King of the World: Barry Bonds Chases Sadaharu Oh

[Garrett Garlits]

I'm going to bookmark the 2006 season for the moment and turn the focus to Bonds' rookie year of 1986. Specifically, I'm going to cover the games that the Pirates played before Barry was called up from the minors on May 30.

Bonds' debut was delayed for a few days by a severe spring cold. Despite the disappointment, Three Rivers was still sold out on Tuesday, April 8, as the Bucs faced the New York Mets and dropped a 4-2 decision. First baseman Keith Hernandez led the offense for the visitors, going two for four and driving in a pair of runs. On the mound, Dwight Gooden pitched a complete game, holding the Bucs to two runs on six hits. Right fielder R.J. Reynolds homered in a losing cause for Pittsburgh.

Rain delayed the Bucs' next game until Friday, April 11, The Chicago Cubs were the opponent, and Bonds was still on the bench. The home squad made a spirited comeback, bur still lost 5-4. The big inning for Chicago was the fourth, when four hits plus two Pittsburgh errors combined to produce four runs. Starting pitcher Steve Trout gave up just two runs on four hits over six innings to get the win. Second baseman Johnny Ray had three hits for the Pirates; he also drove in a run and scored another,

The next afternoon, the Pirates trailed 1-0 after seven and a half, but Ray's three-run homer off of Cubs closer Lee Smith in the bottom of the eighth put them in front, and reliever Cecilio Guante pitched a perfect ninth to nail down the Bucs' 3-1 win. He combined with starter Rick Rhoden to hold the Cubs to a run on four hits, with the run coming on first baseman Leon Durham's solo homer in the fourth. Bonds was still on the mend, with Pirates manager Jim Leyland vowing to "wait until the whole farm comes home" if necessary to make sure that Barry was in the best shape possible for his debut.

He wouldn't have to wait much longer; the big day came just twenty-four hours later, on Sunday, April 13. Rick Reuschel was on the hill for the Bucs, to be opposed by the Cubs' Rick Sutcliffe. Bonds was batting second and playing center field, and a crowd of 9,337 was on hand at Three Rivers Stadium. We'll recap the big debut in our next post.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Sunday. April 13, 1986, and the Pirates are taking on the Chicago Cubs in the third game of a four-game series at Three Rivers Stadium. Rick Sutcliffe is on the mound for the Cubs. while Rick Reuschel pitches for the Pirates. Bonds is in center field and will bat second, as his replacement Joe Orsulak did in real life. The Pirates won the actual game, 8-0. As we begin, Bonds is batting .223 (92-413) with sixteen home runs and forty-eight runs batted in,

Let's examine Bonds' at-bats first:

In the first, he bounced to second.

In the second with the Cubs leading 3-0, Reuschel beat out a bouncer to third for an infield single. Left fielder R.J, Reynolds walked to put two men on, and Bonds forced Reynolds. which allowed Reuschel to move to third. Second baseman Johnny Ray, in turn, forced Bonds. Reuschel scored on the play, and the Bucs trailed 3-1,

In the fifth, Bonds flew to right.

In the eighth, he flew to right again,

Bonds finished hitless in four at-bats. He's now batting .221 (92-417) with sixteen home runs and forty-eight runs batted in.

Now let's look at the rest of the game action:

In the top of the first, center fielder Bob Dernier beat out a grounder to third for a leadoff infield single. Reuschel struck out both third baseman Manny Trillo and second baseman Ryne Sandberg swinging, but Dernier stole second. First baseman Leon Durham was next, and he hit Reuschel's first pitch into the third row of seats in left center field for a two-run homer that gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead. It was Durham's twenty-first home run of the season, and it traveled an estimated 417 feet. (Left center field is 375 feet away from home plate at Three Rivers Stadium.)

The Cubs added a run in the top of the second. Catcher Jody Davis led off with a double off the wall in center. Shortstop Shawn Dunston lined a base hit to left, which put runners at the corners. Sutcliffe was next, and he grounded into a 3-6-3 double play. Davis scored on the play, and the visitors led 3-0,

In the top of the fourth, Dunston drew a two-out walk. Sutcliffe was next, and he banged Reuschel's 1-2 fastball off the foul pole in left for a two-run homer that put the Cubs in front 5-1. It was Sutcliffe's second home run of the year.

In the top of the sixth, right fielder Keith Moreland led off by hitting Reuschel's first pitch into the seats in left center field for a home run that extended the Chicago lead to 6-1. The ball traveled an estimated 411 feet, just a few feet short of Durham's earlier homer. It was Moreland's thirteenth homer of the year.

The Cubs added one last run in the eighth against reliever Jim Winn, Durham drew a one-out walk and scored the seventh Chicago run on Moreland's double off the wall in right center.

Final totals: Cubs 7-10-0, Pirates 1-5-1,

W- Sutcliffe (6-13)
L- Reuschel (8-17)

HR- CHC: Durham (21), Moreland (13), Sutcliffe (2)

LHR- PIT: Brown (3)

Sutcliffe was named Player of the Game, He pitched a complete game, holding the Bucs to one run on five hits while throwing 116 pitches, He also hit a home run to help his own cause.

Here are the updated standings in the National League East:

New York Mets: 108-54
Philadelphia Phillies: 86-75- 21.5 GB
St. Louis Cardinals: 79-82- 28.5 GB
Montreal Expos: 78-83- 29.5 GB
Cubs: 71-89- 36 GB
Pirates: 63-99- 45 GB

In real time, the Pirates were 2-3 and tied with the Expos for fifth place in the NL East, two games behind the Cardinals,

Next: The Bucs head to Philadelphia for a date with the Phillies on Monday, April 14 at Veterans Stadium. Mike Bielecki will start for the Pirates, while Kevin Gross goes to the mound for the Phils.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Monday, April 14, 1986, and the Pirates are facing the Philadelphia Phillies at Veterans Stadium. Mike Bielecki is starting for the Pirates, while Kevin Gross takes the ball for the Phillies. Bonds is in center field and will bat second, as his replacement Joe Orsulak did in real life, The Pirates won the actual game, 3-1 in ten innings.

Let's examine Bonds' at-bats first:

In the first, he bounced to the Phillies' Von Hayes at first.

In the third, he grounded to first again,

In the sixth with the Phils leading 4-0, left fielder R.J. Reynolds drew a leadoff walk, Bonds flew to Milt Thompson in shallow right center for out number one, but second baseman Johnny Ray's bloop fell in center for a base hit that put runners at the corners. First baseman Sid Bream was next, and he hit a fly ball to center that was caught by Thompson for the second out. Reynolds trotted home, and the Philly lead was cut to 4-1,

In the eighth with the score 5-1 Phils, Billy Almon batted for shortstop Sammy Khalifa and drew a leadoff walk, Mike Diaz batted for reliever Cecilio Guante and struck out swinging for the first out, but Reynolds lined a base hit up the middle to put two men on. Bonds followed with his first real-time major league hit, a single to left that loaded the bases. Ray's shallow fly to right couldn't bring anybody home, but Bream made up for it with a base hit to right, Almon and Reynolds scored, and the Bucs were back to within 5-3.

Bonds finished one for four, He's batting .221 (93-421) with sixteen home runs and forty-eight runs batted in.

We've seen how the Pirates scored their runs. Let's see how the Phillies scored theirs:

In the bottom of the fifth with one out, Gross lined a base hit to left center. Left fielder Gary Redus' sizzling liner was gloved by Khalifa at short for out number one, but Thompson tripled off the top of the left field wall to bring Gross home and give the Phils a 1-0 lead. Hayes walked on four pitches to put two men on, and third baseman Mike Schmidt lined Bielecki's 0-1 curveball over the wall in right center for a three-run homer that extended the Philly lead to 4-0, It was Schmidt's thirty-eighth home run of the year.

In the bottom of the seventh, Thompson led off with a bloop single to center. He went to third on Hayes' single to left and scored when Schnidt bounced into a 5-4-3 double play, The Phils now led 5-3, which was also our final.

Final totals: Phillies 5-10-0, Pirates 3-8-0.

W- Gross (13-12)
S- Bedrosian (30)
L- Bielecki (6-12)

HR- PHI: Schmidt (38)

DW- Guante (4-2)
DS- Winn (2)
DL- Bedrosian (8-5)

Schmidt was named Player of the Game because of his three-run homer.

Here are the updated standings in the National League East:

Mets: 108-54
Phillies: 87-74- 20.5 GB
Cardinals: 79-82- 28.5 GB
Expos: 78-83- 29.5 GB
Cubs: 71-89- 36 GB
Pirates: 62-100- 46 GB

In real time, the Pirates were 2-4 and in fifth place in the NL East, three games behind the first-place Cardinals.

Next: Rain has pushed the Bucs' next game back to Friday, April 18, when they open a three-game series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Rick Rhoden will start for Pittsburgh, while Rick Sutcliffe takes the ball for Chicago,

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Friday, April 18, 1986, and the Pirates are beginning a three-game series with the Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Rick Rhoden will start for the Bucs, while Rick Sutcliffe pitches for the Cubs. Bonds is in center field and will bat second, as his replacement Joe Orsulak did in real life. The Pirates won the actual game, 4-0,

Let's look at Bonds' at-bats first:

In the first, R.J, Reynolds led off with a bloop single to right. He was forced by Bonds, who then stole second for his first real-time major league stolen base. He stayed at second while Johnny Ray popped up to Ron Cey at third. but Sutcliffe walked Sid Bream and right fielder Mike Brown to load the bases. Catcher Tony Pena was next, and his single to left scored Bonds to give the Bucs a 1-0 lead. Third baseman Jim Morrison followed by dumping a base hit into right center to bring home Bream and Brown and extend the Pirates' lead to 3-0.

