Baseball in the Pythagorean Universe: 1981

National League East Report for Friday, June 26:

Cardinals 4, Mets 3

The Eastern Division leaders scored two in the top of the first, then managed to hold off a furious rally by the home squad. Bruce Sutter had an unusually rocky outing, giving up a run and four hits in an inning and a third, but recorded the save. Losing pitcher Randy Jones has lost ten out of his eleven decisions this year for the Mets.

W- Sorensen (8-7)
S- Sutter (31)
L- Jones (1-10)

Cubs 5, Expos 0

Randy Martz celebrated his permanent elevation to the Cubs' starting rotation by combining with three other Cub pitchers to shut out the Spos. Together, Martz. Dick Tidrow, Doug Capilla and Lee Smith held the Expos to three hits, while Bobby Bonds provided the telling blow with a seventh-inning line drive two-run homer.

W- Martz (6-8)
L- Burris (9-9)

HR- CHC: Bonds (8)

Phillies 5, Pirates 3

The Phils overcame a 3-2 deficit with a three-run sixth. Keith Moreland tied the game with a leadoff home run, and Pete Rose drove in the go-ahead run with a base hit. Garry Maddox also had a dinger for the Phils, while catcher Tony Pena drove in two for the Buccos. Bill Madlock had two more hits to widen his lead slightly in the National League batting race.

W- Reed (6-5)
S- Lyle (4)
L- Solomon (9-8)

HR- PHI: Moreland (7), Maddox (6)

The standings to the moment:

Cardinals: 69-51
Expos: 69-55- 2 GB
Phillies: 64-57- 5.5 GB
Pirates: 51-67- 17 GB
Mets: 46-72- 22 GB
Cubs: 42-75- 25.5 GB

Next: The West for June 26.

Thoughts?
 
Last edited:
National League West Report for Friday, June 26:

Reds 4, Braves 3

Tom Seaver gave up a first-inning two-run homer to Bob Horner, then settled down the rest of the way to notch his league-leading sixteenth win of the season. Joe Price stymied the Braves in the ninth to earn the save. Dan Driessen, who started at first to give Johnny Bench the night off, and third baseman Ray Knight each had two RBIs for the Reds.

W- Seaver (16-2)
S- Price (5)
L- Mahler (10-8)

HR- ATL: Horner (18)

Astros 2, Dodgers 0

Nolan Ryan threw a complete game four-hit shutout, with Tony Scott and Terry Puhl providing the RBIs. The game lasted just an hour and fifty-two minutes, quick even by 1981 standards. The Stros are now within four and a half games of the first-place Dodgers with a Game of the Week showdown coming tomorrow afternoon.

W- Ryan (13-5)
L- Reuss (11-6)

Padres 4, Giants 3 (11 innings)

Broderick Perkins hit one practically into San Francisco Bay off of Gary Lavelle leading off the top of the eleventh to give the Padres the win. Gary Lucas got the victory in relief, but not before John Urrea had to pitch out of a major jam in the bottom of the eleventh. With runners on first and third, Urrea faced Enos Cabell, who lifted a towering fly ball into left center. Pinch runner Rennie Stennett broke for the plate as the ball appeared to be dropping in front of left fielder Gene Richards. Stennett crossed the plate with time to spare...... only to find Richards holding up the ball after a miraculous shoestring catch! The Giants had already come back from a 3-1 hole in the seventh to tie the game 3-3. On a futuristic note, Padres outfield prospect Tony Gwynn came up as a pinch hitter in the seventh and popped out to first.

The Reds and the Giants are now tied for third place.

W- Lucas (10-7)
S- Urrea (3)
L- Lavelle (2-7)

HR- SD: Perkins (3)

The standings to the moment:

Dodgers: 77-48
Astros: 72-52- 4.5 GB
(tie) Reds: 64-59- 12 GB
(tie) Giants: 65-60- 12 GB
Braves: 57-64- 18 GB
Padres: 55-69- 21.5 GB

Next: June 27 in the East.

Thoughts?
 
Last edited:
Here's the National League East Report for Saturday, June 27:

Cubs 4, Expos 1

The Cubs got the same result from the same crew they used Friday; a three-hitter, with starter Doug Bird being the only different pitcher and Lee Smith earning a save. Bill Buckner hit one into the fifth row in right center field to give the Cubs the lead, and they didn't look back. Jody Davis doubled home two more in the fourth and was driven in by Ken Reitz to provide insurance. Warren Cromartie drove in the Expos' only run.

W- Bird (5-7)
S- Smith (2)
L- Lea (5-6)

HR- CHC: Buckner (11)

Cardinals 8, Mets 4

The division leaders pounded Mets pitching for fifteen hits and overcame an early 3-0 hole with the help of a three-run sixth and a three-run ninth. Kenny Oberkfell drove in three Cardinal runs. The home fans, though, got two thrills in the form of tape measure home runs by Kingman: a three-run shot in the first that dug the hole the Cardinals eventually climbed out of, and a shot to right that traveled well over four hundred feet in the ninth.

The Redbirds are beginning to achieve separation from the Expos; their lead is now three games, and they still have four games in hand.

W- Forsch (14-5)
L- Zachry (7-15)

HR- NYM: Kingman 2 (32)

Pirates 5, Phillies 3

The Buccos got big days from their middle infielders to take the middle game of the series. Shortstop Tim Foli went three for four and drove in two, while second baseman Johnny Ray went two for three, drove in a run, and scored twice. Bill Robinson, starting at third base, also drove in two. Victor Cruz was called upon to save the game (which he did), as the Pirates began to look at who might be on the roster in 1982.

W- Bibby (7-5)
S- Cruz (2)
L- Christenson (4-8)

The standings to the moment:

Cardinals: 70-51
Expos: 69-56- 3 GB
Phillies: 64-58- 6.5 GB
Pirates: 52-67- 17 GB
Mets: 46-73- 23 GB
Cubs: 43-75- 25.5 GB

Next: June 27 in the West.

Thoughts?
 
