I deviated from my normal organizational routine in this game - I didn't realize Seattle and Cleveland had a doubleheader! I usually play both of those games back to back for the purposes of these replays and managing their bullpens, so it was quite a shock when I realized they needed to play two. Nonetheless...
The Mariners struck first in the top of the fourth. Phil Bradley singled off Bert Blyleven and then stole second base. That enabled him to score when Alvin Davis raked his gazillionth double of the season. But Cleveland tied the game in the bottom half of the inning when Andre Thornton blasted a solo shot off Jim Beattie.
It was still knotted at one apiece in the bottom of the sixth. George Vukovich singled with one out, once again bringing up Thornton. And once again, Thornton deposited a ball over the outfield fence! Blyleven managed to go the distance on his way to seven strikeouts as Cleveland swept the Mariners to bring their overall record above .500.
Winning Pitcher - Bert Blyeleven
Losing Pitcher - Jim Beattie
Player of the Game - Andre Thornton, 2-4, 2HRs, 3RBI
Hall of Famers in the Game - Bert Blyleven
Mark Gubicza got into a heap of trouble right out of the gate. Rod Carew singled to start the game and then Brian Downing walked. They both advanced a base on Fred Lynn ground out and Carew scored thanks to a wild pitch from Gubicza. Reggie Jackson recorded and RBI single to plate Downing and later scored on a combination of a Juan Beniquez single and a Darryl Motley fielding error in left field. Just like that the Royals were down 3-0.
Kansas City tried to claw back. Steve Balboni doubled home Motley in the second, and later scored on a Greg Pryor single to bring the Royals within one run of a tie score. But Brian Downing walked for the third time of the game to lead off the fifth and the Angels would score two more runs. They picked up two more runs in the sixth when, with two outs, Downing walked AGAIN and Fred Lynn followed with a homer. Downing had one more plate appearance, in the top of the eighth. Instead of walking for the fifth time on the day he walked around the entire diamond after a solo home run. What a day...
Winning Pitcher - Ron Romanick
Losing Pitcher - Mark Gubicza
Player of the Game - Brian Downing, 1-1, HR, 4BBs, 4Rs
Hall of Famers in the Game - Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson, George Brett
Happy Trails...Frank Wills
Similar to my predicament with the Baltimore Orioles bullpen, I now have to go the rest of the Statis Pro Season with only five relievers for the Royals! This won't be easy because there aren't a lot of bullpen games to pick from outside of Dan Quisenberry. I'm already stressed about it. So how did Frank Wills do? He started five games and worked five games from the 'pen in the real 1984. Let's compare his performances:
Statis Pro 1984: 1-3, 34.2IP 26Ks, 7.53ERA, 1.67WHIP, 5.57FIP
The Real 1984: 2-3, 37IP, 21Ks, 5.11ERA, 1.41WHIP, 3.74FIP
Wills was a lot less lucky with the Fast Action Cards in Statis Pro compared to his actual 1984 performance. He went on to pitch seven more seasons in the big leagues. Sadly, he passed away unexpectedly in his sleep in 20102.
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