 win over the California Angels. Boston added an insurance run in the 9th when Carl Yastrzemski singled home Jim Rice for his 3,283rd hit to tie Willie Mays for 7th on the all-time hits list. Tommy John tossed a seven-hitter while Oscar Gamble doubled home two runs in a four-run Yankee rally that helped New York thump the Royals, 9-2. Jim Sundberg went 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs as the Texas Rangers routed the Chicago White Sox, 11-1. Lance Parrish drove in 3 runs with two homers that paced Detroit in a 7-2 win over Seattle.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 19, 1982
Atlanta Braves 5 (W: Niekro, 11-3; SV: Garber, 21)
Montreal Expos 4 (L: Fryman, 7-3)
64-56
2nd place
3 games behind

BRAVES STARTER GETS LOST ON WAY TO GAME;
BRAVES WIN ANYWAY

Sometimes you just cannot make these things up.

Phil Niekro won his 11th game tonight after pitching 7 strong innings and getting some solid support from Claudell Washington, who went 3-for-4, scored twice, and drove in 3 runs as the Braves edged the Montreal Expos, 5-4, to prevent a four-game sweep. They also gained a game on the Dodgers in the standings, but nobody was talking about that after the game, either. The Atlanta Braves provided perhaps the funniest story to the 1982 baseball season when starting pitcher Pascual Perez failed to arrive in time for his scheduled start. But it is the reason why that is surely the most amusing: Perez, who had never drive a car alone in the United States until today, missed the exit to Fulton County Stadium and continued driving. And driving. Perez was on Interstate 285, the contiguous highway that makes a 120-mile circle around the Atlanta Metro area. He eventually stopped and asked for directions, but only after circling the perimeter of Atlanta three times. By the time Perez arrived, the game had already started ten minutes earlier. For his sense of direction - or lack thereof - Perez was fined $100 by Braves Manager Joe Torre.

When Gary Carter socked a two-run homer in the second, Niekro and the Braves appeared well on their way to a 20th loss in the last 22 contests. But trailing, 4-3, in the 7th, Rafael Ramirez singled, Terry Harper singled when he pinch-hit for Niekro, Jerry Royster tied the game by scoring Ramirez on a sacrifice fly to center, and Washington singled Harper home with 2 on and 2 out to give Atlanta the lead. Gene Garber, who has had his woes of late, retired all six batters he faced, and Dale Murphy got a much needed night off only to pinch-hit a double in the 8th but was left stranded. Atlanta won, 5-4, and for once after the game thanks to "Perimeter Perez," the Braves seemed loose and happy.

The Braves had reason to be happy after the Chicago Cubs unleashed a 17-hit barrage on the Dodgers and gave starter Fergie Jenkins his 272nd career win, 8-2. A three-run third keyed by Garry Templeton's RBI single ended the Cardinals' five-game winning streak and helped the Padres prevail, 4-3. Rookie Dave Dravecky got his fourth win in five career decisions. Denny Walling's 11th inning single scored Danny Heep from second and lifted the Houston Astros to a 7-6 defeat of the Phillies.
Jason Thompson had two RBI singles while Tony Pena socked a solo home run in Pittsburgh's 6-1 win over San Francisco. The Cincinnati Reds, down to their last out and trailing the Mets, 1-0, got three straight singles from Wayne Krenchicki, Dave Concepcion, and Larry Biittner, tying the game. Then, in the bottom of the 10th, Mike Vail doubled and Ron Oester drilled a game-winning two-run homer that provided the Reds with a final margin of 3-1.

Rickey Henderson stole his 111th base, leaving him only 8 away from breaking Lou Brock's record, but Ben Oglivie's 25th homer was a three-run shot that keyed a four-run Milwaukee inning and helped the Brewers beat the Athletics, 10-6. Tom Brunansky, Gary Ward, and Gary Gaetti all socked first inning home runs as the Minnesota Twins raced out to an early 6-0 lead and wound up thumping the Baltimore Orioles, 9-3. All of Baltimore's runs came in the 9th on consecutive home runs by Eddie Murray and John Lowenstein. Trailing 5-0 in the fifth, the California Angels exploded for a five-run inning in the 7th, Fred Lynn's two-run single serving as the key blow. The Angels won, 8-5. Larry Gura pitched seven strong innings to help the Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox, 3-0.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 20, 1982
Atlanta Braves 2 (W: Bedrosian, 6-6)
New York Mets 1 (L: Zachry, 6-5)
10 innings
65-56
2nd place
3 games behind

DOWN TO LAST OUT, BRAVES FINALLY WIN ONE LATE;
LUCKY 7S FOR THE GIANTS;
YAZ PASSES MAYS BUT SOX LOSE

When Brian Giles broke a scoreless tied by leading off the tenth inning with a home run at Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium tonight off struggling reliever Steve Bedrosian, the angst of "oh not, not again" filled the hearts of the 33,000 Braves fans in attendance with dread of yet another late inning loss. And before it got better, it got even worse. Rafael Ramirez doubled with one out in the bottom of the tenth only to be thrown out at home plate on Jerry Royster's single attempting to tie the game and leaving the Braves one out away from another loss with pinch-runner Matt Sinatro (a catcher) on second. Terry Harper then hit what everyone - including Harper himself - thought was the ground ball final out to third only to watch Hubie Brooks throw the ball wild at first base, scoring Sinatro to tie the game and putting runners at second and third. The Mets then chose the bizarre option of walking Claudell Washington to load the bases for Atlanta's MVP candidate, Dale Murphy, who walked with the bases loaded, scoring Royster and setting off celebrations all throughout the stadium, Georgia, and the new Braves fans across the nation. Finally, the Braves had won a game in extra innings. Brooks was numb and apologetic after the game, blaming himself, and Atlanta Manager Joe Torre was in a bit of shock, praising Brooks as a solid defensive third baseman whose mistake surprised everyone. The two runs in the bottom of the tenth mean Atlanta finally has won two games in a row for the first time since July 29, Bedrosian's slump on the mound (he's lost his last 5 decisions, all out of the bullpen) is stopped, and the Braves can regain confidence at their ability to win games late, which has been the problem since July 30.

