September 8, 1982
Atlanta Braves 12 (W: Garber, 7-8)
Los Angeles Dodgers 11 (L: Howe, 6-4)
10 innings
77-62
1st place
0.5 games ahead
BRAVES WIN A WILD ONE TO TAKE BACK 1ST;
END 9-GAME LOSING STREAK TO LA;
CARLTON FIRST TO 19 WINS
On July 30 when the Atlanta Braves began their 2-19 skid that turned an NL Western Division rout into a race, the Braves were hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers and raced out to leads of 6-1 and 8-3 before succumbing to the Dodgers late, 10-9. Forty nights later, the Braves and Dodgers squared off again with every pitch meaning something, and the Braves again blew leads, this time of 3-1 and 8-5. The difference, however, is that tonight the Braves rallied to tie the game in the seventh and clustered three singles, the last a game-winning RBI by MVP candidate Dale Murphy to edge the Dodgers, 12-11, and move the Braves back on top of the NL West standings if only for one day. The two teams combined for 23 runs, 36 hits, and 7 home runs in one of the wildest games anyone could recall.
Phil Niekro and Bob Welch squared off at Fulton County Stadium, and the Dodgers came out playing aggressively as Steve Sax singled, moved to second on a bunt by Ken Landreaux, and scored on an RBI single by Dusty Baker, to give LA a lightning quick 1-0 lead. Baker then stole second off the knuckler, but Niekro struck out Pedro Guererro and Steve Garvey to get out of the jam down by just a run. The Braves' bats responded quickly, as Claudell Washington singled and, mimicking the aggressive baserunning of the Dodgers, attempted to steal second but was gunned down. The aggression appeared a mistake when Rafael Ramirez doubled, but Dale Murphy was hit by a pitch, putting runners at first and second with one out. After Chris Chambliss flied out to center, Bob Horner smashed his 29th home run of the year that thrust the Braves quickly into the lead, 3-1.
But Knucksie couldn't hold the lead, not even for one inning. The first three batters of the second inning all singled, and only a stellar throw from left fielder Jerry Royster that nailed Ron Roenicke at the plate for the first out preserved the Atlanta lead. Welch himself bounced a batted ball back to Niekro, who forced Mike Scioscia at third, and it appeared the Braves would get out of the inning scoreless. But Sax, a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year and of little power, drilled a three-run homer off Niekro, only his third in the majors, and Atlanta's lead vanished over the wall with the homer, 4-3. An inning later, Guererro homered with nobody on to give the Dodgers a 5-3 cushion. It lasted all of three batters.
Washington led off the third with a double and after getting a ground out from Ramirez, Welch served up Murphy's 34th home run of the season, tying the game with one swing. An inning later, Washington came to bat after Royster had doubled and catcher Bruce Benedict drew a walk and socked a three-run shot of his own with two outs that immediately put the Braves back in the lead, 8-5. Welch gave way to Joe Beckwith, and the Braves scored no more in the inning. But Niekro couldn't hold a lead any more than Welch could, giving up a solo shot to Baker with one out and a single to Steve Garvey, which spelled the end of the line for the 43-year-old veteran. Bob Walk, who lost his starting pitcher's role two weeks ago with a record of 11-9 and a 4.87 ERA (and numerous blown leads) came on in relief and immediately poured gasoline on an inferno, giving up two singles, a double, and the lead as the Dodgers tied the game at 8. Steve Bedrosian came on in relief of Walk and retired Greg Brock to end the inning.
