June 18, 1984 - White Sox Deep-Six the Mariners

 

Game #840 - Chicago White Sox, 9 @ Seattle Mariners, 5

Seattle starter Mike Moore got into trouble right out of the gate.  He walked Harold Baines and later Greg Walker singled.  Ron Kittle stepped to the plate after that and sent a three-run homer into the cheap seats for an immediate 3-0 lead.  

Chicago added four more off Moore in the top of the third.  Baines launched a solo shot and a few batters later Carlton Fisk went big fly for the second three-run homer of the game for the Pale Hose.

White Sox starter Floyd Bannister had a smooth game except for the bottom of the fourth.  He got touched for three runs off home runs by Steve Henderson and Jim Pressley.  He got into another jam in the bottom of the eighth when reliever Al Jones made his Statis Pro season debut to end the uprising with  one and a third innings pitched of scoreless relief.

Winning Pitcher - Floyd Bannister

Losing Pitcher - Mike Moore

Player of the Game - Harold Baines, 3-4, 2B, HR, BB, RBI, 2R's

Hall of Famers in the Game - Harold Baines, Carlton Fisk

June 17, 1984 - Fisk Redeems in Extras

Game #832 - Chicago White Sox, 8 @ Oakland A's, 7 (12 innings!)

This game looked like it would be all-Chicago at the start.  In the top of the second the White Sox hit back to back homers thanks to Vance and Rudy Law (no relation).  Both came off Oakland starter Larry Sorensen.  Sorensen was still in the game in the top of the third when he allowed another five runs, giving up two more home runs this time (Ron Kittle and Vance Law again).

With a 7-0 lead heading into the bottom of the third, Tom Seaver was cruising for the White Sox.  He retired the first eight hitters before Bill Almon successfully singled.  That brought up Rickey Henderson, who singled and moved Almon to third.  Rickey decided second base looked better than first, so he was off and running on Seaver's next pitch.  I guess Carlton Fisk was worried about a quick throw to keep Almon at first, because he air-mailed it into center field, allowing both runners to score.  Bruce Bochte tagged Seaver for a three-run bomb in the fourth to bring the A's back within in two, 7-5.

The Oakland bullpen (Chuck Rainey, Keith Atherton, Bill Caudill) kept the Chicago bats quiet through the ninth.  In the bottom half of the inning the White Sox had Ron Reed on the mound to close it out.  But a Dave Kingman double and an infield hit by Bochte put two runners on with just one out.  Tony Phillips dug in and...ripped a triple to tie the game!!!  Reed got the next two outs but this one headed to extra innings.  Free baseball!!!

Neither team did much over the next two innings, and Ray Burris was working his second inning in the top of the twelfth when Fisk stepped in.  He took Burris deeeeep to give Chicago the lead!  But in the bottom of the twelfth Oakland loaded the bases on Jerry Don Gleaton with just one out and slugger Dwayne Murphy at the plate.  It looked bad for the South Side, but Murphy tapped the ball to Gleaton for a 1-2-3 double play to end the game!

Winning Pitcher - Jerry Don Gleaton
Losing Pitcher - Ray Burris
Player of the Game - Fisk, go-ahead homer in the top of the 12th
Hall of Famers in the Game - Harold Baines, Carlton Fisk, Tom Seaver, Rickey Henderson, Joe Morgan

Happy Trails...Jerry Don Gleaton

As a kid I always thought his last name was "Don Gleaton" and his first name was Jerry.  Looking back now I can see that was fairly silly, but I never knew a "Jerry Don" before.  Let's see how the two J.D.'s compare!

The Real 1984:  3.44 ERA, 1-2, 2 SV, 4 K's, 4.90 FIP, 1.42 WHIP
Statis Pro 1984:  4.32 ERA, 3-0, 0 SV, 9 K's, 5.49 FIP, 1.32 WHIP

Gleaton pitched in eleven games (one start) and 18 innings in the real 1984, but my Statis Pro version logged 25 innings.  I must have used him more as a long reliever than a LOOGY.  He was a bit luckier in the real 1984 than in Statis Pro.  Still, he recorded three wins this season, including pulling one out of his hat in the bottom of the 12th in this game.  Thanks Jerry Don!  Al Jones will fill his spot in the bullpen.

June 16, 1984 - Golden State Warriors

Game #819 - Chicago White Sox, 9 @  Oakland A's, 10

As evidenced by the score, this game was wacky.

The score was knotted at zero apiece when the A's sent nine batters to the plate in the bottom of the third, scoring four times.  Rickey Henderson, Davey Lopes, Carney Lansford, and Dwayne Murphy all came in to score.  Oakland tagged on their fifth run of the game in the fourth, this time on a double from Lopes that plated Rickey Henderson, who was standing on second with his third steal of the game.

Tim Conroy, the Oakland starter, was cruising through the Chicago lineup until the top of the fifth.  That's when he allowed four runs before getting yanked, including a two-run bomb to Greg Luzinski.  Chris Codiroli, the relief pitcher, didn't fair much better as he allowed another three in the inning thanks to a three-run homer from Marc Hill. 

That meant Chicago was now on top, 7-5, going into the bottom of the fifth.  Oakland put up another four-spot to retake the lead.  The Pale Hose drew within a run after a Greg Walker solo shot in the seventh, but the A's held on to the win.

Winning Pitcher - Chris Codiroli
Losing Pitcher - Salome Barojas
Save - Tom Burgmeier
Player of the Game - Rickey Henderson, 3-5, BB, 3SBs, 3Rs
Hall of Famers in the Game - Harold Baines, Rickey Henderson

Game #820 - San Francisco Giants, 4 @ San Diego Padres, 1

The cellar dwellers of the NL West teed off for the third straight game, and started well for the Giants.  Jeff Leonard led the game off with solo homer and one flap down as he rounded the bases.  Eric Show surrendered another run in the second when Johnny LeMaster doubled home Joel Youngblood. 