The Dodgers maintained a three game lead over the Braves thanks to Fernando Valenzuela's dazzling two-hitter and Ron Cey's solo homer for the game's only run in a 1-0 triumph over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Bo Diaz and George Vuckovich each had two RBIs on four hits as the Phillies trounced the Reds, 9-2. Trailing 7-0 entering the 7th inning, the San Francisco Giants rallied for 7 runs in the top of the inning to tie the game. An inning later, Darrell Evans tripled and scored on Milt May's base hit to give the Giants an 8-7 win over the Cardinals and saddle closer Bruce Sutter with his sixth loss. The Chicago Cubs only had four hits off John Montefusco, but they were enough to beat the Padres, 3-2. A pair of sacrifice flies by Leon Durham and Jody Davis helped the Cubs prevail despite the low wattage offense. Alan Knicely's RBI single with one out in the 10th scored Art Howe and gave the Houston Astros a 4-3 home win over the Montreal Expos.

The Royals gave the Chicago White Sox their fourth straight loss with a 13-5 blowout that saw Kansas City turn three errors into a five-run inning. Wayne Gross homered to tie the game at three and then executed a successful suicide squeeze that scored Mike Heath from third and gave the Oakland Athletics a 4-3 win over the Boston Red Sox. Boston tied the game in the top of the 9th on a two out double by Carl Yastrzemski, whose 3,284th hit lifted him past Willie Mays and into 8th place on the all-time hits list. Milwaukee's 6-5 escape win over the Seattle Mariners, who had the winning run at bat, means the Brewers are now a full five games ahead of Boston in the AL East. Peter Ladd earned his first career save for Milwaukee. Len Barker and Dan Spillner combined on a five-hitter, and the Cleveland Indians rallied from three runs down to beat the Minnesota Twins, 7-5. Twelfth inning singles by Rick Dempsey and Al Bumbry scored two runs and enabled the Orioles to beat the Rangers, 4-2. Dave Winfield, Ken Griffey, and Roy Smalley all hit solo homers to lift the Yankees to a 4-2 win over the Blue Jays. Detroit blasted three Angels pitchers for 17 hits on their way to an 8-6 win. Glenn Wilson homered for the Tigers.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 21, 1982
Atlanta Braves 6 (W: Walk, 11-9: SV: Garber, 22)
New York Mets 5 (L: Jones, 7-10)
65-56
2nd place
2 games behind

BRAVES BLOW ANOTHER LEAD BUT RALLY TO WIN;
RYAN ONE K BEHIND GAYLORD;
OAKLAND BEATS BOSTON WITH DISPUTED HOMER

The last three weeks have been trying times for the players and fans of the Atlanta Braves, but it hasn't quelled their spirit. An estimated 44,000 fans packed into Fulton County Stadium tonight to witness a microcosm of the last three weeks of Atlanta's slump but with a slight twist: the Braves took the lead, surrendered it, but rallied to take the lead and the suddenly revived bullpen held on for a 6-5 win over the New York Mets, who are apparently just the tonic the Braves needed to begin a winning streak. That and a starting pitcher circling the city twice while his team got ready a few days ago. It's true; the Braves haven't lost since Pascual Perez circled the perimeter two days ago and missed his start.

Perhaps in an effort to atone for his error that cost the Mets the opener, Hubie Brooks gave the Mets a 1-0 lead in the second with his first homer of 1982 and only his sixth overall. Mets starter Charlie Puleo navigated the first two innings without giving up any runs, but the bills for his narrow escapes came due with two outs in the third. Claudell Washington walked and stole second, Dale Murphy singled Washington home to tie the game, Bob Horner walked, and Chris Chambliss drilled a three-run homer to put the Braves ahead, 4-1. Brooks also scored the Mets' second run after he doubled, moved to third on Bruce Bochy's single and then scored on a fielder's choice ground out by Mookie Wilson. Washington got Atlanta's fifth run in the fifth inning when he again walked, moved ahead on a single by Murphy and then scored on Horner's double. Then in the sixth, Atlanta starter Bob Walk weakened.

Cruising along with a 5-2 lead, Walk walked Brian Giles, gave up a single to Ellis Valentine and then watched Dave Kingman tie it on a mammoth 3-run homer. Walk has been both erratic and unlucky this year, but this time he caught a break. He gave way to pinch-hitter Rufino Linares in the bottom of the inning, and Linares reached second when reliever Randy Jones threw wild trying to nail Linares at first. As if one error wasn't bad enough, Bochy compounded it moments later when he dropped a foul ball out off the bat of Jerry Royster. Given a reprieve, the versatile utility infielder singled Linares home to give the Braves the lead they never relinquished. Steve Bedrosian and Gene Garber, whose failures have played a huge role in Atlanta's slide, combined to pitch three innings and gave up no runs on only two hits as Walk won his 11th game and Garber notched his 22nd save.