In the second with one out and the Bucs leading 3-2, Reynolds hit Sutcliffe's 1-1 hanging slider over the wall in center field for a home run, his tenth of the year, to extend the Pittsburgh lead to 4-2. Bonds was next, and he walked, stole second, and moved to third on Ray's fly to right. Bream walked to put two men on, but Brown flew to Gary Matthews in shallow left to end the inning.

In the fourth, Bonds struck out swinging.

In the sixth, he walked and was forced by Ray to end the inning,

in the eighth, he struck out swinging again,

In the ninth with two out and the Pirates leading 6-3, Morrison reached base when shortstop Shawon Dunston couldn't find the handle on his bouncer. Billy Almon batted for Sammy Khalifa and beat out a grounder to short for an infield single to put two men on, and manager Jim Leyland surprised most observers by allowing Rhoden to bat for himself, even though he (Rhoden) was one of the best hitting pitchers in the National League. Rick made his manager look like a genius by serving reliever Dick Ruthven's 1-1 pitch into right center field to bring Morrison home and make it 7-3 Pittsburgh.

Reynolds topped off the inning and the day by swatting Ruthven's 2-1 changeup over the wall in right for a three-run homer, his second of the day and eleventh of the year, to put the Bucs up 10-3, which was our final. Bonds ended the inning by taking a called third strike.

Bonds finished hitless in four official at-bats with two walks, two strikeouts. two stolen bases, and a run scored. He's now batting .219 (93-425) with sixteen home runs and forty-eight runs batted in. He's drawn sixty-seven walks. He's struck out 105 times, which moves him into ninth place in the National League, two behind the Dodgers' Franklin Stubbs. He has thirty-eight stolen bases, which ties him for eighth in the National League with the Astros' Billy Hatcher. He's scored seventy-three runs,

Now let's look at the rest of the game action:

The Cubs scored twice in the bottom of the first. With one out, left fielder Gary Matthews hit the first pitch he saw from Rhoden into the left field bleachers for his twenty-second home run of the year to cut the Bucs' lead to 3-1. Second baseman Ryne Sandberg walked, but right fielder Keith Moreland's liner was speared by Ray for out number two. First baseman Leon Durham was next, and he doubled over Bonds' head in center to score Sandberg and make it 3-2.

In the bottom of the sixth with one out and the Bucs leading 4-2, Durham singled to right center. Catcher Jody Davis's bloop fell in left field for a base hit to put runners at the corners, and third baseman Ron Cey forced Davis, which allowed Durham to score and bring the Cubs within 4-3.

In the top of the seventh with one out, Brown doubled to left. That brought Pena up, and Tony lined Sutcliffe's two-strike pitch into the right field bleachers for a two-run homer, his eleventh of the year, to expand the Bucs' lead to 6-3.

I forgot to keep the stat for the game in Pittsburgh. but Davis and Dunston are both in the top ten in strikeouts in the National League. Davis entered today's game with at least 109, which was good for seventh place, and Dunston entered with at least 114, which was good for fifth.

Today, Davis loses three strikeouts from the actual game without picking up any from the simmed game, so he now has 106, which is one ahead of Bonds and good for ninth place. Dunston loses two from the actual game, but picks up one from the simmed game. That leaves him with 113; he's still in fifth place.

Reynolds was named Player of the Game; he was three for six with two home runs and four RBIs.

Final totals: Pirates 10-10-0, Cubs 3-6-3.

Pitchers' records remain the same.

HR- PIT: Reynolds 2 (11) Pena (11)
CHC: Matthews (22)

LHR- PIT: Morrison (22)

Next: Game 2 of the series on Saturday, April 19, Rick Reuschel will pitch for the Pirates, to be opposed by the Cubs' Scott Sanderson.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Saturday, April 19, and the Pirates are facing the Cubs in Game 2 of a three-game series at Wrigley Field. Rick Reuschel is pitching for the Pirates, while Scott Sanderson goes to the mound for the Cubs, Bonds is in center field and will bat second, as his replacement Joe Orsulak did in real life, The Pirates won the actual game, 14-8.

Let's examine Bonds' at-bats first:

In the first, he struck out swinging. Johnny Ray followed with a line drive home run over the wall in right center to give the Bucs a 1-0 lead, and Sid Bream hit another line drive into the left field bleachers for a solo homer that made it 2-0. Ray now has eight home runs, while Bream has seventeen.

In the second with the Buccos in front 2-1, Tony Pena stroked a leadoff single to left, Third baseman Billy Almon singled to right to put two men on, but shortstop Rafael Belliard grounded to Cey at third. The Penguin stepped on the bag to force the incoming Pena for out number one. Reuschel struck out swinging for the second out, but Reynolds walked to load the bases. Bonds was next, and he stroked a base hit to left center that brought Almon and Belliard home with his first two real-time major league RBIs. The Bucs led 4-1.

In the fourth, Bonds blooped a leadoff double to left center and moved to third on Ray's fly to center. He was stranded when Bream's liner was caught by Cey and Mike Brown's popup to short was gloved by Shawon Dunston for the final out,

In the sixth with the Bucs leading 5-1, Reynolds led off with a single to right. Bonds singled up the middle to put runners at the corners, and Ray made it three straight hits with a single to right that scored Reynolds to make it 6-1. Matt Keough replaced Sanderson and walked Bream to load the bases. Brown's liner was gloved by Sandberg for the second out, but Pena stroked a base hit to right that brought Bonds and Ray home to extend the Pittsburgh lead to 8-1. Almon forced Pena for the second out, which allowed Bream to score the Pirates' ninth run.

In the seventh, Bonds' bloop fell in right field for a base hit.

In the eighth with one out and the score 9-2 Pittsburgh, Pena lined a double into the right center power alley. Almon followed with a base hit to right center that scored Pena and gave the Bucs a 10-2 lead. Belliard's bloop single to left center put runners at the corners, and Reuschel topped off a good day's work with a triple into the left field corner. Almon and Belliard scored, and the Jolly Rogers led 12-2. Reynolds' single to right brought Big Daddy home with run number thirteen, and Bonds walked to put two men on. Ray's base hit to left scored Reynolds to make it 14-2, and Bream forced Ray, which allowed Bonds to score the Bucs' fifteenth run. Our final: Pirates 15, Cubs 2.

Bonds was four for five plus a walk with two runs scored and two RBIs. He's now batting .226 (97-430) with sixteen home runs and fifty runs batted in. He's scored seventy-five runs, and he's struck out 106 times, which is one behind Franklin Stubbs of the Dodgers for eighth place in the National League.

Let's look at the rest of the game action:

In the bottom of the first with one out and the Pirates leading 2-0, Gary Matthews singled to left. Ryne Sandberg lined a base hit to left center that put runners at the corners, and right fielder Keith Moreland bounced into a force play, which eliminated Sandberg but allowed Matthews to score, which cut the Pittsburgh lead to 2-1.

In the top of the third with the Pirates leading 5-1, Brown lined a leadoff single to left. Pena's single to left put two men on, and Almon stroked a base hit to right center that scored Brown to extend the Bucs' lead to 6-1.

In the bottom of the seventh with the Pirates leading 9-1, Cey led off with a home run into the basket in right field to cut the Pittsburgh lead to 9-2, It was Cey's fourteenth homer of the year.

In the strikeout race, Davis fanned once in both the actual game and the simmed game, so his total of 106 remains unchanged, Dunston didn't strike out in the actual game, but he struck out twice in the simmed game, which raises his total to 115, He's still in fifth place, eleven behind the Reds' Dave Parker,

Final totals: Pirates 15-22-0, Cubs 2-8-0,

Pitchers' records remain the same.

HR- PIT: Bream (16), Ray (8)
CHC: Cey (14)

LHR- PIT: Reynolds (10), Almon (6), Orsulak (1)
CHC: Durham (20), Dunston (16), Sandberg (13)

Note: Bream hit a home run in both the actual and simulated games.

After sitting out all thirteen innings of a suspended 8-8 tie on April 20 in Chicago- he would enter the game when it was restarted on August 11 and drive in the winning runs, as the Bucs prevailed 10-8 in seventeen innings- Bonds sat out the series opener against the Mets at Shea Stadium on Monday, April 21. The home squad scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to take a 6-5 decision, as Gary Carter singled in the winning run off of Bucs reliever Jim Winn.

The two clubs met again on Tuesday, April 22 at Shea, and this time Bonds was in the lineup. Bob Kipper started for the Pirates against the Mets' Bob Ojeda, and we'll look at that game in our next post.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Tuesday, April 22, and the Pirates are taking on the Mets in the second game of a two-game series at Shea Stadium in New York. Bob Kipper is pitching for the Pirates, while Bob Ojeda takes the ball for the Mets. Bonds is in center field and will lead off, as his replacement R.J. Reynolds did in real life, The Mets won the actual game, 7-1.