San Fran was up 3-0 when Mark Davis balked home the first Padre run, allowing Luis Salazar to score.  Davis would last seven innings total, truly spreading nine hits and a walk around and avoiding any serious damage along with his seven K's.  Show pitched eight frames before Craig Lefferts took over in the ninth and let Jack Clark go deep for the fourth and final run of the game.

Winning Pitcher - Mark Davis
Losing Pitcher - Eric Show
Save - Greg Minton
Player of the Game - Jeff Leonard, 2-5, HR, 2RBI
Hall of Famers in the Game - Tony Gwynn

June 15, 1984 - Summer Break

Friends...my goodness, it's been too long.  I apologize.  I must confess, though, the posts will be a lot more erratic moving forward.  This summer I started an Ed.D. program and now my free time is spent reading journal articles and swearing about APA formatting.  I squeezed a couple of games in recently, so here we go...

Game #805 - Baltimore Orioles, 4 @ New York Yankees, 5

I was so pumped to play my first game in a couple of months with my beloved O's, but just like the 2019 rivalry, things didn't go well for Baltimore...

They did tag the first three runs of the game on Phil Niekro in the top of the second, though.  Rick Dempsey had an RBI fielder's choice and then Al Bumbry and Mike Young each had run-scoring base knocks.  Butch Wynegar homered in the bottom of the inning to reduce the lead to two.

Dennis Martinez had a fielding error in the third that eventually allowed Oscar Gamble to score.  But it was the fifth inning when the offense poured in three more runs.  Dave Winfield, newly off the injured list, batted home Ken Griffey and then Don Mattingly moved Winfield to third on a double.  A batter later Wynegar came up big again with a two-run single.  Jay Howell and Dave Righetti combined for 2 and 2/3 innings of relief to secure the win.

Winning Pitcher - Phil Niekro
Losing Pitcher - Dennis Martinez
Save - Dave Righetti
Player of the Game - Butch Wynegar, 2-4, HR, 3RBI, R
Hall of Famers in the Game - Cal Ripken, Eddie Murray, Dave Winfield, Phil Niekro

Game # 806 - Chicago White Sox, 5 @ Oakland A's, 8

Neither starter looked good in this one.  Curt Young started the game by allowing a double to Jerry Hairston and then a two-run tater to Harold Baines before even recording an out.  But Oakland put up a five-spot in the third, led by a Davey Lopes double and a solo homer off the bat of Dave Kingman.

Back to back doubles from Baines and Carlton Fisk tied the game in the top of the fourth, but Fisk got thrown out at home by Lopes to prevent the South Side from taking the lead.

The game was still knotted 5-5 when ace reliever Ron Reed walked two batters before facing Dwayne Murphy.  Sure enough, Murphy launched one deep into the night to give Oakland a three-run lead.  Bill Caudill was flawless in two innings of relief to save the game for the A's.

Winning Pitcher - Chris Codiroli
Losing Pitcher - Ron Reed
Save - Bill Caudill
Player of the Game - Caudill, 2IP, 2K's, 0R's, 0H's, 0BB's
Hall of Famers in the Game - Harold Baines, Carlton Fisk, Rickey Henderson

June 14, 1984 - Backups to the Rescue

Game #787 - New York Yankees, 6 @ Boston Red Sox, 3

New York scored twice in the top of the second inning off starter Bruce Hurst.  Roy Smalley hit a sacrifice fly to plate Brian Dayett and Tim Foli (playing for the injured Willie Randolph) doubled home Ken Griffey.

The Yankees picked up another run in the third when Bobby Meacham hit a solo homer, but the Red Sox picked up two runs in the bottom of the third.  Jim Rice singled to bring home Dwight Evans, and then Rice scored on a Tony Armas triple.  That made it 3-2 in favor of the Yankees.

It stayed that way until the top of the eighth.  Smalley and Foli had back to back hits that led to three runs to pad the New York lead.  Armas would homer in the eighth but that's as close as the Red Sox got.

Winning Pitcher - Roy Fontenot
Losing Pitcher - Bruce Hurst
Player of the Game - Tim Foli, 3-3, 2 2B's, BB, RBI, R
Hall of Famers in the Game - Wade Boggs, Jim Rice

Game #788 - Chicago White Sox, 3 @ California Angels, 7

This game was over almost as soon as it started.  In the bottom of the first LaMarr Hoyt gave up four runs; two on a homer by Fred Lynn and the other two on a double to Rob Wilfong.

Doug DeCinces added a two-RBI triple in the second to extend the California lead to 6-0.  Wilfong (getting increased playing time with Bobby Grich on the DL) added a solo homer in the fifth.

Chicago finally got three runs off Geoff Zahn later in the game but it was too little, too late. 

Winning Pitcher - Geoff Zahn
Losing Pitcher - LaMarr Hoyt
Player of the Game - Rob Wilfong, 4-4, 2B, HR, 3RBI, R
Hall of Famers in the Game - Carlton Fisk, Harold Baines, Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson

June 13, 1984 - New Hall of Famers

I know there was a lot of controversy over the recent selection of Harold Baines and Lee Smith to the Hall of Fame, but as the operator of a Statis Pro blog of the 1984 season, I love it.  I love seeing new players from this era of baseball go in.  I felt the same way when Morris and Trammell were selected.  Part of my excitement about it is how unexpected it is.  When I started this experience I thought, with the exception of Tim Raines, I wouldn't really see any new folks going in.  It's a lot more fun to know I have a Hall of Famer batting second for the White Sox, or that I'm calling a Hall of Famer into the game from the Wrigley bullpen. 

And so it was a lovely coincidence that the White Sox and Cubs were my next two games!