The Braves gained a game on the Dodgers, who had a 1-1 tie with the Pirates with two outs in the 8th only to see Mike Easler slam what proved to be the eventual game winning home run off Steve Howe that helped Pittsburgh prevail, 2-1. Three Jeffrey Leonard errors in two innings led to four St Louis runs, and Lonnie Smith hit an inside-the-park homer to help the Cardinals edge the San Francisco Giants, 7-6. Nolan Ryan pitched a five-hitter and struck out five, leaving him one strikeout behind Gaylord Perry for second on the all-time list as the Astros beat the Expos, 5-3. Tim Lollar and Luis DeLeon combined on a two-hitter while Gene Richards and rookie Tony Gwynn both had RBI singles in the Padres' 2-0 win over the Chicago Cubs. Bob Shirley scattered seven hits and went the distance while Paul Householder and Ron Oester both had two RBIs as the Reds ripped the Phillies, 10-3.

Entering the bottom of the third inning, the Boston Red Sox had a 5-0 lead on the Oakland Athletics, but Oakland rallied with a solo run in the bottom of the inning and two runs in the fourth to cut the deficit to 5-3. Then with two outs in the fifth, Dan Meyer hit a shot down the left field line that was ruled a home run when it hit the left field foul pole, igniting a vehement protest from the Red Sox who were suddenly trailing, 6-5. In an effort to leave no doubt, Tony Armas drilled a grand slam the next inning, and Oakland cruised to a 12-5 win that saw Rickey Henderson steal his 114th base, just four short of tying Lou Brock's single-season record. Al Williams and two relievers scattered nine hits and Gary Ward had 2 RBIs as the Minnesota Twins defeated the Cleveland Indians, 4-3. Jesse Barfield's RBI double keyed a three-run first inning that was all the Toronto Blue Jays needed to beat the New York Yankees, 3-1. Bill Castro blew the save in the 8th inning but won it in the 9th when Salome Barojas blew the game, surrendering a towering solo homer to Willie Aikens that gave the Kansas City Royals a 4-3 win over the Chicago White Sox. Ken Singleton's run scoring single capped a three-run 8th inning as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Texas Rangers, 8-6, after rookie Cal Ripken Jr. tied the game at six with a homer. Doug DeCinces drove in four runs and Bob Boone homered twice to help the California Angels rout the Detroit Tigers, 13-1. Doc Medich, sold two weeks ago to the Milwaukee Brewers from Texas, combined with Rollie Fingers on a three-hitter as a Dave Edler error keyed a three-run Milwaukee rally in a 3-2 triumph over the Seattle Mariners. Medich is now 11-1 lifetime against the Mariners.

With a 3-3 record and 5.15 ERA, Sparky Lyle was sold to the Chicago White Sox from the Philadelphia Phillies.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 22, 1982
Atlanta Braves 10 (W: Diaz, 3-2; SV: Garber, 23)
New York Mets 9 (L: Orosco, 2-9)
66-56
2nd place
1 game behind

BRAVES WIN WILD ONE TO CLOSE GAP TO 1;
THIRD-STRING CATCHER STEALS HOME FOR STL WIN;
ROOKIE RIPKEN GOES 5 FOR 5 WITH HR

The Atlanta Braves unleashed a vicious 17-hit attack led by Dale Murphy (3-for-4, 4 RBIs) and Rafael Ramirez (4-for-6, 2 RBIs) as Atlanta rallied FOUR TIMES from behind to edge the New York Mets, 10-9, and sweep a three-game series that leaves them one game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West standings. For good measure, Murphy's seventh inning two-run homer not only turned out to be the game winner, it tied him with Mets slugger Dave Kingman for the league lead in homers with 30. Kingman also homered, drilling a solo shot in the 9th off closer Gene Garber that narrowed the gap but failed to lead to a Mets win. Of course, the Braves could only rally from being behind four times if they fell behind four times, so there are still concerns in Atlanta. The two teams combined for 19 runs and 30 hits, and rookie Carlos Diaz won his third major league game. But as wild as it sounds, the Braves-Mets clash wasn't even the wildest game of the day. In fact, there are several candidates.

At the top of the list is what occurred in Busch Stadium today in the 12th inning. After blowing a 3-0 lead, the Cardinals tied the Giants at four with one out in the bottom of the 9th when David Green was hit by a pitch. The speedster promptly stole second and tied the score on Ken Oberkfell's double. The game remained tied at four until the bottom of the 12th. With one out, third string catcher Glenn Brummer and then rookie Willie McGee both singled. Julio Gonzalez popped out to first, but Ozzie Smith drew a walk, loading the bases with two outs. On a 1-2 pitch from Gary Lavelle, Brummer suddenly darted towards the plate, stealing home, and stealing a 5-4 win for the Cardinals. The Giants protested the pitch was strike three to end the inning but to no avail.

But while that was definitely wilder, it may not have been more incredible. Reliever Willie Hernandez walked and then stole his first career base in the 8th of the Cubs' 8-7 win over the Padres. Hernandez scored what later proved to be the winning run on a base hit by Bill Buckner as the Cubs rallied from a 5-0 deficit. The Dodgers lost a wild one, too, as Mike Easler singled and later scored on Pedro Guererro's fielding error to give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 4-3 win in 14 innings. A grand slam by Gary Maddox off Reds starter Mario Soto broke open a close game as the Phillies won, 8-2. Charlie Lea's three-hitter ended Montreal's three-game losing streak in a 5-0 shutout win over Houston.

