June 17, 1984 - Hey Porter

Game #835 - New York Mets, 3 @ St. Louis Cardinals, 11

This game got ugly, fast.  Despite recording three strikeouts in the bottom of the first, Sid Fernandez allowed Lonnie Smith to score on a Willie McGee single.  He then proceeded to surrender five runs in the bottom of the third, including a three run bomb to George Hendrick.  Ed Lynch replace El Sid in the same inning...and ended up giving up another three-run bomb, this time to Darrell Porter.

About the only excitement New York drummed up was a pinch-hit, two-run home run to Rusty Staub in the eighth.  Starter Danny Cox had only allowed one unearned run prior to that.

Winning Pitcher - Danny Cox
Losing Pitcher - Sid Fernandez
Player of the Game - Darrell Porter, 3-5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R's

June 16, 1984 - Sticker Stars

Game #821 - Texas Rangers, 8 @ Seattle Mariners, 3

The Mariners opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning.  Charlie Hough walked Phil Bradley, who scored on a rocket-shot double off the bat of Alvin Davis.  The Rangers, though, pulled even in the top of the third thanks to a Davis error that allowed Wayne Tolleson to reach base and then score on a Buddy Bell single.

Texas took a two-run lead in the top of the fifth when Gary Ward singled home both Bell and Pete O'Brien.  Bell and Mickey Rivers added RBI doubles in the sixth to extend the Rangers lead to four runs.

In the top of the seventh Rivers and Bell next hit back to back homers and that was pretty much the ball game.

Winning Pitcher - Charlie Hough
Losing Pitcher - Jim Beattie
Player of the Game - Buddy Bell, 3-4, 2B, HR, BB, 3RBI, 2R's

Game #822 - New York Mets, 2 @ St. Louis Cardinals, 4

Walt Terrell clearly hadn't warmed up enough before the start of the game.  In the bottom of the first the Red Birds plated four runs, including a three-run bomb from George Hendrick that plated Lonnie Smith and Terry Pendleton.  Ozzie Smith added a sacrifice fly that scored Andy Van Slyke. 

Terrell settled down after that and pitched five scoreless innings to keep New York in the game.  Mike Fitzgerald hit a bases loaded, two-out single in the top of the fourth that scored George Foster, but Mookie Wilson got gunned down at home by Hendrick.  A Rusty Staub pinch hit double in the seventh plated Ron Gardenhire, but that was all the offense the Metropolitans could muster on the day.

Winning Pitcher - Dave LaPoint
Losing Pitcher - Walt Terrell
Save - Bruce Sutter
Player of the Game - George Hendrick, 1-3, HR, BB, 3RBI, asst.
Hall of Famers in the Game - Ozzie Smith, Bruce Sutter

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

June 13, 1984 - Sluggers Gonna Slug

Game #781 - Cleveland Indians, 1 @ Oakland A's, 11

Cleveland scored the first run of the game, a sacrifice fly from George Vukovich that plated Brett Butler...and then allowed eleven to Oakland.

Ouch.

Dave Kingman hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the first.  Bill Almon hit a solo bomb in the second.  Oakland scored three more in the third before Dwayne Murphy launched a grand slam in the fourth.

It was ugly for Cleveland.

Winning Pitcher - Steve McCatty
Losing Pitcher - Neal Heaton
Player of the Game - Dave Kingman, 2-3, HR, 3RBI, BB, 3R's
Hall of Famers in the Game - Rickey Henderson

Game #782 - St. Louis Cardinals, 1 @ Philadelphia Phillies, 2

Bob Forsch was a good major league pitcher over his career but was awful in the real 1984 season.  He should be in Statis Pro, too, but for some reason he's been incredibly lucky so far.

That continued, to a degree, in this one too.

Juan Samuel was standing on third base with one out when John Denny grounded to Ozzie Smith.  Samuel broke to home and beat Smith's throw for the first score of the game.  Forsch got in and out of jams the rest of the way until the bottom of the seventh.  After allowing to straight hits in the seventh he got lifted in favor of Jeff Lahti.  Lahti was in a pickle, inheriting runners on first and third.  But he recorded back to back strikeouts against Gary Maddox and Greg Gross.  That brought up Mike Schmidt, and Schmidt roped a double to score Tim Corcoran and give the Phillies a 2-0 lead.

In the top of the eighth Tito Landrum walked and later scored on an Ivan DeJesus fielding error.  But Al Holland got two innings of relief in to save the game for John Denny.

