Click the above image to view clickable stats in a separate tab. I upload an update each time my team begins a new series.
I have decided to manage the 1985 New York Yankees next. Regular readers know that the Yankees are my favorite team. I first became aware of the New York Yankees baseball team in the mid-1980's as a child, but I remember them best for their championships in the 1990's and early 2000's. I wanted to get to know the older Yankees teams better.
I have picked the 1985 season because it was Don Mattingly's MVP year and because the Yankees in real life narrowly missed the A.L. East pennant to the Toronto Blue Jays (two games back). I managed to lead the 2017 Yankees to the world championship... can I do it again with another close-but-not-quite squad? After suffering through my last replay (1969's no-stars Seattle Pilots) I look forward to playing with league stars like Mattingly, Rickey Henderson, Dave Winfield, and Ron Guidry. The supporting cast included guys like Willie Randolph, Phil Niekro, Ken Griffey Sr., and Dave Righetti.
This replay uses my settings. For this replay, defensive shifts have been turned off since it is 1985. For something different and because I want to maximize all the SOM card features, I have turned on SADV Injuries but they are limited to current games only. I am using the As-Played season because the original season did not have closer ratings. I do not use trades and have reassigned traded players to their best teams. I did my best to ensure all teams had at least 10 pitchers and 15 batters. I have left the computer team's lineups, but I edited their rotations so the best pitchers (even if they were relievers) will start more often for a greater challenge. Finally, the computer managers are allowed to use minor leaguers but I am limiting myself to the 40/25 rule. Total players per team ranged from 26 to 31, so I don't expect the computer manager to have a huge advantage with deep benches. The most pitchers a team has in this replay is 12.
I am posting all results, pre-game notes, newspaper recaps, League Notes summaries of interesting autoplayed games, recaps provided by my Events settings, and my own Manager Notes for what went through my head during each Yankees win and loss. I hope you enjoy reading about them as much as I did playing Strat-O-Matic and writing my thoughts.
Last but not least, I would like to dedicate the rest of this replay to the 1985 team's oldest player, future Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, who was 46 in the 1985 season. Niekro recently passed away, on December 26.
Click the above image to view clickable stats in a separate tab. I upload an update each time my team begins a new series.
Manager's Notes
In the 2nd inning Ron Hassey hit a RBI single to score Willie Randolph from 2B for a 1-0 start. In the next inning, Trammell hit a solo homer and Evans added a RBI to make it 2-1, Tigers.
In the 3rd inning the game got away from SP Ed Whitson with a couple of homers by Detroit to make it 5-1. We mounted a comeback in the bottom of the 7th and scored two runs. Detroit's bats stymied our pitching. Evans finished the day with 2 HRs and 4 RBIs for a convincing series win by the Tigers.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
Oakland Athletics 6 @ Cleveland Indians 2
Leadoff hitter Alfredo Griffin went 5 for 5 with 2 runs. Bruce Bochte led the scoring with 1 run and 3 RBIs.
·Full game report.
San Diego Padres 7 @ San Francisco Giants 0
2-12 SP Dave Dravecky may have turned a corner today with a 1-hit shutout for the Padres against the Giants. He carried a no-hitter in to the 6th inning, when PH Mike Woodward singled with two outs left. Jerry Royster led the Padres with two runs scored and Carmelo Martinez batted in three runs.
·Full game report.
Two hitters had 2 HRs and 6 RBIs today. Kent Hrbek did it for the Minnesota Twins in a 8-1 rout over the Texas Rangers. Tom Herr did the same for the St. Louis Cardinals in a 13-0 5-hit shutout over the Chicago Cubs enjoyed by Cardinals pitcher Joaquin Andujar.
Manager's Notes
It was a well-pitched game for both teams. SP Ron Guidry had a couple of hiccups - Parrish hit a solo homer in the 4th inning. In the 5th inning Guidry couldn't get one last out and gave up two more runs.
In the bottom of the 8th our bats caught fire and PH Bobby Meacham managed a bases loaded single with 1 out to cut the deficit to 3-1. Unfortunately Dave Winfield grounded into a double play to end our rally. In the bottom of the 9th Don Mattingly hit a solo homer, but PH Don Baylor ended the game with another ill-timed double play for the loss.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
Kevin Gross pitched a 3-hit shutout for the Philadelphia Phillies in a narrow 1-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Von Hayes hit a RBI single in the 8th inning to bring home Jeff Stone for the game's only run.
Manager's Notes
Don Baylor starred for us early by driving in a runner in the 1st, 3rd, and 5th innings. Don Mattingly added 2 RBIs of his own and that was all the scoring of the game. The Tigers were 0-8 with RISP tonight. SP Marty Bystrom took the win and Dave Righetti picked up a 2 1/3 innings save.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
Manager's Notes
In the top of the 2nd Barfield hit a perfectly placed DO3 past Ken Griffey for 2 RBIs. The Jays added two more runs that inning for a 4-0 start. One more run scored in the next inning and SP Rich Bordi was done after 10 hits. RP Bob Shirley loads the bases with no out but managed to get out unscathed.
In the bottom of the 6th, Dale Berra hit a RBI to score Andre Robertson, who had hit a triple. A few batters later, Don Mattingly hit a 3-run double off a tiring Key to get us behind 5-4.
In the bottom of the 8th inning it looked like we gave away a chance to tie the game when Rickey Henderson was caught stealing 3B by Whitt. However PH Mike Pagliarulo bailed us out with a clutch S= to score Willie Randolph from 2B with two outs to tie the game at 5.
In the 10th inning, we used up all of our pinch hitters and Billy Sample had to borrow Mattingly's glove after Donnie was hit by a pitch in the 10th inning. In the bottom of the 12th Randolph bunted to advance Rickey Henderson 3B with no out. 1B Upshaw was overzealous and his throw to C Whitt sailed over the latter's head, enabling Henderson to round 3B and score the winning run! We take two out of three games from Toronto at home.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
Manager's Notes
In the top of the 1st inning CF Henry Cotto robbed Bell of a home run. In the bottom of the 2nd Ron Hassey launched a no-doubter to center field for a 1-0 start. Henry Cotto added to the heroics with a RBI single, and then scored off an Andre Robertson single for a 3-0 score.
Fernandez countered with a RBI triple in the top of the 3rd. Cotto roared back with another 1-column roll and a 2-run S= in the bottom of the 4th. The Blue Jays managed a couple of runs but Ron Guidry was good enough to go the distance for a win.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
Manager's Notes
In the bottom of the 1st Ron Hassey and then Mike Pagliarulo hit clutch S='s for two runs. In the next inning the Blue Jays used aggressive baserunning and took advantage of SP Marty Bystrom trying to pick off Barfield at 2B for a 2-bases error.
The game remained scoreless into extra innings. Bystrom ran out of gas in the 6th inning, but Steib lasted until the 9th inning. We had men in scoring positions with one out but couldn't score. In the top of the 11th Burroughs hit a deep shot off new reliever Dennis Rasmussen to score teammate Upshaw from 1st. That was the game for us both. 3rd-place Toronto has gone 8-2 in their last 10 games and they continue their climb up the AL East standings.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
Baltimore Orioles 3 @ Detroit Tigers 0
Ken Dixon had a big 2-hit shutout for the O's today. The first-place Orioles' 10 hits helped to give them the scoring edge today.
·Full game report.
San Francisco Giants 4 @ Atlanta Braves 0
Atlee Hammaker also had a 2-hit shutout today. RF Joel Youngblood led the Giants offense with 2 hits and 2 RBIs. He now leads the Giants' starting batters with a .292 batting average.
·Full game report.
Manager's Notes
We led early in the game thanks to a Don Mattingly RBI double, Willie Randolph RBI single, and Henry Cotto RBI single. Molitor and Yount were able to get RBI hits in the bottom of the third to cut the deficit to 4-2. That was the Brewers' offense at its best today. Phil Niekro induced two double plays and took advantage of some excellent fielding. A highlight was Rickey Henderson throwing out Ganter at home plate from LF in the top of the 3rd.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
Los Angeles Dodgers 2 @ Atlanta Braves 10
Braves 1B Bob Horner had a big day at the plate by slamming two home runs and totaling 5 RBIs. He went 4 for 4 and scored 2 runs. Dale Murphy was even better, though. He walked, then singled, then doubled, then hit a homer, and finally hit a triple for a cycle!!! Murphy was 4 for 4 with 4 runs and 2 RBIs.
