Re: KOD35 - Week 5 - 1972 Los Angeles vs. 1973 San Francisco

This series takes me back to a game I remember from Monday, September 3rd, 1973.  I was 11 years old, it was on TV (Monday Night Baseball).  The Dodgers were beating the Giants 8-1 through 6 innings.  San Fran erupted for 6 runs in the 7th to make it 8-7 and I was so excited seeing the comeback.  It went to the 9th, and aside from historical records being broken (Aaron, Ripken), one of the most dramatic innings I've seen.  The Dodgers brought in Pete Richert to pitch the 9th.  He walked Gary Thomasson to lead off the inning.  Dave Rader bunts him to second, but Thomasson beats the throw.  Mike Sadek hits for the pitcher, does another bunt, and the play fails to get the lead runner - another fielders' choice!  Bases loaded, Jim Brewer comes in to face Bobby Bonds.  A monster slam deep to left, the Giants walk off with a grand slam, win it 12-9!  From that day forward Bobby Bonds was a childhood hero.

Now to the series...thanks Marc for a fun afternoon.

September 6 - 1973 San Francisco 3, 1972 Los Angeles 2
Bobby Bonds' 2-run HR in the first inning off Claude Osteen and Gary Matthews' RBI single in the 4th put the Giants up 3-0.  Ron Bryant carried a shutout into the 6th until Jim Lefebvre's sac fly put LA on the board 3-1.  In the 7th, Duke Sims homered with the bases empty to make it 3-2 Giants.  The Dodgers put two men on in the 8th but Randy Moffitt retired Bobby Valentine to strand the potential tie and winning runs.  A perfect 9th closed it out for SF, 3-2.


September 7 - 1972 Los Angeles 4, 1973 San Francisco 1
Don Sutton took a no-hitter into the 6th and finished with a 4-1 complete game 4-hit win.  He struck out 7 and walked just 1.  Bill Buckner had a pair of RBI for the Dodgers.  It was Tito Fuentes' sinking line drive that broke Sutton's spell in the 6th.


September 8 - 1973 San Francisco 8, 1972 Los Angeles 0
You wouldn't know it by looking at the final score, but Jim Barr and Al Downing locked horns in a great pitching duel.  Scoreless until the 5th, Dave Rader's solo HR off Downing gave the Giants a 1-0 lead.  Barr was bend but don't break as LA had at least one runner on base in every inning but the 9th.  It started to fall apart in the 8th when Downing ran out of gas.  A single, a triple by Gary Matthews, and Tito Fuentes' squeeze bunt extended the Giants' lead to 3-0.  The Dodgers' resistance continued to crumble as singles by Bobby Bonds, Garry Maddox, and Dave Kingman plated another run, 4-0 SF.  In the 9th, it all broke loose as Bonds doubled home two more and Willie McCovey followed with a line drive into the stands in right - an 8-0 blowout.  Matthews, Bonds, and McCovey finished with 3 hits apiece.


September 9 - 1973 San Francisco 9, 1972 Los Angeles 6
Easily the best game of the set, the Giants took a 2-0 lead in the 2nd on RBI singles from Ed Goodson and Dave Rader.  Billy Buckner singled in a run in the 2nd, but this was matched in the 3rd by Bobby Bonds solo HR, 3-1 Giants.  Juan Marichal was cruising along but had a lapse in the 6th.  Bill Russell and Willie Davis reached base and Wes Parker stepped into one for a 3-run HR and a 4-3 LA lead!  But Dodger hopes for a series split were dashed in the 7th.  Bonds singled, stole 2nd, and score on Tito Fuentes' hit to knot things at 4-4.  A walk and Gary Matthews' single put the Giants up 5-4...and in stepped PH Willie McCovey to face Pete Richert.  Big Willie delivered, a 3-run HR to put the Giants up 8-4!  The Dodgers added a run in their 7th, and the Giants matched it in the 8th.  On to the bottom of the 9th...Steve Garvey leads off with a PH single.  Jim Lefebvre walks.  Enter Don Carrithers, and PH Manny Mota beats out a slow roller to load the bases with no outs!!  Carrithers fans Bill Russell for out #1.  Willie Davis grounds into a fielder's choice, Garvey scores, 9-6 SF.  Two down, up steps Wes Parker, already with one 3-run HR in his pocket...could he do it again?  Not today, as he bounced out to 2nd to end the game, a 9-6 SF win.


For the series, Wes Parker led the Dodgers batting .313 with the 3-run HR.  Manny Mota was 4 for 9 coming off the bench.  Claude Osteen and Don Sutton allowed just 1 ER in 17 IP.  On the Giants' side, Willie McCovey was 6 for 11 with a D, 2 HR, and 5 RBI.  Bobby Bonds went 7 for 17, 2 D, 2 HR, 5 runs, 4 RBI.  Gary Matthews chipped in a 6 for 18 series.