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 15, 1984 - Shutty

We've got ourselves three straight games of shutouts to end the day!  Somewhat unusual...

Game #809 - New York Mets, 9 @ St. Louis Cardinals, 0

Ron Darling had the Cardinals on lock-down for the entire game.  St. Louis only managed to put more than one runner on base at a time twice in nine frames, and both times Darling escaped the jam.

Kurt Kepshire, meanwhile, had his worst game of the year.  A surprise top performer this season, he only completed four innings before being chased off in the top of the fifth.  Mookie Wilson was a big nemesis on the day, falling short of the cycle without a double but with a two-run homer and a triple to pair with a single and walk.  Darryl Strawberry added two doubles himself as every non-pitching Mets starter recorded at least one hit.

Winning Pitcher - Ron Darling
Losing Pitcher - Kurt Kepshire
Player of the Game - Darling, CG SHO, 6H's, BB, 4K's
Hall of Famers in the Game - Ozzie Smith

Game #810 - Boston Red Sox, 0 @ Toronto Blue Jays, 13

There were four - FOUR - bean balls in this affair.  I know one of you faithful readers pointed out a way to simulate a benches clearing brawl a couple of years back, I need to go and find that.  Could be fun to spice it up.

Cliff Johnson had himself a day.  He homered in the bottom of the first to give Toronto the only lead they'd need on the day.  Then he singled home a run the third to make it 3-0.  He made it to the plate twice in the sixth, walking the first time and then clearing loaded bases with a double in his second at-bat.  He was a triple shy of the cycle.  Scroll to the bottom of this entry to see a hilarious video I saw a few years back and have been waiting patiently to include if/when Johnson was ever Player of the Game again.

Jim Clancy was worth of praise two.  He tossed the shutout and only gave up four hits and walk to go along with his five K's.

Winning Pitcher - Jim Clancy
Losing Pitcher - Bob Ojeda
Player of the Game - Cliff Johnson, 3-4, 2B, HR, 3R's, 6RBI, BB
Hall of Famers in the Game - Wade Boggs, Jim Rice


This was the last game for June 15th - the stats on the sidebars have been updated!

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 - Coming Down to the Last Inning

Game #779 - Baltimore Orioles, 2 @ Milwaukee Brewers, 6

This game started off as a nice pitcher's duel.  Storm Davis of the Orioles and Moose Haas of the Brewers were both in fine form.

The first damage of the game came in the bottom of the second.  Rick Manning hit a solo homer with two outs off Davis.  The Brewers struck again in the bottom of the fourth with a two-out, RBI single by Jim Gantner that plated Robin  Yount.

Davis settled down after that while Haas cruised into the top of the seventh.  With two outs and Gary Roenicke on third, Rich Dauer ripped a double for Baltimore's first run.  Then Al Bumbry singled home Dauer and the game was tied up!

It was still knotted at 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth.  Storm Davis was still pitching when he loaded the bases off an error, single, and a walk.  That brought up Yount with the bases juiced.  HE WENT YARD.  GRAND SLAM WALK-OFF!!!

Winning Pitcher - Ray Searage
Losing Pitcher - Storm Davis
Player of the Game - Robin Yount, 2-5, GS, 4RBI, 2R's
Hall of Famers in the Game - Cal Ripken, Eddie Murray, Robin Yount

Game #780 - Pittsburgh Pirates, 5 @ New York Mets, 4

I thought this game would be another pitcher's duel with Doc Gooden and John Tudor on the mound, but that wasn't quite the case...

The Mets scored first in the bottom of the first when a Keith Hernandez sacrifice fly scored Mookie Wilson.  The Pirates gained the lead in the second, though, on RBI hits from Tudor (!) and Marvelle Wynne.

New York surged ahead in the bottom of the third.  George Foster and Ron Gardenhire hit back to back RBI singles to give the Mets a 3-2 lead.  Foster added another run with a solo homer in the fifth, his third hit of the day.