·Full game report.
Manager's Notes
Milwaukee struck first in the bottom of the 1st with a solo homer by Cooper and then an attempt at an inside-the-park homer by Simmons, but the latter was thrown out by CF Rickey Henderson. Don Mattingly responded in the next inning with a 2-run homer for a 2-1 lead.
Milwaukee tied it up in the bottom half with an Oglive solo homer. Our starters held the fort until the top of the 7th, when Ken Griffey was able to hit a solo homer for us. Milwaukee loaded the bases in the bottom of the 7th, but RP Joe Cowley and good fielding were able to shut them down. Unfortunately in the bottom of the 8th Yount hit a homer to tie the game 3-3.
In the top of 10th our batters didn't waste any time. Dave Winfield hit a sacrifice fly to RF to score Don Mattingly from 3B. Defensive replacement SS Bobby Meacham immediately followed with a solo shot to make it 5-3. Unfortunately the Brewers came roaring back and PH Brouhard hit his first homer of the year off our closer Dave Righetti for the walk-off win.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
In a standout batting performance today, Toronto Blue Jays catcher Ernie Whitt hit two 2-run home runs and totaled 5 RBIs in a 8-1 win over the Detroit Tigers. Jimmy Key had another complete game behind the Jays' offense.
Manager's Notes
Milwaukee spoiled a shutout when the scored off a throwing error by CF Henry Cotto in the bottom of the 5th. In the top of the 6th Willie Randolph pulled off a squeeze play to perfection and got himself safe. The second batter after, Bobby Meacham, put us ahead with another squeeze play.
In the top of the 9th Milwaukee committed their 4th error of the game when Don Mattingly attempted his own squeeze play for our 3rd run. Ron Hassey, who got beaned by SP Haas in two consecutive at-bats, added a RBI single to make it 4-1. The next batter, Mike Pagliarulo, hit a single that CF Yount couldn't field for one last run.
It was a badly defended game for Milwaukee, who totaled 5 errors. 2B Romero erred twice for the Brew Crew. Rich Bordi took over for winning pitcher Ron Guidry and earned his 3rd save of the season.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
Texas Rangers 1 @ Oakland Athletics 9
DH Bruce Bochte went 5 for 5 with 2 runs. The A's totaled 12 hits as Chris Codiroli was able to pitch a 5-hit complete game. Codiroli is now 2nd in the A.L. with a 2.09 ERA.
·Full game report.
Orel Hershiser threw another complete game for the Los Angeles Dodgers today, but despite his MLB-best 1.25 ERA, teammate Pedro Guerrero managed to upstage him at Atlanta. Guerrero hit two home runs, including a Grand Slam, to total 3 runs and 6 RBIs. The Dodgers won easily over the Braves 12-1. The St. Louis Cardinals stole one from the hometown New York Mets today. Down 3-2 in the top of the 9th, the Cards blew Roger McDowell's save chance with a solo homer by Jack Clark and then a two-run dinger by Darrell Porter. John Tudor stayed for the bottom of the 9th for a complete game win.
Manager's Notes
Our team slump continues tonight. Marty Bystrom lost his first decision (now 7-1) by giving up 3-run home runs in consecutive innings to Riles and Simmons. SP Higuera held us to only one hit and one walk. He only had three strike outs, but induced a lot of easy fly balls. Don Mattingly got a double past him in the 2nd inning but that was it for us.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
Note - I had a file issue that accidentally caused the game to be played twice with the exact same results. The season stats for both teams are a little off for today's summary and MLB recap but the in-game results are correct.
MLB Notes
Detroit Tigers 0 @ Toronto Blue Jays 5
The Blue Jays' Dave Stieb was equally effective today, tossing a 2-hit shutout. George Bell, Jesse Barfield, and Charles Johnson each had 2 hits and Grgh Iorg drove in 3 runs.
·Full game report.
Rick Sutcliffe also had a big shutout today. He threw 5 no-hit innings and finished the day with a 3-hitter. His Chicago Cubs also managed only three hits. Jody Davis was able to hit a RBI double for the game's only run in the bottom of the 2nd against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
MLB Notes
The Baltimore Orioles were lifted by two home runs by Eddie Murray to win over the California Angels 4-3 and tie with us for 1st in the A.L. East. Today's best walk-off of the day award goes to Pete Rose, who hit a RBI single to break up a 2-2 tie and win the game for the Cincinnati Reds over the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-2.
Manager's Notes
Tonight was another cold hitting game for us. Oakland scored off a single in the top of the 2nd and a solo homer by Murphy in the 3rd. In the bottom of the 3rd Rickey Henderson smashed what looked like a game-tying homer, but Murphy easily robbed it for the 3rd out.
Oakland ended up scoring one run from the 2nd to 5th inning. After #5 starter Joe Cowley got hurt, our relievers stopped the scoring and our batters attempted a comeback. Henry Cotto drove in a run in the bottom of the 5th, Ron Hassey singled home Don Mattingly in the 6th, and PH Butch Wynegar hit a clutch RBI double in the 8th.
We got two men on base with one out, but Ken Griffey hit into a game-ending 6-4-3 double play to spoil the comeback effort. We will have a day off to fly to Milwaukee and see if we can't stop this losing streak from getting out of hand.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
The Seattle Mariners won a 16-inning marathon of the Detroit Tigers 5-4. Phil Bradley hit the game-winning double to score Spike Owen in the top of the 16th. Nolan Ryan threw a no-hitter for 7.2 innings, but he couldn't quite secure no. 6. The Houston Astros held on to win over the St. Louis Cardinals 5-2. Finally, the Philadelphia Phillies eventually came out on top against the San Diego Padres 9-6. Rick Schu put the Phillies on top in the 9th thanks to a Grand Slam off Dave Dravecky, who now has a 1-12 record as a starter.
Manager's Notes
Well, this is one of the worst games I have ever witnessed as a manager. SP Birstas 2-hit us for 8 innings before the computer manager, for some reason, put in John to get the last three outs. Ron Guidry got shelled, giving up 8 earned runs in 6 innings. Baker and Heath hit homers and the A's were 7 for 12 tonight.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
The Montreal Expos won big against the San Francisco Giants 11-0 today. Floyd Youmans had 5 no-hit innings and completed his shutout giving up on ly 3 hits. #3 and #4 hitters Andre Dawson and Hubie Brooks combined to go 6 for 12 with 6 runs and 3 RBIs.
Manager's Notes
Seattle's first batter of the game, Perconte, hit a triple and then scored off a Ed Whitson pitch that got past Ron Hassey. However in successive innings Don Mattingly hit a RBI single and Bobby Meacham laid down a successful squeeze for a 2-1 lead. In the bottom of the 3rd we extended our lead with a RBI double by Dave Winfield and a sacrifice fly by Hassey.
Seattle managed only 4 hits the entire game and turned over a couple of double plays when they managed to get men in scoring positions. Whitson was only able to go 6.1 innings so RP Rich Bordi stuck around for a long save.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
Kansas City Royals 0 @ Chicago White Sox 8
The White Sox's Floyd Bannister threw a masterful 2-hit shutout against the Royals. He struck out 7 and walked only 2. Carlton Fisk, hitting only .188 so far this season, paced the offense by going 3 for 4 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs.
·Full game report.
California Angels 1 @ Detroit Tigers 6
Frank Tanana threw a 1-hitter today. It would have been an impressive shutout, but in the top of the 9th 3B Tom Brookens committed two consecutive errors. Juan Beniquez hit a groundout that scored Reggie Jackson from 3B. The only hit Tanana gave up was a single by Gary Pettis in the top of the 5th. DH Barbaro Garbey had 3 RBIs and SS Alan Trammell added 2.
·Full game report.
There were other great pitching performances today. I just have to list them!
-Orel Hershiser is already garnering talks of a MVP and Cy Young Award with a 3-hit shutout for the Dodgers over the Montreal Expos 2-0.
-Teddy Higuera added another shutout with a 4-hitter for the Milwaukee Brewers in a 1-0 squeaker against the Minnesota Twins. Cecil Cooper hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the 1st to score Paul Molitor for the game's only run.
-Kevin Gross had his 2nd shutout of the year with a 4-hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies in a 2-0 win over the San Francisco Giants.