Winning Pitcher - John Denny
Losing Pitcher - Bob Forsch
Save - Al Holland
Player of the Game - Mike Schmidt, 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB
Hall of Famers in the Game - Ozzie Smith, Mike Schmidt

Happy Trails...Mark Salas

1984 marked the brief rookie debut of Mark Salas, mostly known for his days as a backup catcher over eight years in the big leagues.  Salas was on the active roster for the Statis Pro Cardinals due to Darrell Porter's injury.  Let's see how he did:

The Real 1984:  .100AVG, .100OBP, .150SLG, .250OPS, 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R
Statis Pro 1984:  .273AVG, .280 OBP., .364 SLG, .644OPS, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 0 R

Salas only played in 14 games in the real 1984 and didn't make much of an impact, while his Statis Pro self got quite a bit luckier with the bat.  His wRAA in Statis Pro was still negative (-0.8), so he wasn't that much better.  It would have been fun to see Salas in a 1985 season replay, as he hit .300 and was the primary starter for the Minnesota Twins.

June 12, 1984 - Dramatic Homers for the Win

Game #769 - St. Louis Cardinals, 5 @ Philadelphia Phillies, 6 

The Phillies drew first blood in the bottom of the second when Ivan DeJesus tripled and later scored on a Marty Bystrom double.  Bystrom scampered across home on a rare Tom Herr fielding error and the Phils were up 2-0.

The Cardinals took the lead in the top of the third, though.  They plated three runs, including a two-run homer from Tom Nieto, who must be on 'roids the way he's hitting with Darrell Porter on the DL.  Joe Lefebvre, though, tied it up with a solo homer in the bottom half of the third.

Mike Schmidt made a terrible error in the fourth that allowed both Herr and Ozzie Smith to score, which gave the Cardinals a two-run advantage. 

The score stayed 5-3 into the bottom of the ninth.  Bruce Sutter was in his third inning of relief when John Wockenfuss poked a single.  Two batters later Schmidt drew a walk and Sutter was in trouble.  Up stepped Garry Maddox...WHO TOOK SUTTER DEEEEEP!  HOME RUN!!!!  A WALK-OFF HOMER!!!

Winning Pitcher - Larry Andersen
Losing Pitcher - Bruce Sutter
Player of the Game - Garry Maddox, 2-2, HR, 3RBI, Gatorade Bath
Hall of Famers in the Game - Ozzie Smith, Bruce Sutter, Mike Schmidt

Game #770 - Atlanta Braves, 4 @ San Diego Padres, 3 (10 innings)

Graig Nettles bombed Craig McMurtry in the bottom of the first to give the Padres a quick 3-0 lead after one inning of play.  But Dave Dravecky gave up two runs in the third on a Claudell Washington single and a sacrifice fly by Randy Johnson.  Johnson singled home Glenn  Hubbard in the fifth to tie the game up.

It stayed knotted through nine innings and that meant free baseball.  The Padres bullpen was depleted after going extra innings the night before so they were forced to bring in Luis DeLeon.  The first batter he faced, Claudell Washington, put a ball into the right field bleachers.  Terry Forster worked two innings of relief for the win and the Padres have now lost five in a row.

Winning Pitcher - Terry Forster
Losing Pitcher - Luis DeLeon
Player of the Game - Claudell Washington, 2-4, HR, 2RBI
Hall of Famers in the Game - Tony Gwynn

June 11, 1984 - Backbreaking Losses

Game #757 - St. Louis Cardinals, 8 @ Philadelphia Phillies, 6

The Cardinals have the best record in Statis Pro and it's not even really close.  The first inning was a typical example of what this team does.  They reeled off four straight singles before starter Steve Carlton walked Lonnie Smith with the bases loaded.  Tom Nieto nearly drove in two more runs two batter later, but Sixto Lezcano threw out Tommy Herr at the plate.  St. Louis were up 3-0 before the Phillies got back to the dugout.

Ozzie Smith added a 2-RBI double in the top of the third to extend their lead to five runs.  Mike Schmidt put the first Philadelphia run on the board with a solo homer in the fourth, and went deep again in the sixth for two more runs. 

By the bottom of the eighth St. Louis was up 8-4 but reliever Ricky Horton allowed two runs and all of a sudden it was a ball game again.  Bruce Sutter slammed the door shut in the ninth, though, and the Cards went home winners.

Winning Pitcher - Dave LaPoint
Losing Pitcher - Steve Carlton
Save - Bruce Sutter
Player of the Game - Ozzie Smith, 2-5, 2 2Bs, 2Rs, 2RBI
Hall of Famers in the Game - Ozzie Smith, Bruce Sutter, Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton

Game #758 - Atlanta Braves, 4 @ San Diego Padres, 2 (13 innings!)

The Padres jumped out early on the Braves when Kevin McReynolds took Rick Camp deep for a two-run bomb in the first.  The Braves tied the game in the top of the seventh, though, when Dale Murphy singled home Glen Hubbard.  The Padres loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth but couldn't push a run across so the game stayed knotted at 2-2.

Goose Gossage worked his second scoreless inning in the top of the ninth while Steve Bedrosian did the same for Atlanta in the bottom half of the frame and that meant one thing:  FREE BASEBALL!

Greg Booker took over for San Diego in the tenth and, despite looking a little shaky, he went three innings without surrendering a run.  Donnie Moore pitched outstanding, also going three innings deep while striking out four and not allowing a base runner.