A two-run bomb by Reggie Jackson in the 7th inning was the difference in the Angels' 6-5 triumph over the Detroit Tigers. Jerry Koosman tossed a seven-hitter as the Chicago White Sox ended a five-game losing streak with a 12-3 rout of the Kansas City Royals. Dave Righetti's second chance from the minors continues to pay off for the Yankees as the youngster scattered five hits over 7 innings and struck out 9 before turning the game over to Goose Gossage, who sealed the Yankees' 3-1 win over the Blue Jays by allowing just one baserunner. John Castino tied the game with a sacrifice fly only to throw it away with an error with two outs in the 9th as the Minnesota Twins lost to the Cleveland Indians, 4-3. Orioles rookie Cal Ripken Jr. went 5-for-5 with 2 RBIs and two runs scored as Baltimore banged out 20 hits off the Texas Rangers and gave Jim Palmer his 10th win in a 10-3 blowout. A three-run 9th inning keyed by Paul Molitor's single and run scored lifted Milwaukee to an 8-5 triumph over the Seattle Mariners. Boston ended a three-game losing streak with Rick Miller's two run homer the key blow in a four-run inning that helped the Red Sox down the Oakland Athletics, 4-2.

Ebba St. Claire, who had a 164 game major league career in the early 1950s, died today in Whitehall, New York at the age of 61. His son, Randy St. Claire, is currently a minor league pitcher in the Montreal Expos organization.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 23, 1982
Atlanta Braves 4 (W: Camp, 9-7)
Philadelphia Phillies 3 (L: Reed, 3-4)
67-56
1st place
Tied

BRAVES BACK ON TOP AS THEY FLIP THE SCRIPT;
PERRY EJECTED FOR FOREIGN SUBSTANCE - FINALLY;
RICKEY WATCH: 115

Here they come again. The Atlanta Braves, who blew a 10.5 game lead in just under two weeks and fell four games behind are right back in first place in the NL West division race, and they did it by winning the kind of game they continually lost during their recent 2-19 skid. And this time it wasn't the lowly Mets but rather the NL East contending Philadelphia Phillies, who have been in the playoffs five of the six years and won the World Series just two years ago with mostly the same team.

Rick Camp, moved into a starter's role on July 18, threw the best game of his major league career that has consisted primarily of relief appearances in blowouts, as he threw his second career complete game by scattering 9 hits and allowing 3 runs. And while a review of the statistics shows a better performance in his July 18 start against the Cubs, there is a huge difference in getting a win when you give up 2 runs to a team 18 games behind and 3 runs to a potential World Series champion. Best of all, the Braves won the kind of game they've been constantly losing since July 30.

The Braves rode four singles to two runs and took an early 2-0 lead in the fourth, and the Phillies cut the lead to 2-1 thanks to two singles and a sacrifice fly that scored Pete Rose in the sixth. An inning later, the Braves' aggressiveness on the basepaths both hurt and then helped them as Rafael Ramirez singled but was caught stealing, and Claudell Washington followed with a single and a successful steal. Washington then gave the Braves a 3-1 lead when he scored on Bob Horner's two-out RBI single.

Camp was pitching well and was only five outs from a complete game 3-1 win when he faltered. With one out in the 8th, Manny Trillo singled and then Camp's former teammate, Gary Matthews, drilled a game-tying two-run homer. Camp then worked carefully to Mike Schmidt and walked him, but he got out of the jam with the score still tied. Camp took the mound in the 9th, and while the Phillies got the potential winning run to third, he cagily worked his way around Rose and retired Trillo to end the inning. Then in the 9th with one out, Horner singled and gave way speedy Brett Butler, and the hottest hitting player during the last month, Chris Chambliss, laced a double into right that scored the rookie and gave Atlanta a 4-3 win. After their horrible slump that cost them a huge lead, the Braves have suddenly won 5 straight, all of them since the hilarious incident where pitcher Pascual Perez missed his scheduled start due to two long trips on the interstate.

It took 21 years and hundreds if not thousands of accusations, but 300-game winner Gaylord Perry was finally ejected for tampering with the baseball tonight. With one out in the 7th inning and his team trailing the Boston Red Sox, 1-0, Perry's "sinker" broke so wildly that home plate umpire Dave Phillips was convinced the ball was doctored and threw out the author of "Me and the Spitter" while batter Rick Miller was at the plate. Boston scored a second run off Perry, but Seattle took the longtime hurler off the hook by scoring three runs in the bottom of the 7th and instead letting the bullpen blow yet another game as the Red Sox edged the Mariners by a final count of 4-3. Phillips said after the game he has let Perry off with warnings numerous times, while Perry denied any impropriety and said Phillips was a "crusader" trying to "clean up the world" with the ejection. Boston Manager Ralph Houk said that it was obvious Perry at age 43 is more reliant upon illegal pitches for his success than he had ever been in the past. The Red Sox win puts them five games behind first place Milwaukee, who lost to the California Angels, 5-3, on the power of Mike Witt's seven-hitter and Reggie Jackson's 30th home run. The Angels increased their own lead in the AL West to two games thanks to Dave Schmidt's first major league win as a starter and Buddy Bell's 3 RBIs in the Texas Rangers' 5-2 win over the Kansas City Royals. Rickey Henderson stole his 115th base of the season, moving him to within 3 steals of tying Lou Brock's single season record of 118, but it wasn't enough as the Oakland Athletics were routed, 5-1, by the Detroit Tigers. Henderson was also caught for the 38th time this season on his other attempt, tying Ty Cobb for most times caught stealing in a single season. Dan Petry scattered 11 hits and tossed his 7th complete game of the season for Detroit. Von Hayes's three RBIs were the difference as the Cleveland Indians edged the Chicago White Sox, 5-4. Back-to-back homers by Oscar Gamble and Graig Nettles keyed a three-run Yankee inning that lifted the Bronx Bombers to a 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Frank Pastore clubbed his first career home run and allowed ten hits in 8 innings while striking out 7 as the Cincinnati Reds toppled the Montreal Expos, 6-2. Four RBIs from backup catcher Gene Tenace and a six-run 8th powered the St Louis Cardinals to an 11-3 rout over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cardinals are suddenly hot, going 11-3 in the last two weeks. Bob Forsch won his 13th game while Bruce Sutter got his 27th save. Bill Buckner had four hits and 2 RBIs and rookie Ryne Sandberg had three hits and two RBIs to power the Chicago Cubs to an 8-5 win over the San Francisco Giants. After a hot month with a record of 20-8, the Giants have now dropped 3 in a row. The Pirates and Padres split a doubleheader as the Bucs took the opener, 8-6, and the Padres captured the nightcap, 5-3. Jason Thompson homered in both games for Pittsburgh. Joe Niekro scattered 4 hits for his 9th complete game, and Art Howe made a quick trip around the basepaths with a walk, a two base advance on Tony Scott's single, and a wild pitch that scored him from third. Houston beat the Mets, 2-0.