But in the top of the sixth Doc Gooden had a runner on first with two outs when Doug Frobel stepped up.  He promptly jacked a two-run homer to tie the game!  Gooden would strike out the last batter in the sixth, his tenth "K" of the game, before getting lifted for a pinch-hitter.

Fast forward to the top of the ninth.  Wes Gardner surrendered four straight hits after recording the first hit, including an RBI single by Lee Lacy.  That one run would be the difference as Cecilio Guante got three outs in the bottom of the ninth.

Winning Pitcher - Don Robinson
Losing Pitcher - Wes Gardner
Save - Cecilio Guante
Player of the Game - Don Robinson, 2.1 IP, 3K's, 0H's & 0R's

June 12, 1984 - Catch(er) of the Day

Game #767 - Pittsburgh Pirates, 5 @ New York Mets, 4

Johnny Ray smoked a one-out double off Sid Fernandez in the top of the first and scored two batters later thanks to a Tony Pena single.  The Mets answered back in the bottom of the first, though, thanks to a two-run homer by Keith Hernandez.

The Pirates tied it up in the second, though, when Dale Berra, a disaster at the plate this year for Pittsburgh, hit a rare solo homer.  It stayed 2-2 until the bottom of the fifth.  Hernandez walked with one out and then George Foster took Rick Rhoden over the left field wall to give the Metropolitans a two-run lead.

Pittsburgh wouldn't be denied, however.  Tony Pena hit a lead-off single in the sixth and later scored on a Rhoden double.  Rhoden hit seventh in the lineup thanks to a +.300 batting average in the real 1984. 

In the eighth Doug Sisk was working his second inning of relief when he imploded.  With one out he walked Pena and gave up a hit and run single to Bill Madlock, playing his first game since coming off the DL.  With Pena on third Marvelle Wynne hit a single off new pitcher Jesse Orosco.  Orosco gave up another hit, this time to Rhoden for what would be the winning RBI of the game.

Winning Pitcher - Rick Rhoden
Losing Pitcher - Doug Sisk
Save - Rod Scurry
Player of the Game - Tony Pena, 2-4, RBI, BB, 2Rs

Game #768 - Cleveland Indians, 9 @ Oakland A's, 4

This game was over as soon as it started.  Tim Conroy made his first start of the season and got SHELLED.  Chris Bando hit a two-run homer in the first, followed by a three-run homer from Joe Carter in the same inning.  Cleveland poured three more runs on from, you guessed it, another home run.  This time it was Andre Thornton going deep.

The A's did manage a four-run eighth inning to put a light scare in the Cleveland dugout but Tom Waddell finally shut the door on the hopes of Oakland.

Winning Pitcher - Rick Sutcliffe
Losing Pitcher - Tim Conroy
Player of the Game - Chris Bando, 2-3, HR, 2B, HR, 2BBs, 3Rs
Hall of Famers in the Game - Rickey Henderson

June 11, 1984 - Victory for the Visitors

Game #755 - Baltimore Orioles, 4 @ Milwaukee Brewers, 3

Chuck Porter and Mike Flanagan faced off in this one, but it was Porter who relented first.  In the top of the second the Orioles sent eight batters to the box and Jim Dwyer, Wayne Gross, and John Lowenstein all crossed home to give the O's a 3-0 lead.

Flanagan, meanwhile, was electric.  He hadn't allowed a walk or a hit until the ninth place batter, Ted Simmons, hit his first homer of the year in the bottom of the third. 

It stayed 3-1 until the sixth.  Jim Dwyer doubled and, two batters later, Rick Dempsey singled him home.  That run proved valuable, because in the bottom of the eighth Flanagan was still on the mound when Jim "Gumby" Gantner singled and then Charlie Moore homered to bring the Brew Crew within a run of tying the game.  Sammy Stewart relieved Flanny and got the last five outs to save the day for Baltimore.

