Houston Takes Series from Atlanta in Three Tight Games

Houston 4, Atlanta 3

W: Sambito (1-0)

L: Garber (0-1)

A Bob Horner homer off J.R. Richard and a sac fly from Dale Murphy gives Houston a 3-2 lead in the top of the ninth. Reliever Gene Garber gets the first two outs before Cesar Cedeno singles, steals second and scores on a hit by Jose Cruz, who goes to second on the throw home. Enos Cabell then grounds a single between first and second to give the 'Stros the comeback win.

Atlanta, 4, Houston 2

W: Garber (1-1)

L: Andujar (0-1)

S: Devine (1)

Atlanta breaks a 2-2 tie in the top of the ninth with a single to right-center by Glenn Hubbard that plates two off reliever Joaquin Andujar, who is not on his game. Adrian Devine comes in and promptly loads the bases for Houston with one out in the bottom of the ninth. But pinch hitter Jeffrey Leonard keeps both flaps down by striking out and then Jose Cruz ends the threat with an infield fly.

Houston 4, Atlanta 1

W: J. Niekro (1-0)

L: Matula (0-1)

S: Sambito (1)

Joe Niekro pitches eight innings of one run ball and drives in two with an RBI single. Atlanta rookie Rick Matula, in his first major league start, gives up three in the fourth inning but pitches well. Enos Cabell steals three bases for the running Astros but doesn't score any of the four runs. 

Orioles take 2 of 3 over White Sox

4-6-79  BAL 5-1

Dauer drives in 2 runs and Palmer goes the distance giving the O's opening game win.

4-7-79 BAL 5-1

Lee May collects 2 hits including a 2b with 3 RBI.  Flanagan goes 7.1 IP to pick up the win.

4-8-79 Sox 3-2

Tied at 2 after 8, Sox load the bases against reliever Tippy Martinez with Washington scoring go ahead run on a Soderholm SF.  LaGrow throws 2 scoreless innings of relief to pick up the win.

Padres Stun Dodgers. Champs Fall 3-1

Game 1
Gaylord Perry and Burt Hooten pitch well and the only runs scored were in the 8th when the Padres put up 3 on a 2 out bunt single by Ozzie Smith, a Mike Hargrove double and IBB to Dave Winfield, a Hooten wild pitch and a Jerry Turner 2 run single.  Padres win 3-0.

Game 2
It's Randy Jones for SD and Don Sutton for LA.  The Padres score one in the 2nd on a Barry Evans double and 2 more in the 4th on a Fernando Gonzalez single and a Fred Kendall SF to take a 3-0 lead.  The Dodgers got one back in the 4th off a SF by Steve Garvey and then scored 3 in the 7th on an error and two bases loaded walks to take the lead.  Bob Welch came on to pitch 2 scoreless innings for the save.  Dodgers win 4-3

Game 3
Eric Rasmussen and Andy Messersmith paired off in game 3 and Messersmith never found his rythem.  After the Dodgers gave him a 1-0 lead in the first Messersmith gave up 2 runs in the 2nd and 3rd and one more in the 4th before being lifted for Jerry Reuss who also gave up a run in the 4th to give San Diego a 6-1 lead after 4.  Winfield's 2 run HR in the 3rd went 435 feet and got out of the ballpark in a hurry.  Los Angeles got single runs in the 6th (a Garvey HR) and the 8th (a Garvey SF) but that was all the offense the Dodgers could muster.  Padres win 6-3

Game 4
Bob Owchinko and Doug Rau met in the last game of the series and LA struck early as Garvey once again hurt the Padres pitching staff with a 2 run HR in the first giving him 6 RBI for the series.  Rau held the Padres scoreless until the 6th when Turner hit a solo HR to cut the score in half.  Then with 2 out and a runner on first Rau came undone as he made the cardinal sin of walking the opposing pitcher.  San Diego followed that with a Richards single to load the bases and Ozzie Smith singled to center to score 2 runs to give the Padres the lead.  Lance Rautzhan came on to try and get the last out of the inning and immediately tossed a wild pitch to score Richards and San Diego led 4-2.  That 4th run proved big for the Padres as Dusty Baker hit a HR in the bottom of the 7th to bring the Dodgers within one but Steve Mura came on to get the last 6 outs.  Padres win 4-3 and win series 3-1

Mets Split With Cubs

Split the 2 games. Mets take game 1,  6 to 4 in 10 innings as Stearns smacks a 2 run homer to win it.  The Cubs win game 2, 4 to 0 as Holtzman and Sutter combined for 2 hitter.  

Opening Day! Coming Friday 1/31/14

Can Steve Garvey and the LA Dodgers do what no other team in ARAIGBB has yet to do?  Repeat as 

Can the Dodgers repeat in 1979?