Here's the National League West Report for Saturday, June 27:

Reds 6, Braves 2

A five-run fourth put this one firmly in the Reds' win column. Dan Driessen, giving Johnny Bench a second straight night off to rest his sore knees, delivered a homer, while pitcher Frank Pastore helped his own cause with a run-scoring base hit and Ken Griffey put it out of reach with a two-run triple. Pastore pitched seven strong innings for the win. Chris Chambliss went deep for the Bravos.

W- Pastore (5-9)
L- McWilliams (2-2)

HR- ATL: Chambliss (11)
CIN: Driessen (8)

Astros 1, Dodgers 0 (NBC: Merle Harmon, Ron Luciano)

This one was even shorter than last night's game: an hour and forty-seven minutes. For once Fernando Valenzuela was outdueled, as Vern Ruhle and Joe Sambito held the Dodgers to only two hits. The game's only run was scored in the third, when Phil Garner's fly ball glanced off of Dusty Baker's glove, scoring Craig Reynolds.

As the Cardinals are gaining separation from the Expos in the East, the Astros are creeping up on the Men in Blue in the West; they're now within three and a half games, with a chance to sweep the series tomorrow afternoon.

W- Ruhle (6-6)
S- Sambito (12)
L- Valenzuela (15-8)

Padres 6, Giants 3

The Padres didn't need eleven innings this time; they jumped out in front with a four-run third and coasted home. Ruppert Jones went two for four and drove home two. In all, five different Padres had multiple-hit games. Pitcher Steve Mura even drove home a run with a fielder's choice in the fourth. Darrell Evans homered for the Giants, whose loss means that the Reds take over third place by themselves.

W- Mura (7-15)
S- Lucas (14)
L- Whitson (7-10)

HR- SF: Evans (13)

Note: The above series was moved from San Diego to San Francisco because of a water main break at Jack Murphy Stadium. (In other words, I read the schedule wrong.)

The standings to the moment:

Dodgers: 77-49
Astros: 73-52- 3.5 GB
Reds: 65-59- 11 GB
Giants: 65-61- 12 GB
Braves: 57-65- 18 GB
Padres: 56-69- 21.5 GB

Next: June 28 in the East.

Thoughts?
 
Here's the National League East Report for Sunday, June 28:

Cardinals 16, Mets 2

The Cards exploded for sixteen runs and twenty-one hits; everybody had an RBI except starting pitcher and beneficiary Silvio Martinez, and all the starters scored at least one run except for left fielder Gene Roof. George Hendrick homered and knocked in four, while Garry Templeton drove in three. On the Mets' side, starter Mike Scott was finished early, so Craig Swan made his first appearance in weeks and took the rest of the shelling. Rookie Mike Howard and Lee Mazzilli drove in the Mets' runs.

W- Martinez (4-6)
L- Scott (7-12)

HR- STL: Hendrick (23), Tenace (6)

Expos 3, Cubs 0

The Cubs have held the Expos in check for the last two days; today it was the Expos' turn. The pitching firm of Gullickson, Fryman, Sosa, and Bahnsen dispatched the Cubs on three hits, while Gary Carter, John Milner, and Chris Speier had the Expos' RBIs. Tim Raines saw his first action in the field in more than a month, but his knee's still tender, so he'll be day-to-day for the time being.

W- Gullickson (10-10)
S- Bahnsen (5)
L- Griffin (3-7)

Pirates 9, Phillies 4

The Bucs took two out of three in this latest incarnation of the Battle of Pennsylvania. They jumped out in front with five runs in the first, watched the Phillies climb back to within 5-4 after six, then put it away with a three-run shot from Mike Easler that landed ten rows up in right center field. Easler drove in a total of four runs on the day. Lee Lacy also went deep for the Battlin' Bucs. Not to be outdone, Mike Schmidt homered twice for the homestanders, and Garry Maddox went deep as well. Phils starter Nino Espinosa was yanked after eight pitches due to shoulder stiffness, and manager Dallas Green said after the game that his next start is "up in the air".

W- Perez (3-8)
L- Espinosa (2-7)

HR- PIT: Easler (9), Lacy (3)
PHI: Schmidt 2 (38), Maddox (7)

The standings to the moment:

Cardinals: 71-51
Expos: 70-56- 3 GB
Phillies: 64-59- 7.5 GB
Pirates: 53-67- 17 GB
Mets: 46-74- 24 GB
Cubs: 43-76- 26.5 GB

Next: June 28 in the West.

Thoughts?
 
Last edited:
Here's the National League West Report for Sunday, June 28:

Reds 12, Braves 1 (Game 1)

In a makeup game caused by yesterday's power failure following what was to be the first half of a doubleheader, the Reds pounded the Braves with the help of a third inning in which they scored seven runs on eight hits, seven of them consecutive. After the fifth hit, catcher Bruce Benedict went out to talk to starter Tommy Boggs, then motioned into the dugout, but nobody saw him. Ordered by home plate umpire Harry Wendelstedt to break up the meeting, he reluctantly did, and Boggs gave up another hit. Again, Benedict went out to the mound, again he motioned, and again nobody saw him. Finally, after George Foster's single produced the seventh run and eighth hit of the inning for Cincinnati, Wendelstedt himself went over to the Braves' dugout and motioned to the mound. and finally trainer Dave Pursley comes out. It turned out that Boggs had a blister which Benedict noticed, but Pursley couldn't see out to home plate due to the sun, so he didn't see Benedict signaling. Benedict was noticeably furious after the inning, and even had to be restrained by manager Bobby Cox.

At any rate, Boggs lasted another inning and a third, long enough to give up a Foster tape measure special that made it 12-0. Foster had four RBIs in the game and Paul Householder three, along with three hits. Bruce Berenyi went all the way for the division leaders. As for Pursley, he forgot his sunglasses on the team bus.