Winning Pitcher - Mike Flanagan
Losing Pitcher - Chuck Porter
Save - Sammy Stewart
Player of the Game - Stewart, 1.2 IP, 2Ks, BB
Hall of Famers in the Game - Cal Ripken, Eddie Murray, Robin Yount

Game #756 - Pittsburgh Pirates, 6 @ New York Mets, 4 (10 innings)

It was a scoreless game in the bottom of the second when Mookie Wilson singled and then stole second base.  Tony Pena uncorked a wild throw on the attempt, which moved Mookie to third.  Two batters later Mike Fitzgerald singled off Larry McWilliams for the unearned run.

The Pirates struck revenge in the top of the third, though.  Denny Gonzalez singled and later scored on a Marvelle Wynne triple.  Wynne then scored on a Lee Lacy single and the Pirates were on top 2-1.

The Mets knotted the game in the fourth inning.  Hubie Brooks singled and, two batters later, Ron Gardenhire launched a deep double to plate Brooks.  It stayed tied at 2-2 until the top of the sixth.  With Walt Terrell still on the mound, the Pirates had runners on second and third with two outs.  Dale Berra, who has been below the Mendoza line all season, dug in and stroked a key single, scoring both Pirates and giving Pittsburgh a two run lead.

It was ironic, then, that in the bottom of the eighth, still holding a one run lead, that a Berra error at short allowed Fitzgerald to score and tie the game.  Neither team produced a runner in the ninth so that meant one thing:  FREE BASEBALL!

Brent Gaff was in his third inning of relief in the top of the tenth when he walked Lee Lacy to lead off the inning.  Two batters later Jason Thompson gripped it and ripped it, sending the ball over the right field fence to give the Pirates the lead.  Don Robinson, also in his third inning of work, got three outs in the bottom of the tenth and the Jolly Roger waved over Shea Stadium.

Winning Pitcher - Don Robinson
Losing Pitcher - Brent Gaff
Player of the Game - Jason Thompson, 1-4, HR, 2RBI, BB, 2Rs

June 10, 1984 - Blowouts and Nail Biters

Game #743 - Atlanta Braves, 16 @ Los Angeles Dodgers, 1

You want to know something funny?  The Dodgers actually led this game 1-0 after the first.  Mike Marshall doubled home Pedro Guerrero but Pascual Perez settled down after that.

Randy Johnson was the big star on offense for the Braves.  In the third inning he hit a double that scored Albert Hall and later crossed home himself thanks to a Brad Komminsk hit. 

In the fourth inning he tattooed a homer for three RBI.

In the fifth, for the third consecutive inning, he had yet another RBI base knock. 

He added his sixth and final RBI of the day in the seventh, one of seven runs that scored in the inning.

Winning Pitcher - Pascual Perez
Losing Pitcher - Jerry Reuss
Player of the Game - Randy Johnson, 5-6, 2B, HR, 6RBI, 3Rs

Game #744 - New York Mets, 3 @ Montreal Exops, 2

Ron Darling and Bryn Smith were posting goose eggs through the first three frames of this game.  But in the top of the fourth Darryl Strawberry led off with a double, and scored two batters later when Mookie Wilson ripped a triple.  In the top of the sixth the Mets got two more runs.  George Foster hit a solo shot to start the inning.  Strawberry came up next and walked.  From there he stole second base, but moved to third on a throwing error by Gary Carter.  He then scored on a Hubie Brooks sacrifice fly.

Darling, meanwhile, continued to cruise until the eighth.  With two outs he walked Derrell Thomas.  Gary Carter made up for his gaff by blasting Darling's next pitch into the bleachers to close the lead to a run.  But Doug Sisk recorded the last four outs to save the win for the Metropolitans. 

Winning Pitcher - Ron Darling
Losing Pitcher - Bryn Smith
Save - Doug Sisk
Player of the Game - Darryl Strawberry, 1-3, 2B, BB, SB, 2Rs
Hall of Famers in the Game - Tim Raines, Gary Carter, Andre Dawson

June 9, 1984 - Mets Double EXPOSure

Game #729 - New York Mets, 2 @ Montreal Expos, 4

Twin bill!