Let's examine Bonds' at-bats first:

In the first, he grounded to third. Sammy Khalifa walked and moved to second on Johnny Ray's bouncer to short. Mike Brown was next, and he smacked a double into the left center power alley to score Khalifa and give the Bucs a 1-0 lead. Left fielder Mike Diaz was next, and he hit Ojeda's first pitch over the left field wall for a two-run homer that extended the Pittsburgh lead to 3-0, It was his thirteenth homer of the year.

In the second, Bonds struck out swinging,

In the fourth with one out, third baseman Jim Morrison walked. He moved to third on catcher Junior Ortiz's single to left center. Kipper was next, and he hit a weak bouncer to third. The Mets' Ray Knight had an easy double play, but his throw to Tim Teufel at second went over Teufel's head and into center field. Morrison scored from third to make it 4-0 Pittsburgh, and Kipper ended up at second as a result of the error. Bonds walked on five pitches to load the bases, and Khalifa walked on five more pitches to force Ortiz home and extend the Bucs' lead to 5-0. Ray was next, and he stroked a base hit to left. Kipper and Bonds scored, and the Bucs led 7-0,

In the sixth with the Bucs leading 7-2, Kipper slapped a ball just out of Ojeda's reach and into center field for a single. Bonds walked to put two men on, but was forced by Khalifa, which allowed Kipper to move to third. Ray was next, and he came through with another single to left that brought Kipper home and made it 8-2 Pirates. Mets manager Davey Johnson called on former Pirate Randy Niemann to pitch to Brown, and Mike bounced into a force play, which eliminated Ray but allowed Khalifa to score the ninth Pittsburgh run.

In the eighth, Bonds' fly to the warning track in left was caught by Foster.

Bonds finished hitless in three official at-bats plus two walks. He's now batting .224 (97-433) with sixteen home runs and fifty runs batted in. He's drawn seventy walks, He hasn't homered in his last eight simulated games; his last homer in this thread came on April 13, 2006, when he was playing for the Giants against the Astros.

Now let's look at the rest of the game action:

In the bottom of the sixth with two out and the Pirates leading 7-0, right fielder Darryl Strawberry beat out a grounder to short for an infield single. Left fielder George Foster followed by hitting Kipper's 1-1 pitch over the wall in straightaway center for a two-run homer that put the Mets on the board. It was his fourteenth home run of the year for the Mets and his fifteenth overall.

In the top of the ninth with the Pirates leading 9-2, Brown beat out a bouncer to third for an infield single but was forced by Diaz for out number one. Pena beat out a bouncer to short for another infield single to put two men on, and Morrison followed with a single to left center that brought Diaz home and established our final score: Pirates 10, Mets 2.

Final totals: Pirates 10-13-1, Mets 2-7-2.

W- Kipper (7-7)
L- Ojeda (17-6)

HR- PIT: Diaz (13)
NYM: Foster (15)

LHR- NYM: Knight (10)

Here are the updated standings in the National League East:

Mets: 107-55
Phillies: 87-74- 19.5 GB
Cardinals: 79-82- 27.5 GB
Expos: 78-83- 28.5 GB
Cubs: 71-89- 35 GB
Pirates: 63-99- 44 GB

In real time, the Pirates were 4-5 and tied with the Expos for third place in the NL East, two and a half games behind the Cardinals.

Next: The Pirates return home to host the Phillies in a four-game series that begins on Thursday, April 24. Shane Rawley will pitch for the Phillies, while Rick Rhoden takes the ball for the Bucs.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Thursday, April 24, 1986, and the Pirates are hosting the Phillies in Game 1 of a four-game series at Three Rivers Stadium, Shane Rawley is pitching for the Phillies, while Rick Rhoden goes to the mound for the Pirates. Bonds is in center field and will lead off, as his replacement R.J. Reynolds did in real life. The Phillies won the actual game, 4-2.

Let's examine Bonds' at-bats first:

In the first, he struck out swinging.

In the third, he walked with two out and was caught trying to steal second to end the inning,

In the fifth with the Phillies leading 2-0, Tony Pena led off with a single to left. Jim Morrison struck out swinging for the first out, and Sammy Khalifa forced Pena for out number two, That brought Rhoden to the plate, and his double to left brought Khalifa home to cut the Philly lead to 2-1. Bonds struck out swinging to end the inning.

In the seventh, Bream walked. Pena's base hit to left center put runners at the corners, Morrison was next, and his fly ball to left center dropped on the warning track and hopped over the wall for a book-rule double. Brean was awarded home plate to tie the game at two, while Pena had to stop at third.

At that point, Don Carman relieved Rawley and caught Khalifa looking at strike three. Rhoden was next, and he beat out a grounder to short for an infield single. Pena scored, Morrison moved to third, and the Bucs led 3-2. Bonds' fly ball to left was caught by Phils left fielder Gary Redus, whose throw to the plate was on tine. But Morrison slid under catcher Darren Daulton's tag, and the Pirates' lead was 4-2. That was also our final.

The Phils scored both of their runs in the top of the fourth, Daulton drew a leadoff walk against Rhoden, but he was thrown out trying to steal second. Second baseman Luis Aguayo restarted the rally with a base hit to center, but Rhoden struck second baseman Steve Jeltz out swinging. Rawley's single past a diving Rhoden and into center field moved Aguayo to third, and Redus followed with a bloop double to left. Aguayo and Rawley both scored, and we were tied at two,

Bonds was hitless in both of his official at-bats, striking out in both. He walked twice and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. He's now batting .223 (97-435) with sixteen home runs and fifty-one runs batted in, He's walked seventy-two times and struck out 108 times. He's now in seventh place on the National League strikeout list, four behind the Giants' Robby Thompson, His current homerless streak in this thread has reached nine games.

Final totals: Pirates 4-8-0, Phillies 2-8-0.

W- Rhoden (16-11)
S- Guante (5)
L- Rawley (10-8)

LHR- PHI: Schmidt 2 (36)
PIT: Pena (10)

Rhoden was named Player of the Game. He pitched eight innings, giving up two runs on seven hits while walking three and striking out seven. At the plate, he was two for three with two runs batted in.

Here are the updated standings in the National League East:

Mets: 107-55
Phillies: 86-75- 20.5 GB
Cardinals: 79-82- 27.5 GB
Expos: 78-83- 28.5 GB
Cubs: 71-89- 35 GB
Pirates: 64-98- 43 GB

In real time, the Pirates were 7-5 and tied with the Cardinals for second place in the NL East, a half-game behind the Mets,

Next Game 2 between the Pirates and Phillies on Friday, April 25. Kevin Gross will pitch for the Phils, while Rick Reuschel goes to the hill for the Bucs.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Friday, April 25, 1986. and the Pirates are hosting the Philles in the second game of a four-game series at Three Rivers Stadium. Kevin Gross is pitching for the Phillies, while Rick Reuschel takes the ball for the Pirates, Bonds is in center field and batting second, as his replacement Joe Orsulak did in real life. The Phillies won the actual game, 6-3.

Let's examine Bonds' at-bats first:

In the first. he grounded to second.

In the third. Reuschel singled to left with one out. Left fielder R.J. Reynolds took a called third strike for the second out, which brought Bonds to the plate. Here's Lanny Frattare's call:

"One ball and two strikes on Bonds with Reuschel at third and two outs in a scoreless game, last of the third. Gross gets the sign from Darren Daulton, checks Reuschel at first, one-two pitch......FLY BALL, RIGHT CENTER FIELD, GOING BACK IS THOMPSON, GO BALL, GET OUTTA HERE, IT'S GONE!......Barry Bonds hits his first major league home run on a 1-2 pitch off of the Phillies' Kevin Gross into the second deck in right center field at 8:23 PM on April 25, 1986, a Friday night at Three Rivers Stadium, and I have a feeling that there are lots more to come for this talented young Bucco. Right now, he gives the Pirates a 2-0 lead here in the third."

It was Bonds' seventeenth home run of the year and career homer Number 809. He's now fifty-nine homers behind Sadaharu Oh,

In the fifth, he flew to Glenn Wilson in shallow right.

In the eighth, he singled to right.

Bonds finished two for four with a home run and two RBIs. He's now batting 226 (99-439) with seventeen home runs and fifty-three runs batted in,

We know how the Pirates scored their runs. Let's see how the Phillies scored theirs:

In the top of the fourth, Mike Schmidt drew a leadoff walk. Wilson followed with a fly ball to left center that eluded Bonds' outstretched glove and went over the wall for a game-tying two-run homer, his sixteenth of the year.

In the fifth with one out, Milt Thompson singled to right, then stole second. First baseman Von Hayes stroked another base hit to right, which brought Thompson home and gave the Phils a 3-2 lead.

In the sixth, Daulton drew a leadoff walk, but was forced by second baseman Luis Aguayo. Shortstop Steve Jeltz lined a single to right to put runners at the corners. Greg Gross (no relation) batted for Kevin and grounded a base hit to right center. Aguayo scored, and it was 4-2 Philadelphia with Jeltz at third. Gary Redus slapped a base hit to left center that scored Jeltz to make it 5-2 and move Greg to third, and Greg came home with the sixth run on Thompson's fly to Bonds in right center, as Barry's throw to the plate would have ended up in the Pirates' dugout if not for a miraculous save by Pena.