Failing to show the prowess that made him the game's best reliever in 1979, Jim Kern was traded from the Cincinnati Reds to the Chicago White Sox for player(s) to be named later.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 24, 1982
Atlanta Braves 9 (W: Niekro, 12-3; SV: Garber, 24)
Philadelphia Phillies 7 (L: Carlton, 16-9)
69-56
1st place
Tied

BRAVES RALLY AGAINST CARLTON DOWN 4-0 TO WIN;
RICKEY STEALS 2 TO TIE BUT GETS CAUGHT TO BREAK RECORD;
JOE NOLAN'S 11TH INNING GRAND SLAM HELPS O'S KEEP PACE

If you were wondering if the Atlanta Braves are still suffering the shock of blowing their huge lead during their recent 2-19 slump, the answer came through loud and clear tonight: no, they are not. The Braves merely spotted baseball's greatest lefthander of his generation a 4-run lead before he took the mound and then took him apart piece by piece, turning a 4-0 deficit into a 9-7 win for their sixth straight triumph. Spotted the huge lead, Steve Carlton was gone before the fourth inning ended, an inning in which Atlanta chased six runs across the plate against Carlton and slammed 3 home runs into the night. Given new life, Phil Niekro went 8 innings and gave up seven runs himself, but the shaky bullpen of two weeks ago has turned into the solid bullpen of right now. When Niekro gave up a leadoff single in the 9th to Greg Gross bringing Pete Rose to the plate as the tying run, Gene Garber came on and got Rose to hit into a double play and retired Manny Trillo on a ground out to earn his 24th save.

It looked like a disaster for the Braves after a rough first inning. The Phillies had runners second and third with two outs, and both scored on a double by Bo Diaz. When Gary Maddox socked his 8th homer, the Braves were in a 4-0 ditch and facing a legend. But the legend prove mortal on this night when Jerry Royster led off the Atlanta batters with his first home run of the year. Bob Horner did the same in the third, and Carlton nursed a 4-2 lead into the fourth before the roof caved in on him.

Terry Harper singled to open the inning and raced all the way around to cut the lead to 4-3 on Bruce Benedict's one-out triple. Niekro lofted a sacrifice fly to center to score the slow-footed catcher and tie the game, but all appeared in hand at 4-4 with two outs. But facing Royster for the third time, Carlton surrendered a double, and he lost the lead on the next batter when Rafael Ramirez singled and then wound up on third base thanks to an error by catcher Bo Diaz. Carlton faced one more batter in the hopes of ending the inning, but Dale Murphy socked his 31st homer of the year, a two-run bomb that gave Atlanta a 7-4 lead. Carlton gave way to Ed Farmer, who immediately gave up a double to Horner and an RBI single to Bob Watson that gave Atlanta an 8-4 lead. Farmer retired Glenn Hubbard with a fly ball to center for the inning's final out, giving Hubbard the frustration of making two of Atlanta's three outs in their six-run inning. Both coincidentally were fly balls to center.

The Phillies were far from finished, however, as Maddox and Gary Matthews reached base leading off the sixth inning with singles and light hitting Ivan DeJesus smashed a three-run homer off Niekro that reduced the Atlanta margin to a mere run. Horner's walk and two singles plated the slugger with an insurance run, and the Braves were ahead, 9-7, which proved to be the final margin.

The Braves remain in a tie for first after the Los Angeles Dodgers rode the five-hit pitching of Bob Welch and Ken Landreaux's three RBIs to a 5-3 triumph over the St Louis Cardinals. Tony Pena's 11th inning RBI single off Juan Eichielberger scored Lee Lacy and gave the Pirates a 6-5 win over the San Diego Padres, capping a comeback that began in the 7th inning with the Pirates trailing, 5-1. Gary Carter homered, and Scott Sanderson scattered 9 hits for his first win since June 20 in Montreal's 5-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds, 5-1. Phil Garner's two-out double down the left field line in the 8th inning scored Dickie Thon and gave Houston a 5-4 win, lifting the Astros' record to 11-4 in their last 15. Bill Buckner's 4 RBIs, including a three-run homer, and Bump Wills' 3 RBIs helped lead the Chicago Cubs to an 8-4 win over the San Francisco Giants.