The Padres were down to their last reliever in the top of the thirteenth.  Andy Hawkins, recently demoted to the back of the pen, came in and, after allowing a lead off single, Claudell Washington ripped an RBI triple two batters later.  Washington then scored on a Murphy RBI and Atlanta had a two run lead heading into the bottom of the 13th.  Terry Forster allowed a single to Tony Gwynn but McReynolds grounded into a double play to end the game.

Winning Pitcher - Donnie Moore
Losing Pitcher - Andy Hawkins
Save - Terry Forster
Player of the Game - Claudell Washington, 3-5, 2B, 3B, RBI, 2Rs, 2BBs
Hall of Famers in the Game - Tony Gwynn, Goose Gossage

June 10, 1984 - 750 Down, Many More to Go...

Game #749 - Chicago Cubs, 4 @ St. Louis Cardinals, 11

The Cubs jumped out to an early lead in this one.  In the top of the first Bob Dernier got walked by Kurt Kepshire and then stole second base off Tom Nieto.  Ryne Sandberg was up next and ripped a triple to score the first run of the game.  Gary Matthews batted third, and his single plated Sandberg.  Leon Durham struck out and Matthews got thrown out at home on a Keith Moreland single.  A "Z" play happened after that, allowing Moreland to score but Ron Cey getting caught in a run down as he rounded too far past first base.

That was a major lead to post before the Cardinals even batted, but they gave it away immediately.  Rick Resuchel gave up a grand salami to David Green with one out in the inning.  St. Louis picked up another three runs in the bottom of the second and the route was on.  Green added a second homer, this time a solo shot, in the fifth and the Cards scored three more in sixth inning off reliever Dickie Noles.

Winning Pitcher - Kurt Kepshire
Losing Pitcher - Rick Reuschel
Player of the Game - David Green, 2-4, 2HRs, 5RBI, GS
Hall of Famers in the Game - Ryne Sandberg, Ozzie Smith

Happy Trails...Ken Oberkfell

This was the last game in a Cardinals uniform for Ken "Obi-Wan" Oberkfell.  Don't worry, though.  He'll pop back up on the Braves.  He went to Atlanta in the real 1984 after Bob Horner's season-ending injury.  I haven't added him to their active roster yet but probably will in the next game or two.

So how did Oberkfell do for St. Louis?  Quite well!  Check it out:

Statis Pro 1984:  27R, 66H, 18 2B, 2 3B, 30RBI, .379/.432/.506/.938 15.1 wRAA

The Real 1984:  17R, 47H, 11 2B, 1 3B, 11RBI, .309/.379/.395/.773  8 wRAA

Ken was no slouch in the real 1984, but he's been hitting out of his gourd in Statis Pro.  I don't foresee that continuing in Atlanta...  Terry Pendleton will get a bunch more starts now for St. Louis.

Game #750 - Oakland A's, 7 @ Texas Rangers, 8

That's right, game #750 - another big round number crossed off the list of the Statis Pro season.  It was a good one, too!

In the bottom of the first Larry Parrish went big-fly for a three run bomb to give Texas an early lead.  But in the top of the second Frank Tanana coughed up a triple, double, and single to Tony Phillips, Donnie Hill, and Bill Almon, cutting the score to 3-2.  In the top of the fifth the A's tied the game.  Rickey Henderson stole second, went to third base on a wild pitch, and then scored on a Davey Lopes single.

Oakland pushed ahead in the top of the sixth.  Dwayne Murphy blasted a Tanana pitch into the right field bleachers to score himself and Dave Kingman.  They took that 5-3 lead into the bottom of the sixth.  That's when a Phillips fielding error allowed Wayne Tolleson to scamper to third base and score on a subsequent Pete O'Brien single. 

It was still 5-4 in the bottom of the seventh.  With two outs and George Wright on second base Marv Foley came in to pinch hit for Tolleson.  He promptly took Keith Atherton deep to give the Rangers a one run lead!  Consecutive errors by Atherton and Rickey Henderson led to two more runs, giving Texas a three run lead.

In the top of the ninth, with Dave Tobik trying to close it out, Oakland came roaring back.  Joe Morgan reached on a fielding error by Curtis Wilkerson and then Tobik walked Bruce Bochte.  Henderson dug in next and lined a double to score Morgan.  Two batters later Bochte scored on a sacrifice fly by Carney Lansford.  But with Henderson still on second, Kingman lined out to Buddy Bell to end the game.

Winning Pitcher - Dave Schmidt
Losing Pitcher - Keith Atherton
Save - Dave Tobik
Player of the Game - Marv Foley, 1-1, HR, 2RBI, BB
Hall of Famers in the Game - Rickey Henderson, Joe Morgan

June 9, 1984 - First Place for a Reason

Game #733 - Houston Astros, 4 @ San Francisco Giants, 3

You wouldn't think the last place Giants would be much of a struggle for the first place Astros, but San Fran has given Houston all they can handle on their West Coast road trip.