Bob Walk relieved Reuschel at this point, but Hayes greeted him by lining a double off the wall in right. Redus scored, and the Phils led 7-2. An "unintentional intentional" walk to Schmidt put two on, as Pirates manager Jim Leyland decided to take his chances with Wilson despite Glenn's earlier home run. It was the wrong choice, as Wilson smacked Walk's 2-1 fastball over the wall in straightaway center for a three-run homer, his second of the night and seventeenth of the year, to extend the Philly lead to 10-2,

In the top of the ninth, Daulton walked with one out. Aguayo's fly ball to left center was caught by Bonds at the wall for the second out, but Jeltz lined the first pitch he saw from reliever Pat Clements into the left field corner. He ended up at third base with a triple, and Daulton scored the Phils' eleventh and final run, Our final: Phillies 11, Pirates 2.

Final totals: Phillies 11-12-0, Pirates 2-8-0.

Pitchers' records remain the same.

S- Carman (2)

HR- PHI: Wilson 2 (17)
PIT; Bonds (17)

Wilson was named Player of the Game because of his offensive performance,

DS- Bedrosian (29)

LHR- PIT: Bream (15)

Bonds was still having trouble with the illness that had delayed his debut, so Leyland sat him out for the final two days of the Phillies series. On Saturday, April 26, the Bucs dropped a 6-5 decision, as third baseman Rick Schu repeated Wilson's feat from the night before, hitting two home runs as part of a four-hit performance. Leff fielder Dion James' homer meant more, as his two-run shot in the seventh gave the visitors the lead for good. Schu's second blast in the ninth provided much-needed insurance. Billy Almon homered in a losing cause for the Bucs.

The Bucs bounced back on Sunday, April 27 with a 13-5 win. They scored twelve of their runs in two bunches: a seven-run second, followed later by a five-run eighth. Almon once again led the offense, going three for six with another homer and four RBIs. His biggest hit was a two-run double in the second. Reynolds, who split his day between center field and left field, also drove in a pair of runs, Hall of Famer Steve Carlton had two hits and two RBIs to lead the Phils' offense, but wasn't so good on the mound, giving up eight runs on seven hits in five innings and taking the loss.

Next: Bonds returns to the lineup on Monday, April 28, as the Pirates begin a West Coast trip at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Bob Kipper will start for the Buccos, while Fernando Valenzuela takes the ball for the Dodgers.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Monday, April 28, 1986. and the Pirates are facing the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first of a two-game series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Bob Kipper is pitching for the Pirates, while Fernando Valenzuela takes the ball for the Dodgers. Bonds will lead off and start the game in center field, then move to left field in the seventh inning, as his replacement R.J. Reynolds did in real life. The Dodgers won the actual game, 2-1,

Let's examine Bonds' at-bats first:

In the first, he struck out swinging,

In the third, he flew to the Dodgers' Mike Marshall in shallow right.

In the fifth, shortstop Rafael Belliard was hit in the knee by a Valenzuela pitch. Kipper bunted him over to second, and he moved to third on Bonds' fly to center. Third baseman Billy Almon struck out swinging to end the inning.

In the seventh, Bonds walked.

In the ninth, his liner was caught by Dodgers second baseman Mariano Duncan.

Bonds finished hitless in four at-bats plus a walk. He's now batting .223 (99-443) with seventeen home runs and fifty-three runs batted in. He's walked seventy-three times. He's struck out 109 times, which is good for seventh place in the National League strikeout "race", three behind the Giants' Robby Thompson.

Now let's look at the rest of the game action:

In the top of the fourth with two out, Mike Brown lined a double off the wall in left. Left fielder Mike Diaz walked to put two men on, and Tony Pena 's base hit to left center scored Brown to give the Bucs a 1-0 lead.

I lost the sim to some kind of technical glitch with the WhatIf site at this point, and I didn't read far enough ahead to know what happened in the rest of the game except that the Dodgers won 3-2 on some type of walkoff. Since I got Bonds' stats recorded, I'm going to let the result stand, even though this report is so incomplete.

W- Howell (7-12)
L- Guante (4-3)

DW- Valenzuela (20-11)
DL- Kipper (7-6)

Next: Game 2 of the series between the Pirates and the Dodgers on Tuesday, April 29. Rick Rhoden will pitch for the Pirates, while Orel Hershiser takes the ball for the Dodgers.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Tuesday, April 29, and the Pirates are taking on the Dodgers in the second game of a two-game series at Dodger Stadium. Rick Rhoden is pitching for the Pirates, while Orel Hershiser goes to the mound for the Dodgers. Bonds is in center field and will bat second, as his replacement Joe Orsulak did in real life. The Dodgers won the actual game 5-4.

Let's examine Bonds' at-bats first:

In the first, left fielder Lee Mazzilli drew a leadoff walk, Bonds' base hit to right center put two men on, and Johnny Ray's bloop single to right brought Mazzilli home to give the Bucs a 1-0 lead. Bonds moved to third on the hit, and Sid Bream followed with a fly to deep right center that was caught at the wall by Dodgers center fielder Kenny Landreaux, Bonds came home, and the Pirates led 2-0,

In the third, Bonds grounded to second,

In the fifth with one out and the Bucs leading 2-1, Mazzilli ripped a double into the right center power alley. Bonds walked to put two men on, but Herbhiser struck Ray out swinging for out number two, Bream was next, and his bloop fell in shallow left center, then skipped past both Landreaux and left fielder Franklin Stubbs. Mazzilli and Bonds both scored, and the Pirates led 4-1.

In the seventh with the visitors clinging to a 4-3 lead, manager Jim Leyland started the inning by sending R.J. Reynolds to the plate as a pinch hitter for Riden, R.J, took a strike, then belted reliever Ed Vande Berg's next pitch just out of Stubbs' over the wall in left field for his eleventh homer of the year to give the Bucs a 5-3 lead. Mazzilli followed with a high fly ball to right center that Landreaux thought he had a play on until it bounced off of his glove and over the fence for another home run, his second of the year as a Pirate and fourth overall. The Pirates now led 6-3. Bonds was next, and he struck out swinging,

In the ninth against reliever Tom Niedenfuer, Mazzilli walked to lead things off, then stole second. Bonds followed by stroking a base hit to right center that scored Mazzilli and gave the Buccos a 7-3 lead. There was no further scoring. Bonds was later caught trying to steal second.

Bonds finished two for four plus a walk with two runs scored and an RBI, He's now batting .226 (101-447) with seventeen home runs and fifty-four runs batted in. He's drawn seventy-four walks, and he's struck out 110 times, which leaves him two behind the Giants' Robby Thompson for sixth in the National League,

We've seen how the Pirates scored their runs. Now let's see how the Dodgers scored theirs:

With two out in the bottom of the fourth and the Pirates leading 2-0, catcher Mike Scioscia and left fielder Franklin Stubbs drew back-to-back walks, Third baseman Dave Anderson lined a single to left center that scored Scioscia and cut the Pittsburgh lead to 2-1.

In the bottom of the fifth with the Bucs up 4-1. second baseman Steve Sax led off with a single to left center, then stole second. Shortstop Mariano Duncan followed with a single up the middle that brought Sax home to make it 4-2.

In the bottom of the sixth with one out, Stubbs singled to left. Anderson's bloop single to left put two men on, and pinch hitter Enos Cabell (batting for Hershiser) made it three straight singles to left to load the bases, Sax bounced into a force play that eliminated Cabell while allowing Stubbs to score and make it a 4-3 game.

Final totals: Pirates 7-8-0, Dodgers 3-8-0.

W- Rhoden (17-11)
L- Hershiser (13-15)

HR- PIT: Reynolds (11), Mazzilli (4)

DS- Howell (11)
DL- Patterson (2-2)

Stubbs lost a strikeout from the actual game and didn't strike out in the sim. He has 106 strikeouts, good for ninth place in the National League,

Mazzilli was named Player of the Game. He was two for three with a home run and scored four runs,

Here are the updated standings in the National League East:

Mets: 107-55
Phillies: 86-75- 20.5 GB
Cardinals: 79-82- 27.5 GB
Expos: 78-83- 28.5 GB
Cubs: 71-89- 35 GB
Pirates: 65-97- 42 GB

Here are the updated standings In the National League West:

Houston Astros: 96-66
Cincinnati Reds: 86-76- 10 GB
San Francisco Giants: 83-79- 13 GB
San Diego Padres: 74-88- 22 GB
Atlanta Braves: 72-89- 23.5 GB
Dodgers: 72-90- 24 GB

In real time, the Pirates were 7-9, which was good enough for fifth place in the NL East, five and a half games behind the Mets.