W- Berenyi (10-7)
L- Boggs (4-14)

HR- CIN: Foster (27)

Braves 13, Reds 10 (11 innings; Game 2)

The second game at Riverfront produced one of the wildest games of the year. The Reds were up comfortably 10-5 after seven, but the roof fell in in the eighth. In what continues to be a weird pattern of usage for closer Tommy Hume, he was not only in the game in the bottom of the seventh, but he was allowed to run the bases, and in fact scored from first on a double. He was obviously gassed to start the top of the eighth, and allowed a one-out walk to Brett Butler. Claudell Washington then took a 1-2 changeup down the right field line and over the fence, and it was 10-7. On the very next pitch, Bob Horner cranked one over the left field wall, and just like that it was 10-8.

Hume left to a sympathetic ovation; next, it was Scott Brown's turn. After getting the second out, he gave up two hits and a walk, then Bobby Cox sent Rafael Ramirez up to bat for rookie Larry Owen. On the second pitch, Ramirez smoked one down the line in right, and this one was knotted at ten. The Reds got Davey Concepcion to third in the bottom of the ninth, but Dale Murphy threw him out at the plate on Johnny Bench's fly ball, and we went to extra innings.

Out of relievers in the eleventh, Reds manager John McNamara brought in Tom Seaver, but Tom Terrific didn't have it. He gave up two walks, a base hit to Washington, and a two-run double to Horner. Rick Camp closed down the Reds in the bottom of the eleventh, and the long, long day was finally over.

W- Hrabosky (3-2)
S- Camp (22)
L- Seaver (16-3)

HR- ATL: Horner (19), Washington (10)

Dodgers 4, Astros 0

This one took a little longer than the first two of this series- two hours and four minutes- but pitching still dominated. Burt Hooton went only five innings, but it was enough for the win, with Steve Howe, Bobby Castillo, and Dave Stewart providing backup. Davey Lopes and Rick Monday homered for the Dodgers. Joe Niekro went all the way in a losing cause for the Stros, who were held to only five hits.

W- Hooton (14-6)
L- Niekro (11-11)

HR- LA: Monday (14), Lopes (6)

Padres 7, Giants 5

The Padres swept the Giants in a series that was supposed to be at Jack Murphy Stadium, but was moved to Candlestick Park due to a water-main break. The Pads scored two in the eighth and one in the ninth to secure the victory. Ozzie Smith drove in the game-winning run in the eighth with a sacrifice fly. Right fielder Joe Lefebvre returned from a sprained ankle to go two for five with two RBIs, and catcher Terry Kennedy also drove in two for the Padres. Right fielder Jeffrey Leonard went deep for the Giants.

W- Littlefield (3-6)
S- Lucas (15)
L- Holland (8-6)

HR- SF: Leonard (6)

The standings to the moment:

Dodgers: 78-49
Astros: 73-53- 4.5 GB
Reds: 66-60- 11.5 GB
Giants: 65-62- 13 GB
Braves: 58-66- 18.5 GB
Padres: 57-69- 20.5 GB

Next: June 29 in the East.

Thoughts?
 
Here's the National League East Report for Monday, June 29:

Cubs 4, Mets 3

The Cubs got a bases-clearing double from pitcher Mike Krukow and a solo homer from Leon Durham, then withstood a furious charge by the Amazins. Dave Kingman hit his first home run in almost a week, which is a long drought for him, and the Mets scored a ninth inning run on a single by pinch hitter Rusty Staub before Lee Smith got Mookie Wilson to ground into a double play to end the game.

W- Krukow (10-11)
S- Smith (3)
L- Harris (3-8)

HR- CHC: Durham (12)
NYM: Kingman (33)

Cardinals 8, Phillies 3 (ABC: Al Michaels, Bob Uecker)

A pivotal series that could spell the end of the Phils' playoff hopes began tonight in St. Louis. The Cards took round one, as they got a bases-clearing double in the second from pitcher John Martin to establish the lead they would have throughout. Tommy Herr drove in three more for the division leaders. Mike Schmidt shook off bumps and bruises from a first-inning collision at home plate to belt his 39th home run of the year.

W- Martin (10-5)
S- Sutter (32)
L- Bystrom (4-4)

HR- PHI: Schmidt (39)

Expos 14, Pirates 2

A truly embarrassing night at Three Rivers.

The game was tied 2-2 after seven; Jason Thompson hit his first home run of the "makeup season" batting for starter Odell Jones in the third, and Lee Lacy tripled home another run for the Bucs. Larry Parrish and Warren Cromartie drove in the Expo runs. Then came the top of the eighth.

To start with, Chuck Tanner had used Kent Tekulve already, so Victor Cruz started the inning. Parrish and Tim Wallach got base hits, and Cruz walked shortstop Mike Phillips on four pitches. Expos manager Jim Fanning sends Tim Raines up to bat for starter Steve Rogers, and he singled home Parrish and Wallach. Tanner then went to Enrique Romo, who struck out Rodney Scott, but then threw four way high to Terry Francona. Catcher Steve Nicosia went to the mound and told Romo to get the ball down. He did........ right into the middle of Andre Dawson's wheelhouse. It hit the very top of the wall, keeping it in play but clearing the bases as well. Tanner then called on John Candelaria, but Candy can't seem to get loose while throwing his warmup pitches. Tanner saw this and charged to the mound, but home plate umpire Jim Quick (correctly) said that he had to face one batter. Gary Carter served his second pitch into the gap in left center, and it was 8-2. Donnie Robinson, who was warming up by now, needs more time to get ready these days because of his own tender shoulder, so Big John begged Tanner to let him face Cromartie. A base hit later, it was 9-2 and Candy stumbled off the mound.

Donnie got the second out, but Wallach's hit scored Cromartie, Phillips got another hit, and Raines came up for the second time. Robinson tried a curve that didn't break on 2-0, and Raines deposited it into the fifth row in right center field. Robinson gave up a walk and another hit before mercifully getting the third out. The line score: eleven runs, ten hits, and two left. The Spos got another run off of an obviously hurting Robinson in the ninth, and that was that.