Game #775 - Chicago White Sox, 10 @ California Angels, 9 (17 innings!!!)

Here we have it...the longest game of the year.

It started off as a blowout.  The Angels scored four runs in the bottom of the first when Brian Downing and Rob Wilfong both hit two-run homers.  They added three more runs on a bomb from Reggie Jackson in the second. 

Mike Witt was cruising against the Sox until the top of the fifth.  He loaded the bases for Julio Cruz, and the slap hitter defied all expectations by blasting a grand slam!  Chicago scored two more runs in the top of the sixth, and suddenly, they were only down by a run.

Cruz was on base for the third time of the game in the eighth when HALL OF FAMER Harold Baines ripped a double to plate him for the tying run.  From there...the bullpens did battle.  Don Aase pitched 2.2 innings through the tenth.  Ron Reed and Juan Agosto of the Sox matched him. 

In the top of the 11th Bruce Kison took over for the Angels, and he was the last arm available.  Bert Roberge did the same for Chicago, though they still had other arms ready.  Kison looked like he blew the game in the top of the 12th.  Tom Paciorek singled and, two batters later, Jerry Hairston came in to pinch-hit.  He promptly jacked a two-run homer to give the Sox the lead!  BUT...in the bottom of the 12th, the Angels responded!  Mike Brown, playing his first game of the season with Gary Pettis on the DL, went big-fly to tie the game!!!  More free baseball!!!

Kison kept plowing away through the 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th...  Roberge made it through the 14th before giving way to Jerry Don Gleaton.  In the top of the 17th, with two outs and in his seventh inning of work, Kison finally yielded again.  Carlton Fisk launched a solo homer to give the White Sox the lead again!  (The game going this long was kind of ironic because in the real 1984 Fisk set the MLB record for most innings caught in a game - 24!  That was seven more than this one!!!)

Still, the Angels wouldn't go down without a fight.  Doug DeCinces singled with one out, and moved to second when Gleaton walked Wilfong.  But Fred Lynn, pinch-hitting in the bottom of the 17th (I was trying to give him the day off), grounded out to end the game.  After 17 freakin' innings.

Winning Pitcher - Jerry Don Gleaton
Losing Pitcher - Bruce Kison
Player of the Game - Carlton Fisk, GW HR
Hall of Famers in the Game - Carlton Fisk, Harold Baines, Reggie Jackson, Rod Carew

Game #776 - Montreal Expos, 1 @ Chicago Cubs, 10

This game was scoreless until the bottom of the second.  The bases were juiced when Gary Matthews launched an RBI double, and later scored on a Thad Bosely single.  That ultimately gave the Cubs a five-run lead.  Matthews added a three-run homer in the eighth to pad their lead, while HALL OF FAMER Lee Smith pitched a scoreless ninth to end the game.

Winning Pitcher - Steve Trout
Losing Pitcher - Bill Gullickson
Player of the Game - Gary Matthews, 2-5, 2B, HR, 4RBI, 2Rs, SB
Hall of Famers in the Game - Tim Raines, Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, Ryne Sandberg

June 12, 1984 - Gobble Gobble

Game #761 - New York Yankees, 6 @ Boston Red Sox, 3

Oil Can Boyd, who has been one of the best starters in the Statis Pro League, got tagged early in this one.  Butch Wynegar came up with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the first and roped a single to score Don Mattingly and Don Baylor.

Joe Cowley was the Yankees starter and cobbled together a shaky start until the bottom of the third.  Tony Armas doubled to plate Wade Boggs but Dwight Evans also scored when Steve Kemp bobbled the ball in right field.

The score was still tied at 2-2 until the bottom of the sixth.  Cowley loaded the bases and then got lifted for Bob Shirley.  Jackie Gutierrez grounded out but Rich Gedman scored on the play.  That lead only lasted until the top of the seventh.  Kemp doubled home Tim Foli, who is starting at second for the injured Willie Randolph.

The score was still tied in the top of the ninth when Mark Clear relieved John Henry Johnson.  He promptly walked Kemp, gave up a double to Victor Mata, and then a THREE-RUN HOMER TO DONNIE BASEBALL!!!  Dave Righetti got three outs in the bottom of the ninths and the Yankees won.  Thhhhhhheeeeeeee Yankees won!

Winning Pitcher - Bob Shirley
Losing Pitcher - Mark Clear
Save - Dave Righetti
Player of the Game - Don Mattingly, 3-5, HR, 3RBI, 2Rs
Hall of Famers in the Game - Wade Boggs, Jim Rice

Game #762 - Chicago White Sox, 8 @ California Angels, 1

Everything went right for the Pale Hose while everything went wrong for California.

The Angels actually scored the first run of the game when Doug DeCinces doubled home Rod Carew.  But after that Tom Seaver locked things down!  He lasted eight innings, only giving up four hits while striking out six.  Carlton Fisk had a big day, collecting four RBI that included a three-run homer in the fifth inning.

The Angels got bit by the injury bug.  Gary Pettis laid out trying to catch a Harold Baines liner and will now miss the next six games.  Dick Schofield crashed into the wall behind third base on a Scooter Fletcher foul ball and he'll be down for ten games.  Tommy John couldn't finish the fifth, allowing four unearned runs thanks to a DeCinces error.  It was ugly all around for California.

Winning Pitcher - Tom Seaver
Losing Pitcher - Tommy John
Player of the Game - Tom Terrific
Hall of Famers in the Game - Carlton Fisk, Tom Seaver, Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson

June 10, 1984 - And Now Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Program...

Hey friends!  It's been over a month since I posted last.  This is the longest stretch of not playing a game I can remember since starting the blog.  Nothing crazy on my end, just got bogged down with work and then vacation time.  Hopefully we'll get back to normal here in Statis Pro land.  On to the games...