World Series Champs!  Their quest will be underway this week as the OPENING DAY game disk will be sent out this Friday (1/31/14).  We still have 2 open teams (San Francisco Giants & Atlanta Braves) in case you know of anyone who would like to join.

If anyone is interested in posting to this blog, please let me know and I'll send you an invite.

1979 Topps Card Update Set - in progress!

As always, thanks to Marc Weiss for creating these awesome cards to use w/ our ARAIGBB 1979 game.

Tim Raines

 To follow along on the card updates, click on the link, and become a follower:

http://1979cards.blogspot.com/

Dodgers Crowned '78 Champs!

Game 1
It's Burt Hooten for the Dodgers and Dennis Leonard for the Royals to kick off the 1978 World Series.  Each team

Dodgers celebrate Rick Monday 3 run blast.

went down quietly in the first 2 innings before Los Angeles erupted for 6 runs in the 3rd with half of those runs coming on a Rick Monday 3 run HR.  That was pretty much the ball game as Kansas City put up solo runs in the 4th and 7th and could only manage 4 hits as Hooten tossed a complete on only 95 pitches.  Los Angeles takes game one , 7-2.

Game 2
Game 2 is a match up of two southpaws, Tommy John for LA and Larry Gura for KC.  Both teams struck early with a pair of runs in the first frame, the Dodgers via a Reggie Smith 2 run HR and the Royals on an IF ground out and a Darrell Porter 2 out single.  Both pitchers then settled down tossing goose eggs.  John was removed in the 6th after allowing the first 2 batters to reach base.  Bob Welch came on to get the Dodgers out of trouble and keep the game tied.  Meanwhile, Gura was doing the same as he went 8 innings without allowing any further runs.  The tie breaker came in the bottom of the 8th when John Wathan hit a ball down the left field line that just cleared the fence to give KC a 3-2 lead.  Closer, Al Hrabosky sealed the deal in the 9th and the series is tied 1-1.

Game 3
The series moves to LA for the next 3 games and it is Paul Splittorff for the Royals and Don Sutton for the Dodgers.  Like game 1 the sides go down quietly in the first 2 innings before LA once again has a big inning.  With 2 outs and 2 on, Reggie Smith hits his 2nd HR of the series for a 3-0 Dodger lead.  LA follows that with a single, walk, single, single off Splittorff for 2 more runs and a 5-0 lead.  It proved to be enough as Sutton pitched well and was removed after 8th and Charlie Hough pitched a perfect 9th for a 6-0 Dodger win.  Los Angeles 2  Kansas City 1

Game 4
It is Rich Gale for the Royals and Doug Rau for the Dodgers in game 4.  Kansas City takes an early 1-0 lead in the 2nd

George Brett homer ties series
at 2-2.

on a Darrell Porter HR and then add another in the 6th on a Pete LaCock RBI double.  The Dodgers get a run back in the bottom of the 6th on a Steve Garvey single but George Brett goes long in the 7th for a 3-1 Kansas City lead.  Al Hrabosky comes on in the 9th to earn his 2nd save and the series is tied at 2.

Game 5
Game 5 sees a re-match between game 1 starters, Dennis Leonard and Burt Hooten.  This time the Royals jump on Hooten first and grab a 2-0 lead as Clint Hurdle goes long.  However, the 3rd inning has proven to be big innings for the Dodgers and so it was again.  After Garvey gets an RBI single to make the score 2-1, Rick Monday hits his 2nd 3 run HR of the series to make it 4-2 Los Angeles.  Reggie Smith adds another run in the 6th on his 3rd HR of the series and Leonard hits the showers after 6 innings and on a 5-0 losing end.  Marty Pattin comes on in relief in the 7th only to give up a Bill Russell HR and then a Steve Yeager 3 run blast in the 8th as the Dodgers run away with this one, 9-3 and take a 3-2 lead in the series.

Game 6
The series moves back to Kansas City for game 6 and the Royals trot out lefty, Larry Gura to try and send the series onto a 7th game.  Tommy John is trying to close out the series for the Dodgers.  Unlike in game 2, Gura immediately exhibited control issues as he walked 3 batters in the first inning, the third one walking in a run.  Los Angeles added 2 more runs in the 2nd on a Davey Lopes 2 run HR for a 3-0 lead.  The Royals cut that to 3-2 on a Darrell Porter RBI triple and a RBI ground out in the bottom of the 2nd.  That is the way the score remained until the 8th inning when PH Manny Mota worked a bases loaded walk to get an insurance run for the Dodgers, 4-2.  Bob Welch came in with 2 out in the 6th and, unlike in game 2, shut the door on the Royals for the rest of the game to earn the save and give the Los Angeles Dodgers a win and make them World Series Champions.

MVP:  Reggie Smith   .286    7 runs   8 RBI  4 HR