Rickey Henderson stole two bases, leaving him one short of tying Lou Brock's single season record of 118, but he did set a different steals record when he was caught in his first attempt at tying the record and thus established a single season record for most times caught stealing at 39. Henderson insisted after the game that Umpire Durwood Merrill's out call was wrong, and that he had tied the record. Frustration now sets in because the Athletics head out on a ten-game road trip, and there's no way Henderson doesn't break that record in the next time games. Oakland won the game voer Detroit, 3-0. John Wathan of the Royals stole his 31st base of the season, setting a record for catchers, in Kansas City's 5-3 win over the Texas Rangers.

After blowing an early 3-0 lead and taking the game into extra innings, the birds of Baltimore beat the birds of Toronto when backup catcher Joe Nolan smashed a dramatic 10th inning game-ending grand slam home run off of his former battery mate in Atlanta, Joey McLaughlin, to give the Orioles a 7-3 win over the Blue Jays and extend their winning streak to four. All seven Orioles runs came off homers as their 3-0 lead was the product of Eddie Murray's first inning shot. Frank Viola tossed a six-hitter for his first major league shutout and John Castino had three RBIs as Minnesota beat down the New York Yankees, 5-0. Robin Yount and Ted Simmons both homered and drove in 3 runs each as Milwaukee beat the California Angels, 7-3, for their fifth win in the last six games. The Cleveland Indians ripped out 16 hits and throttled the Chicago White Sox, 14-7. A 12th inning home run by Reid Nichols delivered Boston a 5-4 win over the Mariners in Seattle.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 25, 1982
Philadelphia Phillies 11 (W: Reed, 4-4)
Atlanta Braves 9 (L: Garber, 6-7)
69-57
2nd place
1 game behind

PHILS EDGE BRAVES IN WILD 10 INNING CONTEST;
SURPASS ATLANTA ATTENDANCE RECORD

There are multiple ways to look at tonight's Phillies-Braves game, and the viewpoint taken from looking at it may differ. If you are a Braves fan, do you highlight the fact your bullpen lost yet another game in extra innings to a division title contender? Or do you highlight the fact that your team came to bat in the bottom of the first trailing, 6-0, and forced extra innings before losing? Or do you highlight the fact you blew a 9-6 lead in the 8th inning? And if you are the Phillies, who may well meet the Braves in the playoffs, do you praise your team's intestinal fortitude and never-say-die spirit or do you tremble in fear that your pitching is apparently quite vulnerable.

One day after spotting baseball legend Steve Carlton a 4-0 lead and rallying for a win, the Atlanta Braves apparently decided it was so much fun that they'd try it again against a lesser foe. The Phillies batted around in the top of the first against Pascual Perez, sending him to a shower after recording only two outs and chasing six runs across the plate thanks largely to two infield errors. Philadelphia scored their six without benefit of a home run. But by the end of the 3rd inning, it was a game again. Bob Horner socked a seemingly harmless solo home run in the second to cut the lead to five runs against Philly starter Dick Ruthven, but a wild third inning turned a cataclysm into a contest when Philly made their own crucial error.

Rick Mahler, who came on in relief of Perez to close out the first, walked with one out. Jerry Royster and Rafael Ramirez, the two fielders whose errors aided the six-run first, both singled to load the bases for Claudell Washington. Washington bounced to Manny Trillo in what appeared to be an inning ending double play, but shortstop Ivan DeJesus dropped the ball without ever touching second, meaning all runners were safe, including Mahler, who scored. Dale Murphy followed with a single that plated two Braves and cut the Philly lead to 6-4 and then showing an aggressiveness that has marked the Braves in 1982, Murphy and Washington were both safe on a double steal, putting two runners in scoring position with only one out. Horner grounded out to score Washington and Murphy remained stranded, but Atlanta had cut the huge lead to a manageable 6-5. Then in the fifth, it took only one swing of the bat of Horner to drill his second homer of the game, a three-run shot that thrust Atlanta into the lead, 8-6. A Matt Sinatro single and a Ramirez double plated another run, and Atlanta took a 9-6 lead into the 8th.

But the Phillies were nothing if not resilient. DeJesus and Greg Gross singled leading off the 8th but Mahler then retired Pete Rose and Trillo, bringing Gary Matthews to the plate with two outs. The former Atlanta outfielder, who smashed 51 homers in Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium in four years as a Braves regular, unloaded another when Mahler was left in one batter two long, a three-run shot for Philadelphia's first runs since the first inning rally that tied the game at 9. Gene Garber came on and walked Mike Schmidt, but he retired Bo Diaz on a grounder to keep the game tied. Garber navigated the trouble in the 9th, but in the 10th, the Phillies got to him for the winner.

Trillo led off the 10th with a double and Matthews singled him home for what proved to be the game-winning run. Matthews was thrown out at third trying to get an extra base, but the Phillies followed with 3 straight singles and another run, giving them a two-run cushion entering the bottom of the tenth. The Braves went in order and the Phillies, despite blowing a 6-0 lead, won, 11-9.