Game #739 - Minnesota Twins, 8 @ Chicago White Sox, 0

Richard Dotson had a strange game.  He gave up a three-run homer to Ron Washington in the top of the first.  He gave up an RBI double to Tim Teufel, plating Darrell Brown, in the second.  Brown tripled home Dave Engle in the fourth, but then Dotson cruised through the next four innings with barely a runner reaching base.

But in the top of the ninth he walked the first two batters he faced and was finally lifted.  Those two runners scored on a Mickey Hatcher triple of Ron Reed.  Hatcher scored too when Washington recorded his fourth RBI on the day with a single to left.

Mike Smithson had a much better game.  He only allowed five batters to reach base and retired the last seventeen hitters he faced for a complete game shutout!

Winning Pitcher - Mike Smithson
Losing Pitcher - Richard Dotson
Player of the Game - Smithson, CG SHO, 3H's, 5K's, BB

Game #740 - Seattle Mariners, 3 @ Cleveland Indians, 7

The Mariners struck first in this game.  Dave Henderson led off the top of the second with a solo home run, and Spike Own later singled home Larry Milbourne.  Cleveland got a run back in the third when Pat Tabler punched a ball through the infield to plate Ton Bernazard.

In the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, though, the Cleveland offense exploded.  They got two runs in each of those frames.  Five different members of the Tribe scored during that onslaught.  Steve Farr, meanwhile, navigated seven strong innings to record the win.

Winning Pitcher - Steve Farr
Losing Pitcher - Matt  Young
Player of the Game - Farr, 7IP, 2Rs, 4K's

June 9, 1984 - Boston, Minnesota Victorious

Game #723 - Milwaukee Brewers, 3 @ Boston Red Sox, 6

The Red Sox busted out with a big second inning against the Brewers.  Don Sutton was forced to face eight different hitters while giving up four runs on five hits and a walk.  Sutton settled down after that until a Robin Yount error led to two unearned runs in the seventh, knocked in on a Tony Armas single.

Bruce Hurst, meanwhile, gutted out seven innings of work while allowing twelve hits, so Milwaukee had their chances.  It was Steve Crawford, though, that recorded the final six outs to ensure Boston would carry the day.

Winning Pitcher - Bruce Hurst
Losing Pitcher - Don Sutton
Save - Steve Crawford
Player of the Game - Crawford, 2IP, K
Hall of Famers in the Game - Robin Yount, Don Sutton, Wade Boggs, Jim Rice

Game #724 - Minnesota Twins, 15 @ Chicago White Sox, 5

The Twins completely dismantled the Chicago White Sox in this one.  In the top of the first Kent Hrbek doubled with one out and scored on a Mickey Hatcher triple.  Hatcher would later score on a Vance Law error.

In the top of the third Hrbek and Tom Brunansky both homered, and then Tim Teufel tripled.  Ron Washington doubled to plate Teufel and the Twins were up 5-1. 

Tim Laudner led off the top of the fourth with a solo homer, and four batters later Brunansky jacked a three-run blast to give the Twinkies nine runs up to that point.  Hrbek and Brunansky both went yard again in the seventh, giving Hrbek two homers for the day and Brunansky three.  Chicago required five different pitchers to go nine innings.

Winning Pitcher - John Butcher
Losing Pitcher - LaMarr Hoyt
Player of the Game - Tom Brunansky, 3-6, 3HRs, 6RBI
Hall of Famers in the Game - Kirby Puckett, Carlton Fisk

June 8, 1984 - I Spit My Last Breath At Thee

Game #711 - Minnesota Twins, 7 @ Chicago White Sox, 6

In the top of the first inning a Scooter Fletcher error on a sharp grounder by Mickey Hatcher allowed Kirby Puckett to score the first run of the game.  The Twins added two more runs in the top of the second on a Tim Teufel sacrifice fly and a Tom Brunansky single.  Greg Luzinski knocked home Greg Walker in the bottom half of the inning to leave Minnesota up 3-1 after two.

The Twins scored once again in the third.  Teufel plated Dave Engle and Dan Meier on a two-out single to extend their lead to 5-1.  In the bottom of the fifth Vance Law took Ken Schrom deep to give Chicago their second run on the day.

By the bottom of the ninth the Twins were up 7-4 with Rick Lysander trying to end it.  But Jerry Dybzinski, in the game as a defensive replacement, hit an unexpected homer to bring the White Sox within a run of tying the game.  Alas, Ron Davis replaced Lysander to record the final out.

Winning Pitcher - Ken Schrom
Losing Pitcher - Britt Burns
Save - Ron Davis
Player of the Game - Time Teufel, 3-4, SF, 4RBI
Hall of Famers in the Game - Kirby Puckett, Carlton Fisk

Game #712 - Seattle Mariners, 9 @ Cleveland Indians, 11

Mark Langston was cruising through his first two innings of work, but with two outs in the third, Brett Butler hit a solo homer that just cleared the fence.  Julio Franco then walked and scored two batters later on an Andre Thornton single.

By the bottom of the fifth Cleveland was up 3-0 when their offense erupted.  They scored eight runs in the inning, including triples by Carmen Castillo (with the bases loaded) and George Vukovich (with one on).  After that the team formerly known as the Spiders had one seemed to be an insurmountable 11-0 lead...

...but Seattle started chipping back!  Al Cowens had one of his three double of the game in the sixth, scoring Alvin Davis.  In the seventh Bob Kearney launched a solo homer for Seattle's second run.  In the eighth Ken Phelps blasted a three-run job and suddenly it was just 11-5.  In the top of the ninth reliever Roy Smith got abused by the Mariners.  Alvin Davis ripped his third double of the game to plate Jack Perconte.  Steve Henderson followed that with a 2-RBI triple to make it 11-8.  Smith got yanked and one out later Mike Jeffcoat gave up an RBI double to Al Cowens.  But Larry Milbourne and Barry Bonnell made the last two outs of the game, as Cleveland nearly squandered their eleven run lead.