The Astros jumped all over starter Bill Laskey in the top of the first, plating three runs on a 2-RBI single from Craig Reynolds and then another RBI knock off the bat of Ray Knight.  The Giants fought back in the bottom of the third.  Vern Ruhle, making a rare start, gave up a lead-off solo homer to Jeff Leonard and, two batters later, an RBI double to Al Oliver.

In the bottom of the seventh Ruhle was still in the game but had two runners on base.  That's when Joel Youngblood roped a double that scored Oliver, but as Bob Brenly made his way towards towards home too, he got thrown out at the plate to keep the game tied.

By the top of the ninth the score was still tied and the Giants had their best reliever, Gary LaVelle, on the mound.  But a walk, single, and sacrifice fly from Kevin Bass gave them the lead!  Bill Dawley tossed a perfect bottom of the ninth to save the game for Houston, 4-3.

Winning Pitcher - Mike Scott
Losing Pitcher - Gary LaVelle
Save - Bill Dawley
Player of the Game - Dawley, IP, SV

Happy Trails...Alejandro Sanchez

This marked the last game of the season for Alejandro Sanchez.  He appeared in 11 games in the real 1984.  He's the classic September call-up type of player, but the vast number of injuries to the San Francisco roster caused him to log all of his time in the first third of the season.  How did he do?

The Real 1984:  .195/.195/.244/.439  .049ISO, .195wOBA, -3.8wRAA, 2SB, 3Rs, 2RBI

Statis Pro 1984:  .303/.324/.303/.627  .000ISO, .288wOBA, -0.8wRAA, 2SB, 1R, 1RBI

Sanchez went 2-4 in this game, which gave him a nice little bump in his final numbers.  Overall, though, he still recorded a negative wRAA.  But compared to the quality of his teammates who aren't currently injured, he more than held his own.

Game #734 - Chicago Cubs, 1 @ St. Louis Cardinals, 2

The Cubs tagged Joaquin Andujar and the Cardinals with an unlikely run in the top of the first.  Gary Matthews walked with one out and then Ryne Sandberg hit into what looked like a sure double-play but managed to beat the throw at first.  He then stole second base and scampered home on a Leon Durham single.

Meanwhile, Jody Davis was doing his best to assist starter Chuck Rainey, who was bending on the mound but not breaking.  Twice Davis threw out a would be base-stealer; Lonnie Smith in the bottom of the first (only his second caught stealing of the season) and Willie McGee in the sixth.

Chicago still had a precarious 1-0 lead in the bottom of the seventh.  Tom Herr led off with a single but Ozzie Smith and Mark Salas both struck out to bring up Andujar.  Andujar had only given up three hits in the game so lifting him seemed risky.  The manager allowed him to hit and a "clutch batting" came up on the FAC.  That's normally a blank stat line on a pitcher's hitting card, but Joaquin had two homers on the season in the real 1984.  Sure enough...the next FAC resulted in a two-run bomb!!!  Andujar closed out the final two innings for a complete-game win in which he accounted for all of the St. Louis offense!

Winning Pitcher - Joaquin Andujar
Losing Pitcher - Chuck Rainey
Player of the Game - Andujar, CG stud with a long-ball to boot
Hall of Famers in the Game - Ryne Sandberg, Ozzie Smith

 

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 6, 1984 - Sutter Like Butter

Game #699 - Philadelphia Phillies, 2 @ St. Louis Cardinals, 4

After playing this 1984 season of Statis Pro for a few years now, you develop attachments and animosity for certain teams.  The Cardinals are a team I've grown to dislike.  In real life, the Cardinals are probably my second favorite team next to my Baltimore Orioles.  Both of my parents are from St. Louis and their hometown pride has rubbed off on me over the years.

But in Statis Pro, I've grown to loathe them.

I think this is because they're winning too much.  They are way out in front of the NL East at this point and I can't quite figure out why.  There is no doubt they have one of the best bullpens in the league, but a lot of their other players are hitting or pitching way above their intended outcomes.  This might normalize over time, but we're a third of the way done and they've shown no sign of coming back to earth.

Today's game was another example of their good luck in Statis Pro.  Danny Cox was reduced to a 2-5 rating when he drew an "81" for the "stuff" category, meaning he was at a distinct disadvantage against his opponent, Hall of Famer Steve Carlton.

It didn't matter.

It was a scoreless game when Willie McGee took Carlton deep in the fourth for just his second homer of the year.  The Phillies took the lead in the top of the seventh, finally doing damage to Cox with back to back RBI singles by Von Hayes and Tim Corcoran.  But in the bottom of the seventh David Green and Tom Herr each recorded a single with one out.  Carlton then got tossed for arguing strikes with the umpire, which led to Kevin Gross coming into the game.  He walked two straight batters, which plated Green to tie the game.  That brought up Bruce Sutter, who had come in for relief in the top half of the inning to get Mike Schmidt out with two runners on.  I didn't want to waste Sutter for just one out in the game, so I let him hit.  Gross whiffed him, but threw the pitch wild, allowing Herr to score and Sutter to take first on the error.  After yet another run plated on a Lonnie Smith walk, Gross got yanked without recording an out in favor of Al Holland, who got Terry Pendleton to line out into a double play. 