-Jmmy Key enjoyed a 3-hitter in a 6-1 win for the Blue Jays over the Cleveland Indians in the second game of a doubleheader. Damaso Darcia and Lloyd Moseby both had 3 hits, 2 RBIs, and 2 runs off the #1 and #2 lineup spots, respectively.
-Finally, Chicago Cubs pitcher Rick Sutcliffe launched his 3rd home run of the season, but had to leave after 3 1/3 innings due to an inury. Lee Smith held down the fort as the Cubs won over the Houston Astros 5-1.
Manager's Notes
Seattle got into trouble in the 1st inning as a Ron Hassey single to CF resulted in a 2-run Henderson error. Mike Pagliarulo hit a sacrifice fly to bring Hassey home for a 3-0 start.
Pagliarulo made things happen again in the bottom of the 4th with a solo homer to the short RF porch. Henry Cotto added a RBI single for a 5-0 lead. We added a couple of runs later in the game. The Mariners' bats woke up too late to rally. They ended the night 2 for 11 with RISP compared to our 3 for 8.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
California Angels 4 @ Detroit Tigers 0
The Angels' Kirk McCaskill now leads the A.L. in ERA with 1.42 after throwing a 2-hit shutout today. Gary Pettis and Bobby Grich each drove in two runs to insure McCaskill's 3rd win of the season.
·Full game report.
Chicago Cubs 6 @ Houston Astros 2
Ryne Sandberg went 5 for 5 and picked up 2 RBIs to lead the Cubs offense. Dennis Eckersley had a decent game, getting the win and even contributing a RBI single to score Shawon Dunston from 3B. Lee Smith took over for Eck to pick up his 7th save of the season.
·Full game report.
One of the worst losses I've ever seen out of Strat-O-Matic was the Milwaukee Brewers' 12-4 win over the Minnesota Twins. Such a score isn't unusual, but it was how the losing team lost. In the top of the 9th, the Twins were ahead 4-1. Milwaukee could not get themselves out as 16 Brewers batters led to a 11-run 9th! In another 9th inning tilt, the St. Louis Cardinals blew a 2-0 lead in the top of the 9th to trail 4-2 against the Cincinnati Reds. The Red Birds emerged victorious as Cesar Cedeno hit a walk-off two-run single scoring Andy Van slyke and Ivan De Jesus. for a 5-4 win.
Manager's Notes
In the top of the 2nd Henderson hit a solo homer for Seattle. In the bottom of the 3rd Don Mattingly nearly returned the favor, but his double did not clear the top of the wall. However, he was able to score Rickey Henderson from 2B to tie the game.
In the bottom of the 7th PH Ken Griffey hit a deep sacrifice fly to score Bobby Meacham from 3B. Meacham stole 2nd and 3rd to get into that position! We did poorly with men in scoring position, only going 1 for 8.
Seattle only managed 2 hits after 8 innings, but I didn't want to take chances with Seattle's lefty hitters against righty SP Marty Bystrom. CL Dave Righetti gave up a man on 2B with one out. An intentional walk to Bradley and a forced double play by Davis sealed a close win.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
The Baltimore Orioles and the Oakland Athletics played a 17-inning marathon. In the top of the 17th the Athletics' Alfredo Griffin hit a RBI single to lead 2-1. In the bottom half Fred Lynn and Lenn Sakata got on base against RP Tommy John. Gary Roenicke hit a walk-off double to end a long night for both teams. 3-2 win for the Orioles as they stay .5 game behind us.
Manager's Notes
California got a few hits in the top of the 1st for a 1-0 start. However in the bottom half 1B Carew and 3B Decinces committed consecutive errors that got Don Mattingly on base, and then to home plate to tie the game. In the bottom of the 5th Donnie Baseball hit a S= to score Billy Sample from 2B for a 2-1 lead.
In the top of the 6th Grich nearly hit a 3-run homer, but it was caught on the warning track by Sample. In the bottom of the 7th Mattingly added a homer to extend our lead. Unfortunately in the next inning Downing hit a 2-out solo homer to cut the deficit to 3-2.
In the top of the 9th PR White stole 2B and 3B at will. Backup catcher Butch Wynegar's throw to 3B sailed over Mike Pagliarulo's head, enabling the Halos to tie the game. Beniquez hit the go-ahead solo dinger to add to Brian Fisher's blown save. I'll shuffle the batting order the first time in a long time to see if it can get our offense going again.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
Manager's Notes
In the top of the 3rd we had two all-star outfield assists. RF Dave Winfield threw Pettis out at 3B and then CF Rickey Henderson gunned down Carew going for home for the final out. Henderson celebrated in the bottom half by hitting a solo homer to tie the game. Angels CF Pettis added his own assist in the bottom of the 4th to rob Don Baylor of a potential 1-out triple.
In the bottom of the 6th SP Calendaria tired and loaded the bases with two outs. I subbed out Ken Griffey for Billy Sample, but the manager put in RHP Cliburn. I put in left-handed Dan Pasqua instead and he rewarded me with a Grand Slam that barely cleared the right field porch! Jones hit a solo homer to make it a save situation in the bottom of the 9th, but middle reliever Rich Bordi was able to pick up his first save of the season.
The Angels totaled 12 hits to our 5, but they could not get the key hits when they were needed. With our win and the Baltimore Orioles' loss, we are finally in 1st place in a competitive A.L. East.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
Oakland Athletics 7 @ Detroit Tigers 13
Tigers 1B Darrell Evans was a one-man wrecking crew today. He hit three home runs - a Grand Slam, a two-run shot, and a solo dinger. That added up to 7 RBIs, which led the Tigers to a win in a high-scoring contest.
·Full game report.
MLB Notes
The Toronto Blue Jays' David Steib threw a no-hitter for 7.2 innings (Harold Baines broke it up). Steib finished the game with a 3-hit shutout as Toronto won 8-0 over the Chicago White Sox. Poor Tom Seaver had no choice but to pitch all 9 innings for the White Sox - it looks like ChiSox had to rest their relievers.
Manager's Notes
We played quite a bit of small ball in the first few innings. A squeeze play by Bobby Meacham started us 1-0 in the top of the 2nd, but Oakland got a few timely hits to lead 3-1. A Don Mattingly squeeze in the top of the 3rd and 2-out bases loaded walk by Meacham tied the game.
In the top of the 4th, Donnie hit a 2-run homer against tiring SP Langford for a 5-3 lead. In the bottom of the 6th SP Phil Niekro got into trouble and we kept giving up hits. The A's roared back to tie the game 7-7. The Athletics threatened to take the lead the next inning with a man on 3B and 1 out, but Dave Righetti managed to shut down the threat with two strikeouts.
In the top of the 10th PH Henry Cotto, put in specifically for his B bunting rating, bunted into an E2 for the A's defense, putting men on 3B and 2B with no out. PH Ken Griffey launched a sacrifice fly into CF for the go-ahead run. Brian Fisher wrapped up a 5.2 inning, 0 run relief effort for us with a 1-2-3 out save. Our bats keep on rolling as we take the Tuesday off to fly back to the Bronx.
By the way, I didn't even notice until reading the game story, but Dave Winfield hit for the cycle!!! He hit a double in the 1st, triple in the 3rd, single in the 4th, and home run in the 6th. This is my first time witnessing a cycle in a game and I'm glad it happened to my team.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
Manager's Notes
We started well in the top of the 1st with a 2-run homer by Ron Hassey that barely cleared the RF wall. Unfortunately in the bottom of the 2nd the A's tied it with a Henderson 2-run homer.
Twice in the game we sacrificed to get Bobby Meacham on 3B and squeeze him home. We couldn't the first time with Henry Cotto. However after he got injured, we managed it with his replacement Billy Sample on the top of the 7th to break the tie. Unfortunately it was for naught as Henderson homered again against Ron Guidry to tie the game again in the bottom half. I really hate tht 1 column.
In the bottom of the 8th Ron Hassey hit what looked like the go-ahead sacrifice fly, but a Rare Play caused Dave Winfield to leave his bag too early to try to beat the throw. He was out on an appeal.
In the top of the 10th Rickey Henderson rolled a 1 for a split triple to score Don Baylor from 2B. Dave Rightetti picked up the save. Guidry had a good day as he gave up only 3 runs (out of 2 Henderson homers) in 8.2 innings. Bobby Meacham was the star today with many excellent defensive plays and also for hitting three consecutive doubles.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
Manager's Notes
Platoon catcher Ron Hassey continues his recent hot streak by hitting a RBI double in the top of the 1st for a 1-0 start. After a well pitched game, Oakland finally got something started in the bottom of the 6th with a second consecutie single, but Hill tried for 3B and was gunned down by CF Henry Cotto. Cotton continued his hot hitting in the top of the 7th by hitting a RBI single to make it 2-0.
