April 25, 1984 - Dodgers Comeback for Win

Game #225 - Houston Astros, 3 @ Los Angeles Dodgers, 4

What should have been a pitcher's duel between Joe Niekro and Orel Hershisher was instead a sloppy affair for both starters.  Niekro gave up seven hits and five walks while Hershisher surrendered 9 while also walking five. 

The game was tied 1-1 in the top of the sixth when Craig Reynolds smoked a two RBI triple to give Houston the lead.  Niekro was still pitching in the seventh when he got himself into a bases loaded jam.  Denny Walling misplayed a German Rivera grounder to allow two runs to score.  Steve Sax added another unearned run when he singled to give LA the lead for good.

Winning Pitcher - Orel Hershiser
Losing Pitcher - Joe Niekro
Save - Burt Hooton
Player of the Game - Steve Sax, 2-3, R, BB, SB, RBI
 

April 25, 1984 - Bedrock

Game #224 - Cincinnati Reds, 4 @ Atlanta Braves, 5

I don't think you can look any more 1984 than Steve Bedrosian does in this baseball card.

Dan Driessen of the Reds scored the first run of the game with a solo blast in the top of the second off of Pascual Perez.  Perez got pay pack in the bottom of the inning, though, by rocking a two RBI triple. 

The Braves were up 4-2 in the top of the eighth when the Reds tied things up.  A Rafael Ramirez error allowed Driessen and Ron Oester to cross home plate.  But in the bottom of the eighth Ramirez rectified his mistake by leading off with a triple.  Dale Murphy promptly singled him home, and Atlanta pulled out the victory.

Winning Pitcher - Terry Forster
Losing Pitcher - John Franco
Save - Steve Bedrosian
Player of the Game - Bedrosian, 1 IP, 1K

April 25, 1984 - Joe Morgan is on crack.

Game #223 - Oakland Athletics, 2 @ Toronto Blue Jays, 6

Joe Morgan is not literally on crack.  But in this season of Statis Pro, he is on figurative crack.

Morgan went two for four this game, stroking two doubles.  His average is over .500 and and his OPS is well above 1.500.  Each game I play with the A's, I keep waiting for Joe to cool off.  His luck in "fast action cards" is impossibly good right now.

The other AL second bagger playing out of their mind right now is Damaso Garcia.  He's at .400 for the season and was a key cog in this game's Toronto victory.  Garcia went 2 for four with a double and 2 RBI's.  He also stole a base!

Dave Stieb got the victory for Toronto.  He walked an uncharacteristic four batters but only surrendered two runs and seven Oakland hits.  Jimmy Key was dicey in the ninth, loading the bases with the tying run at the plate, but he struck out Dwayne Murphy and Dave Kingman to escape the jam.

Winning Pitcher - Dave Stieb
Losing Pitcher - Larry Sorenson
Save - Jimmy Key
Player of the Game - Damaso Garcia
Hall of Famers in the Game - Rickey Henderson, Joe Morgan

RIP - Mario Ramirez

Rest in Peace Mario Ramirez.  He passed away in his native Puerto Rico in February.

April 25, 1984 - Texas on an Eight Game Slide

Game #222 - Detroit Tigers, 4 @ Texas Rangers, 2

Texas is just 3-15 on the season, worst in the American League.

Detroit is 12-4, which tops the AL.  A tale of two teams it would seem...

Lance Parrish put the first run on the board in the top of the second with a solo homer off of Dave Stewart.  Detroit scored a second run in the fourth when Kirk Gibson tripled and Chet Lemon doubled him home.  A Jeff Kunkel error in the seventh allowed two more Tigers to score.

The Rangers had their chances throughout the game but stranded a ton of runners.  Detroit starter Milt Wilcox surrendered eight hits and six walks but Texas only managed two runs.  Dave Stewart gutted out eight innings with only the two earned runs, but had nothing to show for it thanks to the struggling Rangers offense.

Winning Pitcher - Milt Wilcox
Losing Pitcher - Dave Stewart
Save - Dave Rozema
Player of the Game - Lance Parrish, 1-3, HR, BB, threw out to Rangers trying to steal, icy glare

April 25, 1984 - Twins Crawl Out of the Cellar

Game #221 - New York Yankees, 2 @ Minnesota Twins, 6

This Mike Smithson card always cracked me up as a kid.  The sweaty neck and armpits.  The comical moustache.  The random spring training background...priceless.

But Smithson was no joke in this game.  He kept the Yankees in check.  The Twins were on the board first when Tim Teufel knocked home Kirby Puckett in the bottom of the first.  In the top of the second New York tied it up with a Butch Wynegar sacrifice fly that had Don Mattingly trotting home.

The Yankees got blown out in the bottom of the second, though.  Phil Niekro couldn't get his knuckler past the Twins' hitters.  Kent Hrbek cranked a three run job, and Tom Brunansky followed that with his own solo homer.  The New York bullpen kept Minnesota scoreless after that, but Smithson pitched an important complete game a day after a double header.

Winning Pitcher - Mike Smithson
Losing Pitcher - Phil Niekro
Player of the Game - Smithson, CG, 3K's, 2R's, 6H's, 0BB's
Hall of Famers in the Game - Dave Winfield, Phil Niekro, Kirby Puckett

April 25, 1984 - Bruce Almighty

Game #220 - California Angels, 5 @ Milwaukee Brewers, 0

Besides having a bad hair day (cheap shot), Don Sutton had a bad pitching day.  You know you're in trouble when lightweights like Rob Wilfong and Dick Schofield can smoke a triple and a homer back to back to plate three runs.  Bob Boone added a two-RBI double in the eighth after Sutton was pulled.

Winning Pitcher - Bruce Kison
Losing Pitcher - Don Sutton
Player of the Game - Kison, 6 2/3IP, 7K's, 0R's
Hall of Famers in the Game - Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson, Robin Yount, Don Sutton