October 26, 2014

May 7, 1984 - Squeeze

Game #355 - Detroit Tigers, 5 @ Kansas City Royals, 6

Kansas City is starting a long stretch without their all-star third sacker, George Brett, who is out with an injury.  The Royals got things started the right way in the first, though, because Daryl Motley hit a solo homer and Frank White singled home Steve Balboni to give KC a 2-0 lead.

They had extended that lead to 4-1 in the top of the sixth when Royals starter Frank Wills ran into some trouble.  Alan Trammell doubled and then Kirk Gibson launched yet another home run to chase Wills out of the game.  Joe Beckwith entered but he surrendered a two run shot of his own, this time to Lance Parrish.  That gave the Tigers a 5-4 lead.  Pat Sheridan hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning that plated Greg Pryor, and that had the game knotted at 5-5.

That was still the score heading into the bottom of the tenth.  Willie Hernandez was starting his third inning of relief work when pinch-hitter John Wathan doubled.  Wathan advanced to third on an infield single by Pryor.  Don Slaught was next up but grounded out to Darrell Evans.  With one out, Buddy Biancalana came to the plate.  He's a terrible hitter, and Hernandez is a strong pitcher, so I opted for the suicide squeeze.  Sure enough, Biancalana laid it down and Wathan scored on the walk-off squeeze!

Winning Pitcher - Dan Quisenberry
Losing Pitcher - Willie Hernandez
Player of the Game - Lil' Buddy

Game #356 - Cleveland Indians, 3 @ New York Yankees, 4

Let's fast forward to the bottom of the sixth.  Toby Harrah tripled off Neal Heaton.  That brought up Bobby Meacham.  I was feeling it.  SQUEEZE TIME.  Meacham pulled it off, New York now had a 2-0 lead.

Tim Foli knocked in two more for New York to give them a 4-0 lead going into the top of the eighth.  Ray Fontenot, still in the game, gave up three straight hits, including an RBI double by Chris Bando.  Reliever Jay Howell took over but gave up a two-run double to pinch hitter George Vukovich.  That made it a 4-3 game.  Howell got back on track, though, and closed them out in the ninth for the save.

Winning Pitcher - Ray Fontenot
Losing Pitcher - Neal Heaton
Save - Jay Howell
Player of the Game - Tim Foli, 2RBI double
Hall of Famers in the Game - Dave Winfield


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