Bonds suffered a minor knee injury in this game that would cause his triumphant return to San Francisco to be scrubbed. He didn't play in either of the two games at Candlestick Park, and the Pirates finished with a split. They lost the first game on Wednesday, April 30 6-5 in twelve innings thanks to a walkoff base hit by shortstop Chris Browm, who finished three for five with two RBis. Ray knocked in a pair of runs for the Buccos in a losing cause,

The visitors earned their split on Thursday, May 1 with a 6-2 win, Ray's hot bat led the way again, as he had two hits and drove in three runs. including the game winner with an eighth-inning single. The Bucs scored three times in the eighth to break a 2-2 tie, Right fielder Candy Maldonado hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to account for the San Francisco runs,

Next: Bonds returns to the lineup on Friday, May 2 as the Pirates begin a three-game series against the Padres at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, Mike Bielecki will start for the Bucs, while Dave Dravecky goes to the hill for the Padres.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Friday, May 2, 1986, and the Pirates are taking on the San Diego Padres in the first game of a three-game series at San Diego's Jack Murphy Stadium. Mike Bielecki will start for the Pirates, while Dave Dravecky takes the ball for the Padres. Bonds is leading off; he'll start the game in center field, then move to left field in the seventh inning, The Pirates won the actual game, 4-0.

Let's examine Bonds' at-bats first:

In the first, he flew to right center. Jim Morrison lined a single up the middle, then stole second. Johnny Ray followed with a base hit to left center that scored Morrison and gave the Bucs a 1-0 lead.

In the third with the score tied at one, Bonds grounded to first. Morrison followed by blasting Dravecky's 1-1 curveball into the second deck in left for his twenty-fourth home run of the year. The Pirates led 2-1.

In the fifth, he popped up to Steve Garvey at first.

In the seventh, he popped up to Tim Flannery at second.

In the ninth with one out, he reached when center fielder Kevin McReynolds couldn't handle his fly ball. He was forced by Morrison for the second out, and McReynolds caught Ray's fly ball at the wall to end the game.

Bonds finished hitless in five at-bats. He's now batting .223 (101-452) with seventeen home runs and fifty-four runs batted in,

We've seen how the Pirates scored their runs; now let's see how the Padres scored theirs:

In the bottom of the second. first baseman Steve Garvey lined a double off the wall in left center. Catcher Terry Kennedy's base hit to right center put runners at the corners. Right fielder Carmelo Martinez fly down the left field line was caught by the Pirates' Mike Diaz for the first out while the runners held. Third baseman Graig Nettles followed with a fly to center. Bonds made the catch at the wall, and Garvey came home to tie the game at one.

In the bottom of the fourth with one out and the Pirates leading 2-1, Nettles hit Bielecki's first pitch over the wall in right-center for a game-tying home run, his seventeenth of the year. After shortstop Garry Templeton grounded to second for out number two, Dravecky singled to left. Flannery's bloop single to left center put runners at the corners, and right fielder Tony Gwynn walked to load the bases. McReynolds was next, and he grounded a single to left center that scored Dravecky and Flannery to give the Padres a 4-2 lead.

In the bottom of the fifth with one out, Martinez whacked a pitch from Pirates reliever Bob Walk off the left field foul pole for a home run, his tenth of the year, to give the Friars a 5-2 lead. There was no further scoring.

Final totals: Padres 5-11-1. Pirates 2-7-0.

W- Dravecky (10-10)
S- Gossage (22)
L- Bielecki (5-13)

HR- PIT: Morrison (23)
SD: Nettles (17). Martinez (10)

DS- Winn (1)

Dravecky was named Player of the Game, He pitched eight innings, giving up two runs on seven hits.

Here are the updated standings in the National League West:

Astros: 96-66
Reds: 86-76- 10 GB
Giants: 83-79- 13 GB
Padres: 75-87- 21 GB
Braves: 72-89- 23.5 GB
Dodgers: 72-90- 24 GB

In the East:

Mets: 107-55
Phillies: 86-75- 20.5 GB
Cardinals: 79-82- 27.5 GB
Expos: 78-83- 28.5 GB
Cubs: 71-89- 35 GB
Pirates: 64-98- 43 GB

Bonds took another night off on Saturday, May 3 to rest his sore knee, and the Bucs pulled out a 7-6 nailbiter. Billy Almon struck the key blow with a three-run homer in the eighth off of Padres closer and former Pirate Goose Gossage. Morrison hit a two-run homer in the fourth, and Reynolds, who played in both left and right field, had three hits. Garvey, Martinez, and starting catcher Bruce Bochy each homered for the Padres.

Next: Bonds returns to the lineup for the final game of the Padres series on Sunday, May 4. Rick Rhoden will pitch for the Pirates, while LaMarr Hoyt goes to the mound for the Padres.

Thoughts?

 

[pattersonautobody]

The reality is Bonds could have kept playing. Bonds still led the league in OBP and had 28 HRs in his last season. His OPS and Slug actually increased over the previous year. His OPS was 1.045. The reality is they were still pitching around him at this late a stage.

Bonds if he wasn't black balled could have went to the Devil Rays and played as a DH. Ironically the worse he gets as he ages, the more pitches he'll actually get to hit--which means more home runs.

As a DH, his next few seasons may have declined in OPS to maybe .980, .910, .850, and then .800. At that point he probably would lose his job. But in those years he could have easily hit 30 HRs, then 25 HRs, 25 HRs again, then 21 HRs. That's good for an additional 101 homers. His career ends with 863 homers...or does it?

You'd hope that someone would keep him on long enough to get five more. But I don't know if Japanese records mean enough to a US audience.

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Sunday, May 4, 1986, and the Pirates are battling the Padres in the third and final game of a three-game series at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, Rick Rhoden is pitching for the Pirates, while LaMarr Hoyt goes to the mound for the Padres. Bonds is in center field and will bat second, as his replacement Joe Orsulak did in real life, The Pirates won the actual game, 5-2,

Let's examine Bonds' at-bats first:

In the first, he flew to Tony Gwynn in shallow right,

In the third with the score tied at one, Rhoden's bloop fell in left center field for a double. Left fielder R,J, Reynolds walked to put two men on, and Bonds doubled down the left field line to score both runners and put the Bucs up 3-1, Johnny Ray was next, and he continued his hot hitting by lining Hoyt's 1-1 pitch over the left field wall for his ninth home run of the year to give the Bucs a 5-1 lead. Sid Bream grounded to first for out number one, but Mike Brown kept the inning going with a lined single to left. Tony Pena was next, and he doubled over Kevin McReynolds' head in center to bring Brown home and give the Bucs a 6-1 lead.

In the fourth, Bonds flew to McReynolds in right center.

In the seventh, Reynolds hit a 1-2 curveball from reliever Lance McCullers Sr. down the left field line and over the fence for a solo home run, his twelfth of the year, to extend the Pittsburgh lead to 7-1. Bonds was next, and his popup was caught by Steve Garvey behind first base.

In the eighth with the Bucs leading 7-5, Khalifa drew a one-out walk, Mike Diaz batted for reliever Jim Winn and flew to the warning track in center for out number two, but Reynolds lined a single up the middle to put two men on. Bonds followed with a bloop that fell in left center for a base hit. Khalifa scored, and the Bucs led 8-5.

Bonds finished two for five with a run scored and three RBIs. He's now batting .225 (103-457) with seventeen home runs and fifty-seven runs batted in. He was named Player of the Game for the second time this year.

Now let's look at the rest of the game action:

The Bucs took an early lead with a run in the top of the second. Bream led off with a walk, stole second, and moved to third on Brown's bouncer to second. Pena walked to put two men on but was forced by Morrison. Bream scored on the play, and the Bucs had a 1-0 lead.

The Padres tied the game with a run in the bottom of the second. Carmelo Martinez singled to left center with one out, moved to second on another single to left center by Graig Nettles, and scored to tie the game on a base hit to right center by shortstop Garry Templeton.

In the bottom of the seventh with the Pirates leading 7-1, Templeton drew a leadoff walk. John Kruk batted for McCullers and singled to right center to put two men one. Tim Flannery's single to right center loaded the bases, but he was forced by Gwynn, Templeton scored on the play while pinch runner Marvell Wynne (running for Kruk) moved to third, and it was a 7-2 game, McReynolds' liner was smothered by Khalifa for the second out, but Garvey tomahawked Rhoden's two-ball pitch four rows deep into the left field seats for a three-run homer to bring the Friars within 7-5. It was Garvey's twenty-second home run of the year.

In the bottom of the eighth with one out and the Pirates leading 8-5, Templeton singled to right. He was forced by Benito Santiago (who was batting for reliever Tim Stoddard). but Flannery's single to right kept the inning alive. Gwynn walked to load the bases, and McReynolds walked on a 3-2 pitch to force Templeton home and cut the Pittsburgh lead to 8-6, which was our final.

Final totals: Pirates 8-12-0, Padres 6-12-0,

W- Rhoden (18-11)
S- Clements (3)
L- Hoyt (8-12)

HR- PIT: Reynolds (12), Ray (9)
SD: Garvey (22)

DW- Winn (2-5)
DL- Lefferts (9-7)

LHR- PIT: Morrison (22)

Next: The Bucs head home to open a three-game series with the Giants at Three Rivers on Tuesday, May 6. Mike Krukow will take the ball for the Giants, while Rick Reuschel heads to the mound for the Pirates.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Tuesday, May 6, 1986, and the Pirates are opening a three-game series against the Giants at Three Rivers Stadium. Mike Krukow will pitch for the Giants, while Rick Reuschel goes to the mound for the Pirates. Bonds in in center field and will bat second, as his replacement Joe Orsulak did in real life. The Giants won the actual game, 7-2.