Jeff Lahti came on in the top of the ninth and loaded the bases with no outs.  Just as it looked like the Phillies would grab a come from behind win, Lahti got three straight pop outs from Corcoran, John Wockenfuss, and Mike Schmidt.  Sutter notched his sixth win on the season for his inning and a third of work.

Winning Pitcher - Bruce Sutter
Losing Pitcher - Steve Carlton
Save - Jeff Lahti
Player of the Game - Sutter, 1 1/3, W, K
Hall of Famers in the Game - Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Bruce Sutter

June 5, 1984 - Murph and McGraw Lead the Way

Game #685 - Atlanta Braves, 11 @ San Francisco Giants, 7

Giants pitcher Mark Grant was brutalized in the top of the first.  He only managed one out before finally getting yanked after Atlanta put up six runs, three of those courtesy of a Dale Murphy homer.  But in the bottom of the first the Giants scored five!  Al Oliver, making his first start off the disabled list (meaning it's been YEARS since I've played with him last) hit a double that plated Jeff Leonard.  Johnnie LeMaster busted a single that was good for two RBIs.

By the top of the eighth Atlanta was still up, 9-6.  That's when Murphy recorded his fifth and sixth RBI with a double off of Gary LaVelle, the last bullpen arm left for the Giants.  Pete Falcone pitched the final three innings, only giving up one run and earning the save.

Winning Pitcher - Gene Garber
Losing Pitcher - Mark Grant
Save - Pete Falcone
Player of the Game - Dale Murphy, 3-4, 2B, HR, 6RBI, BB

Game #686 - Philadelphia Phillies, 12 @ St. Louis Cardinals, 5

The Cardinals were riding a four game win streak headed into this match.  But it would be the Phillies who struck first in the top of the first.  Mike Schmidt walked with the bases loaded thanks to Dave LaPoint, and then Ozzie Virgil hit a sacrifice fly that scored John Wockenfuss.

By the bottom of the second the score was 3-0 in favor of the Phillies when starter Charles Hudson fell off a cliff.  With the bases loaded and no outs, backup catcher Tom Nieto jacked a GRAND SALAMI!  Lonnie Smith later tripled and scored on a Ken Oberkfell double.  In fact, the Cardinals hit for the cycle in the inning.  That was enough for Hudson to get pulled in favor of a long relief effort by Tug McGraw.  He was up to the task!

With runners on first and third in the top of the fourth, McGraw was due up.  Because Philadelphia needed him to pitch deeper, he was forced to bat.  No worries though...he lined an RBI single!  Mike Schmidt followed with another RBI and all of a sudden it was a tie game!

Fast forward to the top of the eighth, game still tied.  The Phillies put up four big runs, including a three-run dong from Ozzie Virgil, who is now tied with Schmidt for the team home run lead with eleven.  Philadelphia scored three more in the ninth, thanks in large part to a Von Hayes triple that scored Ivan DeJesus and Gary Maddox.  The Cards had nothing left in their offensive tank and lost the game.

Winning Pitcher - Bill Campbell
Losing Pitcher - Jeff Lahti
Player of the Game - Tug McGraw, 3 1/3IP, 0R's, 2K's, RBI single
Hall of Famers in the Game - Mike Schmidt, Ozzie Smith

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 3, 1984 - Hot Corner Heroics

Game #655 - St Louis Cardinals, 9 @ New York Mets, 4

Ken Oberkfell was a fine player in the 80's, a good third sacker who put up consistent stats.  But in this Statis Pro season he's been absolutely bonkers.  He continued his torrid hitting in this game.

In the top of the second Obi-Wan led off the inning with a double and then scored on a George Foster error.  In the top of the fifth he recorded his third hit of the game and scored on an Ozzie Smith single.  He plated Andy VanSlyke in the top of the sixth with his fourth hit of the game.

Like I said, bonkers.

He only has a few games left with the Cardinals, though, before he goes to the Braves.  In the real 1984 he was Bob Horner's replacement in Atlanta.

Winning Pitcher - Kurt Kepshire
Losing Pitcher - Bruce Berenyi
Player of the Game - Oberkfell
Hall of Famers in the Game - Ozzie Smith

Game #656 - Chicago Cubs, 4 @ Philadelphia Phillies, 1

This game featured two fine pitching performances from opposing starters Dennis Eckersley and John Denny.

The first run of the game came in the top of the fourth with two outs.  Denny had only allowed one hit up to that point when Gary Matthews took him deep for a solo homer.  Denny would pitch through the seventh but that was his only charged run.