Tanner was besieged with questions about why he left Donnie in to be destroyed when he was obviously not right, and why he used Candy at all. Tanner said that both of them are competitors and wanted to be out there; the reporters didn't buy it for a minute. The next day, Bob Smizik of the Pittsburgh Press headlined his column, "Pirates should spell relief "W-I-L-L-I-A-M-S", as in Dick. Has The Family's patriarch overstayed his welcome?

W- Rogers (14-9)
L- Cruz (1-4)

HR- MON: Raines (6)
PIT: Thompson (16)

The standings to the moment:

Cardinals: 72-51
Expos: 71-56- 3 GB
Phillies: 64-60- 8.5 GB
Pirates: 53-68- 18 GB
Mets: 46-75- 25 GB
Cubs: 44-76- 26.5 GB

Next: June 29 in the West.

Thoughts?
 
Here's the National League West Report for Monday, June 29:

Padres 8, Dodgers 6

The Murph's still a little soggy around the edges, but otherwise undamaged after this past weekend's water main break. The action on the field was hot enough to dry it out, though, as the two teams went back and forth throughout. The Dodgers took a 6-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth, when the Padres started a one-out rally with a walk to Broderick Perkins. Ruppert Jones exchanged places with him on a fielder's choice, then stole second. Dave Stewart got two quick strikes on catcher Terry Kennedy, but Kennedy spanked the nothing-and-two into right for a base hit which scored Jones to tie it up. Manager Tommy Lasorda went to Terry Forster, who hadn't been seen since his disastrous outing a week ago when these two teams met in Los Angeles. Forster fell behind 2-0 on Joe Lefebvre, who anticipated a fastball, got it, and sent everyone home with a shot over the center field wall.

The LA media questioned Lasorda about using Forster much like the Pittsburgh media questioned Chuck Tanner about using John Candelaria and Don Robinson, but Lasorda was in no mood to be questioned and stormed out of his postgame news conference after less than five minutes, mumbling obscenities.

Second baseman Juan Bonilla had three hits for the winners, while Lefebvre, Perkins and third baseman Tim Flannery all had two RBIs; Flannery's came on a fourth-inning home run. Steve Garvey went three for five with two RBIs for the losers.

W- Urrea (5-2)
L- Stewart (5-4)

HR- SD: Lefebvre (9), Flannery (1)

Astros 9, Reds 2

The Stros scores three in the first and four in the eighth as they pounded the Reds. Tony Scott and Denny Walling each drove in three runs, and starter Billy Smith threw eight strong innings. Tommy Hume got rocked again, giving up four runs and four hits in his inning of work.

W- Smith (2-1)
L- Leibrandt (1-2)

The standings to the moment:

Dodgers: 78-50
Astros: 74-53- 3.5 GB
Reds: 66-61- 11.5 GB
Giants: 65-62- 12.5 GB
Braves: 58-66- 18 GB
Padres: 58-69- 19.5 GB

Next: June 30 in the East.

Thoughts?
 
Here's the National League East Report for Tuesday, June 30:

Phillies 11, Cardinals 6 (Game 1)

On a 100-degree afternoon in St. Louis, it figures that the hero would be a guy named Bake. Bake McBride, a former Cardinal, went four for six with six RBIs and three runs scored to pace the Phillies' triumph. His first two RBIs came in the fifth, when he doubled in pitcher Mike Proly and first baseman Pete Rose to cut the Cardinal lead to 4-2. Then in the eighth, he atoned for committing an earlier error that allowed the Cardinals to retie the game by retying it himself with a double that drove in Rose and knotted things at six. Finally, he gave the Phils the lead when he cleared the bases with another double in the ninth off of an unusually ineffective Bruce Sutter. Mike Schmidt put the head on things with another double that scored two more. By the time his stint was over, Sutter had given up five runs on six hits in an inning and two-thirds. It's clearly not a good time to be a closer in the National League.

W- McGraw (4-4)
L- Sutter (3-6)

Cardinals 5, Phillies 1 (Game 2)

The Cardinals gained a doubleheader split by handling the Phillies rather easily. Center fielder George Hendrick went two for three and drove in three. Andy Rincon dehydrated again in the oppresive St. Louis heat, so Bob Shirley came on in the fourth and threw four strong innings to gain the win. Bruce Sutter, who was so ineffective earlier, pitched two of his more typical innings to gain the save. Larry Bowa had the only run batted in for the Phils.

W- Shirley (9-5)
S- Sutter (33)
L- Carlton (15-6)

Cubs 4, Mets 3

Catcher Jody Davis drove in the winning run for the Cubbies with an eighth-inning single, and Bobby Bonds drove in two others. Dave Kingman went deep in the fourth to tie the game for the Mets. The Cubs are now within a half-game of the Mets for fifth place.

In other news, Dick Williams, in a sitdown interview with ESPN, said that the idea of managing the Mets "intrigues" him. Will the Mets take him up on his seeming interest once Joe Torre is fired as expected at the end of the season?

W- Kravec (2-6)
S- Tidrow (10)
L- Searage (2-2)

HR- NYM: Kingman (34)

Pirates 6, Expos 4

One night after their unholy collapse, the Buccos regrouped to defeat the Spos. They were led by second baseman Dale Berra, who was two for four and drove in three runs, including a double in the seventh that scored two and gave the Bucs a 5-4 lead. Bill Mdlock kept his lead in the batting race steady by going two for five. Warren Cromartie went deep for Montreal.

In the ESPN interview referenced earlier, Williams said that Pittsburgh "isn't on my list". He went on to explain, "The family thing just doesn't work for me. I'm into busting tail, not kissing it. There's nothing wrong with it; they were World Champions two years ago. But it's just not my way." He did, however, add something intriguing. "You know who'd make a good manager for them if (Chuck) Tanner gets fired? (Willie) Stargell."

W- Tekulve (6-5)
S- Romo (10)
L- Sosa (3-3)

HR- MTL: Cromartie (8)

The standings to the moment:

Cardinals: 73-52
Expos: 71-57- 3.5 GB
Phillies: 65-61- 8.5 GB
Pirates: 54-68- 17.5 GB
Mets: 46-76- 25.5 GB
Cubs: 45-76- 26 GB

Next: June 30 in the West.