Winning Pitcher - Rick Sutcliffe
Losing Pitcher - Mark Langston
Save - Mike Jeffcoat
Player of the Game - Carmen Castillo, 2-5, 3B, 3RBI, R

June 7, 1984 - Out of Leftfield

Game #701 - California Angels, 4 @ Chicago White Sox, 2 (10 innings)

Mike Witt and Floyd Bannister were the dueling starters in this match-up and both looked good.  The first run of the game didn't cross home plate until the top of the fourth.  Brian Downing reached  on a fielding error by Vance Law.  Downing moved to third on a two-out double by Juan Beniquez, and then scored on a Rob Wilfong single.  Beniquez also tried to score but got gunned down at home by Ron Kittle.

And that was the only run of the game until the bottom of the ninth!  Witt was still on the mound, trying to complete the shutout.  But he walked Greg Luzinski with one out.  Mike Squires came on to pinch-run and then Rudy Law hit an RBI double to tie the game!  Witt left the game after that and Luis Sanchez got the final two outs to send the game into extra innings. 

The White Sox bullpen was a bit depleted, so Salome Barojas was charged to keep the game tied.  He immediately walked Bob Boone but induced a double play from pinch-hitter Rod Carew.  But then Ron Jackson walked, Gary Pettis singled and Brian Downing...HOMERED!  Three-run blast!  Greg Walker launched his own solo shot in the bottom of the tenth but it wasn't enough to overcome the Angels' left fielder.

Winning Pitcher - Luis Sanchez
Losing Pitcher - Salome Barojas
Player of the Game - Brian Downing, 2-5, HR, 2Rs, 3RBI
Hall of Famers in the Game - Reggie Jackson, Rod Carew, Carlton Fisk

Game #702 - Toronto Blue Jays, 3 @ Detroit Tigers, 4

This was the last of a four game series against the two best teams in Statis Pro.  The Blue Jays had a 2-1 series lead, so Detroit was desperate to dismiss Toronto with a loss.

Both teams had studs on the mound; Dave Stieb and Jack Morris.  Morris was the stronger pitcher through the first three innings as Stieb had to work out of several jams.  The wheels finally fell off in the bottom of the fourth.  Dave Bergman singled and scored on a Howard Johnson double.  HoJo crossed home plate on a Marty Castillo triple, his fourth of the season.  Whitaker then knocked Castillo in on an RBI single.  Stieb would load the bases before getting Chet Lemon to ground into a double play but that's as far as Stieb would pitch on the day.

Detroit held a 3-1 lead in the top of the seventh before Ernie Whitt launched a ball into the rightfield bleachers to tie the game at 3-3.  It stayed tied heading into the bottom of the ninth.  Alan Trammell was first up, and ended up on second after a disastrous error by Garth Iorg.  That brought up Kirk Gibson, facing fellow lefty Bryan Clark.  Gibby ripped a walk-off double, though, to win the game!!!  The Tiger leftfielder was the hero!!!

Winning Pitcher - Willie Hernandez
Losing Pitcher - Bryan Clark
Player of the Game - Kirk Gibson, 3-4, BB, 2B, GWRBI
Hall of Famers in the Game - Alan Trammell, Jack Morris

June 6, 1984 - Big Time Drama

Game #687 - Milwaukee Brewers, 4 @ Baltimore Orioles, 5

Another day has passed in the Statis Pro season, making this the first game for June 6th.  Unfortunately, I forgot to update the stats after June 5th, so you'll have to wait a few weeks before I get around to that.  D'oh!

Mike Flanagan got off to a rough start when Jim Sundberg hit a solo homer to lead off the first.  You might be wondering what in the heck Sundberg was doing leading off.  Dion James was getting the game off and, outside of Robin Yount, the 1984 Brewers weren't real OBP kind of guys, so cue Sundberg.

Funny enough, Al Bumbry did the exact same thing leading off for the O's in the bottom of the first!  Rick Dempsey added another solo homer off Chuck Porter and by the end of two innings the Orioles were up 3-1.  It was the same score in the top of the eighth.  Flanagan was still in the game but running on fumes.  Two quick hits by Yount and Cecil Cooper got Flanny yanked for closer Sammy Stewart.  But Sammy got slaughtered, allowing three runs to score in the inning, which gave the Brewers a 4-3 lead. 

Tom Tellman was working his second inning of relief in the bottom of the ninth and got two quick outs before Bumbry poked a single to keep the game alive.  Up stepped Mike Young, who loyal readers of the blog know, has been the hottest hitting Oriole on the team.  He dug into the batter's box, squared up a pitch, and...BOOM.

WALK-OFF HOMER FOR THE WIN!!!

Winning Pitcher - Sammy Stewart
Losing Pitcher - Tom Tellman
Player of the Game - Mike  Young, 2-5, 2B, walk-off homer
Hall of Famers in the Game - Robin Yount, Cal Ripken, Eddie Murray

Game #688 - California Angels, 9 @ Chicago White Sox, 8

Tom Seaver toed the rubber for the White Sox, but he got whooped in the top of the first.  The Angels sent all nine hitters in their lineup to the plate and scored four runs, including a 2RBI double by Rob Wilfong.

In the bottom of the second, though, it was Chicago's turn to retaliate.  The White Sox plated six runs off starter Geoff Zahn.  That included two separate RBI triples by Tom Paciorek and Harold Baines.  In the bottom of the fifth Vance Law added a two-run homer to give the Pale Hose a 8-4 lead.  It wouldn't last!

