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 9, 1984 - Let 'er Rip

Game #722 - Detroit Tigers, 0 @ Baltimore Orioles, 6

The Orioles jumped all over Dave Rozema in the bottom of the first.  He was making just his second pitching start on the season, but Al Bumbry led off with a single and then scored on a Cal Ripken triple.  Ripken then crossed home plate two batters later on a Wayne Gross single.

...and that would be all the scoring until the bottom of the seventh!  Rozema got lifted for Willie Hernandez when he loaded the bases in the sixth but Hernandez escaped that jam.  However, he loaded the bases again for Baltimore and Eddie Murray came through with an RBI single after Mike Young had done the same and the O's moved to a 4-0 lead.

It was more of the same for Baltimore in the eighth.  Again, they had the bases loaded, but this time Young and Ripken both walked for an RBI each off Doug Bair.  Tippy Martinez pitched the last 1.2 innings of relief for Mike Boddicker to secure the win for Baltimore.

Winning Pitcher - Mike Boddicker
Losing Pitcher - Dave Rozema
Player of the Game - Cal Ripken Jr., 2-4, 3B, 2RBI, R, BB
Hall of Famers in the Game - Alan Trammell, Cal Ripken, Eddie Murray

Rest in Peace - Bruce Kison

Prayers and thoughts to the family, friends, teammates, and fans of pitcher Bruce Kison, who passed away last week after a battle with cancer.  Though he spent 1984 with the California Angels he's most remembered for his years with the Pirates, including their World Series winning team in 1979.

June 8, 1984 - 34 Years Ago Today...

Game #721 - Oakland A's, 5 @ Texas Rangers, 7

This is the last June 8, 1984 game on the schedule and, coincidentally, the recap lands on June 8, 2018.  It hurts my head to think that it's already been three and a half decades since the 1984 season...

The A's jumped to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first when catcher Mike Heath went yard for two runs.  Heath's counterpart on the Rangers, Marv Foley, matched that same effort in the bottom half of the inning to tie things up again.

In the bottom of the fifth the Rangers blasted two more home runs, this time courtesy of Buddy Bell and Gary Ward.  That gave them a 5-2 lead.  The A's would reduce it to a one run lead the very next inning thanks to Heath's second two-run homer of the game.  But in the bottom of the sixth Foley ripped an RBI double and later scored on a single by Mickey Rivers.  Texas would hold onto the lead and win the game.

Winning Pitcher - Dave Stewart
Losing Pitcher - Ray Burris
Save - Dave Schmidt
Player of the Game - Marv Foley, 2-4, HR, 2B, 3RBI, 2Rs
Hall of Famers in the Game - Rickey Henderson, Joe Morgan

June 8, 1984 - The First Run Is the Deepest

Game #719 - Houston Astros, 1 @ San Francisco Giants, 2

On paper this didn't look like much of a match-up, considering Joe Niekro was vastly superior to Jeff Robinson.  But in the bottom of the first inning Jack Clark cranked a solo home run to give the Giants the first run of the game. 

By the bottom of the fifth that was still the only hit Niekro had surrendered.  But Scot Thompson, newly back from the disabled list, ripped a double to center.  He moved to third on a Joel Youngblood ground out.  With two outs beanpole Johnnie LeMaster poked a single over the infield to give the Giants their second run of the game.  Those would be the only three hits Niekro allowed in his six innings of work.

Robinson, meanwhile, scattered five hits and three walks across seven innings.  In the top of the ninth Bill Lacey was charged with preserving the win.  The Astros did plate one run but got Harry Spilman to bounce out to short to claim victory.

Winning Pitcher - Jeff Robinson
Losing Pitcher - Joe Niekro
Save - Bill Lacey
Player of the Game - Robinson, 7IP, 0Rs, 5Hs, 4Ks

Game #720 - Chicago Cubs, 3 @ St. Louis Cardinals, 7

In the bottom of the first Lonnie Smith led off for the Cards, and promptly deposited a ball into the outfield stands to make it 1-0.  It was tied back up in the bottom of the second but Tom Nieto knocked home Ozzie Smith to give the Cardinals the lead again.

Their big inning came in the fourth.  Steve Trout got tagged for three more runs, including a two-run blast from George Hendrick.  The Cubs tried to fight back in fifth, that's when Ryne Sandberg answered with his own homer.  But it wouldn't be enough as the first place Cardinals beat the last place Cubs.

Winning Pitcher - Bob Forsch
Losing Pitcher - Steve Trout
Save - Bruce Sutter
Player of the Game - George Hendrick, 3-5, HR, 2 2Bs, 2RBI
Hall of Famers in the Game - Ryne Sandberg, Ozzie Smith, Bruce Sutter

June 8, 1984 - Keystone State Sweep

Game #717 - Pittsburgh Pirates, 2 @ Philadelphia Phillies, 5

The two Pennsylvania ball clubs had a twin bill today, and in game one, the Phillies came out swinging.  In the bottom of the first Greg Gross grounded into a double play but Von Hayes was able to score from third.  In the bottom of the second Juan Samuel took Rick Rhoden deep for a lead-off solo homer.

In the top of the fifth the Pirates finally got on the board when Marvelle Wynne knocked home Rhoden (I had Rhoden batting sixth in the order), but Rhoden gave up three unearned runs in the bottom half of the inning after a Dale Berra throwing error and RBI knocks from Joe Lefebvre and Samuel.  That was enough to secure game one for the Phillies.

Winning Pitcher - Marty Bystrom
Losing Pitcher - Rick Rhoden
Save - Tug McGraw
Player of the Game - Juan Samuel, 3-4, 2B, HR, 2RBI, R
Hall of Famers in the Game - Mike Schmidt

Game #718 - Pittsburgh Pirates, 2 @ Philadelphia Phillies, 4

Game number two was scoreless until the top of the second.  That's when Denny Gonzalez of the Pirates hit a single that plated Tony Pena.  Gonzalez has already exceeded his games played at third base from the real 1984, but with both Bill Madlock and Jim Morrison on the disabled list I'm forced to break one of the cardinal rules of Statis Pro. 

The Pirates were up 2-0 after a Dale Berra sacrifice fly in the fourth, but the Phillies tied it up in the bottom half of the inning when Ozzie Virgil blasted a homer that also scored Mike Schmidt.  Von Hayes broke the tie in the following inning with his own home run off John Tudor.  An RBI double from Schmidt in the seventh preserved the win for Philadelphia and helped them sweep two from their in-state rivals.

Winning Pitcher - John Denny
Losing Pitcher - John Tudor
Save - Larry Andersen
Player of the Game - Denny, 6IP, 4K's, 4H's, BB, 2ER
Hall of Famers in the Game - Mike Schmidt