Let's begin by examining Bonds' at-bats:

In the first, he flew to Candy Maldonado in deep right center.

In the third, he took a called third strike.

In the sixth, he flew to right.

In the eighth, his line drive was gloved by second baseman Robby Thompson.

Bonds finished hitless in four at-bats. He's now batting .223 (103-461) with seventeen home runs and fifty-seven runs batted in, He's struck out 111 times, which for the moment leaves him one behind Thompson for sixth place in the National League,

Now let's look at the rest of the game action:

In the top of the third with one out, first baseman Will Clark walked. Third baseman Chris Brown reached when Sammy Khalifa misplayed his grounder to short, and left fielder Jeffrey Leonard stroked a single to left center that scored Clark to give the Giants a 1-0 lead and sent Brown to third. Right fielder Chili Davis took a called third strike for out number two. but catcher Bob Brenly's bloop fell in shallow left center for a base hit. Brown scored, and the Giants led 2-0,

The Giants added two more runs in the fifth. Leonard walked with one out and went to third on Davis's base hit to center. Brenly's lined single to left brought Leonard home to make it 3-0. Thompson was next, and he lined Reuschel's first pitch off of third baseman Jim Morrison's glove for an infield single. Davis scored, and the Giants led 4-0. There was no further scoring.

Final totals: Giants 4-9-0, Pirates 0-5-2.

Pitchers' records remain the same.

LHR- SF: Maldonado (17). C. Brown (6)

On the strikeout front, Thompson loses one from the actual game, and he didn't fan in the sim. That leaves him tied with Bonds for sixth in the National League with 111.

Krukow was named Player of the Game. He went the distance, tossing a five-hit shutout. He walked two, struck out two, and threw 104 pitches.

Bonds' knee injury was proving to be more serious than first thought, and he sat out the next two games while receiving treatment. On Wednesday, May 7, the Giants made it two in a row over the Bucs, pounding out fourteen hits and prevailing 7-5. Morrison homered in a losing cause, and the red-hot Ray had three more hits and drove in a run. The results were better on Thursday, May 8, as Bream and Morrison each drove in three runs and starting pitcher Mike Bielecki held the Giants to two runs on four hits over seven and a third innings. Final score: Pirates 8, Giants 2.

Next: The Bucs welcome the Houston Astros to Three Rivers for Game 1 of a three-game series om Friday, May 9. Mike Scott will take the mound for the Astros, while Bob Kipper pitches for the Pirates.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Friday, May 9, 1986, and the Pirates are hosting the Houston Astros in the first game of a three-game series at Three Rivers Stadium. Mike Scott is pitching for the Stros, while Bob Kipper takes the ball for the Bucs. Bonds is in center field and will lead off, as his replacement Trench Davis did in real life. The Astros won the actual game, 3-2.

Let's begin by examining Bonds' at-bats:

In the first, he beat out a bouncer to short for an infield single, then stole second. Left fielder Joe Orsulak followed by beating out another bouncer to short for an infield single, which put runners at the corners. Next up was Johnny Ray, who hit Scott's 1-2 pitch over the wall in right center for a three-run homer, his tenth of the year, his tenth of the year, to give the Bucs a 3-0 lead.

In the second, Bonds grounded to short.

In the fourth, he walked with one out and stole second. Orsulak's liner was caught by Scott for out number two, and Ray's grounder to first ended the inning,

In the sixth, catcher Junior Ortiz led off with a single up the middle. Sammy Khalifa's fly to right was caught at the wall by Kevin Bass for out number one. R.J. Reynolds batted for reliever Bob Walk and was hit in the wrist by a pitch, but he was forced by Bonds for the second out, Ortiz moved to third on the play, but both runners were stranded when Orsulak's liner was gloved by shortstop Dickie Thon to end the inning,

In the ninth with the Astros leading 9-3, U.L. Washington, batting for reliever Jim Winn, led off with a double into the left center power alley. He moved to third on Bonds' fly to center and scored on Ray's lined single to left. Final score: Astros 9, Pirates 4.

Bonds finished one for four plus a walk with a run scored and two stolen bases. He's now batting .224 (104-465) with seventeen home runs and fifty-seven runs batted in, He's walked seventy-five times and stolen forty bases. I completely forgot to check out the stolen base numbers for Steve Sax and Tony Gwynn when the Pirates played the Dodgers and Padres, so this stat is pretty much useless for tracking purposes. Right now, Bonds is tied for seventh in the National League with Sax's real-life total of forty, but keep in mind that Sax's number hasn't been adjusted to reflect what happened in the sims.

We've seen how the Bucs scored their runs, Now let's see how the Astros scored theirs:

In the third with one out, second baseman Bill Doran lined a single to left. He was forced by center fielder Billy Hatcher, who then stole second. Left fielder Jose Cruz's bloop fell in right field for a base hit, which brought Hatcher home and cut the Pittsburgh lead to 3-1,

In the fourth, third baseman (and former Pirate) Phil Garner led off with a bloop single to left center. Bass walked to put two men on, and the runners moved into scoring position on Thon's grounder to third. Catcher Mark Bailey's liner was gloved by Khalifa at short for the second out, but Scott helped his own cause with a double to right, Garner and Bass scored, and the game was tied at three. Doran then lined a double off the wall in left to bring Scott home, and the Stros took a 4-3 lead.

In the sixth, Thon led off with a grounder to short that rolled under Khalifa's glove, allowing Dickie to reach. He soon stole second. Bailey struck out swinging for out number one, but Denny Walling (batting for Scott) singled up the middle to drive in Thon and extend the Houston lead to 5-3. Doran walked to put two men on, and the runners moved up on Hatcher's grounder to second. Cruz was next, and he lined a single up the middle to bring home Walling and Doran and make it 7-3.

In the seventh with two out, Bailey hit reliever Cecilio Guante's 2-1 pitch down the right field line and over the wall for his fourth home run of the year. The Astros led 8-3.

In the eighth with one out, Hatcher beat out a bouncer to third for an infield single. then stole both second and third. Cruz was next, and he belted a triple off the top of the left field wall to bring Hatcher home with the ninth Houston run.

Final totals: Astros 9-14-0, Pirates 4-10-1.

W- Scott (19-10)
L- Kipper (7-7)

HR- HOU: Bailey (4)
PIT: Ray (10)

Note: Bailey also hit a home run in the actual game.

DW- Kerfeld (10-2)
DS- Smith (32)
DL- Winn (2-4)

LHR- PIT: Bream (14)

On the stolen base front, Hatcher keeps the one he had in the actual game and adds two more for a total of forty. This creates a three-way tie for seventh in the National League among Bonds, Hatcher, and (presumably) Sax. Going back to the Dodgers series, Mariano Duncan loses his stolen base from the original game on April 29. He's still fourth in the National League with an unofficial total of forty-seven. Vince Coleman of the Cardinals leads the league with 107.

Next: Game 2 between the Bucs and the Astros on Saturday, May 10. Bob Knepper goes to the hill for the Astros, while Rick Rhoden pitches for the Pirates.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Saturday, May 10, 1986, and the Pirates are set to battle the Astros in the second game of a three-game series at Three Rivers Stadium. Bob Knepper will start for the Astros, while Rick Rhoden will pitch for the Pirates. Bonds is in center field and will bat eighth, as his replacement Trench Davis did in real life, The Astros won the actual game 6-3.

Let's begin by examining Bonds' at-bats:

in the second, he grounded to short.

In the fourth with the Astros leading 10-1, Sid Bream led off with a fly ball down the right field line that carried over the fence for a home run, his fourteenth of the year, to cut the Stros' lead to 10-2. After Tony Pena struck out swinging, Jim Morrison was hit in the knee by a pitch, Bonds walked to put two men on, and the runners moved up on reliever Bob Walk's grounder to first. Billy Almon's bouncer to short ended the inning,

In the fifth, Sammy Khalifa's bloop fell in center field for a leadoff base hit. Knepper's pickoff try went awry when he threw the ball into center field, and Khalifa moved to second. Johnny Ray beat out a bouncer to short for an infield single, which put runners at the corners. Mike Brown grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, which brought Khalifa home from third and made it 10-3.

Bream hit a ball off the top of the left field wall for a triple to restart the rally, and Pena followed with a fly ball to right that hit the top of Kevin Bass's glove, then rolled to the wall. Bream trotted home, and the Houston lead was 10-4. Morrison followed with another triple, this one into the right field corner, which scored Morrison and brought the Bucs back to within 10-5, which was our final. Bonds walked to put two men on, but Walk's liner was speared by Doran at second to retire the side.

In the sixth, he was hit in the knee by a pitch.

In the ninth, he singled to right,

Bonds finished one for two plus two walks. He's now batting .225 (105-467) with seventeen home runs and fifty-seven runs batted in. He's walked seventy-seven times, which is (unofficially) good enough for eighth in the National League, one behind the Expos' Tim Raines. He hasn't homered in his last seven games; the last time he went deep was April 25 against the Phillies at Three Rivers.

Now let's look at the rest of the game action:

In the top of the first with one out, right fielder Terry Puhl hit Rhoden's two-strike pitch down the right field line and over the wall for a home run that gave the Astros a 1-0 lead. Left fielder Jose Cruz hit a hot smash into Khalifa's glove for out number two, but first baseman Glenn Davis turned on a 1-2 Rhoden fastball and drilled into the seats in right center to make it 2-0 Stros. Davis now has thirty home runs, while Puhl has four.

