After a dismal start the Braves are now back at .500 (10-10) after the series with the first place Giants

April 27, 1971
Atlanta -- Atlanta takes game 1 of the series 5-3 behind Hank Aaron's 3 for 4 day and Cepeda's 6 homer of the year. 


April 28, 1971
Atlanta -- Atlanta takes game 2 of the series by pounding the first place Giants 10-3. Ralph Garr goes 3/5, McCovey for the Giants blasts homer #7 in the loss. 


April 29, 1971
Atlanta -- Giants come back to take game 3 of the series 6-3. McCovey again the star going 2 for 4 and blasting homer #8 on the season.

Cards Arch Two Wins around Two Mets Wins

April 26, 1971
ST. LOUIS -- Bob Gibson (3-2) did battle with Tom Seaver (2-2) today in the Gateway City. Neither were at their best with Gibson yielding 11 hits over 9 IP and Seaver giving up 9 in 7 IP. The difference was the clutch-hitting by the home club. The Mets left 13 men on base. The Redbirds just 6 as St. Louis took a 7-5 win. Gibson helped himself with 2 RBI and 2 hits.

April 27, 1971
ST. LOUIS -- Bud Harrelson drove in 3 with a pair of hits to help Jerry Koosman (2-1) defeat Steve Carlton (2-2), 5-4, in another marquee pitching match-up. Cleon Jones also contributed to the NY offense, going 3 for 3 with 2 walks.

April 28, 1971
ST. LOUIS -- The New York Jets, I mean Mets, defeated the St. Louis Cardinals (this was 1971) by a touchdown, 14-7. This was as ugly as a bad football game. Tim Foli led the Mets with 5 RBI on two hits. Jones knocked in 4 with 3 hits. Jerry Grote had a 4-3-3-3 line. Gary Gentry (3-1) started and got the win. Mike Torrez (0-3) and George Brunet sucked for the Redbirds.

April 29, 1971
ST. LOUIS -- Jerry Reuss (2-3) gave St. Louis what it desperately needed, a start that lasted into the late innings. Reuss hurled 8 IP, scattering 7 hits for just 1 run in a 4-1 Cardinals victory to split the series. Chuck Taylor (3) finished up in the 9th. Joe Torre (4) blasted a 2-run HR off Nolan Ryan (0-1) to lead the offense.

Redbirds Perch on Bats for 3 games; Bats are in the Belfry in Game 2

April 22, 1971
ST. LOUIS -- Steve Carlton (2-1) surrendered a 3-run home run to Deron Johnson (1) in the 3rd inning, but was extremely efficient otherwise, The Cardinals took the contest 8-3. Ted Sizemore and Joe Torre had 3 knocks apiece for the Redbirds.

April 23, 1971
ST. LOUIS -- Title this one, "Nightmare Under the Arch." It;s one Cardinals SP Mike Torrez (0-2) will be re-living in his sleep for years to come. Before he hit the showers (cue Psycho music) in the 1st inning after just 2 were out, he had been slashed for 8 earned runs on 4 hits with 6 walks. All told, 12 Phils came to bat before George Brunet was summed to fan Willie Montanez and end it. That was just end the 1st. Philadelphia evened the series with a 13-1 final pounding. So desperate were the Cardinals to find someone who could record outs, they had Matty Alou and Bob Burda volunteer to take the mound in the final 2 innings. Surprisingly, the pair surrendered just 1 run on 3 hits with 1 BB. Barry Lersch (1-2) was the beneficiary, going the full route for the visitors. Bobby Pfeil provided the biggest bat, going 4 for 6.

April 24, 1971
ST. LOUIS -- A pair of 5-run explosions in the 5th and 8th innings, propelled Redbirds to a 12-5 victory. Jose Cardenal had 2-run doubles in both the 5th and 8th as highlights. Sizemore also finished with 3 hits and 3 RBI. Jerry Reuss (1-3) earned his first W.

April 25, 1971
ST. LOUIS -- Jim Beauchamp doubled and tripled and drove in 3 runs as the Cardinals take the series with a tight 6-5 win. Reggie Cleveland (2-2) tossed 7 for the win with Frank Linzy (1) notching the save. Chris Short (2-2) came up on the losing side inthe record book. Tim McCarver (1) had 3 hits, including a long bomb against his old mates.

White Shoes Split with White Sox

April 16, 1971
CHICAGO -- Wilbur Wood (2-0) walked 4 and surrendered 7 hits, but still kept the Athletics off-balance enough to ring up a 4-0 shut out. Mike Andrews (1) helped the offensive cause with a 2-run long shot.

April 17, 1971
CHICAGO -- Reggie Jackson's (1) 3-run bomb in the 1st off Tom Bradley (0-1) was the difference maker in a 4-2 Oakland win. Rollie Fingers (2-0) started and pitched 7 2/3 for the win.