Eckersley, meanwhile, was doing well too.  He pitched seven innings of shutout ball but got lifted for a pinch-hitter in the top of the eighth.  The Phillies jumped all over reliever Warren Brusstar.  In the bottom of the eighth he walked Mike Schmidt and Ozzie Virgil but got Juan Samuel to ground into a double play.  Schmidt moved to third on that play and then scored on an Ivan DeJesus single, which tied the game.

In the top of the ninth Phillies reliever Al Holland got into a big pickle.  With one out Gary Matthews and Keith Moreland drew back to back walks.  That brought Ron Cey to the plate.  And the Penguin wasn't playing any games.  I mean, he was, he was playing the game of baseball, but you know what I mean.  Al Holland certainly did - because Cey went yard for a three-run bomb!

Winning Pitcher - Warren Brusstar
Losing Pitcher - Al Holland
Save - Lee Smith
Player of the Game - Ron Cey
Hall of Famers in the Game - Ryne Sandberg, Dennis Eckersley, Mike Schmidt

June 2, 1984 - 2 Skinnee J's

Game #643 - Chicago Cubs, 10 @ Philadelphia Phillies, 8

After high scoring games like this one I never know how many details to go into because a simple recap can turn into a book chapter.  The top of the third is the best place to start.  Phillies starter Marty Bystrom ended up surrendering eight runs, and three of those were because I was too stubborn to lift him knowing he was due up first in the bottom half of the inning.  Errors by Bystrom and Ivan DeJesus didn't help matters.

It was 8-2 until the bottom of the seventh.  Steve Trout worked in and out of jams for the first six innings before George Frazier was brought on to register the last nine outs.  But Sixto Lezcano went deep on a two-run bomb and then, after Frazier was lifted, Tim Stoddard gave up a hit to Greg Gross that plated the two remaing inherited runners from Frazier and all of a sudden it was just a two run lead for the Cubbies.

Chicago got much needed insurance in the top of the ninth.  After Ron Cey walked Jody Davis went deeeeeeep to give the Cubs a four run lead.  With three outs to go Lee Smith toed the rubber but, with one out, gave up  two singles, a walk, and then a Luis Aguyao double and all of a sudden the Phillies looked like they could tie this game with one swing.  But Smith got  yanked and Rich Bordi got two quick outs to earn the save.

Winning Pitcher - Steve Trout
Losing Pitcher - Marty Bystrom
Save - Rich Bordi
Player of the Game - Jody Davis, 2-5, HR, 3RBI
Hall of Famers in the Game - Ryne Sandberg, Mike Schmidt

Game #644 - Montreal Expos, 2 @ Pittsburgh Pirates, 3 (12 innings)

Rich Rhoden was uncharacteristically hittable in the first, giving up three singles, and including an RBI shot by Tim Wallach that plated Andre Dawson.  In the top of the third Tim Raines walked, stole second, move to third on an infield single, and scored on a ground out from Gary Carter to give Montreal a 2-0 lead.

Pittsburgh tied things up in the bottom of the fifth.  Bill Gullickson gave up and RBI double to Lee Lacy that scored Rhoden and then Johnny Ray drove home Marvelle Wynne on a single to knot the game.

And then it was a lot of goose eggs.  Dan Schatzeder went three innings of scoreless relief for the Expos and Cecilio Guante did the same for the Pirates.  Fast forward to the bottom of the 12th.  After two scoreless innings from Jeff Reardon Montreal handed the ball to Greg Harris.  Harris walked Lee Mazzilli, but Mazzilli was out at second on a fielder's choice that left Lacy on first.  Lacy stole second on a busted hit and run and then moved to third on a Johnny Ray ground out.  With two down Jason Thompson stepped up and poked a blooper into right field to score Lacy on the walk-off!

Winning Pitcher - Kent Tekulve
Losing Pitcher - Greg Harris
Player of the Game - Jason Thompson, GWRBI in the bottom of the 12th
Hall of Famers in the Game - Tim Raines, Andrew Dawson, Gary Carter

June 2, 1984 - The Kings of I-70

Game #641 - Kansas City Royals, 5 @ Minnesota Twins, 4

On paper this looked like an easy match-up, but it was anything but for the Royals.  They had staff ace Bud Black on the mound against a sub-par Pete Filson.  Don Slaught took Filson deep for a two run blast in the second.  KC  tacked on another run in the fourth on an RBI hit by Greg Pryor.

But in the bottom of the fourth Black fell apart, surrendering four runs and getting lifted from the game.  Two of those scores were compliments of a Kent Hrbek triple. 

The Royals tied the game on a passed ball that scored Willie Wilson in the fifth.  And then in the sixth Onix Concepcion scored on a Don Slaught double, his third RBI of the day and the eventual game-winner.

