June 15, 1984 - 800 Games Played...Seriously!!!

Game #800 - Philadelphia Phillies, 7 @ Chicago Cubs, 3

I can hardly believe it, but I've mowed down another games played milestone.  This was the 800th game I've played in the Statis Pro season.

800.

It's weird to think about, and even weirder to think I'm 80% of the way to a thousand.  It's been a lot of flips of the ol' Fast Action Cards.

Dick Ruthven of the Cubs and Steve Carlton of the Phillies were trading goose eggs across the first four frames of the game.  In the top of the fifth, though, Juan Samuel put the first run on the board with a solo homer.  The Cubs tied it in the bottom half when Bob Dernier smoked a two-out double to plate Ron Cey.

The Cubs took a two-run lead in the bottom of the sixth on back to back RBIs from Cey and Jody Davis.  Ruthven completed the seventh inning and got pulled for a pinch hitter.  The Cubbies sent their best reliever, Warren Brusstar, to the mound to get the last six outs.

He.  Got.  SHELLED.

When the smoke cleared he allowed six runs off three homers, including a three-run job to Joe Lefebvre to give the Phillies the lead.  Yet another back breaking loss for Chicago...I can't win with them!!

Winning Pitcher - Larry Andersen
Losing Pitcher - Warren Brusstar
Player of the Game - Joe Lefebvre
Hall of Famers in the Game - Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Ryne Sandberg

June 15, 1984 - Halo Bender

Game #799 - Cleveland Indians, 2 @ California Angels, 5

Steve Farr had a nightmare start to the game, immediately digging a hole for Cleveland that would be hard to climb out.  A Rod Carew walk and Brian Downing double put Carew on third.  Fred Lynn brought him home with a sacrifice fly.  Then Downing scored on a Doug DeCinces double.  And then DeCinces scored when Reggie Jackson launched a home run to give the Angels a 4-0 lead after just one inning.

By the top of the seventh Farr was long gone and California was up 5-0 while starter Jim Slaton was working on a shutout.  But with two outs Jerry Willard planed a ball into the right field stands for Cleveland's first runs of the game.  Doug Corbett came on for the last two innings to put the nails in the proverbial coffin.

Winning Pitcher - Jim Slaton
Losing Pitcher - Steve Farr
Save - Doug Corbett
Player of the Game - Reggie Jackson, 3-3, HR, 2b, R, 2RBI
Hall of Famers in the Game - Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson

June 15, 1984 - Take the Long Road and Walker It

Game #798 - Cincinnati Reds, 7 @ Atlanta Braves, 2

Frank Pastore and Len Barker were the starting pitchers for this game and the first two innings were rather harmless.  But Barker got into trouble in the top of the third.  With runners on second and third Gary Redus went big-fly for a three-run homer!

A bases loaded walk to Glen Hubbard in the bottom of the fourth nipped into the Reds lead but Dave Parker drove in two more runs in the top of the fifth to extend the score to 5-1.  Duane Walker followed that up with a two-run jack in the sixth and the Braves were pretty much done after that.

Winning Pitcher - Frank Pastore
Losing Pitcher - Len Barker
Player of the Game - Duane Walker, 3-4, 2 2b's, HR, 2RBI, 3R's, BB

June 14th, 1984 - Ward of the State

Game #797 - Minnesota Twins, 3 @ Texas Rangers, 13

I can't remember if I've mentioned this before (I probably have) but I once saw Gary Ward at the Detroit Airport.  This was in the early 90's, when he was on the Tigers.  He was in a track suit deboarding a plane.  My eyes got big as saucers, he walked right past me, and that was it. 

But I've had a soft spot for him ever since.

This was game was all Ward and Mickey Rivers.  The two combined to go 9-9 with two homers, a double, six RBI and six runs.  It was quite remarkable.  Danny Darwin took a shutout into the ninth before the Twinkies finally put some runs on the board.

Winning Pitcher - Danny Darwin
Losing Pitcher - Al Williams
Player of the Game - Gary Ward
Hall of Famers in the Game - Kirby Puckett

This was the last game of June 14th - I'll work on updating the stats between now and when this posts!

June 14, 1984 - W's for the W's

Game #795 - Kansas City Royals, 7 @ Seattle Mariners, 5

Whoa Nelly, where have I even been the past month???  My apologies - life, work, and parenting have gotten in the way.  We'll see if I can't get back in a groove here for the rest of March.

A Steve Balboni RBI double in the top of the first gave the Royals an early 1-0 lead, but the Mariners tied it up in their half of the inning when Jack Perconte singled, stole second, and scampered home on a Steve Henderson hit.  They went up 2-1 in the second when Jim Pressley doubled home Al Cowens.

The tide turned again in the top of the fourth.  Ed VandeBerg got shelled for three runs by the Royals.  U.L. Washington plated two of those runs off a double.  The Royals put up another three-spot in the eighth, which proved pivotal because Seattle made a late comeback in the bottom of the eighth.  It wasn't enough as Dan Quisenberry came in to save the game.

Winning Pitcher - Charlie Liebrandt
Losing Pitcher - Ed VandeBerg
Save - Dan Quisenberry
Player of the Game - UL Washington - 3-4, 2b, R, 3RBI
Hall of Famers in the Game - George Brett

Game #796 - New York Mets, 7 @ St. Louis Cardinals, 5 (13 innings!)

The Cardinals were up 1-0 in the top of the third when the Mets put up four runs thanks to back to back homers from Darryl Strawberry and George Foster!  But the Cardinals kept chipping back and actually went up 5-4 in the fifth thanks to a two-RBI single from David Green.

Pinch-hitter Jose Oquendo singled home Mookie Wilson in the sixth to tie things up, and it would stay knotted...until the top of the 13th inning!!!  Both bullpens got used up until Jeff Lahti, working his third inning of relief, gave up a surprise two-run homer to Mookie!  Doug Sisk worked his third inning of relief to preserve the hard-earned win for the Metropolitans.

Winning Pitcher - Doug Sisk
Losing Pitcher - Jeff Lahti
Player of the Game - Mookie Wilson, 4-6, HR, 2RBI, 2SB's, 2R's
Hall of Famers in the Game - Ozzie Smith, Bruce Sutter