In game one the Expos got out to an early lead in the first inning when Gary Carter ripped a two-run double to plate Bryan Little and Tim Raines.  In the bottom of the third the Expos struck again, this time on a two-run bomb from Andre Dawson.

Meanwhile, Expos starter Charlie Lea was mowing Mets down until the seventh.  That's when Hubie Brooks singled and then Darryl Strawberry went yard to cut the lead in half.  But Dan Schatzeder pitched a perfect two innings of relief to earn the save.

Winning Pitcher - Charlie Lea
Losing Pitcher - Bruce Bereny
Save - Dan Schatzeder
Player of the Game - Gary Carter, 1-3, 2B, 2RBI, BB, Asst
Hall of Famers in the Game - Tim Raines, Andre Dawson, Gary Carter

Game #730 - New York Mets, 9 @ Montreal Expos, 4

Part Deaux!

Both teams called up spot starters to the active roster for the second game.  The Expos penciled in Joe Hesketh and the Mets added Mike Torrez.  Both pitchers were strong through the first four innings as both teams were scoreless.  But in the top of the fifth Montreal ran into a wood chipper.  Tim Wallach and Mike Ramsey each committed fielding errors while George Foster and Jerry Martin both landed two-run homers for a mammoth seven run inning.  The Expos were never close again after that.

Winning Pitcher - Mike Torrez
Losing Pitcher - Joe Hesketh
Player of the Game - George Foster, 3-5, 2B, HR, 3RBI
Hall of Famers in the Game - Tim Raines, Gary Carter

June 8, 1984 - The City of Angels that Never Sleeps

Game #713 - Atlanta Braves, 0 @ Los Angeles Dodgers, 4

Braves starter Rick Mahler got into trouble right away in the bottom of the first.  Pedro Guerrero had an RBI ground out that plated Dave Anderson for the first run.  Mike Marshall had an RBI ground out that plated Mike Scioscia for the second run.  And then Ken Landreaux blasted a two-run homer to score himself and Greg Brock.

Alejandro Pena, meanwhile, was dealing the nasty stuff.  He logged six innings of work, surrendering zero runs and just three hits and two walks.  Carlos Diaz, Pat Zachry, and Tom Niedenfuer pitched a scoreless three innings of relief to to blank the hapless Braves.

Winning Pitcher - Alejandro Pena
Losing Pitcher - Rick Mahler
Player of the Game - Mike Scioscia, 3-4, R, threw out Claudell Washington when he tried to steal second base.

Game #714 - New York Mets, 10 @ Montreal Expos, 5

The Mets send eleven straight batters to the plate in the first inning before recording their first out.  Expos starter Bill Gullickson was yanked after just facing nine hitters.  Four Mets had doubles in the inning - Wally Backman, Darryl Strawberry, George Foster, and Keith Hernandez.  It was 9-0 before it reached the bottom of the first!

Dwight Gooden didn't look good either, though.  He gave up three runs in the bottom half of the inning, which included a Tim Wallach homer.  He settled down after that and lasted six total innings before Ed Lynch came in for the final three frames.  Wallach managed his second homer of the day in the eighth, but it wasn't enough to overcome that first inning onslaught.

Winning Pitcher - Dwight Gooden
Losing Pitcher - Bill Gullickson
Save - Ed Lynch
Player of the Game - Keith Hernandez, 3-4, 2 2Bs, 2RBI, 2Rs, BB
Hall of Famers in the Game - Tim Raines, Andre Dawson, Gary Carter

June 6, 1984 - In A New York Minute

Game #695 - Boston Red Sox, 3 @ New  York Yankees, 15

Don Baylor started the scoring in the bottom of the first with a solo bomb off Roger Clemens, who was making just his second start of the season.  Boston responded in the top of the second, though, by plating three runs off Joe Cowley to give them a two-run lead.

It didn't last long.