Winning Pitcher - Bret Saberhagen
Losing Pitcher - Pete Filson
Save - Mark Huismann
Player of the Game - Don Slaught, 2-3, HR, 2b, BB, 3RBI
Hall of Famers in the Game - George Brett, Kirby Puckett

Game #642 - St. Louis Cardinals, 2 @ New York Mets, 0

This was another one I would have bet money on only to lose it.  Dwight Gooden was up against Bob Forsch, and there were nearly four runs of difference between their ERA's in the real 1984.  Gooden lived up to his reputation, going eight strong and striking out nine along the way.  But Forsch kept the Mets bats guessing.  In the bottom of the eighth he allowed a lead-off single to Ron Hodges and then a walk to Rusty Staub.  At that point Forsch got lifted for Bruce Sutter, who worked out of the jam when Keith Hernandez grounded into his second double play of the game.

Doug Sisk came on in the top of the ninth and the Cards played their custom small-ball offense.  David Green walked and moved to third on a hit-and-run by Ken Oberkfell.  Tom Herr came up next and squeezed Green home!  Two batters later Oberkfell scored on a single by Tito Landrum and with that Gooden's gem was flushed down the drain.

Winning Pitcher - Bruce Sutter
Losing Pitcher - Doug Sisk
Player of the Game - Tom Herr, 2-3, RBI sacrifice bunt
Hall of Famers in the Game - Ozzie Smith, Bruce Sutter

June 1, 1984 - A Reckoning Is Coming

I can't help but think, many years from now, when we're in the home stretch of the regular season, the Cardinals will be fading, struggling to hold onto first place, while the surging Cubs will be beating down the door right at the wire.  I look forward to it...

Game #629 - St. Louis Cardinals, 9 @ New York Mets, 3

Walt Terrell had a decent enough season in the real 1984, but so far in Statis Pro he's been fairly awful.  That was the case again in this game.  Already trailing 1-0 in the top of the third, Terrell got destroyed by the Cardinals offense.  Tom Herr ripped his first home run of the season for 3 RBI and the Red Birds plated four more in the inning.

Danny Cox toed the rubber for St. Louis and had a solid six innings of work, only allowing one run to score.  Reliever Ricky Horton gave up a two-run homer to Keith Hernandez but still got a save since he went three innings after Cox.

Winning Pitcher - Danny Cox
Losing Pitcher - Walt Terrell
Save - Ricky Horton
Player of the Game - Tom Herr, 3-5, 2B, HR, 3RBI, R
Hall of Famers in the Game - Ozzie Smith

Game #630 - Chicago Cubs, 6 @ Philadelphia Phillies, 5

It sure looked like Chicago's five game win streak was coming to an end early in the contest.  Von Hayes led off the bottom of the first with a single, stolen base, and then a run on the RBI knock by Tim Corcoran.  Corcoran plated another run in the fourth to give the Phillies a 5-0 lead.

And that's when the Cubs turned into Bears.

In the top of the fifth Ryne Sandberg homered to cut the lead to four.  Steve Carlton was still cruising until the top of the seventh.  Four straight Cubs recorded hits, including an RBI single by Gary Mattews.  Carlton got lifted and in came the late Tug McGraw.  With two runners on, Steve Lake came in as a pinch hitter for reliever Dickie Noles.  What did Lake do?  HOME RUN!!!  The Cubs came out of nowhere and  then somehow had a one run lead, their first of the game.  Tim Stoddard ad Warren Brusstar pitched a scoreless final three innings to give Chicago the improbable win!

Winning Pitcher - Dickie Noles
Losing Pitcher - Tug McGraw
Save - Warren Brusstar
Player of the Game - Steve Lake, GW 3-Run Homer
Hall of Famers in the Game - Ryne Sandberg, Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton

May 31, 1984 - You Only Have To Win By One

Game #617 - Kansas City Royals, 4 @ Minnesota Twins, 3

This was a real back and forth game.  In the top of the first Onix Concepcion reached on a single.  He stole second base and reached third on a George Brett fly out.  He proceeded to score on a passed ball by Tim Laudner.  Kansas City returned the favor in the bottom of the second when Tim Teufel scored on a wild pitch by Mark Gubicza.

Minnesota pulled ahead three to one when Tom Brunansky went deep for a two run bomb in the third.  But KC tied it up again in the fifth.  In a huge two-out rally, Willie Wilson tripled, scored on a Concepcion double, and then two batters later Hal McRae singled home Concepcion.  That would turn out to be the deciding run as Dan Quisenberry held the Twins scoreless over the final two innings.

Winning Pitcher - Mark Gubicza
Losing Pitcher - Rick Lysander
Save - Dan Quisenberry
Player of the Game - Hal McRae, 3-4, 2B, 2RBI
Hall of Famers in the Game - George Brett, Kirby Puckett

Game #618 - St. Louis Cardinals, 1 @ New York Mets, 2

This looks like a pitcher's duel on the screen, but in reality these two teams combined for 24 hits...yet only produced three runs!  The winning run came in the bottom of the sixth when Keith Hernandez knocked Jerry Martin home.  Jesse Orosco pitched a perfect ninth inning to notch the save.