Thoughts?
 
Here's the National League West Report for Tuesday, June 30:

Braves 6, Giants 3 (Game 1)

In what Braves manager Bobby Cox called "one of the sloppiest games I've ever seen", the Braves and Giants combined for seven errors. The Braves took the win on the strength of a three-run fourth. Driving in the winning runs was none other than pitcher Phil Niekro, who also went seven strong innings for the win. Jerry Martin drove in two for the Giants.

W- Niekro (8-7)
S- Camp (23)
L- Ripley (5-6)

Braves 8, Giants 7 (11 innings; Game 2)

Giants pitcher Allen Ripley was on the wrong end of a baseball "believe it or not". as he lost both ends of today's doubleheader. The Giants streaked out to a 5-0 lead after two and a half, but the Braves clawed their way back until they finally tied it at seven in the eighth on Bob Horner's RBI double. Both teams were deep into their bullpens by now, and the Braves in particular were trying to pull rabbits out of the hat; they've played back-to-back doubleheaders with a travel day in between and are exhausted.

It was Giants manager Frank Robinson who was forced into an exotic move, though, when Greg Minton turned his ankle throwing in the bullpen. It wasn't a serious injury, but it was enough to shut him down for the night. Having already batted for Gary Lavelle, Robinson had no one ready to pitch except for the man who started the first game of the doubleheader today.

Ripley got the first out, but it was obvious that he had nothing left. He gave up a single to Dale Murphy and a double to Glenn Hubbard, and that was the ballgame. The Giants wasted a four-for-six, four-RBI performance from catcher Bob Brenly and a home run from Jack Clark. For the Braves, Hubbard drove in four, and Murphy went four for six.

W- Bradford (3-0)
L- Ripley (5-7)

HR- SF: Clark (20)

Reds 5, Astros 0

The Reds got a shutout from their ace Mario Soto and scored single runs in five different innings. Ken Griffey was the offensive star with two hits and two runs batted in. George Foster homered.

W- Soto (14-10)
L- Sutton (11-12)

HR- CIN: Foster (28)

Padres 4, Dodgers 3

The Dodgers figured to be home safe with a 3-0 lead at the seventh-inning stretch, but the Padres came back with four in the home half, then hung on for the win. The major story in this loss was Dodger reliever Steve Howe, who, as is widely known, has been battling what we would later call substance abuse problems throughout the season that have led, among other things, to Dave Stewart taking the closer's role in the Dodger bullpen of late.

Today, Howe was sent out to pitch the bottom of the seventh, and it was obvious that he had no command of his pitches whatsoever. He managed to strike out Luis Salazar and induce a fly to left from Joe Lefebvre, but his pitches were either so high that Steve Yeager had to leap to catch them or three feet in the dirt. Finally, it caught up to him; he walked pinch hitter Gene Richards on four pitches, then Ozzie Smith hit at least a five-bouncer to third for an infield single. Juan Bonilla also walked on four pitches, and Yeager went to the mound. There were words between pitcher and catcher, and plate umpire Ed Vargo had to break up the meeting.

Broderick Perkins was next, and Howe shook off every sign that Yeager put down, then threw a breaking ball that didn't break. Perkins started late, but still managed to ground it into center to score two. There was another shouting match between Yeager and Howe, and pitching coach Ron Perranoski had to run out to the mound to calm things down and remove Howe, who was still screaming over his shoulder at Yeager as he left. Bobby Castillo came in and immediately gave up a double to Ruppert Jones that scored what turned out to be the game-winning runs.

No one in the Dodger clubhouse would discuss the incident after the game, but eventually it came out that there was a major disagreement over pitch selection, and that both Howe and Yeager have been fined an undisclosed amount for conduct detrimental to the team. And so the speculation begins: Is Howe back on drugs? Was he high tonight on the mound? And most importantly, does this blue-chip prospect still have a future with the Dodgers?

W- Littlefield (4-6)
S- Lucas (16)
L- Howe (5-4)

The standings to the moment:

Dodgers: 78-51
Astros: 74-54- 3.5 GB
Reds: 67-61- 10.5 GB
Giants: 65-64- 13 GB
Braves: 60-66- 16.5 GB
Padres: 59-69- 18.5 GB

Next: July 1 in the East.

Thoughts?
 
Last edited:
Here's the National League East Report for Wednesday, July 1:

Cardinals 6, Phillies 3

The Cards put the Phils even further in their rear view mirror. Second baseman Tommy Herr went three for five and drove in two, while Lary Sorensen pitched a tough seven innings for the win. Bruce Sutter not only got the save. but he singled in a run off of Sparky Lyle in the eighth. George Hendrick went deep as well. The Phils wasted a three for four evening from Larry Bowa and a two-RBI performance from Manny Trillo.

W- Sorensen (9-7)
S- Sutter (34)
L- Ruthven (13-8)

HR- STL: Hendrick (24)

Mets 4, Cubs 1

The Mets committed three errors, including two in the first inning, but rode center fielder Lee Mazzilli's three RBIs to the win. Mazzilli's big night included a fifth-inning home run. Leon Durham had the Cubs' only RBI.

W- Leach (2-1)
S- Allen (20)
L- Bird (5-8)

HR- NYM: Mazzilli (7)

Pirates 5, Expos 2

In an odd scheduling quirk, the first two games of this series were played in Pittsburgh, while the last two, starting tonight, will be played in Montreal. The Bucs used a five-run fourth to get all the offense they needed. Jason Thompson's two-run single was the big blow, with other RBIs coming from Mike Easler, Dale Berra, and pitcher Eddie Solomon, who goes eight and two-thirds innings for the win. Cecilio Guante got the final out. Jerry White went three for four for the Spos.

W- Solomon (10-8)
S- Guante (2)
L- Burris (9-10)

The standings to the moment:

Cardinals: 74-52
Expos: 71-58- 4.5 GB
Phillies: 65-62- 9.5 GB
Pirates: 55-68- 17.5 GB
Mets: 47-76- 25.5 GB
Cubs: 45-77- 27 GB

Next: July 1 in the West.