In the bottom of the fifth Clemens completely fell apart.  Oscar Gamble launched a three-run homer and two outs later Baylor tagged him for his second moonshot of the game.  New York scored three more runs after Clemens' exit to put up an eight-spot in the inning.  The Yankees exploded for six more in the eighth as the BoSox were absolutely demolished.

Winning Pitcher - Joe Cowley
Losing Pitcher - Roger Clemens
Player of the Game - Don Baylor, 3-4, 2HRs, 3RBI, 3Rs, BB
Hall of Famers in the Game - Dwight Evans, Wade Boggs, Jim Rice

Game #696 - New York Mets, 5 @ Pittsburgh Pirates, 4

New York scored all five of their runs in the top of the fourth.  Pirates starter Larry McWilliams got himself into a jam when he loaded the bases for Ron Gardenhire.  Gardy walked to score Darryl Strawberry and leave the bases juiced.  Up stepped catcher Mike Fitzgerald, who crushed a ball over the left field fence for a grand salami! 

The Pirates chipped back, even scoring a run in the ninth off closer Jesse Orosco, but time ran out and the Mets claimed the victory.

Winning Pitcher - Walt Terrell
Losing Pitcher - Larry McWilliams
Save - Jesse Orosco
Player of the Game - Mike Fitzgerald, 2-4, GS, 4RBI

2018 Rest In Peace updates

Regular readers of this Statis Pro blog know I hate updating the site with these posts, but we've had four players pass since the last obituary, so it's time to give them proper recognition

Bill Johnson - Cubs:  I have to admit I didn't know who Bill Johnson was when he passed in late January.  He only had a cup of coffee for the playoff-bound Cubs in 1984.  I haven't used him yet in this Statis Pro season.

Oscar Gamble - Yankees:  This passing stung baseball fans across the globe, especially card collectors who were in love with Gamble's epic afro pictures on cardboard.  My favorite Gamble memory, though, comes from Graig Nettles' autobiography, Balls.  If you're not familiar with it, it's basically a chronicle of the 1983 New York Yankees season where he absolutely unloads on George Steinbrenner for being a meddling owner who doesn't understand how baseball works.  My dad gave it to me to read at a much too young age.  It's not unlike Jim Bouton's Ball Four in that it gives you a very real insider's view of team dynamics.  At one point in the book Nettles is describing Steinbrenner's obsession with getting hits with runners in scoring position.  Nettles relays Gamble's reply to his owner, "When I'm at bat, I'm in scoring position."  I wasn't too young to immediately laugh when I read it.

Sammy Stewart - Orioles:  Sadly, Stewart's passing didn't come as a surprise as Baltimore fans know of his long history of substance abuse and subsequent prison time.  He appeared to turn his life around once he was released and all O's fans will remember his importance to the 1983 World Series winner and the 1979 playoff team.

Rusty Staub - Mets:  You rarely find such beloved players like Rusty Staub.  He's iconic to Montreal, New York, Houston and Detroit fan bases.  Rusty was an enormously charitable individual off the field and I've never heard a bad word about him.  He had a near Hall of Fame career though in the real 1984 he was exclusively a pinch hitter.

Thank you, gentlemen, for your contributions to the game of baseball and the memories you've given us.  It's an honor to manage you in Statis Pro.  God bless.

June 5, 1984 - Walk On

Game #683 - New York Mets, 5 @ Pittsburgh Pirates, 7

In the bottom of the first the Pirates had Lee Lacy at third and Johnny Ray at second with two outs and Tony Pena at the dish.  He roped a single off Ron Darling to give the Pirates an early 2-0 lead.

In the bottom of the fifth the lead was down to one run but the Pirates offense pushed three across the plate.  Lacy doubled home Marvell Wynne, Jason Thompson singled home Lacy, and then Pena doubled for his third RBI of the game.