In the second, center fielder Kevin Bass led off with a bloop single to right. After Mark Bailey flew to right for out number one, shortstop Dickie Thon lined a double off the wall in left center that scored Bass to make it 3-,0.

In the top of the third, Puhl lined a leadoff double to right and moved to third on Cruz's grounder to first. Davis's liner was ticketed for the left field corner until Morrison made a desperate diving stop for out number one that also prevented Puhl from scoring for the moment, "The moment" lasted exactly one pitch, as third baseman Denny Walling tattooed Rhoden's next pitch off the wall in right for a double. Puhl scored easily, and it was 4-0 Houston, Bass was next, and he lined a base hit to right that brought Walling home and extended the Stros' lead to 5-0,

In the bottom of the third, Rhoden led off with a double to center. Almon's liner was gloved by Doran at second for out number one, and Doran also caught Khalifa's popup for the second out. Ray was next, and his lined single to right brought Rhoden home to cut the Houston lead to 5-1.

In the top of the fourth, Thon led off with a single to left center. Knepper bunted him over to second, and he scored the Astros' sixth run on Doran's base hit to right center. Puhl's double to right brought Doran home to make it 7-1, and Cruz's single up the middle scored Puhl to make it 8-1. Rhoden departed at this point in favor of Bob Walk. who got the second out when Davis flew to left. But Walling walked on five pitches to keep the inning alive, and Bass scalded a drive into the right field corner. Cruz and Walling scored to give the visitors a 10-1 lead, and Bass wound up at third with a triple.

Final totals: Astros 10-15-2, Pirates 5-13-1.

Pitchers' records remain the same.

HR- HOU: Davis (30), Puhl (4)
PIT: Bream (15)

Puhl and Bass shared Player of the Game honors. They both went four for five, Puhl homered and drove in three runs, and Davis drove in two more runs,

Doran stole a base, which raised his total to forty-three for the year. He's fifth in the National League,

DS- DiPino (2)

LHR- HOU: Davis (30), Bass (19)

Note: Davis homered twice in the actual game and only once in the sim.

Next: Game 3 between the Astros and the Pirates on Sunday, May 11, Nolan Ryan starts for the Astros, while Rick Reuschel gets the ball for the Pirates.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Sunday, May 11, 1986, and the Pirates are hosting the Astros in the final game of a three-game series at Three Rivers Stadium. Nolan Ryan will start for the Astros, while Rick Reuschel goes to the mound for the Pirates. Bonds is in center field and will lead off, as his replacement Trench Davis did in real life, The Pirates won the actual game 4-3 in twelve innings.

Let's begin by examining Bonds' at-bats:

In the first, he struck out swinging,

In the third, he flew to Kevin Bass in shallow left center.

In the fifth, his foul pop was caught by first baseman Glenn Davis.

In the eighth, he drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on right fielder Joe Orsulak's grounder to first. He was stranded there, as Johnny Ray and Sid Bream each flew to right center to end the inning.

Bonds finished hitless in three official at-bats plus a walk. He's now batting .223 (105-470) with seventeen home runs and fifty-seven runs batted in. He's walked seventy-eight times, and he's sixth in the National League strikeout rankings with 112. His current homerless streak stands at eight games.

Now let's look at the rest of the game action:

In the top of the second. Bass drew a one-out walk, stole second, and scored when third baseman Phil Garner lined a single up the middle. The Astros led 1-0 after an inning and a half.

In the top of the third, with one out, Bill Doran singled up the middle. Shortstop Craig Reynolds did likewise, and the Stros had runners at the corners. Denny Walling, who started in left field today, popped up to Johnny Ray at second for the first out while the runners held, but Davis walked to load the bases. Bass walked on a 3-2 pitch to force Doran home and put the visitors up 2-0. Garner was next, and he rapped a double down the left field line and into the corner. Reynolds and Davis scored, Bass moved to third, and it was 4-0 Houston. Terry Puhl followed with a bloop that just evaded the glove of an outgoing Jim Morrison and dropped in shallow left field. Bass and Garner were both running on contact, and they scored easily to give the Stros a 6-0 cushion.

In the top of the seventh, Reynolds led off with a grounder to his counterpart Sammy Khalifa, who booted it, allowing Reynolds to reach. He was off and running on the first pitch, and Pirates catcher Junior Ortiz put too much on his throw to second. It sailed into center field. and Reynolds continued to third. Walling took a called third strike from reliever Jose DeLeon for out number one, but Davis was hit in the back of the knee by a pitch. Bass walked on four pitches to load the bases, and Garner unloaded them with a shot off the top of the wall in center that missed a grand slam by less than a foot. The Astros now led 9-0, and Scrap Iron had a triple. He came home with the tenth Houston run on Puhl's grounder to second.

In the top of the ninth, Davis lined a leadoff single up the middle and moved to second on Bass's base hit to right. Garner's bloop single to left center loaded the bases, but DeLeon got the next two outs when Puhl flew to Bonds in shallow right center and Alan Ashby (batting for Bailey) lined one right back to DeLeon. After a moment's hesitation, Ryan (who was pitching a shutout at this point) came out to bat for himself despite the Stros' ten-run lead. He lined the first pitch up the middle for a base hit, which allowed Davis and Bass to score and make it 12-0,

The Bucs finally got on the board in the bottom of the ninth. Left fielder Lee Mazzilli drew a leadoff walk. Morrison lined a double off the wall in center for a double to put runners at second and third, but Ortiz's popup was caught by Garner for out number one. Mike Diaz batted for Khalifa and bounced to short for the second out as Mazzilli scored, but Ryan got R.J. Reynolds (batting for DeLeon) to ground to short, ending the game. Final score: Astros 12, Pirates 1.

Final totals: Astros 12-10-3, Pirates 1-6-2.

W- Ryan (13-8)
L- Reuschel (8-18)

DW- DeLeon (4-8)
DL- Kerfeld (10-1)

LHR- HOU: Bailey (3), Thon (2)
PIT: Morrison (22), Almon (5)

Garner and Ryan shared Player of the Game honors. Garner was four for four plus a walk, scored twice, and had six RBIs, Ryan pitched a complete game, allowing just one run on six hits while walking two, striking out eight, and throwing 115 pitches. He also drove in two runs as a hitter.

Here are the updated standings in the National League East:

Mets: 107-55
Phillies: 86-75- 20.5 GB
Cardinals: 79-82- 27.5 GB
Expos: 78-83- 28.5 GB
Cubs: 71-89- 35 GB
Pirates: 63-99- 44 GB

In the West:

Astros: 97-65
Reds: 86-76- 11 GB
Giants: 83-79- 14 GB
Padres: 75-87- 22 GB
Braves: 72-89- 24.5 GB
Dodgers: 72-90- 25 GB

In real time, the Pirates were 11-15 and tied with the Phillies for last place in the East, eight and a half games behind the Mets.

Next: The Padres come to Three Rivers for a two-game series beginning Tuesday, May 13. Eric Show will start Tuesday's game for the Padres, while Mike Bielecki gets the call for the Bucs.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Tuesday, May 13. 1986, and the Pirates are hosting the Padres in the first game of a two-game series at Three Rivers Stadium. Eric Show will start for the Padres, while Mike Bielecki takes the ball for the Pirates. Bonds is in center field and will lead off, as his replacement Joe Orsulak did in real life. The Padres won the actual game, 4-2.

Let's begin by examining Bonds' at-bats:

In the first, he grounded to first.

In the third, he struck out swinging.

In the fifth with the score tied at one, Sammy Khalifa's ground ball bounced off of Show's glove for a leadoff base hit. Bielecki bunted Khalifa over to second, and Bonds walked to put two men on. He was forced by left fielder Lee Mazzilli while Khalifa moved to third. Johnny Ray was next, and his lined single to left brought Khalifa home to put the Bucs in front 2-1.

In the seventh, Bonds struck out swinging again.

In the ninth, he struck out swinging for the third time.

Bonds finished hitless in four at-bats plus a walk. He's now batting .222 (105-474) with seventeen home runs and fifty-seven runs batted in. He's walked seventy-eight times, and he's moved into fifth place on the National League strikeout list with 115. The Reds' Dave Parker is fourth with 126. His current homerless streak now stands at nine games.

Now let's look at the rest of the game action:

In the top pf the fourth with one out, catcher Terry Kennedy hit a ball off the top of the left field wall that bounced back and rolled away from Mazzilli. Bonds came over, scooped up the ball, and fired to third, but Kennedy just beat the throw for a triple. Center fielder Kevin McReynolds followed with a double into the left center power alley that brought Kennedy home and gave the Padres a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth with one out, Ray walked. Sid Bream lined a single to right center that put runners at the corners, but Mike Brown's fly down the left field line was caught by the Padres' Dane Iorg for out number two while the runners held. Tony Pena was next, and his single to right center brought Ray home to tie the game at one.