Thoughts?
 
Here's the National League West Report for Wednesday, July 1:

Reds 5, Astros 0

Manager John McNamara decided to flip Frank Pastore and Tom Seaver in the starting rotation due to Seaver's relief appearance Sunday in Game 2 against the Braves, and it paid off handsomely, as Pastore threw a complete game shutout. George Foster provided all the needed offense, going two for three and driving in three runs, two with a third-inning home run. Other Cincy RBIs came from Dave Concepcion and Ron Oester. Bob Knepper pitched eight strong innings of his own in a losing cause for Houston.

W- Pastore (6-9)
L- Knepper (10-6)

HR- CIN: Foster (29)

Dodgers 12, Padres 6

Down 3-0 after four, the Dodger offense exploded, scoring five in the fifth and five in the sixth to blow out the Padres. The biggest offensive day came from first baseman Steve Garvey, who homered and drove in five. Center fiekder Kenny Landreaux went three for five, and Rick Monday also homered for the Dodgers. While not delivering one of his strongest performances, Fernando Valenzuela still managed eight innings for the win. Ruppert Jones and Dave Edwards homered for the losing Padres.

W- Valenzuela (16-8)
L- Lollar (2-9)

HR- LA: Monday (14), Garvey (13)
SD: Jones (5), Edwards (3)

Braves 5, Giants 3

The Braves got three RBIs from catcher Bruce Benedict to help them down the Giants. Benedict doubled in two in the third and received a bases-loaded walk in the seventh. The Giants got all their offense on home runs: a Jack Clark solo shot in the seventh and a Jeffrey Leonard pinch-hit bomb in the eighth.

W- Mahler (11-9)
S- Camp (24)
L- Alexander (12-8)

HR- SF: Clark (21), Leonard (7)

The standings to the moment:

Dodgers: 79-51
Astros: 74-55- 4.5 GB
Reds: 68-61- 10.5 GB
Giants: 65-65- 14 GB
Braves: 61-66- 16.5 GB
Padres: 59-70- 19.5 GB

Next: July 2 in the East.

Thoughts?
 
Last edited:
I think it was still June 15 in those days, Navy.

If I had it to do over again, I would have simply butterflied the strike away, since using the June and July dates but keeping the records and stats as they were after October 4 (the end of the season) and adding on to them confused almost everyone who read the thread over at All Time Sports, and might be confusing some people here too, whether they say so or not.

By the way, I'm going to end each league's year after the divisions are clinched, which means that there will most likely be a shortened strike in each league, with each league going on strike at different times. Would it happen that way in our timeline? Not a chance, but in this timeline Marvin Miller takes what he gets and likes it! (Each league will be back at work on August 10, just as in real life.)
 
Here's the National League East Report for Thursday, July 2:

Cardinals 11, Phillies 8

It isn't exactly official with a month still to go, but it could be that the Cardinals have put away the Phils following their victory tonight. They gained the lead on a two-run homer by pitcher Bob Forsch in the bottom of the sixth and blew things wide open with a five-run eighth highlighted by a bases-clearing double off the bat of shortstop Mike Ramsey. Forsch went seven and two-thirds innings for the win, and closer Bruce Sutter had a truly perfect ninth, getting the Phillies out on three pitches, all ground balls to second baseman Tommy Herr. Left fielder Gene Roof helped the offensive cause by going three for four with two RBIs and scoring twice. Manny Trillo hit a three-run shot for the Phils.

W- Forsch (15-5)
S- Sutter (35)
L- Christenson (4-9)

HR- PHI: Trillo (7)
STL: Forsch (1)

Mets 6, Cubs 3

The Mets scored two in the sixth and one in the seventh to break a 3-3 tie. The sixth-inning runs came on a dinger by third baseman Hubie Brooks. Lee Mazzilli also homered for the Mets, while Bobby Bonds went yard for the Cubbies.

The big story around Shea before the game was that manager Joe Torre would be fired by Sunday at the latest and replaced by either Dick Williams or former Yankee manager Gene Michael, depending on whether the Mets could reach a deal with the Expos or the Yankees first. By the end of the evening, the word came down: Torre has been fired and replaced for the rest of the season by Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson, formerly the pitching coach. In his farewell press conference, Torre thanked the Mets organization for the opportunity and predicted that the Mets as a team aren't that far away due to their stacked farm system.

The Mets weren't the only team making a move; the Cubs have fired manager Joey Amalfitano and replaced him for the balance of the year with hitting coach and Cubs icon Billy Williams. Amalfitano had no immediate comment.

W- Leach (3-1)
S- Allen (21)
L- Kravec (2-7)

HR- CHC: Bonds (9)
NYM: Mazzilli (8), Brooks (5)

Pirates 5, Expos 4

The Bucs scored three in the ninth to erase a 3-2 deficit, then had to hold on for dear life to get the win. Mike Easler's bases-clearing double off of Stan Bahnsen put them in the lead. but Kent Tekulve gave up back-to-back walks to start the bottom of the ninth. The Rubber Band Man struck out Larry Parrish, but Chris Speier's single scored Warren Cromartie and brought the Spos back to within one. John Milner, in the game at first base due to a double switch, was next up, so Chuck Tanner brought in Victor Cruz to face him. The man known as "The Hammer" took Lee Lacy back to the wall with a fly ball, but Lee made the catch for out number two. Cruz then went 3-2 on Tim Raines before sending him fishing for a ball in the dirt to close it out. Rookie Cecilio Guante got his second major league win.

After dropping three out of four to the lowly Bucs, the Expos are now five and a half games behind the Cardinals, and while the two teams have at least one series remaining, it may not mean anything if the Spos don't get going in a hurry.

W- Guante (2-0)
S- Cruz (3)
L- Sosa (3-4)

The standings to the moment:

Cardinals: 75-52
Expos: 71-59- 5.5 GB
Phillies: 65-63- 10.5 GB
Pirates: 56-68- 17.5 GB
Mets: 48-76- 25.5 GB
Cubs: 45-78- 28 GB

Next: July 2 in the West.