California scored three in the sixth to come clawing back to within one run of the lead.  Two of those runs came courtesy of a two-out single by Brian Downing.  The Angels tied in the eighth on an RBI double by Rod Carew.

The game was still tied in the bottom of the ninth when ace reliever Don Aase got into trouble.  He gave up back to back singles and then intentionally walked Harold Baines to fill a vacancy at first with one out.  The strategy worked, though, because Greg Luzinski grounded into a double play to send the game to extra frames.  FREE BASEBALL!

In the top of the 12th reliever Bert Roberge was working his third inning of relief.  But Gary Pettis singled, stole second, and moved to third on a Rob Wilfong sacrifice fly.  That's when Juan Beniquez singled him home to brake the tie!  Despite Chicago getting runners on the corners in the bottom half of the inning, Bruce Kison struck out Ron Kittle to end the game!

Winning Pitcher - Don Aase
Losing Pitcher - Bert Roberge
Save - Bruce Kison
Player of the Game - Doug Corbett, I didn't mention it in the recap, but he retired all nine batters he faced across three innings of tough relief
Hall of Famers in the Fame - Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson, Carlton Fisk

June 5, 1984 - Best Offensive Game of the Season

Game #675 - California Angels, 5 @ Chicago White Sox, 7

Harold Baines had a monster year in the real 1984, and though he's certainly been productive in this Statis Pro season, his batting totals have been behind his '84 pace.

That all changed in this game.

In the bottom of the first Scott Fletcher singled and then trotted home ahead of Baines on a two-run homer with no outs.  Tommy John didn't fare any better in the second.  Rudy Law was standing on second with two outs when Baines stepped up again.  BOOM.  His second two-RBI homer in two innings!

Fast forward to the fifth.  John had settled down until Fletcher led off.  He singled, which brought Baines back up.  He didn't homer this time.  He only tripled.  The White Sox were up 5-0 and all the runs were driven in by Baines.  He scored from third when Ron Kittle doubled two batters later.

The Angels put up four runs in the top of the seventh to bring them back within a run of the Pale Hose.  But in the bottom half of the inning Baines was up first...and homered!  His third of the game!  That gave Chicago a two-run buffer they'd hold onto to finish the game.  Baines went 4-4 with three homers and a triple.  That's the best batting line on the season.

Winning Pitcher - Richard Dotson
Losing Pitcher - Tommy John
Save - Juan Agosto
Player of the Game - Harold Baines, 4-4, 3HRs, 6RBI, 4R's
Hall of Famers in the Game - Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson

Game #676 - Oakland A's, 5 @ Cleveland Indians, 10

Andre Thornton caught wind of Harold Baines' day and decided to try and one-up him.

In the bottom of the first he jacked a three-run bomb off Curt Young to plate three of the four runs Cleveland scored in the inning.  He then doubled in the third and fifth inning.  In the bottom of the eighth he had four hits on the day but decided to put one more ball over the fence to guarantee Player of the Game status.

Winning Pitcher - Bert Blyleven
Losing Pitcher - Curt Young
Player of the Game - Thornton, 5-5, 2HRs, 2 2Bs, 4RBI, 3Rs
Hall of Famers in the Game - Rickey Henderson, Joe Morgan, Bert Blyleven

June 4, 1984 - Lefty Sluggers Deliver

Game #663 - California Angels, 7 @ Chicago White Sox, 5

The Angels got an unexpected power boost in the top of the second inning.  With Reggie Jackson on first with two outs, Rob Wilfong gripped it and ripped it for a two-run homer.  The White Sox answered back with a run in the bottom of the second.  Greg Walker tripled and later came home on a Vance Law single.

Each team got three runs in the third.  Brian Downing doubled home Dick Schofield and later scored on a two-run single from Jackson.  Carlton Fisk doubled home Julio Cruz and Scott Fletcher and scored on a Ron Kittle ground out.  After the dust of the first three innings settled the Angels were up 5-4.

California starter Ron Romanick settled down after that, but White Sox hurler LaMarr Hoyt didn't follow suit.  Fred Lynn tagged him for a two-run bomb in the top of the fifth.  The White Sox scored a run in the bottom of the ninth but still fell short, losing 7-5.

Winning Pitcher - Ron Romanick
Losing Pitcher - Lamarr hoyt
Save - Doug Corbett
Player of the Game - Fred Lynn, 2-5, 2B, HR, 2RBI
Hall of Famers in the Game - Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson, Carlton Fisk

Game #664 - Oakland A's, 11 @ Cleveland Indians, 9

This game was nuts.

In the top of the first Rickey Henderson walked and proceeded to steal second and third base.  Two batters later Dwayne Murphy negated Henderson's effort by depositing the ball over the right field fence, giving Oakland a 2-0 lead.  But in the bottom of the first Cleveland tied things up with an RBI double from Andre Thornton, who then scored on a Mike Hargrove single.

Steve Farr was still pitching in the top of the second but pulled a feat I'm pretty sure hasn't happened this season - he walked five straight A's!  That gave Oakland a 4-2 lead going into the bottom of the second...where Cleveland sent up ten hitters who tagged Mike Warren for six runs, four of which were unearned due to a Joe Morgan fielding error.

Oakland wouldn't quit, though.  In the top of the fourth Murphy connected for his second homer of the day, this also a 2-RBI job, and then they scored four runs off Jamie Easterly in the fifth.  It wasn't all Easterly's fault, though.  Brook Jacoby had TWO fielding errors during the inning.   Murphy capped off the insanity with a THIRD homer, this time solo, in the top of the eighth as the Athletics won a wild one...

