June 5, 1984 - Rated PG

Game #679 - Cincinnati Reds, 2 @ Los Angeles Dodgers, 0

I'm not exaggerating when I say Frank Pastore might be the worst starter in Statis Pro so far, but good governor, he pitched one of the most fantastic starts of the  year!

The Dodgers recorded their first base-runner in the bottom of the second.  Ken Landreaux singled with two outs.  He was stranded after R.J. Reynolds struck out to end the inning.  L.A. didn't have a new runner until the bottom of the sixth!  Orel Hershiser singled but Dave Anderson struck out and then Mike Scioscia grounded out to Dave Concepcion.

Speaking of Hershiser...he was nearly as brilliant.  He only allowed one run over eight innings, a Tom Foley sacrifice fly that plated Dave Parker.  But Pastore was practically perfect, so Orel got stuck with the loss.

Winning Pitcher - Frank Pastore
Losing Pitcher - Orel Hershiser
Player of the Game - Pastore, CG SHO, 3H's, BB, 7K's
Hall of Famers in the Game - Tony Perez

Game #680 - Texas Rangers, 5 @ Minnesota Twins, 8

Mike Smithson worked a perfect first inning but ran into a buzz-saw in the top of the second.  The Rangers smoked him for three runs and only escaped when Wayne Tolleson got thrown out trying to steal second base.

In the bottom of the fourth the Rangers were up 4-0 when the Twins came roaring back.  A Gary Gaetti RBI single led the way as they tied the game back up.  Gaetti drove in two more in the fifth to give Minnesota their first lead of the game.  They'd go on to win the game, breaking their tie for last place with Texas.

Winning Pitcher - Mike Smithson
Losing Pitcher - Frank Tanana
Save - Mike Walters
Player of the Game - Gary Gaetti, 4-4, 2R's, 3RBI
Hall of Famers in the Game - Kirby Puckett

June 5, 1984 - The Hateful Eight

Game #677 - Toronto Blue Jays, 1 @ Detroit Tigers, 8

Milt Wilcox has sucked eggs this Statis Pro season but, in his biggest start of the year, he rose to the task as the Tigers faced off against the first place Toronto Blue Jays.

Wilcox only allowed two hits through the first seven innings of the game.  In the top of the eighth Alfredo Griffin of all people doubled with one out.  Two batters later Lloyd Moseby singled him home.  Wilcox then plunked Jorge Bell and was lifted for Willie Hernandez as the imaginary Toronto bench got cranky.

On the offensive side it was all Detroit.  Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker both scored in the first, and then the Tigers plated four in the second inning.  Barnabo Garbey and Tom Brookens each homered during that outbreak.  Whitaker added a solo shot in the eighth as well.

Winning Picther - Milt Wilcox
Losing Pitcher - Bryan Clark
Player of the Game - Wilcox, 7 2/3IP, 4Hs, 5Ks, R
Hall of Famers in the Game - Alan Trammell

Game #678 - Seattle Mariners, 7 @ Kansas City Royals, 8 (10 innings)

The red-hot Royals fell behind early.  In the top of the second Dave Henderson hit his 14th homer of the season, this one for 2RBI, to give the Mariners the lead.  Hendu hit 14 total in all of the real 1984 so he's getting super lucky on the homers in Statis Pro.

The Royals tied things up in the bottom of the second when Don Slaught brought the thunder with his own home run.  Mark Gubicza settled down for KC until the top of the fifth.  Seattle scored four runs, three from a Ken Phelps blast that hit the water fountains in center field.  But one inning later the Royals again tied the game!  They sent eight batters to the plate and chased Matt Young into the showers. 

Mike Jones was on the mound for the Royals in the top of seventh when Alvin Davis homered to once again put the M's back in front, 7-6.  The lead didn't last, though.  Jorge Orta went big-fly to knot things up at seven apiece.  Neither team scored in the ninth so it was time for FREE BASEBALL!