Rookie PH Canseco nearly tied the game in the bottom of the 8th with a deep left field hit, but Rickey Henderson caught it on the warning track. The A's managed to get two men on bases with two outs in the bottom of the 9th, but CL Brian Fisher was able to strike out Murphy to pick up the save and preserve the team shutout.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
Los Angeles Dodgers 1 @ New York Mets 6
Today was Fernandez's turn to pitch a complege game. El Sid gave up a solo homer to Mike Marshall, but kept all the other Dodgers at bay and finished his complete game with only two hits. Darryl Strawberrry provided the highlight with a 2-out bases loaded double in the bottom of the 7th.
·Full game report.
Manager's Notes
SP Ed Whitson has cooled off from his hot start. He rolled a grand slam against Collins, but fortunately the latter had W power so we gave up only two runs. The A's added a solo homer in the bottom of the 5th to lead 4-0.
In the top of the 6th Rickey Henderson and Willie Randolph were able to steal bases to get in scoring position. C Heath missed his throw trying to nab Randolph at 2B, which scored Henderson from 3B for our first run. We couldn't continue the rally, though.
In the top of the 8th Don Mattingly hit a RBI single to try to get something going. Dave Winfield added a RBI but I let Mattingly round for home and he got thrown out. Fortunately Winfield took 3B and reached home when PH Ron Hassey singled. Tie game!
In the bottom of the 9th C Hassey allowed two passed balls to advance Lansford to 3B with no out. We managed to get one out but Murphy hit a single that easily got past SS Bobby Meacham for the A's walk-off win. That 7-game win streak was nice while it lasted.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
San Francisco Giants 0 @ Montreal Expos 3
Expos SP Bryn Smith tossed an 8-inning 1-hitter today. Jeff Reardon completed the team effort with his 15th save of the season, best in the majors. 2B Vern Law starred on offense with a couple of solo home runs.
·Full game report.
Toronto Blue Jays 4 @ Cleveland Indians 0
The Blue Jays' Jimmy Key almost had 8 no-hit innings today. At 124 pitches, he left right after giving up one more hit. Bill Caudill finished the game for the Blue Jays. 3B Garth Iorg went 4 for 5 with a double and a run.
·Full game report.
In another strong pitching performance, the Los Angeles Dodgers' Orel Hershiser picked up his 3rd shutout of the season with a 4-hitter. The Dodgers won a close one over the New York Mets 1-0. Mike Marshall hit a solo homer in the top of the 9th and the Bulldog got the last three outs in the bottom half.
Manager's Notes
We quickly led from a Ron Hassey RBI double immediately followed by a Mike Pagliarulo sacrifice fly. We quickly scored runs and had a nice 8-2 cushion entering the bottom of the 6th. However SP Phil Niekro kept giving up deep balls and the Mariners roared back to tie 10-8 in the bottom of the 7th.
In the top of the 8th we started hitting again. Butch Wynegar and Pagliarulo hit consecutive doubles to tie the game at 10. In the top of the 9th Wynegar, who pinched hit earlier in the game for a lefty pitcher, forced a 2-out bases loaded walk off RHP Wills for the 11-10 lead!
In the bottom of the 9th Don Mattingly made an error on a tough grounder to put a Mariner on 1B with one out. After a Thomas strikeout, doubles specialist RF Bonnell was up bat. Closer Dave Righetti was able to get him to fly out to LF Rickey Henderson to take the hard-fought save. Our winning streak stays alive at 7 games, the best current streak in the majors. Good thing too, as the 1st place Baltimore Orioles are showing no signs of losing, either.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
Doyle Alexander threw a 3-hit shutout for the Toronto Blue Jays in their 7-0 win over the Cleveland Indians. He racked up 7 strikeouts and only two walks. Every Blue Jay got a hit and they were led by Damaso Garcia, who had 4 hits, 1 run, and 1 RBI.
Manager's Notes
Ken Griffey went from hero (RBI double in the 3rd inning) to goat (2-out DO3 and E2 in the 4th inning) to give us a 2-1 deficit to the Mariners. Presley immediately followed with a solo homer.
In the top of the 5th Dave Winfield hit a RBI single after SP Young walked three straight Yankees to load the bases. Butch Wynegar immediately followed with a 2-run double to seize a 4-3 lead. In the next inning Willie Randolph got a RBI single, and Winfield came up clutch with another one.
When our batters get hot, we stay hot. In the 8th inning the M's expected Randolph to bunt for a single. Willie responded by rolling a 1 for a solo home run to follow up Mike Pagliarulo's 7th inning solo tater. Don Mattingly immediately followed with a solo hoomer as RP Thomas looked overmatched. Dave Winfield did his best Rickey Henderson impersonation by stealing 2B and 3B to set up another run after 3B Presley commited an error on a Wynegar grounder.
Ron Guidry cruised to another complete game, striking out 7 Mariners in the process. Guidry now holds a slim lead for ERA in the A.L. with 2.12 as Jack Morris of the Detroit Tigers has 2.14. Seattle went 0 for 7 with RISP. Henderson's A.L. leading 13-game hitting streak was snapped, but it wasn't for nothing as he had two walks, a sacrifice bunt, and a run.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
Houston Astros 3 @ Pittsburgh Pirates 1 (10 innings)
Nolan Ryan struck out 15 Pirates in 9 full innings. He wasn't needed after the top of the 10th when Kevin Bass hit a 2-run home run to take the lead 3-1. Jeff Calhoun picked up his first save of the season.
·Full game report.
Manager's Notes
SP Ed Whitson nearly got out of a 1-out jam with men in scoring positions, but a passed ball by C Ron Hassey gave a run to Seattle. However in the top of the 3rd Dave Winfield smashed a 2-run double for a 2-1 lead for us. Don Mattingly immediately followed with a RBI single. Not long after Bobby Meacham forced a 2-out bases loaded walk to extend our lead to 4-1.
In the bottom of the 3rd the Mariners kept getting hits off Whitson. The game was tied 4-4 with men on the corners and no out. Cowens hit a lomax to 3B Mike Pagliarulo, who turned a double play. In the bottom of the 4th Don Mattingly squeezed Henry Cotto home and Ron Hassey singled Rickey Henderson home from 2B. The lead evaporated as Whitson just couldn't get the Mariners out.
With the Mariners ahead 8-6 in the top of the 5th, Rickey Henderson, who gave the Mariners a run in the last inning with an E2, blasted a 2-out 3-run home run for a 9-8 lead! RF Cowens committed an E3 to get Winfield to 3B. Mattingly scored a RBI double to make it 10-8.
We each scored one more run late in the game. Our relievers today - Rich Bordi, Dennis Rasmussen, Brian Fisher, and Dave Rigetti yielded no earned run in 5.2 innings . We left 14 on base compared to only 4 for the M's. Both teams' batters did great with RISP - 8 for 18 for us and 4 for 9 for the Mariners. Starting pitching didn't star today but we walked away with a good win.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
Manager's Notes
Today was a very exciting pitcher's duel between the Angels' Candelaria and the Yankees' Marty Bystrom. Both starters survived runners in scoring position in the 1st inning and cruised. In the bottom of the 6th Jackson hit a solo shot for a 1-0 lead. In the next inning Willie Randolph hit a two-run shot that barely cleared the wall for a 2-1 lead for us.
In the top of the 9th RP Lugo got nervous with Bobby Meacham at 3B and Rickey Henderson batting with two outs. A short grounder turned into a wild throw that gave us a 3-1 lead. I put in CL Brian Fisher for the last out and he nearly blew it, giving up two baserunners in quick successions. A lineout ended it as we swept the Angels at Anaheim. We will have a well-deserved Monday off.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
Los Angeles Dodgers 1 @ Phiiladelphia Phillies 0
This was quite a pitcher's duel! The Dodgers' Orel Hershiser pitched 4-hit shutout. Jerry Koosman gave up only 2 hits in 8 innings, but gave up a run in the to of the 8th and the Phils' offense couldn't bail him out.
·Full game report.