The loss combined with the Dodgers' 11-3 win that nets Fernando Valenzuela his 17th win, means the Braves have fallen back out of first by a game in the NL West. Good news if such can be found is the Braves surpassed their attendance record in Atlanta when the crowd tonight pushed the year's attendance figure past 1.54 million fans. The Braves have given their fans an exciting and anxious season, and there are 36 scheduled games remaining.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 26, 1982
TRAVEL DAY
69-57
2nd place
1 game behind

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 27, 1982
Atlanta Braves 9 (W: Moore, 2-0)
New York Mets 8 (L: Orosco, 2-10)
70-57
2nd place
1 game behind

BRAVES BLOW 8-0 LEAD BUT WIN, 9-8;
METS LOSING STREAK NOW AT 11;
HENDERSON BREAKS RECORD WITH 119TH STEAL

A wild month for the Atlanta Braves got even wilder tonight. With a day of rest to contemplate the thrill of rallying from 6-0 down but also the agony of blowing a 9-6 lead four outs from a win, the Braves blew all of an 8-0 lead against the pedestrian New York Mets only to wind up winning, 9-8, on an 8th inning home run by that bastion of home run power, Rafael Ramirez. In their last three games, the thrill a minute Braves have overcome first inning deficits of four and six runs and at the same time blown leads of three- and now eight runs. But a lot gets overlooked, filed away, or forgiven when you're winning.

The Braves tore out of the gate with a four-run inning, only one of which was an earned run. Mets starter Charlie Puleo walked Jerry Royster to start the game, and playing for an early run, Braves Manager Joe Torre sent Ramirez to sacrifice Royster to second and succeeded in putting two runners on when Puleo threw the ball away attempting to record the out. Claudell Washington then grounded out, but it was productive in that it moved both runners ahead a base. Staring at a potential big inning, the Mets walked Dale Murphy to load the bases, and Bob Horner's single gave Atlanta a 2-0 lead. After Chris Chambliss struck out, Glenn Hubbard's double chased the sluggers across the plate to give Atlanta starter Bob Walk a 4-0 lead before he even threw his first pitch. An inning later, Royster singled with one out, stole second, and scored himself when Puleo made yet another error on Washington's grounder. Murphy singled home Washington from second, and the Braves had a 6-0 lead with only one earned run. Puleo, who had two errors, two wild pitches, and was in a 6-0 hole, gave way in favor of Pete Falcone, who closed out the second but then ran in trouble in the third.

Chambliss singled and Matt Sinatro, best known for keeping the Braves' 13-game winning streak alive when the game-ending double play ball hit him, drilled his first major league home run to put the Braves up with a seemingly insurmountable 8-0 lead. But it's entirely possible Walk was given too much support because he immediately gave one back when Brian Giles singled, stole second and then scored on a Mookie Wilson singled. Wilson himself stole second but Walk wriggled free of further damage. But an inning later, the Mets got going with a double and three straight singles that cut Atlanta's lead to 8-3. Only Walk's success at getting Ron Hodges to hit into a double play and then strike out Giles kept the lead comfortable. Walk then got through the fifth, but in the sixth the Mets rallied to tie the game and trouble the Atlanta mindset.

Bobby Valentine, whose leadoff double netted the game's second run in the fourth, led off with another double, and Dave Kingman, the league's leading home run slugger, stunned everyone with a successful bunt that put runners at the corners. George Foster popped out, and Atlanta pulled Walk in favor of Steve Bedrosian. Bedrosian struck out Hubie Brooks for the second out but then walked Hodges to load the bases. Giles singled to short, leaving the bases loaded and cutting the lead to 8-4. With a chance to do some major damage, Mets Manager George Bamberger sent up Rusty Staub with the bases loaded, and the fan favorite singled to center, scoring two runs to cut the Atlanta lead to a not-so-intimidating 8-6. Pitcher Rick Ownbey came on to run in place of the 38-year-old Staub, and the Mets followed with back-to-back singles that scored both Brooks and Ownbey to tie the game at 8 in a shocking reversal. Bedrosian retired Valentine to end the inning, but the deck had been reshuffled and presumably in favor of the Mets.

Jesse Orosco came on after putting one on with a walk and allowing a single with one out, he got through the inning courtesy of a double play. Donnie Moore replaced Bedrosian and though he allowed a hit got through the 7th with no scoring. Then in the 8th, Ramirez unloaded his solo shot off Orosco, giving the Braves the 9-8 lead they would take to the game's end. With a tired and tattered bullpen, Torre opted to leave Moore in to finish the job, and though he allowed a single with two outs that brought the winning run to bat, Moore concluded the proceedings by getting Brooks to fly out to center to end the game. The win makes the Braves 7-1 in their last eight while the Mets' losing streak has now reached an epidemic 11 games.

The big news that captured the networks, however, was also the most inevitable. Rickey Henderson, the 23-year-old Chicago-born outfielder for the Oakland Athletics not only beat Lou Brock's eight-year-old record for most steals in a season, he shattered it by stealing four bases in tonight's game, three after his first steal set the new record. It wasn't enough to give Oakland the win, however. Jim Gantner's two-run RBI single in the bottom of the 8th lifted Milwaukee to the 5-4 win. Don Baylor had a pair of singles and 3 RBIs, and Bobby Grich drilled a two-run homer to give California a 7-6 win over the Boston Red Sox that enabled replacement pitcher Rickey Steirer to win his first major league start. Steirer, pitching on his birthday, replaced Luis Tiant, who sat out with a sore back. The New York Yankees jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first but went flat the rest of the way while the Toronto Blue Jays got home runs from Jesse Barfield and Buck Martinez as the ended a five-game losing streak with a 10-3 pasting of the Yanks. Steve Comer made his first start since May 1981 and scattered 8 hits as he went the distance in the Texas Rangers' 4-3 win in the nightcap of a doubleheader split with the Baltimore Orioles, ending the O's seven-game win streak. Baltimore won the opener, 3-1, behind the combined six-hit pitching of Jim Palmer, who won his 11th, and Tim Stoddard, who got his 12th save. George Brett returned after taking 11 days off to let his sore wrist heal, and his 3-for-5 with 3 RBIs night helped the Royals trounce the White Sox, 7-1. Detroit's four-run 9th led by Alan Trammell's double turned a 2-1 lead over Seattle into a 6-1 final score laugher. Two Cleveland errors led to a five-run inning and rookie Tim Laudner drilled his sixth home run as the Minnesota Twins beat the Cleveland Indians, 5-3.