The Mets mounted their retaliation in the seventh.  Pirates starter Jose DeLeon walked eight (!) batters in the first six innings but had only allowed two runs.  But Rod Scurry gave up a solo blast to Darryl Strawberry to bring New York to within three.  In the top of the eighth the Mets scored again, this time on a Denny Gonzalez error that scored Danny Heep.  But Pittsburgh picked up two more runs in the bottom of the eighth which was enough to keep them ahead of New York's two runs in the top of the ninth.  The Pirates walked 14 total batters but the Mets left most of them stranded.

Winning Pitcher - Jose DeLeon
Losing Pitcher - Ron Darling
Save - Kent Tekulve
Player of the Game - Tony Pena, 2-4, 2B, 3RBI

Game #684 - Houston Astros, 5 @ San Diego Padres, 2

Tony Gwynn and Steve Garvey had to sit this one out due to a minor injury each sustained when they collided into each other the game before.  Garvey has now missed more games due to injuries in Statis Pro than he did the real 1984.  The big story of the game, though, was Nolan Ryan.  He pitched a complete game while striking out ten Padres.

Winning Pitcher -  Nolan Ryan
Losing Pitcher - Eric Show
Player of the Game - Nolan Ryan, CG, 10K's, 6H's, 3BB's
Hall of Famers in the Game - Nolan Ryan

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

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 - 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 28, 1984 - Show and Tell

Game #586 - San Diego Padres, 4 @ New York Mets, 3

"El Sid" Fernandez and Eric Show squared up against each other in this one, and both of them would like their first innings back.

In the top of the first Tony Gwynn lined a single and stole second...only to trot home two batters later when Kevin McReynolds went yard to give the Padres a 2-0 lead.

But in the bottom of the first New York came storming back.  Eric Show's ERA has been above 6 all seasson, indicating he's had hard luck with the FAC cards.  That trend continued as Wally Backman and Hubie Brooks reached base and, with two outs, George Foster crushed a homer to give the Mets a 3-2 lead.

That score held until the top of the fifth.  With two outs Alan Wiggins walked and Tony Gwynn notched his second hit of the game.  That brought up Carmelo Martinez, who cranked a bases-clearing double to give the Padres the lead once again at 4-3.

Show cruised after the first inning, and was relieved by Dave Dravecky in the eighth.  Dravecky ran until problems in the ninth when he walked Darryl Strawberry with no outs, but Strawberry tried to steal second and was gunned down by Terry Kennedy.  San Diego won!

Winning Pitcher - Eric Show
Losing Pitcher - Sid Fernandez
Save - Dave Dravecky
Player of the Game - Show, 7IP, 3ER, 4H's, 8K's, 2BB's
Hall of Famers in the Game - Tony Gwynn

May 27, 1984 - New York State of Mind

Game #579 - Los Angeles Dodgers, 1 @ New York Mets, 7

Fernando Valenzuela faced a disastrous third inning.  With two outs Keith Hernandez walked, George Foster singled, Mike Fitzgerald singled, Ron Gardenhire doubled, Danny Heep reached on a Pedro Guerrero error, Jerry Martin singled, and then Bruce Berenyi mercifully popped out to Guerrero.  Only two of the five runs were "earned" for Valenzuela, but the Dodgers never recovered, despite Valenzuela pitching a complete game.

Winning Pitcher - Bruce Berenyi
Losing Pitcher - Fernando Valenzuela
Player of the Game - Berenyi, CG, 1R, 5H's, 7K's, 3BB's

Game #580 - New York Yankees, 8 @ Oakland A's, 3

 Willie Randolph, Steve Kemp, and Dave Winfield knocked three straight doubles to lead off the game for the Yankees.  They added three more runs in the top of the second when Don Mattingly singled with the bases loaded to score two.  The A's never rallied after the initial 5-0 deficit, despite Larry Sorensen pitching a nice four scoreless innings of relief for Oakland.

Winning Pitcher - Dennis Rasmussen
Losing Pitcher - Chris Codiroli
Player of the Game - Don Mattingly, 3-5, R, 3RBI
Hall of Famers in the Game - Dave Winfield, Rickey Henderson