Manager's Notes
In the top of the 4th Mike Pagliarulo came through for us with men in scoring position, as he made a sacrifice hit for a run. In the next inning Henry Cotto added a RBI single to make it 2-0. Rickey Henderson immediately followed with a two-run homer. Unfortunately in the bottom half Ron Guidry squandered the offense by allowing the Angels to tie the game with a Downing three-run homer.
In the top of the 7th I made a very silly mistake to have Don Mattingly swing away rather than squeeze Henderson home with one out to break the tie. Donnie lined out instead. However, in the bottom of the 8th PH Ken Griffey hit a two-out RBI single to get the lead back. Two walks and two base hits turned a close game into a rout. RP Dennis Rasmussen picked up an easy win in 2 2/3 innings of work.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
San Francisco Giants 0 @ New York Mets 3
Not to be outdone by the Giants yesterday, the Mets pitched a 2-hitter today. Sid Fernandez had a no-hitter until the 7th inning. He racked up 9 strikeouts and walked only 3 hitters. El Sid even did his part on offense by throwing in a RBI double.
·Full game report.
A honorable mention for today goes to the Houston Astros' SP Bob Knepper. He pitched a 3-hit shutout against the St. Louis Cardinals, winning 4-0.
Manager's Notes
The Angels jumped to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st thanks to a Jackson single. We had a great scoring threat in the top of the 3rd with men on 3rd and 2nd, but we popped out three straight times to end our threat. Jackson did it again in the bottom of the 3rd for a 2-0 lead. Dave Winfield ended the inning by making a catch at the warning track and then rolling a 20 to gun down Carew trying for 3B from 2B.
In the top of the 4th Don Baylor hit a S= to give us one run. We loaded the bases with two outs but Winfield flied out. Jackson got yet another RBI in the bottom of the 6th with a solo homer to make it 3-1 Angels.
In the top of the 8th we finally got to SP Sutton when Rickey Henderson hit a 2-out 2-run homer to tie the game 3-3. Henderson has hit safely in 10 consecutive games. In the top of the 9th I put in Dave Righetti for a left-vs-left match with Jackson, but the computer manager put in Benique, who popped out. Poor Reggie - he probably could have won the game.
In the bottom of the 10th the Angels had men on 3B and 2B with one out. Downing hit a gb(A)ss to Bobby Meacham, but I had moved the infield in and that saved us. In the top of the 13th Winfield, who had been 0-5 so far, finally got a hit with a RBI double to score Baylor from 1B. Mike Pagliarulo added a 2-run single. Our tired relief team had a great evening. They threw 8 shutout innings after taking over for SP Ed Whitson. Whitson continues to lead the A.L. with a 1..39 ERA. Closer Brian Fisher, who earned the win, has been hot lately, collecting 2 wins and 2 saves in 7 shutout innings.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
Detroit Tigers 1 @ Oakland Athletics 2 (10 innings)
SS Alfredo Griffin led the Athletics in hits, going 5 for 5. His 5th hit led off the 10th inning and it led to the walk-off run. Dwayne Murphy hit a double to advance Griffin from 2B for the win.
·Full game report.
San Francisco Giants 6 @ New York Mets 0
SP Atlee Hammaker threw a 2-hit shutout for the Giants. He threw exactly 100 pitches, walked no one, and struck out 8. Jose Uribe and Dan Gladden led the Giants' offense with 3 hits each.
·Full game report.
One more standout game was the Chicago Cubs' 8-1 win over the Atlanta Braves. SP Rick Sutcliffe threw a complete game. Even better, he hit home runs in the 2nd and 9th innings. There were many close gaes today, but the most interesting winning run may go to Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres. He forced a bases loaded walk with two outs in the top of the 9th. The Padres held on to win 4-3 over the Montreal Expos.
Manager's Notes
In the top of the 2nd #5 starter Bob Shirley couldn't contain the Rangers offense. They scored two runs, one of them being an errant throw from CF Rickey Henderson. In the bottom of the 2nd the starting pitcher got hurt and the next batter, Butch Wynegar, hit a solo homer to cut the deficit to 2-1.
In the bottom of the 4th Don Mattingly got things started off with a solo homer to avenge another run by the Rangers in the 3rd inning. We loaded the bases with two outs, but Billy Sample couldn't get the RBI we needed to tie the game.
Our relievers did their job and we had one out left in the bottom of the 9th. Mike Pagliarulo hit a huge shot over the center field wall to tie the game for us! Unfortunately in the top of the 10th Slaught hit a one-out triple. He then scored off Buechele's sacrifice fly.
Our batters fought too hard today to lose that easily. RP Harris couldn't stop us. A.L. batting leader Willie Randolph (.365 average) hit a RBI single that made Rickey Henderson round 3B. Henderson was able to beat C Slaught's tag to tie the game! Unfortunately the next batter, Mattingly, hit a double play lineout to 2B Harrah - at least that lomax didn't roll a triple play! The very next batter, Don Baylor, launched a single to LF Walker. Randolph had enough speed to round 3B and score for a big walk-off win.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
Kansas City Royals 11 @ Cleveland Indians 7
This game had quite a bit of offense. Brett Butler when 4 for 5 and Julio Franco was a perfect 5 for 5 for the Tribe, but the bottom 7 hitters of their lineup couldn't get as much done. The Royals' George Brett, Frank White, and Stele Balboni all hit two home runs each!!!
·Full game report.
Manager's Notes
We exchanged solo homers early in the game. Parrish got one for the Rangers in the top of the 2nd and Rickey Henderson got one for us in the bottom of the 4th. Excellent stealing helped Texas to get the lead back off a Harrah single in the top of the 5th.
Things got from bad to worse in the 6th inning, when Ron Hassey launched a throw into the outfield and the Rangers scored from 3B. A sacrifice fly added to the lead, 4-1. The Rangers used well-timed hits off our relievers to pad to their lead.
It was a bad, yet interesting, game for our hitters. We had only three hits, and all were solo homers! Mike Pagliarulo and Dave Winfield hit consecutive dingers to make the result a little more respectable for us.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
Danny Darwin earned his first win of the season with a 3-hit shutout in the Milwaukee Brewers' 2-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics. Bob Ojeda gave up one more hit in his own shutout as the Boston Red Sox won over the Seattle Mariners 6-0. Finally, the Los Angeles Dodgers crushed the Chicago Cubs 11-1. Third baseman Bill Madlock enjoyed a 2-homer and 5-RBI day. Orel Hershiser racked up 10 strikeouts. It was an awful day overall for the Cubs as they couldn't get much done with their 10 hits. 5 errors in one game didn't help!
Manager's Notes
Minnesota got to Ron Guidry early in the game with solo homers by Hrbek and Laudner in the 1st and 3rd innings, respectively. However the Twins' defense fell apart. Two errors by them in the bottom of the 4th led to three runs being scored. Mike Pagliarulo added a RBI for a 4-2 lead.
The Twins couldn't rediscover their offense. They left 6 men on bases and went 0 for 6 with RISP while we were 3 for 10. Two double plays, like yesterday, hurt them too. Guidry enjoyed a complete game and saw his ERA drop to 1.70. That was a two-game home sweep for us.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
We should be in 1st place right now, but the Baltimore Orioles just refuse to lose. Down 4-2 to the slumping Kansas City Royals in the bottom of the 9th, the O's eventually won off a Jim Dwyer 2-run walk-off homer. I am realizing right now that the Orioles have won 13 consecutive games! Perhaps more remarkable, the Royals, who as we know won the 1985 World Series in real life, have lost 15 consecutive games! Another first-place team, the Montreal Expos, eked out a win over the Houston Astros 6-4. Hubie Brooks hit two homers and totaled 5 RBIs to account for almost all of the Expos' offense.
Manager's Notes
In the bottom of the 3rd inning, Willie Randolph launched a 2-run homer to start us off 2-0. One half-inning later, Buransky hit his own 2-run homer that also landed at right ceter field.
On the bottom of the 5th, Randolph came through again by hitting an infield single that 2B Teufel threw wildly to 1B Hrbek for one more bases for our runners and RBI for Willie. Don Mattingly scored two more runners by immediately connecting for a deep double to CF.
We ended up getting a couple more runs. SP Marty Bystrom pitched 5 1/3 innings to go 4-0. RP Bob Shirley picked up a 3 2/3 inning save. We benefitted from two double plays and the Twins going 0 for 10 with RISP while we were 5 for 10.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
Texas Rangers 11 @ Detroit Tigers 4
Toby Harrah overwhelmed the Tigers pitching with 5 hits and 2 RBIs. He now leads the Rangers with a .330 batting average.