Pedro Guererro homered and singled twice and pinch-hitters Mike Marshall and Rick Monday both homered to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 9-4 romp over the Chicago Cubs and maintain their one-game lead over the Braves in the NL West. The Cincinnati Reds staked starter Mario Soto to a 5-0 lead in the top of the first and never looked back, trouncing the Phillies, 8-1. RBI hits by Tom Herr and George Hendrick in the fifth were all the St Louis Cardinals needed to achieve their 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres. Bruce Sutter got his 28th save. Omar Moreno scored from third as the Giants attempted an inning ending double play and failed, giving the Pittsburgh Pirates a 3-2 win over San Francisco and extending the Giants' losing streak to six.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 28, 1982
Atlanta Braves 4 (W: Camp, 10-7; SV: Garber, 25)
New York Mets 3 (L: Scott, 7-12)
71-57
2nd place
1 game behind

 

[selmaborntidefan]

August 28, 1982
Atlanta Braves 9 (W: Niekro, 13-3; SV: Bedrosian, 8)
New York Mets 4 (L: Hausman, 1-2)
72-57
1st place
TIED

BRAVES BACK IN FIRST;
FERGIE WINS #274

After following an April through July to remember followed by a month to forget, the Atlanta Braves are back in first place in the NL West, tied for the lead with the Los Angeles Dodgers after a 9-4 win over the hapless New York Mets, completing a three-game sweep and lifting Atlanta's record to 9-1 in their last ten games. The Braves have 33 games left in perhaps the most topsy-turvy season of their existence. Tonight, the ageless Phil Niekro went six innings and lifted his record to 13-3 as he scattered 9 hits and struck out 4 before turning the job over to Steve Bedrosian, who's had a forgettable two weeks but recovered enough to give up only one hit in his 3 innings and notch his 8th save of 1982.

Three Atlanta batters - Glenn Hubbard, Rafael Ramirez, and Claudell Washington - each drove in two runs, and the Braves stole 3 bases in 5 attempts in an aggressive and successful effort to put the game away. After the game, both Hubbard and Niekro credited Atlanta Manager Joe Torre for remaining cool in the crisis of the 2-19 slump that has been turned back into solid baseball (and yes, a little bit of luck, but the Braves were also victimized more than once by bad luck while losing). Mets Manager George Bamberger, by contrast, let it be known that when the team returns for spring next year, every job on the roster is going to be open for somebody else. The Mets have a pair of solid youngsters in Hubie Brooks and Mookie Wilson, and there's also the anticipation of 1980 overall #1 draft pick Darryl Strawberry getting enough minor league seasoning to join the club, perhaps as early as next spring. One thing that must give the Mets hope is that just three years ago, they and the Braves were running parallel courses of ineptitude. If the Braves turned it around, there is hope for the larger market Mets.

After three consecutive poor starts, Steve Carlton returned to his normal self, pitching a three-hitter and taking a shutout into the 8th before giving up his lone run, a solo homer by Rafael Landestoy, as the Phillies defeated the Reds, 3-1. The Cubs laced out 13 hits, including 3 by Bump Wills, as Fergie Jenkins won his 274th career game in Chicago's 7-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, a defeat that knocked LA out of sole possession of first place in the NL West. Andre Dawson's 3 RBIs, including two on his 18th home run, were enough to carry the Montreal Expos to a 5-3 win over the Houston Astros. Jim Morrison and Jason Thompson accounted for all four runs the Pirates attained on a two-run single and two-run homer as Pittsburgh edged the San Francisco Giants, 4-3. The St Louis Cardinals were bombed, 9-4, in the first game of a doubleheader with the San Diego Padres, reducing their lead to 1.5 games in the NL East. But the Cardinals, while blowing several chances to end the nightcap early, prevailed in the second game, 5-3, as Doug Bair won in relief and Bruce Sutter earned his 29th save.

Bob McClure fed the Oakland Athletics a steady diet of fastballs, and they couldn't hit them, as McClure went the distance and scattered three hits in the Milwaukee Brewers' 8-1 rout of Oakland. After taking a beating to his body and passing Lou Brock's stolen base record, Rickey Henderson was given a day off. Wade Boggs, Jim Rice, and Dwight Evans homered to account for 8 RBIs, and rookie Boggs lifted his partial season batting average to .362 in Boston's 9-3 win over the California Angels. The Royals won their sixth straight and starter Larry Gura his 17th decision, tying Steve Carlton and Fernando Valenzuela for most wins, as Kansas City rode a four-run first inning to a 7-4 win over the Chicago White Sox. Eddie Murray drove in two runs as the Baltimore Orioles won their sixth straight, 3-2, over the Texas Rangers, who lost for the 9th time in their last 11. Dave Winfield had two homers and four RBIs while Lee Mazzilli added a solo shot to support the six-hit pitching of Tommy John as the Yankees routed the Blue Jays, 8-2. Randy Bush drove in two runs to help the Minnesota Twins complete a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Indians with a 6-3. Jerry Ujdur only allowed four hits, although he wildly walked six batters, to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 6-2 win over the Seattle Mariners. Rookie Howard Johnson had two RBIs, one on a solo homer.