Winning Pitcher - Chuck Rainey
Losing Pitcher - Jamie Easterly
Save - Tom Burgmeier
Player of the Game - Dwayne Murphy, 3-6, 3HR's, 5RBI
Hall of Famers in the Game - Rickey Henderson, Joe Morgan

June 3, 1984 - Gobble Gobble

Game #648 - Oakland A's, 2 @ Chicago White Sox, 4

Through the first three innings starters Steve McCatty and Britt Burns were posting goose eggs.  But in the top of the fourth Dave Kingman was on second and Dwayne Murphy on first when Mike Heath stepped into the batter's box.  He zapped a ball into the gap and plated two on his bases-clearing triple.

It stayed 2-0 in favor of Oakland until the bottom of the fifth.  That's when Rudy Law launched his third home of the year.  Then, in the bottom of the seventh, Law singled and stole second base.  Ron Kittle walked and McCatty got lifted for Keith Atherton.  Scott Fletcher layed down a sacrifice bunt to move Law and Kittle up a base.  Harold Baines was up next and singled home Law.  Tie game!  Up next was Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk, who gripped it and ripped it for a 2-RBI double and the lead!  It was a sad turn of events for McCatty who struck out nine Sox on the day.

Juan Agosto worked the ninth but was pretty shaky.  He loaded the bases but, with two outs, got pinch-hitter Mark Wagener to pop up to Vance Law to end the game.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Winning Pitcher - Brett Roberge
Losing Pitcher - Steve McCatty
Save - Juan Agosto
Player of the Game - Rudy Law, 3-4, HR, RBI, 2R's, SB
Hall of Famers in the Game - Rickey Henderson, Carlton Fisk

June 2, 1984 - Burris, Driessen Lead the Way

Game #635 - Oakland A's, 3 @ Chicago White Sox, 0

Floyd Bannister of the White Sox somehow allowed three singles to start the game against the A's, but no Oakland players scored.  Rickey Henderson was thrown out at home on a Tony Phillips single and Dave Kingman grounded into a double play. 

Bannister finally allowed a run in the fifth when Bill Almon was driven home by a Phillips double.  Kingman singled home Henderson in the tenth just after Bannister was lifted for Ron Reed and that gave the A's a 2-0 lead.  Bruce Bochte crossed home in the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Henderson.

That's all Ray Burris needed.  He pitched into the ninth but gave up a single to Greg Walker and a walk to Ron Kittle when the manager pulled him for their ace reliever Bill Caudill.  Caudill induced a double play grounder from Mike Squires and Rudy Law was retired for the final out of the game.  This was Carlton Fisk's first game back from injury but he had a quiet day.

Winning Pitcher - Ray Burris
Losing Pitcher - Floyd Bannister
Save - Bill Caudill
Player of the Game - Burris, 8IP, 0R's, 4K's
Hall of Famers in the Game - Rickey Henderson, Carlton Fisk

Game #636 - Atlanta Braves, 6 @ Cincinnati Reds, 7

After a scoreless first inning Brad Komminsk and Tim Foley exchanged solo homers in the second to make it a 1-1 game.  The Reds added a second run in the bottom of the second when Dave Parker walked with two outs.  He attempted to steal second and would have been out but Glen Hubbard dropped the throw.  Dave Concepcion then singled home Parker to give the Reds the lead.

The Braves came roaring back in the top of the fifth.  With starter Jeff Russell due up in the bottom half of the inning, the manager left him in too long as Atlanta scored three runs, generated in part by doubles from Chris Chambliss, Randy Johnson, and Rafael Ramirez.  But the Reds scrambled back! 

In the bottom half of the inning Craig McMurtry got shelled.  With the bases loaded he walked Duane Walker to plate the first run.  Then Dan Driessen stepped up.  The smooth hitting lefy went BIG FLY...GRAND SALAMI!!!  The Braves tacked on runs in the sixth and ninth innings but it wasn't enough to overcome Cincy.  The Reds are 3-1 against the Braves over the last four days.

Winning Pitcher - Jeff Russell
Losing Pitcher - Craig McMurtry
Save - John Franco
Player of the Game - Dan Driessen, 2-4, GS, 4RBI
Hall of Famers in the Game - Tony Perez

June 1, 1984 - Hello June!

Game #621 - Oakland A's, 0 @ Chicago White Sox, 1

Tom Seaver was well past his prime in 1984, but in this game he pulled out some old Seaver magic to pitch one of the best games of this Statis Pro season.  It was certainly a dominant performance.  Only three runners reached base!  Tony Phillips doubled in the third, Bruce Bochte singled in the fifth, and Rickey Henderson drew a walk in the sixth.  That was all Oakland could muster while Seaver struck out six.

Meanwhile, the A's wasted an unusually masterful performance by Larry Sorensen.  The only run he allowed was a Vance Law solo blast in the bottom of the fourth.  It was one of only four hits for Chicago, though they did reach on five bases on balls.

Carlton Fisk comes off the DL in their next game, which has been a long time coming.

Winning Pitcher - Tom Seaver
Losing Pitcher - Larry Sorensen
Player of the Game - Tom Seaver, CG SHO, 2H's, BB, 6K's
Hall of Famers in the Game - Rickey Henderson, Joe Morgan, Tom Seaver

Game #622 - California Angels, 1 @ Cleveland Indians, 3

This was a battle of the lefties as Neal Heaton and Geoff Zahn faced off in this series opener.  Both pitchers were cruising until the bottom of the fourth.  Andre Thornton was on third with two outs when Brook Jacoby singled him home.  The game got tied by California in the top of the fifth when Heaton plunked Juan Beniquez with the bases loaded!  He got Brian Downing to ground out to Chris Bando to end the threat.

RBI doubles by Bando and Carmelo Castillo in the bottom of the fifth gave Cleveland all the runs they needed.  Tom Waddell and Ernie Camacho pitched a scoreless two innings of relief to give Cleveland the victory.