·Full game report.
Manager's Notes
There wasn't much offense in this game. Mike Pagliarulo hit a solo homer that barely cleared the fence in the top of the 3rd. In the bottom of the 7th SP Ed Whitson suffered a passed ball by C Butch Wynegar that tied the game for the Royals. The former, however, was able to get out of further trouble.
In the top of the 9th we had consecutive extra-bases hits thanks to Wynegar (double that could've been a triple) and Bobby Meacham (an actual triple!). Pagliarulo got another RBI with a sacrifice fly. Brian Fisher enjoyed a 1-2-3 inning for the save and the sweep.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
There were a couple of interesting games today. The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres nearly went 10 scoreless innings. In the bottom of the 10th the Friars' Graig Nettles hit a leadoff walk-off homer for the 1-0 win. Elsewhere at Cincinnati, the Reds' Dave Parker hit 2 homers and totaled 5 RBIs to rough up Nolan Ryan and the Houston Astros 9-2.
February 14, 2020 update - At this point, I have upgraded my computer game to 2020. I found out there were a lot of lineup and computer manager updates to the 1985 league, so I did all of them manually since I am in the middle of a season. I look forward to enjoying this replay without worrying about a gb(B) resulting in an automatic throw out at home plate for my runner on 3B.
Manager's Notes
I didn't manage this game well. I kept swinging into double plays rather than use sacrifice bunts. In addition, I left SP Niekro in too long and he gave up two homers that turned the game from a 3-0 shutout to a 4-4 extra-innings tie. We finally hit pay dirt in the 13th inning when Mike Pagliarulo managed a bases-loaded single off new RP Quisenberry for the 5-4 lead. Dave Righetti recorded the save for us.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
Manager's Notes
SPs Ron Guidry and Saberhagen traded shutout innings until the bottom of the 6th. Guidry couldn't prevent McRae from hitting a line drive that narrowly went into the outfield to score a man from 3B. However in the very next inning 3B Mike Pagliarulo did one better by smashing a two-run homer off RP Lacoss for a 2-1 lead.
We added a couple more insurance runs late in the game and the Royals couldn't get anything more against Guidry. Ron improved to 4-3 for the season and now has a 1.66 ERA.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
The Los Angeles Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals played a shutout marathon with almost no runs in 12 innings. In the bottom of the 12th Pedro Guerrero hit a walk-off single to score Marlo Duncan, who had just tripled. John Tudor pitched 11 innngs and 3 hits in vain for the Cardinals. Fernando Valenzuela pitched one out short of nine innings for the Dodgers and RPs Ken Howell got the win over RP Ken Dayley.
Manager's Notes
For most of the game it was another frustrating affair for our offense, as we managed only one hit against SP Blyleven, who is the A.L. leader in strikeouts. In the top of the 8th we got three hits off him as he ran out of gas. Rickey Henderson took advantage of RP Filson, no outs, and infield in to hit a double play ball that turned into a S= for a 2-1 lead.
Marty Bystrom did an excellent job of limiting the Twins to only a bases-loaded walk as their only run. After 7 2/3 innings Bob Shirley and Dave Righetti earned holds and Brian Fisher pitched a tough last 2/3 inning for the save.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
Manager's Notes
This was a frustrating game overall. SP Phil Niekro had one bad inning, the bottom of the 4th, and it cost us when Salas hit a triple that scored two teammates. Our RISP was 2 for 9 and we left 11 men on bases. A few times, we had men in scoring position but couldn't get the hits we needed. This includes the top of the 9th when we loaded the bases with two outs but Ron Hassey's grand slam attempt was caught at the warning track.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
Manager's Notes
After a solo homer by McRae in the top of the 2nd, we had a few frustrating efforts to score a man from 3B until the bottom of the 3rd. Don Matttingly hit a two-out triple to score Dave Winfield and tie the game. In the bottom of the 6th, Bobby Meacham added a 2-out S= to score Mattingly from 2B for the 2-1 lead.
Our offense got to work in the bottom of the 7th. The highlight was Meacham rolling a 2-out grand slam, but with it being off RP Jones' card, it turned into a S=. Prior to that Mattingly and Butch Wynegar forced bases-loaded walks. SP Ron Guidry cruised to a complete game as we earned a confidence-building home sweep against the Royals with the day off tomorrow.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
Manager's Notes
Ed Whitson continues his superb start to the season as one of our starters. He pitched 8 shutout innings before running out of gas and letting RP Rich Bordi finish the job. Whitson ended the day with a 1.10 ERA, the best in the majors. We had a 2-run single by Willie Randolph in the bottom of the 2nd. Another offensive burst in the bottom of the 8th sealed the deal. To the Royals' credit, we actually managed only 4 hits the entire game.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
Houston Astros 4 @ Philadelphia Phillies 0
The ageless Nolan Ryan continues to write a Hall of Fame career with the best pitching performance of the season so far. He started with 5.2 no-hit innings. He finished the game with 1 hit and 16 strikeouts!!! The current MLB batting leader, Jose Cruz, paced the offense with 4 hits and 2 runs to raise his batting average to .421.
·Full game report.
Today also saw perhaps the most clutch hit I've seen on a SOM replay. Down 6-3 in the bottom of the 9th with two outs, Spike Owen mashed a grand slam for the Seattle Mariners' thrilling 7-6 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Manager's Notes
This game started well. Sac fly for the Royals in the top of the 1st, but Rickey Henderson countered with a leadoff homer. Motley hit a solo shot the next inning and we squandered two opportunities to tie the game before Billy Sample hit a RBI double with Hassey beating the throw to home plate. The very next batter, Mike Pagliarulo, rolled a TR1fb... and rolled a 1! Dave Winfield added a RBI double to make the lead 4-2.
In the top of the 7th Phil Niekro had to leave the game with men at the corners and two outs. Wilson tried to steal 2B but Hassey, with his +1 arm, rolled a 19 and got him out! RP Dave Righetti and Brian Fisher finished the last two innings for the hold and the save. Don Mattingly now leads the A.L. in batting average with .386 in part thanks to his solo homer in the bottom of the 7th.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
Toronto Blue Jays 12 @ Seattle Mariners 5
The Blue Jays' Jesse Barfield hit a solo homer and totaled 5 RBIs today. DH Cliff Johnson added 4 RBIs of his own. .206 hitter Lloyd Moseby broke out of his slump in a big way, going 5 for 6.
·Full game report.
Manager's Notes
In the bottom of the 1st I let a Texas run score to hold a man at 2B for a potential double play, which I got with the next batter. Unfortunately the SP Hough did a great job of handcuffing my offnese until the top of the 7th. We loaded the bases with two outs when the computer put in Welsh with lefty DH Ken Griffey up. I put in Don Baylor and he got plunked for a rather unusual run!
Unfortunately earlier that inning Dave Winfield got hurt popping out (I play with rest-of-game-injured rules). Dan Pasqua, the only other RF in the entire team (including minor leaguers) took over and quickly gave up a TR3 with an E2 to McDowell. :-( A Billy Sample error in LF resulted in another two runs. Another series loss for us as we head into a day off.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
Toronto Blue Jays 0 @ California Angels 1 (11 innings)
In a great duel the Blue Jays' Doyle Alexander and the Angels' Kirk McCaskill threw nearly nine full shutout games between them (Alexander left after two outs in the 9th). McCaskill gave up only two hits in all. In the 11th inning Rupert Jones hit a two-out solo homer off Bill Caudill for the walk-off win.
·Full game report.
Today's star batting performance came from Robin Yount. He hit 2 homers and totaled 5 RBIs for the Milwaukee Brewers in their 7-2 win over the Oakland Athletics.
Manager's Notes
Using our #5 starter Bob Shirley today, we didn't do very well in limiting the Rangers' bats. They got 13 hits total as they had a hard time missing our pitches. Our offense only managed a solo homer by Don Mattingly today.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
Minnesota Twins 11 @ Detroit Tigers 1
Bert Blyleven had an easy 2-hitter today for the Twins. Gary Gaetti led the Twins' offense with 2 doubles and 5 RBIs.
·Full game report.