Winning Pitcher - Ron Darling
Losing Pitcher - Dave LaPoint
Save - Jesse Orosco
Player of the Game - Keith Hernandez, 3-5, RBI
Hall of Famers in the Game - Ozzie Smith

May 30, 1984 - Veteran OF's Win the Day

Game #607 - Pittsburgh Pirates, 8 @ Cincinnati Reds, 4

This one wasn't nearly as close as the final score looks.  The Pirates were up 8-0 after five innings. Both Tony Pena and Jim Morrison had three hits and a RBI, but it was Lee Lacy who had the biggest day.  He recorded two hits, three walks, a run scored, a stolen base, two runs and a RBI.

Winning Pitcher - John Candelaria
Losing Pitcher - Joe Price
Player of the Game - Lee Lacy
Hall of Famers in the Game - Tony Perez

Game #608 - St. Louis Cardinals, 1 @ Houston Astros, 0

Starters Joe Niekro and Jaquin Andujar were both dealing the nasty cheese in this pitcher's duel.  Andujar got lifted with one out in the eighth in favor of all-world reliever Bruce Sutter, but Niekro was still in the game in the top of the ninth.  Willie McGee had a lead-off single and reached third on a pick-off attempt by Joe Niekro, who nabbed Tommy Herr with a similar move in the second inning.  George Hendrick singled him home as the next batter and Sutter shut down the 'stros 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth to record the win.

Winning Pitcher - Bruce Sutter
Losing Pitcher - Joe Niekro
Player of the Game - George Hendrick, GW RBI
Hall of Famers in the Game - Ozzie Smith, Bruce Sutter

May 29, 1984 - Off To See The Wizard

Game # 594 - St. Louis Cardinals, 8 @ Houston Astros, 4

This is the first game of the series against the two first place teams in the National League.  Houston featured HOF pitcher Nolan Ryan while St. Louis countered with up and comer Kurt Kepshire.

The Cardinals got on the board first when Ozzie Smith singled home two red birds with the bases loaded in the second inning.  Ozzie led off the top of the seventh with a walk from Ryan (already his fourth of the game) and a stolen base.  He scampered home on a RBI double by Willie McGee and Ryan got chased out of the game soon after.  St. Louis would go on to score five runs in the inning to pull away for good.

Ozzie Smith, who was a .257 hitter in the real 1984, is hitting almost 100 points above that in the Statis Pro season.  For the life of me I can't figure it out!  It's fun, though, because it's the Wizard, and everyone loves the Wizard.

Winning Pitcher - Kurt Kepshire
Losing Pitcher - Nolan Ryan
Player of the Game - Ozzie Smith, 2-3, 2B, 2RBI, 2BB's, SB
Hall of Famers in the Game - Ozzie Smith, Bruce Sutter, Nolan Ryan

May 28, 1984 - Outfielders to the Rescue

Game #589 - St. Louis Cardinals, 5  @ Atlanta Braves, 6

St. Louis had an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Gerald Perry and Claudell Washington each launched solo homers to take the lead.  But in the top of the third Ozzie Smith hit an RBI double to plate Lonnie Smith, and the Wizard of Oz later scored on a Ken Oberkfell single to give the Cardinals the lead once again.

The Cardinals chipped in another run in the top of the fourth to give them a 4-2 lead.  That's when the Atlanta offense came back to life.  In the bottom of the fifth two runners were on with two outs when slugger Dale Murphy stepped up to the plate.  He promptly made it a 5-4 game by depositing the ball over the outfield fence!  Next up?  Chris Chambliss.  Result?  Another homer!  The Atlanta bullpen pitched for four innings, only giving up a run in the eighth to save the game.

Winning Pitcher - Craig McMurtry
Losing Pitcher - Bob Forsch
Save - Gene Garber
Player of the Game - Dale Murphy, 2-4, HR, 3RBI
Hall of Famers in the Game - Ozzie Smith

Game #590 - Kansas City Royals, 4 @ Texas Rangers, 2

It was a scoreless game until the bottom of the second.  With George Wright on third and Curtis Wilkerson on second, little Wayne Tolleson smoked a double to give the anemic Rangers offense a quick 2-0 lead.  Meanwhile, starter Dave Stewart was cruising along.  He made it until the eighth inning, when he allowed two hits and was lifted for Dave Tobik.  Tobik got out of the jam, and the Royals were down to their final three outs in the ninth, still trailing 2-0.

But that's when the improbable comeback started!  U.L. Washington walked and Leon Roberts singled, but with two outs it looked bleak.  That's when Willie Wilson hit a clutch double that scored Washington and moved Roberts to third.  Onix Concepcion was up next...and he hit a single to center field!  Roberts scored easily and Wilson took off, beating the throw to home by Billy Sample.  Hal McRae then batted Concepcion home and Tobik was finally lifted after choking away Stewart's excellent start.

Winning Pitcher - Bud Black
Losing Pitcher - Dave Tobik
Save - Dan Quisenberry
Player of the Game - Willie Wilson, 2-5, 2 2b's, RBI, R