Dan Quisenberry worked his third inning of scoreless relief in the top of the tenth, so Seattle sent out lefty Dan Geisel to face the top of the Royals lineup.  Willie Wilson grounded out to Jack Perconte for the first out.  Then George Brett dug in.  It was his sixth plate appearance and he'd yet to record a hit.

Until he homered.

WALK-OFF WIN FOR KANSAS CITY!!!

Winning Pitcher - Dan Quisenberry
Losing Pitcher - Dan Geisel
Player of the Game - George Brett
Hall of Famers in the Game - George Brett

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 5, 1984 - O Say Does That Star Spangled...

Game #674 - Milwaukee Brewers, 7 @ Baltimore Orioles, 11

The Orioles are my favorite team.  I've said this many times.  This marked their 54th game of the Statis Pro season.  That means they've played exactly one-third of their season.  Logically, I know I still have many YEARS to play with them.  Emotionally, I was a bit melancholy.  I only have two-thirds of their season left!  It certainly doesn't help that they'd lost five of their previous six games before this one...

In the top of the first Dion James led off the game with a triple.  He later scored on a Jim Sundberg ground out.  An Al Bumbry fielding error in the top of the second resulted in three more runs scored off Dennis Martinez and it looked like the route was on...except it wasn't!

In the bottom of the second Bumbry roped a two-RBI double to cut the lead in half.  And then in the bottom of the third Wayne Gross launched his 15th homer of the year, this one off Jamie Cocanower, to give Baltimore the 5-4 lead! 

Fast forward to the bottom of the sixth.  The Orioles still had the lead, but it was still only by a run.  Todd Cruz lined an RBI single and then, with Cruz and Eddie Murray on base, Rick Dempsey blasted the Orioles second three-run homer of the game!  Martinez overcame the rough start to log eight innings and the Brewers went back to the hotel as losers.

Winning Pitcher - Dennis Martinez
Losing Pitcher - Jamie Cocanower
Player of the Game - Rick Dempsey, 2-4, 2B, HR, 3RBI, BB
Hall of Famers in the Game - Robin Yount, Cal Ripken, Eddie Murray

June 4, 1984 - A Gentleman Sutter

Game #673 - Philadelphia Phillies, 5 @ St. Louis Cardinals, 6

Jerry Koosman and Jaquin Andujar cruised through the first three innings of the game with relative ease.  But in the bottom of the fourth the St. Louis bats dinked and dunked Koosman right out of the game.  They sent ten batters to the plate and scored five runs, including an RBI triple by David Green.  Koosman managed six strikeouts but gave up six hits in the fifth, all singles minus Green's three-bagger.

Andujar got into a jam in the top of the fifth.  He gave up RBI singles to Ivan DeJesus and Von Hayes and got lifted for a pinch-hitter in the bottom half of the inning.  The Cardinals bullpen would need to log four innings to preserve the win for Andujar.  Neil Allen was handed the ball first, but he got torched for three runs on just two outs.  Two of those runs came courtesy of a Gary Maddox  homer.  Dave Rucker got the final out in the sixth and three more in the seventh.  In the top of the eighth, with just a one run lead, Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter came to the mound.  He recorded six straight outs to guarantee victory for the Cardinals.

Winning Pitcher - Bruce Sutter
Losing Pitcher - Jerry Koosman
Save - Bruce Sutter
Player of the Game - Bruce Sutter, 2IP, 0H's, 0BB's
Hall of Famers in the Game - Mike Schmidt, Ozzie Smith, Bruce Sutter

June 4, 1984 - Injuries Galore

Game #671 - Houston Astros, 2 @ San Diego Padres, 8

Joe Niekro's knuckler just wasn't knuckling.  In the bottom of the first the Padres jumped all over the veteran pitcher, lighting him up for four runs.  That included a three-run homer from Graig Nettles.