April 18, 1971 (Game #1)
CHICAGO -- The white shoes played the pants off the White Sox (Oh wait, that disaster comes 5 years later) in a 15-5 yawner. Vida Blue (2-0) went the distance, yielding 4 runs in the 9th when he was tiring. Joe Rudi missed a cycle by a 2B, but did post a 7-4-4-3 line. Bert Campaneris score 3 times with 3 base knocks.

April 18, 1971 (Game #2)
CHICAGO -- Sox win! Sox win! 5-4 on a two-out Carlos May 2-run single in the B9. But the Sox bullpen actually blew a great story line and nearly the game. Sox starting pitcher Terry Forster (aka, "Big Tub of Goo") left after 6 inning with a 3-0 lead. Despite not getting the W, I will still include the link to his famous David Letterman performance. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uL20VgJ7JM8

Dodgers take 2 of 3 from the ‘Stros

GAME 1 – Astros 10, Dodgers 0

Houston batted around for a 9 run inning in the top of the 6th to break a scoreless tie.  Pitchers Don Wilson and Sandy Vance locked up in a neat duel, until the latter lost it in the 6th.  Catcher Jack Hiatt (3-5) had 4 RBI and a homer.

GAME 2 – Dodgers 2, Astros 0

Bill Singer twirled a complete game 6 hit shutout.  LA scored solo runs in the 1st and the 6th off two Dick Allen RBI singles.  Singer fanned 6 and walked just 1.

GAME 3 – Dodgers 36, Astros 0

With one out in the 6th Wes Parker doubled off of Astros starter Jack Billingham.  Dick Allen lined a single to break up the scoreless tie.  Houston answered right back with a run of their own in the top of the 7th.  Allen’s one out two run shot in the 8th put LA up for good.  Claude Osteen went the distance allowing just 1 run off of 4 hits.  He ups his record to 3-1 (2.73) on the season.

Baltimore Drops First, Wins Two

4-16-71  New York 5 Baltimore 4 10 innings
WP  Aker (3-0, 0.00 ERA)
LP Watt (0-1, BS 1, 1.93 ERA)

Orioles pitcher Pat Dobson clung to  a 4-3 lead going into the 9th inning, before handing the reigns to
lock down pitcher Eddie Watt, to try and keep the Orioles unbeaten on the season.  But a wild pitch from Watt, with bases loaded, ignited the Yankee machine on a mission to be the first team to take down the O's this season.  New York would push the game to extra frames and then add on one more earned run to Watt's stats before games end.  The loss saw the Bronx Bombers tag Oriole pitching for 12 hits (by far the worst of the season for Baltimore) which included 9 hits out the Yanks top 3 guys in the order (Horace Clarke, Jake Gibbs and Felipe Alou).  The loss was the first of the season for Baltimore (7-1) and brought New York to just 1/2 game behind the Orioles in the AL East (7-2).

4-17-71  Baltimore 5 New York 2
WP Jackson (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
LP Keckich (0-1, 5 Ks, 2.77 ERA)

The Yankees carried the momentum from the game 1 victory right into game 2, jumping on the Orioles 2-0, going into the bottom of the 7th inning.  But that is when the Baltimore bats would awaken.  A two run bottom of the 7th and a 3 run bottom of the eighth barrage would send the Yanks whimpering home with thoughts of the previous day fading like the sun over Memorial Stdm.  The 3 run barrage was highlighted by a 3 run homer by star Brooks Robinson (2).  Starting pitcher Dave Mcnally pitched a nice game before giving way to Grant Jackson who would eventually get the win.

4-18-71  Baltimore 13  New York 0
WP Cuellar (3-0, 6 Ks, 2.52 ERA)
LP Bahnsen (1-2, 3.32 ERA)

A 4-run first, lead to a Baltimore beat down of the Yankees, as the Orioles would send the visiting AL East bullies home with their tails between their legs with a 13-0 loss.  Baltimore would amass 16 total hits on the game including homers by Elrod Hendricks (2) and Don Buford (2) as the Orioles flexed their AL East muscle in the victory.  Mike Cuellar was on point for the 3rd straight time, in as many outings, pitching a complete game shutout and allowing only 3 Yankee hits.  Cueller improves his record to 3-0 on the season and boasts a stellar 2.52 ERA.

The win keeps the Orioles on top of the AL East with a 9-1 record.  The Yankees fall to 7-4.

The Sauerkraut Tasted Better in Chitown After this Border Battle

April 14, 1971
CHICAGO -- Carlos May went 4-4 after scored the game-winning run after doubling in the B8 and trotted home on Ed Herrmann's (1) long blast. Sox won 4-2.

April 15, 1971
CHICAGO -- Ed Herrmann's (2,3) second HR of the game was a 3-run, walk-off bomb in the B9 sending the ChiSox fans home happy on a dreary, rainy, tax-day. Sox win 6-5.