Winning Pitcher - Neal Heaton
Losing Pitcher - Geoff Zahn
Save - Ernie Camacho
Player of the Game - Heaton, 7IP, ER, 6K's
Hall of Famers in the Game - Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson

May 30, 1984 - Trust Your Veterans

Game #605 - New York Yankees, 6 @ California Angels, 7

I love awesome, back and forth games!  Let's jump into the recap...

The Angels went up 2-0 in the bottom of the third when light-hitting Bob Boone smacked a double with the bases loaded off Ron Guidry.  The Yankees answered in the top half of the fourth, though, when Don Baylor and Butch Wynegar each ripped an RBI single to tie things back up.

In the bottom of the fifth Doug DeCinces legged out a triple with no outs, and trotted home after an RBI hit from Fred Lynn.  But the Yankees came roaring back, once again, the very next inning.  Don Mattingly chased Tommy John out of the game with an RBI double that scored Ken Griffey.  Luis Sanchez took John's place, but a booted grounder by DeCinces led to two more RBI on a pinch hit double from Steve Kemp, giving New York a two run lead.

They maintained that lead in the bottom of the eighth.  Reliever Clay Christianse induced a ground out from Dick Schofield...but Roy Smalley made an error!  Schofield advanced to second on a sacrifice fly by Rod Carew that very nearly left the ballpark.  Gary Pettis came up next, and smoked a triple to score Schofield.  But he wasn't done!  Ken Griffey bobbled the ball in center and allowed Pettis to score - tie game!  That brought up Reggie Jackson, pinch hitting in the DH slot of the order.  What did Mr. October do?  H O M E  R U N!!!!  Don Aase worked a scoreless ninth and the Angels escaped with the come from behind victory!

Winning Pitcher - Bruce Kison
Losing Pitcher - Clay Christianse
Save - Don Aase
Player of the Game - Reggie Jackson, 1-1, HR, huge ego
Hall of Famers in the Game - Dave Winfield, Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson

Game #606 - Toronto Blue Jays, 2 @ Chicago White Sox, 3

At the start of the game LaMarr Hoyt was pegged as having "bad stuff," meaning his normal 2-6 pitcher rating dropped to 2-4...against the best offense in Statis Pro!  But what did the steely veteran do?  He pitched seven innings of one-run ball, only giving up a solo homer to George Bell!  The White Sox scored three in the third off Jim Clancy and held on the rest of the way to put one in the win column!

Winning Pitcher - LaMarr Hoyt
Losing Pitcher - Jim Clancy
Save - Ron Reed
Player of the Game - Hoyt, 7IP, 7H's, 4K's, R

May 29, 1984 - First Place Bullpens

Game #597 - New York Yankees, 5 @ California Angels, 6

Ray Fontenot and Ron Romanick were posting goose eggs through the first three and a half innings when the Angels finally got on the board.  Rob Wilfong doubled to score Fred Lynn and then Doug DeCinces scored too when Omar Moreno overran the ball.

The Yankees came roaring back in the top of the sixth with big RBI hits from Willie Randolph and Ken Griffey, making it 5-2 in favor of New York.  But the Angels kept chipping away.  Lynn and Bob Boone drove in two in the bottom of the sixth, and Lynn hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh to plate Juan Beniquez and tie the game.

In the bottom of the eighth Boone reached on a Tim Foli error.  He moved to third on a single by Ron Jackson, which brought up Dick Schofield.  Schofield was non-existent on offense in the real 1984, and is doing even worse in the Statis Pro season, hovering around a .160 batting average.  So what was the call?  SUICIDE SQUEEZE  And it worked!  Schofield layed down a perfect bunt and Boone crossed home plate for the winning run.  Doug Corbett worked two innings of relief against the heart of the Yankees order to tally the win.

Winning Pitcher - Doug Corbett
Losing Pitcher - Bob Shirley
Player of the Game - Corbett, 2IP, six up six down, W
Hall of Famers in the Game - Dave Winfield, Reggie Jackson

Game #598 - Toronto Blue Jays, 6 @ Chicago White Sox, 3

Richard Dotson surrendered three runs in the first, and then another in the second to put the Pale Hose in the early deficit.  Dotson actually really settled down after that, pitching into the ninth.  But Bryan Clark, making a spot start, dodged danger through 5 and 2/3 innings.  Jim Gott came in after that to record the long save.

Winning Pitcher - Bryan Clark
Losing Pitcher - Ron Romanick
Save - Jim Gott
Player of the Game - Gott, 3 1/3IP, H, K, R

May 27, 1984 - All the Grand Slams!

Game #585 - Chicago White Sox, 6 @ Texas Rangers, 8

I get a guilty pleasure anytime a Statis Pro slugger launches a grand slam, and that happened right away in the top of the first.  The White Sox had the bases jacked and Charlie Hough, who is perpetually unlucky with the fast action cards, was faced with floating a knuckler by Ron Kittle.

It didn't work.

Kittle went yard and Chicago was up 4-0 just one out into the game.  They picked up two more runs in the second inning on an RBI single by Greg Luzinski and a sacrifice fly by Greg Walker.

Hough actually settled down big time after that, lasting through eight innings.  Floyd Bannister, meanwhile, was cruising through the Texas lineup until sixth.  Curtis Wilkerson broke up the shutout with a RBI single and then Jeff Kunkel blasted  three-run homer to bring the Rangers to within two runs of the lead.

In the eighth inning Dan Spillner was working his second inning of relief but stumbled into a bases loaded situation.  Backup catcher Marv Foley pinch-hit for Ned Yost...and you know what happened next...

GRAND SLAM!  The second of the game!!

Dave Schmidt pitched a quiet ninth and the worst team in Statis Pro added a number to the win column.

Winning Pitcher - Charlie Hough
Losing Pitcher - Dan Spillner
Save - Dave Schmidt
Player of the Game - Marv Foley, 1-1, GS, 4RBI, R