With the scored tied 8-8 entering the bottom of the 5th, Chambliss and Horner led off with singles and when Glenn Hubbard attempted to move both runners ahead with a sacrifice bunt, the Braves caught a break when Scioscia threw the ball away, scoring Chambliss and putting Horner at third and Hubbard at second with nobody out. Royster then hit a hard shot to the shortstop and when Horner stayed at third, Hubbard was a dead duck in the rundown, a fielder's choice out where Hubbard delayed the tag long enough for Royster to make second, putting two runners in scoring position with one out for big swinging Bob Watson, who came on to pinch-hit for Bedrosian. Watson lifted a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Horner, and the Braves were now leading, 10-8. Reliever Donnie Moore, who lost to the Giants two nights ago, came on and immediately gave up the lead, interspersing two singles with two outs until Garvey unloaded his own three-run shot into the seats and just like that, the Dodgers were back in the lead, 11-10.
Then in the seventh, Larry Whisenton pinch-hit for Benedict and reached on an error by Sax, moved into scoring position on a fielder's choice and then scored on Washington's two-out single to tie the game against Dodger reliever Tom Niedenfuer. The Braves blew a chance in the 8th, and the Dodgers in the 9th, but the fate of the outcome was settled in the bottom of the 10th. Rufino Linares hit for reliever Gene Garber, ensuring he was finished for the night, and grounded out to second. Then Washington singled, Ramirez singled, and Murphy singled, scoring Washington and giving the Braves a "blow the lead then come-from-behind win" that puts Atlanta back in first place. Both managers had plenty to say about the game when it was over. Joe Torre noted we had a 24-round fight about to take place between the two teams, and the Braves had merely taken the first round. Dodgers skipper Tommy Lasorda shouted how proud he was of his team for playing aggressively and never giving up - and then he, too, was silent with the rest of them. After the agony of August, the win is probably more important for the Braves since they entered the contest having lost 9 straight against the Dodgers. They now know they can win regardless of how wild a game it is.
Bob Forsch scattered 8 hits and Keith Hernandez tripled home Ken Oberkfell with the game's only run as the Cardinals edged the Expos, 1-0. The Phillies kept pace when Bill Robinson broke a 3-3 tie in the 8th with an RBI single that scored George Vuckovich and gave Philadelphia a 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs, making Steve Carlton the league's first 19-game winner in 1982. Dave Kingman drove in four runs, including three with his league-leading 34th of the year, and Ron Hodges socked his first career grand slam, helping the Mets to a 9-1 trouncing of the Pittsburgh Pirates and providing Rick Ownbey with his first major league win. With the score tied at 4 entering the 9th, the Padres erupted for five runs on five hits, the key blow a two-run single by Joe Lefebvre that helped San Diego beat the Cincinnati Reds, 9-4. Joe Niekro scattered 8 hits and drove in 3 runs by himself to give the Houston Astros an 8-1 win over the San Francisco Giants.
The New York Yankees slugged four home runs en route to a 10-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles that ended Baltimore's ten-game winning streak and Jim Palmer's 11-game winning streak against the Yankees. Eddie Murray homered for the O's. Vida Blue scattered five hits and tossed his fifth complete game of 1982 while Hal McRae boosted his league leading RBI total to 118 by driving in two runs via a single and a triple as the Kansas City Royals thumped the Seattle Mariners, 6-2. The Royals' lead in the West increased to two games when the Chicago White Sox got 8th inning RBI singles from Mike Squires and Vance Law to beat the California Angels, 5-3. A two-run home run by George Wright was all the offense the Texas Rangers needed as Jon Matlack allowed just one hit in 7 innings in the Rangers' 2-0 win over the Minnesota Twins. Barry Bonnell and Jesse Barfield both had two RBIs each as the Blue Jays finished a three-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics, 6-5, that extends Toronto's winning streak over Oakland to six games. Ed Whitson scattered 7 hits and Andre Thornton's two out double in the first was all the offense Cleveland needed to beat the Boston Red Sox, 2-0. John Tudor, who went the distance and gave up but five runs, deserved a better fate than his 10th loss. Cecil Cooper smashed a three-run homer and Charlie Moore had 3 RBIs as Moose Haas won his 11th game, this time in relief of Bob McClure, giving the Brewers a 9-7 win over the Tigers and a four-game lead in the AL East.