Thoughts?
 
Here's the National League West Report for Thursday, July 2:

Giants 5, Braves 0

Tom Griffin threw the game of his life: a one-hit shutout where the Atlanta hit is a third-inning single by pitcher Tommy Boggs. Griffin walked three, struck out seven, and wrapped things up in an hour and fifty-six minutes. Joe Morgan's third-inning homer sent the Giants out in front, and Jeffrey Leonard drove in two more.

Add Atlanta to the Dick Williams derby; sources tell the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Williams is on the short list of candidates to replace Bobby Cox, who's "living on borrowed time", to quote the source.

W- Griffin (9-9)
L- Boggs (4-15)

HR- SF: Morgan (10)

Dodgers 8, Padres 5

For the second time in this series, the Dodgers blew a big lead. But this time they came back with four of their own in the ninth to extend their lead over the Astros to five full games. Steve Howe once again blew a lead in the bottom of the seventh when he gave up a ground-rule double to pinch hitter Barry Evans, and the Padres led 5-4 going to the ninth.

But with one out, Steve Garvey smashed a John Littlefield hanging curveball over the center field fence to tie the game. Gary Lucas came on to get the second out, but walked Mike Scioscia. Bill Russell then went down to get a 1-2 curveball and lined it into the Dodger bullpen in right field, where it was caught by a jubilant Fernando Valenzuela. Dave Stewart bailed Bobby Castillo out of a first-and-second jam in the bottom of the ninth, and the victory was secure.

Russell ended up three for five with four runs batted in on the night, while Garvey was three for four and drove in two.

W- Castillo (3-5)
S- Stewart (8)
L- Littlefield (4-7)

HR- LA: Garvey (14), Russell (1)

The standings to the moment:

Dodgers: 80-51
Astros: 74-55- 5 GB
Reds: 68-61- 11 GB
Giants: 66-65- 14 GB
Braves: 61-67- 17.5 GB
Padres: 59-71- 20.5 GB

Next: July 3 in the East.

Thoughts?
 
For a little something different, we'll lead off with the West for the next few days. Here's their report for Friday, July 3:

Astros 5, Braves 4 (13 innings)

Phil Garner's single in the top of the thirteenth knocked in the winning run for Houston. Jose Cruz tied the game in the eighth with a home run for the Stros. The Braves wasted at least two chances to win the game with runners in scoring position.

W- Sprowl (1-1)
S- B. Smith (2)
L- Bradford (3-1)

HR- HOU: Cruz (14)

Giants 4, Dodgers 1

The Giants got a huge night from third baseman Darrell Evans, who went two for four and drove in three. Eddie Whitson and Greg Minton combined to hold the Dodgers to five hits, one of which was a home run by Rick Monday.

W- Whitson (8-10)
S- Minton (24)
L- Welch (10-7)

HR- LA: Monday (16)

Padres 6, Reds 0

Steve Mura and John Curtis shut out the division leaders on eight hits. The major offensive force for the Friars was center fielder Ruppert Jones, who went two for four and drives in three. Left fielder Gene Richards was three for four with an RBI and a run scored. Tom Seaver threw a complete game loss for the Reds. Elapsed time: two hours exactly.

W- Mura (8-15)
L- Seaver (16-4)

The standings to the moment:

Dodgers: 80-52
Astros: 75-55- 4 GB
Reds: 68-62- 11 GB
Giants: 67-65- 13 GB
Braves: 61-68- 17.5 GB
Padres: 60-71- 19.5 GB

Next: July 3 in the East.

Thoughts?
 
Here's the National League East Report for Friday, July 3:

Cardinals 7, Cubs 3

The division leaders ruined Billy Williams' managerial debut. Shortstop Mike Ramsey, filling in because of Garry Templeton's pulled groin muscle, went four for five with a home run and two RBIs. Darrell Porter also went deep for the Cards, who totaled sixteen hits on the day. His home run unsnapped a 3-3 tie in the sixth. Bill Buckner drove in all three runs for the Cubs, while the seemingly tireless Bruce Sutter notched his thirty-sixth save.

The Cardinals have gone on a tear in the "makeup season"; their record is 20-6, while the Expos have gone 11-12. That's the main reason they now lead the East by six and a half games (the Expos' result is below).

W- Martinez (5-6)
S- Sutter (36)
L- Capilla (2-2)

HR- STL: Porter (12), Ramsey (1)

Phillies 7, Expos 5

Neither team in this series can afford to lose too much more ground to the Cardinals. The Phils drew first blood by scoring three in the sixth and two in the eighth to overcome a 4-2 deficit. Center fielder Garry Maddox's single off Elias Sosa in the sixth gave the Phils the lead for good. Maddox, catcher Keith Moreland, and third baseman Mike Schmidt all had two RBIs; Schmidt is a perfect two for two at the plate , and he was also hit twice; the one in the sixth inning loaded the bases and caused an angry exchange between Schmidt and Expo pitcher Woodie Fryman. He scored three times and hit his fortieth homer of the year. Andre Dawson went yard for Montreal. Nino Espinosa's shoulder continued to trouble him; he only got through two innings and gave up three runs on six hits.

W- Proly (7-1)
S- McGraw (12)
L- Fryman (7-5)

HR- MTL: Dawson (29)
PHI: Schmidt (40)

Pirates 9, Mets 4

The Pirates, who have twice given up innings of eight runs or more since the "makeup season" began, were on the right end of a barrage for a change, scoring eight in the seventh to snow the Mets under. The Mets had a 4-1 lead at the seventh-inning stretch when Pirate organist and music coordinator Vince Lascheid got the brilliant idea to play "We Are Family" instead of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". Don't try and convince anyone who was at Three Rivers tonight that that had nothing to do with what happened next.