In a very impressive hitting performance today, the Cleveland Indians' Julio Franco was a single shy of a cycle and totaled 6 RBIs. Four came from a grand slam and two came from a bases-clearing triple. The Indians won over the Kansas City Royals easily, 13-3. SP Keith Creel had an easy complete game as his teammates totaled 18 hits.
Manager's Notes
Early in the game Ron Hassey, Billy Sample, and Mike Pagliarulo all hit RBIs for one run in each of the first three innings. Willie Randolph broke the game wide open with a 2-run single in the 4th inning, and Hassey immediately followed with a homer.
We scored a few more and Texas scored a couple. SP Marty Bystrom and RP Dennis Rasmussen (finally using him for the first time this season) stayed mostly out of trouble to keep the quick Rangers from touching too many bases.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
The California Angels snapped a 5-game losing streak by winning their home game against the Boston Red Sox. Down 3-2, Brian Dowing and Ruppert Jones each hit a solo homer in the bottom of the 8th for the game-winning runs.
Manager's Notes
The White Sox's best hitter in recent days, Kittle, hit a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 3rd for a 4-0 start for Chicago. SP Dotson started with almost 5 no-hit innings as our bats continue to slump. Baines added a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 5th.
We mounted a comeback in the top of the 7th that was capped by a two-RBI double by Don Mattingly. Ron Hassey added a solo homer in the 8th to cut the lead to 7-5. We had two men on base but couldn't finish the rally. The Sox's two homers really did us in today. On the bright side, SP Phil Niekro was able to pitch all the way to rest our bullpen.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
The Detroit Tigers crushed the Milwaukee Brewers today 10-1. DH Johnny Grubb totaled 2 homers and 5 RBIs. Frank Tanana took advantage of lopsided score to throw a complete game.
Manager's Notes
It was another scoreless affair until the bottom of the 5th, when Fletcher hit a 2-out double to score teammates from 2B and 1B. Our hitting was awful today and SP Burns had a no-hitter for almost 7 innings, when DH Don Baylor broke it with a double. Almost immediately the computer manager put in RP Agosto, who proceeded to give up a RBI single to Dave Winfield. That was the only hits we could muster today, unfortunately.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
The Los Angeles Dodgers outlasted the San Diego Padres in 14 innings yesterday. It was a 3-3 tie after 9 innings and both team sscored 2 runs in the 11th inning. Finally in the 14th inning Bill Madlock was able to force a 2-out bases-loaded walk for the 6-5 walk-off win.
Manager's Notes
It was a very well-pitched duel between starters Ed Whitson and Seaver. The White Sox first came the closest to scoring a run when they had men in the corners and no out. RP Rich Bordi was able to strike out Kittle, induce a F3 against Baines, and a groundout against Salzar to keep the game scoreless.
In the bottom of the 9th we almost had the game won. PH Billy Sample hit off RP Agosto to CF Salazar, but Dave Winfield got thrown out trying to score from 2B by CF Salazar. Salazar did the same thing to us earlier in the game. Still 0-0 into extra innings.
In the top of the 13th Rickey Henderson rolled a HR17TR, but unfortunately rolled a 19. Don Mattingly completed a 0 for 6 day by grounding out, ending his hitting streak and our scoring threat. In the bottom of the 13th Fisk rolled a split homer, but the 20-sided dice made it a deep fly to the LF.
In the top of the 14th with two outs, Sample was clutch and hit a single to Salazar. Winfield rounded 3B from 2B and I stupidly told the 3B coach to hold Willie Randolph, but to our surprise Salazar threw the ball anyway.
In the bottom of the 14th Dave Righetti totally fell apart in the save opportunity and gave up three consecutive hits and a run. Joe Cowley was able to get us out of the inning alive. Unfortunately I had the IF in with one out in the bottom of the 15th and Guillen on 3B. The next batter, Walker, rolled a double play ball, but because of my defense, the ball went through the infield. The White Sox won 2-1 thanks to Walker's 4-for-6 performance.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
Chicago Cubs 4 @ Philadelphia Phillies 0
Rick Sutcliffe has started the season 4-0 and with a 1.46 ERA after his two-hit shutout against the Phillies today. For good measure he threw in 2 hits (.286 batting average so far) and a run.
·Full game report.
There were also a couple of standout hitting performances. Willie Upshaw hit 2 homers and 5 RBIs to lead the Toronto Blue Jays offense past the Texas Rangers 12-1. Spike Owen hit two homers for the Seattle Mariners' 3-1 win over the California Angels with the second one being the game-winning two-run blast in the bottom of the 10th inning.
Manager's Notes
I had this game "televised" to demonstrate the SOM Baseball game to a friend. See below if you haven't already seen it on my SOM home page.
Long story short, our bats overwhelmed the Red Sox pitching. Mike Pagliarulo had 2 doubles and 3 RBIs. Willie Randolph helped with the scoring with a S= with men on 2B and 3B in the bottom of the 4th for the lead, and later on he added a sacrifice fly. SP Marty Bystrom pitched himself into trouble and out of the game by loading the bases in the top of the 6th, but RP Joe Cowley was able to finish the last four innings of the game without too much damage done.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
Manager's Notes
In the bottom of the first DH Don Baylor hit a 2-run split homer that barely cleared the left-field wall (1 roll).
We scored another run in the 2nd inning off a Willie Randolph RBI. Boston's CF Armas hit a solo homer off SP Phil Niekro to make it 3-1, and the Red Sox had men in scoring positions several other times, but were only able to go 1 for 7.
In the bottom of the 8th Don Mattingly kept his 11-game hitting streak alive with a solo homer to put us ahead 4-1. In addition to that streak, Donnie Baseball is leading the majors with a .471 batting average and 19 RBIs. Niekro is tied with Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets for most wins with 4 (4-0 record).
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
Manager's Notes
It was a pitcher's duel between Ron Guidry and Clemens for half the game. In the bottom of the 5th Bobby Meacham hit a relatively rare DO3 to score Ken Griffey from 1B.
In the top of the 7th 3B Mike Pagliarulo committed his second error of the game. He turned a double play ball into a one-run E2. With two outs, RP Rich Bordi threw a wild pitch to score a run for the Red Sox. I let Bordi finish the game to save my relievers for the next two, as our offense was inefficient tonight anyway.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
In other news, the Oakland Athletics had a 5-3 lead over the California Angels in the bottom of the 8th, but it wasn't enough. Closer Jay Howell threw two consecutive bases-loaded walks against Gary Pettis and Reggie Jackson that enabled the Halos to take the 6-5 lead and the win.
MLB Notes
Milwaukee Brewers 5 @ Chicago White Sox 0
Brewers SP Ray Burris started with six no-hit innings. He finished with a 2-hitter over the White Sox. 3B Paul Militor and 1B Cecil Cooper both have 11-game hit streaks and each had two hits. Molly led the offense with 3 runs, which were more than enough for the win.
·Full game report.
MLB Notes
Los Angeles Dodgers 4 @ San Francisco Giants 9
Giants CF Dan Gladden provided much of the offense for the Giants today. He went 5 for 5 with 3 RBIs and 3 runs of his own. LF Jeffrey Leonard also contributed with 5 RBIs.
·Full game report.
In a high-scoring contest, the Detroit Tigers prevailed in 10 innings over the Cleveland Indians, 10-9. The game-winning run came thanks to a walk, a balk, two fly outs, and two two-out wild pitches. RP Bryan Clark couldn't find the hlome plate and Kirk Gibson was able to score the winning run. In a much better pitching performance, John Tudor pitched a 10-hit shutout for the St. Louis Cardinals against the New York Mets. It was a scoreless game and Tudor's Cards had only three hits themselves. The last one was a walk-off homer by Willie McGee for a 1-0 win.
Manager's Notes
In the bottom of the first inning Rickey Henderson got thrown out by RF Vukovich trying to score from 2B on a single (20 roll and 85% safe chance). In the same inning, Mike Pagliarulo had a 2-out grand slam opportunity but hit a deep fly out. However the next inning Willie Randolph was able to hit a RBI single to start us in the lead.
In the top of the 5th Cleveland managed to score a run. They had men on 3B and 1B with two outs and oddly the computer manager went for a double steal. Carter at 3B had a 40% safe chance and Hargrove at 1B 25%. Guess which base I threw to. ;-) That was an easy out that got SP Ed Whitson out of a jam. In the bottom half Don Mattingly continued to play like a MVP candidate with a two-out RBI single for a 2-1 lead.