San Diego had a scare in the top of the fifth.  Bill Doran stepped up with one out and blooped one right in between Tony Gwynn and Steve Garvey.  Those two collided and Doran ended up on second.  They'll both be out for the next game. 

Mark Thurmond pitched seven solid innings and Floyd Chiffer logged the last six outs to give San Diego the victory.

Winning Pitcher - Mark Thurmond
Losing Pitcher - Joe Niekro
Player of the Game - Thurmond, 7IP, 2R's, 9H's
Hall of Famers in the Game - Tony Gwynn

Game #672 - Atlanta Braves, 3 @ San Francisco Giants, 4

Loyal readers of this blog know that, for some reason, the Giants are a cursed team this Statis Pro season when a "Z" comes up on the Fast Action Cards.  They catch more injuries than just about the other 25 teams combined.  So I barely even blinked when Chili Davis and Gene Richards collided on a Randy Johnson liner in the top of the second inning.  Richards will be out for 12 games and it's a baker's dozen for Davis, his second big injury of the year.  Fortunately for the Giants, Al Oliver will be back on the roster for the next game.

In the bottom of the seventh the Giants had a slim 3-1 lead.  Bob Brenly stroked his fourth hit of the game, this one a solo homer, and San Fran needed the breathing room.  In the top of the eighth Greg Minton was working his second inning of relief when Johnson rocked a two-run bomb to close the lead to one.  But Bob Lacey saved Bill Laskey's strong effort by getting the last three outs in the ninth.

Winning Pitcher - Bill Laskey (first on the season, he's now 1-8)
Losing Pitcher - Len Barker
Save - Bob Lacey
Player of the Game - Bob Brenly, 4-4, HR, 2RBI, 2R's

Rest in Peace - Rob Picciolo

Sad news to start the new year - Rob Picciolo passed away on Wednesday from an apparent heart attack.  He played the 1984 season as the utility infielder for the California Angels.  Rest in peace, Mr. Picciolo.

June 4, 1984 - Rivalry Games

Game #669 - Boston Red Sox, 4 @ New York Yankees, 2

I'm an Orioles fan so I basically hate both of these teams, but man, there I can't deny there's an extra level of excitement when these two teams square off.

Phil Niekro was on the mound for New York and Mike Easler tagged him in the top of the first with a solo homer.  Niekro settled down after that until the top of the fifth.  Marty Barrett singled and then moved to secon on a Roy Smalley throwing error that also allowed Bill Buckner to make it to first.  Both advanced a base on a Jackie Gutierrez sacrifice bunt.  Two batters later Dwight Evans singled home Barrett and then Mike Easler doubled home the remaining two runners to make it 4-0 in favor of Boston.

In the bottom half of the inning Ken Griffey led of with a double and then scored on a Roy Smalley triple.  Smalley later trotted home on a Tim Foli single, but that's all the runs New York could muster.  This marks their seventh straight loss as they tumble down the AL East standings...

Winning Pitcher - Bruce Hurst
Losing Pitcher - Phil Niekro
Save - John Henry Johnson
Player of the Game - Mike Easler, 3-4, 2B, HR, 2RBI, R
Hall of Famers in the Game - Wade Boggs, Jim Rice, Phil Niekro

Game #670 - New York Mets, 3 @ Pittsburgh Pirates, 1

Sometimes you pitch a good game and still lose.

The very first batter of the game, Kelvin Chapman, took John Candelaria deep to give the Mets a quick 1-0 lead.  But the Candy Man only allowed one more hit over the next four innings.  In the top of the sixth, though, Sid Fernandez squeaked one over the infield.  That brought Chapman back up...and he homered again!  He only had three homers in the real 1984 and none so far in this Statis Pro season but he managed to collect two in the same game.  Candelaria struck out ten but the two homers were enough to give El Sid the win.

Winning Pitcher - Sid Fernandez
Losing Pitcher - John Candelaria
Save - Jesse Orosco
Player of the Game - Kelvin Chapman, 2-3, 2HRs, 3RBI