First, former Pirate Frankie Taveras misplayed left fielder Gary Alexander's ground ball. Second baseman Vance Law hits the next pitch right at Taveras, and he fumbled this one like a poleaxed wide receiver in the Steeler secondary. Mets pitcher Mike Scott then walked Bill Madlock on four straight pitches. He had to throw a strike to Omar Moreno, and he did; the strike was ground into right field to cut the Mets' lead to one.

New Mets manager Bob Gibson elected to let Scott face Lee Lacy, and thereby made his first major managerial mistake, as Lacy drove the 1-1 pitch down the left field line and into the corner to clear the bases. Gibson then decided to bring in Pete Falcone, and at first it worked, as Falcone struck out Bill Robinson. But Tony Pena raked Falcone's first pitch and put in the exact same spot Lacy did, and Dale Berra followed up with a base hit to drive in Pena and make it 8-4. Berra then stole second and scored when Alexander (remember him?) smacked a screamer into right field for a double. The total damage: eight runs, six hits, two errors, a walk and a runner left at third.

Rookie Cecilio Guante got his second win in as many nights for the Bucs. Kent Tekulve threw two scoreless innings to close it out.

W- Guante (3-0)
L- Scott (7-13)

The standings to the moment:

Cardinals: 76-52
Expos: 71-60- 6.5 GB
Phillies: 66-63- 10.5 GB
Pirates: 57-68- 17.5 GB
Mets: 48-77- 26.5 GB
Cubs: 45-79- 29 GB

Next: July 4 in the West.

Thoughts?
 
Before I post my games for today, a brief word about the lineups:

As an experiment, I decided to use the WhatIf lineups for July 4 instead of getting real-life ones from Retrosheet as usual. That's why you'll see references to "the computer"; I explained it as a NL-wide promotion for the fourth of July. I don't believe the writers for the AL participated.

At any rate, here's the National League West Report for Saturday, July 4:

Reds 4, Padres 1

The Reds accrued thirteen hits, and were led offensively by left fielder Dave Collins' two hits and three RBIs. Ray Knight had the Reds' other RBI and went three for four.

W- Berenyi (11-7)
S- Hume (15)
L- Welsh (7-8)

Astros 7, Braves 6 (12 innings)

Another long extra-inning war at The Launching Pad. Alan Ashby's twelfth-inning home run off of Rick Mahler won it for the Astros. The Braves came back to tie the game in the ninth, put the winning run at third, and couldn't bring it home. They also failed to get the winning run home from third in the eleventh. Jose Cruz, placed in center field by the computer, drove in three for the Stros, including a solo home run.

W- B. Smith (3-1)
L- Mahler (11-10)

HR- HOU: Cruz (15), Ashby (6)
ATL: Horner (20), Murphy (15)

Dodgers 6, Giants 2

Dusty Baker, shifted to right field by the computer, went two for five and drove in three. One of his hits was a home run. Darrell Evans homered for the Giants. Interestingly, the Giants outhit the Dodgers, 12-11.

W- Reuss (12-6)
L- Blue (9-8)

HR- LA: Baker (12)
SF: Evans (14)

The standings to the moment:

Dodgers: 81-52
Astros: 76-55- 4 GB
Reds: 69-62- 11 GB
Giants: 67-66- 14 GB
Braves: 61-69- 18.5 GB
Padres: 60-72- 20.5 GB

Next: July 4 in the East.

Thoughts?
 
Here's the National League East Report for Saturday, July 4:

Cardinals 15, Cubs 1 (Game 1)

The Cards scored fourteen runs in the final three innings against the woeful Cubs bullpen, which included spot starter Lynn McGlothen. In the seventh, the Cards got their runs on an infield single from pinch hitter Gene Roof and two-run singles from Keith Hernandez and Darrell Porter. In the eighth, Tommy Herr smacked a two-run triple that fell just inches short of a home run, George Hendrick (who had homered earlier) and Porter got run-scoring base hits, Cubs catcher Jody Davis gave up a passed ball, and Dane Iorg singled in two. Iorg had a total of four hits for the game. It was Mike Krukow's day in the rotation, and manager Billy Williams sent him out to stop the bleeding in the aforementioned eighth; instead, he gave up six runs and six hits in an inning and two-thirds.

W- Martin (11-5)
L- McGlothen (1-5)

HR- STL: Hendrick (25)

Cardinals 6, Cubs 3 (Game 2)

The Cardinals scored six in the eighth to obliterate a 1-0 Cubs lead. Base hits by Hernandez, Iorg, Sixto Lezcano and pinch hitter Tito Landrum accounted for five of the runs, while a wild pitch by Cubs reliever Doug Capilla accounted for the other. The Redbird pen got into a jam in the ninth, bringing up the tying run when Bruce Sutter walked pinch hitter Hector Cruz, but Ivan DeJesus popped out to Herr at second to preserve the victory.

W- Shirley (10-5)
S- Sutter (37)
L- Tidrow (3-11)

Phillies 6, Expos 2 (NBC: Bob Costas, Ron Luciano)

The Phils scored four in the sixth to blow this one wide open. The key hit was a two-run single by Pete Rose. Middle reliever extraordinaire Mike Proly got the win because starter Marty Bystrom left after three due to a stiff neck. Garry Maddox's single in the fourth provided the game-winning RBI.

W- Proly (8-1)
L- Rogers (14-10)

Pirates 13, Mets 0

The computer picked a real winner for the Buccos, who racked up sixteen hits and shut out the Mets. Jason Thompson went two for three with a home run and three RBIs and scored three times as well. Dave Parker, playing center field today as per the computer, went three for five, scored twice, and drove in two, while shortstop Tim Foli went two for four with three RBIs. Luis Tiant, John Candelaria (who only gave up one hit in two innings' work), and Rod Scurry combine on the four-hitter.

W- Tiant (3-6)
L- Harris (3-9)

HR- PIT: Thompson (17)

The standings to the moment:

Cardinals: 78-52
Expos: 71-61- 8 GB
Phillies: 67-63- 11 GB
Pirates: 58-68- 18 GB
Mets: 48-78- 28 GB
Cubs: 45-81- 31 GB

Next: July 5 in the West.

Thoughts?
 
Top