In the bottom of the 6th we pressed the Indians' relievers and scored a two-out bases-loaded walk and then RBI single. We had a normal three-run-lead-or-less save situation in the bottom of the 9th so Dave Righetti was put in to pick up his first save of the season.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
Los Angeles Dodgers 2 @ San Diego Padres 0
It didn't take long for this season to see a no-hitter. Orel Hershiser pulled it off, but it wasn't easy for his Dodgers. The game was tied 0-0 before a Greg Brock single scored two runs to ensure Hershiser would need only nine innings. Congratulations to the Bulldog! I can't help but predict further heroics from him in the years to come.
·Full game report.
Manager's Notes
In the top of the 2nd inning SP Marty Bystrom couldn't get one last out and gave up three runs. In the bottom half a RBI double by Willie Randolph got us on the scoreboard. Unfortunately he got thrown out by CF Butler trying to score from a Henry Cotto single to end the inning.
Bystrom got ran out of the game by the 4th inning and gave up 7 runs. RP Joe Cowley had an admirable long relief stint and gave up only two more runs.
In the bottom of the 9th Cleveland's relievers started to implode and we couldn't get ourselves out. I'll let you read the play-by-play but I made a manager's decision, with men on 3B and 1B, not to have Dave Winfield steal 2B with one out. I was hoping for Mike Pagliarulo to hit a game-winning sacrifice fly, but unfortunately he hit into a double play to send us into extra innings.
I wish I could say we won the game, but unfortunately in the next inning RP Dave Righetti imploded as well. The Indians scored two runs, one off Righetti's wild pitch and another off a Butler single - remember he cost us a run earlier! Wow, 30 total hits for both teams today.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
Manager's Notes
It was slow for both teams offensively. Don Mattingly hit a sacrifice fly to score Rickey Henderson (who had made a 2-out steal of 3B) in the bottom of the 1st. Our bats came alive again in the bottom of the 7th when Mike Pagliarulo hit a solo homer and Bobby Meacham blasted a RBI double.
In the bottom of the 8th, in an attempt to pad our 3-1 lead, with the bases loaded and two outs, PH Butch Wynegar hit a single that 1B Hargrove mishandled to score two more runs for us. The game quickly got out of hand for the Indians pitching and we ended up with an easy 8-1 win.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
In a day that had a few players with two-homer games, Dave Kingman had the best one for his Oakland Athletics. He totaled 5 RBIs to go with his two homers. Kong's bat was the difference in a high-scoring 11-9 win over the visiting Minnesota Twins.
Manager's Notes
In the bottom of the 2nd Mike Pagliarulo hit a deep shot to right center field, but RF Baines was able to rob it. We hit pay dirt in the next inning, when Rickey Henderson hit a RBI triple for our first run. Don Mattingly hit a deep grounder to 1B Walker. Walker tried to throw out Henderson but failed for our second run.
In the bottom of the 9th Ron Guidry was two outs away from another shutout but he ran out of gas. Closer Brian Fisher gave up the game-tying double to Hulett. He almost gave up the game-tying run as well but he was able to get the last two outs.
In the bottom of the 10th, DH Don Baylor came through for us with a two-out S= to score Dave Winfield from 2B for the win. Winfield had a great game today as he was the only Yankee with multiple hits (four total). In addition, he hit THREE doubles! Those include the one that led to his game-winning run.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
Manager's Notes
Today was our home opener. Don Mattingly hit a solo homer in the bottom of the 4th, but the White Sox were able to tie it in the top of the 5th thanks to a squeeze play. Mattingly unfortunately made a silly mistake in the bottom of the 6th, when 2B Little pulled off the hidden ball trick to ruin Donnie's double. :-(
In the 8th inning the SP Ed Whitson couldn't get one last out. Our relievers couldn't stop Fisk from hitting a RBI single to score Boston from 2B. We threatened in the bottom half with two singles with two outs, but Rickey Henderson struck out to end a potential rally. RP Rich Bordi let things get out of hand in the top of the 9th, giving up four runs to seal our first loss of the season. White Sox SP Dotson enjoyed his complete game.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
Manager's Notes
The Yankees continued to show no mercy today. Don Mattingly hit a RBI single in the 1st and Ron Hassey hit a solo dinger in the 2nd. Rickey Henderson hit his first homer of the season in the 5th to score two more runs. We scored two more later in the game. Cleveland had many line drives that kept getting snagged by our middle infielders Willie Randolph and Bobby Meacham. They scored two runs off SP Phil Niekro, but not enough to prevent him from nabbing a 127-pitches complete game.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
San Diego Padres 6 @ Atlanta Braves 8
Dale Murphy was the difference maker for the Braves today. He hit three home runs and totaled 5 RBIs in a high-scoring contest.
·Full game report.
Manager's Notes
In the top of the 1st inning Don Mattingly hit a RBI to score Rickey Henderson. Ken Griffey, Sr. added a solo homer in the next inning. Mattingly added a two-run double that would've been three runs if Willie Randolph had not been gunned down at home plate by CF Butler and blocked by CA Willard. 4-0 Yankees.
In the top of the 8th Mattingly needed only a triple to hit for the cycle. That is usually where cycle attempts end... only Donnie Baseball hit a triple past 3B Jacoby! This is my game where a batter hits for the cycle. Wow! Mattingly wasn't quite finished yet. In the top of the 9th he added a double to total seven RBIs!!! What a nice way to resume this replay after nearly three months off.
In all we totaled 19 hits and 5 homers. The Indians were helpless against Ron Guidry as he pitched a second consecutive complete game and his first shutout of the season. He surrendered only four hits in an easy game.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
St. Louis Cardinals 0 @ Pittsburgh Pirates 3
Rick Reuschel started with 5 no-hit innings. He helped to ensure his 2-run shutout by scoring one of the runs of 1B Jason Thompson's 3-run homer in the 3rd inning.
·Full game report.
Manager's Notes
The Red Sox scored a run in the first inning. We slowly built a 3-1 lead thanks to RBIs in consecutive innings by Dave Winfield, Willie Randolph, and Mike Pagliarulo. SP Ed Whitson couldn't last five innings as he loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the 5th. RP Rich Bordi was able to get Rice to fly out to end the threat.
Rickey Henderson added two more runs in the top of the 6th thanks to aggressively stretching a single into a double. In the bottom of the 7th the Sox took advantage of bad relief pitching to come within one run thanks to Evans' 2-run homer. Don Mattingly answered that in the next inning with a two-run single for a 7-4 lead.
The Sox added a run, forcing me to go with Brian Fisher for a 1.1 inning save. Nothing like a sweep at Fenway Park with the day off tomorrow to celebrate a good start to the season.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
Manager's Notes
Dave Winfield hit a clutch 3-run homer in the top of the 1st to start us 3-0. In the next inning Winfield hit a 2-run single to get 5 RBIs already. Our batting was dominant today as we had 14 hits - only DH Don Baylor did not record one. Don't feel bad for him - he hit a RBI and scored a run. Phil Niekro took advantage of the huge lead to throw a 140-pitches complete game.
·Pre-game notes. · Full game report. · MLB recap.
MLB Notes
Chicago White Sox 3 @ Milwaukee Brewers 0
The ageless Tom Seaver pitched an incredible 2-hitter today in his season debut. 2B Scott Fletcher had 3 hits and 2 runs to ensure the White Sox opened their 1985 campaign with a win.
·Full game report.
Manager's Notes
It didn't take long for #2 hitter Rickey Henderson to assert himself as a force. In the 1st inning he hit a single, stole two bases, and scored off a Don Mattingly sacrifice fly. In the top of the 6th a tiring Clemens gave up a RBI single to Mike Pagliarulo to extend our lead to 2-0. However in the bottom half the Red Sox got clutch hits to tie the game 2-2.
In the top of the 9th Bobby Meacham had a man on 2B and launched a deep LF double to Rice. Rice must have been thinking of that double play he committed earlier in the game when that ball came to him. He not only allowed a DO3 for Ron Hassey to score from 2B, but Rice also committed an E2 for sort of an inside-the-park home run!
Ron Guidry was able to finish what he started for us. He gave up 8 hits, including three doubles and a triple (a double and a triple to Armas). However Ron was able to get himself out of trouble several times with key strikeouts (9 total) and a double play. The Red Sox were 1 for 10 with RISP. Henderson nabbed 4 bases already!
· Full game report. · MLB recap.
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