In the top of the sixth with the Pirates leading 2-1, right fielder Tony Gwynn led off with a double down the right field line and moved to third on first baseman Steve Garvey's grounder to second. Kennedy followed with a double to left that scored Gwynn to tie the game at two,

In the top of the eighth, Gwynn drew a leadoff walk against reliever Pat Clements. He was forced by Garvey for out number one. Kennedy's single to left moved Garvey to third, and McReynolds socked a double to left that brought him home and gave the Friars a 3-2 lead.

Pirates manager Jim Leyland called on Donnie Robinson to face third baseman Graig Nettles, who walked on five pitches to load the bases, Iorg's fly to shallow right center was caught by Bonds for the second out, and John Kruk was called on to bat for reliever Lance McCullers. He walked on five pitches, and Kennedy was awarded home plate to give the Padres a 4-2 lead. There was no further scoring.

Final totals: Padres 4-9-0, Pirates 2-6-0,

W- McCullers (11-10)
S- Gossage (23)
L- Clements (0-5)

DW- Show (8-5)
DS- McCullers (4)
DL-Bielecki (5-12)

LHR- SD: Iorg (1)

Kennedy was named Player of the Game. He was three for five with a double, a triple, an RBI, and two runs scored.

Next: The Pirates take on the Padres in the second game of their two-game series on Wednesday, May 14. Dave Dravecky will pitch for the Padres, while Bob Kipper takes the ball for the Pirates.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Wednesday, May 14, 1986, and the Pirates are hosting the Padres in the second game of a two-game series at Three Rivers Stadium. Dave Dravecky is on the mound for the Padres, and he's opposed by the Pirates' Bob Kipper. Bonds is batting second; he'll start the game in center field, move to left field in the eighth inning, and move to first base in the ninth inning, just as his replacement Lee Mazzilli did in real life. The Padres won the actual game, 10-4.

Let's examine Bonds' at-bats first:

In the first, he struck out swinging.

In the third with one out and the Padres leading 4-0, left fielder Billy Almon walked. He was forced by Bonds, who stole second and moved to third when Padres catcher Bruce Bochy's pickoff throw went into center field. Johnny Ray was next, and he lined a base hit to left center that scored Bonds and put the Pirates on the board.

With two out in the fifth, Almon doubled to right. Bonds lined a base hit to right that scored Almon and cut the San Diego lead to 4-2. He then stole second, and Ray's base hit to right center brought him home with the third Pittsburgh run.

In the seventh, he flew to Kevin McReynolds in shallow left center.

In the ninth with the Padres leading 7-3, Tony Pena led off with a base hit to left against reliever Craig Lefferts. Morrison hit the first pitch he saw deep to right, and the ball eluded Gwynn's outstretched glove and disappeared over the wall for a two-run homer that cut the Padres' lead to 7-5.

The call went out to the Padres' pen for closer Goose Gossage, and Pirates manager Jim Leyland countered with Mike Diaz, who was batting for shortstop Sammy Khalifa. Diaz bounced to short for the first out, but center fielder R.J. Reynolds, who had entered the game for defensive purposes, kept the rally going with a base hit to left center. The pitcher's spot was next, and rookie Trench Davis batted for reliever Donnie Robinson, He bounced into a force play that eliminated Reynolds for out number two. The game came down to Bonds against Gossage, and Goose struck Barry out swinging to seal the victory for San Diego. Our final: Padres 7, Pirates 5.

Bonds finished one for five with two runs scored and an RBI. He's now batting .221 (106-479) with seventeen home runs and fifty-eight runs batted in. He struck out twice, which gives him 117 for the season. He stole two bases, which gives him forty-two for the year. That's good for a three-way tie for fifth in the National League with the Astros' Bill Doran and the Phillies' Juan Samuel. His homerless streak in this thread stands at ten games.

We know how the Pirates scored their runs. Now let's see how the Padres scored theirs:

In the top of the second, Bochy hit Kipper's first pitch into the second row of seats in left field for his eighth home run of the year to give the Padres a 1-0 lead.

In the top of the third, Garry Templeton led off by beating out a grounder to third for an infield single. Gwynn singled to right center to put two men on, but Kipper rebounded to retire Steve Garvey on a popup to Sammy Khalifa at short and Kevin McReynolds on a fly to Bonds in shallow left center. Third baseman Jerry Royster was next, and he smacked Kipper's 1-2 hanging curveball over the wall in left for a three-run homer, his sixth of the year. The Padres now led 4-0.

In the ninth with one out, Bochy singled to left. Kruk walked to put two men on, and Terry Kennedy (batting for reliever Lance McCullers) doubled into the right center power alley to bring home both runners and increase the San Diego lead to 6-3. After second baseman Bip Roberts grounded to short for the second out, Templeton stroked a single to right to score Kennedy and make it 7-3.

Final totals: Padres 7-11-1, Pirates 5-9-0.

Pitchers' records remain the same.

HR- SD: Royster (6), Bochy (3)
PIT: Morrison (23)

Note: Bochy also hit a home run in the actual game.

LHR- SD: Garvey (21)
PIT: Bream (14)

Gwynn stole two bases in the actual game, but only one in the sim. He has an unofficial total of thirty-eight, which is good for ninth in the National League.

Next: The Bucs open a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati on Friday, May 16. Rick Rhoden will start for the Pirates, while John Denny takes the ball for the Reds.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

It's Friday, May 16, 1986, and the Pirates have traveled to Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati to open a three-games series against the Cincinnati Reds. Rick Rhoden will start for the Pirates, while John Denny takes the ball for the Reds. Bonds is in center field and will lead off, as his replacement Joe Orsulak did in real life. The Reds won the actual game, 7-2.

Let's begin by examining Bonds' at-bats:

In the first, he struck out swinging,

In the third, he struck out swinging again, Left fielder R.J. Reynolds followed by hitting Denny's first pitch over the wall in center for a home run that tied the game at one. It was Reynolds' thirteenth home run of the year.

In the fifth, Bonds led off with a double into the right center power alley. He moved to third on Reynolds' grounder to first. Ray bounced to short for the second out, but Sid Bream and Mike Brown drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. Tony Pena was next, and he lined a base hit to right center. Bonds and Bream scored, and the Buccos led 3-1.

In the sixth, Bonds grounded to short.

In the eighth with the Pirates leading 3-2, Sammy Khalifa lined a leadoff single to left center. He moved to second on a passed ball charged to Reds catcher Sal Butera. The pitcher's spot was next, and even though Cecilio Guante was ready to pitch the bottom of the eighth, Pirates manager Jim Leyland elected to save a bat from his bench and allow Rhoden to, in essence, pinch-hit for himself. Rick came through with a base hit to left center that scored Khalifa and extended the Pittsburgh lead to 4-2.

Bonds followed with a double to left that put runners at second and third. Reds reliever Ron Robinson got the next two outs, striking Reynolds out swinging and retiring Ray on a tapper to Pete Rose at first. A walk to Bream loaded the bases, but Brown's wicked line drive went into the glove of second baseman Ron Oester to end the inning.

In the tenth, Bonds took a called third strike.

In the twelfth, he lined out to second.

In the fourteenth, he struck out swinging for the third time.

Bonds finished two for eight with a run scored. He's currently batting .222 (108-487) with seventeen home runs and fifty-eight runs batted in. He struck out four times, which raises his total for the year to 121. As of this paragraph, he's fifth in the National League, five strikeouts behind the Reds' Dave Parker. We'll detail The Cobra's punchouts, if any, later in this report. Bonds' homerless streak in this thread has reached eleven games.

We've seen how the Pirates scored their runs. Now let's look at how the Reds scored theirs:

In the bottom of the first, center fielder Eddie Milner drew a leadoff walk, then stole second and went to third when Pena threw his pickoff attempt into center field. He held there while Rose flew to Bonds in shallow center for out number one. Parker lifted another fly to center; this one chased Bonds to the wall before he ran it down. Milner scored, and the Reds led 1-0.

In the bottom of the fifth with the Pirates leading 3-1, Denny led off with a base hit to left, but was forced by Milner. Rose struck out swinging for out number two, but Milner kept the inning alive by stealing second. Parker followed with a double to right that brought Milner home and cut the Pittsburgh lead to 3-2.

In the bottom of the ninth with one out and the score 4-2 Pirates, Oester lined a base hit to left. Eric Davis batted for reliever Ted Power and beat out a bouncer to third for an infield single. Milner was next, and his fly ball to right dropped in and rolled toward the wall. Oester and Davis both scored, and we were tied at four.

In the bottom of the fourteenth with two out, first baseman Nick Esasky singled to right center. Shortstop Dave Concepcion singled to left to put two men on, and third baseman Buddy Bell lined the first pitch he saw from Pirates reliever Larry McWilliams off the wall in right. Esasky scored easily, and the Reds had won a fourteen-inning marathon, 5-4.

Final totals: Reds 5-13-2, Pirates 4-12-1.

W- Price (2-2)
L- McWilliams (3-12)

HR- PIT: Reynolds (13)

DW- Denny (10-10)
DS- Franco (28)
DL- Rhoden (18-10)

Bell was named Player of the Game due to his game-winning hit.

On the strikeout front, Parker didn't fan in the actual game, but he struck out once in the sim. His current total for the year is 127.

Next: Game 2 of this series on Saturday, May 17. Rick Reuschel will pitch for the Pirates, while Mario Soto takes the ball for the Reds,

Thoughts?